BACKGROUND All of previous biomechanical studies on meniscal repair have examined the meniscus itself without synovial membrane and capsule, although in the clinical setting, the meniscal repair is generally performed including capsule. Therefore, biomechanical properties of transcapsular meniscal repair are unclear. Thus, this study aimed to clarify the biomechanical properties of transcapsula...

Autapses are connections between a neuron and itself. These connections are morphologically similar to "normal" synapses between two different neurons, and thus were long thought to have similar properties of synaptic transmission. However, this has not been directly tested. Here, using a micro-island culture assay in which we can define the number of interconnected cells, we directly compared ...

Scleral fixation of intraocular lenses (IOLs) can be performed under the protection of a scleral flap. A variation of this technique uses a scleral tunnel for suture fixation to the eye. Passage of a double-armed suture through the roof of the scleral tunnel with subsequent retrieval of the suture ends through the external incision for tying facilitates scleral fixation. This modification offer...

BACKGROUND Coated polyglactin 910 suture with triclosan was developed recently in order to imbue the parent suture, coated polyglactin 910, with antibacterial activity against the most common organisms that cause surgical site infections (SSI). Because such alterations could alter the physical properties of the suture, this study sought to compare the intraoperative handling and wound healing c...

To improve the functional outcomes of intrasynovial tendon suture, prior experiments evaluated individual technical modifications used in the repair process. Few studies, however, have assessed the combinatorial effects of those suture modifications in an integrated biomechanical manner, including a sample size sufficient to make definitive observations on repair technique. Two hundred fifty-si...

Purpose: Biomechanically evaluate the optimal number of throws for achieving graft-holding capacity of currently used suture techniques. Methods: Porcine flexor profundus tendons randomly divided into 9 groups of 11 specimens were used. Three stitch configurations, namely the Krachow stitch, locking SpeedWhip (LSW) stitch and modified finger trap (MFT) suture, were assessed with 3, 5 and 7 thro...

Closure of donor site of the flap has special problems. Reduction of this site will decrease the morbidity of operation. In this study, we present our experience in donor site size reduction. METHODS Between 2006 and 2008, 15 patients with skin and soft tissue defects underwent operation. In all patients, coverage of defect was performed with various flaps. Substratum horizontal mat-tress sut...