Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) - validation of a Swedish version

The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) is a self-administered instrument measuring outcome after knee injury at impairment, disability, and handicap level in five subscales. Reliability, validity, and responsiveness of a Swedish version was assessed in 142 patients who underwent arthroscopy because of injury to the menisci, anterior cruciate ligament, or cartilage of the knee. The clinimetric properties were found to be good and comparable to the American version of the KOOS. Comparison to the Short Form-36 and the Lysholm knee scoring scale revealed expected correlations and construct validity. Item by item, symptoms and functional limitations were compared between diagnostic groups. High responsiveness was found three months after arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for all subscales but Activities of Daily Living.     

The acutely limping child

Acute limping may be the result of multiple pathologies in children. The differential diagnosis varies based on the age of the child. Irrespective of age, the initial imaging work-up includes AP and frog leg radiographs of the pelvis and ultrasound; MRI may sometimes be helpful. In children less than 3 years, infections and trauma are most frequent. MRI is the imaging modality of choice when osteomyelitis is clinically suspected. Between the ages of 3 and 10 years, transient synovitis of the hip and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease are main considerations but infection, inflammation and focal bony lesions are also considered. In children over 10 years, slipped capital femoral epiphysis also is considered.     

Do Balance Board Training Programs Reduce the Risk of Ankle Sprains in Athletes?

Introduction Ankle sprains are the most common musculo-skeletal injury that occurs in athletes,particularly in sports that require jumping and landing on one foot such as soccer,and basketball(1-4).These injuries often result in significant time loss from participation,long-term disability,and have a major impact on health care costs and resources(5-8).     

High Intensity Interval Training:New Insights

KEY POINTS ·High-intensity interval training(HIT)is characterized by repeated sessions of relatively brief，intermittent exercise.often performed with an“a11 out”effort or at an intensity close to that which elicits peak oxygen uptake(i.e.，≥90%of VO2 peak).     

Endovascular management of carotid-cavernous fistulas

Objective To investigate endovascular treatment of traumatic direct carotid-cavernous fistulas （CCF） and their complications such as pseudoaneurysms. Methods： Over a five-year period, 22 patients with traumatic direct CCFs were treated endovascularly in our institution. Thirteen patients were treated once with the result of CCF occluded, 8 twice and 1 three times. Treatment modalities included balloon occlusion of the CCF, sacrifice of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery with detachable balloon, coll embolization of the cavernous sinus and secondary pseudoaneurysms, and covered-stem management of the pseudoaneurysms. Results All the direct CCFs were successfully managed endovascularly. Four patients developed a pseudoaneurysm after the occlusion of the CCF with an incidence of pseudoaneurysm formation of 18.2% （4/22）. A total number of 8 patients experienced permanent occlusion of the ICA with a rate of ICA occlusion reaching 36.4% （8/22）. Followed up through telephone consultation from 6 months to 5 years, all did well with no recurrence of CCF symptoms and signs. Conclusion Traumatic direct CCFs can be successfully managed with endovascular means. The pseudoaneurysms secondary to the occlusion of the CCFs can be occluded with stent-assisted coiling and implantation of covered stents.     

Developmental validation of the PowerPlex(®) ESI 16 and PowerPlex(®) ESI 17 Systems: STR multiplexes for the new European standard

In response to the ENFSI and EDNAP groups’ call for new STR multiplexes for Europe, Promega^® developed a suite of four new DNA profiling kits. This paper describes the developmental validation study performed on the PowerPlex^® ESI 16 (European Standard Investigator 16) and the PowerPlex^® ESI 17 Systems. The PowerPlex^® ESI 16 System combines the 11 loci compatible with the UK National DNA Database^®, contained within the AmpFlSTR^® SGM Plus^® PCR Amplification Kit, with five additional loci: D2S441, D10S1248, D22S1045, D1S1656 and D12S391. The multiplex was designed to reduce the amplicon size of the loci found in the AmpFlSTR^® SGM Plus^® kit. This design facilitates increased robustness and amplification success for the loci used in the national DNA databases created in many countries, when analyzing degraded DNA samples. The PowerPlex^® ESI 17 System amplifies the same loci as the PowerPlex^® ESI 16 System, but with the addition of a primer pair for the SE33 locus. Tests were designed to address the developmental validation guidelines issued by the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM), and those of the DNA Advisory Board (DAB). Samples processed include DNA mixtures, PCR reactions spiked with inhibitors, a sensitivity series, and 306 United Kingdom donor samples to determine concordance with data generated with the AmpFlSTR^® SGM Plus^® kit. Allele frequencies from 242 white Caucasian samples collected in the United Kingdom are also presented. The PowerPlex^® ESI 16 and ESI 17 Systems are robust and sensitive tools, suitable for the analysis of forensic DNA samples. Full profiles were routinely observed with 62.5 pg of a fully heterozygous single source DNA template. This high level of sensitivity was found to impact on mixture analyses, where 54–86% of unique minor contributor alleles were routinely observed in a 1:19 mixture ratio. Improved sensitivity combined with the robustness afforded by smaller amplicons has substantially improved the quantity of data obtained from degraded samples, and the improved chemistry confers exceptional tolerance to high levels of laboratory prepared inhibitors.     

