Osteoporosis drugs are prescribed to prevent fragility fractures, which is the principal aim of the management of osteoporosis. However, if fracture does occur, then it is also important to promote a fast and uneventful healing process. Despite this, little is known about the effect of osteoporosis drugs on bone healing in humans. Strontium ranelate is an osteoporosis agent that increases bone formation and reduces bone resorption and may therefore be beneficial in fracture healing. We report four cases of fracture non-union for up to 20 months. Treatment with strontium ranelate (2 g/day) for between 6 weeks and 6 months appeared to contribute to bone consolidation in the four cases. Animal studies support beneficial effects of strontium ranelate on bone healing via improvement of bone material properties and microarchitecture in the vicinity of the fracture. The clinical cases described herein provide new information on these effects, in the absence of randomized controlled studies on the clinical efficacy of pharmacological treatments in osteoporosis in fracture repair. Further studies are necessary. Fracture healing is an important topic in orthopedic research and is also a concern for patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Evidence from case reports and animal studies suggests that strontium ranelate improves bone microarchitecture and accelerates fracture healing. A positive effect of osteoporosis treatments on bone healing is an interesting possibility and merits further clinical research.

Mass catastrophes are realities that come to pass with lamentable frequency. In such situations, one of the fundamental forensic problems is in relation to identifying the victims. All the elements that might be capable of contributing towards this identification process are essential, and among these are orthopedic prostheses, which frequently remain intact. These prostheses consist basically of polymers, ceramics or metals. Metal components, which are usually composed of titanium, chromium, cobalt or steel alloys, are resistant to violent trauma or high temperatures. Human identification is possible if the identity of the implant is established and

Mass catastrophes are realities that come to pass with lamentable frequency. In such situations, one of the fundamental forensic problems is in relation to identifying the victims. All the elements that might be capable of contributing towards this identification process are essential, and among these are orthopedic prostheses, which frequently remain intact. These prostheses consist basically of polymers, ceramics or metals. Metal components, which are usually composed of titanium, chromium, cobalt or steel alloys, are resistant to violent trauma or high temperatures. Human identification is possible if the identity of the implant is established and if this can be correlated with the individual in whom it was implanted. The logo on the prosthesis establishes who the manufacturer was and the serial number can be compared with the clinical process or with a prosthesis register, as has been implemented in several countries. The information in the database should include the patient's name, the implant model and its serial number, for consultation only in cases of forensic identification, while obviously respecting ethical issues of privacy. This article highlights the importance of creating a national prosthesis register.

The efficiency of four commonly used antiseptics, chlorhexidine, povidone-iodine, cetrimide and sodium hypochlorite was compared in the disinfection of silicone-foam dressing used in the management of open granulating wounds. An in witro model was first used to determine the minimum effective concentration of each antiseptic in killing a standard culture of Pseudomonas. The appropriate concentrations were then compared in comparative studies of clinical wounds. Chlorhexidine proved to be the most effective antiseptic, povidone-iodine and cetrimide were moderately successful, but sodium hypochlorite gave poor results. A subsidiary study looked at the problem of wound irritation by carry-over of the antiseptic. A rinse of the dressing after disinfection prevented irritation by chlorhexidine without compromising its antibacterial effect, but this procedure sometimes failed to prevent irritation when using the other antiseptic agents. It is concluded that chlorhexidine is the preferred cleansing agent in the management of silicone-foam dressings on both grounds of bacteriological efficiency arid lack of wound irritation. It should be noted that Hibitane concentrate used in this work contains non-ionic detergent and a stabilizing agent. Pure preparations of chlorhexidine may not behave similarly.

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