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Orthopaedic Surgery publishes journal

by Dick Peterson
Public Relations
Off the press and currently in distribution, “Orthopaedic Journal,” the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s annual research publication, volume III, doesn’t tell good things about the MUSC department, it shows them.

“Few departments in any university produce a journal like this,” said Yuehuei “Huey” An, M.D., editor-in-chief of the publication. “This is the third time we’ve produced the journal. We’ve printed 1,000 copies and have sent out 700 copies so far to other orthopaedic departments and hospitals with orthopaedic resident training programs in the United States and several other countries including China, Denmark, England, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands.”

Editors-in-chief of Orthopaedic Journal are Dr. Shane Woolf, standing, and Dr. Yuehuei “Huey” An.

An said that the journal is sent to department chairmen and colleagues in institutions worldwide as well as to all alumni of the residency program at MUSC and to members of the South Carolina Orthopaedic Association. 

“We want those people to know what we’ve done here,” he said.
 Among the research projects published in volume III of the journal are:

  •  Two specially engineered screws that anchor securely in osteoporotic bone. The first is an injectable cementing screw. Cement injected into the screw spreads to the surrounding bone creating a better anchor than the original osteoporotic bone would provide. Screws in osteoporotic bone without the cement loosen more easily, allowing the screws to pull out. The second is an interlocking screw which has a locking pin preventing the screw from pulling out. 
  • A study in cartilage tissue engineering that tests the propagation of tissue in cell culture to create cartilage for repairing cartilage defects.
  • And another on artificial ligament reconstruction to avoid having to take ligament from another part of the body. An said that orthopaedists cannot always take another part to replace a damaged one and artificial ligaments typically fail within five years of being implanted.
  • A clinical evaluation of factors associated with increased risk for stress fractures among college females.
  • A review article covering the history and background of polyethylene, an important material used in total joint replacement procedures.
In addition to the Orthopaedic Journal, An has edited three textbooks in the past two years, including “Animal Models in Orthopaedic Research,” “Mechanical Testing of Bone and the Bone Implant Interface,” and “Handbook of Bacterial Adhesion.” All three have garnered international recognition. Three more textbooks to be edited by An and published for 2001 with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery are:
  • “Orthopaedic Issues in Osteoporosis,” a 500-page reference book, edited by Yuehuei H. An, M.D., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
  • “Handbook of Histology Methods for Bone and Cartilage,” a 40-chapter, 600-page handbook, edited by Yuehuei H. An, M.D., and Kylie L. Martin, B.Sc., Humana Press, Totowa, N.J.
  • “Internal Fixation in Osteoporotic Bone,” a 500-page reference book, edited by Yuehuei H. An, M.D., Thieme Medical, New York.