title: Pressure ulcer

text: The most important care for a person at risk for pressure ulcers and those with bedsores is the redistribution of pressure so that no pressure is applied to the pressure ulcer. In the 1940s Ludwig Guttmann introduced a program of turning paraplegics every two hours thus allowing bedsores to heal. Previously such individuals had a two-year life-expectancy, normally succumbing to blood and skin infections. Guttmann had learned the technique from the work of Boston physician Donald Munro.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: There is lack of evidence on prevention of pressure ulcer whether the patient is put in 30 degrees position or at the standard 90 degrees position.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Nursing homes and hospitals usually set programs in place to avoid the development of pressure ulcers in those who are bedridden, such as using a routine time frame for turning and repositioning to reduce pressure. The frequency of turning and repositioning depends on the person's level of risk.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: A 2015 Cochrane systematic review found that people who lay on high specification or high density foam mattresses were 60% less likely to develop new pressure ulcers compared to regular foam mattresses. Sheepskin overlays on top of mattresses were also found to prevent new pressure ulcer formation. There is unclear research on the effectiveness of alternating pressure mattresses. Pressure-redistributive mattresses are used to reduce high values of pressure on prominent or bony areas of the body. There are several important terms used to describe how these support surfaces work. These terms were standardized through the Support Surface Standards Initiative of the NPUAP. Many support surfaces redistribute pressure by immersing and/or enveloping the body into the surface. Some support surfaces, including antidecubitus mattresses and cushions, contain multiple air chambers that are alternately pumped. Methods to standardize the products and evaluate the efficacy of these products have only been developed in recent years through the work of the S3I within NPUAP. For individuals with paralysis, pressure shifting on a regular basis and using a wheelchair cushion featuring pressure relief components can help prevent pressure wounds.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: A 2022 Cochrane systematic review aimed to find out how effective pressure redistributing static chairs (as opposed to wheelchairs) are for preventing pressure ulcers. Static chairs can include: standard hospital chairs; chairs with no cushions or manual/dynamic function; and chairs with integrated pressure redistributing surfaces and recline, rise or tilt functions. The authors did not find any randomised controlled trials that were eligible for inclusion. More research is needed to establish how effective pressure redistributing static chairs are for preventing pressure ulcers.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Controlling the heat and moisture levels of the skin surface, known as skin microclimate management, also plays a significant role in the prevention and control of pressure ulcers.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: In addition, adequate intake of protein and calories is important. Vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers. People with higher intakes of vitamin C have a lower frequency of bed sores in those who are bedridden than those with lower intakes. Maintaining proper nutrition in newborns is also important in preventing pressure ulcers. If unable to maintain proper nutrition through protein and calorie intake, it is advised to use supplements to support the proper nutrition levels. Skin care is also important because damaged skin does not tolerate pressure. However, skin that is damaged by exposure to urine or stool is not considered a pressure ulcer. These skin wounds should be classified as Incontinence Associated Dermatitis.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: There is some suggestion that organisational changes may reduce incidence of pressure ulcers. Cochrane systematic reviews on organisation of health services, risk assessment tools, wound care teams, and education have concluded that evidence is uncertain as to the benefit of these organisational changes. This is largely due to the lack of high-quality research in these areas.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: A Cochrane systematic review found use of creams containing fatty acids may be more effective in reducing incidence of pressure ulcers compared to creams without fatty acids. Silicone dressings may also reduce pressure ulcer incidence. There is no evidence that massage reduces pressure ulcer incidence.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Internationally, the NPIAP, EPUAP and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance, together with wound organizations from 15 countries around the world published updated their international evidence-based clinical practice guideline in 2019. The 2019 guideline was developed by an international team of over 180 clinical specialists and updates the 2009 EPUAP/NPUAP clinical guideline and the 2014 NPUAP/EPUAP/PPPIA clinical guideline. The guideline includes recommendations on strategies to treat pressure ulcers, including the use of bed rest, pressure redistributing support surfaces, nutritional support, repositioning, wound care (e.g. debridement, wound dressings) and biophysical agents (e.g. electrical stimulation). Reliable scientific evidence to support the use of many of these interventions, though, is lacking. More research is needed to assess how to best support the treatment of pressure ulcers, for example by repositioning. A 2020 Cochrane systematic review of randomized controlled trials concluded that more research is needed to determine whether or not electrical stimulation is an effective treatment for pressure ulcers. In addition, the benefit of using systemic or topical antibiotics in the management of pressure ulcer is still unclear.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Necrotic tissue should be removed in most pressure ulcers. The heel is an exception in many cases when the limb has an inadequate blood supply. Necrotic tissue is an ideal area for bacterial growth, which has the ability to greatly compromise wound healing. There are five ways to remove necrotic tissue.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: A 2017 Cochrane review found that it was unclear whether one topical agent or dressing was better than another for treating pressure ulcers. Protease-modulating dressings, foam dressings or collagenase ointment may be better at healing than gauze. The wound dressing should be selected based on the wound and condition of the surrounding skin. There are some studies that indicate that antimicrobial products that stimulate the epithelization may improve the wound healing. However, there is no international consensus on the selection of the dressings for pressure ulcers. Cochrane reviews summarise evidence on alginate dressings, foam dressings, and hydrogel dressings. Due to a lack of robust evidence, the benefits of these dressings over other treatments is unclear.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Other treatments include anabolic steroids, negative pressure wound therapy, phototherapy, support surfaces, reconstructive surgery, ultrasound, topical phenytoin and pressure relieving devices. There is little or no evidence to support or refute the benefits of most of these treatments compared to each other and placebo. When selecting treatments, consideration should be given to patients' quality of life as well as the interventions' ease of use, reliability, and cost.


title: Pressure ulcer

text: Each year, more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers. In acute care settings in the United States, the incidence of bedsores is 0.4% to 38%; within long-term care it is 2.2% to 23.9%, and in home care, it is 0% to 17%. Similarly, there is wide variation in prevalence: 10% to 18% in acute care, 2.3% to 28% in long-term care, and 0% to 29% in home care. There is a much higher rate of bedsores in intensive care units because of immunocompromised individuals, with 8% to 40% of those in the ICU developing bedsores. However, pressure ulcer prevalence is highly dependent on the methodology used to collect the data. Using the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) methodology there are similar figures for pressure ulcers in acutely sick people in the hospital. There are differences across countries, but using this methodology, pressure ulcer prevalence in Europe was consistently high, from 8.3% (Italy) to 22.9% (Sweden). A recent study in Jordan also showed a figure in this range. Some research shows differences in pressure-ulcer detection among white and black residents in nursing homes.


title: Fleur East

text: Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and radio presenter on Hits Radio. She competed on the second series of the televised singing competition "The X Factor" in 2005 as a member of the girl group Addictiv Ladies. In 2012, she then launched a solo career with the record label Strictly Rhythm and released songs with dance musicians including DJ Fresh and Drumsound & Bassline Smith. East returned to "The X Factor" as a solo artist in 2014 for its eleventh series, where she finished in second place behind Ben Haenow.


title: Fleur East

text: East became "The X Factor"s first contestant to reach number one on the UK iTunes Store chart during the competition with her performance of "Uptown Funk" (originally by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars). In 2015, she signed to Syco Music and released a full-length album, "Love, Sax and Flashbacks". Since then, she has competed in "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" and "Strictly Come Dancing" (2022), as well as presenting on Hits Radio.


title: Fleur East

text: Fleur East was born on 29 October 1987 to an English father and a Ghanaian mother. She was raised in Walthamstow, London. She has family living in Yorkshire and she has a younger sister named Keshia, a make-up professional. She attended Holy Family Technology College in Walthamstow and Queen Mary University of London, where she studied journalism and contemporary history. In an interview with the "Daily Mirror", East said she was the victim of racism in childhood, with one child asking her, "Are you black or white?"


title: Fleur East

text: East was in the girl group Addictiv Ladies, who were on series 2 of "The X Factor" in 2005, mentored by Simon Cowell, but were eliminated in week 1 after ending up in the bottom two with Chico Slimani. She was introduced to drum-and-bass producer DJ Fresh through her manager in 2011, and Fresh subsequently hired her as a vocalist for a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session of his. In 2012, she featured on Fresh's song "Turn It Up" from his album "Nextlevelism" and toured extensively with him in 2012, including performances at T4 on the Beach, V Festival and the iTunes Festival.


title: Fleur East

text: East signed to the record label Strictly Rhythm in January 2012 and released two singles as the lead artist (credited as Fleur): "Broken Mirror" with Cutline and "Turn the Lights On" (produced by Culture Shock). She also featured on "The One" by Horx and P3000. In 2013, she featured on Drumsound & Bassline Smith's "One in a Million", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 53, and headlined the Miss Face of Africa EU ceremony in London. In December 2013, she self-released her debut EP "She" for free download. One of the EP tracks, "Super Rich Royals", is a mashup cover of "Super Rich Kids" by Frank Ocean and "Royals" by Lorde.


title: Fleur East

text: East worked as a waitress at the London nightclub Aura Mayfair to help support her music career, and was also a fitness model with the agency W Athletic, but struggled with her finances. She later said that by early 2014, she was "definitely depressed" and considered ending her music career, until her friends and relatives encouraged her to re-audition for "The X Factor".


title: Fleur East

text: In June 2014, East auditioned for the eleventh series of "The X Factor". She sang John Legend's "Ordinary People" in her room audition, where she received three "yes" votes and progressed through to the arena auditions. She sang Chris Brown's "Fine China" at the arena and progressed to the boot camp stage with four "yes" votes. East made it past the six chair challenge and through to the judges' houses stage in the "Over 26s" category, mentored by Cowell once again, to whom she performed "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. Cowell chose East for the live shows, alongside Jay James and eventual winner Ben Haenow.


