Volume 14 · Issue 05 · 2011

Abstract：Objective: Contralateral C7 spinal nerve transfer is a useful operation for the treatment of brachial plexus root avulsion. The recovery of the independent function at the ipsilateral side, however, depends on neural circuitry reorganization in the central nervous system (CNS).This study tried to locate the CNS neuronal elements involved in the innervation ofC7 spinal nerve.Method: Pseudorabies virus (PRV, TK/gG-,2 μl), which expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP), was injected into the left C7 spinal nerve in 20 adult Sprague Dawley rats.After rats survived for 6 h, 12 h, 24 h and 36 h, the C1-C7segments of the spinal cord and brain were processed using a polyclonal immunohistochemical antibody against PRV.Results: PRV-labeled neurons were found mainly in gray matter of the C1-C7 segments of the spinal cord and at the following structures of the brain: lateral vestibular nucleus, lateral paragigantocellular nucleus, A5 cells, red nucleus, primary and secondary motor cortexes, primary and secondary somatosensory cortexes. Although located bilaterally, the PRV-labeled neurons existed predominantly in the ipsilateral side of the spinal cord and the contralateral side of the brain at 6-12 h after injection (p.i.). The number of PRV-labeled neurons in the CNS was increasing with rat's survival time and the distribution of these neurons turned bilateral with no obvious dominance to either side at 24 h and 36 h (p.i.).Conclusion: By use of transsynaptic tracing technique with PRV, the anatomically connected set of neurons,which modulates the activity of C7 spinal nerve, is located successfully in the CNS。

Abstract：Posterior lumbopelvic fixation with iliac screws is the most commonly used method for unstable spinopelvic injuries. It has certain limitations including inability to use distraction along the spinopelvic rod as an indirect reduction maneuver, need for complex 3-dimensional rod contouring and complications such as hardware prominence and soft tissue coverage. In the present case report,we described a surgical technique of lumbopelvic fixation with sacral alar screws for traumatic spinopelvic instability resulted from a unilateral Denis-Ⅲ comminuted sacral fracture and the L5 burst fracture. On the opposite side of the sacral fracture, caudal screws were implanted into the pedicle of the S1, whereas on the side of sacral fracture, two sacral alar screws were placed parallel to the superior sacral endplate as well as the plane of sacroiliac joint. In addition,horizontal stabilization was conducted with cross-link connections to maintain the longitudinal traction. For sacral fracture associated with traumatic spinopelvic instability,this modified lumbopelvic fixation technique using sacral alar screws makes longitudinal reduction easier, requires less rod contouring, and reduces hardware prominence without compromising the stability。

Abstract：Objective: To retrospectively study the clinical effects of eardrum flap area on the healing outcome following traumatic perforation.Methods: Totally 291 traumatic eardrum perforations with in-/everted edges were included in this study. They were randomly divided into three groups and received conservative treatment, epidermal growth factor (EGF) via Gelfoam patching, or edge-approximation plus Gelfoam patching respectively. Patients in each group were further divided into two subgroups according to the eardrum flap area ≤ 1/2 or ＞1/2 of the perforation size. The healing rate and mean closure time after tympanic membrane perforation were evaluated at three months.Results: Of the total 291 participants, 281 were included in the final statistical analysis. The area of curled edge did not affect the healing outcome significantly in any groups (P＞0.05). The healing rate varied slightly: 90.7％ vs 92.3％ in spontaneous healing group, 98.2％ vs 97.4％ in EGF via Gelfoam patching group, and 96.5％ vs 100％ in edge-approximation plus Gelfoam patching group. In addition, in all groups the area of curled edge did not affect the mean closure time significantly (P＞0.05). The closure time was (32.3±2.4) d vs (30.6±3.1) d in sponaneous healing group, (13.4±2.5) d vs (13.1± 1.9) d in EGF via Gelfoam patching group, and (11.9±3.1) d vs (12.2±2.1) d in edge-approximation plus Gelfoam patching group.Conclusion: The eardrum flap area of traumatic eardrum perforation does not significantly affect the clinical outcomes。

