The medial gap is a reliable indicator for intraoperative soft tissue balancing in posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Appropriate soft tissue balance and accurate alignment are important for successful total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the optimal technique for establishing and measuring soft tissue balancing remains unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the intraoperative medial and lateral gap pattern using digital knee balancer in posterior-stabilized (PS) TKA.

Large osteochondral defect in the lateral femoral condyle reconstructed by Atelocollagen-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation combined with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Articular surface damage commonly associated with rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Large osteochondral defect, which consists of a severe depression fracture and a large cartilage defect, need to be treated due to deformation of the articular surface as it can impact the clinical outcome of ACL reconstruction. Although autologous chondrocyte implantation is one of the useful options in such cases, it can be questioned whether the reconstruction of the ACL and osteochondral defect should be performed in one procedure alone.

Preoperative knee deformity and kinematics impact postoperative knee kinematics in total knee arthroplasty.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the preoperative knee deformity/kinematic pattern and the postoperative knee kinematic pattern in posterior cruciate ligament substituting (PS)-total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: This study involved 39 patients with medial osteoarthritis who underwent a primary PS-TKA using a computed-tomography-based navigation system. All the operations were performed by a single surgeon using a subvastus approach, modified gap technique and the same PS type of prosthesis (Genesis II™ total knee system, Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN, USA).

Depletion of gangliosides enhances cartilage degradation in mice.

Objective: Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are ubiquitous membrane components that play a functional role in maintaining chondrocyte homeostasis. We investigated the potential role of gangliosides, one of the major components of GSLs, in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis.

Design: Both age-associated and instability-induced OA models were generated using GM3 synthase knockout (GM3S(-/-)) mice.

Ganglioside GM3 has an essential role in the pathogenesis and progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder that principally attacks synovial joints, afflicts over 2 million people in the United States. Interleukin (IL)-17 is considered to be a master cytokine in chronic, destructive arthritis. Levels of the ganglioside GM3, one of the most primitive glycosphingolipids containing a sialic acid in the structure, are remarkably decreased in the synovium of patients with RA.