Arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure can modify the clinical course of knee osteoarthritis.

Background: The effectiveness of arthroscopic treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been controversial. This study compares the clinical outcomes of the arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure (ACRFP) and conservative treatment.

Methods: During the year of 2016, 524 patients (882 knees) who were older than 40 years of age and diagnosed with different stages of knee OA were scheduled for ACRFP under the protocol of knee health promotion option (KHPO) for knee OA.

Arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure: A decompressing arthroplasty for knee osteoarthritis.

The effectiveness of arthroscopic treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA) has always been a subject of debate. This study presents an innovative concept for the arthroscopic management of knee OA and investigates its clinical outcomes. An arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure (ACRFP) was performed on 693 knees of 411 patients with knee OA, with a mean age of 60 years (34-90 years), to eliminate the medial abrasion phenomenon (MAP) and decompress the patellofemoral joints.

Medial abrasion syndrome: a neglected cause of persistent pain after knee arthroplasty.

Introduction: Persistent post-operative pain (PPOP) has detracted from some otherwise successful knee arthroplasties. This study investigated medial abrasion syndrome (MAS) as a cause of PPOP after knee arthroplasty. The surgical techniques and outcomes of incorporating this concept into the management of both primary arthroplasty cases and patients suffering from unknown causes of PPOP after arthroplasties were presented.

Why arthroscopic partial meniscectomy?

"Arthroscopic Partial Meniscectomy versus Sham Surgery for a Degenerative Meniscal Tear" published in the New England Journal of Medicine on December 26, 2013 draws the conclusion that arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy provides no significant benefit over sham surgery in patients with a degenerative meniscal tear and no knee osteoarthritis. This result argues against the current practice of performing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM) in patients with a degenerative meniscal tear. Since the number of APM performed has been increasing, the information provided by this study should lead to a change in clinical care of patients with a degenerative meniscus tear.

Patients with knee osteoarthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty have a lower risk of subsequent severe cardiovascular events: propensity score and instrumental variable analysis.

Objective: This population-based study investigated the subsequent cardiovascular risk of patients with knee osteoarthritis underwent total knee arthroplasty in Taiwan.

Materials And Methods: This was a population-based follow-up study of 22931 patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2011. Each patient was followed for 3 years or until death.

Role of medial abrasion phenomenon in the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis of the knee affects a large population worldwide and is associated with an extremely high economic burden largely attributable to the effects of disability, comorbid disease, and the expense of treatment. Since the initiating events that result in the cartilage degradation are poorly understood, there has been very limited success in demonstrating disease modification in clinical trials of potential therapies. Medial plica related medial abrasion phenomenon has recently been identified to have close relationship with medial compartment osteoarthritis.

Medial abrasion syndrome: a neglected cause of knee pain in middle and old age.

Knee pain is a prevailing health problem of middle and old age. Medial plica-related medial abrasion syndrome (MAS), although a well-known cause of knee pain in younger individuals, has rarely been investigated in older individuals. This prospective study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and clinical manifestations of this syndrome as a cause of knee pain in middle and old age.

CHADS 2 Scores in the Prediction of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Cushing's Syndrome.

Vascular events are one of the major causes of death in case of Cushing's syndrome (CS). However, due to the relative low frequency of CS, it is hard to perform a risk assessment for these events. As represented congestive heart failure (C), hypertension (H), age (A), diabetes (D), and stroke (S), the CHADS2 score is now accepted to classify the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Matrix metalloproteases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in medial plica and pannus-like tissue contribute to knee osteoarthritis progression.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by degradation of the cartilage matrix, leading to pathologic changes in the joints. However, the pathogenic effects of synovial tissue inflammation on OA knees are not clear. To investigate whether the inflammation caused by the medial plica is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, we examined the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), interleukin (IL)-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the medial plica and pannus-like tissue in the knees of patients with medial compartment OA who underwent either arthroscopic medial release (stage II; 15 knee joints from 15 patients) or total knee replacement (stage IV; 18 knee joints from 18 patients).

Experience-based virtual training system for knee arthroscopic inspection.

Background: Arthroscopic surgical training is inherently difficult due to limited visibility, reduced motion freedom and non-intuitive hand-eye coordination. Traditional training methods as well as virtual reality approach lack the direct guidance of an experienced physician.

Methods: This paper presents an experience-based arthroscopic training simulator that integrates motion tracking with a haptic device to record and reproduce the complex trajectory of an arthroscopic inspection procedure.

Quantification of tumor necrosis factor-α and matrix metalloproteinases-3 in synovial fluid by a fiber-optic particle plasmon resonance sensor.

The availability of techniques for sensitive detection of early stage osteoarthritis is critical for improving patient health. This study illustrates the feasibility of a fiber-optic particle plasmon resonance (FOPPR) sensor with gold nanoparticles on the unclad region of optical fiber probes for analysis of osteoarthritis biomarkers, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP-3). Results show that the sensor can achieve a refractive index resolution of 5.

Forced-convective vitrification with liquid cryogens.

Cell cryopreservation by vitrification generally requires using vitrification solutions with high concentrations of cryoprotectants (CPAs), which are toxic and induce osmotic stresses associated with the addition and removal of CPAs. To increase the cooling rate and reduce the CPA concentration required for vitrification, this study proposed an innovative approach, named forced-convective vitrification with liquid cryogens, in which liquid oxygen at a temperature below its boiling point (LOX(bbp)) was used as the cryogen to reduce the generation of insulating bubbles of gaseous oxygen and the sample was subjected to a constant velocity to remove insulation bubbles from the sample. Results show that changing the cryogen from liquid nitrogen at its boiling temperature (LN(abp)) to LOX(bbp), increasing the sample velocity and reducing the test solution volume increased the cooling rate and thereby decreased the CPA concentration required for vitrification.