title: Fleur East

text: In the semi-final of the live shows, East performed "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, a rendition "The Guardian"s Stuart Heritage described as "truly astonishing [...] Fleur barged in and left the competition in ruins. It was two minutes and 53 seconds of all-out attack; possibly the biggest moment that any [Simon] Cowell show has produced since we first met Susan Boyle, only this was even more surprising because we already knew Fleur, and this far she'd merely been adequate." Popjustice declared it "the most exciting moment of the entire series [...] Whichever act wins The X Factor this coming weekend, Fleur's now established herself as the one who deserves and will undoubtedly get The Full Ella (FKA The Full Leona) when it comes to career rollout." East's version went to number one on the UK iTunes Store, which led the original song to be released five weeks earlier than planned; it subsequently reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. In the final, the show's final, East was announced as the runner-up in the competition, losing to fellow category act, Ben Haenow with 34.3% of the votes to Haenow's 57.2%.


title: Fleur East

text: In January 2015, East announced that she had signed to Cowell's record label Syco Music. She recorded her debut album with musicians including Wayne Hector, The Invisible Men, Jack Splash, and TMS. She announced in July 2015 that she had been working on her first fashion collection with women's fashion brand Lipsy London. "Sax", the lead single from her debut album, was released in November 2015 and reached number three in the UK. Her debut album, titled "Love, Sax and Flashbacks", was released on 4 December. On 22 January, East released the single "More and More". She performed the single at the "National Television Awards". In 2016, East signed with Columbia Records to launch her international music career.


title: Fleur East

text: In October 2017, it was revealed that East and Syco had parted ways after three years via mutual agreement.


title: Fleur East

text: On 12 November 2018, East was announced as participating in that year's series of "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!". East finished in fourth place on 8 December 2018. Later that month, East announced via Instagram that she would be releasing her first single in four years, "Favourite Thing". The single was released on 4 January 2019 in addition to the music video release on YouTube. East also performed the song live for the first time on television on "This Morning".


title: Fleur East

text: In June 2019, Bauer Media announced that East would take over hosting the breakfast show on national radio station, Hits Radio alongside co-hosts James Barr and Greg Burns. The first show aired on 12 July 2019. On 7 September 2019, East started hosting the Saturday Morning show 9am-12noon across the Hits Radio Network.


title: Fleur East

text: On 18 November 2019, East released her new single, "Size". The single was featured in the Debenhams Christmas ad campaign. East released her new single "Lucky" on 31 January 2020 along with its official music video. The video was shot over a period of six months and includes footage from East's travels around the world.


title: Fleur East

text: East's second album "Fearless" was released on 20 March 2020. East appeared on the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth of "Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway" where she would go to an area of the UK and give tickets to people for a 'Takeaway Getaway' holiday from TUI. She released the official NHS charity single "Not Alone" on 9 April 2020 with 100% of the profits going towards the COVID-19 NHS appeal. The single premiered on "The One Show" alongside its official music video.


title: Fleur East

text: Throughout the summer of 2022, East performed at Butlin's. Later that year, she was announced as a contestant on the twentieth series of "Strictly Come Dancing".


title: Fleur East

text: East describes her music as "urban-inspired with a few twists" and lists Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Sade, Emeli Sandé, Jessie Ware, and Florence Welch among her inspirations. East's early solo work was heavily influenced by drum and bass artists including Netsky and Matrix & Futurebound.


title: Fleur East

text: East has been in a relationship with French celebrity fashion designer Marcel Badiane-Robin since 2010. The two first met in a bar in 2009 where Marcel was working as a waiter, but East was not single at the time. A year later they reconnected and started dating. They got married in Morocco in 2019.


title: Moat

text: A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer.


title: Moat

text: Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered around ancient Egyptian castles. One example is at Buhen, a castle excavated in Nubia. Other evidence of ancient moats is found in the ruins of Babylon, and in reliefs from ancient Egypt, Assyria, and other cultures in the region.


title: Moat

text: Evidence of early moats around settlements has been discovered in many archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia, including Noen U-Loke, Ban Non Khrua Chut, Ban Makham Thae and Ban Non Wat. The use of the moats could have been either for defensive or agriculture purposes.


title: Moat

text: Moats were excavated around castles and other fortifications as part of the defensive system as an obstacle immediately outside the walls. In suitable locations they might be filled with water. A moat made access to the walls difficult for siege weapons such as siege towers and battering rams, which needed to be brought up against a wall to be effective. A water-filled moat made the practice of mining - digging tunnels under the castles in order to effect a collapse of the defences - very difficult as well. "Segmented moats" have one dry section and one section filled with water. Dry moats that cut across the narrow part of a spur or peninsula are called "neck ditches". Moats separating different elements of a castle, such as the inner and outer wards, are "cross ditches".


title: Moat

text: The word was adapted in Middle English from the Old French "motte" "mound, hillock" and was first applied to the central mound on which a castle was erected (see Motte and bailey) and then came to be applied to the excavated ring, a ‘dry moat’. The shared derivation implies that the two features were closely related and possibly constructed at the same time. The term "moat" is also applied to natural formations reminiscent of the artificial structure and to similar modern architectural features.


title: Moat

text: With the introduction of siege artillery, a new style of fortification emerged in the 16th century using low walls and projecting strong points called bastions, which was known as the "trace italienne". The walls were further protected from infantry attack by wet or dry moats, sometimes in elaborate systems. When this style of fortification was superseded by lines of polygonal forts in the mid-19th century, moats continued to be used for close protection.


title: Moat

text: The Walls of Benin were a combination of ramparts and moats, called Iya, used as a defence of the capital Benin City in present-day Edo State of Nigeria. It was considered the largest man-made structure lengthwise, second only to the Great Wall of China and the largest earthwork in the world. Recent work by Patrick Darling has established it as the largest man-made structure in the world, larger than Sungbo's Eredo, also in Nigeria. It enclosed 6,500 km of community lands. Its length was over 16,000 km of earth boundaries. It was estimated that earliest construction began in 800 and continued into the mid-15th century.


title: Moat

text: The walls are built of a ditch and dike structure, the ditch dug to form an inner moat with the excavated earth used to form the exterior rampart.


title: Moat

text: The Benin Walls were ravaged by the British in 1897. Scattered pieces of the walls remain in Edo, with material being used by the locals for building purposes. The walls continue to be torn down for real-estate developments.


title: Moat

text: The Walls of Benin City were the world's largest man-made structure. Fred Pearce wrote in New Scientist:


title: Moat

text: "They extend for some 16,000 kilometres in all, in a mosaic of more than 500 interconnected settlement boundaries. They cover 6,500 square kilometres and were all dug by the Edo people. In all, they are four times longer than the Great Wall of China, and consumed a hundred times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. They took an estimated 150 million hours of digging to construct, and are perhaps the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the planet."


title: Moat

text: Japanese castles often have very elaborate moats, with up to three moats laid out in concentric circles around the castle and a host of different patterns engineered around the landscape. The outer moat of a Japanese castle typically protects other support buildings in addition to the castle.


title: Moat

text: As many Japanese castles have historically been a very central part of their cities, the moats have provided a vital waterway to the city. Even in modern times the moat system of the Tokyo Imperial Palace consists of a very active body of water, hosting everything from rental boats and fishing ponds to restaurants.


title: Moat

text: Most modern Japanese castles have moats filled with water, but castles in the feudal period more commonly had 'dry moats' , a trench. A is a dry moat dug into a slope. A is a series of parallel trenches running up the sides of the excavated mountain, and the earthen wall, which was also called , was an outer wall made of earth dug out from a moat. Even today it is common for mountain Japanese castles to have dry moats. A is a moat filled with water.


title: Moat

text: Moats were also used in the Forbidden City and Xi'an in China; in Vellore in India; Hsinchu in Taiwan; and in Southeast Asia, such as at Angkor Wat in Cambodia; Mandalay in Myanmar and Chiang Mai in Thailand.


title: Moat

text: The only moated fort ever built in Australia was Fort Lytton in Brisbane. As Brisbane was much more vulnerable to attack than either Sydney or Melbourne a series of coastal defences was built throughout Moreton Bay, Fort Lytton being the largest.


title: Moat

text: Built between 1880 and 1881 in response to fear of a Russian invasion, it is a pentagonal fortress concealed behind grassy embankments and surrounded by a water-filled moat.


title: Moat

text: Moats were developed independently by North American indigenous people of the Mississippian culture as the outer defence of some fortified villages. The remains of a 16th-century moat are still visible at the Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas.


title: Moat

text: European colonists in the Americas often built dry ditches surrounding forts built to protect important landmarks, harbours or cities (e.g. Fort Jay on Governors Island in New York Harbor).


title: Moat

text: Dry moats were a key element used in French Classicism and Beaux-Arts architecture dwellings, both as decorative designs and to provide discreet access for service. Excellent examples of these can be found in Newport, Rhode Island at Miramar (mansion) and The Elms, as well as at Carolands, outside of San Francisco, California, and at Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Additionally, a dry moat can allow light and fresh air to reach basement workspaces, as for example at the James Farley Post Office in New York City.


title: Moat

text: Whilst moats are no longer a significant tool of warfare, modern architectural building design continues to use them as a defence against certain modern threats, such as terrorist attacks from car bombs and armoured fighting vehicles. For example, the new location of the Embassy of the United States in London, opened in 2018, includes a moat among its security features - the first moat built in England for more than a century. Modern moats may also be used for aesthetic or ergonomic purposes.


