Micro-abrasion–corrosion of a Co–Cr/UHMWPE couple in Ringer's solution : an approach to construction of mechanism and synergism maps for application to bio-implants

In studies of tribo-corrosion, the degradation of bio-materials has become of increasing research interest in recent years. This is because, in many cases, the interactions of the tribological and corrosion component in biological environments are not well understood. Moreover, the wide range of variables involved in the tribo-corrosion process, and the variety of materials used in such conditions, means that there are few systematic studies where materials and operating conditions are optimized. In the total replacement of hip joints, the Co-Cr/UHMWPE couple has been used widely. However, the application of any replacement joint for biological conditions will depend on many factors including the activity of the patient and the overall load imposed on the artificial joint. This means evaluation of the tribo-corrosion behaviour over a multi parameter space is important in order to assess the degradation possible for many patient/activity and body mass categories.In this work, the performance of a Co-Cr/UHMWPE couple was evaluated in Ringer's solution in a tribological situation where micron size particles particles were entrained in the contact - micro-abrasion-corrosion. The effects of applied load and potential were investigated in the study. Micro-abrasion-corrosion maps were constructed for the material indicating the mechanism of degradation, the extent of wastage and of synergy/antagonism involved in the tribo-corrosion interaction

Multilevel Intervention Mapping with sleepiness in focus

Driver fatigue is an important risk factor in traffic safety and an issue for both private and professional drivers. This report provides an analysis of risk factors related to fatigue-related road accidents, and describes intervention goals at multiple levels in order to reduce sleepy driving among drivers. Private drivers who are on their way to or from their holiday were assigned as the specific target group

The “Lund Concept” for the treatment of severe head trauma – physiological principles and clinical application

The Lund Concept is an approach to the treatment of severe brain trauma that is mainly based on hypotheses originating from basic physiological principles regarding brain volume and cerebral perfusion regulation. Its main attributes have found support in experimental and clinical studies. This review explains the principles of the Lund Concept and is intended to serve as the current guide for its clinical application. The therapy has two main goals: (1) to reduce or prevent an increase in ICP (ICP-targeted goal) and (2) to improve perfusion and oxygenation around contusions (perfusion-targeted goal). The Lund therapy considers the consequences of a disrupted blood-brain barrier for development of brain oedema and the specific consequences of a rigid dura/cranium for general cerebral haemodynamics. It calls attention to the importance of improving perfusion and oxygenation of the injured areas of the brain. This is achieved by normal blood oxygenation, by maintaining normovolaemia with normal haematocrit and plasma protein concentrations, and by antagonizing vasoconstriction through reduction of catecholamine concentration in plasma and sympathetic discharge (minimizing stress and by refraining from vasoconstrictors and active cooling). The therapeutic measures mean normalization of all essential haemodynamic parameters (blood pressure, plasma oncotic pressure, plasma and erythrocyte volumes, PaO2, PaCO2) the use of enteral nutrition, and avoidance of overnutrition. To date, clinical outcome studies using the Lund Concept have shown favourable results