Parameters Affecting Interfacial Assembly and Alignment of Nanotubes.

Tangential flow interfacial self-assembly (TaFISA) is a promising scalable technique enabling uniformly aligned carbon nanotubes for high-performance semiconductor electronics. In this process, flow is utilized to induce global alignment in two-dimensional nematic carbon nanotube assemblies trapped at a liquid/liquid interface, and these assemblies are subsequently deposited on target substrates. Here, we present an observational study of experimental parameters that affect the interfacial assembly and subsequent aligned nanotube deposition. We specifically study the water contact angle (WCA) of the substrate, nanotube ink composition, and water subphase and examine their effects on liquid crystal defects, overall and local alignment, and nanotube bunching or crowding. By varying the substrate chemical functionalization, we determine that highly aligned, densely packed, individualized nanotubes deposit only at relatively small WCA between 35 and 65°. At WCA (< 10°), high nanotube bunching or crowding occurs, and the film is nonuniform, while aligned deposition ceases to occur at higher WCA (>65°). We find that the best alignment, with minimal liquid crystal defects, occurs when the polymer-wrapped nanotubes are dispersed in chloroform at a low (0.6:1) wrapper polymer to nanotube ratio. We also demonstrate that modifying the water subphase through the addition of glycerol not only improves overall alignment and reduces liquid crystal defects but also increases local nanotube bunching. These observations provide important guidance for the implementation of TaFISA and its use toward creating technologies based on aligned semiconducting carbon nanotubes.

A simple simulation-derived descriptor for the deposition of polymer-wrapped carbon nanotubes on functionalized substrates.

Controlling the deposition of polymer-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-CNTs) onto functionalized substrates can enable the fabrication of s-CNT arrays for semiconductor devices. In this work, we utilize classical atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to show that a simple descriptor of solvent structure near silica substrates functionalized by a wide variety of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can predict trends in the deposition of s-CNTs from toluene. Free energy calculations and experiments indicate that those SAMs that lead to maximum disruption of solvent structure promote deposition to the greatest extent. These findings are consistent with deposition being driven by solvent-mediated interactions that arise from SAM-solvent interactions, rather than direct s-CNT-SAM interactions, and will permit the rapid computational exploration of potential substrate designs for controlling s-CNT deposition and alignment.

Solvent-Mediated Affinity of Polymer-Wrapped Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Chemically Modified Surfaces.

Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube (s-CNT) arrays are being explored for next-generation semiconductor electronics. Even with the multitude of alignment and spatially localized s-CNT deposition methods designed to control s-CNT deposition, fundamental understanding of the driving forces for s-CNT deposition is still lacking. The individual roles of the dispersant, solvent, target substrate composition, and the s-CNT itself are not completely understood because it is difficult to decouple deposition parameters. Here, we study poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-co-(6,6'-[2,2'-{bipyridine}])] (PFO-BPy)-wrapped s-CNT deposition from solution onto a chemically modified substrate. We fabricate various self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to gain a greater understanding of substrate effects on PFO-BPy-wrapped s-CNT deposition. We observe that s-CNT deposition is dependent on both the target substrate and s-CNT dispersion solvent. To complement the experiments, molecular dynamics simulations of PFO-BPy-wrapped s-CNT deposition on two different SAMs are performed to obtain mechanistic insights into the effect of the substrate and solvent on s-CNT deposition. We find that the global free-energy minimum associated with favorable s-CNT adsorption occurs for a configuration in which the minimum of the solvent density around the s-CNT coincides with the minimum of the solvent density above a SAM-grafted surface, indicating that solvent structure near a SAM-grafted surface determines the adsorption free-energy landscape driving s-CNT deposition. Our results will help guide informative substrate design for s-CNT array fabrication in semiconductor devices.

Protein Adsorption to Charged Gold Nanospheres as a Function of Protein Deformability.

