Estimating fruitfulness of grape-vine buds by forced bursting in summer in the tropics of India

Potential productivity of the grapevine in the climate of northern India can be estimated by forcing the buds to grow on the selected canes which may be pruned in June, soon after the harvest of the crop.Schätzung der Fruchtbarkeit von Rebenknospen durch Austriebsförderung während des Sommers in den Tropen IndiensDer potentielle Ertrag der Rebe im Klima Nordindiens kann geschätzt werden, indem man die Knospen an ausgewählten Tragruten zum Austrieb zwingt; an diesen wird im Juni gleich nach der Traubenlese der Holzschnitt vorgenommen

Effect of foliar sprays of uracil, xanthine and caffeine on the nucleic acid and protein content of leaves and fruiting of Thompson Seedless grapes

Thompson Seedless vines were sprayed with aqueous solutions of uracil, xanthine and caffeine at 50 ppm twice during the growing season: when the shoots were 30-40 cm long and again a week later. Uracil was found to be more effective than caffeine and xanthine in its promoting influence on the synthesis of RNA and fruitfulness. The sugar content of the berries on the treated vines was increased but there was little change in acid content. The time of fruit maturity was not affected.Der Einfluß von Sprühbehandlungen mit Uracil, Xanthin und Coffein auf den Nukleinsäure- und Proteingehalt der Blätter sowie den Fruchtansatz bei  ThompsonSeedless-RebenReben der Sorte Thompson Seedless wurden mit wässrigen Lösungen von Uracil, Xanthin und Coffein (50 ppm) zweimal während der Wachstumsperiode gesprüht, und zwar bei einer Trieblänge von 30-40 cm Länge und eine Woche später.Uracil förderte die DNS- und Proteinsynthese sowie die Fruchtbarkeit in stärkerem Maße als Coffein und Xanthin. Der Zuckergehalt der Beeren war gegenüber der Kontrolle erhöht, der Säuregehalt jedoch nur wenig verändert. Der Zeitpunkt der Fruchtreife wurde nicht beeinflußt

Response of Perlette clusters to gibberellic acid applied at different stages of bloom

Treatment of Perlette clusters with GA at 10, 20 and 40 ppm concentrations applied at various stages of bloom significantly reduced the number of berries/cm length of lateral, the maximum reduction being with 10 ppm applied at 50 % capfall. This was accompanied by a significant increase in percentage of shot berries. Similar thinning response was obtained with 40 ppm GA applied at 75 % capfall stage without any effect on percentage of shot berries. Quality constituents of berries were not significantly affected by GA treatments.Die Reaktion von Perlette-Trauben auf die Anwendung von Gibberellinsäurewährend verschiedener BlühphasenWurden Infloreszenzen der Rebensorte Perlette während verschiedener Blühphasen mit 10, 20 oder 40 ppm GS behandelt, so war die Anzahl der Beeren/cm der Traubenäste signifikant verringert; der stärkste Rückgang erfolgte bei Anwendung von 10 ppm GS, wenn 50°/a der Calyptren abgefallen waren. Hiermit war zugleich eine signifikante Zunahme der „Sehrotbeeren" verbunden. Ein ähnlicher Ausdünnungseffekt wurde mit 40 ppm GS bei 750/o abgefallener Calyptren erzielt, ohne daß dabei jedoch der Anteil der Sehrotbeeren beeinflußt wurde. Die Qualitätskomponenten der Beeren wurden durch GS-Behandlung nicht signifikant beeinflußt

Negative pressure wound therapy for managementof the surgical incision in orthopaedic surgery: A review of evidence and mechanisms for an emerging indication.

OBJECTIVES: The period of post-operative treatment before surgical wounds are completely closed remains a key window, during which one can apply new technologies that can minimise complications. One such technology is the use of negative pressure wound therapy to manage and accelerate healing of the closed incisional wound (incisional NPWT). METHODS: We undertook a literature review of this emerging indication to identify evidence within orthopaedic surgery and other surgical disciplines. Literature that supports our current understanding of the mechanisms of action was also reviewed in detail. RESULTS: A total of 33 publications were identified, including nine clinical study reports from orthopaedic surgery; four from cardiothoracic surgery and 12 from studies in abdominal, plastic and vascular disciplines. Most papers (26 of 33) had been published within the past three years. Thus far two randomised controlled trials - one in orthopaedic and one in cardiothoracic surgery - show evidence of reduced incidence of wound healing complications after between three and five days of post-operative NPWT of two- and four-fold, respectively. Investigations show that reduction in haematoma and seroma, accelerated wound healing and increased clearance of oedema are significant mechanisms of action. CONCLUSIONS: There is a rapidly emerging literature on the effect of NPWT on the closed incision. Initiated and confirmed first with a randomised controlled trial in orthopaedic trauma surgery, studies in abdominal, plastic and vascular surgery with high rates of complications have been reported recently. The evidence from single-use NPWT devices is accumulating. There are no large randomised studies yet in reconstructive joint replacement. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2013;2:276-84.The authors are members of an Expert Panel on incisional NPWT in orthopaedic surgery funded by Smith & Nephew

The normal ischiofemoral distance and its variations.

