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Evaluation of Genetic and Nongenetic Risk Factors for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.
We aimed to evaluate the associations of genetic and nongenetic factors with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).
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Comparison of rod fracture rates in long spinal deformity constructs after transforaminal versus anterior lumbar interbody fusions: a single-institution analysis.
Pseudarthrosis is a common complication of long-segment fusions after surgery for correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD). Interbody fusions are frequently used at the caudal levels of long-segment spinal deformity constructs as adjuncts for anterior column support. There is a paucity of literature comparing rod fracture rates (proxy for pseudarthrosis) in patients undergoing transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) versus anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) at the caudal levels of the long spinal deformity construct.
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Improvements in Neck Pain and Disability Following C1-C2 Posterior Cervical Instrumentation and Fusion for Atlanto-Axial Osteoarthritis
Symptomatic Atlanto-axial (C1-2) osteoarthritis (AAOA) is a common phenomenon in elderly patients; however, there is a paucity of data on the effectiveness of posterior atlanto-axial fusion (PAAF) for this condition. To this end, here we assess changes in patient-reported outcomes and neck-related disability in adult patients undergoing PAAF for symptomatic C1-2 AAOA.
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Pediatric Orthopedics: Is One Fellowship Enough?
Dual-fellowship-trained surgeons specializing in both pediatric and sport medicine are treating an increasing number of pediatric orthopedic injuries, making pediatric orthopedic sports medicine a potential new emerging subspecialty. With fellowship training now being the norm rather than the exception across orthopedics, it is possible that dual-fellowship training may become a prerequisite for treatment of pediatric sports medicine patients. This may impact the practices of surgeons trained in either pediatric or sports medicine alone.
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The transporter-opsin-G protein-coupled receptor (TOG) superfamily
Visual rhodopsins are recognized members of the large and diverse family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), but their evolutionary origin and relationships to other proteins are not known. In a previous paper [Shlykov MA, Zheng WH, Chen JS & Saier MH Jr (2012) Biochim Biophys Acta 1818, 703-717], we characterized the 4-toluene sulfonate uptake permease (TSUP) family of transmembrane proteins, and showed that these 7-transmembrane segment (TMS) or 8-TMS proteins arose by intragenic duplication of a gene encoding a 4-TMS protein, sometimes followed by loss of a terminal TMS. In this study, we show that the TSUP, GPCR and microbial rhodopsin families are related to each other and to six other currently recognized transport protein families.
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Editorial Comment
Editorial Comment on: "Variation in Kidney Stone Composition Within the United States" by Grant et al.
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Fractures Around the Knee in Children
Knee injuries are common in children, but epiphyseal and physeal injuries involving the distal femur and proximal tibia are relatively rare. This can make diagnosis and evaluation of pediatric knee injuries challenging.
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Pediatric Orthopedic Workforce: A Review of Recent Trends
Pediatric orthopedic surgery has changed in many ways over the past 2 decades. Member surveys and recent literature confirm that there has been a sustained balance of interest and opportunity in growth of applicant numbers and fellowship spots.
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Optimal Surgical Management of Tarsal Coalitions
Tarsal coalitions are common, but fortunately the majority of patients with coalitions are asymptomatic and do not require intervention. When symptomatic, preoperative radiographs and CT scans are useful to characterize the type and extent of coalition.
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Phylogenetic characterization of transport protein superfamilies: superiority of SuperfamilyTree programs over those based on multiple alignments
Transport proteins function in the translocation of ions, solutes and macromolecules across cellular and organellar membranes. These integral membrane proteins fall into >600 families as tabulated in the Transporter Classification Database (www.tcdb.org). Recent studies, some of which are reported here, define distant phylogenetic relationships between families with the creation of superfamilies.
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The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) revisited
The major facilitator superfamily (MFS) is the largest known superfamily of secondary carriers found in the biosphere. It is ubiquitously distributed throughout virtually all currently recognized organismal phyla. This superfamily currently (2012) consists of 74 families, each of which is usually concerned with the transport of a certain type of substrate. Many of these families, defined phylogenetically, do not include even a single member that is functionally characterized.
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Incidence and risk factors for acute compartment syndrome in pediatric tibia fractures
Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a rare complication following traumatic injuries in pediatric patients, and tibia fractures represent the most common cause of ACS.
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Low-Temperature Calcium Phosphate Ceramics Can Modulate Monocytes and Macrophages Inflammatory Response In Vitro
Creating bioactive materials for bone tissue regeneration and augmentation remains a pertinent challenge. One of the most promising and rapidly advancing approaches involves the use of low-temperature ceramics that closely mimic the natural composition of the extracellular matrix of native bone tissue, such as Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and its phase precursors (Dicalcium Phosphate Dihydrate-DCPD, Octacalcium Phosphate-OCP, etc.).
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Comparative Evaluation of Mathematical Model and In Vivo Study of Calcium Phosphate Bone Grafts
One of the key factors of the interaction 'osteoplastic material-organism' is the state of the implant surface. Taking into account the fact that the equilibrium in regeneration conditions is reached only after the reparative histogenesis process is completed, the implant surface is constantly modified.
