1,721,013 research outputs found
Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields after Debridement and Microfracture of Osteochondral Talar Defects: Letter to the Editor
No full textNot availabl
Intraoperative diagnosis of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus using Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI assay in prosthetic joint infection
No full textThe aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the performance of the Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR) tool Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI test (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) on periprosthetic samples from a
cohort of patients with suspected prosthetic joint infection (PJI).
Seventy adult patients were included in this prospective study. On the basis of the preoperative evaluation,
39 patients were clinically considered to have a PJI, whereas 31 were presumed to suffer from an aseptic
mobilization of the implant. Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI identified 4 out of 4 MRSA, 7 out of 7 MSSA, and 14
out of 16 methicillin resistant CoNS.
Among the 31 patients not having a PJI, the rapid PCR did not find any bacteria among those identifiable,
thus demonstrating an excellent performance in terms of specificity. Statistical analysis of the analytical
performance showed a high correlation (p<0.001) between the result of Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI and culture.
Xpert MRSA/SA SSTI assay is a novel, yet well known, rapid and accurate method for the identification
of different species of staphylococci. The test can be used with peri-operative samples thus dramatically
improving the diagnostic sensitivity. In addition, thanks to the very short turnaround time the use of Xpert
assay can modify the clinical management of patients suffering from PJI during the ongoing operative
procedure
Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma of the extremities: A clinicopathologic study of 24cases and review of the literature
Full text linkLow-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) and hybrid sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF)/LGFMS have a low potential for recurrence (10%) and metastasis (5%) but they are notorious for late occurring metastases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of LGFMS and review similar cases reported in the literature. We retrospectively evaluated 24 LGFMS operated at a single Institution. All cases were histologically revised. Mean age was 34 years (range, 8 to 74). Two cases presented areas of SEF (hybrid tumours). Three patients presented with metastasis at diagnosis. A strong cytoplasmic staining for MUC4 antibody was found in the majority of neoplastic cells. RT-PCR was feasible in 6 cases and it detected the presence of FUS-CREB3L2 fusion gene chimeric transcript. Mean follow-up was 44 months (range, 6 to 217). Two patients developed lung metastasis after 9 and 26 months respectively. Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma has a various histopathologic spectrum with few cases of LGFMS that share histopathologic resemblance with SEF, thereby reinforcing a possibility of a link within these two. It is of paramount importance an accurate and extensive sampling and examination of the whole specimen, in order to identify higher risk patients
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Can radical margins improve prognosis in primary and localized epithelioid sarcoma of the extremities?
No full textIntroduction: Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) has a tendency to locally recur, spread proximally, and metastasize, in particular to lymphnodes and lungs. The aim of this report is to study the role of surgery and the extent of margins required for optimal management of patients with localized epithelioid sarcoma of the extremities. Material and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 77 patients affected by ES of the extremities treated at two different Institutions. Results: Twenty-two patients had metastasis at diagnosis. Estimated survival was 65.5% at 5 years and 50.9% at 10 years, with a better prognosis in patients with localized disease at diagnosis (P < 0.001). Among patients with localized disease, a significantly better survival was found in patients with primary tumors in which radical surgical margins were achieved (P = 0.043). Among 47 patients presenting with primary tumors, local recurrence-free rate was 72.9% at 5 years, and 61.9% at 10 years, with a better local control achieved in patients with radical margins were achieved (P = 0.026). Discussion: We believe that the best approach to improve both local control and survival is to aim for radical margins in patients with primary tumors. Therefore, the best chance for cure is if the first treatment is the right treatment, which we believe to be radical margins
Biophysical stimulation improves clinical results of matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation in the treatment of chondral lesions of the knee
No full textPurpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on clinical outcome in patients who underwent arthroscopic matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) for chondral lesions of the knee. Methods: Thirty patients affected by grade III and IV International Cartilage Repair Society chondral lesions of the knee underwent MACI. After surgery, patients were randomly assigned to either experimental group (PEMFs 4 h per day for 60 days) or control group. Clinical outcome was evaluated through International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form, Visual Analog Scale, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and EuroQoL before surgery and 1, 2, 6, and 60 months postoperative. Results: Mean size of chondral lesion was 2.4 ± 0.6 cm2in the PEMFs group and 2.5 ± 0.5 cm2in the control one. No differences were found between groups at baseline. IKDC score increased in both groups till 6 months, but afterward improvement was observed only in the experimental group with a significant difference between groups at 60 months (p = 0.001). A significant difference between groups was recorded at 60 months for SF-36 (p = 0.006) and EuroQol (p = 0.020). A significant pain reduction was observed in the experimental group at 1-, 2- and 60-month follow-up. Conclusion: Biophysical stimulation with PEMFs improves clinical outcome after arthroscopic MACI for chondral lesions of the knee in the short- and long-term follow-up. Biophysical stimulation should be considered as an effective tool in order to ameliorate clinical results of regenerative medicine. The use of PEMFs represents an innovative therapeutic approach for the survival of cartilage-engineered constructs and consequently the success of orthopaedic surgery. Level of evidence: II
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Silver-coated megaprosthesis in prevention and treatment of peri-prosthetic infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis about efficacy and toxicity in primary and revision surgery
No full textAim Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a common complication following orthopedic megaprosthetic implantations (EPR),
estimated up to 50%. Silver coatings were introduced in order to reduce the incidence of PJI, by using the antibacterial activity of silver. Three diferent silver coatings are available: MUTARS® (Implantcast), Agluna® (Accentus Medical), PorAg®
(Waldemar Link). The aim of this review is to provide an overview on efcacy and safety of silver-coated EPR both in primary
and revision surgery, comparing infection rate according to the type of implant.
Methods Through an electronic systematic search, we reviewed the articles concerning silver-coated EPRs. Infection rate,
silver-related complications, local and blood concentrations of the silver were evaluated. Meta-analyses were performed to
compare results from each study included.
Results Nineteen studies were included. The overall infection rate in patients with silver-coated implants was 17.6%
(133/755). Overall infection rate in primary silver-coated EPR was been 9.2% (44/445), compared to 11.2% (57/507) of
non-silver-coated implants. The overall infection rate after revisions was 13.7% (25/183) in patients with silver-coated EPR
and 29.2% (47/161) when uncoated EPR were used, revealing a strength statistically signifcative utility of silver coatings
in preventing infections in this group (p: 0.019). Generally, the use of MUTARS® EPR had produced an almost constant
decrease in the incidence of primary PJI but there are few data on the efectiveness in revisions. The results from the use of
Agluna® in both primary and revisions implants are inconstant. Conversely, PorAg® had proven to be efective both in PJI
prevention but, especially, when used in PJI revision settings. Local argyria was reported in 8 out of 357 patients (2.2%),
while no systemic complications were described. Local and blood concentrations of silver were always reported very far to
the threshold of toxicity, with the lowest concentration found using PorAg®.
Conclusions Silver-coated EPRs are safe and efective in reduction in PJI and re-infection rate, in particular when used in
higher risk patients and after two-stage revisions to fght PJI
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
- …
