Surgical fixation of humeral shaft fractures generally involves plating or nailing. It is unclear whether one method is more effective than the other. The aim of this study was to compare the results of the intramedullary nail and locking compression plate for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures. A total of 60 patients with humeral shaft fractures were randomized to undergo surgery with an intramedullary interlocking nail (n=30) or locking compression plate (n=30). The outcome was assessed in terms of intraoperative blood loss, operative time, hospital stay, union time, union rate, functional outcome, and incidence of complications. Functional outcome was assessed using the Constant score and the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score. Intraoperative blood loss, operative time, and hospital stay in group A (intramedullary interlocking nail) were significantly lower than those in group B (locking compression plate). No statistically significant difference was found regarding the union rate, mean Constant score, and mean ASES score between the groups. The average union time was found to be significantly lower for the intramedullary interlocking nail compared with the locking compression plate. The incidence of complications such as radial nerve palsy was found to be higher with the locking compression plate compared with the intramedullary interlocking nail. The intramedullary interlocking nail can be considered a better surgical option for the management of humeral shaft fractures because it offers decreased intraoperative blood loss; shorter operative times, hospital stays, and union times; and a lower incidence of serious complications such as radial nerve palsy.

This study investigated the maximum number of collaterals that can be maintained by 1 axon during regeneration of rat peripheral nerve. The tibial nerve was transected, the proximal residual, with its variable number of axons, was fixed to the distal stump and served as the donor nerve. The number of myelinated axons was calculated after 12 weeks. An increasing ratio of distal stump axon numbers to proximal donor nerve axon numbers of 1.0, 1.83, 3.64 and 7.97 yielded ratios of regenerative myelinated axon numbers to proximal donor axon numbers of 0.98, 1.51, 2.39, 2.89, respectively, with an estimated maximum value of approximately 3.3 using the Hill function. The tibial function indexes and nerve conduction velocities of the regenerated tibial nerve were –44.1 ± 5.1 and 43.2 ± 5.3 m/s, –57.5 ± 4.7 and 18.6 ± 4.3 m/s, –80.2 ± 7.1 and 12.7 ± 3.7 m/s, and –85.4 ± 5.7 and 10.5 ± 3.9 m/s, respectively. It has been suggested that 1 axon can regenerate and maintain up to 3 or 4 collaterals in regenerated rat peripheral nerve.

A novel process, namely replication combined with electrospraying, was used to fabricate bioceramic (zirconia) scaffolds with the intention of improving the mechanical function of hard tissue engineering scaffolds. A comparative study was carried out on the microstructure and mechanical properties of zirconia foams prepared by this new process or by the conventional slurry-dip coating method. After forming the green bodies, they were subjected to a sintering heat treatment at 14501C for 5 h. It was found that the number and size of microcracks and micropores can be reduced in foams prepared by electrospraying in comparison with those prepared by slurry-dip coating. The values of compressive mechanical strength and Young's modulus were found to be collectively higher for scaffolds prepared by electrospraying than for those prepared by slurry-dip coating. Moreover, the mechanical reliability was improved in foams produced by the electrospraying technique. The improvement is attributable to the reduction in the population and size of microcracks and micropores. J ournal

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Interventional arterial infusion chemotherapy could significantly improve quality of life and prolong the survival of patients with inoperable pancreatic carcinoma.