Clinical, radiographic, molecular and MRI-based predictors of cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To examine the relationship of baseline clinical, radiographic, molecular and MRI measures with structural progression (subregional MRI-based femorotibial cartilage loss) in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Single knees of 75 female participants with radiographic knee OA (and 77 healthy control participants) were examined over 24 months using MRI. Subregional femorotibial cartilage thickness was determined at baseline and follow-up.

The efficacy and safety of fasciectomy and fasciotomy for Dupuytren's contracture in European patients: a structured review of published studies.

A structured review of published papers was done to assess the efficacy and safety of fasciectomy and fasciotomy in European patients with Dupuytren's contracture. The outcomes varied across 48 studies. For fasciectomy, outcomes and results were as follows: the proportions of patients with a 100% correction in contracture angle ranged from 61 to 97%, the mean improvement in contracture angle ranged from 58 to 79%, and cases judged excellent/good ranged from 63 to 90%.

Alignment of the medial tibial plateau affects the rate of joint space narrowing in the osteoarthritic knee.

Objective: To determine, in serial fixed-flexion (FF) radiographs of subjects with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), the importance of, and basis for, the effect of alignment of the medial tibial plateau (MTP), as determined by the inter-margin distance (IMD), on joint space narrowing (JSN).

Methods: Baseline and 12-month X-rays of 590 knees with Kellgren and Lawrence grade (KLG) 2/3 OA from the public-release dataset of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) were assigned to subgroups based upon IMD at baseline (IMD(BL)) and the difference between IMD(BL) and IMD(12 mos). Relationships of JSN to IMD(BL) and to the difference between IMD(BL and) IMD(12 mos) were evaluated.

Osteoarthritis may not be a one-way-road of cartilage loss--comparison of spatial patterns of cartilage change between osteoarthritic and healthy knees.

Objective: To explore whether longitudinal change in cartilage thickness in femorotibial subregions of knees with radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) differs from that in healthy knees.

Methods: 3T coronal magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired in 152 women at seven clinical centers at baseline (BL) and 24 months. Knees from 75 women with signs of ROA in either anterior-posterior or Lyon schuss radiographs were compared with those from 77 asymptomatic healthy controls without ROA to identify knees showing greater change in cartilage thickness than expected based on observations in healthy knees.

The association of prevalent medial meniscal pathology with cartilage loss in the medial tibiofemoral compartment over a 2-year period.

Objective: To investigate the association of different types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected medial meniscal pathology with subregional cartilage loss in the medial tibiofemoral compartment.

Methods: A total of 152 women aged >or=40 years, with and without knee osteoarthritis (OA) were included in a longitudinal 24-month observational study. Spoiled gradient recalled acquisitions at steady state (SPGR) and T2-weighted fat-suppressed MRI sequences were acquired.

Region of interest analysis: by selecting regions with denuded areas can we detect greater amounts of change?

Introduction: Based on recent analyses, the measures of short-term responsiveness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) derived cartilage morphometry may not be as large as earlier studies had suggested. We examined if by selecting regions of interest with denuded cartilage, the remaining cartilage within this region of interest was susceptible to greater rates of cartilage loss.

Methods: Subjects included for this analysis are a subset of the approximately 4700 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) Study.

Bone marrow lesions and joint effusion are strongly and independently associated with weight-bearing pain in knee osteoarthritis: data from the osteoarthritis initiative.

Objective: It is widely believed that there are multiple sources of pain at a tissue level in osteoarthritis (OA). Magnetic Resonance Images (MRIs) provide a wealth of anatomic information and may allow identification of specific features associated with pain. We hypothesized that in knees with OA, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), synovitis, and effusion would be associated with weight-bearing and (less so with) non-weight-bearing pain independently.

Change in regional cartilage morphology and joint space width in osteoarthritis participants versus healthy controls: a multicentre study using 3.0 Tesla MRI and Lyon-Schuss radiography.

Objective: Cartilage morphology displays sensitivity to change in osteoarthritis (OA) with quantitative MRI (qMRI). However, (sub)regional cartilage thickness change at 3.0 Tesla (T) has not been directly compared with radiographic progression of joint space narrowing in OA participants and non-arthritic controls.

Progressive increase in body mass index is not associated with a progressive increase in joint space narrowing in obese women with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Objective: Given that obesity is a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, a study was undertaken to determine whether progressively higher body mass index (BMI) among obese women is associated with progressive increases in joint space narrowing (JSN).

Methods: Medial compartment JSN over 12 months in Lyon Schuss radiographs of 60 obese women (BMI 30.0-50.

One year change of knee cartilage morphology in the first release of participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative progression subcohort: association with sex, body mass index, symptoms and radiographic osteoarthritis status.

Objective: The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) is a multicentre study targeted at identifying biomarkers for evaluating the progression and risk factors of symptomatic knee OA. Here cartilage loss using 3 Tesla (3 T) MRI is analysed over 1 year in a subset of the OAI, together with its association with various risk factors.

Methods: An age- and gender-stratified subsample of the OAI progression subcohort (79 women and 77 men, mean (SD) age 60.

Change in cartilage morphometry: a sample of the progression cohort of the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: The performance characteristics of hyaline articular cartilage measurement on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) need to be accurately delineated before widespread application of this technology. Our objective was to assess the rate of natural disease progression of cartilage morphometry measures from baseline to 1 year in knees with osteoarthritis (OA) from a subset of participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI).

Methods: Subjects included for this exploratory analysis are a subset of the approximately 4700 participants in the OAI Study.

Precision of 3.0 Tesla quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage morphology in a multicentre clinical trial.

Objective: Quantitative MRI (qMRI) of cartilage morphology is a promising tool for disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) development. Recent studies at single sites have indicated that measurements at 3.0 Tesla (T) are more reproducible (precise) than those at 1.

Head-to-head comparison of the Lyon Schuss and fixed flexion radiographic techniques. Long-term reproducibility in normal knees and sensitivity to change in osteoarthritic knees.

Objective: The Lyon Schuss (LS) and fixed flexion (FF) views of the knee are superior to a conventional standing anteroposterior view in evaluating joint space narrowing (JSN) in osteoarthritis (OA). Both position the knee identically but only the LS aligns the medial tibial plateau (MTP) with the x-ray beam fluoroscopically. The present study provides the first head-to-head comparison of the LS and FF views.

Allelic variation at the C-reactive protein gene associates to both hand osteoarthritis severity and serum high sensitive C-reactive protein levels in the GARP study.

Objective: To gain more insight into the role of genetic variation of the C-reactive protein (CRP) gene in serum CRP levels and osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Serum high sensitive CRP (S-HsCRP) levels were measured in the Genetics of osteoARthritis and Progression (GARP) study. Furthermore, to assess genetic variation of the CRP gene, genotypes of five tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed in the GARP study and a random control sample.