The corona that forms as protein adsorbs to gold nanospheres (AuNSs) is directly influenced by the surface chemistry of the AuNS. Tools to predict adsorption outcomes are needed for intelligent design of nanomaterials for biological applications. We hypothesized that the denaturation behavior of a protein might be a useful predictor of adsorption behavior to AuNSs, and used this idea to study protein adsorption to anionic citrate-capped AuNSs and to cationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) wrapped AuNSs. Three proteins (α-amylase (A-Amy), ß-lactoglobulin (BLG), and bovine serum albumin (BSA)), representing three different classes of acid denaturation behavior, were selected with BLG being the least deformable and BSA being the most deformable. Protein adsorption to AuNSs was monitored via UV-vis spectrophotometry and dynamic light scattering. Changes to the protein structure upon AuNS interaction were monitored via circular dichroism spectroscopy. Binding constants were determined using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, resulting in BSA > BLG ≫ A-Amy affinities for citrate-capped gold nanospheres. PAH-coated AuNSs displayed little affinity for these proteins at similar concentrations as citrate-coated AuNSs and became agglomerated at high protein concentrations. The enzymatic activity of A-Amy/citrate AuNS conjugates was measured via colorimetric assay, and found to be 11% of free A-Amy, suggesting that binding restricts access to the active site. Across both citrate AuNSs and PAH AuNSs, the changes in secondary structure were greatest for BSA > A-Amy > BLG, which does follow the trends predicted by acid denaturation characteristics.

Material Characterization and Electrochemical Properties of Titanium Alloy 5553 Prepared by Selective Laser Melting as Processed and after Abrading and Polishing.

The microstructure, Vickers microhardness, and electrochemical properties of an additive manufactured titanium alloy, Ti-5553 (Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr wt %), are reported on. The alloy specimens were fabricated by selective laser melt processing. The surface morphology and electrochemical properties of the as-processed and surface-pretreated (abraded and polished) Ti-5553 specimens were investigated. The as-processed specimens had a nominal density of 4.62 ± 0.04 g/cm3. Based on comparison with the reported density for the die-cast alloy, the specimens were 99-100% dense with ca. 1% porosity. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed some micropores, balling features, and fusion pore defects across the surface of the alloy (XZ plane-orthogonal to the build direction). The nominal Vickers microhardness was 292 ± 2 HV. Detailed electrochemical characterization of the as-processed and surface-pretreated alloys revealed reproducible open-circuit potentials (OCPs), linear polarization resistances (R p), and potentiodynamic polarization curves for both specimen types in naturally aerated 3.5 wt % NaCl at room temperature. For the surface-pretreated alloys, the OCP was 225 mV more noble, the anodic current in the potentiodynamic polarization curves was 72× lower, the cathodic current was 8× lower, and R p was larger by 426× than the values for the as-processed specimens. The collective electrochemical data revealed that the surface-pretreated alloys exhibit greater corrosion resistance than the as-processed alloys due to a reduction of the real area and the formation of a more passivating oxide layer.

Graphene nanoribbons initiated from molecularly derived seeds.

Semiconducting graphene nanoribbons are promising materials for nanoelectronics but are held back by synthesis challenges. Here we report that molecular-scale carbon seeds can be exploited to initiate the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of graphene to generate one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons narrower than 5 nm when coupled with growth phenomena that selectively extend seeds along a single direction. This concept is demonstrated by subliming graphene-like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules onto a Ge(001) catalyst surface and then anisotropically evolving size-controlled nanoribbons from the seeds along [Formula: see text] of Ge(001) via CH4 CVD. Armchair nanoribbons with mean normalized standard deviation as small as 11% (3 times smaller than nanoribbons nucleated without seeds), aspect ratio as large as 30, and width as narrow as 2.6 nm (tunable via CH4 exposure time) are realized. Two populations of nanoribbons are compared in field-effect transistors (FETs), with off-current differing by 150 times because of the nanoribbons' different widths.

Can locking plate fixation of symphyseal disruptions allow early weight bearing?

