We present a case report of a 45-year-old Malay female prison officer with a diagnosis of lateral patellofemoral joint (PFJ) osteoarthritis (OA) in her right knee for whom conservative treatment failed. She was periodically followed up for the unresolving anterior right knee pain, and the patient was offered interpositional PFJ arthroplasty with the quadriceps tendon. A novel technique of interpositional PFJ arthroplasty using lateral inner section ipsilateral quadriceps tendon was applied. The approach and surgical technique were described in this case report. The aim of this study is to describe why this technique was chosen, step by step with images on how interpositional PFJ arthroplasty is done and its satisfactory outcome following a three-month follow up.
Recurrent shoulder dislocation is a common orthopedic condition, but bilateral involvement is rare and presents unique challenges in management. The Latarjet procedure is an effective surgical technique that addresses instability by creating a bony block on the anterior glenoid rim. This case highlights the successful management of bilateral recurrent shoulder dislocation using the bilateral shoulder open Latarjet procedure and emphasizes the importance of early intervention in such cases.
A widely tunable low stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based multi-wavelength Brillouin-erbium fiber laser is presented. The fiber laser structure utilizes a pre-amplified Brillouin pump (BP) technique with 100 m of PCF and a tunable band-pass filter within a Fabry-Perot cavity. A total of 14 Brillouin Stokes lines can be tuned over 29 nm from 1540 nm to 1569 nm. The wide tunability was only limited by the bandwidth of the tunable band-pass filter. A constant channel spacing of 0.079 nm and signal to noise ratio (SNR) of more than 20 dB for each Brillouin Stokes lines were also observed.
Discal cysts are a rare diagnosis involving the formation of an intraspinal extradural cyst. They are a diagnostic challenge as it is difficult to differentiate discal cysts from other causes of back pain, neurological deficit, and radiculopathy. Due to its rarity, there is a lack of research-based evidence on the optimal management of the discal cyst. This case report aims to increase awareness of this diagnosis and to highlight a possible treatment option for this condition.
Management of shoulder dislocation can be challenging especially when glenoid bone fracture is involved. Bony Bankart lesion can be managed either through an open surgery or, of late, using arthroscopic technique. Arthroscopic bony Bankart repair is technically difficult, requiring specialized instruments to penetrate the bone fragment within the detached labrum. This case report describes an alternative way of doing an arthroscopic reattachment of an acute bony Bankart lesion using traction sutures, an accessory anteromedial portal and utilization of knotless anchors. A 44-year-old male technician was climbing a ladder when he slipped and fell directly on his left shoulder. Imaging revealed bony Bankart fracture with presence of ipsilateral greater tuberosity (GT) fracture and a Hill-Sachs lesion. In a right lateral position, arthroscopic reduction of the bony fragment was performed utilizing a Fibrewire® (Arthrex, Inc., Naples, FL, USA) suture as traction apparatus while securing the upper and lower tissue enveloping the bony Bankart fragment. An accessory portal was made lower down anteriorly to de-rotate the fragment, holding it in place while securing two Pushlock® (Arthrex, Inc.) anchors to the native glenoid. We then performed GT fixation using two cannulated screws. Check radiographs revealed acceptable reduction of the Bankart fragment. With careful case selection, arthroscopic repair of acute bony Bankart lesions is possible using special arthroscopic reduction maneuver and fixation technique with subsequent good outcome.
Partial replacement of resident Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with introduced mosquitoes carrying certain strains of inherited Wolbachia symbionts can result in transmission blocking of dengue and other viruses of public health importance. Wolbachia strain wAlbB is an effective transmission blocker and stable at high temperatures, making it particularly suitable for hot tropical climates. Following trial field releases in Malaysia, releases using wAlbB Ae. aegypti have become operationalized by the Malaysian health authorities. We report here on an average reduction in dengue fever of 62.4% (confidence intervals 50-71%) in 20 releases sites when compared to 76 control sites in high-rise residential areas. Importantly the level of dengue reduction increased with Wolbachia frequency, with 75.8% reduction (61-87%) estimated at 100% Wolbachia frequency. These findings indicate large impacts of wAlbB Wolbachia invasions on dengue fever incidence in an operational setting, with incidence expected to further decrease as wider areas are invaded.