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This study investigates the prediction of the thermophysical properties of butyl stearate in solutions with citric acid, urea, and nicotinamide using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The ANN model uses hydrotropic concentration and temperature to predict these properties. The study focuses on binary mixtures at various temperatures (303, 313, 323, and 333 K). To achieve accurate predictions, researchers trained a committee of ANNs using experimental data. This iterative process optimizes the network architecture and avoids overfitting, a common problem in machine learning. The trained ANN can then predict thermophysical properties for intermediate hydrotropic concentrations without additional experiments. Besides, the study demonstrates the versatility of ANNs by implementing a successful model for multi-pass turning operations in MATLAB, showing superior accuracy compared to other methods. Visualizations like magnitude response curves, FFT spectrums, contour plots, and 3D surface plots helped to identify the optimal hydrotropic concentration with a remarkable 2% margin of error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ewing sarcoma (ES) of the spine is a rare childhood cancer with sparse literature on treatment outcomes. We aimed to describe survival outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with spinal ES treated at a single institute in a resource-challenged setting. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with spinal ES registered at a tertiary care oncology center between 2003–2019. Clinical patient data was retrieved from hospital records. Cox regression analysis was used to identify the association of baseline clinical parameters with event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). A cohort of 85 patients was analyzed including 38 (45%) patients with metastatic disease. The median age was 15 years with 73% being male. Local therapy was administered in 62 (72.9%) patients with surgery alone in 8 (9.4%), radiotherapy alone in 36 (42.4%) and both in 18 (21.2%) patients. A higher proportion of males received local therapy than females (80.3% versus 59.1%; p = 0.049). The median EFS and OS were 20.1 and 28.6 months, respectively. On univariable analysis, age ≤ 15 years, female sex, serum albumin ≤3.5 g/dL and hemoglobin ≤11 g/dL were associated with inferior EFS while younger age, female sex, hypoalbuminemia and metastatic disease were associated with inferior OS. On multivariable analysis, only hypoalbuminemia was predictive for inferior EFS (HR:2.41; p = 0.005) while hypoalbuminemia (HR:2.06;p = 0.033) and female sex (HR:1.83; p = 0.046) were associated with inferior OS. We concluded that hypoalbuminemia confers poor prognosis in ES spine. Survival outcomes are poorer in females treated in our setting, possibly due to prevailing sex-based biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The outcomes of osteosarcoma in low middle income countries (LMICs) are different due to patients presenting in advanced stages, resource constraints and the use of non-high-dose-methotrexate (HDMTX)-based regimens. This study derived and validated a prognostic score for osteosarcoma that integrates biologic and social factors and is tailored for patients from an LMIC setting using a non-HDMTX-based protocol. Materials and methods: A retrospective study including osteosarcoma patients enrolled for treatment at a single tertiary care centre in India between 2003-19 was conducted. Baseline biologic and social characteristics were extracted from medical records and survival outcomes were noted. The cohort was randomised into a derivation and validation cohort. Multivariable Cox regression was used to identify baseline characteristics that were independently prognostic for survival outcomes in the derivation cohort. A score was derived from the prognostic factors identified in the derivation cohort and further validated in the validation cohort with estimation of its predictive ability. Results: 594 patients with osteosarcoma were eligible for inclusion in the study. Around one-third of the cohort had metastatic disease with 59% of the patients residing in rural areas. The presence of metastases at baseline (HR 3.39; p<0.001; score=3), elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) >450 IU/L (HR 1.57; p=0.001; score=1) and baseline tumour size > 10 cm (HR 1.68; p<0.001; score=1) were identified to be independent factors predicting inferior event free survival (EFS) and were included in development of the prognostic score. Patients were categorized as low risk (score 0), intermediate risk (score 1-3) and high risk (4-5). Harrell's cindices for the score were 0.682, 0.608 and 0.657 respectively for EFS in the derivation, validation and whole cohort respectively. The timed AUC of ROC was 0.67 for predicting 18-month EFS in the derivation, validation and whole cohorts while that for 36-month EFS were 0.68, 0.66 and 0.68 respectively. Conclusions: The study describes the outcomes among osteosarcoma patients from an LMIC treated uniformly with a non-HDMTX-based protocol. Tumor size, baseline metastases and SAP were prognostic factors used to derive a score with good predictive value for survival outcomes. Social factors did not emerge as determinants of survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Skeletal metastases of bone sarcomas are indicators of poor prognosis. Various imaging modalities are available for their identification, which include bone scan, positron emission tomography/CT scan, MRI, and bone marrow aspiration/biopsy. However, there is considerable ambiguity regarding the best imaging modality to detect skeletal metastases. To date, we are not sure which of these investigations is best for screening of skeletal metastasis.Question/purpose: Which staging investigation-18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT), whole-body MRI, or 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy-is best in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) in detecting skeletal metastases in patients with osteosarcoma and those