Calcium-and Nickel-Doped Yttrium Chromite as an Advanced Ceramic Interconnect Material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs)

Ceramic interconnects are required for high temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack operation because metallic interconnects are not stable in oxidizing atmosphere above 800 o C [1]. Currently, donor-doped lanthanum chromite is the state-of-the-art ceramic interconnect material, and the major challenges are their inferior sintering behavio

Femoral Head Fracture without Dislocation by Low-Energy Trauma in a Young Adult

We describe the case of a healthy young man with a femoral head fracture by low-energy trauma that occurred without evidence of hip dislocation. While plain radiographs showed no definite fracture or dislocation, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a femoral head fracture with a wedge-shaped cortical depression at the superomedial aspect of the femoral head. Our patient reported feeling that the right hip had been displaced from its joint for a moment. This probably represented subluxation with spontaneous relocation. The characteristic findings and possible mechanisms of this fracture were postulated on the basis of the sequential 3 dimensional-CT and MRI. The clinical results of conservative treatment were better than those of previously reported indentation fractures

Comprehensive understanding of cathodic and anodic polarization effects on stability of nanoscale oxygen electrode for reversible solid oxide cells

Whereas solid oxide cells (SOCs), which perform dual functions of power generation (fuel-cell mode) and energy storage (electrolysis mode) with high efficiency at high temperatures, are considered a potent candidate for future energy management systems, it is yet far from their practical use due to the fact that the stable long-term operations have not been achieved. Particularly, degradations of oxygen-electrode in the both electrolysis and fuel-cell operations are considered as the most imminent issues that should be overcome. Unfortunately, even the origins and mechanisms of degradation in the oxygen-electrode have not been clearly established due to the difficulties in precise assessments of microstructural/compositional changes of porous electrode, which is a typical form in actual solid oxide cells, and due to the diversities in operating conditions, electrode structure and material, fabrication history, and so on. We simultaneously investigated the degradation phenomena in electrolysis and fuel-cell operations for 540h using identical two half cells composed of a geometrically well-defined, nanoscale La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) dense film with a thickness of ~ 70 nm on Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-δ electrolyte. Owing to the benefit of well-defined geometry of LSCF thin film, the microstructural/compositional changes in LSCF films were successfully analyzed in nanoscale, and the correlation between the components of electrochemical impedance and the major origins resulting in degradations was clarified. Furthermore, we suggest the most probable degradation mechanisms, and importantly, it is newly suggested that kinetic demixing/decomposition of LSCF, which is not readily observable in the typical porous-structured electrode, are highly probable to affect the both fuel-cell and electrolysis long-term degradations

A Case Report of Breast Cancer with Extensive Pulmonary Lymphovascular Tumor Emboli

We describe a patient with breast cancer who relapsed with an extensive pulmonary lymphovascular tumor embolism. A 38-year-old female, who previously received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and curative resection of breast cancer, underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and was referred to the emergency room because of sudden-onset pleuritic chest pain lasting for 10 days. Despite a trial of empirical antibiotics, the chest pain and the extent of consolidative lung lesion on chest radiographs rapidly aggravated. We performed an open lung biopsy to confirm the etiology. The histopathological review revealed a hemorrhagic infarction caused by lymphovascular tumor emboli from a metastatic breast carcinoma. Palliative first-line chemotherapy was administered, consisting of ixabepilone and capecitabine, and the lung lesion improved markedly

Effects of Age and Body Mass Index on the Results of Transtrochanteric Rotational Osteotomy for Femoral Head Osteonecrosis

