Muscle-flap coverage of exposed endoprostheses

A well-entrenched tenet in the orthopedic community is that dehiscent wounds overlying exposed endoprostheses should be treated by implant removal and delayed reconstruction. A new management protocol utilizing thorough soft-tissue debridement and myocutaneous or muscle-flap coverage was evaluated in four patients at the UCLA Medical Center who presented with exposed endoprostheses. These prostheses were placed for total-joint replacement or limb salvage surgery. All four prostheses and extremities were salvaged without the need for endoprosthesis removal or exchange, and no infections developed. The results suggest that late aseptic wound dehiscence with an exposed endoprosthesis need not be managed with prosthetic removal, arthrodesis, or amputation. This one-stage procedure avoided infection, allowed early mobilization, and shortened hospitalization.     

Small toe muscles for defect coverage

Defects on the sole of the foot are always a major problem. Frequently, these patients suffer from other diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, chronic vascular diseases, or skeletal deformities. Usually, these are full-thickness defects and the bone is exposed. Beside other possibilities, the short muscles of the fifth toe provide a viable muscle flap for coverage of small defects, especially on the lateral side of the foot.     

Evaluating coverage of exons by HapMap SNPs

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies are currently one of the most powerful tools in identifying disease-associated genes or variants. In typical GWA studies, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are often used as genetic makers. Therefore, it is critical to estimate the percentage of genetic variations which can be covered by SNPs through linkage disequilibrium (LD). In this study, we use the concept of haplotype blocks to evaluate the coverage of five SNP sets including the HapMap and four commercial arrays, for every exon in the human genome. We show that although some Chips can reach similar coverage as the HapMap, only about 50% of exons are completely covered by haplotype blocks of HapMap SNPs. We suggest further high-resolution genotyping methods are required, to provide adequate genome-wide power for identifying variants.     

Aspects of coverage in medical DNA sequencing

Background  

DNA sequencing is now emerging as an important component in biomedical studies of diseases like cancer. Short-read, highly parallel sequencing instruments are expected to be used heavily for such projects, but many design specifications have yet to be conclusively established. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the redundancy required to detect sequence variations, which bears directly upon genomic coverage and the consequent resolving power for discerning somatic mutations.     

Microplate well coverage mixing using superhydrophobic contact

Two important challenges in microplate instrumentation are to achieve full well sample coverage and complete mixing. An effective approach of using superhydrophobic rods to accomplish these challenges is reported here. Experiments conducted showed that analytes above 50μl could be made to completely cover the bottom of 96-well standard and transparency microplates. Complete mixing was accomplished by moving the rod parallel to the well bottom while contacting the liquid. The approach is simple and controlled, and it minimizes the problems of spillage and cross-contamination. It works with analytes with varied volumes and of different viscosities present in each well of the microplate.     

Architectures and functional coverage of protein-protein interfaces

The diverse range of cellular functions is performed by a limited number of protein folds existing in nature. One may similarly expect that cellular functional diversity would be covered by a limited number of protein-protein interface architectures. Here, we present 8205 interface clusters, each representing a unique interface architecture. This data set of protein-protein interfaces is analyzed and compared with older data sets. We observe that the number of both biological and crystal interfaces increases significantly compared to the number of Protein Data Bank entries. Furthermore, we find that the number of distinct interface architectures grows at a much faster rate than the number of folds and is yet to level off. We further analyze the growth trend of the functional coverage by constructing functional interaction networks from interfaces. The functional coverage is also found to steadily increase. Interestingly, we also observe that despite the diversity of interface architectures, some are more favorable and frequently used, and of particular interest, are the ones that are also preferred in single chains.     

External oblique fasciocutaneous flap for elbow coverage

The external oblique fasciocutaneous pedicle flap can be used for reconstruction of soft-tissue defects of the elbow. This flap has been used in five patients, and results have been good. The technique is appropriate in patients with recurrent defects of the elbow in whom local tissue has been previously used and is no longer available. With the development of local fasciocutaneous units, this method may have limited application. However, because of the relationship of this flap to the elbow, the procedure can be done easily and rapidly with minimal immobilization. It is a clinical impression that blood supply to the skin is enhanced by elevation of its underlying fascia. Anatomic dissections have demonstrated that there is an axial-pattern blood supply to this flap arising from the lateral border of the external oblique muscle.