with Ewing sarcoma?Methods: A prospective diagnostic study was performed among 54 of a total 66 consecutive osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma patients who presented between March 2018 and June 2019. The institutional review board approved the use of all three imaging modalities on each patient recruited for the study. Informed consent was obtained after thoroughly explaining the study to the patient or the patient's parent/guardian. The patients were aged between 4 and 37 years, and their diagnoses were proven by histopathology. All patients underwent 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and whole-body MRI for the initial staging of skeletal metastases. The number and location of bone and bone marrow lesions diagnosed with each imaging modality were determined and compared with each other. Multidisciplinary team meetings were held to reach a consensus about the total number of metastases present in each patient, and this was considered the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of each imaging modality, along with their 95% confidence intervals, were generated by the software Stata SE v 15.1. Six of 24 patients in the osteosarcoma group had skeletal metastases, as did 8 of 30 patients in the Ewing sarcoma group. The median (range) follow-up for the study was 17 months (12 to 27 months). Although seven patients died before completing the minimum follow-up, no patients who survived were lost to follow-up.Results: With the number of patients available, we found no differences in terms of sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV among the three staging investigations in patients with osteosarcoma and in patients with Ewing sarcoma. Sensitivities to detect bone metastases for 18F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (6 of 6 [95% CI 54% to 100%]), 83% (5 of 6 [95% CI 36% to 100%]), and 67% (4 of 6 [95% CI 22% to 96%]) and specificities were 100% (18 of 18 [95% CI 82% to 100%]), 94% (17 of 18 [95% CI 73% to 100%]), and 78% (14 of 18 [95% CI 52% to 94%]), respectively, in patients with osteosarcoma. In patients with Ewing sarcoma, sensitivities to detect bone metastases for 18F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 47% to 100%]), 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 47% to 100%]), and 50% (4 of 8 [95% CI 16% to 84%]) and specificities were 100% (22 of 22 [95% CI 85% to 100%]), 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 100%]), and 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 100%]), respectively. Further, the PPVs for detecting bone metastases for 18F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (6 of 6 [95% CI 54% to 100%]), 83% (5 of 6 [95% CI 36% to 100%]), and 50% (4 of 8 [95% CI 16% to 84%]) and the NPVs were 100% (18 of 18 [95% CI 82% to 100%]), 94% (17 of 18 [95% CI 73% to 100%]), and 88% (14 of 16 [95% CI 62% to 98%]), respectively, in patients with osteosarcoma. Similarly, the PPVs for detecting bone metastases for 18F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy were 100% (7 of 7 [95% CI 59% to 100%]), 88% (7 of 8 [95% CI 50% to 98%]), and 80% (4 of 5 [95% CI 28% to 100%]), and the NPVs were 96% (22 of 23 [95% CI 78% to 100%]), 95% (21 of 22 [95% CI 77% to 99%]), and 84% (21 of 25 [95% CI 64% to 96%]), respectively, in patients with Ewing sarcoma. The confidence intervals around these values overlapped with each other, thus indicating no difference between them.Conclusion: Based on these results, we could not demonstrate a difference in the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV between 18F-FDG PET/CT, whole-body MRI, and 99mTc-MDP skeletal scintigraphy for detecting skeletal metastases in patients with osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. For proper prognostication, a thorough metastatic workup is essential, which should include a highly sensitive investigation tool to detect skeletal metastases. However, our study findings suggest that there is no difference between these three imaging tools. Since this is a small group of patients in whom it is difficult to make broad recommendations, these findings may be confirmed by larger studies in the future.Level Of Evidence: Level II, diagnostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conjoined twins are a rare outcome of conception associated with numerous anomalies involving multiple organ systems. Musculoskeletal abnormalities like vertebral anomalies, sacral agenesis, foot deformities and hip dysplasia have been described in literature. We describe two cases of pyopagus twins with congenital talipes equinovarus and congenital vertical talus deformity which have not been described previously in this type of conjoined twins. The orthopaedist should look actively for such deformities in this patient population and be wary of the difficulties associated with their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite patients demonstrating significant short-term clinical improvement from a hip arthroscopy (HA), a number of patients progress to significant osteoarthritis of the hip requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study aims to evaluate if there is any difference in the functional outcome of patients undergoing THA after a previous hip arthroscopy compared to patients undergoing THA for primary osteoarthritis of the hip. Methods: Between 2010 and 2013, in a group of 414 patients who underwent hip arthroscopy, we identified 18 patients who underwent a subsequent uncemented THA. These formed the study group. During the same period, 625 patients underwent an uncemented THA performed for primary OA, of which 63 patients were matched to the study group for age, follow-up and implants used. These formed the control group. Pre-op and post-op Oxford Hip Scores (OHS) were recorded for all patients. Results: A mean follow-up of 26.5 and 26.3 months was observed in the study and control groups respectively. The median (interquartile ranges) preoperative OHS were 14 (8.25, 17.0) and 18.5 (13.25, 24.75) in the 2 groups. Corresponding postoperative scores were 40 (31.25, 45) and 46 (43, 48). Median difference between the