Fibromyalgia: a new facet of the post-COVID-19 syndrome spectrum? Results from a web-based survey.

Objective: Postacute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) is an emerging entity characterised by a large array of manifestations, including musculoskeletal complaints, fatigue and cognitive or sleep disturbances. Since similar symptoms are present also in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), we decided to perform a web-based cross-sectional survey aimed at investigating the prevalence and predictors of FM in patients who recovered from COVID-19.

Methods: Data were anonymously collected between 5 and 18 April 2021.

Anisotropy and inhomogeneity of permeability and fibrous network response in the pars intermedia of the human lateral meniscus.

Within the human tibiofemoral joint, meniscus plays a key role due to its peculiar time-dependent mechanical characteristics, inhomogeneous structure and compositional features. To better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this essential component, it is mandatory to analyze in depth the relationship between its structure and the function it performs in the joint. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of both solid and fluid phases of human meniscus in response to compressive loads, by integrating mechanical assessment and histological analysis.

Case Report: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Calcification in a Patient With Chondrocalcinosis: Micro-Computed Tomography Presentation.

In this case report, an incidental postoperative diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) calcification, associated with calcification of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and lateral meniscus insertions, was made using micro-computed tomography (μCT) technology in a knee specimen obtained during a total knee replacement (TKR) surgery due to painful tri-compartmental osteoarthritis (OA) with chondrocalcinosis signs at preoperative X-ray. Anterior cruciate ligament calcification is an uncommon finding, and conventional X-ray and MRI are not so helpful in its identification. μCT scan, in contrast, is of interest because it provides highly spatial three-dimensional information with excellent visualization of bones and calcifications.

Dynamic Radiostereometry Evaluation of 2 Different Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Techniques During a Single-Leg Squat.

Background: Lateral extra-articular tenodesis in the context of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) is performed to better control anterolateral knee instability in patients with high-grade preoperative pivot shift. However, some authors believe these procedures may cause lateral compartment overconstraint, affecting knee motion in daily life.

Purpose/hypothesis: The primary aim of the present study was to identify kinematic differences during the execution of an activity under weightbearing conditions between knees having undergone ACLR using anatomic single-bundle (SB) versus single-bundle plus lateral plasty (SBLP) techniques.

Post-operative complications of tibial plateau fractures treated with screws or hybrid external fixation.

Purpose: To assess the complications and second surgeries rates at 1 year follow-up in a group of patients underwent minimally invasive fixation with screws or hybrid external fixation (HEF) for tibial plateau fractures (TPF). The hypothesis was that low Schatzker (I-IV) TPF would have shown a lower complication rate with respect to high Schatzker (V-VI) TPF.

Methods: 148 patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery with screws or HEF for TPF were included and pooled in two groups: mono-condylar (Schatzker I-IV) and bi-condylar (Schatzker V-VI).

Are injectable regenerative therapies effective in the treatment of degenerative disc disease? A systematic review.

Introduction: Degenerative disc disease is a major health concern in spine surgery. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the current knowledge about injectable regenerative therapies (mesenchymal stem cells [MSC] or platelet rich plasma [PRP]) in degenerative disc disease.

Evidence Acquisition: A research and analysis of the literature on Pubmed, Medscape, Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane databases was performed, in accordance with the Preferential Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) flowchart.

Minimally invasive treatment of long bone non-unions with bone marrow concentrate, demineralized bone matrix and platelet-rich fibrin in 38 patients.

To determine the efficacy of percutaneous injection of autologous bone marrow concentrated (BMC), demineralized bone matrix (DBM), and platelet rich fibrin (PRF) in the treatment of long bone non-unions. From January 2011 to January 2018 patients with non-union of the lower limbs who were on the waiting list for open grafting with established tibial or femoral non-union and minimal deformity were eligible to participate in this study. Patients were treated with a single percutaneous injection of DBM, BMC and PRF.

Assessment of paradoxical anterior translation in a CR total knee prosthesis coupling dynamic RSA and FE techniques.

