OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and the mid-term effects of unilateral pedicle screw fixation and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in treating lumbar degenerative diseases.

METHODSFrom August 2005 to May 2010, 56 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases underwent lumbar posterolateral fusion,their clinical data were retrospective analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups (unilateral group and bilateral group) according to fixation methods,27 patients in unilateral group who were underwent unilateral pedicle screw fixation, including 18 males and 9 females with a mean age of (57.5 ± 7.1) years old (ranged from 41 to 66 years); and 29 patients in bilateral group who were treated with bilateral pedicle screw fixation (on the basis of the above, with contralateral vertebral pedicle screw fixation), including 19 males and 10 females with a mean age of (54.6 ± 5.1) years old (ranged from 43 to 68 years). The clinical data such as operation time, blood loss volume, hospitalization time and cost were compared between two groups. JOA score system was used to evaluate the neurological function. And fusion status and cage-related complication were also analyzed.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 36 to 60 months with an average of 45.8 months. No iatrogenic nerve, blood vessels or organs injury were found during operation. Operation time, blood loss volume, hospitalization time and cost in unilateral group were better than that of bilateral group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in JOA score between two groups (P > 0.05). Two patients in unilateral group developed with cage related complications, 1 case was cage displacement and 1 case was cage subsidence, while 2 patients in bilateral group developed with complications of no-fusion, and there was no significant differences between two groups (P = 0.58).

CONCLUSIONUnilateral pedicle screw fixation is a satisfactory method and can obtain good effects in treating lumbar degenerative diseases in mid-term, however, the indications should be well considered.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pedicle Screws ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

The dynamic changes of germination percentage, germination potential, thousand-seed weight, antioxidase activity in Desmodium styracifolium seeds with different storage time were tested, and electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, starch in seed leach liquor were also determined in order to reveal the mechanism of seed deterioration. The results as the following. (1) The germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds declined, while the seed coat color darkened with the extension of storage time. (2) The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) decreased with the prolongation of storage period. The SOD activity declined fastest in 1,095-1,185 d of storage, while the POD activity declined significantly in 365-395 d of storage. (3) The electrical conductivity and the contents of soluble sugar, starch in seed leach liquor increased, while the content of soluble protein declined with the extension of storage time. (4) Correlation analysis indicated that the germination percentage, germination potential and thousand-seed weight of D. styracifolium seeds have a significantly positive correlation with SOD and POD activity, while have a significantly negative correlation with the electrical conductivity, contents of soluble sugar and starch. It can be concluded that during the storage of D. styracifolium seeds, physiological and biochemical changes including decrease in antioxidase activity, rise in electrical conductivity, degradation effluent of soluble sugar and starch, degradation of soluble protein were the main factors leading to the seed deterioration.
Color ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Germination ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Seeds ; chemistry ; enzymology ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Starch ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Time Factors

Moderate drought stress has been found to promote the accumulation of active ingredients in Glycyrrhiza uralensis root and hence improve the medicinal quality. In this study, the transcriptomes of 6-month-old moderate drought stressed and control G. uralensis root (the relative water content in soil was 40%-45% and 70%-75%, respectively) were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2000. A total of 80,490 490 and 82 588 278 clean reads, 94,828 and 305,100 unigenes with N50 sequence of 1,007 and 1,125 nt were obtained in drought treated and control transcriptome, respectively. Differentially expressed genes analysis revealed that the genes of some cell wall enzymes such as β-xylosidase, legumain and GDP-L-fucose synthase were down-regulated indicating that moderate drought stress might inhibit the primary cell wall degradation and programmed cell death in root cells. The genes of some key enzymes involved in terpenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis were up-regulated by moderate drought stress might be the reason for the enhancement for the active ingredients accumulation in G. uralensis root. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of auxin, ethylene and cytokinins by moderate drought stress might enhance the root formation and cell proliferation. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid by moderate drought stress might enhance the drought stress tolerance in G. uralensis. The inhibition of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of gibberellin and brassinolide by moderate drought stress might retard the shoot growth in G. uralensis.
Droughts ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; genetics ; Plant Roots ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Stress, Physiological ; Transcriptome

