Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease and affects millions of people worldwide, particularly the elderly population. The pathophysiology of OA is complex and involves multiple factors. Methods: Several studies have emphasized the crucial role of inflammation in this process. The receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), the receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) trigger a signaling cascade that leads to the excessive production of RANKL in the serum. Conclusions: The aim of this narrative review is (i) to assess the role of the RANK/RANKL/OPG signaling pathway in the context of OA progression, focusing especially on the physiopathology and on all the mechanisms leading to the activation of the inflammatory cascade, and (ii) to evaluate all the potential therapeutic strategies currently available that restore balance to bone formation and resorption, reducing structural abnormalities and relieving pain in patients with OA.

Objective: There are no specific criteria that define the level of amputation in diabetic patients. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of clinical and laboratory parameters in determining the level of amputation and the wound healing time. Methods: One hundred and thirty-nine diabetic patients were retrospectively assessed. They underwent surgical procedures due to infection and/or ischemic necrosis. Type of surgery, antibiotic use, laboratory parameters and length of hospital stay were evaluated in this study. Results: The most common amputation level was transmetatarsal, occurring in 26 patients (28.9%). The wound healing time increased with statistical significance in individuals undergoing debridement, who did not receive preoperative antibiotics and did not undergo vascular intervention. Higher levels of amputation were statistically related to limb ischemia, previous amputation and non-use of preoperative antibiotics. Conclusion: Patients with minor amputations undergo stump revision surgery more often, but the act of always targeting the most distal stump possible decreases energy expenditure while walking, allowing patients to achieve better quality of life. Risk factors for major amputations were ischemia and previous amputations. A protective factor was preoperative antibiotic therapy. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Study.

There is a need for a patient-relevant instrument to evaluate outcome after treatment in patients with a total Achilles tendon rupture. The purpose of this study was to undertake a cross-cultural adaptation of the Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) into Brazilian Portuguese, determining the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the instrument. A five-step approach was used in the cross-cultural adaptation process: initial translation (two bilingual Brazilian translators), synthesis of translation, back-translation (two native English language translators), consensus version and evaluation (expert committee), and testing phase. A total of 46 patients were recruited to evaluate the test-retest reproducibility and construct validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the ATRS. Test-retest reproducibility was performed by assessing each participant on two separate occasions. The construct validity was determined by the correlation index between the ATRS and the Orthopedic American Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) questionnaires. The final version of the Brazilian Portuguese ATRS had the same number of questions as the original ATRS. For the reliability analysis, an ICC(2,1) of 0.93 (95 % CI: 0.88 to 0.96) with SEM of 1.56 points and MDC of 4.32 was observed, indicating excellent reliability. The construct validity showed excellent correlation with R = 0.76 (95 % CI: 0.52 to 0.89, P < 0.001). The ATRS was successfully cross-culturally validated into Brazilian Portuguese. This version was a reliable and valid measure of function in patients who suffered complete rupture of the Achilles Tendon.