Hammertoe correction with k-wire fixation.

Background: Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation for correction of hammertoe deformity is a common, low-cost method for fixation of hammertoes after proximal interphalangeal (PIP) arthroplasty or fusion. Complications of this procedure include pin-tract infection, pin migration, pin bending or breakage, and recurrence of deformity. The investigators reviewed a large experience using K-wire stabilization for hammertoe correction.

Pathogenetic mechanisms of posttraumatic osteoarthritis: opportunities for early intervention.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by joint pain and stiffness with radiographic evidence of joint space narrowing, osteophytes, and subchondral bone sclerosis. Posttraumatic OA (PTOA) arises from joint trauma, which accounts for a fraction of all patients with OA. Articular cartilage breakdown can occur soon or for years after a joint injury.

West Nile virus infection among pregnant women in a northern Colorado community, 2003 to 2004.

Objective: Since West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in New York in 1999, it has spread across North America and become a major public health concern. In 2002, the first documented case of intrauterine WNV infection was reported, involving an infant with severe brain abnormalities. To determine the frequencies of WNV infections during pregnancy and of intrauterine WNV infections, we measured WNV-specific antibodies in cord blood from infant deliveries after a community-wide epidemic of WNV disease.