Hymovis MO.RE. in the treatment of knee and ankle chondropathy in elite athletes: preliminary results of the CHAMPS (Cohort study about HYADD4-G Administration for Pain relief on Soccer players) prospective clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated single intra-articular injections of Hymovis MO.RE., a hyaluronic acid hexadecyl derivative (HYADD4-G), to manage post-traumatic or degenerative knee or ankle chondropathy in professional soccer players. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five players affected by knee (n = 12) or ankle (n = 13) chondropathy were prospectively enrolled and treated by two single Hymovis MO.RE. (32 mg/4 ml) injections at the beginning of the football season (V0, baseline) and at mid-season (V1, 19-20 weeks thereafter), and were followed-up until the end of the season (V2, after further 19-20 weeks). Knee cases were evaluated using the 2000 IKDC knee subjective examination form and the modified Lysholm scoring system. Ankle cases were evaluated using the American Orthopaedic Foot Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score. Patients were also evaluated using a VAS Likert scale and a four-category scale recording both the patient's and the doctor's assessment on joint mobility in degrees and overall treatment efficacy. Adverse events, patient withdrawals and local reaction to injections were also assessed. RESULTS: In knee patients, the 2000 IKDC subjective score improved from 46.8 ± 11.4 at V0 to 83.1 ± 12.5 at V2. Their modified Lysholm score improved from 58.8 ± 8.9 at V0 to 90.6 ± 8.3 at V2. In the ankle patients, the AOFAS score improved from 52.2 ± 5.6 at V0 to 96.4 ± 4.5 at V2. VAS Likert values and subjective evaluations improved at V1 and were maintained at V2. No side effects were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: A single Hymovis MO.RE. (32 mg/4 ml) intra-articular injection, repeated after 19-20 weeks, may be a viable option to improve symptoms and function in professional soccer players suffering from knee and ankle chondropathy.

Effects of L-carnitine on the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and carnitine palmitoyl transferase activities in muscle of endurance athletes.

The effects of L-carnitine on the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex and carnitine palmitoyl transferase (CPT) were studied in muscle of 16 long-distance runners (LDR). These subjects received placebo or L-carnitine (2 g orally) during a 4-week period of training. Athletes receiving L-carnitine showed a dramatic increase (P < 0.001) in the PDH complex activities. By contrast, the levels of CPT, both 1 and 2, were unchanged. No significant changes were observed after placebo administration. We previously reported [Huertas R. et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 188 (1992) 102-107] that L-carnitine induces an increase in the activities of complexes I, III and IV of the respiratory chain in muscle of LDR. Taken together, our data suggest that the improvement in (maximal oxygen consumption) VO2max observed in LDR after L-carnitine administration is based on these biochemical findings.

The peritrophic matrix limits the rate of digestion in adult Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

The peritrophic matrix (PM) is a chitin-containing acellular sheath that surrounds the blood meal and separates the food bolus from the midgut epithelium. Intense molecular traffic through the PM occurs during digestion. Digestive enzymes secreted by the midgut epithelium must traverse the PM to reach their substrates in the food bolus, and digestion products must cross the PM in the opposite direction to be absorbed by the epithelial cells. Here we report that the PM limits the rate of digestion. PM disruption by two independent means (chitinase and anti-PM antibodies) consistently increases the rate of blood digestion. The significance of these results in relation to PM function is discussed.