Zielstellung: Die Ruptur des vorderen Kreuzbandes (VkB) ist die häufigste Ursache einer Lahmheit beim Hund. Im Gegensatz zu der Humanmedizin, wo die anatomische intraartikuläre Rekonstruktion des vorderen Kreuzbandes als Therapie der Wahl gilt, wird die intraartikuläre Rekonstruktion beim Hund nur selten durchgeführt und hat bis jetzt nicht dauerhaften Erfolg. Die anatomische Platzierung der Bohrkanäle ist bei Menschen für den Erfolg der Operation bei Menschen entscheidend. Erstes Ziel der Studie war die Bestimmung der radiologischen Lage des Zentrums des femoralen vorderen Kreuzbandursprungs beim Hund. Zweites Ziel war die Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Zielgerätes für die arthroskopisch-assistierte, anatomische vordere Kreuzbandrekonstruktion beim Hund. Material und Methode: A. Radiologische Studie: Die kraniale Begrenzung des femoralen Ursprungs des vorderen Kreuzbandes (VK) wurde mit einem röntgendichten Draht bei 49 Femora orthopädisch gesunder Hunde (KM > 20 kg) markiert. Anschließend wurde eine Computertomographie und 3D- Rekonstruktion jedes Femurs angerfertigt, anhand derer der Ursprung manuell segmentiert und das Zentrum berechnet wurde. Schließlich wurden, basierend auf den 3D-Modellen, virtuelle Röntgenbilder in zwei Ebenen berechnet. An diesen wurde die Position des berechneten Zentrums mit drei unterschiedlichen Methoden bestimmt (4x4-Gitterbox-Methode und prozentuale Position für die medio-laterale Projektion; Ziffernblattmethode für die disto-proximale Projektion). B. Zielgerät: Hintergliedmaßen (n = 12) von 6 Hundekadavern (KM ≥20 kg) wurden verwendet. Eine Gliedmaße jedes Kadavers wurde zufällig ausgewählt und die kaudo-kraniale Lage des Zentrums des vorderen Kreuzbandansatzes (vKBA) in medio-lateralen Röntgenbildern berechnet und anschließend auf ein justierbares Zielgerät übertragen. Unter arthroskopischer Kontrolle wurde das Zielgerät hinter der lateralen Kondyle eingehakt und ein Steinmann Pin von extra nach intraartikulär platziert. Die Position der resultierenden Bohrkanäle wurde sowohl röntgenologisch bestimmt als auch dreidimensional mit dem anatomischen Zentrum des vKBA der kontralateralen Hintergliedmaßen verglichen. Ergebnisse: A. Radiologische Studie: In der medio-lateralen Projektion befand sich das Zentrum des femoralen Kreuzbandursprungs im zweiten Rechteck von proximal in der kaudalen Spalte. Die mittlere prozentuale kaudo-kraniale und proximo-distale Position war 20,2 % (± 2,2), beziehungsweise 33,8% (± 3,7). Im disto-proximalen Röntgenbild lag in 97,6 % der Femora das Zentrum des femoralen Kreuzbandursprungs zwischen 14:00 und 15:00 Uhr. B. Zielgerät: In allen postoperativen Röntgenaufnahmen lagen die sechs Bohrkanäle im bzw. nahe dem Zentrum des vKBA. Die 3D- Messungen ergaben eine mediane Abweichung der Bohrkanalposition im Vergleich zum anatomischen Zentrum der kontralateralen Seite von 0,6 mm (Bereich:0,2– 0,9 mm). Schlussfolgerung: Die erarbeiteten Referenzwerte können für die Planung sowie die intra- und postoperative Kontrolle der femoralen Bohrung verwendet werden. Die Verwendung eines justierbaren Zielgerätes ermöglicht die präzise anatomische Platzierung des femoralen Bohrkanals für die intraartikuläre Rekonstruktion des vorderen Kreuzbandes. Die beschriebene Methode wird helfen, eine Fehlplatzierung des femoralen Bohrkanals im Zuge der intraartikulären vorderen Kreuzbandplastik zu reduzieren. In Kombination mit dem bereits beschriebenen tibialen Zielgerät sind nun die technischen Voraussetzungen für die arthroskopisch-assistierte anatomische vordere Kreuzbandplastik in der Tiermedizin gegeben. / Objective: Cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) pathology is the most frequent cause of lameness in dogs. In contrast to human medicine, where anatomic reconstruction of the ACL is considered the treatment of choice, intra-articular repair in dogs is not commonly performed and until now has not met with enduring success. Accurate tunnel placement has been shown to be crucial in obtaining a successful outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in humans. The first aim of our study was to define the radiographic location of the center of the femoral attachment of the CrCL in dogs, for the pre- operative planning as well as post-operative control of anatomical placement of the femoral tunnel. Second aim of the study was to develop and validate an aiming device for arthroscopic femoral tunnel placement. Materials and Methods: A. Radiographic study: Using femora from 49 adult, orthopedically sound dogs (BW ≥ 20 kg), a radiopaque marker was placed on the cranial border of the femoral footprint of the CrCL. Computed tomography and 3D reconstruction of each femur was performed subsequently, followed by manual segmentation of the footprint on the 3D models and calculation of its center. Finally, virtual digital radiographs in two planes were produced and the location of the calculated center of the CrCL was expressed using three different methods (4x4 box grid method and percentage position for the medio-lateral projection; o’clock position for the disto-proximal projection). B. Aiming device: Hindlimbs (n=12) of 6 cadaveric dogs weighing ≥20 kg were used. One hindlimb from each cadaver was randomly chosen and the caudo- cranial position of the CrCL center was calculated, on standard medio-lateral stifle radiographs, and transferred onto to an adjustable aiming device. During stifle arthroscopy the aiming device was inserted and guide pin placed from extra-to-intra-articular. The position of the resulting bone tunnel was evaluated on stifle radiographs and also compared with the anatomic center of each contralateral hindlimb, in the three dimensional (3D) space. Results: A. Radiographic study: In the medio-lateral radiographs the center of the femoral footprint was consistently located in the second rectangle from the top of the most caudal column of the 4x4 grid. The mean percentage caudo- cranial and proximo-distal location was 20.2% (± 2.2) and 33.8% (± 3.7), respectively. In the disto-proximal radiograph, the o’clock position of the CrCL center was between 2 and 3 o’clock in 97.6% of the femora. B. Aiming device: According to the postoperative radiographs, the location of all 6 intra-articular tunnel openings was consistent with the results of the radiographic study. In 3D space, arthroscopic femoral drilling resulted in a median deviation of the drill tunnels of 0.6 mm around the CrCL center. All tunnel openings were located within the CrCL insertion. Conclusions: The reported data can be used to plan and verify the placement of the femoral tunnel opening during intra-articular anatomic CrCL repair. The use of the aiming device suggests that arthroscopic femoral tunnel placement can be achieved with high precision. The measurement for the device can be derived from a standard medio-lateral radiograph of the stifle, which is part of the diagnostic work up of every dog with lameness localized in the stifle. The proposed technique may reduce femoral tunnel misplacement when performing intra-articular CrCL repair in dogs. In combination with the described technique for arthroscopic tibial tunnel drilling, arthroscopic assisted anatomic reconstruction of the CrCL in dogs can be achieved.

