COVID‐19 and maternal and child food and nutrition insecurity: a complex syndemic

Globally, the COVID‐19 pandemic has already led to major increases in unemployment and is expected to lead to unprecedented increases in poverty and food and nutrition insecurity, as well as poor health outcomes. Families where young children, youth, pregnant and lactating women live need to be protected against the ongoing protracted pandemic and the aftershocks that are very likely to follow for years to come. The future wellbeing of the vast majority of the world now depends on reconfiguring the current ineffective food, nutrition, health, and social protection systems to ensure food and nutrition security for all. Because food, nutrition, health, and socio‐economic outcomes are intimately inter‐linked, it is essential that we find out how to effectively address the need to reconfigure and to provide better intersecoral coordination among global and local food, health care, and social protection systems taking equity and sutainability principles into account. Implementation science research informed by complex adaptive sytems frameworks will be needed to fill in the major knowledge gaps. Not doing so will not only put the development of individuals at further risk, but also negatively impact on the development potential of entire nations and ultimately our planet.     

The proapoptotic 9-2 isozyme of 2-5 (A) synthetase cannot substitute for the sperm functions of the proapoptotic protein, Bax.

The 9-2 isozyme of 2-5 (A) synthetase has cellular proapoptotic functions that are mediated not by enzyme activity but by the Bcl-2 homology domain 3 present in its unique carboxyl-terminal region. Another proapoptotic cellular protein is Bax, whose absence in the Bax(-/-) mice causes male sterility due to abnormal sperm differentiation. In this study, we examined whether transgenic 9-2 expression can substitute for the in vivo reproductive function of Bax. To achieve this goal, a sperm-specific promoter was used to drive the expression of 9-2 in the sperm of transgenic mice. By selective cross-breeding, the transgene was transferred to Bax(-/-) mice to generate the experimental mouse line (Bax(-/-), 9-2(+/+)). The male experimental mice were sterile, and their testes maintained the structural abnormality found in Bax(-/-) mice. Thus, the male reproduction functions of Bax could not be replaced by the 9-2 isozyme of 2-5 (A) synthetase.     

National audit of incontinence surgery in the United Kingdom.

The aim of the study was to describe the experience, current trends and management of incontinence surgery for urodynamic stress incontinence (USI) in the United Kingdom. The study was a postal questionnaire survey that was sent to a cohort of surgeons known to be performing continence surgery. The subjects addressed included the considered role of the surgeon, the total number and type of operations performed in the last year, urodynamics and physiotherapy prior to incontinence surgery, operative complications, postoperative advice and follow-up (lengths and methods). The response rate was 54%. Large variations were found in all areas. The survey provides evidence of the number of incontinence operations performed, potentially important trends and differences in the practice and management of incontinence in the United Kingdom. This survey may be helpful in making guidelines and standards for audit at regional, local and individual levels as well as recommendations for strategies to enhance professional expertise in urogynaecology in the United Kingdom.     

Submucosal ureteral calculi: a new entity?

We describe 3 patients with ureteral calculi who failed multiple extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy treatments and whose stones could not be visualized by ureteroscopy despite radiological confirmation. We contend that these ureteral stones migrated submucosally and are refractory to the aforementioned treatment modalities. Each patient had a common presenting complaint of intermittent flank pain 5 years in duration, leading us to believe that long-standing stone impaction is a prerequisite for this entity. Our experience is reviewed.     

Survivorship of cemented knee replacements

The survivorship method of analysis has been used to compare the failure rate and overall success of 1,430 cemented primary total knee arthroplasties performed at The Hospital for Special Surgery over a 15-year period. There were 224 total condylar prostheses with a polyethylene tibia, 289 of the posterior stabilised type with an all polyethylene tibia, and 917 posterior stabilised with a metal-backed tibial component. There were 12 failures in the total condylar series, giving an average annual failure rate of 0.65% and a 15-year success rate of 90.56%. The posterior stabilised prosthesis with a polyethylene tibia showed an average annual failure rate of 0.27% and a 10-year success rate of 97.34%, and this prosthesis with a metal-backed tibial component gave an annual failure rate of 0.19% and a seven-year success rate of 98.75%. The overall survival rate was not influenced by sex or age, diagnosis or the percentage of ideal body weight. No metal-backed tibial components have yet needed revision for loosening. It seems that infection will be the major cause of failure.