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Abstract Purpose This study was performed to investigate the relationship between the amount of femorotibial alignment correction and the amount of improvement of hindfoot alignment in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods A total of 159 knees undergoing TKA in 120 patients were assessed preoperatively and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively. Standing hindfoot alignment was evaluated using the leg‐heel angle (LHA). The amount of change in hindfoot alignment was compared between patients with severe varus knee (Group 1) and those with moderate varus, neutral or valgus knee (Group 2). Results The mean values of pre‐ and postoperative hip‐knee‐ankle (HKA) angle were −14 ± 4° and −1 ± 3° in Group 1 and −7 ± 5° and −1 ± 3° in Group 2, respectively. The differences between pre‐ and postoperative LHA were significantly larger in Group 1 than in Group 2 at 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively (p = 0.006, 0.001 and 0.03, respectively). At 6 months postoperatively, no differences were observed between the two groups (p = 0.31). Conclusion The amount of change in hindfoot alignment was larger in Group 1 than in Group 2 at 2 weeks, 1 month and 3 months after TKA, but there was no significant difference between the two groups at 6 months after TKA. Level of Evidence Prognostic Level II.

The astringency of persimmon fruits is a significant factor for consumers and the nutritional industry. To date, astringents, such as polyphenols, specifically persimmon condensed tannins, have been assessed using polyphenol quantification assays, such as the Folin-Ciocalteu method, based on their reducing power. However, these methods are influenced by the presence of other reducing substances. In this study, we developed a cost-effective liposome turbidity analysis using a portable visible spectrophotometer based on the interaction between liposomes and astringents. Authentic astringents, such as catechins and theaflavin-3-O-gallate, were analyzed, and their half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50) were calculated. These results indicated that the affinity to the membrane was similar to that of astringency, as determined by sensory analysis. Additionally, the EC50 values of partially purified tannins from non-astringent and astringent persimmons were calculated. In conclusion, we determined the application methods to assess astringent persimmon fruits with and without the removal of astringency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]