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This paper explains the different trajectories of German and American competition policy and its permissiveness towards economic concentration in the last few decades. While the German political economy had moved to a stronger antitrust regime after 1945 and stuck to it even after the economic governance shifts of the 1980s, the traditional antitrust champion, the United States, has shed considerable parts of its basic governance toolkit against anticompetitive conduct since the 1960s. Drawing on theories of institutional change driven by bureaucratic and professional elites, the paper claims that different pathways of professional ideas in competition policy can account for the cross-country differences. In the 1960s and early 1970s, movements to strengthen competition policy in the direction of an active deconcentration of industry emerged in both countries. While German as well as American professionals reacted to the impending encroachment of societal concerns into antitrust with economized notions of the policies’ goals, they did so in fundamentally different ways. Whereas US professionals proposed an effect-based approach in which consumer welfare and gains in efficiency may justify less competition, the more strongly law-based profession in Germany to a degree strengthened a form-based approach aiming at the preservation of competitive market structures. Such extrapolitical pathways of ideas, we argue, provide important guidelines for the implementation of competition policy by administrations and courts, whose decisions can have a far-reaching impact on industries and political economies as a whole. Der Artikel erklärt die unterschiedlichen Pfade des deutschen und amerikanischen Wettbewerbsrechts und dessen Einstellung zu wirtschaftlicher Konzentration in den letzten Jahrzehnten. Während die deutsche politische Ökonomie nach 1945 zu einem konservativeren Wettbewerbsregime überging und dies auch nach dem Wandel in den 1980er-Jahren aufrechterhielt, veränderten die USA, das klassische Land der Wettbewerbskontrolle, ihr Interventionsverhalten seit den 1960er-Jahren. Dieser Artikel argumentiert mit Bezug auf Theorien institutionellen Wandels durch bürokratische Eliten, dass die verschiedenartigen Wettbewerbsideen von Professionen die Länderunterschiede miterklären können. In den 1960er- und 1970er-Jahren entstanden in beiden Ländern Bewegungen, die das Ziel verfolgten, Wettbewerbspolitik zu erweitern. Wenngleich sowohl deutsche als auch amerikanische professionelle Gruppen auf das drohende Vordringen gesamtgesellschaftlicher Erwägungen mit ökonomisierten Auffassungen der Wettbewerbspolitik reagierten, taten sie das in unterschiedlicher Weise. Während amerikanische professionelle Gruppen einen effektbasierten Ansatz entwickelten, in dem Konsumentenwohlfahrts- und Effizienzgewinne Abstriche beim Wettbewerb erlauben, stärkten die eher juristisch geprägten Wettbewerbshüter in Deutschland einen marktformbasierten Ansatz. Wir behaupten, dass diese verschiedenen Ideen wichtige Leitlinien in der Implementierung des Wettbewerbsrechts für Verwaltungen und Gerichte vorgaben, deren Entscheidungen wiederum weitreichende Effekte für Wirtschaftssektoren und die politische Ökonomie insgesamt haben können. Contents 1 Introduction 2 Antitrust regimes and extrapolitical institutional change Study of state bureaucracies Institutional change through bureaucracies 3 The administrative economization of American antitrust Strengthening antitrust The effect-based revolution 4 Impaired “modernization” in Germany Resisting activist antitrust From resisting activism to blocking economization 5 Conclusion Appendix References

Bis zur Finanzkrise im Jahr 2007 herrschte in vielen Ländern die politische Idee vor, dass Gesellschaften mit möglichst vielen Hauseigentümern wünschenswert seien. Historisch war sie als konservative Reaktion auf die Industrialisierung entstanden. Sie wurde in manchen Ländern aber auch bis weit in das linke Parteienspektrum hinein geteilt. Erst nach der Finanzkrise wurde klar, dass die Förderung von mehr Wohneigentum vielerorts eher zu kreditinduzierten Hauspreisblasen und wirtschaftlicher Rezession denn zu einer Verbreiterung der Hauseigentümerbasis im Rahmen einer stabilen Demokratie geführt hat.

