Assessment of magnification of digital radiographs in total HIP arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) preoperative planning requires the calibration of X-ray. We evaluate the magnification in standard pelvis hip X-ray and determine its relation with biometric factors. METHODS: The magnification of 140 THA X-ray were calculated with the known femoral head (MFFH) and acetabular component (MFAC). Gender, age, height, weight, and BMI were correlated to the magnification. RESULTS: The MFFH and MFAC were 113.2 ±â€¯4,4 and 113,4 ±â€¯3,6 respectively. No significant differences by gender and no correlation with height, weight or BMI. CONCLUSION: The X-ray magnification should be calibrated in every institution to improve the accuracy of preoperative planning.

Prevalence and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Strains in the Pork Chain Supply in Chile.

The detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other emerging strains in meat-producing animals and retail meat has increased the risk of contamination of food. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characterize S. aureus strains isolated from the pork chain supply in Chile. A total of 487 samples were collected: 332 samples from pigs at farms and slaughterhouses (nasal, n = 155; skin, n = 177); 85 samples from carcasses at slaughterhouses; and 70 meat samples at supermarkets and retail stores. The isolation of S. aureus was carried out by selective enrichment and culture media. Biochemical testing (API® Staph) and PCR (detection of the nuc and mecA genes) were used to confirm S. aureus and MRSA strains. The agglutination test was used to determine the protein PBP2'. Enterotoxins (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED) were determined by agglutination test and the se genes by PCR method. Oxacillin and cefoxitin susceptibility testing were carried out using the diffusion method. The overall prevalence of S. aureus in the pork meat supply was 33.9%. A higher prevalence was detected on carcasses (56.5%), in pigs sampled at farms (40.6%) than in pigs sampled at slaughterhouses (23.3%) and in nonpackaged retail meat (43.1%) than packaged retail meat (5.3%) (p ≤ 0.05). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the prevalence in pigs (28.3%) and pork meat (32.9%) and between natural pig farming (33.3%) and conventional production (52.8%). The mecA gene and the protein PBP2' were not detected in S. aureus strains. Two S. aureus strains exhibited oxacillin and cefoxitin resistance, and one S. aureus strain was resistant to cefoxitin. One S. aureus strain isolated from a meat sample was positive for enterotoxin SEB. Although the mecA gene was not detected, oxacillin-resistant and seb-producing S. aureus strains were detected, which represent a risk in the pork chain supply.

Salivary extracellular RNA biomarkers for insulin resistance detection in hispanics.

AIMS: Insulin resistance (IR) detection is challenging and no test is currently used in clinical practice. We developed salivary biomarkers that could be used for IR detection. METHODS: We collected saliva from 186 healthy and 276 pre-diabetic participants, divided them into high and low IR groups based on a HOMA cutoff of 2.5. We profiled extracellular transcriptome by microarray in saliva supernatant from 23 high IR and 15 low IR participants, and pre-validated the top ten extracellular mRNA (exRNA) markers in a new cohort of 40 high and 40 low IR participants. A prediction panel was then built and validated in an independent cohort of 149 high and 195 low IR participants. RESULTS: Transcriptomic analyses identified 42 exRNA candidates differentially present in saliva of high and low IR participants. From the top ten candidates, six were individually validated (PRKCB, S100A12, IL1R2, CAMP, VPS4B, CAP1) (p<0.01) and yielded AUC values ranging from 0.66 to 0.76. Body mass index (BMI) was significant higher in high compared to low IR group with AUC of 0.66, and showed no correlation with any of candidate biomarkers. The combination of four exRNA markers (IL1R2, VPS4B, CAP1, LUZP6) with BMI achieved excellent results in the prediction panel building dataset (AUC=0.79, sensitivity=79%, specificity=64%). The prediction model was validated in an independent cohort (AUC=0.82, sensitivity=63%, specificity=92%). CONCLUSIONS: A panel of four salivary exRNA biomarkers (IL1R2, VPS4B, CAP1, LUZP6) and BMI was validated that can distinguish high and low IR participants, overall and in subgroups of healthy and pre-diabetic participants.

Lipid-lowering agents use and systemic and oral inflammation in overweight or obese adult Puerto Ricans: the San Juan Overweight Adults Longitudinal Study (SOALS).

UNLABELLED: The effects of lipid-lowering agents (LLA) on reducing systemic and oral inflammation have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of LLA use with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and oral inflammation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from 1300 overweight/obese participants aged 40-65 years, recruited for the ongoing San Juan Overweight Adults Longitudinal Study. Serum hs-CRP was measured by ELISA, gingival/periodontal inflammation was evaluated as bleeding upon probing (BOP), and LLA was self-reported. Separate logistic models were performed for systemic and oral inflammation. RESULTS: In all, 24% participants reported history of dyslipidaemia, of which, 50.3% self-reported LLA use. Sixty percent of the participants had elevated hs-CRP (>3 mg/dl) and 50% had high BOP (defined as at or above the median: 21%). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, HDL-C, physical activity, diabetes, blood pressure medications, and percent body fat composition, LLA users had significantly lower odds of elevated hs-CRP compared to LLA non-users (OR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39-0.85). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, educational level, mean plaque index and percent body fat, LLA users had significantly lower odds of high BOP compared to LLA non-users (OR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.42-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Lipid-lowering agents may reduce both systemic and oral inflammatory responses.