An Unusual Inverted Talar Neck Fracture-Dislocation.

Talar neck fractures occur on a continuum of injury severity. Hawkins classification, later modified by Canale, is the gold standard method of describing talar neck fractures by the degree of dislocation. It has proven to be clinically relevant in predicting risk of osteonecrosis. Despite its merits, talar neck fractures present on a wide spectrum of involvement of the body and neck, dislocation, and concomitant injuries, making every situation a challenge in treatment. We present a unique case of a talar neck fracture in which the talar dome had dislocated and inverted 180°, which is not described in the widely used Hawkins classification. We recommend urgent open reduction, low threshold for use of a transcalcaneal traction pin and dual incisions, and guarded prognosis of osteonecrosis and posttraumatic arthritis.

Comparison of Surgical and Cadaveric Intestine as a Source of Crypt Culture in Humans.

Human small intestinal crypts are the source of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) that are capable of undergoing self-renewal and differentiation to an epithelial layer. The development of methods to expand the ISCs has provided opportunities to model human intestinal epithelial disorders. Human crypt samples are usually obtained from either endoscopic or discarded surgical samples, and are thereby exposed to warm ischemia, which may impair their in vitro growth as three-dimensional culture as spheroids or enteroids. In this study we compared duodenal samples obtained from discarded surgical samples to those isolated from whole-body preserved cadaveric donors to generate in vitro cultures. We also examined the effect of storage solution (phosphate-buffered saline or University of Wisconsin [UW] solution) as well as multiple storage times on crypt isolation and growth in culture. We found that intestinal crypts were successfully isolated from cadaveric tissue stored for up to 144 h post-procurement and also were able to generate enteroids and spheroids in certain media conditions. Surgical samples stored in UW after procurement were sufficiently viable up to 24 h and also allowed the generation of enteroids and spheroids. We conclude that surgical samples stored for up to 24 h post-procurement in UW solution allowed for delayed crypt isolation and viable in vitro cultures. Furthermore, in situ, hypothermic preservation in cadaveric duodenal samples permitted crypt/ISC isolation, and successful culture of spheroids and enteroids from tissues held for up to 6 days post-procurement.

Intra-Articular Knee Injections Before Total Knee Arthroplasty: Outcomes and Complication Rates.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between intra-articular injections and complication rates after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. This study's purpose was to determine the relationship between the number and timing of intra-articular injections with complications and outcomes after TKA from a single surgeon's database. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a series of 442 patients who underwent primary TKA from 2008-2015. Patient demographics, comorbidities, number and timing of ipsilateral intra-articular injections, and preoperative and postoperative functional outcome scores were recorded. Complications and infection rates at a minimum of 12-month follow-up were compared between patients who received 3 or less preoperative injections and those who received 4 or greater before TKA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for complications and poor short-term outcomes after TKA. RESULTS: Of the 442 patients enrolled in the study, 390 patients (90%) received an ipsilateral injection before TKA. Patients receiving 4 or more injections (175 patients, 40%) did not have a difference in complication rate (14% vs 17%, P = .346), poor functional outcomes (6% vs 9%, P = .299), or infection rate (2% vs 4%, P = .286). When controlling for confounding variables, intra-articular corticosteroid, viscosupplementation, and any injection within 90 days were not associated with an increase in complications, infection, or poor functional outcomes after TKA (all P > .05). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that there is no relationship between timing and number of intra-articular injections with complication rate, infection, or poor short-term functional outcomes. Further larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Automated reagent-dispensing system for microfluidic cell biology assays.

Microscale systems that enable measurements of oncological phenomena at the single-cell level have a great capacity to improve therapeutic strategies and diagnostics. Such measurements can reveal unprecedented insights into cellular heterogeneity and its implications into the progression and treatment of complicated cellular disease processes such as those found in cancer. We describe a novel fluid-delivery platform to interface with low-cost microfluidic chips containing arrays of microchambers. Using multiple pairs of needles to aspirate and dispense reagents, the platform enables automated coating of chambers, loading of cells, and treatment with growth media or other agents (e.g., drugs, fixatives, membrane permeabilizers, washes, stains, etc.). The chips can be quantitatively assayed using standard fluorescence-based immunocytochemistry, microscopy, and image analysis tools, to determine, for example, drug response based on differences in protein expression and/or activation of cellular targets on an individual-cell level. In general, automation of fluid and cell handling increases repeatability, eliminates human error, and enables increased throughput, especially for sophisticated, multistep assays such as multiparameter quantitative immunocytochemistry. We report the design of the automated platform and compare several aspects of its performance to manually-loaded microfluidic chips.

Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for mild gallstone pancreatitis: time for a paradigm shift.

HYPOTHESIS Patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis may undergo an early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) within 48 hours of hospital admission without awaiting the normalization of pancreatic and liver enzyme levels. This may decrease the hospital stay without increasing morbidity or mortality and may minimize the unnecessary use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. DESIGN A retrospective review. SETTING Two university-affiliated urban medical centers. PATIENTS A total of 303 patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis, of whom 117 underwent an early LC and 186 underwent a delayed LC. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hospital length of stay, morbidity and mortality rates, and the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. RESULTS Similar hospital admission variables were observed in the early and delayed LC groups, although the delayed group was older (P = .006). The median hospital length of stay was significantly less for the early group than for the delayed group (3 vs 6 days; P < .001). There were no patients who died, and the complication rates were similar for both groups. However, the patients who underwent an early LC were less likely than patients who underwent a delayed LC to undergo endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS An early LC may be safely performed for patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis, without concern for increased morbidity and mortality, resulting in shortened hospital stays and a decrease in the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The practice of delaying an LC until normalization of laboratory values appears to be unnecessary.

Analysis of exhaled volatile compounds following acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion in a pilot rat study.

BACKGROUND: Prompt diagnosis and treatment of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) requires a high index of suspicion for timely management. Poor clinical outcomes and delays in surgical treatment are demonstrated even in modern clinical series. Recognition of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) specific to AMI may facilitate early detection and diagnosis and improve patient outcomes. METHODS: Adult Wistar rats (n = 5) were intubated and anesthetized, and control tracheostomy breath samples were collected using Tedlar gas sample bags. Intestinal ischemia was induced by placing an occlusive clip across the superior mesenteric artery, and breath samples were collected after 1 hour of intestinal ischemia and after 15 minutes of intestinal reperfusion. Gas chromatography was used to identify and measure levels of VOCs obtained, and measured retention indices were compared with known values in the Kovats retention index database. RESULTS: Multiple retention indices (n = 41) were noted on gas chromatography, representing a variety of VOCs detected. Z,Z-farnesol (C15H26O), an isoprenoid, was the only compound detected that was undetectable during the control phase (median = 0 cts/sec) but which significantly elevated during the ischemic (median = 34 cts/sec, range = 25-37) and reperfusion (median = 148 cts/sec, range = 42-246) phases. Three other isoprenoid compounds (E,E-alpha-farnesene, germacrene A, and Z,Z-4,6,8-megastigmatriene) were also detected in all five animals, but their levels did not differ significantly between control, ischemic, and reperfusion phases. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of analyzing exhaled VOCs using a novel rat model for AMI. These findings may be useful for the development and identification of similar assays for the rapid diagnosis of AMI.