INTRODUCTION: Anterior pubic symphyseal plate fixation is the recommended treatment for disruption of pubic symphysis in an unstable pelvic ring injury. The rigid construct offered by locking symphyseal plate has the theoretical advantage of allowing patients to weight bear early. However, there are concerns of catastrophic failure about the locked plate construct. The purpose of the study was to establish if locking plate fixation for pubic symphysis disruption was effective to allow patients to mobilise weight bearing immediately after surgery. PATIENT AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database from a single centre was performed. The study period was from 2008 to 2017. Radiographic evidence of fixation failure, revision surgery, removal of metalwork and follow up duration was noted. RESULTS: We identified 46 patients (F:M 8:38) with a mean age of 46 years (range 14 to 74 years). Based on the mechanism of injury patients were classified into Antero-posterior compression (28), Vertical shear [10], lateral compression [4] and combined mechanism [4]. Either a 4-hole or 6-hole locking plate was used in all patients, depending on fracture extension. Posterior fixation was required in 28 (61%) patients. All patients were allowed to fully or partial weight bear. The mean radiological follow-up period was 31 weeks with 13 (28%) patients having evidence of radiological failure. Revision was performed in 1 (2%) patient, in whom the screws had pulled out of the bone. The most common mode of failure was either the screw backing out from the plate or broken screw. Among the 4 (8%) patients who had their metalwork removed, 1 (2%) had delayed onset of infection, 2 (4%) had symptoms related to backed out screw and 1 (2%) opted electively to have metalwork removed. CONCLUSIONS: With our series of patients, we have found that using locking plate for pubic symphyseal diastasis is safe and effective in allowing patients to weight bear early. A low complication rate and need for re-operation is demonstrated.

Confined Shear Alignment of Ultrathin Films of Cellulose Nanocrystals.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a naturally abundant nanomaterial derived from cellulose which exhibit many exciting mechanical, chemical, and rheological properties, making CNCs attractive for use in coatings. Furthermore, the alignment of CNCs is important to exploit their anisotropic mechanical and piezoelectric properties. Here, we demonstrate and study the fabrication of submonolayer to 25 nm thick films of CNCs via solution-based shear alignment. CNC solution is forced through a sub-millimeter tall channel at high volumetric flow rates generating shear. The half-width at half-maximum of the spread in CNC alignment significantly improves from 78 to 17° by increasing the shear rate from 19 to 19,000 s-1. We demonstrate that the film thickness is increased by increasing the volume of CNC solution flowed over the substrate and/or increasing the CNC solution concentration, with a degradation in film uniformity at higher (≥7 wt %) concentrations, likely due to CNC aggregates in the solution. Deposition of ultrathin aligned CNC films occurs within seconds and the technique is inherently scalable, demonstrating the promise of solution-based shear for the fabrication of ultrathin aligned CNC films, thereby enabling the future study of their inherent material properties or use in high-performance coatings and applications.

Chemical and topographical patterns combined with solution shear for selective-area deposition of highly-aligned semiconducting carbon nanotubes.

Selective deposition of semiconducting carbon nanotubes (s-CNTs) into densely packed, aligned arrays of individualized s-CNTs is necessary to realize their potential in semiconductor electronics. We report the combination of chemical contrast patterns, topography, and pre-alignment of s-CNTs via shear to achieve selective-area deposition of aligned arrays of s-CNTs. Alternate stripes of surfaces favorable and unfavorable to s-CNT adsorption were patterned with widths varying from 2000 nm down to 100 nm. Addition of topography to the chemical contrast patterns combined with shear enabled the selective-area deposition of arrays of quasi-aligned s-CNTs (∼14°) even in patterns that are wider than the length of individual nanotubes (>500 nm). When the width of the chemical and topographical contrast patterns is less than the length of individual nanotubes (<500 nm), confinement effects become dominant enabling the selective-area deposition of much more tightly aligned s-CNTs (∼7°). At a trench width of 100 nm, we demonstrate the lowest standard deviation in alignment degree of 7.6 ± 0.3° at a deposition shear rate of 4600 s-1, while maintaining an individualized s-CNT density greater than 30 CNTs µm-1. Chemical contrast alone enables selective-area deposition, but chemical contrast in addition to topography enables more effective selective-area deposition and stronger confinement effects, with the advantage of removal of nanotubes deposited in spurious areas via selective lift-off of the topographical features. These findings provide a methodology that is inherently scalable, and a means to deposit spatially selective, aligned s-CNT arrays for next-generation semiconducting devices.

Aligned 2D carbon nanotube liquid crystals for wafer-scale electronics.

