The findings with respect to mobility, functionality, and quality of life at 12 months provide marginal and inconsistent evidence for the superiority of volar angle-stable plate osteosynthesis over closed reduction and casting in the treatment of intra-articular distal radius fractures. Primary nonsurgical management is also effective in suitable patients.

Purpose The literature shows no consensus regarding the best method and timing for the treatment of acute knee dislocations. Studies indicate that a one‐stage procedure performed in the early stages of injury can lead to superior results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results after performing early surgical repair with additional suture augmentation (ligament bracing) of all torn ligaments in acute knee dislocations. Methods In this prospective multicentre study, 73 patients with an acute type III or IV knee dislocation were treated with one‐stage ligament bracing within 10 days. Twenty‐six patients sustained a type III medial dislocation, thirty‐nine patients sustained a type III lateral dislocation, and eight patients presented a type IV dislocation. Four patients were lost to follow‐up. Within the follow‐up evaluation, various scores were collected (International Knee Documentation Committee IKDC Score, Tegner Score and Lysholm Score). Additional stress radiography was performed (Telos™) postoperatively. Results Sixty‐nine knee dislocations (Schenck III and IV) with a follow‐up at a mean of 14 ± 1.6 months were evaluated. The average IKDC score was 75.5 ± 14.5, the average Lysholm score was 81.0 ± 15.5, and the median loss of activity in the Tegner score was 1 (range 0–3) point. Stress radiographs showed side‐to‐side differences at a mean of 3.2 ± 1.3 mm for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and of 2.9 ± 2.1 mm for the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The operative revision rate (early and late) was 17.4%. In the early stage, one wound infection and one case of transient common peroneal nerve (CPN) paresis were successfully revised. In the later stage, four patients with knee stiffness and six cases with symptomatic knee instability needed reoperation. Patients without ultra‐low velocity (ULV) dislocations or CPN showed good or excellent results in 87.5% according to the Lysholm score. Conclusion In cases of acute knee dislocation, primary ACL and PCL transosseous sutures with additional suture augmentation predominantly lead to good and excellent clinical results. Obese patients sustaining ultra‐low velocity (ULV) dislocations and patients following injury to the CPN show inferior outcomes. In patients without ULV and CPN intraoperative and postoperative complications occurred in 10.1%. The obtained results and revision rates show that early primary suture repair is a promising option. Level of evidence Prospective multicentre study, II.

The inflammatory response after severe blunt chest trauma often leads to acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome which are associated with high mortality rates. Whereas the role of innate immunity in acute lung injury has been broadly investigated, the immune response after blunt chest trauma is still poorly understood. Therefore, the role of complement and neutrophils was determined in bilateral lung injury induced by a single blast wave. The following time-points were investigated posttrauma: sham, 1, 6, 12, and 24 h. There was a time-dependent systemic activation of complement as determined by CH-50 and presence of C5a-dependent chemotactic plasma activity. Moreover, factor H, a complement regulatory protein, was increased systemically and locally after injury. Anti-C5a treatment immediately after trauma ameliorated these peaks. After an initial systemic leukopenic phase, a marked leukocytosis occurred. The latter was normalized by C5a blockade. In parallel, white blood cell count in bronchioalveolar lavage fluids was increased as a function of time and was significantly decreased by anti-C5a treatment. Trauma-induced lung injury was also associated with dramatic changes in neutrophil function, namely early enhanced chemotaxis and phagocytosis, followed by prolonged functional defects-all of which were ameliorated by anti-C5a treatment. Furthermore, blockade of C5a ameliorated the buildup of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha, diminished the increase of cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant 1, and altered the levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. These data suggest that blunt chest trauma leads to systemic activation of complement and robust C5a generation, which causes perturbations in defensive functions of neutrophils. Thus, C5a might represent a potential target for therapeutic immunomodulation to prevent immune dysfunctions post-trauma and thereby, perhaps, the progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Arthroscopic repair of isolated subscapularis tendon tears achieves substantial improvement of shoulder function and a low rerupture rate. Despite excellent clinical results, a significant postoperative subscapularis strength deficit compared with the contralateral shoulder persists that can be quantified with use of the force measurement plate. Atrophy of the upper subscapularis muscle is present in 25% of the patients in the postoperative course.