Isolated thumb carpometacarpal joint dislocation: a case report and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isolated thumb carpometacarpal dislocation is a rare injury pattern and the optimal treatment option is still controversial.</p> <p>Case Description</p> <p>We present a 27-year-old basketball player who underwent an isolated dorsal dislocation of the thumb carpometacarpal joint after a fall. The dislocation was successfully reduced by closed means but the joint was found to be grossly unstable. Due to inherent instability, repair of the ruptured dorsoradial ligament and joint capsule was performed.</p> <p>The ligament was detached from its proximal insertion into trapezium and subsequently stabilized via suture anchors. The torn capsule was repaired in an end-to-end fashion and immobilization of the joint was applied for 6 weeks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At 3-year follow up evaluation the patient was pain free and returned to his previous level of activity. No restriction of carpometacrpal movements or residual instability was noticed. Radiographic examination showed normal joint alignment and no signs of subluxation or early osteoarthritis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Surgical stabilization of the dorsal capsuloligamentous complex may be considered the selected treatment option in isolated carpometacarpal joint dislocations, that remain unstable after closed reduction in young and high demand patients.</p> <p><b>Level of Clinical Evidence: </b>Level IV</p

A mixed type boundary-value problem related to the electrostatics of cold plasma jet reactors based on dielectric barrier discharge

A semi-analytical model is presented for the determination of the electric field in reactors used for cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) jet production, based on the concept of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). These systems are associated with various applications in contemporary engineering, ranging from material processing to biomedicine, and at the same time they provide many challenges for fundamental research. Here, we consider a simplified system configuration of a single driven electrode, surrounding a thin dielectric tube, which does not contribute to the electric field, since the potential variation is immediate due to its negligible size. By employing the cylindrical coordinate system that perfectly fits the present plasma jet reactor, we separate the area of electric activity into three distinct domains according to the imposed external conditions, while our analysis is restricted to the electrostatic limit of Maxwell’s equations. To this end, cylindrical harmonic field expansions are used for the potential, which produce the corresponding electric fields in each subdomain. Due to the imposed mixed-type boundary value problem, additional linear terms are incorporated, leading to three possible analytical solutions of the physical problem under consideration. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by comparing the final formulae with a numerical solution, followed by the relevant discussion

Acinetobacter baumannii Deactivation by Means of DBD-Based Helium Plasma Jet

Acinetobacter baumannii is a typically short, almost round, rod-shaped (coccobacillus) Gram-negative bacterium. It can be an opportunistic pathogen in humans, affecting people with compromised immune systems, and it is becoming increasingly important as a hospital-associated (nosocomial) infection. It has also been isolated from environmental soil and water samples. In this work, unlike conventional medical methods like antibiotics, the influence of atmospheric-pressure cold plasma on this bacterium is evaluated by means of a colony count technique and scanning electron microscopy. The plasma used here refers to streamers axially propagating into a helium channel penetrating the atmospheric air. The plasma is probed with high resolution optical emission spectroscopy and copious reactive species are unveiled under low-temperature conditions. Based on the experimental results, post-treatment (delayed) biochemical effects on Acinetobacter baumannii and morphological modifications appear dominant, leading to complete deactivation of this bacterium

Clindrical SDBD of well-defined expansion area for standardised studies

The present work lies in the field of atmospheric-pressure surface dielectric-barrier discharges (SDBDs).A tailored experimental cylindrical setup is presented, by which the SDBD expansion area is well defined,avoiding any underside discharge. Preliminary electrical and optical emission results are reporte

Ionization wave propagation and cathode sheath formation due to surface dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in pulsed mode

International audienceThis work deals with the experimental study of a surface dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD), as a part of the ongoing interest in the control of plasma induced electro-fluid dynamic effects (e.g., plasma actuators). The discharge is generated using a plasma reactor consisting of a fused silica plate which is sandwiched between two printed circuit boards where the electrodes are developed. The reactor is driven by narrow high voltage square pulses of asymmetric rising (25 ns) and falling (2.5 μs) parts, while the discharge evolution is con-sidered in a temporarily and spatially resolved manner over these pulses. That is, conventional electrical and optical emission analyses are combined with high resolution optical emission spectroscopy and ns-resolved imaging, unveiling main characteristics of the discharge with a special focus on its propagation along the dielectric-barrier surface. The voltage rising part leads to cathode-directed ionization waves, which propagate with a speed up to 10^5 m s−1. The voltage falling part leads to cathode sheath formation on the driven electrode. Τhe polarization of the dielectric barrier appears critical for the discharge dynamics

Cylindrical SDBD of well-defined expansion area for standardised studies

The present work lies in the field of atmospheric-pressure surface dielectric-barrier discharges (SDBDs).A tailored experimental cylindrical setup is presented, by which the SDBD expansion area is well defined,avoiding any underside discharge. Preliminary electrical and optical emission results are reporte

Clindrical SDBD of well-defined expansion area for standardised studies

The present work lies in the field of atmospheric-pressure surface dielectric-barrier discharges (SDBDs).A tailored experimental cylindrical setup is presented, by which the SDBD expansion area is well defined,avoiding any underside discharge. Preliminary electrical and optical emission results are reporte