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes promise faster performance and lower power consumption than Si in field-effect transistors (FETs) if they can be aligned in dense arrays. Here, we demonstrate that nanotubes collected at a liquid/liquid interface self-organize to form two-dimensional (2D) nematic liquid crystals that globally align with flow. The 2D liquid crystals are transferred onto substrates in a continuous process generating dense arrays of nanotubes aligned within ±6°, ideal for electronics. Nanotube ordering improves with increasing concentration and decreasing temperature due to the underlying liquid crystal phenomena. The excellent alignment and uniformity of the transferred assemblies enable FETs with exceptional on-state current density averaging 520 µA µm−1at only −0.6 V, and variation of only 19%. FETs with ion gel top gates demonstrate subthreshold swing as low as 60 mV decade−1. Deposition across a 10-cm substrate is achieved, evidencing the promise of 2D nanotube liquid crystals for commercial semiconductor electronics.

Treatment principles, prognostic factors and controversies in radial neck fractures in children: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Radial Neck fractures are rare injuries in children. There is controversy surrounding their prognosis and management. AIMS: This review aims to produce an up-to-date summary to clarify prognostic factors and management principles, in the light of recent, better-quality evidence. METHODS: A systematic review was undertaken in accordance to PRISMA guidelines, applying pre-defined selection criteria. 6 papers were found suitable after quality assessment. All were observational cohort studies, one prospective and the rest retrospective. A semi-qualitative review was undertaken as heterogeneity, especially in the fracture classification and outcome assessment tools used, prevented quantitative synthesis. RESULTS: Majority of these fractures occur at the metaphysis. Consistently good results are seen with simple immobilization in fractures angulated<30° with translation<50%, with nearly all achieving a good outcome. In more displaced fractures, results are poorer and only about 70% patients achieve a good outcome. Both higher fracture displacement and more invasive treatment are associated with worse outcomes, but also with each other. Associated injuries are common, with Proximal Ulna fractures being commonest (71%), but their effect on outcomes is unclear. Age more than 10 years is associated with worse displacement, more invasive treatment and worse results. There is much confounding among all these factors which remains to be convincingly addressed. An algorithmic approach is advisable for these fractures, with stepwise application of more invasive treatment only if less invasive methods fail. Percutaneous fixation with either K-wires or retrograde intramedullary elastic nails is acceptable. Fractures reduced closed in theatre fare better if fixed percutaneously to prevent re-displacement. Open treatment should be considered only if the fracture can't be reduced to within the displacement limits of angulation<30° and translation<50%. Incidence of serious complications is generally low (3-5%), but their effect on outcomes is unclear. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of higher-grade radial neck fractures is still controversial, needing further research, possibly through multi-center prospective data collection in pediatric fracture registries using validated outcome measures.

Neural network prediction of biomass digestibility based on structural features.

Plots of biomass digestibility are linear with the natural logarithm of enzyme loading; the slope and intercept characterize biomass reactivity. The feed-forward back-propagation neural networks were performed to predict biomass digestibility by simulating the 1-, 6-, and 72-h slopes and intercepts of glucan, xylan, and total sugar hydrolyses of 147 poplar wood model samples with a variety of lignin contents, acetyl contents, and crystallinity indices. Regression analysis of the neural network models indicates that they performed satisfactorily. Increasing the dimensionality of the neural network input matrix allowed investigation of the influence glucan and xylan enzymatic hydrolyses have on each other. Glucan hydrolysis affected the last stage of xylan digestion, and xylan hydrolysis had no influence on glucan digestibility. This study has demonstrated that neural networks have good potential for predicting biomass digestibility over a wide range of enzyme loadings, thus providing the potential to design cost-effective pretreatment and saccharification processes.

Structural features affecting biomass enzymatic digestibility.

The rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass highly depend on enzyme loadings, hydrolysis periods, and structural features resulting from pretreatments. Furthermore, the influence of one structural feature on biomass digestibility varies with the changes in enzyme loading, hydrolysis period and other structural features as well. In this paper, the effects of lignin content, acetyl content, and biomass crystallinity on the 1-, 6-, and 72-h digestibilities with various enzyme loadings were investigated. To eliminate the cross effects among structural features, selective pretreatment techniques were employed to vary one particular structural feature during a pretreatment, while the other two structural features remained unchanged. The digestibility results showed that lignin content and biomass crystallinity dominated digestibility whereas acetyl content had a lesser effect. Lignin removal greatly enhanced the ultimate hydrolysis extent. Crystallinity reduction, however, tremendously increased the initial hydrolysis rate and reduced the hydrolysis time or the amount of enzyme required to attain high digestibility. To some extent, the effects of structural features on digestibility were interrelated. At short hydrolysis periods, lignin content was not important to digestibility when crystallinity was low. Similarly, at long hydrolysis periods, crystallinity was not important to digestibility when lignin content was low.

