H. Schulte-Baukloh, F. Thalau, B. Stürzebecher, H. H. Knispel

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.12, No.2, pp. 2581-2587, 2005

Abstract Objective: The opponents of the In-Tac™ bone anchor system note the risk of a high rate of wound infection and osteitis pubis. We evaluated whether there is a difference in the outcome of the use of two different sling materials – polyethylene and fascia lata – with regard to wound infection, and analyzed the incidence of osteitis pubis further in a larger series.
Material and methods: A total of 61 women (mean age = 65.4 years) were treated for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) type II and III using the In-Tac™ bone anchor system. In 15 of 61… More >

X. Neil Dong^1,2, Xiaohui Zhang¹, X. Edward Guo¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.2, pp. 63-68, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.063

Abstract In human cortical bone, cement lines (or reversal lines) separate osteons from the interstitial bone tissue, which consists of remnants of primary lamellar bone or fragments of remodeled osteons. There have been experimental evidences of the cement line involvement in the failure process of bone such as fatigue and damage. However, there are almost no experimental data on interfacial properties of cement lines in human cortical bone. The objective of this study is to design and assemble a precision and computer controlled osteon pushout microtesting system, and to experimentally determine the interfacial strength of cement… More >

Haitao Wang¹, Zhenhan Yao¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.7, No.1, pp. 85-96, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2005.007.085

Abstract This paper addresses a new boundary element method (BEM) for the numerical analysis of mechanical properties in 3D particle-reinforced composites. The BEM is accelerated by a new version fast multipole method (FMM) in order to perform large scale simulation of a representative volume element (RVE) containing up to several hundred randomly distributed elastic spherical particles on only one personal computer. The maximum number of degrees of freedom (DOF) reaches more than 300,000. Efficiency of the developed new version fast multipole BEM code is evaluated compared with other conventional solutions for BEM. The effects of micro-structural More >

Shouqin Lü¹, Mian Long^1,2

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.4, pp. 161-178, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.161

Abstract Selectin-ligand interactions are crucial to such biological processes as inflammatory cascade or tumor metastasis. How transient formation and dissociation of selectin-ligand bonds in blood flow are coupled to molecular conformation at atomic level, however, has not been well understood. In this study, steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations were used to elucidate the intramolecular and intermolecular conformational evolutions involved in forced dissociation of three selectin-ligand systems: the construct consisting of P-selectin lectin (Lec) and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains (P-LE) interacting with synthesized sulfoglycopeptide or SGP-3, P-LE with sialyl Lewis X (sLe^X), and E-LE with sLe^X. SMD… More >

Kathrin Lungstras-Bufler¹, Philip Bufler¹, Rabiatu Abdullah², Christine Rutherford², Stefan Endres³, Edward Abraham¹, Charles A. Dinarello¹, Robert M. Rodriguez²

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.2, pp. 135-138, 2004

Abstract We evaluated in a blinded fashion the cytokine profiles of patients with suspected necrotizing fasciitis. In 15 out of 20 patients, the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was established; five patients had cellulitis. Eighteen of the 20 patients were i.v. drug users. Five of the 15 patients with necrotizing fasciitis died (33%). On admission, serum levels for interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), IL-18 and interferon-γ (IFNγ) as well as white blood cells (WBC) were significantly elevated in patients with fatal outcome compared to survivors with necrotizing fasciitis. IL-1Ra and WBC levels were also higher than in More >

Michael Ramharter^1,2,3, Peter G. Kremsner^2,3, Martin Willheim⁴, Heidi Winkler^1,3, Wolfgang Graninger¹, Stefan Winkler^1,3

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.3, pp. 189-196, 2004

Abstract The frequency of P. falciparum-specific interleukin (IL)-2-, interferon (IFN)-γ-, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α- and IL-10-expressing CD3⁺ cells was studied in healthy Gabonese children segregated according to their clinical presentation at admission to a longitudinal study of severe and mild malaria. The percentage of IL-2- and TNF-α- expressing P. falciparum-specific CD3⁺ cells was significantly higher in the children with prior mild malaria and less frequent reinfections compared to the children with prior severe malaria and more frequent reinfections. No differences were shown for P. falciparum-specific IFN-γ and IL-10 expression within CD3⁺ cells and parasite-non-specific expression of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, More >

Zsofia Gyulai¹, Gergely Klausz¹, Andrea Tiszai², Zsuzsanna Lénárt², Izabella Tóth Kása³, János Lonovics², Yvette Mándi¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.4, pp. 353-358, 2004

Abstract Background and aims. Helicobacter pylori infection almost invariably causes chronic gastritis, but only a proportion of the infected subjects develop peptic ulcers. The local inflammation associated with H. pylori infection is characterized by an increased production of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1–B, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α. Since such cytokine production is often determined by the genetic polymorphism of regions regulating cytokine gene expression, we investigated the relationship between TNF-α and IL-8 polymorphisms and the development of duodenal ulcer disease. We also sought a correlation between the promoter polymorphism of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) receptor CD14 and the formation… More >

Satoru Iwase, Tadashi Murakami, Yuichiro Saito, Keiichi Nakagawa

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.4, pp. 312-316, 2004

Abstract Changes in blood cytokines of 28, consenting, terminally ill cancer patients were studied to determine a relationship between cachexia and changes in cytokine levels. Levels of PTHrP and five types of cytokines considered to be associated with cachexia, TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IFNγ and LIF, were measured during routine blood examination and were compared with clinical findings. With the exception of TNF-α, which was detected in one patient, only IL-6 was detected in all 28 patients recruited in this study. Ten patients showed a sharp elevation of IL-6 just before death, following a 40-day period in… More >

J. Curtis Nickel¹, Fred Saad²

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.11, No.2, pp. 2186-2193, 2004

Abstract The 2003 American Urological Association (AUA) guideline on management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was released at the AUA annual meeting in Chicago, April 2003 and the diagnosis and treatment recommendations were published later in 2003. It is likely that the 2003 AUA guideline on the management of BPH will have a profound effect on clinical urologic practice in the USA, but its influence on Canadian urological practice will be different because of our socialized medical system, manpower issues, availability of expensive technology and our unique Canadian perspective. The authors review the 2003 AUA guideline More >

Danny M. Rabah¹, Louis R. Bégin², Abdelrahman Zahran¹, Jacques Corcos¹

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.11, No.4, pp. 2344-2349, 2004

Abstract Objective: To evaluate and compare histological tissue reactions of the urinary bladder to human cadaveric fascia lata (CFX) slings and synthetic mesh.
Methods: Thirty rabbits were randomized to three groups: group A (multifilament - Surgipro Mesh®) 12 animals, group B (CFX) 12 animals, and group C (surgical controls) 6 animals. A piece of Mesh or CFX was fixed in direct contact with the anterior bladder neck wall. The control group simply underwent sham bladder manipulation. The animals were sacrificed at 6- and 12-week intervals, and their bladders were collected for histological analysis.
Results: Group A showed fibrosis within… More >