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Hard carbon is considered to be a viable choice for anode materials in sodium-ion batteries due to its low cost and high specific capacity for sodium storage. The wasted grains derived from Chinese baijiu possess significant potential as biomass-based precursors for the production of hard carbon compounds. However, their use as biomass material has been mostly ignored. Therefore, this research focuses on the use of discarded grains from baijiu as a raw material for the production of porous hard carbon materials, specifically for the anode of sodium-ion batteries. The proposed synthesis procedure involves the use of a ZnCl2 chemical treatment to generate hard carbon materials that possess a porous structure and exhibit graphitic features. In comparison to the direct carbonization synthesis process, the use of ZnCl2 treatment on porous hard carbon results in notable enhancements in electrochemical performance, including specific capacity and rate capability, while simultaneously preserving exceptional long-term cycle stability. Especially, the enhanced capacity mostly manifests in the low-voltage plateau region, and the high plateau capacity can maintained even at higher specific currents, which is suitable for high-rate application, exceeding the typical commercial hard carbon materials used in sodium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The search for more effective and safe treatment methods for cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) has led to the rapid development and increasing popularity of minimally invasive posterior cervical foraminotomy (MI-PCF). This study aims to compare two important approaches for MI-PCF surgery: the channel-assisted cervical key hole technology combined with ultrasonic bone osteotome (CKH-UBO) and posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical foraminotomy (PPECF). Methods: Data from patients treated with single-level CKH-UBO (n = 35) or PPECF (n = 40) were analyzed. Clinical outcomes, including visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for neck and arm pain, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and modified Macnab criteria, were assessed preoperatively, as well as at three days, three months, and one year postoperatively. Results: The percentages of patients with excellent and good outcomes were 97.14% and 92.5%, respectively. The average surgical time in the CKH-UBO group was significantly shorter than in the PPECF group (p < 0.001), while the average incision length in the PPECF group was significantly smaller than in the CKH-UBO group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of blood loss, hospital stay, and clinical outcomes at three days, three months, and 12 months postoperatively. Conclusion: CKH-UBO can achieve the same surgical outcomes as PPECF for the treatment of CSR. However, CKH-UBO saves more time but requires patients to undergo larger incisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a common disease, especially among the elderly. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the roles of immune microenvironment in osteoporosis pathogenesis. Expression profiles of GSE35959, GSE7158, and GSE13850 datasets were used to analyze differential expression and identify hub genes related to immune features. Based on the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of an osteoporosis patient, different cell types were classified and the relation between immune environment and osteoporosis was explored. Twelve hub genes significantly associated with immune features were selected and 11 subgroups were defined using scRNA-seq data. The expression of two hub genes (CDKN1A and TEFM) was greatly altered during the transformation from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to osteoblasts. Chemokines and chemokine receptors were differentially enriched in different cell types. CXCL12 was high-expressed in MSCs. This study emphasized that immune microenvironment played a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Chemokines and chemokine receptors can modify cell development and affect the interactions among different cell types, leading to unbalanced bone remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AlxCrFeNi2.5Mo high entropy alloys (HEAs) were fabricated. Investigations were done into how Al content affected phase development, microstructure and mechanical characteristics. As the amount of Al growing, the phases constitution of AlxCrFeNi2.5Mo HEAs altered from face-centered cubic (FCC) + σ phase to FCC + body-centered cubic (BCC) + σ phase, and the microstructure varied from hypoeutectic to dendrite + interdendritic + eutectic structure. The Al0.2CrFeNi2.5Mo HEA had an exceptional overall performance with high tensile strength and compression strength of 1160 MPa and 1728 MPa, and good fracture strain and plastic strain