Hasil untuk "Diseases of the musculoskeletal system"

C.A. Wagenaar, W. Walrabenstein, C.S. de Jonge et al.

Zaldy Pagaduan, Jason Occidental, Nathaniel Duro et al.

Smallholder cacao producers often rely on outdated farming techniques and face significant challenges from pests and diseases, unlike larger plantations with more resources and expertise. In the Philippines, cacao farmers have limited access to data, information, and good agricultural practices. This study addresses these issues by developing a mobile application for cacao disease identification and management that functions offline, enabling use in remote areas where farms are mostly located. The core of the system is a deep learning model trained to identify cacao diseases accurately. The trained model is integrated into the mobile app to support farmers in field diagnosis. The disease identification model achieved a validation accuracy of 96.93% while the model for detecting cacao black pod infection levels achieved 79.49% validation accuracy. Field testing of the application showed an agreement rate of 84.2% compared with expert cacao technician assessments. This approach empowers smallholder farmers by providing accessible, technology-enabled tools to improve cacao crop health and productivity.

Sazzad Hossain, Saiful Islam, Muhammad Ibrahim et al.

Skin diseases are a major public health concern worldwide, and their detection is often challenging without access to dermatological expertise. In countries like Bangladesh, which is highly populated, the number of qualified skin specialists and diagnostic instruments is insufficient to meet the demand. Due to the lack of proper detection and treatment of skin diseases, that may lead to severe health consequences including death. Common properties of skin diseases are, changing the color, texture, and pattern of skin and in this era of artificial intelligence and machine learning, we are able to detect skin diseases by using image processing and computer vision techniques. In response to this challenge, we develop a publicly available dataset focused on common skin disease detection using machine learning techniques. We focus on five prevalent skin diseases in Bangladesh: Contact Dermatitis, Vitiligo, Eczema, Scabies, and Tinea Ringworm. The dataset consists of 1612 images (of which, 250 are distinct while others are augmented), collected directly from patients at the outpatient department of Faridpur Medical College, Faridpur, Bangladesh. The data comprises of 302, 381, 301, 316, and 312 images of Dermatitis, Eczema, Scabies, Tinea Ringworm, and Vitiligo, respectively. Although the data are collected regionally, the selected diseases are common across many countries especially in South Asia, making the dataset potentially valuable for global applications in machine learning-based dermatology. We also apply several machine learning and deep learning models on the dataset and report classification performance. We expect that this research would garner attention from machine learning and deep learning researchers and practitioners working in the field of automated disease diagnosis.

Jie Cheng, Qiao Deng, Wei Wu et al.

