A Useful Radiologic Method for Preoperative Joint-line Determination in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

Intraoperative joint-line determination during revision TKA is difficult and no method exists to plan the position preoperatively. Two questions need to be answered: to which extent does the joint line differ from its anatomic position after revision TKA if it has only been determined intraoperatively, and can the joint line be calculated preoperatively based on the transepicondylar width. Of 22 consecutive patients with complete preoperative (before and after primary TKA) and postoperative (after revision TKA) radiograph documentation, the joint-line position was measured on plane radiographs using the medial epicondyle as a reference. On another set of 45 consecutive patients with no knee disorders other than meniscal lesions, the transepicondylar axis width (TEAW) and the perpendicular distance from the medial and lateral epicondyles to the joint line were measured twice by two independent observers on plane AP radiographs of the knee. Significant joint-line alterations were observed after primary and revision TKA, implicating that a method for preoperative planning is needed. Because a linear correlation between the TEAW and the perpendicular distance from the epicondyles to the joint-line tangent was found, the ratio is useful to calculate the true joint-line position from the TEAW before revision TKA. Level of Evidence: Level III, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidenc

Ranging Sensor Fusion in LISA Data Processing: Treatment of Ambiguities, Noise, and On-Board Delays in LISA Ranging Observables

Interspacecraft ranging is crucial for the suppression of laser frequency noise via time-delay interferometry (TDI). So far, the effect of on-board delays and ambiguities in the LISA ranging observables was neglected in LISA modelling and data processing investigations. In reality, on-board delays cause offsets and timestamping delays in the LISA measurements, and PRN ranging is ambiguous, as it only determines the range up to an integer multiple of the pseudo-random noise (PRN) code length. In this article, we identify the four LISA ranging observables: PRN ranging, the sideband beatnotes at the interspacecraft interferometer, TDI ranging, and ground-based observations. We derive their observation equations in the presence of on-board delays, noise, and ambiguities. We then propose a three-stage ranging sensor fusion to combine these observables in order to gain optimal ranging estimates. We propose to calibrate the on-board delays on ground and to compensate the associated offsets and timestamping delays in an initial data treatment (stage 1). We identify the ranging-related routines, which need to run continuously during operation (stage 2), and implement them numerically. Essentially, this involves the reduction of ranging noise, for which we develop a Kalman filter combining the PRN ranging and the sideband beatnotes. We further implement crosschecks for the PRN ranging ambiguities and offsets (stage 3). We show that both ground-based observations and TDI ranging can be used to resolve the PRN ranging ambiguities. Moreover, we apply TDI ranging to estimate the PRN ranging offsets

Drug-induced eRF1 degradation promotes readthrough and reveals a new branch of ribosome quality control.

Suppression of premature termination codons (PTCs) by translational readthrough is a promising strategy to treat a wide variety of severe genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations. Here, we present two potent readthrough promoters-NVS1.1 and NVS2.1-that restore substantial levels of functional full-length CFTR and IDUA proteins in disease models for cystic fibrosis and Hurler syndrome, respectively. In contrast to other readthrough promoters that affect stop codon decoding, the NVS compounds stimulate PTC suppression by triggering rapid proteasomal degradation of the translation termination factor eRF1. Our results show that this occurs by trapping eRF1 in the terminating ribosome, causing ribosome stalls and subsequent ribosome collisions, and activating a branch of the ribosome-associated quality control network, which involves the translational stress sensor GCN1 and the catalytic activity of the E3 ubiquitin ligases RNF14 and RNF25

