Relationship between thoracic kyphosis and neural axis abnormalities in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Purpose:Previous studies have suggested an association between increased thoracic kyphosis and neural axis abnormalities in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, the basis for this finding is unclear, and this association has been mainly noted in retrospective studies on a non-consecutive series of patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between thoracic kyphosis and neural axis abnormalities in patients with AIS. Methods:We studied a consecutive series of AIS patients treated with spinal fusion. Thoracic kyphosis (T2 to T12) was measured from preoperative lateral radiographs. All patients underwent a spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgery, and MRI reports were reviewed to determine the presence of neural axis abnormalities. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and chi-squared analysis. Results:This study included 210 patients with AIS. There were no significant differences in age or gender between patients with thoracic hypokyphosis (kyphosis < 20°), normal thoracic kyphosis (kyphosis 20° to 40°) and thoracic hyperkyphosis (kyphosis > 40°) (p > 0.05). Neural axis abnormalities were present in 17.9% of patients with thoracic hypokyphosis, 9.8% of patients with normal thoracic kyphosis and 13.6% of patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis (p = 0.60). There were no significant differences in rates of Chiari malformation, syrinx, intra-spinal masses and other central nervous system abnormalities between groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions:Thoracic kyphosis was not associated with neural axis abnormalities in our consecutive series of patients with AIS. Increased thoracic kyphosis may not be a reliable indicator for the presence of neural axis abnormalities in patients with AIS. Level of Evidence:IV

Pull-out strength of axially loaded steel rods bonded in glulam perpendicular to the grain

A total of 86 pull-out strength tests on glued-in steel rods with metric threads M12, M16 and M20 are reported in this paper. The rods were bonded in glulam made of Norway spruce lamellas perpendicular to the grain by means of an epoxy-type adhesive using the GSA®-system. The slenderness ratios of the rods λ calculated from the anchoring lengths ℓ with respect to the diameter of the drill hole d h (λ=ℓ/d h) varied between 7.5 and 12.5. Registered failure loads were considerably higher than design values derived from different existing approaches. The pull-out strength was found to be almost directly proportional to the surface area of the bond line. Based on this an approach to estimate the pull-out strength is suggested. Dependence between pull-out strength and anchoring length ℓ as well as slenderness ratio λ exists, whereas such dependence for the diameter of the rod was not found. The pull-out strength is influenced by the wood density. Compared to rods bonded in parallel to the grain, pull-out strength of rods with same diameter and anchoring length set perpendicular to the grain are 20-50% highe

Pull-out strength of axially loaded steel rods bonded in glulam parallel to the grain

Bonded-in steel rods are very efficient in withstanding high forces applied to timber members. Investigations of bonded-in rods started in the late eighties of the last century and several design models were published since. By comparing these approaches on base of an extensive literature review a certain degree of discrepancy and partly even contradiction can be found. The paper describes a test program which aimed to study the influence of timber density and of geometric parameters on the pull-out strength of single axially loaded steel rods. Following the GSA®-procedure, which is a well established glued-in rods joint in Switzerland, rods with metric thread were bonded in glulam made of Norway spruce lamellas using an epoxy-type adhesive. The tests showed that the influence of the timber density can be quantified by a power function of ρ with an exponent of 0.6. The parameters length of the glued zone ℓ and diameter of the hole d H can be summarized in the slenderness ratio λ = ℓ/d H, which itself is related to the mean shear strength in the anchoring zone by an exponent of approximately −1/3. In order to prevent the specimens from premature splitting, distances between the axis of the rod and the edge of the specimen of 2.3 times the diameter of the rod have been use

Propionibacterium acnes infections in patients with idiopathic scoliosis: a case-control study and review of the literature.

Purpose:Surgical site infection (SSI) caused by Propionibacterium acnes is an infrequent but devastating complication after spinal fusion. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for SSI with Propionibacterium acnes after spinal fusion for juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (JIS and AIS). Methods:A case-control study was performed. Each case was matched 2:1 for age, gender and diagnosis. Retrospective chart review was performed to obtain relevant demographic, surgical and clinical data for all cases and controls. Statistical analysis included paired t-test and McNemar test, as well as exact logistic regression and robust regression models. Results:This study included ten infection cases (eight AIS, two JIS) and 20 controls (16 AIS, four JIS). In total, six infected cases presented within two weeks of the index procedure (acute infection) and four infected cases presented more than one year from the index procedure (delayed infection). The most common presentation for acute infections was wound drainage, while back pain was more common in delayed infections. All infections were successfully treated with surgical irrigation and debridement and postoperative antibiotics. Hardware was removed for patients with delayed infections. The strongest risk factor for infection was increased requirement for blood transfusion, but it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion:SSI with Propionibacterium acnes is an important complication after spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis. These infections can be successfully treated, but larger studies are needed to further identify risk factors and establish standardized guidelines for the treatment and prevention of this complication. Level of Evidence Level III

