This was achieved by adopting the optimal experimental condition

This was achieved by adopting the optimal experimental condition ascertained in this study, which is specified

JNK-IN-8 as 7 mJ laser energy, 1.3 kPa helium pressure, and 50 mu s measurement window, and which was found to result in consistent D emission enhancement. Employing these operational parameters, a linear calibration line exhibiting a zero intercept was obtained from zircaloy-4 samples doped with various concentrations of D impurity, regarded as surrogates for H impurity. An additional measurement also yielded a detection limit of about 10 mu g/g for D impurity, well below the acceptable threshold of damaging H concentration in zircaloy. Each of these measurements was found to produce a crater size of only 25 mu m in diameter, promising its application for performing less-destructive measurements. The result of this study has thus paved the way for conducting a further experiment with hydrogen-doped zircaloy samples and the further technical development of a selleck chemicals three-dimensional quantitative micro-analysis of detrimental hydrogen impurity in zircaloy vessels used in nuclear power plants. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3631776]“
“Background: Diverse growth factors secreted from human adipocyte-derived stem cells (hASCs) that support or manage adjacent

cells have been studied for therapeutic potentials to Staurosporine clinical trial a variety of pathological models. However, senescent growth arrest in hASCs during in vitro culture and subsequent defective differentiation potential, have been technical barriers to further genetic modification of hASCs for functional improvement.

Objective: We investigated the feasibility of long-term hASC culture to enhance their therapeutic use.

Methods: We used a MYC variant to generate hASCs expressing v-myc and determined their growth potential and growth factor secretion profile. We further introduced an AICT

variant to generate constitutively active (CA)-Akt/v-myc hASCs. Finally, we tested the ability of promoting wound healing of medium conditioned with CA-Akt/v-myc hASCs.

Results: The v-myc hASCs actively proliferated longer than control hASCs. Increased secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by v-myc hASCs promoted the migration potential of hASCs and vasculogenesis in co-cultured endothelial cells. Additional genetic modification of v-myc hASCs using CA-Akt further increased VEGF secretion. In addition, injection of CA-Akt/v-myc hASCs-CM into wound-mice model promoted wound healing compared to normal hASCs-CM.

Conclusion: Genetic modification of hASCs to stimulate secretion of growth factors is a novel strategy to maximize their paracrine effect and improve their therapeutic potential. (C) 2012 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retrospective cohort study

Objective To review the c

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective. To review the clinical outcome on elderly patients after spinal instrumented fusion.

Summary of Background Data. Although lumbar fusion in elderly patients has increased rapidly, there are only few and conflicting results regarding the clinical outcome.

Methods. This retrospective review evaluated 195 KPT-8602 patients aged 70 to 89 who underwent lumbar spinal fusion. All 195 patients had follow-ups after 6 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years, including clinical evaluation

as well as visual analog scale score, Oswestry Disability Index, and Short Form health survey.

Results. Elderly patients benefit from spinal fusion. Back and leg pains were initially reduced by >50%, with a slight deterioration over a 2-year period. Pain medication was reduced in 69% of the patients, and 89.7% of the patients were satisfied.

Conclusion. Age itself www.selleckchem.com/products/azd5153.html cannot be considered a contraindication.”
“From a neuropsychological perspective, left or right temporal lobe abnormalities underlying seizures

in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are thought to contribute to selective deficits in verbal or nonverbal memory abilities, respectively. The Ruff-Light Trail Learning Test (RULIT) is specifically designed to detect right hemisphere dysfunction. The purpose of our study was to examine the utility of the RULIT in distinguishing between patients with right (n = 20) and patients with left (n = 32) TLE in presurgical evaluations. We identified a significant between-group difference in RULIT scores, but not in the expected direction; that is, patients with right TLE had significantly

better scores than patients with left TLE. These findings indicate that the RULIT may not be an appropriate test for presurgical epilepsy evaluations. Findings are discussed within the context of results from other lateralizing neuropsychological tests. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Soils and ground water in nature are dominated by chloride and sulphate salts. There have been several studies concerning NaCl salinity, however, JQ1 price little is known about the Na(2)SO(4) one. The effects on antioxidative activities of chloride or sodium sulphate in terms of the same Na(+) equivalents (25 mM Na(2)SO(4) and 50 mM NaCl) were studied on 30 day-old plants of Ocimum basilicum L., variety Genovese subjected to 15 and 30 days of treatment. Growth, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), relative ion leakage ratio (RLR), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), ascorbate and glutathione contents as well as the activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11); glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) and peroxidases (POD, EC 1.11.1.7) were determined. In leaves, growth was more depressed by 25 mM Na(2)SO(4) than 50 mM NaCl.

