Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of postural reduction combined with miniincision screw-rod system and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in treating osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures.Methods A retrospective case series study was performed for data of 35 patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures without neurological deficits undergone mini-incision screw-rod system fixation and PKP between January 2012 and January 2014.There were 14 males and 21 females,with a mean age of 63.2 years (range,50-72 years).Operation time,intraoperative blood loss,complications,visual analogue score (VAS),height of fractured vertebrae and kyphosis Cobb angle were recorded.Results Operation time was (49.6 ± 6.8) min,and intraoperative blood loss was (45.6 ±7.8)ml.All patients were followed up for 9-18 months (mean,13.5 months).No intraoperative or postoperative serious complications occurred,including intracanal cement leakage,breakage or loosening of the screws.VAS of back pain was decreased from (8.4 ± 1.1)points preoperatively to (3.5 ± 0.6)points postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).Height of the fractured vertebrae was improved from (49.62％ ± 5.68)％ preoperatively to (86.64 ± 6.63) ％ postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).Kyphosis Cobb angle was improved from (28.12 ± 1.06) °preoperatively to (5.15 ± 1.08) °postoperatively (P ＜0.05).At the final follow-up,VAS was further decrease and vertebral height and Cobb’ s showed a slight loss of correction.Conclusion Postural reduction combined with mini-incision screw-rod system and PKP can relieve back pain,restore the height of injured vertebrae,correct kyphotic deformity and reduce operation time and blood loss,indicating a minimally invasive,safe and effective procedure for treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures.

Gram-positive cocci are one of the important pathogens that cause diseases such as skin and skin soft tissue infections, bacterial otitis media, sinusitis, tonsillopharyngitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, sepsis, central nervous system infections, osteoarthritis suppurative infections, partial abdominal cavity and urinary tract infections in children.The clinical treatment of Gram-positive cocci infections is faced with challenges of a large number of infected children, an increasing antimicrobial resistance rate and the appearance of multi-drug resistance.In this article, the current status, drug resistance and treatment burden of Gram-positive cocci infections in children were mainly discussed.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach plus percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series study was used to analyze the clinical data of 56 patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture admitted to Ningbo No.6 Hospital from January 2018 to February 2021, including 24 males and 32 females; aged 56-72 years [(63.5±4.6)years]. All patients underwent short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach combined with PKP through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, hospitalization day and surgery-related complications were recorded. The visual analogue score (VAS) of back pain, ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle were compared before operation, at postoperative 2 days and at the final follow-up.Results:All patients were followed up for 12-28 months [(14.5±2.2)months]. The operation time was 55-85 minutes [(62.0±12.1)minutes], intraoperative blood loss was 80-150 ml [(94.0±18.5)ml], and hospitalization day was 5-9 days [(7.4±1.1)days]. Based on CT examination at postoperative 2 days, there were 2 patients with paravertebral cement leakage, 2 with intervertebral space leakage and 1 with intracanal leakage, but none reported associated clinical symptoms. No implant failure or fractures of adjacent segments was detected during the follow-up period. The VAS was significantly decreased from preoperative (7.5±1.2)points to (3.2±0.8)points at postoperative 2 days ( P<0.01), and the score was further lowered to (2.2±0.8)points at the final follow-up when compared with that at postoperative 2 days ( P<0.01). The ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle were significantly improved at postoperative 2 days [(89.5±13.2)%, (85.8±7.9)%, (89.5±9.0)% and (5.6±3.2)°] when compared with those before operation [(48.9±11.8)%, (61.9±11.9)%, (79.9±9.8)% and (26.3±5.6)°] (all P<0.01). Slight losses were observed in the ratios of the anterior, middle and posterior height of the fractured vertebrae and kyphotic Cobb angle at the final follow-up [(87.0±12.7)%, (82.1±7.8)%, (88.6±10.0)% and (5.4±3.2)°], but not significantly different from those at postoperative 2 days (all P>0.05). Conclusion:Short-segment fixation covering the fractured vertebrae via posterior intermuscular approach plus PKP through the outer upper edge of the base of the fractured vertebral pedicle can safely and effectively treat osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fracture, for it can significantly improve back pain, restore the height of the fractured vertebrae and correct the kyphotic deformity.

