Gardening/yardwork in people with knee osteoarthritis is not associated with symptom or structural progression over 48 months: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of gardening/yardwork with symptomatic and structural progression in those with pre-existing radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), an observational study designed to evaluate potential and known biomarkers and risk factors of knee OA. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study nested within the OAI, including participants ≥ 50 years old with radiographic OA in at least one knee at the time of OAI enrollment. A participant reported the level of gardening/yardwork activity in a self-administered survey. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of gardening/yardwork on new frequent knee pain, Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) worsening, medial joint space narrowing (JSN) worsening, and improved frequent knee pain. RESULTS: Of 1808 knees (1203 participants), over 60% of knees had KL grade = 2, 65% had medial JSN, and slightly more than a third had frequent knee symptoms. Gardeners/yardworkers and non-gardners/yardworkers had similar "worsening" outcomes for new knee pain (29% vs. 29%), KL worsening (19% vs. 18%), and medial JSN (23% vs. 24%). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the "worsening" outcomes of new knee pain, KL worsening, and medial JSN worsening were 1.0 (0.7-1.3), 1.0 (0.8-1.3), and 1.1 (0.9-1.4), respectively. The gardeners/yardworkers had an adjusted OR of 1.2 (0.9-1.7) for improved knee pain compared with non-gardners/yardworkers. CONCLUSION: Gardening/yardwork is not associated with knee OA progression and should not be discouraged in those with knee OA. Key Points • Gardening/yardwork is not associated with knee OA symptomatic or structural progression. • Gardening/yardwork should not be discouraged in people with knee OA.

Bicycling over a Lifetime Is Associated with Less Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the relationship between a history of bicycling and symptomatic and structural outcomes of knee osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis. METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study within the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), where we investigated OAI participants with complete data on bicycling, knee pain, and radiographic evidence of knee OA. We used a self-administered questionnaire at the 96-month OAI visit to identify participation in bicycling during four time periods throughout a participant's lifetime (ages 12-18, 19-34, 35-49, and > 50 years old). Using logistic regression, we evaluated the influence of prior bicycling status (any history, history for each time period, number of periods cycling) on three outcomes at the 48-month OAI visit: frequent knee pain, radiographic OA (ROA), and symptomatic radiographic OA (SOA), adjusting for age and gender. RESULTS: 2607 participants were included; 44.2% were male; mean age was 64.3 (SD 9.0) years; body mass index was 28.5 (SD 4.9) kg/m 2 . The adjusted risk ratio for the outcome of frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA among those who reported any history of bicycling compared to non-bicyclers was 0.83 (0.73-0.92), 0.91 (0.85-0.98), and 0.79 (0.68-0.90), respectively. We observed a dose-response among those who participated in bicycling during more time periods. CONCLUSIONS: People who participated in bicycling had a lower prevalence of frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA. The benefit appeared cumulative. This study indicates that bicycling may be favorable to knee health and should be encouraged.

Effects of Multicomponent Home-Based Intervention on Muscle Composition, Fitness, and Bone Density After Hip Fracture.

BACKGROUND: Mechanistic factors on the pathway to improving independent ambulatory ability among hip fracture patients by a multicomponent home-based physical therapy intervention that emphasized aerobic, strength, balance, and functional training are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 2 different home-based physical therapy programs on muscle area and attenuation (reflects muscle density) of the lower extremities, bone mineral density (BMD), and aerobic capacity. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial of home-based 16 weeks of strength, endurance, balance, and function exercises (PUSH, n = 19) compared to seated active range-of-motion exercises and transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation (PULSE, n = 18) in community-dwelling adults >60 years of age within 26 weeks of hip fracture. RESULTS: In PUSH and PULSE groups combined, the fractured leg had lower muscle area and muscle attenuation and higher subcutaneous fat than the nonfractured leg (p < .001) at baseline. At 16 weeks, mean muscle area of the fractured leg was higher in the PUSH than PULSE group (p = .04). Changes in muscle area were not significantly different when compared to the comparative PULSE group. There was a clinically relevant difference in change in femoral neck BMD between groups (p = .05) that showed an increase after PULSE and decrease after PUSH. There were generally no between-group differences in mean VO2peak tests at 16-week follow-up, except the PUSH group reached a higher max incline (p = .04). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment effects of a multicomponent home-based physical therapy intervention on muscle composition, BMD, and aerobic capacity were not significantly different than an active control intervention in older adults recovering from hip fracture. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01783704.

