No abstract

No abstract

Sarcopenia is a complex process characterized by a progressive decrease in muscle mass and strength. Various nutrients have been shown to be effective in supporting muscular performance. This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-month administration of food for special medical purposes composed of omega-3 fatty acids (500 mg), leucine (2.5 g), and probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei PS23 (LPPS23), on appendicular lean mass (ALM), muscle performance, inflammatory status, and amino acid profile in sarcopenic patients. A total of 60 participants (aged 79.7 ± 4.8 years and a body mass index of 22.2 ± 2.1 kg/m2) were enrolled and randomly assigned to either intervention (n = 22) or placebo group (n = 28). Comparing the differences in effects between groups (intervention minus placebo effects), ALM increased significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.05), with no discernible change in the placebo group. Similarly, significant differences were also observed for the Tinetti scale (+2.39 points, p < 0.05), the SPPB total score (+2.22 points, p < 0.05), and the handgrip strength (4.09 kg, p < 0.05). Visceral adipose tissue significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the placebo group at 60 days −0.69 g (95% CI: −1.09, 0.29) vs. 0.27 g (95% CI: −0.11, 0.65), groups difference −0.96 (95% CI: −1.52, 0.39, p = 0.001). A statistically significant increase in levels of valine, leucine, isoleucine, and total amino acid profiles was observed in the intervention group compared with the placebo group at 60 days (p = 0.001). When taken together, these beneficial effects may be attributed to the innovative composition of this special medical-purpose food which could be considered for the treatment of sarcopenia in the elderly.

Purpose The research questions of the present study were: (1) Is total knee prosthesis wear behaviour influenced by implant size, body weight and their combined effect? (2) Are these findings significant and helpful from a clinical point of view? Methods Two very different sizes of the same total knee prosthesis (TKP), previously tested with ISO 14243 parameters, were tested on a knee simulator for a further two million cycles using a modified ISO 14243 load waveform. Roughness examination was performed on the metallic components. Gravimetric and micro-Raman spectroscopic analyses were carried out on the polyethylene inserts. Results The average volumetric mass loss was 69 ± 3 mm 3 and 88 ± 4 mm 3 for smaller and bigger size, respectively. Bigger TKPs are little influenced by an increased load, while the wear trend of the smaller TKP showed a redoubled slope, and more significant morphology changes were observed. However, the two sizes seem to behave similarly when subjected to a load increase of 15 %; the slope of the volumetric mass loss trend was comparable for the two sets of inserts, which did not appear significantly different also at the molecular level. Roughness average parameters of the lateral femoral condyle support this evidence. Conclusions It can be asserted that the body weight and implant size are relevant to the understanding of TKP wear behaviour. A post-implantation body weight increase in a patient with smaller knee dimensions could results in more critical effects on prosthesis long-term performance.

The majority of total knee replacements currently implanted present an articulation composed of two metal parts, femoral and tibial components, between which there is a polyethylene insert serving as a bearing surface. The finishing surface of the metal components is a very important factor in minimizing the polyethylene wear rate and, later, the gradual production of metal and plastic debris. Considering the role of surface roughness on volumetric wear rates, the purpose of this study is to develop a protocol for the roughness characterization of total knee prosthesis (TKP) metal components, taking into consideration a limited number of points on each surface. Six mobile TKP of different sizes (three size 2 and three size 6) were tested on a knee joint simulator to compare the wear behavior of each group. After 2 million cycles the weight loss by the polyethylene inserts was measured with gravimetric method and the surface roughness of the metallic components was assessed in terms of average surface roughness, Ra, skewness, Rsk, and total roughness, Rt. Roughness measurement involved 29 points on each femoral condyle and 26 points on each metal tibial plate. The data collected has shown an increased roughness upon wear testing for both the investigated TKP sizes. No statistical differences were observed between the two groups for both the parameters Ra, Rsk, and Rt. The surface of all metallic components became more negatively skewed, indicating diminishing peaks. The various parameters were correlated to the volumetric loss using a linear regression analysis.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract