Growing rod

Microbial communities display complex spatiotemporal behaviors leading to spatially-structured and ordered organization driven by species interactions and environmental factors. Resource availability plays a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of bacterial colonies. In this study, we delve into the intricate interplay between resource limitation and the emergent properties of a growing colony of two visually distinct bacterial strains having similar growth and mechanical properties. Employing an agent-based modeling and computer simulations, we analyze the resource-driven effect on segregation and sectoring, cell length regulation and nematic ordering within a growing colony...

INTRODUCTION: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) represents a difficult challenge for spine surgeons, due to the association of a structural scoliosis, with a prevalence between 15 and 86%. Conservative therapy is a viable option, but surgery is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice. METHODS: The authors reviewed a series of 15 patients affected by PWS treated at their institution between 2008 and 2023. The mean age at index treatment was 9 years and 3 months (range 1-15 years) with a prevalence of female subjects...

PURPOSE: Infantile scoliosis presents a significant challenge due to high risk of pulmonary complications and morbidity. While dual growing rod constructs are often utilized, they are not always feasible in a young patient with a severe curve. In this study, we present a series of eight patients treated with a unilateral magnetically controlled growing rod (uMCGR) construct later converted to guided growth surgery (GGS). METHODS: A multicenter database was queried for patients with progressive infantile scoliosis treated with uMCGR before later conversion to GGS...

In view of the growing role of magnetic particles under magnetic field influence in medical and other applications, and perforce the bead chaining, it is important to understand more generally the chain dynamics. As is well known, in the presence of a magnetic field, magnetic beads tend to form chains that are aligned with the magnetic field vector. In addition, if there is a magnetic field gradient, there will be a magnetic force acting on this chain. The main goal of the present research is to study the motion of a magnetic bead chain that makes an arbitrary angle with the magnetic force vector in the Stokes flow limit, that is, in the limit of zero Reynolds number...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Growing rod (GR) systems require periodical surgical intervention and may cause associated complications, as well as worsened sagittal plane deformity. Generally, the risk of complications decreases with increment in age at the time of the index surgery with GR construct placement. However, the optimal timing to begin GR treatment has not reached a consensus yet. PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the effect of age at the index GR surgery on the complication rates and formulate clinical guidelines for the optimal timing to begin GR treatment for EOS patients...

An aerobic methanotroph was isolated from a secondary sedimentation tank of a wastewater treatment plant and designated strain OY6T . Cells of OY6T were Gram-stain-negative, pink-pigmented, motile rods and contained an intracytoplasmic membrane structure typical of type I methanotrophs. OY6T could grow at a pH range of 4.5-7.5 (optimum pH 6.5) and at temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 37 °C (optimum 30 °C). The major cellular fatty acids were C14 : 0 , C16 : 1 ω7 c /C16 : 1 ω6 c and C16 : 1 ω5 c ; the predominant respiratory quinone was MQ-8...

A novel Paracoccus-related strain, designated YLB-12T , was isolated from a sediment sample from the tidal zone of Shapowei Port, Xiamen, Fujian Province, PR China. The novel strain is a Gram-stain-negative, short, rod-shaped, nonmotile, catalase- and oxidase-positive strain that grows at 10-37 °C and pH 5.0-9.0 in the presence of 0-12.0% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that this strain belongs to the genus Paracoccus and that its highest sequence similarity was to Paracoccus homiensis DD-R11T (98...

Halogen bonding acknowledged as a noteworthy weak interaction, has gained growing recognition in the field of supramolecular chemistry. In this study, we selected structurally rigid diaryliodonium ions (I(III)) with two biaxial σ-holes as halogen-bond donors, to bind with three chiral acceptor molecules bearing cholesteryl and naphthalimides with distinct geometries. The abundant carbonyl oxygen atoms in side-arm substituents function as multiple acceptors for halogen bonding. The self-aggregation of chiral acceptor molecules demonstrates adaptiveness to solvent media, evidenced by the inversion of the Cotton effect and the morphological evolution from spherical to rod-like nanoarchitectures in different solvent systems...

Morganella morganii is a gram negative, facultative anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium, commonly found in environment and in the intestine of human, mammals, and reptiles as a part of their gut microbiome. M. morganii can cause Gram-negative folliculitis, black nail infection, acute retiform purpura, fetal demise, and subdural empyema. The increasing frequency of M. morganii infections generate the need for efficient methods to enrich the presence of M. morganii in clinical samples to make its detection easier...

