Coronal Movement during Flexion and Extension of Knee Joints.

Objective: There are variabilities in the distance between the tibial tuberosity and the trochlear groove. The knee angle needs to be considered when talking about patellofemoral instability. Methods: This retrospective study analyses the MRI images of knee angles from 0 and 30 degrees in the patella dislocation group (20 cases) and in the control group (20 cases) from Dec 2017 to Dec 2019. Two experienced orthopedic physicians separately measure the study with a blind experiment method. Results: The TT-TG data of the patella dislocation group and control group are 17.88 ± 3.40 mm and 13.31 ± 3.01 mm when the knee angle is 0, which indicates a difference with statistical significance (P < 0.01). The TT-TG data of the patella dislocation group and control group are 11.51 ± 3.60 mm and 7.40 ± 1.93 mm when the knee angle is at 30 degrees, indicating a statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). Also, the TT-TG data of both the patella dislocation group and control group have statistically significant differences within different knee angles of the same group (P < 0.01). The differences of TT-TG are 6.36 ± 2.43 mm and 5.92 ± 1.65 mm when the knee angle changes from 0 to 30, which shows no statistically significant difference (P > 0.01). Conclusion: This research initially obtained the relevant MRI data of the TT-TG distance from different knee angles between the Chinese patella dislocation patient group and control group. The study received a new criterion to evaluate the TT-TG of patients with patella dislocations when the knee angle is below 30 degrees. The knee flexion angles need to be considered to measure the TT-TG distance when comprehensively evaluating patellofemoral instability. The TT-TG distance gradually increases when the knee changes from flexion to extension. The difference of the TT-TG distances shows no statistically significant difference.

Regulation of nitrogen dynamics at the sediment-water interface during HAB degradation and subsequent reoccurrence.

The effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on nutrient dynamics have been extensively studied; however, the response of nitrogen to continuous HAB degradation and subsequent reoccurrence is not well understood. Here, a small-scale experiment was conducted to assess how nitrogen in the sediment-water interface (SWI) responds to HAB degradation and subsequent reoccurrence at different initial algal densities. The results showed that during the algae decomposition stage, the NH4 +-N flux of the SWI remained positive but decreased with the increase in algal density from 3.5 × 107 to 2.3 × 108 cells per L, indicating that the sediment was the source of NH4 +-N. In contrast, the deposit was a sink of NO3 --N. However, during the reoccurrence of HAB, the distribution of NH4 +-N and NO3 --N fluxes was completely converted. Nitrogen flux analysis throughout algae decomposition and reoccurrence indicated that although the sediment acted as a sink of nitrogen, the flux was dependent on the initial algal density. Our results confirmed that algae decomposition and reoccurrence would greatly affect the nitrogen cycle of the SWI, during which dissolved oxygen (DO) and initial algal density dominated. This study is the first to show that the regulation of nitrogen flux and migration changes during continuous HAB decomposition and subsequent reoccurrence.

Correction: Regulation of nitrogen dynamics at the sediment-water interface during HAB degradation and subsequent reoccurrence.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9RA10673A.].