Wright's Technique with the Addition of Visualized Axial Cortical Windows in Odontoid Fractures.

This study sought to investigate and evaluate a modified axial translaminar screw fixation for treating odontoid fractures. We performed a retrospective study at Wenzhou Medical University Affiliated Second Hospital between March 2016 and June 2018. We retrospectively collected and analyzed the medical records of 23 cases with odontoid fractures. All patients were identified as type II odontoid fractures without neurological deficiency and serious diseases following the classification of Anderson. The average age, gender ratio, and body mass index (BMI) were 54.3 ± 11.1 years, 12 men to 11 women, and 22.6 ± 2.4 kg/m2 , respectively. Patients in this study accepted screw fixation using our modified axial translaminar screw fixation combined with atlas pedicle or lateral mass screw fixation. Within the technique, a small cortical "window" was dug in the middle of the axial contralateral lamina, such that the screws in the lamina were visualized to prevent incorrectly implanting the posterior spinal canal through the visualized "window." A total of 46 bone screws were accurately inserted into the axial lamina without using fluoroscopy. The length of all translaminar screws ranged between 26 and 30 mm, while the diameter was 3.5 mm. During the follow-up survey, the visual analog scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) were measured. We provide a simple modification of Wright's elegant technique with the addition of "visualized windows" at the middle of the axial lamina. In all patients, screws were inserted accurately without bony breach and the screw angle was 56.1 ± 3.0°. Mean operative time was 102 ± 28 min with an average blood loss of 50 ± 25 mL. Postoperative hemoglobin and mean length of hospital stay were 12.0 ± 1.4 g/dL and 10.4 ± 3.4 days, respectively. The average follow-up time of all cases was 14.7 months and no internal fixation displacement, loosening, or breakage was found. All patients with odontoid fractures reported being satisfied with the treatment during the recheck period and good clinical outcomes were observed. At 1, 6, and 12 months, NDI and VAS showed that the symptoms of neck pain and limitations of functional disability improved significantly during follow-up. Our results suggest that the modified translaminar screw fixation technique can efficiently treat Anderson type II odontoid fracture, followed by the benefits of less soft tissue dissection, simple operation, no fluoroscopy, and accurate placement of screws.

A knowledge generation model via the hypernetwork.

The influence of the statistical properties of the network on the knowledge diffusion has been extensively studied. However, the structure evolution and the knowledge generation processes are always integrated simultaneously. By introducing the Cobb-Douglas production function and treating the knowledge growth as a cooperative production of knowledge, in this paper, we present two knowledge-generation dynamic evolving models based on different evolving mechanisms. The first model, named "HDPH model," adopts the hyperedge growth and the hyperdegree preferential attachment mechanisms. The second model, named "KSPH model," adopts the hyperedge growth and the knowledge stock preferential attachment mechanisms. We investigate the effect of the parameters (α,ß) on the total knowledge stock of the two models. The hyperdegree distribution of the HDPH model can be theoretically analyzed by the mean-field theory. The analytic result indicates that the hyperdegree distribution of the HDPH model obeys the power-law distribution and the exponent is γ = 2 + 1/m. Furthermore, we present the distributions of the knowledge stock for different parameters (α,ß). The findings indicate that our proposed models could be helpful for deeply understanding the scientific research cooperation.

[Effects of cyclosporin A on expression of FasL and Fas in the contralateral testis after the unilateral testis injured in KM mouse].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of Cyclosporin A (CsA) on spermatogenesis and expression of FasL and Fas in the contralateral testis after the unilateral testis was injured. METHODS: 60 mice were randomly divided equally into groups A (control), B (the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid), C (excision of ipsilateral testis at 6 hours after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid) and D (CsA within 6 hours after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid). Sperm density and sperm motility were evaluated after 4 weeks. Expression of FasL and Fas was performed by immunohistochemistry (SP method). The positive cells with SP staining in seminiferous tubules were calculated. RESULTS: Sperm density and sperm motility in group D were significantly increased compared with group B(P < 0.05). Expression of FasL and Fas in group D decreased significantly compared with group B (24.3 +/- 7.0 vs 37.8 +/- 5.8 and 17.8 +/- 4.3 vs 32.4 +/- 3.6, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CsA decreased expression of Fas and FasL and maintained spermatogenesis in the contralateral testis after the unilateral testis was injured by glacial acetic acid.