The micelle properties were studied by dynamic light scattering and fluorescence spectrometry. An in vitro degradation study showed that the synthesized polymers degraded hydrolytically within 24 h under physiological conditions. The stability of paclitaxel-loaded pH-sensitive micelles was evaluated in vitro. The introduced deoxycholic

acid more stabilized the micelles at pH 7.4 compared to the micelles without modification. But the pH-sensitive region of the micelles was lowered from pH 6.8 to pH 5.8. These results indicate that pH-sensitive micelles with improved stability have great potential as hydrophobic drug carriers for tumor targeting. LDK378 molecular weight (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 3431-3438, 2010″
“Study Design. Prospective clinical series.

Objective. To determine how many thoracic scoliotic pedicles have cancellous versus cortical versus absent channels.

Summary of Background Data. Although morphologic evaluations of thoracic pedicles have been well reported, the results do not practically reflect clinical findings during actual pedicle screw placement. We propose a novel pedicle channel classification describing the osseous anatomy INCB024360 nmr encountered during pedicle probe insertion.

Methods. We noted 4 pedicle types in 53 consecutive scoliosis patients.

Type A: pedicle probe smoothly inserted without difficulty; the morphology is described as a “”Large Cancellous Channel.”" Type B: pedicle probe inserted snugly with increased force; described as a “”Small Cancellous Channel.”" Type C: pedicle probe cannot be manually pushed

but must be tapped with a mallet down the pedicle into the body; described as a “”Cortical Channel.”" Type D: pedicle probe cannot locate a channel thus necessitating a “”juxtapedicular”" screw position; described as a “”Slit/Absent Channel.”" The average age at time of surgery was 23.4 +/- 16.7 years. Diagnoses included idiopathic scoliosis (n = 38) and syndromic scoliosis (n = 15). The average main thoracic Cobb angle was 73 degrees +/- 26 degrees. Evaluation of pedicle morphology of the 4 types was also performed check details in 21 consecutive cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using preoperative computed tomography images.

Results. A total of 1021 pedicles with screws placed were evaluated. The average percent per type was as follows: 61.0% type A; 29.2% type B, 6.8% type C, and 3.0% type D. On the convexity, 98.2% of pedicles were type A or B versus 81.5% on the concavity (P < 0.05). There were significant differences between adolescent versus adult idiopathic scoliosis (P = 0.007), and syndromic scoliosis versus adult idiopathic scoliosis (P = 0.017) regarding pedicle morphologic proportions. There was a significant tendency toward a decrease in the proportion of type A pedicles, an increase in the proportion of type B pedicles as the Cobb angle increased (P < 0.0001).