BackgroundThe Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) is validated as a predictive mortality tool in patients with hip fracture. However, it has not been modified or validated widely other than in the UK NHS health systems.Material/MethodsWe assessed the predictive capability of the NHFS for 30-day mortality after surgery for hip fracture in the Greek population and then compared the original model to a modified one. We applied the NHFS to the Greek population and created a modified model of the NHFS by including the New Mobility Score (NMS) (Parker and Palmer, 1993) to the evaluated parameters and excluding the parameter of institution.We ran a prospective study over a period of 3 years in our institution, collecting full data from 349 patients. All data were analyzed using SPSS, version 20.ResultsFrom all 349 patients, with a mean age of 80.82 years, only 85 (24.4%) were men. All patients were followed up for at least 30 days and the NHFS and modified NHFS prediction were compared with the mortality rate of patients. The area under the ROC curve for both models suggested acceptable accuracy (original NHFS 0.83, modified NHFS 0.84). Calibration was acceptable for both models (Hosmer-Lemeshow p=0.31 and 0.11, respectively).ConclusionsBoth the original and the modified NHFS were significant predictors of 30-day mortality. A higher-power study might be able to show superiority of the modified one for the Greek population in the future.
Background
Osteoporosis affects millions of postmenopausal women worldwide. Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT) are important cells for bone homeostasis. The sim of this study was to investigate the contribution of invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT) in the increased receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) pool and bone resorption, a characteristic of patients with osteoporosis.
Material/Methods
Whole blood was collected from 79 female patients. The dual energy x-absorptiometry scan was performed in all patients, and the T-score was calculated in order to classify our patients according to the World Human Organization (WHO) criteria for diagnosis and classification of osteoporosis. Eleven patients had a T-score <−1.0 and were encompassed in our normal donors (ND) group, 46 patients had a T-score between −1 and −2.5 and were included in the osteopenia group, while 22 patients had a T-score > −2.5 and were included in the osteoporosis group. We performed a-galactosylceramide activation of iNKT cells
in vitro
. Surface RANKL expression was detected by multicolor flow cytometry in naive and activated lymphocytes. Beta-Crosslaps (β-CTx) levels were measured in whole blood plasma by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).
Results
Although iNKT cells were not clonally expanded in patients with osteoporosis, iNKT cells from osteoporotic patients overexpressed RANKL compared to ND and osteopenic patients. This is a distinctive feature of iNKT cells and is not seen in conventional T-lymphocytes. RANKL expression in iNKT cells was not related to β-CTx levels in the blood. Finally, iNKT cell activation by the prototypal glycolipid ligand α-galactosylceramide increased by 8 times their RANKL expression.
Conclusions
In patients with osteoporosis, iNKT cells specifically overexpress RANKL, a cytokine that regulates osteoclast activity. It seems that iNKT cells have a long-standing effect of on the bone physiology, which plays an important role in the bone loss of patients with osteoporosis.
Objectives: To consolidate the current literature and find the evidence of any advantages of the use of the above mentioned techniques and also to emphasize the need for well-designed studies to evaluate long-and short-term function and risk of posttraumatic osteoarthritis in arthroscopically-assisted treated patients.
Background:The role of arthroscopy in the fixation of tibial plateau fractures has been advocated in the literature in the last decades. A number of papers have been published regarding Arthroscopically Assisted Internal Fixation (mainly) and Arthroscopically Assisted External Fixation (significantly smaller amount of papers) of tibial plateau fractures.
While diaphyseal femoral shaft fractures are common, it is uncommon to see this injury in leg amputees. Traditionally, these fractures are internally fixed using a fracture table with reduction obtained by traction and adequate rotation exerted on a slightly abducted extremity. Special considerations need to be given in the management of patients with leg amputations. We report the case of a 24-year-old gentleman with bilateral diaphyseal femoral shaft fractures and a previous right below-knee amputation, who was transferred to our centre following a road traffic collision. We highlight important planning that needs to be undertaken for appropriate positioning, ease of reduction, and fracture fixation. We have reviewed the literature to highlight the methods that have been previously described and our use of skeletal traction through the amputation stump that can be utilised by other surgeons in challenging situations like this.
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