Item does not contain fulltext The majority of the genetic causes of autosomal-recessive (ar) cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) are currently unknown. A combined approach of homozygosity mapping and exome sequencing revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation (c.565C>T [p.Glu189*]) in RAB28 in a German family with three siblings with arCRD. Another homozygous nonsense mutation (c.409C>T [p.Arg137*]) was identified in a family of Moroccan Jewish descent with two siblings affected by arCRD. All five affected individuals presented with hyperpigmentation in the macula, progressive loss of the visual acuity, atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, and severely reduced cone and rod responses on the electroretinogram. RAB28 encodes a member of the Rab subfamily of the RAS-related small GTPases. Alternative RNA splicing yields three predicted protein isoforms with alternative C-termini, which are all truncated by the nonsense mutations identified in the arCRD families in this report. Opposed to other Rab GTPases that are generally geranylgeranylated, RAB28 is predicted to be farnesylated. Staining of rat retina showed localization of RAB28 to the basal body and the ciliary rootlet of the photoreceptors. Analogous to the function of other RAB family members, RAB28 might be involved in ciliary transport in photoreceptor cells. This study reveals a crucial role for RAB28 in photoreceptor function and suggests that mutations in other Rab proteins may also be associated with retinal dystrophies.

Objectives: Dynamic intraligamentary stabilization was recently proposed as an option for the treatment of acute ACL ruptures. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the procedure in mid-substance ACL ruptures and examine whether the outcome could be improved by adding a collagen[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DKOU 2016)

The clinical value of imaging is well established for the follow-up of many lymphoid malignancies but not for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A meta-analysis was performed with the dataset of 3 German CLL Study Group phase 3 trials (CLL4, CLL5, and CLL8) that included 1372 patients receiving first-line therapy for CLL. Response as well as progression during follow-up was reassessed according to the National Cancer Institute Working Group1996 criteria. A total of 481 events were counted as progressive disease during treatment or follow-up. Of these, 372 progressions (77%) were detected by clinical symptoms or blood counts. Computed tomography (CT) scans or ultrasound were relevant in 44 and 29 cases (9% and 6%), respectively. The decision for relapse treatment was determined by CT scan or ultrasound results in only 2 of 176 patients (1%). CT scan results had an impact on the prognosis of patients in complete remission only after the administration of conventional chemotherapy but not after chemoimmunotherapy. In conclusion, physical examination and blood count remain the methods of choice for staging and clinical follow-up of patients with CLL as recommended by the International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia 2008 guidelines. These trials are registered at http://www.isrctn.org as ISRCTN 75653261 and ISRCTN 36294212 and at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00281918.

Background: Recently, a new technique, dynamic intraligamentary stabilization (DIS) was introduced for the acute repair of ACL ruptures. The purpose of this study was to report the functional recovery for patients undergoing acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair alongside DIS. Methods: Forty five patients sustaining acute ACL rupture and treated with DIS repair were retrospectively evaluated. Limb symmetry index of the hop test as well as knee function by means of range of motion, knee swelling, pain and maximum strength were evaluated. Following completion of the rehabilitation program, the difference in anterior-posterior translation (δ-AP Translation), IKDC, Tegner score (TAS) was additionally analyzed. Results: Forty five (13 females, 32 males) patients were included in the study. Mean age was 26 years (range 18 to 54 years). Median time to successfully complete hop test was 22.0 weeks (range 11 to 32 weeks) postoperatively. Median limb symmetry index 91.6% ± 8.3%. Median delta anterior-posterior translation compared to the healthy side was plus 0.0 mm ± 1.6 mm. Median IKDC was 89.5 ± 6.5. Mean Tegner score (TAS) at 12 months of follow-up was seven (range four to nine). Three patients suffered a rerupture during the first 12 postoperative months. Conclusions: DIS technique with proper rehabilitation following acute ACL rupture provides successful functional recovery and low rerupture rate at one-year follow-up. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Über das vergangene Jahrhundert kann man eine relativ stabile Kluft von 20 Prozentpunkten zwischen den Wohneigentumsquoten in den USA und Deutschland ausmachen. Angesichts zahlreicher Umbrüche überraschen diese stabilen Unterschiede, umso mehr, als dass diese Länder ansonsten ähnliche ökonomische Hintergrundbedingungen teilen. Auch geben in Wohnwunschumfragen sowohl deutsche wie amerikanische Haushalte zu ähnlich hohen Anteilen eine Präferenz für Wohneigentum an. Dieser Beitrag bietet eine neue historisch-vergleichende Antwort auf die Frage nach der niedrigen deutschen Wohneigentumsquote. Er greift auf eine Zusammenfassung von Forschungsergebnissen zurück, die am Max Planck Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung als Dissertation produziert und mit dem DIA-Forschungspreis ausgezeichnet wurden. Eine detaillierte Darstellung erscheint 2017 bei Routledge.