Purpose: The study aims were to assess the kinematic data, Internal-External (IE) rotation, and Antero-Posterior (AP) translation of the contact points between the femoral condyles and polyethylene insert and to develop a combined dynamic RSA-FE (Radiostereometric - Finite Element) model that gives results congruent with the literature.

Methods: A cohort of 15 patients who underwent cemented cruciate-retaining highly congruent mobile-bearing total knee arthroplasty were analyzed during a sit-to-stand motor task. The kinematical data from Dynamic RSA were used as input for a patient-specific FE model to calculate condylar contact points between the femoral component and polyethylene insert.

Poor Motor Coordination Elicits Altered Lower Limb Biomechanics in Young Football (Soccer) Players: Implications for Injury Prevention through Wearable Sensors.

Motor coordination and lower limb biomechanics are crucial aspects of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention strategies in football. These two aspects have never been assessed together in real scenarios in the young population. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of motor coordination on lower limb biomechanics in young footballers during an on-the-pitch training.

The Casuccio-Santacroce-Banfo knee arthroscope: an avant-garde Italian tale in the history of arthroscopy.

Purpose: This brief historical note describes an arthroscopic instrument presented in Italy in 1950, and still preserved to this day at the library of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, Italy.

Material And Methods: A research on Casuccio, Santacroce, and Banfo prolific scientific collaboration was performed.

Results: The arthroscopic instrument was designed and utilized at the Orthopedic Clinic of the University of Bari, directed by Professor Casuccio, in collaboration with his assistant, Antonio Santacroce, and Giorgio Banfo, an orthopedist, entrepreneur, and owner of a modern establishment dedicated to the production of orthopaedic products and medical instruments.

What Is the Failure Rate After Arthroscopic Repair of Bucket-Handle Meniscal Tears? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Meniscal repair has become the treatment of choice for meniscal tears, especially in the subset of bucket-handle meniscal tears (BHMTs). However, a comprehensive estimate of the corresponding failure rate is not available, thus maintaining doubts about the healing potential of these tears. Furthermore, a wide range of factors to predict high failure rates have been reported but with conflicting evidence.

Hi-PoAD technique for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in Adult: Personal case series.

Purpose: The aim of this article is to present an original surgical technique for the treatment of rigid Adult Idiopathic Scoliosis (AdIS) and the results at minimum 2 years follow-up in a cohort of 40 patients.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 40 patients affected by rigid AdIS, older than 40 years and operated with a posterior one stage surgical technique summarized with the acronym Hi-PoAD, (high-density pedicle screws, Ponte osteotomies, asymmetric rods contouring, direct vertebral rotation). The demographic and surgical data were collected, and the improvement of clinical scores and radiologic parameters was obtained after surgery, at 1 and 2 years and at final follow-up, to assess deformity correction, coronal and sagittal balance and clinical outcome.

In vivo kinematic comparison between an ultra-congruent and a posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty design by RSA.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare the in vivo under weight-bearing kinematic behavior of a posterior-stabilized (PS) and an ultra-congruent (UC) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) model during a sit-to-stand motor task, a common activity of daily life.

Methods: A cohort of 16 randomly selected patients (8 PS Persona Zimmer, 8 UC Persona Zimmer) was evaluated through dynamic radiostereometric analysis (RSA) at a minimum of 9 months after TKA, during the execution of a sit-to-stand. The anteroposterior (AP) translation of the femoral component and the AP translation of the low point of medial and lateral femoral compartments were compared through Student's t test (p < 0.

Post-operative management after total ankle arthroplasty: A systematic review of the literature.

Background: Currently, there is no consensus on the most appropriate post-operative management for patients undergoing total ankle arthroplasty. The aim of this study is therefore to offer a systematic review of the pertaining literature to identify current post-operative protocols and describe possible differences.

Methods: A systematic review to identify recent studies concerning the post-operative management after total ankle arthroplasty was conducted.

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, Neuromuscular Interfaces, and Foreign Body Response in Artificial Neuromuscular Prostheses: A Review of the Literature for an In Vivo Application.

