Early results of a novel modular knee arthrodesis implant after uncontrolled periprosthetic knee joint infection.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the functional outcomes and complications after non-fusion knee arthrodesis with a modular segmental intramedullary implant used for infected total knee arthroplasty revisions. METHODS: A retrospective review of the patients who had been surgically treated with a modular intramedullary arthrodesis implant for recurrent infection after revision TKA between January 2016 and February 2020 were included. The indications for arthrodesis were failed infected TKA with massive bone loss, deficient extensor mechanism and poor soft tissue coverage that precluded joint reconstruction with revision TKA implants. Clinical outcomes were assesed with visual analogue scale for pain (pVAS), Oxford knee score (OKS) and 12-item short form survey (SF-12). Full-length radiographs were used to verify limb length discrepancies (LLD). RESULTS: Fourteen patients (4 male and 10 female) patients with a mean age of 69.3 (range, 59 to 81) years at time of surgery were available for final follow-up at a mean of 28.8 months (range, 24-35 months). All clinical outcome scores improved at the final follow-up (pVAS, 8.5 to 2.6, p = .01; OKS, 12.6 to 33.8, p = .02; SF-12 physical, 22.9 to 32.1, p = .01 and SF-12 mental, 27.7 to 40.2, p = .01). The mean LLD was 1.0 cm (range, + 15 - 2.3 cm). Re-infection was detected in three patients (21.4%). Two patients were managed with suppressive antibiotic treatment and a third patient required repeat 2-stage revision procedure. In one patient, a periprosthetic femur fracture was observed and treated with plate osteosynthesis. CONCLUSION: Uncontrolled infection after total knee arthroplasty can be effectively treated with arthrodesis using a modular intramedullary nail and satisfactory functional results can be obtained. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4, Retrospective cohort study.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis: A multidisciplinary experience of 22 pediatric cases with a mean follow-up of 27 months.

BACKGROUND: Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is not a well known disorder among nonpediatricians. The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the clinical outcomes of twenty-two CRMO patients presenting to two referral centres. METHODS: This retrospective study included twenty-two children (12 males, 10 females; mean age 13 years; range 7-17 years). The diagnosis was based on clinical, radiological, and pathological findings. Data were retrieved from hospital charts. RESULTS: The mean delay in diagnosis was 26 months (range, 0-96 months). The mean follow-up after diagnosis was 27.4 months (range, 6-47 months). Symptoms included pain, limping, local swelling, morning stiffness, and fever. 18 patients had multifocal and 4 patients had unifocal disease. Bone lesions were detected with whole-body or local MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The mean number of bone lesions was 2.5 (range, 1-8). Ten cases underwent biopsy to exclude malignancy and infection. Prior to diagnosis, cast immobilization or curettage was erroneously performed in four patients. One patient suffered from vertebral compression fracture. There is no growth disturbance or deformity in any patient. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that early recognition of the disease can be improved by using Bristol criteria which should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team rather than one single specialist. In this way, the reliability of these criteria is improved and the treatment could be given earlier with decreased delay in diagnosis. This multidisciplinary approach is also important for decision for biopsy, timely aggressive medical treatment, and follow-up of the disease to minimise possible complications.

Abundance and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the surface sediments of twelve alpine lakes in the Central Taurus Mountains.

The regions of Bolkar Mountains and Aladaglar accommodate a unique ecosystem in Turkey, due to being in a transitional climate between the continental and the Mediterranean and hosting alpine lakes which are considered as good indicators of regional and atmospheric pollution due to being far from direct human impact. On the other hand, these regions are surrounded by various power plants, and also subject to occasional human activities, where anthropogenic effects are expected to be. Sediment samples were collected from 12 lakes in Central Taurus Mountains, 6 lakes in Bolkar Mountains, and 6 lakes in Aladaglar. Fifteen PAHs, identified as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as lake water chemical characteristics were determined. The distribution of analyzed PAHs was investigated, and PAH diagnostic ratios were calculated to identify their potential sources. It was a remarkable observation that only low-molecular-weight PAHs exist in the lakes of Aladaglar, whereas high-molecular-weight PAHs are also found in the lakes of Bolkar Mountains, likely reflecting more isolated characteristics of the Aladaglar region. As compatible with this observation, total PAHs (T-PAHs) were found lower in Aladaglar (0.00-105.78 ng/g w.w.) than in Bolkar Mountains (9.08-380.16 ng/g w.w.). Overall, T-PAHs of sampled lakes were found in a similar range when they are compared to the other high-altitude alpine lakes around the world, indicating no significant difference in terms of atmospheric pollution of the global average.

PD-L1 Status in Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumors.

