Protective effects of FCGR2A polymorphism in invasive pneumococcal diseases.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of pneumonia and meningitis. Several genetic polymorphisms have been described to explain differences in susceptibility and severity of encapsulated pathogen-related diseases. Among them, a functional FCGR2A polymorphism leading to amino acid change of histidine (H) to arginine (R) at position 131 appears to be a major candidate in adult invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPDs).

Recession wedge trochleoplasty as an additional procedure in the surgical treatment of patellar instability with major trochlear dysplasia: early results.

Introduction: The importance of a dysplastic trochlea as a component of patellar instability has long been recognized. An original trochleoplasty technique consisting in retro-trochlear recession wedge osteotomy was described by Goutallier et al. The aim is not to fashion a groove but to reduce the bump without modifying patellofemoral congruence.

Rotational positioning of the tibial tray in total knee arthroplasty: a CT evaluation.

Introduction: Various surgical techniques have been described to set the rotational alignment of the tibial baseplate during total knee arthroplasty. The self-positioning method ("self-adjustment") aligns the tibial implant according to the rotational alignment of the femoral component which is used as a reference after performing repeated knee flexion/extension cycles. Postoperative computed tomography scanning produces accurate measurements of the tibial baseplate rotational alignment with respect to the femoral component.

Ongoing abdominal status myoclonus in postanoxic coma.

We present the video of a patient who presented massive and ongoing rhythmic abdominal myoclonus in postanoxic coma.

Mini-invasive technique for bone patellar tendon bone harvesting: its superiority in reducing anterior knee pain following ACL reconstruction.

Arthroscopically-assisted ACL-reconstructions are currently reliable, reproducible. Residual anterior knee symptoms however, especially after patellar-BTB graft use, are not uncommon occurrences. Contributing factors are numerous and include injury to the saphenous nerve infrapatellar branches and/or histologic changes at the harvest site.

Hypoplasia or stenosis: Usefulness of high-resolution MRI.

Introduction: Hypoplastic basilar (BA) and vertebral arteries (VA) can cause posterior circulation infarctions. Distinction between hypoplastic and atherosclerotic BA can be difficult with usual angiographic methods (MR, CT or conventional angiographies), only showing arterial luminogram. High-resolution MRI (HRMRI) of the arterial wall is promising in identifying intracranial artery plaques.

Anterior cruciate ligament mucoid degeneration: a review of the literature and management guidelines.

Purpose: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) mucoid degeneration is a rare encounter in clinical practice, different, but often confused with ACL mucoid cysts. Its pathophysiology remains unclear. However, recent publications have suggested that it might be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and that the adverse effects of treatment by ACL resection might be underestimated.

Functional outcome after convulsive status epilepticus.

Objectives: Few outcome data are available about convulsive status epilepticus managed in the intensive care unit. We studied 90-day functional outcomes and their determinants in patients with convulsive status epilepticus.

Design: Two hundred forty-eight convulsive status epilepticus patients admitted to 18 intensive care units in 2005-2007 were included in a prospective observational cohort study.

The posterior femoral condyles: a potential donor site for mosaic-like osteochondral autograft?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess whether it was possible to harvest plugs from the posterior femoral condyles with a standard mosaicplasty instrumentation through retroligamentous approaches and whether the plugs harvested from the posterior condyles presented the same characteristics as those harvested from the standard donor sites regarding the length, cartilage thickness, and cartilage angle.

Methods: An anatomic study has been conducted on 15 cadaveric knees. Osteochondral plugs were harvested with a 10-mm tubular chisel from the standard donor sites and from the posterior condyles.

Hybrid fixation: evaluation of a novel technique in adult osteochondritis dissecans of the knee.

Purpose: Treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the adult knee requires bone and cartilage integration of the loose fragment. Screw fixation provides primary stability but does not guarantee bony consolidation. Additional biological fixation using osteochondral grafts-hybrid fixation-could improve fragment integration.

Clinical practice guidelines for the management of meniscal lesions and isolated lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee in adults.

Context: Meniscal lesions and isolated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injuries are common. In 2006, about 130,000 patients were admitted to hospital for meniscal surgery and 35,000 for ACL surgery in France. Surgical techniques and indications have evolved over recent years, and interest in meniscus preservation has increased due to the higher risk of femorotibial osteoarthritis following meniscectomy.

Double-incision mini-invasive technique for BTB harvesting: its superiority in reducing anterior knee pain following ACL reconstruction.

Background: Arthroscopically-assisted ACL-reconstructions are currently reliable, reproducible and thoroughly used methods. Residual anterior knee symptoms however, especially after patellar-BTB graft use, are not uncommon occurrences following ACL-reconstructions, and can downgrade patient's satisfaction. Anterior knee pain contributing factors are numerous and include injury to the saphenous nerve infrapatellar branches (SNIB) and/or histologic changes at the harvest site.

Tibial plateau fracture after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Role of the interference screw resorption in the stress riser effect.

We report a case of tibial plateau fracture after previous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using patellar tendon autograft and bioabsorbable screws 4 years previously. The fracture occurred through the tibial tunnel. The interference screw had undergone complete resorption and the tunnel widening had increased.

Intracranial arterial dolichoectasia and small-vessel disease in stroke patients.

Two studies found that stroke patients with intracranial arterial dolichoectasia (IADE) had lacunar infarction more often than the control subjects. The relation between IADE and other manifestations of small-vessel disease (multilacunar state, leukoaraiosis, and état criblé) was not investigated. The magnetic resonance images of 510 patients with brain infarction in the Etude du Profil Genetique de l'Infarctus Cerebral (GENIC) study were evaluated for the diagnosis of multilacunar infarction (>1 lacunar infarct), leukoaraiosis (assessed in periventricular and subcortical regions according to Scheltens and colleagues' scale, with severe leukoaraiosis defined as a score > 8), état criblé (using a semiquantitative score ranging from 0-8, with severe EC > 4), and IADE (using the consensus method).

Pneumomediastinum causing pneumoperitoneum during mechanical ventilation.

The causes of nonsurgical pneumoperitoneum include numerous diseases. We report here a case of nonsurgical pneumoperitoneum caused by benign pneumomediastinum during mechanical ventilation, and we discuss the anatomic pathways and the pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the development of this association.

Determination of antipyrine sulphoconjugates in isolated cultured rat hepatocytes.

1. An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of three major metabolites of antipyrine, namely, 3-hydroxymethylantipyrine (phase I), 4-hydroxyantipyrine sulphoconjugate (phase II) and norantipyrine sulphoconjugate (phase II) in cultured rat hepatocytes has been developed and applied to the study of induction or inhibition of these metabolic pathways following pretreatment of rats with several inducers or inhibitors. 2.