title: Moat

text: The Catawba Nuclear Station has a concrete moat around some of the plant. (Other sides of the plant are bordering a lake.) The moat is a part of precautions added to such sites after the September 11, 2001 attacks.


title: Moat

text: Moats, rather than fences, separate animals from spectators in many modern zoo installations. Moats were first used in this way by Carl Hagenbeck at his Tierpark in Hamburg, Germany. The structure, with a vertical outer retaining wall rising direct from the moat, is an extended usage of the ha-ha of English landscape gardening.


title: Moat

text: In 2004 plans were suggested for a two-mile moat across the southern border of the Gaza Strip to prevent tunnelling from Egyptian territory to the border town of Rafah.


title: Moat

text: In 2008 city officials in Yuma, Arizona planned to dig out a two-mile stretch of a 180-hectare (440-acre) wetland known as Hunters Hole to control immigrants coming from Mexico.


title: Moat

text: Researchers of jumping spiders, which have excellent vision and adaptable tactics, built water-filled miniature moats, too wide for the spiders to jump across. Some specimens were rewarded for jumping then swimming and others for swimming only. "Portia fimbriata" from Queensland generally succeeded, for whichever method they were rewarded. When specimens from two different populations of "Portia labiata" were set the same task, members of one population determined which method earned them a reward, whilst members of the other continued to use whichever method they tried first and did not try to adapt.


title: Moat

text: As a basic method of pest control in bonsai, a moat may be used to restrict access of crawling insects to the bonsai.


title: Meniscus tear

text: A tear of a meniscus is a rupturing of one or more of the fibrocartilage strips in the knee called menisci. When doctors and patients refer to "torn cartilage" in the knee, they actually may be referring to an injury to a meniscus at the top of one of the tibiae. Menisci can be torn during innocuous activities such as walking or squatting. They can also be torn by traumatic force encountered in sports or other forms of physical exertion. The traumatic action is most often a twisting movement at the knee while the leg is bent. In older adults, the meniscus can be damaged following prolonged 'wear and tear'. Especially acute injuries (typically in younger, more active patients) can lead to displaced tears which can cause mechanical symptoms such as clicking, catching, or locking during motion of the joint. The joint will be in pain when in use, but when there is no load, the pain goes away.


title: Meniscus tear

text: A tear of the medial meniscus can occur as part of the unhappy triad, together with a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The common signs and symptoms of a torn meniscus are knee pain, particularly along the joint line, and swelling. These are worse when the knee bears more weight (for example, when running). Another typical complaint is joint locking, when the affected person is unable to straighten the leg fully. This can be accompanied by a clicking feeling. Sometimes, a meniscal tear also causes a sensation that the knee gives way.


title: Meniscus tear

text: A person with a torn meniscus can sometimes remember a specific activity during which the injury was sustained. A tear of the meniscus commonly follows a trauma that involves rotation of the knee while it was slightly bent. These maneuvers also exacerbate the pain after the injury; for example, getting out of a car is often reported as painful.


title: Meniscus tear

text: There are two menisci in the knee. They sit between the thigh bone and the shin bone. While the ends of the thigh bone and the shin bone have a thin covering of soft hyaline cartilage, the menisci are made of tough fibrocartilage and conform to the surfaces of the bones they rest on. One meniscus rests on the medial tibial plateau; this is the medial meniscus. The other meniscus rests on the lateral tibial plateau; this is the lateral meniscus.


title: Meniscus tear

text: These menisci act to distribute body weight across the knee joint. Without the menisci, the weight of the body would be unevenly applied to the bones in the legs (the femur and tibia). This uneven weight distribution would cause the development of abnormal excessive forces leading to early damage of the knee joint. The menisci also contribute to the stability of the joint.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The menisci are nourished by small blood vessels but have a large area in the center with no direct blood supply (avascular). This presents a problem when there is an injury to the meniscus, as the avascular areas tend not to heal. Without the essential nutrients supplied by blood vessels, healing cannot take place.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The two most common causes of a meniscal tear are traumatic injury (often seen in athletes) and degenerative processes, which are the most common tear seen in all ages of patients. Meniscal tears can occur in all age groups. Traumatic tears are most common in active people aged 10–45. Traumatic tears are usually radial or vertical in the meniscus and more likely to produce a moveable fragment that can catch in the knee and therefore require surgical treatment.


title: Meniscus tear

text: A meniscus can tear due to an internally or externally rotated knee in a flexed position, with the foot in a flexed position. It is not uncommon for a meniscal tear to occur along with injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament ACL and the medial collateral ligament MCL — these three problems occurring together are known as the "unhappy triad," which is seen in sports such as football when the player is hit on the outside of the knee. Individuals who experience a meniscal tear usually experience pain and swelling as their primary symptoms. Another common complaint is joint locking, or the inability to completely straighten the joint. This is due to a piece of the torn cartilage preventing the normal functioning of the knee joint.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Degenerative tears are most common in people from age 40 upward but can be found at any age, especially with obesity. Degenerative meniscal tears are thought to occur as part of the aging process when the collagen fibers within the meniscus start to break down and lend less support to the structure of the meniscus. Degenerative tears are usually horizontal, producing both an upper and a lower segment of the meniscus. These segments do not usually move out of place and are therefore less likely to produce mechanical symptoms of catching or locking.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The meniscus is made of cartilage, a viscoelastic material, which makes it more susceptible to rate of loading injuries. Repetitive loading can also lead to injury. Recent studies have shown people who experience rapid rate of loading and/or repetitive loading to be the most susceptible to meniscus tears. People over the age of 60 who have working conditions in which squatting and kneeling are common are more susceptible to degenerative meniscal tears. Athletes who constantly experience a high rate of loading (e.g. soccer, rugby) are also susceptible to meniscus tears. Studies have also shown with increasing time between ACL injury and ACL reconstruction, there is an increasing chance of meniscus tears. This study showed meniscus tears occurring at a rate of 50–70% depending on how long after the ACL injury the surgery occurred. Meniscal ramp lesions (tears of the medial meniscus posterior horn at the menisco-capsular junction) occur in approximately 25% of ACL-injured knees. Lateral meniscal root tears occur in approximately 7% of ACL injured knees


title: Meniscus tear

text: The force distribution is across the knee joint, increasing force concentration on the cartilage and other joint structures.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Damage to the meniscus due to rotational forces directed to a flexed knee (as may occur with twisting sports) is the usual underlying mechanism of injury. A valgus force applied to a flexed knee with the foot planted and the femur rotated externally can result in a lateral meniscus tear. A varus force applied to the flexed knee when the foot is planted and the femur rotated internally result in a tear of the medial meniscus.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Tears produce rough surfaces inside the knee, which cause catching, locking, buckling, pain, or a combination of these symptoms. Abnormal loading patterns and rough surfaces inside the knee, especially when coupled with return to sports, significantly increase the risk of developing arthritis if not already present.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The menisci are C-shaped wedges of fibrocartilage located between the tibial plateau and femoral condyles. The menisci contain 70% type I collagen. The larger semilunar medial meniscus is attached more firmly than the loosely fixed, more circular lateral meniscus. The anterior and posterior horns of both menisci are secured to the tibial plateaus. Anteriorly, the transverse ligament connects the 2 menisci; posteriorly, the meniscofemoral ligament helps stabilize the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus to the femoral condyle. The coronary ligaments connect the peripheral meniscal rim loosely to the tibia. Although the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) passes in close proximity, the lateral meniscus has no attachment to this structure.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The joint capsule attaches to the entire periphery of each meniscus but adheres more firmly to the medial meniscus. An interruption in the attachment of the joint capsule to the lateral meniscus, forming the popliteal hiatus, allows the popliteus tendon to pass through to its femoral attachment site. Contraction by the popliteus during knee flexion pulls the lateral meniscus posteriorly, avoiding entrapment within the joint space. The medial meniscus does not have a direct muscular connection. The medial meniscus may shift a few millimeters, while the less stable lateral meniscus may move at least 1 cm.


title: Meniscus tear

text: In 1978, Shrive "et al." reported that the collagen fibers of the menisci are oriented in a circumferential pattern. When a compressive force is applied in the knee joint, a tensile force is transmitted to the menisci. The femur attempts to spread the menisci anteroposteriorly in extension and mediolaterally in flexion. Shrive "et al." further studied the effects of a radial cut in the peripheral rim of the menisci during loading. In joints with intact menisci, the force was applied through the menisci and articular cartilage; however, a lesion in the peripheral rim disrupted the normal mechanics of the menisci and allowed it to spread when a load was applied. The load now was distributed directly to the articular cartilage. In light of these findings, it is essential to preserve the peripheral rim during partial meniscectomy to avoid irreversible disruption of the structure's hoop tension capability.


title: Meniscus tear

text: After noting symptoms, a physician can perform clinical tests to determine if the pain is caused by compression and impingement of a torn meniscus. The knee is examined for swelling. In meniscal tears, pressing on the joint line on the affected side typically produces tenderness. The McMurray test involves pressing on the joint line while stressing the meniscus (using flexion–extension movements and varus or valgus stress). Similar tests are the Steinmann test (with the patient sitting) and the Apley grind test (a grinding maneuver while the person lies prone and the knee is bent 90°) and the Thessaly test (flexing the affected knee to 20 degrees, pivoting on the knee to see if the pain is reproduced). Bending the knee (into hyperflexion if tolerable), and especially squatting, is typically a painful maneuver if the meniscus is torn. The range of motion of the joint is often restricted.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Cooper's sign is present in over 92% of tears. It is a subjective symptom of pain in the affected knee when turning over in bed at night. Osteoarthritic pain is present with weightbearing, but the meniscal tear causes pain with a twisting motion of the knee as the meniscal fragment gets pinched, and the capsular attachment gets stretched causing the complaint of pain.


