Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Comparison of the Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System and Subchondral Drilling in Osteochondral Defects of the First Metatarsal Head

Background: Osteochondral defects of the first metatarsal head can deteriorate to osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint if left untreated. Treatment options for osteochondral defects of the first metatarsal head vary widely. Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of the osteochondral autograft transfer system with those of subchondral drilling for the treatment of osteochondral defects of the first metatarsal head. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The authors retrospectively evaluated 24 cases of osteochondral defects of the first metatarsal head treated operatively; 14 patients underwent subchondral drilling (group A), while 10 were treated with the osteochondral autograft transfer system (group B). The association of variables of osteochondral defects with clinical outcomes was assessed in each group. Clinical outcomes were evaluated according to a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hallux metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal scale, and the Roles and Maudsley score. The Tegner activity scale and an activity rating scale were used to determine the activity levels. Results: The mean VAS score in both groups was significantly improved (from 6.9 ± 0.9 to 3.9 ± 1.3 in group A and from 7.4 ± 0.8 to 3.4 ± 1.2 in group B; P < .05). No difference was noted between the 2 groups at final follow-up (P = .651). The mean AOFAS score in both groups was significantly improved (from 62.9 ± 5.8 to 73.2 ± 8.2 in group A and from 65.0 ± 4.1 to 81.5 ± 5.8 in group B; P < .05). There was a significant difference in mean AOFAS score between the 2 groups at final follow-up (P = .032). Large defect size (≥50 mm2) and the existence of a subchondral cyst were significant predictors of unsatisfactory clinical outcomes in group A (P = .047 and P = .019, respectively). Multivariate analyses showed a defect size larger than 50 mm2 was associated with significantly worse outcomes on the last follow-up VAS and AOFAS scores in group A (P = .005 for VAS and P = .006 for AOFAS). There was no association of defect size and subchondral cyst with clinical outcomes in group B (P > .05). No association was found between location of the defect area and clinical outcome in either group. Conclusion: For osteochondral defects larger than 50 mm2 or when a subchondral cyst exists, the osteochondral autograft transfer system could potentially be used as a treatment of choice for osteochondral defects of the first metatarsal head to restore functionality of the metatarsophalangeal joint.
Meniscus-Confined Three-Dimensional Electrodeposition for Direct Writing of Wire Bonds

Wired Just as there are difficulties in making integrated circuits smaller and faster, barriers are also being reached in the fabrication of wires that connect chips to the motherboard. Hu and Yu (p. 313) describe the directed electrodeposition and bonding of copper and platinum wires via a meniscus delivered from a micropipette containing a deposition solution. Wires could be deposited on a range of substrates and were significantly smaller than those obtained using existing techniques. This approach may be useful for device packaging and might offer new approaches for constructing tailored nanoscale structures. A micropipette helps guide the electrodeposition of copper and platinum wires for electronics connections. Continued progress in the electronics industry depends on downsizing, to a few micrometers, the wire bonds required for wiring integrated chips into circuit boards. We developed an electrodeposition method that exploits the thermodynamic stability of a microscale or nanoscale liquid meniscus to “write” pure copper and platinum three-dimensional structures of designed shapes and sizes in an ambient air environment. We demonstrated an automated wire-bonding process that enabled wire diameters of less than 1 micrometer and bond sizes of less than 3 micrometers, with a breakdown current density of more than 1011 amperes per square meter for the wire bonds. The technology was used to fabricate high-density and high-quality interconnects, as well as complex three-dimensional microscale and even nanoscale metallic structures.
Graphite in an Apollo 17 Impact Melt Breccia

