Arthroscopic Bankart suture repair: technique and early results

Twenty-five recurrent traumatic unidirectional anterior shoulder dislocators were stabilized arthroscopically with a transglenoid absorbable suturing technique. A Bankart lesion was documented and repaired in all cases. Postoperative follow-up averaged 17 months (range 1 year to 30 months). All results were rated excellent. All patients achieved full, painless range of motion (ROM), and no instances of postoperative instability occurred. There were no complications. The details of the operative technique are described.     

Modification of Blood Vessel Diameter Following Perivascular Application of Botulinum Toxin-A

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that perivascularly applied botulinum toxin-A (BTX) increases the diameter of treated blood vessels in a rat femoral vessel exposure model. Six adult Sprague–Dawley rats were used and bilateral femoral artery and vein exposures were performed. Five units of BTX were applied to the experimental side and an equal volume of sterile saline was applied to the control side. Digital images of the vessels were obtained at the following time points: pretreatment, immediately posttreatment, and postoperative days (POD) 1, 14, and 28. Vessel diameters were equivalent at baseline and immediately following application of BTX and saline. The BTX artery was significantly larger than the control artery on POD 1 and 14. The BTX treated artery was significantly larger than all other vessels on POD 14 (p < 0.05) as well as all prior time points (p < 0.01). Direct perivascular application of BTX increases the diameter of rat femoral vessels as early as POD 1. The affect is most robust on POD 14 where the artery was significantly larger than all other vessels at all time points. It is likely that the increased diameter of blood vessels results in an increased blood flow across the area of dilation. Such an increase in flow may serve to improve end-organ perfusion in microvascular procedures.     

Acute Cellular Rejection with CD20-Positive Lymphoid Clusters in Kidney Transplant Patients Following Lymphocyte Depletion

Lymphoid clusters (LC) containing CD20-positive B cells in kidney allografts undergoing acute cellular rejection (ACR) have been identified in small studies as a prognostic factor for glucocorticoid resistance and graft loss. Allograft biopsies obtained during the first episode of ACR in 120 recipients were evaluated for LC, immunostained with CD20 antibody, and correlated with conventional histopathologic criteria, response to treatment and outcome. LC were found in 71 (59%) of the 120 biopsies. All contained CD20 positive B cells that accounted for 5-90% of the LC leukocyte content. The incidence of LC was highest in the patients who had no lymphoid depletion or had been treated with Thymoglobulin preconditioning (79% vs. 75%, respectively) compared to 37% in patients pretreated with Campath (p = 0.0001). Banff 1a/1b ACR were more frequent in the LC-positive than the LC-negative group (96% vs. 80%, respectively; p = 0.0051). With a posttransplant follow-up of 953 +/- 430 days, no significant differences were detected between LC-postitive and LC-negative groups in time to ACR, steroid resistance, serum creatinine and graft loss. CD20+LC did not portend glucocorticoid resistance or worse short to medium term outcomes. CD20+LC may represent a heterogenous collection in which there may be a small still to be fully defined unfavorable subgroup.     

Sham in CAM

Several unique methodological challenges exist concerning the choice of the most appropriate comparator or control group for clinical research in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This article reviews the four major types of control groups (active control, placebo or sham, no intervention control, and different protocols of the experimental intervention), noting the different questions they answer and the different contexts in which they may be used, and discusses how this framework may be applied to CAM research in an effort to avoid methodologically flawed study designs. The choice of comparator depends on complex factors such as the research question being asked, the most plausible competing rival hypotheses, and logistical considerations related to ethics, methodology and feasibility. For example, for sham to be an effective comparator it must capture the ‘nonspecific’ elements of the treatment without containing those that are ‘specific’ to the research question at hand. However, as demonstrated by the examples of acupuncture and energy medicine, designing such sham intervention is not always easy. Controlling for social interaction between practitioners and subjects, addressing issues around ethics, having good-quality measurement of treatment integrity and intensity, and selecting practitioners of sufficient competence when doing a sham process are other important parts of correct design choices. In the light of these complexities, clinicians and researchers alike need a better match between the research questions and the design employed in order for their research to be both scientifically valid and clinically meaningful.     

Apoptosis: understanding the new molecular pathway.

Advances in science have increased the knowledge of how cells die in the body (apoptosis). A basic understanding of this process can improve nurses' ability to review new scientific literature and enable them to provide safer bedside care.     

Enhanced chondrogenesis and Wnt signaling in PTH-treated fractures.