title: Meniscus tear

text: X-ray images (normally during weightbearing) can be obtained to rule out other conditions or to see if the patient also has osteoarthritis. The menisci themselves cannot be visualised with plain radiographs. If the diagnosis is not clear from the history and examination, the menisci can be imaged with magnetic resonance imaging (an MRI scan). This technique has replaced previous arthrography, which involved injecting contrast medium into the joint space. In straightforward cases, knee arthroscopy allows quick diagnosis and simultaneous treatment. Recent clinical data shows that MRI and clinical testing are comparable in sensitivity and specificity when looking for a meniscal tear.


title: Meniscus tear

text: A meniscal tear can be classified in various ways, such as by anatomic location or by proximity to blood supply. Various tear patterns and configurations have been described. These include:


title: Meniscus tear

text: These tears can then be further classified by their proximity to the meniscus blood supply, namely whether they are located in the “red-red,” “red-white,” or “white-white” zones.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The functional importance of these classifications, however, is to ultimately determine whether a meniscus is repairable. The repairability of a meniscus depends on a number of factors. These include:


title: Meniscus tear

text: Tear of a meniscus is a common injury in many sports. The menisci hold 30–50% of the body load in standing position. Some sports where a meniscus tear is common are American football, association football, ice hockey and tennis. Regardless of what the activity is, it is important to take the correct precautions to prevent a meniscus tear from happening.


title: Meniscus tear

text: There are three major ways of preventing a meniscus tear. The first of these is wearing the correct footwear for the sport and surface that the activity is taking place on. This means that if the sport being played is association football, cleats are an important item in reducing the risk of a meniscus tear. The proper footwear is imperative when engaging in physical activity because one off-balanced step could mean a meniscus tear.


title: Meniscus tear

text: It is highly advised that cleats contain a sole that molds around the foot, no fewer than fourteen cleats per shoe, no lower than a half inch diameter of the cleat tip, and at most, a three-eighths inch of cleat length.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The second way to prevent a meniscus tear is to strengthen and stretch the major leg muscles. Those muscles include the hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. One popular exercise used to strengthen the hamstrings is the leg curl. It is also important to properly stretch the hamstrings; doing standing toe touches can do this. Seated leg extensions strengthen the quadriceps and doing the quadriceps stretch will help loosen the muscles. Toe raises are used to strengthen and stretch the calves.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Adequate muscle mass and strength may also aid in maintaining healthy knees. The use of the parallel squat increases much needed stability in the knee if executed properly. Execution of the parallel squat will develop the lower body muscles that will strengthen the hips, knees, and ankles.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The last major way to prevent a tear in the meniscus is learning proper technique for the movement that is taking place. For the sports involving quick powerful movements it is important to learn how to cut, turn, land from a jump, and stop correctly. It is important to take the time out to perfect these techniques when used. These three major techniques will significantly prevent and reduce the risk of a meniscus tear.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Presently, treatments make it possible for quicker recovery. If the tear is not serious, physical therapy, compression, elevation and icing the knee can heal the meniscus. Meniscus tears are more likely to heal on their own if they are in what physicians call the "red zone," or the outer edge of the meniscus where blood supply is present. More serious tears may require surgical procedures. Surgery, however, does not appear to be better than non-surgical care. In the long term, degenerative meniscal tears are often associated with osteoarthritis. This leads to poor outcomes regardless of treatment type. In the short term, studies have shown arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) is a more effective treatment with regards to function and pain management.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Initial treatment may include physical therapy, bracing, anti-inflammatory drugs, or corticosteroid injections to increase flexibility, endurance, and strength.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Common anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers prescribed for meniscus tears include acetaminophen, non-steroidal inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroids.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Exercises can strengthen the muscles around the knee, especially the quadriceps. Stronger and bigger muscles will protect the meniscus cartilage by absorbing a part of the weight. The patient may be given paracetamol or anti-inflammatory medications.


title: Meniscus tear

text: For patients selecting non-surgical treatment, physical therapy may reduce symptoms of pain and swelling. This type of rehabilitation focuses on maintenance of full range of motion and functional progression without aggravating symptoms. Physical therapists can employ electric stimulation, cold therapy, and ultrasonography.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Accelerated rehabilitation programs can be as successful as the conservative program. The program reduces the time the patient spends using crutches and allows weight bearing activities. The less conservative approach allows the patient to apply a small amount of stress while protecting range of motion. It is likely that a patient with a peripheral tear can pursue the accelerated program, while a patient with a larger tear adopts the conservative program.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) to aid in the healing process has become widely accepted among US athletes. Although the procedure has grown in popularity, studies assessing the efficacy of PRP treatment have yielded contradictory results.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Arthroscopy is a surgical technique in which a joint is operated on using an endoscopic camera as opposed to open surgery on the joint. The meniscus can either be repaired or completely removed. Surgery is not appropriate for a degenerative meniscus tear, absent locking or catching of the knee, recurrent effusion or persistent pain. Evidence suggests that it is no better than conservative management in those with and without osteoarthritis. Surgery appears to offer no benefit to adults who have mild arthritis.


title: Meniscus tear

text: An independent international guideline panel recommended against arthroscopy for degenerative meniscus tears; this conclusion derived from evidence of no lasting benefit and that less than 15% of patients experience even a short-term benefit. Disadvantages include a two to six week recovery time and rare but serious adverse effects that can occur, including blood clots in the legs, surgical site infections, and nerve damage. The BMJ Rapid Recommendation includes infographics and shared decision-making tools to facilitate a conversation between doctors and patients about the risks and benefits of arthroscopic surgery.


title: Meniscus tear

text: If the injury is isolated, then the knee would be relatively stable. However, if an injury such as an anterior cruciate ligament injury (torn ACL) is coupled with a torn meniscus, then an arthroscopy is recommended. A meniscal repair has a higher success rate given an adequate blood supply to the peripheral rim. The interior of the meniscus is avascular, but the blood supply can penetrate up to about . Therefore, meniscus tears that occur near the peripheral rim are able to heal after a meniscal repair. One study found that repair is better than removal (meniscectomy). The amount of rehabilitation time required for a repair is longer, but removing the meniscus can induce osteoarthritis. Meniscectomy rehab requires four to six weeks. Repair requires four to six months. If conservative treatment is ineffective, surgical intervention may be required. Younger patients are typically more resilient and respond well to this treatment, while older, more sedentary patients do not have a favorable outcome after a repair.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Meniscus transplants are regularly successful, although the procedure is not common and many questions surrounding its use remain. Side effects of meniscectomy include:


title: Meniscus tear

text: Another treatment approach in development is a meniscus implant or "artificial meniscus." While many artificial joints and bionic body parts are available, including arms, legs, joints and other body parts, a prosthetic meniscus replacement.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The first to be implanted in humans is called the NUsurface Meniscus Implant. The implant is made from medical grade plastic and is designed not to require fixation to bone or soft tissue. The implant could be a good option for younger, active patients who are considered too young for knee replacement because that surgery lasts only about 10 years. The implant has been used in clinical trials in Europe since 2008. The first surgery as part of US clinical trials took place in January 2015 at Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. Two FDA-approved clinical trials evaluating the implant completed enrollment in June 2018. In September 2019, the manufacturer received breakthrough designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the company expected to file for regulatory approval within the following year. In November 2019, the implant became commercially available in Israel.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Scientists are working to grow an artificial meniscus in the lab. Scientists from Cornell and Columbia universities grew a meniscus inside the knee joint of a sheep using a 3-D printer and the sheep's stem cells. Similarly, researchers at Scripps Research Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education reported growing a meniscus.


title: Meniscus tear

text: After a successful surgery for treating the destroyed part of the meniscus, patients must follow a rehabilitation program to have the best result. The rehabilitation following a meniscus surgery depends on whether the entire meniscus was removed or repaired.


title: Meniscus tear

text: If the destroyed part of the meniscus was removed, patients can usually start walking using a crutch a day or two after surgery. Although each case is different, patients return to their normal activities on average after a few weeks (2 or 3). Still, a completely normal walk will resume gradually, and it's not unusual to take 2–3 months for the recovery to reach a level where a patient will walk totally smoothly. Many meniscectomy patients don't ever feel a 100% functional recovery, but even years after the procedure they sometimes feel tugging or tension in a part of their knee. There is little medical follow-up after meniscectomy and official medical documentation tends to ignore the imperfections and side-effects of this procedure.


title: Meniscus tear

text: If the meniscus was repaired, the rehabilitation program that follows is a lot more intensive. After the surgery, a hinged knee brace is sometimes placed on the patient. This brace allows controlled movement of the knee. The patient is encouraged to walk using crutches from the first day, and most of the times can put partial weight on the knee.


title: Meniscus tear

text: Improving symptoms, restoring function, and preventing further injuries are the main goals when rehabilitating. By the end of rehabilitation, normal range of motion, function of muscles and coordination of the body are restored. Personalized rehabilitation programs are designed considering the patient's surgery type, location repaired (medial or lateral), simultaneous knee injuries, type of meniscal tear, age of patient, condition of the knee, loss of strength and ROM, and the expectations and motivations of the patient.


