Clinical observation of C3-type patellar fractures treated by operation methods with or without a turned-over patella.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of operation methods with or without a turned-over patella for treatment of C3-type patellar fractures. METHODS: A total of 68 patients with C3-type patellar fractures undergoing open reduction and internal fixation were retrospectively selected and treated with a turned-over patella surgery (turned-over patella group, n = 30) or conventional therapy without turning over the patella (conventional group, n = 38). The intraoperative and postoperative indicators of the two groups were assessed and comparatively analyzed. RESULTS: The bedridden time was significantly shorter in the turned-over patella group than in the conventional group (P = 0.002), while the range of motion (ROM) of knee joint was significantly higher in the turned-over patella group (P = 0.044). The Lysholm score was slightly higher in the turned-over patella group than in the conventional group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.055). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the operation time (P = 0.096), intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.543), time of weight bearing (P = 0.312), fracture healing time (P = 0.272), or complications (P = 1). CONCLUSION: The turned-over patella operation method exhibited some superiority to conventional reduction-fixation approach for treatment of C3-type patellar fractures in terms of efficacy and safety by enlarging the ROM of the knee joint and promoting functional recovery.

Flexible and Compressible Temperature Sensors Based on Hierarchically Buckled Carbon Nanotube/Rubber Bi-Sheath-Core Fibers.

Flexible and compressible temperature sensors are highly desired for artificial skin and epidermal electronics. Here we demonstrated a flexible and compressible resistive temperature sensor using hierarchically buckled carbon nanotube/rubber bi-sheath-core structure (a buckled carbon nanotube outer sheath and a buckled rubber inner sheath wrapped around a rubber fiber core). When heated, lateral contacts of the adjacent buckles increase, resulting in electrical resistance decrease and serving as highly sensitive temperature sensors. This bi-sheath-core fiber temperature sensor showed high linearity, good repeatability, large negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTC = -54.7/°C), and insensitivity to compressive deformations (up to -20% strain). The NTC and temperature dependence of percent resistance change can be easily tuned by modulating the buckling bi-sheath-core structures such as varying the number of nanotube layers and the rubber sheath stiffness.

A Novel Capturing Method for Quantification of Extra-Cellular Nanovesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), secreted by cells and found in body fluids play important roles in intercellular communication. Therefore, EVs are receiving increasing attention as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases. However, the detection and the quantification of EVs are hampered by the nanometer scale of these particles and by the lack of optimized quantification methods. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful technology that can detect small particles. Here we report a 3D capture method for sample preparation of AFM which improves the accuracy, sensitivity and reproducibility for EVs' detection, compared to conventional sample preparation methods. By shaking a mica plate in EV solution, all the EVs were captured onto the 2D surface. The majority of the captured particles have a size ranging from 10 to 120 nm, which correlates with size data obtained from transmission electron microscopy studies. This novel sample preparation method has high adaptability potential and can also be applied to other organic and inorganic nanoparticles.

Purification of Biotinylated Proteins Using Single Walled Carbon Nanotube-Streptavidin Complexes.

In this study, Single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-streptavidin complexes were used to capture and purify biotinylated proteins, including bio-GFP and bio-DBS using a pull-down method. The purification conditions were systematically studied, including surface blocking of SWNT using chicken egg albumin (CEA), the ratio of SWNT-streptavidin complexes to the cell lysate, as well as the centrifugation speed. Optimization of the protein purification using SWNT-streptavidin complexes shows the possibility of carbon nanotubes as a promising candidate for protein purification applications. The SWNT-streptavidin could be used as a scaffold to analyze protein structure directly by cryo-transmission electron microscopy, which provides better understanding in protein­protein interactions and biological processes.

Conducting Fibers: Downsized Sheath-Core Conducting Fibers for Weavable Superelastic Wires, Biosensors, Supercapacitors, and Strain Sensors (Adv. Mater. 25/2016).

Using intelligent textiles for clothing represents one possibility for weavable superelastic conducting fibers that can store energy, sense body motions, and detect biochemicals. On page 4998, S. Yin, R. H. Baughman, and co-workers demonstrate that these hair-like-diameter fibers, comprising buckled carbon nanotube sheaths on a rubber core, can be used as glucose sensors, supercapacitors, ultrafast strain sensors, and electrical interconnectors. The performance of these structures is maintained also under giant strain.

Downsized Sheath-Core Conducting Fibers for Weavable Superelastic Wires, Biosensors, Supercapacitors, and Strain Sensors.

Hair-like-diameter superelastic conducting fibers, comprising a buckled carbon nanotube sheath on a rubber core, are fabricated, characterized, and deployed as weavable wires, biosensors, supercapacitors, and strain sensors. These downsized sheath-core fibers provide the demonstrated basis for glucose sensors, supercapacitors, and electrical interconnects whose performance is undegraded by giant strain, as well as ultrafast strain sensors that exploit strain-dependent capacitance changes.

[Analysis of risk factors of the infection after operation of open tibiofibula fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the related factors of the infection after operation of open tibiofibula fractures. METHODS: The clinical data of 141 patients with open tibiofibula fractures underwent surgical treatment from June 2009 to December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were male and aged from 18 to 61 years old with an average of 39.2 years; all the fractures were unilateral. According to Gustilo typing of fracure, 5 cases were type I, 44 cases were type II, 27 cases were type III a, 56 cases were type III b and 9 cases were type III c. These clinical data included patients' age, gender, body mass index (BMI), underlying diseases, time of operation, fracture site, fracture type, fixation method, postoperative drainage, debridement condition and so on. The postoperative infection conditions were recorded, and the correlation between above factors and infections were analyzed. Finally, the significant related variables were introduced into a Logistic regression model to evaluated their risk. RESULTS: Among the 141 patients, 22 cases developed with infection (15.6%). The significant relative factors with infection contained fixation method, debridement condition, underlying diseases and postoperative drainage (P < 0.05). The correlativities were stepped up in order, their odds ratios value was 2.451, 3.164, 3.414, 5.117, respectively. CONCLUSION: Active treatment for underlying diseases before operation, thorough debridement for open wound, suitable fixation method for fracture and thorough draining are effective measures in preventing postoperative infection.