Ancient carbonaceous material possibly delivered during meteorite bombardment has been found in lunar rock. We report on the detection of discrete grains of crystalline graphite and graphite whiskers (GWs) in an Apollo 17 impact melt breccia. Multiple instances of graphite and GWs within a discrete area of the sample imply that these grains are not terrestrial contamination. Both graphite and GWs are indicative of high-temperature conditions and are probably the result of the impact processes responsible for breccia formation. This suggests that impact processes may be an additional formation mechanism for GWs in the solar system and indicates that the Moon contains a record of ancient carbonaceous material delivered at the time of the Late Heavy Bombardment.
Deepwater Formation in the North Pacific During the Last Glacial Termination

Switching Basins Most of the densest, deepest water at the bottom of the oceans comes from two regions, the North Atlantic and the circum-Antarctic. Have other regions been able to produce significant quantities of deep water in the past? For decades, researchers have looked, with limited success, for evidence of deepwater formation in the North Pacific since the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, about 23,000 years ago. Okazaki et al. (p. 200) combine published observational evidence from the North Pacific with model simulations to suggest that deep water did form in the North Pacific during the early part of the Last Glacial Termination, between about 17,500 and 15,000 years ago. The switch between deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific is likely to have had an important effect on heat transport and climate. The Atlantic was not the only ocean in the Northern Hemisphere in which deep water formed during the last deglaciation. Between ~17,500 and 15,000 years ago, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation weakened substantially in response to meltwater discharges from disintegrating Northern Hemispheric glacial ice sheets. The global effects of this reorganization of poleward heat flow in the North Atlantic extended to Antarctica and the North Pacific. Here we present evidence from North Pacific paleo surface proxy data, a compilation of marine radiocarbon age ventilation records, and global climate model simulations to suggest that during the early stages of the Last Glacial Termination, deep water extending to a depth of ~2500 to 3000 meters was formed in the North Pacific. A switch of deepwater formation between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific played a key role in regulating poleward oceanic heat transport during the Last Glacial Termination.
Breast epithelial cell infiltration in enhanced electrospun silk scaffolds

In the present study, the effects of air‐flow impedance electrospinning and air‐flow rates on silk‐based scaffolds for biological tissues were investigated. First, the properties of scaffolds obtained from 7% and 12% silk concentrations were defined. In addition, cell infiltration and viability of MCF‐10A breast epithelial cells cultured onto these scaffolds were used to determine the biological suitability of these nanostructures. Air‐flow impedance electrospun scaffolds resulted in an overall larger pore size than scaffolds electrospun on a solid mandrel, with the largest pores in 7% silk electrospun with an air pressure of 100 kPa and in 12% silk electrospun with an air pressure of 400 kPa (13.4 ± 0.67 and 26.03 ± 1.19 µm, respectively). After 14 days in culture, the deepest MCF‐10A cell infiltration (36.58 ± 2.28 µm) was observed into 7% silk air‐flow impedance electrospun scaffolds subjected to an air pressure of 100 kPa. In those scaffolds MCF‐10A cell viability was also highest after 14 days in culture. Together, these results strongly support the use of 7% silk‐based scaffolds electrospun with a 100 kPa air‐flow as the most suitable microenvironment for MCF‐10A infiltration and viability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dependence of macrophage superoxide release on the pulse amplitude of an applied pressure regime: a potential factor at the soft tissue–implant interface