Cam-type Femoro-Acetabular Impingement (FAI) is a common cause of hip osteoarthritis (OA). In this condition a bony abnormality at the head-neck junction of the femoral head, called the “cam”, abuts against the acetabulum causing labral damage and articular cartilage delamination, which in turn may lead to progressive degeneration and OA. The understanding of the damage mechanism is currently at a conceptual level. The aim of the thesis is to develop a more detailed understanding of the underlying mechanism so as to improve methods of detection and treatment of cam-type FAI and thus to help prevent hip OA. A geometric-kinematic model combining hip joint motion and hip joint geometry was cre- ated to determine what motions, activities or cam shapes give rise to cam-type impingement, which was quantified by the proximity of the acetabular and femoral bony surfaces. Five normal subjects and five symptomatic cam-type FAI patients were modelled. The FAI patients experienced early impingement during the impingement test but did not have impingement during common functional activities. The early impingement was possibly due to the larger coverage and protrusion of their cams and the smaller overall proximity in their hip joints. A 2D finite element (FE) model was created to simulate cam-type FAI. As idealised 2D rectangular and circular geometries did not reproduce the damage seen clinically, subject- specific geometry, loads, and motions were introduced. Under some circumstances, as the cam entered the hip joint, large shear strains developed near the cartilage-bone interface of the acetabulum which would result in cartilage delamination. In vitro experiments were undertaken to validate the FE model and verify the damage mech- anism by which cam-type FAI leads to cartilage delamination. Porcine cartilage-bone samples were loaded under conditions similar to those generated by a cam (shear and compression). A validation FE model was created that used the same material and contact representations and analysis framework as the impingement FE model but mimicked the experimental setup. The cartilage shear strains assessed with a video-based method were similar to predicted FE results. In vitro damage experiments demonstrated that delamination can be caused by repetitive shear and compressive loading that lead to large shear strains near the cartilage-bone interface. The impingement FE model was used to further explore the effect of cam anatomy. In hips with low clearance, cams with large protrusions (75% hip joint clearance) would not enter into the hip joint, but caused high shear strains in the labrum, which would result in labral tears. A narrower cam caused damage to the labral tip, whereas a wider cam caused damage to the labral-bone junction. In contrast, cams with small protrusion (25% hip joint clearance) were able to enter the joint and caused damage at the articular cartilage-bone interface, which would result in cartilage delamination. The wider the cam, the further into the hip joint the damage was initiated. The FE model was used to explore the effect of different labral anatomy and of reshaping surgery. A labrum connected to the articular cartilage resulted in shear strains of up to five times greater in the articular cartilage and labrum compared to an unconnected labrum and was more likely to cause articular cartilage delamination. For a cam that damages the articular cartilage, surgical removal of the cam reduced shear strains. For a cam that abuts the labrum, surgical removal of the cam eliminated labral abutment and increased the range of motion of the hip, but resulted in greater shear strains in the articular cartilage. It is not known whether these shear strains are normal or could possibly be damaging. Also, reshaping the head to be spherical resulted in slightly reduced shear strains in the articular cartilage compared to the current surgical practice of cutting deeper into the femoral head when removing the cam. This study has, for the first time, using a validated FE model demonstrated the mechanism by which a cam can cause articular cartilage delamination and labral tearing. Further analysis using the geometric and FE model should help identify cam deformities that would be likely to cause OA and the best way to treat them surgically so as to prevent OA.

