Bicentric bipolar hip prosthesis: A radiological study of movement at the interprosthetic joint

Background:

The bipolar hip prostheses after some time functions as a unipolar device. There is a need to change the design of bipolar hip prostheses to make it function as a bipolar device over a prolonged period of time. A bicentric bipolar hip prosthesis was used as an implant for various conditions of the hip. We evaluated the movement of this newly developed prosthesis at the interprosthetic joint radiologically at periodic intervals.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty two cases were operarted with the Bicentric bipolar prosthesis for indications like fracture neck of femur and various other diseases of the hip and were followed up with serial radiographs at periodic intervals to evaluate, what fraction of the total abduction at the hip was occurring at the interprosthetic joint.

Results:

In cases of intracapsular fracture neck of femur, the percentage of total abduction occurring at the interprosthetic joint at 3 months follow-up was 33.74% (mean value of all the patients), which fell to 25.66% at 1.5 years. In indications for bipolar hemireplacement other than fracture neck of femur, the percentage of total abduction occurring at the interprosthetic joint at 3 months follow-up was 71.71% (mean value) and at 1.5 years it was 67.52%.

Conclusion:

This study shows the relative preservation of inner bearing movement in the bipolar hip prosthesis with time probably due its refined design. Further refinements are needed to make the prosthesis work better in patients of intracapsular fracture neck femur.     

Monitoring Therapy Adherence of Tuberculosis Patients by using Video-Enabled Electronic Devices

A recent innovation to help patients adhere to daily tuberculosis (TB) treatment over many months is video (or virtually) observed therapy (VOT). VOT is becoming increasingly feasible as mobile telephone applications and tablet computers become more widely available. Studies of the effectiveness of VOT in improving TB patient outcomes are being conducted.     

Trichomonas vaginalis in HIV/AIDS subjects in Nigeria

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis (T. vaginalis) in HIV/AIDS patients attending two different hospitals in southeast Nigeria.MethodsWe collected 970 urine samples from HIV/AIDS patients attending two different hospitals in southeast Nigeria. Samples were processed by microscopy and cultural methods.ResultsOut of the 970 screened, 355 (36.60%) were positive for T. vaginalis. Subjects with the least CD4⁺ count in the range of 40-140 cells/mL had the highest number of positive samples (180, 50.70%), while those in the range of 480-580 cells/mL had the least value (2, 0.56%). Those in the rural areas had a higher number of positive samples (155, 38.75%) than their urban counterparts (200, 35.09%) with respect to the total number examined in each group but this was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Out of the 355 positive cases, the university undergraduate students’ group had the highest percentage incidence of 53.00% followed by the low-income group with 47.08%.ConclusionsIt can be concluded that the occurrence of T. vaginalis increases with decrease in the CD4⁺ counts in HIV/AIDS patients in Nigeria. Since T. vaginalis may be an important cofactor in promoting the spread of HIV and, in some circumstances, may have a major impact on the epidemic dynamics of HIV, there is a need to take measures to check the spread of this parasitic infection.     

The occipitoparietal pathway of the macaque monkey: comparison of pyramidal cell morphology in layer III of functionally related cortical visual areas