Clinical study on low transphincteric perianal fistula treated with contra-aperture dissection and skin bridge preservation / 中国综合临床

Objective To evaluate the curative effects and safty of contra-aperture dissection and skin bridge preservation in the treatment of low transphincteric perianal fistula.Methods Sixty subjects of low transphincteric perianal fistula were randomly divided into two groups.Thirty cases of treatment group were treated by contra-aperture dissection and skin bridge preservation,and 30 cases of control group were treated by anal fistulectomy.On the second,seventh and fourteenth day after operation,the postoperative pain,exudate and fever were recorded and scored.The curative time was observed.Anorectal dynamic changes were compared simultaneously to evaluate the curative effects and safety of contra-aperture dissection and skin bridge preservation.Results The scores of pain and exudate were significantly different between the treatment and the control group(P＜0.01).The wound-healing time was shorter in the treatment group than that in the control group((27.37±8.93) d vs.(32.73±9.45) d,P=0.000).There were significant differences in the anal resting pressure,anal maximal contraction pressure and active systolic pressure between the two groups (t =13.12,10.21,12.10;P＜0.01).There was no significant difference of total effect between the two groups(100％ and 93.3％;x2 =2.07,P＞0.05).Conclusion Contra-aperture dissection and skin bridge preservation can reduce postoperative pain,exudate and fever,shorten wound-healing time and protect anal functions in the treatment of low transphincteric perianal fistula.

Effect of c-erbB2 overexpression on prognosis in osteosarcoma: evidence from eight studies.

C-erbB2 (HER-2/neu) plays an important role in the progression of several types of cancer by increasing tumor growth, migration, invasion, and metastasis and is associated with poor disease prognosis. Numerous studies examining the relationship between c-erbB2 expression and prognostic impact in patients with osteosarcoma have yielded inconclusive results. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the prognostic role of c-erbB2 expression on 5-year survival, which compared the positive and negative expression of c-erbB2 in patients of the available studies. A detailed search was made in PubMed for relevant original articles published in English. Finally, a total of eight studies with 411 osteosarcoma patients were involved to estimate the relationship between c-erbB2 expression and 5-year overall survival. Positive expressions of c-erbB2 predicted poorer survival in osteosarcoma with the pooled RR of 1.53 (95 % CI 1.20-1.94, P = 0.0006). In conclusion, the findings from this present meta-analysis suggest that c-erbB2 overexpression is related to poor prognostic of osteosarcoma and can be a useful clinical prognostic factor for those patients.

Vascular endothelial growth factor D promoting the growth of lymphatic vessel in gastric carcinoma / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) and metastasis of lymphatic vessel in gastric carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The human VEGF-D cDNA was amplified from total RNA isolated from human normal gastric tissue, then it was inserted into T-A clone plasmid and subcloned into pEGFP eukaryotic expression vector. After the full-length sequence expected was confirmed by enzymatic digestion and sequencing,the human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC7901, which expressed a low level of VEGF-D, was transfected with the pEGFP/VEGF-D expression vector. Stable SGC7901 clones with high expression of VEGF-D were selected in vitro with G418, which were then combined and subcutaneously injected into nude mice to observe the density and morphology of lymphatic vessel. The outcomes were later compared with those of SGC7901 cells transfected with null vector(pEGFP) by immunostaining with a specific antibody LYVE-1.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average weight of tumors in the pEGFP group (1.13+/-0.40) g at day 35, was significantly lower than that in the pEGFP/VEGF-D group (2.24+/-0.82)g (P<0.05). The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) in the pEGFP group (2.89+/-1.32) was significantly lower than that in the pEGFP/VEGF-D group (5.74+/-1.30)(P<0.01). There were dilated functional lymphatic vessels around the tumor margin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>VEGF-D may promote the growth and metastasis of tumor in gastric carcinoma by increasing the growth of lymphatic vessels.</p>

Pedicle screw fixation with translaminar facet joint screws for the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Cotrel-Dubeusset (CD) instrumentation combined with translaminar facet joint screw (TLS) in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture. METHODS: A total of six L(2)-L(4) spines were used to establish unstable fracture model with three-dimensional range of motion (ROM) of the spines measured. Fixation with CD and fixation with CD combined with translaminar facet joint screw were achieved to compare their stability. Thirty cases of thoracolumbar fracture, in whom the anterior edge of vertebral body was compressed to 59% and the posterior edge compressed to 88%, were treated by pedicle screw fixation combined with TLS. Among them, 19 received posterolateral or anterior-posterior bone grafting. RESULTS: There was significant difference in ROM between the two techniques except that in extension. In Group CD+TLS, ROM was 5.38% lower, lateral bending 4.91% lower and axial rotation 11.85% lower than those in Group CD respectively. In the clinical group, the average anterior edge restored to 97% and posterior edge to 98%. The duration of follow-up was 5-24 months (mean, 10 months). The rate of correction loss on the anterior edge was 4.5%. Among the 19 cases of bone grafting, all of them achieved bony fusion (mean fusion time, 4.3 month) with a correction loss rate of 3.4%. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture, pedicle screw fixation combined with TLS can strengthen the stability of pedicle screws, especially anti-rotation stability and enhance fusion rate and reduce correction loss.