Abstract Background In orthopedic patients, bone defects are often the result of infections, tumors, or trauma. Currently, bone grafting is the predominant method utilized to address these defects. Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are commonly used in orthopedic grafting; however, their tendency to degrade rapidly poses a significant concern that must be addressed during their application. By employing microarc oxidation (MAO) technology to modify the coatings on magnesium metal surfaces, it is possible to improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium-containing implants. Nonetheless, this technique may undermine their antibacterial properties. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) exhibit exceptional antibacterial characteristics and the ability to facilitate bone regeneration. This study aims to explore the role and mechanism of a magnesium bone scaffold enhanced with gold nanoparticles in the context of bone repair. Objective The objective of this research was to explore the function and mechanism of a magnesium-based bone scaffold that had been enhanced with gold nanoparticles in the process of bone regeneration. Method The gold nanoparticles were fixed on pure magnesium scaffolds after microarc oxidation through immersion coating and UV curing, following the screening of the appropriate concentration of AuNRs through cytotoxicity experiments. The microscopic morphology and pore structure characteristics of the magnesium bone scaffold’s surface were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The gold nanocoated magnesium bone scaffold was immersed in phosphate buffer saline at a surface area/solution volume ratio of 1.25cm2/mL and subsequently placed in a 37 ℃ constant temperature incubator. The magnesium colorimetric method was employed to quantify the alterations in ion content in the supernatant on days 3, 5, 10, and 15. Simultaneously, the scaffolds were removed and weighed in weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4 to assess their biodegradability and weight loss. The antibacterial properties of the various categories of materials were assessed by counting the number of bacterial colonies on the plates, which were coated with bacterial solutions co-cultured with various materials from Staphylococcus aureus. The scaffold’s in vitro activity in promoting bone and vascular migration was validated using MC3T3-E1 cells and vascular endothelial cells. The rabbit distal femoral defect model was used to assess the degradability and bone activity promotion of the porous scaffolds and porous particles in vivo. A cylindrical defect measuring Ø 2 × 5 mm was created at the femoral condyle of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats. Stent particles were inserted, and the rats were euthanized at 12 and 16 weeks to obtain femoral specimens. The samples were subsequently subjected to a variety of experiments, such as histological section analysis. Result At a concentration of 15 µg/mL AuNRs, the biological properties and cell activity were satisfactory, suitable for coating preparation. The SEM results indicated that the AuNRs composite coating was effectively applied to the magnesium bone material’s surface. The coating’s ability to postpone the degradation of magnesium ions was demonstrated in in vitro magnesium ion release experiments. The MAO magnesium bone scaffold, which was modified with the AuNRs coating, exhibited a substantial antibacterial effect at 6 h and was capable of reducing the occurrence of preclinical infections, as indicated by the results of bacterial experiments. The MAO magnesium bone scaffold modified with the AuNRs coating exhibited favorable biological activity and osteogenic differentiation capacity, as indicated by the results of the cell culture experiments. Furthermore, animal experiments have demonstrated that the MAO magnesium bone scaffold, which has been modified with the AuNRs coating, can substantially enhance bone repair and enhance bone integration between the implant and the bone. Conclusion The biodegradation behavior in vitro and the osteogenic performance in vivo of magnesium bone scaffolds were thoroughly assessed using a variety of methods, with the corrosion resistance of these scaffolds being improved by the application of gold-infused nanocoatings on their surfaces. This research also facilitated osseointegration and enhanced the osteogenic potential of internal implants, aiding in the regeneration of bone loss areas. This study presents an innovative approach to the internal implantation treatment of patients suffering from bone defects.

Faika Fairuj Preotee, Shuvashis Sarker, Shamim Rahim Refat et al.

Leaf diseases are harmful conditions that affect the health, appearance and productivity of plants, leading to significant plant loss and negatively impacting farmers' livelihoods. These diseases cause visible symptoms such as lesions, color changes, and texture variations, making it difficult for farmers to manage plant health, especially in large or remote farms where expert knowledge is limited. The main motivation of this study is to provide an efficient and accessible solution for identifying plant leaf diseases in Bangladesh, where agriculture plays a critical role in food security. The objective of our research is to classify 21 distinct leaf diseases across six plants using deep learning models, improving disease detection accuracy while reducing the need for expert involvement. Deep Learning (DL) techniques, including CNN and Transfer Learning (TL) models like VGG16, VGG19, MobileNetV2, InceptionV3, ResNet50V2 and Xception are used. VGG19 and Xception achieve the highest accuracies, with 98.90% and 98.66% respectively. Additionally, Explainable AI (XAI) techniques such as GradCAM, GradCAM++, LayerCAM, ScoreCAM and FasterScoreCAM are used to enhance transparency by highlighting the regions of the models focused on during disease classification. This transparency ensures that farmers can understand the model's predictions and take necessary action. This approach not only improves disease management but also supports farmers in making informed decisions, leading to better plant protection and increased agricultural productivity.

