Changes in lumbar muscle diffusion tensor indices with age.

Objective: To investigate differences in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) in the spinal muscles of younger and older adult males.

Methods: Twelve younger (19-30 years) and 12 older (61-81years) healthy, physically active male participants underwent T1, T2, Dixon and DTI of the lumbar spine. The eigenvalues (, , and ), fractional anisotropy (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) from the DTI together with the PDFF were determined in the multifidus, medial and lateral erector spinae (ESmed, ESlat), and quadratus lumborum (QL) muscles.

Patient Reidentification from Chest Radiographs: An Interpretable Deep Metric Learning Approach and Its Applications.

Purpose: To train an explainable deep learning model for patient reidentification in chest radiograph datasets and assess changes in model-perceived patient identity as a marker for emerging radiologic abnormalities in longitudinal image sets.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study used a set of 1 094 537 frontal chest radiographs and free-text reports from 259 152 patients obtained from six hospitals between 2006 and 2019, with validation on the public ChestX-ray14, CheXpert, and MIMIC-CXR datasets. A deep learning model was trained for patient reidentification and assessed on patient identity confirmation, retrieval of patient images from a database based on a query image, and radiologic abnormality prediction in longitudinal image sets.

Development and validation of open-source deep neural networks for comprehensive chest x-ray reading: a retrospective, multicentre study.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) systems for automated chest x-ray interpretation hold promise for standardising reporting and reducing delays in health systems with shortages of trained radiologists. Yet, there are few freely accessible AI systems trained on large datasets for practitioners to use with their own data with a view to accelerating clinical deployment of AI systems in radiology. We aimed to contribute an AI system for comprehensive chest x-ray abnormality detection.

More than skin-deep: visceral fat is strongly associated with disease activity, function and metabolic indices in psoriatic disease.

Objective: To compare body composition between patients with psoriatic disease (PsD), including cutaneous psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and controls, and to explore associations between disease activity and measures of function and metabolic derangement.

Methods: Body composition was assessed by air displacement plethysmography (ADP) and MRI-derived fat segmentation using an automated pipeline (FatSegNet). Function was assessed by Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and metabolic status by fasting lipid profile, insulin and adiponectin.

Robotic Arthroplasty Clinical and cost Effectiveness Randomised controlled trial (RACER-knee): a study protocol.

Introduction: Robotic-assisted knee replacement systems have been introduced to healthcare services worldwide in an effort to improve clinical outcomes for people, although high-quality evidence that they are clinically, or cost-effective remains sparse. Robotic-arm systems may improve surgical accuracy and could contribute to reduced pain, improved function and lower overall cost of total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. However, TKR with conventional instruments may be just as effective and may be quicker and cheaper.

Time to reconsider the routine use of tourniquets in total knee arthroplasty surgery.

Aims: Many surgeons choose to perform total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery with the aid of a tourniquet. A tourniquet is a device that fits around the leg and restricts blood flow to the limb. There is a need to understand whether tourniquets are safe, and if they benefit, or harm, patients.

Tourniquet use in total knee replacement surgery: a feasibility study and pilot randomised controlled trial (SAFE-TKR study).

Introduction: Tourniquets are routinely used during total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. They could increase the risk of thromboembolic events including cerebral emboli, cognitive decline, pain and other adverse events (AEs). A randomised controlled trial to assess whether tourniquet use might safely be avoided is therefore warranted but it is unclear whether such a trial would be feasible.

Psoriatic disease and body composition: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background: Obesity is a leading comorbidity in psoriatic disease, including both psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and is associated with adverse metabolic and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Anthropometric parameters, such as weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio, have been extensively reported in psoriatic disease. However, the associations of body composition and fat distribution with psoriasis have not yet been fully defined.

Meniscal Tear Outcome (METRO) review: a protocol for a systematic review summarising the clinical course and patient experiences of meniscal tears in the current literature.

Introduction: Meniscal tears are a common knee injury with an incidence of 60 per 100 000. Management of meniscal tears can include either non-operative measures or operative procedures such as arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM). Despite substantial research evaluating the effectiveness of APM in the recent past, little is known about the clinical course or the experiences of patients with a meniscal tear.

Meniscal tear outcome Study (METRO Study): a study protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study exploring the factors which affect outcomes in patients with a meniscal tear.

Introduction: This study is designed to explore the baseline characteristics of patients under 55 years of age with a meniscal tear, and to describe the relationship between the baseline characteristics and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) over 12 months. Research has highlighted the need for a trial to investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic meniscectomy in younger patients. Before this trial, we need to understand the patient population in greater detail.

Preferences for portable ultrasound devices: a discrete choice experiment among abdominal aortic aneurysm surveillance patients and general ultrasound patients in England.

Objective: To undertake an assessment of preferences as to how, where and by whom ultrasounds (US) should be performed in: (1) patients undergoing surveillance of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) size (AAA group); and (2) patients being scanned for general abdominal conditions (general group).

