Search

Purpose: To evaluate short- and long-term effects of structured exercise program in euthyroid patients with Graves' disease. Methods: The study employed a retrospective case-control design. The exercise group (n = 62) underwent 3 weeks of structured exercise program consisting of daily walking, strengthening, and stretching exercises while the control group (n = 62) participated in leisure activities. Thyroid profile, aerobic capacity, and perceived fatigue were evaluated on in-patient admission and discharge. Time to discontinuation of anti-thyroid medication after discharge and time to relapse of symptoms were determined. Results: The exercise group increased estimated peak oxygen consumption (significant group-by-time ANOVA interaction, P < 0.001), decreased serum thyroxin (P = 0.038), increased serum thyrotropin (P = 0.071), and reported less fatigue (Fisher's exact test, p < 0.001) from admission to discharge. The anti-thyroid medication was withdrawn within 6 months of discharge in significantly greater proportion of subjects in the exercise than control group (84% vs. 18%). Conversely, the rate of relapse within 12 months of medication withdrawal was smaller in the exercise (29%) than control group (72%). Conclusions: The results suggest that structured exercise program may normalize thyroid profile, improve aerobic capacity, and reduce fatigue on the short-term basis as well as reduce the need for anti-thyroid medication on the long-term basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anatomical implants enable minimally invasive osteosynthesis (MIO) and represent ideal complements of computer-assisted surgical workflows. This 3D morphometric study analyzes anatomical implant forms (AIF) for acetabular fracture osteosynthesis (AFO). Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional pelvis models were created from clinical CT data of 99 European-Caucasian patients (50 females, 49 males). The mean age of the patients was 60.1 years (range: 20-89; SD 10.8). Definition of a referential region of interest (ROI) corresponding to an AIF for AFO was followed by automated ROI computation for each of the 198 hemipelvises. Three-dimensional statistical modeling and analysis of the resulting 198 homologous ROIs consisted of thin-plate spline transformation, generalized Procrustes fit, and principal component analysis. Results: The mean ROI length was 18.2 cm (range: 16.1-20.1 cm; SD 0.76). The first principal component (PC1) mainly modeled the ROI length, which correlated well with body height ( r = 0.325; p < 0.001). PC1 comprised 47.4% of the overall ROI form variation. PC2 primarily influenced the ROI curvature in the anterior-posterior (inlet) view. Curvatures were more pronounced in female patients compared to males ( p < 0.001). There was no gender-specific ROI size variation. PC1-4 contained 80.2% of the total ROI form variation. Left and right ROI forms displayed symmetry. Conclusion: This 3D morphometric study demonstrates the feasibility of anatomical implants for minimally invasive acetabular fracture osteosynthesis. Implant size/length is by far the most important variable of form variation. The necessity of gender-specific implant forms requires further investigation. The non-fractured, contralateral hemipelvis can be used for preoperative surgical planning. Ultimately, the plate design will depend on prospective implant fit tests based on the required fit as defined by the clinician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]