BACKGROUND: Authors' previous studies showed that U-shaped plate could give continuously pressure to broken ends of fractured bone and make the fractured region in an optimal environment and promote union of fracture.OBJECTIVE: To discuss the loading ability of modified U-shaped plate.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The single sample experiment was performed at the Laboratory of Materials Mechanics, Central South University from December 1990 to April 2001.MATERIALS: Plain bone plate is provided by Jiangsu Jinlu, China. AO plate and dynamic compression plate are purchased from MATHYS, Switzerland. U-shaped plate is a modified plate with a U-shaped arm in the middle of a common plate (Patent number 012497304).METHODS: We measured the mechanics of experimental mode to understand the compressing and distorting ability, m test theoretic calculation and to compare with common plate, AO plate and dynamic compression plate.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bending ability and distorting ability.RESULTS: Compared with the same usage of AO-Plate and dynamic compression plate at sagittal face, the bending ability of U-shaped plate could increase respectively by 107.5% and 21.5%, and the distorting ability increase respectively by 406% and 58%. Distorting ability increased by 31.9%, compared with limited contact dynamic compress plate (LC-DCP).CONCLUSION: Modified U-shaped plate is an eligible plate of enough strength and rigidity, compared with common AO plate and compress plate.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is an acute infectious disease caused by Ebola virus,the mor-tality rate of which is up to 90% . Due to its high infection rate,high mortality rate as well as being a serious threat to public health and safety,Ebola virus is listed as a World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Patho-gen(requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment). However,there is no effective control method and treatment for Ebola virus infection. Different approaches have been used to develop vaccines and therapeutic drugs against Ebola virus infection and clinical trials of some products have been initiated,such as ZMapp, BCX-4430,GS-5734,DNA vaccines,and adenovirus vector vaccines. National Institutes of Health(NIH) announced a successful development of vaccine for Ebola virus which had passed the clinical trial by the end of 2014. At the meantime,the first anti-Ebola virus medicine had also been approved in China for emergency use only. Recent advances in the research and development of therapeutic drugs and vaccines against Ebola virus will be described in this review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are regarded as modifiable risk factors for mental health in several populations. Although the consumption of SSBs is steadily increasing in Korea, there is scant evidence regarding the impact of SSB consumption on depression and suicidal ideation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of SSB consumption with depression and suicidal ideation among adults in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We used the data for 5,465 participants (2,170 men and 3,295 women) aged ≥ 20 years from the 2014 and 2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The subjects were divided into four groups according to SSB consumption using a food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of SSB consumption with depression and suicidal ideation, adjusting for sociodemographic, health behavior, and dietary variables. RESULTS: Participants consuming ≥ 1 SSB/day had a significantly higher risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08–2.18; P < 0.001) and suicidal ideation (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.13–4.28; P < 0.001) compared with those in the non-SSB group after adjusting for potential confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that SSB consumption is positively associated with depression and suicidal ideation in Korean adults.

Background: Previous studies have shown that body composition is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and perimenopause is associated with increased fat mass and decreased lean body mass. Muscle wasting is common among patients with CKD. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) refers to excess adiposity with decreased muscle mass. However, little is known about the relationship between SO and renal function decline. Here, we identified the relationship between SO and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in postmenopausal women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008–2011). We analyzed 4,560 postmenopausal women who underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Sarcopenia was defined based on weight-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass. Obesity was defined based on body mass index. The eGFR was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Subjects were classified into four groups: normal, obese, sarcopenic, and sarcopenic obese. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between SO and decreased eGFR. The results were adjusted for variable confounders. Results: In the unadjusted model, the odds ratio (OR) of decreased eGFR for SO was 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–2.26). The obese and sarcopenic groups had ORs of 0.67 (95% CI, 0.44–1.03) and 0.70 (95% CI, 0.44–1.10), respectively. After controlling for confounding variables, there was also a significant association between SO and decreased eGFR (adjusted OR, 1.48; 95% Cl, 1.05–2.07). Conclusion SO was independently associated with decreased eGFR in postmenopausal Korean women.