Welcome to the new Editor-in-Chief

With great enthusiasm, we welcome the new Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Foot and Ankle, Prof. Dr. Caio Nery. On behalf of the entire editorial team and the scientific community, we would like to express our sincere joy at having him in such an important position. His nomination as Editor-in-Chief is undoubtedly a reflection of his outstanding career and significant contributions to medicine and foot and ankle specialty. His vast knowledge and experience, combined with his passion for scientific research, will certainly further strengthen the reputation and impact of our prestigious journal. We hope his leadership will bring new perspectives and opportunities to the Journal of the Foot and Ankle, further enriching its content and promoting the dissemination of high-quality scientific information. ABTPé is committed to supporting him in all his initiatives and working together to maintain the high standards of excellence for which our journal is known. Once again, welcome, Prof. Dr. Caio Nery. We are sure that your leadership will be inspiring and that we will continue to advance towards the indexing of our journal.   Best regards, Alexandre Leme Godoy-Santos Elected President ABTPé (2024–2025) Emeritus Editor of the Journal of the Foot and Ankl

Total ankle replacement: Brazilian experience with the HINTEGRA prosthesis

A artrose do tornozelo vem se tornando mais comum a cada dia. A busca por soluções que preservem a função articular fez surgir uma nova geração de próteses com três componentes e maior liberdade de movimento. Neste trabalho, apresentam-se os resultados obtidos em 10 pacientes tratados com a prótese HINTEGRA (Integra, New Deal), em ação conjunta dos Grupos do Tornozelo e Pé do DOT da Unifesp-Escola Paulista de Medicina e IOT da Faculdade de Medicina da USP-Universidade de São Paulo. Os 10 pacientes (seis mulheres e quatro homens), com idade variando de 29 a 66 anos, foram submetidos ao tratamento cirúrgico segundo a técnica de Hinterman entre janeiro e junho de 2005. Foram avaliados em intervalos predeterminados e os dados foram submetidos à análise estatística. A mobilidade do tornozelo apresentou melhora significante com a cirurgia realizada. Radiologicamente, não foram detectados sinais de soltura ou falhas nos componentes prostéticos de nenhum dos pacientes estudados. A taxa de complicações nessa amostra foi alta, mas equivalente às de outros autores e representa diretamente a curva de aprendizado relacionada com esse tipo de procedimento. Ao final de quatro anos, observaram-se significativa redução da dor e melhora do padrão funcional dos pacientes com os escores da AOFAS e de Hinterman, apontando para 20% de excelentes, 70% de bons e 10% de maus resultados. O tratamento da artrose do tornozelo através da artroplastia total com o modelo HINTEGRA, foi capaz de oferecer bons resultados no tempo médio de observação de quatro anos.Ankle arthritis is becoming more and more common. The search for solutions that preserve joint function has led to a new generation of prosthesis with three components and more degrees of freedom. This paper presents the results achieved in ten patients treated with the HINTEGRA Prosthesis (Integra, New Deal), a joint action of the Foot and Ankle Teams of DOT of Unifesp - Escola Paulista de Medicina and the School of Medicine of USP - Universidade de São Paulo. The ten patients (six women and four men), aged between 29 and 66 years, underwent a surgical procedure according to Hinterman's technique, from January to June 2005. They were evaluated at pre-arranged intervals, and the data were submitted to statistical analysis. The surgery led to a significant improvement in ankle mobility. Radiological studies showed no signs of loosening or failure in the prosthetic components in any of the patients studied. Although the rate of complications in our sample was high, it was equivalent to those of other authors, and directly represents the long, steep learning curve associate with this kind of procedure. At the end of four years, there was a significant reduction in the pain, and an improvement in functional pattern of the patients, with AOFAS and Hinterman scores indicating 20% excellent, 70% good, and 10% poor results. Despite the drawbacks, treatment of ankle arthritis through total arthroplasty with the HINTEGRA prosthesis proved to be capable of giving good results over an average observation period of four years

