Bone marrow lesion is associated with disability for activities of daily living in patients with early stage knee osteoarthritis

The effect of ferritin levels on distal femoral cartilage thickness in patients with beta thalassaemia major

INTRODUCTION

To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first in the literature to assess distal femoral cartilage thickness and its relationship with ferritin levels in adult patients with beta thalassaemia major (BTM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

45 patients with BTM and 45 healthy controls were included in the study. Ferritin and haemoglobin levels of the patient and healthy groups were determined by blood analysis and distal femoral cartilage thicknesses were measured via ultrasound. Then, the patient group was divided into subgroups according to whether their ferritin levels were below or above 2500 µg/L. They were then compared among themselves and with the healthy control group using the available data.

RESULTS

Distal femoral cartilage thickness values were statistically significantly lower in the BTM group compared to the healthy control group (p values < 0.001). Patients with a ferritin level below 2500 µg/L had statistically significantly higher right and left average distal femoral cartilage thickness values than the patients with a ferritin level above 2500 µg/L (p = 0.029 and p = 0.019, respectively). The right and left average distal femoral cartilage thickness values of the patient subgroup with low ferritin levels were statistically similar to the control group (p = 0.146 and p = 0.164, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that thalassaemia patients are more likely to develop osteoarthritis (OA) than the normal population and possible OA development can be prevented by keeping the ferritin levels of these patients in the optimum range.

Bone marrow lesions in the knee are associated with meniscal lesions and cartilage pathologies according to the six-letter system

PURPOSE

This study aims to find a correlation between bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in knee MRI and pathologies of joint structures. In addition, according to the six-letter system classification, the authors analyzed a potential association between the area affected by BMLs and the specific type of joint lesion.

METHODS

The authors screened all the knee MRIs performed in the investigation center between 2017 and 2018 to identify the presence of BMLs. The lesions were then categorized following the "six-letter system". The authors searched the presence of associated meniscal, chondral or ligamentous lesions. Finally, the authors researched a correlation between the lesion type described by the six-letter system classification and the associated lesions.

RESULTS

MRI exams of 4000 patients were studied, identifying 666 BMLs. The associated lesions were collected for all patients, resulting in an overall prevalence of related lesions in almost 90% of patients. The authors found a statistical significance for type TLD (Tibia-Lateral-Articular) and ACL rupture. The study suggests a strong positive correlation between type E (Edge) and meniscal fracture or extrusion.

CONCLUSION

BMLs in the knee are associated in 90% of cases with a radiological sign of related injury to the joint structures. The six-letter system of BMLs type TLD can be considered a sign of ACL rupture and type E as a high suspicious sign for meniscal extrusion. Those very typical BML patterns can help the clinician in the diagnosis of ACL tears and meniscal extrusion. Furthermore, the presence of a BML must be, for the clinician, a high suspicious sign of joint-related injuries.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 1.

Medial meniscus extrusion is directly correlated with medial tibial osteophyte in patients received reconstruction surgery for anterior cruciate ligament injury: A longitudinal study

Objective

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the causes for post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis (OA), and ACL reconstruction surgery is reportedly unable to prevent OA development. In early-stage knee OA, medial meniscus extrusion (MME) is closely correlated with tibial medial osteophyte width, which consists of bone and cartilage -parts. However, the relationship between MME and osteophyte in ACL-injured patients remains elusive. We examined MME and osteophyte and their relationship in ACL-injured patients before and after surgery.

Design

Thirty ACL-injured patients who underwent surgery (30.7 years old, on average) were enrolled. Correlations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected OA changes and MME before and after surgery (7.6 months interval) were analyzed.

Results

MME (>3 ​mm) was present in 16.7% and 26.7% of the patients before and after surgery, respectively, and MME was significantly increased after surgery (2.4 ​± ​1.3 ​mm) than before surgery (1.9 ​± ​1.2 ​mm) (p ​< ​0.0001). Full-length tibial osteophyte width measured by T2 mapping MRI was significantly increased after surgery (1.9 ​± ​0.7 ​mm) than before surgery (1.4 ​± ​0.6 ​mm) (p ​< ​0.0001). Among OA structural changes, only medial tibial osteophyte width directly correlated with MME before surgery (β ​= ​0.962) (p ​< ​0.001) and after surgery (β ​= ​0.928) (p ​= ​0.001). All the patients with MME had medial tibial osteophyte before and after surgery. A direct correlation was observed between changes of MME and those of medial tibial osteophyte width before and after surgery (r ​= ​0.63) (p ​< ​0.0001).

Conclusion

MME and medial tibial osteophyte were simultaneously increased after surgery. In addition to close correlation between MME and medial tibial osteophyte width, changes of MME and medial tibial osteophyte width before and after surgery were directly correlated.

Associations between radiographic features, clinical features and ultrasound of thumb-base osteoarthritis: A secondary analysis of the COMBO study

Aim

To investigate the associations of ultrasound and radiographic features of thumb‐base osteoarthritis (OA) with thumb‐base pain and hand function at baseline and 12 weeks.

