Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of mixed grafts in lumbar posterolateral fusion (PLF) by comparing the bone union rates of an autobone with a bone substitute mixed graft. Materials and Methods: The patients were followed-up for at least two years after PLF and divided into four groups according to the mixed graft retrospectively. Group I was 48 cases using a femoral head allobone. Group II was 38 cases using b-tricalcium phosphate. Group III was 92 cases using biphasic calcium phosphate. Group IV was 38 cases using biphasic calcium phosphate and autologous bone marrow. Union was evaluated by the work up simple radiographs after two years from PLF. Union was defined if the radiographs demonstrated a bilateral continuity in the fusion mass between the cephalad and caudal transverse processes with less than 2° of angular motion and no translation between the vertebrae at the level of fusion on the lateral flexion-extension radiographs. Results: According to simple radiographs after two years from PLF, the rate of union was highest in Group IV using local autobone, biphasic calcium phosphate and autologous bone marrow mixed graft. Conclusion Biphasic calcium phosphate is an osteoconductive bone substitute that increases the bio-absorbability and mechanical strength. Autologous bone marrow has osteoinductive and osteogenic properties. These features can increase the rate of bone union. Therefore, a local autobone, biphasic calcium phosphate and autologous bone marrow mixed graft can be considered an effective bone graft substitute for lumbar PLF instead of an autobone graft.

The purpose of this study was to assess the antimicrobial and clinical effects of acid water mouthrinse prepared by an electrolysis apparatus on chronic periodontitis and to evaluate the lasting period of these effects. The change in the pattern of colonization of bacteria within the subgingival pockets was monitored by phase contrast microscopy, in 40 patients, over a period of 8 weeks. In addition, changes in the clinical parameters of the diseased sites were also monitored. Site of pocket > or = 5mm was selected in each patient randomly divided into two groups. As a test group, acid water mouthrinse was used twice a day in 20 patients. As control, no mouthrinse was used in 20 patients The results were as follows: 1. The suppression of motile bacteria was maintained for up to 3-4 weeks at test group. 2. Two groups did not differ significantly in proportion of bacteria in subgingival plaque over a period of 8 weeks. 3. Loss of attachment showed a significant difference in test group and in test group compared with control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in control group. 4. No statistical difference was shown in two groups concerning the gingival index, plaque index, bleeding index. The results suggest that acid water mouthrinse is effective for reducing subgingival bacteria. It can be concluded that acid water may be useful as an mouthrinsing agent.
Bacteria ; Chronic Periodontitis* ; Colon ; Electrolysis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis ; Water*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although cardiac troponin I is widely used as a marker for myocardial infarction (MI), minor elevations of cardiac troponin I are also observed in other clinical situations. The prognostic factors for patients with these clinical features are not well established. The aim of this study was to discover the predictors of mortality for the patients who had minor troponin elevations without acute MI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled consecutive 154 patients from the emergency department or inpatient units who had a peak troponin I level greater than the lower limit of detectability (0.04 ng/mL), and the level was also less than the suggestive value of MI (0.6 ng/mL). They were with chest pain or nonspecific symptoms of circulatory abnormality, but they lacked the traditional features of acute MI. The endpoint was defined as death from all causes. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to test the relationship between the clinical and biochemical variables and the outcomes. RESULTS: During the follow-up period of 7.9+/-7.3 months, mortality occurred in 15 patients. Age, the creatine kinase myocardial isoform (CK-MB) level and the C-reactive protein (CRP) level as continuous variables had significant correlations with the occurrence of death. After adjusting for any possible confounders in the multivariate model, these variables remained as independent predictors of mortality: age (HR 1.07, CI 1.02-1.14, p=0.012), CK-MB level (HR 1.61, CI 1.16-2.24, p=0.005), and CRP level (HR 1.01, CI 1.00-1.01, p=0.025). CONCLUSION: Integration of the CK-MB and CRP levels, as well as age, can be used for risk-stratification in the patients showing minor troponin I elevation for reasons other than acute MI.
C-Reactive Protein ; Chest Pain ; Creatine Kinase ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Troponin ; Troponin I*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of percutaneous surgical treatment of the intra-articular fractures of the distal radius, we have compared the results of percutaneous pinning and the combination of percutaneous pinning with external fixation after closed reduction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analysed the results of 52 patients with intra-articular fracture who received the operative treatment with closed reduction in the period of June, 1995 to June, 2001 and also were in regular follow-up at least one year. We used the subjective analysis by Cole & Obletz and the objective analysis by Scheck. RESULTS: We have found the outcome that 83.3% of percutaneous pinning were graded above "Good" in type B and C1 and 82.2% of the combination treatment of percutaneous pinning with external fixation were graded above "Good" in type C2 and C3. CONCLUSION: The percutaneous pinning and external fixator after closed reduction in intra-articular fractures of the distal radius are considered useful to restore the articular congruity and make good clinical results.
External Fixators ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intra-Articular Fractures* ; Radius*

OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed to evaluate the effects of cervical conization on sexual function in patients with non-malignant conditions. METHODS: We choose thirthy-one patients who were operated by cervical conization. They were interviewed retrospectically that effects on sexual desire or interest, sexual activity or frequency, pleasure, communication and satisfaction with sexual relationship. RESULTS: After cervical conization, there was no statistically significant change (p>.05) in sexual desire or interest, sexual activity or frequency, pleasure, communication and satisfaction with sexual relationship. CONCLUSION: Cervical conization was not found to have any adverse effects on sexual function in our study. In this respects, conization is a suitable conservative method when treating patients with non-malignant conditions.
Conization* ; Humans ; Pleasure ; Sexual Behavior

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical outcome of bone marrow (BM) involvement in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who received rituximab-based therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 567 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL treated with rituximab-CHOP (RCHOP) between November 2001 and March 2010 were included in the current study. All of the patients underwent a BM study at the initial staging and the clinical characteristics and prognosis of these patients with or without BM involvement were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The total cohort included 567 patients. The overall incidence of BM involvement was 8.5%. With a median follow-up duration of 33.2 months (range, 0.1 to 80.7 months) for patients who were alive at the last follow-up, the five-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rate in patients without BM involvement (76.3% and 67.5%, p<0.001) was statistically higher than that in patients with BM involvement (44.3% and 40.1%, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, among total patients, BM involvement showed a significant association with OS and EFS. In univariate and multivariate analyses, even among stage IV patients, a significant association with worse EFS was observed in the BM involvement group. CONCLUSION: BM involvement at diagnosis affected the survival of patients with DLBCL who received RCHOP. Although use of RCHOP can result in significant improvement of the therapeutic effect of DLBCL, BM involvement is still a negative prognostic factor of DLBCL patients in the era of rituximab.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; B-Lymphocytes ; Bone Marrow ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Rituximab