Evaluation of proprioception and postural control at a minimum 1 year follow-up after ankle capsuloligamentous lateralplasty with Brostrom technique: A cohort study

Recovery of postural control and proprioception in patients affected by chronic ankle instability (CAI) and operated on capsulo-ligaments reconstructive surgery lacks of objective assessment. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term post-surgical postural and proprioceptive control through the DPPS device in a cohort of patients operated on ligaments reconstruction through the modified Brostrom procedure at a minimum follow up of 12 months.Eleven patients with post-traumatic lateral CAI, operated of external capsulo-ligamentous complex repair according to Brostrom technique at a minimum follow-up of 1 year were enrolled. Physical examination and American Orthopaedics Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. Proprioceptive and postural stability was assessed by DPPS - Delos Postural Proprioceptive System, linked to a computer with a specific software and including a flat table, an electronic unstable proprioceptive board, a Delos Vertical Controller, a monitor and a horizontal bar fitted with an infra-red sensor for hand support.Patients were 5 males and 6 females, mean age of 38.4 ± 12 years. Mean BMI of the patients was 26.8 ± 4.4. Mean follow up was 13.4 ± 2.1. The mean value of (AOFAS) clinical score was 90.3/100. Mean Static Stability Index (SSI) with open eyes was 87.7% (±7.6) in the operated leg and 90.4% (±6.1) in the contra-lateral. SSI with closed eyes was 64.5% (±11.2) in the operated leg and 61.6% (±16.8) in the contra-lateral. Mean Dynamic Stability Index (DSI) without restrictions was 56.2% (±14.6) in the operated leg and 56.8% (±10.6) in the contra-lateral. DSI with restricted upper limbs, had a mean value of 56.3% (±11.4) in the operated leg and 58.1% (±11.9) in the contra-lateral.Re-tensioning capsular-ligamentous surgery of the external compartment for CAI allow to recovery proprioceptive and postural control on the operated side, comparable with data from the contralateral limb and from the healthy population of the same age and sex

Clinical radiographical outcomes and complications after a brand-new total ankle replacement design through an anterior approach: A retrospective at a short-term follow up

Recently, the progress in techniques and in projecting new prosthetic designs has allowed increasing indications for total ankle replacement (TAR) as treatment for ankle osteoarthritis. This retrospective work comprehended 39 subjects aged between 47 and 79 years old. The patients, observed for at least 12 months (mean follow up of 18.2 ± 4.1 months), have been evaluated according to clinical and radiological parameters, both pre-and post-operatively. The AOFAS and VAS score significantly improved, respectively, from 46.2 ± 4.8 to 93.9 ± 4.1 and from 7.1 ± 1.1 to 0.7 ± 0.5 (p value < 0.05). At the final evaluation, the mean plantarflexion passed from 12.2◦ ± 2.3◦ to 18.1◦ ± 2.4◦ (p value < 0.05) and dorsiflexion from a pre-operative mean value of 8.7◦ ± 4.1◦ to 21.7◦ ± 5.4◦ post-operatively (p value < 0.05). This study found that this new total ankle replacement design is a safe and effective procedure for patients effected by end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. Improvements have been demonstrated in terms of range of motion, radiographic parameters and patient-reported outcomes. However, further studies are needed to assess the long-term performance of these prostheses

Body Mass Index in Children and Their Parents: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Study Population of Children from Southern Italy

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased over the last decades. Parental obesity plays an important role in determining childhood obesity. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between parental and offspring’ weight status in a population of children from South of Italy, as no data have ever been published from this area. We recruited 636 children (5.7 ± 1.5 years old) and their parents. Seventy-three (11.5%) and sixteen (2.5%) children were overweight and obese, respectively. Offspring weight status was significantly associated with parents’ weight status. The linear regression analysis showed that offspring BMI was more affected by paternal than by maternal BMI. Our data confirmed that parents’ weight status plays an important role on children’s BMI. Interestingly, in our study, parents’ height and weight were measured and not reported as in most of the previous papers, strengthening our conclusions. We suggest that intensive nutritional education and preventive programs should be performed in children with overweight / obese parents rather than in children with normal weight parent. Furthermore, nutritional education should be performed also for overweight parents to modify preventable risk factor for pediatric obesity

RFX-1, a putative alpha Adducin interacting protein in a human kidney library

Adducin regulates tubular absorption of sodium by modulating the expression levels of the sodium-potassium-ATPase in renal tubular cells. Adducin is a candidate gene in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Yeast two hybrid screen showed a specific interaction between human alpha Adducin and the regulatory factor for X box (RFX-1), a nuclear protein that down regulates the expression of several proteins in non neuronal cells. The interaction was confirmed in cells through co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization experiments. The binding of alpha Adducin to RFX-I and their nuclear co-localization suggests that Adducin can have a role in modulating the transcriptional regulating activity of RFX-I

The role of molecular genetics in diagnosing familial hematuria(s)

Familial microscopic hematuria (MH) of glomerular origin represents a heterogeneous group of monogenic conditions involving several genes, some of which remain unknown. Recent advances have increased our understanding and our ability to use molecular genetics for diagnosing such patients, enabling us to study their clinical characteristics over time. Three collagen IV genes, COL4A3, COL4A4, and COL4A5 explain the autosomal and X-linked forms of Alport syndrome (AS), and a subset of thin basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN). A number of X-linked AS patients follow a milder course reminiscent of that of patients with heterozygous COL4A3/COL4A4 mutations and TBMN, while at the same time a significant subset of patients with TBMN and familial MH progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). A mutation in CFHR5, a member of the complement factor H family of genes that regulate complement activation, was recently shown to cause isolated C3 glomerulopathy, presenting with MH in childhood and demonstrating a significant risk for CKD/ESKD after 40 years old. Through these results molecular genetics emerges as a powerful tool for a definite diagnosis when all the above conditions enter the differential diagnosis, while in many at-risk related family members, a molecular diagnosis may obviate the need for another renal biopsy