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BACKGROUND Clinical evidence suggests that the currently recommended approach to estimate the risk of aortic dissection in Marfan syndrome (MFS) is not reliable enough. Therefore, we investigated the possible role of visceral arterial tortuosity in the risk stratification. METHODS AND RESULTS Splenic and renal arteries of 37 MFS patients and 74 age and gender matched control subjects were segmented using CT angiography imaging. To measure tortuosity, distance metric (DM), sum of angles metric (SOAM), inflection count metric (ICM), and the ratio of ICM and SOAM (ICM/SOAM) were calculated. DM of the splenic, right and left renal artery was significantly higher in MFS patients than in controls (2.44 [1.92-2.80] vs. 1.75 [1.57-2.18] p less then 0.001; 1.16 [1.10-1.28] vs. 1.11 [1.07-1.15] p = 0.011; 1.40 [1.29-1.70] vs. 1.13 [1.09-1.23] p less then 0.001, respectively). A similar tendency for ICM and an opposite tendency for SOAM were observed. ICM/SOAM was significantly higher in the MFS group compared to controls in case of all three arteries (73.35 [62.26-93.63] vs. 50.91 [43.19-65.62] p less then 0.001; 26.52 [20.69-30.24] vs. 19.95 [16.47-22.95] p less then 0.001; 22.81 [18.64-30.96] vs. 18.38 [15.29-21.46] p less then 0.001, respectively). MFS patients who underwent aortic root replacement had increased right and left renal DM and ICM/SOAM compared to MFS patients without surgery. CONCLUSION To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of increased arterial tortuosity in MFS on visceral arteries. Visceral arterial tortuosity, dominated by curves of lower frequency but higher amplitude according to the observed opposite tendency between the DM and SOAM metrics, could be a possible new predictor of serious manifestations of MFS.OBJECTIVE Atrophic distal femur non-union with bone defect (ADFNBD) has been a worldwide challenge to treat due to the associated biological and mechanical problems. selleck chemical The purpose of this study was to introduce a new solution involving the use of a J-shaped iliac crest bone graft (J-bone) combined with double-plate (DP) in the treatment of femoral non-union. METHODS Clinically, 18 patients with ADFNBD were included in this retrospective study and were treated with a combination of J-bone graft and DP. The average follow-up time was 22.1 ± 5.5 months (range, 14 to 34 months). The imaging information and knee joint activity tests and scores were used to evaluate the time to weight-bearing, the time to non-union healing, and the knee joint mobility. A finite element analysis was used to evaluate the differences between the following (1) the use of a lateral locking plate (LLP) only group (LLP-only), (2) a DP only group (DP-only), (3) a DP with a J-bone group (DP+J-bone), and (4) an LLP with a J-bone group (LLP+J-bbined with an LLP or a DP-only graft for the treatment of ADFNBD. This procedure was associated with less surgical trauma, early rehabilitation exercise after surgery, a high bone healing rate, and a satisfactory rate of functional recovery. Therefore, a combination of J-bone and DP is an effective and important choice for the treatment of ADFNBD.BACKGROUND Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) may provide biomarkers of the outcome of locally-advanced cervical carcinoma (LACC). There is, however, no agreement on how DCE-MR recordings should be analyzed. Previously, we have analyzed DCE-MRI data of LACC using non-model-based strategies. In the current study, we analyzed DCE-MRI data of LACC using the Tofts pharmacokinetic model, and the biomarkers derived from this analysis were compared with those derived from the non-model-based analyses. METHODS Eighty LACC patients given cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy with curative intent were included in the study. Treatment outcome was recorded as disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). DCE-MRI series were analyzed voxelwise to produce Ktrans and ve frequency distributions, and ROC analysis was used to identify the parameters of the frequency distributions having the greatest potential as biomarkers. The prognostic power of these parameters was compared with that of the non-model-based analyses.BACKGROUND Aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) is a subset of acute aortic syndrome, and its prognosis may differ between races. This study aimed to study the prognosis of Chinese type B IMH patients and to find out risk factors. METHODS A total of 71 type B IMH patients with or without penetrating atherosclerosis ulcer (PAU) administrated in our center between September 2013 and October 2017 were retrospectively studied. Both clinical and imaging data were collected and analyzed. The primary end point was aorta-related death, and the secondary end point was progression, which was defined as enlargement of aorta, increased aortic wall thickness, and aortic dissection or aneurysm formation. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were used for prognostic analysis. RESULTS Among these 71 patients, 21 had simple type B IMH, when 50 had type B IMH in association with PAU. Twenty-five patients received optimal medical therapy (OMT) alone, while 46 patients received surgery and OMT. The mean follow-up time was 27.5 ± 13.5 months. For type B IMH patients, association with PAU indicated poor prognosis and required more intensive management (HR = 16.68, 1.96~141.87), while maximum aortic diameter (MAD) was an independent risk factor (HR = 1.096, 1.016~1.182). For patients with PAU-IMH, MAD was an independent risk factor (HR = 1.04, 1.021~1.194), while surgical treatment was independent protective factor (HR = 0.172, 0.042~0.696). CONCLUSION Association with PAU and MAD were independent risk factors for type B IMH patients. Surgery may improve the outcomes for type B IMH in association with PAU.BACKGROUND Despite the continued improvement in the surgical techniques during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), literatures indicate that up to 10 to 20% patients are not satisfied with their outcomes. Psychological factors in this dissatisfaction are yet to be clearly identified. The aim of this study is to develop a method to assess whether the patient's current mental state is suitable enough to accept a TKA surgery. METHODS Preoperative demographic and clinical data of 532 patients who underwent TKA were prospectively obtained from January 2012 until December 2016. We recorded the scores evaluated by SF-36 questionnaire and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Preoperative Life Satisfaction Rating (LSR) is emphatically evaluated. RESULTS Poor preoperative score of LSR was a significant predictor of dissatisfaction after TKA. Patients with low LSR reported significant pain and stiffness, although there was no remarkable effect on functionality of the replaced joint.