L’objectif de cette étude est de vérifier si un ciment ostéoconducteur résorbable utilisé comme technique de fixation de greffons ostéochondraux permet d'obtenir une stabilité initiale supérieure à celle obtenue avec la technique de mosaicplastie originalement décrite. Il s’agit d’une étude biomécanique effectuée sur des paires de fémurs cadavériques bovins. Pour chaque paire de fémurs, des greffons ostéochondraux autologues ont été insérés et stabilisés au moyen d’un ciment biorésorbable (Kryptonite, DRG inc.) sur un fémur alors qu’au fémur controlatéral, les greffons ont été implantés par impaction selon la technique usuelle de mosaicplastie. Des greffons uniques ainsi que des greffons en configuration groupée ont été implantés et soumis à une évaluation biomécanique. Les charges axiales nécessaires pour enfoncer les greffons de 1, 2 et 3 mm ont été comparées en fonction de la technique de stabilisation utilisée, ciment ou impaction, pour chaque configuration de greffons. Les résultats démontrent que les greffons ostéochondraux cimentés uniques et groupés ont une stabilité initiale supérieure à celle de greffons non cimentés sur des spécimens cadavériques bovins. L’obtention d’une plus grande stabilité initiale par cimentation des greffons ostéochondraux pourrait permettre une mise en charge précoce post-mosaicplastie et mener à une réhabilitation plus rapide. / The objective of this project is to compare the primary stability of osteochondral autografts stabilized with a resorbable osteoconductive bone cement to that of bottomed press fit grafts inserted according to the original mosaicplasty technique. Biomechanical testing was conducted on pairs of cadaveric bovine femurs. For each femoral pair, osteochondral grafts were inserted and stabilized with an osteoconductive bone cement (Kryptonite, DRG inc.) on one bone whereas on the controlateral femur, grafts were inserted in a press fit fashion. Grafts were inserted in 2 different configurations, single grafts as well as groups of 3 adjacent grafts, and submitted to biomechanical testing. Axial loads needed to sink the grafts to 1, 2 and 3 millimeters below cartilage level were recorded and compared according to the fixation technique, cement or press-fit impaction, for each graft configuration. According to those results, cemented osteochondral autografts appear more stable than press fit grafts for both single and 3-in-a-row configurations. Using such a cementation technique could potentially prevent the initial loss of stability that has been shown to occur with osteochondral grafts in the post-operative period, allowing patients to perform early weight bearing and rehabilitation.

L'arthrose est la maladie musculo-squelettique la plus commune dans le monde. Elle est l'une des principales causes de douleur et d’incapacité chez les adultes, et elle représente un fardeau considérable sur le système de soins de santé. L'arthrose est une maladie de l’articulation entière, impliquant non seulement le cartilage articulaire, mais aussi la synoviale, les ligaments et l’os sous-chondral. L’arthrose est caractérisée par la dégénérescence progressive du cartilage articulaire, la formation d’ostéophytes, le remodelage de l'os sous-chondral, la détérioration des tendons et des ligaments et l'inflammation de la membrane synoviale. Les traitements actuels aident seulement à soulager les symptômes précoces de la maladie, c’est pour cette raison que l'arthrose est caractérisée par une progression presque inévitable vers la phase terminale de la maladie. La pathogénie exacte de l'arthrose est encore inconnue, mais on sait que l'événement clé est la dégradation du cartilage articulaire. Le cartilage articulaire est composé uniquement des chondrocytes; les cellules responsables de la synthèse de la matrice extracellulaire et du maintien de l'homéostasie du cartilage articulaire. Les chondrocytes maintiennent la matrice du cartilage en remplaçant les macromolécules dégradées et en répondant aux lésions du cartilage et aux dégénérescences focales en augmentant l'activité de synthèse locale. Les chondrocytes ont un taux faible de renouvellement, c’est pour cette raison qu’ils utilisent des mécanismes endogènes tels que l'autophagie (un processus de survie cellulaire et d’adaptation) pour enlever les organelles et les macromolécules endommagés et pour maintenir l'homéostasie du cartilage articulaire. i L'autophagie est une voie de dégradation lysosomale qui est essentielle pour la survie, la différenciation, le développement et l’homéostasie. Elle régule la maturation et favorise la survie des chondrocytes matures sous le stress et des conditions hypoxiques. Des études effectuées par nous et d'autres ont montré qu’un dérèglement de l’autophagie est associé à une diminution de la chondroprotection, à l'augmentation de la mort cellulaire et à la dégénérescence du cartilage articulaire. Carames et al ont montré que l'autophagie est constitutivement exprimée dans le cartilage articulaire humain normal. Toutefois, l'expression des inducteurs principaux de l'autophagie est réduite dans le vieux cartilage. Nos études précédentes ont également identifié des principaux gènes de l’autophagie qui sont exprimés à des niveaux plus faibles dans le cartilage humain atteint de l'arthrose. Les mêmes résultats ont été montrés dans le cartilage articulaire provenant des modèles de l’arthrose expérimentaux chez la souris et le chien. Plus précisément, nous avons remarqué que l'expression d’Unc-51 like kinase-1 (ULK1) est faible dans cartilage humain atteint de l'arthrose et des modèles expérimentaux de l’arthrose. ULK1 est la sérine / thréonine protéine kinase et elle est l’inducteur principal de l’autophagie. La perte de l’expression de ULK1 se traduit par un niveau d’autophagie faible. Etant donné qu’une signalisation adéquate de l'autophagie est nécessaire pour maintenir la chondroprotection ainsi que l'homéostasie du cartilage articulaire, nous avons proposé l’hypothèse suivante : une expression adéquate de ULK1 est requise pour l’induction de l’autophagie dans le cartilage articulaire et une perte de cette expression se traduira par une diminution de la chondroprotection, et une augmentation de la mort des chondrocytes ce qui conduit à la dégénérescence du cartilage articulaire. Le rôle exact de ULK1 dans la pathogénie de l'arthrose est inconnue, j’ai alors créé pour la première fois, des souris KO ULK1spécifiquement dans le cartilage en utilisant la technologie Cre-Lox et j’ai ensuite soumis ces souris à la déstabilisation du ménisque médial (DMM), un modèle de l'arthrose de la souris pour élucider le rôle spécifique in vivo de ULK1 dans pathogenèse de l'arthrose. Mes résultats montrent que ULK1 est