Paikallisista malleista yhtenäiseen käytäntöön toimintakyvyn arviointimenetelmien valinnassa ja kuntoutuksen suunnittelussa : Esimerkkinä CP-oireisto

Kuntoutuminen on yksilöllistä toimintaa, mikä edellyttää tarpeiden tunnistamista, yksilöllisten tavoitteiden asettamista ja kuntoutumista tukevien toimenpiteiden suunnittelua yhdessä kuntoutujan ja hänen läheistensä kanssa sekä oikea-aikaista toteutusta. CP (Cerebral Palsy) on yleisin pitkäaikaista ja vaativaa moniammatillista kuntoutusta vaativa diagnoosiryhmä. Tässä raportissa kuvataan hankekokonaisuus, jonka tavoitteeksi asetettiin kansallisesti yhdenmukainen arviointimenetelmien käyttö CP-oireiston hoidossa ja kuntoutuksessa. Hankkeen ensimmäisessä vaiheessa todettiin kansallisesti epäyhtenäinen käytäntö toimintakyvyn arvioinnissa sekä lääkinnällisen hoidon ja kuntoutuksen toteutuksessa lapsilla ja nuorilla, joilla on CP-oireisto. Toisessa hankevaiheessa tunnistettiin ja pilotoitiin moniammatillisen työryhmän yhteistyössä kliiniseen käyttöön soveltuvat arviointimenetelmät. Hankkeen kolmannessa vaiheessa keskityttiin valittujen arviointimenetelmien implementointiin laajempaan kansalliseen käyttöön ja lopuksi arvioitiin, miten toimintakäytäntö todellisuudessa muuttui. Lopullisiin arviointimenetelmiin päätyminen ja niiden implementoiminen käytäntöön on edellyttänyt eri menetelmien käytettävyyden testaamista, niiden lisäarvon tunnistamista, toistuvaa valintojen kyseenalaistamista, laajaa yhteistyötä ja jatkuvaa koulutusta sekä koulutusmateriaalin kehittämistä. Keskeistä muutosprosessin onnistumisessa on ollut kunkin paikkakunnan ja ammattiryhmän muutoksen toteutumisesta vastuullisten työntekijöiden (ns. knowledge broker) sitoutunut työ yhteisen tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi. Hankekokonaisuus on osoittanut, että muutosprosessissa tarvitaan valmiutta ja rohkeutta oman toiminnan kriittiseen tarkasteluun. Arkitoiminnan tekeminen näkyväksi videoimalla kuntoutussuunnitelmapalavereja ja analysoimalla tarkemmin asiakirjojen kuten kuntoutussuunnitelmien sisältöjä auttoi tunnistamaan, että ohjeet ja puheet eivät yksinään riitä muuttamaan toimintakäytäntöjä. Muutokseen vaaditaan paitsi kunkin työntekijän myös organisaation osaamisen ja asenteiden muutosta sekä aikaresursseja. Kansallisesti yhtenäisistä arviointimenetelmistä sopiminen on ajankohtainen asia, sillä soteuudistuksessa toimenpiteiden oikein kohdistaminen ja vaikutusten vertaisarviointi tulevat olemaan keskeisiä periaatteita. Tämä hankekokonaisuus keskittyi CP-oireistoon, mutta samaa toimintamallia voidaan käyttää myös muiden sairauksien, oireyhtymien sekä vammojen arviointikäytäntöjen yhdenmukaistamiseen. Yhtenäiseen arviointikäytäntöön on mahdollista päästä, mutta muutoksen toteutus on pitkällinen prosessi, jossa on jatkuvasti huomioitava niin muutosta fasilitoivat kuin estävätkin tekijät. Hankekokonaisuus osoitti myös, että toimintakyvyn arviointimenetelmiä ei tule valita käytännön toimijoita kuulematta ja ilman että menetelmien kliininen käytettävyys ja merkitys varmistetaan

Sixfold Post-Fracture Mortality in 16-To 30-Year-Old Patients-Suicides, Homicides, and Intoxications Among Leading Causes of Death

