Surgical management of pilon fractures with large segmental bone defects using fibular strut allografts: a report of two cases

We present two patients with open pilon fractures with large bone defects treated successfully with fibular strut allografts. The patients were initially treated by massive irrigation, wound debridement, and temporary external fixation. After complete wound healing, the bone defects were managed. Because autologous iliac crest or fibular bone grafts were impossible to be harvested due to multiple fractures, the bone defects were reconstructed with fibular strut allografts. Fixation was performed with a periarticular distal tibia locking plate. At 2 months postoperatively, the patients ambulated with partial weight-bearing; at 6 months, they had full range of motion of the ankle joint and full weight-bearing

MNHT 2008-52096 SESSILE DROP EVAPORATION ON SURFACES OF VARIOUS WETTABILITY

ABSTRACT This work experimentally investigates the evaporation rates of water drops on surfaces of various wettability. By measuring the temporal evolutions of the drop radius and contact angle, we find the qualitative difference between the evaporation behavior on hydrophilic surfaces where the contact radius remains constant initially and that on the superhydrophobic surfaces where the contact angle remains constant. Also, the evaporation rate is observed to depend on the surface material although the currently available models assume that the rate is solely determined by the drop geometry. Although the theory to explain this dependence on the surface remains to be pursued by the future work, we give the empirical relations that can be used to predict the drop volume evolution for each surface

Clinical Characteristics of Radiation Oncology in Korea during Past 10 Years

To understand trends in the clinical characteristics of radiation oncology over the last 10 yr in Korea, annual survey questionnaires were sent to all of Korean radiation oncology facilities since 1990. Questionnaires addressed basic radiation therapy facilities and the clinical information. Responses were obtained from all facilities, and data collected from 1997 to 2006 was analyzed. The numbers of new patients that have undergone radiation therapy and the numbers of hospitals with a department of radiation oncology have steadily increased over the past 10 yr, and totaled 37,215 patients and 60 hospitals, respectively, in 2006. However, the proportion of patients irradiated among total cancer patients has remained below 30% over the last 10 yr. The numbers of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and hepatoma have increased by more than 3 fold over the past 10 yr. Moreover, the percentage of irradiated patients treated by brachytherapy was 10.3% in 1997, but this gradually fell to only 4.2% in 2006. The information collected described the role played by radiation oncology in Korea. Continuous surveys are required to enable trends to be detected

Trends for the Past 10 Years and International Comparisons of the Structure of Korean Radiation Oncology

Objective: Study aims include determination of nationwide structural characteristics of radiation oncology facilities, types of radiation therapy equipment, availability of human resources and trends and comparisons with previous surveys. Methods: An annual nationwide survey was conducted to collect the statistics of infrastructure since 1997. All requested questionnaires have been identical for 10 years. The questionnaires included status on basic radiation therapy facilities, human resources and radiation therapy equipment. Journal and statistical data reviews were performed to evaluate the structure of other countries. Results: Radiation oncology facilities have steadily increased for 10 years and reached 60 sites in 2006. Also a steady increase of 1.5 times for linear accelerators, 5.8 times for computed tomography simulators and 3.0 times for radiation treatment planning systems was noted. Meanwhile, cobalt-60 teletherapy units and hyperthermia equipment had steadily deceased for 10 years. The number of human resources has steadily increased for the past 10 years, especially for radiation therapy technologists. However, radiation therapy equipment and human resources per population are relatively low compared with advanced countries. Conclusions: This study will assist preparation of the administrative planning policy of radiation oncology and should be useful to indicate the direction of future development and educational training programs in Korea and possibly in other countries

Quantitative analysis of single bacterial chemotaxis using a linear concentration gradient microchannel

A microfluidic device to quantify bacterial chemotaxis has been proposed, which generates a linear concentration gradient of chemoattractant in the main channel only by convective and molecular diffusion, and which enables the bacteria to enter the main channel in a single file by hydrodynamic focusing technique. The trajectory of each bacterium in response to the concentration gradient of chemoattractant is photographed by a CCD camera and its velocity is acquired by a simple PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) algorithm. An advantage of this assay is to measure the velocity of a single bacterium and to quantify the degree of chemotaxis by analyzing the frequency of velocities concurrently. Thus, the parameter characterizing the motility of wild-type Escherichia coli strain RP437 in response to various concentration gradients of L-aspartate is obtained in such a manner that the degree of bacterial chemotaxis is quantified on the basis of a newly proposed Migration Index

Determination of Malignant and Invasive Predictors in Branch Duct Type Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms of the Pancreas: A Suggested Scoring Formula

Prediction of malignancy or invasiveness of branch duct type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (Br-IPMN) is difficult, and proper treatment strategy has not been well established. The authors investigated the characteristics of Br-IPMN and explored its malignancy or invasiveness predicting factors to suggest a scoring formula for predicting pathologic results. From 1994 to 2008, 237 patients who were diagnosed as Br-IPMN at 11 tertiary referral centers in Korea were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' mean age was 63.1 ± 9.2 yr. One hundred ninty-eight (83.5%) patients had nonmalignant IPMN (81 adenoma, 117 borderline atypia), and 39 (16.5%) had malignant IPMN (13 carcinoma in situ, 26 invasive carcinoma). Cyst size and mural nodule were malignancy determining factors by multivariate analysis. Elevated CEA, cyst size and mural nodule were factors determining invasiveness by multivariate analysis. Using the regression coefficient for significant predictors on multivariate analysis, we constructed a malignancy-predicting scoring formula: 22.4 (mural nodule [0 or 1]) + 0.5 (cyst size [mm]). In invasive IPMN, the formula was expressed as invasiveness-predicting score = 36.6 (mural nodule [0 or 1]) + 32.2 (elevated serum CEA [0 or 1]) + 0.6 (cyst size [mm]). Here we present a scoring formula for prediction of malignancy or invasiveness of Br-IPMN which can be used to determine a proper treatment strategy

Inverse Magnus effect on a rotating sphere: when and why

In some specific conditions, a flying spinning ball deflects in a direction opposite to that predicted by the Magnus effect, which is known as the inverse Magnus effect. To elucidate when and why this effect occurs, we measure the variations of the drag and lift forces on a rotating sphere and the corresponding flow field with the spin ratio (the ratio of the rotational velocity to the translational one). This counterintuitive phenomenon occurs because the boundary layer flow moving against the surface of a rotating sphere undergoes a transition to turbulence, whereas that moving with the rotating surface remains laminar. The turbulence energizes the flow and thus the main separation occurs farther downstream, inducing faster flow velocity there and generating negative lift force. Empirical formulae are derived to predict the location where the flow separates as a function of the Reynolds number and the spin ratio. Using the formulae derived, the condition for the onset of the inverse Magnus effect is suggested based on the negative lift generation mechanism.close0