The contractile behavior of cells is relevant in understanding wound healing and scar formation. In tissue engineering, inhibition of the cell contractile response is critical for the regeneration of physiologically normal tissue rather than scar tissue. Previous studies have measured the contractile response of cells in a variety of conditions (e.g. on two-dimensional solid substrates, on free...

PURPOSE To review the outcomes of fixation with cancellous screws and fibular strut grafts for neglected femoral neck fractures. METHODS 44 men and 28 women aged 17 to 50 years with neglected femoral neck fractures of the subcapital (n=12), transcervical (n=57), or basal (n=3) types underwent closed (n=39) or open (n=33) reduction and fixation with a single cancellous screw with double fibula...

Recent research has suggested that endothelialization of vascular stents is crucial to reducing the risk of late stent thrombosis. With a resolution of approximately 10 microm, optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be an appropriate imaging modality for visualizing the vascular response to a stent and measuring the percentage of struts covered with an anti-thrombogenic cellular lining. We deve...

PURPOSE To report the outcome of revised total hip arthroplasty procedures involving an anterior cortical window, extensive strut allografts, and an Exeter impaction graft. METHOD Eight patients (9 hips) with a mean age of 58 years underwent revision of total hip arthroplasty using the Exeter hip impaction graft system and strut allografts between 1995 and 1998. An extensile anterior approach...

PURPOSE To evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of using fibular strut grafts as a fixation device for non-united femoral neck fractures in children with or without subtrochanteric valgus osteotomy. METHODS A total of 12 children with non-united femoral neck fractures (nine males and three females) with an average age of 8.2 years (5 to 12) were managed, and functional results eval...

BACKGROUND Because of risk of outlet strut fracture, prophylactic replacement should be considered for Björk-Shiley convexo-concave (BScc) valve recipients. We assessed the effects of epidemiological and decision-analytic guidelines on actual BScc valve replacement. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a retrospective cohort study including all 2263 Dutch BScc patients with a mean follow-up of 11...

OBJECTIVE To describe a technique for creation of a split calvarial bone L-shaped strut that provides dorsal support while increasing tip projection in patients with substantial septal saddle nose deformities from various underlying inflammatory conditions and surgical resection. METHODS Case series and review of the literature. RESULTS Fifteen patients underwent nasal reconstruction at our...

BACKGROUND Nasal pyramid fractures accompanied by saddle nose deformities are not easily corrected by closed reduction. We used an absorbable plate as a perpendicular strut to support the collapsed "keystone area" and obtained good results. METHODS Between September 2008 and June 2011, 18 patients who had nasal pyramid fractures with saddle nose deformities underwent surgery. Pre- and postope...

Strut-and-Tie Models (STM) for the design of concrete beams, comprising of struts, ties, nodes as the basic tools, is conceptually simple, but its realization for complex concrete structure is not straightforward and depends on flow of internal forces in the structure. STM technique has won wide acceptance for deep member and shear design. STM technique is a unified approach that considers all ...

BACKGROUND Proximal humerus fractures are common problems plaguing the elderly population. PURPOSE The purposes of this study were to determine the outcomes of fibular strut allografts in treatment of proximal humerus fractures with open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and to present the authors' preferred surgical technique. The hypothesis was that the use of fibular strut allografts in t...