Comparison the effect of 3 point valgus stress knee support and lateral wedge insoles in medial compartment knee osteoarthritis

There are many opinions and controversies regard the effect of lateral wedge insoles and valgus stress Spoint knee braces in treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis [OA]. In this study we compared the effect of lateral wedge insoles and 3 point knee supports in treatment of medial compartment knee OA. Sixty patients [35-65 years], with knee pain and genu varum and moderate to severe medial compartment DJD were divided into three groups. The first group received a custom molded 3 point valgus stress knee support. Lateral wedge insoles were applied for the second group and the third group served as control. All groups were followed for 9 months according to pain severity, walking distance, and radiologic changes. Pain reduced significantly in both lateral wedge and knee brace groups compared to control group with more significant reduction in the brace group. The walking distance was significantly longer only in the brace group. There was more pronounced effect of brace in patients with severe DJD in walking distance compared to moderate DJD, but not in severity of pain. Three point valgus stress knee support had more significant effect on pain reduction, walking distance and also radiologic improvement of patients with moderate to severe medial compartment DJD compared to lateral wedge insoles and could even reverse radiologic findings

Experimental study on the relationship between nutritional hypophosphatemia and hemoglobinuria in the lambs

This study was designed to induce nutritional hypophosphatemia to investigate the possibility of intervascular hemolysis in the control [7 lambs] and test [8 lambs] groups. Phosphorus of the ration jugular vein blood samples were weekly taken for inorganic phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, billirubin, hematocrit and Heinz body examination. The independent t-test and repeated measures [analysis of variance] methods applied for the statistical analyses. Significant hypophosphatemia [p<0.01] and increase in the alkaline phosphatase activity [p<0.001] observed in the test lambs. Hienz bodies in the red blood cells and highly significant decrease of the hematocrit [p<0/0005] appeared in both groups. Although, visible hemoglobinuria was not observed .The results cleares up potential sensitivity of sheep to nutritional hemolysis

Changes in ulnar nerve conduction velocity across different angles of elbow flexion

Evaluation of the ulnar nerve at the elbow is one of the most challenging areas in electrodiagnosis. The goal of this study is to determine the changes in motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity [NCV] of the ulnar nerve at the elbow area in different angles of the elbow flexion and also to define the optimum angle at which there is an ideal correlation between the elbow across and below NCVs of the ulnar nerve. Motor and sensory NCVs of the ulnar nerve were studied in 50 able-bodied subjects [100 limbs below and across the elbow segments to determine the effect of 5 different angles of the elbow [0°, 45°, 90°, 110° and 135° of the elbow flexion] on NCV changes of the ulnar nerve. At each angle, the elbow NCVs were compared with below and across segments. At 0° of the elbow flexion, the across elbow NCVs were slower than the below elbow segments and at 45? there was no statistical difference between below and across elbow NCVs. At each subsequent angles of the elbow flexion, there was an increment in motor and sensory NCVs for the across compared to below elbow segment [P<0.05]. This increment rose as the degree of flexion increased. So the most erroneous increment was found at 135° of the elbow flexion. Since elbow flexion at 45° was found to be the position of the least variation in motor and sensory NCVs between the across and below elbow segments, this position of the elbow flexion seems to be the ideal angle during the nerve conduction study of the ulnar nerve at the elbow area. In this position, the upper limit of normal difference between the across and below elbow motor NCVs [mean+2SD] was calculated 8 m/sec