[Objective]To study the clinical results of methods of improvement of pedicle screw stability in patients of osteoporosis. [Method]Thirty-four cases of patients with osteoporosis were operated using pedicle screw and methods of improvement of pedicle screw stability were used during the operations.Of which,male 20,female 14;the mean age of 57(range 40～71).According to Jikei grading scale for osteoporosis,8 were of early stage,11 of stageⅠ,8 of stageⅡ and 7 of stageⅢ.There were 14 cases of fractures and 20 cases of osteopathy.For patients of early stage and stageⅠ(19 cases),long and large size of pedicle screws were used,meanwhile stiff connection rod system,two cross-link devices,placement of pedicle screw with large angles in horizontal and sagital planes were applied.For patients of stageⅡ and stageⅢ(15 cases) bone cement was used to fill the pedicle hole to ensure the screw stabily.[Result]There were no neurologic and vessel injuries or aggravated as well as no breakage of screw except two cases with loosening of screw during the follow-up with the mean period of 14 months(range 9～26).The loss of correction of reduction in fractures was 5%,the rate of fusion was 100% in grafting.[Conclusion]Different methods of improvement of pedicle screw stability used in osteoporosis may avoid loosening of screw and loss of correction.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes for misplacement of pedicle screw in thoracolumbar spine.METHODS: From January 2002 to January 2008, 19 patients with misplacement in thoracolumbar spine were treated in Department of Orthopedics, Wuxi Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, including 12 males and 7 females with an average age of 52.5 years (range 23-68 years). The diagnoses were thoracolumbar fracture in 5 cases, lumbar spondylolisthesis in 8 and degenerative lumbar disease in 6. The fixation systems were Steffee used in 4 cases, DRFS in 3, RF in 6, AF in 4 and GSS in 2. X-ray and CT scanning were used to observe pedicle screw location, including screw,pedicle and membranous sac and great vessels.RESULTS: The time of misplacement of pedicle screw was 5-69 days with an average time of 18.5 days, including 7 cases of screw penetrating into lateral cortex, 4 of screw penetrating into medial cortex, 2 of screw penetrating into pedicle cortex, 2 of overplacement, 2 of intervertebral foremen placement and 2 of intervertebral space placement.CONCLUSION: The causes for screw misplacement were anatomic variation and poor surgical skills, and the key factors in precise insertion of pedicle screw are fine surgical skills, carefully study of preoperative image and the intra-operative monitoring.

Objective:To investigate the neuroprotective effects of simvastatin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat model ofParkinson's disease(PD) and the mechanisms involved.Methods:Hemiparkinsonian rat models were induced by stereotaxieal injection ofLPS in the right substantia nigra compacta.After2 weeks of simvastatin treatment, rotational behavior test was performed after the intraperitoneal injection of apomorphine.Expression of tyroxine hydroxylase (TH) and glial fibrillary acidic protein were analyzed through immunohistochemical staining of substantia nigra and striatum, and the level ofTNF-α was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results:Comparing with untreated group, behavioral symptoms of the rats were significantly less in the rats that received simvastatin treatment.TheTH positive cell count in substantia nigra and striatum were significantly increased(P<0.05) andTNF-α expression was significantly decreased(P<0.05) in simvastatin group compared to untreated group.Conclusions:Simvastatin could effectively inhibit the activation of astrocytes, reduceTNF-α expression, and exert anti-inflammatory effects, and thus protect the dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra and striatum of the rat model ofPD.

ObjectiveTo analyze the changes of imaging and the efficacy of sympathetic cervical spondylosis before and after treatment and discuss the correlation of them.Methods Seventy-one sympathetic cervical spondylosis inpatients who examined by X-ray,CT,transcranial Doppler (TCD) or color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI) were collected.After comprehensive treatment,the efficacy was evaluated according to the recovery of patients' symptoms,and the cases with imaging abnormalities were examined again.Then the correlation between the changes of imaging and the efficacy was analyzed.ResultsAfter treatment,all 71 cases,including 45 cases with excellent efficacy,18 cases with good effect and 8 cases turned effective,showed a fine rate 88.7％ (63/71) and an effective rate 100.0％ (71/71).The rechecked imaging results showed:in 36 lantoaxial subluxation cases by CT scanning,26 cases turned to be normal,6 cases were improved and 4 cases had finally no change; in 68 cases with abnormal X-ray imaging,67 cases were improved and 1 case had finally no change; in 38 cases with abnormal TCD results,24 cases turned to be normal,2 cases were improved,10 cases showed changes and 2 cases had finally no change;in 36 cases with abnormal cervical CDFI results,9 cases turned to be normal,10 cases were improved,15 cases showed changes and 2 cases had finally no change.The analysis of correlation between the changes of imaging and the efficacy showed:changes count by the value 0,r =0.388,t =3.500,P＜ 0.01 ; changes count by the value 0.5,t =0.361,t =3.211,P ＜0.01.ConclusionsThe efficacy of sympathetic cervicalspondylosis has positive correlation with the changes of imaging and the causes of this disease are complex.So complete and well inspection can help the syndrome differentiation treatment and confirm the efficacy.

