Recreational runners with Achilles tendinopathy have clinically detectable impairments: A case-control study

ObjectivesTo confirm what impairments are present in runners with Achilles tendinopathy (AT) and explore the variance of AT severity in an adequately powered study.DesignCase-control study.SettingTwo private physiotherapy clinics in Australia and Spain.ParticipantsForty-four recreational male runners with AT and 44 healthy controls matched by age, height, and weight.Main outcome measuresDemographics, activity (IPAQ-SF), pain and function (VISA-A), pain during hopping (Hop pain VAS), hopping duration, psychological factors (TSK-11, PASS20), and physical tests regarding lower-limb maximal strength and endurance.ResultsBody mass index (BMI), activity, VISA-A, pain, and duration of hopping, TSK-11, PASS20, standing heel raise to failure, seated heel raise and leg extension 6RM, hip extension and abduction isometric torque were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05) with varied effect sizes (V = 0.22, d range = 0.05–4.18). 46% of AT severity variance was explained by higher BMI (β = −0.41; p = 0.001), weaker leg curl 6RM (β = 0.32; p = 0.009), and higher pain during hopping (β = −0.43; p = 0.001).ConclusionRunners with AT had lower activity levels, lower soleus strength, and were less tall. BMI, pain during hopping, and leg curl strength explained condition severity. This information, identified with clinically applicable tools, may guide clinical assessment, and inform intervention development.     

何首乌致药物性肝损伤的病理学特点

目的了解何首乌致药物性肝损伤(Polygonum multiflorum-associated drug induce liver injury,PM-DILI)的临床病理学特点。方法收集2019年3月1日至2021年3月1日深圳市第三人民医院收治的8例PM-DILI患者临床资料。肝穿组织进行苏木素-伊红染色、网状纤维染色、Masson三色染色、铁、铜特殊染色和免疫组织化学染色,显微镜下观察分析。结果8例PM-DILI患者男女比为1∶1,平均年龄43岁,其中6例为急性PM-DILI,2例慢性为PM-DILI。入院血清学检查异常主要包括转氨酶升高和淤胆均为7例。主要组织病理学改变为点灶状坏死8例、界面炎5例、融合坏死4例,融合坏死以肝腺泡3带为主,不伴或伴少数炎细胞浸润;胆汁淤积5例,为肝腺泡3带的肝细胞、毛细胆管内淤胆,不伴或伴少数炎细胞浸润;中央静脉炎3例;病程长者可发生肝纤维化,甚至肝硬化2例。结论肝腺泡3带为主的急性淤胆和肝细胞坏死是PM-DILI主要组织学表现,严重者可发生静脉炎等血管损伤。     

Return to sport and beyond following intramuscular tendon hamstring injury: A case report of an English Premier League football player

BackgroundHamstring strain injuries are the most common type of injury in elite football and are associated with a high risk of reinjury, particularly those involving the intramuscular tendon (IMT). Limited information is available regarding the rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) processes following such injuries. This case study describes the clinical presentation of an elite football player following IMT hamstring injury, their on- and off-pitch rehabilitation alongside performance monitoring throughout RTS and beyond.Case scenarioAn elite football player suffered a grade 2c hamstring injury during an English Premier League (EPL) match. The player underwent early post-injury management, alongside progressive off-pitch physical preparation. The ‘control-chaos continuum’ was used as a framework for on-pitch rehabilitation to prepare the player for a return to full team training and competition. Objective and subjective markers of the player's response to progressive on- and off-pitch loading were monitored throughout RTS and beyond.OutcomesThe player returned to on-pitch rehabilitation after 11 days, to full team training having achieved weekly pre-injury chronic running load outputs after 35 days and played in the EPL 40 days post-injury. The player did not suffer reinjury for the rest of the EPL season.ConclusionAn understanding the unique structural and mechanical properties of the IMT, alongside expected RTS timeframes are important to inform rehabilitation and decision-making processes post-injury. Performance and frequent load-response monitoring throughout RTS and beyond, in conjunction with practitioner experience and effective communication are critical in facilitating effective RTS and reduce risk of reinjury following IMT injury.     

Demarcation of arteriopulmonary segments: a novel and effective method for the identification of pulmonary segments

ObjectiveEach pulmonary segment is an anatomical and functional unit. However, it is fundamentally difficult to precisely distinguish every pulmonary segment using the conventional pulmonary intersegmental planes from computed tomography images. Building arteriopulmonary segments is likely to be an effective way to identify pulmonary segments.MethodsThe thoracic computed tomography images of 40 patients were collected. The anatomic structures of interest were extracted in the transverse, sagittal, and coronal planes using the semi-automated segmentation tools provided by Amira software. The intrapulmonary vessels were subsequently segmented and reconstructed. The distributions of the pulmonary arteries, veins, and bronchi were observed. In patients with pulmonary masses, the mass was also reconstructed.ResultsThe three-dimensional reconstructed images showed the branches of the pulmonary artery ramified up to their eighth order covering the entire lung as well as evident intersegmental gaps without pulmonary arteries. The segmental artery was closely accompanied by the segmental bronchi in 486 pulmonary segments (90% of total number of segments). The size and spatial location of the pulmonary mass within a pulmonary segment were also clearly visible.ConclusionsDemarcation of arteriopulmonary segments can be used to precisely distinguish every pulmonary segment and provide its detailed anatomical structure before pulmonary segmentectomy.     

