BACKGROUND Stentless aortic bioprostheses were designed to provide enhanced hemodynamic performance and potentially greater longevity. The present report describes the outcomes of patients with the Freestyle stentless bioprosthesis followed for ≤18 years. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 1993 and 2011, 430 patients underwent primary aortic valve replacement with a Freestyle bioprosthesis in the su...

PURPOSE To investigate the effect of exposure to a low relative humidity (RH) environment on tear film physiology. METHOD A controlled environment chamber was used to create 2 different environmental conditions. Ambient temperature was constant in both conditions (21°C) while the RH was set at 40% at the normal condition and at 5% in the desiccating environment. Tear evaporation, noninvasive ...

BACKGROUND Structural valve deterioration is the major cause of bioprosthetic valve failure. Because of the unique design features and anti-calcification treatment of the Freestyle (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, Minn) stentless bioprosthesis, development of structural valve deterioration may differ in comparison with other bioprosthetic valves. This study evaluates the mechanisms and clinical pre...

An 80-year-old woman underwent a right reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for cuff tear arthropathy with no complications. She was discharged 3 days after surgery with well-controlled pain. However, 6 days postoperatively, she reported the onset of excruciating pain in her right shoulder, and conventional radiographs, including an axillary radiograph, were obtained.

Total shoulder arthroplasty and shoulder hemiarthroplasty have been the traditional method for treating a variety of shoulder conditions, including arthritis, cuff tear arthropathy, and some fracture types. However, these procedures did not provide consistently good results for patients with torn rotator cuffs. The development of the reverse prosthesis by Grammont in the late 20th century revol...

BACKGROUND There is considerable disagreement regarding the concentration of glucose in tears and its relationship to the concentration in blood. Improved sampling and analysis methods may resolve these discrepancies and possibly provide a basis for in situ tear glucose sensors. METHODS We used liquid chromatography (LC) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to determine glu...

BACKGROUND Surgical intervention for partial and full-thickness gluteus medius tears is often recommended for patients who have persistent pain despite nonoperative treatment. Traditionally, the surgical intervention has been carried out through open techniques with good results; however, advantages of endoscopic techniques include less tissue dissection, improved tendon mobilization, and the b...

Both cytotoxic and invasive strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can damage corneal epithelial cells in vitro, but neither can infect healthy corneas in vivo. We tested the hypothesis that whole human tear fluid can protect corneal epithelia against P. aeruginosa virulence mechanisms. Cultured corneal epithelial cells were inoculated with 10(6) CFU of one of 10 strains of P. aeruginosa (five cytot...