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Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: In order to design an implant for the ankle joint that mimics normal joint motion, the condylar geometry of the talus must be anatomically accurate. Previous attempts to describe the curvature of the talus have typically involved fitting single-radius arcs to the medial and lateral facets. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the curvature of the medial and lateral sides of the talus can be more accurately described by dividing the condyles into anterior and posterior regions, thus creating bi-radial curves for both the medial and lateral sides of the talus. Methods: After IRB approval, 18 subjects (9 male, 9 female; mean age 34.5 years) underwent weight-bearing CT scans at mid- stance of simulated gait. All subjects were deemed to have a healthy right ankle by the surgeon investigator. CT images were used to generate 3D models of each talus. A coordinate system was defined and the articular surface of the talus was separated into four sections: medial-anterior (MA), medial-posterior (MP), lateral-anterior (LA) and lateral-posterior (LP). The curvature of each section was defined by selecting points on the articular surface at 10° intervals. The extent of each radius was 30° of arc and the magnitude of each radius was selected to minimize the gaps between the radii and the spline curve to define a best-fit bi-radial approximation to the spline curve using geometry that could be easily used to define the articular surface of the talus. Ratios of the aforementioned radii were calculated. Results: The average MA, MP, LA and LP radii were 18.3 mm, 26.6 mm, 21.5 mm and 25.1 mm, respectively. The medial (A/P), lateral (A/P), anterior (M/L) and posterior (M/L) radii ratios were 0.70, 0.87, 0.88 and 1.07, respectively. The anterior and posterior ratios were compared using a paired t-test and found to be statistically different (P=.019). Further, the data were compared against a hypothesized value of 1 using a one-tailed one-sample t-test. The anterior ratio was significantly lower than 1 (P=.014) while the posterior ratio was significantly greater (P=.037). On the lateral side, 83.3% of the subjects exhibited a larger posterior radius than anterior radius. Only one subject (5.6%) had a larger anterior radius than posterior radius on the medial side. Conclusion: This study shows that the radius increases in the sagittal plane from the anterior portion to the posterior portion of both the medial and lateral sides of the talus. Furthermore, the MA radius is smaller than the LA radius. Conversely, the MP radius is larger than the LP radius. These results substantiate the validity of an implant design that incorporates a condylar radius ratio that is smaller for the anterior dorsiflexion surface and greater for the posterior plantar flexion surface. Implants with more accurate anatomical geometry may allow for more normal kinematics and potentially prolong the life of the implant.

Identification of biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer (LC) is important, in turn leading to more effective treatment and reduction of mortality. Serological proteome analysis (SERPA) was used to identify proteins around 34 kD as ECH1 and HNRNPA2B1, which had been recognized by serum autoantibody from 25 LC patients. In the validation study, including 90 sera from LC patients and 89 sera from normal individuals, autoantibody to ECH1 achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.799 with sensitivity of 62.2% and specificity of 95.5% in discriminating LC from normal individuals, and showed negative correlation with tumor size (rs = −0.256, p = 0.023). Autoantibody to HNRNPA2B1 performed an AUC of 0.874 with sensitivity of 72.2% and specificity of 95.5%, and showed negative correlation with lymph node metastasis (rs = −0.279, p = 0.012). By using longitudinal preclinical samples, autoantibody to ECH1 showed an AUC of 0.763 with sensitivity of 60.0% and specificity of 89.3% in distinguishing early stage LC from matched normal controls, and elevated autoantibody levels could be detected greater than 2 y before LC diagnosis. ECH1 and HNRNPA2B1 are autoantigens that elicit autoimmune responses in LC and their autoantibody can be the potential biomarkers for the early detection of LC.

Olive oil contains a vast range of substances such as monounsaturated free fatty acids (e.g., oleic acid), hydrocarbon squalene, tocopherols, aroma components, and phenolic compounds. Higher consumption of olive oil is considered the hallmark of the traditional Mediterranean diet, which has been associated with low incidence and prevalence of cancer, including colorectal cancer. The anticancer properties of olive oil have been attributed to its high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, squalene, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds. Nevertheless, there is a growing interest in studying the role of olive oil phenolics in carcinogenesis. This review aims to provide an overview of the relationship between olive oil phenolics and colorectal cancer, in particular summarizing the epidemiologic, in vitro, cellular, and animal studies on antioxidant and anticarcinogenic effects of olive oil phenolics. Key words: olive oil phenolics, colorectal cancer, antioxidant, anticancer