CT-guided percutaneous drilling is a safe and reliable method of treating osteoid osteomas

Computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous drilling is an alternative for osteoid osteoma treatment. This study aims to evaluate the remodeling of the drill orifice. The success rate and complications were also recorded and compared with other treatment methods. Fifteen patients with an average age of fourteen years (ranging from 4 to 25) submitted to CT-guided percutaneous drilling between 2003 and 2009 were retrospectively analyzed according to clinical and radiological criteria. Fourteen cases showed complete alleviation of pain one week after surgery. No relapse was detected even in the subject who continued complaining of pain. All patients were treated with a day-hospital regimen and were discharged with partial weight bearing. Total weight bearing was allowed after one month, and sports were allowed after consolidation, which occurred in all but one case after the third month. One patient, who did not follow our medical advice, returned to sports activities after two weeks and experienced a fracture as a result. Atrophy of the vastus lateralis muscle developed after the procedure in another patient. Our case series suggests that this method is reliable and safe. The level of complexity is comparable with other minimally invasive percutaneous procedures. The cost is low because there is no need to buy probes or other equipment. The negative points include weakening of the bone and the logistical problem of assembling the orthopedic surgeon, radiologist, and anesthesiologist in the tomography room

Osteointegration of porous absorbable bone substitutes: A systematic review of the literature

Biomaterials’ structural characteristics and the addition of osteoinductors influence the osteointegration capacity of bone substitutes. This study aims to identify the characteristics of porous and resorbable bone substitutes that influence new bone formation. An Internet search for studies reporting new bone formation rates in bone defects filled with porous and resorbable substitutes was performed in duplicate using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scielo, and University of São Paulo Digital Library databases. Metaphyseal or calvarial bone defects 4 to 10 mm in diameter from various animal models were selected. New bone formation rates were collected from the histomorphometry or micro-CT data. The following variables were analyzed: animal model, bone region, defect diameter, follow-up time after implantation, basic substitute material, osteoinductor addition, pore size and porosity. Of 3,266 initially identified articles, 15 articles describing 32 experimental groups met the inclusion criteria. There were no differences between the groups in the experimental model characteristics, except for the follow-up time, which showed a very weak to moderate correlation with the rate of new bone formation. In terms of the biomaterial and structural characteristics, only porosity showed a significant influence on the rate of new bone formation. Higher porosity is related to higher new bone formation rates. The influence of other characteristics could not be identified, possibly due to the large variety of experimental models and methodologies used to estimate new bone formation rates. We suggest the inclusion of standard control groups in future experimental studies to compare biomaterials

What do they do after class? extra curriculum activities of medical students of ribeirão preto-University of São Paulo

Em 1999, o Programa Especial de Treinamento da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, da Universidade de São Paulo realizou um estudo com 326 alunos, do primeiro ao quarto ano, com o objetivo de identificar e descrever as atividades extracurriculares desses alunos. Em 2002, o estudo foi repetido, utilizando-se o mesmo instrumento, aplicado em 360 alunos. Trata-se, portanto, de estudo transversal, cujas variáveis estudadas são: idade, sexo, ano do curso, atividades extracurriculares ligadas à FMRP-USP, motivo da pratica de tais atividades, horas despendidas com elas, grau de satisfação e motivo de satisfação e insatisfação. Do total de entrevistados, 64% são homens e 36% são mulheres. A média da idade é 20,7 anos e apenas 8% (29) não estavam engajados em nenhuma atividade extracurricular na época da entrevista. Das atividades mais freqüentadas estão as ligas (73%), os treinos esportivos (53%), os estágios em laboratório de iniciação científica (31,5%) e os plantões voluntários (31%). Das atividades não relacionadas à Faculdade, 36% referiram-se ao estudo de uma língua estrangeira e 24,5%, à música ou ao teatro. A maioria gasta, pelo menos, cinco horas semanais com essas atividades. Maior número de atividades foi encontrado, associado ao maior o tempo de permanência do aluno no curso médico (p=0,002), embora a carga horária da grade curricular também aumente com o passar do tempo. Embora não tenham sido encontradas grandes diferenças, ao compararmos os alunos entrevistados em 1999 e 2002, houve aumento significativo de participação em ligas, já que novas foram criadas no período.In 1999 the Special Training Programme of the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto conducted a study with 326 undergraduate students from the first to the fourth grade aiming to identify and describe their extra curriculum activities. In 2002 the study was repeated administering the same questionnaire among 360 students. It is, therefore, a cross-seccional study in which the variables are age, sex, grade of course, extra curriculum activities linked to the school, reasons for these activities, weekly hours spent with them, satisfaction levels and reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction. From the total of interviewees 64% are male and 36% female, the median age found was 20,7 years old and only 8% (29) of students are not enrolled in any extra curriculum activity at the time of the interview. Belonging to a study group named “leagues” (73%), practicing some sport (53%), developing research (31,5%) or voluntary medical night calls (31%) are amongst the most popular actitivies. Among the activities not linked to the school most students reported to study a foreign language (36%), music or theatre (24,5%). Most of them reported spending at least five hours per week with some of these activivies. Greater number of activities were found associated to higher grade at medical school (p=0,002) despite the increase of time in class. Although there were not found great differences among the students interviewed in 1999 and 2002, there was a significant increase of participation in “leagues” since new of them were created during this time

