Early results from implementation of a 'watch and wait' protocol for complete clinical response following chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant long course chemoradiotherapy (NLCRT) for rectal cancer can result in complete pathological response (pCR). In 2017, we started offering patients who had a complete clinical response (cCR), a choice between total mesorectal excision (TME) and an intensive surveillance or 'watch and wait' (W&W) program. We report the early outcomes of this prospective study.

Increasing hip fracture volume following repeated lockdowns: an Irish multicentre study of periods pre-Covid, during Covid lockdown and following vaccination.

Background: Older age groups were identified as a high-risk cohort for Covid-19 and thus were a focus of lockdown measures enacted internationally. Resultant decreased social mobility and physical activity levels are associated with sarcopenia, which may lead to increased risk of hip fracture upon resuming social integration and physical activities after easing of lockdown restrictions.

Aims: Our aim was to compare the incidence of hip fractures during the period following vaccination with subsequent relaxation of restrictions, to those prior to and during the Covid pandemic.

A Curious Case of a Wooden Toothpick Inside a Child's Knee: A Case Report.

Case: A 10-year-old boy presented with vague symptoms, a few days after a nondescript injury to his left knee. History, examination and blood tests, and imaging were unremarkable. Because of his severe pain, we proceeded to arthroscopy.

Thermal Osteonecrosis Caused by Bone Drilling in Orthopedic Surgery: A Literature Review.

Thermal osteonecrosis is the in situ death of bone tissue as a result of excessively high temperatures. While the exact temperature at which thermal osteonecrosis occurs has not yet been determined, 50°C is the accepted critical value, as bone regeneration is almost completely impaired from this point on. Thermal osteonecrosis is a significant concern in orthopedic surgery, as it can compromise the bone-implant interface in fracture fixation, which, by definition, is a complication.