Objective:To detect the inhibitory effects of CAL-101, a selective inhibitor of phosphoinostitide-3'-kinase delta (PI3Kδ), on Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Raji and diffused large B-cell lymphoma cell line SUDHL-10 and elucidate its relative mechanism. Methods:Raji and SUDHL-10 cells were treated with various concentrations of CAL-101. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed to determine the inhibitory effect of CAL-101 on lymphoma cells, and cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin V/PI and DAPI staining. Migration assays were performed with transwell to detect the migration of lymphoma cells derived from the stromal cell line HK. Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation status of the ERK pathway. MTT and CalcuSyn software analyses were preformed to detect whether or not combining CAL-101 with bortezomib induces synergistic cytoxicity. Results:CAL-101 at con-centrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20μmol/L inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The proliferation rates of the Raji cells treated with 5, 10, 15, and 20μmol/L for 48 h were 29.17%± 1.23%, 38.15%± 1.51%, 46.46%± 1.78%, and 55.8%± 2.01%, respec-tively, which were significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of the control group (1.15% ± 0.02%). Similar results were found in the SUDHL-10 cells after treatment with CAL-101 (P<0.05). CAL-101 also exerted an apoptotic effect on the lymphoma cells. The apop-totic rates of the Raji cells treated with CAL-101 for 21 h were 22.69%± 3.83%and 49.96%± 7.36%, respectively, which were signifi-cantly higher (P<0.05) than that of the control group (5.23%± 2.04%). Similar results were found in the SUDHL-10 cells (P<0.05). Treatment with 5 and 10 μmol/L CAL-101 dose-dependently inhibited the migration activity of lymphoma cells to stromal cells (P<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the expression level of ERK phosphorylation protein was significantly downregulated in the cells treated with CAL-101. A synergistic effect between CAL-101 and bortezomib was verified. That is, these two drugs can signifi-cantly inhibit the proliferation of lymphoma cells with CI values less than 1. Conclusion:The PI3Kδ-specific inhibitor CAL-101 sup-pressed the proliferation of Raji and SUDHL-10 cells, induced apoptosis, and inhibited stromal cell-derived migration. This inhibitory effect may be induced by blocking the ERK pathway. Overall, our study indicated that CAL-101 is a novel and potential agent in the therapeutic strategy against aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

Objective To examine the effect of simvastatin treatment on Parkinson's disease rats induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its mechanism.Methods The LPS-PD model was established by injection of LPS (5 mg/mL) into the right substantia nigra compacta (SNC),and rats were randomly divided into control group,LPS-model group and simvastatin treatment group with 15 rats in each group.Rats in the simvastatin treatment group was intraperitoneally administered simvastatin (5 mg/kg) before,and daily for 14 days after surgery,while the control group and LPS-model group received same volume normal saline and LPS respectively.Ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1)-positive cells and the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the SNC were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,respectively.The effect of simvastatin in the PD model was also examined in behavioral tests.Results The LPS-model group exhibited typical animal PD behaviors.Compared with the control group,the LPS-model group exhibited a decreased number of DA neurons,and comparison of the intact side to reduce 81.13％ (P＜0.01) in the SNC,as well as increases in the Iba-1-positive cell number,iNOS,IL-1β and TNF-α expression (P＜0.05).These effects were inhibited by simvastatin treatment (P＜0.05).Conclusion Simvastatin mediates a protective effect on dopaminergic neurons in the SNC in the LPS-PD model,possibly by inhibiting glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) activation,and playing an anti-inflammatory role,thus improving substantia nigra function.

To examine the ability of intrastriatal gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 mediated by adenoviral vector to rescue dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD), we constructed recombinant replication-deficent adenoviral vectors carrying the gene of VEGF165 (Ad-VEGF), and injected Ad-VEGF (or Ad-LacZ and PBS as controls) into the striatum of rats 7 days after the lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine. The rat rotational behavior analysis and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry were performed to assess the change of dopaminergic neurons. Our results showed that the rats receiving Ad-VEGF injection displayed a significant improvement in apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and a significant preservation of TH-positive neurons and fibers compared with control animals. It is concluded that intrastriatal gene transfer by Ad-VEGF may rescue the dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in a rat model of PD.