Ginseng aqueous extract at concentrations of 0 5-2 0% did not inh

Ginseng aqueous extract at concentrations of 0.5-2.0% did not inhibit the growth of P. aeruginosa, but significantly prevented P. aeruginosa from forming biofilm. Exposure to 0.5% ginseng aqueous extract for 24 h destroyed most 7-day-old mature biofilms formed by both mucoid and nonmucoid P. aeruginosa strains. Ginseng treatment enhanced swimming and twitching motility, but reduced swarming of P. aeruginosa at concentrations as low as 0.25%. Oral administration of ginseng extracts in mice promoted phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa BIIB057 PAO1 by airway phagocytes, but did not affect phagocytosis of a PAO1-filM mutant.

Our study suggests that ginseng treatment may help to eradicate the biofilm-associated chronic infections caused by P. aeruginosa.”
“Study Design. Changes in cell density of endplate (EP), nucleus pulposus (NP),

and anulus fibrosus (AF) during ageing were systematically investigated in defined regions of interest in complete human motion segments.

Objectives. To elucidate cell density and total cell number in distinct anatomic regions of the intervertebral disc; to test effects of gender, level and age on cell density; and to correlate changes in cell density with histologic signs of disc degeneration.

Summary of Background Oligomycin A ic50 Data. The available information on the cell density within intervertebral discs and its age-related changes is sparse. This knowledge, however, is a crucial prerequisite for cell-based tissue engineering approaches of the intervertebral disc.

Methods. In 49 complete cross-sections from lumbar motion segments (newborn to 86 years) from 22 specimens, cell density was determined by the Abercrombie method in EP, NP, and AF, and total cell number was counted per region of

interest.

Results. Cell density in EP, NP, and AF decreased significantly from 0 to 16 years with the main changes occuring from 0 to 3 years for NP and AF. No significant variations were observed thereafter. We found a significant correlation of cell density and histologic degeneration score between 0 and 1, but not for scores >1. Gender and disc level did not influence cell density.

Conclusion. This study provides data concerning the total number of cells in the various regions of the intervertebral GSK126 inhibitor disc for different age groups. This knowledge will be beneficial for cell-based treatment approaches, which may evolve in the future.”
“The twin global epidemics of HIV infection and food scarcity disproportionately affect sub-Saharan Africa, and a significant proportion of patients who require antiretroviral therapy (ART) are malnourished because of a combination of HIV-associated wasting and inadequate nutrient intake. Protein-calorie malnutrition, the most common form of adult malnutrition in the region, is associated with significant morbidity and compounds the immunosuppressive effects of HIV.

It is therefore incumbent upon lipidologists to be among the most

It is therefore incumbent upon lipidologists to be among the most knowledgeable in the understanding of the relationship between excessive body fat and dyslipidemia. On September 16, 2012, the National Lipid Association held a Consensus Conference with the goal of better defining the effect of adiposity on lipoproteins, how the pathos of excessive body fat (adiposopathy) contributes to dyslipidemia, and how therapies such as appropriate nutrition, increased physical activity, weight-management drugs, and bariatric surgery might be expected to impact dyslipidemia. It Cyclosporin A in vitro is hoped that the information derived from these proceedings will promote

a greater appreciation among clinicians of the impact of excess adiposity and its treatment on dyslipidemia and prompt more research on the effects of interventions for improving dyslipidemia and

reducing cardiovascular disease risk in overweight and obese patients. (C) 2013 National Lipid Association. All rights reserved.”
“Objective: To measure the incidence and nature of prescribing errors on electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) that required active intervention by dispensing pharmacists to correct.

Design: Descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study.

Setting: 122 chain LY2157299 mw community pharmacies that met a prior minimum dispensing volume of five e-prescriptions per day in five states during July through September 2006.

