The Value of Phenotypes in Knee Osteoarthritis Research

[there any association of metabolic disturbances with joint destruction and pain?]

Osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes mellitus represent two the most common chronic diseases. They possess many shared epidemiologic traits, have common risk factors, and embody heterogeneous multifactorial pathologies, which develop due to interaction of genetic an environmental factors. In addition, these diseases are often occurring in the same patient. In spite of the differences in clinical manifestation both diseases have similar disturbances of cellular metabolism, primarily associated with ATP production and utilization. The review discusses molecular mechanisms determining pathophysiological processes associated with glucose and lipid metabolism as well as the means aiming to alleviate the disturbances of energy metabolism as a new a therapeutic approach.

Treat-to-target strategy for knee osteoarthritis. International technical expert panel consensus and good clinical practice statements

Background:

In this work, we aimed to establish a clinical target in the management of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to propose good clinical practice (GCP) statements for carrying out a treat-to-target strategy.

Methods:

A steering committee of seven experts had formulated a provisional set of recommendations that were exposed for discussion and modification to a technical expert panel (TEP) of 25 multidisciplinary experts from Europe, North America, South America and Asia. The level of evidence and strength of each recommendation was discussed. The TEP formulated overarching principles and GCP statements based on the level of agreement for each item with a vote using a 10-point numerical scale.

Results:

Two overarching principles and 10 GCP statements were formulated by the TEP. These GCP statements suggest: treatment should achieve clinical improvement bringing the patient to the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS); pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment should begin as early as possible, with an early diagnosis of symptomatic KOA; the patient should be evaluated every 3–6 months; risk factors of KOA progression should be identified and managed with patients at the beginning of the treatment and monitored regularly; treatment should be adapted according to patient phenotype and disease severity; healthy lifestyle must be promoted and monitored. The level of agreement average ranged from 8.7 to 9.6 on scale.

Conclusions:

The proposed overarching principles and GCP statements have the aim of involving patients, general practitioners and multidisciplinary specialists in sharing a therapeutic treat-to-target strategy for KOA management based on the best evidence and expert opinions.

Higher order thinking about differential diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Differential diagnosis is a systematic process used to identify the proper diagnosis from a set of possible competing diagnoses.

METHODS

The goal of this masterclass is to discuss the higher order thinking components of differential diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

For healthcare providers, diagnosis is one of many necessary components during the clinical decision making process and it is hallmarked by differentiation of competing structures for a definitive understanding of the underlying condition. The diagnostic process involves identifying or determining the etiology of a disease or condition through evaluation of patient history, physical examination, and review of laboratory data or diagnostic imaging; and the subsequent descriptive title of that finding. Whereas differential diagnosis is a varied skill set among all healthcare providers, the concept of a diagnosis is equally germane, regardless of one's background. In theory, a diagnosis improves the use of classification tools, improves clarity and communication, provides a trajectory of treatment, improves understanding of a person's prognosis, and in some cases, may be useful for preventative treatments. To achieve these improvements, one must have an understanding of relation of the clinical utility of tests and measures with diagnosis, and how to best implement these findings in clinical practice. This requires a deeper understanding (higher order thinking) of the role of diagnosis in the management of patients.

Preoperative celecoxib analgesia is more efficient and equally tolerated compared to postoperative celecoxib analgesia in knee osteoarthritis patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty: A randomized, controlled study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of preoperative celecoxib administration in alleviating postoperative pain in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).A total of 226 knee OA patients underwent TKA were consecutively recruited and randomized into preoperative analgesia group and postoperative analgesia group as 1:1 ratio. Preoperative analgesia group received celecoxib before and post operation; postoperative analgesia group received celecoxib post operation, all patients received TKA and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) post operation. Pain visual analog scale (VAS), patient's global assessment (PGA), flexional angles, PCA consumption, percentage of patients receiving pethidine, pethidine consumption, and adverse events were assessed.Pain VAS scores at rest and at flexion were both lower in preoperative analgesia group compared to postoperative analgesia group at 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours post operation. Preoperative analgesia group also exhibited decreased PGA score compared to postoperative analgesia group at 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours post operation. Meanwhile, active flexional angle and passive flexional angle in preoperative analgesia group were larger than that in postoperative analgesia group at 72 hours post operation. More interestingly, preoperative analgesia group patients consumed less PCA compared to postoperative analgesia group patients at 72 hours post operation. No difference of adverse event incidences between 2 groups was observed.Preoperative administration of celecoxib exhibits better efficacy and equal safety profiles compared to postoperative administration of celecoxib in knee OA patients undergoing TKA.