essentielle pour le maintien de l'homéostasie du cartilage articulaire. Plus précisément, je montre que la perte de ULK1 dans le cartilage articulaire a causé un phénotype de l’arthrose accéléré, associé à la dégénérescence accélérée du cartilage, l’augmentation de la mort cellulaire des chondrocytes, et l’augmentation de l'expression des facteurs cataboliques. En utilisant des chondrocytes provenant des patients atteints de l’arthrose et qui ont été transfectées avec le plasmide d'expression ULK1, je montre qu’ULK1 est capable de réduire l’expression de la protéine mTOR (principal régulateur négatif de l’autophagie) et de diminuer l’expression des facteurs cataboliques comme MMP-13 et ADAMTS-5 et COX-2. Mes résultats jusqu'à présent indiquent que ULK1 est une cible thérapeutique potentielle pour maintenir l'homéostasie du cartilage articulaire. / Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common musculoskeletal disease worldwide. It is one of the leading causes of pain and disability among adults, and represents a considerable burden on the healthcare system. OA is a disease of the entire joint, involving not only the articular cartilage but also the synovium, ligaments and subchondral bone. It is characterized by the progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage, osteophyte formation, remodelling of the subchondral bone, deterioration of tendons and ligaments and various degrees of inflammation of the synovium. While current therapies and management strategies can help alleviate symptoms early in the disease process, OA is characterized by almost inevitable progression towards end-stage disease. The exact pathogenesis of OA is largely unknown but the key event in OA is the degradation of the articular cartilage. The articular cartilage is only composed of chondrocytes; cells responsible for the synthesis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and maintenance of articular cartilage homeostasis. Chondrocytes maintain the articular cartilage matrix by replacing degraded macromolecules and respond to focal cartilage injury or degeneration by increasing local synthesis activity. Since chondrocytes exhibit low levels of turnover, they rely on endogenous mechanisms such as autophagy (a cell survival and adaptation process) to remove damaged organelles and macromolecules in order to maintain articular cartilage homeostasis. Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway that is essential for survival, differentiation, development and homeostasis. It regulates maturation and promotes survival of terminally differentiated chondrocytes under stress and hypoxic conditions. Studies by us and others have shown that compromised autophagy is associated with decreased chondroprotection, increased cell death and articular cartilage degeneration. Carames et al showed that autophagy is constitutively expressed in normal human articular cartilage. However, expression of key autophagy inducers is reduced in ageing cartilage. Our previous studies have also identified a panel of key autophagy genes that are expressed in low levels in human OA cartilage as well as in the articular cartilage from mouse and dog models of experimental OA. Specifically, we identified that expression of unc-51 like kinase-1 (ULK1) is suppressed in human OA cartilage and experimental OA models. ULK1 is a serine/threonine protein kinase and is the most upstream autophagy inducer. Loss of ULK1 results in disruption of autophagy induction. Since adequate autophagy signaling is required for maintaining chondroprotection as well as articular cartilage homeostasis, we hypothesized that ULK1 is required for autophagy induction in the articular cartilage and loss of it will result in decreased chondroprotection and enhanced chondrocyte death leading to the degeneration of articular cartilage. Since the exact role of ULK1 in pathogenesis of OA is unknown, I created for the first time, an inducible cartilage- specific ULK1 knockout (KO) mice using Cre-Lox technology and subjected these mice to the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse OA model to specifically elucidate the specific in vivo role of ULK1 in OA pathogenesis. My results show that ULK1 is essential for maintaining articular cartilage homeostasis. Specifically I show that loss of ULK1 in the articular cartilage results in an accelerated OA phenotype; which is associated with accelerated cartilage degeneration, enhanced chondrocyte cell death, increased expression of catabolic MMP-13. Using human OA chondrocytes transfected with ULK1 expression plasmid I show that ULK1 is able to reduce the expression of mTOR (major negative regulator of autophagy) and decrease the expression of OA catabolic factors including MMP-13, ADAMTS-5 and COX-2. My results so far suggest that ULK-1 is a potential therapeutic target to maintain articular cartilage homeostasis.

A avaliação da flexibilidade dos músculos da cadeia posterior é uma abordagem comum na prática clínica. O teste do terceiro dedo ao solo (DS) é frequentemente utilizado por ser de fácil aplicação e por ter se mostrado confiável e reprodutivo. O resultado do teste é a distância entre o terceiro dedo da mão e o solo e reflete a amplitude máxima permitida por esta cadeia muscular. Porém, o movimento para a execução do teste desloca para frente e para baixo grande parte da massa corporal exigindo respostas posturais para se evitar um risco de queda à frente. Foi levantada a hipótese de que o resultado desse teste possa variar de acordo com a demanda de equilíbrio do teste e a habilidade do indivíduo em realizar tais ajustes de equilíbrio. Objetivo: Verificar a influência do equilíbrio postural na flexibilidade mensurada pelo teste DS avaliada através de três paradigmas com os seguintes objetivos específicos: 1) verificar se a minimização da demanda de equilíbrio postural influencia o resultado do teste; 2) verificar se condições de aclive ou declive, que alteram as demandas de equilíbrio, influenciam no resultado do teste DS e; 3) verificar se é possível, através de uma rápida abordagem, orientar o indivíduo a executar uma estratégia de equilíbrio que melhore seu desempenho no teste DS. Métodos: 20 voluntários adultos jovens (6 homens e 14 mulheres) foram avaliados sobre uma plataforma de força em postura bípede quieta e em 6 testes DS em diferentes condições de demandas de equilíbrio na seguinte ordem: 1) Teste padrão (TP); 2) teste com suporte de equilíbrio (TS); 3) re-teste da condição padrão (re-teste); 4) teste em aclive (TAc); 5) teste em declive (TDc) 6) teste com orientações prévias de equilíbrio (TOr). Em cada um destes testes além da medida a distância entre o 3o dedo ao solo, foi calculada a posição média do