Injections of the Hip and Knee.

Hip and knee injections are useful diagnostic and therapeutic tools for family physicians. This article reviews anatomic landmark-guided and ultrasound-guided injections and aspiration techniques for greater trochanteric pain syndrome, the hip joint, the knee joint, the pes anserine bursa, and the iliotibial band. Indications for injections include acute and chronic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; overuse; and traumas. Joint aspirations may be performed to aid in the diagnosis of unexplained effusions and to relieve pain. Technique, injectant, and follow-up timing depend on the physician's comfort, experience, and preference. Infections of the skin or soft tissue are the primary contraindications to injections. The most common complications are local inflammatory reactions to the injectant. These reactions usually cause soreness for 24 to 48 hours, then spontaneously resolve. Follow-up after injections is usually scheduled within two to six weeks.

MSK injury? Make splinting choices based on the evidence.

Which devices do-and don't-have evidence to support their use when it comes to injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, "tennis elbow," or an ankle sprain? Read on.

The pathogen causing Dutch elm disease makes host trees attract insect vectors.

Dutch elm disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Ophiostoma novo-ulmi which is transmitted by the native elm bark beetle, Hylurgopinus rufipes. We have found that four semiochemicals (the monoterpene (-)-beta-pinene and the sesquiterpenes (-)-alpha-cubebene, (+)-spiroaxa-5,7-diene and (+)-delta-cadinene) from diseased American elms, Ulmus americana, synergistically attract H. rufipes, and that sesquiterpene emission is upregulated in elm trees inoculated with O. novo-ulmi. The fungus thus manipulates host trees to enhance their apparency to foraging beetles, a strategy that increases the probability of transportation of the pathogen to new hosts.