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Early Complication Rates Are Equivalent Between Isolated Cartilage Restoration and Concomitant Cartilage Restoration and Osteotomy of the Knee.

UC Irvine Previously Published Works (2024)

OBJECTIVE: Realignment osteotomy performed concomitantly with cartilage restoration typically requires early restricted weightbearing and can add significant morbidity, potentially leading to an increased risk of early perioperative complications. The purpose of this study was to compare the 30-day complication rates after isolated cartilage restoration (ICR) versus concomitant cartilage restoration and osteotomy (CRO) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. DESIGN: NSQIP registries between 2006 and 2019 were queried using Current Procedural Terminology codes to identify patients undergoing ICR (autologous chondrocyte implantation, osteochondral autograft transfer, or osteochondral allograft transplantation) and CRO (with concomitant high tibial osteotomy, distal femoral osteotomy, and/or tibial tubercle osteotomy). Complications rates between treatment groups were compared using multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for sex, age, steroid use, and respiratory status. RESULTS: A total of 773 ICR and 97 CRO surgical procedures were identified. Mean patient ages were 35.9 years for the ICR group and 31.2 years for the CRO group. Operative time was significantly longer in the CRO group (170.8 min) compared with the ICR group (97.8 min). Multivariate analysis demonstrated no significant differences in rates of PE, VTE, and all-cause readmission between the ICR and CRO groups. No events of wound disruption, SSI and reoperation were found in the CRO group, while the ICR group was characterized by low rates of wound disruption, reoperation, and SSI (<1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: These findings further support concomitant osteotomy with cartilage restoration when appropriate and aid surgeons in the preoperative counseling of patients undergoing cartilage restoration treatment.

Cover page: Early Complication Rates Are Equivalent Between Isolated Cartilage Restoration and Concomitant Cartilage Restoration and Osteotomy of the Knee.

Article
Peer Reviewed

Stereochemical Control Yields Mucin Mimetic Polymers

UC Riverside Previously Published Works (2021)

All animals except sponges produce mucus. Across the animal kingdom, this hydrogel mediates surface wetting, viscosity, and protection against microbes. The primary components of mucus hydrogels are mucins-high molecular weight O-glycoproteins that adopt extended linear structures. Glycosylation is integral to mucin function, but other characteristics that give rise to their advantageous biological activities are unknown. We postulated that the extended conformation of mucins is critical for their ability to block microbial virulence phenotypes. To test this hypothesis, we developed synthetic mucin mimics that recapitulate the dense display of glycans and morphology of mucin. We varied the catalyst in a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to generate substituted norbornene-derived glycopolymers containing either cis- or trans-alkenes. Conformational analysis of the polymers based on allylic strain suggested that cis- rather than trans-poly(norbornene) glycopolymers would adopt linear structures that mimic mucins. High-resolution atomic force micrographs of our polymers and natively purified Muc2, Muc5AC, and Muc5B mucins revealed that cis-polymers adopt extended, mucin-like structures. The cis-polymers retained this structure in solution and were more water-soluble than their trans-analogs. Consistent with mucin's linear morphology, cis-glycopolymers were more potent binders of a bacterial virulence factor, cholera toxin. Our findings highlight the importance of the polymer backbone in mucin surrogate design and underscore the significance of the extended mucin backbone for inhibiting virulence.

Cover page: Stereochemical Control Yields Mucin Mimetic Polymers

Article
Peer Reviewed

Plexus 2022: Illuminate

Plexus (2022)

Editor's Note

PLEXUS is a student-organized publication that showcases creative work by medical students, physicians, faculty, and others in the UCI medical community.

Through the universal language of art, the journal aspires to connect those who seek to heal and to be healed.

We hope that PLEXUS will always be a creative and welcoming space in which we can all reflect and share our experiences in medicine and in life. Medicine, especially in recent years, may feel like a solitary endeavor. Now, more than ever, we hope PLEXUS provides solace and community to all who contribute to and view its pages.

Illumination is the state of being brought to light. This year’s 23rd edition of PLEXUS, Illuminate, focuses on the action, the process, and the source by which we shine light on the world around us and all that is within ourselves. As a society we are still in a period of reckoning, returning, and reeling from recent changes. As part of a medical community we are committed to a lifelong process of learning and growing. In this issue we invited the UCI community to consider what we would like to bring to light – a question, a story, a cause, or a word of wisdom - to bring forth the things we are passionate about, are coming to terms with, and have newly discovered.

We are incredibly grateful to our amazing community for their support in sustaining PLEXUS. We would like to give special thanks to our faculty advisors Dr Johanna Shapiro, Dr Tan Nguyen, Dr Frank Meyskens, and Dr Juliet McMullin.

This journal would not have been possible without their continuous support and guidance.

We hope you enjoy PLEXUS 2022: Illuminate.

Editors in Chief: Ashley Hope, Celina Yang, Kenneth Schmitt

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 medical student competition! Fireside with You, by Caroline Frambach (MS4); Tomatoes and Ice, by Gianna Kroenig (MS1); Present, by Christopher Sahagian (MS1); Dream Sequence, by Jessica Wang (MS3)

(Front cover) The Observatory By Vinay Sharma, MS1

Cover page: Plexus 2022: <em>Illuminate</em>

Creative Commons 'BY' version 4.0 license