Background: With ever-increasing numbers of patients undergoing elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and as TKA is performed in increasingly younger patients, patient demands and expectations have also increased. With improved patient outcomes, new PROMs with heightened discriminatory power in well-performing patients are needed. The present study aimed to translate and validate the Italian version of the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS-12) as a tool for evaluating pre-operative through longitudinal post-operative outcomes in an Italian population. Methods: In this prospective study, patients with unilateral osteoarthritis, undergoing TKA surgery between May 2015 and December 2017 were recruited to participate in the study. The FJS-12 and WOMAC were collected pre-operatively and at six and 12 months post-operatively. According to the COSMIN checklist, reliability, internal consistency, validity, responsiveness, effect size, and ceiling effects and floor effects were evaluated.Results: One hundred twenty patients completed the study, 66 of which participated in the evaluation of test-retest reliability. Good test-retest reliability was found (ICC = 0.90). The FJS-12 also showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.81). Construct validity with the WOMAC, as a measure of the Pearson correlation coefficient, was moderate (r = 0.45 pre-operatively; r = 0.46 at 6 months and r = 0.42 at 12 months post-operatively). From six to 12 months, the change was slightly greater for the WOMAC than for the FJS-12 patients (effect size d = 0.94; d = 0.75, respectively). At 12-months follow-up, the ceiling effects reflecting the maximum score were 12% for the FJS-12 and 6% for the WOMAC; however, scores within 10% of the maximum score were comprised 30% of the FJS-12 scores and 59% for the WOMAC.

Aims The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature for evidence of the effect of a high-fat diet (HFD) on the onset or progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in mice. Methods A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus to find all studies on mice investigating the effects of HFD or Western-type diet on OA when compared with a control diet (CD). The primary outcome was the determination of cartilage loss and alteration. Secondary outcomes regarding local and systemic levels of proteins involved in inflammatory processes or cartilage metabolism were also examined when reported. Results In total, 14 publications met our inclusion criteria and were included in our review. Our meta-analysis showed that, when measured by the modified Mankin Histological-Histochemical Grading System, there was a significantly higher rate of OA in mice fed a HFD than in mice on a CD (standardized mean difference (SMD) 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63 to 1.91). Using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) score, there was a trend towards HFD causing OA (SMD 0.78, 95% CI -0.04 to 1.61). In terms of OA progression, a HFD consistently worsened the progression of surgically induced OA when compared with a CD. Finally, numerous inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and leptin, among others, were found to be altered by a HFD. Conclusion A HFD seems to induce or exacerbate the progression of OA in mice. The metabolic changes and systemic inflammation brought about by a HFD appear to be key players in the onset and progression of OA. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2019;8:582–592.

No abstract

Background: Nonunion is one of the most challenging problems in the field of orthopedics. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of nonunion in long bones. Methods: We conducted a search of three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) and found 646 total publications, of which 23 met our inclusion criteria. Results: Out of 1200 total long bone nonunions, 876 (73%) healed after being treated with ESWT. Hypertrophic cases achieved 3-fold higher healing rates when compared to oligotrophic or atrophic cases (p = 0.003). Metatarsal bones were the most receptive to ESWT, achieving a healing rate of 90%, followed by tibiae (75.54%), femurs (66.9%) and humeri (63.9%). Short periods between injury and treatment lead to higher healing rates (p < 0.02). Conversely, 6 months of follow-up after the treatment appears to be too brief to evaluate the full healing potential of the treatment; several studies showed that healing rates continued to increase at follow-ups beyond 6 months after the last ESWT treatment (p < 0.01). Conclusions: ESWT is a promising approach for treating nonunions. At present, a wide range of treatment protocols are used, and more research is needed to determine which protocols are the most effective.

No abstract