title: Meniscus tear

text: There are three phases that follow meniscal surgery. Each phase consists of rehabilitation goals, exercises, and criteria to move on to the next phase. Phase I starts immediately following surgery to 4–6 weeks or until the patient is able meet progression criteria. The goals are to restore normal knee extension, reduce and eliminate swelling, regain leg control, and protect the knee (Fowler, PJ and D. Pompan, 1993). During the first 5 days following the surgery, a passive continuous motion machine is used to prevent a prolonged period of immobilization which leads to muscular atrophy and delays functional recovery. During the 4–6 weeks post-surgical, active and passive non-weight bearing motions which flex the knee up to 90° are recommended. For patients with meniscal transplantation, further knee flexion can damage the allograft because of the increased shear forces and stresses. If any weight-bearing exercises are applied, a controlled brace should be worn on the knee to keep the knee at near (<10°) or full extension.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The suggested exercises target increasing the patient's ROM, muscular and neuromuscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance. Aquatic therapy, or swimming, can be used to rehab patients because it encompasses ROM, strength, and cardiovascular exercises while relieving stress on the body. It has also been shown to significantly improve dependent edema and pain symptoms. No pain gait without crutches, swelling and 4–6 weeks after surgery are the criteria to begin the next phase (Ulrich G.S., and S Aroncyzk, 1993).


title: Meniscus tear

text: This phase of the rehabilitation program is 6 to 14 weeks after the surgery. The goals for Phase II include being able to restore full ROM, normalized gait, and performing functional movements with control and no pain (Fowler, PJ and D. Pompan, 1993). Also, muscular strengthening and neuromuscular training are emphasized using progressive weight bearing and balance exercises. Exercises in this phase can increase knee flexion for more than 90°. Advised exercises include stationary bicycle, standing on foam surface with two and one leg, abdominal and back strengthening, and quadriceps strengthening. The proposed criteria include normal gait on all surfaces and single leg balance longer than 15 seconds (Ulrich G.S., and S Aroncyzk, 1993).


title: Meniscus tear

text: Patients begin exercises in phase III 14 to 22 weeks after surgery. Phase III's goal and final criterion is to perform sport/work specific movements with no pain or swelling (Fowler, PJ and D. Pompan, 1993). Drills for maximal muscle control, strength, flexibility, movements specific to patient's work/sport, low to high rate exercises, and abdominal and back strengthening exercises are all recommended exercises (Ulrich G.S., and S Aroncyzk, 1993). Exercises to increase cardiovascular fitness are also applied to fully prepare the patients to return to their desired activities.


title: Meniscus tear

text: If the progression criteria are met, the patient can gradually return to "high-impact" activities (like running). However, "heavier activities", like running, skiing, basketball etc., generally any activities where knees bear sudden changes of the direction of movement can lead to repeated injuries. When planning sport activities it makes sense to consult a physical therapist and check how much impact the sport will have on the knee.


title: Meniscus tear

text: The meniscal tear is the most common knee injury. It tends to be more frequent in sports that have rough contact or pivoting sports such as soccer. It is more common in males than females, with a ratio of about two and a half males to one female. Males between the ages of 31 and 40 tend to tear their meniscus more frequently than younger men. Females seem to be more likely to tear their meniscus between the ages of 11 and 20.


title: Meniscus tear

text: People who work in physically demanding jobs such as construction or professional sports are more at risk of a meniscal tear because of the different stresses to which their knees are subjected.


title: Meniscus tear

text: According to the United States National Library of Medicine, the isolated medial meniscal tear occurs more frequently than any other tear associated with the meniscus. The prevalence of meniscus tears is the same for both knees. In a few studies the having a higher BMI puts more weight on the joints, which can cause the knee to be non-aligned, resulting in an easier tear.


title: Meniscus tear

text: In 2008 the U.S Department of Health and Human Services reported a combined total of 2,295 discharges for the principal diagnosis of tear of lateral cartilage/meniscus (836.0), tear of medial cartilage/meniscus (836.1), and tear of cartilage/meniscus (836.2). Females had a total of 53.49% discharges, while males had 45.72%. Individuals between the ages of 45 and 68 had an average of 31.73% discharges followed by age group 65–84, with 28.82%. The average length of stay for a patient diagnosed with torn menisci was 2.7 days for males and 3.7 days for females. There was a report of 6,941 hospital discharges for knee repair. Individuals between age 18 and 44 were among the highest with 37.37% total of discharges, followed by the age group 45–64, with a percentage of 36.34%. Males had a slightly higher number of discharges (50.78%) than females (48.66%). The average length of stay for both male and female patients in a hospital setting was 3.1.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Kick is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band INXS, released on 12 October 1987 through WEA in Australia, Mercury Records in Europe, and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. The album was produced by British producer Chris Thomas, recorded by David Nicholas in Sydney, Australia, and in Paris, France, and mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Air Studios in London.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The band's most successful studio album, "Kick" has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number three on the "Billboard" 200. The album also spawned four US top 10 singles, "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Devil Inside" and "Need You Tonight", the last of which reached the top of the US "Billboard" singles charts.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Between 1980 and 1984, INXS released four studio albums and had toured their native country Australia extensively. The release of "Listen Like Thieves" and its second single "What You Need" in 1985 brought the group international acclaim, as well as a long-awaited breakthrough in the United States. The album peaked at No.11 on the US "Billboard" 200, and featured the band's first top 5 single in the US, "What You Need". After that success, the band knew their next album would have to be better. According to guitarist and saxophonist Kirk Pengilly, "We wanted an album where all the songs were possible singles". Towards the end of 1986, the band members gathered at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia to rehearse the songs that Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss had written.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In January 1987, INXS entered Rhinoceros Studios in Sydney to begin recording their sixth studio album, and the second with producer Chris Thomas. At the band's request, fellow engineer David Nicholas was brought in to assist with the album's production. Nicholas co-owned Rhinoceros recordings and had previously worked with the band on their 1982 album, "Shabooh Shoobah". In the band's 2005 official autobiography, "INXS: Story to Story", Nicholas recalled: "There was a really good feeling in the studio that this was going to be something big. The band had just come off a really successful tour of the US on the back of "Listen Like Thieves", which really broke them there and they were on fire".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: During production, management booked dates for the band's upcoming European tour, which proved a problem for Thomas, as he felt the album needed more songs. "They had an incredible momentum building and were gaining fans all the time", Thomas recalls. "There was an audience waiting for the product, but I decided that they didn't have the right songs yet". Thomas persuaded primary songwriters Hutchence and Andrew Farriss to fly to Hong Kong (where Hutchence and drummer Jon Farriss owned an apartment) to write more material for the forthcoming album. While waiting for a cab to go to the airport to fly to Hong Kong, Andrew thought up the famous guitar riff for "Need You Tonight". He told the cab driver to wait a couple of minutes while he went back to his motel room to grab something, when in fact, he went back to record the riff on a cassette. The cab driver was furious when Andrew returned to the cab forty-five minutes later. When Hutchence heard the demo in Hong Kong, he began to write the song's lyrics, penning most of them in just ten minutes.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: At the end of their two-week seclusion in Hong Kong, Hutchence and Andrew returned to the recording sessions in Australia with a handful of demo tapes, including "Need You Tonight", "Kick" and "Calling All Nations". Thomas knew the album was done the moment he heard the recordings, and would soon organize for the last portion of the album's production to be carried out at the Studio De La Grande Armee in Paris, France.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: While "Kick" had been considered as ther album's name during the recording sessions in Australia, when it was seen that the word was featured in a couple of tracks at that point, it was defined at this point, as there was a song of the same name written in Hong Kong. There was also the appeal that the word had four letters like the band's name.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Certain songs that were recorded early in production remained close to their demo counterparts, while others were changed drastically. Originally, "Never Tear Us Apart" was a piano ballad having no orchestral structure at all; the song's original arrangement was released on "Kick 25", the 25th anniversary reissue. The demo of "Mediate" was also longer; when Andrew first played its demo in the studio, "Need You Tonight" was playing in the background. Upon hearing both tracks being played simultaneously, Nicholas labored to have the two tracks combined. Nicholas said in the band's official autobiography, "I rewound his tape and hit play just as "Need You Tonight" ended and synced up so perfectly that I actually thought something was wrong".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The members of INXS spent the final "Kick" sessions contributing their talents on Richard Clapton's "Glory Road", which was being produced in the same studio.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: With "Kick", Thomas fused the funk and soul of "The Swing" with the mainstream rock of "Listen Like Thieves". In an interview with MusicRadar, Andrew Farriss stated, "The melding of funk and rock was always in our heads. We were very excited about the idea of overlaying two types of songs and genres together."


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The success of their single "What You Need" provided primary songwriters Hutchence and Andrew Farriss with the confidence and optimism to pen bigger material, and with the rest of the band's blessing, "Kick" became the first INXS album written by the duo without input from the other members. When it came time to write and record, the band set out to make an album that did not share any musical formula with other hits of the time. According to Andrew Farriss, "Anyone can write a song that sounds contemporary. We wanted our songs to sound like the future".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Like the band's previous albums, Hutchence exhibits a warm and nimble vocal delivery on "Kick", while extending his range in a breathy vocal register. From his opening grunts on "Guns in the Sky", to his intense shouting on "New Sensation", to his intimate whispers captured on "Need You Tonight", "Kick" displays the singer's wide-ranging vocal abilities. As Andrew Farriss recalls, "Hutchence's instrument was his voice; he couldn't explain what he was thinking in musical terms. He would say things like, 'It needs to feel like this.' And I'd try to translate that into notes".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Upon its release, "Kick" was noted for being in sync with the visual media of the late 80's, which is instantly evident in the album's opening track "Guns in the Sky"; the song described the state of the world and its obsession with arms. The rest of the album focuses on themes of fun, love and excess; "New Sensation" and "Calling All Nations" are both about a party lifestyle, while "Never Tear Us Apart" describes an instant connection between two people who form an unending bond. The lyrics to "Devil Inside" are about a life of excess. The sequencing of "Need You Tonight" and "Mediate" provides a lyrical contrast, as the former exudes intimacy while the latter addresses social concerns like apartheid. The band also included a new version of "The Loved One", a song by Australian rock band The Loved Ones they had previously covered in their compilation "INXSIVE" (1982).


