Background: Knee proprioception is compromised in knee osteoarthritis. There are several ways of measuring proprioceptive acuity, but there is lack of consensus over the ideal testing position. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of 2 testing positions (sitting versus prone lying) on proprioceptive knee assessment score in patients with early knee osteoarthritis. Methods: The study included 70 subjects who came to the Out-Patient Department with a diagnosis of early knee osteoarthritis. The subjects were assessed for their proprioceptive acuity scores in both the test positions at 30° and 60° of knee flexion using proprioceptive knee assessment device. They were asked to perform 5 trials in both testing positions with appropriate rest intervals. After initial assessment, the subjects were randomly allocated among group 1 and group 2. Treatment implementation was done for 8 weeks followed by re-evaluation: group 1 received context-specific proprioceptive retraining along with multijoint coupling strategies and group 2, conventional treatment. Results: The subjects were compared using difference of pre- and post-treatment proprioceptive acuity scores. The difference of proprioceptive acuity impairment scores of the left knee at 30° and 60°, and the right knee at 60° in prone lying position were statistically significant, with P value ranging from less than 0.001 to 0.028. Conclusion: It was found that the prone lying testing position was more sensitive than sitting position for assessing proprioceptive acuity for knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of a Neurofacilitation of Developmental Reaction (NFDR) approach with that of a Conventional approach in the modulation of tone in children with neurodevelopmental delay. Methods: Experimental control design. A total of 30 spastic children ranging in age from 4 to 7 years with neurodevelopmental delay were included. Baseline evaluations of muscle tone and gross motor functional performance abilities were performed. The children were allocated into two intervention groups of 15 subjects each. In groups A and B, the NFDR and conventional approaches were applied, respectively, for 3 months and were followed by subsequent re-evaluations. Results: Between group analyses were performed using independent t test for tone and primitive reflex intensity and a Mann-Whitney U test for gross motor functional ability. For the within-group analyses, paired t tests were used for tone and primitive reflex intensity, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for gross motor functional ability. Conclusion: The NFDR approach/technique prepares the muscle to undergo tonal modulation and thereby enhances motor development and improves the motor functional performance abilities of the children with neurodevelopmental delay.

STUDY DESIGN: The study was conducted on patients who received autologous conditioned serum (ACS) as a line of treatment at the Orthopedics outpatient department of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER, Chandigarh) from January 2011 to June 2012. Of the 1,224 patients, 20 males or females were included in the study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The institutional board of PGIMER approved the study before it was initiated. PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of ACS in the treatment of unilateral lumbar radiculopathy. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Interleukin (IL)-1 appears to be of special importance among the cytokines identified in orthopedic diseases. ACS contains high concentrations of IL-1 receptor antagonist, antagonist to IL-1 in that is a biochemical 'sensitizer' of nerve roots in radiculopathy. METHODS: We included 20 patients with unilateral lumbar radiculopathy after obtaining informed consent. We prepared ACS as described by Meijer et al. Under bi-planar fluoroscopic imaging in anterior-posterior and lateral views, ACS was administered via epidural perineural technique. Patients in both groups were evaluated by quadruple visual analogue scale, straight leg raising test, revised Oswestry disability index, and 12-Item Short Form of Health Survey before and after epidural injections at 3 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant change in all parameters from pre-injection to first, second, and third follow-up (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ACS can modify the disease course in addition to reducing pain, disability and improving general health.
Cytokines ; Education, Medical ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Injections, Epidural ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukins ; Leg ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Outpatients ; Prospective Studies* ; Radiculopathy*

Griscelli syndrome type 2 (GS2) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the RAB27A gene. It is characterized by cutaneous hypopigmentation, immunodeficiency, and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. We describe 2 brothers who had GS2 with clinically diverse manifestations. The elder brother presented with a purely neurological picture, whereas the younger one presented with fever, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, and erythema nodosum. Considering that cutaneous hypopigmentation was a common feature between the brothers, genetic analysis for Griscelli syndrome was performed. As the elder sibling had died, mutation analysis was only performed on the younger sibling, which revealed a novel homozygous mutation in the RAB27A gene on chromosome 15 showing a single-base substitution (c.136T>A p.F46I). Both parents were heterozygous for the same mutation. This confirmed the diagnosis of GS2 in the accelerated phase in both siblings. The atypical features of GS2 in these cases are a novel mutation, isolated neurological involvement in one sibling, association with erythema nodosum, and 2 distinct clinical presentations in siblings with the same genetic mutation.
Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; Diagnosis ; Erythema Nodosum ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypopigmentation ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; Nervous System Diseases ; Pancytopenia ; Parents ; Siblings*

Methods: This was a prospective study, with 77 patients in the study group and 23 participants in the control group. Baseline hs- CRP levels were obtained for both groups. Study group patients received a single ESI and were subjected to detailed pre- and postprocedure evaluation using MODY scores. For this group, hs-CRP levels were measured at 1 and 2 months after injection. Results: Out of 77 patients, 52 had acute and 25 had chronic low back pain. Thirty-six patients with acute pain obtained significant improvement, while 16 had an insignificant response to the ESI. None of the chronic cases had a significant response. The mean baseline hs-CRP (mg/L) among the study group (29.83±10.43) was significantly higher than for the controls (10.26±2.783). The baseline hs-CRP among acute cases, where post ESI MODY score at 2 months had significant reduction, was 32.19±5.126, and those with insignificant reduction was 18.13±7.949 (p <0.001). Conclusions Baseline hs-CRP levels can be used to prognosticate the outcome following ESI in patients with acute lumbar disc disease, with radicular pain refractory to physiotherapy and analgesics.