An ARNP-directed intervention that explains the benefits of hospice and addresses advanced directives early in the course of metastatic cancer patients' treatment, is well received by the patients and their relatives and leads to measurable improvement in the patient's emotional and mental QoL.

The study reported describes a combination of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and collagen (C) to regenerate bone. Unilateral critical-sized defects (CSDs) were prepared in radii of 32 skeletally mature New Zealand white rabbits. Rabbits were divided evenly among four treatments: autograft, absorbable C (Helistat), 35 microg of rhBMP-2 combined with absorbable C (rhBMP-2/C), and untreated CSDs. The two euthanasia periods were 4 and 8 weeks. Radiographs were taken the day of surgery, every 2 weeks, and at term and the percent of radiopacity was measured. Data analysis revealed a time-dependent increase in the percent radiopacity with rhBMP-2/C. Histological examination revealed the rhBMP-2/C treatment regenerated osseous contour by 8 weeks. According to quantitative histomorphometry, the CSD and C groups had significantly less new bone than either autograft or rhBMP-2/C (p < or = 0.05). The results suggest that rhBMP-2/C could be an effective therapy to restore segmental bone defects.

No abstract

Use of a reverse shoulder prosthesis-proximal humeral allograft composite for the treatment of shoulder dysfunction following arthroplasty associated with substantial proximal humeral bone loss has shown promising early results. The allograft may restore proximal humeral bone stock, thereby helping to maintain the height of the prosthesis bone construct and thus deltoid tension. Additional, long-term studies are needed to evaluate the longevity of this construct.

We reviewed the outcomes of a series of patellar arthroplasty operations with custom-fit femoral prostheses to examine the effectiveness of this procedure in relieving pain and restoring function in the knee. Twenty-two patellofemoral arthroplasty operations were performed in 21 patients (mean age, 48.6 years) at 2 institutions between 1994 and 2002. All patients had advanced patellofemoral arthritis and had undergone an average of 2.5 previous patellofemoral operations. The prosthesis, consisting of a custom-fit chrome cobalt trochlear component and an all-polyethylene patellar button, was implanted in a procedure designed to minimize bone resection. Patients later underwent three-view radiography of the knee to confirm that the prosthesis was positioned correctly. One patient required revision of an undersized patellar button 18 months postoperatively, and 2 other patients had postoperative arthrofibrosis necessitating arthroscopic debridement. No patient required revision of the trochlear component, and no loosening or migration of any component has been found since the first procedure was performed. However, the polyethylene patellar button has worn in 3 patients, and the patella broke in 1 patient. An average of 60 months postoperatively, patients used the Western Ontario and Mc-Master Universities Osteoarthritis Index to rate their preoperative and present joint pain, stiffness, and function. Patients' mean overall ratings (potential range, 24–96) were significantly lower for their present symptoms (28.4) than for their preoperative symptoms (63.4). Mean scores on each subscale also decreased: from 13.0 to 5.5 for pain, from 5.4 to 2.4 for stiffness, and from 45.0 to 20.6 for function. We conclude that, in carefully selected patients, patellofemoral arthroplasty with a custom-fit prosthesis is a viable surgical treatment for isolated patellofemoral arthritis.

The results of our preliminary study suggest that certain attitudes toward hospice referral may differ between African American and white American PCPs. If validated, further insight into this issue could lead to educational programs for PCPs that correct misperceptions.

ObjectivePatient-reported distress (PRD) has not been well assessed in association with survival after radiation therapy (RT). The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between PRD level and survival after definitive RT and to identify the main causes of distress in definitive RT patients.Methods and materialsA total of 678 consecutive patients receiving definitive RT at our institution from April 2012 through May 2015 were included. All patients answered a PRD questionnaire that contained 30 items related to possible causes of distress, which could be rated from 1 (no distress) to 5 (high distress). Additionally, patients were asked to rate their overall distress level from 0 (no distress) to 10 (extreme distress). This overall distress level was our primary patient-reported distress measure and was examined as a continuous variable and as a categorical variable with 3 PRD levels (low, 0-3 [n = 295]; moderate, 4-6 [n = 222]; and high, 7-10 [n = 161]).ResultsAs a continuous variable in multivariable Cox regression analysis, a higher overall PRD level was associated with poorer survival after RT (hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; P = .004). As a categorical variable, compared with patients with low distress, survival was poorer for patients with moderate distress (HR, 1.62; P = .038) or high distress (HR, 1.49; P = .12), but the latter difference was not significant. When the moderate and high distress levels were combined, survival was significantly poorer compared with the low distress level (HR, 1.57; P = .034). The top 5 specific causes of distress that patients mentioned were “How I feel during treatment,” “Fatigue,” “Out-of-pocket medical costs,” “Pain that affects my daily functioning,” and “Sleep difficulties.”ConclusionsPRD before or during RT is a prognostic factor associated with decreased survival. Distress screening guidelines and interventions should be implemented for patients receiving definitive RT.

Enhanced cutaneous wound healing by positively charged cross-linked diethylaminoethyl dextran beads (CLDD) was studied in a standardized incisional wound model in 20 adult and 20 geriatric Macaca mulatta (rhesus) partitioned equally over five time periods. Physiologic saline served as a control. Soft-tissue linear incisions were prepared between and 1 cm inferior to the scapulae. There were four incisions per rhesus; each incision was 1.5 cm long with 1 cm of undisturbed tissue between incisions, and both the experimental CLDD and physiologic saline treatments were administered to each rhesus. The incision treatments were either CLDD and soft-tissue closure with 4-0 BioSyn sutures or sterile physiologic saline and closure with 4-0 BioSyn sutures. The hypothesis was CLDD would enhance cutaneous wound repair. Verification of the hypothesis consisted of clinical examinations and histologic and tensiometric evaluations on biopsy specimens at 10 and 15 days, whereas 5-day and 2- and 4-month groups were assessed clinically and biopsy specimens were assessed histologically. The clinical course of healing for all groups was unremarkable. At 10 days, incisions in adult rhesus treated with CLDD had a 30-percent greater tensile strength compared with the physiologic saline-treated incisions (p = 0.01), whereas for geriatric rhesus, the CLDD treatment proved to be 15 percent greater in tensile strength compared with the physiologic saline cohort (p = 0.11). By day 15, incisions in adult rhesus were 26 percent stronger than the saline treatment group (p = 0.07), and the difference was 36 percent (p = 0.02) for the geriatric rhesus. From 5 through 15 days, histologic observations revealed a gradual decrease in quantity and integrity of CLDD, with no remnants of CLDD at either 2 or 4 months. Macrophages and multinucleated giant cells were localized in the dermis and were associated with the CLDD. These cells decreased commensurately with the decrease of CLDD beads. The data suggest that CLDD can enhance significantly the tensile properties of healing cutaneous wounds in both adult and geriatric rhesus. Moreover, if the wound healing is enhanced in geriatric patients, this finding may be clinically germane to conditions where wound healing is compromised, such as in diabetics and patients on steroids.