Prospective study of functional outcomes and return to sports after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the knee.

PURPOSE: Individual factors of low rates of return to sport after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction were unclear. We evaluated the impact of various individual factors after ACL reconstruction for return to sport in athletes. METHODS: A prospective study was performed in 1274 athletes, who had undergone ACL autograft reconstruction. Individual factors survey about return to sport was performed during the second year after surgery. Athlete responses were analyzed with a multivariate logistic model adjusted for baseline patient characteristics and an adjusted Cox model. RESULTS: Younger age and involvement in higher-level sporting activities were associated with a significantly higher frequency and a significantly shorter time to return to sport (running, training, competition; p = 0.001 to 0.028). Men returned to sport more rapidly than women, for both training (p = 0.007) and competition (p = 0.042). Although there was no difference to return to sport between hamstring (HT) and patellar tendon (PT) autograft. We note that MacFL surgery (Mac Intosh modified with intra- and extra-articular autografts used the tensor fasciae latae muscle) was associated with a higher frequency (p = 0.03) and rapidity (p = 0.025) of return to training than HT. Sports people practicing no weight-bearing sports returned to training (p < 0.001) and competition (p < 0.001) more rapidly than other sports people. By contrast, the practicing pivoting sports with contact started running again sooner (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Younger age, male sex, higher level of sports, sportspeople practicing no weight-bearing sports, and MacFL surgery reduce time to return to sport after ACL reconstruction.

Graft failure is more frequent after hamstring than patellar tendon autograft.

PURPOSE: The risk of graft failure after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions with hamstring or patellar tendon was evaluated in a French population of athletes. METHODS: Athletes who had undergone ACL autograft reconstruction and who received rehabilitation care at the European Center for Sports Rehabilitation (CERS; Capbreton, France) were screened for this prospective cohort study. Eligibility criteria included a simple hamstring autograft or patellar tendon autograft surgical technique. Patients were contacted by phone to participate in follow-up during the second year after surgery. The primary endpoint was the graft failure frequency, evaluated with a multivariate logistic model with adjustment for baseline patient characteristics. The secondary endpoint was time to graft failure, analyzed by an adjusted Cox model. RESULTS: A total of 2424 athletes were included after having a hamstring autograft (semitendinosus and gracilis) or a patellar tendon autograft between 2011 and 2014. Of the 988 athletes who responded to a follow-up phone call (40.7% response rate), 33 were excluded for new contralateral ACL rupture (3.3%), with 955 included for analysis (713 hamstring autografts; 242 patellar-tendon autografts). There were no significant differences between the baseline characteristics of the patients analyzed and the population which did not respond to the questionnaire. A significant difference in the frequency of graft failure was seen, 6.5% for hamstring autografts vs 2.1% for patellar-tendon autografts [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 3.64, 95% CI (1.55; 10.67); p = 0.007]. Mean time to graft failure was 10.7 vs 17.4 months for hamstring and patellar-tendon autografts respectively [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 3.50, 95% CI (1.53; 10.11); p = 0.008]. Age less than 25 years significantly increased the frequency of graft failure [adjusted OR = 3.85 (1.89; 8.72); p < 0.001]. The rate of patients returning to competitive sport after the first graft was not significantly different for the two techniques: 70.8% for hamstring and 77.8% for patellar tendon [adjusted OR = 0.718; 95% CI (0.50; 1.02)]. CONCLUSIONS: Graft failure is significantly more frequent after hamstring than patellar tendon autografts in a French population, despite similar rates of return to competition. Athletes aged less than 25 years have a higher risk of failure than those aged ≥ 25 years. Our results are in accordance with recent Scandinavian studies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Exploration of the potential utility of the luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) assay for the detection of anti-leptospira antibodies in dogs.

Canine leptospirosis represents a diagnostic challenge to veterinarians, due to the variability in presenting clinical signs and interpretation of serology test results in dogs that have been vaccinated previously. None of the commercially available serological assays, including the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), have been verified to be capable of differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). Recent work identified that half of primary practice attending dogs were up to date with their leptospirosis vaccination and would be expected to have circulating anti-leptospira antibodies (Taylor et al., 2022), indicating that this is a relevant issue for suspected leptospirosis cases in dogs in the UK. This study aimed to explore the utility of three leptospiral outer membrane proteins (OMPs: LipL32, LipL21 and LipL41) as potential DIVA targets in the luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) assay. N and C terminal nanoluciferase tagged recombinant proteins were generated for each OMP. Differences in reactivity between serum samples from MAT positive dogs (n = 29) and paired samples (n = 6 dogs) taken pre and 21 days post leptospirosis vaccination were assessed against these six constructs. Reactivity was greater towards the N terminal than the C terminal recombinant proteins for all three OMPs. None of the constructs appeared to demonstrate DIVA capability, although two (pNLF1-N-FLAG/LipL32 and pNLF1-N-FLAG/LipL21) were able to detect vaccine seroconversion. The findings of this work suggest that these particular OMP targets do not offer DIVA ability, however LipL32 and LipL21 may be suitable for use in immunoassays for vaccine trials or for detection of infections in humans, where there is no requirement for DIVA capability.

Factors in the surgical management of primary eccrine porocarcinoma: prognostic histological factors can guide the surgical procedure.

BACKGROUND: Primary eccrine porocarcinoma is a rare cutaneous neoplasm and there is no consensus concerning its surgical management. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a retrospective analysis of all the cases of eccrine porocarcinoma seen in our hospital in order to identify prognostic factors. METHODS: Clinical data were retrieved from the patients' files. Each histological sample was reviewed by the pathologist and classified into three eccrine porocarcinoma subtypes: 'infiltrative', 'pushing' and 'pagetoid' eccrine porocarcinoma, according to Robson's criteria. Statistical methods were used to estimate the recurrence risk. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were included. The surgical margins realized were ≥ 2 cm or < 2 cm in six and 13 patients, respectively, and slow Mohs procedure was performed in two patients. Ten, seven and two patients presented with 'infiltrative', 'pushing' or 'pagetoid' eccrine porocarcinoma, respectively. Eight patients (of 23) experienced recurrences (35%). The recurrence risk was linked to the histological subtype: two out of two pagetoid eccrine porocarcinoma, four out of 10 'infiltrative' and none of seven 'pushing' eccrine porocarcinoma recurred (P=0·026). The recurrence risk was not associated with epidermal growth factor receptor status, nor the margin realized. CONCLUSIONS: The recurrence risk of 'pushing' eccrine porocarcinoma is significantly lower than for 'infiltrative' eccrine porocarcinoma. Based on these considerations, a decisional algorithm might be proposed: first step, excisional biopsy of the primary eccrine porocarcinoma and identification of the histological subtype; second step, infiltrative or pagetoid porocarcinoma should be excised with an additional modified micrographic Mohs procedure, while no additional surgery is needed for 'pushing' eccrine porocarcinoma if the first excisional biopsy is complete. Although demonstrated in a limited case series, the histological subtype might guide the surgical management of primary eccrine porocarcinoma.