Objective We evaluated the role of a quality improvement initiative in improving clinical outcomes in peritoneal di-alysis ( PD) . Methods In a retrospective analysis of 6 years of data from a hospital registry, the period between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2008 ( control group) provided baseline data from before implementation of systemic outcomes monitoring, and the period between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2011 [continuous quality improvement (CQI) group] represented the time when a CQI program was in place.Per-itonitis incidence, patient and technique survival, cardiovascular status, causes of death, and drop-out were compared between the groups. Results In the 370 patients of the CQI group and the 249 patients of the control group, the predominant underlying kidney diseases were chronic glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy.After implementation of the CQI initiative, the peritonitis rate de-clined to 1 episode in 77.3 patient-months from 1 episode in 22.6 patient-months.In the CQI group, the complicance of blood pressure was more significantly improved than the control group ( 67.8% vs 47.4%,P<0.05).During the 3 years of follow-up,cardiothoracic ratio and IVST were significantly increased in the control group [0.55 ± 0.08 vs 0.51 ±0.05,P<0.05,11.07 ±1.66 mm vs 10.25 ±1.38 mm, P<0.05〗.The difference of LVID between the two groups was signifi-cant at the 2nd and 3rd year of follow-up(P<0.05).Patient survival at 1, 2, and 3 years was significantly higher in the CQI group (97.3%, 96.3%, and 96.3%respectively) than in the control group (92.6%, 82.4%, and 67.3%respectively, P<0.001).Imple-mentation of the CQI initiative also appeared to significantly improve technique survival rates:95.6%, 92.6%, and 92.6%in the CQI group compared with 89.6%, 79.2%, and 76.8%in the control group (P<0.001) after 1, 2, and 3 years respectively. Conclusion Integration of a CQI process into a PD program can significantly improve the quality of therapy and its outcomes.

Objective To study the association between the expression of periostin and the occurrence and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in synovial fluid.Methods The expression level of periostin in the synovial fluid of healthy people and patients with different stages of OA was tested.Furthermore,60 surgical-induced OA rat model were divided into two groups,the sham operation group had only implemented slit suture,and the OA model group had one side anterior cruciate ligament transected.The expression of periostin in intra-articular injection samples were analyzed at 1,2,4,8,12 week.Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) were performed after surgery at 4,8,12 week on the surgery knee.Gross morphologic lesions on the tibial plateau in rats were visualized by India ink staining,toluidine blue staining,cartilage permeation test.The synovium were visualized by HE staining and periostin were detected by immunohistoc hemistry.The measurement data were compared by one factor analysis of variance test.Results The expression of periostin in cartilage was lower in late-stage OA than the one from normal and early-stage OA (F=13.95,P＜0.01).The FMT showed that there was no obvious change in the extent of chronic inflammation in the sham operation group,and the chronic inflammatory degree of the OA model group gradually increased as time went on.Toluidine blue staining and cartilage permeation test showed that the cartilage degeneration in rat model of OA became more and more serious with time.There was no stastically significant difference of the periostin in control groutp at different time stage (F=0.67,P=0.53).The periostin in the intra-articular increased at first and then decreased with the development of OA (F=11.0,P＜0.05).HE staining of synovial tissue showed that the degree of synovial hyperplasia was consistent with the degree of degeneration of joints.With the extension of time,the expression of periostin in synovial tissue increased gradually.Conclusion The expression of periostin in human synovial fluid is low in normal knee joint,increases in early and middle stages,and decreases in late stage.The rat model indicates that the expression of periostin increases first and then decreases with the development of OA,but the expression in synovium increases gradually with the development of OA.The increased expression of periostin in synovial fluid may serve as an early diagnostic marker for OA and downregulation of the periostin may be a start marker for the late OA.

