Elastic intramedullary nailing and DBM-Bone marrow injection for the treatment of simple bone cysts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Simple or unicameral bone cysts are common benign fluid-filled lesions usually located at the long bones of children before skeletal maturity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed demineralized bone matrix and iliac crest bone marrow injection combined with elastic intramedullary nailing for the treatment of simple bone cysts in long bones of 9 children with a mean age of 12.6 years (range, 4 to 15 years).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two of the 9 patients presented with a pathological fracture. Three patients had been referred after the failure of previous treatments. Four patients had large lesions with impending pathological fractures that interfered with daily living activities. We employed a ratio to ascertain the severity of the lesion. The extent of the lesion on the longitudinal axis was divided with the normal expected diameter of the long bone at the site of the lesion. The mean follow-up was 77 months (range, 5 to 8 years). All patients were pain free and had full range of motion of the adjacent joints at 6 weeks postoperatively. Review radiographs showed that all 7 cysts had consolidated completely (Neer stage I) and 2 cysts had consolidated partially (Neer stage II). Until the latest examination there was no evidence of fracture or re-fracture.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Elastic intramedullary nailing has the twofold benefits of continuous cyst decompression, and early immediate stability to the involved bone segment, which permits early mobilization and return to the normal activities of the pre-teen patients.</p

Transnational Solidarity, Migration, and the Refugee Crisis: (In)Formal Organising and Political Environments in Greece, Germany, and Denmark

Over the last decade, the unprecedented influx of refugees and migrants into the European Union has posed a significant challenge to Europe, with solidarity being contested at two fronts: first, the question of solidarity with refugees in terms of meeting adequate measures of protection and satisfying their elementary needs; and second, the question of solidarity within the European Union in terms of sharing the costs and burden of hosting these refugees among the member states. One driving factor of these contestations is that the solidarity challenge in facing the ‘refugee crisis’ is taken up differently in transit countries in the South of Europe and destination countries in the North. Wishing to shed light on how national contexts impact transnational solidarity organising, we draw on a fresh set of cross-national evidence from a random sample of 277 transnational solidarity organisations (TSOs) in Greece, Germany, and Denmark. The aim is to illustrate the effects of political opportunities and threats during the 2007–2016 crises period on migration-related solidarity activities organised by TSOs. We will do so through tri-national comparisons tracing the patterns in which migration-related TSOs appear through time. The data used is produced in the context of the TRANSSOL project by a new methodological approach (action organisation analysis) based on hubs-retrieved organisational websites and their subsequent content analysis

Shear strength recovery of sand with self-healing polymeric capsules

© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Self-healing approaches are increasingly being explored in various fields as a potential method to recover damaged material properties. By self-recovering without external intervention, self-healing techniques emerge as a potential solution to arrest or prevent the development of large strains problems in soils (e.g., landslides) and other ground effects that influence the serviceability of structures (e.g., differential settlement). In this study, a microcapsule-based self-healing sand was developed, and its performance during mixing and compaction, shearing, and recovery of shear strength was demonstrated. The cargo used for sand improvement, a hardening oil, tung oil, was encapsulated in calcium alginate capsules by the ionic gelation method. The surface properties, internal structure, thermal stability and molecular structure of the capsules were evaluated by advanced material characterization techniques. The survivability of capsules during mixing and compaction was assessed by measuring the content of tung oil released into the sand, while their influence on sand shear strength and its recovery was assessed with shear box tests. The results showed that the capsules could rupture due to movement of the sand particles, releasing the tung oil cargo, leading to its hardening and minimizing its strain-softening response and enhancing up to 76% of the sand shear strength (at a normal stress of 10 kPa and capsules content of 4%). This study demonstrates the potential of a capsules-based self-healing system to provide ‘smart’ autonomous soil strength recovery and thus with potential to actively control the large strain behavior of soils.Peer reviewe

Wage returns to university disciplines in Greece: are Greek Higher Education degrees Trojan Horses?

This paper examines the wage returns to qualifications and academic disciplines in the Greek labour market. Exploring wage responsiveness across various degree subjects in Greece is interesting, as it is characterised by high levels of graduate unemployment, which vary considerably by field of study, and relatively low levels of wage flexibility. Using micro-data from recently available waves (2002-2003) of the Greek Labour Force Survey (LFS), the returns to academic disciplines are estimated by gender and public/private sector. Quantile regressions and cohort interactions are also used to capture the heterogeneity in wage returns across the various disciplines. The results show considerable variation in wage premiums across the fields of study, with lower returns for those that have a marginal role to play in an economy with a rising services/shrinking public sector. Educational reforms that pay closer attention to the future prospects of university disciplines are advocated