Abstract：Objective: Studies showed elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) of displaced midclavicular fractures has excellent outcomes, as well as high complication rates and specific problems. The aim was to discuss ESIN of midshaft clavicular fractures.Methods: Totally 60 eligible patients (aged 18-63 years) were randomized to either ESIN group or non-operative group between January 2007 and May 2008. Clavicular shortening was measured after trauma and osseous consolidation.Radiographic union and complications were assessed. Function analysis including Constant shoulder scores and disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) scores were performed after a 15-month follow-up.Results: ESIN led to a signifcantly shorter time to union, especially for simple fractures. In ESIN group, all patients got fracture union, of which 5 cases had medial skin irritation and 1 patient needed revision surgery because of implant failure. In the nonoperative group, there were 3 nonunion cases and 2 symptomatic malunions developed requiring corrective osteotomy. At 15 months after intramedullary stabilization, patients in the ESIN group were more satisfied with the appearance of the shoulder and overall outcome, and they benefited a lot from the great improvement of post-traumatic clavicular shortening. Furthermore,DASH scores were lower and Constant scores were significantly higher in contrast to the non-operative group.Conclusion: ESIN is a safe minimally invasive surgical technique with lower complication rate, faster return to daily activities, excellent cosmetic and better functional results,restoration of clavicular length for treating mid-shaft clavicular fractures, resulting in high overall satisfaction, which can be regard as an alternative to plate fixation or nonoperative treatment of mid-shaft clavicular fractures。

Abstract：Objective: To observe p21-activated kinase 6 (PAK6) expression and its possible role after spinal cord injury (SCI) in adult rat.Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to spinal cord injury. To explore the pathological and physiological significance of PAK6, the expression patterns and distribution of PAK6 were observed by Western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence.Results: Western blot analysis showed PAK6 protein level was significantly up-regulated on day 2 and day 4,then reduced and had no up-regulation till day 14. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the expression of PAK6 was significantly increased on day 4 compared with the control group. Besides, double immunofluorescence staining showed PAK6 was primarily expressed in the neurons and astrocytes in the control group. While after injury, the expression of PAK6 was increased significantly in the astrocytes and neurons, and the astrocytes were largely proliferated. We also examined the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and found its change was correlated with the expression of PAK6. Importantly, double immunofluorescence staining revealed that cell proliferation evaluated by PCNA appeared in many PAK6-expressing cells on day 4 after injury.Conclusion: The up-regulation of PAK6 in the injured spinal cord may be associated with glial proliferation。

Abstract：Objective: Talar body fractures are rare and have poor treatment outcome. The purpose of this study is to report the long term surgical treatment outcome of closed talar dome fractures.Methods: Eight closed talar body fractures, treated by open reduction and internal fixation with small fragment cancellous screws and/or Herbert screws in our level Ⅰ trauma centre were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs of the foot (antero-posterior, lateral and oblique views) and ankle (antero-posterior, lateral and mortise views) were obtained. The patients were followed up both radiologically and functionally (foot function index, FFI) after 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and then annually.Results: There were five crush fractures and three shear fractures (two sagittal shear and one coronal shear),with average follow-up of 5 years. No early complications were noticed in these patients. Late complications included osteoarthrosis of subtalar/ankle joints in six patients and osteonecrosis oftalar body in four patients. On functional assessment, mean FFI after 5 years was 104.63 points and worse outcome was noticed in crush injury and coronal shear fractures. Sagittal shear fractures had a good functional and radiological outcome.Conclusions: Late complications subsequent to surgically treated talar body fractures are inevitable, even though exact reduction and rigid fixation are achieved, thus patients are supposed to be counseled about the adverse outcome. Although crush and coronal shear fractures have poor outcome, sagittal injuries have good prognosis on long term evaluation。

Abstract：Objective: To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo osteogenic capability of adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs).Methods: ASCs were isolated from New Zealand white rabbits and determined by alkaline phosphatase (ALP)staining, von Kossa staining and alizarin red staining. Some specific markers ofosteogenic differentiation, including ALP,osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN) were examined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).In vivo, demineralized bone matrix (DBM)-ASCs composites were implanted into the rabbit calvarial defects created at each side of the longitudinal midline. After 6 weeks, histologic properties of the transplants were analyzed.Results: ASCs were successfully induced into osteogenesis. ALP staining, von Kossa staining and alizarin red staining showed positive results. The expressions of ALP, OCN and OPN were detected in ASCs after cultivation in osteogenic medium. Extensive new bone was observed in the defects transplanted with DBM-ASCs composites.Conclusion: ASCs have the potential to differentiate into osteogenic lineage and DBM-ASCs constructs are a promising method for regeneration in bone defects。