Participants: Pharmacists in participating pharmacies.

Intervention: A panel of participating pharmacists reported their medication therapy interventions using a standardized documentation protocol.

Main outcome measures: Number, type, and reason for pharmacist interventions on e-prescriptions.

Results: Data were reported from 68 participating chain pharmacies in five states during 312 work shifts. During the study pharmacists reviewed 2,690 e-prescription orders (new, 83.0%; refill, 17.0%) and took action 102 times for an intervention rate of 3.8%. The rate at which pharmacists identified problems

on new e-prescriptions was found to be nearly twice that of refills (4.1% and 2.2%, respectively). The most common reason for pharmacists’ interventions on e-prescriptions was to supplement omitted information (31.9%), find more especially missing directions. Dosing errors were also quite common (17.7%). The most common response by pharmacists to e-prescription problems was to contact the prescriber (64.1%), consult the patient’s profile or medication history (12.8%), or interview the patient or the patient’s representative (9.4%). In most cases (56%), the e-prescription order was changed and the prescription was ultimately dispensed. In 15% of cases the e-prescription was dispensed as written following clarification by the prescriber. In 10% of cases the prescription was not dispensed.

Anecdotal reports suggest that the use of dietary supplements (DS

Anecdotal reports suggest that the use of dietary supplements (DSs) by soldiers may reflect their unique occupational requirements and the complexity of their job and family responsibilities.

Objective: We assessed the use of DSs by soldiers. Design: We conducted a survey of 990 randomly selected soldiers at 11 army bases www.selleckchem.com/products/ipi-145-ink1197.html globally. Data were weighted

by age, sex, rank, and Special Forces status to represent the active-duty army.

Results: Overall, 53% of soldiers reported the use of DSs >= 1 time/wk; 23% of soldiers used sports beverages, 6% of soldiers used sports bars or gels, and 3% of soldiers reported the use of meal-replacement beverages. Most commonly used DSs were multivitamins or multi-minerals (37.5%), protein and

amino acids (18.7%), individual vitamins and minerals selleck chemicals (17.9%), combination products (9.1%), and herbal supplements (8.3%). Many soldiers reported the use of performance-enhancement and weight-reduction products, and 22% of soldiers consumed >= 3 different DSs/wk. Logistic regression modeling indicated that older age, educational attainment, higher body mass index, and strength training were associated with DS use (P < 0.05). Reported reasons for DS use were to improve health (64%), provide more energy (31%), increase muscle strength (25%), and enhance performance (17%). Among DS users, mean monthly expenditures on DSs were $38, whereas 23% of soldiers spent >$50/mo.

Conclusions:

Soldiers, like civilians, use large amounts of DSs, often in combination. Soldiers use more DSs purported buy G418 to enhance performance than civilians use when matched for key demographic factors. These differences may reflect the unique occupational demands and stressors of military service. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 92:985-95.”
“Accumulation mode pseudo-MOSFETs formed on hydrogen terminated silicon-on-insulator (SOI-H) were used to probe molecular adsorption and reaction events. Current-voltage characteristics of such n-channel devices are found to be sensitive to the environment, with the accumulation threshold voltage, or flat-band voltage, exhibiting large reversible changes upon cycling between ambient atmosphere, high vacuum (< 10(-5) Torr), and exposure to water and pyridine vapor at pressures in the Torr range. The field-effect mobility is found to be comparatively less affected through these transitions. Oxidation of the H-terminated surface in ambient conditions leads to irreversible shifts in both the flat-band voltage and the field-effect mobility. A photochemical gas phase reaction with decene is used to form a decyl monolayer on the SOI(100)-H surface.

Design Cross-sectional study

Setting Sleep laboratory S

Design Cross-sectional study.