O alendronato de sódio na prevenção da osteopenia secundária à imobilização gessada, em ratas: avaliação histomorfométrica Alendronate sodium to prevent osteopenia caused by cast immobilization in female rats: histomorphometric evaluation

OBJETIVO: Analisar, por meio da histomorfometria, o efeito do alendronato de sódio sobre o trabeculado ósseo de ratos, quando administrado simultaneamente com imobilização gessada. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados quatro grupos com cinco fêmeas de ratos Wistar: 1) imobilizado; 2) não imobilizado + alendronato; 3) imobilizado + alendronato; e 4) controle. A imobilização foi feita com gesso pelvipodálico aplicado até o membro posterior direito e o alendronato foi administrado em doses semanais. O período de observação foi de 28 dias e realizada histomorfometria da metáfise proximal da tíbia, com análise do número de trabéculas, volume ósseo, espessura trabecular e separação trabecular. RESULTADOS: O grupo imobilizado apresentou volume ósseo menor que os demais grupos. Os animais que receberam alendronato semanal, tanto imobilizados, quanto não imobilizados, apresentaram volume ósseo maior que o controle. A espessura trabecular no grupo imobilizado foi menor do que nos grupos controle e não imobilizado que recebeu alendronato, mas não apresentou diferença significativa em relação ao imobilizado com alendronato. O grupo imobilizado apresentou separação trabecular maior que os demais grupos. Os grupos não imobilizado, sem imobilização que recebeu alendronato e imobilizado que recebeu alendronato apresentaram aumento no número de trabéculas em relação ao grupo imobilizado. CONCLUSÃO: A imobilização empregada efetivamente levou à osteopenia, verificada pela diminuição de todos os principais parâmetros histomorfométricos estudados. Estas alterações foram prevenidas pela administração concomitante de alendronato sódico, exceto com relação à espessura trabecular. O alendronato de sódio foi capaz de aumentar os parâmetros morfométricos, mesmo em animais não imobilizados.<br>OBJECTIVE: Using histomorphometric means to analyze the effect of alendronate sodium on the bone trabeculate of rats administered concomitantly with cast immobilization. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were distributed in four groups with five animals each: 1) cast-immobilized; 2) no immobilization + alendronate; 3) cast-immobilized + alendronate; and 4) control. Immobilization was done with pelvipodalic cast applied till the right hind limb and alendronate was administered in weekly doses. The observation period was 28 days and histomorphometric evaluations were performed in the proximal tibial metaphysis, analyzing the number of trabeculae, bone volume, trabecular thickness, and trabecular separation. RESULTS: The immobilized group presented less bone volume than the other groups. The animals receiving alendronate every week, whether or not immobilized, presented a greater bone volume than the control group. Trabecular thickness in the immobilized group was less than in the control and in the non-immobilized groups that received alendronate, but had no significant difference when compared to the immobilized with alendronate group. The immobilized group presented greater trabecular separation than the other groups. In the non-immobilized groups, the non-immobilized group that received alendronate and the immobilized group that received alendronate presented an increased number of trabeculae when compared to the immobilized group. CONCLUSION: The immobilization used led to osteopenia, as confirmed by the decrease in all of the main histomorphometric parameters studied. Such changes were prevented with the concomitant administration of alendronate sodium, exception being made to the trabecular thickness. Alendronate sodium was able to increase morphometric parameters, even in non-immobilized animals

Osteointegration of porous absorbable bone substitutes: A systematic review of the literature

Biomaterials’ structural characteristics and the addition of osteoinductors influence the osteointegration capacity of bone substitutes. This study aims to identify the characteristics of porous and resorbable bone substitutes that influence new bone formation. An Internet search for studies reporting new bone formation rates in bone defects filled with porous and resorbable substitutes was performed in duplicate using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scielo, and University of São Paulo Digital Library databases. Metaphyseal or calvarial bone defects 4 to 10 mm in diameter from various animal models were selected. New bone formation rates were collected from the histomorphometry or micro-CT data. The following variables were analyzed: animal model, bone region, defect diameter, follow-up time after implantation, basic substitute material, osteoinductor addition, pore size and porosity. Of 3,266 initially identified articles, 15 articles describing 32 experimental groups met the inclusion criteria. There were no differences between the groups in the experimental model characteristics, except for the follow-up time, which showed a very weak to moderate correlation with the rate of new bone formation. In terms of the biomaterial and structural characteristics, only porosity showed a significant influence on the rate of new bone formation. Higher porosity is related to higher new bone formation rates. The influence of other characteristics could not be identified, possibly due to the large variety of experimental models and methodologies used to estimate new bone formation rates. We suggest the inclusion of standard control groups in future experimental studies to compare biomaterials

Primary cardiac lymphoma in dog

Lymphomas are malignant neoplasm characterized by proliferation of lymphocytes that originate primarily in lymphoid organ such as lymph nodes, liver, spleen and bone marrow. However the feature of continuous migration of lymphocytes in different organs, this tumor can develop in any organ. Although lymphoma is a very common hematopoietic neoplasm in dogs, cardiac location is rare. The diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma may be performed when there is involvement of the heart and/or the pericardium without evidence of involvement in other organs. In veterinary medicine there are few reports on the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of cardiac lymphoma. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to describe a case of cardiac lymphoma in which the patient responded favorably to chemotherapy employee with disease-free interval of 19 months and highlight the importance of including this neoplasm in the differential diagnosis of diseases that affect the cardiovascular system