The value of a pantaloon cast test in surgical decision making for chronic low back pain patients: a systematic review of the literature supplemented with a prospective cohort study

The results of lumbar fusion in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients vary considerably, and there is a need for proper patient selection. Lumbosacral orthoses have been widely used to predict outcome, however, with little scientific support. The aim of the present study was to determine the value of a pantaloon cast test in selecting chronic LBP patients for lumbar fusion or conservative management. First, a systematic review of the literature was carried out in which two independent reviewers identified studies in Medline, Cochrane and Current Contents databases. Three papers met the selection criteria. In the only study with a control group, a significantly better outcome after fusion compared to conservative treatment was found in patients who reported significant pain relief while in a cast (i.e. a positive cast test). The results of lumbar fusion, however, were not significantly different for patients with a positive and those with a negative cast test. In addition to the review, a clinical cohort study of 257 LBP patients, who had been allocated to either lumbar fusion or conservative management by a temporary external transpedicular fixation trial, was performed. Prior to allocation, all had undergone a pantaloon cast test. Patients with no history of prior spine surgery and with a positive pantaloon cast test had a better outcome after lumbar fusion than those treated conservatively (P = 0.002, χ ² test). In patients with previous spine operations the outcomes were poor and the test was of no value. From the literature and the present patient cohort, it was concluded that only in chronic LBP patients without prior spine surgery, a pantaloon cast test with substantial pain relief suggests a favorable outcome of lumbar fusion compared to conservative management. The test has no value in patients who have had previous spine surgery.     

Microvasculature of bone

The three dimensional vascular microarchitecture of mercox resin on the lateral surface of parietal bone in Wistar strain adult male rats (b. w. 260–350 g.) was studied in relation to bone formation by SEM observation of corrosion casts. The microarchitecture was a single layer of network composed of precapillary artery, capillary and postcapillary vein, which were serpigious, sometimes joined with the vein from the vascular foramen of bone. The meshes of this network, which were irregular and varied in size, existed apart from the bone surface. According to the report of Iwaku and Ozawa (1986), it was reported that the vascular microarchitecture of the bone surface was very changable during the process of bone remodeling and this network, which was shown on the flat bone surface in this study, was very similar to one in the resting phase and/or the period in which the bone formation further advanced. From these facts and the morphological features of the bone surface observed here by SEM, it is suggested that this vascular network was closely related with the resting stage and/or the period in which bone formation further advanced in bone remodeling.     

肾小球微血管构型的扫描电子显微镜观察

应用微血管铸型扫描电镜技术研究8例成人肾脏的肾小球微血管构筑,结果发现:1.输入小动脉在肾小球血管极处分为2～5支小球内小叶微动脉。输入小动脉血管铸型的直径为126.35±20.5μm。2.肾小球是由小球内小叶微动脉、毛细血管、毛细血管网小叶间交通支和毛细血管输出根所构成的近似于球状体,小球内每个毛细血管网小叶均是一个独立的机能解剖学单位;3.299个肾小球均有一支输出小动脉,只有一个肾小球有两支输出小动脉。输出小动脉的血管铸型直径为91.35±11.7μm。4.输出小动脉起始处具有毛细血管前括约肌装置,此结构在调控肾小球内的微循环血流有着重要意义。     

Factors influencing survival of reconstructions. Consensus report of Working Group 2

Abstract: In order to evaluate the level of evidence of factors influencing the survival of reconstructions, systematic reviews of the relevant literature were prepared by a group of rapporteurs. The review papers were circulated to the members of the group before the conference and formed the basis for group and panel discussions. Subsequently, modifications were added to the review papers, and suggestions for consensus statements concerning the following topics were prepared and again critically reviewed in the group and in the plenum: Impact of (i) periodontal disease on the survival of tooth-supported reconstructions, (ii) post-surgical factors as supportive therapy on the survival of implant supported reconstructions, (iii) technical and/or biological complications on the survival of different types of reconstructions, (iiii) material choice for reconstructions on the survival of single crowns and fixed dental prostheses.     

