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OBJECTIVES:To describe a new approach for the application of polymethylmethacrylate augmentation of bone cement-injectable cannulated pedicle screws.METHODS:Between June 2010 and February 2013, 43 patients with degenerative spinal disease and osteoporosis (T-score <-2.5) underwent lumbar fusion using cement-injectable cannulated pedicle screws. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale and the Oswestry Disability Index. Patients were given radiographic follow-up examinations after 3, 6, and 12 months and once per year thereafter.RESULTS:All patients were followed for a mean of 15.7±5.6 months (range, 6 to 35 months). The Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index scores showed a significant reduction in back pain (p = 0.018) and an improvement in lower extremity function (p = 0.025) in patients who underwent lumbar fusion using the novel screw. Intraoperative cement leakage occurred in four patients, but no neurological complications were observed. Radiological observation indicated no loosening or pulling out of the novel screw, and bone fusion was excellent.CONCLUSIONS:The described polymethylmethacrylate augmentation technique using bone cement-injectable cannulated pedicle screws can reduce pain and improve spinal dysfunction in osteoporotic patients undergoing osteoporotic spine surgery.

The rise of multimodal nanoprobes has promoted the development of new methods to explore multiple molecular targets simultaneously or to combine various bioimaging tools in one assay to more clearly delineate localization and expression of biomarkers. Persistent luminescence nanophosphors (PLNPs) have been qualified as a promising contrast agent for in vivo imaging. The easy surface modification and proper nanostructure design strategy would favor the fabrication of PLNP-based multifunctional nanoprobes for biological application. In this paper, we have proposed novel multifunctional core-shell nanomaterials, applying the Mn and Ge co-doped gadolinium aluminate (GdAlO:Mn,Ge) PLNPs as the near-infrared persistent luminescence emission center and introducing the gold nanoshell coated on the PLNPs to enhance the luminescence efficiency via plasmon resonance. Our developed core-shell nanoprobes have demonstrated the excellent features of ultrabrightness, superlong afterglow, good monodispersity, low toxicity, and excellent biocompatibility. The well-characterized nanoprobes have been utilized for trimodality in vivo imaging, with near-infrared persistent luminescence for optical imaging, Gd element for magnetic resonance imaging, and Au element for computed tomography imaging.

AlCl(3) is added in small quantities to TiCl(4) fed to industrial reactors during the combustion synthesis of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in order to promote the rutile crystal phase. Despite the importance of this process, a detailed mechanism including AlCl(3) is still not available. This work presents the thermochemistry of many of the intermediates in the early stages of the mechanism, computed using quantum chemistry. The enthalpies of formation and thermochemical data for AlCl, AlO, AlOCl, AlOCl(2), AlO(2), AlO(2)Cl, AlOCl(3), AlO(2)Cl(2), AlO(3)ClTi, AlO(2)Cl(2)Ti, AlO(2)Cl(4)Ti, AlOCl(5)Ti, AlO(2)Cl(3)Tia (isomer-a), AlO(3)Cl(2)Ti, AlO(2)Cl(5)Ti, AlOCl(4)Ti, AlO(2)Cl(3)Tib (isomer-b), AlCl(7)Ti, AlCl(6)Ti, Al(2)Cl(6), Al(2)O(2)Cl, Al(2)O(2)Cl(3), Al(2)O(3)Cl(2), Al(2)O(2)Cl(2), Al(2)OCl(4), Al(2)O(3), and Al(2)OCl(3) were calculated using density functional theory (DFT). A full comparison between a number of methods is made for one of the important species, AlOCl, to validate the use of DFT and gauge the magnitude of errors involved with this method. Finally, equilibrium calculations are performed to try to identify which intermediates are likely to be most prevalent in the high temperature industrial process and as a first attempt to characterize the nucleation process.

Many clinical studies have shown a satisfactory clinical efficacy using bone cement-augmented pedicle screw in osteoporotic spine, however, few studies have involved the application of this type of screw in lumbar spondylolisthesis. This study aims to investigate the mid-term clinical outcome of bone cementinjectable cannulated pedicle screw (CICPS) in lumbar spondylolisthesis with osteoporosis. From 2011 to 2015, twenty-three patients with transforminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using CICPS for lumbar spondylolisthesis were enrolled in the study. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used to evaluate faunctional recovery and physical pain; and operation time, blood loss and hospitalization time were recorded, respectively. Radiograph and computed tomography of lumbar spine was performed to assess loss of the intervertebral disc space height, fixation loosening, and the rate of bony fusion. The average follow-up time of 23 patients was 22.5 ± 10.2 months (range, 6-36 months). According to VAS and ODI scores, postoperative pain sensation and activity function were significantly improved (p < 0.05). The height of the intervertebral disc space was reduced by 0.4 ± 1.1 mm, and the bone graft fusion rate was 100%. No cases of internal fixation loosening or screw pullout was observed. CICPS using cement augmentation may suggest as a feasible surgical technique in osteoporotic patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis.

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Self-healing materials, which can autonomously repair damages like living organisms, have undergone extensive development in the last decades. The bottleneck problems for their practical applications are long healing time, inferior mechanical strength, and aging sensitivity. Here, a new class of polymeric materials rationally grafted with oligo poly(ethylene glycol) is reported. The network based on the formation of multiple weak hydrogen bonds endows the elastomers with good comprehensive performances including high stretchability (725%), high strength (4.20 MPa), and fast self-healing process (40 s). Benefiting from characteristic multiple weak hydrogen bond interactions, the fractured elastomers maintain high healing efficiency even after aging for 192 h, showing an unusual aging insensitivity. A Sudoku structural device based on the developed elastomer shows shape memory effect, providing a new avenue for fabricating novel smart devices with complicated shapes.

Efficient drug nanocarriers with high drug loading capacity and luminescent ability are in high demand for biomedical applications. Here we show a facile and bio-friendly synthesis of macrophage membrane coated...