Safety and Performance of Titanium Suture Anchors Used in Knee Ligament Repair Procedures.

Injuries to the knee ligaments can be particularly disabling in young patients, given the risk of long-term disability if adequate fixation is not achieved during initial repair. The TWINFIX™ titanium (Ti) suture anchor with ULTRABRAID™ Suture (Smith and Nephew, London, UK) was designed to secure tendon and ligament reconstructions with increased boney ingrowth at the anchor site with minimal invasive technique. This retrospective analysis looked at 33 patients (41 implants) operated with this device between 2015 and 2019 at a single institution. The average age of patients was 33.18 years (standard deviation [SD], 15.26), with an average body mass index of 24.88 (SD, 3.49). The indications were lateral extra-articular tenodesis during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, quadriceps or patellar tendon repair and medial collateral ligament repair. After an average follow up of 24.3 + 6.53 months, there was no reports of clinical failure or radiographic evidence of implant failure or loosening. One patient experienced a complication unrelated to the study device, requiring manipulation under anesthesia with resolution of symptoms. This case series supports the safety and performance of this implants for the knee procedures in which its use is indicated. Additional follow-up will be required to determine whether these effects are sustained at medium- and long-term durations.

Double treatment with paricalcitol-associated calcifediol and cardiovascular risk biomarkers in haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The deficit of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a frequent finding in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on haemodialysis (HD). These events are associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates of cardiovascular (CV) origin. Adequate 25OHD serum levels as well as the use of selective vitamin D receptor activators (VDRA) have been shown to have beneficial and independent effects on bone mineral metabolism and cardiovascular risk. Currently, there is still controversy regarding the type of supplementation needed by CKD patients on HD. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate whether there is a benefit of combination therapy with 25OHD, calcifediol and a VDRA, oral paricalcitol, on bone-mineral metabolism and inflammatory markers, compared to single treatment with each of these in a group of patients on HD. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We performed a prospective study of 6 months, involving 26 patients in our HD unit. We randomised patients into two groups: group 1 (G1) received oral paricalcitol treatment at doses of 1 mcg/day. Group 2 (G2) was treated with 1 ampoule calcifediol/wk (0.266 mg/wk=16 000U) orally. After 3 months of treatment, calcifediol and paricalcitol were added to the G1 and G2 respectively at the same doses, keeping these treatments together for 3 months to complete the 6 months of follow-up. Laboratory tests were performed at months 0, 3 and 6, measuring in all patients serum markers of 25OHD, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and PTH. Bone turnover markers measured were: alkaline phosphatase (AP), aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen type 1 (Pinp1) and carboxyl-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CrossLaps), and inflammatory markers: IL-8. We also collected data on levels of insulin, glucose, haemoglobin, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and rates of resistance to EPO and HOMA (homeostasis model assessment). RESULTS: We detected a deficit of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in all patients studied, with a mean of 13.67 ± 4.81 ng/ml. Supplementation with oral calcifediol significantly corrects this deficit without evidence of toxicity (35.36 ± 33.68 ng/ml in G1 at 6 months and 59.21 ± 26.50 ng/ml in G2 at 3 months). Paricalcitol treatment significantly reduces PTH levels in G1 at 3 months (P<.039). We also noted a decrease in bone marker Pinp1 with paricalcitol, pointing to a possible direct effect on bone cells (P<.001). Both treatment with paricalcitol and with calcifediol produced a significant decrease in levels of IL-8 (P<.001), a known inflammatory marker, drawing attention to a trend towards better response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), possibly related to the decrease in inflammation. The HOMA index did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we cannot conclude that the association of calcifediol and paricalcitol produces advantages over the effect of each drug separately. In addition, Paricalcitol by itself appears to have a direct effect on cellular bone remodelling.