Sociological self-understanding is that the frequency of economic topics in sociology has peaked twice: first during the classical era between 1890 and 1920 and second af-ter Mark Granovetter’s often cited 1985 article. This paper tests this established view using all JSTOR sociology articles from 1890 to 2014 (142,040 articles, 157 journals). Combined topic and multilevel modeling found strong evidence for the first peak but the proportion of economics topics has also been decreasing over the past century. The emergence of the New Economic Sociology as a subdiscipline of sociology had less to do with an increased focus on general economic issues and more to do with an increased topic mix of organization and social theory. The paper shows that this specific topic mix began to increase from 1929 peaking by 1989 and suggests that the New Economic Sociology, rather than marking the beginning of a second peak, is more a product of the other general currents of organization sociology and social theory. The paper also finds that this subdiscipline is internally diverse in topics and rather male dominated. Im soziologischen Selbstverständnis gab es zwei Hochphasen in der Häufigkeit der Behandlung von ökonomischen Themen im Rahmen soziologischer Forschung: zunächst in der Zeit der Klassiker zwischen 1890 und 1920 und dann wieder nach Mark Grano-vetters vielfach zitiertem Artikel von 1985. Das Discussion Paper prüft diese Behauptung unter Verwendung aller bei JSTOR verfügbaren Volltextsoziologieartikel (142.040 Artikel, 157 Zeitschriften). Mithilfe von Topic- und Multilevelmodeling konnten deutliche Belege für die erste Hochphase erbracht werden, wobei der Anteil ökonomischer Themen im Verlauf des vergangenen Jahrhunderts gesunken ist. Das Entstehen der Neuen Wirtschaftssoziologie als Teildisziplin der Soziologie steht weniger im Zusammenhang mit dem verstärktem Augenmerk auf ökonomische Themen als mit einer Kombination aus Organisationsforschung und Sozialtheorie. Das Paper zeichnet Aufkommen und Verbreitung der Kombination dieser Themen von 1929 bis zur Hochphase im Jahr 1989 nach und kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Neue Wirtschaftssoziologie eher aus allgemeinen Strömungen von Organisationssoziologie und Sozialtheorie entstanden ist, als dass sie ein Zeichen für den Beginn einer zweiten Hochphase darstellt. Darüber hinaus wird aufgezeigt, dass die Wirtschaftssoziologie intern themenheterogen ist und tendenziell von männlichen Autoren bearbeitet wird. 1 Introduction 2 Literature background 3 Research design, data and methodology Data: The full-text JSTOR articles between 1890 and 2014 Topic modeling: Measuring the topical orientation of sociology articles Multilevel modeling: Formal evaluation of the topical trend of sociology 4 Analysis and results 5 Discussion and conclusions Appendix References