Design: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) questionnaire was administered to patients attending US appointments. Analysis of questionnaire responses used conditional logit models and included validity checks.

Better Outcomes for Older people with Spinal Trouble (BOOST) Trial: a randomised controlled trial of a combined physical and psychological intervention for older adults with neurogenic claudication, a protocol.

Introduction: Neurogenic claudication due to spinal stenosis is common in older adults. The effectiveness of conservative interventions is not known. The aim of the study is to estimate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a physiotherapist-delivered, combined physical and psychological intervention.

Registry report on prediction by Pocock cardiovascular score of cerebral microemboli acutely following carotid endarterectomy.

Background: Cerebral microemboli may lead to ischaemic neurological complications after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). The association between classical cardiovascular risk factors and acute cerebral microemboli following carotid surgery has not been studied. The aim of this study was to explore whether an established cardiovascular risk score (Pocock score) predicts the presence of cerebral microemboli acutely after CEA.

Hip arthroscopy versus best conservative care for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (UK FASHIoN): a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome is an important cause of hip pain in young adults. It can be treated by arthroscopic hip surgery, including reshaping the hip, or with physiotherapist-led conservative care. We aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness of hip arthroscopy with best conservative care.

Identification of an optimal threshold for detecting human brown adipose tissue using receiver operating characteristic analysis of IDEAL MRI fat fraction maps.

Purpose: Lower fat fraction (FF) in brown adipose tissue (BAT) than white adipose tissue (WAT) has been exploited using Dixon-based Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to differentiate these tissues in rodents, human infants and adults. We aimed to determine whether an optimal FF threshold could be determined to differentiate between BAT and WAT in adult humans in vivo.

Methods: Sixteen volunteers were recruited (9 females, 7 males; 44.

Safety and feasibility evaluation of tourniquets for total knee replacement (SAFE-TKR): study protocol.

Introduction: This study is designed to determine whether a full randomised controlled trial (RCT) examining the clinical effectiveness and safety of total knee replacement surgery with or without a tourniquet is warranted and feasible.

Method And Analysis: Single centre, patient-blinded and assessor-blinded RCT. A computer-generated randomisation service will allocate 50 participants into one of two trial treatments, surgery with or without a tourniquet.

A prospective, observational cohort study of patients presenting to an emergency department with acute shoulder trauma: the Manchester emergency shoulder (MESH) project.

Background: Fracture and dislocation of the shoulder are usually identifiable through the use of plain radiographs in an emergency department. However, other significant soft tissue injuries can be missed at initial presentation. This study used contrast enhanced magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) to determine the pattern of underlying soft tissue injuries in patients with traumatic shoulder injury, loss of active range of motion, and normal plain radiography.

ABCD risk score does not predict the presence of cerebral microemboli in patients with hyper-acute symptomatic critical carotid artery stenosis.

Introduction: ABCD risk score and cerebral microemboli detected by transcranial Doppler (TCD) have been separately shown to the predict risk of recurrent acute stroke. We studied whether ABCD risk score predicts cerebral microemboli in patients with hyper-acute symptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

Participants And Methods: We studied 206 patients presenting within 2 weeks of transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke and found to have critical carotid artery stenosis (≥50%).

Otolith shape variability and associated body growth differences in giant grenadier, Albatrossia pectoralis.

Fish stocks can be defined by differences in their distribution, life history, and genetics. Managing fish based on stock structure is integral to successful management of a species because fishing may affect stocks disproportionately. Genetic and environmental differences can affect the shape and growth of otoliths and these differences may be indicative of stock structure.

Brown fat depots in adult humans remain static in their locations on PET/CT despite changes in seasonality.

Active brown adipose tissue (BAT) in humans has been demonstrated through use of positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18) fluoro-D-glucose integrated with computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) scans. The aim of our study was to determine whether active human BAT depots shown on F-FDG PET/CT scans remain static in their location over time. This was a retrospective study.

Structural predictors of response to intra-articular steroid injection in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Background: The aim was to examine if structural factors could affect response to intra-articular steroid injections (IASI) in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Method: Persons with painful knee OA participated in an open-label trial of IASI where radiographic joint space narrowing (JSN) and Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade, whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scores (WORMS) and quantitative assessment of synovial tissue volume (STV) were assessed on baseline images. Participants completed the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and a question about knee pain with a visual analogue scale for pain during nominated activity (VAS), and Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT)-Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) criteria were used to assess responder status within 2 weeks (short term) and 6 months (longer term).

Cortical Bony Thickening of the Lateral Intercondylar Wall: The Functional Attachment of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Background: The anatomy of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has become the subject of much debate. There has been extensive study into attachment points of the native ligament, especially regarding the femoral attachment. Some of these studies have suggested that fibers in the ACL are of differing functional importance.