Feasibility, acceptability and prognostic value of muscle mass and strength measurement in patients with hip fracture: a systematic review.

Purpose: Sarcopenia is diagnosed on the basis of low muscle strength, with low muscle mass used to confirm diagnosis. The added value of measuring muscle mass is unclear. We undertook a systematic review to assess whether muscle mass measurement in patients with hip fracture was acceptable, feasible and independently associated with adverse outcomes.

Epigenetic mechanisms of osteoarthritis risk in human skeletal development.

The epigenome, including the methylation of cytosine bases at CG dinucleotides, is intrinsically linked to transcriptional regulation. The tight regulation of gene expression during skeletal development is essential, with ~1/500 individuals born with skeletal abnormalities. Furthermore, increasing evidence is emerging to link age-associated complex genetic musculoskeletal diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA), to developmental factors including joint shape.

Using pre-fracture mobility to augment prediction of post-operative outcomes in hip fracture.

Purpose: Pre-operative scores based on patient characteristics are commonly used to predict hip fracture outcomes. Mobility, an indicator of pre-operative function, has been neglected as a potential predictor. We assessed the ability of pre-fracture mobility to predict post-operative outcomes following hip fracture.

Implementing grip strength assessment in hip fracture patients: a feasibility project.

Objectives: Risk stratification scores are used in hip fracture surgery, but none incorporate objective tests for low muscle strength. Grip strength testing is simple and cheap but not routinely assessed for patients with hip fracture. This project aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing grip strength testing into admission assessment of patients with hip fracture.

The impact of research intercalation during medical school on post-graduate career progression.

Background: Medical students at The University of Manchester have the option of research intercalation on the Master of Research programme. There is a paucity of evidence for the benefits of research intercalation. However, we hypothesised that research intercalation would accelerate post-graduate career progression and aimed to objectively measure the career enhancing impact, quantify the benefits and determine the alumni perception of research intercalation.

Statins, bone biology and revision arthroplasty: review of clinical and experimental evidence.

Osteoarthritis is a painful, disabling condition which is increasing in prevalence as a result of an ageing population. With no recognized disease-limiting therapeutics, arthroplasty of the hip and knee is the most common and effective treatment for lower limb osteoarthritis, however lower limb arthroplasty has a finite life-span and a proportion of patients will require revision arthroplasty. With increasing life expectancy and an increasing proportion of younger (<65 years) patients undergoing arthroplasty, the demand for revision arthroplasty after implant failure is also set to increase.

Prediction of Postoperative Outcomes Following Hip Fracture Surgery: Independent Validation and Recalibration of the Nottingham Hip Fracture Score.

Objectives: Independent validation of risk scores after hip fracture is uncommon, particularly for evaluation of outcomes other than death. We aimed to assess the Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) for prediction of mortality, physical function, length of stay, and postoperative complications.

Design: Analysis of routinely collected prospective data partly collected by follow-up interviews.

Effect of Timing and Duration of Statin Exposure on Risk of Hip or Knee Revision Arthroplasty: A Population-based Cohort Study.

Objectives: To determine whether the timing and duration of statin exposure following total hip/knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) influence the risk of revision arthroplasty.

Methods: Subjects from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a large population-based clinical database, who had THA/TKA from 1988 to 2016, were included. Propensity score adjusted Cox regression models were used to determine the association between statin exposure and the risk of revision THA/TKA, (1) at any time, and (2) if first exposed 0-1, 1-5, or > 5 years following THA/TKA.

Prioritization of PLEC and GRINA as Osteoarthritis Risk Genes Through the Identification and Characterization of Novel Methylation Quantitative Trait Loci.

Objective: To identify methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) correlating with osteoarthritis (OA) risk alleles and to undertake mechanistic characterization as a means of target gene prioritization.

Methods: We used genome-wide genotyping and cartilage DNA methylation array data in a discovery screen of novel OA risk loci. This was followed by methylation, gene expression analysis, and genotyping studies in additional cartilage samples, accompanied by in silico analyses.