Yueheng Jiang, Peng Zhang

Multi-disease diagnosis using multi-modal data like electronic health records and medical imaging is a critical clinical task. Although existing deep learning methods have achieved initial success in this area, a significant gap persists for their real-world application. This gap arises because they often overlook unavoidable practical challenges, such as modality missingness, noise, temporal asynchrony, and evidentiary inconsistency across modalities for different diseases. To overcome these limitations, we propose HGDC-Fuse, a novel framework that constructs a patient-centric multi-modal heterogeneous graph to robustly integrate asynchronous and incomplete multi-modal data. Moreover, we design a heterogeneous graph learning module to aggregate multi-source information, featuring a disease correlation-guided attention layer that resolves the modal inconsistency issue by learning disease-specific modality weights based on disease correlations. On the large-scale MIMIC-IV and MIMIC-CXR datasets, HGDC-Fuse significantly outperforms state-of-the-art methods.

Elena Losina, Alexander M. Weinstein, William M. Reichmann et al.

AbstractObjectiveTo estimate the incidence and lifetime risk of diagnosed symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) and the age at diagnosis of knee OA based on self‐reports in the US population.MethodsWe estimated the incidence of diagnosed symptomatic knee OA in the US by combining data on age‐, sex‐, and obesity‐specific prevalence from the 2007–2008 National Health Interview Survey, with disease duration estimates derived from the Osteoarthritis Policy (OAPol) Model, a validated computer simulation model of knee OA. We used the OAPol Model to estimate the mean and median ages at diagnosis and lifetime risk.ResultsThe estimated incidence of diagnosed symptomatic knee OA was highest among adults ages 55–64 years, ranging from 0.37% per year for nonobese men to 1.02% per year for obese women. The estimated median age at knee OA diagnosis was 55 years. The estimated lifetime risk was 13.83%, ranging from 9.60% for nonobese men to 23.87% in obese women. Approximately 9.29% of the US population is diagnosed with symptomatic knee OA by age 60 years.ConclusionThe diagnosis of symptomatic knee OA occurs relatively early in life, suggesting that prevention programs should be offered relatively early in the life course. Further research is needed to understand the future burden of health care utilization resulting from earlier diagnosis of knee OA.

Irving M. Shapiro, Makarand V. Risbud, William J. Landis

Maximilian T. Löffler, Chotigar Ngarmsrikam, Paula Giesler et al.

Abstract Background Obesity influences the development of osteoarthritis via low-grade inflammation. Progression of local inflammation (= synovitis) increased with weight gain in overweight and obese women compared to stable weight. Synovitis could be associated with subcutaneous fat (SCF) around the knee. Purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of weight loss on synovitis progression and to assess whether SCF around the knee mediates the relationship between weight loss and synovitis progression. Methods We included 234 overweight and obese participants (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2) from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) with > 10% weight loss (n = 117) or stable overweight (< ± 3% change, n = 117) over 48 months matched for age and sex. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and 48 months, effusion-synovitis and Hoffa-synovitis using the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) and average joint-adjacent SCF (ajSCF) were assessed. Odds-ratios (ORs) for synovitis progression over 48 months (≥ 1 score increase) were calculated in logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, baseline BMI, Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), and baseline SCF measurements. Mediation of the effect of weight loss on synovitis progression by local SCF change was assessed. Results Odds for effusion-synovitis progression decreased with weight loss and ajSCF decrease (odds ratio [OR] = 0.61 and 0.56 per standard deviation [SD] change, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44, 0.83 and 0.40, 0.79, p = 0.002 and 0.001, respectively), whereas odds for Hoffa-synovitis progression increased with weight loss and ajSCF decrease (OR = 1.47 and 1.48, CI 1.05, 2.04 and 1.02, 2.13, p = 0.024 and 0.038, respectively). AjSCF decrease mediated 39% of the effect of weight loss on effusion-synovitis progression. Conclusions Effusion-synovitis progression was slowed by weight loss and decrease in local subcutaneous fat. Hoffa-synovitis characterized by fluid in the infrapatellar fat pad increased at the same time, suggesting a decreasing fat pad rather than active synovitis. Decrease in local subcutaneous fat partially mediated the systemic effect of weight loss on synovitis.