of 8.0% and 22.3%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3−RR) emerges as a highly efficient approach toward ammonia synthesis and degrading NO3− contaminant. In our study, CeO2 nanoparticles with oxygen vacancies (VO) decorated N-doped carbon nanorods on graphite paper (CeO2−x@NC/GP) were demonstrated as a highly efficient NO3−RR electrocatalyst. The CeO2−x@NC/GP catalyst manifests a significant NH3 yield up to 712.75 µmol·h−1cm−2 at −0.8 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 92.93% at −0.5 V vs. RHE under alkaline conditions, with excellent durability. Additionally, an assembled Zn-NO3− battery with CeO2−x@NC/GP as cathode accomplishes a high-power density of 3.44 mWcm−2 and a large NH3 yield of 145.08 µmol·h−1cm−2. Density functional theory results further expose the NO3− reduction mechanism on CeO2 (111) surface with VO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient electroreduction of nitrogen (N2) is considered as a green and feasible approach for ammonia (NH3) synthesis, which urgently demands for efficient electrocatalyst. Morphology has close relationship with catalytic activity of heterogeneous catalysts. Nanoribbon is attractive nanostructure, which possesses the flexibility of one-dimensional nanomaterials, the large surface area of two-dimensional nanomaterials, and lateral size confinement effects. In this work, Cu3P nanoribbon is proposed as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for N2-to-NH3 conversion under benign conditions. When measured in N2-saturated 0.1 M HCl, such Cu3P nanoribbon achieves high performance with an excellent Faradaic efficiency as high as 37.8% and a large yield of 18.9 µg·h−1µmgcat.−1 at −0.2 V. It also demonstrates outstanding stability in long-term electrolysis test at least for 45 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, since water pollution has aroused great public concern, various carbon materials have already been widely applied for water treatment. In this respect, tremendous effort has been made to provide different synthesis methods of carbon materials. Among all carbon materials, metal-organic framework (MOF) derived carbon has always been favored as it possesses several appealing merits such as high specific surface area, large pore volume, and outstanding chemical stability. This review presents the latest development of MOFs as templates and precursors for the fabrication of various carbon materials, including porous carbon, nanocarbon, and graphene, which are pyrolyzed at different temperatures. The article also emphasizes on their future trends and perspectives on the application of water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching for high-performance and cost-effective catalysts is of particular importance for the practical electrocatalysis applications. The heterojunctions with components in different dimensions show unique physical and chemical properties, which can offer large space for rational design of electrocatalysis. In this paper, we firstly reviewed recently related works, and then proposed a few perspectives on exploring heterojunction for electrocatalysis applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of NO offers us an attractive alternative to traditional selective catalytic reduction process for harmful NO removal and simultaneous NH3 production, but it requires efficient electrocatalyst to enable the NO reduction reaction with high selectivity. Here, we report on the development of Bi nanoparticles/carbon nanosheet composite (Bi@C) for highly effective NO reduction electrocatalysis toward selective NH3 formation. Such Bi@C catalyst attains an impressive NH3 yield of 1,592.5 µg·hr−1·mgcat.−1 and a high Faradaic efficiency as high as 93% in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. Additionally, it can be applied as efficient cathode materials for Zn−NO battery to reduce NO to NH3 with high electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water electrolysis is severely impeded by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to its inherent multistep four-electron transfer mechanism. However, designing advanced OER electrocatalysts with abundant active sites, robust stability, and low cost remains a huge challenge. Herein, a facile and versatile multiscale manipulating strategy was proposed to construct a novel V-NiFe2O4@Ni2P heterostructure self-supported on Ni foam (V-NiFe2O4@Ni2P/NF). In such unique architecture, the intrinsic OER catalytic activity was greatly boosted by the in-situ generated heterogeneous Ni2P phase induced by precisely selective phosphorylation of the NiFe-precursor, while the synchronous metal V doping stimulated the activity via modulating the electronic configuration, thus synergistically promoting its OER kinetics. In addition, the binder-free catalyst built from three-dimensional (3D) nanosheet arrays (NSs) can offer a