Osteoarthitis

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common cause of pain in the US. The currently available medicines for knee osteoarthritis sometimes are not effective at relieving the pain or have unacceptable side effects. Thus, alternate pain relieving treatments are needed. CBD, an active chemical from the hemp derived cannabis sativa plant, has received a lot of attention for its potential pain relieving properties, but there has been limited research to find out if topically applied CBD can decrease pain from knee osteoarthritis. CBD lacks the psychoactive effects seen with marijuana use, because it does not contain THC which is responsible for those effects in marijuana. It is legal to use CBD in the State of Tennessee (site of study). The CBD Knee Study is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and is a collaborative effort between doctors at UT and Campbell Clinic. In the CBD Knee Study, the investigators are examining whether topically applied CBD dissolved in Castor Oil will relieve knee pain in persons with knee osteoarthritis. Persons who take part in the study would need to come for study visits, fill out questionnaires about their health and knee pain, and would be asked to use the topical study oil on their knees. Taking part in the CBD Knee Study is voluntary.

Knee osteoarthritis will be recognized as a leading cause of pain and functional disability, and conventional physiotherapy will remain a cornerstone of its management. Kinesiotaping will be widely used as an adjunct intervention; however, its additional benefit beyond standard rehabilitation programs will remain unclear. This study will aim to investigate the additional effects of kinesiotaping combined with a conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program on pain, functional status, and kinesiophobia in individuals with unilateral knee osteoarthritis. A total of 60 participants with unilateral knee osteoarthritis will be included in this randomized controlled trial and will be assigned to either a conventional physiotherapy (CP) group or a kinesiotaping (KT) group. Both groups will receive a 4-week (12 sessions) physiotherapy program including ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, patellofemoral mobilization, and exercise. Kinesiotaping will be applied every 3 days in the KT group. Outcome measures will include pain (VAS), kinesiophobia (TSK, FABQ), functional performance (30-s sit-to-stand, stair climb test), dynamic balance (functional reach), and WOMAC.

This clinical trial will evaluate the effects of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT) on femoral cartilage thickness and other clinical outcomes in people with knee osteoarthritis. Participants aged 40 to 60 years with grade II or III knee osteoarthritis will be randomly assigned to receive either HILT plus conventional physiotherapy or conventional physiotherapy alone. Both groups will receive 12 treatment sessions on alternate days for 4 weeks. The study will assess changes in cartilage thickness using ultrasound, as well as improvements in pain, knee movement, muscle strength, and daily function. Findings from this research may help improve physiotherapy treatment strategies for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

CARTIZ is a prospective observational clinical registry of adults in Mexico receiving tirzepatide (a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist) under an independent clinical indication - typically type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, renal protection, metabolic hypertension, or associated off-label metabolic use. The registry is entirely observational: CARTIZ does not initiate, modify, interrupt, or supply tirzepatide, and does not dictate dose, route, or duration. All pharmacological exposure decisions are made by the treating physician independently of study participation. The registry is operationalized through a four-institute architecture integrating three Mexican National Institutes of Health and one national imaging laboratory. Core 1 (Knee Cartilage Imaging, Ci3M UAM-Iztapalapa) performs bilateral 3T MRI with quantitative T2 mapping at Week 0 and Week 52. Core 2 (Cardiac Imaging, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez) performs non-contrast cardiac computed tomography for radiomic phenotyping of epicardial adipose tissue at Week 0 and Week 52 under cardiovascular Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Erick Alexánderson Rosas. Core 3 (HLA Typing, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Transplant Department) performs Class I and Class II HLA typing by PCR-SSO Reverse Luminex. Core 4 (Body Composition, Universidad La Salle México) performs multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (seca mBCA) at six longitudinal timepoints capturing visceral adipose tissue trajectory, phase-angle trajectory, appendicular skeletal muscle mass, and hydration ratios at zero marginal cost. The registry enrolls n=30 patients across three clinical sites with identical protocol (IMSS Clínica Río Magdalena, INCMNSZ outpatient clinic, and a private practice site in Mexico City), generating 60 evaluable knees and 30 paired cardiac CT studies. The primary co-endpoints address a mechanistic question no other tirzepatide study is positioned to answer: whether the articular response to tirzepatide in inflammatory arthropathy precedes and mechanistically precedes weight loss, through formal mediation analysis of Week-4 ACR20 response via high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, SERPINB2, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 activity, restricted to the Mechanistic Analysis Set of patients with tirzepatide exposure ≤16 weeks at Week 0 and delta-BMI \<1.0 kg/m² through Week 4. A prespecified Surgical Tissue Subcohort is declared at initial registration to establish public scientific priority on direct human epicardial adipose tissue transcriptomic characterization under dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonism. Subcohort participants who undergo clinically indicated cardiac surgery at INCar during follow-up (coronary artery bypass grafting, valve replacement, or combined procedures) are invited to provide specific additional informed consent for collection of epicardial adipose tissue fragments routinely excised during operative access and otherwise discarded as surgical waste. Operational launch is contingent on separate INCar tissue-specific approvals and will proceed via PRS record amendment when ready