Hakan Ömeroğlu, Mehmet İsmail Safa Kapıcıoğlu, Feza Korkusuz

In this review article, newborn hip screening experience in Türkiye was summarized. The nationwide newborn hip screening program was officially initiated in 2013. The program currently includes the ultrasonographic examination of the hips of almost all newborns within the first two months of life. The rate of minor surgical interventions (closed/open reduction and casting) was 0.47 per 1,000 live births in 2015 and was 0.89 per 1,000 live births in 2020. Thus, an increase of 89% in the rate of minor surgical interventions was observed. The rate of major surgical interventions (pelvic/femoral osteotomies) was 0.74 per 1,000 live births in 2015 and was 0.21 per 1,000 live births in 2020. Thus, a decrease of 72% in the rate of major surgical interventions was observed between 2015 and 2020. While minor surgical interventions constituted about 39% of the overall surgical interventions in 2015, this ratio raised to 81% in 2020. Based on the experiences in Türkiye universal newborn ultrasonography (US) hip screening is advocated to lessen the rate of extensive surgeries in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) during childhood and adulthood and to have as many as possible functional hips in the long-term follow-up of patients with DDH.

Catherine Handforth, Margaret A. Paggiosi, Richard Jacques et al.

Introduction: Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PC) has substantial negative impacts on the musculoskeletal system and body composition. Many studies have focused on the effects of ADT on areal bone mineral density (aBMD), but aBMD does not capture key determinants of bone strength and fracture risk, for example volumetric bone density (vBMD), geometry, cortical thickness and porosity, trabecular parameters and rate of remodelling. More specialist imaging techniques such as high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) have become available to evaluate these parameters. Although it has previously been demonstrated that bone microarchitectural deterioration occurs in men undergoing ADT, the aim of the ANTELOPE study was to examine longitudinal changes in bone microstructure alongside a range of musculoskeletal parameters and frailty, comparing men with PC receiving ADT alone or ADT plus chemotherapy for metastatic disease, with a healthy age-matched population. Methods: We used HR-pQCT to investigate effects of 12 months of ADT on vBMD and microstructural parameters, complemented by assessment of changes in aBMD, serum bone turnover markers, sex hormones, body composition, grip strength, physical and muscle function, frailty and fracture risk. We studied three groups: Group A − men with localised/locally advanced PC due to commence ADT; Group B − men with newly diagnosed hormone-sensitive, metastatic PC, starting ADT alongside docetaxel chemotherapy and steroids; Group C − healthy, age-matched men. The primary endpoint was change in vBMD (Group A vs Group C) at the distal radius. Results: Ninety-nine participants underwent baseline study assessments (Group A: n = 38, Group B: n = 30 and Group C: n = 31). Seventy-five participants completed all study assessments (Group A (29), Group B (18), Group C (28). At baseline, there were no significant differences between Groups A and C in any of the BMD or bone microstructure outcomes of interest. After 12 months of ADT treatment, there was a significantly greater decrease in vBMD (p < 0.001) in Group A (mean 12-month change = -13.7 mg HA/cm3, −4.1 %) compared to Group C (mean 12-month change = -1.3 mg HA/cm3, −0.4 %), demonstrating achievement of primary outcome. Similar effects were observed when comparing the change in vBMD between Group B (mean 12-month change = -13.5 mg HA/cm3, −4.3 %) and Group C. These changes were mirrored in aBMD. ADT resulted in microstructural deterioration, a reduction in estimated bone strength and an increase in bone turnover. There was evidence of increase in total fat mass and trunkal fat mass in ADT-treated patients, with marked loss in upper limb mass, along with BMI gain. Frailty increased and physical performance and strength deteriorated in both ADT groups, relative to the healthy control group. Conclusion: The study showed that ADT has profound effects on vBMD, aBMD, bone microstructure and strength and body composition, and important impacts on frailty and physical performance. Whilst DXA remains a valuable tool (changes in aBMD are of the same magnitude as those observed for vBMD), HR-pQCT should be considered for assessing the effects of anti-androgens and other newer PC therapies on bone, as well as potential mitigation by bone-targeted agents.

