Nevin Manimala

Acta Orthop Belg. 2022 Mar;88(1):1-9. doi: 10.52628/88.1.01.

ABSTRACT

The key element for differentiation between normal anatomical variants and pathological deformities is the prior definition of normal ranges for anthropometric parameters of acetabulum according to each age group. Aim of the present study is to analyze the development of the acetabulum in children/adolescents by accurate anthropometric measurements using 3D-CT scans and determine the variations occurring depending on age, gender and/or side. This retrospective observational study included 85 patients (170 hips) under 15 years of age (0-15) undergoing 1.5mm CT scanning for non-hip related reasons. The measurements were performed by 2 board-certified orthopaedic surgeons. Each year of life represented an age group forming a total of 16 groups. Median number of patients per age group was 12 (range 4-16). The anthropometric parameters included acetabular volume, inclination, version, depth (coronal and axial), width (coronal and axial), Tönnis angle as well as anterior and posterior acetabular sector angles. Mean values, range, standard deviation, p-values, intra- and interrater reliability were calculated. All measurement values correlated significantly with age. Statistically, there was no side or gender related difference. Rapid growth phases were observed at the age of 11-12. The inter- and intrarater reliability was high (range ICC 0.8-0.99, Cronbach alpha 0.86-0.99, Bland-Altman good agreement). The present data provides age- and gender-related normative values as well as growth phases describing acetabular morphology. It should help paediatricians as well as paediatric and orthopaedic surgeons as a tool for early diagnosis of deformity and guidance for possible procedures.

PMID:35512148 | DOI:10.52628/88.1.01

Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2022 Apr 29. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000002043. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The role of kinesiotherapy in heterotopic ossification (HO) remains unclear. The goal of this study is to revisit the literature on the preventive role of kinesiotherapy against HO formation and maturation.

DESIGN: A systematic review was performed in MEDLINE, OVID, SCOPUS and Cochrane databases.

RESULTS: A high-quality clinical trial is missing from the literature. Out of 9617 studies primarily identified, 9 studies offered the proper data and were included. They infer that satisfactory results on neurogenic HO prevention were achieved with passive exercises, including continuous passive motion (CPM), that were initiated early and at a painless range of motion (ROM). On the contrary, for elbow post-traumatic HO and major joints burn-associated HO, active ROM is indicated as early as possible.

CONCLUSION: Due to the very low quality of the studies included in this review, firm conclusions cannot be drawn about the effectiveness of kinesiotherapy. Nevertheless, it is recommended that controlled passive ROM (PROM) exercises (especially CPM) be applied early and pain-free especially in the neurogenic HO patients while active ROM in painless limits is beneficial in the HO prevention of traumatic elbows or burn joints.

PMID:35512120 | DOI:10.1097/PHM.0000000000002043

Am J Health Promot. 2022 May 5:8901171221099496. doi: 10.1177/08901171221099496. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To understand risk perception about cannabis use during pregnancy.

DESIGN: Mixed -Methods. Setting: Focus groups. Participants: Mothers.

METHOD: Focus groups were conducted to learn about person’s experiences with pregnancy, health-related behaviors, perception of risky behaviors (cannabis use), and receipt of health-related information during pregnancy. Participants completed the Electronic Health Literacy Scale, the Single Item Literacy Screener, and questions about whether topics were discussed during their prenatal care. Data were coded and analyzed iteratively for emerging themes. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample.

RESULTS: Twenty-one persons (mean age = 34.4, 57% African American, 38% White, 5% Multi-racial) participated in 4 focus groups. One-third of the participants used cannabis; 24% used alcohol; and 48% used tobacco during pregnancy. Participant’s perceptions and use of cannabis during pregnancy were shaped by relief from pregnancy-related symptoms, recommendations from health care providers that cannabis is safe, anecdotal stories from friends and family, fear associated with prescription medications, and preference for “natural” remedies. The context of distrust of providers permeated these themes. The sample displayed poor e-health literacy compared to other adult samples.

