Surgical strategy of one stage surgery of anterior release combined with posterior correction in treatment of severe scoliosis

Objective: Severe scoliosis refers to scoliosis with serious and stiff curve. It always combins with trunk imbalance in coronal and sagittal contour. Besides complex pathological changes, cardiopulmonary deficits and other concomitant diseases increase treatmental difficulties. So the treatment of severe scoliosis is always a great challenge to spine surgeon. Methods :Thirty-six patients with severe scoliosis received one stage posterior correction followed by anterior release during July 1997 to January 2003, including 9 males and 27 females. Mean age was 17.2 years. Of them, 33 was idiopathic scoliosis and 3 was neurofibromatosis scoliosis( Cobb angle: 85-116 degree); 20 cases were abnormal in sagital plane. Three-dimensional devised instrumentation were applied such as CD, CD-Horizon, TSRH or Isola in posterior procedure followed by anterior release during the same anesthesia. 31 cases of this group received thorac icplasty. Results: The correction in the frontal plane achieved an average of 48.5%. In the sagittal plane, the pathological shape of the spine was reduced and distinctly ameliorated. 80. 6% of the patients maintained or achieved balance of sagittal plane. There were no complications of severe neurological deficit, hook displacement, rod broken, and deep infection at follow-up. One case occurred traumatic pleurisy after operation and another appeared pseudarthrosis 2 years later. One case demonstrated imbalance 11 months after operation. One patient was presented loss of correction more than 10 degree at one year follow-up and 5.2 degree in average. Conclusion:The study indicates that the one stage posterior correction combined with anterior release in treatment of severe scoliosis can achieve satisfactory correction. Appropriate choice of cases, preoperational detailed assessment and application of SEP and wake-up test during operation can possibly reduce severe complication. The long-term outcomes still need further observation.     

Mammaplasty: Shape,volume, and scar size

Recently many mammaplasty techniques have been presented with special attention paid to the resulting scar's size and its position. The surgeon should try to hid the scar, and if the inverted T incision is used, its horizontal branch should be as short as possible and kept in the breast area. Neverthelss, excessive concern about the final scar size should not interfere with the final results of the mammaplasty as far as shape, volume and lasting results are concerned. The author presents his experience in mammaplasty with respect to the volume, the shape, and the scar size interrelationships.     

Effect of hyaluronan on the healing of partially ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of rabbits

The midportion of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of rabbits was partially transected, and the effect of hyaluronan (HA) on its healing was determined. A 1% solution of HA (HA group) or physiological phosphate-buffered saline (control group) was administered intraarticularly, at 0.1 ml/kg body weight, once a week from 1 week after the operation. Two, 4, and 6 weeks after the initiation of HA administration, the ACLs were examined grossly, histologically and immunohistochemically. At 2 weeks, the lacerated portions were completely covered with scar-like tissue in both groups. These tissue areas were smaller in the HA group than in the control group. Histologically in the HA group, the regularity of collagen fibers (indicating the maturity of regenerated collagen fibers) had increased compared to findings in the control group, and the number of fibroblastic cells decreased gradually at a significantly faster rate. The number of inflammatory cells and blood vessels decreased gradually in both groups, with these values being lower in the HA group at each time point but not significantly so. Immunohistochemical examination of the repaired tissue revealed strong staining with anti-chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan antibody in the HA group 2 weeks after the first HA administration. The staining gradually became reduced, with the rate of reduction being faster in the HA group than in the control group. The stimulation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan production and the faster reduction of it in the HA group suggests that HA facilitated tissue repair and inhibited the formation of scar tissue.     

Papillitis and vasculitis of the arteria spinalis anterior as complications of hepatitis C reinfection after liver transplantation

It is well known that hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related chronic liver disease may be associated with various immunological disorders including mixed cryoglobulinemia, which is accompanied by cutaneous vasculitis, arthralgias, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and neuropathy in association with cryoprecipitable immune complexes in serum. We describe here the first case of central nervous system HCV infection with evidence of the virus in the cerebrospinal fluid in association with cryoglobulinemia in a patient who developed recurrent episodes of papillitis and vasculitis of the arteria spinalis anterior after liver transplantation. Received: 3 September 1996 Received after revision: 13 November 1996 Accepted: 6 December 1996     

带血管蒂舟骨瓣移位术的应用解剖

目的:为治疗距骨骨折提供新术式的解剖学基础.方法:在30侧灌注红色乳胶的成人下肢标本上,对舟骨背侧面形态、血供来源进行观测.结果:舟骨背侧面动脉主要来自内踝前动脉、跗内侧动脉以及足底内侧动脉浅支,分别发3～5支、1～3支和1～2支外径在0.2～1.0mm之间的骨膜支,形成骨膜动脉网.结论:以内踝前血管为蒂,可切取舟骨背侧2.0cm×1.0cm×0.5cm大小的骨瓣,用于距骨颈骨折修复.术式经临床应用证实,手术简便,效果可靠.     

