Rat diaphyseal femoral fracture healing: Plate fixation vs. intramedullary nail

This is a study of femoral fracture healing in female rats 16 weeks old at fracture to compare intramedullary nailing, screw and plate fixation, and sham surgery. The sham surgery group received a surgical exposure of the femur, but no fracture, no plate, and no nail. Samples were collected at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after surgery. Each sample is a pool of RNA from three rats from the same surgery group at the same time point after fracture. The middle third of the femur was collected with the cortical bone, fracture callus, and marrow elements. Mid-diaphyseal, simple, transverse fractures were induced by a Gigli saw. The no fracture sample was a time 0 control collected on the day of surgery from intact rats. Keywords = rat Keywords = fracture Keywords = plate Keywords = nail Keywords = time Keywords = femur Keywords: time-course