BACKGROUND Recently, a new technique, dynamic intraligamentary stabilization (DIS) was introduced for the acute repair of ACL ruptures. The purpose of this study was to report the functional recovery for patients undergoing acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair alongside DIS. METHODS Forty five patients sustaining acute ACL rupture and treated with DIS repair were retrospectively evaluated. Limb symmetry index of the hop test as well as knee function by means of range of motion, knee swelling, pain and maximum strength were evaluated. Following completion of the rehabilitation program, the difference in anterior-posterior translation (Δ-AP Translation), IKDC, Tegner score (TAS) was additionally analyzed. RESULTS Forty five (13 females, 32 males) patients were included in the study. Mean age was 26years (range 18 to 54years). Median time to successfully complete hop test was 22.0weeks (range 11 to 32weeks) postoperatively. Median limb symmetry index 91.6%±8.3%. Median delta anterior-posterior translation compared to the healthy side was plus 0.0mm±1.6mm. Median IKDC was 89.5±6.5. Mean Tegner score (TAS) at 12months of follow-up was seven (range four to nine). Three patients suffered a rerupture during the first 12 postoperative months. CONCLUSIONS DIS technique with proper rehabilitation following acute ACL rupture provides successful functional recovery and low rerupture rate at one-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to identify the 100 most cited classics in the field of hip research analysing their qualities and characteristics. METHODS Hip joint related articles were identified and the hundred most cited selected for subsequent analysis of citation count, current citation rate, citation density (citations/article age), authorship, geographic origin institution, and level of evidence (LOE). RESULTS In a total of 121 journals, 1,311,851 articles were published between 1945 and 2013, of which 1,287 (0.1%) possessed 250 citations or more. Total citations per article for the 100 most-cited ranged from 290 to 3,144 citations.The most common areas of research were degenerative disease and arthroplasty, followed by hip preserving surgery for which the leading authors were William H. Harris and Reinhold Ganz respectively. All articles were published in 8 journals and originated from 9 countries. 10 institutes published 48/100 of the articles. There was a significant negative correlation between both citation rate, citation density and article age. Total citation count was highest for articles published in the decade of 1970. Although 5% (2,103 articles) of hip literature comprised randomised trials (RCTs), only 1 (1%) of the citation classics was an RCT. CONCLUSIONS The study provides intellectual milestones in hip research, reflecting on the qualities and characteristics of the research. Degenerative hip disease and arthroplasty research take up the greatest proportion of citations, followed by hip preserving research. LOE was low and there was only one RCT amongst the classics, emphasising that high LOE is not a prerequisite for a high citation count.

Objectives: Based on several studies a reduction of SF viscosity has been associated with synovial joint pathologies. A major cause of pathological joint degeneration is Osteoarthritis. A change in synovial hyaluronan MW and concentration, could be linked to a higher risk of OA progression. While the[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DKOU 2015)

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the involvement of the Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) gene BBS1 p.M390R variant in nonsyndromic autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS: Homozygosity mapping of a patient with isolated RP was followed by BBS1 sequence analysis. We performed restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the p.M390R allele in 2007 patients with isolated RP or autosomal recessive RP and in 1824 ethnically matched controls. Patients with 2 BBS1 variants underwent extensive clinical and ophthalmologic assessment. RESULTS: In an RP proband who did not fulfill the clinical criteria for BBS, we identified a large homozygous region encompassing the BBS1 gene, which carried the p.M390R variant. In addition, this variant was detected homozygously in 10 RP patients and 1 control, compound heterozygously in 3 patients, and heterozygously in 5 patients and 6 controls. The 14 patients with 2 BBS1 variants showed the entire clinical spectrum, from nonsyndromic RP to full-blown BBS. In 8 of 14 patients, visual acuity was significantly reduced. In patients with electroretinographic responses, a rod-cone pattern of photoreceptor degeneration was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Variants in BBS1 are significantly associated with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive RP and relatively mild forms of BBS. As exemplified in this study by the identification of a homozygous p.M390R variant in a control individual and in unaffected parents of BBS patients in other studies, cis - or trans -acting modifiers may influence the disease phenotype. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It is important to monitor patients with an early diagnosis of mild BBS phenotypes for possible life-threatening conditions.

Purpose: Replacement of the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with a transplant is today`s gold standard. A new technique for preserving and healing the torn ACL is presented. Hypothesis: a dynamic intraligamentary stabilization (DIS) that provides continuous postinjury stability of the knee and ACL in combination with biological improvement of the healing environment [leucocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) and microfracturing] should enable biomechanically stable ACL self-healing. Methods: Ten sportive patients were treated by DIS employing an internal stabilizer to keep the unstable knee in a posterior translation, combined with microfracturing and platelet-rich fibrin induction at the rupture site to promote self-healing. Postoperative clinical [Tegner, Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), visual analogue scale patient satisfaction score] and radiological evaluation, as well as assessment of knee laxity was performed at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Results: One patient had a re-rupture 5 months postoperative and was hence excluded from further follow-ups. The other nine patients presented the following outcomes at 24 months: median Lysholm score of 100; IKDC score of 98 (97–100); median Tegner score of 6 (range 9–5); anterior translation difference of 1.4 mm (−1 to 3 mm); median satisfaction score of 9.8 (9–10). MRI showed scarring and continuity of the ligament in all patients. Conclusions: DIS combined with microfracturing and L-PRF resulted in stable clinical and radiological healing of the torn ACL in all but one patient of this first series. They attained normal knee scores, reported excellent satisfaction and could return to their previous levels of sporting activity. Level of evidence: Case series with no comparison group, Level IV. © 2014, The Author(s).

