MRI-based radiomics for preoperative prediction of recurrence and metastasis in rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the value of multi-parametric MRI (mp-MRI) radiomic model for preoperative prediction of recurrence and/or metastasis (RM) as well as survival benefits in patients with rectal cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 234 patients from two centers with histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma was conducted. All patients were divided into three groups: training, internal validation (in-vad) and external validation (ex-vad) sets. In the training set, radiomic features were extracted from T2WI, DWI, and contrast enhancement T1WI (CE-T1) sequence. Radiomic signature (RS) score was then calculated for feature screening to construct a rad-score model. Subsequently, preoperative clinical features with statistical significance were selected to construct a clinical model. Independent predictors from clinical and RS related to RM were selected to build the combined model and nomogram. RESULTS: After feature extraction, 26 features were selected to construct the rad-score model. RS (OR = 0.007, p < 0.01), MR-detected T stage (mrT) (OR = 2.92, p = 0.03) and MR-detected circumferential resection margin (mrCRM) (OR = 4.70, p = 0.01) were identified as independent predictors of RM. Then, clinical model and combined model were constructed. ROC curve showed that the AUC, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the combined model were higher than that of the other two models in three sets. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that poorer disease-free survival (DFS) time was observed for patients in pT3-4 stages with low RS score (p < 0.001), similar results were also found in pCRM-positive patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The mp-MRI radiomics model can be served as a noninvasive and accurate predictors of RM in rectal cancer that may support clinical decision-making.

Ultrasonography Outperforms Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Diagnosing Partial-Thickness Subscapularis Tear.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic reliability of ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for subscapularis (SSC) tears with shoulder arthroscopy as the gold standard and to investigate the diagnostic value of 2 MRI signs (lesser tuberosity cysts and subcoracoid cysts) for SSC tears. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled 437 patients who were scheduled to undergo arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from January 2019 to December 2020. Patients with previous shoulder surgery or shoulder fracture, recurrent shoulder instability, and systemic inflammatory disease were excluded. Preoperative US and MRI of the shoulder were performed and interpreted with a standardized approach. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of US and MRI were calculated using arthroscopic findings as the gold standard. RESULTS: Of the 437 patients, 157 had SSC tears confirmed at the time of arthroscopy, 126 of whom had partial-thickness tears. US correctly diagnosed 122 of 157 patients with SSC tears, with an overall sensitivity of 77.7% (confidence interval [CI] 70.6%-83.5%), which was significantly greater than that of MRI (49.7%, CI 42.0%-57.4%, P < .001). For partial-thickness SSC tears, US correctly diagnosed 93 of 126 positive patients and 276 of 311 negative patients. This resulted in a sensitivity of 73.8% (CI 65.5%-80.7%), specificity of 88.7% (CI 84.8%-91.8%), and accuracy of 84.4% (CI 80.7%-87.5%). As with MRI, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 38.1% (CI 29.7%-47.2%), 86.5% (CI 82.3%-89.9%), and 72.5% (CI 68.2%-76.5%), respectively. Lesser tuberosity cysts and subcoracoid cysts were 2 MRI signs with high specificity (98.2% and 94.6%); however, their sensitivities were relatively low (19.8% and 33.8%). CONCLUSIONS: US is a reliable and accurate diagnostic method for SSC tears, especially in easily missed partial-thickness tears. Lesser tuberosity cyst and subcoracoid cyst are highly specific but insensitive MRI signs for SSC tear. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, diagnostic, testing of previously developed diagnostic criteria.

