Isokinetic flexion strength recovery after ACL reconstruction: a comparison between all inside graft-link technique and full tibial tunnel technique

Introduction: Recently, a new minimally invasive single bundle technique for anatomic ACL reconstruction has been described, called the ‘All-Inside graft-link technique’. One of the advantages of this procedure is the reduced morbidity at the donor site as the graft choice is the quadrupled semitendinosus, thus sparing the gracilis tendon. The aim of this study was to evaluate isokinetic flexion strength recovery in patients who underwent a gracilis sparing technique compared to those with a full-tibial tunnel technique using a doubled gracilis and semitendinosus tendons (DGST) graft.

Methods: Patients were divided into two groups: Group A (22 patients) who underwent ACL reconstruction performed with an All-Inside graft-link technique; Group B (22 patients) who underwent ACL reconstruction with an Out-In technique and DGST graft. At a mean follow-up of 13 months, quadriceps and hamstring isokinetic peak torque deficits were recorded.

Results: In group A, the mean side to side peak torque flexion difference between the operated and non-operated limbs was ?3% and the mean torque at 30° was ?7.5% at high angular velocity (180°/sec); the mean peak flexion torque was 7.2% and the mean torque at 30° was 3.1% at low angular velocity (60°/sec).

In group B, the mean side to side peak flexion torque was ?3.5% and the mean torque at 30° was ?7.6% at high angular velocity (180°/sec); the mean peak flexion torque was ?7.2% and the mean torque at 30° was ?11% at low angular velocity (60°/sec).

A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups at lower angular velocity both for the mean peak flexion torque and the mean torque at 30° (p = 0.009), with better results in the study group.

Discussion/conclusion: Gracilis sparing technique is a minimally invasive technique for ACL reconstruction and yielded a significantly better flexion strength recovery at lower angular velocity compared to a full tibial tunnel technique with DGST for ACL reconstruction.     

Outcome of isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction at mean 6.3-year follow up: a consecutive case series

Objectives: There is a paucity of reporting on surgical outcomes of isolated posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (PCLR). We hypothesize that isolated PCL injuries failing nonoperative treatment achieve good outcomes and are able to return to sport following PCLR.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed to identify patients with isolated PCL injuries that underwent reconstruction between 2001 and 2014. Patients with multi-ligamentous injury or another concomitant knee pathology were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for demographic, clinical and operative data. Patients were contacted for administration of a telephone-based questionnaire which included the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation form, Lysholm-Tegner scales, Marx activity scale (MAS), return to sport status, and patient satisfaction instruments.

Results: A total of 15 isolated PCL reconstructions in 14 patients with a mean age of 27.5 years (range 17–43) met the study inclusion criteria; mean follow up was 6.3 years (range 1.4–15.2). Pre-operatively, the primary complaint was knee instability in all patients; on physical examination, lack of a firm end point during posterior drawer testing was found in 93% (14/15) of the knees. In total, 12 of 15 knees underwent transtibial, single-bundle PCLR and three of 15 underwent tibial inlay, double bundle PCLR. Graft types included: quadriceps autograft (7/15), Achilles allograft (6/15), and hamstring autograft (2/15). There were no graft failures in our patient cohort. At most recent follow up the mean scores respectively on the IKDC form, Lysholm-Tegner scales and MAS were (standard deviation): 77.3 (16.5), 83.1 (17.9), 6.13 (2.6), and 7.1 (6.0). All fourteen patients were athletes prior to their injury and 79% (11/14) returned to sport and overall patient satisfaction was 9.2/10.

Conclusions: Isolated PCLR provides good outcomes at mean medium-term follow up with restoration of function, high rate of return to sport and overall patient satisfaction.     

Carboxylesterase catalyzed 18O-labeling of carboxylic acid and its potential application in LC-MS/MS based quantification of drug metabolites

LC-MS quantification of drug metabolites is sometimes impeded by the availability of internal standards that often requires customized synthesis and/or extensive purification. Although isotopically labeled internal standards are considered ideal for LC-MS/MS based quantification, de novo synthesis using costly isotope-enriched starting materials makes it impractical for early stage of drug discovery. Therefore, quick access to these isotope-enriched compounds without chemical derivatization and purification will greatly facilitate LC-MS/MS based quantification. Herein, we report a novel ¹⁸O-labeling technique using metabolizing enzyme carboxylesterase (CES) and its potential application in metabolites quantification study. Substrates of CES typically undergo a two-step oxygen exchange with H₂¹⁸O in the presence of the enzyme, generating singly- and doubly-¹⁸O-labeled carboxylic acids; however, unexpected hydrolytic behavior was observed for three of the test compounds – indomethacin, piperacillin and clopidogrel. These unusual observations led to the discovery of several novel hydrolytic mechanisms. Finally, when used as internal standard for LC-MS/MS based quantification, these in situ labeled compounds generated accurate quantitation comparable to the conventional standard curve method. The preliminary results suggest that this method has potential to eliminate laborious chemical synthesis of isotope-labeled internal standards for carboxylic acid-containing compounds, and can be developed to facilitate quantitative analysis in early-stage drug discovery.     

Location and geometric description of carpal bones in CT images

The carpal regions of ten cadaver extremities were imaged by CT. The images were combined into a 3-dimensional model of the carpus using a technique based on a dynamic programming algorithm to find an optimal estimate of the location of the bone boundaries in the CT images. The resulting set of surface points on each bone was used to compute volumes and principal and antipodal axes for the bones. A spatial coordinate system was established based on the positions of the centroids of three bones in the distal carpal row. The angular orientations of all carpal bones were determined with respect to this system. The principal axes for the same bone among ten wrist specimens proved to be more widely dispersed than the antipodal axes for the same bones. The antipodal axes also correspond more closely to an intuitive notion of the “longest axis” of the bones. We conclude that the antipodal axis is a more reliable and useful measure of bone orientation than the principal axis.     

