Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a technique used for the treatment of symptomatic osteochondral defects of the knee. A variation of the original periosteum membrane technique is the matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) technique. The MACI membrane consists of a porcine type-I/III collagen bilayer seeded with chondrocytes. Osteochondral defects deeper than 8 to 10 mm usually require bone grafting either before or at the time of transplantation of cartilage. We have used a variation of Peterson's ACI-periosteum sandwich technique using two MACI membranes with bone graft which avoids periosteal harvesting. The procedure is suture-free and requires less operating time and surgical exposure. We performed this MACI-sandwich technique on eight patients, five of whom were assessed at six months and one year post-operatively using the modified Cincinnati knee, the Stanmore functional rating and the visual analogue pain scores. All patients improved within six months with further improvement at one year. The clinical outcome was good or excellent in four after six months and one year. No significant graft-associated complications were observed. Our early results of the MACI-sandwich technique are encouraging although larger medium-term studies are required before there is widespread adoption of the technique.

Background Analysis of the effect of COVID-19 on the complete hospital population in England has been lacking. Our aim was to provide a comprehensive account of all hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in England during the early phase of the pandemic and to identify the factors that influenced mortality as the pandemic evolved. Methods This was a retrospective exploratory analysis using the Hospital Episode Statistics administrative dataset. All patients aged 18 years or older in England who completed a hospital stay (were discharged alive or died) between March 1 and May 31, 2020, and had a diagnosis of COVID-19 on admission or during their stay were included. In-hospital death was the primary outcome of interest. Multilevel logistic regression was used to model the relationship between death and several covariates: age, sex, deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation), ethnicity, frailty (Hospital Frailty Risk Score), presence of comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index items), and date of discharge (whether alive or deceased). Findings 91 541 adult patients with COVID-19 were discharged during the study period, among which 28 200 (30•8%) in-hospital deaths occurred. The final multilevel logistic regression model accounted for age, deprivation score, and date of discharge as continuous variables, and sex, ethnicity, and Charlson Comorbidity Index items as categorical variables. In this model, significant predictors of in-hospital death included older age (modelled using restricted cubic splines), male sex (1•457 [1•408-1•509]), greater deprivation (1•002 [1•001-1•003]), Asian (1•211 [1•128-1•299]) or mixed ethnicity (1•317 [1•080-1•605]; vs White ethnicity), and most of the assessed comorbidities, including moderate or severe liver disease (5•433 [4•618-6•392]). Later date of discharge was associated with a lower odds of death (0•977 [0•976-0•978]); adjusted in-hospital mortality improved significantly in a broadly linear fashion, from 52•2% in the first week of March to 16•8% in the last week of May. Interpretation Reductions in the adjusted probability of in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 patients over time might reflect the impact of changes in hospital strategy and clinical processes. The reasons for the observed improvements in mortality should be thoroughly investigated to inform the response to future outbreaks. The higher mortality rate reported for certain ethnic minority groups in community-based studies compared with our hospital-based analysis might partly reflect differential infection rates in those at greatest risk, propensity to become severely ill once infected, and health-seeking behaviours.

We have performed a prospective, single-surgeon study analysing the histological results of autologous chondrocyte implantation. Fourteen patients underwent autologous chondrocyte implantation of the knee and were evaluated at one year by clinical assessment and arthroscopy. Standard staining was used to examine the sections. In addition, in situ hybridisation was used to establish type-IIa and type-IIb collagen mRNA expression and immunolocalisation techniques demonstrated the positions of type-II and type-X collagen. Eight patients regenerated hyaline cartilage and also contained type-X collagen in the deepest layers and type-II collagen in the deep layers. Three demonstrated fibrocartilage and had type-I collagen in the deep layers. In situ hybridisation revealed that all 14 samples had the potential to express both type-IIa and type-IIb collagen. We have shown that one year after the initial implantation chondrocytes are capable of producing type-II collagen and that they continue to proliferate and mature.

Background:There are neither prospective data nor agreement on the optimal routine follow-up procedures in patients treated for soft tissue sarcoma of the limb.Methods:Data on 174 consecutive patients with a soft tissue sarcoma of the limb undergoing follow-up by oncologists at a single centre from 2003 to 2009 were included in this analysis. The rate and site of recurrence and mode of detection were analysed. Outcome of the patients was assessed.Results:Eighty-two patients (47%) experienced relapse of any type. Isolated local recurrence occurred in 26 patients and local relapse with synchronous pulmonary metastases in five patients. Local recurrences were detected clinically in 30 of these 31 patients; magnetic resonance imaging identified only one local recurrence. Twenty-eight patients developed isolated lung metastases; in nine patients these were amenable to resections, seven of whom are currently free of disease after treatment. Lung metastases were detected by chest x-ray (CXR) in 19 patients, computed tomography scanning in 3 patients, and clinically in 11 patients. Twenty-three patients developed non-pulmonary metastases. More than 80% of relapses occurred in the first 2 years of follow-up; however, later recurrences were also observed.Conclusions:Routine follow-up CXR can detect lung metastases suitable for surgical resection, although the optimal interval of imaging has yet to be defined. Local relapse is almost always detected by patients or physicians, and routine scanning of the primary site is of doubtful benefit. Patient and physician education to detect local relapse may be helpful. Prospective evaluation of follow-up is recommended.

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