Arthroscopic Meniscus Repair Using an All-Inside, All-Suture, Knotless Device.

With an increased appreciation of the importance an intact meniscus has on normal knee kinematics and function, more meniscal tears are being treated with a repair rather than partial meniscectomy. There are several techniques for repairing torn meniscal tissue, including the outside-in, inside-out, and all-inside repairs. Each technique comes with its advantages and drawbacks. The inside-out and outside-in techniques allow for greater control of the repair using knots outside the joint capsule; however, they pose a risk for neurovascular injury and require additional incisions. Arthroscopic all-inside repairs have seen increasing popularity, but with current techniques, fixation is achieved either with intra-articular knots or extra-articular implants, leading to variable outcomes and the potential for postoperative complications. This technical note describes the use of SuperBall, an all-inside meniscus repair device that provides an all-arthroscopic approach, no intraarticular knots or implants, and surgeon-guided tensioning of the meniscus repair.

Arthroscopically Assisted Acromioclavicular and Coracoclavicular Reconstruction with a Looped Braided Polyester Suture Band and Buckle Device.

Acromioclavicular (AC) joint injuries occur with a traumatic load to the lateral aspect of the shoulder and account for 9% of all shoulder girdle injuries. Rockwood classified AC joint injuries as type I though type VI, based on severity of injury, radiographic findings, and reducibility of the AC joint. Type I and II injuries are typically managed nonoperatively, whereas type IV, V, and VI are managed operatively to address the significant soft tissue disruption, persistent AC joint instability, and apical shoulder deformation. Treatment of type III injuries remain controversial. Several techniques have been described to treat AC joint injuries with no consensus for optimal treatment. "Anatomic" double-tunnel coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction is one currently popular technique to address AC joint injuries; however, clavicle and coracoid fractures are well-described complications of this technique. The objective of this technical report is to describe our preferred technique to address AC joint injuries. This technique involves using a looped braided polyester prosthetic band and low-profile buckle with allograft augmentation using a device to pass materials around the coracoid process.

Real-time clinician text feeds from electronic health records.

Analyses of search engine and social media feeds have been attempted for infectious disease outbreaks, but have been found to be susceptible to artefactual distortions from health scares or keyword spamming in social media or the public internet. We describe an approach using real-time aggregation of keywords and phrases of freetext from real-time clinician-generated documentation in electronic health records to produce a customisable real-time viral pneumonia signal providing up to 4 days warning for secondary care capacity planning. This low-cost approach is open-source, is locally customisable, is not dependent on any specific electronic health record system and can provide an ensemble of signals if deployed at multiple organisational scales.

Maternal and child fatty acid desaturase genotype as determinants of cord blood long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) concentrations in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

Optimal maternal long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) status is essential for the developing fetus. The fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genes are involved in the endogenous synthesis of LCPUFA. The minor allele of various FADS SNP have been associated with increased maternal concentrations of the precursors linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA), and lower concentrations of arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA. There is limited research on the influence of FADS genotype on cord PUFA status. The current study investigated the influence of maternal and child genetic variation in FADS genotype on cord blood PUFA status in a high fish-eating cohort. Cord blood samples (n 1088) collected from the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) Nutrition Cohort 2 (NC2) were analysed for total serum PUFA. Of those with cord PUFA data available, maternal (n 1062) and child (n 916), FADS1 (rs174537 and rs174561), FADS2 (rs174575), and FADS1-FADS2 (rs3834458) were determined. Regression analysis determined that maternal minor allele homozygosity was associated with lower cord blood concentrations of DHA and the sum of EPA + DHA. Lower cord blood AA concentrations were observed in children who were minor allele homozygous for rs3834458 (ß = 0·075; P = 0·037). Children who were minor allele carriers for rs174537, rs174561, rs174575 and rs3834458 had a lower cord blood AA:LA ratio (P < 0·05 for all). Both maternal and child FADS genotype were associated with cord LCPUFA concentrations, and therefore, the influence of FADS genotype was observed despite the high intake of preformed dietary LCPUFA from fish in this population.

Chronic posttraumatic cartilage lesion of the knee treated with an acellular osteochondral-regenerating implant: case history with rehabilitation guidelines.

Osteochondral defects are often symptomatic and lead to deranged joint function. The spontaneous healing capacity of osteochondral defects is limited. In this case study, use of an acellular scaffold capable of induction of mesenchymal stem-cell migration is described. This scaffold was used on an Outerbridge grade IV medical condylar defect measuring ~2 cm2. At 24 mo follow-up, the articular surface appeared restored by MRI, and the patient returned to sports.