large active surface for efficient charge/mass transfer and a robust scaffold for the integrated structure. The as-prepared flexible electrode exhibited superior OER activity with an ultra-low overpotential of 230 mV at 50 mA·cm−2 and outstanding long-term stability for 40 h. This discovery is expected to provide an opportunity to explore efficient and stable commercial materials for scalable, efficient, and robust electrochemical hydrogen (H2) production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NH3 is an essential feedstock for fertilizer synthesis. Industry-scale NH3 synthesis mostly relies on the Haber-Bosch method, however, which suffers from massive CO2 emission and high energy consumption. Electrocatalytic NO3− reduction is an attractive substitute to the Haber-Bosch method for synthesizing NH3 under mild conditions. As this reaction will produce a variety of products, it highly desires efficient and selective electrocatalyst for NH3 generation. Here, we report in situ grown Fe3O4 particle on stainless steel (Fe3O4/SS) as a high-efficiency electrocatalyst for NO3− reduction to NH3. In 0.1 M NaOH with 0.1 M NaNO3, such Fe3O4/SS reaches a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 91.5% and a high NH3 yield of 10,145 µg·h−1·cm−2 at −0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Furthermore, it owns robust structural and electrochemical stability. This work provides useful guidelines to expand the scope of metallic oxide electrocatalysts for NH3 synthesis. The catalytic mechanism is uncovered and discussed further by theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic N2 reduction provides an attractive alternative to Haber-Bosch process for artificial NH3 synthesis. The difficulty of suppressing competing proton reduction, however, largely impedes its practical use. Herein, we design a hydrophobic octadecanethiol-modified Fe3P nanoarrays supported on carbon paper (C18@Fe3P/CP) to effectively repel water, concentrate N2, and enhance N2-to-NH3 conversion. Such catalyst achieves an NH3 yield of 1.80 × 10−10 mol·s−1·cm−2 and a high Faradaic efficiency of 11.22% in 0.1 M Na2SO4, outperforming the non-modified Fe3P/CP (2.16 × 10−11 mol·s−1·cm−2, 0.9%) counterpart. Significantly, C18@Fe3P/CP renders steady N2-fixing activity/selectivity in cycling test and exhibits durability for at least 25 h. First-principles calculations suggest that the surface electronic structure and chemical activity of Fe3P can be well tuned by the thiol modification, which facilitates N2 electroreduction activity and catalytic formation of NH3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial-scale ammonia (NH3) production mainly relies on the energy-intensive and environmentally unfriendly Haber-Bosch process. Such issue can be avoided by electrocatalytic N2 reduction which however suffers from limited current efficiency and NH3 yield. Herein, we demonstrate ambient NH3 production via electrochemical nitrite (NO2−) reduction catalyzed by a CoP nanoarray on titanium mesh (CoP NA/TM). When tested in 0.1 M PBS (pH = 7) containing 500 ppm NO2−, such CoP NA/TM is capable of affording a large NH3 yield of 2,260.7 ± 51.5 µg·h−1·cm−2 and a high Faradaic efficiency of 90.0 ± 2.3% at −0.2 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the potential-determining step for NO2− reduction over CoP (112) is *NO2 → *NO2H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To define and analyze the learning curve of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal decompression (PETD) for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).Methods: From July 2015 to September 2016, 78 patients underwent PETD; one of whom was converted to open surgery, two were lost, and 75 were included in this study. Clinical results were assessed by using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analog scale (VAS). The learning curve was assessed by a logarithmic curve-fitting regression analysis. Of these 75 patients, 35 were defined as the "early" group, and 40 were defined as the "late" group for comparison.Results: The mean follow-up was 25.37 ± 4.71 months. The median operative time gradually decreased from 95 (interquartile range, IQR, 85-110) minutes for the early group to 70 (IQR, 60-80) minutes for the late group (P < .000), and an asymptote was reached after approximately 35 cases. After surgery, the VAS for leg pain (LP) and ODI decreased significantly and remained constant during the follow-up. However, the VAS of low back pain (LBP) increased mildly. The total complication rate was 6.6%. ODI, VAS of LP and of LBP, and complication rate did not significantly differ between two groups. Early ambulation and short hospital stay after surgery were achieved.Conclusion: The learning curve of PETD for LSS was assessed and good clinical results were achieved. The surgeon's experience with this technique correlated with reduced