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We evaluated the relation between serum FGF23 and bone mineral density (BMD) in a community-based cohort of elderly men. There was a weak correlation between FGF23 and BMD, which was primarily dependent on body weight. FGF23 is a hormonal factor produced in bone and regulates serum levels of phosphate (Pi) and vitamin D. FGF23 over-expression is associated with skeletal abnormalities, including rickets/osteomalacia. The relation between FGF23 and Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in the community remains unexplored. We employed a large, population-based cohort of 3014 Swedish men aged 69–80 years, without known renal disease. BMD was measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the hip and lumbar spine. Serum intact FGF23 was analyzed with a two-site monoclonal ELISA. There was a weak but significant correlation between FGF23 and BMD in femoral neck ( r = 0.04, p < 0.05), femoral trochanter ( r = 0.05, p = 0.004), total hip ( r = 0.06, p = 0.0015) and lumbar spine ( r = 0.07, p = 0.0004). The correlations remained significant when adjusting for biochemical covariates (Pi, calcium, PTH, 25(OH)D and renal function). However, the association became insignificant in all regions when adjusting for established confounding variables including age, height, weight and smoking. Further analysis confirmed a significant correlation between FGF23 and body weight ( r = 0.13, p < 0.0001). The weak correlation between FGF23 and BMD in elderly male subjects is mainly due to an association between FGF23 and body weight. Therefore, FGF23 may not play a significant role in the hormonal regulation of BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic ablation of fibroblast growth factor 23 from mice ( Fgf-23−/−) results in a short lifespan with numerous abnormal biochemical and morphological features. Such features include kyphosis, hypogonadism and associated infertility, osteopenia, pulmonary emphysema, severe vascular and soft tissue calcifications, and generalized atrophy of various tissues. To determine whether these widespread anomalies in Fgf-23−/− mice can be ameliorated by genetically restoring the systemic actions of FGF-23, we generated Fgf-23−/− mice expressing the human FGF-23 transgene in osteoblasts under the control of the 2.3 kb α1(I) collagen promoter ( Fgf-23−/− /hFGF-23-Tg double mutants). This novel mouse model is completely void of all endogenous Fgf-23 activity, but produces human FGF-23 in bone cells that is subsequently released into the circulation. Our results suggest that lack of Fgf-23 activities results in extensive premature ageing-like features and early mortality of Fgf-23−/− mice, while restoring the systemic effects of FGF-23 significantly ameliorates these phenotypes, with the resultant effect being improved growth, restored fertility, and significantly prolonged survival of double mutants. With regard to their serum biochemistry, double mutants reversed the severe hyperphosphataemia, hypercalcaemia, and hypervitaminosis D found in Fgf-23−/− littermates; rather, double mutants show hypophosphataemia and normal serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels similar to pure FGF-23 Tg mice. These changes were associated with reduced renal expression of NaPi2a and 1α-hydroxylase, compared to Fgf-23−/− mice. FGF-23 acts to prevent widespread abnormal features by acting systemically to regulate phosphate homeostasis and vitamin D metabolism. This novel mouse model provides us with an in vivo tool to study the systemic effects of FGF-23 in regulating mineral ion metabolism and preventing multiple abnormal phenotypes without the interference of native Fgf-23. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Laser-induced chemical vapor deposition is used to deposit tungsten-coated carbon microcoils from the gas phase. Because the microcoils are used as heating elements in cold/hot gas microthrusters in nanosatellites, it is important to characterize their electrothermal behavior so that the performance of the thruster may be predicted. The coils are deposited using an argon-ion laser (wavelength 514.5nm) at 360mW and 930mbar of C2H4. Bent arms are then deposited at the ends of the 1mm long coils using 600mW of laser power and 700mbar of C2H4. The arms serve as electrical contacts and as mechanical supports to hold the coils in the thruster by a locking mechanism. A layer of tungsten is then applied to the carbon coils by the hydrogen-reduction of WF6 using a 20:1 (H2 :WF6) pressure ratio at a total pressure of 105mbar and 400mW of laser power. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy analysis showed the tungsten coating to be 1.5–3.5μm thick on the body of the coil and less than 2μm on the contact arms. The tungsten coating reduced the resistance of the carbon coils by an order of magnitude and reached higher temperatures at lower voltages. In vacuum, the tungsten coating is the dominant current carrier below 1300–1700°C; above this range carbon dominates. Peak temperatures for the tungsten-coated coils are 2050°C in vacuum and 1940°C in N2 – several hundred degrees higher than the non-coated coils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and purpose:Two compounds, URB602 and URB754, have been reported in the literature to be selective inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase, although a recent study has questioned their ability to prevent 2-arachidonoyl hydrolysis by brain homogenates and cerebellar membranes. In the present study, the ability of these compounds to inhibit monoacylglycerol lipase and fatty acid amide hydrolase has been reinvestigated.Experimental approach:Homogenates and cell lines were incubated with test compounds and, thereafter, with either [3H]-2-oleoylglycerol or [3H]-anandamide. Labelled reaction products were separated from substrate using chloroform: methanol extraction.Key results:In cytosolic fractions from rat brain, URB602 and URB754 inhibited the hydrolysis of 2-oleoylglycerol with IC50 values of 25 and 48 μM, respectively. Anandamide hydrolysis by brain membranes was not sensitive to URB754, but was inhibited by URB602 (IC50 value 17 μM). Hydrolysis of 2-oleoylglycerol by human recombinant monoacylglycerol lipase was sensitive to URB602, but not URB754. The lack of selectivity of URB602 for 2-oleoylglycerol compared to anandamide hydrolysis was also observed for intact RBL2H3 basophilic leukaemia cells. C6 glioma expressed mRNA for monoacylglycerol lipase, and hydrolyzed 2-oleoylglycerol in a manner sensitive to inhibition by methyl arachidonoyl fluorophosphonate but not URB754 or URB597. MC3T3-E1 mouse osteoblastic cells, which did not express mRNA for monoacylglycerol lipase, hydrolyzed 2-oleoylglycerol in the presence of URB597, but the hydrolysis was less sensitive to methyl arachidonoyl fluorophosphonate than for C6 cells.Conclusions and implications:The data demonstrate that the compounds URB602 and URB754 do not behave as selective and/or potent inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase.British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 186–191. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706971; published online 4 December 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a simple method for evaluation rotation dislocation of supracondylar elbow fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the intra- and interobserver agreement of ultrasound assessment of clubfoot patho-anatomy in early childhood.Material and Methods: Seventeen clubfeet in 12 children were sequentially scanned by 2 examiners and repeat assessments were carried out independently. Three well-defined imaging planes were chosen to evaluate navicular displacement: the medial malleolus-navicular (MM-N) distance, soft tissue thickness, talar deformity and the calcaneo-cuboid (C-C) distance. Intra- and interobserver agreement was analysed using Cohen's kappa for the discrete variables and by Bland-Altman's graphic technique for measurements.Results: Kappa values for intra-observer agreement were 0.82 for navicular displacement, 0.93 for "talar head pointing laterally", and 0.70 for medial deviation of the talar neck. The corresponding interobserver kappa values were 0.70, 0.68, and 0.36. The mean difference between the two observers for the MM-N distance was 0.42 +/- 3.0 mm and for the soft tissue thickness 0.35 +/- 2.0 mm; the C-C distance showed a mean interobserver distance of 0.0 +/- 2.8 mm.Conclusion: The imaging planes used to study the talo-navicular and calcaneo-cuboid relationships are reproducible and relatively easy to learn. Intra- and interobserver assessments were acceptable for MM-N distance, soft tissue thickness, navicular displacement and "talar head pointing laterally", but questionable for the C-C distance and medial deviation of the talar neck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer variability and to find differences in diagnostic safety between digital and analog technique in diagnostic zones around hip prostheses. In 80 patients who had had a total hip replacement (THR) for more than 2 years, a conventional image and a digital image were taken. Gruen's model of seven distinct regions of interest was used for evaluations. Five experienced radiologists observed the seven regions and noted in a protocol the following distances: stem-cement; cement-bone; and stem-bone. All images were printed on hard copies and were read twice. Weighted kappa, kappa(w), analyses were used. The two most frequently loosening regions, stem-cement region 1 and cement-bone region 7, were closely analyzed. In region 1 the five observers had an agreement of 86.75-97.92% between analog and digital images in stem-cement, which is a varied kappa(w) 0.29-0.71. For cement-bone region 7 an agreement of 87.21-90.45% was found, which is a varied kappa(w) of 0.48-0.58. All the kappa values differ significantly from nil. The result shows that digital technique is as good as analog radiographs for diagnosing possible loosening of hip prostheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the chemotherapy procedures applied to osteosarcoma patients by the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group. Common occurrence of the disease in children and adolescents particularly in the distal femur and proximal tibia; Low overall survival in methods used before the introduction of intensive polyagent chemotherapy; Rationale for preoperative chemotherapy which is to achieve immediate effect on metastatic disease.

