Length of stay and short-term functional outcomes after total knee arthroplasty: Can we predict them?

Background: To identify variables influencing length of stay (LOS) and short-term functional outcome in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A secondary aim was to verify the effect of the same variables on blood management and the rate of postoperative infection.

Method: We retrospectively reviewed 353 patients, 258 females and 85 males, who underwent primary TKA in a single specialist orthopaedic centre.

Clinical exome sequencing in early-onset generalized dystonia and large-scale resequencing follow-up.

Background: Dystonia is clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Despite being a first-line testing tool for heterogeneous inherited disorders, whole-exome sequencing has not yet been evaluated in dystonia diagnostics. We set up a pilot study to address the yield of whole-exome sequencing for early-onset generalized dystonia, a disease subtype enriched for monogenic causation.

Randomized, placebo-controlled trials of dichlorphenamide in periodic paralysis.

Objective: To determine the short-term and long-term effects of dichlorphenamide (DCP) on attack frequency and quality of life in hyperkalemic (HYP) and hypokalemic (HOP) periodic paralysis.

Methods: Two multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials lasted 9 weeks (Class I evidence), followed by a 1-year extension phase in which all participants received DCP. Forty-four HOP and 21 HYP participants participated.

The experience of meditation for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers - a qualitative analysis.

There is a lack of studies about psychological interventions for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and their caregivers. We investigated the experience of a meditation training program tailored for ALS needs. People with ALS (pALS) and their caregivers that joined a meditation program for ALS were interviewed at the end of the program.

Development and Validation of a New Molecular Diagnostic Assay for Detection of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2.

Background: Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common adult form of muscular dystrophy, characterized by autosomal dominant progressive myopathy, myotonia, and multiorgan involvement. Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is caused by a [CCTG] expansion in the ZNF9/CNBP gene. The aim of this work was the validation of the new molecular diagnostic test Myotonic Dystrophy type 2 kit-FL.

Strictly monitored exercise programs reduce motor deterioration in ALS: preliminary results of a randomized controlled trial.

The objective of our study was to perform a randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the effects of three strictly monitored exercise programs(SMEP) compared to "usual care" (UCP) in a cohort of ALS patients. We included patients with definite and probable ALS and disease duration ≤24 months. Patients were randomized to receive a SMEPs or a UCP.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Survival Score (ALS-SS): A simple scoring system for early prediction of patient survival.

Our objectives were: (1) to identify independent prognostic factors to determine a survival score for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a cohort of patients followed in the NEMO Centre (NEuroMuscular Omnicentre); (2) to replicate results in an independent cohort obtained from the Pooled Resource Open Access ALS Clinical Trial Consortium (PRO-ACT) database. Samples were collected from 428 ALS patients from the NEMO database and 2481 patients from the PRO-ACT database. Study design was a retrospective analysis with clinical and biochemical variables, using univariable and multivariable Cox models of analysis.

A new surgical technique for the treatment of scaphotrapezial arthritis associated with trapeziometacarpal arthritis: the narrow pseudoarthrosis.

Unlabelled: We describe a technique for treating Eaton stage IV osteoarthritis of the first ray, which is a development of our previously published technique for treating trapeziometacarpal arthritis. This simple technique is based on a limited resection arthroplasty of the first trapeziometacarpal and the scaphotrapezial joints, with the aim of inducing the formation of a narrow pseudoarthrosis at both sites. A total of 26 consecutive patients were treated for Eaton stage IV arthritis at a mean follow-up of 4.

Calcific tendinopathy of the rotator cuff: the correlation between pain and imaging features in symptomatic and asymptomatic female shoulders.

Objective: To provide new epidemiological data regarding the prevalence, distribution and macroscopic features of shoulder rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy (calcific tendinopathy), and to identify the characteristics of calcific deposits associated with shoulder pain.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred and two female volunteers (604 shoulders) who had been referred to a gynaecological clinic participated in the study. The subjects underwent a high-resolution ultrasonography of both shoulders, and those with a diagnosis of calcific tendinopathy compiled a standardized questionnaire relating to shoulder symptoms.

A dynamic multibody model of the physiological knee to predict internal loads during movement in gravitational field.

Obtaining tibio-femoral (TF) contact forces, ligament deformations and loads during daily life motor tasks would be useful to better understand the aetiopathogenesis of knee joint diseases or the effects of ligament reconstruction and knee arthroplasty. However, methods to obtain this information are either too simplified or too computationally demanding to be used for clinical application. A multibody dynamic model of the lower limb reproducing knee joint contact surfaces and ligaments was developed on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging.

Gonadal failure is associated with visceral adiposity in myotonic dystrophies.

Background: Hypogonadism occurs in myotonic dystrophies type 1 (MD1) and type 2 (MD2). Sertoli and Leydig cell secretions, including insulin-like peptide-3 (INSL3), anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B, were evaluated in male patients with MD.

