Joint Fluid Cell Count in Acute Bacterial Arthritis Patients Proven Positive Culture in Children.

BACKGROUND: Acute bacterial arthritis (ABA) is a serious, pediatric infection that can result in motor comorbidities. Normally, a joint fluid white blood cell (WBC) count of 50,000 or more cells/mm3 is used to make a presumptive diagnosis of ABA. This study evaluated the utility of the joint fluid WBC count for diagnosing pediatric ABA confirmed by a positive culture result. METHODS: Patients with ABA between March 2010 and March 2023 at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Medical Center were included. ABA was confirmed by positive joint fluid culture results for a pathogenic organism. Patients with negative results and those without a joint fluid WBC count were excluded. Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed for demographic data, timing of arthrocentesis, culture results and the joint fluid WBC count. RESULTS: Ninety-five patients with ABA were identified; of these, 22 were included. The median age was 5 years [interquartile range (IQR): 2-10 years]. Males comprised 55% of the population. The median joint fluid WBC count was 19,575 (IQR: 6806-47,388) cells/mm3, and 23% of the patients had 50,000 cells/mm3 or more. The median time from symptom onset to arthrocentesis was 3 days (IQR: 2-5 days). The isolated organisms were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (50%), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (9%), Streptococcus pyogenes (27%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5%) and Salmonella spp. (5%). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the patients with ABA confirmed by positive results of a joint fluid culture had a joint fluid WBC count of less than 50,000 cells/mm3.

Rapid Hypercalciuria Induction With Bone Formation Marker Reduction During Immobilization in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively examine the occurrence of hypercalciuria and changes in bone metabolite markers in pediatric patients during immobilization. METHODS: In total, 13 children with an orthopedic disease requiring immobilization longer than 2 weeks were enrolled. Blood samples were collected after breakfast. Urine samples were collected at the second voiding after waking. The urine calcium/creatinine (Ca/Cr) ratio and various bone metabolite parameters were measured before and every 1 to 4 weeks after the start of immobilization. RESULTS: The median patient age was 7 years with a range of 2 to 13 years. Orthopedic diseases in the patients were dislocated hip joint (N = 7), slipped capital femoral epiphysis (N = 2), etc. The urine Ca/Cr ratio increased significantly within a week after immobilization (P < .01) and continued to increase for 2 more weeks. Once immobilization ended, the urine Ca/Cr ratio gradually decreased and returned to the normal range approximately 6 weeks after mobility was achieved (P < .01). Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone-specific ALP significantly decreased after immobilization began (P < .01). After immobilization ended, the serum ALP returned to preimmobilization levels in 2 to 4 weeks (P < .01). Serum N-terminal telopeptides did not change significantly during immobilization. CONCLUSION: The urine Ca/Cr ratio immediately increased after immobilization. In contrast to adults, bone formation markers in children decreased during immobilization, whereas bone resorption markers did not increase. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine bone metabolism markers in children during immobilization.

Pediatric hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae septic arthritis.

Cases of infection with hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae are gradually increasing in number, and cause life-threatening community-acquired infection even in immunocompetent patients. A 14-year-old boy developed septic hip arthritis due to hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (sequence type 23, serotype K1, magA positive). The patient initially seemed to have been successfully treated with antibiotics and surgical intervention, but septic arthritis developed into osteomyelitis of the femoral head and myositis, which required long-term antibiotic therapy and additional surgical intervention. This is the first pediatric case of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae septic hip arthritis. Treatment plans should mainly consist of antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention. Clinicians, even pediatricians, in developed countries should be aware of the increasing incidence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.

Radiographic parameter analysis on modified sauvé-kapandji procedure.

