High grade osteosarcoma of the extremities metastatic to the lung: long-term results in 323 patients treated combining surgery and chemotherapy, 1985-2005.

Background: Approximately one-third of patients with localized osteosarcoma at presentation relapse as well as about three-fourths of the patients with metastases at diagnosis, about 90% of relapses are lung metastases. The role of lung metastasectomy remains to be determined.

Patients: and methods: Three hundred and twenty three patients, 88 with resectable lung metastases at diagnosis and 235 with localized disease at presentation who relapsed with lung metastases were treated.

Stromal stem cells and platelet-rich plasma improve bone allograft integration.

Early vascular invasion is a key factor in bone allograft incorporation. It may reduce the complications related to slow and incomplete bone integration. Bone-marrow-derived stromal stem cells associated with platelet-rich plasma are potent angiogenic inducers proven to release vascular endothelial growth factor.

Prosthetic devices shaped as tubular chambers for the treatment of large diaphyseal defects by guided bone regeneration.

Guided tissue regeneration is based on the hypothesis that the different tissues have unequal abilities to penetrate a wounded area during the healing process. The use of a device acting as a chamber allows the growth of a particular tissue and prevents the ingrowth of other tissues which impair the healing process. At the same time the chamber protects and maintains in situ the intrinsic growth factors so that they may perform their specific activity.

In vivo experimental study on bone regeneration in critical bone defects using an injectable biodegradable PLA/PGA copolymer.

Objectives: An assessment was done of the bone-healing rate after implantation of a polylactide/polyglycolide copolymer (PLA-PGA) 50/50 dispersed in aqueous solution of PGA and dextran, used as bone substitutes in an animal model.

Study Design: Two groups of 5 rabbits each were used. In both the femoral condyles, a critical size defect of 6x10 mm was made.

The effect of osteopenia on the osteointegration of different biomaterials: histomorphometric study in rats.

The osteointegration of Hydroxyapatite (HA), Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V: Ti), Zirconia (ZrO2), Alumina (Al2O3) and 2 biological glasses (AP40 and RKKP) was comparatively investigated in normal and osteopenic rats by means of histomorphometry. Thirty-six Sprague Dawley female rats were left intact (Group C) while 36 were ovariectomized (Group OVX). Group C and OVX were further divided into 6 subgroups.

Osseointegration of endosseous ceramic implants after postoperative low-power laser stimulation: an in vivo comparative study.

Stimulation with low-power laser (LPL) can enhance bone repair as reported in experimental studies on bone defects and fracture healing. Little data exist concerning the use of LPL postoperative stimulation to improve osseointegration of endosseous implants in orthopaedic and dental surgery. An in vivo model was used for the present study to evaluate whether Ga-Al-As (780 nm) LPL stimulation can improve biomaterial osseointegration.

Osseointegration of sandblasted or anodised hydrothermally-treated titanium implants: mechanical, histomorphometric and bone hardness measurements.

The improvement of the implant-bone interface is still an open problem in the long-term mechanical stability of cementless fixed implants. Mechanical, histomorphometric and bone hardness measurements were performed in sheep femoral cortical bone implants at 8 and 12 weeks from surgery to compare in vivo the osseointegration of titanium screws (psi 3.5 mm x 7 mm length) with two different surface treatments: sandblasting with 70-100 microm HA followed by acid etching with HNO3 (Group A) and Ca-P anodization followed by a hydrothermal treatment (Group B).

Laser stimulation on bone defect healing: an in vitro study.

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate whether low-power laser (LPL) stimulation can accelerate bone healing. Bone defects of a standard area were created in the distal epiphysis of 12 femora explanted from six rats, and they were cultured in BGJb medium for 21 days. Six defects were treated daily with Ga-Al-As, 780 nm LPL for 10 consecutive days (lased group, LG), while the remainder were sham-treated (control group, CG).

The role of different chemical modifications of superoxide dismutase in preventing a prolonged muscular ischemia/ reperfusion injury.

It is well know that a long period of ischemia followed by reperfusion can create an irreversible tissue damage, also due to the excessive generation of oxygen-derived free radicals. A possibility for avoiding this syndrome is represented by the use of free radical scavengers, such as the superoxide dismutase (SOD). The current authors compared the results achieved through different modifications of this enzyme in an experimental rat hind limb model of ischemia/reperfusion.

Laser technology in orthopedics: preliminary study on low power laser therapy to improve the bone-biomaterial interface.

Low Power Laser (LPL) seems to enhance the healing of bone defects and fractures. The effect of LPL in other orthopedic areas such as osteointegration of implanted prosthetic bone devices is still unclear. In the present study, 12 rabbits were used to evaluate whether Ga-Al-As (780 nm) LPL stimulation has positive effects on osteointegration.

[Trauma of the peripheral nervous system: experimental assessments with guided tissue regeneration].

Guided tissue regeneration open interesting perspectives in reconstructive surgery of peripheral nerves. Artificial conduits for nerve repair can be obtained with biodegradable polymers. Lactic and caproic acid copolimers and poliphosphazenes are biocompatible materials and have a slow reabsorption rate.

[Cartilage cell stimulation with low-power laser: experimental assessment].

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of laser therapy performed with Ga-Al-As diode laser (780 nm, 2500 mW) on cartilage cells in vitro. The cartilage sample used for biostimulation was taken from the knee of an adult patient. The cultures were divided into four groups: Groups I, II, III were subjected to biostimulation with different laser parameters; Group IV did not received any treatment.