Background and Aims: The death of any young individual is associated with the loss of many potentially fulfilling years of life. It has been suggested that the relative mortality of fracture patients may be higher in younger age groups than in older cohorts. We determined the mortality and causes of death in a cohort of 16- to 30-year-old patients that had been hospitalized for fractures. Material and Methods: We collected data using criteria based on the diagnosis code (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision), surgical procedure code (Nordic Medico-Statistical Committee), and seven additional characteristics of patients admitted to the trauma ward at the Central Finland Hospital between 2002 and 2008. Patients were then followed to ascertain their mortality status until the end of 2012. Standardized mortality ratios were calculated and causes of death were determined by combining our registry data with data provided by Statistics Finland. Results: During the study, 199 women and 525 men aged 16-30 years had sustained fractures. None of these patients died during the primary hospital stay. At the end of follow-up (mean duration 7.4 years), 6 women and 23 men had died. The standardized mortality ratio for all patients was 6.2 (95% Confidence Interval: 4.3-8.9). Suicides and intoxications comprised over half, and motor vehicle accidents and homicides comprised nearly a third of the post-fracture deaths. Conclusion: We found a concerning increase in mortality among young adults that had been hospitalized due to a fracture compared to the general population that had been standardized by age, sex, and calendar-period. Leading causes of death were suicides and intoxications or motor vehicle accidents and homicides, which may be indicative of depressive disorders or impulse control disorders, respectively. Identification of the underlying psychosocial problems may provide an opportunity for preventive interventions.Peer reviewe

T2 relaxation time mapping reveals age- and species-related diversity of collagen network architecture in articular cartilage

SummaryObjectiveThe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameter T2 relaxation time has been shown to be sensitive to the collagen network architecture of articular cartilage. The aim of the study was to investigate the agreement of T2 relaxation time mapping and polarized light microscopy (PLM) for the determination of histological properties (i.e., zone and fibril organization) of articular cartilage.MethodsT2 relaxation time was determined at 9.4T field strength in healthy adult human, juvenile bovine and juvenile porcine patellar cartilage, and related to collagen anisotropy and fibril angle as measured by quantitative PLM.ResultsBoth T2 and PLM revealed a mutually consistent but varying number of collagen-associated laminae (3, 3–5 or 3–7 laminae in human, porcine and bovine cartilage, respectively). Up to 44% of the depth-wise variation in T2 was accounted for by the changing anisotropy of collagen fibrils, confirming that T2 contrast of articular cartilage is strongly affected by the collagen fibril anisotropy. A good correspondence was observed between the thickness of T2-laminae and collagenous zones as determined from PLM anisotropy measurements (r=0.91, r=0.95 and r=0.91 for human, bovine and porcine specimens, respectively).ConclusionsAccording to the present results, T2 mapping is capable of detecting histological differences in cartilage collagen architecture among species, likely to be strongly related to the differences in maturation of the tissue. This diversity in the MRI appearance of healthy articular cartilage should also be recognized when using juvenile animal tissue as a model for mature human cartilage in experimental studies

Repair of osteochondral defects with recombinant human type II collagen gel and autologous chondrocytes in rabbit

SummaryObjectiveRecombinant human type II collagen (rhCII) gels combined with autologous chondrocytes were tested as a scaffold for cartilage repair in rabbits in vivo.MethodAutologous chondrocytes were harvested, expanded and combined with rhCII-gel and further pre-cultivated for 2 weeks prior to transplantation into a 4 mm diameter lesion created into the rabbit's femoral trochlea (n = 8). Rabbits with similar untreated lesions (n = 7) served as a control group.ResultsSix months after the transplantation the repair tissue in both groups filled the lesion site, but in the rhCII-repair the filling was more complete. Both repair groups also had high proteoglycan and type II collagen contents, except in the fibrous superficial layer. However, the integration to the adjacent cartilage was incomplete. The O'Driscoll grading showed no significant differences between the rhCII-repair and spontaneous repair, both representing lower quality than intact cartilage. In the repair tissues the collagen fibers were abnormally organized and oriented. No dramatic changes were detected in the subchondral bone structure. The repair cartilage was mechanically softer than the intact tissue. Spontaneously repaired tissue showed lower values of equilibrium and dynamic modulus than the rhCII-repair. However, the differences in the mechanical properties between all three groups were insignificant.ConclusionWhen rhCII was used to repair cartilage defects, the repair quality was histologically incomplete, but still the rhCII-repairs showed moderate mechanical characteristics and a slight improvement over those in spontaneous repair. Therefore, further studies using rhCII for cartilage repair with emphasis on improving integration and surface protection are required

