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Prepubescent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction presents a technical challenge to the surgeon due to the presence of the growth plates. Regaining knee stability and functionality are the main goals of treatment, while avoiding growth disturbances in this young population. Transphyseal reconstructions allows for an anatomic graft placement and is a safe option, even in the youngest patients, as long as specific technical points are taken into consideration. This present article describes in detail the operative technique of a transphyseal anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with special attention to the pearls and pitfalls. The senior author has used this technique in 123 Tanner stage I, II, and III patients and his experience will also be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the functional and clinical outcomes between the deltoid split (DS) approach and the classic deltopectoral (DP) approach for locking plate fixation of proximal humerus fractures (PHF) in a prospective randomized multicenter study. From 2007 to 2015, all patients with a PHF Neer II/III were invited to participate. Exclusion criteria were pre-existing pathology to the limb, patient refusing or too ill to undergo surgery, patient needing another type of treatment (nail, arthroplasty), and axillary nerve impairment. After consent, patients were randomized to one of the 2 treatments using the dark envelope method. Functional outcome was evaluated by validated questionnaires (12-Item Short Form Health Survey: version 2, Quick-DASH) with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Complications were noted. A total of 85 patients (44 DS, 41 DP) were randomized (mean age of 62). Groups were equivalent in terms of age, gender, body mass index, severity of fracture, and preinjury scores. The mean follow-up was 26 months. All clinical outcome measures were in favor of the deltopectoral approach. Specifically, the Q-DASH and SF-12v2 were better in the DP group (12 vs. 26, P =.003 and 56 vs. 51, P =.049, respectively). There were more complications in DS patients, but they did not reach statistical significance. The primary hypothesis on the superiority of the deltoid split incision was rebutted. On the basis of our study, the DP approach seems to offer better function compared with the DS approach for fixation of Neer 2 and 3 PHF fractures fixed with a locking plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive success of seabirds is tightly associated with availability of their prey for which the spatiotemporal distribution may be influenced by sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations. The objective of this study was to investigate whether Northern gannets ( Morus bassanus ) from the largest colony in North America (Bonaventure Island, Quebec, Canada) were in negative nutritional state during the unprecedented low reproductive success year of 2012, and whether this was associated with changes in SST anomalies and diet. The incubation period of gannets in 2012 was characterized by a significant decline, from early to late incubation, in plasma triglyceride levels that was associated with an increase in plasma corticosterone levels. However, no changes in plasma glycerol and β-hydroxybutyrate levels were noted. SST anomalies recorded in this area (south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence) during the breeding period were consistently higher in 2012 compared to the previous year (a better reproductive success year). Based on signatures of stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotopes in gannet red blood cells and in whole fish homogenates of three major preys (mackerel, herring, and capelin), a minor dietary shift was noted between those years and incubation periods. In light of these findings, it is suggested that the extreme warm-water perturbation event that prevailed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during summer 2012 was associated with a rapid deterioration of nutritional condition of Bonaventure Island gannets during the incubation. These suboptimal physiological changes likely contributed to the dramatic decline in reproductive success reported in this colony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body temperature changes in a non-model species, the Black-capped Chickadee, in two environmental conditions: outdoors in low ambient temperature (mean: − 6.6 °C), and indoors, in milder ambient temperature close to thermoneutrality (mean: 18.7 °C). Our results show that the change in body temperature in response to the same handling stressor differs in these conditions. In cold environments, we noted a significant decrease in core body temperature (− 2.9 °C), whereas the response in mild indoor conditions was weak and non-significant (− 0.6 °C). Heat loss in outdoor birds was exacerbated when birds were handled for longer time. This may highlight the role of behavioral thermoregulation and heat substitution from activity to body temperature maintenance in harsh condition. Importantly, our work also indicates that changes in the physical properties of the bird during handling (conductive cooling from cold hands, decreased insulation from compression of plumage and prevention of ptiloerection) may have large consequences for thermoregulation. This might explain why females, the smaller sex, lost more heat than males in the experiment. Because physiological and physical changes during handling may carry over to affect predation risk and maintenance of energy balance during short winter days, we advice caution when designing experimental protocols entailing prolonged handling of small birds in cold conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Meniscus lesions are common musculoskeletal knee injuries which often lead to pain, limitation and compensations during functional tasks, such as descending stairs. This study investigated the effect of patellar taping with tension and without tension on three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of the knee during a slow step descent task in patients with meniscal lesions. Methods Ten patients diagnosed with a meniscal lesion, confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, underwent five, step descent movements at slow speed under three different conditions: 1) no taping; 2) tension-free taping; and 3) patellar taping with medial tension. 3D kinematic data were recorded from the injured knee using an eight-camera infrared Vicon motion analysis system. Maximum and minimum angle values and total range of motion (maximum/minimum value) in three movement planes during single-limb stance were compared using a repeated measure ANOVA. Findings Results showed a significant increase in the maximum and minimum angle value in the sagittal plane (mean differences = 2.4° and 4.2°, respectively) and a decrease in the transverse plane (− 6.3° and − 2.2°, respectively) for the patellar taping condition compared to the no taping condition. A decreased rotational angle range when comparing the patellar taping to the no taping (− 4.1°) and tension-free taping (− 3.1°) conditions was also observed. These changes remained significant when pain was considered as a covariate in the analysis. The tension applied to the patellar tape played a role in controlling the sagittal and transverse plane step-down movement among patients in our study. Interpretation These results support the use of patellar taping with a medially oriented tension to help to reduce the transversal plane movement of the knee in this population and they bring new light to the taping effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma lipid metabolites triglycerides (TRIG) and glycerol (GLY) are used as indicators of fattening rate and nutritional condition in migratory birds. Requiring only one blood sample, they could also be used for studying daily and seasonal fattening rates in relation with habitat quality or weather variations in species wintering in cold climates. Using black-capped chickadees exposed to three experimental temperatures (0 °C, 15 °C, and 30 °C), the goal of this experiment was to determine the relationship between plasma levels of TRIG and GLY and fattening rate measured over periods from a few hours to the previous two days. Results showed that birds maintained in the cold had metabolite levels 39–81% higher than those at thermoneutrality, likely reflecting the size of their fat reserves, and that TRIG and total GLY were highly correlated across treatments. Fattening rate was also higher at 0 °C (+ 35%) and 30 °C (+ 24%) relative to that measured at 15 °C and, as expected, was positively correlated with metabolite levels across treatments. However, despite fattening rates similar to that observed at the other temperatures, the relationships were uncoupled at 30 °C, implying that the technique may not be easily applicable at temperatures within or close to thermoneutrality. We also found a strong individual effect in the relationships between fattening rate and TRIG levels, suggesting high individual consistency in these parameters in conditions of unrestricted food access such as in captivity. Our study confirms that plasma TRIG and GLY levels can be used as relative indexes of condition and fattening rates in wintering passerines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]