Comparison between tension band and cerclage with X-Plate and lag screws in treatment of comminuted patellar fractures

BackgroundComminuted patellar fractures are not rare, and the ideal treatment method remains controversial. The present study was conducted to evaluate effects and compare complications of two different methods used to treat comminuted patellar fractures.MethodsFrom March 2010 to August 2016, 102 cases of 34-C2 or 34-C3 comminuted patellar fractures were treated at our hospital, wherein patients received two different treatments: titanium cable tension band with cerclage method (group A) and intrafragmentary screws with X-shaped plating technique (group B). At follow-ups, articular step-off, range of motion (ROM), Lysholm scores, time of union, and complications were recorded and analyzed. Radiographic and clinical data as well as rate of complications were statistically analyzed.ResultsIn total, 87 patients were included in the final analysis (n = 47 in group A and n = 40 in group B). No significant differences were noted in terms of cost of implant, age, gender, rate of 34-C3 fractures, rate of layered inferior pole fractures, postoperative articular step-off and union time. At 2-year follow-up, average Lysholm scores, ROM and rate of complications were (89.0 ± 4.5), (122°±12°) and (27.7%) in group A and (90.2 ± 3.9), (124°±11°) and (17.5%) in group B, respectively, with no significant differences (p > 0.05). The mean time of surgery in group B was shorter than that in group A with significant difference (p < 0.05).ConclusionsTreatment using the intrafragmentary screws and plate method for amenable comminuted patellar fractures achieved similar complication rate and favorable functional outcomes at the 2-year follow-up, which was comparable to the titanium cable tension band with cerclage method. Thus, the intrafragmentary screws and plate method is effective, safe and convenient for 34-C2/C3 comminuted patellar fractures, especially appropriate for patients with layered fragments.     

Confounded association between proton pump inhibitor use and risk of biliary tract cancer: Result from three cohorts

Recent epidemiological studies suggested that proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use was associated with an increased risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC), however, confounders were not adequately controlled. Our study aimed to evaluate PPI use and subsequent risk of BTC and its subtypes in three well-established cohorts. We conducted a pooled analysis of the subjects free of cancers in UK Biobank (n = 463 643), Nurses' Health Study (NHS, n = 80 235) and NHS II (n = 95 869). Propensity score weighted Cox models were used to estimate marginal HRs of PPIs use on BTC risk, accounting for potential confounders. We documented 284 BTC cases in UK Biobank (median follow-up: 7.6 years), and 91 cases in NHS and NHS II cohorts (median follow-up: 15.8 years). In UK biobank, PPI users had a 96% higher risk of BTC compared to nonusers in crude model (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.44-2.66), but the effect was attenuated to null after adjusting for potential confounders (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.60-1.49). PPI use was not associated with risk of BTC in the pooled analysis of three cohorts (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.60-1.43). We also observed no associations between PPI use with risk of intrahepatic (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.49-2.04), extrahepatic bile duct (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.52-2.27) and gallbladder cancers (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.26-1.66) in UK Biobank. In summary, regular use of PPIs was not associated with the risk of BTC and its subtypes.     

Zhang Weishen: A Pioneer in the Development and Industrial Production of Penicillin in New China

The research and development of penicillin started with difficulty before 1949 and achieved certain results. In 1951, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Weishen, as the only Chinese scientist who had been trained and worked in a penicillin research and development center in the United States for many years, overcame many difficulties and returned to China. In 1953, with the efforts of Zhang Weishen and his colleagues, China realized the industrialized production of penicillin, alleviating the urgent needs of the masses. Antibiotics has also become the first discipline to achieve major scientific and technological achievements after the founding of the New China. In the mid-1950s, the technical breakthrough in the localization of lactose substitutes marked the localization of the raw materials of the penicillin-producing culture medium, which paved the way for the industrialized production of penicillin with Chinese characteristics. Antibiotics have become one of the most widely used and affordable drugs for hundreds of millions of patients in China, and China has since ended the humiliating history of the “Sick Man of East Asia".     