Indeterminate pulmonary nodules are not associated with worse overall survival in Ewing Sarcoma

AimLung metastases are a negative prognostic factor in Ewing sarcoma, however, the incidence and significance of sub-centimetre pulmonary nodules at diagnosis is unclear. The aims of this study were to (1): determine the incidence of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) in patients diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma (2); establish the impact of IPNs on overall and metastasis-free survival and (3) identify patient, oncological and radiological factors that correlate with poorer prognosis in patients that present with IPNs on their staging chest CT.Materials & methodsBetween 2008 and 2016, 173 patients with a first presentation of Ewing sarcoma of bone were retrospectively identified from an institutional database. Staging and follow-up chest CTs for all patients with IPN were reviewed by a senior radiologist. Clinical and radiologic course were examined to determine overall- and metastasis-free survival for IPN patients and to identify demographic, oncological or nodule-specific features that predict which IPN represent true lung metastases.ResultsFollowing radiologic re-review, IPN were found in 8.7% of patients. Overall survival for IPN patients was comparable to those with a normal staging chest CT (2-year overall survival of 73.3% [95% CI 43.6–89] and 89.4% [95% CI 81.6–94], respectively; p = 0.34) and was significantly better than for patients with clear metastases (46.0% [95% CI 31.9–59]; p < 0.0001). Similarly, there was no difference in metastasis-free survival between ‘No Metastases’ and ‘IPN’ patients (p = 0.16). Lung metastases developed in 40% of IPN patients at a median 9.6 months. Reduction of nodule size on neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with worse overall survival in IPN patients (p = 0.0084).ConclusionIPN are not uncommon in patients diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. In this study, we were unable to detect a difference in overall- or metastasis-free survival between patients with IPN at diagnosis and patients with normal staging chest CTs.     

Secondary Qualitative Analysis of Moral Injury in Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses

ObjectiveTo investigate the presence of symptoms of moral injury in obstetric and neonatal nurses.DesignA secondary qualitative analysis using an analytic expansion of three primary studies.SettingPostal mail and electronic surveys.ParticipantsI used three primary studies: participants in the first consisted of 78 labor and delivery nurses, participants in the second consisted of 75 nurse-midwives, and participants in the third consisted of 22 NICU nurses.MethodsI used Krippendorff’s content analysis method for qualitative data to reanalyze the three primary data sets. The categories I used in this analysis were the 10 symptoms of moral injury that are assessed by the Moral Injury Symptoms Scale–Health Professionals Version.ResultsWhen combining the three types of obstetric and neonatal participants, the top three most frequently cited symptoms of moral injury were moral concern, guilt, and self-condemnation. For participants in labor and delivery units and NICUs, moral concern was the most often described symptom, whereas for participants in midwifery it was guilt. None of the participants reported loss of meaning in their lives, loss of faith, or religious struggle. Participants who worked in NICUs did not describe any symptoms of shame or difficulty forgiving.ConclusionIn addition to the primary symptoms of moral injury, reported secondary consequences of moral injury can include depression, anxiety, anger, self-harm, and social problems. Interventions such as acceptance and commitment therapy are needed to help nurses address the potential for moral injury and repair its effects. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, moral injury needs to be recognized in obstetric and neonatal nurses and not just in the military population.     

Efficacy and safety of cold snare polypectomy for sessile serrated polyps ≥ 10 mm: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundCold snare polypectomy (CSP) is a promising technique for the removal of sessile serrated polyps (SSPs) ≥ 10 mm. However, the efficacy and safety of this technique remain undetermined.AimsWe aimed to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of CSP for SSPs ≥ 10 mm.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched up to January 2021.ResultsA total of 10 studies consisting of 1727 SSPs (range, 10–40 mm) from 1021 patients were included. The overall rates of technical success, adverse events (AEs) and residual SSPs were 100%, 0.7% and 2.9%, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the rates of technical success and AEs were comparable between CSP and cold endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) (99.9% vs. 100% and 1.3% vs. 0.5%, respectively), between the proximal and distal colon (100% vs. 99.9% and 0.3% vs. 0, respectively), and between polyps of 10–19 mm and ≥20 mm (99.8% vs. 100% and 0.9% vs. 0, respectively). However, subgroup analysis showed that the rate of residual SSPs was slightly lower in CSP compared with cold EMR (1.3% vs. 3.9%), as well as in polyps of 10–19 mm compared with those ≥20 mm (3.1% vs. 4.7%).ConclusionCSP was an effective and safe technique for removing SSPs ≥ 10 mm.