Objective To investigate the effect of POSTN protein on the proliferation of chondrocytes of tibial plateau in old rats.Methods Cartilage cells collected from the tibial plateau of old rats were cultured in vitro to the third generation.Then the cells were divided into 3 groups:POSTN group,PBS group and POSTN antibody group.The proliferations of the three groups at 24 h,48 h and 72 h were determined by EDU method.The expression of Notch1 protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in all groups at the same time.Female 20-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:POSTN protein injection group,Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) injection group and POSTN antibody injection group.Twelve weeks after the operation,related reagents were injected 3 times consecutively at day 1,day 3,day 5 and EDU was injected into joints at day 1.At 2 weeks after injection,the rats were killed and the knee tibial plateau was taken to observe the proliferation of the cartilage cells.Results At 24 h,there were differences between the three groups O(F=27.32,P=0.017).The proliferation rates of POSTN group [(23±8)％] and PBS group [(21±10)％] were higher than that of POSTN antibody group (16±5)(P=0.003,P=0.011).At 48 h,there were differences between the three groups (F=35.34,P＜0.01).The proliferation rate of POSTN group [(36±11)％] was higher than that of the other groups [(22±6)％],(18±6)％(P=0.021,P＜0.01).At 72h,there were differences between the three groups (F=52.62,P=0.000).The proliferation rate of POSTN group [(56±17)％] was the highest one,the proliferation rate of PBS group [(31±8)％] was the medium,and the POSTN antibody group [(26±7)％] was the lowest one (all P＜0.05).As for Notch1 protein expression in chondrocytes,there were differences between the three groups (F=26.72,P＜0.01).The Notch1 protein was the most frequently expressed in POSTN protein-injection group and the least in the anti-POSTN group.In rats,the proliferation rate of the chondrocytes in the medial tibia plateau of the knee of POSTN protein injection group [(36±14)％],which was the highest,and that of the POSTN antibody injection group [(10 ±4)％] was the lowest (all P＜0.05).Conclusion POSTN protein can promote the proliferation of chondrocytes knee OA rats.POSTN antibody injection has been shown to induce the proliferation of chondrocytes.The POSTN protein may promote the proliferation of chondrocytes by activating the Notch signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the factors, characteristics and imaging manifestations of ankle joint injury in amateur marathoners (no formal training and no marathon career). Methods From December 2018 to March 2019, the amateur marathon runners in Guangdong Zhuhai had been recruited as research subjects according to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The questionnaires were used to collect relevant data, and the subjects underwent MRI scans of the ankle joint. The ankle joint special phased array coils were used to perform fast spin echo sequence (TSE) coronal T1WI and proton density?weighted fat?suppression sequence (PDWI?FS). Axial, coronal and sagittal scans, three?dimensional?double echo steady?state sequence (3D?DESS) and three?dimensional variable flip angle fast spin echo sequence (3D?SPACE) scans were also acquired. The results of the examination were independently analyzed by two radiologists (5 and 17 years of work experience, respectively) on the ligament, tendon, bone marrow and ankle joint injuries. When they had inconsistent views, the diagnosis provided by the third radiologist (27 years of work experience) was considered a final diagnosis. The relationship between ankle injury and different running postures, the number of participating in marathons and training intensity was analyzed, and the independent sample χ2 was used for statistical analysis. The consistency of two radiologists was tested by Kappa test. Results According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 39 subjects were included, with 64 ankles totally, 35 right ankles and 29 left ankles. MRI showed that (1) Ligament injuries: 28 ankles were anterior talofibular ligament injuriy;50 ankles were posterior talofibular ligament injury; 60 ankles the calcaneofibular ligament injuries and 54 ankles were deltoid ligament injuries, without complete injury. (2) Tendon sheath effusion and injuries: peritendinous effusion was common, with 47 flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis, 49 posterior tibialis tenosynovitis, 37 flexor digitorum longus tenosynovitis, 7 peroneus longus tenosynovitis and 5 peroneus brevis tenosynovitis. (3) Synovitis effusion: 43 posterior ankle synovitis and local effusion. (4) Others: cartilage injury in 2 ankles, bone marrow edema in 8 ankles, and among them stress fracture in 2 ankles. The two radiologists had good consistency with the Kappa value of 0.91. Regarding the running posture, the incidence of ligaments injuries was obviously higher in those who landed on the hind foot than in those landed on front and middle foot,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.013, χ2 value was 6.191).The incidence of tendon injuries was higher in those who landed on the front middle foot than in those landed on the hind foot, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.029, χ2 value was 4.775). Those with larger training (training running ≥300 km/month) had significant ankle injury (P=0.005, χ2 value was 7.844). Conclusion The MRI features of ankle joint injuries in amateur marathon volunteers are related to different running postures and training intensity.