The clinical efficacy of the minimally invasive treatment of Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double titanium elastic nails.

Radial head fractures (RHFs) occur most frequently among all elbow fractures. Current treatments pose several limitations for the Mason type II radial head fractures. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a new minimally invasive treatment for Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double titanium elastic nails. Between January 2018 and December 2019, our group used double titanium elastic intramedullary nails as a minimally invasive treatment for 32 cases of Mason II type radial head fractures. After the treatments, we summarized and conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the surgical operation itself, the quality of the fracture reductions, the fracture healing, and any complications. The Mayo elbow function scores (MEPS) and the visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of this approach. All the patients recovered from their surgeries without any complications. We followed all the cases for an average of 12 months. The elbow extension range of motion was 5 degrees (range: 0-15 degrees), the elbow flexion range of motion was 140 degrees (range: 135-146 degrees), and the average forearm pronation range of motion was 84.1 degrees (range: 78-90 degrees). The average forearm supination range of motion was 80.4 degrees (range: 75-85 degrees). All the fractures healed (a 100% healing rate), the MEPS score was 96.7 (range: 85-100), and the MEPS ratings of excellent and good were both 100%. The VAS pain scores ranged from 0-1. The minimally invasive treatment of Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double elastic nails proved to be a simple approach with a relatively short operation time. It required only a small incision with little trauma and had few complications, so it is worth consideration for wider use.

Adsorption of sulfate ion from water by zirconium oxide-modified biochar derived from pomelo peel.

Zirconium oxide-modified pomelo peel biochar (ZrBC) was synthesized for the adsorption of sulfate ion from aqueous solution. Zirconyl chloride octahydrate (ZCO) was used to modify pomelo peel biochar into ZrBC. The optimal dose of ZCO for modification is 0.5 mol/L, at which ZrBC shows the highest adsorption of sulfate ion. The adsorbents were characterized by the field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface area measurement. The results confirm that the presence of zirconium oxides and hydroxide groups on the ZrBC surface, and ZrBC has a porous structure and a higher specific surface area in comparison with pomelo peel biochar. ZrBC shows good affinity for sulfate ion with a maximum sulfate adsorption capacity of 35.21 mg/g, which is much higher than that of pomelo peel biochar (1.02 mg/g). The adsorption of sulfate on ZrBC is pH dependent, and acidic conditions favor the adsorption. The adsorption can reach near-equilibrium in approximately 120 min. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm follow the pseudo second-order equation and Langmuir adsorption model, respectively. Furthermore, nitrate and fluoride anions exhibit little influence on the adsorption of sulfate by ZrBC, whereas phosphate inhibits the adsorption under the same concentration conditions. ZrBC has the potential to be used for removal of sulfate from aqueous solution.