Cryopreserved chondrocytes in porous biomaterials with surface elastin and poly-L-lysine for cartilage regeneration.

The ability of cryopreserved chondrocytes to revitalize and propagate is a key biotechnology in cartilage regeneration. This study shows the formation of neocartilage from cryopreserved chondrocytes in scaffolds grafted with elastin and poly-L-lysine. Cryopreserved chondrocytes in elastin- and poly-L-lysine-grafted constructs were cultured in a dynamic bioreactor and assessed by biochemical assay and staining.

Arthroscopic cartilage regeneration facilitating procedure for osteoarthritic knee.

Background: The effectiveness of arthroscopic treatment for osteoarthritic knee is a controversy. This study presents the technique of a novel concept of arthroscopic procedure and investigates its clinical outcome.

Method: An arthroscopic procedure targeted on elimination of focal abrasion phenomenon and regaining soft tissue balance around patello-femoral joint was applied to treat osteoarthritis knees.

Application of albumin-grafted scaffolds to promote neocartilage formation.

This study investigates the capacity of albumin-grafted biomaterials as tissue engineering scaffolds to regenerate cartilaginous components. Porcine knee chondrocytes were seeded and cultivated in porous ternary matrix consisting of polyethylene oxide, chitin, and chitosan with surface albumin. The results revealed that the quantity of albumin did not affect the viability of porcine knee chondrocytes in the constructs.

Integration of fiber optic-particle plasmon resonance biosensor with microfluidic chip.

This article reports the integration of the fiber optic-particle plasmon resonance (FO-PPR) biosensor with a microfluidic chip to reduce response time and improve detection limit. The microfluidic chip made of poly(methyl methacrylate) had a flow-channel of dimensions 4.0 cm × 900 μm × 900 μm.

Matrix metalloprotease-3 expression in the medial plica and pannus-like tissue in knees from patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis.

Aims: The severity of cartilage degeneration is positively correlated with the severity of the pathologic change of medial plica. However, knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms and the impact of plica on cartilage destruction is limited. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate matrix metalloprotease-3 (MMP-3) expression in the plica isolated from patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee.

Fiber-optic particle plasmon resonance sensor for detection of interleukin-1β in synovial fluids.

A facile and label-free biosensing method has been developed for determining an osteoarthritis concerned cytokine, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), in synovial fluids. The biosensing technique, fiber-optic particle plasmon resonance (FOPPR), is based on gold nanoparticles-modified optical fiber where the gold nanoparticle surface has been modified by a mixed self-assembled monolayer for further conjugation of anti-IL-1β antibody and minimization of nonspecific adsorption. Upon binding of IL-1β to anti-IL-1β on the gold nanoparticle surface, the absorbance of the gold nanoparticle layer on the optical fiber changes and the signal change is enhanced through multiple total internal reflections along the optical fiber.

Study of cryopreservation of articular chondrocytes using the Taguchi method.

This study evaluates the effect of control factors on cryopreservation of articular cartilage chondrocytes using the Taguchi method. Freeze-thaw experiments based on the L(8)(2(7)) two-level orthogonal array of the Taguchi method are conducted, and ANOVA (analysis of variables) is adopted to determine the statistically significant control factors that affect the viability of the cell. Results show that the type of cryoprotectant, freezing rate, thawing rate, and concentration of cryoprotectant (listed in the order of influence) are the statistically significant control factors that affect the post-thaw viability.

Medial plica in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a histomorphological study.

Unlabelled: The gross appearance and histological features of the medial plicae removed from 48 consecutive patients who had received total knee replacement for severe medial compartment osteoarthritis of their knees were investigated prospectively. The prevalence of the medial plica was 100%. A small branch of skeletal muscle originating from articularis genu inserting into the proximal synovial stroma of the medial plica was found in all knees.

Relationship of medial plica and medial femoral condyle during flexion.

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate the kinematic relationship between medial plica and medial femoral condyle during knee motion.

Methods: I prospectively selected 30 knees which had different size of medial plica from patients underwent arthroscopic surgery over a one-year-period. I located the inner margins of these plicae by inserting needles percutaneously under direct vision during arthroscopic examination.

A novel method of encapsulating and cultivating adherent mammalian cells within collagen microcarriers.

A novel method of preparing collagen microcarriers was developed and used to entrap adherent cells for cell culturing. This new technique involved seeding of cells in micro gel beads comprised of collagen fibrils dispersed in alginate. The gel beads were washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) to remove alginate and the resulting microspheres, about 300-500 microm in diameter, contained evenly distributed collagen fibrils which provided a 3D biomimetic environment for cell growth.

Mechanical strength of mediopatellar plica--the influence of its fiber content.

Background: The fibrous mediopatellar plica can cause high contact pressure on the adjacent articular cartilage and lead to its degeneration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical properties of the plica and to correlate this with the plica's fiber content and patients' ages.

Methods: An experimental study on the tensile strength of the mediopatellar plica was conducted using high precision micro-force tensile tests.

Medial plicae and degeneration of the medial femoral condyle.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and analyze the chronological changes of the pathologic medial plica and the chondral lesions on the medial femoral condyle. The relationship between the severity of the pathologic medial plica and that of the chondral lesions on the medial femoral condyle was also investigated.

Type Of Study: Retrospective case series study of consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery.