Clinical and radiological midterm results from using the Fixion expandable intramedullary nail in transverse and short oblique fractures of femur and tibia

BACKGROUND: A locked nail is the principal method used to eliminate rotatory components in femoral and tibial fractures. Nevertheless, weight bearing is not directed onto the fracture site, slowing down the healing process; another possibility is to use a large-diameter nail and ream the canal to obtain as much adherence as possible and increase the grip, but this can cause a number of complications. The expandable nail is a new option that in theory should remove some problems with previous techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective nonrandomized study encompassing 21 femoral fractures and 27 tibial fractures in 45 patients. They were classified according to the AO classification. Clinical and radiological checks were done at one, three, and six months and at one year from the surgery in order to check for signs of clinical and radiological healing. A good alignment was considered to be the presence of a deformity of less than 5° in the sagittal and lateral planes and the absence of rotatory clinically evident problems. This protocol was adhered to up to six months after surgery by all of the patients, while only 62.2% performed the last control. The mean follow-up was 15 months. A second group of 48 consecutive fractures (24 femural and 24 tibial) treated with locked nail was created to compare surgical times. RESULTS: Appropriate alignment was observed in all cases; the healing process appeared slower: radiological healing occurred in most cases at six months. The following complications were reported: a case of intraoperative fracture widening with no effect on the treatment; a case of a lesion of the tip of the nail with pneumatic system rupture that necessitated nail substitution; two cases of retarded consolidation at six months, with both tibial fractures treated successfully by intralesion platelet gel; a case of incarcerated nail on 17 removals, resolved by shearing. We had no cases of clinically evident compartment syndrome or pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSIONS: The expandable Fixion nail presents significant advantages in the treatment of transverse and short oblique fractures of femur and tibia because it is easy to use, involves minimal X-ray exposure and can control rotations. Nevertheless, it high cost limits its use. We consider it as an alternative to locked nail

The playing position significantly influences return to sports and recurrences after an arthroscopic Bankart repair in competitive rugby players

Background: The purpose of our study was to investigate the influence of the different rugby playing positions on return to sports, functional outcomes, and recurrences after an arthroscopic Bankart repair. Methods: A total of 88 rugby players were treated for anterior shoulder instability in our institution between 2010 and 2018. Functional outcomes, return to sports, recurrences, complications, and revisions rates were evaluated according to the playing position. Results: Overall, 73.8% of the patients returned to rugby and 60% returned at the same level as before the injury. The tight forwards and outside backs experienced a significant decrease in their competitive level after surgery, and showed the lowest functional outcomes. The tight forwards and outside backs showed a statistically significant increase in recurrence and revision rates, and an OR for recurrence of 12.8 and 9.6, respectively. Discussion: The playing position significantly influenced return to sports and recurrences after an arthroscopic Bankart repair in competitive rugby players. Specifically, the tight forwards and outside backs have returned to a lower level than they had before surgery, showed the lowest functional outcomes, and a significant increase in recurrences and revisions rates than the other groups.Fil: Pasqualini, Ignacio. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Luciano Andrés. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: De Cicco, Franco Luis. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Tanoira, Ignacio. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Alonso Hidalgo, Ignacio. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Bongiovanni, Santiago. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Giunta, Diego Hernan. Hospital Italiano; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ranalletta, Maximiliano. Hospital Italiano; Argentin

Influencia de la consolidación de las tuberosidades en los resultados clínicos de la prótesis invertida para fracturas de húmero proximal