operation time. Proper patient selection, familiarity with pathological anatomy, and manipulation under endoscopic view may shorten the learning curve and decrease complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu–TiO2 and pure TiO2 were prepared by a facile one-step hydrothermal method and the obtained photocatalysts were tested by XRD, Raman, BET, XPS, DRS, PL, SEM and TEM, respectively. The results show that both pure and Cu–TiO2 consist of most rutile and a small amount of anatase, and present the morphology with nanoparticles, nanobucks and nanorods coexistence. The specific surface area and the separation rate of photogenerated electrons and holes increase after Cu doping. The photocatalytic experiment results illustrate that Cu–TiO2 exhibit better photocatalytic activity than pure TiO2 under simulated solar light. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is derived from the increased specific surface area providing more reaction sites and the conversion between Cu2+ and Cu+ increasing the separation rate of photogenerated pairs. 3%Cu–TiO2 shows the best photocatalytic activity owing to its largest specific surface area and lowest recombination rate. The degradation rate of RhB reaches 99.4% after 60 min, and the reaction rate constant is 0.076 min−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study reports a new technique known as percutaneous endoscopic trans-articular discectomy (PETAD) for huge central/paracentral lumbar disc herniation (LDH).Methods: Sixteen patients with huge central/paracentral LDH who underwent PETAD in our department from July 2015 to July 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated according to pre-operative and post-operative visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores and the MacNab criteria. Immediate post-operative MRI and CT were conducted to confirm complete removal of LDH along with follow-up flexion-extension X-ray to observe lumbar stability.Results: The huge central/paracentral LDH was completely removed by PETAD in 16 patients, as confirmed by post-operative MRI and CT. Leg pain was eased after removal of the disc herniations. The satisfactory (excellent/good) results were 93.7%. The mean follow-up duration was 15.6 (range, 3-24) months. The mean pre-operative VAS and ODI scores were 5.72 ± 1.18 (range, 4-9) and 60.1 (range, 51-87), respectively, which decreased to 1.26 ± 0.81 (range, 0-3) and 18.1 (range, 10-31), respectively at the third month post-operatively and to 0.78 ± 0.62 (range, 0-1) and 7.2 (range, 0-15), respectively by the last follow-up visit. No recurrence and segmental instability was observed in any of the 16 patients during the follow-up period.Conclusion: PETAD could be a good alternative for treatment of huge central/paracentral LDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a facile strategy to prepare nanoporous NiO rods self-supported on Ni foam (Ni@NiO) by a hydrothermal approach in oxalic acid solution with subsequent annealing treatment. Their electrocatalytic properties for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were then evaluated in alkaline solution. The experimental results reveal that the Ni@NiO materials possessed excellent HER catalytic activity with low overpotential of ~ 190 mV versus reversible hydrogen electrode and current density of 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, the stability of the properties of the Ni@NiO materials was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we present a facile strategy to synthesis Co3O4 materials with different morphology. Experimental results show that Co3O4 materials with flower-like, fiber, sheet-like and rod morphologies have been successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis in different solvent. The effect of the morphology on the electrochemical catalytic properties were also studied. It is found that sheet-like Co3O4 exhibits the best activity towards oxygen evolution reaction (η10 = 390 mV) in 1 M KOH, which can be attribute to its short electrolyte infiltration diffusion path lengths and low charge transfer resistant.Graphical Abstract: LSV curves measured at 5 mV/s in 1 M KOH solution for OER, the inset image is FE-SEM image of prepared Co3O4 materials. a Flower, b fiber, c sheet and d rod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the temperature and time of spark plasma sintering (SPS) of a nickel powder on the structure of obtained samples of porous nickel was studied, and their mechanical strength under compression was evaluated. Based on the results of the experiments, it was found that spark plasma sintering the nickel powder at a temperature of 480°C with a holding time of 4 minutes enables to obtain samples with a porosity of 78.8%, having a structural performance and a compressive strength exceeding 1 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, bulk hierarchical nanoporous