Evaluation of novel plantar pressure-based 3-dimensional printed accommodative insoles - A feasibility study.

Background: Custom insoles are commonly prescribed to patients with diabetes to redistribute plantar pressure and decrease the risk of ulceration. Advances in 3D printing have enabled the creation of 3D-printed personalized metamaterials whose properties are derived not only from the base material but also the lattice microstructures within the metamaterial. Insoles manufactured using personalized metamaterials have both patient-specific geometry and stiffnesses.

General Method for the Amination of Aryl Halides with Primary and Secondary Alkyl Amines via Nickel Photocatalysis.

The Buchwald-Hartwig C-N coupling reaction has been ranked as one of the 20 most frequently used reactions in medicinal chemistry. Owing to its much lower cost and higher reactivity toward less reactive aryl chlorides than palladium, the C-N coupling reaction catalyzed by Ni-based catalysts has received a great deal of attention. However, there appear to be no universal, practical Ni catalytic systems so far that could enable the coupling of electron-rich and electron-poor aryl halides with both primary and secondary alkyl amines.

A novel workflow to fabricate a patient-specific 3D printed accommodative foot orthosis with personalized latticed metamaterial.

Patients with diabetes mellitus are at elevated risk for secondary complications that result in lower extremity amputations. Standard of care to prevent these complications involves prescribing custom accommodative insoles that use inefficient and outdated fabrication processes including milling and hand carving. A new thrust of custom 3D printed insoles has shown promise in producing corrective insoles but has not explored accommodative diabetic insoles.

Cartilage contact characteristics of the knee during gait in individuals with obesity.

Obesity increases the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Knee joint contact characteristics have been thought to provide insights into the pathogenesis of knee OA; however, the cartilage contact characteristics in individuals with obesity have not been fully described. We conducted cartilage-to-cartilage contact analyses through high-precision fluoroscopy imaging with subject-specific magnetic resonance cartilage models.

Chiral Arylated Amines via C-N Coupling of Chiral Amines with Aryl Bromides Promoted by Light.

The Buchwald-Hartwig C-N coupling reaction has found widespread applications in organic synthesis. Over the past two decades or so, many improved catalysts have been introduced, allowing various amines and aryl electrophiles to be readily used nowadays. However, there lacks a protocol that could be used to couple a wide range of chiral amines and aryl halides, without erosion of the enantiomeric excess (ee).

Establishing Quality and Safety in Hospital-based 3D Printing Programs: Patient-first Approach.

The adoption of three-dimensional (3D) printing is rapidly spreading across hospitals, and the complexity of 3D-printed models and devices is growing. While exciting, the rapid growth and increasing complexity also put patients at increased risk for potential errors and decreased quality of the final product. More than ever, a strong quality management system (QMS) must be in place to identify potential errors, mitigate those errors, and continually enhance the quality of the product that is delivered to patients.

Mediating Role of Bone Marrow Lesions, Synovitis, Pain Sensitization, and Depressive Symptoms on Knee Pain Improvement Following Substantial Weight Loss.

Objective: Massive weight loss leads to marked knee pain reduction in individuals with knee pain, but the reason for the reduction in pain is unknown. This study was undertaken to quantify the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-evidenced changes in pain-sensitive structures, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), and synovitis, and changes in pain sensitization or depressive symptoms, to knee pain improvement after substantial weight loss.

Methods: Morbidly obese patients with knee pain on most days were evaluated before bariatric surgery or medical weight management and at 1-year follow-up for BMLs and synovitis seen on MRI, the pressure pain threshold (PPT) at the patella and the right wrist, depressive symptoms (using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale [CES-D]), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain survey.

Normal intervertebral segment rotation of the subaxial cervical spine: An study of dynamic neck motions.

Background: Accurate knowledge of the intervertebral center of rotation (COR) and its corresponding range of motion (ROM) can help understand development of cervical pathology and guide surgical treatment.

Methods: Ten asymptomatic subjects were imaged using MRI and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques during dynamic extension-flexion-extension (EFE) and axial left-right-left (LRL) rotation. The intervertebral segment CORs and ROMs were measured from C34 to C67, as the correlations between two variables were analyzed as well.

Correction: Six degree-of-freedom knee joint kinematics in obese individuals with knee pain during gait.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Weight loss changed gait kinematics in individuals with obesity and knee pain.

Background: Obesity is a mechanical risk factor for osteoarthritis. In individuals with obesity, knee joint pain is prevalent. Weight loss reduces joint loads, and therefore potentially delays disease progression; however, how the knee joint responds to weight loss in individuals with obesity and knee pain is not clear.

The effect of ACL deficiency on the end-to-end distances of the tibiofemoral ACL attachment during in vivo dynamic activity.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of ACL deficiency on the in vivo changes in end-to-end distances and to determine appropriate graft fixation angles for commonly used tunnel positions in contemporary ACL reconstruction techniques.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with unilateral ACL-deficient and intact contralateral knees were included. Each knee was studied using a combined magnetic resonance and dual fluoroscopic imaging technique while the patients performed a dynamic step-up motion (~50° of flexion to extension).

Reoperation of decompression alone or decompression plus fusion surgeries for degenerative lumbar diseases: a systematic review.

Purpose: The objective of this paper was to compare the reoperation rates, timing and causes between decompression alone and decompression plus fusion surgeries for degenerative lumbar diseases through a systematic review of the published data.

Methods: A search of the literature was conducted on PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Collaboration Library. Reports that included reoperations after decompression alone and/or decompression plus fusion surgeries were selected using designed eligibility criteria.

Short-Term Contact Kinematic Changes and Longer-Term Biochemical Changes in the Cartilage After ACL Reconstruction: A Pilot Study.