Objetivo: Comparar los resultados clínicos y las complicaciones de una serie consecutiva de pacientes con fracturas de húmero proximal tratados con prótesis invertida de hombro y con consolidación anatómica de las tuberosidades o sin ella. Materiales y Métodos: Se evaluó a 113 pacientes >65 años con fractura de húmero proximal tratados con prótesis invertida de hombro. Setenta presentaron consolidación anatómica de las tuberosidades y 43, ausencia de consolidación. Se evaluó el rango de movilidad, y se utilizaron los puntajes de Constant-Murley, ASES, SANE y la escala analógica visual. Se documentaron todas las complicaciones y las reoperaciones. Resultados: El seguimiento promedio fue de 56 meses (rango 24-96) y la edad media era de 73 años (rango 65-83). La elevación activa y la rotación interna medias posoperatorias fueron de 131° (± 14) y 27° (± 5), respectivamente. La rotación externa posoperatoria media en abducción y aducción fue de 27° (± 1) y 15° (± 6), respectivamente. La escala analógica visual promedio posoperatoria fue de 1,7 (± 0,8). Los puntajes ASES, de Constant-Murley y SANE promedio fueron de 76 (± 6), 62 (± 11) y 74% (± 7), respectivamente. La elevación anterior, la rotación externa y los puntajes funcionales promedio finales ASES y de Constant-Murley fueron significativamente mejores en el grupo con consolidación de las tuberosidades. Conclusiones: En pacientes >65 años con fractura de húmero proximal tratados con prótesis invertida de hombro tanto la movilidad posoperatoria, como los puntajes funcionales fueron significativamente mejores en los pacientes con consolidación anatómica de las tuberosidades

Clinical and molecular data define a diagnosis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in a carrier of a brugada-syndrome-associated PKP2 mutation

Plakophilin-2 (PKP2) is the most frequently mutated desmosomal gene in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), a disease characterized by structural and electrical alterations predominantly affecting the right ventricular myocardium. Notably, ACM cases without overt structural alterations are frequently reported, mainly in the early phases of the disease. Recently, the PKP2 p.S183N mutation was found in a patient affected by Brugada syndrome (BS), an inherited arrhythmic channelopathy most commonly caused by sodium channel gene mutations. We here describe a case of a patient carrier of the same BS-related PKP2 p.S183N mutation but with a clear diagnosis of ACM. Specifically, we report how clinical and molecular investigations can be integrated for diagnostic purposes, distinguishing between ACM and BS, which are increasingly recognized as syndromes with clinical and genetic overlaps. This observation is fundamentally relevant in redefining the role of genetics in the approach to the arrhythmic patient, progressing beyond the concept of \u201cone mutation, one disease\u201d, and raising concerns about the most appropriate approach to patients affected by structural/electrical cardiomyopathy. The merging of genetics, electroanatomical mapping, and tissue and cell characterization summarized in our patient seems to be the most complete diagnostic algorithm, favoring a reliable diagnosis

Erosión de la apófisis coracoides secundaria a osteosíntesis de fractura de clavícula distal. Reporte de un caso

Introducción: El 10-30% de las fracturas de clavícula ocurren en el tercio distal. El diagnóstico se realiza con radiografías de hombro (de frente y de perfil, y proyección de Zanca). La mayoría de estas fracturas se tratan de forma conservadora, pero aquellas con gran desplazamiento, patrones transversos o conminutos pueden requerir tratamiento quirúrgico debido a la alta tasa de seudoartrosis. Se han descrito diversos tipos de fijación para este grupo de fracturas. Si bien la osteosíntesis con placas logra resultados clínico-funcionales y de consolidación satisfactorios, no está exenta de complicaciones y las más frecuentes son: intolerancia al material de osteosíntesis (hasta un 30%), infección, lesión neurovascular y seudoartrosis. Sin embargo, según nuestro conocimiento, no existen reportes sobre la osteólisis de la apófisis coracoides secundaria a la osteosíntesis con placa LCP en fracturas del tercio distal de la clavícula. Conclusión: La erosión de la apófisis coracoides debido a la fijación con placa y tornillos es una complicación que no ha sido publicada previamente. Debe tenerse extrema precaución al realizar el túnel óseo y al medir la longitud de los tornillos para evitar potenciales complicaciones

Retorno al deporte luego de una cirugía de Latarjet: revisión sistemática de la bibliografía

