Occipitocervical Revision Surgery Using the Bicortical Screw and Plate System for Failed Craniovertebral Junction Stabilization.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the modified technique utilizing the occipital bicortical screws and plate system in occipitocervical revision surgery. METHODS: Between October 2010 and May 2018, 12 consecutive patients were retrospectively evaluated. All patients had posterior occipitocervical resurgery utilizing modified technique of bicortical screws and occipital plate. The measurements of extracranial occiput on midline were conducted on computed tomography (CT) scans. The thickness of the occipital bone at the location of external occipital protuberance and below 15 mm were evaluated, respectively. For the procedure, the trajectory was drilled perpendicular to the external occipital protuberance for the specified depth with a depth-limited drilling, 2 mm away from the internal bone plate, then the trajectory was deepened at intervals of 1 mm each time until reaching the internal bone plate. Meanwhile, a probe was used to explore all the walls of the trajectory. Bicortical screws were inserted to the occipital plate and the depth of penetration was less than 2 mm from the internal bone plate. Clinical efficacy and radiographic evaluation were followed up. RESULTS: The thickest point was the external occipital protuberance, which was 15.49 ± 1.47 mm and decreased gradually on the midline to 13.41 ± 1.60 mm at below 15 mm. Twelve cases (mean age 41.17 years; range, 24-62 years), including five males and seven females, were followed up for 24.08 months (14-32 months). The interval time was 40.42 months (3-156 months) after the initial operation. At the final follow-up, JOA score increased from 8.58 ± 2.53 before surgery to 12.67 ± 1.84 (P < 0.05) and VAS score improved from 6.17 ± 1.21 to 2.08 ± 1.32 (P < 0.05). Besides, clinical symptoms were relieved in all patients after revision surgery. All patients had rigid internal fixations with bone fusion and no major complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Posterior occipitocervical plate-screw system with bicortical screws had the advantages of safety, simple and promising efficacy without excessive tissue release or intraspinal manipulation, proving that it's valuable as a modified technique for occipitocervical revision surgery.

Catalytically active and chemically inert CdIn2S4 coating on a CdS photoanode for efficient and stable water splitting.

Cadmium sulfide was popularly utilized as a light harvesting material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, however, the drawback of poor durability limits its practical application. Herein, we show that a catalytically active and chemically inert cadmium indium sulfide (CdIn2S4) can improve the stability and even photocurrent of a CdS photoelectrode.

Water Splitting: Strongly Coupled Nafion Molecules and Ordered Porous CdS Networks for Enhanced Visible-Light Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution (Adv. Mater. 24/2016).

T. Ling, X.-W. Du, S. Z. Qiao, and co-workers report strongly coupled Nafion molecules and ordered-porous CdS networks for visible-light water splitting. The image conceptually shows how the three-dimensional ordered structure effectively harvests incoming light. As described on page 4935, the inorganic CdS skeleton is homogeneously passivated by the organic Nafion molecules to facilitate hydrogen generation.

Strongly Coupled Nafion Molecules and Ordered Porous CdS Networks for Enhanced Visible-Light Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution.

Strongly coupled Nafion molecules and ordered porous CdS networks are fabricated for visible-light photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution. The Nafion layer coating shifts the band position of CdS upward and accelerates charge transfer in the photoelectrode/electrolyte interface. It is highly expected that the strong coupling effect between organic and inorganic materials will provide new routes to advance PEC water splitting.