Min-invasive surgical treatment for multiple axis fractures: A case report

BACKGROUND Fractures of the axis are commonly seen in spinal injuries. Upper cervical fractures are usually managed conservatively. However, the complications due to long-term external immobilization cannot be ignored. The traditional open surgery has the disadvantages of too much blood loss and soft tissue injury. The aim of our paper is to introduce a minimally invasive surgical treatment for multiple axis fractures.CASE SUMMARY We report a 40-year-old Chinese male who had severe neck pain and difficult neck movement after falling from 3 meters. X-ray and computed tomography(CT) scan revealed an axis injury consisting of an odontoid Type Ⅲ fracture associated with a Hangman fracture categorized as a Levine-Edwards Type Ⅰ fracture. The patient underwent anterior odontoid screw fixation and posterior percutaneous screw fixation using intraoperative O-arm navigation. Neck pain was markedly improved after surgery. X-rays and CT scan reconstructions of 3-mo follow-up showed good stability and fusion. The range of cervical motion was well preserved.CONCLUSION Anterior odontoid screw fixation and posterior direct C2 percutaneous pedicle screw fixation with the aid of O-arm navigation and neurophysiological monitoring can be an interesting alternative option for complicated multiple axis fractures.

CONTROL OF DIMENSIONAL STABILITY AND DEGRADATION RATE IN ELECTROSPUN COMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS COMPOSED OF POLY(D,L-LACTIDE-co-GLYCOLIDE) AND POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of composition poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(ε- caprolactone)(PLGA/PCL)blending on the morphology,shrinkage and degradation behaviors of the electrospun fibers. With the increase of PLGA content in the composite fibers,the average diameter of the electrospun fibers increased from 1.35μm to 1.95μm.The serious shrinking of the electrospun PLGA meshes could be circumvented by adding 20% PCL in the fibers,resulting from the semi-crystalline nature of ...

A Strategy to Optimize the Oligo-Probes for Microarray-based Detection of Viruses

DNA microarrays have been acknowledged to represent a promising approach for the detection of viral pathogens. However, the probes designed for current arrays could cover only part of the given viral variants, that could result in false-negative or ambiguous data. If all the variants are to be covered, the requirement for more probes would render much higher spot density and thus higher cost of the arrays. Here we have developed a new strategy for oligonucleotide probe design. Using type I human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) tat gene as an example, we designed the array probes and validated the optimized parameters in silico. Results show that the oligo number is significantly reduced comparing with the existing methods, while specificity and hybridization efficiency remain intact. The adoption of this method in reducing the oligo numbers could increase the detection capacity for DNA microarrays, and would significantly lower the manufacturing cost for making array chips.

NASICON solid electrolyte coated by indium film for all-solid-state Li-metal batteries

The application of all-solid-state Li-metal batteries with solid oxide electrolytes is hindered by interfacial issues,especially the solid electrolyte/Li-metal interface.This work introduced a uniform indium film layer on the surface of Na^(+)super ionic conductor(NASICON)solid electrolyte Li_(1.5)Al_(0.5)Ge_(1.5)P_(3)O_(12)(LAGP),which promotes the intimate contact between Li metal and solid electrolyte and hinders the side reactions at the interface.Electrochemical impedance spectra show that the battery with coated solid electrolyte presents a smaller interfacial resistance and maintains stability after a long cycling time.By contrast,the baseline battery with a pure LAGP pellet shows a contact loss after cycling with the vibration of interfacial impedance.The Li symmetric cells with indium-modified solid electrolyte present stable cycling behavior over 400 h at 0.1 and 0.2 mA·cm^(−2).The all-solid-state Li-metal batteries with a Li anode,indium coating LAGP and two kinds of cathodes,namely carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811),are prepared and tested.The CNTs cathode for Li-O2 and Li-air batteries has a higher specific capacity than traditional Li-ion battery cathodes.The Li-NCM811 batteries deliver an initial Coulombic efficiency of about 75%,with 82%capacity retention after 20 cycles.

Experience in surgical treatment of typeⅡodontoid fractures:A report of two cases and review of the literature

Two cases of typeⅡodontoid fractures were reported to share our experience in surgery treatment of such cases.A 33-year-old woman with comminuted typeⅡodontoid fracture and a 42-year-old man with fracture end hardened typeⅡodontoid fracture received surgical treatment in our hospital.Though imaging examination suggested that these two patients were suitable for anterior screw fixation,we encountered difficulties during the operation.The two patients eventually underwent posterior C1–C2 fusion surgery and recovered well.According to the experience of these two cases,we found that the fracture line angle and the degree of comminution are two important factors affecting surgical decision-making.Although anterior screw fixation is the ideal choice for typeⅡodontoid fractures with anterior superior to posterior inferior fracture line,it may not be the best choice for comminuted or fracture end hardened typeⅡodontoid fractures.