Exploring Tai Chi in rheumatoid arthritis: a quantitative and qualitative study

Background  

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory and systemic disease which affects the musculoskeletal system. Exercise programmes are reported to improve physical functioning in patients with RA. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial art which combines slow and gentle movements with mental focus. The purpose of this study was to study in which way Tai Chi group exercise impacted on disease activity, physical function, health status and experience in RA patients, applying quantitative and qualitative methods.     

The Ischial Spine Sign: Does Pelvic Tilt and Rotation Matter?

Although the ischial spine sign (ISS) has been advocated to detect acetabular retroversion, it is unknown whether the sign is valid on anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs with tilted or rotated pelves. We therefore evaluated reliability of the ISS as a tool for diagnosing acetabular retroversion in the presence of considerable pelvic tilt and/or malrotation. We obtained radiographs of 20 cadaver pelves in 19 different malorientations resulting in 380 pelvis images (760 hips) for evaluation. In addition, 129 clinical radiographs of patients’ hips that had varying pelvis orientations were reviewed. We found an overall sensitivity of 81% (90%), specificity of 70% (71%), positive predictive value of 77% (80.7%), and negative predictive value of 75% (85%) in the cadaver (patient) hips. Our data suggest the ISS is a valid tool for diagnosing acetabular retroversion on plain radiographs taken using a standardized technique regardless of the degree of pelvic tilt and rotation.     

Greater trochanteric preserving hip arthroplasty in the treatment of infantile septic arthritis: long-term results

Background  

Balanced forces around the hip joint are critical for normal development of the hip joint, so it should be considered in every hip reconstructive procedure.     

Is the <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">V</Emphasis><Subscript>p</Subscript> index useful for evaluating prognosis in chronic heart failure with atrial fibrillation? A pilot study

Background  

The ratio of transmitral peak E wave velocity to color flow propagation velocity (E/V _p index) has proved to be a significant predictor of prognosis in cardiac diseases with sinus rhythm. However, its usefulness in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure has not yet been established. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of using the E/V _p index for the prediction of mortality and heart failure hospitalization in this group.     

Does Severity or Specific Joint Laxity Influence Clinical Outcomes of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction?

It generally is believed generalized joint laxity is one of the risk factors for failure of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, no consensus exists regarding whether adverse effects on ACL reconstruction are attributable to joint-specific laxity or are related to the severity of generalized joint laxity. We therefore asked whether knee stability and functional outcomes would be related to joint-specific laxity and would differ according to the severity of generalized joint laxity. The Beighton and Horan criteria were used to assess joint laxity in 272 subjects. All elements are added to give an overall joint laxity score ranging from 0 to 5. Knee translation did not increase in proportion to the severity of the generalized joint laxity. Patients with scores less than 4 showed similar knee stability. When all variables, including the severity of generalized joint laxity, were considered, only hyperextension of the knee independently predicted knee stability and function. In patients with knee hyperextension, a bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft provided superior stability and function compared with a hamstring tendon autograft. Our data suggest knee hyperextension predicts postoperative stability and function regardless whether patients have severe generalized joint laxity.     

Primary thymic adenocarcinoma coexisting with type AB thymoma: a rare case with long-term survival

Thymic carcinoma is a rare tumor. The most common histological subtype is squamous cell carcinoma, and only a few cases of thymic adenocarcinoma have been reported. A case of papillary adenocarcinoma of thymic origin that coexisted with type AB thymoma as a separate nodule is presented herein. The patient was found to have an abnormal mediastinal shadow on chest X-ray. A computed tomography scan revealed a round, 6.5-cm-diameter mass in the right anterior mediastinum. The preoperative diagnosis was thymoma, and thymothymectomy was performed. On pathological examination, two tumors, which were diagnosed as papillary adenocarcinoma and type AB thymoma, respectively, were present in the thymus without any connection with each other. The patient has been alive without any signs of recurrence for 11 years after surgery. We diagnosed the adenocarcinoma in this case was a primary thymic carcinoma.     

Longitudinal Shapes of the Tibia and Femur are Unrelated and Variable

In general practice, short films of the knee are used to assess component position and define the entry point for intramedullary femoral alignment in TKAs; however, whether it is justified to use the short film commonly used in research settings and everyday practice as a substitute for the whole leg view is controversial and needs clarification. In 138 long leg CT scanograms we measured the angle formed by the anatomic axis of the proximal fourth of the tibia and the mechanical axis of the tibia, the angle formed by the anatomic axis of the distal fourth of the femur and the mechanical axis of the femur, the “bow” of the tibia (as reflected by the offset of the anatomic axis from the center of the talus), and the “bow” of the femur (as reflected by the offset of the anatomic axis from the center of the femoral head). Because the angle formed by these axes and the bow of the tibia and femur have wide variability in females and males, a short film of the knee should not be used in place of the whole leg view when accurate assessment of component position and limb alignment is essential. A previous study of normal limbs found that only 2% of subjects have a neutral hip-knee-ankle axis, which can be explained by the wide variability of the bow in the tibia and femur and the lack of correlation between the bow of the tibia and femur in a given limb as shown in the current study.     

Cherubism Combined with Epilepsy,Mental Retardation and Gingival Fibromatosis (Ramon Syndrome): A Case Report

Cherubism is an inherited, autosomal dominant disorder that characteristically affects the jaws of children. The disease typically manifest as a bilateral swelling with associated submandibular lymph node enlargements and usually regresses as age advances. The disease is microscopically indistinguishable from other giant cell lesions and is essentially a clinical diagnosis. The association of cherubism with gingival fibromatosis, epilepsy, mental retardation, stunted growth, and hypertrichosis is referred as Ramon syndrome. We report a case of Ramon syndrome in an 8 year old girl.     

Malfunction of a Heimlich flutter valve causing tension pneumothorax: case report of a rare complication

Background  

Thoracic injuries play an important role in major trauma patients due to their high incidence and critical relevance. A serious consequence of thoracic trauma is pneumothorax, a condition that quickly can become life-threatening and requires immediate treatment.     

Resection of a mediastinal mature teratoma diagnosed owing to sudden chest pain with elevated preoperative serum CA19-9

Mediastinal teratomas are typically benign and asymptomatic, but they undergo sudden enlargement or rupture into neighboring organs in some patients owing to intratumoral hemorrhage, leading to serious complications. We report the case of a mediastinal mature teratoma that was discovered because of the sudden onset of chest pain accompanied by elevated preoperative serum CA19-9 levels. The patient was a 43-year-old man who experienced sudden chest pain and was brought to hospital in an ambulance. Chest radiography and computed tomography revealed a mediastinal tumor and a serum CA19-9 level that was elevated to 4377 U/ml. The tumor comprised soft tissue, fluid, and cystic components. The histological diagnosis was mature teratoma with peritumoral bleeding. Most epithelial components, including squamous epithelium and similar components in the bronchi, showed positive results for CA19-9 on immunohistological examination. The postoperative course was uneventful, and serum CA19-9 levels normalized.