The aim of this study is to measure the ischiofemoral distance (IFD) in the normal hip with healthy surrounding soft tissues and describe its variations caused by gender, age and proximal femoral anatomy so that this could serve as a reference for future studies on this subject. This is a retrospective study in which we reviewed the CT scans of 149 patients (298 hips) who had a CT of their pelvis for non-orthopaedic (abdomino-pelvic) pathology. The images were reviewed by two independent observers and the IFD (the smallest distance between the lateral cortex of the ischial tuberosity and the posteromedial cortex of the lesser trochanter), offset (the perpendicular distance from the centre of the femoral head to a line running down the middle of the shaft of the femur) and the neck-shaft angle (the angle between the lines in the middle of the neck to the line forming the axis of the femoral shaft) were measured. The CT scans belonged to 71 males and 78 females (M: 48%, F: 52%), with an average age of 51  ± 19 years (range 18-92). The mean IFD was 18.6  ±  8 mm in the females and 23  ± 7 mm in the males and this difference was statistically significant (P <  0.001). The IFD increased by 1.06 mm for each 1 mm of offset and dropped by 0.09 mm with each year of age. However, the neck-shaft angle did not show any significant correlation with the IFD.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Oxford University Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jhps/hnw00

Advances and innovations in total hip arthroplasty.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been quoted as one of the most successful and cost-effective procedures in Orthopaedics. The last decade has seen an exponential rise in the number of THAs performed globally and a sharp increase in the percentage of young patients hoping to improve their quality of life and return to physically demanding activities. Hence, it is imperative to review the various applications of technology in total hip arthroplasty for improving outcomes. The development of state-of-the-art robotic technology has enabled more reproducible and accurate acetabular positioning, while long-term data are needed to assess its cost-effectiveness. This opinion piece aims to outline and present the advances and innovations in total hip arthroplasty, from virtual reality and three-dimensional printing to patient-specific instrumentation and dual mobility bearings. This illustrates and reflects the debate that will be at the centre of hip surgery for the next decade

Femoral neck fractures as a complication of hip arthroscopy: a systematic review.

The purpose of this study was to identify the causes and risk factors for hip fractures, a rare but devastating complication, following hip arthroscopy. The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed were searched and screened in duplicate for relevant clinical and basic sciences studies and pertinent data was abstracted and analysed in Microsoft Excel. Nineteen studies (12 clinical studies and seven biomechanical studies) with a total of 31 392 patients experiencing 43 hip fractures (0.1% of patients) met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Femoral osteochondroplasty was performed in 100% of patients who sustained a hip fracture. Six of the 12 (50%) studies identified early weight bearing (prior to 6 weeks post-operatively) as the cause for the hip fracture. Other causes of this complication included over resection during femoral osteochondroplasty, minor trauma and intensive exercise. The results suggest that early weight bearing is the largest modifiable risk factor for hip fracture after femoral osteochondroplasty. For this reason, an extended period of non-weight bearing or restricted weight bearing should be considered in select patients. Studies report a correlation between risk for post-operative hip fracture and increased age. Increased resection during osteochondroplasty has been correlated with increased risk of fracture in various basic science studies. Resection depth has significantly higher impact on risk of fracture than resection length or width. The reported amounts of resection that depth that can be performed before there is a significantly increased risk of fracture of the femoral neck varies from 10 to 30%

Protecting healthcare workers from COVID-19: learning from variation in practice and policy identified through a global cross-sectional survey.

AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented burden on global healthcare systems, and existing infrastructures must adapt and evolve to meet the challenge. With health systems reliant on the health of their workforce, the importance of protection against disease transmission in healthcare workers (HCWs) is clear. This study collated responses from several countries, provided by clinicians familiar with practice in each location, to identify areas of best practice and policy so as to build consensus of those measures that might reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to HCWs at work. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was designed with ten open and closed questions and sent to a representative sample. The sample was selected on a convenience basis of 27 senior surgeons, members of an international surgical society, who were all frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was reported according to the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) checklist. RESULTS: Responses were received by all 27 surgeons from 22 countries across six continents. A number of the study respondents reported COVID-19-related infection and mortality in HCWs in their countries. Differing areas of practice and policy were identified and organized into themes including the specification of units receiving COVID-19 patients, availability and usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), other measures to reduce staff exposure, and communicating with and supporting HCWs. Areas more specific to surgery also identified some variation in practice and policy in relation to visitors to the hospital, the outpatient department, and in the operating room for both non-urgent and emergency care. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 presents a disproportionate risk to HCWs, potentially resulting in a diminished health system capacity, and consequently an impairment to population health. Implementation of these recommendations at an international level could provide a framework to reduce this burden

Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: The Past, Current Controversies and Future Perspectives

Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is a bone conserving and ligament-sparing procedure that reliably restores normal knee kinematics and function for arthritis limited either to the medial or the lateral compartment of the knee. Although there is enough evidence to demonstrate that the UKA offers good mediumto long-termsuccess given the correct patient selection, prosthesis design, and implantation technique, there are several reports to suggest inferior survival rates in comparison with the total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Furthermore, it is a specialized procedure which works well in the hands of the experienced operator and therefore different authors’ tend to draw different conclusions based on the same evidence, and as a result, there is great variability in the usage of the UKA. The aimof this current concept’s review is to present to the readers the history of the UKA especially with reference to implant design, discuss current controversies, and outline the future perspectives of this novel procedure