Purpose The Sauvé-Kapandji (S-K) procedure is now an established treatment option for symptomatic distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) dysfunction. However, for patients with poor bone quality (frequently as a result of advanced-stage rheumatoid arthritis [RA]), the conventional S-K procedure is difficult to perform without reducing the radioulnar diameter of the wrist, which may result in a loss of grip strength and pain over the proximal ulnar stump. The purpose of this study was to review the radiographic outcomes of patients who underwent a modified S-K procedure that involves rotating the resected ulnar segment 90 degrees and using it to bridge the gap between the sigmoid notch and the ulnar head. Methods The modified S-K procedure was performed in 29 wrists of 23 patients. Twenty-one patients had severe RA, while two had malunited radius fractures. The mean follow-up period was 43 months (range, 23 to 95). The radiographic evaluation included a measurement of the radioulnar width, the pseudarthrosis gap between the proximal and distal ulnar stump, the radioulnar distance, and the ulnar translation of the carpus. Results The radioulnar width of the wrist, pseudarthrosis gap, and radioulnar distance were well maintained throughout the period. A postoperative loss in the radioulnar width of the wrists appeared to correlate with a postoperative additional ulnar translocation of the carpus. Conclusion Narrowing of the radioulnar width of the wrist is a potential cause of progressive ulnar translocation of the carpus. The modified technique for the S-K procedure maintains the distal ulna in the proper position and provides sufficient ulnar support for the carpus. It is a useful reconstruction procedure in patients with severe RA with poor bone quality.

Inhibition of STAT1 accelerates bone fracture healing.

Skeletal fracture healing involves a variety of cellular and molecular events; however, the mechanisms behind these processes are not fully understood. In the current study, we investigated the potential involvement of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), a critical regulator for both osteoclastogenesis and osteoblast differentiation, in skeletal fracture healing. We used a fracture model and a cortical defect model in mice, and found that fracture callus remodeling and membranous ossification are highly accelerated in STAT1-deficient mice. Additionally, we found that STAT1 suppresses Osterix transcript levels and Osterix promoter activity in vitro, indicating the suppression of Osterix transcription as one of the mechanisms behind the inhibitory effect of STAT1 on osteoblast differentiation. Furthermore, we found that fludarabine, a potent STAT1 inhibitor, significantly increases bone formation in a heterotopic ossification model. These results reveal previously unknown functions of STAT1 in skeletal homeostasis and may have important clinical implications for the treatment of skeletal bone fracture.

Accelerated cartilage resorption by chondroclasts during bone fracture healing in osteoprotegerin-deficient mice.

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor of RANKL, maintain bone mass by regulating the differentiation of osteoclasts, which are bone-resorbing cells. Endochondral bone ossification and bone fracture healing involve cartilage resorption, a less well-understood process that is needed for replacement of cartilage by bone. Here we describe the role of OPG produced by chondrocytes in chondroclastogenesis. Fracture healing in OPG(-/-) mice showed faster union of the fractured bone, faster resorption of the cartilaginous callus, and an increased number of chondroclasts at the chondroosseous junctions compared with that in wild-type littermates. When a cultured pellet of OPG(-/-) chondrocytes was transplanted beneath the kidney capsule, the pellet recruited many chondroclasts. The pellet showed the ability to induce tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells from RAW 264.7 cells in vitro. Finally, OPG(-/-) chondrocytes (but not wild-type chondrocytes) cultured with spleen cells induced many tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells. The expression of RANKL and OPG in chondrocytes was regulated by several osteotropic factors including 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3), PTHrP, IL-1alpha, and TNF-alpha. Thus, local OPG produced by chondrocytes probably controls cartilage resorption as a negative regulator for chondrocyte-dependent chondroclastogenesis.

Hemilaterally symptomatic bipartite patella associated with bone erosions arising from a gouty tophus: a case report.

Symptomatic bipartite patella in adults is rare. We have treated an unusual case of a bipartite patella in an adult, which became symptomatic in association with cystic degeneration localized to the patella and a gouty tophus. Although the patient had bilateral bipartite patellae, multiplanar reformation with computed tomography (CT-MPR) clearly demonstrated that the bipartite portion of the patella was malaligned at the junction of the accessory bone and patella in the symptomatic knee. Bone erosions were present both in the bipartite fragment and adjacent portion of the patella. After surgical excision of the bipartite fragment, the patient's symptoms have improved. This case illustrates that cyst formation associated with inflammatory arthritis may be a rare cause for a bipartite patella in an adult to become symptomatic.