Different timing in allograft and autograft maturation after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction does not influence the clinical outcome at mid-long-term follow-up.

Purpose: The use of allografts in primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is increasing although they are still supposed to be associated to greater risk of re-rupture due to a slower and less efficient graft maturation. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to compare the graft maturation after ACLR with allograft and autograft by MRI at 6- and 12-month follow-up and integrate these data with the functional and clinical results observed at 6-, 12- and 60-month follow-up.

Methods: Fifty patients with indication to primary ACLR were randomly and equally divided into hamstring autograft or allograft tendon groups.

Remote Management of Patients after Total Joint Arthroplasty via a Web-Based Registry during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: In 2020, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, patients who underwent total joint arthroplasty were not able to undergo the proper postoperative surgical and rehabilitative care. This study aims to evaluate the potential of a web-cloud-based database on patients' follow-up in extraordinary situations, when a traditional in-person follow-up cannot be warranted.

Methods: Patients who underwent joint arthroplasty at our Institute between 21 February and 16 March 2020 were included in the study group and were matched to a similar population undergoing joint arthroplasty in February/March 2019.

Knee hyperextension and a small lateral condyle are associated with greater quantified antero-lateral rotatory instability in the patients with a complete anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture.

Purpose: To identify factors associated with quantified rotatory stability (pivot-shift phenomenon) in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knee joint.

Methods: A consecutive sample of 54 patients who were diagnosed with an ACL injury and admitted to our hospital to undergo ACL reconstruction were enrolled in this study. Antero-lateral rotatory laxity of the knee joint was quantified using a Kinematic Rapid Assessment device (KiRA; Orthokey LTD) under spinal block before initiating reconstruction of the ACL.

Acute exercise in elite rugby players increases the circulating level of the cardiovascular biomarker GDF-15.

Background: Intense training can lead to a pathophysiological change in serum concentration of a variety of biomarkers. Traditional biomarkers of cardiac injury are very useful in monitoring CVD patients, but in healthy subjects or athletes they cannot be informative enough about the cardiovascular risk, because in these cases their serum levels do not increase over the pathological limit. Therefore novel cardiovascular biomarkers are required in order to allow a better monitoring of sport performance, prediction of overtraining and diagnosis of sport-related cardiac injuries.

Surgical treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in adolescents using double-looped semitendinosus and gracilis tendons: supraepiphysary femoral and tibial fixation.

Surgical treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in adolescents continues to be controversial even though the advocates of surgical treatment are growing relative to those who prefer conservative treatment. Those using surgical techniques must respect the epiphysary cartilages and try to reproduce the same results that are achieved in adults. We report on a technique analogous to that applied to adults, using doubled hamstring tendons that are fixed with 2 transverse femoral and tibial bioabsorbable cross pins without interfering with the growth cartilage.