Decline after immobilisation and recovery after remobilisation of synovial fluid IL1, TIMP, and chondroitin sulphate levels in young beagle dogs

OBJECTIVE: To monitor the concentration of markers of cartilage and synovium metabolism in the knee (stifle) joint synovial fluid of young beagles subjected to immobilisation and subsequent remobilisation.METHODS: The right hind limb of 17 dogs was immobilised in flexion for 11 weeks. Simultaneously, the contralateral left knee was exposed to increased weight bearing. The remobilisation period lasted 50 weeks. Litter mates served as controls. The concentration in joint lavage fluid of interleukin 1 (IL1) was measured by immunoassay, the activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was determined by an extraction method, chondroitin sulphate (CS) concentration by precipitation with Alcian blue, hyaluronan (HA) by an ELISA-like assay using biotinylated HA-binding complexes, matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) by sandwich ELISA, and synovitis was scored by light microscopy.RESULTS: Synovitis or effusion was absent in all experimental and control groups. Immobilisation decreased the joint lavage fluid levels of IL1 (p<0.05), TIMP (p< 0.05), and the concentration of CS down to 38 (p<0.05) in comparison with untreated litter mates with normal weight bearing. Immobilisation did not affect the activity of PLA2, or the concentration of MMP-3 or HA in synovial fluid. Joint remobilisation restored the decreased concentrations of markers to control levels. Increased weight bearing did not change the concentrations of markers in comparison with the control joints with normal weight bearing.CONCLUSIONS: 11 weeks joint immobilisation decreased the concentration of markers of cartilage and synovium metabolism in the synovial fluid, and remobilisation restored the concentrations to control levels. The changes in joint metabolism induced by immobilisation, as reflected by the markers, are thus different from those found in osteoarthritis, where increased levels of these markers are associated with enhanced degradation and synthesis. These findings suggest that the change induced in joint metabolism by immobilisation is reversible in its early stages

Relationship between lower limb neuromuscular performanceand bone strength in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis

Objectives: To investigate whether neuromuscular performance predicts lower limb bone strength in different lower limb sites in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Neuromuscular performance of 139 volunteer women aged 50-68 with mild knee OA was measured using maximal counter movement jump test, isometric knee flexion and extension force and figure-of-eight-running test. Femoral neck section modulus (Z, mm3) was determined by data obtained from dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry. Data obtained using peripheral quantitative computed tomography was used to asses distal tibia compressive (BSId, g2/cm4) and tibial mid-shaft bending (SSImaxmid, mm3) strength indices. Results: After adjustment for height, weight and age, counter movement jump peak power production was the strongest independent predictor for Z (&beta;=0.44; p&lt;0.001) and for BSId (&beta;=0.32; p=0.003). This was also true in concentric net impulse for Z (&beta;=0.37; p=0.001) and for BSId (&beta;=0.40; p&lt;0.001). Additionally, knee extension force (&beta;=0.30; p&lt;0.001) and figure-of-eight-running test (&beta;= -0.32; p&lt;0.001) were among strongest independent predictors for BSId after adjustments. For SSImaxmid, concentric net impulse (&beta;=0.33; p=0.002) remained as the strongest independent predictor after adjustments. Conclusions: Neuromuscular performance in postmenopausal women with mild knee OA predicted lower limb bone strength in every measured skeletal site