Introducción: El objetivo de este estudio fue describir las tasas de retorno al deporte y el nivel alcanzado por los pacientes con inestabilidad de hombro luego del procedimiento abierto y artroscópico de Latarjet. Materiales y Métodos: Seguimos un protocolo prespecificado y registrado en PROSPERO. Evaluamos la calidad de los estudios y utilizamos el sistema GRADE para evaluar la calidad general de la evidencia obtenida en los resultados. Incluimos estudios que evalúan el retorno al deporte de los pacientes luego de una cirugía de Latarjet con un seguimiento mínimo de 2 años. Resultados: Se incluyeron 24 estudios, con 1436 atletas, todos con cirugía y un seguimiento promedio de 57 meses (rango 24-240). La tasa general de retorno al deporte varió del 65% al 100% de los pacientes, de ellos, el 23-100% retornó al mismo nivel. El tiempo promedio de retorno al deporte fue de 6 meses (rango 1-36). El nivel de evidencia fue bajo debido a las características de los estudios incluidos (nivel de evidencia IV), las limitaciones de los estudios y sus inconsistencias. Conclusiones: La mayoría de los atletas con luxación recidivante de hombro sometidos a una cirugía de Latarjet retoman la práctica deportiva; sin embargo, el nivel alcanzado varía sustancialmente. El tiempo promedio de retorno al deporte fue de 6 meses, y no hubo diferencias significativas entre los deportistas competitivos y recreacionales

Lipid Exchange Mechanism of the Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein Clarified by Atomistic and Coarse-grained Simulations

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) transports cholesteryl esters, triglycerides, and phospholipids between different lipoprotein fractions in blood plasma. The inhibition of CETP has been shown to be a sound strategy to prevent and treat the development of coronary heart disease. We employed molecular dynamics simulations to unravel the mechanisms associated with the CETP-mediated lipid exchange. To this end we used both atomistic and coarse-grained models whose results were consistent with each other. We found CETP to bind to the surface of high density lipoprotein (HDL) -like lipid droplets through its charged and tryptophan residues. Upon binding, CETP rapidly (in about 10 ns) induced the formation of a small hydrophobic patch to the phospholipid surface of the droplet, opening a route from the core of the lipid droplet to the binding pocket of CETP. This was followed by a conformational change of helix X of CETP to an open state, in which we found the accessibility of cholesteryl esters to the C-terminal tunnel opening of CETP to increase. Furthermore, in the absence of helix X, cholesteryl esters rapidly diffused into CETP through the C-terminal opening. The results provide compelling evidence that helix X acts as a lid which conducts lipid exchange by alternating the open and closed states. The findings have potential for the design of novel molecular agents to inhibit the activity of CETP

Effects of Deletion of Macrophage ABCA7 on Lipid Metabolism and the Development of Atherosclerosis in the Presence and Absence of ABCA1

ABCA7, a close relative of ABCA1 which facilitates cholesterol efflux to lipid-poor apoproteins, has been implicated in macrophage lipid efflux and clearance of apoptotic cells in in vitro studies. In the current study, we investigated the in vivo effects of macrophage ABCA7 deficiency on lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Chimeras with dysfunctional ABCA7 in macrophages and other blood cells were generated by transplantation of bone marrow from ABCA7 knockout (KO) mice into irradiated low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) KO mice. Unexpectedly, macrophage ABCA7 deficiency did not significantly affect atherosclerosis susceptibility of LDLr KO mice after 10 weeks Western-type diet feeding. However, ABCA7 deficiency was associated with 2-fold (p<0.05) higher macrophage ABCA1 mRNA expression levels. Combined disruption of ABCA1 and ABCA7 in bone-marrow-derived cells increased atherosclerotic lesion development (1.5-fold (p>0.05) as compared to wild type transplanted mice. However, single deletion of ABCA1 had a similar effect (1.8-fold, p<0.05). Macrophage foam cell accumulation in the peritoneal cavity was reduced in ABCA1/ABCA7 dKO transplanted animals as compared to single ABCA1 KO transplanted mice, which was associated with increased ABCG1 expression. Interestingly, spleens of ABCA1/ABCA7 double KO transplanted mice were significantly larger as compared to the other 3 groups and showed massive macrophage lipid accumulation, a reduction in CD3+ T-cells, and increased expression of key regulators of erythropoiesis. In conclusion, deletion of ABCA7 in bone marrow-derived cells does not affect atherogenesis in the arterial wall neither in the absence or presence of ABCA1. Interestingly, combined deletion of bone marrow ABCA1 and ABCA7 causes severe splenomegaly associated with cellular lipid accumulation, a reduction in splenic CD3+ T cells, and induced markers of erythropoeisis. Our data indicate that ABCA7 may play a role in T cell proliferation and erythropoeisis in spleen