The study is an interventional, randomized, open-label (non-blinded), placebo-controlled trial. Preoperatively, patients scheduled for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) will undergo a clinical examination in the Orthopaedic Department. Clinical tests will be performed to confirm sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction on the operated side. In addition, low-dose computed tomography (CT) will be used to assess structural changes in the SIJ. All patients will complete patient-reported outcome measures related to the hip joint, including the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the Harris Hip Score (HHS), as well as SIJ-related assessments, including the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Following THA, patients will be randomly allocated into two groups during their hospital stay. In the intervention group, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) will be injected into the sacroiliac joint, whereas the control group will receive an injection of normal saline. All injections will be performed in the operating theatre. At discharge, patients will be scheduled for follow-up visits at 2, 6, and 12 weeks postoperatively. At each follow-up, patient-reported outcomes will be collected, including WOMAC and HHS for hip function, ODI for SIJ-related disability, and VAS for pain assessment of both the hip and sacroiliac joint.

Study Overview This clinical research focuses on the development and validation of a multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) platform designed for the automated diagnosis and precise staging of two major musculoskeletal conditions: Osteoporosis (OP) and Osteoarthritis (OA). By integrating diverse clinical imaging data, the study aims to provide a more objective and standardized approach to assessing bone and joint degeneration. Technological Core: Intelligent Staging Traditional diagnosis often relies on manual interpretation, which can lead to inter-observer variability. This study employs deep learning and multimodal imaging to: For Osteoporosis: Automatically quantify bone mineral density and micro-architectural changes to determine the stage of bone loss and evaluate fracture risk. For Osteoarthritis: Identify subtle radiological markers such as joint space narrowing and osteophyte formation to categorize the severity of joint degeneration according to international staging standards (e.g., Kellgren-Lawrence scale). Why This Matters Early Intervention: By identifying early-stage changes in bone density and joint integrity, clinicians can implement preventive treatments before significant disability occurs. Standardized Care: The intelligent diagnostic model provides a "digital second opinion," ensuring consistent staging across different healthcare settings. Efficiency: The automated workflow reduces the workload of radiologists while maintaining high diagnostic accuracy. Ethical Compliance The study is conducted at Peking University People's Hospital under the supervision of the Institutional Review Board (Approval No. 2026PHB097-001). It strictly adheres to international ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, to ensure patient data privacy and safety.

This clinical study investigates a minimally invasive treatment called percutaneous transcatheter embolization of knee arteries for patients with chronic knee pain caused by advanced knee osteoarthritis or persistent pain after total knee replacement. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common degenerative condition that can lead to long-term pain, reduced mobility, and decreased quality of life, and some patients do not achieve sufficient relief with standard treatments. The study is based on the hypothesis that targeted embolization of small arteries supplying the inflamed tissues of the knee can safely reduce abnormal blood flow associated with inflammation, leading to pain relief and improved knee function. During the procedure, a thin catheter is guided through the blood vessels to the affected area of the knee, where a temporary embolic agent is administered to reduce pathological blood supply. The aim of the study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this procedure by assessing changes in pain intensity, knee function, and quality of life over a follow-up period of up to 24 months. The results of this study may help determine whether this minimally invasive approach can offer a new treatment option for patients who have limited alternatives for managing chronic knee pain

The aim of this observational study is to investigate the relationship between pain severity and alterations in bone-derived and brain-derived signaling molecules (including serum neurotransmitters and inflammatory cytokines), as well as structural and functional changes in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) region in patients with kidney-deficiency type knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The central question it seeks to address is whether changes in these signaling molecules and vlPAG alterations are associated with the degree of pain. Patients scheduled to undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) due to KOA will be enrolled prior to surgery. Before the operation, they will undergo questionnaire assessments, physical examinations, imaging evaluations, and blood sample collection. The resected tibial plateau tissue obtained during surgery will be used for subsequent laboratory analyses.