Failure of soft tissue implants has been largely attributed to the influence of biomaterial surface properties on the foreign body response, but some implant complications, e.g. macrophage accumulation and necrosis, are still not effectively addressed with surface treatments to minimize deleterious biomaterial effects. We explored an alternative explanation for implant failure, linking biocompatibility with implant micromotion‐induced pressure fluctuations at the tissue–biomaterial interface. For this purpose, we used a custom in vitro system to characterize the effects of pressure fluctuations on the activity of macrophages, the predominant cells at a healing implant site. Initially, we quantified superoxide production by HL60‐derived macrophage‐like cells under several different pressure regimes with means of 5–40 mmHg, amplitudes of 0–15 mmHg and frequencies of 0–1.5 Hz. All pressure regimes tested elicited significantly (p < 0.05) reduced superoxide production by macrophage‐like cells relative to parallel controls. Notably, pressure‐sensitive reductions in superoxide release correlated (r2 = 0.74; p < 0.01) only with pulse pressures. Based on the connection between superoxide production and cell viability, we also explored the influence of cyclic pressure on macrophage numbers and death. Compared to controls, adherent macrophage‐like cells exposed to 7.5/2.5 mmHg cyclic pressures for 6 h exhibited significantly (p < 0.01) reduced cell numbers, independent of cell death. A similar effect was observed for cells treated with 10 U/ml superoxide dismutase. Collectively, our results suggest that pressure pulses are a putative regulator of macrophage adhesion via a superoxide‐related effect. Pressure fluctuations, e.g. due to implant micromotion, may, therefore, potentially modulate macrophage‐dependent wound healing. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Utilizing tissue‐engineered cartilage or BMNC‐PLGA composites to fill empty spaces during autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty in porcine knees

The potential empty spaces between cylindrical plugs remaining after autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty rely on fibrous repair, which may constrain the quality and integrity of the repair. Thus, the empty spaces should be repaired, and how to fill the empty spaces is still a problem. In the present study, a standardized full‐thickness defect (diameter, 6 mm) was created in the weight‐bearing area of each medial femoral condyle in both knees of 18 miniature pigs. The 36 knees were randomly assigned to four groups with nine in each group. The defects were initially repaired by autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty. Simultaneously, any empty spaces between the multiple plugs were filled with cell‐free poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds (the scaffold group), tissue‐engineered cartilage (the TE group) or bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMNC)–PLGA composites (the composite group). The empty spaces were left untreated as control (the control group). Six months after surgery, the repair results were assessed via macroscopic observation, histological evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging, biomechanical assessment and glycosaminoglycan content. The results demonstrated that mosaicplasty combined with the treatment of the empty spaces could improve cartilage regeneration. The filling of empty spaces by tissue‐engineered cartilage produced the best result in all the four groups. Meanwhile, utilizing BMNC–PLGA composites achieved a similar repair result. Considering the cost‐effective, time‐saving and convenient performance, the BMNC‐PLGA composite could be an alternative option to fill the empty spaces combined with mosaicplasty. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Match Injuries in English Youth Academy and Schools Rugby Union

Background: Numerous injury epidemiology studies have reported injury patterns in senior rugby union, but investigations in youth rugby are limited. Purpose: To describe the nature of injuries resulting from match play within the English youth rugby union, including a comparison between 2 levels of play within the same age group: professional academy versus school rugby. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A 2-season (2006-2007 and 2007-2008) study obtained information on injuries sustained in male youth rugby union players (age, 16-18 years) from 12 English Premiership academies (n = 250) and 7 schools (n = 222). Match exposure (player-hours) and injury details were recorded. Results: Match injury incidence was 47 per 1000 player-hours for the academy and 35 per 1000 player-hours for the school groups; these rates were statistically different (P = .026). The most common injury site was the lower limb and the most common injury type was a ligament sprain, with injuries to the knee and shoulder region resulting in the greatest burden of injury for both groups. The tackle event was the most common cause of match injury for both academy (51% of injuries) and school (57% of injuries) groups. Conclusion: Overall, the incidence of injury for youth rugby was lower than for previous studies in senior rugby, but injury patterns (location, type) and causes were similar. The study confirmed that match injury incidence was significantly greater in elite academy youth rugby union than schools rugby. The results suggest that the specific focus for injury risk management in youth rugby should be on players’ tackle technique and prevention strategies for knee and shoulder injuries.
Directing Light Emission from Quantum Dots

