Microbiota in promoting liver regeneration.

Extensive work has revealed well-coordinated mechanisms that underlie liver regeneration, albeit with a focus on intrinsic interactions within hepatic cells. Here, Hess et al.1 demonstrate that Mycobacterium leprae infection can induce liver growth of nine-banded armadillo without obvious side effects.

[Reconstruction intramedullary nailing for the treatment of ipsilateral fractures of shaft of femur and hip].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the curative effect and surgical skills of reconstruction intramedullary nailing for ipsilateral fractures of shaft of femur and hip. METHODS: Fifteen patients with ipsilateral femoral shaft and hip fractures from June 2002 to June 2008 were treated with reconstruction intramedullary nails. All of them were male with an average age of 45 years (range,34-85 years). According to the Winquist-Hansen classification, there were 2 type I, 6 type II, 2 type III, and 2 type IV shaft fractures. Hip fractures consisted of 7 intertrochanteric and 8 (53.3%) neck fractures. According to Garden's classification, 1 femoral neck fracture was type I, 3 were type II, 2 were type III and 2 were type IV. RESULTS: All of the patients were followed up for an average of 30.9 months (range, 12 to 55 months). Due to other combined severe injuries, operations were delayed for 1-14 days (average is 5 days). Delayed union of femoral shaft occurred in 1 case; nonunion of femoral shaft occurred in 2 cases. Nonunion of femoral neck occurred in 1 and coxa vara occurred in 1. Hip fractures healed in 14 (93.3%) patients, and shaft fractures healed in 13 (86.7%)patients. The average union time was 4 months (range, 2-6 months) for the hip fractures and 5.5 months (range, 4-9 months) for the shaft fractures. No femoral head osteonecrosis, wound infection or shortening more than 2 cm occurred. Functional results using Friedman-Wyman criteria were good in 13 cases, fair in 1 case, and poor in 1 case. CONCLUSION: Reconstruction intramedullary nails can provide biological fixation of both fractures with fewer complications, and is an effective device to treat this kind of combined fractures.