Sarcoma classification by DNA methylation profiling

Sarcomas are malignant soft tissue and bone tumours affecting adults, adolescents and children. They represent a morphologically heterogeneous class of tumours and some entities lack defining histopathological features. Therefore, the diagnosis of sarcomas is burdened with a high inter-observer variability and misclassification rate. Here, we demonstrate classification of soft tissue and bone tumours using a machine learning classifier algorithm based on array-generated DNA methylation data. This sarcoma classifier is trained using a dataset of 1077 methylation profiles from comprehensively pre-characterized cases comprising 62 tumour methylation classes constituting a broad range of soft tissue and bone sarcoma subtypes across the entire age spectrum. The performance is validated in a cohort of 428 sarcomatous tumours, of which 322 cases were classified by the sarcoma classifier. Our results demonstrate the potential of the DNA methylation-based sarcoma classification for research and future diagnostic applications

Berufswegplanung mit hör- und sprachbeeinträchtigten jungen Menschen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung kommunikationspragmatischer Inhalte der Sprachtherapie

Das Berufsbildungswerk Leipzig bildet junge Menschen mit einer Hör-, Sprach- oder Lernbeeinträchtigung in anerkannten Berufen aus oder bereitet sie auf eine Ausbildung vor - in eigenen Werkstätten und in Kooperation mit Betrieben. Die Ausbildung bzw. Berufsvorbereitung wird gemeinsam mit den Jugendlichen individuell geplant. Als Hilfen stehen im BBW Leipzig logopädische, sozialpädagogische, lerntherapeutische oder psychologische Begleitung sowie Gebärdensprachdolmetscher und Integrationsberatung zur Verfügung. Im Beitrag werden die Besonderheiten bei der Berufswahl von hör- und sprachbeeinträchtigten jungen Menschen sowie Angebote zur Unterstützung des Ausbildungs- und Bewerbungsprozesses vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus Möglichkeiten der Erarbeitung und den Einsatz von Kommunikationsstrategien für den beruflichen Alltag

A Useful Radiologic Method for Preoperative Joint-line Determination in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

Intraoperative joint-line determination during revision TKA is difficult and no method exists to plan the position preoperatively. Two questions need to be answered: to which extent does the joint line differ from its anatomic position after revision TKA if it has only been determined intraoperatively, and can the joint line be calculated preoperatively based on the transepicondylar width. Of 22 consecutive patients with complete preoperative (before and after primary TKA) and postoperative (after revision TKA) radiograph documentation, the joint-line position was measured on plane radiographs using the medial epicondyle as a reference. On another set of 45 consecutive patients with no knee disorders other than meniscal lesions, the transepicondylar axis width (TEAW) and the perpendicular distance from the medial and lateral epicondyles to the joint line were measured twice by two independent observers on plane AP radiographs of the knee. Significant joint-line alterations were observed after primary and revision TKA, implicating that a method for preoperative planning is needed. Because a linear correlation between the TEAW and the perpendicular distance from the epicondyles to the joint-line tangent was found, the ratio is useful to calculate the true joint-line position from the TEAW before revision TKA

Synthesis of a Sustainable and Bisphenol A‐Free Epoxy Resin Based on Sorbic Acid and Characterization of the Cured Thermoset

Abstract In the present study, an epoxy compound, 1,2‐epoxy‐6‐methyl‐triglycidyl‐3,4,5‐cyclohexanetricarboxylate (EGCHC) synthesized from sorbic acid, maleic anhydride, and allyl alcohol is proposed. Using commodity chemicals, a bio‐based carbon content of 68.4 % for the EGCHC resin is achieved. When cured with amine hardeners, the high oxirane content of EGCHC forms stiff cross‐linked networks with strong mechanical and thermal properties. The characterization of the epoxy specimens showed that EGCHC can compete with conventional epoxy resins such as DGEBA. A maximum stiffness of 3965 MPa, tensile strength of 76 MPa, and Tg of 130 °C can be obtained by curing EGCHC with isophorone diamine (IPD). The cured resin showed to be decomposable under mild conditions due to the ester bonds. The solid material properties of EGCHC expose its potential as a promising bisphenol A, and epichlorohydrine free alternative to conventional petroleum‐based epoxies with an overall high bio‐based carbon content