Low evaluation rate for osteoporosis among patients presenting with a rib fracture.

This study in a regional hospital setting found a low evaluation rate for osteoporosis among patients presenting with a rib fracture. Increased emphasis or education for osteoporosis evaluation may be necessary in case of rib fractures. INTRODUCTION: Rib fractures from a low-energy trauma are common in the elderly, and a history of rib fracture has been reported to increase the risk for a subsequent osteoporotic fracture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how many of the patients presenting with an isolated rib fracture were being evaluated for osteoporosis and the risk for a subsequent fracture. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients aged 50 years or older who were diagnosed with a rib fracture between January 2011 and April 2016 at a regional tertiary care university hospital near Seoul, South Korea. We excluded those who had been treated for osteoporosis or those with other concomitant fractures or fractures from a motor vehicle accident or cancer. We evaluated the frequency of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan examinations in these patients. RESULTS: There were 231 patients with isolated rib fractures (132 men and 99 women). The mean age was 65 years. Rib fractures were most commonly diagnosed at the emergency department and most of the patients were referred to the department of thoracic surgery for follow-up evaluations. Of these 231 patients, 29 (12%) had DXA examinations after the injury, and only 9 (4%) of them did so within 6 months. Physicians specializing in orthopedic surgery, family medicine, internal medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and emergency medicine were ordering the examination. CONCLUSIONS: This study in a regional hospital setting found a low evaluation rate for osteoporosis among patients presenting with a rib fracture. This study suggests that increased emphasis or education for osteoporosis evaluation may be necessary for physicians who are often referred to for care of rib fractures.

Preparation of Novel Pyridine-Based Aromatic Polyimides and Effect of Fluorine Functionality.

Novel pyridine-containing linear and branched polyimides (Li-PIs and Br-PIs) were prepared by aromatic diamine and triamine monomers. The fluorinated, non-fluorinated and trifunctional pyridine-based monomers, 4-(4-(trifluoromethylphenyl))-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine (FDAPP), 4-phenyl-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine (DAPP) and 4,4',4"-(pyridine-2,4,6-triyl)tribenzenamine (TAPP) amino compounds were synthesized by a modified Chichibabin reaction of different benzaldehydes and p-nitroacetophenone, followed by a reduction of the resulting nitro compounds with hydrazine monohydrate. Functional amine monomers were used to synthesize a series of pyridine-containing linear and branched polyimides, by polycondensation with aromatic dianhydride in N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via the conventional two-step method. The obtained novel polyimides (PIs) exhibited good solubility in common organic solvents, such as m-Cresol, NMP, DMF, DMSO and DMAc. Moreover, obtained PI films were flexible and showed excellent thermal stability, with the glass transition temperature (T(g)) of 264-331 degrees C and the temperature at 10% weight loss of 580-620 degrees C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The protonated polymer showed UV-vis absorption in the region of 200-400 nm, good optical transparency with the cut-off wave lengths of 372-392 nm, as well as a low dielectric constant (ε) in the range of 3.897-4.276 at 1 MHz. Moreover, the resulted PIs derived from DAPP, FDAPP and TAPP were compared on the basis of fluorine functionality with non-fluorinated parallels, and the effect of branching units was compared with linear polymers.