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Supplementary Material 1

Additional file 1. Materials and methods: detailed experimental protocol of the study, including animals, ABX and PBX administrations, stool sample collection, stool 16S rRNA analysis, bioinformatics analysis, overall community composition analysis, alpha diversity analysis, beta diversity analysis, and biomarker analysis.

Additional file 1: Figure S1. EPO ELISA standard curve used for EPO concentration calculation. Linear regression was used to yield a line of best fit with an R2 value of 0.9897. Figure S2. AngioTool reconstruction images clearly depict the blood vessel architecture as red lines and their branching points as blue dots.

Additional file 3: Table S1. The top characterized taxa at the phylum level of each group before (Pre-) treatment and at 10-day of the study.

Erythropoietin (EPO) has been identified as a neuroregenerative agent. We hypothesize that it may accelerate recovery after crush injury and may vary with crush severity.Mice were randomized to mild, moderate, or severe crush of the sciatic nerve and were treated with EPO or vehicle control after injury. The sciatic function index (SFI) was monitored over the first week. Microstructural changes were analyzed by immunofluorescence for neurofilament (NF) and myelin (PIn moderate crush injuries, EPO significantly improved SFI at 7 days post-injury, an effect not observed with other severity levels. Increases in the ratio of PEPO accelerates recovery in moderately crushed nerves, which may be through effects on myelination and vascularization. Injury severity may influence the efficacy of EPO. Muscle Nerve 56: 143-151, 2017.

Untreated rotator cuff tears can progress to a distinct form of shoulder arthritis, and the mechanism of this progression is poorly understood. Biomechanical, molecular and genetic factors may be at play, and a reliable animal model is needed to enable further research. The purpose of this study was to create a reproducible model of posttraumatic shoulder arthritis in the mouse, and to develop a scoring system for this model to enable future research on interventions, the role of various gene products, and the development of therapies to alter the natural course of the disease. Forty-five mice underwent operative ligation of the rotator cuff tendons and were followed for 45 weeks following surgery, with free cage activity post-operatively. Mice were sacrificed at various intervals from 2 to 45 weeks post-injury and histopathologic scoring was developed and tested by blinded reviewers using both quantitative computational analysis of coronal sections of the shoulder joint and semi-quantitative grading. The scoring system revealed a progressive, time-dependent set of tissue changes in the shoulder joint with features similar to human cuff tear arthropathy including acetabularization of the acromion and femoralization of the humeral head. This model establishes that osteoarthritis of the shoulder is distinct from osteoarthritis of the knee or hip, with different stages of degeneration and unique histopathologic features. Using the novel grading procedure and quantitative assessments presented here, future research using this model will enable investigators to test established and novel therapies and evaluate the role of inflammatory factors and gene products in shoulder arthritis. This study provides a reproducible mouse model of shoulder arthritis following isolated injury to the rotator cuff which elucidates characteristics of cuff tear arthropathy and provides a scoring system and venue for future research. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:506-514, 2017.

The increase in the growth of the elderly population in the past 2 decades has been paralleled by an increase in the number of active elderly drivers. Consequentially, this growth has been accompanied by a rise in fatal road-related accidents. Due to age-related fragility, elderly drivers are more susceptible to injuries and death following a road-related accident. The increased risk of accidents has become a growing public health issue and has led to certain guidelines and restrictions for elderly drivers. Moreover, the cognitive and physiological decline that exacerbates with age has encouraged preventative measures aimed at optimizing their ability to operate motor vehicles. Some of these include yearly vision, cognitive, motor, and mental assessment tests. Results obtained from these tests may help suggest when an elderly driver becomes unsuitable to drive.

Part 1 of this article outlined the basic characteristics of useful clinical measurement instruments and described scales used to measure general health, pain, and patient satisfaction. Part 2 describes the features of some of the scales most commonly used in clinical research in the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

Measurement is a fundamental cornerstone in all aspects of scientific discovery, including clinical research. To be useful, measurement instruments must meet several key criteria, the most important of which are satisfactory reliability, validity, and responsiveness. Part 1 of this article reviews the general concepts of measurement instruments and describes the measurement of general health, pain, and patient satisfaction.

Sensibility testing plays a role in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). No single physical examination test has proven to be of critical value in the diagnosis, especially when compared with electrodiagnostic testing (EDX). The purpose of this study was to define which digits are most affected by CTS, both subjectively and with objective sensibility testing.A prospective series of 35 patients (40 hands) with EDX-positive, isolated CTS were evaluated preoperatively using 2 objective sensibility tests: static 2-point discrimination (2PD) and abbreviated Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (SWMF) testing. Detailed surveys of subjective symptoms were also collected.Patients identified the middle finger as the most symptomatic over all others (51%). Objective 2PD results of each digit mirrored the subjective data, with higher values for the middle finger (mean 6.07 mm, (p.0001). Values for the index finger failed to show a significant difference from the ulnar-innervated small finger. The most symptomatic finger matched 2PD results in over two thirds of patients. The SWMF testing showed similar, statistically significant results (middlethumbindexsmall). Correlations failed between EDX, symptoms, and SWMF results or 2PD in the index finger. Positive but weak correlation (p = .002, r = .42) was found between EDX and 2PD only in the middle fingers.The middle finger is the most likely to show changes in 2PD in patients with positive EDX findings for CTS. Middle finger 2PD is best able to correlate with EDX when compared with 2PD of other digits. The SWMF testing also shows the middle digit testing as more sensitive, but this finding may be difficult to use clinically.Diagnostic I.