Low-power diode laser stimulation of surgical osteochondral defects: results after 24 weeks.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate osteochondral lesions of the knee, treated intraoperatively with low-power laser stimulation, and assess results at 24 weeks. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia on six rabbits; a bilateral osteochondral lesion was created in the femoral medial condyles with a drill. All of the left lesions underwent immediate stimulation using the diode Ga-Al-As laser (780nm), whereas the right knees were left untreated as control group.

Laser biostimulation of cartilage: in vitro evaluation.

An in vitro study was performed to evaluate the laser biostimulation effect on cartilage using a new gallium-aluminium-arsenic diode laser. Chondrocyte cultures were derived from rabbit and human cartilage. These cells were exposed to laser treatment for 5 days, using the following parameters: 300 joules, 1 watt, 100 (treatment A) or 300 (treatment B) hertz, pulsating emission for 10 minutes, under a sterile laminar flow.

Assessment of low-power laser biostimulation on chondral lesions: an "in vivo" experimental study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether intraoperative laser biostimulation can enhance healing of cartilaginous lesions of the knee. Surgery was performed on eighteen rabbits: a bilateral chondral lesion of 1.25 +/- 0.

Osteochondral lesion repair of the knee in the rabbit after low-power diode Ga-Al-As laser biostimulation: an experimental study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether low-power laser biostimulation of the osteo-chondral lesions of the knee could by itself reduce repair healing time. Surgery was performed on eighteen rabbits; a bilateral osteo-chondral lesion of 2.5mm in diameter and 2mm depth was created in the femoral medial condyle with a drill.

Biostimulation of human chondrocytes with Ga-Al-As diode laser: 'in vitro' research.

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of laser therapy performed with Ga-Al-As Diode Lasers (780 nm, 2500 mW) on human cartilage cells in vitro. The cartilage sample used for the biostimulation treatment was taken from the right knee of a 19-year-old patient. After the chondrocytes were isolated and suspended for cultivation, the cultures were incubated for 10 days.

Effects of essential amino acids and lactose on bony fractures and defects in rabbits: a preliminary histomorphometric study.

An experimental study was performed in order to test the possibility of improving bone repair with the administration of a drug (Calciofix, Farmaceutici Damor SpA, Naples, Italy) containing essential amino acids and lactose. Fifty rabbits were submitted to an open transversal fracture of the left fibula and to a right femoral condyle defect. They were left untreated or treated daily with the drug orally and were divided into subgroups depending on the experimental time: 15, 30, 40, 50, 60 days.

Muscular trauma treated with a ga-Al-as diode laser: in vivo experimental study.

The aim of the study was to verify in an experimental model the effects of laser therapy performed with Ga-Al-As diode lasers (780 nm, 2500 mW) on traumatised muscles. Forty adult New Zealand male rabbits were divided into four groups (A, B, C and D) of ten animals each. Each group of animals was further divided into two subgroups of five animals each.

In vitro experimental research of rabbit condrocytes biostimulation with diode laser Ga-Al-As: a preliminary study.

The scope of our study was to verify the effects of a new diode laser device with active material composed of Gallium, Aluminum and Arsenic (Ga-Al-As) configured as MOCVD (780 nm., 3000 mW) for the biostimulation of the cartilage cells in vitro. The condrocytes cells, withdrawn from the cartilage of the medial condyle of the femur of the rabbit, were cultivated, incubated and subject to biostimulation treatment with the laser.

Biomaterials for orthopedic surgery in osteoporotic bone: a comparative study in osteopenic rats.

Unlabelled: To evaluate orthopedic devices in pathological bone, an experimental study was performed by implanting Titanium (Ti) and Hydroxyapatite (HA) rods in normal and osteopenic bone. Twenty-four rats were used: 12 were left intact (

Control: C) while the other 12 were ovariectomized (OVX). After 4 months all the animals were submitted to the implant of Ti or HA in the left femoral condyle (Ti-C, HA-C, Ti-OVX, HA-OVX).

[The osseointegration process: a still open chapter in experimental and clinical research].

The osseointegration of biomaterials for dental and orthopaedic use is a still open topic in experimental and clinical research. Some aspects of this complex mechanism are not completely research. Some aspects of this complex mechanism are not completely explained yet.

[Experimental orthopedic surgery: the practical aspects and management].

The funds to grant for a scientific research project are more and more interesting public and private administrations. A quantitative analysis of experimental research prices in all its phases is mandatory for an optimization process. The aim of this paper is to define practical and economical aspects of the experimental 'in vivo' models designed for the validation of biomaterials, with particular respect to the managerial bookkeeping of consumer goods, based on the experience of our Institute.

[Role of microvascular free flaps in the treatment of amputation stumps].

The authors report the importance of plastic surgery in rehabilitation of the amputated stump. After having referred the tight dependence between amputated stump and prosthesis, they underline the importance of a trophic and painless stump characterized by a satisfactory "useful length". They report two cases in which these priorities have been satisfied by using latissimus dorsi free flap.

[Evaluation of experimental data obtained using new-generation CO2 laser in surgery].

In order to study the interaction between the laser and biological tissues, we realized an experimental "in vivo" model using 12 Wistar male adult rats (mean b.w. 300 gr.