Induction and characterization of an unusual alpha-D-galactosidase from Talaromyces flavus.

An extracellular alpha-d-galactosidase from Talaromyces flavus CCF 2686 with extremely broad and unusual acceptor specificity is produced exclusively in the presence of the specific inducer--6-deoxy-D-glucose (quinovose). The procedure for the preparation of this very expensive substance has been modified and optimized. Surprisingly, any of other common alpha-D-galactosidase inducers or substrates, e.g., D-galactose, melibiose and raffinose, did not stimulate its production. The crude alpha-D-galactosidase preparation was purified by anion-exchange chromatography and three isoenzymes with different substrate specificities were identified. The main isoenzyme (alphaGal1) was further purified by cation-exchange chromatography and fully characterized. When compared with other alpha-galactosidases and also with other isoenzymes produced by T. flavus, it showed a markedly different regioselectivity and also negligible hydrolytic activity towards melibiose. Moreover, it was active on polymeric substrates (locust bean gum, guar gum) and significantly inhibited by alpha-D-galactopyranosyl azide, D-galactose, D-xylose, melibiose, methyl alpha- and beta-D-galactopyranoside and lactose.

Wear measurement of retrieved polyethylene ABG 1 cups by universal-type measuring microscope and X-ray methods.

BACKGROUND: Polyethylene wear is considered a most important part of periprosthetic osteolysis development. Thus, its measurement is central to contemporary orthopaedics. AIMS: The aim of this paper was to compare the accuracy of three radiographic techniques for wear measurement. Secondly, the influence of the abduction angle of the cup on measurement accuracy was investigated. METHODS: Wear was measured manually in 80 patients by a single observer according to the Livermore, Charnley, and Dorr description. A multi-component statistical analysis was used to test the hypothesis that the Livermore technique was superior. In vitro data obtained from a Universal-type measuring microscope served as a gold standard. RESULTS: In vitro measurements showed an average linear wear of 0.363 mm per year (0.000-0.939, SD 0.241) with a corresponding volumetric wear rate of 161 mm3 per year (0-467, SD 118.2). The Livermore technique showed the least deviation from the optical reference standard and a superior position from the viewpoint of error analysis but the correlation coefficient was slightly less (r = 0.761) than for the Dorr and Charnley techniques (r = 0.795 and r = 0.778, respectively). In addition, the mean error of the Dorr method differed significantly from zero (p = 0.036). Overall, the Livermore technique was the most accurate method for polyethylene wear measurement regardless of the abduction angle of the cup. CONCLUSIONS: The Livermore technique performed manually was more accurate than the Charnley and Dorr methods. Nevertheless, we consider the Dorr technique an adequate tool for day-to-day wear measurements, mainly due to its simplicity.

Influence of demographic, surgical and implant variables on wear rate and osteolysis in ABG I hip arthroplasty.

Periprosthetic osteolysis is associated with accelerated wear rates. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of demographic and technical variables on wear rates and size of osteolytic lesions. Eighty retrieved ABG I prostheses were analyzed according to prospectively established criteria. There were 22 men and 58 women with an average age of 52 years (34-65) at the time of revision. The average time from index surgery to revision was 67 months (26 to 106). Polyethylene wear measurements were performed using a Universal-type measuring microscope. The average linear wear and volumetric wear rate was 0.363 mm per year (0-0.939, SD 0.241) and 161 mm(3) per year (0-467, SD 118.2), respectively. The wear rates were significantly higher (a) in patients with primary osteoarthritis in comparison with postdysplastic hips, (b) in hips where zirconia prosthetic heads articulated against the polyethylene liner, and (c) in cups placed laterally to Kohler's line. Risk that linear wear rate could be more than 0.2 mm per year was three times higher in patients who were operated in 1997 and later (OR 3.0, 95 % CI 1.126-7.993, p = 0.03). A strong association was revealed between magnitude of wear and size of femoral osteolysis.

Poor survival of ABG I hip prosthesis in younger patients.

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyapatite coated (HAC) hip implants have been used in clinical practice for more than two decades. However, the majority of studies have reported only intermediate term outcomes that are not reliable for predicting long-term behavior in all implants. The aim of this study was to determine the performance of HAC total hip arthroplasty in younger patients over a 10-year follow-up period. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was an observational retrospective study of a 137 consecutive hips with the ABG I prosthesis. Of these, 128 were available for the last investigation. Median duration of follow-up was 10.9 years. The mean age at time of index surgery was 46+/-6.7 years. Probability of implant survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The overall 12-year cumulative survival was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.443-0.659). Periprosthetic osteolysis (57 %) was the most frequent reason for failure followed by aseptic loosening (28 %). When only aseptic loosening was included in the analysis, the same figures for cup and stem were 0.873 (95% CI, 0.808-0.938) and 0.992 (95% CI, 0.976- 1.0), respectively. Patients with a smaller cup size were those at high risk for revision due to wear-related complications (odds ratio, OR=4.3; 95% CI, 1.734-10.555). CONCLUSION: This study reports one of the poorest 12-year survivorship data for cementless acetabular component in the literature. The main reason for premature failure was osteolysis, strongly related to high wear rate of polyethylene.