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In the band's 2005 official autobiography, the band's manager Chris Murphy stated that upon completion of "Kick", he immediately flew to New York to play the finished album for the top executives of Atlantic Records. The US record label first rejected the album, feeling that the funk and dance elements would alienate the band's traditional rock following. Murphy said that he resisted Atlantic's proposition of one million dollars to produce the album all over again. He then devised a strategy to get "Kick" released. Unbeknownst to Atlantic, Murphy arranged a secret meeting with the staff of Atlantic's radio promotion division to play them "Need You Tonight". He found a market when the head of college radio promotion agreed to concentrate a strategy on campus radio. The song was a chart success on the radio network and received heavy replay. "Need You Tonight" was released in September 1987. Murphy stated that his strategy had worked; Atlantic finally added "Kick" to their release schedule for October. The album's second single, "Devil Inside", crossed over onto album rock play lists. Over the course of four consecutive top five singles and the support of a short college tour, with INXS playing concerts in college bars and university auditoriums across North America, "Kick" quickly became popular among American fans.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Following the release of "Kick", INXS embarked on a sixteen-month global tour playing arenas and stadiums in major cities across North America, Europe, Japan and Australia. The band started off their Kick tour on 14 August with a number of secret warm-up shows being played across south-eastern and north-eastern Australia, before setting off on a three leg tour of the US beginning in East Lansing on 16 September. The first American leg ran right through to November, followed by UK dates in December.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: With the growing popularity of "Kick", and the release of its first single, "Need You Tonight", all twelve songs from the album quickly became staples of the tour's setlists, with "Don't Change" being regularly played during a show's encore.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The tour resumed in March with the band playing three sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City from 18 to 20 March. Fleets of trucks were hired to transport the band's equipment, lighting and wardrobe across thousands of miles of road over the next three months. During the band's time spent commuting across America, Andrew began writing and playing new material with a guitar. According to "INXS: The Official Inside Story of a Band on the Road", Andrew said, "Prior to the Kick tour I'd never written on the road – mainly because I didn't have time I guess. But with "Kick" I started writing with a guitar, and I was kind of proud that I'd taught myself to do that". INXS finished up the second leg of the American tour with a hand-full of shows being played in key cities across the California state, including San Francisco, Fresno and San Diego.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In October, INXS made a brief stopover in Japan to play a small number of shows and festivals in Tokyo and Yokohama, before flying on to Australia to finish the last segment of the Calling All Nations tour. Since the culmination of the tour in November 1988, INXS agreed to a one-year respite. This one-year break allowed the members time off to spend with their families and to work on side projects.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: AllMusic's Steve Huey retrospectively described the album as "an impeccably crafted pop "tour de force", the band succeeding at everything they try". He added, "More to the point, every song is catchy and memorable, branded with indelible hooks". According to Huey, "Kick crystallized all of the band's influences – stones-y rock & roll, pop, funk, contemporary dance-pop – into a cool, stylish dance/rock hybrid."


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Robert Christgau called INXS "silly middlebrow hacks", but acknowledged that "Kick" delivered "danceable rock and roll that sounds smart in the background". Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, asserted that "Kick" "became the band's most enduring release by mixing the hard rock sound of Thieves with a looser approach to dance grooves". In a retrospective review, "Q" wrote, "Hutchence's knowing, Jaggeresque vocal swagger turned 'Devil Inside,' 'Never Tear Us Apart' and the mighty 'Mystify' into something beyond what INXS had done before and what they would do again".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: BBC Music's Cormac Heron reviewed the 2004 deluxe edition, "superfluous second disc notwithstanding, this is a near flawless collection of songs" and felt that the "production still sounds fresh and the song-writing partnership of Hutchence/Farriss wins you over with an anthemic glory". In a 2012 special review celebrating the anniversary of albums released in 1987, "Classic Album Review" admired "Kick", calling it a "Well crafted pop/rock/dance album" and stating that it "transformed the band from the status of an alternative niche to that of a mainstream pop headliner".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Nick Launay, producer of the band's fourth studio album noted, "They'd lean more toward funk on "The Swing" and then they'd lean toward rock on Thieves to make it in America. By the time "Kick" came around, it was time to lean toward funk again. When I heard that album, I thought, wow, they got it right".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: "Kick" provided the band with worldwide popularity; it peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 3 on the US "Billboard" 200, No. 9 in the UK and No. 15 in Austria. In the US, the album spent a total of 79 weeks on the "Billboard" 200, staying 22 consecutive weeks in the top 10. It was an upbeat, confident album that yielded four Top 10 US singles, "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Devil Inside" and the No. 1 "Need You Tonight". In Canada, the album debuted at number 14 on the "RPM" Albums Chart on 5 December 1987. It reached the top of the charts on 14 May 1988 and remained there for 1 week. The album's biggest single "Need You Tonight" peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts, No. 3 in Australia, and No. 10 in France.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Within a year of its release, "Kick" had achieved gold and platinum status in many countries. In the United States, the album was certified platinum on 22 December 1987, less than two months after its release, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of one million copies. By the end of 1989, it was certified quadruple platinum, having sold in excess of four million units in the United States alone. "Kick" remains the band's best-selling album in Canada, earning a diamond certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), for shipments of one million copies. In the UK, "Kick" was the band's first album to attain a platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), achieving this designation in July 1988. "Kick" was a commercial success in other territories across Europe, earning platinum accreditations in France, Spain and Switzerland. At the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards, the band was both the most-nominated and most-awarded artist at the show, winning five of their nine nominations, including the awards for Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice for "Need You Tonight/Mediate". The video for "Mediate", which played after "Need You Tonight", replicated the format of Bob Dylan's video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues", even in its use of apparently deliberate errors. This marked the first of a few instances in VMA history where the same artist and music video won both awards at the same ceremony.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: "Kick" is the band's best-selling album, with reported sales approaching 20 million worldwide as of 2012. According to the band's official autobiography, the album sold nearly 10 million units internationally only two years after its release. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "Kick" as six times Platinum, with shipments of six million units, in 1997. In Canada, "Kick" is the second album by an Australian act to receive a diamond accreditation, the first being AC/DC's "Back in Black". "Kick" remains the band's best selling album in the UK, having gone three times platinum in 1989, with over 1 million units sold. In the band's native Australia, "Kick" has gone seven times platinum, marking just over 500,000 in sales. 27 years after its release, "Kick" re-entered the Australian and New Zealand charts where it peaked again at No.2 in Australia and No.11 in New Zealand.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The album has been lauded by critics the world over as a work of "rhythm rock" perfection, and has made its way onto many "best of" lists; in their 1988 issue of "Best Albums of the Year", "Rolling Stone" readers allocated "Kick" at number 3. Two years later, the magazine ranked the album at number 11 in their 1990 Australian issue of "100 Greatest Albums of the 80s". The album achieved the same ranking on ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) list of "100 Best Australian Albums"; a compendium compiled by Australian journalists John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson. "Kick" was listed at number 5 in a similar list of "Hottest 100 Australian Albums of all time". "Slicing Up Eyeballs" ranked "Kick" at number 6 in their 2013 list of "Top 100 Albums of 1987". VH1 placed the album's biggest single "Need You Tonight" at number 16 on its list of "Top 100 songs of the 80's". "LA Weekly" also listed the song at number 5 on their list of "20 Sexiest Songs of All Time". In December of 2021, the album was listed at number two in Rolling Stone Australia’s ‘200 Greatest Albums of All Time’ countdown.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In 1989, a special edition of "Kick" was released in Japan through WEA, featuring six additional tracks: the b-sides "Move On" and "Different World", and four remixes of the songs "Devil Inside", "New Sensation", "Need You Tonight" and "Guns in the Sky".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: "Kick" was first re-issued in 2002 by Rhino Entertainment as a remastered version. This expanded release included four previously unreleased bonus tracks: a bonus demo of "Mystify", as well as the demos "Jesus Was a Man" and "The Trap". It also features a guitar version of the b-side "Move On", which is one minute shorter and features a number of removed lyrics. Mercury/Universal reissued the album in 2004 as part of their Deluxe Edition series of albums. This two-disc collection was exclusive to the UK only and featured two b-sides: "I'm Coming (Home)" and "On the Rocks", as well as three live tracks recorded during the band's Kick tour in America.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In July 2012, Universal Music Group announced that "Kick" would be re-issued in various formats to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary. This marked the third time the album has been expanded since its initial release. Although the announcement was not officially confirmed on the band's website, track listings for the album's 25th anniversary began appearing on various UK retail websites via Mercury Records, with release dates set in the fall of 2012. INXS confirmed the news on their website a few days after the announcement by Universal Music Group. It was later reported by the "Daily Express" that a DVD would be included in the collection, featuring brand new video clips of Hutchence, as well as never before seen handwritten lyrics, sourced directly from the singer's family archives. The band's manager stated, "It'll be an amazing, super-duper package. There's stuff that was recorded with Michael for "Kick" that didn't go on the album".