Objective: To investigate development of radiographic damage in hands and feet of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) monitored prospectively for 10 years, and to search for prognostic factors.Patients and Methods: 181 patients with early RA (mean disease duration one year) were assessed annually with radiographs of hands and feet during years 0-5 and at year 10. Radiographs were evaluated according to Larsen (range 0-200). Predictive factors for progressive disease for years 0-5 and 5-10 were evaluated by logistic regression analyses.Results: 82/168 (49%) patients had erosions at inclusion and almost all became erosive with time (90% after two years and 96% after 10 years). Radiographic progression was most rapid during the first two years and 75% of all damage occurred during the first five years. The median Larsen score increased from 6 at inclusion to 41 after five years and 54 after 10 years. Only 5.3% of all evaluated joints became maximally eroded, the second metacarpophalangeal joint being the most commonly affected. Mean ESR during the first three months and rheumatoid factor status were significant predictors for radiographic progressive disease, it was not possible to predict non-progressive disease.Conclusions: Joint damage in hands and feet developed early and progression was most rapid during the first years of disease. The different rates of progression at different stages should be considered in the design of trials of drugs aimed at retarding joint damage. Disease activity at study start influenced the degree of joint damage during the entire 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the clinical and radiological characteristics of osteochondritis dissecans (OD) of the hip and the outcome of this condition after treatment. Material and Methods: Twelve male and 3 female patients with OD were retrospectively studied. Six patients had a history of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) and among them 2 also had had a trauma to the hip. A further 5 had had trauma and 1 a developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH). The remaining 3 patients had no history of previous hip disease or trauma. All patients were examined with plain radiography, 7 with MR, 3 with CT and 2 with hip arthrography. Results: All OD lesions were detected at plain radiography, and most of them were located near the fovea. At MR the lesions had low signal intensity at T1-weighted sequences, and 6/7 had edema or fluid collection in or adjacent to the lesion on T2-weighted sequences. The early treatment in 7 patients was surgery, 2 had had conservative treatment and 6 no treatment. At follow-up 12 years after radiological diagnosis, 5 patients had hip arthrosis, 4 of whom were treated with arthroplasty. All but 3 had reduced hip rotation and all but 2 (with arthroplasty) had load pain. Three of the patients with earlier surgery had not developed arthrosis. Conclusions: OD lesions are usually well seen with plain radiography. There is a great risk of developing early arthrosis and it seems that early surgery is connected with arthrosis development. Thus only symptomatic treatment is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to assess clubfoot anatomy by US in newborn babies before and in the early phase of treatment. Reproducible US projections and measurements were carried out on 30 untreated clubfeet in 22 children, consecutively included in the study. The position of the navicular in relation to the head of the talus was visualised in all feet. The mean distance between the medial malleolus and the navicular was significantly shorter in the clubfeet than in normal feet. There was a tendency to medial displacement of the cuboid. Soft tissue thickness at the medial side of the foot was increased in all deformed feet. The measurements showed an acceptable intra- and inter-observer reliability for the different variables assessed ( r=0.71-0.96, Pearson's correlation coefficient). With US it is possible to obtain well-defined planes of investigation that give important information about the clubfoot deformity concerning the talo-crural, the talo-navicular and the calcaneo-cuboid joints. The method is simple enough to be used in everyday clinical practice and we recommend it as a guide during the non-operative treatment and for preoperative planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to establish guidelines for US assessment of the talo-crural, the talo-navicular and the calcaneo-cuboid joints during the first year of life, which could serve as a reference while studying foot deformities. The feet of 54 healthy children were examined at birth and at the age of 4, 7 and 12 months by using three easily defined and reproducible US projections. With a medial projection the relation of the navicular in relation to the medial malleolus and the head of the talus was studied. A lateral projection revealed the calcaneo-cuboid relationship and a dorsal projection the talo-navicular alignment in the sagittal plane. Normal values for measurements of these cartilaginous relationships were established for the different age groups. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was assessed and found to be acceptable ( r=0.53-0.90, Pearson correlation coefficient). With US it is possible to obtain reproducible planes of investigation that give reliable information about the talo-crural, the talo-navicular and the calcaneo-cuboid relationships during the first year of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an extensive study of the support vector machine (SVM) sensitivity to various processing steps in the context of face authentication. In particular, we evaluate the impact of the representation space and photometric normalisation technique on the SVM performance. Our study supports the hypothesis that the SVM approach is able to extract the relevant discriminatory information from the training data. We believe that this is the main reason for its superior performance over benchmark methods (e.g. the eigenface technique). However, when the representation space already captures and emphasises the discriminatory information content (e.g. the fisherface method), the SVMs cease to be superior to the benchmark techniques. The SVM performance evaluation is carried out on a large face database containing 295 subjects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study which investigated the belief that extensive morphological variation of tetraploid birch is due to gene flow from diploid dwarf birch by means of introgressive hybridization. Materials and methods used; Overview of the molecular genetic experiment; Results and discussion.