Centro de Pressão (CP) através dos dados da plataforma de força e os ângulos articulares do tornozelo, joelho, quadril, lombar e tronco através de imagens digitais do voluntário em perfil. O ângulo de flexão total com a somatória dos ângulos também foi calculado. No paradigma 1 as variáveis foram comparadas entre condições TP, TS e re-teste. No paradigma 2 foram comparadas as condições TP, TAc e TDc. No paradigma 3 foram comparadas as condições TP e TOr. Os paradigmas 1 e 2 utilizaram a ANOVA para medidas repetidas com nível de significância p < 0,05 e teste post-hoc t de Student com correção de Bonferroni. Adicionalmente, no paradigma 1 foi realizado o teste de correlação de Pearson entre o resultado do teste DS e o CP. No paradigma 3 foi utilizado o teste T de Student com nível de significância p < 0,05. Resultados: O paradigma 1 mostrou melhora de 73% no resultado do teste DS, deslocamento anterior do CP, além de maior flexão de tornozelo e tronco na condição TS em relação ao TP. O ângulo de flexão total foi 30º maior na condição TS. O re-teste mostrou sinais de aprendizagem com resultados intermediários entre o TP e o TS. O CP correlacionou-se negativamente com o resultado do teste DS. O paradigma 2 mostrou grande melhora no resultado do teste DS em TAc em comparação a TDc e TP com maior flexão de tornozelo e maior flexão na soma das articulações. O paradigma 3 mostrou melhora de 62% no resultado do teste DS com deslocamento anterior do CP e maior flexão de tornozelo, lombar, tronco e soma dos ângulos em TOr em comparação com TP. Conclusão: O teste DS mostrou grande influência do equilíbrio postural. Condições com menor demanda de equilíbrio apresentaram resultados melhores que a condição com maior demanda. Na condição padrão de teste, o resultado foi melhor nas estratégias em que o CP é deslocado à frente. A instrução para que os indivíduos adotassem esta estratégia de equilíbrio levou a melhores resultados / Flexibility evaluation is a standard assessment in clinical and in sports settings. The Toe-touch test (TTT) is a common assessment tool to evaluate posterior muscular chain flexibility. It is a simple, reliable and reproductive test. But the test procedure implies a balance demand as it requires a great amount of body mass to be forward displaced. It was then hypothesized that the balance demand during the TTT and the subject\'s ability to deal with it may affect the flexibility measured by the test. Objective: The main objective was to verify the influence of postural balance on the flexibility measured by the TTT by means of three experimental paradigms with the following specific purposes: 1) to verify whether the minimization of the balance demand during the test may improve test results; 2) to verify whether the test outcome might be influenced by ground inclination (toes up or toes down); and 3) To verify if it is possible to briefly guide the subject to perform a better balance strategy to deal with the balance demand of the test. Methods: 20 young adults (6 men and 14 women) volunteered to participate. They were evaluated over a force platform during quiet stance and during 6 trials of the TTT under the following balance conditions: 1) Standard balance condition TTT (ST); 2) TTT with a balance support device (SupT); 3) ST re-test; 4) TTT over an inclined surface with toes up (TUT); 5) TTT over an inclined surface with toes down (TDT); 6) TTT with balance instructions (InsT). For each test it was calculated the mean position of the Center of Pressure (CP), the ankle, knee, hip, lumbar and trunk angles, as well as the sum of all these angles and the TTT outcome, i.e., the distance from the third finger to the ground. In the first experimental paradigm these variables were compared between tests ST, SupT and re-test. In the second paradigm the comparisons were performed between tests ST, TUT and TDT. And, finally, tests ST and InsT were compared in the third paradigm. In paradigms 1 and 2 the repeated measure ANOVA was performed with significance level of p < 0.05 and T student tests with Bonferroni correction as post-hoc tests. Additionally, the Pearson correlation test was used to calculate the correlation between CP and the tests outcomes. For the third paradigm it was used the T student test with significance level p < 0.05. Results: The first paradigm showed an average improvement of 73% in the test outcome associated by a forward CP displacement and greater ankle and trunk flexion in SupT compared to ST. The SupT also showed a greater flexion of 30? in the sum of angles. Re-test of ST showed learning effects with intermediary results between ST and SupT. Additionally, it was found a negative correlation between CP position and test outcome, the forward the CP, the better the test result. The second paradigm showed a great test improvement in TUT with greater flexion in ankle and in the summed angles compared to TDT and ST. And paradigm 3 showed an improvement of 62% in test outcome associated with forward CP displacement and greater ankle, lumbar, trunk and summed angles in InsT compared to ST. Conclusions: The TTT is highly influenced by balance. Test outcome was improved under less demanding conditions than those with more demanding condition. In the standard balance condition, test outcome was better when the balance strategy involved the forward displacement of the CP. The instruction to the subject to adopt that balance strategy lead to better test outcome

Introdução: Os corticosteroides intra-articulares (IA) são amplamente utilizados no tratamento da osteoartrite (OA) de joelho, porém é desconhecido qual dentre estes agentes é o mais eficaz. Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar a eficácia das infiltrações IA de triancinolona hexacetonida (TH) e de acetato de metilprednisolona (AM) na OA de joelho. Pacientes e Métodos: Pacientes com OA sintomática de joelho, graus II ou III de Kellgren-Lawrence, foram randomizados para receber uma única infiltração IA com 40mg de TH ou AM. As avaliações clínicas foram realizadas nas semanas 4, 12 e 24. O desfecho primário do estudo foi a melhora da dor do joelho pelo paciente por escala visual analógica (EVA) da visita basal à semana 4. Os desfechos secundários incluíram a avaliação global da doença pelo paciente e pelo médico, o questionário de osteoartrite Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC), o índice de Lequesne e o critério de resposta Outcome Measures in Rheumatology and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI). Na análise estatística, foram empregadas equações de estimativa generalizada, com estatística de Wald para contrastes do tipo 3 e ajustes de Tukey-Kramer para comparações múltiplas. Resultados: Cem