Abstract：Objective: Road traffic crashes (RTCs) are considered to be the second highest cause of mortality in Iran. The purpose of this study was to describe the morbidity and mortality of RTC during 2003-2008.Methods: Data were got from national health sources of Iran. These data included population, the number of RTCs,consequent fatalities, cause and place of death from 2003 to 2008.Results: RTC incidence rate increased from 868.5 per 100 000 population in the year 2003 to 1 643.6 in 2008. A total of 2 565 deaths from RTC were recorded in Yazd from 2003 to 2008. RTC mortality rate increased from 46.1 per 100 000 population in 2003 to 46.9 in 2006, then declined to 38.8 in 2008. During this time period, overall traffic injury incidence per 100 000 population increased from 368.8 in 2003 to 647.9 in 2006, then declined to 527.9 in 2008. Head injuries were the most common cause of road traffic-related mortality from 2003 to 2008. Following road traffic accidents, most of the deaths occurred before arriving hospital.Conclusions: Road traffic crash-related mortality and morbidity in Yazd in the recent six years are increased, but decreased in the last two years. This decline is most probably the result of a variety of interventions, including laws,police enforcement, improvements in traffic and transport,health care resources and media and public education。

Abstract：Objective: To determine the frequency of altered findings on repeat cranial tomography (CT) in patients with mild head injury along with stable neurological examination at tertiary care hospital.Methods: Cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi from January 2008 to September 2010. All patients with mild head injury in terms of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) who underwent repeat scan without clinical or neurological deterioration in the emergency department of a tertiary care centre were included. The collected data were accordingly entered and analyzed by the principal investigator using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0.Results: In all 275 patients, only 17 (6％) of the patients were found worseing on repeat CT, 120 (43.63％)scans improved, 138 (50.18％) unchanged and 17 (6.18％)worsened. None of these patients showed signs of clinical deterioration.Conclusion: Our results suggest that for patients with mild head injury and stable neurological examination, only 6％ of them show deterioration on repeat CT, especially when patients' GCS is below 13。

Abstract：Destructive injury is defined as a very serious damage both to the bone and the soft tissues. But in clinical practice we found that in some fracture cases, the damage to soft tissues is not as severe as "destructive injury" indicates, whereas comminuted fractures still cannot show the severity of bone damage. Therefore we proposed a new term "destructive fractures" after combining the definition of destructive injury with typical clinic cases. Destructive fractures refer to the fractures whose osseous tissues are damaged too seriously to be repaired, but soft tissues, nerves and veins are less severely injured and can be repaired. From the year 2001 to 2010, 75 cases of destructive fractures were admitted in our department. According to whether the fractures interlinked with the external environment, together with the fracture sites, they were divided into 6 types: al type, closed diaphysis destructive fracture; a2 type, open diaphysis destructive fracture; b1 type, closed joint-involved destructive fracture; b2 type,open joint-involved destructive fracture; cl type, closed mixed destructive fracture; c2 type, open mixed destructive fracture. Corresponding clinical treatments were conducted for each type.The new classification criterion of destructivefracture is simple and practical and thus can be used as an important guide to make reasonable treatment plans for destructive fractures。

Abstract：The hand consists of five sesamoids. Two of them are present at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP)joint of the thumb. Fracture of the sesamoid bones of the thumb is a rare injury and the literature on the radial side is seldom reported. We reported a case of a patient with a fracture of the radial sesamoid at the MCP joint of the thumb in order to increase attention regarding this type of injuries. A 44-year-old male, high level gymnastic trainer, was helping one of his athletes during an exercise while he reported a hyperextension trauma to the MCP joint of the right thumb.One week after trauma, he presented to the hand surgeon complaining of a painful thumb at the MCP joint level on its palmar aspect. Standard A-P and lateral X-rays revealed a fracture of the radial sesamoid and the fracture was treated with a splint for 3 weeks. He was able to resumed his entire work 6 weeks after the injury. The sesamoid fractures is an indicator of the magnitude of the hyperextension injury and sometimes associated with tears of the volar plate ligament of the MCP joint. And a failure to recognize the ligament injury may lead to a long-term hyperextension instability on pinching。

Abstract：Bilateral shoulder dislocations are rare and almost always occur in the posterior direction. Simultaneous bilateral anterior shoulder dislocation is even rarer and only a few cases are stated in the literature. The most interesting part of a bilateral shoulder dislocation is about its injury mechanism as a synchronous and simultaneous force is needed to result in it. In cases of epilepsy or electrocution, the mechanism is different and the forceful contractions of the selective group of muscles result in the dislocation. This article reports two cases of bilateral simultaneous anterior shoulder joint dislocation that occurred after a road side accident and after an episode of convulsion in an epileptic patient. The dislocations were diagnosed early and reduced immediately with a proper postreduction rehabilitation. During their follow-up, both patients had satisfactory functional outcome. This article emphasizes on the importance of shoulder examination in road side accident victims and epileptic patients. All orthopedic surgeons and emergency physicians should be aware of such unusual possibilities to have an early diagnosis and treatment.An early reduction and appropriate rehabilitation can provide satisfactory functional outcome. This article also briefly discusses the injury mechanisms, diagnoses and treatments of bilateral shoulder dislocation as reported in the literature。