Causal Factors for Osteoarthritis: A Scoping Review of Mendelian Randomization Studies.

OBJECTIVE: Mendelian randomization (MR) has increasingly been utilized as a tool for establishing causal relations between modifiable exposures and osteoarthritis (OA). The goal of this review was to summarize available MR studies of OA that evaluate the causal role of modifiable risk factors on OA. METHODS: This review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews model. We performed a literature search for relevant studies published before December 2021 across multiple databases using the search terms "osteoarthritis" and ("Mendelian randomization" or "polygenic risk score"). We reported the MR estimates of causal associations between exposures and OA and then assessed methodologic quality of abstracted studies according to their efforts to validate the three key MR assumptions. RESULTS: Our search identified 45 studies reporting on 141 exposure-association analyses. All studies performed a formal instrumental variable analysis to estimate the causal effect of exposure on OA. Causal associations (P < 0.05) were reported in 60 of these analyses representing 36 unique publications, and MR-Egger sensitivity analyses were performed in 45 of these analyses. MR studies provided support for causal associations of OA with increased levels of adiposity, coffee consumption, bone mineral density, and sleep disturbance, and decreased levels of serum calcium and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the potential benefits of weight reduction and improvement of sleep quality to reduce the risk of OA and call for a better understanding of the relations of coffee consumption and serum calcium to OA risk.

Malignancy outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with abatacept and other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: Results from a 10-year international post-marketing study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of malignancy (overall, breast, lung, and lymphoma) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with abatacept, conventional synthetic (cs) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and other biologic/targeted synthetic (b/ts)DMARDs in clinical practice. METHODS: Four international observational data sources were included: ARTIS (Sweden), RABBIT (Germany), FORWARD (USA), and BC (Canada). Crude incidence rates (IRs) per 1000 patient-years of exposure with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for a malignancy event were calculated; rate ratios (RRs) were estimated and adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, and other potential confounders. RRs were then pooled in a random-effects model. RESULTS: Across data sources, mean follow-up for patients treated with abatacept (n = 5182), csDMARDs (n = 73,755), and other b/tsDMARDs (n = 37,195) was 3.0-3.7, 2.9-6.2, and 3.1-4.7 years, respectively. IRs per 1000 patient-years for overall malignancy ranged from 7.6-11.4 (abatacept), 8.6-13.2 (csDMARDs), and 5.0-11.8 (other b/tsDMARDs). IRs ranged from: 0-4.4, 0-3.3, and 0-2.5 (breast cancer); 0.1-2.8, 0-3.7, and 0.2-2.9 (lung cancer); and 0-1.1, 0-0.9, and 0-0.6 (lymphoma), respectively, for the three treatment groups. The numbers of individual cancers (breast, lung, and lymphoma) in some registries were low; RRs were not available. There were a few cases of lymphoma in some of the registries; ARTIS observed an RR of 2.8 (95% CI 1.1-6.8) with abatacept versus csDMARDs. The pooled RRs (95% CIs) for overall malignancy with abatacept were 1.1 (0.8-1.5) versus csDMARDs and 1.0 (0.8-1.3) versus b/tsDMARDs. CONCLUSIONS: This international, post-marketing observational safety study did not find any statistically significant increase in the risk of overall malignancies in pooled data in patients treated with abatacept compared with csDMARDs or with other b/tsDMARDs. Assessment of larger populations is needed to further evaluate the risks for individual cancers, especially lymphoma.

Strength Training Is Associated With Less Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the relationship of a history of strength training with symptomatic and structural outcomes of knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional study within the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a multicenter prospective longitudinal observational study. Data were collected at four OAI clinical sites: Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, the Ohio State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Maryland/Johns Hopkins. The study included 2,607 participants with complete data on strength training, knee pain, and radiographic evidence of knee OA (male, 44.2%; mean ± SD age 64.3 ± 9.0 years; mean ± SD body mass index 28.5 ± 4.9 kg/m2 ). We used a self-administered questionnaire at the 96-month OAI visit to evaluate the exposure of strength training participation during four time periods throughout a participant's lifetime (ages 12-18, 19-34, 35-49, and ≥50 years old). The outcomes (dependent variables) were radiographic OA (ROA), symptomatic radiographic OA (SOA), and frequent knee pain. RESULTS: The fully adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for frequent knee pain, ROA, and SOA among those who participated in strength training any time in their lives were 0.82 (0.68-0.97), 0.83 (0.70-0.99), and 0.77 (0.63-0.94), respectively. Findings were similar when looking at the specific age ranges. CONCLUSION: Strength training is beneficial for future knee health, counteracting long-held assumptions that strength training has adverse effects.

