Cemented vs Uncemented hemiarthroplasties for femoral neck fractures: An overlapping systematic review and evidence appraisal.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study is to assess the methodology of overlapping systematic reviews related to cemented vs uncemented hip hemiarthroplasties for the treatment of femoral neck fractures to find the study with the best evidence. Also, we assess the gaps in methodology and information to help with direction of future studies. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in September 2022 using Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Clinical outcome data and characteristics of each study were extracted to see which treatment had better favorability. The outcomes and characteristics extracted from each study includes, first author, search date, publication journal and date, number of studies included, databases, level of evidence, software used, subgroup analyses that were conducted, and heterogeneity with the use of I2 statistics Methodological quality information was extracted from each study using four different methodologic scores (Oxford Levels of Evidence; Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR); Quality of reporting of meta-analyses (QUROM); Oxman and Guyatt. After that, the Jadad decision algorithm was used to identify which studies in our sample contained the best available evidence. Finally, overlap of each systematic review was assessed using Corrected Covered Area (CCA) to look at redundancy and research waste among the systematic reviews published on the topic. RESULTS: After screening, 12 studies were included in our sample. For the Oxford Levels of Evidence, we found that all the studies were Level I evidence. For the QUORUM assessment, we had 1 study with the highest score of 18. Additionally, we did the Oxman and Guyatt assessment, where we found 4 studies with a maximum score of 6. Finally, we did an AMSTAR assessment and found 2 studies with a score of 9. After conducting the methodological scores; the authors determined that Li. L et al 2021 had the highest quality. In addition, it was found that the CCA found among the primary studies in each systematic review calculated to .22. Any CCA above .15 is considered "very high overlap". CONCLUSIONS: The best available evidence suggests that Cemented HAs are better at preventing Prosthesis-related complications. Conversely, the best evidence also suggests that Cemented HA also results in longer operative time and increased intraoperative blood loss. When conducting future systematic reviews related to the topic, we ask that authors restrict conducting another systematic review until new evidence emerges so as not to confuse the clinical decision-making of physicians.

Reoperation and Complication Rates Following Patellar Fracture Repair with Plates: A Retrospective Analysis with Patient-Reported Outcomes at More than 1 Year of Follow-up.

Recent work has suggested good clinical and functional results with dorsal surface plating of patellar fractures. The primary outcome measurement of this study was reoperation rates for patellar fractures that had been treated with dorsal plating. Methods: This work consists of a retrospective review of clinical and functional outcome data following repair of patellar fractures with dorsal plates. We obtained institutional review board approval for this study and conducted a review of 9 consecutive years of our group's trauma practice. We also contacted patients to assess patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after 12 months. Results: Eighty-five patellar fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) via plating over 9 years. Eight (9.41%) of the patients required reoperation. Of the 72 patients with complete follow-up of ≥12 weeks, 3 (4.17%) had nonunion of the fracture site and 4 (5.56%) had loss of reduction of the fracture. The average Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score among our sample was 18.84 (slight symptoms); 72.41% of the patients in our sample had slight or no symptoms at ≥12 months postoperatively. Conclusions: Our results indicated that plating of comminuted patellar fractures is a safe, viable treatment strategy. The PROs at ≥12 months of follow-up data were promising. Additionally, dorsal plating may allow for early return of function and less postoperative bracing. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Evaluation of spin in the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to the treatment of proximal humerus fractures.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that many physicians rely solely on abstracts to make clinical decisions. However, many abstracts have been shown to be misleading. The primary objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of spin - bias towards particular results - within the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses pertaining to the treatment of proximal humerus fractures, one of the most common osteoporotic fractures among elderly patients. METHODS: We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase databases to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining the treatment of proximal humerus fractures. Screening and data extraction occurred in a masked, duplicate fashion. The nine most severe types of spin that occur within abstracts were extracted along with study characteristics, including journal recommendations to adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and year in which the review was performed, to identify potential associations. We subsequently explored the association between spin and the methodological quality of a systematic review using the revised A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2) appraisal instrument. RESULTS: Our search retrieved 505 articles, of which 73 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. We found that 34.2% (25/73) of the included systematic reviews contained spin. Spin type 3 (selective reporting of or overemphasis on efficacy outcomes or analysis favoring the beneficial effect of the experimental intervention) was the most common type identified (12/73, 16.4%). Three spin types were not identified in any of the abstracts. Spin was 3.2 (OR 3.2; 95% CI, 1.02-10.02) times more likely to be present in systematic reviews published in journals recommending adherence to PRISMA. Furthermore, the odds of an abstract containing spin was 1.25 (OR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02-1.52) times more likely to be present in systematic reviews for each year after 2000. No other study characteristics were associated with spin. The methodological quality of 24 studies were rated as "critically low" (32.9%), 14 were "low" (19.2%), 28 were "moderate" (38.4%), and 7 were "high" (9.6%), but these findings were not associated with spin. CONCLUSION: Spin was present in systematic review abstracts regarding treatment of proximal humerus fractures. Measures such as education on the subject of spin and improved reporting standards should be implemented to increase awareness and reduce incidence of spin in abstracts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE OF THE STUDY PERFORMED: Basic Science Study; Research Methodology.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection reduces beta2-adrenergic responses in human airway smooth muscle.

Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infants, the effect of RSV on human airway smooth muscle (HASM) has not been studied. We hypothesized that RSV has direct effects on cAMP formation and beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) density and that ADRB2 haplotype influences this response. A recombinant green-fluorescent protein (rg) expressing RSV was used to determine whether RSV could infect cultured HASM. Influence of RSV infection on beta(2)-adrenergic responsiveness was determined by measuring differences in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cyclic AMP (cAMP) formation, ADRB2 density, and G(i) expression in HASM cells challenged with RSV, with ultraviolet-inactivated RSV, and with mock infection. The rgRSV efficiently infected cultured HASM cells. ISO-induced cAMP formation was significantly reduced in cells infected with RSV, compared with mock-infected and ultraviolet-inactivated RSV, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Forskolin-induced cAMP formation and Gi expression were not altered in cells infected with RSV, suggesting that the influence of RSV on beta(2)-adrenergic relaxation was upstream of cAMP formation. ADRB2 density was reduced in cells infected with RSV, compared with mock infection, and the Arg16Gln27 ADRB2 haplotype was associated with decreased ISO-induced cAMP formation (P < 0.05) and with decreased ADRB2 density at baseline (P < 0.05). The implications of these results are that limitations of beta(2)-agonists in the treatment of any airway obstruction associated with RSV infection may be related to direct effects of RSV on HASM, and ADRB2 genotype may predict beta(2)-adrenergic responses.