Does metabolic syndrome or its individual components affect pain and function in knee osteoarthritis women?

BACKGROUND: Current studies and research support the role of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, few studies have focused on its impact on knee OA parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate if metabolic syndrome or its individual components affect the intensity of pain, functional disability, and radiographic severity in knee osteoarthritis women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional study including confirmed radiographic knee osteoarthritis according to Kellgren and Lawrence scale, with and without metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The two groups were compared for pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Lequesne index, Womac function, and radiological grade after adjusting for significant covariates. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the independent effects of each specific component for metabolic syndrome on knee osteoarthritis parameters. RESULTS: One hundred thirty women were included. The mean age was 56.68±8.07 [34-75] years, and the mean BMI was 32.54±2.92 [23-37] kg/m2. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 48.5%. Women with and without metabolic syndrome had similar knee osteoarthritis parameters. However, accumulation of MetS components was associated with higher level of pain (OR = 3.7, CI = [1.5-5.9], p=0.001), independently of age and BMI. Multiple regression analyses showed, after adjusting for all covariates, that hyperglycemia had a positive impact on pain (p=0.009), waist circumference was positively associated with Lequesne index (p=0.04), high triglycerides level was significantly associated with increased pain (p=0.04) and higher Lequesne score (p=0.05), and Systolic blood pressure was positively correlated with Lequesne index (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: In addition to weight reduction, appropriate treatment of metabolic syndrome needs to become an important management strategy for knee pain and functional impairment.

Temporal oscillations of the shear stress and scattered light in a shear-banding--shear-thickening micellar solution.

The results of optical and rheological experiments performed on a viscoelastic solution (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide + sodium salicylate in water) are reported. The flow curve has a horizontal plateau extending between two critical shear rates characteristic of heterogeneous flows formed by two layers of fluid with different viscosities. These two bands which also have different optical anisotropy are clearly seen by direct observation in polarized light. At the end of the plateau, apparent shear thickening is observed in a narrow range of shear rates; in phase oscillations of the shear stress and of the first normal stress difference are recorded in a shearing device operating under controlled strain. The direct observation of the annular gap of a Couette cell in a direction perpendicular to a plane containing the vorticity shows that the turbidity of the whole sample also undergoes time dependent variations with the same period as the shear stress. However no banding is observed during the oscillations and the flow remains homogeneous.

Rayleigh scattering and flow birefringence measurement in colloidal solutions.

A unique method for measuring the birefringence intensity of colloidal solutions which become anisotropic under the action of orienting flow is described. When a laser beam crosses a liquid-containing asymmetrical particle orientated by the flow, the scattered intensity in a direction perpendicular to the wave vector of the incident light shows nodes and antinodes. The distance between two antinodes is related to the phase difference between the eigenpolarizations of the medium and thus to the birefringence of the medium.