BACKGROUND The Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) is a mobile phone-based ophthalmic testing system that has been developed to perform comprehensive eye examinations. Shortages in ophthalmic personnel, the high cost, and the difficulty in transporting equipment have made it challenging to offer services, particularly in rural areas. Peek offers a solution for overcoming barriers of limited acc...

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) is an industrial ceramic used in spinal fusion and maxillofacial reconstruction. Maximizing bone formation and minimizing bacterial infection are desirable attributes in orthopedic implants designed to adhere to living bone. This study has compared these attributes of Si3N4 implants with implants made from two other orthopedic biomaterials, i.e. poly(ether ether ketone) ...

BACKGROUND Conventional total knee replacement designs show high success rates but in the long term, the stiff metal components may affect bone quality of the distal femur. In this study we introduce an all-polymer total knee replacement device containing a PEEK femoral component on an UHMWPE tibial implant and study its mechanical integrity, fixation, and stress shielding of the periprosthetic...

Continuous flow processes have recently emerged as a powerful technology for performing chemical transformations since they ensure some advantages over traditional batch procedures. In this work, the use of commercially available and affordable PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) and PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) tubing as microreactors was exploited to pe...

We present measurements of the low-temperature thermal conductivity of a number of polymeric and composite materials from 0.3 to 4 K. The materials measured are Vespel SP-1, Vespel SP-22, unfilled PEEK, 30% carbon fiber-filled PEEK, 30% glass-filled PEEK, carbon fiber Graphlite composite rod, Torlon 4301, G-10/FR-4 fiberglass, pultruded fiberglass composite, Macor ceramic, and graphite rod. The...

Silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) is an industrial ceramic used in spinal fusion and maxillofacial reconstruction. Maximizing bone formation and minimizing bacterial infection are desirable attributes in orthopedic implants designed to adhere to living bone. This study has compared these attributes of Si(3)N(4) implants with implants made from two other orthopedic biomaterials, i.e. poly(ether ether ...

BACKGROUND Surgical treatments for early onset scoliosis (EOS) correct curvatures and improve respiratory function but involve many complications. A distractible, or 'growing rod,' implant construct that is more flexible than current metal rod systems may sufficiently correct curves in small children and reduce complications due to biomechanical factors. The purpose of this pilot study was to d...

OBJECTIVE The maintenance of post-operative lordosis has been shown to be a key factor in decreasing adjacent level disc stress. Previous studies of the PEEK (polyether ketone) cage have used intervertebral bony fusion as the primary measure of surgical success; however, little is known about its effects on spinal curvature. Our objective was to compare the PEEK cage to the cervical plate with ...