Background: Arthroscopy is considered as "the gold standard" for the diagnosis of traumatic intraarticular knee lesions. However, recent developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) now offer good opportunities for the indirect assessment of the integrity and structural changes of the knee articular cartilage. The study was to investigate whether cartilage-specific sequences on a 3-Tesla MRI provide accurate assessment for the detection of cartilage defects. Methods: A 3-Tesla (3-T) MRI combined with three-dimensional double-echo steady-state (3D-DESS) cartilage specific sequences was performed on 210 patients with knee pain prior to knee arthroscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of magnetic resonance imaging were calculated and correlated to the arthroscopic findings of cartilaginous lesions. Lesions were classified using the modified Outerbridge classification. Results: For the 210 patients (1260 cartilage surfaces: patella, trochlea, medial femoral condyle, medial tibia, lateral femoral condyle, lateral tibia) evaluated, the sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of 3-T MRI were 83.3, 99.8, 84.4, and 99.8 %, respectively, for the detection of grade IV lesions; 74.1, 99.6, 85.2, and 99.3 %, respectively, for grade III lesions; 67.9, 99.2, 76.6, and 98.2 %, respectively, for grade II lesions; and 8.8, 99.5, 80, and 92 %, respectively, for grade I lesions. Conclusions: For grade III and IV lesions, 3-T MRI combined with 3D-DESS cartilage-specific sequences represents an accurate diagnostic tool. For grade II lesions, the technique demonstrates moderate sensitivity, while for grade I lesions, the sensitivity is limited to provide reliable diagnosis compared to knee arthroscopy. © 2015 Kohl et al.

The conventional story tells us that since the birth of the discipline of sociology, the economic orientation of the discipline has peaked twice: the first peak was during the classical era between 1890 and 1920; the second peak was sometime after 1985, marking Granovetter´s Economic Action and Social Structure paper. We have tested this story by using all full-text articles provided by JSTOR between the periods 1890 to 2014: this contains 142 040 articles and 157 journals. We used a combination of topic modelling (machine learning applied to text) and multilevel modelling (regression) to accomplish this. We have found the following. (1) there is strong evidence for the first peak, but contrary to this narrative, we also find a decreasing proportion of economic topics over the last century. (2) The rise of the new economic sociology as a sub-discipline of sociology, comes not in the form of an increasing focus on general economic issues, but rather in the form of a particular topic mix of organization and social-theory research. (3) We show, accordingly, that this particular topic mix reached its bottom and started to rise by the 1929; it peaked by 1989. (4) We suggest, therefore, that Granovetter´s article (and the new economic sociology) does not mark the beginning of a second peak – as the conventional story has it – but it is rather a product of a preceding sociological interests, innovations, and orientation towards socio-economic theory development. (5) Moreover, we discover that neither the classics nor the new economic sociologists contribute much to an empirical (applied) type of economic topic found in industrial relations and political economy research. In conclusion, the future impact that the discipline of sociology might have on economic oriented research in the social sciences, will most likely require (a) less of a within- and between disciplinary fragmentation that is most likely hampering the potential contributions sociologists can make; (b) more of engaging with applied economic affairs and thus bridge current sub-disciplinary divides. This is crucial in the age of austerity and if we seek to conceive of better socio-economic theories than existing economic theories. 1 Introduction 2 Literature background 3 Data and Methodology 3.1 Data – the full JSTOR sociology data between 1890 to 2014 3.2 Limitations of the data 3.3 Topic modeling 3.4 Multilevel modeling 4 Analysis and Result 4.1 The topic model: validation, interpretation, and analysis 4.1.1 The first validation step: The word-over-topic distribution 4.1.2 The second validation step: The topics-over-articles distribution 4.1.3 The third step: Leading economic sociologists and their topic distribution 4.2 Hypotheses and questions derived from the topic model results 4.3 The multilevel modeling: analyzing the time-trend of the economic orientation of sociology over the last 124 years 4.3.1 Journal rankings 5 Discussion and Conclusions 6 References 7 Appendix

