Objective To evaluate our self-designed guide used clinically in percutaneous placement of lumbosacral pedicle screws in surgery of lumbar vertebral fractures.Methods From May 2012 to March 2015,143 patients with lumbar vertebral fracture were treated with reduction and fixation using percutaneous lumbosacral pedicle screws in our department.Percutaneous placement of lumbosacral pedicle screws was assisted by our self-designed guide in 69 of them(guide group) but not in the other 74 cases (manual group).The 2 groups were compatible in preoperative general data (P ＞ 0.05).The 2 groups were compared in terms of localization time for a single screw,puncture accuracy,times of intraoperative fluoroscopy,operation time,intraoperative blood loss,and hospital stay.Results The guide group had significantly better localization time for a single screw,puncture accuracy,times of fluoroscopy and operation time than the manual group (P ＜ 0.05),but the 2 groups showed no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss and hospital stay (P ＞ 0.05).The guide group obtained an average follow-up of 12.9 months (from 12 to 16 months) while the manual group obtained an average follow-up of 13.2 months (from 12 to 18 months).All fractures healed primarily,without complications like injuries to nerve root or dural sac.Conclusion Our self-designed guide is recommendable because it can obviously improve accuracy of placement of lumbosacral pedicle screws,shorten operation time,and decrease times of intraoperative fluoroscopy.

Objective To investigate the incidence of p16 gene methylation in hematological malignancies, and the relations between p16 gene methylation and the prognosis of hematological malignancies. Methods Fifty-five patients were studied by restriction enzyme polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect p16 gene methylation. Results p16 gene methylation was detected in 6 of 55 patients (10.9%), who were 1 patient with M2a, 1 patient with M5a, 2 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis, 1 patient with progressing multiple myeloma (MM), 1 with non-Hogkin's lymphoma(NHL) accompanied by B-ALL, respectively. p16 gene methylation correlates with adverse prognostic features. The patients with p16 gene methylation had poor response to therapy, and died shortly after p16 gene methylation was detected. Conclusion The methylation of p16 gene plays an improtant role in the pathogenesis and the development of some hematological malignancies. The patients with p16 gene methylation have poor prognosis. The detection of p16 gene is a useful tool for evaluating prognosis of hematological malignancies.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the frequency of p16 and p15 gene methylation in multiple myeloma (MM), and its relationship with bone marrow cell apoptosis and clinical outcome.

METHODSTwenty-two patients with MM were studied to detect p16 and p15 gene methylation. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used to detect gene methylation, and terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect cell apoptosis.

RESULTSp16 and/or p15 gene methylatoin was detected in 10 of 22 patients (45.4%). There were 3 patients with p16 gene methylation, 9 patients with p15 gene methylation, and 2 patients with both genes methylation. The incidence of methylation of p15 gene was higher than that of p16 gene (P < 0.05). The patients with p16 and/or p15 gene methylation had a delayed cell apoptosis, poor response to chemotherapy, and a short over-all survival (OS).

CONCLUSIONThe methylation of p16 and/or p15 gene plays a key role in MM apoptosis pathogenesis. The patients with both p16 and p15 gene methylation had a poor prognosis.

Apoptosis ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15 ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; genetics ; DNA Methylation ; DNA, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Gene Silencing ; Genes, p16 ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; genetics ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins