The mean age of the patients at the time of the index arthroplasty was forty-six years. Clinical evaluation was performed with use of the Charnley modification of the Merle d’Aubigne-Postel scale. Seventy-eight patients who had had a total of eighty-five arthroplasties were available for follow-up evaluation at an average of

20.8 years. The patients’ average age at the time of the latest follow-up was 66.8 years.

Results: Six hips (six acetabular cups and one femoral stem) in six patients underwent revision. Aseptic loosening of the cup combined with focal osteolysis was the cause of all six revisions. In one patient, the stem was also revised because of aseptic loosening. At the time of final follow-up, the result was excellent selleck compound (according to the Merle d’Aubigne-Postel scale) in 68% of the hips, good in 19%, fair in 9%, and poor in 4%. The mean Merle d’Aubigne-Postel score improved from 7.9 points preoperatively to 16.9 points postoperatively (p < 0.001). The cumulative rate of survival of the prostheses was 84.4% at 20.8 years.

Conclusions: The results of these cementless ceramic-on-ceramic total hip arthroplasties

continued to be satisfactory at a minimum of twenty years postoperatively. The improved design of contemporary prostheses and the new generation of ceramic-on-ceramic bearing surfaces may lead to even better long-term results.”
“Despite the availability of a Mycobacterium bovis bacille THZ1 mouse Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine, tuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health problem. In this

study, we introduced the c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase gene Rv1357c, implicated in regulating mycobacterial replication within macrophages, into BCG Pasteur, and tested the resulting strain for capacity to serve as a vaccine against TB in a murine model. Modified BCG was more phagocytosed than its parental strain, but halted bacterial replication, and protected against M. tuberculosis challenge selleck kinase inhibitor similarity to unmodified BCG.”
“Background and aimsVaricella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may cause significant morbidity and mortality. We undertook a retrospective study to determine the frequency and risk factors associated with VZV reactivation, including underlying disease, the use of fludarabine in high-risk leukemia chemotherapy protocols, and immune status before HSCT.

Patients and methodsWe studied 163 children who underwent a first HSCT between 2002 and 2008, before introduction of routine VZV prophylaxis on our unit. VZV diagnosis was based on clinical features and supported by polymerase chain reaction on plasma and/or vesical fluid. Patient data and possible risk factors pre- and post HSCT were recorded and compared using a multivariate regression analysis.

ResultsWithin this cohort, 41 (25%) patients developed VZV reactivation during the first year after transplantation at a median of 60days post HSCT.