A kinematically aligned TKA results in a joint line which has a more parallel orientation in relation to the floor during single- and double-leg standing, and more neutral weight-bearing in tMA than a mechanically aligned TKA. Cite this article: 2017;99-B:640-6.

Objective Emerging evidence suggests that genetic components contribute significantly to cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis pathophysiology but little evidence is available on genetics of cartilage regeneration. Therefore, we investigated cartilage regeneration in genetic murine models using common inbred strains and a set of recombinant inbred lines generated from LG/J (healer of ear-wounds) and SM/J (non-healer) inbred strains. Methods An acute full-thickness cartilage injury was introduced through microsurgery in the trochlear groove of 8-weeks old mice (N=265). Knee joints were sagittally sectioned and stained with toluidine blue to evaluate regeneration. For ear-wound phenotype, a bilateral 2-mm through-and-through puncture was made (N=229) at 6-weeks and healing outcomes measured after 30-days. Broad-sense heritability and genetic correlations were calculated for both phenotypes. Results Time-course studies from recombinant inbred lines show no significant regeneration until 16-weeks post-surgery; at that time, the strains can be segregated into three categories: good, intermediate and poor healers. Heritability (H2) showed that both cartilage regeneration (H2=26%; p=0.006) and ear-wound closure (H2=53%; p<0.00001) are significantly heritable. The genetic correlations between the two healing phenotypes for common inbred strains (r=0.92) and recombinant inbred lines (r=0.86) were found to be extremely high. Conclusion We report that i) articular cartilage regeneration is heritable, ii) the differences between the lines being due to genetic differences and iii) a strong genetic correlation between the two phenotypes exists indicating that they plausibly share a common genetic basis. We, therefore, surmise that LG/J by SM/J intercross can be used to dissect the genetic basis of variation in cartilage regeneration.

C-reactive protein is an excellent marker for plaque instability or poststent inflammatory status, and its source might be the inflammation site of the plaque or the coronary arterial wall injured by stenting.

The present study investigates whether lower-limb dominant exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) improves endothelial function primarily in the trained lower extremities or equally in the upper and lower extremities. Twenty-eight patients with CHF were randomized to the exercise or control group. The exercise group underwent cycle ergometer training for 3 months while controls continued an inactive sedentary lifestyle. Exercise capacity (6-min walk test) and flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial and posterior tibial arteries were evaluated. After 3 months, walking performance increased only in the exercise group (488+/-16 to 501+/-14 m [control]; 497+/-23 to 567+/-39 m [exercise, p<0.05]). The flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial arteries did not change in either group (4.2+/-0.5 to 4.5+/-0.4% [control]; 4.3+/-0.5 to 4.6+/-0.4% [exercise]), but that in the posterior tibial arteries increased only in the exercise group (4.1+/-0.5 to 4.1+/-0.3% [control]; 3.6+/-0.3 to 6.4+/-0.6% [exercise, p<0.01]). Cycle ergometer training improved flow-mediated vasodilation in the trained lower limbs, but not in the untrained upper limbs. Exercise training appears to correct endothelial dysfunction predominantly by a local effect in the trained extremities.