Does commitment to rehabilitation influence clinical outcome of total hip resurfacing arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether compliance and rehabilitative efforts were predictors of early clinical outcome of total hip resurfacing arthroplasty. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was utilized to collect information from 147 resurfacing patients, who were operated on by a single surgeon, regarding their level of commitment to rehabilitation following surgery. Patients were followed for a mean of 52 months (range, 24 to 90 months). Clinical outcomes and functional capabilities were assessed utilizing the Harris hip objective rating system, the SF-12 Health Survey, and an eleven-point satisfaction score. A linear regression analysis was used to determine whether there was any correlation between the rehabilitation commitment scores and any of the outcome measures, and a multivariate regression model was used to control for potentially confounding factors. RESULTS: Overall, an increased level of commitment to rehabilitation was positively correlated with each of the following outcome measures: SF-12 Mental Component Score, SF-12 Physical Component Score, Harris Hip score, and satisfaction scores. These correlations remained statistically significant in the multivariate regression model. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who were more committed to their therapy after hip resurfacing returned to higher levels of functionality and were more satisfied following their surgery

Can the magnetic moment contribution explain the A_y puzzle?

We evaluate the full one-photon-exchange Born amplitude for $Nd$ scattering. We include the contributions due to the magnetic moment of the proton or neutron, and the magnetic moment and quadrupole moment of the deuteron. It is found that the inclusion of the magnetic-moment interaction in the theoretical description of the $Nd$ scattering observables cannot resolve the long-standing $A_y$ puzzle.Comment: 7 pages, 2 Postscript figures; to appear in Phys.Rev.

Mid-term results and factors affecting outcome of a metal-backed unicompartmental knee design: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Controversies exist regarding the indications for unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. The objective of this study is to report the mid-term results and examine predictors of failure in a metal-backed unicompartmental knee arthroplasty design.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>At a mean follow-up of 60 months, 80 medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasties (68 patients) were evaluated. Implant survivorship was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method. The Knee Society objective and functional scores and radiographic characteristics were compared before surgery and at final follow-up. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the association of patient's age, gender, obesity (body mass index > 30 kg/m²), diagnosis, Knee Society scores and patella arthrosis with failure.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 9 failures during the follow up. The mean Knee Society objective and functional scores were respectively 49 and 48 points preoperatively and 95 and 92 points postoperatively. The survival rate was 92% at 5 years and 84% at 10 years. The mean age was younger in the failure group than the non-failure group (p < 0.01). However, none of the factors assessed was independently associated with failure based on the results from the Cox proportional hazard model.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Gender, pre-operative diagnosis, preoperative objective and functional scores and patellar osteophytes were not independent predictors of failure of unicompartmental knee implants, although high body mass index trended toward significance. The findings suggest that the standard criteria for UKA may be expanded without compromising the outcomes, although caution may be warranted in patients with very high body mass index pending additional data to confirm our results.</p> <p><b>Level of Evidence</b>: IV</p

Role of confined phonons in thin film superconductivity

We calculate the critical temperature $T_c$ and the superconducting energy gaps $\Delta_n$ of a thin film superconductor system, where $\Delta_n$ is the superconducting energy gap of the $n$-th subband. Since the quantization of both the electron energy and phonon spectrum arises due to dimensional confinement in one direction, the effective electron-electron interaction mediated by the quantized confined phonons is different from that mediated by the bulk phonon, leading to the modification of $T_c$ in the thin film system. We investigate the dependence of $T_c$ and $\Delta_n$ on the film thickness $d$ with this modified interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Control of Dephasing and Phonon Emission in Coupled Quantum Dots

We predict that phonon subband quantization can be detected in the non-linear electron current through double quantum dot qubits embedded into nano-size semiconductor slabs, acting as phonon cavities. For particular values of the dot level splitting $\Delta$, piezo-electric or deformation potential scattering is either drastically reduced as compared to the bulk case, or strongly enhanced due to phonon van Hove singularities. By tuning $\Delta$ via gate voltages, one can either control dephasing, or strongly increase emission into phonon modes with characteristic angular distributions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication as Rapid Comm. in Phys. Rev.