Predictive factors of gait in neuropathic and non-neurophatic diabetic patients

OBJETIVO: Analisar a amplitude de movimento do tornozelo e as forças de reação vertical do solo envolvidas na marcha de pacientes portadores de diabetes com e sem neuropatia periférica. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODO: 36 indivíduos divididos em três grupos: Controle - GC: 10 indivíduos sem diabetes, Diabetes - GD: 10 indivíduos portadores de diabetes sem neuropatia periférica e Neuropatia - GDN: 16 indivíduos portadores de diabetes e neuropatia diabética periférica. Foi realizada análise da marcha - AMTI® OR6/6, e da amplitude de movimento articular tíbio-társica - Sistema Vicom 640® - de todos os participantes. RESULTADOS: O primeiro e segundo pico de força vertical de reação do solo são maiores no grupo Neuropatia e a amplitude de movimento articular do tornozelo é menor nos grupos Diabetes e Neuropatia. CONCLUSÃO: A amplitude de movimento da articulação tíbio-társica está diminuida nos diabetéticos, independente da presença ou ausência de neuropatia periférica, e os diabéticos com neuropatia periférica, apresentaram aumento no primeiro e no segundo pico da força de reação vertical do solo durante a marcha.OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the range of movement of the ankle and the vertical ground reaction force involved in gait among diabetic patients with and without peripheral neuropathy. SAMPLE AND METHOD: 36 individuals were divided into three groups: Control group - CG: 10 individuals without diabetes, Diabetic group - DG: 10 individuals with diabetes without peripheral neuropathy and Neuropathy, and Diabetic neuropathic group - DNG: 16 individuals with diabetes and peripheral diabetic neuropathy. Gait - AMTI® OR6/6m and range of tibiotarsal joint movement - System Vicom 640® was carried out in all the participants. RESULTS: The first and second vertical ground reaction force peaks were statistically higher in the neuropathy group, and the range of ankle motion was lower in the Diabetes and Neuropathy groups. CONCLUSION: The range of movement of the tibiotarsal joint is lower in diabetics, regardless of the presence or absence of peripheral neuropathy, and diabetics with peripheral neuropathy show an increase in the first and second vertical ground reaction force peaks during walking

A dinâmica da floresta neotropical e as mudanças climáticas globais

Understanding how groups of different functional groups will respond to the Global Climatic Changes is of great relevance when one thinks about conservation, management and modeling of biomass production in regions with elevated biodiversity such as the Atlantic Forest and other tropical forest. In such ecosystems, trees can play a key role in the mitigation of the impacts caused by the increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2, by absorbing part of this gas through photosynthesis and transforming it into biomass. Using a succession approach, here we present a brief introduction about the succession process, some features of the functional groups (mainly that related to forest regeneration strategies), their relationship with an atmosphere enriched with CO2, the responses of plants to these new environmental conditions and some results obtained with Brazilian species. We suggest that the use forest regeneration is more advantageous due to the higher capacity to produce positive environmental benefits, such as the increase in biodiversity. Key –words: Atlantic rain forest, CO2, ecological succession, ecophysiologyEntender como os diferentes grupos funcionais responderão às mudanças climáticas em vigor no planeta tem grande relevância quando se pensa em conservação, manejo e modelagem de produção de biomassa em regiões com elevada biodiversidade como a Mata Atlântica e outras florestas tropicais. Em ecossistemas deste tipo, as árvores podem desempenhar um papel fundamental na mitigação dos impactos causados pelas crescentes concentrações de CO2 na atmosfera, captando carbono através da fotossíntese e transformando-o em biomassa. Numa abordagem sucessional, são apresentadas neste artigo uma breve introdução sobre o processo sucessional, algumas características dos diferentes grupos funcionais (principalmente no tocante às diferentes estratégias de regeneração), sua relação com uma atmosfera enriquecida com CO2, as respostas das plantas a essa nova condição ambiental e alguns resultados obtidos com espécies brasileiras. É sugerido que o processo sucessional teria maior capacidade de captura de carbono do que do que o uso de espécies isoladas, com ganhos ambientais consideráveis devido às possibilidades de regeneração da biodiversidade

