BACKGROUND:During fracture healing, in addition to the need for appropriate biomechanical environment, the role of cytokines is also increasingly attracted attention.
OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of nerve growth factor and alpha-lipoic acid on fracture healing in rat models of femoral fracture.
METHODS:Sprague-Dawley rat models of femoral fracture were established. Seventy-two rats were randomly divided into three groups. In the control group, rats were intramuscularly injected with physiological saline. In the nerve growth factor group, rats were intramuscularly injected with nerve growth factor 200 ng/kg, once a day. In the combined therapy group, rats were intramuscularly injected with nerve growth factor 200 ng/kg and oral y taken alpha-lipoic acid 25 mg/kg, once a day. At 1, 2 and 3 weeks after administration, bony cal us volume was measured. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum bone morphogenetic protein-2 levels. Western blot assay was utilized to detect bone morphogenetic protein-2 protein expression at the broken end of fracture. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was applied to examine vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) At 1 week after administration, no significant difference in bony cal us volume was detected among the three groups. Serum bone morphogenetic protein-2 level, bone morphogenetic protein-2 protein expression, and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression were significantly higher in the nerve growth factor group and combined therapy group compared with the control group (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between the two groups. (2) At 2 weeks after administration, the amount of cal us, serum bone morphogenetic protein-2 levels, bone morphogenetic protein-2 protein expression, and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA levels were significantly higher in the nerve growth factor group and combined therapy group compared with the control group (P<0.05). Above expression levels were higher in the combined therapy group than in the nerve growth factor group (P<0.05). (3) At 3 weeks after administration, serum bone morphogenetic protein-2 levels, bone morphogenetic protein-2 protein expression, and vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA levels were significantly decreased in the nerve growth factor group. However, above expression levels were stil high in the combined therapy group, and significantly higher than in the nerve growth factor group (P<0.05). (4) These results indicate that nerve growth factor combined with alpha-lipoic acid had better effects on the fracture healing compared with the nerve growth factor alone.

BACKGROUND:After arthroscopic knee surgery, deep vein thrombosis easily occurs. Currently, there were no specific clinical manifestations in deep vein thrombosis, so a fast, convenient and reliable risk assessment tool was needed to evaluate the clinical high-risk groups for prevention and intervention. The effectiveness of Caprini Risk Assessment Scale used in thrombosis risk assessment has been confirmed by a large number of researches, but the current domestic research is less.
OBJECTIVE:To verify the validity of Caprini risk assessment scale in evaluations of high deep venous thrombosis risk patients among knee arthroscopy patients, and to explore effective strategies for prevention of deep vein thrombosis in patients undergoing knee arthroscopic surgery.
METHODS: A case-control study design was used to colect 49 deep vein thrombosis patients admitted to the Department of Orthopedics, Renhe Hospital of Three Gorges University from January 2008 to June 2015 as case group, and randomly selected 98 patients admitted during the same period of non-deep vein thrombosis patients as control group. Caprini risk assessment scale was used to assess risk assessment and risk grading of deep venous thrombosis, and to explore the correlation between risk classification and risk of deep vein thrombosis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Basic conditions comparison: application time of tourniquet, the proportion of smoking patients, and proportion of deep venous thrombosis and (or) the history of pulmonary thromboembolism were higher in the case group than in the control group (P < 0.05). (2) Caprini score was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (P < 0.001). In the case group, the proportion of very high risk patients (53%) was highest, folowed by high risk (25%), totaly 78%. In the control group, the proportion of high risk patients (32%) was highest, folowed by low risk (29%). Significant differences in above risk degree analysis were identified between the two groups (P< 0.001). (3) Deep venous thrombosis and (or) the history of pulmonary thromboembolism was positively correlated with Caprini score in the case and control groups (P < 0.05). Caprini score was positively associated with application time of tourniquet in the case group (P< 0.05). (4) Logistic regression analysis of Caprini risk classification and the risk of deep vein thrombosis: with increased caprini risk classification, the risk of deep vein thrombosis increased significantly. The risk of deep venous thrombosis in patients with high risk and very high risk was 2.130 and 11.786 times of patients with low risk, respectively. (5) These results indicate that Caprini risk assessment model can effectively assess the risk of deep vein thrombosis among patients receiving knee arthroscopy.