Articular cartilage mineralization in osteoarthritis of the hip

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of articular cartilage calcification in patients with end-stage hip OA. Further, its impact on the clinical situation and the OA severity are analyzed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighty patients with OA of the hip who consecutively underwent total hip replacement were prospectively evaluated, and 10 controls were included. The patients' X-rays were analyzed for the presence of articular cartilage mineralization. A Harris Hip Score (HHS) was preoperatively calculated for every patient.</p> <p>Slab specimens from the femoral head of bone and cartilage and an additional square centimeter of articular cartilage from the main chondral defect were obtained from each patient for analysis of mineralization by digital contact radiography (DCR). Histological grading was also performed. In a subset of 20 patients, minerals were characterized with an electron microscope (FE-SEM).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Calcifications were seen in all OA cartilage and slab specimens using DCR, while preoperative X-rays revealed calcification in only 17.5%. None of the control cartilage specimens showed mineralization. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between articular cartilage calcification and preoperative HHS. Histological OA grade correlated positively with the amount of matrix calcification. FE-SEM analysis revealed basic calcium phosphate (BCP) as the predominant mineral; CPPD crystals were found in only two patients.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Articular cartilage calcification is a common event in osteoarthritis of the hip. The amount of calcification correlates with clinical symptoms and histological OA grade.</p

Acupuncture in migraine: investigation of autonomic effect

OBJECTIVE: A dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system is discussed as a pathogenetic factor in migraine. As acupuncture has been shown to exhibit considerable autonomic effects, we tested whether the clinical effects of acupuncture in migraine prophylaxis are mediated by changes of the autonomic regulation. METHODS: We simultaneously monitored changes of heart-rate variability (HRV) as an index of cardiac autonomic control and clinical improvement during an acupuncture treatment in 30 migraineurs. HRV was derived from spectral analysis of the electrocardiogram, which was performed before, during, and after the first and the last session of a series of 12 acupuncture sessions. Migraineurs were randomly allocated to 2 groups receiving either verum acupuncture (VA) or sham acupuncture (SA) treatment. RESULTS: Across the combined VA and SA groups, the clinical responders (with at least 50% reduction of migraine attacks) exhibited a decrease of the low-frequency (LF) power of HRV in the course of the treatment, which was not be observed in patients without clinical benefit. VA compared with SA induced a stronger decrease of high-frequency power. The mode of acupuncture, however, did not have an impact on the LF component of HRV or the clinical outcome. DISCUSSION: The data indicate, that VA and SA acupuncture might have a beneficial influence on the autonomic nervous system in migraineurs with a reduction of the LF power of HRV related to the clinical effect. This might be due to a reduction of sympathetic nerve activity. VA and SA induce different effects on the high-frequency component of HRV, which seem, however, not to be relevant for the clinical outcome in migraine