Jeena Joseph, Krishna Prabhu, Edmond Jonathan et al.

Ewing's sarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive bone tumor primarily affecting children and adolescents. It commonly presents in the pelvic and axial skeleton, with sacral involvement posing unique challenges due to its intricate anatomical location. This report details the case of an 18-year-old male with sacral Ewing's sarcoma, emphasizing the diagnostic, surgical, and reconstructive aspects of management. The patient presented with lower back pain, lower limb weakness, and urinary incontinence, which prompted an extensive diagnostic evaluation. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans revealed a large lytic mass extending from the S2 vertebra to the coccyx invading the presacral space. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma, characterized by the EWS-FLI1 type 1 translocation. A multidisciplinary team comprising neurosurgeons, colorectal surgeons, and plastic surgeons was formulated. En bloc resection of the tumor, lumbopelvic fixation, and soft-tissue reconstruction using bilateral gluteus maximus advancement flaps were successfully performed. The procedure aimed to address both the oncological and functional aspects of the patient's condition. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were administered as adjuvant therapies. At 2-year follow-up, the patient was ambulating independently with no residual tumor on imaging. This case highlights the complex nature of sacral Ewing's sarcoma and underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach. The described surgical technique, including the innovative use of gluteus maximus advancement flaps for soft-tissue reconstruction, contributes to reducing wound complications and promoting successful patient outcomes. The presented approach serves as a valuable addition to the armamentarium of treatment options for this challenging malignancy.

Yingjing Xu, Xueyan Cai, Zihong Zhou et al.

Hypomimia is a non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease that manifests as delayed facial movements and expressions, along with challenges in articulation and emotion. Currently, subjective evaluation by neurologists is the primary method for hypomimia detection, and conventional rehabilitation approaches heavily rely on verbal prompts from rehabilitation physicians. There remains a deficiency in accessible, user-friendly and scientifically rigorous assistive tools for hypomimia treatments. To investigate this, we developed HypomimaCoach, an Action Unit (AU)-based digital therapy system for hypomimia detection and rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease. The HypomimaCoach system was designed to facilitate engagement through the incorporation of both relaxed and controlled rehabilitation exercises, while also stimulating initiative through the integration of digital therapies that incorporated traditional face training methods. We extract action unit(AU) features and their relationship for hypomimia detection. In order to facilitate rehabilitation, a series of training programmes have been devised based on the Action Units (AUs) and patients are provided with real-time feedback through an additional AU recognition model, which guides them through their training routines. A pilot study was conducted with seven participants in China, all of whom exhibited symptoms of Parkinson's disease hypomimia. The results of the pilot study demonstrated a positive impact on participants' self-efficacy, with favourable feedback received. Furthermore, physician evaluations validated the system's applicability in a therapeutic setting for patients with Parkinson's disease, as well as its potential value in clinical applications.

Itzel Paola Melgoza, Srish S. Chenna, Steven Tessier et al.

