Congenital radial head dislocation with a progressive cubitus valgus: a case report

Congenital dislocation of the radial head is rare, although it is the most common congenital anomaly of the elbow. A concomitant progressive cubitus valgus of the elbow has not previously been described in literature. We describe a case of an 8-year-old girl with an unilateral congenital radial head dislocation with a progressive cubitus valgus of 35°, caused by a prematurely closing physis of the lateral humeral condyle. This might be caused by an increased pressure on the lateral physis by the anteriorly dislocated radial head. As no complaints or limitations were present, treatment was non-operative with clinical observation, with satisfactory results after a follow-up of 18 months. A concomitant progressive cubitus valgus can be present in patients with a congenital radial head dislocation. Non-operative treatment can provide satisfactory results

Quality management of methodology and process development for official statistics

Methodology and process development are cornerstones of official statistics and belong to the major factors that contribute to their quality. This is reflected in the European Statistics Code of Practice, which mentions that "Sound methodology underpins quality statistics" and “Appropriate statistical procedures, implemented from data collection to data validation, underpin quality statistics”. However, methodology and processes are hard to explain to the average user, and so we must find other ways to ensure trust in statistical methodology and processes, and to convince users of the quality of official statistical methodology and processes. Important elements of such an approach are independence of the methodological and development units, transparency of methods and process designs, peer reviews, internal reviews and evaluations, and internal quality management. In this paper we look in particular at quality management. We show how quality management of methodological and development units may be based on the Code of Practice. We show how the various elements work together, and how the whole of these elements may lead to certification of the units, for example by EFQM or ISO. In 2017 the department for process development and methodology at Statistics Netherlands was certified according to ISO 9001. As an example, we discuss the various steps that have been taken to achieve this certification. In particular we focus on: the quality procedures for internal and external reports, recommendations and briefs; the quality assurance of statistical development projects in which methodologists and business analysts participate; the quality assurance of methodological courses taught to statisticians; the internal management of the department

Quality management of methodology and process development for official statistics

Methodology and process development are cornerstones of official statistics and belong to the major factors that contribute to their quality. This is reflected in the European Statistics Code of Practice, which mentions that "Sound methodology underpins quality statistics" and “Appropriate statistical procedures, implemented from data collection to data validation, underpin quality statistics”. However, methodology and processes are hard to explain to the average user, and so we must find other ways to ensure trust in statistical methodology and processes, and to convince users of the quality of official statistical methodology and processes. Important elements of such an approach are independence of the methodological and development units, transparency of methods and process designs, peer reviews, internal reviews and evaluations, and internal quality management. In this paper we look in particular at quality management. We show how quality management of methodological and development units may be based on the Code of Practice. We show how the various elements work together, and how the whole of these elements may lead to certification of the units, for example by EFQM or ISO. In 2017 the department for process development and methodology at Statistics Netherlands was certified according to ISO 9001. As an example, we discuss the various steps that have been taken to achieve this certification. In particular we focus on: the quality procedures for internal and external reports, recommendations and briefs; the quality assurance of statistical development projects in which methodologists and business analysts participate; the quality assurance of methodological courses taught to statisticians; the internal management of the department

Fractures around the shoulder in the skeletally immature:A scoping review

Fractures around the shoulder girdle in children are mainly caused by sports accidents. The clavicle and the proximal humerus are most commonly involved. Both the clavicle and the proximal humerus have a remarkable potential for remodeling, which is why most of these fractures in children can be treated conservatively. However, the key is to understand when a child benefits from surgical management. Clear indications for surgery of these fractures are lacking. This review focuses on the available evidence on the management of clavicle and proximal humerus fractures in children. The only strict indications for surgery for diaphyseal clavicle fractures in children are open fractures, tenting of the skin with necrosis, associated neurovascular injury, or a floating shoulder. There is no evidence to argue for surgery of displaced clavicle fractures to prevent malunion since most malunions are asymptomatic. In the rare case of a symptomatic malunion of the clavicle in children, corrective osteosynthesis is a viable treatment option. For proximal humerus fractures in children, treatment is dictated by the patient's age (and thus remodeling potential) and the amount of fracture displacement. Under ten years of age, even severely displaced fractures can be treated conservatively. From the age of 13 and onwards, surgery has better outcomes for severely displaced (Neer types III and IV) fractures. Between 10 and 13 years of age, the indications for surgical treatment are less clear, with varying cut-off values of angulation (30-60 degrees) or displacement (1/3 – 2/3 shaft width) in the current literature.</p

Does a "Level I Evidence" rating imply high quality of reporting in orthopaedic randomised controlled trials?

