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Objectives: The objective of this study was to report outcomes of the Retrograde Femoral Nail-Advanced with Lateral Attachment Washer (RFNA-LAW) (Synthes, Paoli, PA) compared with laterally locked plates (LLP) when treating AO/OTA type 33 distal femoral fractures., Design: Retrospective chart review., Setting: Single, academic, Level-1 Trauma Center., Patient Selection Criteria: All adult patients who had fixation of an AO/OTA type 33 distal femoral fracture with the RFNA-LAW combination or LLP from 2018 to 2023 with follow-up to union or a minimum of 1 year., Outcome Measures and Comparisons: The main outcome measure was union. Secondary outcomes included implant failure, infection, and alignment immediately postoperatively and at final follow-up. Primary and secondary outcome measures were compared between the RFNA-LAW and LLP groups., Results: Forty-eight patients (19 female) with a mean age of 56 years (range 19-94 years) were in the RFNA-LAW group. Fifty-three patients (29 female) with a mean age of 66 years (24-91 years) were in the LLP group. There were no significant differences when comparing body mass index, diabetes, smoking status, mechanism of injury, or fracture classification between groups ( P > 0.05). There was no difference in immediate, postoperative alignment ( P = 0.49). When comparing anatomic lateral distal femoral angle measurements at final follow-up, there was significantly more malalignment in the LLP group ( P = 0.005). There were 8 implant failures (15%) in the LLP group compared with 1 in the RFNA-LAW group (2%) ( P = 0.02). There were 14 reoperations (26%) in the LLP group compared with 4 (8%) in the RFNA-LAW group ( P = 0.02)., Conclusions: The Retrograde Nail Advanced-Lateral Attachment Washer combination demonstrated a high union rate when treating complex fractures of the distal femur. When compared with lateral locked plating, this implant combination demonstrated significantly lower rates of nonunion and reoperation., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence., Competing Interests: M. K. Shaath: Globus Medical: Paid consultant; Smith & Nephew: Paid presenter or speaker. G. J. Haidukewych: AAOS: Board or committee member; Biomet: IP royalties, paid consultant; Conformis: Paid consultant; DePuy, A Johnson & Johnson Company: IP royalties, paid consultant; Hip Society: Board or committee member; Smith & Nephew: Paid consultant; Solenic: Stock or stock Options; Synthes: Other financial or material support, paid consultant. The remaining author reports no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Teaching ultrasound imaging is on the rise in undergraduate medical anatomy education. However, there is little research exploring the use of ultrasound in preparatory graduate programs. The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of ultrasound imaging inclusion in a graduate gross anatomy course., Methods: Master of Medical Sciences students were enrolled in a prosection-based anatomy course that included pinned cadaver stations and an ultrasound station. Using ultrasound, teaching assistants imaged volunteers demonstrating anatomical structures students previously learned at cadaver stations. Students answered one ultrasound image question on each practical exam and were asked to participate in a pre- and post-course survey. Student practical and lecture exam scores and final course grades from the 2022 cohort were compared to a historical control cohort from 2021 via statistical analysis, including a survey administered to the 2022 cohort., Results: Two hundred students from the 2021 cohort and 164 students from the 2022 cohort participated in this study. Students in the 2022 cohort had significantly higher scores in 1 of the 5 practical exams (P < .05, d = .289), and 2 of the 5 written exams (P < .05, d = .207), (P < .05, d = .311). Survey data revealed increased (P < .05, d = 1.203) learning outcome achievement from pre-survey to post-survey in the intervention cohort. Students who correctly answered the ultrasound question performed significantly better on practical's 3 (P < .05) and 4 (P < .05) than those who missed the ultrasound question., Conclusions: These findings suggest that ultrasound imaging in a cadaver lab is beneficial to graduate students' learning and understanding of gross anatomy., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.)

An α-methyl, non-natural amino acid (NNAA) building block equipped with an alkyl halide tail that could be readily transformed into an organozinc was prepared. This single organometallic was cross-coupled to an array of heterocyclic electrophiles using the Pd-PEPPSI-IHept Cl catalyst to produce a wide selection of optically pure α-methyl NNAAs. With these in hand, non-natural peptides are being produced for evaluation in a variety of therapeutic areas in drug discovery.