Setting Sleep laboratory. Subjects Fifty-five consecutive adult FSHD patients, 26 women and 29 men, age 49.6 +/- 15.1 years (range 1876). Interventions Questionnaires and polysomnography. Outcome Measures Patients were asked to indicate if in the 3 months before the sleep study they presented persisting or recurring musculoskeletal pain. Sotrastaurin manufacturer Patients who reported pain were asked to fill in the Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory and the McGill Pain questionnaire, and a 101-point visual analog scale (VAS) for pain intensity. Polysomnographic recordings were performed. EEG was analyzed by means of Fast Fourier Transform. Four power spectra bands ( 04Hz, 48Hz, 814Hz, 1432Hz) were computed. Sleep macrostructure parameters and alpha/delta EEG power ratio during non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep were compared between patients with and without pain. Results Forty-two patients in our sample reported chronic pain. VAS mean score was 55.2 +/- 23.8 (range 10100), pain rating index score

was 13.8 +/- 10.2, and present pain intensity was 2.5 +/- 0.8. The statistical analysis documented an increased occurrence of the alpha and beta rhythms during NREM sleep in FSHD patients with pain. Significant correlations were observed between the alpha/delta power ratio during NREM sleep and pain measures. Conclusions Chronic musculoskeletal pain is frequent in FSHD patients, and it represents a major mechanism of high throughput screening sleep disruption.”
“The growth and structure of Pt nanocrystals (NCs) formed by ion implantation in a-SiO(2) has been investigated as a function of the annealing conditions. Transmission electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering measurements demonstrate that the annealing ambient has a significant influence on NC size. Samples annealed in either Ar, O(2),

or forming gas (95% N(2): 5% H(2)) at temperatures ranging from 500 degrees C-1300 degrees C form spherical NCs with mean diameters ranging from 1-14 nm. For a given temperature, annealing in Ar yields the DNA Damage inhibitor smallest NCs. O(2) and forming gas ambients produce NCs of comparable size though the latter induces H chemisorption at 1100 degrees C and above, as verified with x-ray absorption spectroscopy. This H intake is accompanied by a bond-length expansion and increased structural disorder in NCs of diameter >3 nm.”
“Objective. To determine factors affecting the success of bilateral same-session ureteroscopy (BSU) in the treatment of ureteral calculi. Material and methods. From January 2003 to December 2008, BSU was carried out in 89 patients (178 renal units). A successful outcome was considered when both ureters were free of stones without intraoperative complications. Stone-free rate was evaluated with a kidney–ureter–bladder plain X-ray or non-contrast computed tomography.

Three molecule descriptors (mean atomic van der Waals volume, bon

Three molecule descriptors (mean atomic van der Waals volume, bond information content, and three-dimensional molecule representation of structures based on electron diffraction descriptor for signal 13/weighted by atomic masses, Mor13m) were used as input parameters of the neural network. Simulated with the optimum back-propagation ANN 3-[3-2]-1, the root mean square (rms) error for the testing set was 17.7 K, and the correlation coefficient was 0.942, which were accurate in comparison with existing models. The ANN model could be used this website not only to reveal the quantitative relation between T(g) and the molecular structure but

also to predict the T(g) values of the polyacrylates and polyvinyls. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym

Sci 115: 3721-3726, 2010″
“Background: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among Aboriginal Australians children is unclear. The aims of the present Study are to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection among Young Aboriginal children recovering from acute diarrheal disease in hospital and to evaluate the H. pylori stool antigen test as a noninvasive diagnostic test in this setting.

Methods: This was a prospective find more comparative study using the (13)C-Urea Breath Test as reference standard. Fifty-two children between 4 months and 2 years of age were consecutively enrolled. These children comprised a representative sample of Australian Aboriginal children admitted to hospital with acute diarrheal disease from remote and rural communities across Northern Territory of Australia.

Results: The overall prevalence of H. pylori was 44.2%. The stool antigen test had a sensitivity of 0.55 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35-0.73) with a positive predictive

value of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.42-0.82). The specificity was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.46-0.84) with a negative predictive value of 0.58 (95% CI: 0.39-0.75). Analysis GSK J4 purchase of receiver operator characteristic curve yielded an overall accuracy of the stool antigen test of 61% (48%-75%).

Conclusions: The prevalence of H. pylori infection among very young Aboriginal children from remote and rural communities was high and consistent with early acquisition. The diagnostic accuracy of the stool antigen test to diagnose H. pylori in this setting was poor.”
“Background Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents is a potentially devastating complication of anesthesia.

Aims This prospective multicenter survey of specialist pediatric centers in the UK set out to elucidate the incidence, risk factors, and the outcome of such events. The survey took place over a twelve-month period via a web-based secure reporting system.

