Role of bariatric surgery in reducing periprosthetic joint infections in total knee arthroplasty. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obesity represents an epidemic of rising numbers worldwide year after year. In the Orthopedic field, obesity is one of the major causes leading to osteoarthritis needing Total Joint Arthroplasty (TJA). Still, contextually, it represents one of the most significant risk factors for joint replacement complications and failures. So, bariatric Surgery (BS) is becoming a valuable option for weight control and mitigating obesity-related risk factors. This review of the literature and meta-analysis aims to evaluate periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) and surgical site infections (SSI) rates in patients who underwent TKA after BS compared to obese patients without BS. METHODS: Systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines up to October 2023. We included longitudinal studies comparing obese patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty after bariatric surgery (study group) and obese patients who underwent TKA (control group). The surgical site infection and Periprosthetic joint infection rate were compared among groups using a meta-analytical approach. RESULTS: The online database and references investigation identified one hundred and twenty-five studies. PJI rate differed significantly among groups, (z = -21.8928, p < 0.0001), with a lower risk in the BS group (z = -10.3114, p < 0.0001), for SSI, instead, not statistically significance were recorded (z = -0.6784, p = 0.4975). CONCLUSIONS: The current Literature suggests that Bariatric Surgery can reduce infectious complications in TKA, leading to better outcomes and less related costs treating of knee osteoarthritis in obese patients.

Development of Tunable Ferroelectric Ceramic Capacitors.

Ferroelectric perovskite ceramics with a high dielectric constant, low loss, high tunability, and high electric breakdown are ideal for nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs) to generate radio frequency (RF) signals at high-power levels. To achieve the required properties, a comprehensive study of the material phase transitions and the optimal ratio adjustment between the chemical elements in the perovskite crystal structure is required. The advancement of this solid-state technology is the most promising optimization for NLTLs in developing high-power (>100 MW) devices with high tunability (>60%) and high repetition rate (>1 kHz) for soliton generation. The barium strontium zirconium titanate (BSZT) ceramic compositions were synthesized and characterized to maximize material tunability. The composition Ba0.97Sr0.03Zr0.2Ti0.8O3 exhibited a high permittivity (>12200), low loss tangent (< 0.01), and an exceptional tunability of the order of 79% at an electric field of 10 kV/cm near the phase temperature transition at 300 K. Ferroelectric ceramic is an outstanding material with promising characteristics for producing RF signals in an NLTL, and here, the BSZT is considered for this application.

Modification of Sugar Profile and Ripening in Atemoya (Annona × atemoya Mabb.) Fruits through Copper Hydroxide Application.

Atemoya (Annona × atemoya Mabb.), a climacteric fruit of the Annonaceae family, is becoming increasingly popular due to its organoleptic and nutritional properties. Anthracnose, a fungus of the Colletotrichum genus, is one of the most serious diseases in orchards, causing significant damage if not controlled, so producers use phytosanitary products. The current study sought to investigate the quality of atemoya fruits after harvest in an orchard with anthracnose controlled by Cu(OH)2 application: T1-no Cu(OH)2, T2-7.8 mL Cu(OH)2 L1 divided into two applications, T3-15.6 mL Cu(OH)2 L1 divided into four, T4-8.0 mL Cu(OH)2 L1 divided into eight, and T5-13.0 mL Cu(OH)2 L1 divided into thirteen applications. The sugar profile of fruits was examined, as well as MDA, H2O2, and quality parameters such as pH, mass, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and maturation index. MDA, such as H2O2, can function as a signal molecule. Eight applications of 1.0 mL L-1 Cu(OH)2 resulted in increased concentrations of H2O2 and MDA, signal molecules involved in sugar modification profiles such as glucose, fructose, and trehalose. It also had a high titratable acidity, a lower maturation index, better fruit quality, and a longer shelf life.

Analysis of the sharpening effect in gyromagnetic nonlinear transmission lines using the unidimensional form of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation.

Continuous nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs), also known as gyromagnetic lines, consist of ferrite-based magnetic cores biased by an external magnetic field. Over the past years, many analytical and experimental studies have predicted the rise time reduction of the input pulse to the range of a few nanoseconds or even hundreds of ps experimentally observed in such gyromagnetic lines. This effect, known as pulse sharpening, is investigated in this paper built on a model based on a periodic structure of inductive-capacitive cells in series with magnetization-driven voltage sources expressed by the one-dimensional form (1D) of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) gyromagnetic equation. We explore the model through parametric study under various input-pulse parameters to understand the physics behind the ferrimagnetic material responses. Moreover, the numerical results obtained from computational simulations using Mathematica (v. 12.1) show how the line parameters (input voltage, damping constant, saturation magnetization, and length) affect the sharpening effect, which is quantified by the switching time. Our results on ferrite-loaded coaxial lines have confirmed many results found in the literature. We validated with a good agreement the proposed model with the result obtained by Dolan in 1993 using the same 1D form of the LLG equation, thus showing that the model proposed here is suitable to quantify the sharpening effect produced by a gyromagnetic NLTL.

Two-step high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of myo-inositol and sorbitol.

A simple two-step HPLC method for the separation and quantitation of myo-inositol and sorbitol in extracts of glomeruli from rat kidneys is described. The limit of detection is 2 ng. The procedure involves fractionation of the sugar alcohols on a Waters Sugar Pak column, preparation of the p-nitrobenzoate derivatives, and further purification with quantitation by absorbance at 254 nm using a Waters mu Porasil column. The applicability of the procedure to determination of sorbitol and myo-inositol in biological samples was demonstrated by the finding of marked alterations in sorbitol and myo-inositol content of glomeruli isolated from diabetic compared to that from normal rat kidneys.

Effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on alpha-mannosidase isoenzymes in rat liver.

Identification of biochemical changes induced by ethanol ingestion would aid in the diagnosis and management of many alcohol-related problems in man. In this paper we identify a pH 5.5 alpha-mannosidase activity in the rat which is affected by chronic ethanol consumption. Chronic (16 wk) ingestion of alcohol (36% of calories) causes the activity of this alpha-mannosidase (thought to be the cytosolic alpha-mannosidase) in liver to decrease by 50%. We hypothesize that this deficiency of (pH 5.5) alpha-mannosidase activity may account for the reduced rate of secretion of glycoproteins by livers of alcohol-fed rats reported by other investigators (Volentine et al, Hepatology 1987;7:490-495).

Ethnomedicine and biomedicine linking.

This paper considers the integration of the biomedical establishment with traditional medical care systems given the urgent need for health care services by the underserved masses in developing countries. The difficulties of identifying and categorizing indigenous practitioners are outlined. Several strategies are suggested for standardizing, professionalizing, or otherwise mobilizing traditional healers in the movement of achieve the World Health Organization's goal of "health for all by the year 2000". The potential benefits as well as the constraints related to such efforts are described. As examples of what attempts are being made today a link modern and traditional health care systems, programs in the People's Republic of China, India, Ghana, the Philippines and Indonesia are summarized. The paper concludes with some recommendations as well as some predictions for the next 20 years.