Background: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate whether simple routine blood tests at presentation (C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), alkaline phosphatase and albumin) predict survival in patients with osteosarcoma. Methods: Between January 1998 and February 2015, 134 patients with a histological diagnosis of osteosarcoma were treated in our unit. Of these, 79 patients with high-grade osteosarcomas were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data, and laboratory parameters obtained prior to biopsy (CRP, ESR, alkaline phosphatase and albumin levels), were obtained from patients' records. Results: There were 44 males and 35 females. Univariate analysis showed that high pre-biopsy CRP (p ¼ 0.004), raised pre-biopsy ESR (p ¼ 0.010), older age (p < 0.001), poor tumour necrosis rates (90%, p ¼ 0.023) and metastasis at presentation (p < 0.001) were poor prognostic factors. Multivariate analysis showed pre-biopsy CRP and ESR levels to be independent predictors of overall survival (p ¼ 0.020 and p ¼ 0.025, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival was significantly lower in patients with elevated CRP (p ¼ 0.002) and ESR (p ¼ 0.003). Hypoalbuminaemia and elevated alkaline phosphatase levels did not correlate with overall survival. Conclusion: Preoperative CRP and ESR levels may have value in building a prognostic model for patients presenting with osteosarcoma.

Introduction The development of thoracic endovascular aortic repair has altered the approach and reduced the risk of treating the majority of descending thoracic aortic conditions. Primarily developed for the exclusion of thoracic aortic aneurysms, it is now used in place of open repair surgery for most descending thoracic aortic diseases, and has also been used to treat aortic arch diseases in selected cases. Methods A literature search was conducted of Medline and Embase databases from January 2007 to February 2017, using the key words ‘aortic disease’, ‘thoracic aorta’ and ‘endovascular repair’; 205 articles were identified, of which 25 studies were selected for review based on their relevance. Findings The key findings of the indications, techniques, outcomes, complications and comparisons with open surgical repair were extracted from the published studies and are summarised in this review. Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is the preferred choice of intervention for patients with descending thoracic aortic disease. With time, it has improved to be safer and has the potential to expand aortic treatment choices in future.

Background and aims:The term 'hemiplegia' implies a unilateral deficit, yet several studies have demonstrated abnormal limb control ipsilateral to the brain lesion. This is under-recognised by clinicians and has implications for function and therapy. We documented deficits in the "unaffected" hand in children with hemiplegia using a dexterity test developed by our group for use in children with motor disorders.