Objective:Objectives The aim of the study is to evaluate the mechanical performance, safety and efficacy of the novel robotic-assistant flexible ureteroscopy system (Ra-fURS) under in vitro and in vivo environments.Methods:Combing with commercial flexible ureteroscopes, the novel Ra-fURS was used for the in vitro test and animal model operation in October 2020. The study included three sections. ①Basic mechanical performance assessment: including endoscope motion control (dual deflection, axial rotation and forward/backward distance), reaction time and fiber regulation. ②Simulated surgery in ex-vivo 3D-printing renal collecting system model: including completion rate and time of calyxes exploration, directional movement and laser fragmentation [gypsum models (0.5×0.5×0.5 cm) were used to stimulate kidney stones]. ③Intrarenal surgeries in animal models (two 5-month female Yorkshire white pigs). In total, 32 surgeries was performed (8 surgeons × 2 pigs × 2 kidneys/pig). In vivo assessments were carried out including: ①consuming time for Ra-fURS installation and offloading; ②completion rate and time of calyxes exploration; ③comfort score (ranging from 0-10) as compared to the manual f-URS, which was corresponding to each Ra-fURS surgery. In simulated surgery and animal surgery sections, 8 surgeons were enrolled in the study (group A 4 without flexible ureteroscopy experience; group B: 4 highly experienced), and results were compared between two groups.Results:Under the Ra-fURS control, the flexible ureteroscope movement in three degrees of freedom (forward / backward: + 11 to -11 cm, axial rotation + 225°to -225°; active duel-flection: + 270°to -270°, as well as the laser fiber regulation + 2.5 to -2.5 cm). In simulated surgery tests, both groups achieved 100% completion rate of calyxes exploration, and there were no statistical differences in the time of the calyxes exploration between group A and group B (116.0±8.0)s vs.(110.3±15.4)s( P>0.05). Time-consumption for laser fragmentation of group B was shorter than that of group A (525.8±58.5)s vs. (780.5±141.2)s( P<0.01). In animal surgery, the installation time of Ra-fURS gradually shortened within the first 7 cases was(234.0±43.0)s, and became comparable in the later 8-32 cases was(149.3±8.0)s. The average uninstall time was (43.9 ±5.9)s and was relatively stable. There were 51 renal calyxes in two pigs. It was higher for the completion rate of calyxes exploration in group B than in group A [(95.5±9.1)% vs. (59.1±9.1)%, P<0.05], and the exploration time was also statistically variant between the two groups group A and group B[(274.8±34.6)s vs.(127.3±18.2)s, P<0.05]. For all the operators, the comfort scores were favorable to the Ra-fURS as compared to the manual f-URS (8.9±0.3 vs. 5.9±1.1, P<0.05). Conclusions:This preliminary study demonstrated that the novel Ra-fURS was capable of controlling flexible ureteroscope to perform retrograde intrarenal surgery and fragmenting stones with laser. Besides, other features, including easy installation, stable performance and comfortable manipulating environment, made it easy to use in clinical application.