Obj ectiev The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of bone metastasis on survival in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),Which were treated with gefitinib for more than 6 months,and to identify the prognostic factors of patients with NSCLC presenting bone metastasis .Methods We compared the overall survival(OS), progression-free survival(PFS),1-year2,-year and 3-year survival rates between two cohorts based on bone metastasis ,as well as the prognostic factors in the patients with bone metastasis .Results In total, 76 patients were included in the study ,in which there are44 patients with no bone metastasis and32 patients with bone metastasis.The cohorts were similar in OS (19.000 ±3.317 months vs.26.000 ±2.121 months,P =0.625)as well as PFS (14.000 ±1.843 months vs.16.000 ±1.411 months,P=0.328).The 1-year survival rate was 63.6%in no bone metastasis cohort,but was increased to 96.9%in the other cohort.The survival rates at 2 years(34.1%vs.56.3%,P=0.054)and 3 years(18.2%vs.18.4%,P=0.950)were similar.The univa-riate analysis showed that a worse prognosis was more likely existed in elderly patients ( aged >60 years) and with pulmonary progression ,whereby factors including gender ,pathology s,moking index ,brain metastases ,bone related events and the application of radiotherapy ,bisphosphonates might not be independently associated with the surviv -al late.Analysis of multiple variables indicated a favorable prognosis for patients with no pulmonary progression . Conclusion This retrospective study shows that bone metastasis may not shorten the survival in patients whose pulmonary lesion was controlled by gefitinib .On the contrary ,pulmonary progression may be more likely the cause of death in patients with bone metastasis .Non suggestion is given to discontinue gefitinib when the bone metastasis appears.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of telephone visit for discharged postpartum women.Methods Two hundred and twenty postpartum women in Hefei city were randomly selected and divided into two groups.The parturient in the control received routine guidance.In addition to the routine guidance,parturient in the experimental group received telephone visits every week for 4 weeks.The effects were evaluated in the sixth week after discharge.Results Knowledge understanding for the two groups also showed significant difference (89.3％ and 58.4％ for the experimental group and control group respectively; x2 =29.21,P＜0.01 ).Health care and quality of life were improved for the parturient in the experimental group than those in the control group ( P ＜ 0.01 ).Conclusions Telephone visit help the parturient master knowledge and skill for caring and improve their quality of life.

Objective To explore the role of white matter injuries in the schizophrenia induced by the NMDA re-ceptor antagonist. Methods Adult male C57BL/6J mice (8 week old) were equally divided into four groups. One group was sub-chronically treated with saline solution, and the other three groups were intraperitoneally treated with MK-801 at dose of 0.025 mg/mL (M1), 0.050 mg/mL (M2) and 0.100 mg/mL (M3) in a volume 10 ml per kilogram body weight. All ani-mals were tested using Morris water maze at the 9th-15th day and using the Hole Board exploration as well as Rota Rod performance tests on the 16th day. The myelin basic protein (MBP) and the ultrastructure of the myelin sheaths in the cor-pus callosum were then examined using immunohistochemical methods, transmission electron microscope technique and stereological methods. Results The repeated sub-chronic MK-801 treatment did not induce impairment of spatial learning and memory in Morris water maze. The MK-801 treatment at 0.25 mg/kg and 1.00 mg/kg but not at 0.50 mg/kg resulted in less exploration to a new environment. The myelin staining with anti-MBP antibody was less intense in all three schizo-phrenic groups when compared to saline control group (P<0.01). Furthermore, MK-801 treatment caused pathological al-terations of the myelin sheaths including segmental demyelination of myelinated fibers and splitting of myelin sheath lamel- lae in schizophrenic groups. The ratio of the injured myelinated nerve fibers in the corpus callosum of MK-801 treated mice [M3 group, (22.42 ± 4.24)%] was significantly higher when compared to the control mice [(3.84 ± 1.35)%,P<0.01)]. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the white matter damages, mainly low MBP expression and segmental demye-lization in the corpus callosum in the mice sub-chronic treated with MK-801, indicating that the white matter changes might be involved in the schizophrenia induced by NMDA antagonist.

Objective To investigate the secretory capacity and apoptosis of interleukin ( IL)-21 induced normal B cells by co-culture with serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods Serum from twenty new-onset SLE patients and 20 healthy donors were collected .CD1+9 B cells from the normal controls were co-cultured with serum from SLE patients in the presence or absence of IL-21-R-FC(4 μg/ml).Supernatant IgG and IgM concentration were measured by immunoturbidimetric assay on day 5.Supernatant anti-dsDNA level was determined by ELISA .The percentage of apoptotic cells was detected by flow cytometer.Results IgG,IgM and anti-dsDNA levels in normal B cells with SLE serum were significantly higher than those in the serum of SLE patients alone [ ( 5.84 ±1.79 ) g/L vs ( 4.25 ± 1.48)g/L,P=0.000;(0.46 ±0.21)g/L vs (0.43 ±0.21)g/L,P=0.003;(127.76 ±70.24)IU/ml vs (115.15 ±63.88) IU/ml,P=0.014 respectively].However, no significant differences were found in the group of normal B cells with non-homologous serum from normal controls (P>0.05).Supernatant IgG, IgM and anti-dsDNA levels in normal B cells with SLE serum significantly decreased while IL-21R-fusion protein was added [(5.26 ±1.62)g/L vs (5.84 ±1.79)g/L, P=0.006;(0.42 ±0.20)g/L vs (0.46 ±0.21)g/L, P=0.002;( 118.00 ±69.62 ) IU/ml vs ( 127.76 ±70.24 ) IU/ml, P =0.012 respectively ] .The apoptotic rate of B cells with SLE serum was significantly higher than that with normal serum [ ( 47.88 ± 12.65)%vs (38.86 ±10.32)%,P =0.004].But adding IL-21R-fusion conversed the apoptotic rates [(42.08 ±12.52)%vs (47.88 ±12.65)%,P=0.001].Conclusions SLE serum could induce normal B cells to form immunoglobulin secreting cells and producing autoantibodies , or apoptosis in pathological conditions.IL-21 might be considered as a potential therapeutic target of SLE .