Bronchial stump fistula :treatment with covered retrievable hinged metallic stents-preliminary clinical experience

Objective To evaluate the preliminaily clinical efficacy and retrievability of a retrievable hinged covered metallic stent in the treatment of the bronchial stump fistula （BSF）. Methods Between April 2003 and March 2005, 8 patients with bronchial stump fistula after pneumonectomy or lobectomy were treated with two types （A and B） of retrievable hinged covered metallic stents. Type A stent was placed in 6 patients and type B in 2 under fluoroscopic guidance. The stent was removed with a retrieval set when BSF was healed or complications occurred. Results Stent placement in the bronchial tree was technically successful in all patients, without procedure-related complications. Immediate closure of the BSF was achieved in all patients after the procedure. Stents were removed from all patients but one. Removal of the stents was difficult in two patients due to tissue hyperplasia. Patients were followed up for 6 - 21 months. Placement of the stents remained stable in all patients except one due to severe cough. Permanent closure of BSF was achieved in 7 （87.5%） of 8 patients. Conclusion Use of a retrievable hinged covered expandable metallic stent is a simple, safe, and effective procedure for closure of the BSF. Retrieval of the stent seems to be feasible. （J Intervent Radiol, 2007, 16： 253-257）     

Prevalence and severity of hip and groin pain in sub‐elite male football: a cross‐sectional cohort study of 695 players

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to investigate the prevalence of hip and groin pain in sub‐elite male adult football in Denmark and (b) to explore the association between prevalence and duration of hip and groin pain in the previous season with the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score (HAGOS) in the beginning of the new season. In total 695 respondents from 40 teams (Division 1–4) were included. Players completed in the beginning of the new season (July–Sept 2011) a self‐reported paper questionnaire on hip and/or groin pain during the previous season and HAGOS. In total 49% (95% CI: 45–52%) reported hip and/or groin pain during the previous season. Of these, 31% (95% CI: 26–36%) reported pain for >6 weeks. Players with the longest duration of pain during the previous season had the lowest HAGOS scores, when assessed at the beginning of the new season, P < 0.001. This study documents that half of sub‐elite male adult football players report pain in the hip and/or groin during a football season. The football players with the longest duration of pain in previous season displayed the lowest HAGOS scores in the beginning of the new season.     

Die rechtsmedizinische Identifizierung — Bedeutung und Beweiswert —

Zusammenfassung Bei der rechtsmedizinischen Identifizierung kann die Identität im strengen Sinn allenfalls bei lebenden Personen festgestellt werden; sonst läßt sich nur von Teilen auf das Ganze (vom Untersuchungsobjekt auf die Person) schließen, wobei die verschiedenen Merkmale des Untersuchungsobjektes entsprechend der Hdufigkeit ihres Vorkommens eine unterschiedliche Beweiskraft haben. Bei der Schädelidentifizierung mit Hilfe moderner photographischer oder elektronischer Superprojektionsverfahren ergeben sich unter Berücksichtigung der Weichteildicken so viele (fiktive) Vergleichspunkte, daß bei geeignetem Vergleichsmaterial (Photographien) Identität wegen der Vielzahl übereinstimmender Bezugspunkte in den meisten Fällen evident ist.     

Advanced γ ray technology for scanning cargo containers

The shipping industry is striving to increase security for cargo containers without significantly impeding traffic. Three Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) development programs are supporting this effort. SAIC's ICIS system combines SAIC's VACIS^® γ ray imaging, radiation scanning, OCR, elemental analysis and other technologies to scan containers for nuclear materials and other hazards in normal terminal traffic. SAIC's enhanced γ ray detector improves VACIS image resolution by a factor of three. And SAIC's EmptyView software analyzes VACIS images to automatically verify empty containers.     

Imaging of abdominal nodal spread in malignant disease

This is a review of the role of imaging procedures for the assessment of abdominal and pelvic lymph nodes. The diagnosis of malignant lymphatic spread is rarely the sole purpose of imaging, because it is usually part of a general abdominal examination, most frequently with CT or US, or increasingly with MRI. These studies are often requested in order to obtain information about the situation to be encountered during surgery, or to alert the surgeon to irresectability or to unexpected metastases outside the initially planned area of exploration. In most surgically treated tumours the role of imaging for preoperative staging is limited, due either to its insufficient sensitivity or because the initial treatment is independent of the lymph node stage. Imaging is commonly used to verify treatment response to chemo- or radiotherapy and for follow-up.Correspondence to: S. Delorme     

改进的定位技术在胸部肿瘤穿刺活检中的应用

目的：探索CT-SIM三维定位系统、体模固定技术和PET-CT融合影像导引定位技术在胸部肿瘤经皮穿刺活检中的应用价值。方法：对380例胸部肿瘤患者行改进的CT定位技术下的经皮穿刺活检术。根据肿瘤的大小、深度、毗邻关系、活动度以及患者的心肺功能状态,综合运用CT-SIM系统、体模固定技术和PET-CT融合影像导引技术,为患者进行穿刺前定位。统计穿刺定位时间长度、成功率、确诊率、并发症发生情况,并与210例采用传统铅栅定位下胸部肿瘤穿刺活检的相应资料进行比较。结果：采用改进的CT定位技术的380例患者穿刺定位精确,平均定位时间（9.5 min）较传统方法（16.8 min）缩短7.3 min,活检成功率和确诊率分别是98.7%和95.3%,高于传统定位方法的93.3%和83.3%,两者差异均具有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。穿刺并发症发生率相似,气胸发生率分别为2.8%和2.9%,咯血发生率分别为11%和12.8%。结论：根据患者状态及肿瘤特点,在CT-SIM系统快速精确定位技术的基础上,综合运用体模固定技术和PET-CT融合影像导引技术,能显著缩短经皮穿刺活检的定位时间,提高活检成功率。