Telemedicine services for the ageing population are expanding recently. Postural screening assessment is usually focused on children and adolescents. Elderly population is endangering on kyphotic deformations due to osteoporotic fractures. Yearly three dimensional (3D) examinations may be applicable to monitor postural deterioration among elderly. Remote assessment of back shape seems to be an option to measure kyphosis angle and postural worsening. The aim of this study is to present the archiving and assessment system and its applicability. The proposed system has two main components: measurement module with data analysis and storage one. The measurement module is based on structured light method. The technique for 3D imaging of back shape is based on temporal phase shifting and Gray codes. Acquired "images" are transferable to Telediagnostic Center. Preliminary analysis was performed on selected cases from database of patient's cohort. The average age of analyzed patients group was 72 years. Bone mineral density in the analyzed group was below 80 mg/cm(3). Kyphosis angle was measured in the range of 32 to 60 degrees, assessed by the clinical team. Shape of the elderly patient's backs was acquired and sent over the Internet connection. Presented, originally developed system combines postural telediagnostic screening and monitoring. The development of automatic anatomical structures detection shall be able to prompt final diagnostic procedure and make draw of the trend of measured values changes over the time. The safety and procedure of presented examination method was highly accepted by elderly patients.

The acute phase response (APR) is a key part of the innate immune system and acute phase proteins (APPs) represent the core of the early response to stimuli such as trauma, infection, stress, neoplasia, and autoimmune disease. These biomarkers have a different timeline and magnitude of expression vs traditional means of examining inflammation (e.g., total white blood count and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio). Extensive studies conducted in companion and large animals have demonstrated many clinical applications for inflammatory biomarkers including diagnosis, prognosis, detection of subclinical disease and chronic inflammation, and monitoring stress. This article provides information regarding the APR and the uses of APP quantitation, as well as the growing body of information on APPSs in exotic animals.

Escherichia coli phages (T4 and HAP1) and Pseudomonas phages were shown to inhibit specific antibody production in the mouse as well as alloantigen-driven humoral responses of human lymphocytes in vitro. In contrast, Staphylococcus aureus phages administered in vivo and in vitro may stimulate polyclonal humoral responses in humans. Our data suggest that phages can modulate antibody production, a phenomenon which may have important clinical relevance.

Six patients with nonunion of long bones, one with delayed bone formation during distraction osteogenesis, and one with nonunion of the neck of the femur were enrolled in a clinical trial. Duration of nonunion was from 8 to 94 months (mean 29,4 months). Recombinant human OP-1 (BMP-7) was purchased from the manufacturer. One unit (3,5 mg of active substance mixed with 1 gram of type I bovine bone-derived collagen) was used in each patient. In four patients OP-1 implant was delivered by standard open operative procedure, in 3 percutaneously. In one patient with femoral neck nonunion OP-1 implant was placed intramedullary. No patient had serious adverse reactions related to the implant. At 5 to 8 weeks following the operative procedure five out of 6 patients with nonunion of long bones and one patient with delayed bone formation in distraction osteogenesis were judged by clinical and radiological criteria to have been treated successfully. In one patient with femoral neck nonunion bone union was achieved after 22 weeks. To determine whether the local stimulation with OP-1 might induce prolonged changes in systemic levels of growth and angiogenic factors, the serum levels of the angiogenin (ANG), interleukin-8 (IL-8), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were assessed prior, and 1, 2, 6 and 12 weeks after operative treatment with OP-1 device. There is no evidence for a potentially harmful systemic rise in growth and angiogenesis factors after local administration of the amount of BMP-7 used in our study.

The limited regenerative capacities of articular are well known. Among the many methods used to repair the joint surface, among the most innovative involve stimulating chondrocytes to grow and differentiate by local application of exogenous protein growth factors, and attempting to transfer the genes responsible for cell division and maturation. This article presents the current state of knowledge on the possibilities for the treatment of limited cartilage defects used these methods.

Based on authorial material consisting of 19 patients operated in the period 1993-2000 for infections following total hip replacements, and on information from the literature, the authors discuss the suitability of various diagnostic methods. It is particularly important to diagnose infections with a slow course, without the classic clinical signs. The diagnostic criteria accepted by the Disease Control Center in Atlanta are presented, along with the radiological symptoms of latent infections and scintigraphic methods of varying sensitivity and specificity to regards to hip endoprosthesis infections. The article presents the typical changes in the value of erythrocyte precipitation and CRP concentration during the first year following a non-complicated hip arthroplasty, which has a significant impact on the interpretation of results when there is a suspicion of early infection. The decisive test for the diagnosis of a slow infection in a joint with loosened endoprosthesis with obvious clinical signs of infection is peri-operative examination of frozen scraps of the joint capsule for the presence of infiltrations of neutrophil leukocytes.

Current methods are presented for the management of deep infection of total hip replacements. The goal of treatment is to maintain the improvement of function gained by hip replacement. In cases without loosening, precise surgical debridement without removal of implants is indicated. Management in septic loosening depends on the general medical condition of the patient, the local bone stock, and the spread of infection. Satisfactory bone stock allows for reimplantation of a new prosthesis, prefably using antibiotic-loaded cement, after scrupulous removal of all potentially infected tissues and particles. The reimplantationcan be done as a one- or two-stage operation. In the two0stage procedure, antibiotic-loaded cement spacer can be used, but both two- and one-stage reimplantation have similar results as regards infection control. Definitive removal of the prosthesis is indicated in patients whose general medical condition is poor, who have no usable bone stock, or who present with a persistent Gram-negative bacterial infection. This procedure is not fully effective, however (infection brought under control in 83% of patients), although it does not cause significant negative effect for the functional status of this group of patients.

An aim of the management of infection complicating total hip arthroplasty is to control infection and maintain satisfactory hip function. In the period 1993-2000 effectives of therapy of deep injection after total hip replacement in 91 patients was assessed. Infection without loosening of endoprosthesis was diagnosed in 33 hips, septic loosening in 58. In 33 cases without loosening surgical debridement without removal of prosthesis was done with good control of infection in 25 hips. Permanent removal of prosthesis done in 42 cases resulted in recurrence of infection in 6 hips. One stage reimplantation done in 12 patients succeded in 9 hips. Two-stage reimplantation in 3 hips resulted in recurrence of infection in 2 cases. Antibiotic-embedded cement spacer (gentamycin with vancomycin) was used in I case with unsatisfactory result. Recurrent infection was observed in 13 cases of 48 hips treated without implant removal or by reimplantation of new prosthesis.

The tissue engineering of cartilage implants may open new paths for the surgical treatment of joint surface defects. Autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) has been gaining in clinical significance over the last several years. This study presents the methods used for isolation, monolayer culturing, multipication and assesment in transmission light microscopy of human chondrocytes. The tissue was gained from resected fragments of joint during total knee replacement.