Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, the People’s Republic of China, in December 2019 and now is a pandemic all around the world. Some orthopaedic surgeons in Wuhan were infected with COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a survey to identify the orthopaedic surgeons who were infected with COVID-19 in Wuhan. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to collect information such as social demographic variables, clinical manifestations, exposure history, awareness of the outbreak, infection control training provided by hospitals, and individual protection practices. To further explore the possible risk factors at the individual level, a 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted. Results: A total of 26 orthopaedic surgeons from 8 hospitals in Wuhan were identified as having COVID-19. The incidence in each hospital varied from 1.5% to 20.7%. The onset of symptoms was from January 13 to February 5, 2020, and peaked on January 23, 8 days prior to the peak of the public epidemic. The suspected sites of exposure were general wards (79.2%), public places at the hospital (20.8%), operating rooms (12.5%), the intensive care unit (4.2%), and the outpatient clinic (4.2%). There was transmission from these doctors to others in 25% of cases, including to family members (20.8%), to colleagues (4.2%), to patients (4.2%), and to friends (4.2%). Participation in real-time training on prevention measures was found to have a protective effect against COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR], 0.12). Not wearing an N95 respirator was found to be a risk factor (OR, 5.20 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09 to 25.00]). Wearing respirators or masks all of the time was found to be protective (OR, 0.15). Severe fatigue was found to be a risk factor (OR, 4 [95% CI, 1 to 16]) for infection with COVID-19. Conclusions: Orthopaedic surgeons are at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Common places of work could be contaminated. Orthopaedic surgeons have to be more vigilant and take more precautions to avoid infection with COVID-19. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Patients who survive critical illness commonly suffer cognitive impairments. We aimed to study the effects of cognitive intervention to treat the long-term impairments observed among different populations of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. The results showed that the intervention significantly suppressed the deterioration of cognitive function in these patients. Medical and neurological ICU survivors were more susceptible than post-anaesthesia ICU patients to severe cognitive damage. In the former, the deterioration of impairments can be slowed by cognitive intervention. In comparison, intervention exerted significantly positive effects on the recovery of the cognitive functions of post-anaesthesia care unit patients. Furthermore, young populations were more likely than older populations to recover from acute cognitive impairments, and the impairment observed among the older population seemed to be multi-factorial and irreversible.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is the most powerful osteogenic factor; its effectiveness in enhancing osteoblastic activation has been confirmed both in vitro and in vivo. We developed a novel peptide (designated P24) derived from the 'knuckle' epitope of BMP-2 and found it also had osteogenic bioactivity to some extent. The main objective of this study was to develop a controlled release system based on poly(trimethylene carbonate)-F127-poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC₁₁-F127-PTMC₁₁) hydrogels for the P24 peptide, to promote bone formation. By varying the copolymer concentrations, we demonstrated that P24/PTMC₁₁-F127-PTMC₁₁ hydrogels were an efficient system for the sustained release of P24 over 21-35 days. The P24-loaded hydrogels elevated alkaline phosphatase activity and promoted the expression of osteocalcin mRNA in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro. Radiographic and histological examination showed that P24-loaded hydrogels could induce more effective ectopic bone formation in vivo than P24-free hydrogels. These results indicate that the PTMC₁₁-F127-PTMC₁₁ hydrogel is a suitable carrier for the controlled release of P24, and is a promising injectable biomaterial for the induction of bone regeneration.