An unusual skin and soft tissue infection of the lower limbs has been observed in immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa who cross the Atlantic Ocean crowded on small fishing boats (pateras). Response to conventional treatment is usually poor. Extreme extrinsic factors (including new pathogens) may contribute to the etiology of the infection and its pathogenesis.

The pharmacokinetic disposition of telavancin administered 7.5 mg/kg of body weight every 24 h was determined in plasma and skin blister fluid. The mean penetration of telavancin into blister fluid was 40%. This study reveals that adequate concentrations are achieved in both plasma and blister fluid for pathogens frequently implicated in skin and soft tissue infections.

Using data from the 2000-2004 US Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample, we found that total hospital admissions for skin and soft tissue infections increased by 29% during 2000-2004; admissions for pneumonia were largely unchanged. These results are consistent with recent reported increases in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

We report a rapidly spreading necrotizing foot infection in a healthy 37 year old male with associated sepsis and no identifiable portal of entry. Multiple debridements were required to control this infection which eventually necessitated a LisFranc’s amputation. We review the current literature of the diagnosis and treatment of necrotizing soft tissue infections in the foot. Early diagnosis an...

Body shape is a fundamental expression of organismal biology, but its quantitative reconstruction in fossil vertebrates is rare. Due to the absence of fossilized soft tissue evidence, the functional consequences of basal paravian body shape and its implications for the origins of avians and flight are not yet fully understood. Here we reconstruct the quantitative body outline of a fossil paravi...

Background: Lower extremity injuries are frequently observed in car-to-pedestrian accidents and due to the bumper height of most cars, knee joint is one of the most damaged body parts in car-to-pedestrian collisions.Objective: The aim of this paper is first to provide an accurate Finite Element model of the knee joint and second to investigate lower limb impact biomechanics in car-to-pede...

While there has been significant progress in simulating collisions between rigid bodies, much remains to be done for modeling interactions between soft bodies. Graphical techniques for representing and deforming soft bodies range from non-physical (e.g., control point-based) to physically plausible (e.g., FFD) to physically realistic (e.g., FEM). All of these techniques require three operations...

Quantitative assessment of the biomechanical properties of limb soft tissues has become more important during the last decade because of the introduction of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and finite element analysis to the prosthetic socket design. Because of the lack of a clinically easy-to-use apparatus, the site and posture dependences of the material proper...

The body weight and condition index (CI) effect on concentrations of Pb, Zn, Mn and Fe were investigated in Mytilus galloprovincialis soft tissue at two different locations in the Izmit Bay. A negative correlation between soft tissue dry weight and metal concentrations was clear in Mn and Fe. On the other hand, Zn and Pb levels decreased with increasing CI value.

The human body has been shaped by natural selection during the past 4-5 million years. Fossils preserve bones and teeth but lack muscle, skin, fat, and organs. To understand the evolution of the human form, information about both soft and hard tissues of our ancestors is needed. Our closest living relatives of the genus Pan provide the best comparative model to those ancestors. Here, we present...