The photon emission from a semiconductor quantum dot directed by a nanoscale gold antenna could be used in quantum optics. Cell phones, radios, and television sets contain antennas that pick up signals carried by electromagnetic radiation and convert them into pulses of electric current. Antennas connect two very different length scales—transmission wavelengths range from centimeters to meters, whereas component wiring and circuitry is on the micrometer-to-millimeter scale. On page 930 of this issue, Curto et al. (1) take this scaling concept to the optical world, where the interaction of light with matter includes quantum mechanics as well as classical electromagnetism. They fabricate nanoantennas from gold, a metal that can develop charge oscillations in its surface layers when excited by optical radiation. These antennas allow visible radiation, which has wavelengths of hundreds of nanometers, to couple into a semiconductor quantum dot only a few nanometers in diameter, and also direct the emission.
Contact Stress and Kinematic Analysis of All-Epiphyseal and Over-the-Top Pediatric Reconstruction Techniques for the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Background: Adult anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction techniques may be inappropriate to treat skeletally immature patients because of the risk of physeal complications. “Physeal-sparing” reconstruction techniques exist, but their ability to restore knee stability and contact mechanics is not well understood. Purpose: (1) To assess the ability of the all-epiphyseal (AE) and over-the-top (OT) reconstruction techniques to restore knee kinematics, (2) to assess whether these reconstruction techniques decrease the high posterior contact stresses seen with ACL deficiency, and (3) to determine whether the AE or OT technique produces abnormal tibiofemoral contact stresses. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Ten fresh-frozen human cadaveric knees were tested using a robotic manipulator. Tibiofemoral motions were recorded with the ACL intact, after sectioning the ACL, and after both reconstructions in each of the 10 specimens. The AE technique consisted of tunnels exclusively within the epiphysis and was fixed with suspensory cortical fixation devices. The OT procedure consisted of a central and vertical tibial tunnel with an over-the-top femoral position and was fixed with staples and posts on both ends. Anterior stability was assessed with 134-N anterior force at 0°, 15°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of knee flexion. Rotational stability was assessed with combined 8 N·m and 4 N·m of abduction and internal rotation, respectively, at 5°, 15°, and 30° of knee flexion. Results: Both reconstruction techniques off-loaded the posterior aspect of the tibial plateau compared with the ACL-deficient knee in response to both anterior loads and combined moments as demonstrated by reduced contact stresses in this region at all flexion angles. Compared with the ACL-intact condition, both the AE and OT procedures had increased posteromedial contact stresses in response to anterior load at some flexion angles, and the OT technique had increased peripheral posterolateral contact stresses at 15° in response to combined moments. Neither reconstruction technique completely restored the midjoint contact stresses. Both techniques restored anterior stability at flexion angles ≤30°; however, neither restored anterior stability at 60° and 90° of flexion. Both reconstruction techniques restored coupled anterior translation under combined moments. Additionally, the AE procedure overconstrained internal rotation in response to combined moments by 12% at 15° of flexion. Conclusion: Both reconstruction techniques provide anterior and rotational stability and decrease posterior joint contact stresses compared with the ACL-deficient knee. However, neither restored the contact mechanics and kinematics of the ACL-intact knee. Clinical Relevance: Because the AE reconstruction technique has clinical advantages over the OT procedure, the results support this technique as a potential candidate for use in the skeletally immature athlete.
Brownian Motion Goes Ballistic

Measurements of the Brownian motion of particles in air and in water reveal a smooth “ballistic” motion at very short times. When Einstein explained the origin of Brownian motion in 1905, he described the erratic movement of a microscopic particle driven by the thermal motion of liquid molecules as a random walk with sharp changes of direction between each step (1). He realized that this picture—the one we seem to see if we watch a particle under the microscope—must break down if we were to look more closely. A moving object would require an infinite force to change its speed or direction discontinuously. The particle actually moves “ballistically” along a smooth trajectory (2–4), as if it were a microscopic ocean liner on an erratic course (see the first figure, panels A and B). It has taken more than a century to observe this ballistic motion. The studies of Li et al. (5) were conducted on particles in air; its low viscosity allowed ballistic motion to be followed accurately for extended periods and showed that a particle's instantaneous velocities along its path obey a statistical distribution consistent with thermal motion. Huang et al. (6) used liquid water; in this higher-density medium, the transition from ballistic motion at short times to diffusive motion at longer ones could be studied in detail.
O‐Phenanthroline as modulator of the hypoxic and catabolic response in cartilage tissue‐engineering models