Design: Academic settings.

Repair of osteochondral defects in the minipig model by OPF hydrogel loaded with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Aim: Critical knee osteochondral defects in seven adult minipigs were treated with oligo(polyethylene glycol)fumarate (OPF) hydrogel combined with autologous or human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), and evaluated after 6 months.

Methods: Four defects were made on the peripheral part of right trochleas (n = 28), and treated with OPF scaffold alone or pre-seeded with ASCs.

Results: A better quality cartilage tissue characterized by improved biomechanical properties and higher collagen type II expression was observed in the defects treated by autologous or human ASC-loaded OPF; similarly this approach induced the regeneration of more mature bone with upregulation of collagen type I expression.

Long-term results of abrasion arthroplasty for full-thickness cartilage lesions of the medial femoral condyle.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term functional results of arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty for the treatment of full-thickness cartilage lesions of the medial femoral condyle.

Methods: Between 1990 and 1996, 75 consecutive patients with isolated chondral lesions of the medial femoral condyle were treated with arthroscopic chondral abrasion. A retrospective analysis of the clinical results of this cohort was performed.

Material models and properties in the finite element analysis of knee ligaments: a literature review.

Knee ligaments are elastic bands of soft tissue with a complex microstructure and biomechanics, which are critical to determine the kinematics as well as the stress bearing behavior of the knee joint. Their correct implementation in terms of material models and properties is therefore necessary in the development of finite element models of the knee, which has been performed for decades for the investigation of both its basic biomechanics and the development of replacement implants and repair strategies for degenerative and traumatic pathologies. Indeed, a wide range of element types and material models has been used to represent knee ligaments, ranging from elastic unidimensional elements to complex hyperelastic three-dimensional structures with anatomically realistic shapes.

Pelvic parameters and global spine balance for spine degenerative disease: the importance of containing for the well being of content.

Purpose: Spinal deformities and pathologies of the spinopelvic junction are conditions affecting up to 60-70 % of the general aging population. In this review, we discuss the more recent knowledge on sagittal balance and its clinical implications.

Methods: Review of the literature regarding global spine balance.

Variations of cervical lordosis and head alignment after pedicle subtraction osteotomy surgery for sagittal imbalance.

Introduction: The variations of the cervical lordosis after correction of sagittal imbalance have been poorly studied. The aim of our study is to verify whether the cervical lordosis changes after surgery for sagittal imbalance.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-nine patients were included in the study.

Women performing repetitive work: is there a difference in the prevalence of shoulder pain and pathology in supermarket cashiers compared to the general female population?

Objectives: Shoulder disorders in the occupational environment have been widely studied, but the quality of research and methodology applied vary. Little has been done to ascertain whether shoulder pain in female repetitive workers is due to any verifiable pathology, or to compare findings with the general population. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported shoulder pain in a group of female supermarket cashiers and in the general female population using a standardized questionnaire.

Are occupational repetitive movements of the upper arm associated with rotator cuff calcific tendinopathies?

Calcifying tendinopathy (CT) of the shoulder is a common painful disorder, although the etiology and pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Recent theories about the role of excessive mechanical load in the genesis of CT have been proposed. Driven by the interest for these new theories, we investigated the hypothesis of a relationship between work-related repetitive movements of the upper arm, considered a potential cause of shoulder overload, and the presence of shoulder CT.

In vitro functional response of human tendon cells to different dosages of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field.

Purpose: Chronic tendinopathy is a degenerative process causing pain and disability. Current treatments include biophysical therapies, such as pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF). The aim of this study was to compare, for the first time, the functional in vitro response of human tendon cells to different dosages of PEMF, varying in field intensity and duration and number of exposures.

Survivorship at minimum 10-year follow-up of a rotating-platform, mobile-bearing, posterior-stabilised total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: To evaluate prospectively the long-term clinical and radiographic results and survivorship of a rotating-platform, posterior-stabilised knee prosthesis at minimum 10 years (mean 11.5 ± 1.41 years), and to test the hypothesis that this design would have a mechanical survivorship greater than 95%.

Donor-matched mesenchymal stem cells from knee infrapatellar and subcutaneous adipose tissue of osteoarthritic donors display differential chondrogenic and osteogenic commitment.

Cell-based therapies have recently been proposed for the treatment of degenerative articular pathologies, such as early osteoarthritis, with an emphasis on autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as an alternative to terminally differentiated cells. In this study, we performed a donor-matched comparison between infrapatellar fat pad MSCs (IFP-MSCs) and knee subcutaneous adipose tissue stem cells (ASCs), as appealing candidates for cell-based therapies that are easily accessible during surgery. IFP-MSCs and ASCs were obtained from 25 osteoarthritic patients undergoing total knee replacement and compared for their immunophenotype and differentiative potential.