HS10FLAP COVERAGE IN UPPER LIMB INJURIES

The severely of skin loss and the options of resurfacing is determined by taking into account the following factors. 1) The size & location of the defect, 2) The depth of the defect and the quality of the tissue bed, 3) The extent of exposed vital structures, 4) The associated bone and other tissues injuries, 5) The availability of donor skin flap. The size of the defect is the most important factor in choosing a resurfacing option. The size can be categorized into small, medium and large. A small defect is one that is less than 5 cm² in size, a medium defect is between 5 to 15 cm², and a large defect is greater than 15 cm². Local flaps are usually sufficient to cover small defects <5 cm². These are advancement flaps or rotation and transposition flaps. Regional flaps are indicated to resurface these medium‐sized defects 5 to 15 cm². The donor is within the same region of the hand, from one of the digits or from dorsum and palmar surfaces of the hand. It is usually based on vascular or NV pedicles. Large defects >15 cm² will need larger flaps for coverage. These large flaps are pedicled distant flaps and free flaps. In these severe injuries, there is usually associated bone and soft tissues injuries. These injuries can be reconstructed as a single stage combined reconstruction or multi‐staged reconstructions. The resurfacing should always be given priority.     

Brightness discrimination and contrast sensitivity in chronic glaucoma--a clinical study.

The visual acuity, the difference in sensitivity of the two eyes to light (brightness ratio), and contrast sensitivity were assessed in 28 patients with chronic open angle glaucoma and compared with those of 41 normal controls of similar ages and visual acuity. The results obtained were related to the results of Tübingen visual field analysis in patients with glaucoma. Twenty-four of the 28 glaucoma patients (86%) had a significant disparity in brightness ratio between the two eyes. This was found to match the frequency of visual field loss. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the interocular differences in brightness sense and the difference in the degree of visual field loss between the two eyes. Of the glaucoma patients 39% had sum contrast sensitivities outside the normal range for age-matched normal controls. No significant correlation was found between the interocular difference in brightness sense and the visual acuity or the interocular difference in sum contrast sensitivity. It is concluded that, in the presence of a normal visual acuity, the brightness ratio test warrants evaluation as a potential screening test for chronic open angle glaucoma.     

Anulus fibrosus in bulging intervertebral disks

In this investigation the association of radial tears of the anulus fibrosus and bulging of the intervertebral disk was studied. An index of disk bulging was measured in sagittal anatomic sections in 149 lumbar disks from 31 cadavers. The indexes of disk bulging were correlated with stages of disk development and the presence of an annular tear. The largest disk-bulging indexes were always associated with radial tears of the anulus. Eighty-four percent of the disks with radial tears had disk-bulging indexes greater than 2.5 mm. Most normal adult disks had an index of less than 2.5 mm. The results challenge the concept that the anulus fibrosus is intact in bulging disks, although ruptured in herniated disks.     

Elbow ganglion arising from medial epicondyle pseudarthrosis.

We present a patient with an asymptomatic painless medial elbow swelling of one year's duration, which was diagnosed as a ganglion originating from a non-united avulsion fracture of the medial epicondyle with a pseudarthrosis. Medial elbow ganglia are unusual lesions typically arising from the medial aspect of the ulnohumeral joint capsule, often in combination with symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome. To our knowledge, a ganglion arising from a pseudarthrosis has not been reported in the literature, and should be considered in the differential diagnoses of lesions encountered over the site of fracture non-union in proximity to a joint.     

痛

黑暗!黑暗!!黑暗!!!这样的世界看不到半点光明。孤独的舞者终究还是孤独地倒下,然后又孤独地消失。黑暗呀,为什么老是缠绕着我?一声“妈妈”划破了天际,却也突不出黑暗的包围。谁来应我一声呀,妈妈,你在哪里呀?我的心在不停地挣扎,告诉自己:“不怕,不怕。”可这是在黑暗里呀,周     

Laser surface modification of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) membrane for tissue engineering applications

Ultra-thin polycaprolactone (PCL) produced by bi-axial stretching was previously shown to have significant advantage for membrane tissue engineering. However, the permeability of the membrane needs to be enhanced. In this study, ablation experiments using femtosecond laser and excimer laser were carried out to modify the PCL surface. The use of the femtosecond laser produces neat drilled-through holes while the excimer laser is employed to produce blind-holes on the membrane. The modified surface of the membrane was studied and analyzed for different laser parameters (such as pulse energy and pulse repetition rate and characterized using several techniques that include optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle measurements). Results showed that the morphological surface changes with different laser parameters, and the water contact angle decreases as the surface of the membrane is modified. The decrease in water contact angle suggests that surface of the membrane had become more hydrophilic than the non-laser treated membrane. The present study demonstrated that laser surface modification on the PCL can be achieved with high degree of success and precision. This paved the way for further enhancement in membrane tissue engineering.