pacientes foram incluídos na população com intenção de tratar, 50 em cada braço do estudo. Uma melhora significativa na dor pela EVA foi observada na semana 4 para ambos os grupos (P < 0,0001), não havendo diferença entre eles (P=0,352). Esta melhora foi sustentada até a semana 24. Uma melhora significativa em relação à avaliação basal foi observada na avaliação global da doença pelo paciente e pelo médico, no questionário WOMAC e no índice de Lequesne, não havendo diferença entre os grupos. A melhora nos desfechos secundários de avaliação foi sustentada durante o estudo, exceto para a avaliação global da doença pelo paciente. O critério de resposta OMERACT-OARSI foi alcançado por 74% e 72% dos pacientes dos grupos TH e AM, respectivamente. Conclusão: TH e AM são igualmente eficazes na OA de joelho, e a melhora na dor e na função física pode ser sustentada por até 24 semanas / Introduction: Intra-articular (IA) corticosteroid injections are broadly used in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA), but it is unknown which of these agents is the most effective. Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH) and methylprednisolone acetate (MA) IA injections in knee OA. Patients and Methods: Patients with symptomatic knee OA, Kellgren-Lawrence grades II or III, were randomized to receive a single IA injection with 40mg of TH or MA. Evaluations were performed at 4, 12 and 24 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was to evaluate the improvement in the patient\'s knee pain by visual analogue scale (VAS) from baseline to week 4. Secondary outcomes included the global assessment of the disease by the patient and the physician, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis questionnaire (WOMAC), the Lequesne index and the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI) criteria of response. Generalized estimating equations with Wald statistics for type 3 contrasts and Tukey-Kramer multiple comparison adjustment were employed in statistical analysis. Results: The intention-to-treat population included one hundred patients; 50 in each study arm. A significant improvement in pain by VAS was observed at week 4 for both groups (P<0.0001), with no difference between them (P=0.352). This improvement was sustained up to week 24. A significant improvement from the baseline was observed for the patients\' and the physicians\' global assessments, WOMAC questionnaire, and Lequesne index, with no differences between the groups. Improvements in the secondary outcomes were sustained during the study, except for the patients\' global assessment of disease. OMERACT-OARSI criteria of response was achieved by 74% and 72% of patients in the TH and the MA groups, respectively. Conclusion: TH and MA are equally effective in knee OA and improvement in pain and physical function can be sustained for up to 24 week

A instabilidade articular é responsável pelo desenvolvimento de lesões degenerativas incapacitantes que comprometem o desempenho funcional. Compreender os processos desenvolvidos para estabilização dinâmica articular é um desafio para pesquisadores das mais diversas áreas. O presente estudo propõe o uso da abordagem Biomecânica para reconhecer os mecanismos relacionadas ao processo de estabilização dinâmica articular, por meio de três diferentes condições experimentais. No experimento 1 foi analisada a Força de Reação do Solo (FRS) e a cinemática 3-D no andar, correr e saltar de portadores (n=10) e não portadores de instabilidade crônica (n=10) do tornozelo. No experimento 2 foi analisada a Eletromiografia dos músculos tibial anterior, fibular longo, fibular curto e gastrocnêmio lateral de portadores (n=14) e não portadores de instabilidade crônica (n=14) do tornozelo antes e após um protocolo de indução à fadiga muscular. No experimento 3 (n=20) foi analisado o efeito do exercício de alongamento muscular estático passivo dos músculos fibular longo e fibular curto na simulação da entorse do tornozelo. Nos protocolos de locomoção foram encontrados no lado acometido picos tardios e aumento dos Impulsos da FRS. No início da fase de apoio o tornozelo instável no andar aumentou a dorsiflexão, no correr aumentou a eversão e no saltar diminuiu a inversão e aumentou a dorsiflexão. Tais estratégias representam a tentativa de melhorar a estabilidade dinâmica articular. No entanto, a variação angular da articulação no plano sagital e frontal aumentaram, sugerindo que há mais amplitude de movimento no tornozelo acometido e maior estresse sobre os estabilizadores passivos locais. Em condições de fadiga muscular, após simulação da entorse, indivíduos com articulações saudáveis aumentam a rigidez articular e a intensidade de contração dos eversores do tornozelo, antecipadamente a perturbação, diferente de portadores de instabilidade crônica. A execução do exercício de alongamento dos músculos fibulares longo e curto, seguido da simulação da entorse, gerou o retardo da resposta motora e diminuição da intensidade de ativação. Desta forma, as estratégias desenvolvidas por portadores de instabilidade crônica podem ser relacionadas à causa e/ou consequência do quadro, a fadiga muscular altera o desenvolvimento de estratégias de proteção e o exercício de alongamento pode prejudicar a estabilização dinâmica articular / Joint instability is associated with degenerating injuries that lead to functional incapacitation. Knowing the process involved in joint dynamic stabilization is a challenge to researchers in many fields. This study proposes the use of a biomechanical approach to recognize the mechanisms involved in joint stabilization through three different experimental conditions. The first experiment analyzed the Ground Reaction Force (GRF) and the 3D kinematics in participants with (n=10) and without (n=10) chronic ankle instability during walking, running and jumping. The second experiment analyzed the Electromyography signal of tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, peroneus brevis e gastrocnemius lateralis in participants with (n=14) and without (n=14) chronic ankle instability before and after a muscle fatigue protocol. The third experiment (n=20) analyzed the effect of static passive stretching of peroneus longus and peroneus brevis muscles on the ankle sprain simulation. During the locomotion protocols the injured side showed late peaks and an increase of the GRF impulses. The instable ankle showed an increase of dorsiflexion during the initial phase of gait and an increase of eversion during running. The instable ankle also showed a decrease of inversion and an increase of dorsiflexion during jumping. These strategies represent an attempt to improve the joint dynamic stability. There was an increase in sagittal and frontal angular displacement, suggesting more range of motion as well as more stress in the passive structures that are responsible for stabilization in the injured ankle. During muscular fatigue, after an ankle sprain simulation, subjects with healthy joints increase the joint stiffness and the intensity of the ankle eversion muscles activation, before the intervention, differently from subjects with chronic instability. The peroneus longus and brevis stretching exercise followed by the ankle sprain simulation caused a delay on the motor response and a decrease in the activation intensity. The strategies developed by the subjects with chronic instability can be related to the cause and/or the consequence of the dysfunction. The muscular fatigue changes the development of strategies of protection and the stretching exercise can weaken the dynamic stability of the joint