Investigation of the development of cartilage degeneration after ACL reconstruction is important for improving current surgical treatment of ACL injuries to prevent long-term knee joint degeneration. This pilot study examined the relationship between the changes in weight-bearing knee contact kinematics 6 months after ACL reconstruction and the biochemical composition changes in the knee cartilage measured using T2 relaxation values 3 years after the surgery in seven patients. The analysis indicated that the change of the knee contact kinematics in short-term after ACL reconstruction is associated with an increase of T2 values of the cartilage in longer follow up times.

Differences of the Morphology of Subaxial Cervical Spine Endplates between Chinese and White Men and Women.

The aim of this comparative anatomical study was to specifically investigate endplate morphology differences between Chinese and White men and women. Three-dimensional cervical endplate models were constructed using computed tomography imaging of 41 healthy Chinese and 24 White subjects. The morphologic measurements of cervical endplate included linear parameters (EPWu: upper endplate width; EPDu: upper endplate depth; EPWl: lower endplate width; and EPDl: lower endplate depth) and area parameters with a digital measuring system.

An In Vivo Prediction of Anisometry and Strain in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction - A Combined Magnetic Resonance and Dual Fluoroscopic Imaging Analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the in vivo anisometry and strain of theoretical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) grafts in the healthy knee using various socket locations on both the femur and tibia.

Methods: Eighteen healthy knees were imaged using magnetic resonance imaging and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques during a step-up and sit-to-stand motion. The anisometry of the medial aspect of the lateral femoral condyle was mapped using 144 theoretical socket positions connected to an anteromedial, central, and posterolateral attachment site on the tibia.

A Tortuous Process of Surgical Treatment for a Large Calcified Chronic Subdural Hematoma.

Background: Calcified chronic subdural hematoma (CCSDH) is a rare disease for which no standard approach to treatment has been established. Reports covering both burr hole trepanation and craniotomy for CCSDH are rare. Furthermore, infection of CCSDH after the burr hole trepanation has not been reported in the literature.

Analysis of in-vivo articular cartilage contact surface of the knee during a step-up motion.

Background: Numerous studies have reported on the tibiofemoral articular cartilage contact kinematics, however, no data has been reported on the articular cartilage geometry at the contact area. This study investigated the in-vivo tibiofemoral articular cartilage contact biomechanics during a dynamic step-up motion.

Methods: Ten healthy subjects were imaged using a validated magnetic resonance and dual fluoroscopic imaging technique during a step-up motion.

Six degree-of-freedom knee joint kinematics in obese individuals with knee pain during gait.

Knee joint pain is a common symptom in obese individuals and walking is often prescribed as part of management programs. Past studies in obese individuals have focused on standing alignment and kinematics in the sagittal and coronal planes. Investigation of 6 degree-of-freedom (6DOF) knee joint kinematics during standing and gait is important to thoroughly understand knee function in obese individuals with knee pain.

Ranges of Cervical Intervertebral Disc Deformation During an In Vivo Dynamic Flexion-Extension of the Neck.

While abnormal loading is widely believed to cause cervical spine disc diseases, in vivo cervical disc deformation during dynamic neck motion has not been well delineated. This study investigated the range of cervical disc deformation during an in vivo functional flexion-extension of the neck. Ten asymptomatic human subjects were tested using a combined dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based three-dimensional (3D) modeling technique.

Postoperative time dependent tibiofemoral articular cartilage contact kinematics during step-up after ACL reconstruction.

This study was to investigate the in vivo tibiofemoral cartilage contact locations before and after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction at 6 and 36 months. Ten patients with unilateral ACL injury were included. A step-up motion was analyzed using a combined magnetic resonance modeling and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques.

In Vivo Anterolateral Ligament Length Change in the Healthy Knee During Functional Activities-A Combined Magnetic Resonance and Dual Fluoroscopic Imaging Analysis.

Purpose: To measure the in vivo anterolateral ligament (ALL) length change in healthy knees during step-up and sit-to-stand motions.

Methods: Eighteen healthy knees were imaged using magnetic resonance and dual fluoroscopic imaging techniques during a step-up and sit-to-stand motion. The ALL length change was measured using the shortest three-dimensional wrapping path, with its femoral attachment located slightly anterior-distal (ALL-Claes) or posterior-proximal (ALL-Kennedy) to the fibular collateral ligament attachment.

Sagittal plane rotation center of lower lumbar spine during a dynamic weight-lifting activity.

This study investigated the center of rotation (COR) of the intervertebral segments of the lower lumbar spine (L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments) in sagittal plane during a weight-lifting (3.6 kg in each hand) extension activity performed with the pelvis constrained. Seven healthy subjects were studied using a dual fluoroscopic imaging technique.

In-vivo analysis of flexion axes of the knee: Femoral condylar motion during dynamic knee flexion.

Background: Transepicondylar axis and geometrical center axis are widely used for investigation of the knee kinematics and component alignment in total knee arthroplasty. However, the kinematic characteristics of these knee axes are not well defined in literature. This study investigated the femoral condylar motion during a dynamic flexion of the knee using different flexion axes.

Dimensional changes of the neuroforamina in subaxial cervical spine during in vivo dynamic flexion-extension.

Background Context: Neuroforaminal stenosis is one of the key factors causing clinical symptoms in patients with cervical radiculopathy. Previous quantitative studies on the neuroforaminal dimensions have focused on measurements in a static position. Little is known about dimensional changes of the neuroforamina in the cervical spine during functional dynamic neck motion under physiological loading conditions.

Does component alignment affect gait symmetry in unilateral total hip arthroplasty patients?

Background: Component malposition in total hip arthroplasty patients has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes. However, whether the component alignment influences hip dynamic performance following total hip arthroplasty remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the component alignment and in vivo hip kinematics during gait.