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: Various formats of "Kick" were simultaneously released on 12 September 2012: a deluxe edition, a super deluxe edition, two digital editions available for download and a limited-edition red-vinyl release. Each format includes the original "Kick" album remastered, with all of the bonus tracks from the 2002 Rhino expanded release and the 2004 Mercury UK deluxe set. The deluxe edition, a two-disc set, includes b-sides, remixes, demos and live performances on the second disc. The super deluxe edition comes in a ten-inch square slipcase, with an 84-page hard back book inside, a red disc wallet for the four discs (three CD's and 1 DVD), an original tour poster and a "Kick" sticker sheet. The book features unseen photos, interviews and never before seen lyrics penned by Hutchence. The DVD offers video footage from the band's Calling All Nations world tour, promo videos, and a brand new documentary titled 'Track Baby Track', featuring clips and interviews about the making of the album.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: In October 2017, Universal Music Group announced that "Kick" would be re-issued in various formats to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, which features a 3CD+Blu-ray, 2LP Vinyl Edition (half-speed mastered and pressed at 45RPM) and digital version.


title: Kick (INXS album)

text: The album is newly remastered with a Dolby Atmos new surround mix created by Giles Martin. New additions include "Guns in the Sky (Kookaburra Mix), "Need You Tonight" (Ben Liebrand Mix), "Need You Tonight (Mendelsohn 7" Edit)" and more. A Blu-ray featuring the music in Dolby Atmos was included on the Blu-ray version.


title: Convex set

text: In geometry, a subset of a Euclidean space, or more generally an affine space over the reals, is convex if, given any two points in the subset, the subset contains the whole line segment that joins them. Equivalently, a convex set or a convex region is a subset that intersects every line into a single line segment (possibly empty).


title: Convex set

text: For example, a solid cube is a convex set, but anything that is hollow or has an indent, for example, a crescent shape, is not convex.


title: Convex set

text: The boundary of a convex set is always a convex curve. The intersection of all the convex sets that contain a given subset of Euclidean space is called the convex hull of . It is the smallest convex set containing .


title: Convex set

text: A convex function is a real-valued function defined on an interval with the property that its epigraph (the set of points on or above the graph of the function) is a convex set. Convex minimization is a subfield of optimization that studies the problem of minimizing convex functions over convex sets. The branch of mathematics devoted to the study of properties of convex sets and convex functions is called convex analysis.


title: Convex set

text: Let be a vector space or an affine space over the real numbers, or, more generally, over some ordered field. This includes Euclidean spaces, which are affine spaces. A subset of is convex if, for all and in , the line segment connecting and is included in . This means that the affine combination belongs to , for all and in , and in the interval . This implies that convexity (the property of being convex) is invariant under affine transformations. This implies also that a convex set in a real or complex topological vector space is path-connected, thus connected.


title: Convex set

text: A set is "" if every point on the line segment connecting and other than the endpoints is inside the topological interior of . A closed convex subset is strictly convex if and only if every one of its boundary points is an extreme point.


title: Convex set

text: The convex subsets of (the set of real numbers) are the intervals and the points of . Some examples of convex subsets of the Euclidean plane are solid regular polygons, solid triangles, and intersections of solid triangles. Some examples of convex subsets of a Euclidean 3-dimensional space are the Archimedean solids and the Platonic solids. The Kepler-Poinsot polyhedra are examples of non-convex sets.


title: Convex set

text: A set that is not convex is called a "non-convex set". A polygon that is not a convex polygon is sometimes called a concave polygon, and some sources more generally use the term "concave set" to mean a non-convex set, but most authorities prohibit this usage.


title: Convex set

text: The complement of a convex set, such as the epigraph of a concave function, is sometimes called a "reverse convex set", especially in the context of mathematical optimization.


title: Convex set

text: belongs to . As the definition of a convex set is the case , this property characterizes convex sets.


title: Convex set

text: The collection of convex subsets of a vector space, an affine space, or a Euclidean space has the following properties:


title: Convex set

text: Closed convex sets are convex sets that contain all their limit points. They can be characterised as the intersections of "closed half-spaces" (sets of point in space that lie on and to one side of a hyperplane).


title: Convex set

text: From what has just been said, it is clear that such intersections are convex, and they will also be closed sets. To prove the converse, i.e., every closed convex set may be represented as such intersection, one needs the supporting hyperplane theorem in the form that for a given closed convex set and point outside it, there is a closed half-space that contains and not . The supporting hyperplane theorem is a special case of the Hahn–Banach theorem of functional analysis.


title: Convex set

text: Let be a convex body in the plane (a convex set whose interior is non-empty). We can inscribe a rectangle "r" in such that a homothetic copy "R" of "r" is circumscribed about . The positive homothety ratio is at most 2 and:


title: Convex set

text: The set formula_3 of all planar convex bodies can be parameterized in terms of the convex body diameter "D", its inradius "r" (the biggest circle contained in the convex body) and its circumradius "R" (the smallest circle containing the convex body). In fact, this set can be described by the set of inequalities given by


title: Convex set

text: and can be visualized as the image of the function "g" that maps a convex body to the point given by ("r"/"R", "D"/2"R"). The image of this function is known a ("r", "D", "R") Blachke-Santaló diagram.


title: Convex set

text: Alternatively, the set formula_3 can also be parametrized by its width (the smallest distance between any two different parallel support hyperplanes), perimeter and area.


title: Convex set

text: Every subset of the vector space is contained within a smallest convex set (called the convex hull of ), namely the intersection of all convex sets containing . The convex-hull operator Conv() has the characteristic properties of a hull operator:


title: Convex set

text: The convex-hull operation is needed for the set of convex sets to form a lattice, in which the ""join"" operation is the convex hull of the union of two convex sets


title: Convex set

text: The intersection of any collection of convex sets is itself convex, so the convex subsets of a (real or complex) vector space form a complete lattice.


title: Convex set

text: In a real vector-space, the "Minkowski sum" of two (non-empty) sets, and , is defined to be the set formed by the addition of vectors element-wise from the summand-sets


title: Convex set

text: More generally, the "Minkowski sum" of a finite family of (non-empty) sets is the set formed by element-wise addition of vectors


title: Convex set

text: For Minkowski addition, the "zero set"  containing only the zero vector  has special importance: For every non-empty subset S of a vector space


title: Convex set

text: in algebraic terminology, is the identity element of Minkowski addition (on the collection of non-empty sets).


title: Convex set

text: Minkowski addition behaves well with respect to the operation of taking convex hulls, as shown by the following proposition:


title: Convex set

text: Let be subsets of a real vector-space, the convex hull of their Minkowski sum is the Minkowski sum of their convex hulls


title: Convex set

text: In mathematical terminology, the operations of Minkowski summation and of forming convex hulls are commuting operations.


title: Convex set

text: The Minkowski sum of two compact convex sets is compact. The sum of a compact convex set and a closed convex set is closed.


title: Convex set

text: The following famous theorem, proved by Dieudonné in 1966, gives a sufficient condition for the difference of two closed convex subsets to be closed. It uses the concept of a recession cone of a non-empty convex subset "S", defined as:


title: Convex set

text: where this set is a convex cone containing formula_27 and satisfying formula_28. Note that if "S" is closed and convex then formula_29 is closed and for all formula_30,


title: Convex set

text: Theorem (Dieudonné). Let "A" and "B" be non-empty, closed, and convex subsets of a locally convex topological vector space such that formula_32 is a linear subspace. If "A" or "B" is locally compact then "A" − "B" is closed.


title: Convex set

text: The notion of convexity in the Euclidean space may be generalized by modifying the definition in some or other aspects. The common name "generalized convexity" is used, because the resulting objects retain certain properties of convex sets.


title: Convex set

text: Let be a set in a real or complex vector space. is star convex (star-shaped) if there exists an in such that the line segment from to any point in is contained in . Hence a non-empty convex set is always star-convex but a star-convex set is not always convex.


title: Convex set

text: A set in the Euclidean space is called orthogonally convex or ortho-convex, if any segment parallel to any of the coordinate axes connecting two points of lies totally within . It is easy to prove that an intersection of any collection of orthoconvex sets is orthoconvex. Some other properties of convex sets are valid as well.


title: Convex set

text: The definition of a convex set and a convex hull extends naturally to geometries which are not Euclidean by defining a geodesically convex set to be one that contains the geodesics joining any two points in the set.


title: Convex set

text: Let . The subspace is a convex set if for each pair of points in such that , the interval is contained in . That is, is convex if and only if for all in , implies .


title: Convex set

text: A convex set is not connected in general: a counter-example is given by the subspace {1,2,3} in , which is both convex and not connected.


title: Convex set

text: The notion of convexity may be generalised to other objects, if certain properties of convexity are selected as axioms.


title: Convex set

text: The elements of are called convex sets and the pair is called a convexity space. For the ordinary convexity, the first two axioms hold, and the third one is trivial.


title: Convex set

text: For an alternative definition of abstract convexity, more suited to discrete geometry, see the "convex geometries" associated with antimatroids.


title: SAVAK

text: SAVAK (, abbreviation for "Sâzemân-e Ettelâ'ât va Amniat-e Kešvar", ) was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar ordered its dissolution during the climax of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.


title: SAVAK

text: SAVAK had 5,000 agents at its peak. Gholam Reza Afkhami estimates SAVAK staffing at between 4,000 and 6,000. "Time" magazine's 19 February 1979 publication also states that it had 5,000 members.


title: SAVAK

text: After the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, the United States and the United Kingdom removed Mohammad Mosaddeq, who was originally focused on nationalizing Iran's oil industry, but also set out to weaken the Shah from power on August 19, 1953. After the coup, the monarch, Mohammad Reza Shah, established an intelligence service with police powers. The Shah's goal was to strengthen his regime by placing political opponents under surveillance and repressing dissident movements. According to "Encyclopædia Iranica":


title: SAVAK

text: In March 1955, the Army colonel was "replaced with a more permanent team of five career CIA officers, including specialists in covert operations, intelligence analysis, and counterintelligence, including Major General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf who "trained virtually all of the first generation of SAVAK personnel." In 1956, this agency was reorganized and given the name "Sazeman-e Ettela'at va Amniyat-e Keshvar" (SAVAK). These in turn were replaced by SAVAK's own instructors in 1965.