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Spine-specific skeletal related events and mortality in non-small cell lung cancer patients: a single-institution analysis
The population prevalence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to increase; however, data are limited regarding the incidence rate of skeletal related events (SREs) (i.e., surgery to the spinal column, radiation to the spinal column, radiofrequency ablation, kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty, spinal cord compression, or pathological vertebral body fractures) and their impact on overall mortality.
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Characterization of the Tetraspan Junctional Complex (4JC) superfamily
Connexins or innexins form gap junctions, while claudins and occludins form tight junctions. In this study, statistical data, derived using novel software, indicate that these four junctional protein families and eleven other families of channel and channel auxiliary proteins are related by common descent and comprise the Tetraspan (4 TMS) Junctional Complex (4JC) Superfamily.
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The amino acid-polyamine-organocation superfamily
The amino acid-polyamine-organocation (APC) superfamily has been shown to include five recognized families, four of which are specific for amino acids and their derivatives. Recent high-resolution X-ray crystallographic data have shown that four additional transporter families (BCCT, TC No. 2.A.15; SSS, 2.A.21; NSS, 2.A.22; and NCS1, 2.A.39), transporting a wide range of solutes, exhibit sufficiently similar folds to suggest a common evolutionary origin.
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Does the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Postoperative COFAS End-Stage Ankle Arthritis Classification System Correlate With Pre- and Postoperative PROMIS Scores for Total Ankle Arthroplasty?
Recently, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (COFAS) proposed a classification system addressing adjunct procedures in the treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis.
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Displaced Radial Neck Fractures: What Are My Options?
Pediatric radial head and neck fractures are uncommon injuries. Fractures are classified using the Judet system based on fracture angulation and displacement. Judet type I and II fractures can be managed nonsurgically with a short course of immobilization in a cast or splint without closed reduction. Most of these patients have an excellent prognosis and functional outcomes.
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Bioinformatic characterization of the 4-Toluene Sulfonate Uptake Permease (TSUP) family of transmembrane proteins
The ubiquitous sequence diverse 4-Toluene Sulfonate Uptake Permease (TSUP) family contains few characterized members and is believed to catalyze the transport of several sulfur-based compounds. Prokaryotic members of the TSUP family outnumber the eukaryotic members substantially, and in prokaryotes, but not eukaryotes, extensive lateral gene transfer occurred during family evolution.
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Rod fractures and nonunions after long fusion to the sacrum for primary presentation adult spinal deformity: a comparison with and without interbody fusion in the distal lumbar spine
To investigate the prevalence and incidence rate of rod fractures (RF) in patients undergoing surgery for correction of adult spinal deformity (ASD) with or without the use of interbody fusions in the caudal levels of the fusion construct.
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Reliability of nine programs of topological predictions and their application to integral membrane channel and carrier proteins
We evaluated topological predictions for nine different programs, HMMTOP, TMHMM, SVMTOP, DAS, SOSUI, TOPCONS, PHOBIUS, MEMSAT-SVM (hereinafter referred to as MEMSAT), and SPOCTOPUS. These programs were first evaluated using four large topologically well-defined families of secondary transporters, and the three best programs were further evaluated using topologically more diverse
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Length of Stay Beyond Medical Readiness in Neurosurgical Patients: A Prospective Analysis
In an era of growing healthcare costs, there is increased pressure on medical care providers to discharge patients once they are medically fit. However, it is not uncommon for patients to stay beyond medical readiness (BMR).
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Evolutionary relationships of ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) uptake porters.
The ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) functional superfamily includes integral transmembrane exporters that have evolved three times independently, forming three families termed ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3, upon which monophyletic ATPases have been superimposed for energy-coupling purposes [e.g., J Membr Biol 231(1):1-10, 2009].
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Weight Gain After Vertical Expandable Prosthetic Titanium Rib Surgery May Be From Nutritional Optimization Rather Than Improvement in Pulmonary Function
To evaluate whether weight percentile (WP) increases after vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rib (VEPTR) insertion, and whether WP correlates with nutrition laboratories and pulmonary function.
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Differential Immune Response to Hydroxyapatite Precursors Under Inflammatory Pressure: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
The clinical success of calcium phosphate bone grafts (CPs) largely depends on the body's immune response. However, traditional biocompatibility tests use healthy organisms and cannot predict effectiveness in patients with common chronic inflammatory diseases.
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'Myxoedema madness' with Capgras syndrome and catatonic features responsive to combination olanzapine and levothyroxine
We present the case of an elderly woman with hypothyroidism and no psychiatric history who presented with new onset of psychosis, paranoia, catatonic features and Capgras syndrome (CS). This case illustrates the spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms that may accompany hypothyroidism and the importance of considering thyroid dysfunction as a primary contributor to severe psychiatric symptoms, especially in previously stable patients.
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Morphometric analysis of abdominal organs and rib cage: Implication for risk of solid organ injuries in children
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related mortality in children, with a higher rate of multiorgan injuries than in adults. This may be related to increased solid organ volume relative to abdominal cavity and decreased protection of an underdeveloped cartilaginous rib cage in young children.