Infection outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with abatacept and other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: Results from a 10-year international post-marketing study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk of infections requiring hospitalization and opportunistic infections, including tuberculosis, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with abatacept versus conventional synthetic (cs) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and other biologic/targeted synthetic (b/ts) DMARDs. METHODS: Five international observational data sources were used: two biologic registries (Sweden, Germany), a disease registry (USA) and two healthcare claims databases (Canada, USA). Crude incidence rates (IRs) per 1000 patient-years, with 95 % CIs, were used to estimate rate ratios (RRs) comparing abatacept versus csDMARDs or other b/tsDMARDs. RRs were adjusted for demographic factors, comorbidities, and other potential confounders and then pooled across data sources using a random effects model (REM). RESULTS: The data sources included 6450 abatacept users, 136,636 csDMARD users and 54,378 other b/tsDMARD users, with a mean follow-up range of 2.2-6.2 years. Across data sources, the IRs for infections requiring hospitalization ranged from 16 to 56 for abatacept, 19-46 for csDMARDs, and 18-40 for other b/tsDMARDs. IRs for opportunistic infections were 0.4-7.8, 0.3-4.3, and 0.5-3.8; IRs for tuberculosis were 0.0-8.4, 0.0-6.0, and 0.0-6.3, respectively. The pooled adjusted RR (95 % CI), only reported for infections requiring hospitalization, was 1.2 (0.6-2.2) for abatacept versus csDMARDs and 0.9 (0.6-1.3) versus other b/tsDMARDs. CONCLUSIONS: Data from this international, observational study showed similar hospitalized infection risk for abatacept versus csDMARDs or other b/tsDMARDs. IRs for opportunistic infections, including tuberculosis, were low. These data are consistent with the known safety profile of abatacept.

Time-varying treatment effect modification of oral analgesic effectiveness by depressive symptoms in knee osteoarthritis: an application of structural nested mean models in a prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms are common in knee osteoarthritis (OA), exacerbate knee pain severity and may influence outcomes of oral analgesic treatments. The aim was to assess whether oral analgesic effectiveness in knee OA varies by fluctuations in depressive symptoms. METHODS: The sample included Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants not treated with oral analgesics at enrolment (n = 1477), with radiographic disease at the first follow-up visit (defined as the index date). Oral analgesic treatment and depressive symptoms, assessed with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression [(CES-D) score ≥16] Scale, were measured over three annual visits. Knee pain severity was measured at visits adjacent to treatment and modifier using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale (rescaled range = 0-100). Structural nested mean models (SNMMs) estimated causal mean differences in knee pain severity comparing treatment versus no treatment. RESULTS: The average causal effects of treated versus not treated for observations without depressive symptoms showed negligible differences in knee pain severity. However, causal mean differences in knee pain severity comparing treatment versus no treatment among observations with depressive symptoms increased over time from -0.10 [95% confidence interval (CI): -9.94, 9.74] to -16.67 (95% CI: -26.33, -7.01). Accordingly, the difference in average causal effects regarding oral analgesic treatment for knee pain severity between person-time with and without depressive symptoms was largest (-16.53; 95% CI: -26.75, -6.31) at the last time point. Cumulative treatment for 2 or 3 years did not yield larger causal mean differences. CONCLUSIONS: Knee OA patients with persistent depressive symptoms and chronic pain may derive more analgesic treatment benefit than those without depressive symptoms and less pain.