腹腔镜经脐单一部位幽门环肌切开术治疗小儿先天性肥厚性幽门狭窄的临床效果研究

目的研究腹腔镜经脐单一部位幽门环肌切开术治疗小儿先天性肥厚性幽门狭窄的临床效果。方法100例小儿先天性肥厚性幽门狭窄患儿作为研究对象,按照随机方式分为观察组和对照组,每组50例。对照组采用腹腔镜幽门环肌切开术治疗,观察组采用腹腔镜经脐单一部位幽门环肌切开术治疗。观察记录患儿的手术结果及随访结果,并比较两组患儿手术时间、术后住院时间。结果手术过程顺利,100例患儿均成功完成手术,无一例中转开腹手术,无并发症发生。观察组患儿术后6 h将胃管取下,少量喂入温水后逐渐过渡到喂糖水、喂奶;对照组患儿术后24 h开始逐渐进食。患儿术后进行6个月的延续性随访,观察组患儿切口恢复美观,已经无法观察到切口瘢痕,两组患儿的生长发育均显示正常状态。观察组患儿手术时间(21.23±1.65)min及术后住院时间(5.58±1.98)d均显著短于对照组的(38.44±1.23)min、(9.67±1.22)d,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论先天性肥厚性幽门狭窄患儿采用腹腔镜经脐单一部位幽门环肌切开术治疗,手术效果良好,手术创伤小而且安全。     

Dexamethasone potentiates in vitro blood-brain barrier recovery after primary blast injury by glucocorticoid receptor-mediated upregulation of ZO-1 tight junction protein

Owing to the frequent incidence of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) in recent military conflicts, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapies for bTBI-related pathologies. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown has been reported to occur after primary blast exposure, making restoration of BBB function and integrity a promising therapeutic target. We tested the hypothesis that treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) after primary blast injury potentiates recovery of an in vitro BBB model consisting of mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3). DEX treatment resulted in complete recovery of transendothelial electrical resistance and hydraulic conductivity 1 day after injury, compared with 3 days for vehicle-treated injured cultures. Administration of RU486 (mifepristone) inhibited effects of DEX, confirming that barrier restoration was mediated by glucocorticoid receptor signaling. Potentiated recovery with DEX treatment was accompanied by stronger zonula occludens (ZO)-1 tight junction immunostaining and expression, suggesting that increased ZO-1 expression was a structural correlate to BBB recovery after blast. Interestingly, augmented ZO-1 protein expression was associated with specific upregulation of the α⁺ isoform but not the α⁻ isoform. This is the first study to provide a mechanistic basis for potentiated functional recovery of an in vitro BBB model because of glucocorticoid treatment after primary blast injury.     

Direct insertion of an ultra‐slim upper endoscope for cholangioscopy in patients undergoing choledochoduodenostomy

Direct peroral cholangioscopy (POC) using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope is one modality of POC for intraductal endoscopic evaluation and treatment of the bile duct. Choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) is one modality of biliary bypass surgery that provides a new route to the bile duct. We carried out direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the use of accessories in 10 patients (four sump syndromes, three bile duct strictures and three intrahepatic duct stones) previously undergoing surgical CDS. Direct POC was successful in all patients. The use of an intraductal balloon catheter was required in one patient for advancement of the endoscope into the bile duct. Distal bile ducts with sump syndromes were cleared using baskets and water irrigation under direct POC. Cholangiocarcinoma was diagnosed in one patient with hilar bile duct stricture after cholangioscopic evaluation and a targeting forceps biopsy under direct POC. Intrahepatic duct stones were successfully extracted after intraductal fragmentation under direct POC. Oozing bleeding occurred during intraductal lithotripsy but stopped spontaneously. Direct POC using an ultra‐slim upper endoscope without the assistance of accessories can easily be carried out in patients undergoing CDS.     

Troubled-Cell Indicator Based on Mean Value Property for Hybrid WENO Schemes

In this paper, we introduce a new type of troubled-cell indicator to improve hybrid weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) schemes for solving the hyperbolic conservation laws. The hybrid WENO schemes selectively adopt the high-order linear upwind scheme or the WENO scheme to avoid the local characteristic decompositions and calculations of the nonlinear weights in smooth regions. Therefore, they can reduce computational cost while maintaining non-oscillatory properties in non-smooth regions. Reliable troubled-cell indicators are essential for efficient hybrid WENO methods. Most of troubled-cell indicators require proper parameters to detect discontinuities precisely, but it is very difficult to determine the parameters automatically. We develop a new troubled-cell indicator derived from the mean value theorem that does not require any variable parameters. Additionally, we investigate the characteristics of indicator variable; one of the conserved properties or the entropy is considered as indicator variable. Detailed numerical tests for 1D and 2D Euler equations are conducted to demonstrate the performance of the proposed indicator. The results with the proposed troubled-cell indicator are in good agreement with pure WENO schemes. Also the new indicator has advantages in the computational cost compared with the other indicators.     

Epidemiologic Characteristics of Work-related Eye Injuries and Risk Factors Associated with Severe Eye Injuries: A Registry-based Multicentre Study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Work-related eye injuries have been reported with a variety of epidemiologic and clinical characteristics. We aimed to identify epidemiologic characteristics of work-related eye injuries and risk factors associated with severe injury in a large metropolitan city.