Does the orientation of the distal radioulnar joint influence the force in the joint and the tension in the interosseous membrane?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of change in the orientation of the distal radioulnar joint on the force in the joint and the strain in the interosseous membrane. DESIGN: Biomechanical study in fresh frozen cadavers. BACKGROUND: The articular surfaces of the distal radioulnar joint may be orientated in parallel with the long axis of the forearm (a Type I joint) or at an oblique angle opening distally to the ulnar side (a Type II joint). METHODS: Three cadaveric upper limbs were held on a custom built frame allowing measured rotation and axial loading across the wrist. Measurements of force in the distal radioulnar joint and strain in the interosseous membrane were taken and repeated after replacement of the distal radioulnar joint with prosthetic Type I and Type II joints. FINDINGS: The force in the joint and the strain in the interosseous membrane increased with increasing load across the wrist (P < 0.0001). The force in the Type I joint was reduced compared to the normal or Type II joint. This difference was greater with increasing load and was significant at 8 kg (P < 0.001). The strain in the interosseous membrane was maximal at neutral forearm rotation and decreased with increasing pronation and supination. INTERPRETATION: The force in the joint is greater with the Type II distal radioulnar joint. We believe this compressive force increases joint stability and this orientation of the articular surfaces should be considered in the design of a total distal radioulnar joint arthroplasty.     

Does the Positive Keying of the TAS Inflate the Absorption-Hypnotizability Link?

The search for correlates of hypnotic responsiveness has been largely unsuccessful, with the notable exception of the construct "absorption." The Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS) has been shown to correlate with hypnotic responsiveness, particularly if the two measures are administered in the same testing context or setting. The present study set out to determine whether the all-true, positively keyed format of the TAS inflates the absorption-hypnotizability link. With a sample of 466 participants, the authors show that wording the TAS items in either a positive or negative direction does not affect the correlation between the TAS and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.     

Does the positive keying of the TAS inflate the absorption-hypnotizability link?

The search for correlates of hypnotic responsiveness has been largely unsuccessful, with the notable exception of the construct "absorption." The Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS) has been shown to correlate with hypnotic responsiveness, particularly if the two measures are administered in the same testing context or setting. The present study set out to determine whether the all-true, positively keyed format of the TAS inflates the absorption-hypnotizability link. With a sample of 466 participants, the authors show that wording the TAS items in either a positive or negative direction does not affect the correlation between the TAS and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.     

Poison center surveillance data: the good,the bad and … the flu

Background.?Poison center data are increasingly used by state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for public health surveillance. Forrester and colleagues evaluated the ability of 6 Texas poison centers covering a population of 24 million to accurately code and report the number of H1N1 calls received over a 5-month period.?Discussion.?The Texas poison centers generated new coding and began work within 24 h of notification of the surveillance need. No additional staff were added for call management, coding, or quality assurance, and no H1N1 training was provided ahead of time. A triple-redundancy coding method was used to prevent underreporting of calls. This allowed the Texas poison centers to accurately flag over 90% of H1N1 cases. Results were available in real time, allowing day-to-day monitoring by poison centers and the state public health department for surges, location, ages of callers and/or patients, and type of question.?Conclusion.?The accuracy of poison center near real-time toxicosurveillance data coding was sufficient to monitor emerging trends. The data generated by poison centers are flexible, immediate, unique from other data sources, and useful for trend monitoring. As health departments and other collaborative partners rely more on the data from poison centers, consideration must be given to appropriate funding to support coding training, monitoring, and quality assurance to further enhance this valuable system.

This commentary should have been published alongside the following article: Coding of influenza A H1N1 virus calls received by Texaspoison centers Mathias B. Forrester and Jeanie E. Jaramillo Clinical Toxicology, Vol. 48, No. 4: 359–364.