Duloxetine plus exercise for knee osteoarthritis and depression: A feasibility study.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a 24-week, center-based, aerobic exercise program plus duloxetine to treat symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and major depression. Design: Patients with symptomatic knee OA and major depression were recruited between August 2021 and November 2022 from the University of Maryland and VA Maryland Health Care Systems and Baltimore metropolitan area using medical records and advertisements. The intervention included 1) supervised treadmill walking 3 times weekly and 2) duloxetine starting at 30 â€‹mg each day and titrating up to the optimal dosage of 60 â€‹mg daily. Data collection occurred at baseline and 12- and 24-weeks follow-up. Feasibility was evaluated from recruitment rates, reasons for drop out, and treatment adherence. Clinical measures included the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Results: Among 377 interested participants, 9 patients were enrolled, and 1 completed treatment. The most common reason reported for not prescreening was time commitment (n â€‹= â€‹39), many patients did not satisfy depression screening criteria (n â€‹= â€‹45), and most enrolled participants were not experiencing a major depressive episode (n â€‹= â€‹6). The single treated participant was 100 â€‹% adherent to duloxetine and depression severity decreased (HAM-D â€‹= â€‹25 to 1), but compliance to supervised exercise was only 26 â€‹%, and knee pain severity changed little (KOOS â€‹= â€‹41.7 to 44.4). Conclusions: This intervention had low feasibility. Time commitment to supervised exercise sessions reduced accessibility, and depression defined by diagnostic criteria precluded knee OA patients with depressive symptoms not a meeting case-level diagnosis from receiving treatment. Clinical trial registration number: NCT04111627.

The Giants of Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins: Lawrence E Shulman, MD, PhD and Mary Betty Stevens, MD.

Drs Lawrence E. Shulman and Mary Betty Stevens were the giants of rheumatology at Johns Hopkins during the latter half of the twentieth century. Together, they made immense contributions to our knowledge of systemic lupus erythematosus as well as other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, provided excellent clinical care to thousands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and other systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and trained almost 100 postdoctoral fellows, many of whom went on to highly successful careers in academic medicine, including the Directors of Divisions of Rheumatology and the Chairs of Departments of Medicine.

Characterization of adverse joint outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis treated with subcutaneous tanezumab.

OBJECTIVE: Due to the risk of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis (RPOA), the phase III studies of subcutaneous (SC) tanezumab in patients with moderate to severe hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) included comprehensive joint safety surveillance. This pooled analysis summarizes these findings. METHOD: Joint safety events in the phase III studies of SC tanezumab (2 placebo- and 1- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [NSAID]-controlled) were adjudicated by a blinded external committee. Outcomes of RPOA1 and RPOA2, primary osteonecrosis, subchondral insufficiency fracture, and pathological fracture comprised the composite joint safety endpoint (CJSE). Potential patient- and joint-level risk factors for CJSE, RPOA, and total joint replacement (TJR) were explored. RESULTS: Overall, 145/4541 patients (3.2%) had an adjudicated CJSE (0% placebo; 3.2% tanezumab 2.5 mg; 6.2% tanezumab 5 mg; 1.5% NSAID). There was a dose-dependent risk of adjudicated CJSE, RPOA1, and TJR with tanezumab vs NSAID. Patient-level cross-tabulation found associations between adjudicated RPOA with more severe radiographic/symptomatic (joint pain, swelling, and physical limitation) OA. Risk of adjudicated RPOA1 was highest in patients with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade 2 or 3 OA at baseline. Risk of adjudicated RPOA2 or TJR was highest in patients with KL grade 4 joints at baseline. A higher proportion of joints with adjudicated RPOA2 had a TJR (14/26) than those with adjudicated RPOA1 (16/106). CONCLUSION: In placebo- and NSAID controlled studies of SC tanezumab for OA, adjudicated CJSE, RPOA, and TJR most commonly occurred in patients treated with tanezumab and with more severe radiographic or symptomatic OA. NCT02697773; NCT02709486; NCT02528188.

Role of imaging for eligibility and safety of a-NGF clinical trials.