Background and Objectives: Tenosynovial giant cell tumors (TSGCTs) are benign soft tissue tumors that are divided into localized- and diffuse-type tumors, according to the World Health Organization classification of soft tissue tumours. The diffuse-type TSGCT sometimes behave aggressively and poses treatment challenges especially in patients with neurovascular involvement. Symptomatic patients who are not good candidates for surgery due to high morbidity risk may benefit from medical therapy. Objectives: Drugs that target programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are among a new generation of medical therapy options, which, recently, have been explored and have displayed promising results in various cancer types; therefore, we aimed to investigate the PD-L1 status of TSGCTs as a possible therapeutic target. Materials and Methods: We assessed the PD-L1 status of 20 patients (15 men and 5 women, median age = 39 years) that had been diagnosed with TSGCTs in a single institution, between 2018 and 2020. The patients had localized- (n = 7) and diffuse-type (n = 13) TSGCTs. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks were retrospectively retrieved from the pathology department. An immunohistochemical analysis was performed in sections of 3 micron thickness from these blocks. Results: Seventy-five percent of our patients with TSGCTs were immunopositive to PD-L1 staining. Conclusions: Taking into consideration the high positivity rate of PD-L1 staining in TSGCTs, PD-L1 blockage may be used as a valuable medical treatment for TSGCTs; however, further studies are needed.

Rifampin-accompanied antibiotic regimens in the treatment of prosthetic joint infections: a frequentist and Bayesian meta-analysis of current evidence.

Prosthetic joint infections cause serious morbidity and mortality among joint arthroplasty patients. Rifampin-accompanied antibiotic regimens are recommended for gram-positive infections. This study aimed to combine current evidence supporting the rifampin supplement to an effective antibiotic in the treatment of prosthetic joint infections. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis with frequentist and Bayesian approaches. A total of 13 studies, all observational, were included in the final analysis. The predominant bacteria in eight, two, and three studies were Staphylococcus spp., Propionibacterium spp., and Streptococcus spp., respectively. We pooled data from 568 patients in the staphylococcus subset (OR, 1.18; 95% CIs, [0.76; 1.82]; I2 = 23%) and data from 80 patients in the propionibacterium subset (REM OR, 1.61; 95% CIs [0.58; 4.47]; I2 = 0%). Both were insignificant with little heterogeneity. We pooled data from 483 patients in the streptococcus subset; the pooled estimate in this subset favored the use of rifampin supplemented regimens (1.84; [0.90; 3.76]) with moderate to high unaccounted heterogeneity (I2 = 57%). Bayesian random-effects models produced a posterior probability density indicating that future studies will not favor rifampin supplementation in Staphylococcus infections (µ, 0.074; τ, 0.570; 89% HPD, [- 0.48; 0.54]). Bayesian posterior distribution in the Streptococcus subset displayed a tendency toward rifampin supplementation. Studies had a substantial selection bias. Available evidence did not encourage rifampin-accompanied regimens for staphylococcal infections.

Chondroprotective effect of Nigella sativa oil in the early stages of osteoarthritis: an experimental study in rabbits.

PURPOSE: Nigella sativa oil possesses a well-known ability to protect certain organs from oxidative, neoplastic, and inflammatory damage. This study investigated the potential chondroprotective effects of intraarticular injections of Nigella sativa oil in a rabbit osteoarthritis model. METHODS: Osteoarthritis models were created by performing anterior cruciate ligament transections in 20 New Zealand rabbits. Rabbits were randomly divided into two groups of 10 and given intraarticular injections in their right knees weekly for 5 weeks, beginning in the third week post-operation. Injections given to the first group contained whole Nigella sativa oil, whereas the second group was injected with a saline solution. Knee joints were harvested 8 weeks after surgery. Knee joint surfaces were examined macroscopically, and medial femoral condyle sections were examined microscopically. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the macroscopic grading results of the groups, with the Nigella sativa group having better results (p=0.001). The Nigella sativa group also received significantly better total Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) scores (p=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Intraarticular administration of Nigella sativa oil has the potential to protect cartilage from degeneration in the early stages of osteoarthritis.

Zoledronic acid : Treatment option for Gorham-Stout disease.

Gorham-Stout disease is a rare bone resorption disease, the etiology and prognosis of which is uncertain but it is thought to be benign. It can involve one or more bones and can cause pain, swelling, deformity and fractures in affected bones. Diagnosis is made with a combination of clinical, radiological and histopathological examinations once other causes of osteolysis have been excluded. Due to its rarity, there is no standard therapeutic approach.