Pd materials (BHNPP) were successfully prepared. Results show that the microstructure of nanoporous materials can be facile tailored by optimizing the dealloying temperature and the concentration of HCl solutions. The formation mechanisms of BHNPP materials were discussed, which reveal that the nucleation and growth of Pd crystalline is essential to form nanoporous Pd. Surface diffusivities, activation energies and diffusion constants at the bimodal porous structure and the monolithic porous structure of Pd atoms were also evaluated. Furthermore, BHNPP show favorable thermal stability, ligament diameters of which is ~30 nm even after heated at 1073 K for 1 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, bulk nanoporous Cu materials with hierarchical porous structure and fine ligaments have been facilely fabricated through chemical dealloying of CuAl alloy that prepared by suction casting. Effect of dealloying temperature on the formation of nanoporous Cu was investigated. Results reveal that robust bulk nanoporous Cu with no noticeable volume shrinkage can be prepared. The Fe adatoms may act as activation barrier for the surface diffusion of Cu adatoms, which is beneficial for the refinement of nanoporous Cu. Moreover, thermal coarsening behavior of nanoporous Cu was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In clinical practice, it is necessary to grasp surgical indications and contraindications, based on the overall situation of a patient, and implement an individualized treatment plan, according to the patient's wishes and economic situation. Dear Editor: We read with great interest the article entitled, "Single-stage posterior resection of the transversal process combined with an intervertebral foraminal approach for debridement, interbody fusion, internal fixation for the treatment of lumbar tuberculosis and psoas major abscess" by Li et al. [[1]]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and analyzes the appearance, phase, and photocurrent of titanium film surfaces after exposure to water vapor at 100-1000 °C. The experimental results show that water vapor at higher than 300 °C can cause measurable oxidation of the titanium surface, and the oxidation product is changed into rutile from anatase in a gradual phase transformation with temperature. In the reaction, the product produced at 500-900 °C is a mixed phase of rutile and anatase. The titanium film surface appearance can change regularly with temperature, and an acicular rutile oxidation product can be produced on the surface at 800 °C. The photocurrent density on titanium surface increases with reaction temperature, and comes to a maximum value at 800 °C. However, with further increase in reaction temperature, the density decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Letter to the editor on "Does anxiety influence the prognosis of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation? Furthermore, for patients treated with duloxetine, better comfort and higher satisfaction with intra-operative experience were obtained than the control group and leg pain VAS and ODI were also different significantly (Table 1). Table 1 Pre-operative and post-operative parameters in two groups HT

Letter to the editor on "Combined use of tranexamic acid and rivaroxaban in posterior lumbar interbody fusion safely reduces blood loss and transfusion rates without increasing the risk of thrombosis - a prospective, stratified, randomized, controlled trial" Dear Editor, We read with great interest the article entitled "Combined use of tranexamic acid and rivaroxaban in posterior lumbar interbody fusion safely reduces blood loss and transfusion rates without increasing the risk of thrombosis - a prospective, stratified, randomized, controlled trial" by Zhang et al. [[1]]. Firstly, the total amount of blood loss (TBL) was calculated using the modified Gross formula via the difference between pre-operative haematocrit (HCT) and post-operative HCT on the first day after surgery in this study. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID) is a widely used minimally invasive procedure which shows satisfying outcomes in the adult population. However, pediatric lumbar disc herniations (PLDH) occur in growing spines and are less related to degeneration, which makes them different from the adult disc herniations. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of PEID in treating PLDH. Methods: A prospect study was done in the period from June 2010 to December 2012, which included 29 consecutive pediatric patients with a mean age of 16.4 years (range, 13 to 18 years) who underwent PEID for single level lumbar disc herniation. The following measuring tools were used: visual analog scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Macnab criteria. Results: There were no severe complications such as dural tear or nerve root damage found in our study. The mean follow-up period was 19.7 months. The VAS score for leg and back pain decreased dramatically at 1 day postoperatively and kept decreasing until the follow-up visit at 3 months postoperatively, when it became stable at a low level. ODI kept improving until the follow-up visit at 6 months postoperatively when it reached a stable low level. Of the patients, 91 % reported no longer having leg pain and 9 % had occasional leg pain at last follow-up. Conclusions: PEID shows a satisfying outcome with a minimal rate of complications. It has the advantages of minimal traumatization and scar formation and is a safe and effective treatment for PLDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A comparative study of the spinopelvic sagittal alignment in patients with lumbar disc degeneration or herniation (LDD/LDH) in normal population was designed to analyse the role of sagittal anatomical parameter (pelvic incidence, PI) and positional parameters in the pathogenesis and development of the disease. Several comparative studies of these patients with asymptomatic controls have been done. However, in previous studies without lumbar MRI, a certain number of asymptomatic LDD patients should have been included in the control group and then impacted on the results. Methods: Based on MRI findings, we divided 60 LDD or LDH patients and 110 asymptomatic volunteers into the normal group (NG) and the degeneration group (DG), which was further subdivided into the symptomatic (SDG) and asymptomatic (ADG) subgroups according to patients' symptoms. Standing full spine radiographs were used to measure sagittal parameters, including PI, sacral slope (SS), pelvic tilt (PT), lumbar lordosis (LL), thoracic kyphosis (TK), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and sacrum-bicoxofemoral distance (SFD). Results: The PI, SS and LL in DG were significantly lower than NG, while the SVA and SFD were significantly greater ( P < 0.05). PI correlated well with the SS and LL in all subjects. However, the trend lines of SS or LL over PI were downward in DG. PI was similar in SDG and ADG ( P = 0.716) but SS and LL were significantly lower and SVA was significantly greater ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: PI may play a predisposing role in the pathogenesis of lumbar disc degenerative diseases. The secondary structural and compensatory factors would lead to a straighter spine after disc degenerative change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the correction effect of hemivertebra resection for unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae by measuring corresponding parameters in both coronal and sagittal planes on series posteroanterior and lateral radiographs and report the related complications. Methods: Twelve children with unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae were operated on by hemivertebra resection through a combined anterior and posterior approach or a posterior-only procedure. Mean age at time of surgery was 9.8 years (range 2-14 years). They were retrospectively studied with a mean follow-up of 48.7 months (range 30-60 months). Results: The mean Cobb angle of the main curve was 65.3° (range 45°-92°) before surgery and 13.8° (range 4°-30°) at the last follow-up. The correction rate was 80.0 % (range 65.5-92.4 %). The compensatory cranial curve was corrected from 25.8° (range 5°-53°) to 11.7° (range 0°-34°) with a correction rate of 65.9 % (range 33.3-100 %), and the compensatory caudal curve was corrected from 32.4° (range 17°-57°) to 7.1° (range 0°-20°) with a correction rate of 81.4 % (range 53.1-100 %). The angle of segmental kyphosis was 41.3° (range 12°-76°) before surgery and 17.0° (range −12° to 45°) at the final follow-up. The coronal imbalance was −1.0 cm (range −3.5 to 3 cm) before surgery and 0.0 cm (range −1.0 to 1.5 cm) at the most recent follow-up. The sagittal imbalance was 0.9 cm (range −3.2 to 3 cm) before surgery and 0.6 cm (range −3.0 to 3.5 cm) at the most recent follow-up. Complications including pedicle fractures, and pseudarthrosis were found in two patients (20 %). Conclusions: In the patients with unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae, hemivertebra resection allows for excellent correction in both the coronal and sagittal planes, and great care should be taken to reduce the rate of complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The titanium mesh cage (TMC) is a typical metal cage device which has been widely used in cervical reconstruction for decades. Nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide-66 (n-HA/PA66) cage is a novel biomimetic non-metal cage device growing in popularity in many medical centres in recent years. There has been no comparison of the efficacy between these two anterior reconstructing cages. The purpose of this study was to compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of these two