The Yellow Fever (YF) vaccine, an attenuated yellow fever 17D (YF-17D) live vaccine, is one of the most effective and safest vaccines in the world and is regarded as one of the best candidates for viral expression vector. We here first reported in China the construction and characterization of the recombinant expression vector of yellow fever 17D which contained the proteinase 2A fragment of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Three cDNA fragments representing the full-length YF-17D genome, named 5'-end cDNA (A), 3'-end cDNA (B) and middle cDNA (C), were obtained by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), together with the introduction of SP6 enhancer, necessary restriction sites and overlaps for homologous recombination in yeast. Fragment A and B were then introduced into pRS424 in turn by DNA recombination, followed by transfection of fragment C and the recombinant pRS424 containing A and B (pRS-A-B) into yeast. A recombinant vector containing full length cDNA of YF-17D (pRS-YF) was obtained by screening on medium lack of tryptophan and uracil. A recombinant YF-17D expression vector containing FMDV-2A gene fragment (pRS-YF-2A1) was then constructed by methods of DNA recombination and homologous recombination in yeast described above. In vitro transcription of the recombinant vector pRS-YF-2A1 was then carried out and introduced into BHK-21 cells by electroporation. Results of indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and titer determination showed a stable infectious recombinant virus was gotten, whose features such as growth curve were similar to those of the parental YF-17D. The results suggest that the recombinant vector pRS-YF-2A1, by introduction of heterogenous genes via 2A region, is potential to be an effective live vaccine expression vector.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Cloning, Molecular ; Cricetinae ; Epitopes ; immunology ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease ; prevention & control ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Vectors ; Recombination, Genetic ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Vaccines, Attenuated ; Viral Vaccines ; genetics ; immunology ; Yellow fever virus ; genetics ; immunology

To examine the ability of intrastriatal gene transfer of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 mediated by adenoviral vector to rescue dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD), we constructed recombinant replication-deficent adenoviral vectors carrying the gene of VEGF165 (Ad-VEGF), and injected Ad-VEGF (or Ad-LacZ and PBS as controls) into the striatum of rats 7 days after the lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine. The rat rotational behavior analysis and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemistry were performed to assess the change of dopaminergic neurons. Our results showed that the rats receiving Ad-VEGF injection displayed a significant improvement in apomorphine-induced rotational behavior and a significant preservation of TH-positive neurons and fibers compared with control animals. It is concluded that intrastriatal gene transfer by Ad-VEGF may rescue the dopaminergic neurons from degeneration in a rat model of PD.

Objective To analyze the 10-year survival outcome and failure patterns for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT),aiming to provide reference for optimized treatment for NPC.Methods Clinical data of 866 patients with NPC receiving IMRT from January 2001 to December 2008 were retrospectively analyzed.Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator.Univariate analysis was carried out by log-rank test and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards model.Results The median follow-up time was 132 months.The 10-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS),distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS),progression-free survival (PFS) and disease specific survival (DSS) were 92.0％,83.4％,75.7％ and 78.6％,respectively.A total of 210 patients died including 124 patients (59.0％) from distant metastasis,which was the primary cause of death,and 47 (22.3％) from local regional recurrence.Independent negative factors of DSS included age＞50 years (P=0.00),LDH ≥ 245 IU/L (P=0.00),Hb＜ 120 g/L (P=0.01),T2-T4 staging (P=0.00),N1-N3 staging (P=0.00) and GTV-nx＞20 cm3(P=0.00).The 10-year LRFS,DMFS and DSS of stage Ⅱ NPC patients did not significantly differ after IMRT alone and chemoradiotherapy (P=0.83,0.22,0.23).For patients with stage Ⅲ NPC,the 10-year LRFS and DSS in the chemoradiotherapy arm were significantly higher than those in the IMRT alone (P=0.01,0.01),whereas no statistical significance was observed in the DMFS between two groups (P=0.14).The overall survival of stage Ⅳa+Ⅳb NPC patients is relatively poor.Conclusions IMRT can improve the long-term survival of NPC patients.Distant metastasis is the primary failure pattern.Patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ NPC can obtain satisfactory survival outcomes after IMRT alone.The addition of chemotherapy can further enhance the LRFS and DSS of stage Ⅲ NPC patients.However,the optimal therapeutic strategy remains to be urgently investigated for stage a+ Ⅳb NPC patients.