Nerve growth factor (a-NGF) inhibitors have been developed for pain treatment including symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) and have proven analgesic efficacy and improvement in functional outcomes in patients with OA. However, despite initial promising data, a-NGF clinical trials focusing on OA treatment had been suspended in 2010. Reasons were based on concerns regarding accelerated OA progression but were resumed in 2015 including detailed safety mitigation based on imaging. In 2021, an FDA advisory committee voted against approving tanezumab (one of the a-NGF compounds being evaluated) and declared that the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy was not sufficient to mitigate potential safety risks. Future clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of a-NGF or comparable molecules will need to define strict eligibility criteria and will have to include strategies to monitor safety closely. While disease-modifying effects are not the focus of a-NGF treatments, imaging plays an important role to evaluate eligibility of potential participants and to monitor safety during the course of these studies. Aim is to identify subjects with on-going safety findings at the time of inclusion, define those potential participants that are at increased risk for accelerated OA progression and to withdraw subjects from on-going studies in a timely fashion that exhibit imaging-confirmed structural safety events such as rapid progressive OA. OA efficacy- and a-NGF studies apply imaging for different purposes. In OA efficacy trials image acquisition and evaluation aims at maximizing sensitivity in order to capture structural effects between treated and non-treated participants in longitudinal fashion. In contrast, the aim of imaging in a-NGF trials is to enable detection of structural tissue alterations that either increase the risk of a negative outcome (eligibility) or may result in termination of treatment (safety).

Comparison of evaluation metrics of deep learning for imbalanced imaging data in osteoarthritis studies.

PURPOSE: To compare the evaluation metrics for deep learning methods that were developed using imbalanced imaging data in osteoarthritis studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study utilized 2996 sagittal intermediate-weighted fat-suppressed knee MRIs with MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score readings from 2467 participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative study. We obtained probabilities of the presence of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) from MRIs in the testing dataset at the sub-region (15 sub-regions), compartment, and whole-knee levels based on the trained deep learning models. We compared different evaluation metrics (e.g., receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and precision-recall (PR) curves) in the testing dataset with various class ratios (presence of BMLs vs. absence of BMLs) at these three data levels to assess the model's performance. RESULTS: In a subregion with an extremely high imbalance ratio, the model achieved a ROC-AUC of 0.84, a PR-AUC of 0.10, a sensitivity of 0, and a specificity of 1. CONCLUSION: The commonly used ROC curve is not sufficiently informative, especially in the case of imbalanced data. We provide the following practical suggestions based on our data analysis: 1) ROC-AUC is recommended for balanced data, 2) PR-AUC should be used for moderately imbalanced data (i.e., when the proportion of the minor class is above 5% and less than 50%), and 3) for severely imbalanced data (i.e., when the proportion of the minor class is below 5%), it is not practical to apply a deep learning model, even with the application of techniques addressing imbalanced data issues.

Predictors of mobility status one year post hip fracture among community-dwelling older adults prior to fracture: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Orthopedists and other clinicians assess recovery potential of hip fracture patients at 2 months post-fracture for care planning. It is unclear if examining physical performance (e.g., balance, gait speed, chair stand) during this follow-up visit can identify individuals at a risk of poor functional recovery, especially mobility, beyond available information from medical records and self-report. METHODS: Data came from 162 patients with hip fracture enrolled in the Baltimore Hip Studies-7th cohort. Predictors of mobility status (ability to walk 1 block at 12 months post-fracture) were the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) comprising balance, walking and chair rise tasks at 2 months; baseline medical chart information (sex, age, American Society of Anesthesiologist physical status rating, type of fracture and surgery, and comorbidities); and self-reported information about the physical function (ability to walk 10 feet and 1 block at pre-fracture and at 2 months post-fracture). Prediction models of 12-month mobility status were built using two methods: (1) logistic regression with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regularization, and (2) classification and regression trees (CART). Area under ROC curves (AUROC) assessed discrimination. RESULTS: The participants had a median age of 82 years, and 49.3% (n = 80) were men. Two-month SPPB and gait speed were selected as predictors of 12-month mobility by both methods. Compared with an analytic model with medical chart and self-reported information, the model that additionally included physical performance measures had significantly better discrimination for 12-month mobility (AUROC 0.82 vs. 0.88, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Assessing SPPB and gait speed at 2 months after a hip fracture in addition to information from medical records and self-report significantly improves prediction of 12-month mobility. This finding has important implications in providing tailored clinical care to patients at a greater risk of being functionally dependent who would not otherwise be identified using regularly measured clinical markers.