[Effectiveness of arthroscopic 360° capsular release for frozen shoulder].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of arthroscopic 360° capsular release for frozen shoulder. METHODS: Between April 2018 and April 2019, 42 patients with frozen shoulders were treated with arthroscopic 360° capsular release. There were 13 males and 29 females, with an average age of 52.3 years (range, 45-56 years). There were 14 left shoulders and 28 right shoulders. The disease duration ranged from 5 to 18 months (mean, 11.1 months). The main clinical symptoms were limited active and passive movement of the shoulder joint with severe pain. All patients excluded impingement syndrome and shoulder osteoarthritis. Preoperative range of motion was as follows: forward flexion (93.2±15.4)°, external rotation at side (15.9±6.0)°, external rotation at 90° abduction (18.4±9.9)°, and internal rotation reaching the greater trochanter in 5 cases, buttocks in 20 cases, S 1 level in 17 cases. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 6.7±1.7 and the American Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (ASES) score was 41.6±9.3. The active range of motion of shoulder joint, VAS score, and ASES score were recorded during follow-up. RESULTS: All incisions healed by first intention, and no early complications occurred. Patients were followed up 12-24 months (mean, 15.6 months). After operation, forward flexion, external rotation at side, and external rotation at 90° abduction significantly improved when compared with preoperatively ( P<0.05). The range of internal rotation restored to the level of T 6-12 at 3 weeks, which was equivalent to that of the normal side at 12 months after operation ( Z=-0.943, P=0.346). VAS scores decreased and ASES scores increased after operation, and the differences between pre- and post-operation were significant ( P<0.05); and with time, the VAS scores and ASES scores improved further ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic 360° capsular release can significantly increase the range of motion of the shoulder joint, release pain, and improve function. It is an effective method for the treatment of frozen shoulders.

Astragalus polysaccharide attenuates LPS-related inflammatory osteolysis by suppressing osteoclastogenesis by reducing the MAPK signalling pathway.

Bacterial products can stimulate inflammatory reaction and activate immune cells to enhance the production of inflammatory cytokines, and finally promote osteoclasts recruitment and activity, leading to bone destruction. Unfortunately, effective preventive and treatment measures for inflammatory osteolysis are limited and usually confuse the orthopedist. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), the main extractive of Astragali Radix, has been widely used for treating inflammatory diseases. In the current study, in vitro and in vivo experimental results demonstrated that APS notably inhibited osteoclast formation and differentiation dose-dependently. Moreover, we found that APS down-regulated RANKL-related osteoclastogenesis and levels of osteoclast marker genes, such as NFATC1, TRAP, c-FOS and cathepsin K. Further underlying mechanism investigation revealed that APS attenuated activity of MAPK signalling pathways (eg ERK, JNK and p38) and ROS production induced by RANKL. Additionally, APS was also found to suppress LPS-related inflammatory osteolysis by decreasing inflammatory factors' production in vivo. Overall, our findings demonstrate that APS effectively down-regulates inflammatory osteolysis due to osteoclast differentiation and has the potential to become an effective treatment of the disorders associated with osteoclast.

Bilateral coracohumeral distance discrepancy is associated with subscapularis tear in rotator cuff rupture patients.

PURPOSE: To describe the bilateral coracohumeral morphological discrepancy in rotator cuff rupture patients with and without subscapularis (SSC) involvement and to investigate its association with SSC tears. METHODS: Two hundred and thirteen consecutive patients who were scheduled to have arthroscopic rotator cuff repair were prospectively enrolled in the current study. Patients with acute traumatic rotator cuff rupture, glenohumeral osteoarthritis, bilateral rotator cuff rupture, recurrent shoulder instability, systemic inflammatory disease, and previous shoulder surgery history were excluded. Coracohumeral distance (CHD), coracoid overlap (CO), lesser tuberosity index (LTI) and acromiohumeral interval (AHI) were measured bilaterally using CT scans. Based on arthroscopic findings, patients were included in either the SSC tear group (n = 72) or the control group (n = 141). RESULTS: In the SSC tear group, the affected shoulder possessed a significantly smaller CHD [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.1-7.2 vs. 7.2-8.0 mm, p < 0.0001], larger LTI (95% CI 9.4-9.9 vs. 9.0-9.6 mm, p < 0.0001), and smaller AHI (95% CI 5.0-5.5 vs. 7.1-7.5 mm, p < 0.0001) than the contralateral normal shoulder. In the control group, there was no significant difference between bilateral CHD and CO, and the AHI bilateral discrepancy was less distinct. CO did not differ significantly in the bilateral comparison in either group. Among all evaluated parameters, bilateral CHD discrepancy was the best predictor of SSC tears, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.882. A cutoff value of 0.5 mm had a sensitivity of 76.4% and specificity of 99.3% for SSC tears. CONCLUSION: The CHD values are significantly different between affected and contralateral shoulders in SSC tear patients. Bilateral CHD discrepancy is closely associated with subcoracoid impingement and SSC tears, and its presence warrants specific intraoperative SSC inspection. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.

