Matching osteochondritis dissecans lesions in identical twin brothers.

Osteochondritis dissecans is a disorder of unknown etiology that can result in fragmentation of osteochondral surfaces, most commonly of the knee, shoulder, elbow, and ankle. This may lead to sequelae of pain and an inability to participate in desired activities. Multiple theories exist as to the true cause of the disorder, but none have been fully proven.

Macrophage exposure to particulate titanium induces phosphorylation of the protein tyrosine kinase lyn and the phospholipases Cgamma-1 and Cgamma-2.

A frequent long-term complication of total joint arthroplasty is aseptic loosening, the end result of wear debris production, synovial macrophage activation, inflammatory mediator release, and osteolysis about the implant-bone or cement-bone interface. To elucidate the mechanisms of particle-induced macrophage activation and mediator production, we studied early signal transduction events using J774A.1 macrophages and 3 microm titanium particles.