Radiograph-based study of gender-specific vertebral area gain in healthy children and adolescents as a function of age, height, and weight.

This study reports gender-specific vertebral area gain data from children and adolescents. Vertebral area was measured on lateral and anteroposterior thoracic and lumbar spine radiographs from 100 female and 100 male subjects aged 7-28 yr. T9, T11, T12, L1, and L2 X-ray area calculation was based on calculation of the area of the geometric figure of a trapezoid whose 2 nonparallel sides were equal in length, taking account of the waisted shape of the vertebrae. Both the boys and girls of our study population showed statistically significant dependence (p<0.001) of vertebral area gain on chronologic age, height, and weight right through the end of puberty, and especially so up to age 15 yr. However, height and weight were clearly better predictors of lateral and anteroposterior vertebral area gain than was chronologic age. Once vertebral growth is complete by age 18 yr or so, the lateral vertebral areas of the male subjects-regardless of body weight and height-are, on average, 25% larger, and the anteroposterior areas up to 30% larger than those of their female counterparts. After adjusting for chronologic age, height, and weight however we did not find significant differences, between gender, in vertebral area of male and female subjects, neither among children younger than 11 yr nor adolescents ages of 12-14 yr and young adults older than 18 yr.

The influence of drag on human locomotion in water.

Propulsion in water requires a propulsive force to overcome drag. Male subjects were measured for cycle frequency, energy cost and drag (D) as a function of velocity (V), up to maximal V, for fin and front crawl swimming, kayaking and rowing. The locomotion with the largest propulsive arms and longest hulls traveled the greatest distance per cycle (d/c) and reached higher maximal V. D while locomotoring increased as a function of V, with lower levels for kayaking and rowing at lower Vs. For Vs below 1 m/s, pressure D dominated, while friction D dominated up to 3 m/s, after which wave D dominated total D. Sport training reduced the D, increased d/c, and thus lowered C and increased maximal V. Maximal powers and responses to training were similar in all types of locomotion. To minimize C or maximize V, D has to be minimized by tailoring D type (friction, pressure or wave) to the form of locomotion and velocity.

Energy balance of human locomotion in water.

In this paper a complete energy balance for water locomotion is attempted with the aim of comparing different modes of transport in the aquatic environment (swimming underwater with SCUBA diving equipment, swimming at the surface: leg kicking and front crawl, kayaking and rowing). On the basis of the values of metabolic power (E), of the power needed to overcome water resistance (Wd) and of propelling efficiency (etaP=Wd/Wtot, where Wtot is the total mechanical power) as reported in the literature for each of these forms of locomotion, the energy cost per unit distance (C=E/v, where v is the velocity), the drag (performance) efficiency (etad=Wd/E) and the overall efficiency (etao=Wtot/E=etad/etaP) were calculated. As previously found for human locomotion on land, for a given metabolic power (e.g. 0.5 kW=1.43 l.min(-1) VO2) the decrease in C (from 0.88 kJ.m(-1) in SCUBA diving to 0.22 kJ.m(-1) in rowing) is associated with an increase in the speed of locomotion (from 0.6 m.s(-1) in SCUBA diving to 2.4 m.s(-1) in rowing). At variance with locomotion on land, however, the decrease in C is associated with an increase, rather than a decrease, of the total mechanical work per unit distance (Wtot, kJ.m(-1)). This is made possible by the increase of the overall efficiency of locomotion (etao=Wtot/E=Wtot/C) from the slow speeds (and loads) of swimming to the high speeds (and loads) attainable with hulls and boats (from 0.10 in SCUBA diving to 0.29 in rowing).

[Effect of shock waves on the strength of connection between bone and polymethylmethacrylate. An in vitro study of human femur segments]. / Untersuchungen zur Wirksamkeit von Stosswellen auf die Festigkeit des Verbundes von Knochen und Polymethyl-Methacrylat. Eine in vitro Studie an menschlichen Femursegmenten.

The increasing number of revision surgery for failed total arthroplasty including the most difficult aspects of cement removal has lead to various developments of new instruments and techniques to facilitate this procedure. In this in vitro study the effect of extracorporeal shockwaves on the bone-cement interface under this view was investigated. At first the pressure reduction of bounding shockwaves in their progress through compounds consisting of cortical bone-PMMA and cancellous bone-PMMA by means of a needle pressure probe was measured. In the second part of the experiments the mechanical and morphological effects of ESW on the PMMA-Bone-Interface of human femoral segments was tested. Using bone cement cadaveric femoral segments were implanted with stainless steel rods within the medullary canal and the PMMA-Bone-interface was treated with ESW. After treatment the segments were examined mechanically, radiologically and by microscopy. Between the treated and the control group no difference was found which could give any a reference to the disruption of the Cement-Bone-Interface caused by ESW. However, there were observations which indicated that ESW induces a increasing risk of intravasation of bone marrow. Considering these facts ESW seems not to be a good clinical adjunct in revision surgery.

High-resolution measurements of gap-junctional conductance during perfusion with anti-connexin antibodies in pairs of cultured mammalian cells.

Antibodies against the main proteins in hepatic gap junctions--connexin-26 and connexin-32--have been used in conjunction with high-resolution patch-clamp techniques to investigate whether a relation exists between connexin type and conductance of single gap-junctional channels. Two different cell lines, BRL cells, derived from rat liver, and FL cells a human amniotic cell line exhibited the same single-channel conductances in double whole-cell recordings, but reacted differently upon dialysis with antibodies. Preliminary results indicate that both cell lines express mainly connexin-43. Thus, in spite of the inhibitory action of anti-cx26 and anti-cx32 antibodies observed, the data question the reliability of these antibodies for the functional characterization of gap-junction proteins in electrophysiological experiments.

Effects of extracorporeal shockwaves on the stability of the interface between bone and polymethylmethacrylate: an in vitro study on human femoral segments.

The increasing number of revision procedures for failed total arthroplasty requiring difficult cement removal has led to various developments of new instruments and techniques to facilitate this procedure. In this in vitro study the effect of extracorporeal shockwaves on the bone-cement interface was investigated. At first the pressure reduction caused by the passage of shockwaves through compounds consisting of cortical bone-polymethyl-methacrylate and cancellous bone-polymethylmethacrylate by means of a needle pressure probe was measured. Secondly, the mechanical and morphological effects of extracorporeal shockwaves on the polymethylmethacrylate-bone interface of human femoral segments was tested. Using bone cement, stainless steel rods were implanted into cadaveric femoral segments and the polymethylmethacrylate-bone interface was treated with extracorporeal shockwaves. When comparing the treatment and control groups mechanically, radiologically, and microscopically it was not possible to demonstrate evidence of disruption of the interface caused by extracorporeal shockwaves. Instead it was shown that intravasation of bone marrow can be induced by shockwaves. Considering these facts, shockwaves seems not to be good clinical adjunct in revision surgery of failed arthroplasty.