An Evaluation of the Prognosticative Value of Hyalinization in the Biological Behaviour of Oral Lesions Using Image Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of artificial intelligence-based analysis of polychromatic staining in oral premalignant and malignant lesions and to predict their biological behavior. The study also aims to evaluate the prognostic value of collagen in these oral lesions. METHODS: In this study, a total of 45 histopathologically diagnosed normal (15), Premalignant lesions (n-15), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (n=15) were included. The tissue sections were subjected to routine Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) staining and a differential staining technique- Herovici's stain. The stained slides were viewed under 10x magnification in the microscope and images of these sections were captured. The images were labelled, transferred and stored in the computer for image analysis. The collagen content in the photomicrographs were analysed using Image J software. The results were tabulated and subjected to Kruskal- Wallis test using the SPSS software. RESULTS: A significant increase in the amount of type III (blue stained) collagen fibers, compared to type I collagen fibers, was seen as the lesion progressed from premalignant disorders to oral squamous cell carcinoma. Normal mucosa showed predominantly type I (red stained) collagen fibers. The difference in the ratio of type I and III collagen fibers between the three groups was found to be statistically significant (P= 0.00). CONCLUSION: The study concluded that a significant change in stromal collagen composition exists, with an increase in the amount of type III collagen, that can be correlated to the lesion's progression from premalignant to oral squamous cell carcinoma. Differential staining is an inexpensive and highly reproducible method of evaluating the composition of the stroma and using Image analysis to carry out this analysis makes the process more objective and renders it bias free.

Analysis of Reference Practices among Practicing Orthopaedicians in India.

PURPOSE: On-The-Go (OTG) references are those that clinicians make within a tight deadline at the point of patient care to direct critical decisions. We conducted this study to assess the knowledge level of orthopaedicians on clinical usefulness and quality appraisal of different reference methods along with their attitude towards its utility for practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based survey was administered through Google Forms among the members of the Tamil Nadu Orthopaedic Association (TNOA) by snowball sampling method. The survey was designed by the Quality Appraisal Committee (QAC) of Orthopaedic Research Group (ORG) with 17 items. Association and correlation analysis were done between different responses in the survey to find out ways to improve the reference practices. RESULTS: 177 participants with a mean age of 43.5 years completed the survey. About 45.8% (n = 81) of participants had prior knowledge on  the Oxford Levels of Evidence. However, they were not familiar with using them for critical appraisal of evidence. About 86.5% (n = 153) of participants were worried about the quality of the content they seek for reference. Among the reference sources, online research articles were used by 54.2% (n = 96), digital applications by 21.4% (n = 38), digital textbooks by 15.2% (n = 27), and other methods like peer discussion by 5.1% (n = 9). A significant association was noted between the participants who chose level I studies for their reference and their familiarity with the concept of fragility (p = 0.006) and heterogenicity (p = 0.021) and types of bias (p = 0.003). A significant association was noted between participants with active journal subscription and their familiarity with the concept of spin (p = 0.016) and their knowledge of the heterogeneity of study results (p = 0.019). We found a significant association between age (< 40 years of age) and knowledge on various types of bias (p = 0.032), heterogenicity (p = 0.01), and fragility (p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: This is the first study on the information-seeking behaviour of the orthopaedicians. OTG references remain a part of the orthopaedic practice and are made mostly by accessing online research articles. Imparting knowledge of their quality appraisal should be an active part of the orthopaedic curriculum. This will, in turn, improve the attitude and reference practices leading to better decision-making towards patient care.

Bisphosphonate Therapy in the Management of Symptomatic Melorheostosis of Tibia.

Introduction: Melorheostosis is a rare sclerosing bone disease characterized by linear hyperostotic bone dysplasia with its radiological appearance as melting candle wax dripping by its side. It usually affects long bones, especially the lower limb. The exact cause of the disease has not been clearly explained though many theories are available. It is insidious in onset and symptoms being pain, deformity, and joint stiffness. Although there is no definitive treatment, the administration of bisphosphonates dramatically reduces pain and improves the patient clinically. Case Report: We described a case of a 28-year-old female who presented with a history of pain and swelling in her left leg for the past 2 years. The onset of complaints was insidious. On physical examination, there was tender swelling over the shaft of the tibia with irregular borders. Knee and ankle range of movements were normal. Radiographs showed hyperostosis of the proximal two-thirds of the tibia of the left leg with a flowing candle wax appearance. The patient was treated with a single dose of intravenous zolendronic acid and physical therapy. The patient had dramatic alleviation of pain without the need for any further treatment till 1 year follow-up. Conclusion: Although there is no specific treatment available for this disease, the intravenous infusion of zolendronic acid has dramatically improved the patient clinically.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis in Spine Surgery-How Good Are They in Methodological Quality? A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. OBJECTIVES: To assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in spine surgery over the past 2 decades. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted independent and in duplicate systematic review of the published systematic reviews and meta-analyses between 2000 and 2019 from PubMed Central and Cochrane Database pertaining to spine surgery involving surgical intervention. We searched bibliographies to identify additional relevant studies. Methodological quality was evaluated with AMSTAR score and graded with AMSTAR 2 criteria. RESULTS: A total of 96 reviews met the eligibility criteria, with mean AMSTAR score of 7.51 (SD = 1.98). Based on AMSTAR 2 criteria, 13.5% (n = 13) and 18.7% (n = 18) of the studies had high and moderate level of confidence of results, respectively, without any critical flaws. A total of 29.1% (n = 28) of the studies had at least 1 critical flaw and 38.5% (n = 37) of the studies had more than 1 critical flaw, so that their results have low and critically low confidence, respectively. Failure to analyze the conflict of interest of authors of primary studies included in review and lack of list of excluded studies with justification were the most common critical flaw. Regression analysis demonstrated that studies with funding and studies published in recent years were significantly associated with higher methodological quality. CONCLUSION: Despite improvement in methodological quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in spine surgery in current decade, a substantial proportion continue to show critical flaws. With increasing number of review articles in spine surgery, stringent measures must be taken to adhere to methodological quality by following PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines to attain higher standards of evidence in published literature.