Tratamiento doble con calcifediol asociado a paricalcitol y biomarcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en hemodiálisis / Double treatment with paricalcitol-associated calcifediol and cardiovascular risk biomarkers in haemodialysis

Introducción: El déficit de 25-hidroxivitamina D (25OHD) asociado a un hiperparatiroidismo secundario son hallazgos frecuentes en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) en hemodiálisis (HD). Estos hechos se asocian con un incremento de la morbimortalidad de origen cardiovascular (CV). Niveles séricos adecuados de 25OHD, así como el uso de activadores selectivos del receptor de vitamina D (AsRVD), han demostrado tener efectos beneficiosos sobre el metabolismo óseo-mineral y el riesgo CV de manera independiente. Actualmente aún existe controversia respecto al tipo de suplementación que precisan los pacientes con ERC en HD. Objetivo: El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue evaluar si existe beneficio alguno en el tratamiento combinado de 25OHD, calcifediol oral y AsRVD, paricalcitol oral sobre el metabolismo óseo-mineral y marcadores inflamatorios, respecto al tratamiento único con cada uno de ellos, en un grupo de pacientes de HD. Material y métodos: Realizamos un estudio prospectivo de 6 meses de duración sobre 26 pacientes de nuestra (..) (AU)

Background: The deficit of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) are frequent findings in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis (HD). These events are associated with increased morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular (CV). 25OHD adequate serum levels as well as the use of selective activators of the vitamin D receptor (AsRVD) have been shown to have beneficial effects on bone metabolism and mineral and cardiovascular risk independently. Currently there is still controversy regarding the type of supplementation needed by patients with CKD on HD. Aims: The aim of our study was to evaluate whether there is benefit in combination therapy with 25OHD, calcifediol and a AsRVD, oral paricalcitol on bone-mineral metabolism and inflammatory markers, compared to single treatment with each of them in a group HD patients. Material and methods: A prospective study of 6 months, over 26 patients in our HD unit. We randomized patients into two groups: group 1 (G1) received oral paricalcitol treatment at doses of 1mcg/day. Group 2 (G2) was treated with 1 ampoule calcifediol/wk (0.266mg/wk=16.000U) orally. After 3 months of treatment, was added (..) (AU)

Clinical characteristics of resistant hypertension in renal transplant patients.

Hypertension is a prevalent complication that occurs in 80-85% of all kidney transplant recipients. The pathogenesis of post-transplant hypertension is multifactorial and includes pre-transplant hypertension, donor hypertension, renin secretion from the native kidney, graft dysfunction, recurrent disease and immunosuppressive treatment. Hypertension negatively affects transplant and patient survival outcomes; cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal disease and after successful renal transplantation. Hypertension is a well-known risk factor for CVD and it is frequently associated with other CVD risk factors. Despite increased awareness of the adverse effects of hypertension in both graft and patient survival, long-term studies have shown that arterial hypertension in the transplant population has not been adequately controlled. Resistant hypertension (RH) is defined as office blood pressure (oBP) that remains above goal (oBP ≥ 140/90 or 130/80 mmHg) in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease despite the concurrent use of three antihypertensive agents, at full doses, one of them being a diuretic. Despite studies in the general population and the high prevalence of hypertension in renal transplant patients, data about RH are very scarce and the prevalence of RH in renal transplant patients is unknown and could be associated with a worse prognosis.

Prediction at first year of incident new-onset diabetes after kidney transplantation by risk prediction models.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to analyze the performance of two scores developed for predicting diabetes in nontransplant populations for identifying kidney transplant recipients with a higher new-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation (NODAT) risk beyond the first year after transplantation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed 191 kidney transplants, which had at least 1-year follow-up posttransplant. First-year posttransplant variables were collected to estimate the San Antonio Diabetes Prediction Model (SADPM) and Framingham Offspring Study-Diabetes Mellitus (FOS-DM) algorithm. RESULTS: Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of FOS-DM and SADPM scores to predict NODAT were 0.756 and 0.807 (P < 0.001), respectively. FOS-DM and SADPM scores over 75 percentile (hazard ratio 5.074 and 8.179, respectively, P < 0.001) were associated with NODAT. CONCLUSIONS: Both scores can be used to identify kidney recipients at higher risk for NODAT beyond the first year. SADPM score detects some 25% of kidney transplant patients with an eightfold risk for NODAT.