preoperative and postoperative OHS was 27 (19, 31) and 25 (18.25, 31). Adjusting for the pre-treatment scores, the postoperative scores in the study arm were significantly lower than for the control arm with an estimate (SE) of −0.464 (p = 0.012). Post-hoc power analysis showed that the study was sufficiently powered to detect a meaningful difference in scores. Conclusion: Total hip arthroplasty after hip arthroscopy leads to satisfactory functional outcomes. However, the functional outcome in this group is significantly worse than in a matched cohort of patients undergoing THA for osteoarthritis. There was no difference in the rate of complications between the 2 groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain after prosthesis implant is a common clinical problem which requires distinction of septic from aseptic causes since the treatment differs. Non-invasive imaging methods play an important role in the diagnosis. Radiolabelled ubiquicidin can be used for imaging infection by binding directly to bacterial cell wall. We describe a case of a 24-year-old man with right lower limb megaprosthesis which did not show any loosening on computed tomography (CT) but was accurately diagnosed as infected prosthesis with 68Ga-NOTA-ubiquicidin(29-41) acetate scan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy (MNTI) is an uncommon tumour, predominantly occurring in head and neck, mostly maxilla, but also in skull and mandible. Although a benign lesion, it is known to recur in 15%–27% of cases, and rarely, may undergo malignant transformation. We present a case of a 5-monthold female patient, who presented with a gradually progressive swelling in the right thigh. On imaging, an osteolytic lesion was seen, involving the metadiaphysis of shaft of right femur. A biopsy was performed, on which diagnosis of MNTI was made. MNTI is rarely seen in extremities. To the best of our knowledge, only six cases have been reported in femur, the present case being the seventh. The tumour showed spontaneous regression on follow-up in our patient, which has rarely been described. A knowledge of characteristic morphology and immunohistochemistry is the key to differentiate it from other tumours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Factors influencing publication of manuscripts in reputed journals have never been studied to the best of our knowledge. This study was conducted to evaluate the trend in publication within the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics (IJO). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by accessing the online database of the IJO. All the issues available online were included. Published articles were classified into one of the following thirteen categories: (i) Basic Sciences (ii) trauma (upper limb and lower limb) (iii) infections (iv) pediatric orthopedics (v) arthroplasty (vi) arthroscopy (vii) spine surgery (viii) musculoskeletal oncology (ix) hand and microvascular surgery (x) adult reconstruction (including the Ilizarov technique) (xi) general orthopedics and miscellaneous (xii) letter to editor (xiii) book review. A scatter diagram was plotted to study the individual trends. Results: A total of 2213 articles from 110 issues published between 1967 and 2014 were studied. Total number of articles per issue have increased overthe years. Publications in the fields of trauma, adult reconstruction, arthroscopy and hand and microvascular surgery have increased steadily. Arthroplasty and spine surgery have recorded dramatic increase in publication. On the other hand, publications in the rest of the fields have declined of which the greatest fall is noted in the field of musculoskeletal oncology. Conclusions: Trend in publication with the IJO has changed over years with more articles being published in arthroplasty and Spine surgery. Despite advances, publication in the field of musculoskeletal oncology has fallen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation (BPOP; also called Nora's lesion) is a benign surface osteocartilaginous lesion, which is infrequently reported in world literature. The condition is classically described in the short tubular bones of hands and feet in the second and third decades of life. We present a case report of BPOP of the middle phalanx of middle finger in a 4-year-old girl. The child underwent a wide excision and remained asymptomatic at 2.5 years of follow-up. Our case report highlights the importance of suspecting Nora's lesion in a child. It also helps in delineating a differential diagnosis and discusses the management principles of this rare osteocartilaginous lesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifocal osteoid osteoma of the bone is extremely rare. We report a 25-year-old man who presented with pain in the left leg since 11 months which was partially relieved by over-the-counter analgesics. Radiograph demonstrated two lytic lesions with surrounding sclerosis along the anterior cortex of the left tibia. Three-phase Tc 99m bone and CT scans confirmed the diagnosis of multifocal osteoid osteoma. The patient underwent surgical excision followed by protected weight bearing. The patient was asymptomatic at 6 months postoperatively. Multifocal osteoid osteoma needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple lytic lesions in the bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT) is characterized by over secretion of parathyroid hormone caused by long-standing secondary hyperparathyroidism. THPT can affect the bones as well as cause extraskeletal calcifications. The bony lesions often mimic multiple skeletal metastases or multiple myeloma. We report a case of a 48-year-old man with chronic kidney disease on dialysis, who presented with chief complaints of low back ache and swelling over the left clavicle. In view of clinical suspicion of malignancy with bony metastases, he underwent 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and was subsequently found to have parathyroid adenomas, which were confirmed on 99m Tc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile scintigraphy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Nuclear Medicine.)

