Spinal stabilization for patients with metastatic lesions of the spine using a titanium spacer

Anterior decompression in spinal metastases of the corporal type with impending (n=5) or present (n=36) neurological complications was performed in 41 patients. For reconstruction, a titanium cylinder was inserted after spondylectomy and augmented with an anterior plate. The titanium implant can easily be adjusted to the length needed without necessitating expensive additional equipment. Outside the patient the implant is filled with polymethylmetacrylate, facilitating plate transfixation for rotational locking. There was a 30-day mortality of 9.7%. Pain relief was apparent in 38 of 41 patients (92.7%), and motor improvement was manifest in 31 of 35 cases (88.6%). Six patients did not present with any neurological symptoms pre- or postoperatively. Neurological deterioration was registered in only 1 case (2.4%). Surgical efficacy was maintained until the death of the patients. Though tumor recurrence at a different spinal level led to consecutive surgery in 5 patients, no implant dislocation occurred during the observation period (maximum 44 months), characterizing the procedure as a mechanically reliable and safe technique

Critical Casimir forces in colloidal suspensions on chemically patterned surfaces

We investigate the behavior of colloidal particles immersed in a binary liquid mixture of water and 2,6-lutidine in the presence of a chemically patterned substrate. Close to the critical point of the mixture, the particles are subjected to critical Casimir interactions with force components normal and parallel to the surface. Because the strength and sign of these interactions can be tuned by variations in the surface properties and the mixtures temperature, critical Casimir forces allow the formation of highly ordered monolayers but also extend the use of colloids as model systems.Comment: 4 papges, 4 figures, accepted at Phys. Rev. Let

Operative Behnadlungsstrategien bei Femurmetastasen

Weder Deckblatt noch Ihaltsverzeischnis vorhanden

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Evidence for resonant effects in high-order ATI spectra

We have observed resonant phenomena in the intense-field ionization of argon that do not easily fit into the standard models of above-threshold ionization. High-resolution angle-resolved measurements of the energy region around 6 - 10 times the ponderomotive potential in the ATI electron spectrum show at least three separate series of peaks, each with a distinct intensity threshold for their onset. These series do not shift in energy and have characteristic values of intensity for their appearance, pointing to an intensity-selective resonant enhancement effect. In order to further investigate this phenomenon, we have observed VUV fluorescence photons from the focal region following ionization. Current theories for the creation of high-energy electrons do not seem to explain these phenomena without significant modifications. We discuss possible physical mechanisms and implications for extending the standard model.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/48853/2/b706l3.pd

A Complexity View of Rainfall

We show that rain events are analogous to a variety of nonequilibrium relaxation processes in Nature such as earthquakes and avalanches. Analysis of high-resolution rain data reveals that power laws describe the number of rain events versus size and number of droughts versus duration. In addition, the accumulated water column displays scale-less fluctuations. These statistical properties are the fingerprints of a self-organized critical process and may serve as a benchmark for models of precipitation and atmospheric processes.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure