Cycling injuries and alcohol

Background: Most of the cycling accidents that occur in Finland do not end up in the official traffic accident statistics. Thus, there is minimal information on these accidents and their consequences, particularly in cases in which alcohol was involved. The focus of the present study is on cycling accidents and injuries involving alcohol in particular. Methods: Data on patients visiting the emergency department at North Kymi Hospital because of a cycling accident was prospectively collected for two years, from June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2006. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured on admission with a breath analyser. The severity of the cycling injuries was classified according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). Results: A total of 217 cycling accidents occurred. One third of the injured cyclists were involved with alcohol at the time of visiting the hospital. Of these, 85% were males. A blood alcohol concentration of Conclusions: Cyclists involved with alcohol were, in most cases, heavily intoxicated and were not wearing a bicycle helmet. Head injuries were more common among these cyclists than among sober cyclists. As cycling continues to increase, it is important to monitor cycling accidents, improve the accident statistics and heighten awareness of the risks of head injuries when cycling under the influence of alcohol. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

A meta-analysis of previous falls and subsequent fracture risk in cohort studies

NC Harvey acknowledges funding from the UK Medical Research Council (MC_PC_21003; MC_PC_21001). The WHI program is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through 75N92021D00001, 75N92021D00002, 75N92021D00003, 75N92021D00004, and 75N92021D00005. Funding for the MrOS USA study comes from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research under the following grant numbers: U01 AG027810, U01 AG042124, U01 AG042139, U01 AG042140, U01 AG042143, U01 AG042145, U01 AG042168, U01 AR066160, and UL1 TR000128. Funding for the SOF study comes from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), supported by grants (AG05407, AR35582, AG05394, AR35584, and AR35583). Funding for the Health ABC study was from the Intramural research program at the National Institute on Aging under the following contract numbers: NO1-AG-6–2101, NO1-AG-6–2103, and NO1-AG-6–2106.Peer reviewedPostprin

Effects of antidepressants on postmenopausal bone loss - a 5-year longitudinal study from the OSTPRE cohort

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis and depression are major health problems worldwide. The association between antidepressants, a treatment for depression, and bone health needs more detailed exploration. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigates antidepressant medication use and postmenopausal bone loss over time. METHODS: A total of 1988 women (aged 57-67) participating in the Kuopio Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention Study (OSTPRE) cohort responded to a postal enquiry and had their femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) measured in 1999 and again in 2004. Data on antidepressant use was obtained from the National Prescription Register. Multiple regression techniques were used to test the associations, before and after adjustment for anthropometric, medical, physical and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Over the five years of follow-up, 319 (16.0%) women purchased antidepressants. Mean baseline femoral neck BMD for the entire study group was 881mg/cm(2) (SD 123) and mean 5-year bone loss was 6.0mg/cm(2) (SD 4.7). After adjustments, users of tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) had greater annual BMD loss than non-users (-3.6mg/cm(2) vs. -1.1mg/cm(2); P=0.031). Accelerated bone loss was also associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor\u27s (SSRI) use (P=0.001) and use of other antidepressants in a dose-response way, with the latter only among women of low-weight and normal-weight women who had lost weight over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the use of SSRIs seems to accelerate postmenopausal bone loss in a dose-response manner. Associations between TCA and other antidepressant use and bone loss may also exist. Thus, the possibility of increased risk of osteoporosis should be considered when prescribing antidepressants for postmenopausal women

Near-infrared spectroscopy for mapping of human meniscus biochemical constituents

Abstract Degenerative changes in meniscus are diagnosed during surgery by means of mechanical testing and visual evaluation. This method is qualitative and highly subjective, providing very little information on the internal state of the meniscus. Thus, there is need for novel quantitative methods that can support decision-making during arthroscopic surgery. In this study, we investigate the potential of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for mapping the biochemical constituents of human meniscus, including water, uronic acid, and hydroxyproline contents. Partial least squares regression models were developed using data from 115 measurement locations of menisci samples extracted from 7 cadavers and 11 surgery patient donors. Model performance was evaluated using an independent test set consisting of 55 measurement locations within a meniscus sample obtained from a separate cadaver. The correlation coefficient of calibration (ρtraining), test set (ρtest), and root-mean-squared error of test set (RMSEP) were as follows: water (ρtraining = 0.61, ρtest = 0.39, and RMSEP = 2.27 percentage points), uronic acid (ρtraining = 0.68, ρtest = 0.69, and RMSEP = 6.09 basis points), and hydroxyproline (ρtraining = 0.84, ρtest = 0.58, and error = 0.54 percentage points). In conclusion, the results suggest that NIRS could enable rapid arthroscopic mapping of changes in meniscus biochemical constituents, thus providing means for quantitative assessment of meniscus degeneration

Structure–function relationships of healthy and osteoarthritic human tibial cartilage:experimental and numerical investigation

Abstract Relationships between composition, structure and constituent-specific functional properties of human articular cartilage at different stages of osteoarthritis (OA) are poorly known. We established these relationships by comparison of elastic, viscoelastic and fibril-reinforced poroelastic mechanical properties with microscopic and spectroscopic analysis of structure and composition of healthy and osteoarthritic human tibial cartilage (n = 27). At a low frequency (0.005 Hz), proteoglycan content correlated negatively and collagen content correlated positively with the phase difference (i.e. tissue viscosity). At a high-frequency regime (> 0.05 Hz), proteoglycan content correlated negatively and collagen orientation angle correlated positively with the phase difference. Proteoglycans were lost in the early and advanced OA groups compared to the healthy group, while the superficial collagen orientation angle was greater only in the advanced OA group compared to the healthy group. Simultaneously, the initial fibril network modulus (fibril pretension) was smaller in the early and advanced OA groups compared to the healthy group. These findings suggest different mechanisms contribute to cartilage viscosity in low and high frequencies, and that the loss of superficial collagen pretension during early OA is due to lower tissue swelling (PG loss), while in advanced OA, both collagen disorganization and lower swelling modulate the collagen fibril pretension

Characterization of hyaluronan-coated extracellular vesicles in synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the major extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan with a reduced synovial fluid (SF) concentration in arthropathies. Cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) have also been proposed to contribute to pathogenesis in joint diseases. It has recently been shown that human SF contains HA-coated EV (HA–EV), but their concentration and function in joint pathologies remain unknown. Methods: The aim of the present study was to develop an applicable method based on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and image analysis for the quantification of EV, HA-particles, and HA–EV in the SF of the human knee joint. Samples were collected during total knee replacement surgery from patients with end-stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA, n = 8) and osteoarthritis (OA, n = 8), or during diagnostic/therapeutic arthroscopy unrelated to OA/RA (control, n = 7). To characterize and quantify EV, HA-particles, and HA–EV, SF was double-stained with plasma membrane and HA probes and visualized by CLSM. Comparisons between the patient groups were performed with the Kruskal–Wallis analysis of variance. Results: The size distribution of EV and HA-particles was mostly similar in the study groups. Approximately 66% of EV fluorescence was co-localized with HA verifying that a significant proportion of EV carry HA. The study groups were clearly separated by the discriminant analysis based on the CLSM data. The intensities of EV and HA-particle fluorescences were lower in the RA than in the control and OA groups. Conclusions: CLSM analysis offers a useful tool to assess HA–EV in SF samples. The altered EV and HA intensities in the RA SF could have possible implications for diagnostics and therapy