BACKGROUND:In recent years, stem cel therapy for early osteonecrosis of the femoral head has become an alternative method, but the quality of stem cels is a key to the therapeutic outcomes. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the proliferative ability and directional differentiation ability of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in a rat model of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis. METHODS:Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and observation groups with ten in each group. An animal model of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis was built in the observation group, and then bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels from rats in both two groups were isolated and cultured. Cel counting kit-8 was used to detect proliferation of passage 3 cels. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels at passage 3 were selected in the two groups for osteogenic and adipogenic induction. Alkaline phosphatase staining and alizarin red staining were adopted at 7 and 14 days of osteogenic induction, and oil red O staining as performed at 21 days of adipogenic induction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The absorbance values of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels were lower in the observation group than the control group at 1, 3, 5 days of culture, but there was no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Until the 7th day of culture, the absorbance value and alkaline phosphatase activity in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionaly, there were fewer calcium nodules and lipid droplets in the observation group compared with the control group. These findings suggest that the proliferative ability and directional differentiation ability of autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels from a rat model of steroid-induced femoral head necrosis are both decreased.

Objective: To explore the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 76 patients with OVCF treated with single and double pedicle approach PVP from April 2016 to June 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of He′nan University was conducted.According to the operation method, the patients were divided into unilateral group (42 patients, unilateral pedicle approach), and bilateral group (34 cases, bilateral pedicle approach). The operation time, number of intraoperative X-rays, amount of bone cement injection, height of the vertebral body and the complications were compared between the two groups.The visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry dysfunction index(ODI) score were used to assess the recovery of the patients. Results: The unilateral group had less operative time[(33.01±3.78)min], intraoperative X-ray number[(22.06±3.85) times]and bone cement injection[(3.53±0.42) mL] compared with the bilateral group (t=8.54, 5.98, 4.74, all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the recovery of vertebral height and complications between the two groups (all P>0.05). The postoperative VAS and ODI of the two groups were significantly improved compared with those before operation (all P<0.05). Conclusion In the case of reasonable indications, the unilateral approach PVP is better than bilateral, and unilateral approach PVP should be the first choice for OVCF.