Preoperative Comorbidities Associated With Early Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients: A Multicenter Study.

Objective: Multiple comorbidities in hip fracture patients are associated with increased mortality and complications. The goal of this study was to characterize the relationship between specific patient factors including comorbidities and outcomes in geriatric hip fractures, including length of stay, unplanned ICU admission, discharge disposition, complications, and mortality.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of a trauma database from five Level 1 and Level 2 trauma centers of patients with hip fractures of the femoral neck and intertrochanteric region who underwent treatment using hip pinning, hemiarthroplasty, total hip arthroplasty, cephalomedullary nailing, or dynamic hip screw fixation.

The geriatric distal femur fracture: nail, plate or both?

Surgical fixation of distal femur fractures in geriatric patients is an evolving topic. Unlike hip fractures, treatment strategies for distal femur fractures are ill-defined and lack substantive high-quality evidence. With an increasing incidence and an association with significant morbidity and mortality, it is essential to understand existing treatment options and their supporting evidence.

Intramedullary Nail for a Distal Tibia Fracture.

Extraarticular fractures of the distal tibia have historically been treated with open reduction and fixation with plates and screws. This technique requires a more extensive dissection and comes with a higher risk of wound complications than intramedullary nail fixation. This article and the accompanying video demonstrate the use of closed reduction and suprapatellar nail fixation appropriate for the treatment of most extraarticular distal tibial fractures.

Effects of prolonged lung inflation or deflation on pulmonary stretch receptor discharge in the alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a semi-aquatic diving reptile that has a periodic breathing pattern. Previous work identified pulmonary stretch receptors, that are rapidly and slowly adapting, as well as intrapulmonary chemoreceptors (IPC), sensitive to CO2, that modulate breathing patterns in alligators. The purpose of the present study was to quantify the effects of prolonged lung inflation and deflation (simulated dives) on pulmonary stretch receptors (PSR) and/or IPC discharge characteristics.

Alginate encapsulation parameters influence the differentiation of microencapsulated embryonic stem cell aggregates.

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have tremendous potential as tools for regenerative medicine and drug discovery, yet the lack of processes to manufacture viable and homogenous cell populations of sufficient numbers limits the clinical translation of current and future cell therapies. Microencapsulation of ESCs within microbeads can shield cells from hydrodynamic shear forces found in bioreactor environments while allowing for sufficient diffusion of nutrients and oxygen through the encapsulation material. Despite initial studies examining alginate microbeads as a platform for stem cell expansion and directed differentiation, the impact of alginate encapsulation parameters on stem cell phenotype has not been thoroughly investigated.

Single-cell analysis of embryoid body heterogeneity using microfluidic trapping array.

The differentiation of pluripotent stem cells as embryoid bodies (EBs) remains a common method for inducing differentiation toward many lineages. However, differentiation via EBs typically yields a significant amount of heterogeneity in the cell population, as most cells differentiate simultaneously toward different lineages, while others remain undifferentiated. Moreover, physical parameters, such as the size of EBs, can modulate the heterogeneity of differentiated phenotypes due to the establishment of nutrient and oxygen gradients.

Stem cell microencapsulation for phenotypic control, bioprocessing, and transplantation.

Cell microencapsulation has been utilized for decades as a means to shield cells from the external environment while simultaneously permitting transport of oxygen, nutrients, and secretory molecules. In designing cell therapies, donor primary cells are often difficult to obtain and expand to appropriate numbers, rendering stem cells an attractive alternative due to their capacities for self-renewal, differentiation, and trophic factor secretion. Microencapsulation of stem cells offers several benefits, namely the creation of a defined microenvironment which can be designed to modulate stem cell phenotype, protection from hydrodynamic forces and prevention of agglomeration during expansion in suspension bioreactors, and a means to transplant cells behind a semi-permeable barrier, allowing for molecular secretion while avoiding immune reaction.