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Arthrofibrosis can be a devastating complication after ligamentous knee reconstruction. Beyond early range of motion (ROM), manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) and arthroscopic lysis of adhesions (LOAs) are the most frequently employed interventions for the condition. There is a paucity of data regarding predictive factors of arthrofibrosis requiring MUA and LOA, and even less data regarding changes in validated patient-reported outcome measures following the procedure. A retrospective case-control study was performed at an academic, urban Level I trauma center of patients that developed arthrofibrosis requiring MUA and LOA following ligamentous reconstruction. The indication for LOA was failure to achieve a 90° arc of ROM by 6 weeks. Seventeen cases and 141 controls were identified. Follow-up for cases was 26.9 ± 17.1 months (mean ± standard deviation). Time from initial reconstruction to LOA was 75.2 ± 27.9 days. Cases had higher body mass indices by a mean of 2.9 ( = 0.024). The most significant risk factors for stiffness were concomitant anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, and posterolateral corner/lateral collateral ligament injury (odds ratio [OR], 17.08), knee dislocation (OR, 12.84), and use of an external fixator (OR, 12.81, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.03-54.20) (all < 0.0026). Mean Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Indices, and International Knee Documentation Committee scores improved by 47.5, 50.5, and 47.3% (all < 0.0038), respectively. All patients reported improvement in pain, with maximum daily pain scores improving by a mean of 4.1 points on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale ( < 0.001). Mean ROM arc improved by 38.8° ( < 0.001). All 17 cases were satisfied with the procedure. Twelve cases (70.59%) reported a full return to preinjury level of activity. No factors were identified that predicted success from the procedure, likely due to inadequate sample size. Arthrofibrosis following knee injury and ligamentous reconstruction can be predicted by the severity of injury and early intervention with MUA and arthroscopic LOA can lead to a satisfactory outcome for the patient.

Recent research on the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has shifted in part from a singular focus on genetic causes to the involvement of environmental factors and their gene interactions. This shift in focus is a result of the rapidly increasing prevalence of ASD coupled with the incomplete penetrance of this disorder in monozygotic twins. One such area of environmentally focused research is the association of exposures to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) with elevated risk for ASD. EDCs are exogenous chemicals that can alter endogenous hormone activity and homeostasis, thus potentially disrupting the action of sex and other natural hormones at all stages of human development. Inasmuch as sex hormones play a fundamental role in brain development and sexual differentiation, exposure to EDCs in utero during critical stages of development can have lasting neurological and other physiological influences on the developing fetus and, ultimately, the child as well as adult. This review will focus on the possible contributions of EDCs to autism risk and pathogenesis by first discussing the influence of endogenous sex hormones on the autistic phenotype, followed by a review of documented human exposures to EDCs and associations with behaviors relevant to ASD. Mechanistic links between EDC exposures and aberrant neurodevelopment and behaviors are then considered, with emphasis on EDC-induced transcriptional profiles derived from animal and cellular studies. Finally, this review will discuss possible mechanisms through which EDC exposure can lead to persistent changes in gene expression and phenotype, which may in turn contribute to transgenerational inheritance of ASD.

Background: Given the large number of genes purported to be prognostic for breast cancer, it would be optimal if the genes identified are not confounded by the continuously changing systemic therapies. The aim of this study was to discover and validate a breast cancer prognostic expression signature for distant metastasis in untreated, early stage, lymph node-negative (N-) estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) patients with extensive follow-up times.