MRI texture features of infrapatellar fat pad were valid to predict the development of incident knee osteoarthritis. Background Infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) quality has been implicated as a marker for predicting knee osteoarthritis (KOA); however, no valid quantification for subtle IPFP abnormalities has been est...

Displaced femoral neck fractures in young adults are most likely to result from high energy trauma that causes a vertically-oriented shearing injury through the femoral neck. The optimal strategy for treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures remains an unsolved challenge in orthopedic surgery. our group has previously designed a medial anatomical buttress plate (MABP) based on the analysis of the computed tomography (CT) data of anatomical structures derived from a large sample population. In this study, finite element analyses (FEA) were carried out to compare the outcomes of the combination of our MABP with cannulated screws to those of the combination of tubular plate with cannulated screws, and to those of using cannulated screws alone. MABP resulted in a more stable fixation as compared to the other two approaches, with respect to the femur and the stress distributions, stress peaks, and Z axis displacements. The FEA encouraged us that addition of a medial buttress plate not only achieved superior medial buttress stability but also achieves superior performance because it perfectly fits with the existing anatomic structure of medial femoral neck. The results from our study may provide references for clinical decision making in dealing with such patients.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the commonest musculoskeletal disease worldwide, with an increasing prevalence due to aging. It causes joint pain and disability, decreased quality of life, and a huge burden on healthcare services for society. However, the current main diagnostic methods are not suitable for early diagnosing patients of OA. The use of machine learning (ML) in OA diagnosis has increased dramatically in the past few years. Hence, in this review article, we describe the research progress in the application of ML in the early diagnosis of OA, discuss the current trends and limitations of ML approaches, and propose future research priorities to apply the tools in the field of OA. Accurate ML-based predictive models with imaging techniques that are sensitive to early changes in OA ahead of the emergence of clinical features are expected to address the current dilemma. The diagnostic ability of the fusion model that combines multidimensional information makes patient-specific early diagnosis and prognosis estimation of OA possible in the future.

Current surgical interventions for the femoral neck fracture are using either cannulated screws (CCS) or a single large screw at a fixed angle with a side-plate (i.e., a sliding hip screw, AKA dynamic hip screw, DHS). Despite these interventions, the need for reoperation remains high (10.0–48.8%) and largely unchanged over the past 30 years. Femoral neck fracture is associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and costs. In this study, our group designed a plate that combines the strength of both CCS and sliding hip screw, through providing three dynamic screws at a fixed angle with a side-plate, namely the slide compression anatomic place-femoral neck (SCAP-FN). Finite element analyses (FEA) were carried out to compare the outcomes of the combination of our SCAP-FN plate with DHS+DS (derotational screw) and to those of using cannulated screws alone. SCAP-FN produces more stable fixation with respect to the femur and the stress distributions, stress peaks, and rotational angles. The FEA encouraged us that in the following biomechanical experiment, SCAP-FN may remain the strengths of both CCS and DHS+DS and show a better performance in resisting shearing and rotational forces, therefore achieving the best stability in terms of smallest displacement and rotational angle.