Results Over the twelve-month period, 24 cases of pulmonary aspiration were reported. Over that time period, there were 118371 cases performed at the eleven pediatric centers. The overall incidence of pulmonary aspiration is therefore 1 in 4932 cases or 2 in 10000 cases.

RESULTS:

Nondippers, compared with dippers, had higher

RESULTS:

Nondippers, compared with dippers, had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure at night (systolic, 123.9 +/- 10.3 mmHg versus 113.9 +/- 8.2 mmHg; diastolic, 65.1 +/- 7.6 mmHg versus 59.5 +/- 6.5 mmHg; P <.0001), and higher blood pressure load at night (systolic, 61.9 % versus 27.6 %; diastolic, 20.0 % versus 9.6 %; P < 0.0001). Male sex increased the risk for nondipping by 2.5 times (logistic OR=2.45; 95 % CI 0.87 to 6.87). However, the

increase was statistically nonsignificant (P=0.08). No differences were observed between dippers and nondippers in terms of anthropometric profile, family history of hypertension, Z-DEVD-FMK cell line morphological and biochemical blood parameters, and birth weight.CONCLUSIONS:

Among hypertensive children, nondippers have a more severe degree of hypertension. Male sex increases the risk of nondipping. To assess

determinants of nondipping more precisely, further clinical investigations are needed.”
“A great deal of clinical cancer care is delivered in the home by informal caregivers (e.g. family, friends), who are often untrained. Caregivers’ context varies widely, with this website many providing care despite low levels of resources and high levels of additional demands.

Background: Changes in health care have shifted much cancer care to the home, with limited data to inform this transition. We studied the characteristics, care tasks, and needs of informal caregivers of cancer patients.

Methods: Caregivers of seven geographically and institutionally defined cohorts of newly diagnosed colorectal and lung cancer patients completed self-administered questionnaires (n = 677). We combined this information with patient survey and chart abstraction data and focused on caregivers who reported providing, unpaid, at least 50% of the patient’s informal cancer care.

Results:

Over half of caregivers (55%) cared for a patient with metastatic disease, severe comorbidity, or undergoing current treatment. Besides assisting with activities of daily living, caregivers provided cancer-specific care such as watching for treatment side effects (68%), helping manage pain, nausea or fatigue (47%), administering medicine AZD1480 (34%), deciding whether to call a doctor (30%), deciding whether medicine was needed (29%), and changing bandages (19%). However, half of caregivers reported not getting training perceived as necessary. In addition, 49% of caregivers worked for pay, 21% reported poor or fair health, and 21% provided unpaid care for other individuals. One in four reported low confidence in the quality of the care they provided.

Conclusions: Much assistance for cancer patients is delivered in the home by informal caregivers, often without desired training, with a significant minority having limited resources and high additional demands.

Amlodipine/valsartan at week 8 lowered MSSBP last observation car

Amlodipine/valsartan at week 8 lowered MSSBP last observation carried forward significantly>A (33.3 vs 26.6 mm Hg, P<0.0001). Lowering of MSSBP with A/V significantly exceeded that of A in several specified subgroups-the selleck chemicals llc elderly (>= 65 years), isolated systolic hypertension, and those with body mass index (BMI) >= 30 kg/m(2). More patients

treated with A/V than A achieved BP control (<140/90 mm Hg) both at weeks 8 (49.8 vs 30.2%; P<0.0001) and 12 (57.2 vs 35.9%; P<0.0001). Both treatment regimens were well tolerated. In conclusion, the strategy of initiating combination antihypertensive drug therapy in blacks with stage 2 hypertension with amlodipine/valsartan achieves greater and quicker reductions in BP as well as significantly higher BP control rates than starting treatment with amlodipine monotherapy. Journal of Human Hypertension (2009) 23, 479-489; doi:10.1038/jhh.2008.153; published online 29 January 2009″
“We have studied the time-scale and temperature dependence of the magnetization reversal in perpendicular magnetic recording media. One of the under-reported phenomena associated with this reversal is the thermal dependence of the squareness of www.selleckchem.com/products/ABT-263.html the magnetic hysteresis loop. Understanding this phenomenon is important because the coercive squareness parameter S* is often used to evaluate the strength of the magnetic exchange-coupling interactions between the grains. In this work, we demonstrate

