The Niebauer-Cutter prosthesis in excision arthroplasty of the trapezium

Sixteen patients had excision arthroplasty of the trapezium, using the Niebauer-Cutter prosthesis. The average period of postoperative follow-up was thirteen months. All patients had severe preoperative disabilities and the majority were relieved from resting pain and pain during active use of their hands. The postoperative range of motion with regard to the palmar and radial abduction was found to be satisfactory, while varying degrees of limitation of circumduction was the rule. There was no correlation between the patients' own judgment of the postoperative benefits and the objectively measured range of motion. One patient had a luxation of the prosthesis, while another had a subluxation when opposing the thumb. This frequency of luxation/subluxation seems to be less than that experienced with the other common type of prosthesis, the Swanson prosthesis. Although it is obvious that the ideal prosthesis for treatment of disabilities in the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb is still not available, it was concluded that the Niebauer-Cutter prosthesis is the best choice at the present.

Lead-210 content of food samples in India

The paper presents results of measurements made on cereals and composite meal samples collected from Bombay market for their lead-210 content. The details of sampling and analytical chemistry procedures are also given. The Pb210 contents of most of these samples were in the range of 1--5 pCi/kg of cereals samples. The concentrations in composite meal samples were mostly in the range of 1--3.5 pCi of 210Pb per composite meal. The assessment of daily intake of this isotope through food-stuffs has been made.