AbstractMice have been increasingly used as preclinical model to elucidate mechanisms and test therapeutics for treating intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Several intervertebral disc (IVD) histological scoring systems have been proposed, but none exists that reliably quantitate mouse disc pathologies. Here, we report a new robust quantitative mouse IVD histopathological scoring system developed by building consensus from the spine community analyses of previous scoring systems and features noted on different mouse models of IDD. The new scoring system analyzes 14 key histopathological features from nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), endplate (EP), and AF/NP/EP interface regions. Each feature is categorized and scored; hence, the weight for quantifying the disc histopathology is equally distributed and not driven by only a few features. We tested the new histopathological scoring criteria using images of lumbar and coccygeal discs from different IDD models of both sexes, including genetic, needle‐punctured, static compressive models, and natural aging mice spanning neonatal to old age stages. Moreover, disc sections from common histological preparation techniques and stains including H&E, SafraninO/Fast green, and FAST were analyzed to enable better cross‐study comparisons. Fleiss's multi‐rater agreement test shows significant agreement by both experienced and novice multiple raters for all 14 features on several mouse models and sections prepared using various histological techniques. The sensitivity and specificity of the new scoring system was validated using artificial intelligence and supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms, including artificial neural networks, k‐means clustering, and principal component analysis. Finally, we applied the new scoring system on established disc degeneration models and demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity of histopathological scoring changes. Overall, the new histopathological scoring system offers the ability to quantify histological changes in mouse models of disc degeneration and regeneration with high sensitivity and specificity.

Elisha Krasin, Guy Morag, Aviram Gold et al.

Aim: Postoperative infection after the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can destroy the knee cartilage, necessitate graft removal, and cause arthrofibrosis, instability, limitation of motion, chronic pain, and disability. While being an uncommon complication, the actual number of infected patients might be rather high due to a large number of operations performed. As the operation is usually indicated in young, healthy, and active individuals, failure to achieve the expected improvement, due to complications, is perceived as much graver. The purpose of this study was to analyze the infecting organisms in patients that underwent ACLR at our institution, a tertiary care center, for precise microbiological diagnosis and bacterial susceptibility and resistance to antibiotics. Methods: The rate of infection, the infecting organisms, the antibiotic susceptibility, and the resistance were analyzed in 1,395 patients that underwent ACLR using descriptive statistics. Results: Three patients (0.93%) were diagnosed with a postoperative infection; all underwent arthroscopic debridement and lavage. All infections were caused by Staphylococci [3 Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, all oxacillin sensitive), 6 coagulase-negative Staphylococci (3 oxacillin resistant)]. No gram-negative, gastrointestinal tract bacteria, fungal or polymicrobial infections were detected. Thirty eight and a half percent of patients had returned to previous or near previous levels of activity. Conclusions: Preventing infection by controlling risk factors, prophylactic antibiotics, proper surgical preparation, and surgical technique is mandatory. When infection does occur, rapid recognition and prompt treatment are necessary to avoid irreversible damage to the knee joint and the need for graft removal. Despite appropriate treatment, the functional outcomes were inferior to expected after an uncomplicated ACLR.

Hannah Labinsky, Isabel Gehring, Johannes Knitza

Thierno D. Diallo, Susanne Rospleszcz, Jana Fabian et al.

Abstract Background Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) may be linked to dysregulations of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and fatty alterations of muscle composition (Myosteatosis). Our aim was to evaluate the different associations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐based paravertebral myosteatosis with lumbar disc degeneration in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism and normoglycaemic controls. Methods In total, 304 individuals (mean age: 56.3 ± 9.1 years, 53.6% male sex, mean body mass index [BMI]: 27.6 ± 4.7 kg/m2) from a population‐based cohort study who underwent 3‐Tesla whole‐body chemical‐shift‐encoded (six echo times) and T2‐weighted single‐shot‐fast‐spin‐echo MRI were included. Lumbar disc degeneration was assessed at motion segments L1 to L5, categorized according to the Pfirrmann score and defined as Pfirrmann grade > 2 and/or disc bulging/herniation on at least one segment. Fat content of the autochthonous back muscles and the quadratus lumborum muscle was quantified as proton density fat fraction (PDFFmuscle). Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, BMI and regular physical activity were calculated to evaluate the association between PDFFmuscle and outcome IVDD. Results The overall prevalence of IVDD was 79.6%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence or severity distribution of IVDD between participants with or without impaired glucose metabolism (77.7% vs. 80.7%, P = 0.63 and P = 0.71, respectively). PDFFmuscle was significantly and positively associated with an increased risk for the presence of IVDD in participants with impaired glycaemia when adjusted for age, sex and BMI (PDFFautochthonous back muscles: odds ratio [OR] 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.09, 4.3], P = 0.03; PDFFquadratus lumborum: OR 2.01, 95% CI [1.04, 3.85], P = 0.04). After further adjustment for regular physical activity, the results attenuated, albeit approaching statistical significance (PDFFautochthonous back muscles: OR 1.97, 95% CI [0.97, 3.99], P = 0.06; PDFFquadratus lumborum: OR 1.86, 95% CI [0.92, 3.76], P = 0.09). No significant associations were shown in healthy controls (PDFFautochthonous back muscles: OR 0.62, 95% CI [0.34, 1.14], P = 0.13; PDFFquadratus lumborum: OR 1.06, 95% CI [0.6, 1.89], P = 0.83). Conclusions Paravertebral myosteatosis is positively associated with intervertebral disc disease in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism, independent of age, sex and BMI. Regular physical activity may confound these associations. Longitudinal studies will help to better understand the pathophysiological role of skeletal muscle in those with concomitant disturbed glucose haemostasis and intervertebral disc disease, as well as possible underlying causal relationships.