CONCLUSION: Inter-related factors that influence cannabis use among persons who are pregnant should be considered when establishing trust between patients and providers, creating messages for patients about cannabis use during pregnancy, and when implementing interventions to improve provider-patient communication about health risk behaviors.

PMID:35512115 | DOI:10.1177/08901171221099496

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 May 4:glac085. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac085. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The association of pulmonary function (PF) with motor function and disability remains unclear. We investigate the association of PF with motor function trajectories and disability progression, and explore the role of social activity, cognitive function and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in this relationship.

METHODS: Within the Rush Memory and Aging Project, 1,403 disability-free participants (mean age: 79.28 years) were followed for up to 22 years. PF was measured with a composite score based on peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and forced vital capacity at baseline. Global motor function including dexterity, gait, and hand strength was assessed annually using 10 motor tests. Disability was evaluated according to the basic activities of daily living. Social activity was defined as the frequency of common types of social interaction. Global cognitive function was assessed using a battery of 19 cognitive performance tests. CVDs (including stroke, congestive heart failure, and heart diseases) were ascertained at baseline. Linear mixed-effects models were used.

RESULTS: Compared to high PF, low PF was related to faster decline in global motor function (β= -0.005, 95% CI: -0.008 to -0.001) and all three specific motor abilities (P < 0.05), as well as faster progression of disability (β= 0.012, 95% CI: 0.009 to 0.014). There was a statistically significant interaction between PF and social activity/cognitive function on disability progression (β: 0.005, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.009, P= 0.010/β: 0.004, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.009, P= 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS: Poor PF accelerates motor function decline and the progression of disability. A high level of social activity and cognitive function appear to decelerate disability progression related to poor PF.

PMID:35512113 | DOI:10.1093/gerona/glac085

Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Apr 29;101(17):e29201. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000029201.

ABSTRACT

The impact of serum prealbumin in patients with esophageal carcinoma after undergoing esophagectomy remains unclear, we speculated that serum prealbumin is associated with anastomotic leak (AL) after surgery, low serum prealbumin level may lead to AL. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between serum prealbumin levels and AL after esophagectomy, to explore the value of serum prealbumin as an early predictor of AL after esophagectomy.Between January 2014 and December 2018, 255 patients were enrolled in this study, their basic characteristics and perioperative serum prealbumin levels were retrospectively analyzed. Statistical analysis by t test, nonparametric test and logistic regression were used to analyze data for patients with and without AL. Based on a receiver operator characteristic curve, a cut-off value for serum prealbumin levels as a predictor of AL was determined.Among the 255 patients, 18 patients were diagnosed with AL. The overall AL rate was 7.0% (18/255) including 12 cases of intrathoracic AL and 6 cases of cervical AL. By univariate analysis, we identified postoperative serum prealbumin level as a risk factor for AL (P < .001). Multivariate analysis also demonstrated postoperative serum prealbumin level (P = .028) to be an independent risk factor for AL. The best cut-off value of postoperative serum prealbumin level was 131 mg/L for predicting AL, with 83.3% sensitivity and 72.2% specificity.Postoperative serum prealbumin level was significantly associated with AL. it may help the early prediction of postoperative AL.

PMID:35512077 | DOI:10.1097/MD.0000000000029201

Oral Radiol. 2022 May 5. doi: 10.1007/s11282-022-00613-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The present radiological observational controlled study aims to evaluate the impact of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) as well as the duration of dialysis on the mineralization of the mandible by standardized qualitative evaluation of digital panoramic radiographs.

METHODS: Panoramic radiographs of CKD patients with SHPT and healthy controls were used for the qualitative analysis of the mandibular cortical index (MCI), the trabecular bone pattern (TBP), and calcification and resorption foci. Radiomorphometric indices were correlated to biochemical parameters and the duration of dialysis using the Spearman Rho test. Group comparisons were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test at a significance level of α ≤ 0.05. Interrater reliability of two physicians was estimated using Cohen’s kappa.

