Study Design. A retrospective study to detect patients with new-onset compression fractures following vertebroplasty. Objective. To investigate the characteristics and associated risk factors of new-onset vertebral compression fractures after vertebroplasty. Summary of Background Data. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a well-established technique for treating osteoporotic compression fractures. Short-term results are promising, but longer-term studies have suggested a possible accelerated failure rate in the adjacent vertebral body. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed patients with osteoporotic compression fractures from January 2000 to June 2006. The patients received percutaneous vertebroplasty with bone cement augmentation. Long-term follow-up radiographically identified the occurrence of vertebral fracture (minimum follow-up 24 months) after an initial vertebral fracture. Results. In 852 patients (1131 vertebrae), 58.8% to 63.8% of new compression fractures after vertebroplasty were adjacent compression fractures. Adjacent fractures occurred much sooner than nonadjacent fractures; (71.9 ± 71.8 days vs. 286.8 ± 232.8 days, P < 0.001). In patients who experienced vertebral compression fractures 2 or more times, older age, lower baseline bone mineral density (BMD), and more pre-existing vertebral compression fractures were demonstrated in this study (P < 0.005). The gender and amount of cemented polymethyl methacrylate were not statistically different between Groups A (1 vertebral compression fracture) and B (vertebral compression fracture ≥2 times). Conclusion. New-onset vertebral compression fractures occurred repeatedly within a few years after vertebroplasty. New-onset adjacent-level fractures occurred sooner and were more predominate than nonadjacent level fractures. The results of this study suggest that older patient age, lower baseline BMD, and more pre-existing vertebral fractures were found to be risk factors for multiple vertebral compression fractures.

Nanofibers are extremely advantageous for drug delivery because of their high surface area-to-volume ratios, high porosities and 3D open porous structures. Local delivery of analgesics by using nanofibers allows site-specificity and requires a lower overall drug dosage with lower adverse side effects. Different analgesics have been loaded onto various nanofibers, including those that are natural, synthetic and copolymer, for various medical applications. Analgesics can also be singly or coaxially loaded onto nanofibers to enhance clinical applications. In particular, analgesic-eluting nanofibers provide additional benefits to preventing wound adhesion and scar formation. This paper reviews current research and breakthrough discoveries on the innovative application of analgesic-loaded nanofibers that will alter the clinical therapy of pain.

Objective: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans. The only interstitial chemotherapy pharmaceutical approved to date for GBM treatment is the Gliadel® wafer. Despite the safety and efficacy of this approach that have been demonstrated in patients undergoing resection of both newly diagnosed and recurrent malignant gliomas, the wafer provides an effective release of the anticancer 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) for only 5 days. Methods: In this study, the authors developed biodegradable poly[(d,l)-lactide-co-glycolide] nanofibrous membranes via electrospinning that provided a sustained release of BCNU. An elution method and a HPLC assay were employed to characterize the in vitro and in vivo release behaviors of pharmaceuticals from the electrospun membranes. Results: The experimental results show that the biodegradable, nanofibrous membranes released high concentrations of BCNU for more than 6 weeks in the cerebral cavity o...