Palatal implants are a good alternative to headgear: a randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of midpalatal implants with that of headgear as methods of supplementing anchorage during orthodontic treatment. This was a randomized, clinical trial at the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NHS Trust and the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield, United Kingdom. METHODS: Fifty-one orthodontic patients between the ages of 12 and 39 with absolute anchorage requirements were randomly allocated to receive either a midpalatal implant or headgear to reinforce orthodontic anchorage. The outcome measures of the trial were the surgical and orthodontic success rates of the implants, the number of visits, and the length of treatment time, and the success of treatment as judged by the peer assessment rating (PAR) score reductions and the patients' attitudes to implant placement. RESULTS: The surgical success rate of the implants was 75%, and the orthodontic success rate was more than 90%. Both implants and headgear proved to be effective methods of reinforcing anchorage. The total number of visits was greater in the implant group, but the overall treatment times were almost identical. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in PAR scores either at the start or the end of treatment, and the percentages of PAR score reductions were almost identical. The patients had no problems accepting midpalatal implants as a method of reinforcing anchorage. CONCLUSIONS: Midpalatal implants are an acceptable technique for reinforcing anchorage in orthodontic patients and a good alternative for patients who do not wish to wear headgear.

Substrate-Independent Approach to Dense Cleavable Polymer Brushes by Nitroxide-Mediated Polymerization.

High grafting density polymer brushes are grown on an inimer coating bearing nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) inimers and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). The inimer coating is cross-linked on the substrate to provide an initiator layer with needed stability during long exposure to organic solvents at moderate to high temperatures. Surface-initiated nitroxide-mediated polymerization (SI-NMP) is conducted to grow polystyrene (PS) brushes on the coating with a sacrificial layer designed to cleave the brushes. The cleaved brushes have larger molecular weights than the corresponding free polymers. The grafting density of the brushes is as high as 1.12 chains/nm2 throughout the brush growth, which is among the densest PS brushes reported so far. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling are used to reveal the surface morphology and kinetics of the growth.

Biomechanical investigation of two long bone growth modulation techniques by finite element simulations.

Implants used to correct pathological varus-valgus deformities (VVD) and leg length discrepancies (LLD) may not be optimized for the specific treatment, as suggested by their off-label use. Detailed analysis of this issue has been limited by the poorly understood mechanical behavior of the growing physis and ignorance of the loads acting on the implants. The aim of this study was to predict and compare the loading conditions of a growth modulation implant in VVD and LLD treatments. Idealized finite element (FE) models of the juvenile distal femur treated with the Eight-Plate implant were developed for VVD and LLD. Bone growth was simulated using thermal strains. The axial force in the plate was compared between the two treatments. Case-specific plate forces were predicted by virtually reproducing the screw deformation visible on radiographs of LLD (N = 4) and VVD (N = 4) clinical cases. The simple FE models reproduced the clinical implant deformations well. The resulting forces ranged from 129 to 580 N for the VVD patients. For LLD, this range was from 295 to 1002 N per plate, that is, 590-2004 N for the entire physis. The higher forces in LLD could be explained by restricted screw divergence in the double-sided implant application. For the first time, the loading conditions of a growth modulation implant were investigated and compared between two treatments by FE analyses, and the range of case-specific loads was predicted. These simulation tools may be utilized for guiding appropriate usage and for efficient development of implants. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1398-1405, 2018.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of lime-pretreated corn stover and investigation of the HCH-1 Model: inhibition pattern, degree of inhibition, validity of simplified HCH-1 Model.

