Synergistic potential of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and calcium–aluminate–chitosan scaffolds with dental pulp cells

Clinical Oral Investigations - This study aimed to develop a porous chitosan–calcium–aluminate scaffold (CH-AlCa) in combination with a bioactive dosage of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin...     

Saliva as an alternative to blood in the determination of uremic state in adult patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Clinical Oral Investigations - To assess whether salivary urea and creatinine levels accurately reflect their serum levels in blood samples of adults to detect chronic kidney disease. A systematic...     

Improving bonding to eroded dentin by using collagen cross-linking agents: 2 years of water storage

Clinical Oral Investigations - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of collagen cross-linking agents on nanomechanical and bonding properties of eroded dentin (ED), 24 h...     

Influence of postoperative complications on long-term outcome after oncologic lung resection surgery. Substudy of a randomized control trial

Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing - Lung resection surgery (LRS) causes an intense local and systemic inflammatory response. There is a relationship between inflammation and...     

Resistance training decreases matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity in quadriceps tendon in a rat model of osteoarthritis

BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that induces peri-articular tissue degradation. OA induces an imbalance between synthesis and degradation of the extracellular matrix components in favor of catabolic events, promoting pathological remodeling and involving degradative enzymes, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of 8-weeks resistance training (RT) on MMP-2 activity in the quadriceps tendon and patellar tendon in an OA model.MethodsTwenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: Control, Exercise, Sham, Sham with Exercise, OA, and OA with Exercise (OAE). The OA model was performed by anterior cruciate ligament transection surgery on the left knee. The 8-week RT consisted of climbing a 1.1-m vertical ladder three times per week with progressive weights secured to the animals’ tails. MMP-2 activity was analyzed by zymography.ResultsThe OAE group displayed lower pro, intermediate, and active MMP-2 activity in the quadriceps tendon compared with the OA group (p < 0.05). For the patellar tendon, there was no significant difference between the OAE group compared with the other groups (p > 0.05) for pro, intermediate, and active MMP-2 activity. Moreover, MMP-2 activity differed between tissues, the OA and OAE groups presented lower pro, intermediate, and active MMP-2 activity in the quadriceps tendon compared to the patellar tendon.ConclusionRT induced down-regulated MMP-2 activity in the quadriceps tendon. RT is a potential therapeutic approach to minimize the deleterious effects of extracellular matrix degeneration.     

Impaired performance of women with patellofemoral pain during functional tests

ObjectiveTo compare the performance, reliability, and validity of functional tests between women with and without patellofemoral pain.MethodsTwenty women with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain between 18 and 40 years of age and 20 age-matched pain-free controls participated in the study. All participants performed a set of five function tests: sitting-rising test, sit-to-stand in 30 seconds, stair-climb test, stair descent test, and six-minute step test. To investigate reliability, participants were assessed on two different days, seven days apart, by two independent investigators blinded to the results of the other investigator. Validity was evaluated through associations with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale.ResultsPerformance in the tests was worse in women with patellofemoral pain than in the control group for the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds (mean difference [MD] 3.4reps; 95%CI: 0.4, 6.4), stair-climb test (MD: 0.36 s; 95%CI: 0.1, 0.63), and six-minute step test (MD: 45reps; 95%CI: 20, 70). No differences were observed for the sitting-rising and stair descent tests. All tests in both groups showed moderate to excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.61 to 0.91 and 0.72 to 0.96, respectively). Finally, only the results on the sit-to-stand in 30 seconds test correlated with the Anterior Knee Pain Scale (r = 0.44, p = 0.047) in the patellofemoral pain group.ConclusionWomen with patellofemoral pain present lower performance on some functional tests. Functional tests are reliable in patients with patellofemoral pain, although they are not associated with the results on the Anterior Knee Pain Scale self-questionnaire.