RESULTS: Inclusion and exclusion criteria were fulfilled by N = 41 patients. Statistically significant differences in the MCI (p < 0.001) as well as the TBP (p = 0.002) could be detected for the experimental group in comparison to the healthy control group. Focusing on calcification and resorption foci, no statistically significant difference could be detected between the groups (p = 0.244). The level of the detected parathyroid hormone (PTH) significantly correlated with TBP (Rho = 0.338; p = 0.031), while no significant relationship between TBP and the duration of the dialysis could be found.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SHPT due to CKD show statistically significant bone changes in the panoramic radiograph, whereby the grade of trabecular bone change correlates to PTH values.

PMID:35511337 | DOI:10.1007/s11282-022-00613-2

Int Ophthalmol. 2022 May 5. doi: 10.1007/s10792-022-02310-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate ocular blood flow and, retinal, choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) with patients who had at least five attacks.

METHODS: Fifty-six patients with FMF and 56 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Each participant’s choroidal thickness (CT) and retinal thickness (RT) measurements were performed in the foveola and at horizontal nasal and temporal quadrants within 500-μm intervals up to 1.500 μm from the foveola using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography as well as the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT). Disc boundaries were determined manually by identifying seven points on the inner edge of the scleral ring. Following complete ophthalmological evaluation, peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistivity index (RI) values in the central retinal artery (CRA), ophthalmic artery (OA), and nasal posterior ciliary artery (NPCA) were measured using color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) in the left eyes of the patients diagnosed with FMF and the controls. The results were subsequently compared.

RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of all RNFLT quadrant and RT measurements. All CT measurements were thinner in patients with FMF than in the controls (For Central and Temporal_1500 p = 0.01; For Temporal_500, Nasal 500 and Nasal_1000 p < 0.001; Temporal_1000 p = 0.002) except than the Nasal_1500 point. For nasal_1500 p = 0.121). The PSV and EDV values in the OA, CRA, and NPCA were significantly lower in patients with FMF compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). In contrast, the RI values of all arteries were significantly higher than in the control group (Regarding OA, CRA and NPCA RI, p = 0.003, p = 0.039, and p = 0.039, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the idea that chronic inflammation and frequent attacks in FMF may have an effect on decreased ocular blood flow and choroidal thinning.

PMID:35511318 | DOI:10.1007/s10792-022-02310-9

Mol Biol Rep. 2022 May 5. doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-07465-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers, such as microRNAs, are helpful in diagnosing colorectal cancer, regulating disease progression, predicting disease recurrence, and determining therapy success. This research aimed to look at the clinicopathological characteristics of serum miRNA-203a-3p expression in colorectal cancer patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS: This case-control study was conducted on 43 patients with colorectal cancer and 43 healthy individuals. After RNA extraction, cDNA was synthesized. The expression of miR-203a-3p was measured using RT-qPCR. Demographic and histochemical data were extracted from patient documents. SPSS and GraphPad Prism software were used to analyze the data. The expression of miR-203a-3p in CRC patients was 2.39 times lower than in the control group (p < 0.0001). The miR-203a-3p expression was significantly lower in the CRC tumor stages, tumor grades, and lymph node metastasis compared to the control group (p < 0.0001 each). The ROC curves showed that the AUC was 0.73, and the best cut-point based on the Youden index was 0.3954, 0.7105, 0.5087, and 0.4868 for detecting colorectal cancer (p = 0.0002), tumor grade (p = 0.006), tumor stage (p = 0.001), and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0011) compared to the control group, respectively. The binary logistic regression analysis was performed on the correlation between BMI, smoking, and cancer inheritance with miR-203a-3p in cancer and control groups.

