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Objectives Opposed to other spectral CT techniques, fat quantification in dual-layer detector CT (dlCT) has only recently been developed. The impact of concomitant iron overload and dlCT-specific protocol settings such as the dose right index (DRI), a measure of image noise and tube current, on dlCT fat quantification was unclear. Further, spectral information became newly available <120 kV. Therefore, this study's objective was to evaluate the impact of iron, changing tube voltage, and DRI on dlCT fat quantification. Material and methods Phantoms with 0 and 8mg/cm3 iron; 0 and 5mg/cm3 iodine; 0, 10, 20, 35, 50, and 100% fat and liver equivalent, respectively, were scanned with a dlCT (CT7500, Philips, the Netherlands) at 100kV/20DRI, 120kV/20DRI, 140kV/20DRI, and at 120kV/16DRI, 120kV/24DRI. Material decomposition was done for fat, liver, and iodine (A1); for fat, liver, and iron (A2); and for fat, liver, and combined reference values of iodine and iron (A3). All scans were analyzed with reference values from 120kV/20DRI. For statistics, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analyses were used. Results In phantoms with iron and iodine, results were best for A3 with a mean deviation to phantom fat of 1.3±2.6% (ICC 0.999 [95%-confidence interval 0.996-1]). The standard approach A1 yielded a deviation of -2.5±3.0% (0.998[0.994-0.999]), A2 of 6.1±4.8% (0.991[0.974-0.997]). With A3 and changing tube voltage, the maximal difference between quantified fat and the phantom ground truth occurred at 100kV with 4.6±2.1%. Differences between scans were largest between 100kV and 140kV (2.0%[-7.1-11.2]). The maximal difference of changing DRI occurred between 16 and 24 DRI with 0.4%[-2.2-3.0]. Conclusion For dlCT fat quantification in the presence of iron, material decomposition with combined reference values for iodine and iron delivers the most accurate results. Tube voltage-specific calibration of reference values is advisable while the impact of the DR

Background: Deformation of acetabular cups when press-fitted into an undersized cavity is inevitable due to the inhomogeneous stiffness of acetabular bone. Thinner cups or screw holes might increase the risk of high cup deformation. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of cup design and liner assembly on the deformation response during cup implantation. Methods: Acetabular cups with different designs were implanted into polyurethane foam models simulating the anatomical situation with nominal press-fits of 1mm and without nominal press-fits (line-to-line). Deformations were determined using a tactile coordinate measuring machine. A 3D laser scanner was used to determine the contact conditions at the cup-cavity interface. Polyethylene and ceramic liners were assembled to the implanted cups and the influence of the insertion on the deformation response evaluated. Fixation strength of the cups was determined by push-out testing. Findings: Cup deformation increased with smaller wall thickness (P < 0.037) and screw holes (P < 0.001). Insertion of ceramic liners reduced the deformation (P < 0.001), whereas polyethylene liners adapted to the deformation of the implanted cups (P > 0.999). Thin-walled cups exhibited a higher fixation strength for similar implantation forces (P = 0.011). Interpretation: Thin-walled cups achieved higher fixation strengths and might be more bone-preserving. However, in combination with screw holes and high press-fit levels, wall thickness should be considered carefully to avoid excessive cup deformations leading to potential complications during liner assembly. Line-to-line insertion of thin-walled cups should be accompanied with a rough surface coating to minimize the loss of fixation strength due to the low press-fit fixation.

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide, especially as a result of our aging society, high caloric intake and sedentary lifestyle. Besides the well-known complications of T2DM on the cardiovascular system, the eyes, kidneys and nerves, bone strength is also impaired in diabetic patients. Patients with T2DM have a 40–70% increased risk for fractures, despite having a normal to increased bone mineral density, suggesting that other factors besides bone quantity must account for increased bone fragility. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the complex effects of T2DM on bone including effects on bone cells, bone mat erial properties and other endocrine systems that subsequently affect bone, discusses the effects of T2DM medications on bone and concludes with a model identifying factors that may contribute to poor bone quality and increased bone fragility in T2DM. © 2019 The authors Published by Bioscientifica Ltd.

Healthy bone remodeling results from a balanced bone formation and bone resorption realized by bone-forming osteoblasts and bone-resorbing osteoclasts, respectively. Recently, Thy-1 (CD90) was identified as positive regulator of osteoblast differentiation and activation, thus, promoting bone formation while concurrently inhibiting adipogenesis and obesity in mice. Additionally, Thy-1 did not affect bone resorption. An obesity-related co-morbidity that is increasing in prevalence is a disturbed bone formation resulting in an increased fracture risk. The underlying mechanisms of obesity-induced bone alterations are not yet fully elucidated and therefore therapy options for efficient bone-anabolic treatments are limited. Therefore, we investigated the impact of Thy-1 on bone metabolism under obese conditions. Indeed, high fat diet (HFD) induced obese mice lacking Thy-1 (Thy-1-/-) showed increased body fat mass compared to wildtype (WT) mice while bone mass (-38%) and formation (-57%) were decreased as shown by micro-computed tomography (μCT) measurement, histological analysis, and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Interestingly, under obese conditions, lack of Thy-1 affected both osteoblast and osteoclast function. Number (-30%) and activity of osteoblasts were decreased in obese Thy-1-/- mice while osteoclast number (+39%) and activity were increased. Facilitated bone marrow fat accumulation (+56%) in obese Thy-1-/- mice compared to obese WT mice was associated with upregulated tumor necrosis factor α (Tnfα, +46%) and colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (Csf1r) expression, strong promoters of osteoclast differentiation. Moreover, lack of Thy-1 was accompanied by a reduction of osteoprotegerin (Tnfrsf11b) expression (-36%), an inhibitor of osteoclast differentiation. Altered Tnfα, Csf1r, and Tnfrsf11b expression might be responsible for elevated osteoclast activity in obese Thy-1-deficient mice. In summary, our findings show that lack of Thy-1 promotes o

Owing to an ageing population, the impact of unhealthy lifestyle, or simply congenital or gender specific issues (dysplasia), degenerative bone and joint disease (osteoarthritis) at the hip pose an increasing problem in many countries. Osteoarthritis is painful and causes mobility restrictions; amelioration is often only achieved by replacing the complete hip joint in a total hip arthroplasty (THA). Despite significant orthopaedic progress related to THA, the success of the surgical process relies heavily on the judgement, experience, skills and techniques used of the surgeon. One common way of implanting the stem into the femur is press fitting uncemented stem designs into a prepared cavity. By using a range of compaction broaches, which are impacted into the femur, the cavity for the implant is formed. However, the surgeon decides whether to change the size of the broach, how hard and fast it is impacted or when to stop the excavation process, merely based on acoustic, haptic or visual cues which are subjective. It is known that non-ideal cavity preparations increase the risk of peri-prosthetic fractures especially in elderly people. This study reports on a simulated hip replacement surgery on a cadaver and the analysis of impaction forces and the microphone signals during compaction. The recorded transient signals of impaction forces and acoustic pressures (80 μs - 2 ms) are statistically analysed for their trend, which shows increasing heteroscedasticity in the force-pressure relationship between broach sizes. Tikhonov regularisation, as inverse deconvolution technique, is applied to calculate the acoustic transfer functions from the acoustic responses and their mechanical impacts. The extracted spectra highlight that system characteristics altered during the cavity preparation process: in the high-frequency range the number of resonances increased with impacts and broach size. By applying nonlinear time series analysis the system dynamics increase in complexity