Is Use of Topical Vancomycin in Pediatric Spine Surgeries a Safe Option in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections? A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of the Literature.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the available articles on topical vancomycin powder (TVP) use in pediatric spine surgeries exploring the usefulness and safety of such practice. METHODS: We conducted an independent and duplicate electronic database search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library till March 2020 to identify all relevant literature on the use of TVP for pediatric spine surgeries. Surgical site infection (SSI) rate, specific reported complications, reoperation rate, microbial flora pattern in reported SSIs, and safety profile were the outcomes analyzed. Analysis was performed with the R platform using OpenMeta[Analyst] software. RESULTS: No prospective studies were available to evaluate the use of TVP in pediatric spine surgeries for the prevention of SSIs. Neither standardized protocol, nor drug dosage, nor safety profile was established for pediatric use. Three retrospective cohort studies including 824 patients (TVP/control: 400/424) were included in the meta-analysis. There was low-quality evidence suggesting no significant difference between the 2 groups in SSI rate (RR = 0.474; 95% CI = [0.106,2.112]; P = .327) with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 70.14; P = .035). The TVP group showed a significant benefit on cost analysis in one of the included studies. However, TVP did not prevent gram-negative coinfection on SSI in the TVP group. CONCLUSION: From the literature available at present, TVP does not qualify to be recommended as a safe and useful option to prevent SSI following pediatric spine surgeries. High-quality prospective interventional studies are needed to arrive at a consensus on its use along with appropriate dosage and method of application.

Trending Literature in Spinal Tuberculosis: Bibliographic Analysis of Top 250 Cited Articles.

BACKGROUND: This bibliographic analysis aims to identify the top 250 cited articles on spinal tuberculosis (TB) and report on their impact on the spinal field. METHODS: All databases included in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science were searched for publications on spinal TB. The most cited articles published between 1950 and 2019, with the main focus on orthopaedic surgery, were identified using a multistep approach, and a total of 250 articles were included and analyzed for title, year of publication, total citations, citations in 2019, citation density, article age, journal, first author, senior author, geographic origin, and level of evidence. RESULTS: The number of citations ranged from 31 to 257, with an average of 65.38. Studies were published from 31 different countries and published in 83 different journals. The top 3 countries, India, United States, and China published a total of 57.8% (n = 145) of all articles. Indian and Chinese researchers seem to be the most resourceful, as 17 of the 31 (54.8%) prospective studies were conducted by them. African centers produced only 3.2% (n = 8) of all included articles. Only 3.2% (n = 8) were of Level 1 evidence on the subject. A total of 37.8% (n = 95) were on diagnosis, while 46.6% (n = 117) dealt with surgery, and only 15.1% (n = 38) were about conservative management. Anil K Jain followed by S Rajasekaran were the most published authors on the subject. CONCLUSIONS: Indian and Chinese researchers dominate evidence in spinal TB. Regions with high disease burden, such as Africa, do not contribute their data to the literature. Though these are the top cited articles in the subject, their level of evidence needs improvement for better impact of their results.

Diagnosis and Literature Review of Chondromyxoid Fibroma - A Pathological Puzzle.

INTRODUCTION: Chondromyxoid fibroma (CMF) is a benign rare bone tumor of slow-growing nature arising from chondroblastic derivation. CMF in most of the cases is a diagnosis of exclusion, and in this case report, we differentiate the histological and radiological findings of CMF and difficulties in diagnosis of CMF from potential differential diagnosis. CASE REPORT: A 38-year-old female patient presented with a history of limping for 5 months and on evaluation revealed an expansile osteolytic lesion in fibular head with septations and soft tissue component. Excision biopsy was done. Histological examination revealed a cellular neoplasm arranged as vague nodules in chondroid background with occasional mitotic figures and giant cells in periphery without any calcification. To rule out chondroblastoma, S-100 and epithelial markers were done which was negative establishing diagnosis of CMF by exclusion. CONCLUSION: CMF is often misdiagnosed being a radiological and pathological mimicker. Histology remains key to diagnosis. En bloc resection remains the mainstay of management in expendable bone-like fibula.