Aesthetic refinements in prophylactic mastectomy with immediate reconstruction

Immediate reconstruction of more than 1000 breasts was performed on high-risk patients on whom a prophylactic mastectomy was done. The mastectomy removes as much breast tissue as possible while leaving sufficient skin, and possibly the nipple-areola complex, to enable immediate reconstruction. The creation of symmetrical, well-balanced muscle pockets for the implant is the most important factor in producing satisfactory results in these cases.     

Fricke supraorbital flap for reconstruction of total lower eyelid defects

Summary Split or full thickness eyelid defects resulting from tumor destruction or surgical excision present a dilemma for plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Full thickness eyelid replacement requires composite grafting of the skin, together with tarsal support of its substitute and mucosa. The flap described by Fricke in 1829 was used for reconstruction of anterior lamella in six lower eyelid defects. In three of our cases chondromucosal grafts taken from nasal septum were utilized for posterior lamella repair. The results have been satisfactory from a functional and cosmetic standpoint.     

鼻内窥镜下鼻中隔矫正术

目的 :研究鼻内窥镜下鼻中隔矫正术的优点。方法 :鼻内窥镜下鼻中隔矫正术 5 0例 ,同期施行传统的鼻中隔矫正术 5 0例作为对照 ,分析两者手术时间、术中出血量及疼痛情况。结果 :鼻内窥镜组治愈率为96% ,手术时间 ( 35 .5 0± 5 .2 0 ) min,术中出血量 ( 2 3.2 2± 4.2 5 ) ml,疼痛发生率为 1 6% ;传统手术组治愈率为 90 % ,手术时间 ( 4 5 .64± 6.34) min,术中出血量 ( 31 .34± 5 .64) ml,疼痛发生率为 38%。经统计学分析两组治愈率差异无显著性 ( P>0 .0 5 ) ,鼻内窥镜组手术时间明显缩短 ( P<0 .0 1 ) ,术中出血量明显减少 ( P<0 .0 5 ) ,术中疼痛发生率明显降低 ( P<0 .0 5 )。结论 :鼻内窥镜下鼻中隔矫正术照明好 ,术野清晰 ,直视下手术 ,易剥离粘连处和及时发现粘膜损伤 ,手术时间短 ,术中出血量少 ,疼痛轻 ,术后并发症少 ,特别是鼻中隔矫正同期完成功能性鼻内窥镜手术及歪鼻矫正手术时更显示其优越性     

腭裂修复术腭咽肌肉重建与否的鼻咽内窥镜的比较观察

目的通过是否进行腭咽肌肉重建的两组腭裂修复术后患者鼻咽内窥镜的比较观察,了解腭咽部肌肉重建术后腭咽闭合状况的改变。方法将41例腭裂术后患者,按照在腭裂修复时是否进行腭咽肌肉重建分为重建组(22例)和非重建组(19例),以鼻咽纤维内窥镜记录静态和发音时腭咽闭合运动状况,对两组患者腭咽闭合运动类型和状况进行比较。结果重建组静态腭咽腔形态较非重建组明显缩小,各壁光滑丰满,未见软腭鼻腔面V型缺损畸形;动态时以环状闭合为主。非重建组静态腭咽腔形态较大,可见软腭鼻腔面V型缺损畸形;动态时以冠状闭合为主。经比较重建组腭咽闭合良好率(90.91%)明显优于非重建组(37.31%)。结论鼻咽内窥镜观察证实腭咽肌肉重建腭裂修复术后腭咽闭合功能恢复明显优于非重建组。腭裂修复术时重建腭咽肌肉有助于缩小腭咽腔和更易于达到良好的腭咽闭合状态。     

Which constructs can predict emotional exhaustion in a working population? A study into its determinants

The main objective of this study was to examine the psychosocial stress model developed by Taylor and Aspinwall with emotional exhaustion as the outcome variable. Respondents, 409 men and 346 women, who had a paid job for at least 20 hours per week, completed questionnaires concerning demographic variables, personality, temperament, work pressure, workload, perceived social support, appraisal, coping, and emotional exhaustion. Structural equation analyses provided only partial support for the validity of the model. First, on theoretical and statistical grounds, one more path linking external resources to social support was added. Second, contrary to expectations, coping styles did not predict emotional exhaustion. To conclude, when coping is measured retrospectively, it does not add to our understanding of emotional exhaustion. It is suggested that future studies should be longitudinal and include objective measures of stressors and psychosocial health outcomes in addition to self‐reports. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

单蒂横行腹直肌肌皮瓣乳房再造中Ⅳ区皮瓣的取舍

目的探讨单蒂横行腹直肌肌皮瓣乳房再造术中Ⅳ区皮瓣的取舍。方法通过16例实施单蒂横行腹直肌肌皮瓣乳房再造术，术中观察皮瓣的皮色、断面出血颜色，并利用近红外血氧监测仪测定皮瓣各区的组织血氧饱和度，决定Ⅳ区皮瓣的取舍。术后观察指标包括术后并发症及美学效果。结果16例中5例Ⅳ皮瓣的肤色正常、断面出血呈鲜红色而非暗红色、组织血氧饱和度不低于Ⅲ区组织血氧饱和度的95％。在接受了保留Ⅳ区皮瓣的单蒂横行腹直肌肌皮瓣乳房再造术后，再造乳房全部成活，无严重术后并发症，患者对再造乳房均很满意。结论近红外血氧无创检测有助于决定Ⅳ区皮瓣的取舍。有选择地实施保留Ⅳ区皮瓣的单蒂横行腹直肌肌皮瓣乳房再造术，可用于大面积胸壁缺损或乳腺尾叶的修复重建。