Clinical, Radiographic, and MRI Evaluation of All-Inside Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Repair via Suture Fixation to the Posterior Cruciate Ligament Versus Partial Meniscectomy: Results at 3-Year Follow-up.

Background: Medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) disrupt the integrity and hoop tension of the meniscus, leading to cartilage degeneration and accelerated osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The management of patients with MMPRT is controversial, and the efficacy of different treatment options is unclear. Purpose: To compare the clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcomes of patients with MMPRT between trans-posterior cruciate ligament (trans-PCL) all-inside repair and partial meniscectomy. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We identified patients with MMPRT who underwent trans-PCL all-inside repair (group AR) or partial meniscectomy (group PM) between 2015 and 2019 at a single institution. The trans-PCL all-inside repair was performed by suturing the torn meniscus root to the PCL fibers. Patient-reported outcomes as well as radiographic and MRI outcomes were collected at baseline and final follow-up. Clinical failure was defined as conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to investigate the survival rates of patients with different surgical procedures. Results: Included were 29 patients in group AR and 31 patients in group PM (mean age, 62.69 and 60.68 years, respectively; mean follow-up, 2.91 ± 1.33 and 3.45 ± 1.50 years, respectively). There were no differences in baseline patient characteristics between the groups. All patient-reported outcome scores improved significantly in both groups at the final follow-up. When we compared final outcomes between the groups, group AR had less joint space narrowing (P = .010), less Kellgren-Lawrence OA grade progression (P = .002), and less medial meniscal extrusion (MME; P = .002) than group PM. In addition, group AR showed less progression of bone marrow lesions and cartilage lesions (P < .05) than group PM. The rate of conversion to TKA was 6.90% in group AR and 29.0% in group PM. The 5-year survival rates in the AR and PM groups were 82.6% and 59.8%, respectively (P = .153). Conclusion: Trans-PCL all-inside repair for MMPRTs was associated with greater improvement in clinical function, better radiographic results, less MME and cartilage degeneration, and a lower rate of subsequent TKA compared with partial meniscectomy.

Adjustable Removable Traction Appliance With Surgically Assisted Eruption for Impacted Maxillary Central Incisors.

Context: Impacted maxillary central incisors (MCIs) can seriously affect children's appearance, verbal abilities, and maxillofacial development. Clinically, a combination of surgically assisted eruption and orthodontic traction is the treatment modality most acceptable to dentists and children's families. However, previously used traction methods have been complex and required a long treatment time. Objective: The study intended to evaluate the clinical effects of the use of the research team's adjustable removable traction appliance combined with a surgically assisted eruption of impacted MCIs. Design: The research team performed a controlled prospective study. Setting: The study took place at Department of Orthodontics, Hefei Stomatological, Hospital. Participants: 10 patients with impacted MCIs, aged 7-10 years, who had visited the hospital between September 2017 and December 2018. Intervention: The research team assigned the impacted MCIs to the intervent ion group and contral ateral normal MCIs to thecontrol group. For the intervention group, the research team performed a surgical eruption and inserted the adjustable removable traction appliance. The control group received no treatments. Outcome Measures: Postintervention, the research team determined the mobility of both groups' teeth. At baseline and immediately postintervention for both groups, the team performed cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and measured root length, apical-foramen width, volume, surface area, and root-canal wall thickness for the labial and palatal sides. For both groups, after the intervention group's treatments, the team: (1) performed electric pulp testing and periodontal probing on the participants' teeth; (2) measured and documented pulp vitality, gingival index, periodontal probing depth, and gingival height (GH)for the labial and palatal sides; and (3) measured labial-and-palatal, alveolar bone level and alveolar bone thickness. Results: At baseline, the intervention group showed delayed root development, and that group's root length was significantly shorter (P < .05) and apical-foramen width (P < .05) was significantly greater than those of the control group. The intervention group's treatment success rate was 100%. And the intervention group did not have any adverse reactions, such as tooth loosening, gingival redness and swelling, or bleeding. Postintervention, the intervention group's labial GH was significantly higher than that of the control group, at 10.58 ± 0.45 mm and 9.47 ± 0.31 mm, respectively (P = .000). The increase in the intervention group's root length postintervention was significantly greater than that of the control group, at 2.80 ± 1.09 mm and 1.84 ± 0.97 mm, respectively (P < .05). The intervention group also had significantly greater decrease in the apical-foramen width than the control group did, at 1.79 ± 0.59 mm and 0.96 ± 0.40 mm, respectively (P < .05). At the end of traction, the intervention group had significantly higher labial-and-palatal alveolar-bone levels, at 1.77 ± 0.37 mm and 1.23 ± 0.21 mm, respectively, than the control group did, at 1.25 ± 0.26 mm (P = .002) and 1.05 ± 0.15 mm (P = .036), respectively. The labial alveolar-bone thickness in the intervention group was thinner than that of the control group, at 1.49 ± 0.31 mm and 1.80 ± 0.11 mm, respectively (P = .008). The volume and surface area (P < .01) of the intervention group's impacted teeth had increased significantly postintervention (both P < .01), but both were significantly smaller than those of the control group, both at baseline and postintervention. Conclusions: An adjustable removable traction appliance combined with a surgically assisted eruption can be a reliable treatment for impacted MCIs and can provide root development and a good periodontal-pulp condition postintervention.

Trans-Posterior Cruciate Ligament All-Inside Root Repair Versus Partial Meniscectomy for Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Tears: Comparison of Semiquantitative and Quantitative MRI Outcomes in Cartilage Degeneration and Osteoarthritic Progression.

OBJECTIVE: To perform conventional, morphological, and T2 mapping compositional MRI imaging to assess the cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritic progression in patients with medial meniscus posterior root tears (MMPRTs) who underwent trans-posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) all-inside repair or partial meniscectomy. DESIGN: Patients with MMPRTs after trans-PCL all-inside repair (group AR) or partial meniscectomy (group PM) between 2015 and 2018 were retrospectively identified. Preoperative and postoperative conventional MRI were collected to assess medial meniscus extrusion (MME) and the whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS). Postoperative morphological MRI and T2 mapping compositional MRI were collected to evaluate the quantitative cartilage thickness/volume and cartilage composition. RESULTS: The final cohort consisted of 21 patients in group AR and 22 patients in group PM, with no differences in demographic data and baseline patient characteristics between the 2 groups. Group AR demonstrated less progression of articular cartilage wear (P < 0.05) and decreased meniscal extrusion (P = 0.008) than group PM at the final follow-up. In addition, group AR demonstrated less extracellular matrix degeneration in the cartilage subregion of the medial compartment (P < 0.05) than group PM with lower T2 relaxation times in the superficial layer of the articular cartilage. CONCLUSION: Trans-PCL all-inside repair of MMPRTs could delay the initial cartilage deterioration and morphological cartilage degeneration compared with partial meniscectomy. However, the amount of residual meniscal extrusion is clinically important, and an improved root repair fixation method should be investigated.

Association between Working Hours and Anxiety/Depression of Medical Staff during Large-Scale Epidemic Outbreak of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: This present study aimed to investigate the relationship between working hours and anxiety/depression mood of medical staff in China during COVID-19 epidemic. METHODS: The cross-sectional interview study was conducted during the period between February 14th and February 29th, 2020. A total of 291 Chinese medical professionals were recruited from 4 cities and participated in the study. RESULTS: In 291 participants, 116 (40.0%) medical staff experienced anxiety and 151 (51.8%) underwent depressed mood. In male, the level of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours per day (WHPD) (ß=0.579, p=0.003 and ß=0.943; p=0.001) respectively. In female, nonlinear relationship mode was demonstrated. The levels of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores increased with the elevation of working hours when it was above 5 hours (ß=1.432; p<0.001 and ß=1.177; p<0.001), but it did not have a significant association with WHPD when it was less than 5 (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 epidemic, we found a strong correlation between the psychological mood and WHPD. The correlation followed different modes in male and female medical workers. Enforcing an upper time limit of WHPD may help decrease the risk of pandemic-related psychological problems in medical workers.