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Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common injury among orthopaedic patients with many different treatment modalities including bone-patella-bone autograft (BPBA) ACL reconstruction. Patella tendon width has been reported to be a predictor of recovery speed and success following BPBA repair. This study reports on the strength of the relationship between patella width and patella tendon width. Twenty fresh frozen cadavers were included in the study. Patella and patellar tendon measurements were recorded at the midpoint of the patellar tendon. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to determine the relationship between patella width and patellar tendon width. Bivariate correlations with 95% confidence intervals and coefficients of determination (R(2) ) are reported. The study used 20 cadavers, 12 men and 8 women with a mean age of 72 (standard deviation [SD] = 12; range = 44 to 87). The mean patella width was 49.24mm (SD = 4.11; range 42.33mm-56.33mm) while the mean patellar tendon width was 26.10mm (SD = 3.31; range 18.33mm-33.33mm). The correlation between patella width and patellar tendon width was 0.67 (95% confidence interval = 0.45 - 0.81). R(2), the percent of variance in patellar tendon width accounted for by patella width, was 0.45. The regression equation for predicting patellar tendon width (y) yielded a formula of y = 0.536 + -0.316 × patella width. A moderate correlation exists between patella width and patellar tendon width. Our data suggests that this correlation is strongest with wider patellas and is more loosely associated with smaller patellas., (Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Globally, obesity and diabetes (particularly type 2 diabetes) represents a major challenge to world health. Despite decades of intense research efforts, the genetic basis involved in diabetes pathogenesis & conditions associated with obesity are still poorly understood. Recent advances have led to exciting new developments implicating epigenetics as an important mechanism underpinning diabetes and obesity related disease. One epigenetic mechanism known as the "histone code" describes the idea that specific patterns of post-translational modifications to histones act like a molecular "code" recognised and used by non-histone proteins to regulate specific chromatin functions. One modification which has received significant attention is that of histone acetylation. The enzymes which regulate this modification are described as lysine acetyltransferases or KATs and histone deacetylases or HDACs. Due to their conserved catalytic domain HDACs have been actively targeted as a therapeutic target. Some of the known inhibitors of HDACs (HDACi) have also been shown to act as "chemical chaperones" to alleviate diabetic symptoms. In this review, we discuss the available evidence concerning the roles of HDACs in regulating chaperone function and how this may have implications in the management of diabetes.

Purpose: Various methods have been used to redistribute plantar surface foot pressure in patients with foot ulcers. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of four modalities (fracture walker, fracture walker with insert, and open and closed toe total contact casts) in reducing plantar foot pressure., Methods: Ten healthy, normal volunteer subjects had an F-scan sensor (ultra thin shoe insert pressure monitor) placed under the right foot. They then ambulated on a flat surface, maintaining their normal gait. Dynamic plantar pressures were averaged over 10 steps at four different sites (plantar surface of great toe, first metatarsal head, base of fifth metatarsal, and plantar heel). All subjects repeated this sequence under five different testing conditions (barefoot, with a fracture walker, fracture walker with arch support insert, open and closed toe total contact cast). Each subject's barefoot pressures were then compared with the pressures during the different modalities., Results: All four treatment modalities significantly reduced (p < 0.05) plantar pressure at the first metatarsal head (no method was superior). The fracture walker, fracture walker with insert, and open toe total contact cast significantly reduced pressure at the heel. Pressures at the base of the fifth metatarsal and great toe were not significantly reduced with any treatment form., Conclusion: The fracture walker, with and without arch support, and total contact cast can effectively reduce plantar pressure at the heel and first metatarsal head.