The effect of alignment on knee osteoarthritis initiation and progression differs based on anterior cruciate ligament status: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Introduction/objective: Knee alignment and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury are risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA). The objective was to examine interactions between knee alignment and ACL status on cartilage volume loss in participants with or at risk of knee OA.

Method: Participants were from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a longitudinal cohort study.

Activation of The Phosphatidylcholine to Lysophosphatidylcholine Pathway Is Associated with Osteoarthritis Knee Cartilage Volume Loss Over Time.

To identify serum biomarker(s) for predicting knee cartilage volume loss over time, we studied 139 knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients from a previous 24-month clinical trial cohort. Targeted metabolomic profiling was performed on serum collected at baseline. The pairwise metabolite ratios as proxies for enzymatic reaction were calculated and used in the analysis.

Association between metformin use and disease progression in obese people with knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative-a prospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine whether metformin use was associated with knee cartilage volume loss over 4 years and risk of total knee replacement over 6 years in obese individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: This study analysed the Osteoarthritis Initiative participants with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥ 2) who were obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m). Participants were classified as metformin users if they self-reported regular metformin use at baseline, 1-year and 2-year follow-up (n = 56).

The ratio adipsin/MCP-1 is strongly associated with structural changes and CRP/MCP-1 with symptoms in obese knee osteoarthritis subjects: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: There is a need to identify reliable biomarkers that can predict knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression. We investigated a panel of adipokines and some related inflammatory factors alone and their ratios for their associative value at assessing cartilage volume loss over time and symptoms in obese [High body mass index (BMI)] and non-obese (Low BMI) OA subjects.

Design: Human OA serum was from the Osteoarthritis Initiative Progression subcohort.

Correction: Development of a source-exposure matrix for occupational exposure assessment of electromagnetic fields in the INTEROCC study.

Corrigendum: This work was also funded by the European Commission grant 603794 (GERoNiMO project).

The value of non-invasive vascular elastography (NIVE) in detecting early vascular changes in overweight and obese children.

Objectives: Evaluate non-invasive vascular elastography (NIVE) in detecting vascular changes associated with obese children.

Methods: Case-control study to evaluate NIVE in 120 children, 60 with elevated body mass index (BMI) (≥ 85th percentile for age and sex). Participants were randomly selected from a longitudinal cohort, evaluating consequences of obesity in healthy children with one obese parent.

Self-reported adherence to physical activity recommendations compared to the IPAQ interview in patients with hypertension.

Background: Physical activity (PA) is recommended as adjuvant therapy to control blood pressure (BP). The effectiveness of simple recommendations is not clear. We aimed to assess the agreement between self-report of adherence to PA in clinical routine and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) interview and its association with BP control.

Relationship between alignment and cartilage thickness in patients with non-traumatic and post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To compare cartilage thickness between patients with non-traumatic and post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls and to determine if disease severity and alignment impact these differences.

Design: Participants with non-traumatic (n = 22) and post-traumatic (n = 19) knee OA, and healthy controls (n = 22) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Participants underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging (T1-weighted, 3D sagittal gradient echo sequence) and cartilage thickness was determined in four regions: medial and lateral condyle, and medial and lateral plateau.

Machine-learning-based patient-specific prediction models for knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an extremely common musculoskeletal disease. However, current guidelines are not well suited for diagnosing patients in the early stages of disease and do not discriminate patients for whom the disease might progress rapidly. The most important hurdle in OA management is identifying and classifying patients who will benefit most from treatment.

A new decision tree for diagnosis of osteoarthritis in primary care: international consensus of experts.

Background And Aims: Although osteoarthritis (OA) is managed mainly in primary care, general practitioners (GPs) are not always trained in its diagnosis, which leads to diagnostic delays, unnecessary resource utilization, and suboptimal patient outcomes.

Methods: To address this situation, an International Rheumatologic Board (IRB) of 8 experts from 3 continents developed guidelines for the diagnosis of OA in primary care. The focus was three major topologies: hip, knee, and hand/finger OA.

Pain characterization and response to palliative care in dogs with naturally-occurring appendicular osteosarcoma: An open label clinical trial.

This study aimed to characterize bone cancer pain (quantitative sensory testing (QST), stance asymmetry index, actimetry, scores of pain and quality of life (QoL)) in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA), and to evaluate a stepwise palliative analgesic treatment. The pain profile of thirteen client-owned dogs with OSA was compared with seven healthy dogs. Dogs with OSA were then enrolled in a prospective, open-label, clinical trial.

Knee pain as a predictor of structural progression over 4 years: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a prospective cohort study.

