A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Synovial chondromatosis is a rare, generally benign condition which affects synovial membranes. It most commonly involves large joints such as the knee, hip, and elbow, but its presence in smaller joints has also been reported. The diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis is commonly made following a thorough history, physical examination, and radiographic examination. Patients may report pain and swelling within a joint which is often aggravated with physical activity.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A rare case of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle is reviewed. A 26 year-old male presented with chronic bilateral ankle pain. Physical examination suggested and imaging confirmed multiple synovial chondromatoses bilaterally, likely secondary to previous trauma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The clinical and imaging findings, along with potential differential diagnoses, are described. Since this condition tends to be progressive but self-limiting, indications for surgery depend on the level of symptomatic presentation in addition to the functional demands of the patient. Following a surgical consultation, it was decided that it was not appropriate to pursue surgery at the present time.</p

A population genomics approach shows widespread geographical distribution of cryptic genomic forms of the symbiotic fungus Rhizophagus irregularis.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; phylum Gomeromycota) associate with plants forming one of the most successful microbe-plant associations. The fungi promote plant diversity and have a potentially important role in global agriculture. Plant growth depends on both inter- and intra-specific variation in AMF. It was recently reported that an unusually large number of AMF taxa have an intercontinental distribution, suggesting long-distance gene flow for many AMF species, facilitated by either long-distance natural dispersal mechanisms or human-assisted dispersal. However, the intercontinental distribution of AMF species has been questioned because the use of very low-resolution markers may be unsuitable to detect genetic differences among geographically separated AMF, as seen with some other fungi. This has been untestable because of the lack of population genomic data, with high resolution, for any AMF taxa. Here we use phylogenetics and population genomics to test for intra-specific variation in Rhizophagus irregularis, an AMF species for which genome sequence information already exists. We used ddRAD sequencing to obtain thousands of markers distributed across the genomes of 81 R. irregularis isolates and related species. Based on 6 888 variable positions, we observed significant genetic divergence into four main genetic groups within R. irregularis, highlighting that previous studies have not captured underlying genetic variation. Despite considerable genetic divergence, surprisingly, the variation could not be explained by geographical origin, thus also supporting the hypothesis for at least one AMF species of widely dispersed AMF genotypes at an intercontinental scale. Such information is crucial for understanding AMF ecology, and how these fungi can be used in an environmentally safe way in distant locations

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Axial MRI of the right ankle (proton density) revealing a (arrow) heterogeneous nodule of low and intermediate signal intensities located in the flexor hallucis longus tendon sheath

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p> Of interest is the degree of distension of the tendon sheath secondary to the surrounding effusion

Left lateral ankle view demonstrating multiple calcified loose bodies likely located in both the flexor hallucis and tibialis posterior tendons (arrow)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p> Loose bodies are also present anterior to the talotibial joint (arrow head)

Lateral right ankle radiograph with evidence of calcified loose bodies (arrow) posterior to the talotibial joint

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p> Small loose bodies are also seen anteriorly to the joint (arrow head)

Sagittal MRI of the right ankle (fat-saturated T2-weighted) revealing a predominantly low signal intensity nodule in the synovial sheath of the flexor hallucis longus tendon (arrow)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p

Oblique left ankle radiograph with evidence of calcified loose bodies medial (arrow head) to the lateral maleolus and superimposed over the talus (arrow)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p> This suggests synovial chondromatosis, likely located in both the flexor hallucis and tibialis posterior tendons

Sagittal MRI of the left ankle (fat-saturated T2-weighted) illustrates (arrow) two distinct low signal intensity nodules with surrounding effusion posterior to the talo-tibial joint

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A case report of bilateral synovial chondromatosis of the ankle"</p><p>http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/18</p><p>Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007;15():18-18.</p><p>Published online 24 Nov 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC2216021.</p><p></p