Hadron therapy information sharing prototype

The European PARTNER project developed a prototypical system for sharing hadron therapy data. This system allows doctors and patients to record and report treatment-related events during and after hadron therapy. It presents doctors and statisticians with an integrated view of adverse events across institutions, using open-source components for data federation, semantics, and analysis. There is a particular emphasis upon semantic consistency, achieved through intelligent, annotated form designs. The system as presented is ready for use in a clinical setting, and amenable to further customization. The essential contribution of the work reported here lies in the novel data integration and reporting methods, as well as the approach to software sustainability achieved through the use of community-supported open-source components

GEOMORPHOLOGY, SEDIMENTOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY IN THE MARINE AREA BETWEEN SIFNOS AND KIMOLOS ISLANDS, GREECE

Στην ελάχιστα μελετημένη θαλάσσια περιοχή μεταξύ των νησιών Σίφνου και Κιμώλου πραγματοποιήθηκε μια εκτεταμένη ωκεανογραφική μελέτη, με σκοπό την καταγραφή της υποθαλάσσιας μορφολογίας και των χαρακτηριστικών των επιφανειακών ιζημάτων, καθώς και της πηγής προέλευσης αυτών. Έγιναν καταγραφές με πολυδεσμικό βυθόμετρο και δειγματοληψίες επιφανειακών ιζημάτων με box corer με το Ω/Κ Αιγαίο και ακολούθησαν αναλύσεις μεγέθους κόκκων, ορυκτολογίας και γεωχημείας. Ένα μεγάλο βαθυμετρικό βύθισμα εντοπίστηκε βόρεια της Κιμώλου, με μέγιστο βάθος 743 μ., που συγκεντρώνει λεπτόκοκκα ιζήματα. Η κατανομή των ιζημάτων ως προς το μέγεθος κόκκων χαρακτηρίζεται από σταδιακή μείωση του μεγέθους από νότο προς βορρά. Η ορυκτολογική σύσταση περιλαμβάνει ασβεστίτη, Mg-ασβεστίτη, αραγωνίτη, δολομίτη, χαλαζία, Κ-άστριους, πλαγιόκλαστα, αμφίβολους και αργιλικά ορυκτά. Οι κύριες ιζηματολογικές επαρχίες που αναγνωρίστηκαν είναι 1) η ρηχή περιοχή πλησίον της Κιμώλου, με υψηλό περιεχόμενο σε Si, Al, K, Rb και Ba, 2) η βαθιά περιοχή δυτικά της Σίφνου, όπου εμφανίζεται και το μεγάλο βύθισμα, που χαρακτηρίζεται από υψηλό περιεχόμενο σε Fe, Ti, Na, Mg, S, Cr, Cu, Ni, V, Zn και 3) το στενό μεταξύ Σίφνου και Κιμώλου, με υψηλότερο περιεχόμενο σε Ca, S και Sr. Στο βύθισμα αυτό, παρατηρήθηκε σημαντικός εμπλουτισμός των ιζημάτων σε μαγγάνιο, ενώ τα οξείδια του Mn φαίνεται να προσροφούν διάφορα μέταλλα.An extensive oceanographic survey was conducted in the marine area between Kimolos and Sifnos Islands, a rather poorly-studied sector of the Aegean Sea, in order to gain better understanding of submarine geomorphological features and associated sediment provenance. Multi-beam bathymetry and surface sediment sampling with a box corer were carried out on board R/V Aegaeo, followed by grain-size analysis, XRD and XRF measurements. A large circular depression was identified north of Kimolos reaching a water depth of 743 m, filled with fine grained sediments. Surface sediment distribution is characterized by gradual decrease in grain-size from silty sand to silt in a S-N direction. The mineralogical composition comprises calcite, Mgcalcite, aragonite, dolomite, quartz, K feldspars, plagioclase, amphiboles and clay minerals. Major sediment provinces identified were: (i) the shallow sector proximal to Kimolos, characterized by higher contents in Si, Al, K, Rb and Ba; (ii) the deep area west of Sifnos, including the large depression, characterized by higher contents in Fe, Ti, Na, Mg, S, Cr, Cu, Ni, V, Zn; and (iii) the south passage between Kimolos and Sifnos, which exhibits higher Ca, S, and Sr contents. Manganese enrichment was observed in and around the bathymetric depression, where Mn oxides act efficiently as scavengers of a suite of metals

Report of RILEM TC 281-CCC: insights into factors affecting the carbonation rate of concrete with SCMs revealed from data mining and machine learning approaches

