Roman Pfeifer  

Home Institution
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

Host Institution
Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Research Mentor: Prof. Hans-Christoph Pape, MD

E-Mail: romanpfeifer@aol.com
Research Topic
see Abstract
Personal Reactions to the U.S. Experience
Pittsburgh is a beautiful city of bridges and parks located in western Pennsylvania. The confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers combined with the hilly landscape create amazing views from highpoints such as Mt. Washington. The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University and its many other schools attract young people to the city and encourage sports and nightlife. The South Side is especially known for its bars, clubs and restaurants. The neighborhood of Bloomfield, known as Pittsburgh’s little Italy, offers many Italian restaurants, pizzerias and sports-bars.
Furthermore, I was very impressed by the natural beauty of Pennsylvania. Especially in the autumn when the Appalachian mountains, woods and National Parks burst with the vivid reds, oranges, and yellows of fall foliage. Washington DC, Niagara Falls, Philadelphia and New York are other points of interest that are just hours away by car.
Pittsburgh and its surroundings offer many opportunities for recreation for everybody and I am happy to have had the opportunity to do research in this part of U.S.
Greatest Difficulties Encountered
- To find a good and cheap apartment near the university. Craigslist.com is one possibility, but be careful and ask for pictures and descriptions.
- Overcrowded and late buses every morning
- Sometimes snow and cold weather in the winter. Be prepared, pack warm clothes.
Helpful Hints for Future Students
- Craiglist.com can be very helpful
- Portauthority.com : Schedule for Pittsburgh and Airport buses.
- Waterfront and Robinson Town are malls, which are easily reached by bus

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Abstract on Research Topic

Comparison - Bilateral Femur Fracture versus Pseudo Fracture
Author: Roman Pfeifer

Institution:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Introduction:
Femoral fracture causes local and systemic release of pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines. Short-term studies have been published and report systemic inflammation and remote organ failure after bilateral femur fracture. However, the limitations of fracture models encouraged us to develop a pseudo fracture model, which enable us to perform long-term studies. In this study we compared the systemic inflammation and remote organ failure in animals sustained a bilateral femur fracture and pseudo fracture.

Methods:
Male C57/BL6 mice, 7-10 weeks old and weighing 20-30 g, were use in experiment. Bilateral midshaft femur fracture was performed using the hemostat. To perform a pseudo fracture femur and tibia from both sides of donor mice were harvested, crushed and diluted in 2 ml of PBS. The bone solution was injected in to injured thigh musculature. The animals were sacrificed after 6 hours and serum, lever, lung and gut were collected. Interleukine 6, TNF-α and Osteopontin were measured in serum. Liver damage was assessed with ALT and AST levels.

Results:
Six hours after the bilateral femoral fracture there was a significant elevation of Interleukine 6. The difference between IL-6 levels in bilateral femur fracture and pseudo fracture group was not significant. Both the bilateral femur fracture group and pseudo fracture caused significant liver damage.

Conclusion:
The bilateral femur fracture caused higher systemic inflammation as pseudo fracture. However, both led to comparable liver enzyme levels. Further investigations are necessary to prove the applicability of pseudo fracture in mice.