Purpose: A system for examination and measurement of the weight-bearing knee was developed earlier on examination equipment used for QUESTOR Precision Radiography (QPR), adapted to computed radiography and to a picture archiving and communication system. In this study the same system was used to develop a method to define "patellar variables" including measurements of the rotation of the femur and the tibia and the patellar translation, between semiflexion and extension, as well as the Q-angle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of these patellar variables and also to establish "normal" reference values for both the patellar variables and the variables in the original QPR system.Material and Methods: For evaluation of the reproducibility 10 volunteers with healthy knees were examined twice. To obtain the reference values, 80 volunteers with healthy knees, 10 females and 10 males within each decade between 20 and 59 years of age, were examined.Results and Conclusion: The reproducibility of the rotation of the femur and the tibia and of the Q-angle was 2--3 degrees (SD) and of the patellar translation about 3 mm (SD). The result from the healthy volunteers will be a useful tool for evaluation of disorders in the knee joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the femorotibial rotation, the patellar translation, the hip-knee-ankle angle and the Q-angle in patients with a dislocation of the patella with those of healthy volunteers. Further, the clinically measured Q-angle was compared to that measured by radiography. Material and Methods: A system for measurement of patellar variables was previously developed and applied to 80 healthy volunteers. In the present study, 28 patients (20 women, 8 men) with dislocation of the patella were examined bilaterally. Fourteen patients had habitual dislocations (20 affected knees) and 14 patients traumatic dislocations (17 affected knees). In 20 patients the clinical Q-angle was measured bilaterally by an orthopaedic surgeon and in 9 of these patients also by a second independent orthopaedic surgeon. Results: The most striking finding was that dislocating knees in both groups showed a smaller Q-angle than the healthy knees. Further, the habitual group showed greater relative rotation between the tibia and the femur and an increased patellar translation compared to the traumatic group and to the healthy volunteers. There was a poor correlation between clinical and radiographic measurements of the Q-angle and no correlation was found between two independent clinical measurements. Conclusion: Surgical operations aiming at decreasing the Q-angle should be challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To establish a correlation between radiation dose and diagnostic accuracy when employing a new digital method for angle determinations. The specific intention was to determine how far the radiation dose can be reduced without losing measuring accuracy and to compare this radiation dose with that employed with our conventional method.Material and Methods: An image succession of an anthropomorphic phantom was generated with a computed radiography (CR) system, by reducing the exposure stepwise. The images were archived and transferred to a workstation for evaluation. The intraobserver variation of two angle determinations was used as an indicator of the evaluation accuracy. Patient radiation doses were measured with thermoluminescent dosimeters. The energy imparted, indicating the relative risk associated with exposure to ionising radiation, and the effective dose, which determines the absolute risk, were calculated.Results and Conclusion: No significant correlation was found between patient dose and measuring accuracy within the evaluated exposure interval. At the lowest exposure of the CR system, the energy imparted to the patient was 30 microJ. Compared with our conventional analogue method this is a reduction by 98%. The effective dose was as low as 1.5 microSv. The CR technique creates possibilities to adapt exposure parameters, and thus the radiation dose to the patient, according to the purpose of the investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial process affecting cartilage and subchondral bone. Conventional radiographs are inexpensive and readily available. The increased knowledge with regard to interpreting weightbearing radiographs of the tibiofemoral joint and axial radiographs of the patellofemoral joint will enable these examinations to remain competitive techniques compared with more expensive and sophisticated methods, such as MR imaging, when investigating knee pain to establish the diagnosis and the severity of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective: To identify radiological changes of the hands and feet in a large group of patients with Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl syndrome.Design: Postero-anterior views of hands and feet were obtained and analysed.Patients: The material consists of 43 Scandinavian patients with the syndrome (24 males and 19 females; age 3 weeks to 57 years, median 23 years at the time of radiological examination).Results and Conclusions: Polydactyly of the hands and feet is one of the main criteria. This was noted clinically in 33 of 43 patients, but all but 3 had been operated on before this radiological study. Remnants of the extirpated finger or toe noted as exostoses, additional joint surfaces of duplication were found in half the hands and feet, while the remainder showed no radiological changes. Other features found were short, broad bones and flat joint surfaces of the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joints. We also found a high frequency of short or long ulna in relation to the radius and Madelung deformity of the wrist in several patients. Thus, the radiographs showed several non-specific normal variations besides remnants or postoperative changes after polydactyly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avulsion of the superior or inferior ring apophyses of the cervical spine was found in 12 of 1922 patients aged 10-20 years. Clinical and radiological follow-up of 9 of these patients was undertaken 3-25 years after trauma. Avulsion of the superior apophysis occurs after flexion, while extension trauma causes avulsion of the inferior ring apophysis. The follow-up appearance is characteristic in both instances. In superior ring apophysis avulsion, there is a bow shape of the superior aspect of the involved vertebral body. In inferior avulsion, the avulsed apophysis fuses with the vertebral body and forms an "osteophyte", whose shape and size depend on the degree of displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]