Thoracic sarcopenia measured by Hounsfield unit average calculation predicts morbidity and mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the potential prognostic role of preoperative measurement of erector spinae myosteatosis with Hounsfield unit average calculation as a marker for sarcopenia and frailty in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery.

Methods: Preoperative computer tomography-derived measurements of 479 consecutive patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery between January 2017 and December 2019 were retrospectively performed. The erector spinae muscle at the level of the 12th vertebra was manually outlined bilaterally on the axial computer tomography slices and Hounsfield unit average calculation was performed.

Sulfated Hydrogels as Primary Intervertebral Disc Cell Culture Systems.

The negatively charged extracellular matrix plays a vital role in intervertebral disc tissues, providing specific cues for cell maintenance and tissue hydration. Unfortunately, suitable biomimetics for intervertebral disc regeneration are lacking. Here, sulfated alginate was investigated as a 3D culture material due to its similarity to the charged matrix of the intervertebral disc.

Cardiovascular risk in axial spondyloarthritis-a systematic review.

Cardiovascular manifestations are common in patients suffering axial spondyloarthritis and can result in substantial morbidity and disease burden. To give an overview of this important aspect of axial spondyloarthritis, we conducted a systematic literature search of all articles published between January 2000 and 25 May 2023 on cardiovascular manifestations. Using PubMed and SCOPUS, 123 out of 6792 articles were identified and included in this review.

Predictive Parameters for Chêneau Brace Efficacy in Patients with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design: Retrospective consecutive cohort study.

Objective: For patients with mild to moderate adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), bracing is the standard therapy to prevent progression of deformity. Still, not all patients benefit from treatment in the same way.

Immuno-Modulatory Effects of Intervertebral Disc Cells.

Low back pain is a highly prevalent, chronic, and costly medical condition predominantly triggered by intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). IDD is often caused by structural and biochemical changes in intervertebral discs (IVD) that prompt a pathologic shift from an anabolic to catabolic state, affecting extracellular matrix (ECM) production, enzyme generation, cytokine and chemokine production, neurotrophic and angiogenic factor production. The IVD is an immune-privileged organ.

Intraoperative alignment correlates well with long standing radiographs - The X-ray grid method in complex knee surgery.

Objective: While long standing radiographs (LSR) represent the gold standard for preoperative alignment assessment and planning of lower limb deformity corrections, there is no consensus about the intraoperative alignment assesments (IAC) due to various limitations of the common methods. The present study introduces a radiolucent X-ray grid with integrated radiopaque lines explicitly designed for fluoroscopic IAC and evaluates its reliability in comparsion to the LSR.

Methods: Patients with posttaumatic and congenital lower limb deformity surgery and preoperative LSR as well as fluoroscopic IAC utilizing the X-ray grid were retrospectively included to the study.

Morphology of the left subclavian artery: implications for single-branched endovascular aortic arch repair.

Objectives: Our goal was to evaluate the morphology of the aortic arch, focusing on the left subclavian artery (LSA), and to anticipate implications for single-branched endovascular aortic arch repair.

Methods: We performed a morphological analysis of computed tomography angiography scans of 322 patients between January 2002 and December 2018. Arch type and distance between arch vessels on the convexity were evaluated.

Impact of concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement on operative morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of concomitant ascending aortic replacement on operative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR).

Methods: We retrospectively analysed our institutional database for all patients undergoing elective isolated AVR and AVR with concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta between January 2009 and May 2020. Patients undergoing surgery for infective endocarditis or requiring hypothermic circulatory arrest were excluded.

TRPV4 mediates cell damage induced by hyperphysiological compression and regulates COX2/PGE2 in intervertebral discs.

Background: Aberrant mechanical loading of the spine causes intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and low back pain. Current therapies do not target the mediators of the underlying mechanosensing and mechanotransduction pathways, as these are poorly understood. This study investigated the role of the mechanosensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) ion channel in dynamic compression of bovine nucleus pulposus (NP) cells in vitro and mouse IVDs in vivo.

CD4/CD8 Ratio and the Risk of Kaposi Sarcoma or Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in the Context of Efficiently Treated Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection: A Collaborative Analysis of 20 European Cohort Studies.

Background: A persistently low CD4/CD8 ratio has been reported to inversely correlate with the risk of non-AIDS defining cancer in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) efficiently treated by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We evaluated the impact of the CD4/CD8 ratio on the risk of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), still among the most frequent cancers in treated PLWH.

Methods: PLWH from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (COHERE) were included if they achieved virological control (viral load ≤ 500 copies/mL) within 9 months following cART and without previous KS/LNH diagnosis.

