Updates in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory and degenerative condition resulting in articular cartilage destruction and functional loss. Its prevalence has grown considerably due to increased life expectancy and obesity, and its diagnosis relies on evaluation, medical examination, and confirmation by supplementary radiographic images. Knee OA is multifactorial and influenced by several local, systemic, and external aspects.

Local Administration of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Using a Hydrogel Carrier for Robust Bone Regeneration in a Large Animal Model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is juvenile idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) that has no effective clinical resolutions. Previously, local injection of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) for ONFH treatment showed a heterogeneous bone repair and a high incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) due to the BMP2 leakage. Here, we developed a BMP2-hydrogel treatment via a transphyseal bone wash and subsequential injection of BMP2-loaded hydrogel.

Silicon Oxynitrophosphide Nanoscale Coating Enhances Antioxidant Marker-Induced Angiogenesis During in vivo Cranial Bone-Defect Healing.

Critical-sized bone defects are challenging to heal because of the sudden and large volume of lost bone. Fixative plates are often used to stabilize defects, yet oxidative stress and delayed angiogenesis are contributing factors to poor biocompatibility and delayed bone healing. This study tests the angiogenic and antioxidant properties of amorphous silicon oxynitrophosphide (SiONPx) nanoscale-coating material on endothelial cells to regenerate vascular tissue in vitro and in bone defects.

Evaluation of the Southwick Angle in Two Hundred Hips of Asymptomatic Children and Adolescents.

 To measure the mean value of the Southwick angle using two different methods, the manual (1) and digital (2) methods, and to establish a normality value.  A primarily descriptive study with 100 children and adolescents. Individuals with orthopedic complaints regarding the hips and/or knees or gait alterations were excluded.

A Comparison of Transphyseal Neck-Head Tunneling and Multiple Epiphyseal Drilling on Femoral Head Healing Following Ischemic Osteonecrosis: An Experimental Investigation in Immature Pigs.

Background: Two operative procedures are currently advocated to stimulate the necrotic femoral head healing in children with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease: transphyseal neck-head tunneling (TNHT) and multiple epiphyseal drilling (MED). The purpose of this study was to compare the bone healing and physeal function after treatment with TNHT or MED in a piglet model of ischemic osteonecrosis.

Methods: Eighteen piglets were induced with osteonecrosis by surgically placing a ligature tightly around the right femoral neck.

Novel 3D-printed methacrylated chitosan-laponite nanosilicate composite scaffolds enhance cell growth and biomineral formation in MC3T3 pre-osteoblasts.

This study compared the effect of gelatin- and chitosan-based scaffolds on osteoblast biomineralization. These scaffolds have been modified using methacrylate and laponite nanosilicates to improve their mechanical strength and support osteoblast function. Scaffold materials were prepared to have the same compressive strength (14-15 MPa) such that differences in cell response would be isolated to differences in biopolymer chemistry.

Rapid Regeneration of Vascularized Bone by Nanofabricated Amorphous Silicon Oxynitrophosphide (SiONP) Overlays.

Fracture healing is a complex biological process. Severe bone loss and ischemia from traumatic fractures lead to inflammation and accumulation of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Fixative devices that not only provide mechanical support but also stimulate antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and influence signaling pathways for extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization, are critical for normal healing of such fractures.

Amorphous Silicon Oxynitrophosphide-Coated Implants Boost Angiogenic Activity of Endothelial Cells.

Lack of osteointegration is a major cause of aseptic loosening and failure of implants used in bone replacement. Implants coated with angiogenic biomaterials can improve osteointegration and potentially reduce these complications. Silicon- and phosphorus-based materials have been shown to upregulate expression of angiogenic factors and improve endothelial cell functions.

Ionic silicon improves endothelial cells' survival under toxic oxidative stress by overexpressing angiogenic markers and antioxidant enzymes.

Oxidative stress, induced by harmful levels of reactive oxygen species, is a common occurrence that impairs proper bone defect vascular healing through the impairment of endothelial cell function. Ionic silicon released from silica-based biomaterials, can upregulate hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Yet it is unclear whether ionic Si can restore endothelial cell function under oxidative stress conditions.

Bioactivity and mineralization of natural hydroxyapatite from cuttlefish bone and Bioglass co-sintered bioceramics.

In this study, bioactive hydroxyapatite (HAP)-based bioceramics starting from cuttlefish bone powders have been prepared and characterized. In particular, fragmented cuttlefish bone was co-sintered with 30 wt% of Bioglass -45S5 to synthesize HAP-based powders with enhanced mechanical properties and bioactivity. Commercial synthetic HAP was treated following the same procedure and used as a reference.

Amorphous Silica: A New Antioxidant Role for Rapid Critical-Sized Bone Defect Healing.

Traumatic fractures cause structurally unstable sites due to severe bone loss. Such fractures generate a high yield of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can lead to oxidative stress. Excessive and prolonged ROS activity impedes osteoblast differentiation and instigates long healing times.

Intraosseous Delivery of Bone Morphogenic Protein-2 Using a Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogel.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a debilitating hip disorder, which often produces a permanent femoral head deformity and osteoarthritis. The local delivery of biological agents capable of stimulating bone healing offer potential new treatment options for patients with ONFH. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that a local intraosseous infusion of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) was effective in stimulating new bone formation in a piglet model of ischemic ONFH.

Validation of the Brazilian version of the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument: a cross-sectional evaluation in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: There is a lack of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires to evaluate pediatric musculoskeletal diseases in Brazil. The Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) is widely used elsewhere for pediatric patients with musculoskeletal disorders, but it has not been fully validated in Brazil. Validation of the PODCI in the Brazilian Portuguese language is important to improve the assessment of pediatric patients with musculoskeletal diseases and to compare Brazilian study results with results from the international literature.