错畸形患者的Howes值测量分析

目的:本研究采用Howes法评估牙弓骨量与牙量的协调性,探讨其在正畸临床诊断与矫治设计确定拔牙与非拔牙中的应用价值。方法:选取第四军医大学口腔医学院正畸门诊患者80人,男、女拔牙与非拔牙各20例。测量牙量(TM)、双尖牙弓宽径(PMD)、双尖牙根尖基骨宽径(PMBAW)、基骨弓长度(BAL),并计算PMD/TM、PMBAW/TM、BAL/TM值,对其进行统计学处理与分析。结果:男女两组比较TM、PMD、PMBAW、BAL值有显著性差异,男性大于女性;但PMD/TM、PMBAW/TM、BAL/TM值无统计学意义;拔牙组与非拔牙组比较,PMD/TM、PMBAW/TM、BAL/TM值有显著性差异。结论:采用Howes法评估牙弓骨量与牙量对正畸临床的诊断和拔牙与非拔牙矫治设计有一定的指导意义。     

舌肌和翼内肌微血管几何学构筑的研究

本文应用微血管腐蚀铸型扫描电镜,观察了2例3岁幼儿的舌肌和翼内肌的微血管构型。在扫描电镜下,舌肌内的毛细血管网构型分三类:1.花蕊样毛细血管袢;2.云朵样毛细血管网;3.多角形套状毛细血管网。毛细血管铸型的直径为5.3±1.5μm,描述了动脉铸型表面上的内皮细胞核压痕和前毛细血管括约肌压痕的形态特征。讨论了血管袢的结构形态及其机能意义,为理解骨骼肌的微循环的过程提供了形态学基础。     

An algorithm for the automated quantitation of metabolites in in vitro NMR signals.

The quantitation of metabolite concentrations from in vitro NMR spectra is hampered by the sensitivity of peak positions to experimental conditions. The quantitation methods currently available are generally labor intensive and cannot readily be automated. Here, an algorithm is presented for the automatic time domain analysis of high-resolution NMR spectra. The TARQUIN algorithm uses a set of basis functions obtained by quantum mechanical simulation using predetermined parameters. Each basis function is optimized by subdividing it into a set of signals from magnetically equivalent spins and varying the simulated chemical shifts of each of these groups to match the signal undergoing analysis. A novel approach to the standard multidimensional minimization problem is introduced based on evaluating the fit resulting from different permutations of possible chemical shifts, obtained from one-dimensional searches. Results are presented from the analysis of (1)H proton magic angle spinning spectra of cell lines illustrating the robustness of the method in a typical application. Simulation was used to investigate the biggest peak shifts that can be tolerated.     

高频电刀龈成形术后烤瓷冠修复的牙周情况分析

目的:观察烤瓷冠修复前行高频电刀龈成形术对基牙牙周组织的影响.方法:收集需行高频电刀龈成形术后再作烤瓷冠修复的患者91例135颗牙,修复后1年复查牙周情况,分析患者术后1年牙龈成形效果、牙龈指数、牙菌斑指数、牙周探诊深度、牙齿动度.结果:龈成形术后烤瓷冠修复1年5.9%患者出现牙龈增生或退缩;牙龈指数轻度上升,有显著性差异;菌斑指数、牙周探诊深度、牙齿动度无明显差异.结论:高频电刀龈成形术对其后烤瓷冠修复基牙牙龈成形效果良好,对基牙牙周健康无明显不良影响.     

The use of 3D surface fitting for robust polyp detection and classification in CT colonography

In this paper we describe the development of a computationally efficient computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithm based on the evaluation of the surface morphology that is employed for the detection of colonic polyps in computed tomography (CT) colonography. Initial polyp candidate voxels were detected using the surface normal intersection values. These candidate voxels were clustered using the normal direction, convexity test, region growing and Gaussian distribution. The local colonic surface was classified as polyp or fold using a feature normalized nearest neighborhood classifier. The main merit of this paper is the methodology applied to select the robust features derived from the colon surface that have a high discriminative power for polyp/fold classification. The devised polyp detection scheme entails a low computational overhead (typically takes 2.20 min per dataset) and shows 100% sensitivity for phantom polyps greater than 5 mm. It also shows 100% sensitivity for real polyps larger than 10 mm and 91.67% sensitivity for polyps between 5 to 10 mm with an average of 4.5 false positives per dataset. The experimental data indicates that the proposed CAD polyp detection scheme outperforms other techniques that identify the polyps using features that sample the colon surface curvature especially when applied to low-dose datasets.