Studies have shown that systemic PTH treatment enhanced the rate of bone repair in rodent models. However, the mechanisms through which PTH affects bone repair have not been elucidated. In these studies we show that PTH primarily enhanced the earliest stages of endochondral bone repair by increasing chondrocyte recruitment and rate of differentiation. In coordination with these cellular events, we observed an increased level of canonical Wnt-signaling in PTH-treated bones at multiple time-points across the time-course of fracture repair, supporting the conclusion that PTH responses are at least in part mediated through Wnt signaling. INTRODUCTION: Since FDA approval of PTH [PTH(1-34); Forteo] as a treatment for osteoporosis, there has been interest in its use in other musculoskeletal conditions. Fracture repair is one area in which PTH may have a significant clinical impact. Multiple animal studies have shown that systemic PTH treatment of healing fractures increased both callus volume and return of mechanical competence in models of fracture healing. Whereas the potential for PTH has been established, the mechanism(s) by which PTH produces these effects remain elusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Closed femoral fractures were generated in 8-wk-old male C57Bl/6 mice followed by daily systemic injections of either saline (control) or 30 microg/kg PTH(1-34) for 14 days after fracture. Bones were harvested at days 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 after fracture and analyzed at the tissue level by radiography and histomorphometry and at the molecular and biochemical levels level by RNase protection assay (RPA), real-time PCR, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Quantitative muCT analysis showed that PTH treatment induced a larger callus cross-sectional area, length, and total volume compared with controls. Molecular analysis of the expression of extracellular matrix genes associated with chondrogenesis and osteogenesis showed that PTH treated fractures displayed a 3-fold greater increase in chondrogenesis relative to osteogenesis over the course of the repair process. In addition, chondrocyte hypertrophy occurred earlier in the PTH-treated callus tissues. Analysis of the expression of potential mediators of PTH actions showed that PTH treatment significantly induced the expression of Wnts 4, 5a, 5b, and 10b and increased levels of unphosphorylated, nuclear localized beta-catenin protein, a central feature of canonical Wnt signaling. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that the PTH-mediated enhancement of fracture repair is primarily associated with an amplification of chondrocyte recruitment and maturation in the early fracture callus. Associated with these cellular effects, we observed an increase in canonical Wnt signaling supporting the conclusion that PTH effects on bone repair are mediated at least in part through the activation of Wnt-signaling pathways.     

Unplanned splenectomy during oesophagectomy does not affect survival.

OBJECTIVE: There are limited and conflicting data available concerning the incidence of inadvertent splenectomy and its impact on the outcome in patients who have undergone oesophagectomy. The aim of this study is to identify the factors associated with a likelihood of inadvertent splenectomy and its influence on early and long-term outcome in patients having oesophagectomy for oesophageal carcinoma. METHODS: A consecutive series of 738 oesophagectomies performed between 1991 and 2004 was analysed. In our practice, the spleen was removed only if damaged intraoperatively. Routine chemo- and immunoprophylaxis would subsequently be used. Multivariate analysis with logistic and Cox models determined significant variables. RESULTS: Of the 738 oesophagectomies, 48 (6.5%) had splenectomy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered to a minority of patients; none subsequently had splenectomy. There were significant differences between types of operation (Ivor-Lewis 18 (9.0%), left thoracolaparotomy 14 (9.9%) and left thoracophrenotomy 15 (3.9%), p=0.01). Splenectomy was more common with advanced N stage disease (OR=0.44 [0.20-0.95]; p=0.04). Splenectomy resulted in more blood transfusions (median, 2 units vs 0 units; p=0.03) more anastomotic leaks (7 [14.6%] vs 42 [6.1%]; p=0.02) but not an increase in pulmonary complications (p=0.64) or in-hospital mortality (1 [4.6%] vs 37 [5.4%]; p=0.30). Splenectomy did not significantly affect median survival (551 [332-770] days vs 627 [554-700] days; p=0.63). CONCLUSION: Although inadvertent splenectomy increased the morbidity of oesophagectomy, it did not impair survival. Type of operation and advanced N stage are important risks for splenectomy. Though best avoided, most of the consequences of splenectomy can be managed. An unexpected relationship between splenectomy and anastomotic leaks needs further investigation.     

Structural white matter abnormalities in patients with idiopathic dystonia

We investigated whether structural white matter abnormalities, in the form of disruption of axonal coherence and integrity as measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), constitute an underlying pathological mechanism of idiopathic dystonia (ID), independent of genotype status. We studied seven subjects with ID: all had cervical dystonia as their main symptom (one patient also had spasmodic dysphonia and two patients had concurrent generalized dystonia, both DYT1‐negative). We compared DTI MR images of patients with 10 controls, evaluating differences in mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA). ID was associated with increased FA values in the thalamus and adjacent white matter, and in the white matter underlying the middle frontal gyrus. ID was also associated with increase in MD in adjacent white matter to the pallidum and putamen bilaterally, left caudate, and in subcortical hemispheric regions, including the postcentral gyrus. Abnormal FA and MD in patients with ID indicate that abnormal axonal coherence and integrity contribute to the pathophysiology of dystonia. These findings suggest that ID is not only a functional disorder, but also associated with structural brain changes. Impaired connectivity and disrupted flow of information may contribute to the impairment of motor planning and regulation in dystonia. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society