The dendritic morphology of pyramidal cells located at the base of layer III in the primary visual area (V1), the second visual area (V2), the middle temporal area (MT), the ventral portion of the lateral intraparietal area (LIPv) and in the portion of cytoarchitectonic area 7a within the anterior bank of the superior temporal sulcus was revealed by injecting neurons with Lucifer Yellow in fixed, flattened slices of macaque monkey visual cortex. These areas correspond to different levels of the occipitoparietal cortical 'stream', which processes information related to motion and spatial relationships in the visual field. The tissue was immunocytochemically processed to obtain a light-stable diaminobenzidine reaction product, revealing the dendritic morphology in fine detail. Retrogradely labelled MT- projecting neurons in supragranular V1 (layer IIIc of Hassler's nomenclature, corresponding to Brodmann's layer IVb) were predominantly pyramidal, although many spiny multipolar (stellate) cells were also found. The average basal dendritic field area of pyramidal neurons in sublamina IIIc of V1 was significantly smaller than that in the homologous layer of V2, within the cytochrome oxidase-rich thick stripes. Furthermore, the average basal dendritic field areas of V1 and V2 pyramidal neurons were significantly smaller than those of neurons in MT, LIPv and area 7a. There was no difference in basal dendritic field area between layer III pyramidal neurons in areas MT, LIPv and 7a. While the shape of most basal dendritic fields was circularly symmetrical in the dimension tangential to the cortical layers, there were significant biases in complexity, with dendritic branches tending to cluster along particular axes. Sholl analysis revealed that the dendritic fields of neurons in areas MT, LIPv and 7a were significantly more complex (i.e. had a larger number of branches) than those of V1 or V2 neurons. Analysis of basal dendritic spine densities revealed regional variations along the dendrites, with peak densities being observed 40-130 microns from the cell body, depending on the visual area. The peak spine density of layer III pyramidal neurons in V1 was lower than that observed in V2, MT or LIPv, which were all similar. Pyramidal neurons in area 7a had the greatest peak spine density, which was on average 1.7 times that found in V1. Calculations based on the average spine density and number of dendritic branches at different distances from the cell body demonstrated a serial increase in the total number of basal dendritic spines per neuron at successive stations of the occipitoparietal pathway. Our observations, comparing dendritic fields of neurons in the homologous cortical layer at different levels of a physiologically defined 'stream', indicate changes in pyramidal cell morphology between functionally related areas. The relatively large, complex, spine-dense dendritic fields of layer III pyramidal cells in rostral areas of the occipitoparietal pathway allow these cells to sample a greater number of more diverse inputs in comparison with cells in 'lower' areas of the proposed hierarchy.      

Prevalence of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II in volunteer blood donors and high-risk groups in northwestern Greece

BACKGROUND: In addition to human immunodeficiency virus, human T- lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II) is prevalent among blood donors in the United States. In Greece, there are no epidemiologic data regarding the prevalence of HTLV-I/II among volunteer blood donors and high-risk groups. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To determine the prevalence of HTLV-I/II infections in northwestern Greece, a seroepidemiologic study was conducted among volunteer blood donors, multiply transfused patients, heroin addicts, and chronic hemodialysis patients. The subjects were tested for serologic evidence of HTLV-I/II infection by enzyme immunoassays and specific protein immunoblot confirmatory test. RESULTS: None of the volunteer blood donors and heroin addicts had detectable antibodies to HTLV-I/II. Only 1 (1.45%) of the 69 multiply transfused patients had indeterminate results, while 2 (1.2%) of 163 hemodialysis patients were positive. CONCLUSION: In northwestern Greece, routine screening for HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections does not appear to be required. However, the finding of seropositivity among hemodialysis patients requires further evaluation of the origin of the infection, as its zero prevalence in this population seems to exclude transfusion transmission.     

The incidence of malignant mesothelioma (1977-1996) and asbestos exposure in the population of an area neighboring Lake Iseo, northern Italy

The study was stimulated by the occurrence of malignant mesotheliomas among the workers of two adjacent factories located in Sarnico, near Lake Iseo (province of Brescia, northern Italy), one of which manufactured crocidolite and chrysotile ropes and gaskets until 1993. The aim of the study was: identification of malignant mesotheliomas occurring between 1977 and 1996 among the residents of 11 villages, which constituted the recruitment area of the work-force; estimation of the incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma; collection of working histories of all cases to evaluate previous exposure to asbestos and radiation therapy. 21 cases of mesothelioma were detected (20 pleural, 1 peritoneal; 9 among males), and 20 were supported by histopathologic diagnosis. The incidence (x 100,000 person-years, standard: European population) was 2.5 (0.7-4.2) and 2.8 (1.2-4.3) among males and females, respectively, corresponding to a three-fold increase among males and a more than ten fold increase among women in comparison with the incidence reported by the Lombardy Cancer Registry. No cases had been exposed to radiation therapy, whereas all cases had been occupationally exposed to asbestos. Occupational exposure to asbestos had occurred in work on the production of crocidolite and chrysotile ropes and gaskets (6 males); in work in a textile factory producing cotton garments that was adjacent to and polluted by the former, where, in addition, chrysotile blankets were used for fireproofing in the weaving area and pipes were insulated using amosite-containing materials (10 cases, 6 among females); 5 cases occurred among women working in silk factories, where asbestos exposure was possible because of the presence of pipes insulated with asbestos and because women were handling temperature-controlled trays insulted with asbestos. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that the occurrence of mesothelioma was higher among females than males in the study area and that all cases of mesotheliomas had been occupationally exposed to asbestos.