PURPOSE: This study evaluated the surgical outcomes of unstable distal clavicular fractures treated with a 2.4 mm volar distal radius locking plate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2009 to August 2012, 16 patients with distal clavicle fractures underwent surgical treatment. Mean age was 36 years (18-62 years) and mean follow-up period was 12.9 months (6-32 months). Two cases were Neer type I, six cases IIa, three cases IIb, three cases III, and two cases V. For the radiologic assessment, union time and metal failure were evaluated, and coracoidiologic assessment, union time and metal failure were evaluatethe acromioclavicular joint. The clinical results were evaluated by range of motion, postoperative complication, and University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score. RESULTS: Mean time to fracture union was 7.4 weeks (6-14 weeks) in all cases. No statistical difference in coracoid-clavicle distance was observed between immediate post-operation group and contra-lateral group (p=0.6), but an increase of 2.1 mm was observed in the last follow up group compared with the contra-lateral group (p<0.01). The UCLA scoring system showed excellent results in 15 cases and good results in one case. Acromial-clavicle instability occurred in one case so that metal removal and distal clavicle resection were performed. CONCLUSION: A 2.4 mm volar distal radius locking plate can provide rigid fixation through several screw fixation in the short distal fragment and lead to satisfactory clinical outcomes in unstable distal clavicular fractures.
Acromioclavicular Joint ; California ; Clavicle* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Radius* ; Range of Motion, Articular

Stored rice was collected from rice processing complexes of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of 11 regions in Korea to evaluate the occurrence of fungi and bacteria and to identify the predominant fungi and bacteria to the genus levels. Most rice samples generally produced the higher levels of fungi and bacteria than white rice. The occurrence of fungi and bacteria varied in various locations of Korea. Among fungi observed, Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. were dominant in the samples and Aspergillus spp. were observed more frequently than Penicillium spp. Predominant bacteria from rice and white rice samples tentatively belonged to the Genus Bacillus, Pectobacterium, Pantoea, and Microbacterium according to BIOLOG and FAME analyses. The results of this study showed that rice in Korea was contaminated in a relatively high level by two dominant storage fungi such as Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. In addition, occurrence of mycotoxins in rice by the fungi could be possible and thus it is necessary to control the storage fungi.
Aspergillus ; Bacillus ; Bacteria* ; Fungi* ; Korea* ; Mycotoxins ; Pantoea ; Pectobacterium ; Penicillium