Background: Advanced-stage osteonecrosis and a large area of necrotic bone are known risk factors for failure of transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy of the hip in patients with osteonecrosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are other risk factors for failure of this osteotomy. Methods: One hundred and five patients (113 hips) underwent an anterior transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy for the treatment of femoral head osteonecrosis and were followed for a mean of 51.3 months postoperatively. Radiographic failure was defined as secondary collapse or osteoarthritic change. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess factors associated with secondary collapse and osteophyte formation. The Kaplan-Meier product-limit method was used to estimate survival. Results: Secondary collapse occurred in twenty-seven hips (24%), and fourteen hips (12%) were converted to a total hip arthroplasty. At the time of the most recent follow-up, the hip scores according to the system of Merle d`Aubigne et al. ranged from 6 to 18 points (mean, 15.8 points). Multivariate analysis showed that the stage of the necrosis (III or greater) (hazard ratio = 3.28; 95% confidence interval = 1.49 to 7.24), age of the patient (forty years or older) (hazard ratio = 1.08; 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 1.14), body mass index ( >= 24 kg/m(2)) (hazard ratio = 1.19; 95% confidence interval = 1.03 to 1.38), and extent of the necrosis (a combined necrotic angle of >= 230 degrees) (hazard ratio = 1.08; 95% confidence interval = 1.04 to 1.11) were associated with secondary collapse. Seven of the eighty-six hips without collapse showed progression to osteoarthritis. The survival rate at 110 months was 63.4% (95% confidence interval 51.1% to 75.7%) with total hip arthroplasty or radiographic failure as the end point and 56.0% (95% confidence interval 44.6% to 67.4%) with total hip arthroplasty, radiographic failure, or loss to follow-up as the end point. Conclusions: Our study showed that age, body mass index, and the stage and extent of the osteonecrosis were determining factors for secondary collapse, unsatisfactory clinical results, and conversion to total hip arthroplasty. These factors should be considered when selecting patients for a transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.Nam KW, 2008, J BONE JOINT SURG AM, V90A, P477, DOI 10.2106/JBJS.F.01582Kearns SR, 2006, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P103, DOI 10.1097/01.blo.0000238868.22852.ddHa YC, 2006, J BONE JOINT SURG AM, V88A, P35, DOI 10.2106/JBJS.F.00535Yoo JJ, 2006, J BIOMED MATER RES B, V78B, P70, DOI 10.1002/jbm.b.30457Jacobsen S, 2004, OSTEOARTHR CARTILAGE, V12, P692, DOI 10.1016/j.joca.2004.05.010.Daniel J, 2004, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, V86B, P177, DOI 10.1302/0301-620X.86B2.14600Hisatome T, 2004, ARCH ORTHOP TRAUM SU, V124, P77, DOI 10.1007/s00402-003-0610-0Flugsrud GB, 2002, ARTHRITIS RHEUM, V46, P675, DOI 10.1002/art.10115Nishii T, 2002, J ORTHOPAED RES, V20, P130Koo KH, 2001, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, V83B, P83HOUGAARD P, 2000, ANAL MULTIVARIATE SUInao S, 1999, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P141Steinberg ME, 1999, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P262Langlais F, 1997, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P110Smith SW, 1996, J BONE JOINT SURG AM, V78A, P1702KIM YH, 1995, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P73HOLMAN AJ, 1995, J RHEUMATOL, V22, P1929HOUGAARD P, 1995, LIFETIME DATA ANAL, V1, P255DEAN MT, 1993, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, V75, P597SUGANO N, 1992, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, V74, P734KATZ RL, 1992, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P145SUGIOKA Y, 1992, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P111SAITO S, 1989, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P198TOOKE SMT, 1987, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P150FICAT RP, 1985, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, V67, P3CORNELL CN, 1985, ORTHOP CLIN N AM, V16, P757PARFITT AM, 1984, CALCIFIED TISSUE INT, V36, pS123TOTTY WG, 1984, AM J ROENTGENOL, V143, P1273SUGIOKA Y, 1978, CLIN ORTHOP RELAT R, P191SWEZEY RL, 1976, RHEUMATOL REHABIL, V15, P10KERBOUL M, 1974, J BONE JOINT SURG BR, VB 56, P291MERLEDAUBIGNE R, 1965, J BONE JOINT SURG B, V47, P612KAPLAN EL, 1958, J AM STAT ASSOC, V53, P457

Fate of untreated asymptomatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging has made it possible to detect asymptomatic lesions of osteonecrosis of the femoral head before abnormalities appear on plain radiographs. The extent of a necrotic lesion is known to be an important prognostic factor. In this study, we evaluated the fate of untreated asymptomatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with an emphasis on the size of the lesion. We hypothesized that a lesion smaller than a certain size would not progress to symptomatic disease. METHODS: One hundred and five initially asymptomatic hips of patients with bilateral nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head who had been followed without any treatment for at least five years or until pain developed were enrolled in this study. The extent of a lesion was estimated according to the area of the lesion based on a two-dimensional analysis on magnetic resonance images or on plain radiographs at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: Sixty-two hips became symptomatic, and forty-three hips remained asymptomatic for more than five years (average, eight years and seven months). Of the twenty-one hips with a small necrotic lesion (50% of the area of the femoral head), fifty became painful. Forty-six of the sixty-two hips that became symptomatic required surgery. Pain developed within five years after the diagnosis in fifty-eight (94%) of the sixty-two symptomatic hips. CONCLUSIONS: No treatment appears to be necessary for asymptomatic necrotic lesions with an area smaller than 30% of the femoral head, as the vast majority of these lesions will remain asymptomatic for more than five years