The Chinese ACL injury population has a higher proportion of small ACL tibial insertion sizes than Western patients.

PURPOSE: The study purpose is to characterize the sizes of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insertion site and intercondylar notch in Chinese patients undergoing ACL surgery. The findings will provide a reference for individualized clinical treatment of ACL rupture. METHODS: For this study, 137 patients (102 males, 35 females) with an average age of 30.3 ± 9.5 years (range 14-52 years) undergoing ACL reconstruction were included. The tibial ACL insertion site length and width and the intercondylar notch width were measured on MRI and arthroscopically using a ruler. Descriptive statistics of the patients, the distribution of the measurements and the differences between males and females were calculated. RESULTS: The ACL tibial insertion size and intercondylar notch width in Chinese patients with ACL injuries, as obtained by MRI and intra-operatively, exhibited significant individual variability. The tibial ACL insertion site had a mean length of 13.5 ± 2.1 mm and width of 10.9 ± 1.5 mm as measured on MRI and a mean length of 13.3 ± 2.1 mm and width of 11.0 ± 1.6 mm as measured intra-operatively. The mean intercondylar notch width was 15.2 ± 2.4 mm on MRI and the mean length was 15.0 ± 2.5 mm intra-operatively. The inter-rater reliability between MRI and intra-operative measurements confirmed that the two methods were consistent. In 65.7% of individuals, the ACL tibial insertion length was < 14 mm. CONCLUSION: The distribution of tibial footprint size in Chinese patients is different from that in Western populations. There is a higher proportion of subjects with a tibial footprint size < 14 mm among Chinese patients with ACL injury. Therefore, great care should be taken when treating this population with the double-bundle technique or larger graft options. Level of evidence IV.

Outcome after a new porous tantalum rod implantation for treatment of early-stage femoral head osteonecrosis.

BACKGROUND: Tantalum rods have been used in osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) for several years, while Zimmer trabecular metal implants have been proposed as the best choice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new porous tantalum rod on the treatment of early ONFH. METHODS: From July 2014 to December 2015, 19 patients (21 hips) were treated with Runze tantalum rod, and 20 patients (20 hips) received Zimmer tantalum prosthesis. All patients were followed up for at least 3 years. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics and the Harris Hip Score (HHS) improvement between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis did not show any statistically significant difference in survival rates. One case in the Runze group had persistent pain and required conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA) 8 months post-surgery. Histological evaluations revealed the presence of abundant new bone ingrowth into pores of the tantalum. The osteonecrosis observed in other patients was almost unchanged. At final follow-up, progressive collapse of the femoral head or the apparent joint space narrowing had not occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the traditional implants, implantation of the Chinese tantalum rod in the treatment of Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) stages I, and II ONFH demonstrated highly encouraging clinical results.

Saxagliptin suppresses degradation of type II collagen and aggrecan in primary human chondrocytes: a therapeutic implication in osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major public health concern for which a reliable non-invasive treatment option has yet to be developed. In the present study, we investigated the effects of saxagliptin, a novel dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) inhibitor, on several important aspects of the pathophysiology of OA using primary human chondrocytes. The results of real-time PCR and ELISA analyses show that saxagliptin treatment significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of three key cartilage degrading enzymes: matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13. The results of western blot confirmed that this decrease in MMP-1, -3, and -13 expression prevented degradation of type II collagen. We also found that saxagliptin significantly inhibited expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif (ADAMTS)-4 and ADAMTS-5, which was reflected by markedly decreased degradation of aggrecan. Inhibition of DPP-4 by saxagliptin also reduced oxidative stress in human primary chondrocytes as evidenced by decreased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased glutathione (GSH) levels. Additionally, the results of western blot analysis show that the effects of saxagliptin are mediated through the p38/IκBα/NF-κB pathway, which is considered an important treatment target for OA. These findings suggest a potential role for saxagliptin as a novel treatment against OA.