different devices. Methods: Sixty-seven eligible patients with single-level ACCF using TMC or n-HA/PA66 cage for cervical degenerative diseases, with four-year minimum follow-up, were included in this prospective non-randomised comparative study. Their radiographic (cage subsidence, fusion status, segmental sagittal alignment [SSA]) and clinical (VAS and JOA scales) data before surgery and at each follow-up was recorded completely. Results: The fusion rate of the n-HA/PA66 group was higher than TMC at one year after surgery (94 % vs. 84 %) though their finial fusion rates were similar (97 % vs. 94 %). Finial n-HA/PA66 cage subsidence was 1.5 mm with 6 % of severe subsidence over three millimetres, which was significantly lower than the respective 2.9 mm and 22 % of TMC ( P < 0.0001). Lastly, SSA, VAS and JOA in TMC group were worse than in the n-HA/PA66 group ( P = 0.235, 0.034 and 0.007, respectively). Conclusions: The n-HA/PA66 cage is associated with earlier radiographic fusion, less subsidence and better clinical results than TMC within four years after one-level ACCF. With the added benefit of radiolucency, the n-HA/PA66 cage may be superior to TMC in anterior cervical construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the operative technique and effectiveness of triangular osteosynthesis for vertically unstable sacral fractures. Methods: From January 2009 to December 2010, 25 vertical unstable sacral fractures in 22 patients were treated with triangular osteosynthesis using the combination of universal spine system and iliosacral screw in our institution. Patients were followed up prospectively with routine post-operation visits for clinical and radiographic examination. The reduction quality was evaluated according to Matta criterion. Clinical function outcome, and nerve function outcome was evaluated by Majeed and Gibbons criterion. Results: All patients were followed up for an average of 14 months (range 8-26 months). Local infection was seen in two patients, and both were healed with debridement and antibiotics. Patients experienced early weight-bearing ability, no fracture reduction loss, and hardware loosening, while all fractures appeared as bone union at the final follow-up. According to Matta criterion for fracture reduction, the results were excellent in 18 sides, good in 6 sides, and fair in 1 side. According to Majeed functional scoring at last follow-up, the results were excellent in 13 cases, good in 6 cases, fair in 2 cases, and poor in 1 case. Neurologic impairment was noted in 13 patients pre-operative, six patients achieved complete recovery, six patients achieved partial improvement, one patient did not have any improvement at the last follow-up. Conclusion: Triangular osteosynthesis is a relatively new fixation for vertical unstable sacral fractures, the fixation is rigid, permits early full weight-bearing, and nerve decompression can be performed, which facilitates function recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the early clinical outcome of reconstruction with modular hemipelvic prostheses after pelvic sarcoma resection.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed eight patients between 2004 and 2007 who had periacetabular resections and reconstruction with a modular hemipelvic prosthetic system for pelvic sarcoma with a mean follow-up of 27 (range,10~54) months. Oncology outcome was assessed with survival rate, local recurrence rate, International Society of Limb Salvage (ISOLS) score and complications. Two patients had types I and II (periacetabular and ilium) pelvic resections, three had types II and III (periacetabular and pubis) pelvic resections and three had type I , II and III (ilium, periacetabular and pubis) pelvic resections. Nobody received chemotherapy or radiotherapy.Results: Five patients were free of disease; three patients died of disease. The overall survival rate was 62.5%. None had local recurrence, and 37.5% had metastasis. The mean ISOLS score was 19.5. No one had deep infection or dislocation.Conclusions: Reconstruction with a modular hemipelvic prosthetic system after periacetabular resection is a promising method because of the acceptable complication rate and satisfactory functional outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 16 patients with severe and rigid idiopathic scoliosis treated by anterior and posterior vertebral column resection (APVCR) were retrospectively reviewed after a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The indication for APVCR was scoliosis more than 90° with flexibility less than 20%. The radiographic parameters were evaluated, and clinical records were reviewed. All patients underwent APVCR with posterior pedicle screw instrumentation in a two-stage surgery. The rib hump was reduced from 7.2 cm preoperatively to 1.8 cm at final follow-up (75% correction). Preoperative curves ranged from 93° to 110° Cobb