Whether a one-jaw or two-jaw design is used in orthognathic surgery for patients with cleft remains varied and controversial. This study aimed to compare the two approaches using 3-dimensional ...imaging surgical simulation. This study was conducted on 41 consecutive patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate treated in the craniofacial center. All patients had original two-jaw virtual planning and orthognathic surgery. Simulation of one-jaw LeFort I surgery was performed using the same final dental occlusion on 3-dimensional images. Cephalometric data and asymmetry index were collected and compared among the designs. Average advancement of the maxilla was 7.46 mm in one-jaw and 4.80 mm in two-jaw design. SNA, SNB, and A-N perpendicular were significantly greater and close to normative data in the one-jaw design. ANB angles were similar in both designs. The anterior and posterior occlusal plane cants, the deviation of midline landmarks, and the asymmetry index were more improved in the two-jaw approach. It is concluded that the two-jaw cleft orthognathic surgery could significantly improve facial midline and symmetry compared with the one-jaw approach. However, the two-jaw surgery with mandibular setback produced less protrusive facial contour although a harmonious relationship between the maxilla and mandible was achieved.
We evaluated the effects of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermal lesioning (RTL) and the impact of obesity when treating patients with recalcitrant plantar fasciitis.
30 ...consecutive patients were enrolled. The visual analog scale (VAS), American Orthopedic Foot-Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Score, and plantar fascia thickness measured using US were recorded at baseline and at follow-up 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery under local anesthesia.
12 patients in the obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) group and 18 patients in the non-obese group. There were significant postoperative decreases in VAS scores and in fascial thickness, and an increase in the AOFAS scores (all p < 0.001). The obese group showed delayed pain and functional improvement within the first 3 months after the index procedure (p < 0.01). Significant pain reduction and functional improvement were apparent earlier (after 1 month, p < 0.001) in the non-obese group than in the obese group (after 3 months, p < 0.05). Fascia thickness was positively correlated with the VAS score and negatively correlated with the AOFAS score (both p < 0.001).
US should be regarded as a useful objective tool to guide RTL and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. US-guided percutaneous RTL for recalcitrant PF is a minimally invasive treatment option that yields satisfactory results. Therefore, it should at least be considered before using more invasive procedures. Moreover, obesity leads to delayed improvement but does not affect overall outcome after 12 months. Plantar fascial thickness was correlated with VAS and AOFAS scores.
The objective of this research is to study the degradation of pentachlorophenol with zero-valence iron (Fe
0) coupled with the use of microwave energy. The sample containing 1000
mg/L PCP solution ...was dosed with 0.5
g Fe
0 and then subject to 700
W microwave energy for 10
s; 85% pentachlorophenol was noted to be removed. If the microwave treatment time was increased to 30
s, the pentachlorophenol removal efficiency exceeded 99% with end products including H
2O, CO
2, HCl, etc. Using Fe
0 as a medium, the microwave treatment is made an efficient method for degrading pentachlorophenol. The time needed to achieve a satisfactory treatment is also reduced leading to significant savings of energy consumption to make this method cost-effective. Since this technology applies Fe
0, which is amenable to natural environment, to speed up the decomposition of an industrial solvent, it is not only cost-effective but also environmental friendly for the industry to pursuit sustainable development.
We examined 40 wrists of 12 embalmed and eight fresh cadavers and defined the relative position of the flexor retinaculum to the neurovascular structure, ultrasonographic markers and safe zones by ...ultrasonography and anatomical dissection. Both longitudinal and transverse ultrasonographic sections clearly depicted the flexor retinaculum, neurovascular bundles, median nerve, flexor tendons and bony boundaries of the underlying joints. Topographic measurement showed i good correlation between the actual extent of the flexor retinaculum and the ultrasonographically determined distance between bony landmarks in all hands, and ii the widths and lengths of well-defined safe zones. A comparison study confirmed the accuracy of ultrasonography. We conclude that these ultrasonographic landmarks can locate the flexor retinaculum and facilitate safe and complete carpal tunnel release with open or minimally invasive techniques.