Hypoxia has been shown to be important for maintaining cartilage homeostasis as well as for inducing chondrogenic differentiation. Ensuring low oxygen levels during in vitro culture is difficult, therefore we assessed the chondro‐inductive capabilities of the hypoxia‐mimicking agent O‐phenanthroline, which is also known as a non‐specific matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor. We found that O‐phenanthroline reduced the expression of MMP3 and MMP13 mRNA levels during chondrogenic differentiation of human chondrocytes (hChs), as well as after TNFα/IL‐1β exposure in an explant model. Interestingly, O‐phenanthroline significantly inhibited matrix degradation in a TNFα/IL‐1β‐dependent model of cartilage degeneration when compared to control and natural hypoxia (2.5% O2). O‐Phenanthroline had limited ability to improve the chondrogenic differentiation or matrix deposition in the chondrogenic pellet model. Additionally, O‐phenanthroline alleviated MMP‐induced cartilage degradation without affecting chondrogenesis in the explant culture. The data presented in this study indicate that the inhibitory effect of O‐phenanthroline on MMP expression is dominant over the hypoxia‐mimicking effect. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Removal of miniplates in maxillofacial surgery: University Hospital Birmingham experience.

PURPOSE We sought to study the incidence and causes of removal of osteosynthesis miniplates (plates) in oral and maxillofacial surgery in a single unit over a 13-month period and to identify factors associated with plate removal. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 172 patients attending the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham, between November 1, 1998, and November 30, 1999, in whom maxillofacial osteosynthesis plates were inserted or removed. Not all patients who had plates removed had them inserted within the same time frame. RESULTS During a period of 13 months (November 1, 1998, through November 30, 1999), 308 plates were inserted into 153 patients. During the same period, 51 plates were removed from 28 patients, of whom 9 underwent plate insertion and subsequent removal of 25 plates within the time period of the study. Thirty-four (67%) of the plates removed from 20 patients were symptomatic. Infection was the most common cause for removal, occurring in 14 patients (50% of patients who had plates removed) and accounting for 22 plates (43% of plates removed). Symptoms relating to plates necessitating removal occurred in the first year after insertion in 15 patients (53%), accounting for 21 plates. CONCLUSIONS Our experience with the removal of miniplates is comparable with that of previous studies. Plate-related problems leading to removal are more likely to occur within the first year after insertion.
Pairs Rule Quantum Interference

Quantum interference between many different pathways is simply the sum of the effects from all pairs of pathways. Quantum interference is one of the most mysterious features of quantum mechanics. In fact, Feynman referred to the double-slit interference experiment for single particles as the “only” mystery in quantum mechanics (1). On page 418 of this issue, Sinha et al. (2) describe a recent experiment that shows that quantum interference from a single photon arises only from pairs of possible paths through an interferometer. There is no need to invoke additional interference terms that might arise from interactions of three or more paths.
AGE NORMS OF REFRACTION AND VISION

EDWARD JACKSON, 1 in his "Norms of Refraction," stated: Norm is defined as: "A rule or authoritative standard: a model, a typical example. " In the same article, Dr. Jackson stated: Norms of refraction are so important that they have been assumed or accepted on the observance of a few eyes. But they will be exact and useful only when the averages and changes have been noted for a great many. The records of a large city clinic, or the facilities of a university laboratory are worth very little in seeking such norms. They must represent the result of a large number of clinical observations made with care by established methods, over long periods. The return of clinic patients is so uncertain and irregular that very little can be learned from them in such an investigation. Jackson also suggested: The average spherical refraction be considered as an average of the refraction