The inability to replace human muscle in surgical practice is a significant challenge. An artificial muscle controlled by the nervous system is considered a potential solution for this. Here, this is defined as a neuromuscular prosthesis.

Operating procedures for electrochemotherapy in bone metastases: Results from a multicenter prospective study on 102 patients.

Introduction: Bone metastases are frequent in patients with cancer. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a minimally invasive treatment. Preclinical and clinical studies supported the use of ECT in patients with metastatic bone disease (MBD).

Covid-19 orthopedic trauma patients characteristics and management during the first pandemic period: report from a single institution in Italy.

Purpose: COVID-19 disease is a declared pandemic, affecting all aspects of healthcare, including orthopedics. The aim of this study is to describe the COVID-19 orthopedic trauma patients characteristics and management in a dedicated Orthopedic and Traumatology Hospital in Italy during the first pandemic period.

Material And Methods: A cohort of 25 consecutive patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were retrospectively analyzed.

Power-assisted pedicle screws placement: Is it as safe and as effective as manual technique? Narrative review of the literature and our technique.

Pedicle screws are the gold standard in spine surgery, allowing a solid tricolumnar fixation which is unmatched by hooks and wires. The freehand technique is the most widely adopted for pedicle screws placing. While freehand technique has been classically performed with manual tools, there has been a recent trend toward the use of power tools.

Age-Dependent Remodeling in Infrapatellar Fat Pad Adipocytes and Extracellular Matrix: A Comparative Study.

The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) is actively involved in knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, a proper description of which developmental modifications occur in the IFP along with age and in absence of joint pathological conditions, is required to adequately describe its actual contribution in OA pathophysiology. Here, two IFP sources were compared: (a) IFP from healthy young patients undergoing anterior-cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction for ACL rupture ( = 24); (b) IFP from elderly cadaver donors ( = 23).

COL1-Related Disorders: Case Report and Review of Overlapping Syndromes.

Collagen type I mutations are related to wide phenotypic expressions frequently causing an overlap of clinical manifestations, in particular between Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Both disorders present inter- and intra-familial clinical variability and several clinical signs are present in both diseases. Recently, after the observation that some individuals first ascertained by a suspicion of EDS resulted then carriers of pathogenic variants of genes known to primarily cause OI, some authors proposed the term "COL1-related overlap disorder" to describe these cases.

Biomechanical-Based Protocol for Study of Cartilage Response to Cyclic Loading: A Proof-of-Concept in Knee Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an evolving disease and a major cause of pain and impaired mobility. A deeper understanding of cartilage metabolism in response to loading is critical to achieve greater insight into OA mechanisms. While physiological joint loading helps maintain cartilage integrity, reduced or excessive loading have catabolic effects.

Surgical treatment of scoliosis in Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy: a case series of 3 patients.

Scoliosis in Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (UCMD) is very common, with a reported incidence of more than 50%, and it is rapidly progressive. There are no previous studies which specifically focus on scoliosis surgery in UCMD patients. This article reports three cases of scoliosis surgery in UCMD, focusing on operative course, clinical and radiological results achieved, fusion area and complications, with a 2-year follow-up.

A 2D video-analysis scoring system of 90° change of direction technique identifies football players with high knee abduction moment.

Purpose: Abnormal joint biomechanics and poor neuromuscular control are modifiable risk factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. Although 3D motion capture is the gold standard for the biomechanical evaluation of high-speed multidirectional movements, 2D video analysis is a growing-interest alternative because of its higher cost-effectiveness and interpretability. The aim of the present study was to explore the possible association between a 2D evaluation of a 90° change of direction (COD) and the KAM measured with gold standard 3D motion analysis.

Late onset periprosthetic joint infection of the knee caused by Streptococcus anginosus. Case presentation and literature review.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most dramatic complications of joint arthroplasty. Although streptococcal bone and joint infections are less common than staphylococcal cases, their role as causative agents of bone and joint remains significant accounting for at least 10% of PJIs. Streptococcus anginosus group (SAG) bacteria are usually found in the normal flora of the urogenital tract, intestinal tract and oropharynx and could cause pyogenic infections to affect brain, lungs and liver.