ACB results in greater preservation of quadriceps muscle strength. Although we did not detect a significant reduction in fall risk when compared with FNB, based on the upper limit of the relative risk, it may very well be present. Further study is needed with a larger sample size.

Assessment of actual treatment outcome by simple and available diagnostic tests represents an important aspect in the evaluation of periodontal regenerative procedures. This report focuses on the diagnostic accuracy of different strategies to detect the original extent of bone loss and bone gain in deep vertical defects following guided tissue regeneration. Characteristics of probing attachment level and radiographic bone linear measurements were compared to a gold standard obtained as intrasurgical clinical measurements at baseline and at the 1 year re-entry operation. Radiographic linear measurements underestimated bone loss (CEJ-BD) in 55% of cases while the estimate was within 1 mm in 25% of cases. The goodness of agreement could be significantly described by a general linear model incorporating measures of defect morphology. The original level of bone loss could be best detected by an approach which consisted of adding 1.5 mm to the measured attachment level loss. Such an approach correctly estimated bone loss within 1 mm in 85% of sites. In terms of ability to detect bone gain, radiographic measurements underestimated bone gain in 55% and overestimated it in 15% of sites. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed at different threshold values of true gain. The sensitivity and specificity plots intersected at a threshold value of 2.7 mm bone gain. Conversely, measures of probing attachment level gain agreed with the gold standard within 1 mm 45% of times. Intersection of the specificity and sensitivity plots occurred at 3 mm. Classification tables are presented for both diagnostic tests at different threshold values.2+é

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The effects of purified recombinant microtubule-associated protein 2c (rMAP2c) on the dynamic instability of microtubules were examined by direct observation of individual microtubules in vitro by video-enhanced differential interference contrast light microscopy. Microtubules were grown in the absence or presence of varying concentrations of rMAP2c and were analyzed to determine growth rates, shortening rates, and the frequencies of conversion between growing and shortening phases. We found rMAP2c to stabilize microtubules dramatically. The most notable effect is a reduction in both the frequency of catastrophes (transitions from growth to shortening) and the mean length of shortening events:  no microtubule catastrophes were observed at concentrations of rMAP2c as low as 1.06 μM in a solution of 10 μM tubulin. Even at lower rMAP2c concentrations, there is a marked stabilizing effect. As the concentration of rMAP2c increases, average growth rates increase slightly, shortening rates decrease, and the frequency of rescues (transitions from shortening to growth) increases significantly. Together, these changes in parameters produce a population of extremely stable microtubules in the presence of rMAP2c. This stabilization is consistent with a structural role for MAP2c during early postnatal neural development.