Autogenous bone grafting, used to repair bone defects, is limited and the donor site can experience complications. Compared to autogenous bone graft, artificial bones have different porosity, which might make them suitable alternatives to bone grafts. Here, two porous biphasic calcium phosphate bone substitutes, namely Bicera™ and Triosite™, are used in an animal study and clinical practice to find a suitable porosity for implantation. Bicera™ and Triosite™ consist of 60 wt% hydroxyapatite and 40 wt% β-tricalcium phosphate, with the porosity of Bicera™ (82%) being higher than that of Triosite™ (70%). In the animal study, the implantation procedure was carried out on twenty-four female New Zealand rabbits. 12 weeks after implantation, the new bones were well infiltrated into the Bicera™ and Triosite™ bone grafts. In the clinical study, patients with comminuted fracture, fracture nonunion, or arthrodesis were included in the study of bone substitution with Bicera™. 27 patients underwent fracture fixation treatment. Bone healing of 22.22% (6/27) of patients happened within 3 months after the surgery, and that of 66.67% (18/27) of patients happened within 6 months. These results reveal that Bicera™ has good incorporation with host bone, and that new bone is able to grow within the porous structure, giving it high potential in the treatment of bone defects.

Background Evans calcaneal lengthening osteotomy is used to treat symptomatic flexible flatfoot when conservative treatment fails. Grafts such as autologous iliac bone grafts, allografts, and xenografts are implanted at the osteotomy site to lengthen the lateral column of the hindfoot. This study aimed to present the outcomes of an autologous mid-fibula bone graft used for calcaneal lengthening in symptomatic pes valgus in adolescents. Methods We retrospectively examined 23 ft of 13 adolescents who underwent surgery between July 2014 and January 2018. The radiological and clinical outcomes (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scale scores) were assessed during a mean follow-up of 49.7 (range, 30.9–73.4) months. The mean distance of the lengthening site was measured to evaluate graft sinking or collapse. The Goldberg scoring system was used to determine the degree of union at the donor and recipient sites. Results The calcaneal pitch and the anteroposterior and lateral talo-first metatarsal (Meary) angles showed significant correction, from 14.4 to 19.6 (p < 0.001), and from 14.5 to 4.6 (p < 0.001) and 13.5 to 8.5 (p < 0.001), respectively. The mean distance of the lengthening site showed no significant change (p = 0.203), suggesting no graft sinking or postoperative collapse. The lateral distal tibial angle showed no significant difference (p = 0.398), suggesting no postoperative ankle valgus changes. Healing of the recipient and donor sites occurred in 23 and 21 ft, respectively. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores improved significantly, from 68.0 to 98.5 (p < 0.001). Conclusions Evans calcaneal lengthening using an ipsilateral mid-fibula bone autograft resulted in significant improvement in clinical and radiological outcomes without ankle valgus deformity. Hence, it could be a treatment option for lateral column calcaneal lengthening in adolescents.

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BACKGROUND Isolated capitate fractures are rare carpal fractures. Following high-energy injuries, capitate fractures are usually associated with other carpal fractures or ligament injuries. The management of capitate fractures depends on the fracture pattern. Here, we report an unusual capitate fracture with a dorsal shearing pattern and concomitant carpometacarpal dislocation, with a 6-year follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this fracture pattern and surgical management have not been previously reported. CASE SUMMARY A 28-year-old man presented with left-hand volar tenderness and decreased grip strength that persisted for one month after a traffic accident. Radiography showed a distal capitate fracture with carpometacarpal joint incongruence. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a distal capitate fracture with carpometacarpal joint dislocation. The distal fragment was rotated by 90° in the sagittal plane, and an oblique shearing fracture pattern was noted. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with a locking plate were performed using the dorsal approach. The imaging studies performed 3 mo and 6 years following surgery revealed a healed fracture, and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand and visual analog scale scores were significantly improved. CONCLUSION CT can detect capitate fractures with dorsal shearing pattern and concomitant carpometacarpal dislocation. ORIF using a locking plate are possible.

This paper develops a PI-like interval type-2 (IT2) fuzzy maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control method for a class of wind power generation and battery charging systems with DC/DC buck converters. After the brief model descriptions of the wind power turbine, generator and DC/DC buck converter, the proposed MPPT controller is designed using IT2 fuzzy control logics and its asymptotical stability is discussed. The effectiveness and merit of the proposed MPPT controller are exemplified by conducting several simulations via Matlab/Simulink and three experiments. The proposed controller is shown superior by comparing to a conventional PI MPPT controller and a PI-like type-1 fuzzy MPPT controller.