BACKGROUND: The Levels of Evidence Rating System is widely believed to categorize studies by quality, with Level I studies representing the highest quality evidence. We aimed to determine the reporting quality of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) published in the most frequently cited general orthopaedic journals. METHODS: Two assessors identified orthopaedic journals that reported a level of evidence rating in their abstracts from January 2003 to December 2004 by searching the instructions for authors of the highest impact general orthopaedic journals. Based upon a priori eligibility criteria, two assessors hand searched all issues of the eligible journal from 2003–2004 for RCTs. The assessors extracted the demographic information and the evidence rating from each included RCT and scored the quality of reporting using the reporting quality assessment tool, which was developed by the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group. Scores were conducted in duplicate, and we reached a consensus for any disagreements. We examined the correlation between the level of evidence rating and the Cochrane reporting quality score. RESULTS: We found that only the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery – American Volume (JBJS-A) used a level of evidence rating from 2003 to 2004. We identified 938 publications in the JBJS-A from January 2003 to December 2004. Of these publications, 32 (3.4%) were RCTs that fit the inclusion criteria. The 32 RCTs included a total of 3543 patients, with sample sizes ranging from 17 to 514 patients. Despite being labelled as the highest level of evidence (Level 1 and Level II evidence), these studies had low Cochrane reporting quality scores among individual methodological safeguards. The Cochrane reporting quality scores did not differ significantly between Level I and Level II studies. Correlations varied from 0.0 to 0.2 across the 12 items of the Cochrane reporting quality assessment tool (p > 0.05). Among items closely corresponding to the Levels of Evidence Rating System criteria assessors achieved substantial agreement (ICC = 0.80, 95%CI:0.60 to 0.90). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that readers should not assume that 1) studies labelled as Level I have high reporting quality and 2) Level I studies have better reporting quality than Level II studies. One should address methodological safeguards individually

Psychological risk factors and the course of depression and anxiety disorders:A review of 15 years NESDA research

Background: The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA; Nbaseline=2981) is an ongoing longitudinal, multi-site, naturalistic, cohort study examining the etiology, course, and consequences of depression and anxiety. In this article we synthesize and evaluate fifteen years of NESDA research on prominent psychological risk factors for the onset, persistence, recurrence, and comorbidity of affective disorders.Methods: A narrative review of 62 NESDA articles examining the specificity and predictive value of neuroticism, behavioral inhibition, repetitive negative thinking, experiential avoidance, cognitive reactivity, locus of control, (implicit) self-esteem, (implicit) disorder-specific self-associations, and attentional bias for the course of affective disorders.Results: All self-reported risk factors showed cross-sectional relationships with singular and comorbid affective disorders, and prospective relationships with the development and chronicity of depression and anxiety disorders. High neuroticism, low self-esteem, and negative repetitive thinking showed most prominent transdiagnostic relationships, whereas cognitive reactivity showed most pronounced depression-specific associations. Implicit self-esteem showed predictive validity for the persistence and recurrence of anxiety and depression over and above self-reported risk factors. Automatic approach-avoidance behavior and attentional bias for negative, positive, or threat words showed no relationship with affective disorders.Conclusion: NESDA identified both (a) transdiagnostic factors (e.g., neuroticism, low implicit self-esteem, repetitive negative thinking) that may help explain the comorbidity between affective disorders and overlap in symptoms, and (b) indications for disorder-specific risk factors (e.g., cognitive responsivity) which support the relevance of distinct disorder categories and disorder-specific mechanisms. Thus, the results point to the relevance of both transdiagnostic and disorder-specific targets for therapeutic interventions.Stress-related psychiatric disorders across the life spa

Conventional hemodynamic resuscitation may fail to optimize tissue perfusion: An observational study on the effects of dobutamine, enoximone, and norepinephrine in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock

Aim: To investigate the effects of inotropic agents on parameters of tissue perfusion in patients with cardiogenic shock. Methods and Results: Thirty patients with cardiogenic shock were included. Patients received dobutamine, enoximone, or norepinephrine. We performed hemodynamic measurements at baseline and after titration of the inotropic agent until cardiac index (CI) ≥2.5 L.min-1.m-2 or mixed-venous oxygen saturation (SvO 2) ≥70% (dobutamine or enoximone), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥70 mmHg (norepinephrine). As parameters of tissue perfusion, we measured central-peripheral temperature gradient (delta-T) and sublingual perfused capillary density (PCD). All patients reached predefined therapeutic targets. The inotropes did not significantly change delta-T. Dobutamine did not change PCD. Enoximone increased PCD (9.1 [8.9-10.2] vs. 11.4 [8.4-13.9] mm.mm-2; p10.3 mm.mm-2; mortality 72% vs. 17%, p = 0.003). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the effects of commonly used inotropic agents on parameters of tissue perfusion in patients with cardiogenic shock. Despite hemodynamic optimization, tissue perfusion was not sufficiently restored in most patients. In these patients, mortality was high. Interventions directed at improving microcirculation may eventually help bridging the gap between improved hemodynamics and dismal patient outcome in cardiogenic shock

Chondrodysplasia, enchondromas and a chest deformity causing severe pulmonary morbidity in a boy with a PTHLH duplication:A case report

Parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) plays an important role in bone formation. Several skeletal dysplasias have been described that are associated with disruption of PTHLH functioning. Here we report on a new patient with a 898 Kb duplication on chromosome 12p11.22 including the PTHLH gene. The boy has multiple skeletal abnormalities including chondrodysplasia, lesions radiographically resembling enchondromas and posterior rib deformities leading to a severe chest deformity. Severe pulmonary symptoms were thought to be caused by limited mobility and secondary sputum evacuation problems due to the chest deformity. Imaging studies during follow-up revealed progression of the number of skeletal lesions over time. This case extends the phenotypic spectrum associated with copy number variation of PTHLH