Introduction: Prognostic scores in Ewing sarcoma including baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics are necessary for pre-treatment risk stratification. In this study, we formulated and validated a prognostic model for baseline risk categorization in Ewing sarcoma., Materials and Methods: A retrospective single-institutional study was conducted on Ewing sarcoma patients treated uniformly between January 2003 and December 2018. Baseline clinical/pathological characteristics and survival outcomes were noted from medical records. The cohort was randomised into a derivation and validation cohort. A prognostic score was formulated by including independent prognostic factors from the derivation cohort by multivariable analysis. The prognostic model was validated in the validation cohort along with estimation of its predictive ability., Results: A total of 860 patients were included with 40.3% having baseline metastases. Tumor diameter >5 cm (HR 2.04; P<0.001; score 2), baseline metastases (HR 2.33; P<0.001, score 2), and total leucocyte count >11000/mm 3 (HR 1.44; P=0.015; score 1) were independent predictors of overall survival in derivation cohort and included for prognostic score calculation. Patients were categorized into low (score 0), intermediate (score 1-3) and high-risk (score 4-5) groups. Harrell's c-indexes of the model were 0.625, 0.622 and 0.624 in the derivation, validation and whole cohort respectively. The timed AUC of ROC of the prognostic score-group for 5-year survival was 0.72, 0.71 and 0.73 in the derivation, validation and whole cohort respectively., Conclusions: We have formulated and validated a prognostic score for Ewing sarcoma incorporating baseline clinical and laboratory parameters, with fair predictive ability for risk stratification and facilitating risk-adapted personalized therapy., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2022.)

Purpose  The aim of this study was to compare the results of surgeries of the De Quervain's disease (DQD) through a randomized control trial. Materials and Methods  We treated 40 cases of De Quervain's tenosynovitis in 2 groups: 20 patients by pulley release method and another 20 patients by pulley reconstruction method. The patients were selected as per the random table number. The clinical data, numeric Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Quick DASH-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand-score, Mayo Wrist Score, and subluxation of the tendons in dynamic ultrasonography (USG) during wrist hyperflexion and abduction of the thumb test were noted preoperatively and 6 months after the operation. All patient charts were reviewed and data analysis was done after completion of the study. Results  All patients improved after surgery. There was no difference in clinical outcome data, numeric VAS score, Quick DASH Score, and Mayo Wrist Score ( p -value > 0.05). There were four patients with tendon subluxation under USG in pulley release group, out of which only one patient was clinically symptomatic. There was no tendon subluxation in pulley reconstruction group. The tendon subluxation between the two groups was not found to be statistically significant ( p -value: 0.661). Conclusion  Although, higher numbers of subluxation were found in release group, there was no statistically significant difference in the outcome of the two surgical procedures for DQD. This study is a pilot study, and it may act as the groundwork over which further studies may be performed. Level of Evidence  This is a Level I study., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None declared., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: It has been indicated in several instances that tall stature is also an important risk factor in the development of osteosarcoma. This relationship between height and osteosarcoma is substantiated even more by the increasing evidences being put forth in the recent literature on dependence of certain tumors on the growth factors and their receptors, acting through autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. There has been no study on the Indian population that attempts to define such a relationship., Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to define relationship between height of patients and osteosarcoma at the time of diagnosis in the Indian population., Materials/methods: Retrospective data was collected from the old hospital records. Height of patients at the time of diagnosis was compared with expected height of patients of the same age with reference to the standardized growth charts provided by the Indian Academy of Paediatrics., Results: Out of 98 patients, there were 65 male and 33 female patients with M: F ratio being 1.97:1. The mean age at diagnosis was 17 (SD = 8) years with range of 5-55 years (median = 17 years). Height of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 155.18 (SD = 15.47) cm with range of 115 cm-184 cm (median = 159 cm). Overall, patients with Osteosarcoma were found to be shorter than the expected height deduced from the national growth charts. When patients were divided into two groups of those who were of growing age and those who had completed growth, results were similar., Conclusion: The observation that majority of patients with osteosarcoma in our study were stunted, is an important finding. It could be deduced from this observation that these patients are unable to mount the usual biological response to the overstimulated growth as part of tumorigenesis in osteosarcoma. This could point to a different scenario in the Indian population and more studies need to be carried out with larger number of patients to further elaborate on this observation., Competing Interests: There is no potential conflict of interest and there is nothing to disclose for all the authors., (© 2020 Delhi Orthopedic Association. All rights reserved.)