Objective: Arthroscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of knee cartilage lesions. However, it is invasive and expensive, and displays all the potential complications of an open surgical procedure. Ultra-high-field MRI now offers good opportunities for the indirect assessment of the integrity and structural changes of joint cartilage of the knee. The goal of the present study is to determine the site of early cartilaginous lesions in adults with non-traumatic knee pain. Methods: 3-T MRI examinations of 200 asymptomatic knees with standard and three-dimensional doubleecho steady-state (3D-DESS) cartilage-specific sequences were prospectively studied for early degenerative lesions of the tibiofemoral joint. Lesions were classified and mapped using the modified Outerbridge and modified International Cartilage Repair Society classifications. Results: A total of 1437 lesions were detected: 56.1% grade I, 33.5% grade II, 7.2% grade III and 3.3% grade IV. Cartographically, grade I lesions were most common in the anteromedial tibial areas; grade II lesions in the anteromedial L5 femoral areas; and grade III in the centromedial M2 femoral areas. Conclusion: 3-T MRI with standard and 3D-DESS cartilagespecific sequences demonstrated that areas predisposed to early osteoarthritis are the central, lateral and ventromedial tibial plateau, as well as the central and medial femoral condyle. Advances in knowledge: In contrast with previous studies reporting early cartilaginous lesions in the medial tibial compartment and/or in the medial femoral condyle, this study demonstrates that, regardless of grade, lesions preferentially occur at the L5 and M4 tibial and L5 and L2 femoral areas of the knee joint. © 2015 The Authors.

Background Traumatic knee dislocation represents a rare but devastating injury. Several controversies persist regarding type of treatment, surgical timing, graft selection, repair versus reconstruction of the medial and lateral structures, surgical techniques and postoperative rehabilitation. A new technique for primary ACL stabilization, dynamic intaligamentary stabilization (DIS) was developed at the authors' institution. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical and radiological outcomes of surgically treated traumatic knee dislocations by means of the DIS technique for the ACL, primary suturing for PCL, MCL and LCL. Methods Between 2009 and 2012, 35 patients treated surgically for traumatic knee dislocation with primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with DIS, suturing of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and primary complete repair of collaterals, were evaluated clinically (IKDC score, SF12 health survey, Lysholm score, Tegner score) and radiologically with a mean follow up of 2.2 years (range 1.00-3.50 years) years. Instrumented anterior-posterior translation was measured (KT-2000). Results Anterior/posterior translation (KT-2000) for the healthy and injured limb was 4.8 mm (range 3-8 mm) and 7.3 mm (range 5-10) (89 N) respectively. Valgus and varus stress testing in 30° flexion was normal in 26 (75%) and 29 (83%) patients, respectively. The IKDC score was B in 29 (83%) and C in 6 (17%) patients, while the mean Tegner score was 6 (range 4-8). The mean Lysholm score was 90.83 (range 81-95) and mean SF-12 physical and mental scores were 54.1 (range 45-60) and 51.0 (range 39-62) respectively. In 2 patients, a secondary operation was performed. Conclusions Early, one stage reconstruction with DIS can achieve good functional results and patient satisfaction with overall restoration of sports and working capacity without graft requirements. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PURPOSE. Heterozygous mutations in the GUCY2D gene, which encodes the membrane-bound retinal guanylyl cyclase-1 protein (RetGC-1), have been shown to cause autosomal dominant inherited cone degeneration and cone–rod degeneration (adCD, adCRD). The present study was a comprehensive screening of the GUCY2D gene in 27 adCD and adCRD unrelated families of these rare disorders. METHODS. Mutation analysis was performed by direct sequencing as well as PCR and subsequent restriction length polymorphism analysis (PCR/RFLP). Haplotype analysis was performed in selected patients by using microsatellite markers. RESULTS. GUCY2D gene mutations were identified in 11 (40%) of 27 patients, and all mutations clustered to codon 838, including two known and one novel missense mutation: p.R838C, p.R838H, and p.R838G. Haplotype analysis showed that among the studied patients only two of the six analyzed p.R838C mutation carriers shared a common haplotype and that none of the p.R838H mutation carriers did. CONCLUSIONS. GUCY2D is a major gene responsible for progressive autosomal dominant cone degeneration. All identified mutations localize to codon 838. Haplotype analysis indicates that in most cases these mutations arise independently. Thus, codon 838 is likely to be a mutation hotspot in the GUCY2D gene.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common lesion. Current treatment emphasizes arthroscopic ACL reconstruction via a graft, although this approach is associated with potential drawbacks. A new method of dynamic intraligamentary stabilization (DIS) was subjected to biomechanical analysis to determine whether it provides the necessary knee stability for optimal ACL healing. Methods: Six human knees from cadavers were harvested. The patellar tendon, joint capsule and all muscular attachments to the tibia and femur were removed, leaving the collateral and the cruciate ligaments intact. The knees were stabilized and the ACL kinematics analyzed. Anterior-posterior (AP) stability measurements evaluated the knees in the following conditions: (i) intact ACL, (ii) ACL rupture, (iii) ACL rupture with primary stabilization, (iv) primary stabilization after 50 motion cycles, (v) ACL rupture with DIS, and (vi) DIS after 50 motion cycles. Results: After primary suture stabilization, average AP laxity was 3.2. mm, which increased to an average of 11.26. mm after 50 movement cycles. With primary ACL stabilization using DIS, however, average laxity values were consistently lower than those of the intact ligament, increasing from an initial AP laxity of 3.00. mm to just 3.2. mm after 50 movement cycles. Conclusions: Dynamic intraligamentary stabilization established and maintained close contact between the two ends of the ruptured ACL, thus ensuring optimal conditions for potential healing after primary reconstruction. The present ex vivo findings show that the DIS technique is able to restore AP stability of the knee. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Fragestellung: Zu den häufigsten Sportverletzungen zählt der Riss des vorderen Kreuzbandes (VKB). Allgemein anerkannt ist die Kenntnis darüber, dass die Selbstheilung des vorderen Kreuzbandes stark limitiert ist. Die bekannten Nachteile der autogenen VKB wie die Sekundärinstabilität[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], Deutscher Kongress für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie (DKOU 2014)