Bilateral Idiopathic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in a 4-Year-Old Girl.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), the most common entrapment neuropathy in adulthood, is rare in childhood. The symptoms may differ to those in adults, or may be misinterpreted owing to children's difficulties in expressing themselves. Cases of idiopathic, bilateral CTS under the age of 5 are rare. A 4-year-old girl presented with pain in both hands and difficulty opening them in the morning. Bilateral severe CTS was determined at electroneuromyography (ENMG). Bilateral wrist splints were advised for both hands. Improvement in ENMG was seen at 2 weeks following conservative treatment.

Middle and long term radiologic and functional results of childhood supracondylar humeral fractures operated in first 24 hours with limited medial approach.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the middle- and long-term radiological and functional results of children with type III supracondylar humerus fractures treated with a limited medial approach and internal fixation. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at Department of Orthopaedics in Goztepe Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, and comprised data of children who underwent surgery between April 1991 and June 2009. Patients in group I underwent surgery within the first 8 hours after admission, and those in group II did so 8-24 hours after admission. Patients were evaluated according to the Flynn scoring system. RESULTS: Of the 79 patients, 52(65.8%) were male and 27(34.2%) were female. Fractures involved the left side in 49(62%) patients. Group I had 39(49.4%) patients and group II 40(50.6%). The overall mean age was 6.2±2.95 years (range: 2-13 years), and the mean follow-up was 53.2±14.9 months (range: 26-193 months). Functional scores were satisfactory (excellent, good and fair results) in all cases in both groups (100%), and the cosmetic results were satisfactory in 37(95%) in group I, and 39(97.5%) in group II (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Limited medial approach to the treatment of supracondylar humerus fractures yielded successful functional and cosmetic results.

Short-term results of surgical treatment with cephalomedullary nails for basicervical proximal femoral fractures.

The treatment of basicervical femoral fractures remains controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of intramedullary nail use in the surgical treatment of basicervical fractures. In total, 28 patients with basicervical fractures treated with proximal femoral nails were examined retrospectively. Fracture healing was observed in all patients, who were followed at least for 6 months. While the average radiological fracture healing timing was ~10.5 (8-14) weeks, clinical fracture healing occurred in 6 (5-9) weeks on average. Screw cut­out, avascular necrosis, femur fracture, and surgical wound infections did not occur in any patient. Severe collapse (>10%) was not noted in any patient. The postoperative mean Harris hip score was 81.2±21.3. Osteosynthesis application with a proximal femoral nail in basicervical proximal femur fractures is a surgical treatment that can be performed with minimally invasive techniques without open surgery. This is a rapid, sound, and simple treatment method with low morbidity.

What factors are associated with osteoarthritis after cementation for benign aggressive bone tumor of the knee joint: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The current systematic review aimed to answer the following questions: (i) Does extended curettage combined with the PMMA technique for the treatment of aggressive bone tumors around the knee led to the development of knee osteoarthritis? (ii) What factors are associated with osteoarthritis after bone cementation around the knee joint? Methods: This study was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All electronic searches were performed on November 20, 2022, by a single researcher who evaluated the full texts of potentially eligible studies to determine inclusion. In these patients, the presence of osteoarthritis secondary to the surgical procedure was investigated. Data extracted included study type, characteristics of participants, sample size, gender, tumor site (femur or tibia), secondary osteoarthritis, tumor volume, distance from the joint cartilage, reoperation, follow-up time, Campanacci grade, and pathological fracture. Results: In total, 11 studies comprising 204 patients were evaluated, and it was found that 61 (30%) patients developed knee osteoarthritis due to extensive curettage and bone cement application for benign aggressive tumor treatment. According to the results obtained based the random effects model with the 11 studies included in the meta-analysis, the mean odds ratio of development knee OA with the 95% CI was calculated as -2.77 (-3.711, -1.83), which was statistically significant (z = -5.79; P < 0.000). Conclusion: The association of distance between the tumor and joint cartilage and development of osteoarthritis was not shown in this meta-analysis. Level of Evidence: Level IV prognostic study.

Enhanced enchondroma detection from x-ray images using deep learning: A step towards accurate and cost-effective diagnosis.

This study investigates the automated detection of enchondromas, benign cartilage tumors, from x-ray images using deep learning techniques. Enchondromas pose diagnostic challenges due to their potential for malignant transformation and overlapping radiographic features with other conditions. Leveraging a data set comprising 1645 x-ray images from 1173 patients, a deep-learning model implemented with Detectron2 achieved an accuracy of 0.9899 in detecting enchondromas. The study employed rigorous validation processes and compared its findings with the existing literature, highlighting the superior performance of the deep learning approach. Results indicate the potential of machine learning in improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing healthcare costs associated with advanced imaging modalities. The study underscores the significance of early and accurate detection of enchondromas for effective patient management and suggests avenues for further research in musculoskeletal tumor detection.

