Cordless-Microscope

This study compares the active ranges of finger motion and rupture rates of two-strand and four-strand repairs in zone 2 flexor tendon lacerations in young children. A total of 29 patients (under the age of 4 years) with 32 flexor tendon lacerations in zone 2 were evaluated. The injured tendons were randomly repaired with either two-strand or four-strand modified Strickland techniques. At a mean follow-up period of 11 months, the mean total active motion of interphalangeal joints was 156° in the two-strand and 158° in the four-strand group. According to the Strickland original method, this means an average of 89% (range 57–100%) of normal function in the two-strand and 90% (range 60–100%) in the four-strand group. There were no ruptures of the four-strand repairs, but one two-strand repair failed within 3 weeks of the repair. Statistically, we were not able to show any significant difference in the active ranges of finger motion achieved with two-strand and four-strand repairs.

The fine structure of prostatic calculi has not been elucidated yet, although the chemical components were reported in detail. We studied the primary or endogenous calculi removed from eight human prostates by secondary scanning electron microscopy, backscattered electron imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction. The primary calculi containing Mg, Zn and S, besides Ca and P were basically classified into four stone groups (I–IV) by fine structure and mineral components. Stone I had the core deposits of calcospherites showing concentric rings and the laminated deposits concentrically around the core. Their deposits were identified as apatite. Stone II was occupied with the calcospherite deposits of apatite although the stone growth showed a rough concentric formation. Stone III contained the core of calcospherites and concentric laminated structures, similar to a smaller type of group I, whereas the wider peripheral region was deposited with needle-like structures, identified as calcium oxalates. Stone IV had the core deposits containing small hexahedral structures, identified as whitlockite, which were surrounded with several incompletely concentric laminated bands of apatite. Whitlockite crystals were also found between the fused large calculi. The initial and formative calculi were basically observed as the deposition of mineralizing spherical structures suggesting variously sized corpora amylaceous bodies. Thus, the primary prostatic calculi of stones I–III will begin from the mineralization of amylaceous bodies as a core, while the organic substances, which form stone IV, might be derived from the simple precipitation of prostatic secretion.