Employing denaturation for rapid electrochemical detection of myoglobin using TiO2 nanotubes.

An alternative antibody-free strategy for the rapid electrochemical detection of cardiac myoglobin has been demonstrated here using hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 nanotubes (Ti-NT). The denaturant induced unfolding of myoglobin led to easy access of the deeply buried electroactive heme center and thus the efficient reversible electron transfer from protein to electrode surface. The sensing performance of the Ti-NT modified electrodes were compared vis a vis commercially available titania and GCEs. The tubular morphology of the Ti-NT led to facile transfer of electrons to the electrode surface, which eventually provided a linear current response (obtained from cyclic voltammetry) over a wide range of Mb concentration. The sensitivity of the Ti-NT based sensor was remarkable and was equal to 18 µA mg-1 ml (detection limit = 50 nM). This coupled with the rapid analysis time of a few tens of minutes (compared to a few days for ELISA) demonstrates its potential usefulness for the early detection of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Functional outcome of fracture neck of femur treated with total hip replacement versus bipolar arthroplasty in a South Asian population.

INTRODUCTION: Endoprosthetic replacement is a popular method of treatment for fracture neck of femur in the elderly. Unipolar, bipolar and total hip endoprosthesis are all used. The aim of this paper is to compare the functional results of bipolar arthroplasty with that of total hip arthroplasty in a South Asian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-one patients who underwent prosthetic replacement for fracture neck of femur between May 1997 and Dec 2002 were followed-up prospectively. Twenty-nine patients were treated with total hip replacement and thirty-two were treated with bipolar arthroplasty. At the time of the last follow-up, twenty-four patients had expired and seventeen could not be traced. The results in the remaining twenty are presented. RESULTS: The period of follow up ranged from 24 months to 90 months, with a mean of 58.5 months. The mean Harris Hip Score for the bipolar group was 86.93, and for the total hip group was 83.82. More than a third of our patient population died within 5 years of endoprosthetic replacement. CONCLUSION: The functional outcome is equally good whether bipolar or total hip replacement is used, in the elderly, in a South Asian population. More than a third of our patient population expired within 5 years of prosthetic replacement; therefore it may be wise to choose the less expensive treatment modality in resource poor countries.