Synovial fluid monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in knee osteoarthritis patients predicts patient response to conservative treatment: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers that predict the treatment response in patients with knee osteoarthritis are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of synovial fluid cell counts and their ratios as biomarkers of primary knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: This retrospective study investigated 96 consecutive knee osteoarthritis patients with knee effusion who underwent joint fluid aspiration analysis and received concomitant intra-articular corticosteroid injections and blood tests. The monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were calculated. After 6 months of treatment, patients were divided into two groups: the responder group showing symptom resolution, defined by a visual analog scale (VAS) score of ≤ 3, without additional treatment, and the non-responder group showing residual symptoms, defined by a VAS score of > 3 and requiring further intervention, such as additional medication, repeated injections, or surgical treatment. Unpaired t-tests and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted between the two groups to predict treatment response after conservative treatment. The predictive value was calculated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the optimal cutoff value was determined. RESULTS: Synovial fluid MLR was significantly higher in the non-responder group compared to the responder group (1.86 ± 1.64 vs. 1.11 ± 1.37, respectively; p = 0.02). After accounting for confounding variables, odds ratio of non-responder due to increased MLR were 1.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.11-2.39). The optimal MLR cutoff value for predicting patient response to conservative treatment was 0.941. CONCLUSIONS: MLR may be a potential biomarker for predicting the response to conservative treatment in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis.

Risk factors for pubic ramus fracture nonunion after conservative treatment of pelvic ring injuries: a retrospective cohort multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of nonunion, clinical and radiological outcomes, and risk factors for nonunion in conservatively treated pubic ramus fractures among patients diagnosed with pelvic ring injury. METHODS: A total of 546 patients (192 men, 354 women) diagnosed with pubic ramus fracture, treated conservatively, and who had completed > 1 year follow-up at three level 1 trauma centers between January 2014 and December 2020, were enrolled. Clinical and radiological evaluations were compared between union and nonunion groups. Logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used. RESULT: At the final follow-up, 527 (96.5%) and 19 (3.5%) patients had union and nonunion of fractures, respectively. The union and nonunion groups exhibited statistically significant differences in posterior injury (p = 0.040), bilateral ramus fracture (p < 0.001), initial displacement (p < 0.001), and clinical result (p < 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, initial displacement (odds ratio, 4.727; p = 0.005) was analyzed as a risk factor for nonunion. According to the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median initial displacement of nonunion occurrence was 17.9 mm (standard error, 1.211; 95% confidence interval 15.526-20.274), and nonunion patients were included if the displacement was > 15.9 mm (standard error, 1.305) on the 75th percentile. CONCLUSION: Conservative treatment is ineffective in some ramus fracture cases with pelvic ring injury. As ramus nonunion causes functional deterioration, active treatment is required if the displacement is ≥ 16 mm.