Wave shapes in alternating DSC

ADSC with its periodical temperature programs combines the features of DSC measured at high heating rate (high sensitivity) with those at low heating rate (high temperature resolution). In addition, the "reversing” cp effects can be separated from the "non-reversing” latent heat effects. Various periodical temperature programs can be applied. This paper compares the different possible temperature programs and their algorithms for the cp determination for metal, metal oxide and polymer of various properties. Simulated and measured results for various wave shapes and samples are presented. The relevant sample properties and their influence on the measurements are identified and guiding rules for the proper choice of the various experimental parameters are given. Measurements with different samples, performed with the new METTLER TOLEDO STARe-System, are shown and compared with the simulation results. The simulations and the measurements clearly show that the alternating techniques can yield new information about sample properties, but are susceptible to the proper choice of the various experimental parameter

The proteolytic landscape of cells exposed to non-lethal stresses is shaped by executioner caspases.

Cells are in constant adaptation to environmental changes to insure their proper functioning. When exposed to stresses, cells activate specific pathways to elicit adaptive modifications. Those changes can be mediated by selective modulation of gene and protein expression as well as by post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation and proteolytic processing. Protein cleavage, as a controlled and limited post-translational modification, is involved in diverse physiological processes such as the maintenance of protein homeostasis, activation of repair pathways, apoptosis and the regulation of proliferation. Here we assessed by quantitative proteomics the proteolytic landscape in two cell lines subjected to low cisplatin concentrations used as a mild non-lethal stress paradigm. This landscape was compared to the one obtained in the same cells stimulated with cisplatin concentrations inducing apoptosis. These analyses were performed in wild-type cells and in cells lacking the two main executioner caspases: caspase-3 and caspase-7. Ninety-two proteins were found to be cleaved at one or a few sites (discrete cleavage) in low stress conditions compared to four hundred and fifty-three in apoptotic cells. Many of the cleaved proteins in stressed cells were also found to be cleaved in apoptotic conditions. As expected, ~90% of the cleavage events were dependent on caspase-3/caspase-7 in apoptotic cells. Strikingly, upon exposure to non-lethal stresses, no discrete cleavage was detected in cells lacking caspase-3 and caspase-7. This indicates that the proteolytic landscape in stressed viable cells fully depends on the activity of executioner caspases. These results suggest that the so-called executioner caspases fulfill important stress adaptive responses distinct from their role in apoptosis. Mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD023488

Perspectives of Nuclear Physics in Europe: NuPECC Long Range Plan 2010

The goal of this European Science Foundation Forward Look into the future of Nuclear Physics is to bring together the entire Nuclear Physics community in Europe to formulate a coherent plan of the best way to develop the field in the coming decade and beyond.<p></p> The primary aim of Nuclear Physics is to understand the origin, evolution, structure and phases of strongly interacting matter, which constitutes nearly 100% of the visible matter in the universe. This is an immensely important and challenging task that requires the concerted effort of scientists working in both theory and experiment, funding agencies, politicians and the public.<p></p> Nuclear Physics projects are often “big science”, which implies large investments and long lead times. They need careful forward planning and strong support from policy makers. This Forward Look provides an excellent tool to achieve this. It represents the outcome of detailed scrutiny by Europe’s leading experts and will help focus the views of the scientific community on the most promising directions in the field and create the basis for funding agencies to provide adequate support.<p></p> The current NuPECC Long Range Plan 2010 “Perspectives of Nuclear Physics in Europe” resulted from consultation with close to 6 000 scientists and engineers over a period of approximately one year. Its detailed recommendations are presented on the following pages. For the interested public, a short summary brochure has been produced to accompany the Forward Look.<p></p&gt

Evolution of Yeast Populations during Different Biodynamic Winemaking Processes

This work was performed to evaluate the evolution of indigenous yeasts during wine productions carriedout following the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Five trials were designed with different technologicalinterventions consisting of the addition of nitrogen (in the form of ammonium salt), thiamine salt, oxygen,and pied de cuvée at varying concentrations. Yeasts were estimated by haemocytometer chamber and platecounts and identified by sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of the 26S rRNA gene. The isolates identified asSaccharomyces cerevisiae were found to dominate must fermentations and were genetically differentiatedby interdelta sequence analysis (ISA). Several non-Saccharomyces species, in particular Hanseniasporaspp. and Candida spp., were found at subdominant levels during must fermentation. The trial added withboth nitrogen and thiamine (NTV) showed the highest fermentation rate and microbial richness. Theinternal surfaces of the cellar equipment were characterised by a certain yeast biodiversity and hosted thespecies found during winemaking; the wooden surfaces represented the primary source of inoculation of astrain of S. cerevisiae found dominant in all winemaking trials