Quadriceps Weakness and Risk of Knee Cartilage Loss Seen on Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Population-based Cohort with Knee Pain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether baseline quadriceps weakness predicts cartilage loss assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: Subjects aged 40-79 with knee pain (n = 163) were recruited from a random population sample and examined for quadriceps weakness with manual isometric strength testing, using a 3-point scoring system (0 = poor resistance, 1 = moderate resistance, 2 = full resistance), which was dichotomized as normal (grade 2) versus weak (grade 0/1). MRI of the more symptomatic knee was obtained at baseline and at mean of 3.3 years. Cartilage was graded 0-4 on MRI. Exponential regression analysis was used to evaluate whether quadriceps weakness was associated with whole knee cartilage loss, and in secondary analyses with compartment-specific cartilage loss, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Arthritis Index pain score, and baseline MRI cartilage score. RESULTS: Of 163 subjects, 54% were female, with a mean age of 57.7 years. Quadriceps weakness was seen in 11.9% of the subjects. Weakness was a predictor of whole knee cartilage loss (HR 3.48, 95% CI 1.30-9.35). Quadriceps weakness was associated with cartilage loss in the medial tibiofemoral (TF) compartment (HR 4.60, 95% CI 1.25-17.02), while no significant association was found with lateral TF (HR 1.53, 95% CI 0.24-9.78) or patellofemoral compartment (HR 2.76, 95% CI 0.46-16.44). CONCLUSION: In this symptomatic, population-based cohort, quadriceps weakness predicted whole knee and medial TF cartilage loss after 3 years. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that a simple clinical examination of quadriceps strength can predict the risk of knee cartilage loss.

Massive colchicine overdose with recovery.

Colchicine is an active alkaloid that is commonly used for treatment of multiple diseases including gout, primary biliary cirrhosis and familial Mediterranean fever. Less commonly, it has been implicated in several fatal overdoses. Deaths from colchicine overdoses are usually due to multi-organ failure, whether directly from colchicine toxicity or due to ensuing sepsis. We report an extreme case of colchicine ingestion (1.38 mg/kg), which is the largest reported non-fatal colchicine overdose. The patient was a 47-year-old First Nations woman with a history of depression and no other comorbidities. Ingestion was intentional and initial presentation was within 2 h of ingestion, at which point she had normal clinical and laboratory parameters. Early implementation of a targeted therapeutic strategy directed at the predicted multi-organ failure which included aggressive use of a GI decontamination protocol, timely supportive measures including ventilator support and renal replacement therapy, as well as the utilization of broad-spectrum antibiotics and G-CSF for sepsis and leucopenia management, resulted in successful support and discharge of this patient off dialysis.