Multidetector CT arthrography in shoulder instability and its comparison with MR arthrography and arthroscopy

Background: Purpose of this study was to compare diagnostic effectiveness of MDCT arthrography (MDCTA) in shoulder instability and pain in throwing and its comparison to MR arthrography (MRA) and arthroscopy taking arthroscopy as gold standard.Methods: 20 patients with history of recurrent shoulder dislocation in activity were included in this study. After detailed clinical examination, each patient underwent MDCT-MR arthrography in one sitting followed by diagnostic arthroscopy within 6 weeks. Results were compared with the help of statistician.Results: At arthroscopy, 10 Bankart’s lesions, 7 Hill Sachs lesion, 6 SLAP lesion, 1 ALPSA, 1 capsular laxity, 1 partial subscapularis tear and 1 supraspinatus fraying were visualized in 20 shoulders. For Bankart’s lesion MDCT has sensitivity 80%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value (PPV) 100% and negative predictive value (NPV) 83.3%. MRA has sensitivity of 90%, specificity 100%, PPV 100% and NPV 90.9%. For SLAP lesions sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for MDCTA and MRA are 88.3%, 100%, 100%, 93.3%. For Hill-Sachs lesion; sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for MDCTA are all 100% and for MRA they are 85.7%, 100%, 100%, 92.8% respectively. For ALPSA; sensitivity is 100%, specificity is 95%, PPV is 50% and NPV is 100% both for MDCTA and MRA. К value for MRA is 0.60 and for CTA is 0.55 suggesting moderate agreement.Conclusions: Considering availability, cost, time consumption, superior detection of bony lesions and comparable detection of soft tissue lesions; MDCTA can be used as single investigation of choice in shoulder instability pain

A Percutaneous Technique to Reposition the Cortical Button of Adjustable-Loop Devices in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Adjustable-loop devices are relatively new but quite popular and have been routinely used for around a decade in arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction for hamstring graft fixation on the femur. They allow surgeons to adapt to different tunnel lengths, eliminate the need for multiple loop sizes, decrease the “bungee cord effect,” maximize the amount of graft within the femoral socket available for incorporation, and allow retensioning of the graft. Apart from these advantages, certain complications are associated with the use of adjustable-loop devices. When the cortical button is being pulled up through the femoral tunnel, it may be pulled up with greater force, causing it to come out of the vastus lateralis, the iliotibial band, or even the skin. When the graft is pulled back from the tibial side, the cortical button may flip in the substance of the vastus lateralis or outside the iliotibial band. This soft-tissue interposition can cause ischemic necrosis of the interposed tissue, soft-tissue irritation, migration of the cortical button, or early loosening of the graft, leading to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction failure. We describe a percutaneous solution to this common intraoperative technical complication. The outer sheath of a 4.5-mm arthroscope, 4.5-mm acromionizer, or notchplasty burr can be safely used to put the cortical button back against the lateral cortex of the femur

Co-Administration of Aluminium Hydroxide Nanoparticles and Protective Antigen Domain 4 Encapsulated Non-Ionic Surfactant Vesicles Show Enhanced Immune Response and Superior Protection against Anthrax

Aluminium salts have been the adjuvant of choice in more than 100 licensed vaccines. Here, we have studied the synergistic effect of aluminium hydroxide nanoparticles (AH np) and non-ionic surfactant-based vesicles (NISV) in modulating the immune response against protective antigen domain 4 (D4) of Bacillus anthracis. NISV was prepared from Span 60 and cholesterol, while AH np was prepared from aluminium chloride and sodium hydroxide. AH np was co-administered with NISV encapsulating D4 (NISV-D4) to formulate AHnp/NISV-D4. The antigen-specific immune response of AHnp/NISV-D4 was compared with that of commercial alhydrogel (alhy) co-administered with NISV-D4 (alhydrogel/NISV-D4), NISV-D4, AHnp/D4, and alhydrogel/D4. Co-administration of NISV-D4 with AH np greatly improved the D4-specific antibody titer as compared to the control groups. Based on IgG isotyping and ex vivo cytokine analysis, AHnp/NISV-D4 generated a balanced Th1/Th2 response. Furthermore, AH np/NISV-D4 showed superior protection against anthrax spore challenge in comparison to other groups. Thus, we demonstrate the possibility of developing a novel combinatorial nanoformulation capable of augmenting both humoral and cellular response, paving the way for adjuvant research

Strategies and performance of the CMS silicon tracker alignment during LHC Run 2

The strategies for and the performance of the CMS silicon tracking system alignment during the 2015–2018 data-taking period of the LHC are described. The alignment procedures during and after data taking are explained. Alignment scenarios are also derived for use in the simulation of the detector response. Systematic effects, related to intrinsic symmetries of the alignment task or to external constraints, are discussed and illustrated for different scenarios