CONCLUSION: This study’s findings revealed that serum miR-203a-3p is a fair non-invasive molecular biomarker for diagnosing and progressing tumor grade, tumor stage, and lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer. However, further research with higher statistical numbers is needed to strengthen the correlation and be used for diagnostic applications.

PMID:35511316 | DOI:10.1007/s11033-022-07465-3

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022 May 5. doi: 10.1007/s00417-022-05679-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: PERSEUS-IT (NCT02289924) was a prospective, observational, 2-year study evaluating the effectiveness and treatment patterns of intravitreal aflibercept (IVT-AFL) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in routine clinical practice in Italy.

METHODS: Treatment-naïve patients with nAMD receiving IVT-AFL per routine clinical practice were enrolled. The primary endpoint was mean change in visual acuity (VA; decimals) from baseline to month (M) 12 and M24. Outcomes were evaluated for the overall study population and independently for the 2 treatment cohorts: regular (3 initial monthly doses, ≥ 7 injections by M12, and ≥ 4 injections between M12 and M24) and irregular (any other pattern).

RESULTS: Of 813 patients enrolled, 709 were included in the full analysis set (FAS); VA assessments were available for 342 patients at M12 (FAS1Y, 140 regular and 202 irregular) and 233 patients at M24 (FAS2Y, 37 regular and 196 irregular). In the overall FAS, the mean ± SD change in VA from baseline to M12 and M24 was + 0.09 ± 0.24 and + 0.02 ± 0.25 decimals, and there was a statistically significant difference between the regular and irregular cohorts in both FAS1Y (p = 0.0034) and FAS2Y (p = 0.0222). Ocular treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 4.1% (n = 33/810 [safety set]) of patients.

CONCLUSION: In PERSEUS-IT, clinically relevant functional and anatomic improvements were observed within the first 12 months of IVT-AFL treatment in routine clinical practice in Italy in patients with treatment-naïve nAMD. These gains were generally maintained across the 2-year study. The safety profile of IVT-AFL was consistent with prior studies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02289924.

DATE OF REGISTRATION: November 13, 2014.

PMID:35511286 | DOI:10.1007/s00417-022-05679-6

Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2022 May 5. doi: 10.1007/s00213-022-06156-y. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE: Clinical studies suggest that the highly lipophilic, anti-inflammatory molecule, simvastatin, might be an ideal candidate for drug repurposing in the treatment of depression. The neuropsychological effects of simvastatin are not known, but their ascertainment would have significant translational value about simvastatin’s influence on mood and cognition.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the effects of simvastatin on a battery of psychological tests and inflammatory markers in healthy volunteers.

METHODS: Fifty-three healthy subjects were randomly assigned to 7 days of either simvastatin (N = 27) or sucrose-based placebo (N = 26) given in a double-blind fashion. Then, participants were administered questionnaires measuring subjective rates of mood and anxiety, and a battery of tasks assessing emotional processing, reward learning, and verbal memory. Blood samples for C-reactive protein were also collected.

RESULTS: Compared to placebo, participants on simvastatin showed a higher number of positively valenced intrusions in the emotional recall task (F_1,51 = 4.99, p = 0.03), but also an increase in anxiety scores (F_1,51 = 5.37, p = 0.02). An exploratory analysis of the females’ subgroup (N = 27) showed lower number of misclassifications as sad facial expression in the simvastatin arm (F_1,25 = 6.60, p = 0.02). No further statistically significant changes could be observed on any of the other outcomes measured.

CONCLUSIONS: We found limited evidence that 7-day simvastatin use in healthy volunteer induces a positive emotional bias while also being associated with an increase in anxiety, potentially reflecting the early effects of antidepressants in clinical practice. Such effect might be more evident in female subjects. Different drug dosages, treatment lengths, and sample selection need consideration in further experimental medicine and clinical studies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04652089.

PMID:35511258 | DOI:10.1007/s00213-022-06156-y