Predictors of shoulder degeneration in the KwaZulu-Natal population of South Africa

The critical shoulder angle and acromion index are conventional radiological tools employed as predictors of shoulder degeneration. As they represent the static components of glenohumeral stability, the scapulo-humeral geometry and underlying subacromial tissue appear as the resultant cause-effect factors. Consequently. the purpose of this study was to investigate the critical shoulder angle and acromion index as interrelated parameters within the South African population. The measurement of both biomechanical parameters was conducted on two-hundred and sixty (n = 260) true AP radiographs. This was a cross-sectional study that also incorporated the demographic representation of the population group which was analysed accordingly. The mean values recorded for both the critical shoulder angle (36.31 +/- 5.84 degrees) and acromion index (0.74 +/- 0.13) suggested rotator cuff arthropathy. The results confirmed the theories of Nyffeler et al. (2006) and Moor et al. (2012) who alluded to glenoid inclination and the acromial coverage over the humeral head. A significant proportionality correlation, verified by a P value of 0.000, was established between the acromion index and critical shoulder angle which may assist to differentiate between normal asymptomatic shoulders and those with cuff disease. Furthermore, these predictors of shoulder degeneration may present as a preventative tool against tear progression

A radiographic review of the subacromial architecture : a South African study

The subacromial space, which is occupied by the subacromial bursa, rotator cuff complex and the long head of the biceps brachii tendon, is a wellknown area of study due to its association with subacromial disease. Although it is demarcated by the coraco-acromial arch and the supraglenoid tubercle, degenerative changes in these osteological components often lead to mechanical narrowing and subsequent tendon abrasion. In addition to the morphological characteristics, the morphometry of the subacromial architecture is considered to play an important role in maintaining glenohumeral stability. Accordingly, the present study outlined the morphometry of the subacromial architecture and the acromial morphology from a radiological perspective. A total of 120 true lateral-outlet view radiographs (n = 120), representative of 58 males and 62 females of the Black (12), Coloured (10), Indian (27) and White (71) race groups, were analysed. In addition to calculation of the standard and populationspecific means, the acromial classification scheme of Bigliani et al. (1986) was adopted. A trend of ascending values from Type III (16.7%) to Type II (37.5%) to Type I (45.8%) acromia was noted. Various shapes of the subacromial space were observed, viz. rhomboidal (20.0%), trapezoidal (65.8%) and triangular (14.1%). Since a statistically significant P value of 0.030 was recorded for the comparison of acromial type with the shape of the subacromial space, the shape of the subacromial space appeared to be dependent on the acromial type. While the parameters were determined with regard to the demographic representation of South Africa, this study also provided standard mean values which were not previously reported. Furthermore, the correlation of the acromio-glenoidal length with side, gender and shape of the subacromial space reflected levels of significance and highlighted this parameter as a diagnostic determinant of subacromial disease due to its tendency to change in accordance with the demographic and morphological factors

Antimicrobial activity of phytic acid: an emerging agent in dentistry

Background: Phytic acid (IP6) is a promising and emerging agent, and because of its unique structure and distinctive properties, it lends itself to several applications in dentistry. Recently, IP6 was proposed as a potential chelating agent in endodontics. However, there is limited knowledge regarding its antimicrobial and antibiofilm effectiveness. The aims of this study, were therefore to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of IP6 against a range of microbial species and compare these with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The contact time required for IP6 to exert its bactericidal effect on Enterococcus faecalis was also determined. Methods: The inhibitory and biocidal activities of IP6, EDTA and NaOCl were assessed using a broth microdilution assay against 11 clinical and reference strains of bacteria and a reference strain of Candida albicans. The contact time required for various IP6 concentrations to eliminate planktonic cultures of E. faecalis was determined using a membrane filtration method according to BS-EN-1040:2005. IP6 bactericidal activity was also evaluated using fluorescent microscopy, and the antibiofilm activity of the test agents was also determined. Results: IP6 was biocidal against all tested microorganisms. At concentrations of 0.5%, 1% and 2%, IP6 required 5 min to exert a bactericidal effect on E. faecalis, while 5% IP6 was bactericidal after 30 s. IP6 also eradicated biofilms of the tested microorganisms. In conclusion, IP6 had notable antimicrobial effects on planktonic and biofilm cultures and exhibited rapid bactericidal effects on E. faecalis. This research highlighted, for the first time the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of IP6, which could be exploited, not only in dental applications, but also other fields where novel strategies to counter antimicrobial resistance are required

Deep Learning-Based Automatic Assessment of Lung Impairment in COVID-19 Pneumonia: Predicting Markers of Hypoxia With Computer Vision

BackgroundHypoxia is a potentially life-threatening condition that can be seen in pneumonia patients.ObjectiveWe aimed to develop and test an automatic assessment of lung impairment in COVID-19 associated pneumonia with machine learning regression models that predict markers of respiratory and cardiovascular functioning from radiograms and lung CT.Materials and MethodsWe enrolled a total of 605 COVID-19 cases admitted to Al Ain Hospital from 24 February to 1 July 2020 into the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: age ≥ 18 years; inpatient admission; PCR positive for SARS-CoV-2; lung CT available at PACS. We designed a CNN-based regression model to predict systemic oxygenation markers from lung CT and 2D diagnostic images of the chest. The 2D images generated by averaging CT scans were analogous to the frontal and lateral view radiograms. The functional (heart and breath rate, blood pressure) and biochemical findings (SpO2, HCO3-, K+, Na+, anion gap, C-reactive protein) served as ground truth.ResultsRadiologic findings in the lungs of COVID-19 patients provide reliable assessments of functional status with clinical utility. If fed to ML models, the sagittal view radiograms reflect dyspnea more accurately than the coronal view radiograms due to the smaller size and the lower model complexity. Mean absolute error of the models trained on single-projection radiograms was approximately 11÷12% and it dropped by 0.5÷1% if both projections were used (11.97 ± 9.23 vs. 11.43 ± 7.51%; p = 0.70). Thus, the ML regression models based on 2D images acquired in multiple planes had slightly better performance. The data blending approach was as efficient as the voting regression technique: 10.90 ± 6.72 vs. 11.96 ± 8.30%, p = 0.94. The models trained on 3D images were more accurate than those on 2D: 8.27 ± 4.13 and 11.75 ± 8.26%, p = 0.14 before lung extraction; 10.66 ± 5.83 and 7.94 ± 4.13%, p = 0.18 after the extraction. The lung extraction boosts 3D model performance unsubstantially (from 8.27 ± 4.13 to 7.94 ± 4.13%; p = 0.82). However, none of the differences between 3D and 2D were statistically significant.ConclusionThe constructed ML algorithms can serve as models of structure-function association and pathophysiologic changes in COVID-19. The algorithms can improve risk evaluation and disease management especially after oxygen therapy that changes functional findings. Thus, the structural assessment of acute lung injury speaks of disease severity

A ten-year retrospective review of patients presenting to Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital with infective endocarditis with special reference to HIV positive patients.

Masters Degree. University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban.Abstract available in PDF

Three-dimensional evaluation of the scapular morphology in primary glenohumeral arthritis, rotator cuff arthropathy and asymptomatic shoulders

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Recently, the 3D morphology of the coracoacromial complex in non-pathologic shoulders have been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the coracoacromial complex in pathological shoulders (glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) and cuff tear arthropathy (CTA)) with non-pathological shoulders (NL). METHODS: A 3D CT-reconstruction of 205 scapulae was performed (GHOA (49), CTA (48), NL (108)). Subsequently, the center of the glenoid circle and several points at the coracoid, acromion and glenoid were determined. The distances between these points and the rotation of the coracoacromial complex were calculated and the acromioglenoidal angle was measured. RESULTS: Our study showed the acromial overhang to be significantly different in the NL group (37 mm) versus CTA (35 mm) (p=0.045), and CTA versus GHOA (33mm) (p=0.010). The acromioglenoidal angle showed a significant difference between NL (mean 50°) and GHOA (mean 42°) (p<0.001) and between CTA (mean 50°) and GHOA (p<0.001). Furthermore a significant difference was found in the acromial height, which was larger in the GHOA group (36mm) than the CTA group (30mm) (p<0.001) or the NL group (30mm) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This 3D morphologic study showed that the acromial part of the complex was turned more posteriorly in both pathologic groups. Furthermore, we found the coracoacromial complex to be more cranial to the glenoid center in the GHOA group. Finally, a significant difference in lateral overhang of the coracoacromial complex was observed between the three groups. The NL group was found to have a larger overhang than CTA, and CTA in turn had a larger overhang than GHOA

Quantification of the deltoid muscle height in the region of the coraco-acromial ligament : an ultrasonographical study

Although the triangular deltoid muscle has three distinct portions originating from the scapula and acromion, the underlying coraco-acromial ligament presents as the stabilizing factor for the anterior deltoid, thus bridging the interval within the coraco-acromial arch. As the deltoid muscle integrity is vulnerable during the resection of the coraco-acromial ligament from the acromion, the purpose of this study was to quantify the height of the deltoid muscle over the region of the coraco-acromial ligament. The superior shoulder region in seventeen normal female individuals (n = 34) were bilaterally examined through an ultrasonographic system (Medelec Synergy: Acertys T2 EDX, 2012). In addition to the length of the coraco-acromial ligament, the height of the deltoid muscle was measured at three selected areas between the posterior aspect of the coracoid process and the anterior acromial tip, just superior to the coraco-acromial ligament. The mean coraco-acromial length was found to be 24.8 +/- 7.6mm. The mean deltoid height at regions 1, 2 and 3 were 8.4 +/- 2.7mm, 9.1 +/- 2.1mm and 8.4 +/- 3.0mm, respectively. The height of the deltoid muscle was recorded to be constant across all three regions related to the coraco-acromial ligament. Moreover, the specific height of the deltoid muscle in the region of the coraco-acromial ligament was not reported in the literature reviewed. In addition, this study was done to complement the introduction of the delto-fulcral triangle model by Naidoo et al. (2017). The provision of data regarding the specific deltoid height may assist to preserve the deltoid muscle and the accompanying coraco-acromial ligament during operative procedures

The expression of RANK and RANKL in control cells and inflammatory chondrocytes treated with Vitamin D and curcumin.

Panels A and F show control cells with no expression of RANK and RANKL, while panel B and D show inflammatory chondrocytes expressing RANK. Panel C demonstrates a reduction in RANK expression after treatment with 0.25 μM of Vitamin D concentration, and panel E shows a reduction in RANKL expression after the same concentration of Vitamin D treatment. Panel G depicts a reduction in RANK expression after treatment with 100 μM of curcumin concentration, while panel J shows a reduction in RANKL expression after the same concentration of curcumin treatment.</p

Western blot analysis of chondrocytes in +/- of LPS after treatment with Vitamin D and curcumin.

Western blot analysis of chondrocytes in +/- of LPS after treatment with Vitamin D and curcumin.</p