© The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.The RILEM TC 281–CCC ‘‘Carbonation of concrete with supplementary cementitious materials’’ conducted a study on the effects of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on the carbonation rate of blended cement concretes and mortars. In this context, a comprehensive database has been established, consisting of 1044 concrete and mortar mixes with their associated carbonation depth data over time. The dataset comprises mix designs with a large variety of binders with up to 94% SCMs, collected from the literature as well as unpublished testing reports. The data includes chemical composition and physical properties of the raw materials, mix-designs, compressive strengths, curing and carbonation testing conditions. Natural carbonation was recorded for several years in many cases with both indoor and outdoor results. The database has been analysed to investigate the effects of binder composition and mix design, curing and preconditioning, and relative humidity on the carbonation rate. Furthermore, the accuracy of accelerated carbonation testing as well as possible correlations between compressive strength and carbonation resistance were evaluated. One approach to summerise the physical and chemical resistance in one parameter is the ratio of water content to content of carbonatable CaO (w/CaOreactive ratio). The analysis revealed that the w/CaOreactive ratio is a decisive factor for carbonation resistance, while curing and exposure conditions also influence carbonation. Under natural exposure conditions, the carbonation data exhibit significant variations. Nevertheless, probabilistic inference suggests that both accelerated and natural carbonation processes follow a square-root-of-time behavior, though accelerated and natural carbonation cannot be converted into each other without corrections. Additionally, a machine learning technique was employed to assess the influence of parameters governing the carbonation progress in concretes.Peer reviewe

'Glocal' disorder: causes, conduct and consequences of the 2008 Greek unrest

This article examines the unrest that emanated in Athens and rolled out across Greek cities in December 2008 as a case through which to advance understanding of how local, national and international arenas may together shape localised episodes of disorder. We begin by addressing the proximate and structural causes of the unrest, before turning to explore the multifarious character of protest actions, including novel and derivative forms of contestation deployed by protestors, and public debate about the appropriate apportioning of blame amongst the variety of actors involved. Finally, we look at the diverse outcomes of the unrest and their impact upon extant socio-political tensions. For each stage of the lifecycle of the unrest, we evaluate the relevance of international actors, practices and discourses. Our analysis of the Greek unrest of 2008 suggests, first, that the array of intersections between global, national and local dimensions of unrest are more diverse than has heretofore been recognised by pertinent scholarship; and second, that international or transnational factors may play a significant role in the emergence, conduct and consequences of disorder even in instances where national and local dynamics remain predominant

Tumor-derived exosomes confer antigen-specific immunosuppression in a murine delayed-type hypersensitivity model

Exosomes are endosome-derived small membrane vesicles that are secreted by most cell types including tumor cells. Tumor-derived exosomes usually contain tumor antigens and have been used as a source of tumor antigens to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses. However, many reports also suggest that tumor-derived exosomes can facilitate tumor immune evasion through different mechanisms, most of which are antigen-independent. In the present study we used a mouse model of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and demonstrated that local administration of tumor-derived exosomes carrying the model antigen chicken ovalbumin (OVA) resulted in the suppression of DTH response in an antigen-specific manner. Analysis of exosome trafficking demonstrated that following local injection, tumor-derived exosomes were internalized by CD11c+ cells and transported to the draining LN. Exosome-mediated DTH suppression is associated with increased mRNA levels of TGF-β1 and IL-4 in the draining LN. The tumor-derived exosomes examined were also found to inhibit DC maturation. Taken together, our results suggest a role for tumor-derived exosomes in inducing tumor antigen-specific immunosuppression, possibly by modulating the function of APCs. © 2011 Yang et al

Elastic Stable Intramedullary Nailing (ESIN), Orthoss® and Gravitational Platelet Separation - System (GPS®): An effective method of treatment for pathologic fractures of bone cysts in children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The different treatment strategies for bone cysts in children are often associated with persistence and high recurrence rates of the lesions. The safety and clinical outcomes of a combined mechanical and biological treatment with elastic intramedullary nailing, artificial bone substitute and autologous platelet rich plasma are evaluated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 02/07 to 01/09 we offered all children with bone cysts the treatment combination of elastic intramedullary nailing (ESIN), artificial bone substitute (Orthoss^®) and autologous platelet rich plasma, concentrated by the Gravitational Platelet Separation (GPS^®) - System. All patients were reviewed radiologically for one year following the removal of the intramedullary nailing, which was possible because of cyst obliteration.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A cohort of 12 children (4 girls, 8 boys) was recruited. The mean patient age was 11.4 years (range 7-15 years). The bone defects (ten humeral, two femoral) included eight juvenile and four aneurysmal bone cysts. Five patients suffered from persistent cysts following earlier unsuccessful treatment of humeral bone cyst after pathologic fracture; the other seven presented with acute pathologic fractures. No peri- or postoperative complications occurred. The radiographic findings showed a total resolution of the cysts in ten cases (Capanna Grade 1); in two cases a small residual cyst remained (Capanna Grade 2). The intramedullary nails were removed six to twelve months (mean 7.7) after the operation; in one case, a fourteen year old boy (Capanna Grade 2), required a further application of GPS^®and Orthoss^®to reach a total resolution of the cyst. At follow-up (20-41 months, mean 31.8 months) all patients showed very good functional results and had returned to sporting activity. No refracture occurred, no further procedure was necessary.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The combination of elastic intramedullary nailing, artificial bone substitute and autologous platelet rich plasma (GPS^®) enhances the treatment of bone cysts in children, with no resulting complications.</p