Malakoplakia of the gastrointestinal tract: clinicopathologic analysis of 23 cases.

Background: Malakoplakia is an uncommon, tumor-like inflammatory disease characterized by impaired histiocytes that are unable to completely digest phagocytized bacteria. The genitourinary tract is the most common site of involvement, however, cases have also been described in the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting that it is the second most common site of involvement. This study investigates the clinical and histologic features of malakoplakia in the gastrointestinal tract.

In vivo evaluation of bioresorbable polylactide implants for cervical graft containment in an ovine spinal fusion model.

Object: An in vivo study was conducted in an ovine model to investigate the biomechanical changes after the animals underwent single-level anterior cervical discectomy followed by fusion in which autologous tricortical graft was used and implantation of cervical plates for which bioresorbable polymer screws and plates were used. The specific aims of the study were to evaluate whether implant failure or screw backout would occur over time and to measure the change in stiffness at the treated level at various postoperative time periods (3, 6, and 12 months).

Methods: A total of 58 x-ray films were evaluated over the 12-month survival period.