The thermoplastic forming properties in the supercooled liquid region of the Mg58Cu31Nd5Y6 bulk metallic glass (BMG) rods were systematically characterized via thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) and ...compressive tests at different temperature with various strain rates. The photographs of the imprinted micro‐scaled hologram pattern for the Mg58Cu31Y6Nd5 BMG fabricated at 458 K (central) and the pre‐engraved die (right‐bottom). The replication of hologram pattern shows extremely good microforming ability of this Mg58Cu31Y6Nd5 BMG in the SCL region with suitable working condition.
A feasibility study for the recovery of lithium from salt water with the protonated lithium titanium oxide ion-sieves was carried out in this work. Lithium ions (Li+) in LiTi2O4 having a similar ion ...density with H+ allow repeated exchanges and regeneration with high selectivity. By Li7 magic angle spinning solid-state magnetic resonance, it is apparent that chemical structure of lithium in the ion-sieves is not perturbed during the repeated Li+/H+ exchange processes. As the dissolution of titanium is negligible (< 0.1%), the secondary contamination during the capture process can be minimized. The ion-sieves exhibit lithium capture capacities of up to 9.5 mg/g during the repeated Li+/H+ exchanges with H0.23Li0.77Ti2O4/LiTi2O4 for 24 h, and the captured Li+ may be recovered in the form of Li2CO3. Accordingly, the lithium capture method developed in this work could be integrated with current desalination processes for valuable lithium recovery.
To reduce the amount of hazardous wastes contaminated by heavy metals, a new technology to immobilize heavy metal ions is desired. Microwave (MW) technology which can be used to vitrify the ...contaminated soil wastes and immobilize the heavy metal ions for this purpose to satisfy the leachate test standard. We found that 90%+ of the chromium-contaminated soil went through the glass/ceramic transformation and was thus vitrified after being radiated with MW for 60 min. The chromium ion (Cr
6+) concentration in the leaching test of all the vitrified soil samples is less than 1 mg/l, below the USEPA regulatory limit of 5.0 mg/l. This technology may become a major treatment method for hazardous wastes if the large-scale field test proves to be successful. In this paper, we will present the experimental conditions, the results and the future projects.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts of
Toona sinensis (TS; 0–100
μg/mL) and gallic acid (0–50
μg/mL), with the purified natural phenolic ...components evaluated using different antioxidant models. It was found that the TS extracts and gallic acid possess effective antioxidant activity against various oxidative systems
in vitro, including the scavenging of free and superoxide anion radicals, reducing power, and metal chelation. However, antioxidant activity in terms of metal chelation was not observed for the gallic acid. Moreover, TS extracts and gallic acid appear to possess powerful antioxidant properties with respect to oxidative modification of human LDL induced by CuSO4, AAPH or sodium nitroprusside, as assessed by the relative electrophoretic mobility, TBARS formation, and cholesterol degradation of oxidized LDL. Furthermore, AAPH-induced oxidative hemolysis, lipid peroxidation, and decline in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in human erythrocytes were prevented by both the TS extracts and the gallic acid. Our findings suggest that
T. sinensis may act as a chemopreventative agent, providing antioxidant properties and offering effective protection from atherogenesis.
An islanding detection method is proposed for a distributed power generation system that comprises a DC power source and a grid-connected power inverter connected in parallel to the utility. Besides ...serving to generate the fundamental real power, the grid-connected power inverter also acts as a virtual inductor when the frequency is slightly higher than the fundamental voltage frequency of the utility. The distributed power generation system is the only source supplying power to the load when the utility is interrupted; consequently, the amplitude or frequency of the load voltage changes because of the operation of the virtual inductor. Hence, the proposed method can immediately detect the islanding operation. A prototype was developed and tested to demonstrate the performance of the proposed islanding detection method. The experimental results show that the proposed method can detect islanding operations effectively.
PDF