The inhibition pattern was identified for a reaction system composed of Trichoderma reesei cellulase enzyme complex and lime-pretreated corn stover. Also, the glucose inhibition effect was quantified for the aforementioned reaction system over a range of enzyme loadings and substrate concentrations. Lastly, the range of substrate concentrations and enzyme loadings were identified in which the linear form of the simplified HCH-1 Model is valid. The HCH-1 Model is a modified Michaelis-Menton Model with non-competitive inhibition and the fraction of insoluble substrate available to bind with enzyme. With a high enzyme loading, the HCH-1 Model can be integrated and simplified in such a way that sugar conversion is linearly proportional to the logarithm of enzyme loading. A wide range of enzyme loadings (0.25-50 FPU/g dry biomass) and substrate concentrations (10-100g/L) were investigated. All experiments were conducted with an excess cellobiase loading to ensure the experimental results were not influenced by cellobiose inhibition. A non-competitive inhibition pattern was identified for the corn stover-cellulase reaction system, thereby validating the assumptions of the HCH-1 Model. At a substrate concentration of 10 g/L, glucose inhibition parameters of 0.986 and 0.979 were measured for enzyme loadings of 2 FPU/g dry biomass and 50 FPU/g dry biomass, respectively. At 5 FPU/g dry biomass, glucose inhibition parameters of 0.985 and 0.853 were measured for substrate concentrations of 10 and 100g/L, respectively. The linear form of the HCH-1 Model predicted biomass digestibility for lime-pretreated corn stover over an enzyme loading range of 0.25-50 FPU/g dry biomass and substrate concentration range of 10-100g/L.

Psychological factors and treatment adherence behavior in patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure adversely affects 300,000 Australians. Symptom stabilization and prognosis are partially determined by patients following medical and lifestyle recommendations. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that depression, anxiety, and self-efficacy are independent predictors of such adherence, 115 predominantly male (70.6%) volunteers with a mean age of 63 years were recruited from a major teaching hospital in Australia. RESULTS: Depression (Beck Depression Inventory score >10, 33.3%) failed to predict adherence. Trait anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score >40, 31%) explained minimal variability regarding smoking and alcohol adherence. Self-efficacy strongly predicted adherence behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will assist cardiac nurses to prepare strategies to optimize adherence and quality of life while minimizing public health costs.

Midpalatal implants vs headgear for orthodontic anchorage--a randomized clinical trial: cephalometric results.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of the midpalatal implant as a method of reinforcing anchorage during orthodontic treatment with that of conventional extraoral anchorage. This was a prospective, randomized, clinical trial at Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NHS Trust and the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Sheffield, in the United Kingdom. METHODS: Fifty-one orthodontic patients between the ages of 12 and 39, with Class II Division 1 malocclusion and absolute anchorage requirements, were randomly allocated to receive either a midpalatal implant or headgear to reinforce orthodontic anchorage. The main outcome was to compare the mesial movement of the molars and the incisors of the 2 treatment groups between the start and the end of anchorage reinforcement as measured from cephalometric radiographs. RESULTS: The reproducibility of the measuring technique was acceptable. There were significant differences between T1 and T2 in the implant group for the positions of the maxillary central incisor (P <.001), the maxillary molar (P = .009), and the mandibular molar (P <.001). There were significant differences between T1 and T2 in the headgear group for the positions of the mandibular central incisor (P <.045), the maxillary molar (P <.001), and the mandibular molar (P <.001). All skeletal and dental points moved mesially more in the headgear group during treatment than in the implant group. These ranged from an average of 0.5 mm more mesially for the mandibular permanent molar to 1.5 mm more mesially for the maxillary molar and the mandibular base. No treatment changes between the groups were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Midpalatal implants are an acceptable technique for reinforcing anchorage in orthodontic patients.

Paediatric lower limb deformity correction with the Eight Plate: adverse events and correction outcomes of 126 patients from an international multicentre study.

No large multicentre studies have yet been published on tension-band-like implants such as the Eight Plate to treat limb-length discrepancies and varus valgus deformities in children. Therefore, we carried out a retrospective international multicentre study including 126 patients to assess outcomes and to reliably quantify the incidence of implant-related and growth-plate related adverse events (AEs). Correction was achieved in 66% of varus valgus deformities and in 59% of limb-length discrepancies and maintained in 85%. Twenty (18%) patients experienced 43 AEs, which were primarily screw-related. The AE rate of the Eight Plate is low; however, many of them could be avoided through tighter monitoring.