Prediction of interfragmentary movement in fracture fixation constructs using a combination of finite element modeling and rigid body assumptions.

The amount of interfragmentary movement has been identified as a crucial factor for successful fracture healing. The aim of our study was to combine finite element analysis with a rigid body assumption to efficiently predict interfragmentary movement in fixed tibial fractures. The interfragmentary movement in a transverse tibial shaft fracture (AO/OTA type 42-A3) fixed with a locked plating construct was simulated using finite element analysis. In order to assess the contribution of the components on the resulting interfragmentary movement, the tibia, screws and embedding was either simulated deformable or as rigid body. The rigid and the deformable model accurately predicted the interfragmentary movement (R2 = 0.99). The axial movement ranged between 0.1 mm and 1.3 mm and shear movements were between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm. Differences between the two models were smaller than 73 µm (axial) and 46 µm (shear). The rigid body assumption reduced computation time and memory usage by up to 61% and 97%, respectively.

Prevalence of neurovascular compression in patients with essential and secondary hypertension.

AIMS: There are discrepant data on the prevalence of vascular compression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla, discussed as a possible cause of essential hypertension, in patients with essential and secondary hypertension. We therefore evaluated the comparative prevalence of neurovascular compression in two large and well defined patient groups with severe essential and secondary hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 121 patients with long-standing severe (requiring at least three antihypertensive agents for adequate control of blood pressure) essential or secondary hypertension and extensive examination for causes of secondary hypertension were recruited. The presence of neurovascular compression was assessed independently by a neuroradiologist and a neurosurgeon in MRI images for all patients. The subgroup of patients with the highest prevalence of neurovascular compression was identified by CART-analysis. RESULTS: 5 of 121 formerly included patients (4.1%) were excluded for diverging MRI assessments. Neurovascular compression was diagnosed in 50 of 68 patients (73.5%) with essential hypertension and 6 of 48 patients (12.5%) with secondary hypertension. The odds ratio for diagnosis of neurovascular compression in patients with essential hypertension was 19.4 (95%-confidence interval 7.9-47.9) compared to patients with secondary hypertension. CART-analysis identified the highest prevalence of neurovascular compression in patients with severe essential hypertension younger than 67.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Since successful decompression or implantation of a carotid sinus stimulator in patients eligible for surgery may lead to substantial improvement in blood pressure in patients in whom blood pressure could not be lowered below 140/90 mmHg by antihypertensive treatment alone MRI screening for the presence of neurovascular compression is justified in patients meeting all of the following three criteria: exclusion of secondary hypertension after extensive examination; hypertension uncontrollable with antihypertensive treatment alone, and age younger than 67.5 years.

Arthrospira ('Spirulina') strains from four continents are resolved into only two clusters, based on amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis of the internally transcribed spacer.

We present the results of a phylogenetic study, based on amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis of the rDNA operon, of 37 Arthrospira ('Spirulina') cultivated clonal strains from four continents. In addition, duplicates from different culture collections or markedly different morphotypes of particular strains established as clonal cultures were treated as separate entries, resulting in a total of 51 tested cultures. The strain Spirulina laxissima SAG 256.80 was included as outgroup. The 16S rRNA genes appeared too conserved for discrimination of the strains by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis, and thus the internally transcribed spacer was selected as molecular taxonomic marker. The internally transcribed spacer sequences situated between the 16S and the 23S rRNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and yielded amplicons of about 540 bp. Direct use of cells for polymerase chain reaction seemed to inhibit the amplification reaction. This was overcome by the design of a crude lysis protocol and addition of bovine serum albumin in the polymerase chain reaction mix. The amplicons were digested with four restriction enzymes (EcoRV, Hhal, Hinfl, Msel) and the banding patterns obtained were analyzed. Cluster analysis showed the separation of all the strains into two main clusters. No clear relationships could be observed between this division into two clusters and the geographic origin of the strains, or their designation in the culture collections, or their morphology.

Treatment of elevated intracranial pressure by infusions of 10% saline in severely head injured patients.

The management of intracranial pressure (ICP) is a factor in outcome of patients with head trauma. However, recent studies have revealed that the current strategies, which have been applied to control ICP for adequate cerebral perfusion, are unsatisfactory. Against this background, the efficacy of short-term infusions of hypertonic saline on ICP was investigated. In severely head injured (SHI) patients, hypertonic saline (100 ml 10% NaCl) was administered when standard agents (mannitol, sorbitol, THAM) failed in reducing ICP. To evaluate the pressure reduction after saline infusions the resulting ICP relaxations were analysed statistically in respect to the parameters amplitude, duration and dynamic behaviour of the ICP responses. In 42 randomized relaxations, the relative ICP decrease was 43% [28%-58%] (median [interquartile range]). The corresponding pressure drop was 18 mmHg [15-27 mm Hg]. Relaxations lasted for 93 min [64-126 min] and a relative ICP minimum was reached 26 min [12-33 min] after infusion. In the individual cases the temporal course of the parameters amplitude and decline interval depict a tendency toward lower and higher values, respectively, under conditions of a generally increasing ICP. As expected, the infusion of hypertonic saline reduces ICP in patients suffering from SHI. The pressure drop, duration and dynamic behaviour are suspected to depend both on the pressure level to reduce and concomitant medications.