Indication for total knee arthroplasty based on preoperative functional score: Are we operating earlier?

Background: The number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures performed annually is increasing for reasons not fully explained by population growth and increasing rates of obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of patient functional status as an indication for surgery and to determine if patients are undergoing surgery with a higher level of preoperative function than in the past.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Physiological referrals for paediatric musculoskeletal complaints: A costly problem that needs to be addressed.

Background/objective: Referrals to paediatric orthopedists for physiologically normal conditions consume limited resources and delay care for patients. The goal of the present study was to formally define such referrals and determine their prevalence.

Methods: A retrospective review evaluated consecutive referrals to a single tertiary paediatric orthopedic centre over two eight-month periods.

Nuclear receptor atlas of female mouse liver parenchymal, endothelial, and Kupffer cells.

The liver consists of different cell types that together synchronize crucial roles in liver homeostasis. Since nuclear receptors constitute an important class of drug targets that are involved in a wide variety of physiological processes, we have composed the hepatic cell type-specific expression profile of nuclear receptors to uncover the pharmacological potential of liver-enriched nuclear receptors. Parenchymal liver cells (hepatocytes) and liver endothelial and Kupffer cells were isolated from virgin female C57BL/6 wild-type mice using collagenase perfusion and counterflow centrifugal elutriation.

Hypocholesterolemia, foam cell accumulation, but no atherosclerosis in mice lacking ABC-transporter A1 and scavenger receptor BI.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) mediated reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is regarded to be crucial for prevention of foam cell formation and atherosclerosis. ABC-transporter A1 (ABCA1) and scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) are involved in the biogenesis of HDL and the selective delivery of HDL cholesterol to the liver, respectively. In the present study, we phenotypically characterized mice lacking these two proteins essential for HDL metabolism.

Restoration of high-density lipoprotein levels by cholesteryl ester transfer protein expression in scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) knockout mice does not normalize pathologies associated with SR-BI deficiency.

Objective: Disruption of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in mice impairs high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (HDL-C) delivery to the liver and induces susceptibility to atherosclerosis. In this study, it was investigated whether introduction of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) can normalize HDL-C transport to the liver and reduce atherosclerosis in SR-BI knockout (KO) mice.

Methods And Results: Expression of human CETP in SR-BI(KO) mice resulted in decreased plasma HDL-C levels, both on chow diet (1.