Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Improving Rural Bone Health And Minimizing Fracture Risk In West Virginia: Validation Of The World Health Organization Frax® Assessment Tool As A Phone Survey For Osteoporosis Detection, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Kelly Scott Md, Mph, Timothy Wilson-Byrne Md, Miranda R. Morgan, Linda Morgan

Orthopaedics

West Virginia ranks second nationally in population ≥ 65 years old placing our state at greater risk for osteoporosis and fracture. The gold standard for detecting osteoporosis is dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), yet over half of West Virginia’s counties do not have this machine. Due to access barriers, a validated phone-administered fracture prediction tool would be beneficial for osteoporosis screening. The World Health Organization’s FRAX® fracture prediction tool was administered as a phone survey to 45 patients; these results were compared to DXA bone mineral density determination. Results confirmed that the FRAX® phone survey is as reliable as DXA in …

How To Manage Knee Arthritis: Best Practices For Treatment Prior To Orthopaedic Referral, Ali Oliashirazi Md, Alex Caughran Md, Zain Quazi Md, Grant Buchanan Md, Akash Sharma, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd

Orthopaedics

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a debilitating disease in which degeneration of the joint space cartilage can lead to life-altering pain and stiffness. The prevalence of OA has a strong correlation with age, with evidence of radiographic knee OA found in 37.4% of persons older than 60 years of age. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) 2013 report, osteoarthritis was ranked the second most expensive condition for Medicare and private insurers, with over 90% of the hospitalizations for OA involving a knee or hip replacement. It is projected that by 2030 the number of primary …

Primary Care Management Of Plantar Fasciitis, Thomas J. Melvin Pharmd, Zach J. Tankersly Dpm, Zain N. Quazi, John J. Jasko, Russell Odono Md, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd

Orthopaedics

Plantar fasciitis (PF) is present in 10% of the population and is the most common cause of plantar heel pain. PF is painful, can alter daily activities and presents as a sharp pain localized to the plantar foot and medial heel. The underlying etiology involves microtrauma to the plantar fascia, specifically at its insertion point on the calcaneus. Successful management of plantar fasciitis is typically achieved with the conservative therapy approaches discussed.

Unilateral Heat Accelerates Bone Elongation And Lengthens Extremities Of Growing Mice, Maria A. Serrat, Thomas J. Schlierf, Morgan L. Efaw, Franklin D. Shuler, Justin Godby, Laura M. Stanko

Orthopaedics

Linear growth failure results from a broad spectrum of systemic and local disorders that can generate chronic musculoskeletal disability. Current bone lengthening protocols involve invasive surgeries or drug regimens, which are only partially effective. Exposure to warm ambient temperature during growth increases limb length, suggesting that targeted heat could noninvasively enhance bone elongation. We tested the hypothesis that daily heat exposure on one side of the body unilaterally increases femoral and tibial lengths. Mice (N = 20) were treated with 40 °C unilateral heat for 40 min/day for 14 days post-weaning. Non-treated mice (N = 6) served as controls. Unilateral …

Hip Fracture Evaluation With Alternatives Of Total Hip Arthroplasty Versus Hemiarthroplasty (Health): Protocol For A Multicentre Randomised Trial, Mohit Bhandari, P. J. Devereaux, Thomas A. Einhorn, Lehana Thabane, Emil H. Schemitsch, Kenneth J. Koval, Frede Frihagen, Rudolf W. Poolman, Kevin Tetsworth, Ernesto Guerra-Farfán, Kim Madden, Sheila Sprague, Gordon Guyatt, Ali Oliasharazi, Franklin D. Shuler, Jonathon Salva, James Day, Tigran Garabekyan, Felix Cheung, Linda Morgan, Timothy Wilson-Byrne Md, Mary Beth Cordle

Orthopaedics

Introduction: Hip fractures are a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, and the number of hip fractures is expected to rise to over 6 million per year by 2050. The optimal approach for the surgical management of displaced femoral neck fractures remains unknown. Current evidence suggests the use of arthroplasty; however, there is lack of evidence regarding whether patients with displaced femoral neck fractures experience better outcomes with total hip arthroplasty (THA) or hemiarthroplasty (HA). The HEALTH trial compares outcomes following THA versus HA in patients 50 years of age or older with displaced femoral neck fractures.