In a worldwide collaborative effort, 19, 630 Y- chromosomes were sampled from 129 different populations in 51 countries. These chromosomes were typed for 23 short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, GATAH4, DYS481, DYS533, DYS549, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643) and using the PowerPlex Y23 System (PPY23, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI). Locus-specific allelic spectra of these markers were determined and a consistently high level of allelic diversity was observed. A considerable number of null, duplicate and off- ladder alleles were revealed. Standard single- locus and haplotype-based parameters were calculated and compared between subsets of Y-STR markers established for forensic casework. The PPY23 marker set provides substantially stronger discriminatory power than other available kits but at the same time reveals the same general patterns of population structure as other marker sets. A strong correlation was observed between the number of Y-STRs included in a marker set and some of the forensic parameters under study. Interestingly a weak but consistent trend toward smaller genetic distances resulting from larger numbers of markers became apparent.

Background. Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is the most severe complication, following joint arthroplasty. Identification of the causal microbial factor is of paramount importance for the successful treatment. Purpose. The aim of this study is to compare the sonication fluid cultures derived from joint prosthetic components with the respective periprosthetic tissue cultures. Methods. Explanted prosthesis components for suspected infection were placed into a tank containing sterile Ringer's solution and sonicated for 1 minute at 40 kHz. Sonication fluid cultures were examined for 10 days, and the number and identity of any colony morphology was recorded. In addition, periprosthetic tissue specimens (>5) were collected and cultured according to standard practice. The duration of antimicrobial interruption interval before culture sampling was recorded. Results. Thirty-four patients composed the study group. Sonication fluid cultures were positive in 24 patients (70.5%). Sixteen of thirty four periprosthetic tissue cultures (47.1%) were considered positive, all revealing the same microbial species with the respective sonication fluid cultures: 3 tissue samples showed polymicrobial infection. All tissue cultures were also found positive by the sonication fluid culture. Conclusions. Sonication fluid cultures represent a cheap, easy, accurate, and sensitive diagnostic modality demonstrating increased sensitivity compared to periprosthetic tissue cultures (70.5 versus 47.1%). © 2013 D. S. Evangelopoulos et al.