[External fixation with motion capacity and radius fractures. Methods and results]. / Bewegungsfixateur und distale Radiusfraktur. Methodik und Ergebnisse.

Both the radiocarpal and distal radioulnar joints are often affected in"distal radius fractures". The incidence of this injury increases markedly among women over the age of 40. Bearing in mind the wide variety of distal radius fractures, a fixation system should be used which permits trans- and extra-articular application and subsequent reduction by means of distraction, as well as wrist mobilization. It is important that both reduction and position of the carpal bones can be checked. The possibility of extra-articular (radioradial) fixation should always be considered. AO group A2 and A3 fractures with sufficiently large fragments are suitable for this procedure. In other cases, transarticular application is advised. Complementary measures are justified in the case where two or more cortices in AP and lateral X-rays are destroyed. Adequate implants are also used to stabilize the articular surface. Large bone defects should be filled with corticocancellous material.

Fine thread versus coarse thread. A comparison of the maximum holding power.

For osteosynthesis in the epiphyseal region of long bones, specialized screw types are available to achieve a better purchase in cancellous bone. Typically, the cancellous bone screw has a large outer thread diameter with a relatively small core diameter and a great pitch. Due to its dimensions, this screw type is not suited for the cancellous bone areas in hand and foot surgery, respectively. Fine machine screws are better adapted to the bone dimensions in this part of the skeleton. To compare the holding power of fine machine screws with the holding power of other screw types available in the market, a biomechanical study was undertaken. Different screw types were compared: 4 mm cancellous screw, 3.5 and 2.7 mm cortical screws and three different diameters of a fine machine screw (2.2, 1.6 and 1.2 mm). Both cortical screws were tested in pretapped and self-tapping version. Polyurethane foam and bovine cancellous bone were tested. The screws were applied according to the manufacturer's instructions and an axial extraction force was applied. The 4 mm cancellous bone screws were superior to all the other screws in both test materials (P<0.05). The 3.5 mm cortical screw showed a significant difference compared to the 2.7 mm cortical screw in both materials. A significant difference between the self-tapping and pretapped screws of the same diameter was only found in the 3.5 mm cortical screws in polyurethane foam (P<0.05). Interestingly, the maximum holding power of the 2.2 mm fine machine screws in homogeneous test material (polyurethane foam) was as high as the holding power of the 2.7 mm cortical screws (P<0.05). In natural bovine cancellous bone, the result was even more striking. There was no significant difference between the 2.2 mm fine machine screws and the 3.5 mm cortical screws (P<0.05). Relative to their thread diameter, the fine machine screws were superior to conventional cancellous and cortical screws in cancellous bone. The high holding power of this screw type is at least partly due to the impaction effect of the drilling debris between the thread and the abutting spongy bone structure.

Short communication: A method of brachytherapeutic treatment of tracheal stoma recurrence in head and neck cancer.

Tracheal stoma recurrence after external beam irradiation in patients with laryngeal carcinoma is a serious complication. Treatment can often only be of a symptomatic nature. A simple method of brachytherapeutic treatment is described, consisting of a special flab applicator combined with a tracheostomal tube. The presented applicator system is suitable for treatment of the tracheostomal recurrence as well as the surrounding skin. It can be applied easily and is well tolerated by the patient, while at the same time achieving a good palliative effect.

Immunological characterization of BLV proteins synthesized in Escherichia coli.

Hybrid proteins composed of beta-galactosidase and polypeptides of the bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) including those of the main core protein p24, the envelope protein gp51 and the transmembrane protein gp30 were produced in Escherichia coli and immunologically characterized. The hybrid proteins were immunologically reactive with sera from cattle naturally infected with BLV, demonstrating a possible use for diagnosis of BLV infection. Detection of antibodies was most sensitive with the p24 derivative.

Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 3' half of the genome of bovine leukaemia virus grown in FLK cells.

The DNA sequence of the env and px (tat) regions of bovine leukaemia virus cloned from integrated proviral DNA of the virus producing FLK cell line was determined and compared with published sequences cloned from bovine leukaemia virus-induced tumours of cattle. The homology of 97% between a Belgian tumour clone and the FLK clone was significantly lower than that between a Japanese tumour clone and the FLK clone, where less than 1% nucleotide exchanges were observed. The sequences of cDNAs synthesized from purified virus RNA material which had been grown in different FLK sublines were found completely identical with one another as well as with the equivalent FLK proviral DNA sequences.

Synthesis of bovine leukemia virus antigens in Escherichia coli.

Plasmids were constructed by the use of pEX vectors that encode and express different parts of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV): main core protein p24, nucleic acid-binding protein p12, transmembrane protein gp30, and different segments of envelope protein gp51. Expression of fusion proteins with molecular weights higher than 117 kD for all recombinant plasmids was shown in Coomassie-blue stained gels and by Western blot analysis with rabbit anti-BLV sera. Coupling of a gp51-encoding with a p24-encoding DNA fragment in pEX vectors led to synthesis of a fusion protein that was recognized by monoclonal antibodies directed against gp51 and p24 epitopes. Using another vector, a gp51-encoding DNA fragment of BLV was expressed as a fusion protein with 100 amino acids of the MS2 polymerase. The fusion protein was recognized by monoclonal antibodies directed against gp51.

Molecular cloning of an endogenous cat retroviral element (ECE 1)--a recombinant between RD-114 and FeLV-related sequences. Brief report.

A lambda L 47.1 clone library was constructed from BamHI digests of cellular cat DNA and was screened with cDNA probes specific for the 3'-terminus of the replication competent RD-114 virus. The first analysis of one clone (lambda-ECE 1) shows that it consists at least of a 3'-LTR and a 5' adjacent env gene. The LTR nucleotide sequences of the RD-114 cDNA clones and ECE 1 are identical within the R region and unrelated to FeLV. Otherwise, the region upstream from the 3'-LTR of ECE 1 shows homology to the transmembrane protein encoding gene of FeLV, but not to RD-114. These results imply that ECE 1 is a recombinant between an RD-114-like 3'-LTR and a FeLV-related env portion.