Re-oligotrophication and warming stabilize phytoplankton networks.

Phytoplankton taxa are strongly interconnected as a network, which could show temporal dynamics and non-linear responses to changes in drivers at both seasonal and long-term scale. Using a high quality dataset of 20 Danish lakes (1989-2008), we applied extended Local Similarity Analysis to construct temporal network of phytoplankton communities for each lake, obtained sub-network for each sampling month, and then measured indices of network complexity and stability for each sub-network. We assessed how lake re-oligotrophication, climate warming and grazers influenced the temporal dynamics on network complexity and stability of phytoplankton community covering three aspects: seasonal trends, long-term trends and detrended variability. We found strong seasonality for the complexity and stability of phytoplankton network, an increasing trend for the average degree, modularity, nestedness, persistence and robustness, and a decreasing trend for connectance, negative:positive interactions and vulnerability. Our study revealed a cascading effect of lake re-oligotrophication, climate warming and zooplankton grazers on phytoplankton network stability through changes in network complexity characterizing diversity, interactions and topography. Network stability of phytoplankton increased with average degree, modularity, nestedness and decreased with connectance and negative:positive interactions. Oligotrophication and warming stabilized the phytoplankton network (enhanced robustness, persistence and decreased vulnerability) by enhancing its average degree, modularity, nestedness and by reducing its connectance, while zooplankton richness promoted stability of phytoplankton network through increases in average degree and decreases in negative interactions. Our results further indicate that the stabilization effects might lead to more closed, compartmentalized and nested interconnections especially in the deeper lakes, in the warmer seasons and during bloom periods. From a temporal dynamic network view, our findings highlight stabilization of the phytoplankton community as an adaptive response to lake re-oligotrophication, climate warming and grazers.

What is the diagnostic accuracy of fluorescence-guided surgery for margin assessment in appendicular bone and soft tissue tumors? - A systematic review of clinical studies.

BACKGROUND: Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) is a novel technique to successfully assess surgical margins intraoperatively. Investigation and adoption of this technique in orthopaedic oncology remains limited. METHODS: The PRISMA guidelines were followed for this manuscript. Our study was registered on PROSPERO (380520). Studies describing the use of FGS for resection of bone and soft tissue sarcomas (STS) on humans were included. Diagnostic performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value [PPV], negative predictive value [NPV] and accuracy) and margin positivity rate were the outcomes assessed. RESULTS: Critical appraisal using the Joanna Brigs Institute checklists showed significant concerns for study quality. Sensitivity of FGS ranged from 22.2 % to 100 % in three of the four studies assessing his metrics; one study in appendicular tumors in the pediatric population reported 0 % sensitivity in the three cases included. Specificity ranged from 9.38 % to 100 %. PPV ranged from 14.6 % to 70 % while NPV was between 53.3 % and 100 %. The diagnostic accuracy ranged from 21.62 % to 92.31 %. Margin positivity rate ranged from 2 % to 50 %, with six of the seven studies reporting values between 20 % and 50 %. CONCLUSIONS: FSG is a feasible technique to assess tumor margins in bone and STS. Reported performance metrics and margin positivity rates vary widely between studies due to low study quality and high heterogeneity in dying protocols. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, diagnostic study.

Environmental species sorting dominates forest-bird community assembly across scales.

Environmental species sorting and dispersal are seen as key factors in community assembly, but their relative importance and scale dependence remain uncertain, as the extent to which communities are consistently assembled throughout their biomes. To address these issues, we analysed bird metacommunity structure in a 1200-km(2) forested landscape (Istranca Forests) in Turkish Thrace at the margin of the Western Palaearctic (WP) temperate-forest biome. First, we used spatial regressions and Mantel tests to assess the relative importance of environmental and spatial factors as drivers of local species richness and composition within the metacommunity. Second, we analysed species' abundance-occupancy relationship across the metacommunity and used null models to assess whether occupancy is determined by species' environmental niches. Third, we used generalized linear models to test for links between species' metacommunity-wide occupancy and their broader WP regional populations and assessed whether these links are consistent with environmental species sorting. There was strong environmental control on local species richness and composition patterns within the metacommunity, but non-environmental spatial factors had also an important joint role. Null model analyses on randomized communities showed that species' occupancy across the metacommunity was strongly determined by species' environmental niches, with occupancy being related to niche position marginality. Species' metacommunity-wide occupancy correlated with their local abundance as well as with their range size and total abundance for the whole WP, suggesting that the same assembly mechanisms act consistently across local to regional scales. A species specialization index that was estimated by bird species' habitat use across France, incorporating both niche position and breadth, was significantly related to species' occupancy and abundance at both metacommunity and WP regional scales. Hence, the same niche-related assembly mechanisms appear to act consistently across the WP region. Overall, our results suggest that the structure of the Istranca Forest' bird metacommunity was predominantly controlled by environmental species sorting in a manner consistent with the broader WP region. However, variability in local community structure was also linked to purely spatial factors, albeit more weakly.