BACKGROUND: Surgical guides designed based on a three-dimensional cone-beam CT (CBCT) model have been reported. However, CBCT cannot remodel fine soft tissue such as gums, and it can only be used to design a simple dental retainer with relatively poor stability. OBJECTIVE: To establish a high-precision three-dimensional (3D) integrated maxillodental model by matching CBCT model with 3D digital maxillodental model using 3D automatic registration method, based on which, we designed and manufactured individualized miniscrew surgical guides. METHODS: CBCT maxillodental models and laser-scanned dentition models obtained from six malocclusion cases were matched and overlapped using the 3D automatic registration method to fabricate the 3D integrated maxillodental model. Then, we accurately positioned and virtually implanted a micro-implant into the 3D integrated maxillodental model. Subsequently we prepared a high-precision individualized resin surgical guide by rapid prototyping technology. The inner diameter of the guide track was detected by a vernier caliper. Patients tried on the resin surgical guide, and then occlusion condition, guide seating and retention were detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Due to the high-precision registration of the model, all the resin surgical guide plates were suitable. The plate retention was enhanced after tooth clinching, and all the patients felt comfort when wearing the surgical guide plate, with no compression or other discomforts. The inner diameter of the guide track was (1.79±0.23) mm, and the measurement error was not statistically significant (P >0.05). These findings demonstrate that the high-precision surgical guide plate based on the high-precision 3D integrated model can provide the foundation for further investigations on the clinical application of surgical guides.

OBJECTIVETo study the accuracy the pedicle screw placement in the thoracic spine using funnel technique and free hand technique.

METHODSEight cadavers including 5 males and 3 females were analysed. The age ranged from 57 to 82 years (mean 68 years). Cadawers were randomly assigned to one of two instrumentation groups. In four cadavers, "funnel technique" was used for screw placement. In the remaining four cadavers,free hand technique then was used. Success of pedicle screw placement was judged by CT scan. The rate of success of two ways was compared using statistic analysis.

RESULTSNinety-six screws were inserted by "funnel technique" and free hand technique respectively, 84 of "funnel technique" were successful, and 73 of free hand technique were successful. Significant differences were found between two ways (P < 0.05). Chanciness tresis occurred in "funnel technique" on 2 screws and free hand technique on 9 screws. There were significant differences in rates of chanciness tresis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFunnel technique is simple, safe and cost-effective alternative to any other thchnique for pedicle screw placement in thoracic spine,funnel technique is able to reduce the chance of critical injury of nerve root and dura.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between pain and knee function after the internal fixation of femoral fractures.

METHODSThe clinical data of 73 patients after internal fixation on femoral fractures from June 2006 to December 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of postoperative pain: low score group and high score group. Among the 39 patients in low score group (VAS 1 to 5 point), 25 patients were male and 14 patients were female, with a mean age of (37.5 +/- 5.3) years (ranged from 27 to 63 years ). Among 34 patients in high score group (VAS 6 to 10 point), 22 patients were male and 12 patients were female, with a mean age of (36.3 +/- 9.6) years (ranged from 29 to 62 years). The intra-articular pressure of knee and hospital for special surgery knee rating scale (HSS) were recorded and analyzed.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up for an average duration of 24.1 months. The intra-articular pressure of knee was rising for two groups, there were significant difference for the high score group compared with the low score group at 3 days after operation (t=15.67, P=0.000) and the end time of follow up (t=5.63, P=0.000). As to knee joint function, in low score group, 21 patients got an excellent result, 4 good, 7 poor and 2 bad; in high score group, 31 patients got an excellent result, 6 good, 2 poor and no bad. The knee function of low score group was better than that of high score group.

CONCLUSIONThe intra-articular pressure of knee is an important factor of the knee functional recovery, and its external symptoms of pain can be seen as an important index to forecast the prognosins of knee function in early time.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Femoral Fractures ; surgery ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; physiopathology