Long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes and patient satisfaction after adult spinal deformity correction

Background and Aims: Adult spinal deformity surgery has increased with the aging population and modern surgical approaches, although it has high complication and reoperation rates. The permanence of radiographic correction, mechanical complications, predictive factors for poor patient-reported outcomes, and patient satisfaction were analyzed. Material and Methods: A total of 79 adult patients were retrospectively analyzed at baseline and 1-9 years after adult spinal deformity correction between 2007 and 2016. Patient-reported outcomes (Oswestry Disability Index, visual analog scale, and Scoliosis Research Society-30 scores), changes in radiographic alignment, indications for reoperation, predictors of poor outcomes according to the Oswestry Disability Index and Scoliosis Research Society-30 scores, and patient satisfaction with management were studied. Results: Oswestry Disability Index and visual analog scale scores (p = 0.001), radiographic correction of thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and pelvic retroversion (pPeer reviewe

Targeted re-sequencing of linkage region on 2q21 identifies a novel functional variant for hip and knee osteoarthritis

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify genetic variants predisposing to primary hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in a sample of Finnish families. Methods: Genome wide analysis was performed using 15 independent families (279 individuals) originating from Central Finland identified as having multiple individuals with primary hip and/or knee OA. Targeted re-sequencing was performed for three samples from one 33-member, four-generation family contributing most significantly to the LOD score. In addition, exome sequencing was performed in three family members from the same family. Results: Genome wide linkage analysis identified a susceptibility locus on chromosome 2q21 with a multipoint LOD score of 3.91. Targeted re-sequencing and subsequent linkage analysis revealed a susceptibility insertion variant rs11446594. It locates in a predicted strong enhancer element region with maximum LOD score 3.42 under dominant model of inheritance. Insertion creates a recognition sequence for ELF3 and HMGA1 transcription factors. Their DNA-binding affinity is highly increased in the presence of A-allele compared to wild type null allele. Conclusion: A potentially novel functional OA susceptibility variant was identified by targeted resequencing. This variant locates in a predicted regulatory site and creates a recognition sequence for ELF3 and HMGA1 transcription factors that are predicted to play a significant role in articular cartilage homeostasis. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd and Osteoarthritis Research Society International.Peer reviewe

Efficacy of progressive aquatic resistance training for tibiofemoral cartilage in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis : a randomised controlled trial

Objective: To study the efficacy of aquatic resistance training on biochemical composition of tibiofemoral cartilage in postmenopausal women with mild knee osteoarthritis (OA). Design: Eighty seven volunteer postmenopausal women, aged 60-68 years, with mild knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grades I/II and knee pain) were recruited and randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 43) and control (n = 44) group. The intervention group participated in 48 supervised aquatic resistance training sessions over 16 weeks while the control group maintained usual level of physical activity. The biochemical composition of the medial and lateral tibiofemoral cartilage was estimated using single-slice transverse relaxation time (T2) mapping and delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC index). Secondary outcomes were cardiorespiratory fitness, isometric knee extension and flexion force and knee injury and OA outcome (KOOS) questionnaire. Results: After 4-months aquatic training, there was a significant decrease in both T2 -1.2 ms (95% confidence interval (CI): -2.3 to -0.1, P = 0.021) and dGEMRIC index -23 ms (-43 to -3, P = 0.016) in the training group compared to controls in the full thickness posterior region of interest (ROI) of the medial femoral cartilage. Cardiorespiratory fitness significantly improved in the intervention group by 9.8% (P = 0.010). Conclusions: Our results suggest that, in postmenopausal women with mild knee OA, the integrity of the collagen-interstitial water environment (T2) of the tibiofemoral cartilage may be responsive to low shear and compressive forces during aquatic resistance training. More research is required to understand the exact nature of acute responses in dGEMRIC index to this type of loading. Further, aquatic resistance training improves cardiorespiratory fitness. (C) 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe