Preparation of a Porous Geopolymer (SPG) to be Used as an Adsorbent for Cu2+ Removal.

A porous geopolymer was synthesized using steel slag (accounting for 71.6 wt %) with the aim of effectively removing Cu2+ ions. The chemical composition and microstructure of this material were investigated using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope analysis, and BET method. The effects of H2O2 doping, H2O doping, and the curing temperature on the properties of this porous geopolymer were systematically investigated. Subsequently, the adsorption behavior of the porous geopolymer toward Cu2+ was explored through static adsorption experiments. The findings reveal that there are a higher specific surface area and pore capacity for the porous geopolymer compared to the original steel slag, with a total porosity of 90.3%, compressive strength of 0.29 MPa, and volume water absorption rate of 69.4%. The adsorption capacity of this material toward Cu2+ is found to be 36.8 mg·g-1, which is slightly superior to that of commercial spherical 4A molecular sieves. The adsorption process follows the quasi-first-order kinetic model, while the isothermal adsorption conforms to the Freundlich model.

Is Sliding Compression Necessary for Intramedullary Nailing Fixation of AO/OTA Type A3.3 Intertrochanteric Fracture?

OBJECTIVES: The intramedullary nail is considered the gold standard for treating AO/OTA type A3.3 intertrochanteric fractures. However, it still faces a significant rate of failure, mainly due to the critical factor of comminuted lateral wall defects leading to inadequate proximal sliding compression. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the requirement of sliding compression in the treatment of unstable AO/OTA type A3.3 intertrochanteric fractures. To achieve this, we conduct a comparative analysis between two approaches: InterTAN alone and proximal femoral anti-rotation blade nailing (PFNA) combined with lateral wall reconstruction for treating AO/OTA type A3.3 intertrochanteric fractures with lateral wall damage. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent intramedullary nailing fixation for AO/OTA type A3.3 intertrochanteric fractures at our hospital from January 2012 to January 2022. Patient characteristics as well as treatment details, including operative time, intraoperative blood loss, weight-bearing time, fracture healing time, tip apex distance (TAD) loss, Harris hip scores (HHS), Parker-Palmer mobility score (PPMS), and postoperative complications, were collected and analyzed. Continuous variables were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, while categorical variables were examined using the chi-square test. For group comparisons, variance analysis was applied, and pairwise comparisons were conducted using the LSD-t test. RESULTS: These patients were divided into PFNA combined with lateral wall reconstruction group (sliding compression group) and InterTAN fixation group (static fixation group) based on surgical methods. The operation time, intraoperative bleeding loss, HHS at 12 months and PPMS at 12 months in the sliding compression group were significantly higher than those in the static fixation group, and time to weight-bearing and fracture healing time were significantly lower than those in the static fixation group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between two groups in terms of the TAD at 2 days, 2, and 12 months postoperatively, the incidence of complications (p > 0.05). At 6 months postoperatively, femoral neck length was shortened compared to 2 days postoperatively in both groups, and the sliding compression group had a significantly greater degree of femoral neck shortening than the static fixation group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of PFNA with lateral wall reconstruction for A3.3 intertrochanteric fractures demonstrated superior mobility, efficiency, and reduced internal fixation failure rates compared to InterTAN. These findings suggest that sliding compression may be required for intramedullary nailing treatment.

Retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst with fluid­fluid level: A case report and literature review.

Bronchogenic cyst is a benign lesion with congenital dysplasia. Although the occurrence of this type of cyst is rare in the retroperitoneum, the presence of fluid-fluid levels is an even rarer phenomenon in bronchogenic cysts. Therefore, it can be easily misdiagnosed due to the lack of a universal guideline of specific imaging manifestations. The present report describes the case of a patient with a bronchogenic cyst with fluid-fluid levels whilst also performing a brief literature review to summarize the findings of previous reports on this condition. A 48-year-old male individual presented with severe lower back pain without any obvious causes. A CT scan revealed a low-density cystic mass of ~3x4x6 cm in the left front of the T12-L2 area, which originated from the left crus of the diaphragm. MRI revealed a fluid-fluid level in the cyst. Anterior thoracolumbar surgery was performed to completely resect the mass. During the surgery, it was confirmed that the cyst originated from the left crus of the diaphragm and the lesion was diagnosed to be a bronchogenic cyst by pathological analysis. The patient's symptoms improved after the surgery and no recurrence of the cyst was observed during the 3-year follow-up period. The presence of a fluid-fluid level in a retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst is rare, particularly in the abdominal aorta and paravertebral regions, rendering it easily misdiagnosed. It may be associated with protein, hemorrhage and calcium-containing mucus deposition in the cysts. In the present study, a rare case of fluid-fluid level in bronchogenic cyst was reported and a literature review was provided.

PRP from Personal Blood Relieves Joint Fluid-Inducing Synovial Injury through NF-κB Pathway and Mitochondrial Apoptosis in Human Synovial Fibroblast Cells.

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a new kind of biological therapy to retune the plasma concentrator into the patient's body for the treatment of osteoarthritis diseases. The present research aimsed to confirm the treatment effects of PRP against osteoarthritis injury and elucidate its potential mechanism via constructing a kind of cellular injury model of human synovial fibroblast cells (HSF cells) induced by synovial fluid from osteoarthritis patients. Materials and Methods: HSF cells wereas firstly treated with the different doses of synovial fluid from osteoarthritis patients, and evaluated for the cellular injury via cell morphology and MTT assay. And then, the protective effect of PRP against cellular injury were examined by cell morphology and MTT assay. Following, flow cytometry and western blot assay were employed to evaluate the effect of PRP on mitochondrial apoptosis. Finally, the effect of PRP on NF-κB pathway-associated inflammation wasere examined by Elisa ELISA assay and western blot. Results: The dilution ratio 1 : 5 of synovial fluid displayed an excellent injury effect against HSF cells and selected as the model condition. The data from cellular image and MTT assay showed that PRP with the doses 1 : 5 and 1 : 10 could alleviate the cellular mounts decrease in the damaged HSF cells. Flow cytometry, western blot, and Elisa ELISA assay displayed that PRP could relieve the cellular mitochondrial apoptosis and NF-κB pathway-associated inflammation in the damaged HSF cells. Conclusion: PRP might relieve HSF cells injury induced by synovial fluid from osteoarthritis patients through alleviating the mitochondrial apoptosis and NF-κB pathway-associated inflammation.