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) in the treatment of humeral shaft fracture.Methods Case-control studies and randomized clinical trials comparing MIPO with ORIF in the treatment of humeral shaft fracture from January 2010 to June 2018 were retrieved from PubMed Library,Cochrane Library,Embase Library,China National Knowledge Internet and Wanfang Data.Methodological quality of the studies and trials was critically assessed.REVMANS.3 was used for data analysis.The 2 groups of patients were compared in terms of University of California,Los Angeles shoulder rating scale (UCLA),Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS),union time,nonunion rate and complications.Results A total of 452 patients from 9 articles were included.There were 216 cases in the MIPO group and 236 ones in the ORIF group.The Meta analyses showed that the MIPO group had a significantly higher UCLA score (WMD =0.36,P=0.03),significantly lower incidences of complications (OR =-0.15,P ＜ 0.05) and iatrogenie radial nerve palsy (OR =0.24,P ＜ 0.05),and significantly shorter union time (SMD =-0.36,P =0.02) than the ORIF group.There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in MEPS (WMD =-0.48,P =0.43) or nonunion rate (OR =0.45,P =0.11).Conclusion MIPO may be a better choice for humeral shaft fracture than ORIF in regards to postoperative shoulder functions,union time,and incidences of complications and iatrogenic radial nerve palsy.

Objective: To explore the factors, characteristics and imaging manifestations of ankle joint injury in amateur marathoners (no formal training and no marathon career). Methods: From December 2018 to March 2019, the amateur marathon runners in Guangdong Zhuhai had been recruited as research subjects according to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The questionnaires were used to collect relevant data, and the subjects underwent MRI scans of the ankle joint. The ankle joint special phased array coils were used to perform fast spin echo sequence (TSE) coronal T₁WI and proton density-weighted fat-suppression sequence (PDWI-FS). Axial, coronal and sagittal scans, three-dimensional-double echo steady-state sequence (3D-DESS) and three-dimensional variable flip angle fast spin echo sequence (3D-SPACE) scans were also acquired. The results of the examination were independently analyzed by two radiologists (5 and 17 years of work experience, respectively) on the ligament, tendon, bone marrow and ankle joint injuries. When they had inconsistent views, the diagnosis provided by the third radiologist (27 years of work experience) was considered a final diagnosis. The relationship between ankle injury and different running postures, the number of participating in marathons and training intensity was analyzed, and the independent sample χ² was used for statistical analysis. The consistency of two radiologists was tested by Kappa test. Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 39 subjects were included, with 64 ankles totally, 35 right ankles and 29 left ankles. MRI showed that (1) Ligament injuries: 28 ankles were anterior talofibular ligament injuriy;50 ankles were posterior talofibular ligament injury; 60 ankles the calcaneofibular ligament injuries and 54 ankles were deltoid ligament injuries, without complete injury. (2) Tendon sheath effusion and injuries: peritendinous effusion was common, with 47 flexor hallucis longus tenosynovitis, 49 posterior tibialis tenosynovitis, 37 flexor digitorum longus tenosynovitis, 7 peroneus longus tenosynovitis and 5 peroneus brevis tenosynovitis. (3) Synovitis effusion: 43 posterior ankle synovitis and local effusion. (4) Others: cartilage injury in 2 ankles, bone marrow edema in 8 ankles, and among them stress fracture in 2 ankles. The two radiologists had good consistency with the Kappa value of 0.91. Regarding the running posture, the incidence of ligaments injuries was obviously higher in those who landed on the hind foot than in those landed on front and middle foot,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.013, χ² value was 6.191).The incidence of tendon injuries was higher in those who landed on the front middle foot than in those landed on the hind foot, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.029, χ² value was 4.775). Those with larger training (training running ≥300 km/month) had significant ankle injury (P=0.005, χ² value was 7.844). Conclusion The MRI features of ankle joint injuries in amateur marathon volunteers are related to different running postures and training intensity.