No abstract

Injuries among high school ice hockey athletes are common. Increases in the number of high school ice hockey injuries will likely parallel the increase in high school ice hockey participation in the United States.

Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a serum protein, the activity of which is related to susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and intoxication by organophosphorus (OP) compounds. It may also be involved in innate immunity, and it is a possible lead molecule in the development of a catalytic bioscavenger of OP pesticides and nerve agents. Human PON1 expressed in E. coli is mostly found in the insoluble fraction, which motivated the engineering of soluble variants, such as G2E6, with more than 50 mutations from huPON1. We examined the effect on the solubility, activity, and stability of three sets of mutations designed to solubilize huPON1 with fewer overall changes: deletion of the N-terminal leader, polar mutations in the putative HDL binding site, and selection of the subset of residues that became more polar in going from huPON1 to G2E6. All three sets of mutations increase the solubility of huPON1; the HDL-binding mutant has the largest effect on solubility, but it also decreases the activity and stability the most. Based on the G2E6 polar mutations, we “humanized” an engineered variant of PON1 with high activity against cyclosarin (GF) and found that it was still very active against GF with much greater similarity to the human sequence.

No abstract

Bipartite patella is a relatively rare phenomenon. This anomaly is typically asymptomatic but can become painful with overuse, strenuous activities, or trauma, which is why it is typically seen in a young, athletic population. Although nonsurgical management is the initial treatment, if symptoms persist, surgical intervention may be necessary. Multiple surgical options exist, such as excision or fixation of the fragment or release of lateral soft tissue structures. The authors report the efficacy of various surgical interventions on a symptomatic bipartite patella, with outcomes related to symptom relief and ability to return to preoperative levels of activity. A systematic review was performed using multiple databases. Studies reporting outcomes of symptom relief or ability to return to activity following surgical intervention for a bipartite patella were included. Surgical technique, type of bipartite, and complications were recorded. Twenty-four articles with a total of 122 patients and 127 knees were included and reviewed. Relief of pain was achieved in 84.1% of patients, with 98.3% able to return to their preoperative activity levels after surgery. For patients with a symptomatic bipartite patella, return to preoperative activity levels with zero to minimal pain can be achieved with excellent results using any of the reported surgical methods.