Objective To study the effect of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) in the differential diagnosis of hydronephrosis and pyonephrosis.Methods From March 2015 to October 2017,50 patients with renal stone and highly suspected infectious hydronephrosis underwent renal DW-MRI,and clinical materials were collected and analyzed retrospectively.Seventeen male and 33 female patients were enrolled with a mean age of (49.40 ±-10.51) years.The median maximum diameter of renal stone was 30.30 (17.38,56.01) mm and hydronephrosis was 46.39 (34.33,56.55) mm.No pyonephrosis was diagnosed by preoperative ultrasound or CT,while 29 cases of hydronephrosis and 21 cases of pyonephrosis were reported by preoperative DW-MRI.Final diagnoses of hydronephrosis and pyonephrosis were made according to whether the pelvic urine drainage was purulent or not during the surgery.DW-MRI reports and characteristics of DW images were analyzed retrospectively.Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated and ADC map constructed,which was compared between the two groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn to analyze the area under curve (AUC) and the optimal cutoff of ADC value,with sensitivity and specificity.Results Thirty-three patients of hydronephrosis and 17 pyonephrosis were confirmed intraoperatively.The overall accuracy of diagnosis using DW-MRI was 84.00％ (42/50),with sensitivity of 88.24％ (15/17) and specificity of 81.82％ (27/33).Among 30 patients who underwent CT scan in our hospital,mean CT value of 18 hydronephrosis was (7.03 ± 3.26)HU and that of 12 pyonephrosis was (8.67 ± 3.52) HU,with no statistical significance (P ＞ 0.05).On DW image,when b ≥ 500 s/mm2,hydronephrosis signal intensity was lowered apparently,whereas pyonephrosis signal intensity was intensified.On ADC map,hydronephrosis appeared as hyperintensity,whereas pyonephrosis appeared as hypointensity.The mean ADC value of pyonephrosis group was lower than hydronephrosis group [(1.53 ±0.58) × 10-3 mm2/s vs.(2.86 ±0.56) × 10-3 mm2/s,p ＜0.01].ROC analysis revealed that AUC =0.92 (95％ CI 0.80-0.98),and the cut-off value of ADC for pyonephrosis diagnosis was 1.39 × 10-3 mm2/s,of which the sensitivity and specificity was 94.12％ and 84.85％ respectively.Conclusions Signal of pyonephrosis was enhanced on DW image,while decreased on ADC image.The ADC value of pyonephrosis was much lower than that of hydronephrosis,with which the differential diagnosis between pyonephrosis and hydronephrosis could be made efficiently.

Objective: To summarize the initial experience of flexible ureteroscopy combined with thulium laser for the treatment of high-risk upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) in patients with solitary kidney or renal insufficiency. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 5 cases of UTUC with solitary kidney or renal insufficiency treated via flexible ureteroscopy combined with thulium laser from May 2016 to November 2018. Patients consisted of 4 cases of left side tumor, 1 case of right side tumor, with median age of 73 years old(ranging 53-87 years old). Among the 5 cases, 3 were solitary kidney with renal pelvis tumors, 2 cases were renal insufficiency accompanied with proximal ureter or renal pelvis tumor. All the patients had tumors large than 2 cm in diameter. The creatine in 3 cases with solitary kidney was 102, 128, 143μmol/L, respectively. The creatine in 2 cases with renal insufficiency was 281, 179μmol/L, respectively. Variable hydronephrosis was noticed in all paients. The cytological examination could reveal tumor cells in all cases. During the operation, part of tumor tissues were resected for pathological examination and the remaining visible tumor tissue was all ablated and vaporized. As there was no obvious residual tumor tissue, double J stent was retained. Patients were regularly reexamined after surgery. Results: Of the 5 cases, 4 patients were successfully performed, while intraoperative bleeding occurred in 1 case. The operation was suspended after indwelling double J stent. Then, the renal artery interventional embolism was performed after ineffective conservative treatment, and the bleeding was well controlled. One month later, the patient was treated with thulium laser tumor ablation and vaporizaiton under flexible ureteroscopy again. The pathology of all cases was high-grade invasive urinary epithelial carcinoma. Patients were followed up with regular imaging and endoscopic examination. The median follow-up period was 19 (4-26) months, during which 4 cases had local recurrence, one patient died of non-tumor factors. No recurrence of urothelial carcinoma occurred in the bladder during follow-up, the overall recurrence rate was 80%, and the median recurrence time was 6 (1-24) months. Patients with recurrence was treated with thulium laser tumor ablation and vaporizaiton under flexible ureteroscopy again. Conclusions Flexible ureteroscopy combined with thulium laser is an alternative treatment for high-risk upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in patients with solitary kidney or renal insufficiency, while with high tumor recurrence rate. Therefore, a stringent imaging and endoscopic follow-up should carry out postoperatively.

Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of a new classification system for atlas fractures based on pre- and post-treatment CT features, with a focus on diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 cases of cervical vertebra fractures treated at the Sixth Hospital of Ningbo City between January 2015 and December 2020. The study included 44 males and 31 females, with an average age of 53.3±13.0 years (range: 27-81 years). The fractures were classified according to the Landells classification, resulting in 12 cases of type I, 13 cases of type II, 33 cases of type III, 9 cases that were difficult to classify due to fracture lines located at anatomical junctions, and 8 cases that could not be classified using the Landells classification due to diverse injury mechanisms. To establish a new preliminary classification for cervical vertebra fractures, the researchers considered whether the fracture line in the CT images involved the facet joint surface of the atlas, the impact on bilateral half-rings, and the displacement distance of the fracture ends. Five spinal surgeons were randomly selected to classify the CT images of the 75 patients using the new classification method. After one month, the imaging data of the 75 cases of cervical vertebra fractures were randomized and reclassified to assess the reliability and repeatability of the classification.Results:The new cervical vertebra fracture classification method comprised three types based on whether the fracture line involved the facet joint surface of the atlas: type A (no involvement of the facet joint surface of the atlas), type B (involvement of one side of the facet joint surface with intact contralateral half-ring), and type C (involvement of one side of the facet joint surface with fractured contralateral half-ring). Additionally, based on the maximum displacement distance between the fracture ends (>4 mm), six subtypes were identified: subtype 1 (≤4 mm displacement) and subtype 2 (>4 mm displacement). Consequently, the subtypes were classified as A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. According to the new classification method, the 75 patients included 17 cases of A1, 12 cases of A2, 7 cases of B1, 13 cases of B2, 12 cases of C1, and 14 cases of C2. The classification demonstrated excellent consistency, as assessed by the five doctors, with Kappa values of 0.85 and 0.91 for reliability and repeatability, respectively. At the final follow-up, all conservatively treated patients achieved bone healing, while four surgically treated patients experienced non-union of the fracture ends but exhibited good fusion between the atlas and axis. The remaining surgically treated patients achieved bony union without complications such as loosening or fracture of internal fixation.Conclusion:The new cervical vertebra fracture classification method, based on CT imaging features, comprehensively covers common clinical cases of cervical vertebra fractures and demonstrates excellent consistency. It provides valuable clinical guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical vertebra fractures.

Objective:To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with the progression of synovitis in RA by using bioinformatics analysis and explore the effects of DMARDs such as methotrexate, tocilizumab and rituximab on the DEGs in RA synovium.Methods:RA expression profile microarray data GSE7307、GSE12021、GSE55457、GSE55235、GSE77298、GSE89408 were acquired from the public gene chip database (GEO), including 113 synovial tissue samples from RA and 70 healthy controls (HC). At the same time, synovial expression microarrays GSE45867, GSE24742 and GSE97165 after DMARDs treatment were obtained. These data included 8 samples treated with methotrexate, 12 treated with tocilizumab, 12 treated with rituximab and 19 treated with combined tDMARDs. R software was used to screen DEGs and Venn plots using gene ontology function enrichment and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis. Hub genes were selected by STRING online analysis tool and Cytoscape software.Results:Compared with HC, 797 DEGs were up-regulated and 434 DEGs were down-regulated in the synovial tissue of RA. These DEGs were mainly enriched in T cell activation, immune response-activating cell surface receptor signaling pathway. Using Cytoscape and cytoHubba to obtain 5 sets of DEGs based on the STRING database model, the degree algorithm screened out 10 hub genes: LCK, SYK, PTPRC, HLA-DRA, LYN, NCAPG, TOP2A, JUN, CXCR4, CCNB1. Methotrexate treatment significantly up-regulated 20 DEGs and down-regulated 30 DEGs. Rituximab treatment up-regulated 100 DEGs and down-regulated 55 DEGs. Tocilizumab treatment up-regulated 91 DEGs and down-regulated 317 DEGs. These altered DEGs were enriched in regulating cell adhesion, leukocyte-cell adhesion, leukocyte transfer, and insulin-like growth factor receptor signaling pathways. It was worth noting that after treatment, a total of 306 high-expressing DEGs were down-regulated, and 36 low-expressing DEGs were up-regulated.Conclusion:LCK, insulin-like growth factor receptor signaling pathway, etc. are the responsible molecular mechanisms and key pivot genes for the occurrence and development of RA, and the treatment of DMARDs, which are closely related to the response of RA to the treatment of DMARDs.