Isolated Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction in Patellar Instability: Does the Distance Between Tibial Tuberosity-Trochlear Groove Make a Difference?

Introduction: Medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) is used in most patellar instability surgeries, there is controversy on adding a tibial tuberosity osteotomy (TTO). Objective: To describe the results of isolated MPFLR in patellar instability according to the Tibial Tuberosity-Trochlear Groove distance (TT-TG). Methods: Retrospective study of patients with patellar instability with a mature skeleton in one center between 2016 and 2021, using isolated MPFLR. Patients with incomplete clinical and/or radiological records and less than one year follow-up were excluded. Pre-surgical demographic and radiological data (TT-TG, Caton-Deschamps (CD) index, patellar tilt, trochlear dysplasia) were recorded. Patients were divided into three groups according to TT-TG distance (Group 1: < 17 mm, Group 2: 17-19, Group 3: ≥ 20 mm). A pre and post-surgical Kujala score was performed. Local complications, satisfaction, recurrence and/or reintervention were recorded. Pre-surgical variables between groups, intra and inter-group Kujala differences were compared using Bartlett's test. Consent from the patients and approval from the local ethics committee were obtained. Results: 67 patients met the selection criteria, mean age of 23 years, 70% were women. There were no pre surgical, radiological nor follow-up differences between the groups (average 27 months). Pre and post-surgical Kujala score, respectively: Group 1: 37-78, Group 2: 37-78, Group 3: 39-79. All groups had a significant improvement (p < 0.05), there were no significant differences in improvement between groups (p > 0.05). There were three patients with a redislocation episode, all in group 1. One patient had a mobilization under anesthesia due to an arthrofibrosis (Group 2). 97% of all cases reported being satisfied. Conclusion: Isolated MPFLR in patellar instability presents a functional improvement, with a low rate of complications and failure, regardless of the pre surgical TT-TG. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-023-00906-6.

Tunable Low Crystallinity Carbon Nanotubes/Silicon Schottky Junction Arrays and Their Potential Application for Gas Sensing.

Highly ordered nanostructure arrays have attracted wide attention due to their wide range of applicability, particularly in fabricating devices containing scalable and controllable junctions. In this work, highly ordered carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays grown directly on Si substrates were fabricated, and their electronic transport properties as a function of wall thickness were explored. The CNTs were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition inside porous alumina membranes, previously fabricated on n-type Si substrates. The morphology of the CNTs, controlled by the synthesis parameters, was characterized by electron microscopies and Raman spectroscopy, revealing that CNTs exhibit low crystallinity (LC). A study of conductance as a function of temperature indicated that the dominant electric transport mechanism is the 3D variable range hopping. The electrical transport explored by I-V curves was approached by an equivalent circuit based on a Schottky diode and resistances related to the morphology of the nanotubes. These junction arrays can be applied in several fields, particularly in this work we explored their performance in gas sensing mode and found a fast and reliable resistive response at room temperature in devices containing LC-CNTs with wall thickness between 0.4 nm and 1.1 nm.

Myositis-Specific Antibodies and Myositis-Associated Antibodies in Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies From the PANLAR Myositis Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs), which are associated with the production of autoantibodies that are useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANAs), myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs), and myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAAs) in 6 Latin American countries. METHODS: Two hundred ten patients with IIM were included in this cross-sectional study from 2014 to 2017: 112 from Mexico, 46 from Colombia, 20 from Peru, 16 from the Dominican Republic, 10 from Argentina, and 6 from Guatemala. Antinuclear autoantibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells. MSAs and MAAs were tested by a line immunoassay method. Mann-Whitney U and χ2 tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 210 IIM patients, 139 (66.2%) had DM, 59 (28%) PM, and 12 (5.7%) juvenile DM. The mean age was 43.5 (6-79 years); 158 (75.2%) were female, and 52 (24.8%) were male. The overall frequency of ANA was 60%. The most frequent patterns were fine speckled (AC-4) (78.3%) and cytoplasmic (AC-19) (6.45%). The most frequent MSA were anti-Mi-2 (38.5%) and anti-Jo-1 (11.9%). Anti-Mi-2 was more frequent in patients from Colombia (40.1%). The MAA more frequent were anti-Ro-52/TRIM21 (17.6%) and anti-PM-Scl75 (7.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of ANA, MSA, and MAA in patients from 6 countries from the Panamerican League against Rheumatism myositis study group. We observed a general prevalence of 60% of ANA. In relation to MSA and MAA, anti-Mi-2 was the more frequent (38.5%).