Methods and …

Preventing Falls With Vitamin D, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Thomas Schlierf, Matthew Wingate

Orthopaedics

Falls are the number one cause for injury-related morbidity and mortality in West Virginia’s seniors. Multiple independent variables contribute to the risk of a fall: previous falls, alterations in balance and vision, impairments in gait and strength, and medications most highly correlate with the risk for a fall. Vitamin D supplementation is emerging as an easy, safe and well-tolerated fall reduction/prevention strategy due to the beneficial effects on the musculoskeletal system with improvements in strength, function and navigational abilities. From meta-analysis data, maximal fall reduction benefit in seniors is achieved when correcting vitamin D deficiency and when using adjunctive calcium …

Operative Environment, Pouya Alijanipour Md, Joseph Karam Md, Adolfo Llinas Md, Kelly G. Vince Md, Charalampos Zalavras Md, Matthew Austin Md, Grant Garrigues Md, Snir Heller Md, James Huddleston Md, Brian Klatt Md, Viktor Krebs Md, Christoph Lohmann Md, Edward J. Mcpherson Md, Robert Molloy Md, Ali Oliashirazi Md, Mitchell Schwaber Md, Eoin Sheehan Md, Eric Smith Md, Robert Sterling Md, Gregory Stocks Md, Shrinand Vaidya Md

Orthopaedics

Postoperative SSIs are believed to occur via bacterial inoculation at the time of surgery or as a result of bacterial contamination of the wound via open pathways to the deep tissue layers.^1–3 The probability of SSI is reflected by interaction of parameters that can be categorized into three major groups.² The first group consists of factors related to the ability of bacteria to cause infection and include initial inoculation load and genetically determined virulence factors that are required for adherence, reproduction, toxin production, and bypassing host defense mechanisms. The second group involves those factors related to the defense …

Physical Education In West Virginia Schools: Are We Doing Enough To Generate Peak Bone Mass And Promote Skeletal Health?, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Dana Lycans, Thomas Gill Md, Ali Oliashirazi Md

Orthopaedics

Peak bone mass (PBM) is attained at 25-35 years of age, followed by a lifelong decline in bone strength. The most rapid increase in bone mass occurs between the ages of 12-17. Daily school physical education (PE) programs have been shown to produce measurable increases in PBM, but are not federally mandated. Increases in PBM can decrease the lifelong risk of osteoporosis and fractures; critical for West Virginia prevention programs. Nationally only 1 in 6 schools require PE three days per week, with 4% of elementary schools, 8% of middle schools and 2% of high schools providing daily PE. In …

Antibiotic-Like Actions Of Vitamin D, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Josh Hendrix, Adam Short, Sammy Hodroge

Orthopaedics

Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone that has expanding importance for a healthy lifestyle and disease prevention. A multitude of studies have highlighted that vitamin D acts not only in bone and calcium homeostasis but is critically important for human immunity. The discovery that the storage form of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D3) can be locally converted to the active form (1,25-hydroxyvitamin D3) in immune cells, epithelial cells and numerous other non-renal tissues highlights the importance of maintaining sufficient stores. When responding to a specific external stimulus, like bacterial invasion, intracrine synthesis of active vitamin D has the ability to regulate …

Extraskeletal Effects Of Vitamin D: Potential Impact On Wv Disease Morbidity And Mortality, Franklin D. Shuler, Dana Lycans, Elias Salloum

Orthopaedics

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient and a secosteroid hormone that regulates many physiologic processes beyond calcium and bone homeostasis. These "extraskeletal" effects are impacted by the circulating levels of the storage form of vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. Levels of vitamin D can be detected after completing a simple 25(OH)D blood test. Vitamin D deficiency (< 30 ng/mL) is associated with a higher risk of many chronic diseases including, but not limited to, fourteen types of cancers, type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and asthma. This article explores the association between vitamin D deficiency and the burden of chronic diseases in West Virginia.