As últimas décadas viram ser publicados diversos trabalhos que se debruçaram sobre aspectos paleopatológicos de séries esqueléticas de sítios do tipo sambaqui. Tal como o litoral Sul e o restante do Sudeste, o seguimento paulista da costa brasileira apresenta grande quantidade de sítios do tipo sambaqui que guardam em si um grande potencial informativo. Entretanto, no levantamento realizado por Mendonça de Souza e colaboradores (2009) sobre os aspectos paleopatológicos dos sambaquis brasileiros, salienta-se a escassez de dados sobre as séries paulistas, que quando aparecem na literatura em geral restringem-se à duas ou três séries melhor estudadas. O presente estudo, de caráter exploratório, procurou gerar dados sobre o modo de vida dos grupos construtores de sambaquis do litoral de São Paulo, a partir dos padrões de ocorrência e distribuição dos sinais indicativos de osteoartrose. As articulações sinoviais de 48 indivíduos provenientes de dois sambaquis litorâneos da Baixada Santista foram analisadas quanto a frequência e distribuição dos seguintes sinais de osteoartrose: porosidade; eburnação; erosão; exostoses superficiais; labiamentos e osteófitos, considerando sua ocorrência diferenciada entre superfície e bordo da área articular. As séries estudadas apresentaram prevalências elevadas dos marcadores na maioria das áreas articulares destacadas. Os dados apontam para uma caracterização da osteoartrose nestas populações como um processo generalizado a nível populacional e individual e reforçam a interpretação vigente de que os grupos sambaquieiros devem ter exercido um domínio generalizado sobre as fontes alimentares e recursos necessários para a reprodução da vida material cotidiana. / The past decades witnessed the publication of several papers that dealt with paleopathological aspects of skeletal series of shellmoun-builters. As the southern coast and the rest of the Southeast Brazilian coast, the large number of shellmounds located in the São Paulo portion beheld information of great potential. However, in the study conducted by Mendonça de Souza et al. (2009) the scarcity of paleopathological data on the São Paulo series was highlighted, which when presented in the literature are generally restricted to the two or three best studied series. This exploratory study aimed to generate data about lifestyle of the shellmound-builters groups of the coast of São Paulo from the patterns of occurrence and distribution of signs indicative of osteoarthritis. The synovial joints of 48 individuals from two coastal sambaquis of Baixada Santista were analyzed for frequency and distribution of the following signs of osteoarthritis: pitting; eburnation; erosion; superficial new bone formation; lipping and osteophytes, considering its differentiated occurrence between surface and margin of the articular area. A high prevalence of injuries was noticed in most prominent articular areas. The data suggests a characterization of osteoarthrosis in these populations as a generalized process at the population and individual level.

A avaliação da flexibilidade dos músculos da cadeia posterior é uma abordagem comum na prática clínica. O teste do terceiro dedo ao solo (DS) é frequentemente utilizado por ser de fácil aplicação e por ter se mostrado confiável e reprodutivo. O resultado do teste é a distância entre o terceiro dedo da mão e o solo e reflete a amplitude máxima permitida por esta cadeia muscular. Porém, o movimento para a execução do teste desloca para frente e para baixo grande parte da massa corporal exigindo respostas posturais para se evitar um risco de queda à frente. Foi levantada a hipótese de que o resultado desse teste possa variar de acordo com a demanda de equilíbrio do teste e a habilidade do indivíduo em realizar tais ajustes de equilíbrio. Objetivo: Verificar a influência do equilíbrio postural na flexibilidade mensurada pelo teste DS avaliada através de três paradigmas com os seguintes objetivos específicos: 1) verificar se a minimização da demanda de equilíbrio postural influencia o resultado do teste; 2) verificar se condições de aclive ou declive, que alteram as demandas de equilíbrio, influenciam no resultado do teste DS e; 3) verificar se é possível, através de uma rápida abordagem, orientar o indivíduo a executar uma estratégia de equilíbrio que melhore seu desempenho no teste DS. Métodos: 20 voluntários adultos jovens (6 homens e 14 mulheres) foram avaliados sobre uma plataforma de força em postura bípede quieta e em 6 testes DS em diferentes condições de demandas de equilíbrio na seguinte ordem: 1) Teste padrão (TP); 2) teste com suporte de equilíbrio (TS); 3) re-teste da condição padrão (re-teste); 4) teste em aclive (TAc); 5) teste em declive (TDc) 6) teste com orientações prévias de equilíbrio (TOr). Em cada um destes testes além da medida a distância entre o 3o dedo ao solo, foi calculada a posição média do Centro de Pressão (CP) através dos dados da plataforma de força e os ângulos articulares do tornozelo, joelho, quadril, lombar e tronco através de imagens digitais do voluntário em perfil. O ângulo de flexão total com a somatória dos ângulos também foi calculado. No paradigma 1 as variáveis foram comparadas entre condições TP, TS e re-teste. No paradigma 2 foram comparadas as condições TP, TAc e TDc. No paradigma 3 foram comparadas as condições TP e TOr. Os paradigmas 1 e 2 utilizaram a ANOVA para medidas repetidas com nível de significância p < 0,05 e teste post-hoc t de Student com correção de Bonferroni. Adicionalmente, no paradigma 1 foi realizado o teste de correlação de Pearson entre o resultado do teste DS e o CP. No paradigma 3 foi utilizado o teste T de Student com nível de significância p < 0,05. Resultados: O paradigma 1 mostrou melhora de 73% no resultado do teste DS, deslocamento anterior do CP, além de