Background: There is evidence that knee pain not only is a consequence of structural deterioration in osteoarthritis (OA) but also contributes to structural progression. Clarifying this is important because targeting the factors related to knee pain may offer a clinical approach for slowing the progression of knee OA. The aim of this study was to examine whether knee pain over 1 year predicted cartilage volume loss, incidence and progression of radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) over 4 years.

Knee effusion volume assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and progression of knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: To examine whether baseline knee joint effusion volume and the change in effusion volume over 1 year are associated with cartilage volume loss, progression of radiographic OA (ROA) over 4 years and risk of total knee replacement over 6 years.

Methods: This study included 4115 Osteoarthritis Initiative participants with knee joint effusion volume quantified by MRI at baseline. The change in effusion volume over 1 year was assessed.

Observational Surveillance Approach to Detect Novel Work-Related Diseases and Hazards: An Application to a Belgian Occupational Health and Safety Database.

Objectives: Rapid changes in working conditions give rise to new occupational health risks. We applied the Spectrosome approach, a network-based analysis, to investigate associations between disease and multiple occupational exposures.

Methods: We investigated work and health's associations in a specific sector: the agricultural sector and for a specific and frequent health complaint: sore throat; using PRECUBE dataset of the Belgian Occupational Health and Safety, containing 381.

Impact of oral osteoarthritis therapy usage among other risk factors on knee replacement: a nested case-control study using the Osteoarthritis Initiative cohort.

Background: The aim of this study was to measure the association between exposure to commonly used oral osteoarthritis (OA) therapies and relevant confounding risk factors on the occurrence of knee replacement (KR), using the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) database.

Methods: In this nested case-control design study, participants who had a KR after cohort entry were defined as "cases" and were matched with up to four controls for age, gender, income, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, Kellgren-Lawrence grade, and duration of follow up. Exposure to oral OA therapies (acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, narcotics, and glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate) was determined within the 3 years prior to the date of the KR.

Anticoagulation management services in community pharmacy: Feasibility of implementing a quality improvement programme through a practice-based research network.

What Is Known And Objective: The literature has reported suboptimal real-world use of oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Anticoagulation management services (AMSs) in community pharmacy have rarely been evaluated, and no formal process is available to enable pharmacists to evaluate and improve their clinical practices. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of implementing, through a practice-based research network (PBRN), a quality improvement programme on AMSs by community pharmacists for AF patients and explore its impact on the quality of clinical practices and pharmacists' knowledge.

High in vivo levels of adipsin lead to increased knee tissue degradation in osteoarthritis: data from humans and animal models.

Objective: This study explored the role of the adipokine adipsin in OA.

Methods: Control and OA articular tissues, cells and serum were obtained from human individuals. Serum adipsin levels of human OA individuals were compared with cartilage volume loss as assessed by MRI at 48 months.

Bulky DNA adduct levels in normal-appearing colon mucosa, and the prevalence of colorectal adenomas.

Purpose: Examine the association between bulky DNA adduct levels in colon mucosa and colorectal adenoma prevalence, and explore the correlation between adduct levels in leukocytes and colon tissue.

Methods: Bulky DNA adduct levels were measured using P-postlabelling in biopsies of normal-appearing colon tissue and blood donated by 202 patients. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between DNA adducts, and interactions of DNA adduct-DNA repair polymorphisms, with the prevalence of colorectal adenomas.

Associations between occupational exposure to benzene, toluene and xylene and risk of lung cancer in Montréal.

Background: Benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) are aromatic hydrocarbons with inconclusive evidence of lung carcinogenicity. The aim of this research was to assess the associations between occupational exposures to BTX agents and lung cancer.

Methods: In a population-based case-control study of lung cancer, occupational histories were obtained and exposures were assessed by experts.

Response rates in case-control studies of cancer by era of fieldwork and by characteristics of study design.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe time trends in response rates in case-control studies of cancer and identify study design factors that influence response rate.

Methods: We reviewed 370 case-control studies of cancer published in 12 journals during indicator years in each of the last four decades. We estimated time trends of response rates and reasons for nonresponse in each of the following types of study subjects: cases, medical source controls, and population controls.

Exploring determinants predicting response to intra-articular hyaluronic acid treatment in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: 9-year follow-up data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Background: The weight of recommendation for intra-articular therapies such as hyaluronic acid injections varies from one set of guidelines to another, and they have not yet reached unanimity with respect to the usefulness of intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) injections for the symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Among the reasons for the controversy is that the current literature provides inconsistent results and conclusions about such treatment. This study aimed at identifying determinants associated with a better response to IAHA treatment in knee OA.