title: SAVAK

text: SAVAK had the power to censor the media, screen applicants for government jobs, and "according to reliable Western source, use all means necessary, including torture, to hunt down dissidents". After 1963, the Shah expanded his security organizations, including SAVAK, which grew to over 5,300 full-time agents and a large but unknown number of part-time informers.


title: SAVAK

text: In 1961 the Iranian authorities dismissed the agency's first director, General Teymur Bakhtiar, and he later became a political dissident. In 1970, SAVAK agents assassinated him, disguising the deed as an accident.


title: SAVAK

text: General Hassan Pakravan, director of SAVAK from 1961 to 1966, had an almost benevolent reputation, for example dining on a weekly basis with Ayatollah Khomeini while Khomeini was under house arrest, and later intervened to prevent Khomeini's execution on the grounds that it would "anger the common people of Iran". After the Iranian Revolution, however, Pakravan was among the first of the Shah's officials to be executed by the Khomeini regime.


title: SAVAK

text: Pakravan was replaced in 1966 by General Nematollah Nassiri, a close associate of the Shah, and the service was reorganized and became increasingly active in the face of rising leftist and Islamist militancy and political unrest.


title: SAVAK

text: A turning point in SAVAK's reputation for ruthless brutality was reportedly an attack on a gendarmerie post in the Caspian village of Siahkal by a small band of armed Marxists in February 1971, although it is also reported to have tortured to death a Shia cleric, Ayatollah Muhammad Reza Sa'idi, in 1970. According to Iranian political historian Ervand Abrahamian, after this attack SAVAK interrogators were sent abroad for "scientific training to prevent unwanted deaths from 'brute force.' Brute force was supplemented with the bastinado; sleep deprivation; extensive solitary confinement; glaring searchlights; standing in one place for hours on end; nail extractions; snakes (favored for use with women); electrical shocks with cattle prods, often into the rectum; cigarette burns; sitting on hot grills; acid dripped into nostrils; near-drownings; mock executions; and an electric chair with a large metal mask to muffle screams while amplifying them for the victim. This latter contraption was dubbed the Apollo—an allusion to the American space capsules. Prisoners were also humiliated by being raped, urinated on, and forced to stand naked. Despite the new 'scientific' methods, the torture of choice remained the traditional bastinado used to beat soles of the feet. The "primary goal" of those using the bastinados "was to locate arms caches, safe houses and accomplices ..."


title: SAVAK

text: Abrahamian estimates that SAVAK (and other police and military) killed 368 guerrillas including the leadership of the major urban guerrilla organizations (Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas, People's Mujahedin of Iran) such as Hamid Ashraf between 1971–1977 and executed up to 100 political prisoners between 1971 and 1979—the most violent era of the SAVAK's existence.


title: SAVAK

text: The repression was softened thanks to publicity and scrutiny by "numerous international organizations and foreign newspapers." Jimmy Carter became President of the United States and he raised the issue of human rights in the Imperial State of Iran. Overnight prison conditions changed. Inmates dubbed this the dawn of "jimmykrasy".


title: SAVAK

text: Over the years, the question of the number of employees of SAVAK has been the subject of debate by many historians and researchers. Given the fact that Iran has never disclosed data on the number of employees of the secret agency - many historians gave conflicting figures for the number of SAVAK personnel - 6,000, 20,000, 30,000 and 60,000.


title: SAVAK

text: In one of his interviews, on February 4, 1974, the Shah stated that he did not know the exact number of employees of SAVAK. However, he estimated their total number to be less than 2,000 employees. To the frequently asked question about “torture and atrocities” in SAVAK, the shah answered negatively, designating newspaper reports about the “arbitrariness and cruelty of SAVAK” as a lie and slander. Leaflets circulated after the Islamic Revolution indicated that 15,000 Iranians officially served in SAVAK, not to mention the many unofficial employees.


title: SAVAK

text: During the height of its power, SAVAK had virtually unlimited powers. It operated its own detention centers, such as Evin Prison. In addition to domestic security, the service's tasks extended to the surveillance of Iranians abroad, notably in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, and especially students on government stipends. The agency also closely collaborated with the CIA by sending their agents to an air force base in New York to share and discuss interrogation tactics.


title: SAVAK

text: Teymur Bakhtiar was assassinated by SAVAK agents in 1970, and Mansur Rafizadeh, SAVAK's United States director during the 1970s, reported that General Nassiri's phone was tapped. Mansur Rafizadeh later wrote of his life as a SAVAK man and detailed the human rights violations of the Shah in his book "". Mansur Rafizadeh was suspected to have been a double agent also working for the CIA.


title: SAVAK

text: Writing at the time of the Shah's overthrow, "Time" magazine on February 19, 1979, described SAVAK as having "long been Iran's most hated and feared institution" which had "tortured and murdered thousands of the Shah's opponents." The Federation of American Scientists also found it guilty of "the torture and execution of thousands of political prisoners" and symbolizing "the Shah's rule from 1963–79." The FAS list of SAVAK torture methods included "electric shock, whipping, beating, inserting broken glass and pouring boiling water into the rectum, tying weights to the testicles, and the extraction of teeth and nails."


title: SAVAK

text: SAVAK was closed down shortly before the overthrow of the monarchy and the coming to power of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the February 1979 Iranian Revolution. Following the departure of the Shah in January 1979, SAVAK's more 3,000 strong central staff and its agents were targeted for reprisals. However, it is believed that Khomeini may have changed his mind and may have retained them into the new SAVAMA. Hossein Fardoust, a former classmate of the Shah, was a deputy director of SAVAK until he was appointed head of the Imperial Inspectorate, also known as the Special Intelligence Bureau, to watch over high-level government officials, including SAVAK directors. Fardoust later switched sides during the revolution and managed to salvage the bulk of the SAVAK organization. According to author Charles Kurzman, SAVAK was never dismantled but rather changed its name and leadership and continued on with the same codes of operation, and a relatively unchanged "staff."


title: SAVAK

text: SAVAK was replaced by the "much larger" SAVAMA, "Sazman-e Ettela'at va Amniat-e Melli-e Iran", also known as the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of Iran. After the Iranian Revolution, a museum was opened in the former Towhid Prison in central Tehran called "Ebrat". The museum displays and exhibits the documented atrocities of SAVAK.


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: Antichrist Superstar is the second studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 8, 1996, by Nothing and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Nothing Studios in New Orleans and produced by the band's eponymous vocalist along with Sean Beavan, former Skinny Puppy producer Dave Ogilvie and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. The recording of the album was marred by excessive drug use, which provoked a high level of antagonism between band members. Consequently, it was their last release to feature contributions from founding guitarist Daisy Berkowitz, who was acrimoniously fired partway through recording.


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: A rock opera and a concept album, "Antichrist Superstar" was the first installment in a trilogy which included succeeding releases "Mechanical Animals" (1998) and "Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)" (2000). The central storyline on the album revolved around a supernatural being who seizes all power from humanity in order to initiate an apocalyptic end event; a populist demagogue who is driven solely by resentment, misanthropy, and despair, he uses his newfound position to destroy the world. The record can be seen as a social critique, utilizing this premise as a metaphor for the perceived fascist elements of the conservative political movement and the Christian right in North America.


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: Preceded by "The Beautiful People", whose music video received three nominations at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, the album was both a critical and commercial success. Lorraine Ali of "Rolling Stone" credited "Antichrist Superstar" with ending the dominance of grunge within popular music. In the years since its release, various publications have listed it among the best albums of the 1990s. The album debuted at number three on the "Billboard" 200, and has sold almost two million copies in the United States alone. As of 2011, worldwide album sales had surpassed over seven million copies.


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: The album was supported by the controversial "Dead to the World Tour", which was heavily criticized by elements of the Christian right. Nearly every North American venue the band visited was picketed by religious organizations, predominantly because of unfounded, exaggerated claims of onstage drug use, bestiality, and Satanic rituals, including animal and even human sacrifice. The band also found itself the target of congressional hearings, which attempted to implicate the group in a fan's suicide. Several previously unreleased recordings were issued on soundtracks throughout 1997, including "Apple of Sodom" and "Long Hard Road Out of Hell".


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: Marilyn Manson was formed in 1989 by the vocalist and guitarist Daisy Berkowitz. For the next seven years, the name of every band member was created by combining the stage name of a female pop culture icon with the surname of a male serial killer. Their highly visualized concerts quickly earned them a loyal fanbase in the South Florida punk and hardcore music scene. Within six months of forming, they were performing sold-out concerts in 300-capacity nightclubs throughout Florida. Eventually, the band gained the attention of Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor, who signed them to his Nothing Records vanity label; Reznor produced their 1994 debut album, "Portrait of an American Family". This was followed by the 1995 EP "Smells Like Children", which contained their commercially successful single, a cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".


title: Antichrist Superstar

text: "Antichrist Superstar" was recorded over an eight-month period at Nothing Studios in New Orleans by an extensive group of musicians. Along with the remaining members of Marilyn Manson—Twiggy Ramirez, Madonna Wayne Gacy, and Ginger Fish—Nine Inch Nails guitarists Robin Finck and Danny Lohner and drummer Chris Vrenna participated. The record was initially produced by the vocalist alongside Trent Reznor and former Skinny Puppy producer Dave Ogilvie.