Off-Label Use of an External Hand Fixator for Craniomaxillofacial Fractures-An Anatomical Feasibility Study.

Background: The lack of resources limits the treatment of craniomaxillofacial fractures (CMF) in low-income countries (LIC). Therefore, Barton bandages and/or interdental wiring are considered in these regions. Fracture reduction is maintained by permanent occlusion for 6 weeks, which often leads to limited compliance and dissatisfying results.

The Impact of Exercise Training and Supplemental Oxygen on Peripheral Muscles in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Exercise training is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the related interindividual heterogeneity in skeletal muscle dysfunction and adaptations are not yet fully understood. We set out to investigate the effects of exercise training and supplemental oxygen on functional and structural peripheral muscle adaptation.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study, 28 patients with nonhypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 45.

Local MRI-based measures of thigh adipose tissue derived from fully automated deep convolutional neural network-based segmentation show a comparable responsiveness to bidirectional change in body weight as from quality controlled manual segmentation.

Background: Thigh intermuscular (IMF) and subcutaneous (SCF) fat are associated with joint function, inflammation and knee osteoarthritis. Fully automated segmentation from MRI is important to study the above relationship in larger cohorts. However, such algorithms are not clinically evaluated for longitudinal studies.

Responsiveness of Subcutaneous Fat, Intermuscular Fat, and Muscle Anatomical Cross-Sectional Area of the Thigh to Longitudinal Body Weight Loss and Gain: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI).

Thigh subcutaneous (SCF) and intermuscular (IMF) fat have been associated with joint health and function. Here, we explore the (sex-specific) responsiveness of SCF, IMF, and muscle during longitudinal weight loss and gain, as well as the change in questionnaire-based and physical performance-based knee function measures. This exploratory study included 103 Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants, who displayed a ≥10% weight loss or gain between baseline (BL) and 2-year (Y2) follow-up (and maintained half of that weight loss until year 4) and had axial 3T magnetic resonance images (MRI) for measuring SCF, IMF, and muscle cross sectional areas (CSAs).

Is muscle strength in a painful limb affected by knee pain status of the contralateral limb? - Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Contralateral knee pain has been suggested to be associated with muscle weakness in a pain-free knee, potentially through a mechanism of central nervous inhibition. Whether contralateral knee pain also affects muscle strength in a painful knee, however, is unknown. Here we study the extent to which isometric muscle strength differs between matched painful limbs of people with unilateral knee pain vs.

Responsiveness of Infrapatellar Fat Pad Volume Change to Body Weight Loss or Gain: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Obesity is a potent risk factor for knee osteoarthritis (OA) that is driven by mechanical and potentially endocrine mechanisms, and it affects women more frequently than men. The infrapatellar fat pat (IPFP) represents a potential link between obesity, intra-articular inflammation and structural pathology. Here we investigate whether the IPFP is responsive to body weight loss/gain in women and how its responsiveness to weight change compares to that of subcutaneous fat (SCF) of the thigh.

Relationship Between Knee Pain and Infrapatellar Fat Pad Morphology: A Within- and Between-Person Analysis From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: Inflammation is known to be strongly associated with knee pain in osteoarthritis. The infrapatellar fat pad represents a potential source of proinflammatory cytokines. Yet the relationship between infrapatellar fat pad morphology and osteoarthritis symptoms is unclear.

Role of Breathing Conditions During Exercise Testing on Training Prescription in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

This study investigated whether different breathing conditions during exercise testing will influence measures of exercise capacity commonly used for training prescription in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Twenty-seven patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec = 45.6 [9.

Variance in infra-patellar fat pad volume: Does the body mass index matter?-Data from osteoarthritis initiative participants without symptoms or signs of knee disease.

The infra-patellar fat pad (IPFP) has been proposed to represent an endocrine link between obesity and knee osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of the current study has been to explore the extent to which IPFP volume is related to body mass index (BMI). A total of 152 participants (age 56±7 years) without knee OA were studied.

Supplemental Oxygen During High-Intensity Exercise Training in Nonhypoxemic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Physical exercise training is an evidence-based treatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and patients' peak work rate is associated with reduced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality. We assessed whether supplemental oxygen during exercise training in nonhypoxemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease might lead to superior training outcomes, including improved peak work rate.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled, crossover trial.

Effects of a 12-week alpine skiing intervention on endothelial progenitor cells, peripheral arterial tone and endothelial biomarkers in the elderly.

Objective: Endothelial dysfunction occurs early during atherogenesis and it can be normalized by exercise training. Unfortunately, patients' compliance with exercise prescription remains low, often because the given choices do not appeal to them. In Alpine regions, skiing is a popular mode of exercise, and therefore we set out to assess whether it can induce antiatherogenic effects.

Does exercise training impact clock genes in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Background: Recent findings revealed negative effects of deregulated molecular circadian rhythm in coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Physical exercise training (ET) has been shown to promote anti-diabetic and anti-atherogenic responses in skeletal muscle of these patients, but the role of the circadian clock-machinery remains unknown. This study investigated whether mRNA expression of clock genes in skeletal muscle of CAD and T2DM patients is influenced by physical ET intervention.

Is Pain in One Knee Associated with Isometric Muscle Strength in the Contralateral Limb?: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: Knee pain and muscle weakness confer risk for knee osteoarthritis incidence and progression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether unilateral knee pain influences contralateral thigh muscle strength.

Design: Of 4796 Osteoarthritis Initiative participants, 224 (mean ± SD age, 63.