Effect of Multicomponent Home-Based Training on Gait and Muscle Strength in Older Adults After Hip Fracture Surgery: A Single Site Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of 16-week home-based physical therapy interventions on gait and muscle strength. DESIGN: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-four older adults (N=34) post hip fracture were randomly assigned to either experimental group (a specific multi-component intervention group [PUSH], n=17, 10 women, age=78.6±7.3 years, 112.1±39.8 days post-fracture) or active control (a non-specific multi-component intervention group [PULSE], n=17, 11 women, age=77.8±7.8 years, 118.2±37.5 days post-fracture). INTERVENTION: PUSH and PULSE groups received 32-40 sessions of specific or non-specific multi-component home-based physical therapy, respectively. Training in the PUSH group focused on lower extremity strength, endurance, balance, and function for community ambulation, while the PULSE group received active movement and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on extremities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gait characteristics, and ankle and knee muscle strength were measured at baseline and 16 weeks. Cognitive testing of Trail Making Test (Part A: TMT-A; Part-B: TMT-B) was measured at baseline. RESULTS: At 16 weeks, both groups demonstrated significant increases in usual (P<.05) and fast (P<.05) walking speed, while there was no significant difference in increases between the groups. There was only 1 significant change in lower limb muscle strength over time (non-fractured side) between the groups, such that PUSH did better (mean: 4.33%, 95% confidence interval:1.43%-7.23%). The increase in usual and fast walking speed correlated with the baseline Trail-making Test-B score (r=-0.371, P=.037) and improved muscle strength in the fractured limb (r=0.446, P=.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Gait speed improved in both home-based multicomponent physical therapy programs in older adults after hip fracture surgery. Muscle strength of the non-fractured limb improved in the group receiving specific physical therapy training. Specific interventions targeting modifiable factors such as muscle strength and cognitive performance may assist gait recovery after hip fracture surgery.

Non-surgical management of hip and knee osteoarthritis; comparison of ACR/AF and OARSI 2019 and VA/DoD 2020 guidelines.

Background and objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There are several available recently updated guidelines for the management of hip and knee OA. Herein, we describe the similarities and differences among the 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF), the 2019 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), and the 2020 Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) treatment guidelines. Results: In all the three guidelines, patient education, weight loss encouragement for overweight patients, exercise, and self-efficacy and self-management programs were considered core treatments for hip and knee OA. Topical NSAIDs are strongly recommended for knee OA, oral NSAIDs and intraarticular steroid injections are also recommended among all three guidelines. The ACR/AF and VA/DoD recommend the use of paracetamol and topical capsaicin in contrast to the OARSI guidelines. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid is not recommended by the ACR/AF in contrast to the OARSI and VA/DoD. Another difference is the use of tramadol in patients with persistent knee or hip OA pain, which is recommended by ACR/AF as opposed to VA/DoD and OARSI who recommend against the use of opioid analgesics without exceptions. Conclusion: All three guidelines are mostly consistent in their recommendations.

Contribution of Common Genetic Variants to Risk of Early Onset Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Current genome-wide association studies of ischemic stroke have focused primarily on late onset disease. As a complement to these studies, we sought to identifythe contribution of common genetic variants to risk of early onset ischemic stroke. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of early onset stroke (EOS), ages 18-59, using individual level data or summary statistics in 16,730 cases and 599,237 non-stroke controls obtained across 48 different studies. We further compared effect sizes at associated loci between EOS and late onset stroke (LOS) and compared polygenic risk scores for venous thromboembolism between EOS and LOS. RESULTS: We observed genome-wide significant associations of EOS with two variants in ABO, a known stroke locus. These variants tag blood subgroups O1 and A1, and the effect sizes of both variants were significantly larger in EOS compared to LOS. The odds ratio (OR) for rs529565, tagging O1, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85-0.91) in EOS vs 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92-1.00) in LOS, and the OR for rs635634, tagging A1, was 1.16 (1.11-1.21) for EOS vs 1.05 (0.99-1.11) in LOS; p-values for interaction = 0.001 and 0.005, respectively. Using polygenic risk scores, we observed that greater genetic risk for venous thromboembolism, another prothrombotic condition, was more strongly associated with EOS compared to LOS (p=0.008). DISCUSSION: The ABO locus, genetically predicted blood group A, and higher genetic propensity for venous thrombosis are more strongly associated with EOS than with LOS, supporting a stronger role of prothrombotic factors in EOS.

Tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis progresses symmetrically by knee compartment in the GOGO cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the degree of symmetry of knee osteoarthritis (OA) structural severity and progression of participants with a mean follow-up time of 3.8 years. Design: Participants from the Genetics of Generalized Osteoarthritis (GOGO) study (n = 705) were selected on the basis of radiographic evidence of OA in at least 1 knee, availability of radiographs at baseline and follow-up, and no history of prior knee injury or surgery. Incidence and progression of osteoarthritis were determined by radiographic Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade; compartmental OA progression was determined by change in joint space width of lateral and medial tibiofemoral compartments. Total OA progression was the sum of change in KL grade of both knees. Results: Compared with left knees, right knees had more severe KL grades at baseline (p = 0.0002) and follow-up (p = 0.0004), McNemar's χ2 = 34.16 and 26.08, respectively; however, both knees progressed similarly (p = 0.121, McNemar's χ2 = 10.09). Compartmental changes were symmetric across knees: medial r = 0.287, p = 0.0002; lateral r = 0.593, p = 0.0002. Change in joint space width in the medial compartment was negatively correlated with change in the lateral compartment of the same knee (left knees: r = -0.293, p = 0.021; right knees: r = -0.195, p = 0.0002). Conclusions: Although right knees tended to have more severe OA at both baseline and follow-up, radiographic progression did not differ by knee and compartmental progression correlated across knees. Given this trend in generalized OA, the risk of progression for both knees should be considered, even if only one knee has radiographic OA at baseline.

Management of hand osteoarthritis: from an US evidence-based medicine guideline to a European patient-centric approach.

Hand osteoarthritis is the most common joint condition and is associated with significant morbidity. It is of paramount importance that patients are thoroughly assessed and examined when complaining of hand stiffness, pain, deformity or disability and that the patient's concerns and expectations are addressed by the healthcare professional. In 2019 the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) produced guidelines which included recommendations for the treatment of hand osteoarthritis. An ESCEO expert working group (including patients) was convened and composed this paper with the aim to assess whether these guidelines were appropriate for the treatment of hand osteoarthritis therapy in Europe and whether they met with the ESCEO patient-centered approach. Indeed, patients are the key stakeholders in healthcare and eliciting the patient's preference is vital in the context of an individual consultation but also for informing research and policy-making. The patients involved in this working group emphasised the often-neglected area of aesthetic changes in hand osteoarthritis, importance of developing pharmacological therapies which can alleviate pain and disability and the need of the freedom to choose which approach (out of pharmacological, surgical or non-pharmacological) they wished to pursue. Following robust appraisal, it was recommended that the ACR/AF guidelines were suitable for a European context (as described within the body of the manuscript) and it was emphasised that patient preferences are key to the success of individual consultations, future research and future policy-making.

Association Between Walking for Exercise and Symptomatic and Structural Progression in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between walking for exercise and symptomatic and structural disease progression in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: We assessed a nested cohort of participants age 50 years or older within the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a community-based observational study in which subjects were enrolled between 2004 and 2006. We focused on 4 dichotomous outcomes from baseline to the 48-month visit, involving determination of the frequency of knee pain and radiographic severity of knee OA on posteroanterior semiflexed knee radiographs. The outcomes assessed included 1) new frequent knee pain, 2) worsening of radiographic severity of knee OA based on the Kellgren/Lawrence grade, 3) progression of medial joint space narrowing, and 4) improved frequent knee pain. We used a modified version of the Historical Physical Activity Survey Instrument to ascertain those subjects who reported walking for exercise after age 50 years. The survey was administered at the 96-month visit (2012-2014). RESULTS: Of 1,212 participants with knee OA, 45% were male and 73% reported walking for exercise. The mean ± SD age was 63.2 ± 7.9 years, and the mean ± SD body mass index was 29.4 ± 4.6 kg/m2 . The likelihood of new frequent knee pain was reduced in participants with knee OA who walked for exercise as compared to those who were non-walkers (odds ratio [OR] 0.6, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.4-0.8), and progression of medial joint space narrowing was less common in walkers compared to non-walkers (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.0). CONCLUSION: In individuals with knee OA who were age 50 years or older, walking for exercise was associated with less frequent development of knee pain. These findings support the notion that walking for exercise should be encouraged for people with knee OA. Furthermore, we offer a proof of concept that walking for exercise could be disease modifying, which warrants further study.