The Lateral Column.

Lower extremity biomechanics is the cornerstone of podiatric medicine and surgery. The foot and ankle act as the interface between the ground and proximal segments, mediating internal and external moments Although the medial longitudinal arch has been widely researched, the details of the lateral longitudinal arch are less extensively delineated. The purpose of this review is to analyze the biomechanics of the lateral column as it relates to lower extremity biomechanics and function.

Physical Examination Variables Predict Response to Conservative Treatment of Nonchronic Plantar Fasciitis: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Footwear Study.

Background: Plantar fasciitis is a common, disabling condition, and the prognosis of conservative treatment is difficult to predict.

Objective: To determine whether initial clinical findings could help predict patient response to conservative treatment that primarily consisted of supportive footwear and stretching.

Setting: Patients were recruited and seen at 2 outpatient podiatric clinics in the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area.

A randomized controlled trial of custom foot orthoses for the treatment of plantar heel pain.

Background: Up to 10% of people will experience heel pain. The purpose of this prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was to compare custom foot orthoses (CFO), prefabricated foot orthoses (PFO), and sham insole treatment for plantar fasciitis.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients with plantar fasciitis for less than 1 year were included.

Effect of Custom Foot Insoles on Postural Stability in Figure Skaters While on Ice.

Context: Improvements in postural stability in figure skaters can play a significant role in performance, as well as reducing fall risk.

Objective: To explore the effect of custom foot insoles on postural stability in advanced figure skaters.

Design: Exploratory study.

Does footwear type impact the number of steps required to reach gait steady state?: an innovative look at the impact of foot orthoses on gait initiation.

Many studies have attempted to better elucidate the effect of foot orthoses on gait dynamics. To our knowledge, most previous studies exclude the first few steps of gait and begin analysis at steady state walking. These unanalyzed steps of gait may contain important information about the dynamic and complex processes required to achieve equilibrium for a given gait velocity.

Promotion of allograft survival by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells: evidence for in vivo inhibition of effector cell proliferation.

Regulatory T cells preserve tolerance to peripheral self-Ags and may control the response to allogeneic tissues to promote transplantation tolerance. Although prior studies have demonstrated prolonged allograft survival in the presence of regulatory T cells (T-reg), data documenting the capacity of these cells to promote tolerance in immunocompetent transplant models are lacking, and the mechanism of suppression in vivo remains unclear. We used a TCR transgenic model of allograft rejection to characterize the in vivo activity of CD4(+)CD25(+) T-reg.

Vulnerability of allografts to rejection by MHC class II-restricted T-cell receptor transgenic mice.

Background: Examination of the in vivo activation and function of CD4+ T cells in response to allografts may advance our understanding of the rejection process. We analyzed the capacity of transgenic class II-restricted CD4 T cells to reject skin, cardiac, and islet transplants.

Methods: TS1 mice possess a high frequency of CD4+ T cells specific for the immunodominant epitope of the viral hemagglutinin (HA) protein.

CD25+ immunoregulatory CD4 T cells mediate acquired central transplantation tolerance.

Transplantation tolerance is induced reliably in experimental animals following intrathymic inoculation with the relevant donor strain Ags; however, the immunological mechanisms responsible for the induction and maintenance of the tolerant state remain unknown. We investigated these mechanisms using TCR transgenic mice (TS1) that carry T cells specific for an immunodominant, MHC class II-restricted peptide (S1) of the influenza PR8 hemagglutinin (HA) molecule. We demonstrated that TS1 mice reject skin grafts that have transgene-encoded HA molecules (HA104) as their sole antigenic disparity and that intrathymic but not i.

Inferior vena cava filters in malignant disease.

Purpose: Patients undergoing treatment for cancer have a high risk and prevalence of venous thrombosis and frequent contraindications to anticoagulation therapy that lead to placement of caval filters. We questioned whether the increasing frequency of this intervention has clinical benefit.

Methods: Between 1993 and 2000, 116 patients undergoing active treatment for malignant disease underwent filter placement at our institution.