Hibiscus Tea, Hormone Balance, and Thrombosis: A Case Report.

An otherwise healthy and active 42-year-old woman, undergoing In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), developed a deep vein thrombus (a potential side effect of IVF) in her right lower leg after discontinuing the consumption of hibiscus tea. Hibiscus tea contains phytoestrogens which may affect hormone balance - on the one hand reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and on the other, interfering with the potential success of IVF-related hormone treatments.

Dynamics of an intervertebral disc prosthesis in human cadaveric spines.

Low-back pain is a common, disabling medical condition, and one of the major causes is disc degeneration. Total disc replacements are intended to treat back pain by restoring disc height and re-establishing functional motion and stability at the index level. The objective of this study was to determine the effect on range of motion (ROM) and stiffness after implantation of the ProDisc-L device in comparison to the intact state.

The mechanical behavior of locking compression plates compared with dynamic compression plates in a cadaver radius model.

Objective: The purpose of this cadaveric study was to compare the mechanical behavior of a locked compression plate, which uses threaded screw heads to create a fixed angle construct, with a dynamic compression plate construct in a cadaver radius model.

Design: Mechanical study with cyclic testing and high-speed optical motion analysis.

Setting: Biomechanics laboratory at an academic institution.

Cancellous bone strains indicate efficacy of stem augmentation in constrained condylar knees.

Modular augmented stems of a constrained condylar knee implant are intended to improve tibial fixation under increased varus/valgus loads, but conflicting studies have not yet indicated the factors determining stem usage and performance. To address this, we combined a paired-tibiae, cadaveric experiment of unstemmed and stemmed tibial components with specimen-specific computational models. We hypothesized that the stem would improve implant stability by decreasing implant motion and compressive strains in the proximal cancellous bone due to load transfer by the stem.

Anatomy and dimensions of rotator cuff insertions.

The purpose of this study was to devise and implement an accurate and reproducible method of measuring the area and dimensions of the rotator cuff tendon insertions and their distance from the articular surface. Twenty fresh-frozen cadaveric upper-extremity specimens were divided into 2 groups of 10. In group 1 the specimens were dissected, leaving only the most distal rotator cuff tendons attached to the humerus.

Open reduction and internal fixation of humeral nonunions : a biomechanical and clinical study.

Background: Several studies have compared different methods for fixation of the midpart of the humeral shaft, but there are only scattered data regarding which type of plate construct provides the best fixation for humeral nonunion. The objectives of this study were (1) to obtain objective data on the performance of four different plate constructs used for fixation of humeral nonunion, and (2) to report our clinical experience with plate fixation of thirty-seven nonunions of the midpart of the humeral shaft.

Methods: In the first part of the study, four plate constructs were compared in a Sawbones model.