All over the world, from America to the Mediterranean Sea, the plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa represents one of the most difficult challenges with many implications at ecological, agricultural, and economic levels. X. fastidiosa is a rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the family of Xanthomonadaceae. It grows at very low rates and infects a wide range of plants thanks to different vectors. Insects, through their stylets, suck a sap rich in nutrients and inject bacteria into xylem vessels. Since, until now, no antimicrobial treatment has been successfully applied to kill X...

BACKGROUND: The Internet is an important source of information for patients, but its effectiveness relies on the readability of its content. Patient education materials (PEMs) should be written at or below a sixth-grade reading level as outlined by agencies such as the American Medical Association. This study assessed PEMs' readability for the novel anterior vertebral body tethering (AVBT), distraction-based methods, and posterior spinal fusion (PSF) in treating pediatric spinal deformity...

PURPOSES: Autofusion (AF) during growing rod (GR) instrumentation for early-onset scoliosis (EOS) has been reported, but AF incidence, causation, and clinical implications remain unknown. This article aims to (1) quantify frequency and severity of AF, (2) determine risk factors for AF, and (3) assess the influence of AF on final curve correction and spinal lengthening. METHODS: EOS patients were prospectively enrolled (2016-2021). Patients underwent evaluation, GR implantation, lengthenings, and posterior spinal fusion (PSF)...

A novel Gram-positive strain, B1T , was isolated from uranium-contaminated soil. The strain was aerobic, rod-shaped, spore-forming, and motile. The strain was able to grow at 20-45 °C, at pH 6.0-9.0, and in the presence of 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl. The complete genome size of the novel strain was 3 853 322 bp. The genomic DNA G+C content was 45.5 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain B1T has the highest similarity to Aneurinibacillus soli CB4T (96...

A novel moderately halophilic, Gram-stain-negative and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated as strain TBZ242T , was isolated from water of Urmia Lake in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. The cells were found to be rod-shaped and motile by a single polar flagellum, producing circular and yellowish colonies. The strain could grow in the presence of 0.5-10 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.5-5 %). The temperature and pH ranges for growth were 15-45 °C (optimum 30 °C) and pH 7...

Two novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacteria, designated as WL0004T and XHP0148T , were isolated from seawater samples collected from the coastal areas of Nantong and Lianyungang, PR China, respectively. Both strains were found to grow at 10-42 °C (optimum, 37 °C) and with 2.0-5.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0 %). Strain WL0004T grew at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0), while XHP0148T grew at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-8.0). The major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) of both strains included summed feature 8 (C18 : 1  ω 6 c and/or C18 : 1  ω 7 c )...

Two Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and non-motile strains, designated as DY56-A-20T and G39T , were isolated from deep-sea sediment of the Pacific Ocean and deep-sea seawater of the Indian Ocean, respectively. Strain DY56-A-20T was found to grow at 15-37 °C (optimum, 28 °C), at pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 6.5-7.0) and in 0.5-6.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.0-2.0 %), while strain G39T was found to grow at 10-42 °C (optimum, 35-40 °C), at pH 5.5-10.0 (optimum, pH 6...

Background: The management of spinal deformities diagnosed before the age of 10 is critical due to the child's development, skeletal system, and growth mechanism. Magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGRs) are a surgical treatment option for the growing spine. The aim of this study was to analyze the radiological findings of patients treated with MCGRs for early-onset scoliosis (EOS) of various etiologies. We hypothesized that the MCGRs could provide acceptable long-term radiographic results, such as an increase in the T1-T12 and T1-S1 height and significant overall deformity correction...

PURPOSE: Growing rods are the gold-standard for treatment of early onset scoliosis (EOS). However, these implanted rods experience frequent fractures, requiring additional surgery. A recent study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified four common rod fracture locations. Leveraging this data, Agarwal et al. were able to correlate these fractures to high-stress regions using a novel finite element analysis (FEA) framework for one patient. The current study aims to further validate this framework through FEA modeling extended to multiple patients...

The physiological processes underlying the post-prandial rise in metabolic rate, most commonly known as the 'specific dynamic action' (SDA), remain debated and controversial. This Commentary examines the SDA response from two opposing hypotheses: (i) the classic interpretation, where the SDA represents the energy cost of digestion, versus (ii) the alternative view that much of the SDA represents the energy cost of growth. The traditional viewpoint implies that individuals with a reduced SDA should grow faster given the same caloric intake, but experimental evidence for this effect remains scarce and inconclusive...

PURPOSE: Surgical treatment of early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is associated with high rates of complications, often requiring unplanned return to the operating room (UPROR). The aim of this study was to create and validate a machine learning model to predict which EOS patients will go on to require an UPROR during their treatment course. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all surgical EOS patients with at least 2 years follow-up. Patients were stratified based on whether they had experienced an UPROR...