MicroRNAs (miRNAs ) are small non-coding RNAs
that regulate gene expression. We hypothesised that the functions
of certain miRNAs and changes to their patterns of expression may
be crucial in the
In this retrospective observational cohort study,
we describe 17 patients out of 1775 treated for various fractures who
developed mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection after surgery.
The cohort comprised 15 men and two women with a mean age of 40
years (24 to 70). A total of ten fractures were open and seven were
closed. Of these, seven patients underwent intramedullary nailing
of a fracture of the long bone, seven had fractures fixed with plates,
two with Kirschner-wires and screws, and one had a hemiarthroplasty
of the hip with an Austin Moore prosthesis. All patients were followed-up
for two years. In all patients, the infection resolved, and in 14
the fractures united. Nonunion was seen in two patients one of whom
underwent two-stage total hip arthroplasty (THA) and the other patient
was treated using excision arthoplasty. Another patient was treated
using two-stage THA. With only sporadic case reports in the literature,
MTB infection is rarely clinically suspected, even in underdeveloped
and developing countries, where pulmonary and other forms of TB
are endemic. In developed countries there is also an increased incidence
among immunocompromised patients. In this paper we discuss the pathogenesis
and incidence of MTB infection after surgical management of fractures
and suggest protocols for early diagnosis and management. Cite this article:
This article presents a unified clinical theory
that links established facts about the physiology of bone and homeostasis,
with those involved in the healing of fractures and the development
of nonunion. The key to this theory is the concept that the tissue
that forms in and around a fracture should be considered a specific
functional entity. This ‘bone-healing unit’ produces a physiological
response to its biological and mechanical environment, which leads
to the normal healing of bone. This tissue responds to mechanical
forces and functions according to Wolff’s law, Perren’s strain theory
and Frost’s concept of the “mechanostat”. In response to the local
mechanical environment, the bone-healing unit normally changes with
time, producing different tissues that can tolerate various levels
of strain. The normal result is the formation of bone that bridges
the fracture – healing by callus. Nonunion occurs when the bone-healing
unit fails either due to mechanical or biological problems or a
combination of both. In clinical practice, the majority of nonunions
are due to mechanical problems with instability, resulting in too
much strain at the fracture site. In most nonunions, there is an
intact bone-healing unit. We suggest that this maintains its biological
potential to heal, but fails to function due to the mechanical conditions.
The theory predicts the healing pattern of multifragmentary fractures
and the observed morphological characteristics of different nonunions.
It suggests that the majority of nonunions will heal if the correct
mechanical environment is produced by surgery, without the need
for biological adjuncts such as autologous bone graft. Cite this article:
Compartment syndrome, a devastating consequence
of limb trauma, is characterised by severe tissue injury and microvascular
perfusion deficits. We hypothesised that leucopenia might provide
significant protection against microvascular dysfunction and preserve
tissue viability. Using our clinically relevant rat model of compartment syndrome,
microvascular perfusion and tissue injury were directly visualised
by intravital video microscopy in leucopenic animals. We found that
while the tissue perfusion was similar in both groups (38.8% (standard
error of the mean ( Cite this article:
Corticosteroid use has been implicated in the
development of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). The exact mechanism
and predisposing factors such as age, gender, dosage, type and combination
of steroid treatment remain controversial. Between March and July
2003, a total of 539 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
were treated with five different types of steroid. There were 129
men (24%) and 410 women (76%) with a mean age of 33.7 years (21
to 59). Routine screening was undertaken with radiographs, MRI and/or
CT to determine the incidence of ONFH. Of the 129 male patients with SARS, 51 (39.5%) were diagnosed
as suffering from ONFH, compared with only 79 of 410 female patients
(19.3%). The incidence of ONFH in the patients aged between 20 and
49 years was much higher than that of the group aged between 50
and 59 years (25.9% (127 of 491) Cite this article:
