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Background: Shoulder hemiarthroplasty is one of the established methods for management of proximal humerus fractures particularly in the types with more displacement so that fixation is not possible. Successful treatment is a challenge for shoulder surgeons especially in elderly patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the functional results and prognostic factors on shoulder hemiarthroplasty. Methods: Thirty nine patients operated by one shoulder surgeon in Imam Khomeini and Shariati Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from October 2005 to February 2009 were included in this study and followed postoperatively for at least one year. Mean (±SD) age was 49.7±14.3 years. Functional results were measured by constant score and pain was scored using visual analogue score. The relationship between factors such as age, injury to surgery interval, radiographic parameters and functional results were assessed. Results: Mean (±SD) constant score was 61.9±20.2. The age and injury to surgery interval showed a reverse correlation with constant score (p<0.05). There was a significant correlation between constant score and acromiohumeral interval (r=0.53) and head to tuberusity distance (-0.59). Median VAS score was 4.5 (interquartile range: 2- 5.2) that had a direct correlation with age (r=0.38) and injury to surgery interval (r=0.55) (p<0.05). Conclusions: Shoulder hemiarthroplasty should be performed in minimal delay from injury and this operation should be performed by an experienced shoulder surgeon to create the best anatomic position of prostheses. Careful rehabilitation particularly in older patients is very important to improve results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have suggested that hyperhomocystenemia and low plasma folate are associated with fracture and also bone mineral density (BMD) and that they may contribute to the pathogenicity of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. However, as plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and plasma folate can be regarded as short-term markers when compared to a long-term variable such as BMD, in this study we tested the hypothesis that low red blood cell 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (RBC 5-MTHFR) as a long-term marker of the folate status may be a better predictor of BMD than plasma 5-MTHF, and its deficiency may contribute to the pathogenecity of osteoporosis in postmenopausal Iranian women. The BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, DXA) together with anthropometric and biochemical components of the homocysteine re-methylation pathway including plasma tHcy, 5-MTHF and vitamin B12, RBC 5-MTHF and creatinine were determined in 366 postmenopausal women. RBC 5-MTHF was more highly correlated with BMD at the lumbar spine ( r =0.21, P =0.001) and femoral neck ( r =0.19, P =0.004) than was plasma 5-MTHF (lumbar spine; r =0.14, P =0.03 and femoral neck; r =0.17, P =0.006). Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses revealed that RBC 5-MTHF was one of the predictors of BMD explaining 4.3 and 4.0% variance of BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, respectively, whereas plasma 5-MTHF was excluded in the model and not determined to be a predictor of BMD at both the lumbar spine and femoral neck when adjusted for age, BMI, years since menopause and RBC 5-MTHF. This study suggests that RBC 5-MTHF is a better predictor of BMD than plasma 5-MTHFR when compared to a long-term marker such as BMD, and its deficiency is associated with low BMD that may contribute to the pathogenecity of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip fracture, the most serious complication of osteoporosis, puts the burden of a lot of costs for treatment on any health system. Previous reports on rates of hip fracture in Asian countries differ a lot. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of hip fracture in Shiraz, Iran. In Shiraz, Iran, all operating-room logs with diagnosis of hip fracture were reviewed for hip fractures caused by a simple fall in patients over 50 years, during March 21, 2000, to March 21, 2003. According to patients’ medical records, age, sex, type of fracture (intertrochanteric, neck, subtrochanteric) and patients’ regions according to Shiraz municipality divisions were obtained. The age-adjusted incidence rates of hip fracture standardized to the 1985 US white population (325.74/100,000 for men and 519.05/100,000 for women) and to the 1989 US white population (384.61/100,000 for men and 548.17/100,000 for women) were the highest in Asia. The intertrochanteric fractures were significantly higher among females ( p =0.003). The incidence of intertrochanteric and neck fractures were increased with age. In all age groups, females had higher incidence rates, except for ages over 80 years, in which males had higher incidence rates than females. In wealthier regions of the city, the incidence rates were higher than in other regions. High incidence of hip fracture in our population, especially in males over 80 years, shows that preventive strategies for hip fracture and osteoporosis should be considered in males as well as females. Further studies are needed to find incidence rates in other cities, especially in the very urbanized city of Tehran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the three years March 2001–February 2004, 7200 patients with maxillofacial trauma were seen at Poorsina Hospital, of whom 2160 had 4752 fractures of facial bones, 3089 (65%) mainly mandibular and 1663 (35%) mainly midfacial. Road traffic collisions accounted for the injuries in 6552 of the 7200 patients (91%), falls in 396 patients (5.5%), assault in 208 (2.9%) and sport and other causes in 44 (0.6%). The male (n =6646) to female (n =554) ratio was 12:1. During summer, Iranian weekends (Thursdays–Fridays) and the Iranian new year (begins on 21 March), the incidence was much higher than at other times. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]