An outbreak of viral gastroenteritis linked to municipal water supply, Lombardy, Italy, June 2009

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Analyzing power in nucleon-deuteron scattering and three-nucleon forces

Three-nucleon forces have been considered to be one possibility to resolve the well known discrepancy between experimental values and theoretical calculations of the nucleon analyzing power in low energy nucleon-deuteron scattering. In this paper, we investigate possible effects of two-pion exchange three-nucleon forces on the analyzing power and the differential cross section. We found that the reason for different effects on the analyzing power by different three-nucleon forces found in previous calculations is related to the existence of the contact term. Effects of some variations of two-pion exchange three-nucleon forces are investigated. Also, an expression for the measure of the nucleon analyzing power with quartet P-wave phase shifts is presented.Comment: 11 pages including 2 eps figures, use epsfig.sty, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Botulinum toxin type A injections for the management of muscle tightness following total hip arthroplasty: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Development of hip adductor, tensor fascia lata, and rectus femoris muscle contractures following total hip arthroplasties are quite common, with some patients failing to improve despite treatment with a variety of non-operative modalities. The purpose of the present study was to describe the use of and patient outcomes of botulinum toxin injections as an adjunctive treatment for muscle tightness following total hip arthroplasty.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ten patients (14 hips) who had hip adductor, abductor, and/or flexor muscle contractures following total arthroplasty and had been refractory to physical therapeutic efforts were treated with injection of botulinum toxin A. Eight limbs received injections into the adductor muscle, 8 limbs received injections into the tensor fascia lata muscle, and 2 limbs received injection into the rectus femoris muscle, followed by intensive physical therapy for 6 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At a mean final follow-up of 20 months, all 14 hips had increased range in the affected arc of motion, with a mean improvement of 23 degrees (range, 10 to 45 degrees). Additionally all hips had an improvement in hip scores, with a significant increase in mean score from 74 points (range, 57 to 91 points) prior to injection to a mean of 96 points (range, 93 to 98) at final follow-up. There were no serious treatment-related adverse events.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Botulinum toxin A injections combined with intensive physical therapy may be considered as a potential treatment modality, especially in difficult cases of muscle tightness that are refractory to standard therapy.</p

Polarization observables in p-d scattering below 30 MeV

Differential and total breakup cross sections as well as vector and tensor analyzing powers for p-d scattering are studied for energies above the deuteron breakup threshold up to E(lab)=28 MeV. The p-d scattering wave function is expanded in terms of the correlated hyperspherical harmonic basis and the elastic S-matrix is obtained using the Kohn variational principle in its complex form. The effects of the Coulomb interaction, which are expected to be important in this energy range, have been rigorously taken into account. The Argonne AV18 interaction and the Urbana URIX three-nucleon potential have been used to perform a comparison to the available experimental data.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figure

Pervasive melt percolation reactions in ultra-depleted refractory harzburgites at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 15° 20′N : ODP Hole 1274A

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 153 (2007): 303-319, doi:10.1007/s00410-006-0148-6.ODP Leg 209 Site 1274 mantle peridotites are highly refractory in terms of lack of residual clinopyroxene, olivine Mg# (up to 0.92) and spinel Cr# (~0.5), suggesting high degree of partial melting (>20%). Detailed studies of their microstructures show that they have extensively reacted with a pervading intergranular melt prior to cooling in the lithosphere, leading to crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene and spinel at the expense of orthopyroxene. The least reacted harzburgites are too rich in orthopyroxene to be simple residues of low-pressure (spinel field) partial melting. Cu-rich sulfides that precipitated with the clinopyroxenes indicate that the intergranular melt was generated by no more than 12% melting of a MORB mantle or by more extensive melting of a clinopyroxene-rich lithology. Rare olivine-rich lherzolitic domains, characterized by relics of coarse clinopyroxenes intergrown with magmatic sulfides, support the second interpretation. Further, coarse and intergranular clinopyroxenes are highly depleted in REE, Zr and Ti. A two-stage partial melting/melt-rock reaction history is proposed, in which initial mantle underwent depletion and refertilization after an earlier high pressure (garnet field) melting event before upwelling and remelting beneath the present-day ridge. The ultra-depleted compositions were acquired through melt re-equilibration with residual harzburgites.Funding for this research was provided by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (Programme Dynamique et Evolution de la Terre Interne)