Orthopedic complications in HIV patients

O aumento considerável da expectativa de vida dos pacientes infectados pelo HIV na era do tratamento antirretroviral de alta potência, resulta em importantes alterações metabólicas e osteoarticulares decorrentes do prolongado tempo de infecção viral e desse tratamento. As complicações ortopédicas mais frequentes são as alterações da mineralização óssea, a osteonecrose, síndrome do túnel do carpo e capsulite adesiva glenoumeral, com padrão de apresentação clínica, evolução natural da doença e resposta terapêutica diferentes daqueles da população geral. Os relatos da literatura são iniciais e a experiência do serviço multidisciplinar do Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia da USP permite avanço no conhecimento das diversas patologias envolvidas e o desenvolvimento de protocolos de tratamento adequados a esses diagnósticos.The considerable increase of the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients in the age of highly-powerful antiretroviral treatment results in important metabolic and bone-joint changes resulting from a long-lasting viral infection time and from this treatment. The most common orthopaedic complications are bone mineralization changes, osteonecrosis, carpal tunnel syndrome and gleno-humeral adhesive capsulitis, with different clinical presentation features, natural disease progression and therapeutic response compared to the overall population. Literature reports are initial, and the experience of the multidisciplinary service of the University of São Paulo's Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology enables us a more in-depth knowledge about the various pathologies involved and the development of treatment protocols that are appropriate to these diagnoses

Biomechanical evaluation in runners with Achilles tendinopathy

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, ground reaction force (GRF), and function of the plantar muscles and dorsiflexors of the ankle in runners with and without Achilles tendinopathy (AT) and in nonrunners. METHODS: Seventy-two participants (42 men, 30 women; mean age: 37.3±9.9 years) were enrolled in this crosssectional study and divided into three groups: AT group (ATG, n=24), healthy runners’ group (HRG, n=24), and non-runners’ group (NRG, n=24). Both ankles were evaluated in each group. The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Scale was used for clinical and functional evaluation. GRF was evaluated using force plates and muscle strength was evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer. RESULTS: The AOFAS scores were lower in the ATG. The strike impulse was higher in the ATG than in the HRG and NRG. However, GRF was similar among the groups. The ATG exhibited lower total work at 120o /s speed than the HRG. The peak torque in concentric dorsiflexion was lower in the NRG than in the ATG and HRG. The peak torque and total work in concentric plantar flexion were lower in the NRG than in the ATG. The peak torque and total work in eccentric plantar flexion were lower in the NRG than in the ATG and HRG. CONCLUSION: Runners with AT showed higher strike impulse, lower muscle strength of the plantar flexors, and higher clinical and functional damage

Osteopenia and osteoporosis in people living with HIV: multiprofessional approach

Increasing bone mineralization abnormalities observed among people living with HIV (PLWHIV) result from various factors relating to the host, the virus, and the antiretrovirals used. Today, HIV infection is considered to be a risk factor for bone mineralization disorders. The test most recommended for diagnosing osteoporosis is measurement of bone mineral density by means of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at two sites. Osteoporosis treatment has the aims of bone mass improvement and fracture control. A combination of calcium and vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of fractures. Antiresorptive drugs act by blocking osteoclastic activity and reducing bone remodeling. On the other hand, bone-forming drugs stimulate osteoblastogenesis, thereby stimulating the formation of bone matrix. Mixed-action medications are those that are capable of both stimulating bone formation and inhibiting reabsorption. Antiresorptive drugs form the group of medications with the greatest quantity of scientific evidence confirming their efficacy in osteoporosis treatment. Physical activity is a health promotion strategy for the general population, but only preliminary data on its real value and benefit among PLWHIV are available, especially in relation to osteoporosis

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head in HIV-infected patients: preliminary results from surgical treatment for ceramic-ceramic joint replacement

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar os resultados funcionais iniciais e o índice de complicações precoces das artroplastias totais do quadril cerâmica-cerâmica em pacientes que convivem com o HIV e apresentam osteonecrose da cabeça femoral. MÉTODO: Doze pacientes HIV+ com diagnóstico de osteonecrose da cabeça do fêmur incongruente foram avaliados através de critérios clínicos, laboratoriais, pela escala funcional WOMAC antes e após o tratamento com substituição articular. RESULTADOS: Observamos que 83,3% dos indivíduos faziam uso de inibidores de protease, 75% apresentavam dislipidemia e 66,6% síndrome lipodistrófica, a melhora na evolução no escore WOMAC foi estatisticamente significativa para seis e 12 meses de pós-operatório em comparação com o escore pré-operatório e não observamos complicações secundárias a esse procedimento. CONCLUSÃO: A artroplastia total do quadril com implante de cerâmica-cerâmica para o tratamento da necrose avascular do quadril nessa parcela da população é opção cirúrgica adequada, apresenta melhora funcional inicial significativa e baixo índice de complicação precoce