Genetics: Genetic analysis prior to selective fetal reduction in multiple pregnancy: technical aspects and clinical outcome

Multiple pregnancies resulting from ovarian stimulation areat a higher risk of carrying at least one fetus affected byMendelian or chromosomal anomalies, the incidence of which isdirectly related to the order of multiples. Genetic analysisbefore fetal reduction was offered to both high-and low-riskpregnant women carrying two or more fetuses after ovulationinduction. Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and fetal reductionwere achieved by transabdominal needling. The use of short-termculture, the polymerase chain reaction and fresh tissue enzymaticanalyses have made it possible for genetic diagnosis to be availablein a few days. A total of 100 patients had multifetal pregnancyreduction performed by a single operator; all of them completedpregnancy and none was lost at follow-up. The total fetal lossbefore 24 weeks was 7% and no statistically significant relationshipwas found with the final number of fetuses and CVS. Perinatallosses (3.9%) were only present in the series with a final numberof two fetuses. Pregnancy duration and birthweight were significantlyhigher in singletons than in twins, but were not related toCVS. The rate of chromosomal disorders was higher (7.2%) inthe study series than in singleton pregnancies not undergoingfetal reduction. Diagnostic error due to incorrect samplingwas reported in 1.5% of cases. These data support fetal reductionas a valuable strategy to improve the outcome of multiple pregnancy.The outcome of pregnancies reduced to singletons was significantlybetter than of those reduced to twins, and was not related toCVS. Therefore, prenatal genetic diagnosis should become anintegral part of counselling on multiple pregnancy, and is stronglyrecommended when reduction to singleton pregnancy is requested.     

Thickness effects of a carbon-supported platinum catalyst layer on the electrochemical reduction of oxygen in sulfuric acid solution

The influence of the thickness of a carbon-supported platinum catalyst layer on the oxygen reduction reaction (orr) has been studied in sulfuric acid solution by means of a thin-film rotating disk electrode. Pronounced changes in the Pt utilization, electrode activity and the orr kinetics have been observed upon varying the catalyst layer thickness. The thicker film electrode exhibits a higher Pt utilization efficiency and higher activity, and promotes the orr kinetics at potentials relevant to fuel cell operations. The participation of Pt surfaces not in contact with the electrolyte solution in electrochemical reactions via the spillover of adsorbed hydrogen and oxygen species, is proposed to be responsible for the changes. The thicker catalyst layer is likely to modify the Pt particle–particle distance by providing shared Pt sites between adjacent carbon supports, to improve the surface density of active catalyst particles per single carbon support by sharing adjacent catalyst sites, and to increase the ratio of the particle surfaces free of blocking anions to the catalyst|electrolyte interface surfaces. The carbon-supported platinum catalyst layer becomes active at 0.90 V vs RHE only when the catalyst layer is thicker than 1 μm. To provide reasonable activity, the minimum catalyst layer thickness should be around 2–4 μm. These results should be considered in the design of the cathode catalyst layer of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.     

Elevation of cell adhesion molecule immunoreactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex in bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging reports of increases in signal hyperintensities in white and deep gray matter and other work indicate that there might be an inflammatory response in affective disorders. METHODS: The microvascular immunoreactivity of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 was measured with image analysis in postmortem tissue from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from 15 unipolar and 15 bipolar subjects and compared with each other and with 15 subjects with schizophrenia and 15 control subjects. RESULTS: Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 immunoreactivity in gray and white matter of the ACC in bipolar subjects was increased compared with control subjects (gray: p =.001; white: p <.001) and schizophrenic subjects (gray: p =.016; white: p =.025) and modestly increased in white matter compared with unipolar subjects (p =.049). No such differences were found in the DLPFC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with the presence of an inflammatory response in the ACC in bipolar disorder.