maior flexão de tornozelo e tronco na condição TS em relação ao TP. O ângulo de flexão total foi 30º maior na condição TS. O re-teste mostrou sinais de aprendizagem com resultados intermediários entre o TP e o TS. O CP correlacionou-se negativamente com o resultado do teste DS. O paradigma 2 mostrou grande melhora no resultado do teste DS em TAc em comparação a TDc e TP com maior flexão de tornozelo e maior flexão na soma das articulações. O paradigma 3 mostrou melhora de 62% no resultado do teste DS com deslocamento anterior do CP e maior flexão de tornozelo, lombar, tronco e soma dos ângulos em TOr em comparação com TP. Conclusão: O teste DS mostrou grande influência do equilíbrio postural. Condições com menor demanda de equilíbrio apresentaram resultados melhores que a condição com maior demanda. Na condição padrão de teste, o resultado foi melhor nas estratégias em que o CP é deslocado à frente. A instrução para que os indivíduos adotassem esta estratégia de equilíbrio levou a melhores resultados / Flexibility evaluation is a standard assessment in clinical and in sports settings. The Toe-touch test (TTT) is a common assessment tool to evaluate posterior muscular chain flexibility. It is a simple, reliable and reproductive test. But the test procedure implies a balance demand as it requires a great amount of body mass to be forward displaced. It was then hypothesized that the balance demand during the TTT and the subject\'s ability to deal with it may affect the flexibility measured by the test. Objective: The main objective was to verify the influence of postural balance on the flexibility measured by the TTT by means of three experimental paradigms with the following specific purposes: 1) to verify whether the minimization of the balance demand during the test may improve test results; 2) to verify whether the test outcome might be influenced by ground inclination (toes up or toes down); and 3) To verify if it is possible to briefly guide the subject to perform a better balance strategy to deal with the balance demand of the test. Methods: 20 young adults (6 men and 14 women) volunteered to participate. They were evaluated over a force platform during quiet stance and during 6 trials of the TTT under the following balance conditions: 1) Standard balance condition TTT (ST); 2) TTT with a balance support device (SupT); 3) ST re-test; 4) TTT over an inclined surface with toes up (TUT); 5) TTT over an inclined surface with toes down (TDT); 6) TTT with balance instructions (InsT). For each test it was calculated the mean position of the Center of Pressure (CP), the ankle, knee, hip, lumbar and trunk angles, as well as the sum of all these angles and the TTT outcome, i.e., the distance from the third finger to the ground. In the first experimental paradigm these variables were compared between tests ST, SupT and re-test. In the second paradigm the comparisons were performed between tests ST, TUT and TDT. And, finally, tests ST and InsT were compared in the third paradigm. In paradigms 1 and 2 the repeated measure ANOVA was performed with significance level of p < 0.05 and T student tests with Bonferroni correction as post-hoc tests. Additionally, the Pearson correlation test was used to calculate the correlation between CP and the tests outcomes. For the third paradigm it was used the T student test with significance level p < 0.05. Results: The first paradigm showed an average improvement of 73% in the test outcome associated by a forward CP displacement and greater ankle and trunk flexion in SupT compared to ST. The SupT also showed a greater flexion of 30? in the sum of angles. Re-test of ST showed learning effects with intermediary results between ST and SupT. Additionally, it was found a negative correlation between CP position and test outcome, the forward the CP, the better the test result. The second paradigm showed a great test improvement in TUT with greater flexion in ankle and in the summed angles compared to TDT and ST. And paradigm 3 showed an improvement of 62% in test outcome associated with forward CP displacement and greater ankle, lumbar, trunk and summed angles in InsT compared to ST. Conclusions: The TTT is highly influenced by balance. Test outcome was improved under less demanding conditions than those with more demanding condition. In the standard balance condition, test outcome was better when the balance strategy involved the forward displacement of the CP. The instruction to the subject to adopt that balance strategy lead to better test outcome

INTRODUÇÃO: O tratamento do câncer de mama está associado à morbidade do membro superior, com complicações que têm um impacto significante na qualidade de vida das pacientes. O OBJETIVO deste trabalho foi traçar um protocolo de tratamento fisioterapêutico para prevenir as morbidades após cirurgia de câncer de mama. CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS: Este estudo avaliou 132 mulheres com a intervenção da fisioterapia em dois momentos: no primeiro pós-operatório (PO) e entre o 10º - 15º dia do PO. Reavaliações foram feitas nos meses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 e após um ano do PO. RESULTADOS: O grupo de intervenção precoce mostrou uma recuperação mais rápida da amplitude de movimentos e apresentou menor morbidade em relação ao grupo tardio. CONCLUSÃO: O protocolo fisioterapêutico preconizado, tanto precoce quanto tardio, é eficaz. A recuperação da função do membro superior e o menor índice de morbidades mostram que a fisioterapia deve sempre ser instituída nas pacientes que se submetem à cirurgia de câncer de mama. / INTRODUCTION: The breast cancer treatment is always linked with the morbidity of the upper limb with complications that will have an enormous impact in the quality of life of the patients submitted to breast cancer treatment. Objective : the objective of this study was to develop a physiotherapy protocol in order to prevent morbidities after breast cancer treatment METHODS: This study evaluated 132 patients submitted to physiotherapy sessions in two different moments: 1 st day post surgery and at the 10-15 th day . Follow-ups were made on months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and after a year. RESULTS: The earlier group showed a faster recovery of arm range of motion and had less arm morbidity. CONCLUSÃO: O RESULTS: G1 showed a faster flexion and abduction ROM recovery and had less morbidity as compared to the other group. The arm circumferences in the early intervention group had lower values as compared to the late intervention group. CONCLUSION: The physiotherapy protocol used in the study showed its efficacy. The upper arm ROM was recovered and both groups had less arm morbidity.