Defining Bone Health And Fracture Risk In West Virginia: The World Health Organization Frax® Assessment Tool, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Jacob Conjeski Md

Orthopaedics

This article highlights the expanding burden of osteoporosis in West Virginia. WV ranks second nationally in the percentage of its population that is ≥ 65 years of age. Our older population increases the risk of osteoporosis and fracture; the most recent data indicates that 77% of our women age 50 and older have osteoporosis or low bone mass. The lifetime risk of osteoporotic related fracture is alarming and occurs in 50% of females and 25% of males age 50 and older. The risk of osteoporosis related hip fracture in women is equal to the combined risk of breast, uterine or …

Cast-Saw Burns: Evaluation Of Skin, Cast, And Blade Temperatures Generated During Cast Removal, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Frank N. Grisafi

Orthopaedics

Background: The use of an oscillating saw for cast removal creates a potential for iatrogenic injury and patient discomfort. Burns and abrasions can occur from the heat created by frictional forces and direct blade contact. With use of a cadaver model system, skin temperature measurements were recorded during cast removal with an oscillating saw.

Methods: Casts of uniform thickness were applied to cadavers equilibrated to body temperature. The casts were removed by a single individual while simultaneously measuring temperatures at the skin-padding interface, cast-padding interface, and the blade. Variables tested include two removal techniques, two casting materials (fiberglass and plaster), …

Physician’S Ability To Manually Detect Isolated Elevation In Leg Intracompartmental Pressure., Franklin D. Shuler Md, Matthew J. Dietz

Orthopaedics

Background: Serial physical examination is recommended for patients for whom there is a high index of suspicion for compartment syndrome. This examination is more difficult when performed on an obtunded patient and relies on the sensitivity of manual palpation to detect compartment firmness—a direct manifestation of increased intracompartmental pressure. This study was performed to establish the sensitivity of manual palpation for detecting critical pressure elevations in the leg compartments most frequently involved in clinical compartment syndrome.

Methods: Reproducible, sustained elevation of intracompartmental pressure was established in fresh cadaver leg specimens. Pressures tested included 20 and 40 mm Hg (negative controls) …

Study To Prospectively Evaluate Reamed Intramedually Nails In Patients With Tibial Fractures (S.P.R.I.N.T.): Study Rationale And Design, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd

Orthopaedics

Background: Surgeons agree on the benefits of operative treatment of tibial fractures – the most common of long bone fractures – with an intramedullary rod or nail. Rates of re-operation remain high – between 23% and 60% in prior trials – and the two alternative nailing approaches, reamed or non-reamed, each have a compelling biological rationale and strong proponents, resulting in ongoing controversy regarding which is better.

Methods/Design: The objective of this trial was to assess the impact of reamed versus non-reamed intramedullary nailing on rates of re-operation in patients with open and closed fractures of the tibial shaft. The …

Increased Matrix Synthesis Following Adenoviral Transfer Of A Transforming Growth Factor Beta1 Gene Into Articular Chondrocytes, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Helga I. Georgescu, Christopher Niyibizi, Rebecca K. Studer, Zhibao Mi, Brian Johnstone, Paul D. Robbins, Christopher H. Evans

Orthopaedics

Monolayer cultures of lapine articular chondrocytes were transduced with first-generation adenoviral vectors carrying lacZ or transforming growth factor β₁ genes under the transcriptional control of the human cytomegalovirus early promoter. High concentrations of transforming growth factor β₁ were produced by chondrocytes following transfer of the transforming growth factor β₁ gene but not the lacZ gene. Transduced chondrocytes responded to the elevated endogenous production of transforming growth factor β₁ by increasing their synthesis of proteoglycan, collagen, and noncollagenous proteins in a dose-dependent fashion. The increases in collagen synthesis were not accompanied by alterations in the collagen phenotype; …

Transfer Of Lacz Marker Gene To The Meniscus, Hideyuki Goto Md, Franklin D. Shuler Md, Phd, Chanin Lamsam Md, Hans D. Moller Md, Christopher Niyibizi Phd, Freddie H. Fu Md, Paul D. Robbins Phd, Christopher H. Evans Phd

Orthopaedics

Background: Lesions in the avascular two-thirds of the meniscus do not heal well and are of concern clinically. Various growth factors promote the synthesis of matrix by meniscal cells and thus have the potential to augment healing. However, their clinical application is severely hindered by problems with delivery. An attractive approach to overcoming such problems is to transfer genes that encode the growth factors in question to the site of the injury. As a prelude to this, we evaluated methods for delivering genes to the meniscus.

Methods: Gene transfer was evaluated in vitro and in vivo with a lacZ marker …