TRPV4 Inhibition and CRISPR-Cas9 Knockout Reduce Inflammation Induced by Hyperphysiological Stretching in Human Annulus Fibrosus Cells.

Mechanical loading and inflammation interact to cause degenerative disc disease and low back pain (LBP). However, the underlying mechanosensing and mechanotransductive pathways are poorly understood. This results in untargeted pharmacological treatments that do not take the mechanical aspect of LBP into account.

Cell-Laden Agarose-Collagen Composite Hydrogels for Mechanotransduction Studies.

The increasing investigation of cellular mechanotransduction mechanisms requires biomaterials combining biofunctionality and suitable mechanical properties. Agarose is a standard biomaterial for cartilage and intervertebral disc mechanobiology studies, but lacks adhesion motifs and the necessary cell-matrix interaction for mechanotransduction. Here, collagen type I was blended at two concentrations (2 and 4.

Refractory Anaphylaxis: Data From the European Anaphylaxis Registry.

Refractory anaphylaxis (unresponsive to treatment with at least two doses of minimum 300 μg adrenaline) is a rare and often fatal hypersensitivity reaction. Comprehensive data on its definition, prevalence, and risk factors are missing. Using the data from the European Anaphylaxis Registry (11,596 cases in total) we identified refractory anaphylaxis cases ( = 42) and analyzed these in comparison to a control group of severe anaphylaxis cases ( = 4,820).

Controversies in regenerative medicine: Should intervertebral disc degeneration be treated with mesenchymal stem cells?

Low back pain (LBP) can significantly reduce the quality of life of patients, and has a considerable economic and social impact worldwide. It is commonly associated with disc degeneration, even though many people with degenerate discs are asymptomatic. Degenerate disc disease (DDD), is thus a common term for intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration associated with LBP.

The value of elbow arthroscopy in diagnosing and treatment of radial head fractures.

Background: Surgical treatment of radial head fractures is increasingly performed arthroscopically. These fractures often feature concomitant injuries to the elbow joint, which may be under-diagnosed in the radiological examinations. Little is known about the diagnostic value of arthroscopy, the treatment options that arise from arthroscopically assisted fracture fixation and clinical results.

Is there any use? Validity of 4D rasterstereography compared to EOS 3D X-ray imaging in patients with degenerative disk disease.

Introduction: Previous studies of 4D rasterstereography show a high intra- and interday reliability. However, only few studies validate rasterstereography to conventional X-ray imaging. We utilized EOS X-ray imaging system (EOS Imaging, Paris, France) for accurate 3D spinal modeling and compared the results to parameters obtained by 4D rasterstereography.

Pain relieve without impairing muscle function after local infiltration anaesthesia in primary knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized study.

Purpose: Purpose of the current study was to compare early effectiveness of pain relieve of 3 in 1 regional pain catheter to local infiltration anesthesia (LIA) in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Secondary endpoint was quadriceps muscle strength after both procedures.

Material And Methods: A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial was performed.

Augmentation of plate osteosynthesis for proximal humeral fractures: a systematic review of current biomechanical and clinical studies.

Introduction: Secondary dislocation due to loss of fixation is the most common complication after plate fixation of proximal humeral fractures. A wide range of different techniques for augmentation has been described to improve the primary and secondary stability. Nevertheless, comparative analyses on the specific advantages and limitations are missing.

Diagnostic impact of reflectance confocal microscopy as a second-level examination for facial skin lesions.

Background And Objective: Benign and malignant facial skin lesions may be difficult to differentiate clinically and with dermoscopy. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential utility of in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) as a second-level examination for facial skin neoplasms.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective and blinded evaluation of 160 consecutive facial lesions was carried out in two separate steps.

Immunohistochemical examination in arthrofibrosis of the knee joint.

Introduction: Arthrofibrosis (AF) is the result of increased cell proliferation and synthesis of matrix proteins (collagen I, III, and VI). Especially after invasive knee surgery, e.g.

Damage control surgery for perforated diverticulitis: a two center experience with two different abdominal negative pressure therapy devices.

The adoption of abdominal negative pressure therapy (NPT) during urgent laparotomy has shown to be helpful to control abdominal sepsis, improve morbidity and increase anastomosis rate. The aim of this study was to compare feasibility and outcome of two different abdominal negative pressure devices. The retrospective two-center study includes 78 consecutive patients with perforated sigmoid diverticulitis, who underwent urgent laparotomy using the ABThera™ (KCI, Wien, Austria) abdominal NPT device (Group A,  = 51) or the Suprasorb® CNP (Lohmann & Rauscher, Wien, Austria) abdominal NPT device (Group B,  = 27).