The Biocompatibility of a New Type of 45S5 Bioactive Graft in a Sheep Model: A Pilot Study.

Background Bone is a dramatically regenerating tissue with the ability to heal after trauma, although intensive surgical management is required to treat considerable damage. In this study, 45S5 bioactive grafts were prepared through the melt-quenched method in compliance with the guidelines on medical product requirements (MDD regulations; 93/42/EEC Annex-II section 3&4 and ISO standardizations; ISO 13485:2016) for bone repair and regeneration. Methodology After preparing the graft/scaffold, it was evaluated for biocompatibility according to the principles of "lSO 10993-6 2015 Biological evaluation of medical devices: Tests for local effects after implantation, Annex D 'Test method for implantation in bone,'" "lSO 10993-2:2005 Biological evaluation of medical devices: Animal welfare requirements," and "lSO 10993-12 2012 Biological evaluation of medical devices sample preparation rules and standards." Defects were created on the tibia of the right hind leg. The defects were filled with 3-mm bioactive granules, and a cylindrical polypropylene biocompatible material was used as a negative control. After 120 days, the sheep were sacrificed, and the tibia were analyzed. Results The results demonstrated the safety of 45S5 bioactive grafts. Histological evaluation showed no signs of pathological changes around the implant area. Hematoxylin and eosin sections demonstrated the presence of a few multinucleated giant cells, macrophages, and non-irritant mild fibrotic changes on the surface of the biomaterial. Conclusions 45S5 bioactive glass was found to be biocompatible in a sheep model, demonstrating its capacity to promote bone consolidation while also justifying its further preclinical application as a bone-bonded material owing to the layer formation of the growing bone mineral.

External validation of the PATHFx decision-support tool on Turkish patients with skeletal metastasis.

Objective: Accurate determination of life expectancy becomes very important when determining the treatment of patients with pathologic fractures. We aimed to investigate the predictive role of the PATHFx model in Turkish patients by estimating the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) and externally validating the results of PATHFx on the Turkish population. Methods: The data of 122 patients who presented to one of four orthopaedic oncology referral centres in Istanbul (2010-2017) and underwent surgical management of pathologic fractures were retrospectively collected. Patients were evaluated according to age, sex, type of pathologic fracture, presence of organ metastasis, presence of lymph node metastasis, haemoglobin concentration at presentation, primary oncologic diagnosis, number of bone metastases, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) status. Estimations of the PATHFx program by months were statistically evaluated using ROC analysis. Results: In our study population (122 patients), all survived the first month, 102 survived the third month, 89 were alive at 6 months, and 58 patients survived at 12 months. At 18 and 24 months, 39 and 27 patients were alive, respectively. The AUC value was 0.677 at 3 months, 0.695 at 6 months, 0.69 at 12 months, 0.674 at 18 months, and 0.693 at 24 months. The 3-, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month survival rates were statistically significant (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). ECOG performance status was 0-2 points in 33 patients (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) data set: 93 cases, our data set: 33 cases). ECOG performance status was 3-4 points in 89 patients (MSKCC data set: 96 cases, our data set: 89 cases). Conclusions: The objective data used by PATHFx for prediction provided statistically accurate estimates on Turkish patients, who are presumed to have mixed genomes through history from both Europe and Asia, and demonstrates its applicability to the Turkish population.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions on Musculoskeletal Pathology Services.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on healthcare in musculoskeletal pathology. There is no standard protocol for pathology services during a pandemic. The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the workload of the musculoskeletal pathology service and the hurdles faced in collaboration with the orthopedic oncology unit in a tertiary reference center in a developing country. MATERIALS AND METHODS:  The pathology reports from mid-March to mid-June 2019, 2020, and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS:  Significant differences were found between the pandemic period (2020) and the non-pandemic periods (2019-2021) in benign bone and soft tissue lesions, resection surgeries, and soft tissue tumors, which were more prevalent in the non-pandemic periods. However, there was no significant decrease in biopsy procedures. Conclusion: During the pandemic period, the biopsy procedure appears to be feasible for bone and soft tissue lesions without the need for anesthesia.