Objective To investigate the efficacy of anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft (ARBX) combined with external fixation in the treatment of adult infective nonunion of humeral shaft.Methods A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 18 patients with infected nonunion of humeral shaft admitted to Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from January 2014 to December 2016.There were 10 males and eight females,aged 19-62 years [(36.9 ± 11.8)years].According to Umiarov classification of infective nonunion,there were 11 patients with type Ⅲ and seven with type Ⅳ.All patients were treated with anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft (ARBX) combined with external fixation.The number of operations,bone healing time,bone healing rate,infection control rate,postoperative weight bearing time,the time of external fixation removal,postoperative complications,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),and C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after operation were recorded.Fracture healing and functional recovery were evaluated using the Johner-Wruch lower limb function score.Results The patients were followed up for 12-30 months [(21.3 ±5.6)months].The operation was performed for (1.4 ±0.9) times,with time of bone healing for (16.6 ± 5.8)months,bone healing rate of 83％ (15/18),and infection control rate of 94％ (17/18).The postoperative weight bearing time in 15 patients who obtained bone healing was (3.3 ± 1.5)months after operation,and the external fixation removal time was (18.5 ± 4.2) months after operation.There were three patients with nonunion after operation including one with infection recurrence.Five patients were found with nail tract infection.ESR and CRP at postoperative 3 months [(13.1 ± 8.4)mm/h and (5.6 ± 4.6)mg/L] were significantly lower than those before operation [(47.3 ± 19.2)mm/h and (23.4 ± 7.4) mg/L] (P ＜ 0.05).According to Johner-Wruch lower limb function scores,the results were excellent in nine patients,good in four,fair in one,and poor in four,with excellent and good rate of 72％.Conclusion ARBX combined with External fixation can effectively treat infective nonunion of humeral shaft,improve bone healing rate,and promote function recovery.

Objective To compare the effectiveness of expandable intramedullary nail(EIMN) versus locked compression plate (LCP) in the treatment of humeral shaft fractures of AO types A and B.Methods The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and compared of the 44 humeral shaft fractures which had been treated between May 2012 and February 2016.There were 26 men and 18 women,from 23 to 66 years of age (average,41.5 years).By AO classification,22 cases were type 12-A and 22 type 12-B.EINM was used in 22 patients with an average age of 41.3 ± 1 1.7 years and LCP in 22 ones with an average age of 41.6 ± 10.3 years.The 2 groups were compared in terms of intraoperative blood loss,operative time,hospital stay,union time,union rate,Constant and Mayo scores at the final follow-ups,and complications as well.Results The 2 groups were compatible without significant differences in the preoperative demographic data (P ＞ 0.05).All the 44 patients were followed up for 10 to 18 months (average,12 months).The intraoperative blood loss (76.4 ± 18.66 mL),operative time (69.1 ± 13.2 min),incision length (5.8 ± 1.5 cm) and union time (13.2 ± 8.4 w) in the EIMN group were significantly better than those in the LCP group (138.6 ± 39.4 mL,96.4 ± 14.2 min,8.5 ± 1.4 cm and 18.4 ± 6.6 w,respectively) (P ＜ 0.05).There was also a significant difference between the 2 groups in the total complication rate[18.2％ (4/22) versus 50.0％ (11/22)] (P ＜0.05).No deep infection or should pain was observed in either group.Conclusions Inthe treatment of humeral shaft fractures of AO types 42-A and 42-B,compared with LCP,EIMN may have advantages of less intraoperative blood loss,operative time,union time and complications.The 2 methods are similar in hospital stay and final functional recovery of the should joint.

In recent years, the petroleum-based plastic pollution problem has been causing global attention. The idea of "degradation and up-cycling of plastics" was proposed for solving the environmental pollution caused by non-degradable plastics. Following this idea, plastics would be firstly degraded and then reconstructed. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) can be produced from the degraded plastic monomers as a choice to recycle among various plastics. PHA, a family of biopolyesters synthesized by many microbes, have attracted great interest in industrial, agricultural and medical sectors due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, thermoplasticity and carbon neutrality. Moreover, the regulations on PHA monomer compositions, processing technology, and modification methods may further improve the material properties, making PHA a promising alternative to traditional plastics. Furthermore, the application of the "next-generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB)" utilizing extremophiles for PHA production is expected to enhance the PHA market competitiveness, promoting this environmentally friendly bio-based material to partially replace petroleum-based products, and achieve sustainable development with carbon-neutrality. This review summarizes the basic material properties, plastic upcycling via PHA biosynthesis, processing and modification methods of PHA, and biosynthesis of novel PHA.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates ; Plastics ; Biotechnology ; Petroleum ; Carbon