Hooman Minoonejad, Mohammad Amin Henteh, Roshanak Keshavarz et al.

Abstract Background The present study aimed to translate and validate the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale (KOS-ADLS) in Iran. Methods Following standard forward and backward translation procedure, content and face validity were tested by specialists and a sample of 32 patients. Then, in a cross sectional study, a sample of patients with knee disorders, recruited through simple sampling, completed the KOS-ADLS and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) in their first visit to physiotherapy clinics in Tehran. Regarding construct validity, the Spearman’s correlation (rs) and one-way ANOVA were employed to evaluate the correlations between the Persian KOS-ADLS and SF-36 subscales (convergent validity) and known groups comparison, respectively. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Cronbach’s α coefficient. Results In total 101 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 42.39 (SD = 9.2). The finding indicated that the KOS-ADLS had strong correlations with SF-36 physical functioning, bodily pain subscales, and also physical component summary while it had lower correlations with other subscales of the SF-36 as expected. The KOS-ADLS was able to differentiate between the subgroups of patients who differed in BMI. The acceptable level of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.91) and Cronbach’s α coefficient (α = 0.91) was obtained for the Persian KOS-ADLS. Also no floor and ceiling effects were observed for the questionnaire. Conclusions The Persian version of KOS-ADLS was found to be a reliable and valid outcome measure for assessing daily living activities in patients who suffer from knee pathological conditions.

Yiyi Wang, Yue Xiao, Furong Li et al.

Abstract Introduction This study aims to describe the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonic characteristics of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the Psoriatic Arthritis cohort of West China Hospital. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we included patients diagnosed with PsA according to the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis, collected their demographic information, medical histories, and treatments, evaluated all domains (skin and nail lesions, tenderness, swelling, enthesitis, dactylitis, and axial arthritis) related to PsA, and then performed descriptive statistical analyses of all data. Results A total of 275 patients with PsA were included in this study. The ratio of male to female patients was 2.16:1. Skin lesions preceded arthritis in 86.5% of these patients with PsA with a mean interval of 10.1 years. The metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of fingers, and sacroiliac joints are the most commonly involved sites of tenderness, swelling, and the spine, respectively. Among all comorbidities, fatty liver has the highest incidence with 33.1%. Finally, we noted that the mean disease duration of PsA was 4.2 years, suggesting a delay in the diagnosis of PsA. Conclusion Our study proposes that the prevalent population of PsA are male patients with psoriasis over 40 years of age who have a long disease course. For patients with PsA, MCP, PIP joints of fingers, and sacroiliac joints are the most frequently affected anatomical sites. With respect to comorbidities, the association between PsA and fatty liver and the underlying molecular mechanisms are worthy of further exploration.

Jun Zhou, Fengzhe Wang, Yuan Qu et al.