that DMXAA chemical structure S* is a dynamic quantity which depends on the thermal agitation of the magnetization, and it is imperative to take this dependence into account in interpreting magnetic and microstructural effects. Based on the Sharrock model for the dynamic coercivity,

we built an expression for the time-scale and temperature dependence of S* in highly oriented perpendicular magnetic recording media. Fits of experimental data to the resulting expression were then used to extract the intrinsic squareness parameter S(int)(*) which originates in the thermal-independent demagnetization and exchange-interaction effects. S(int)(*) was estimated for two sets of perpendicular recording media samples. For the first set of media samples showing progressively smaller grain sizes, the values of S* measured at the normal magnetometry time-scales of milliseconds to seconds indicated progressively smaller values. In contrast, the values of the thermal-independent S(int)(*) determined from applying the above model were progressively larger. This discrepancy can only be explained on the basis of progressively stronger intergranular exchange coupling, which is offset by strong thermal effects at small grain sizes. For the second set of media samples with increasingly larger segregant oxide content, progressively smaller values of both S* and thermal-independent S(int)* were observed, thus verifying the strong intergranular segregation effects due to greater nonmagnetic grain boundary phase.

03)

Conclusions: While symptom trajectories were high

03).

Conclusions: While symptom trajectories were highly variable in patients undergoing initial

CTX, the majority of the symptom intensity scores decreased over time. However, patients with lung cancer, those with a higher number of comorbidities, and those with advanced disease experienced more intense fatigue and sleep disturbance over time. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All Selleckchem ML323 rights reserved.”
“Two soluble conjugated polyfluorenes, poly 9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-4,4′-bis[2-(4-phenyl)-2-cyanovinyl] triphenylamine (PF-BCT) and poly 9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl-co-3,6-bis[2-(4-phenyl)-2-cyanovinyl]-9-octyl carbazole(PF-BCC), have been synthesized from 2,7-dibromo-9,9-dioctylfluorene and 4,4′-bis[2-(4-bromophenyl)-2-cyanovinyl]triphenylamine or 3,6-bis[2-(4-bromophenyl)-2-cyanovinyl]-9-octyl carbazole comonomers through a Suzuki polymerization reaction. The copolymers are characterized by gel permeation chromatography, elemental analysis, https://www.selleckchem.com/products/BIRB-796-(Doramapimod).html thermogravimetric analysis. The polymers have good thermal stability with 5 wt % loss temperatures of more than 380 degrees C. Cyclic voltammetry measurements show that the polymers present goad electron and hole-injection abilities. PF-BCC possesses higher oxidization potential than that of PF-BCT, which indicates that PF-BCT has better hole injection ability. The photophysical properties of the polymers are investigated in both

solutions and spinning-coated films. Compared to that of PF-BCC, the absorption and emission peaks of PF-BCT bathochromic shift in the solid film or solution states. Single layer light-emitting devices have been fabricated in the ITO/PEDOT: PSS/polymer/Ca/Al configuration. The electroluminescence

(EL) device based on PF-BCT shows yellow emission with the current efficiency buy SB525334 of 0.21 cd/A, while PF-BCC shows greenish yellow emission with the current efficiency of 0.08 cd/A. In addition, to improve the electroluminescence of PF-BCC, a, PVK layer is introduced, the brightness and efficiency get improved to 700 cd/m(2) and 0.12 cd/A, respectively. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 111: 978-987, 2009″
“Study Design. Prospective, randomized clinical trial from a single surgeon’s patient population.

Objective. The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes and fusion rates of an anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) procedure when 2 different preservation methods of the femoral ring allograft (FRA) are used.

Summary of Background Data. FRA can be stored via freeze-drying (FD) or freezing (FZ). In a previous biomechanical PLIF model, FZ cancellous allograft failed at an average load 50% less than FD cancellous allograft. Despite this finding, there is no evidence to support which preservation method is more effective at achieving solid fusion in ALIF procedures.

Methods. Fifty ALIF patients received either FZ or FD FRA. Patients were observed for a minimum of 24 months.