Resident synovial macrophages in synovial fluid: Implications for immunoregulation.

Resident synovial macrophages (RSMs) are anti-inflammatory, self-renewing macrophages that provide physical immune sequestration of the joint space from the peripheral immune system. Increased permeability of this structure is associated with peripheral immune cells in the synovial fluid (SF). Direct measures of synovial barrier integrity are possible with tissue histology, but after barrier breakdown, if these cells perpetuate or initiate chronic inflammation in SF remains unknown.

Resident Synovial Macrophages in Synovial Fluid: Implications for Immunoregulation in Infectious and Inflammatory Arthritis.

Objectives: Resident synovial macrophages (RSM) provide immune sequestration of the joint space and are likely involved in initiation and perpetuation of the joint-specific immune response. We sought to identify RSM in synovial fluid (SF) and demonstrate migratory ability, in additional to functional changes that may perpetuate a chronic inflammatory response within joint spaces.

Methods: We recruited human patients presenting with undifferentiated arthritis in multiple clinical settings.

Plasma microrna quantification protocol.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate translation and are involved in many pathological processes. They have emerged as promising biomarkers for diagnosis of conditions such as aortic aneurysm disease. Quantifying miRNAs in plasma is uniquely challenging because of the lack of standardized reproducible protocols.

miR-133a Replacement Attenuates Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm in Mice.

Background Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) occur because of abnormal remodeling of aortic extracellular matrix and are accompanied by the emergence of proteolytically active myofibroblasts. The microRNA miR-133a regulates cellular phenotypes and is reduced in clinical TAA specimens. This study tested the hypothesis that miR-133a modulates aortic fibroblast phenotype, and overexpression by lentivirus attenuates the development of TAA in a murine model.

Use of Blood Flow Restriction Training for Postoperative Rehabilitation.

Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is commonly used to induce muscle hypertrophy and strength and is gaining popularity as a modality for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and postoperative rehabilitation. This article reviews the current literature on BFR as a rehabilitative tool, identifies gaps in the literature, and reports the authors experience using BFR in the postoperative environment.

Infectious Disease in Contact Sports.

Context:: Infections are common in contact sports. This review aims to describe the epidemiology, presenting signs and symptoms, treatment guidelines, and regulations for several common infections seen in contact sport athletes. The conditions discussed include bacterial skin infections, herpes simplex virus, molluscum contagiosum, common warts, tinea, scabies, head lice, conjunctivitis, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C virus, and vaccine-preventable illnesses.

Youth Football Injuries: A Prospective Cohort.

Background: There are approximately 2.8 million youth football players between the ages of 7 and 14 years in the United States. Rates of injury in this population are poorly described.

Weight Management Counseling for Wrestling Athletes.

Helping a wrestler manage body weight can be a daunting process for a pediatric health care provider. Each high school wrestling program has been mandated by the National Federation of State High School Associations to determine an appropriate weight classification for each individual wrestler. This article discusses how an appropriate weight class is determined, the methods for ascertaining a person's hydration status and body density, and the importance of a fully hydrated and normally nourished state that will allow for optimal athletic performance for a wrestler.

Lactate: Friend or Foe.

Lactic acid has played an important role in the traditional theory of muscle fatigue and limitation of endurance exercise performance. It has been called a waste product of anaerobic metabolism and has been believed to be responsible for the uncomfortable "burn" of intense exercise and directly responsible for the metabolic acidosis of exercise, leading to decreased muscle contractility and ultimately cessation of exercise. Although this premise has been commonly taught, it is not supported by the scientific literature and has led to a great deal of confusion among the sports medicine and exercise science communities.

Basic recovery aids: what's the evidence?

This review summarizes the evidence base for using compression, massage, caloric replacement, cold, and heat as exercise recovery aids in sport.

Utilization of a text-messaging robot to assess intraday variation in concussion symptom severity scores.

Objective: To determine the amount of within-day variation of Concussion Symptom Severity Scores (CSSSs) in athletes with a clinically diagnosed concussion.

Design: This prospective cohort study used a text-messaging robot to survey concussed athletes using the CSSS 5-times daily while they remained symptomatic.

Setting: Academic sports concussion clinic at a large tertiary care medical center.

Pilot study of adolescent attitudes regarding ski or snowboard helmet use.

Introduction: The number of head injuries from skiing and snowboarding accidents is increasing among adolescents. Ski helmets reduce the risk of head injury. This study explored adolescent attitudes regarding helmet use.