angle. Coronal plane correction of the major curve averaged 67% with an average loss of correction of 1.4%. The apical vertebral translation of the major curve was corrected by 63.5%. The preoperative coronal imbalance of 0.9 cm (range 0-2.4) was improved to 0.8 cm (range 0.1-1.7) at the most recent follow-up. The preoperative sagittal imbalance of 1.0 cm (range −3.1 to 4.6) was improved to 0.9 cm (range −2.6 to 3.0) at the most recent follow-up. Complications were encountered in four patients. One patient required ventilator support for 12 h after anterior surgery. Malposition of one pedicle screw was found in one patient. Malposition of titanium mesh cage happened to two patients. There were no neurological complications, deep wound infections or pseudarthrosis. APVCR is an effective alternative for severe and rigid idiopathic scoliosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was no statistical significance in the correlations between the distance of the claudication and the CSA of the dura sac and the SedSign and between the functional score and the SedSign (both I p i > 0.05). However, the author concluded that "Increasing severity of SedSign indicates progressively smaller dural sac CSA, but there is an inconsistent association with clinical symptoms. Based on the results of this study, it is impossible to conclude that "spinal stenosis is severe in patients with severe symptoms" because no correlation between radiological parameters and clinical symptoms was found. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Cages have been widely used for the anterior reconstruction and fusion of cervical spine. Nonmetal cages have become popular due to prominent stress shielding and high rate of subsidence of metallic cages. This study aims to assess fusion with n-HA/PA66 cage following one level anterior cervical discectomy., Materials and Methods: Forty seven consecutive patients with radiculopathy or myelopathy underwent single level ACDF using n-HA/PA66 cage. We measured the segmental lordosis and intervertebral disc height on preoperative radiographs and then calculated the loss of segmental lordosis correction and cage subsidence over followup. Fusion status was evaluated on CT scans. Odom criteria, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) and Visual Analog Pain Scales (VAS) scores were used to assess the clinical results. Statistically quantitative data were analyzed while Categorical data by χ(2) test., Results: Mean correction of segmental lordosis from surgery was 6.9 ± 3.0° with a mean loss of correction of 1.7 ± 1.9°. Mean cage subsidence was 1.2 ± 0.6 mm and the rate of cage subsidence (>2 mm) was 2%. The rate of fusion success was 100%. No significant difference was found on clinical or radiographic outcomes between the patients (n=27) who were fused by n-HA/PA66 cage with pure local bone and the ones (n=20) with hybrid bone (local bone associating with bone from iliac crest)., Conclusions: The n-HA/PA66 cage is a satisfactory reconstructing implant after anterior cervical discectomy, which can effectively promote bone graft fusion and prevent cage subsidence.

Background: The surgical technique of hemivertebrae excision varies from anteroposterior procedures to posterior-alone resections according to the experience and preference of surgeons. Both the approaches are reliable and give relatively good results. This study aims to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiological results of these two approaches for hemivertebrae resection., Materials and Methods: Sixty patients were retrospectively enrolled between 2006 and 2009. The subjects included 32 women and 28 men, with a mean age of 12.9 years (range: 5-24 years). Thirty patients who underwent one-stage anteroposterior hemivertebrae resection (the AP group) were followed for 38.5 months, and the other 30 patients who underwent posterior resection (the P group) were followed for 20.6 months. Clinical and radiological assessments were performed preoperatively, 1 week postoperatively, and at the final follow-up. The operation time, blood loss, degree of correction of the main curve/segmental curve/kyphosis, the average hospital stay, and complications were reviewed and compared between the two groups., Results: The mean operation time, blood loss, and hospital stay of the AP group and the P group were 451 min vs 248.5 min, 1290 ml vs 910 ml, and 21.93 days vs 18.97 days, respectively (P<.05). The average correction rate of the main curve/segmental curve/kyphosis of the AP group and the P group was 68.5% vs 66.2%, 71.5% vs 69.6%, and 57.4% vs 56.1%, respectively (P>.05). Overall complication rate was 6.7% in the AP group vs 10% in the P group (P>.05)., Conclusion: Posterior hemivertebrael resection is a promising approach for congenital scoliosis in terms of relative safety, degree of correction achieved, reduced operative time and blood loss.