Method

Data from a randomized controlled trial conducted in participants with symptomatic radiographic thumb‐base OA were analyzed. Participants who finished follow up were included in this secondary analysis. Pain and hand function were assessed using self‐reported measures. All participants underwent ultrasound examinations for synovitis, power Doppler signal (PDS), and osteophytes, and underwent radiography for osteophytes, joint space narrowing (JSN), and subchondral bone sclerosis at baseline. Hand pain and function were reassessed after the 12‐week follow up. The associations of ultrasound and radiographic findings with clinical features were further evaluated, using linear regression analyses, after adjustment for relevant confounding factors.

Results

A total of 166 participants (average age 66.2 years; 76.5% female) were included. At baseline, radiographic JSN and subchondral bone sclerosis were associated with hand function. There was a significant association between ultrasound‐detected PDS and patient's global assessment (PGA) at baseline. Baseline radiographic JSN was significantly associated with the changes in stiffness and PGA from baseline to 12 weeks. There was no association between ultrasound features and changes in the clinical outcomes over 12 weeks.

Conclusion

This study indicates that radiographic features significantly correlate with hand function, and ultrasound PDS is closely related to the PGA at baseline in thumb‐base OA. Radiographic JSN may be a predictor for stiffness and PGA in thumb‐base OA.

Emerging and New Treatment Options for Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent type of arthritis worldwide, resulting in pain and often chronic disability and a significant burden on healthcare systems globally. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics, intra-articular corticosteroid injections are of little value in the long term, and opioids may have ominous consequences. Radiotherapy of knee OA has no added value. Physical therapy, exercises, weight loss, and lifestyle modifications may give pain relief, improve physical functioning and quality of life. However, no single treatment has regenerating potential for damaged articular cartilage. Due to a better understanding of osteoarthritis, innovative new treatment options have been developed. In this narrative review, we focus on emerging OA knee treatments, relieving symptoms, and regenerating damaged articular cartilage that includes intra-articular human serum albumin, conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), lipid-lowering agents (statin), nerve growth factors antagonists, bone morphogenetic protein, fibroblast growth factors, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC), exosomes, interleukin-1 blockers, gene-based therapy, and bisphosphonate.

Comparison of 8-year knee osteoarthritis progression in 2 siblings: a case-based review

Because the pathophysiology of knee osteoarthritis is poorly understood, optimal evidence-based clinical management is uncertain. Sibling comparison studies can help inform a clinical model to guide preventive care. We compared the 8-year clinical outcomes in 2 sisters with a family history of osteoarthritis, normal BMI, and absence of knee pain at baseline. Both patients had Kellgren–Lawrence grade 1 in the affected knee at the time of twisting knee injuries leading to osteoarthritis diagnoses at age 50 (patient 1) and 51 (patient 2). Patient 1 developed a chronic right knee effusion, and progressed to Kellgren–Lawrence grade 3 bilaterally by the time she had a right total knee replacement at age 58. Patient 2 had subchondral fractures of the right knee with transient effusion, which healed after 1 year of partial weight-bearing with crutches and subsequent daily use of knee sleeves. Patient 2 had Kellgren–Lawrence grade 0 bilaterally upon surveillance imaging at age 58. The terms “osteoarthritis and knee and diagnostic imaging and subchondral bone and pathophysiology” were searched in the PubMed database to identify original research articles to inform a clinical model consistent with the patients’ outcomes. A fluid model of osteoarthritis was the best explanatory model for the discordant clinical trajectories of the age-matched siblings. Patient recommendations are presented based on these findings.

Skeletal muscle function and need for long-term care of urban elderly people in Japan (the Bunkyo Health Study): a prospective cohort study

PURPOSE

The proportion of elderly individuals (age ≥65 years) in Japan reached 27.7% in 2017, the highest in the world. A serious social problem in a super-aged society is the rise in the number of elderly people who need long-term care (LTC), which is mainly due to cerebrovascular disease, dementia, age-related frailty, falls and fractures, and joint disease. We hypothesised that decreased muscle mass, muscle strength and insulin sensitivity are the common risk factors for these diseases related to needing LTC. We developed a prospective cohort study of elderly subjects in an urban community to test this hypothesis. The primary objective is to prospectively investigate associations between muscle mass, muscle strength, and insulin sensitivity and incidence of main disease and risk factors of needing LTC. The primary outcomes are the incidence of cerebrovascular disease and cognitive decline.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 1629 people aged 65-84 years living in 13 communities in an urban area (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan). Average age was 73.1±5.4 years.

FINDINGS TO DATE

We obtained baseline data on cognitive function, cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) determined by brain MRI, body composition, bone mineral density, arteriosclerosis, physical function, muscle mass, muscle strength and insulin sensitivity. Mild cognitive impairment and dementia were observed in 18.1% and 3.3% of participants, respectively. The prevalence of cerebral SVD was 24.8%. These characteristics are similar to those previously reported in elderly Japanese subjects.

FUTURE PLANS

We will ask participants about their health status, including incidence of cerebrovascular disease, falls, fractures and other diseases every year by mail. We plan to re-evaluate cognitive function, brain MRI parameters and other parameters at 5 and 10 years after the baseline evaluation. We will evaluate whether low muscle function (muscle mass, muscle strength or insulin sensitivity) is a risk factor for cognitive decline or cerebrovascular disease.