The use of a modular titanium endoprosthesis in skeletal reconstructions after bone tumor resections: method presentation and analysis of 37 cases

We analyzed 37 patients who underwent segmental wide resection of bone tumors and reconstruction with a modular titanium endoprosthesis at the Orthopaedic Oncology Group, between 1992 and 1998. Twelve patients were male and 25 were female, with a mean age of 30 years (9 - 81). The mean follow-up was 14 months (2 - 48). The diagnoses were: osteosarcoma (14 cases), metastatic carcinoma (10), Ewing's sarcoma (4), giant cell tumor (4), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (3), chondrosarcoma (1), and aneurysmal bone cyst (1). Eleven articulated total knee, 8 partial proximal femur with bipolar acetabulum, 8 partial proximal humerus, 3 total femur, 2 partial proximal tibia, 2 diaphyseal femur, 2 diaphyseal humerus, and 1 total proximal femur with cementless acetabulum endoprosthesis implant procedures were done. The complications related to the procedure included: infection (5 cases), dislocation (3), module loosening (1), and ulnar nerve paresthesia (1). We used the following criteria for the clinical evaluation: presence of pain, range of motion, reconstruction stability, surgical and oncologic complications, and patient acceptance. The results were good in 56.8% of the cases, regular in 32.4% and poor in 10.8%.

Where@UM - Dependable organic radio maps

In the past decade, the research community has been dedicating considerable effort into indoor positioning systems based on Wi-Fi fingerprinting techniques, mainly due to their capability to exploit existing infrastructures. Crowdsourcing approaches, also known as organic, have been proposed recently to address the problem of creating and maintaining the corresponding radio maps. In these organic systems, the users of the system build the radio map themselves while using it to estimate their own position/location. However, most of these collaborative methods, proposed by several authors, assume that all the users are honest and committed to contribute to a good quality radio map. In this paper we assess the quality of a radio map built collaboratively and propose a method to classify the credibility of individual contributions and the reputation of individual users. Experimental results are presented for an organic indoor location system that has been used by more than one hundred users over a period of around 12 months.

An algorithmic approach to estimating the minimal number of periodic points for smooth self-maps of simply-connected manifolds

For a given self-map f of M, a closed smooth connected and simply-connected manifold of dimension m ≥ 4, we provide an algorithm for estimating the values of the topological invariant Dm r [f], which equals the minimal number of r-periodic points in the smooth homotopy class of f. Our results are based on the combinatorial scheme for computing Dm r [f] introduced by G. Graff and J. Jezierski [J. Fixed Point Theory Appl. 13 (2013), 63–84]. An open-source implementation of the algorithm programmed in C++ is publicly available at http://www.pawelpilarczyk.com/combtop/.

Influence of skeletal muscle mass on ventilatory and hemodynamic variables during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of skeletal muscle mass on ventilatory and hemodynamic variables during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Twenty-five male patients underwent maximum cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill with a ramp protocol and measurement of the skeletal muscle mass of their thighs by using magnetic resonance imaging. The clinically stable, noncachectic patients were assessed and compared with 14 healthy individuals (S) paired by age and body mass index, who underwent the same examinations. RESULTS: Similar values of skeletal muscle mass were found in both groups (CHF group: 3863 ± 874 g; S group: 3743 ± 540 g; p = 0.32). Significant correlations of oxygen consumption in the anaerobic threshold (CHF: r = 0.39; P= 0.02 and S: r = 0.14; P = 0.31) and of oxygen pulse also in the anaerobic threshold (CHF: r = 0.49; P = 0.01 and S: r =0.12; P = 0.36) were found only in the group of patients with chronic heart failure. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate that skeletal muscle mass may influence the capacity of patients with CHF to withstand submaximal effort, due to limitations in their physical condition, even maintaining a value similar to that of healthy individuals. This suggests qualitative changes in the musculature.

The South pole; an account of the Norwegian Antarctic expedition in the "Fram," 1910-1912, by Roald Amundsen; tr. from the Norwegian by A.G. Chater. With maps and numerous illustrations.

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Treatment of Dyslipidemia with Statins and Physical Exercises: Recent Findings of Skeletal Muscle Responses

Statin treatment in association with physical exercise practice can substantially reduce cardiovascular mortality risk of dyslipidemic individuals, but this practice is associated with myopathic event exacerbation. This study aimed to present the most recent results of specific literature about the effects of statins and its association with physical exercise on skeletal musculature. Thus, a literature review was performed using PubMed and SciELO databases, through the combination of the keywords “statin” AND “exercise” AND “muscle”, restricting the selection to original studies published between January 1990 and November 2013. Sixteen studies evaluating the effects of statins in association with acute or chronic exercises on skeletal muscle were analyzed. Study results indicate that athletes using statins can experience deleterious effects on skeletal muscle, as the exacerbation of skeletal muscle injuries are more frequent with intense training or acute eccentric and strenuous exercises. Moderate physical training, in turn, when associated to statins does not increase creatine kinase levels or pain reports, but improves muscle and metabolic functions as a consequence of training. Therefore, it is suggested that dyslipidemic patients undergoing statin treatment should be exposed to moderate aerobic training in combination to resistance exercises three times a week, and the provision of physical training prior to drug administration is desirable, whenever possible.

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.3:L-O (1910)

Towards effective research-paper recommender systems and user modeling based on mind maps

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2015

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.8:suppl.P-Z (1940)

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.7:suppl.J-O (1933)

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.2:E-K (1904)

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.5:SO-Z (1915)

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.6:suppl.A - I (1922)

Catalogue of the books, manuscripts, maps and drawings in the British museum (Natural history) ....

v.4:P-SN (1913)