BACKGROUND:Elderly patients with degenerative lumbar degeneration often appear insufficient holding power of pedicle screw in spine surgery, which is prone to occur de-pinning and leads to insecure fixation. How to increase the holding power of screws has become a hot research. OBJECTIVE:To observe the early clinical effect of pedicle screws with cement augmentation for treating lumbar degenerative diseases in elderly patients. METHODS:A total of 65 old patients with lumbar degenerative diseases received a treatment between August 2012 and April 2014, and were divided into two groups according to the treatment strategy:treatment group (n=24;internal fixation of pedicle screws with cement augmentation) and control group (n=41;routine internal fixation of pedicle screws). General conditions of patients in two groups were observed and compared. Visual analog scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score system were used for evaluating the lumbar and back pain, and restoration of neurological function in lower limbs respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Al of the patients successful y received the surgery and then were fol owed up from 3 to 20 months. The anterioposterior and lateral X-ray film revealed no loosening, loss, fracture of the screws, and no loss of intervetebral space height was found. There was no significant difference in the blood loss and hospital stay between two groups (P>0.05). JOA at postoperative 3 and 6 months, and VAS score at postoperative 3 months were significantly improved after the treatment of pedicle screws with cement augmentation, when compared to control group (P<0.05). VAS scores showed no difference at 6 months postoperatively in two groups (P>0.05). Pedicle screws with cement augmentation for treating lumbar degenerative diseases have the advantages of improving the screws holding strength, reconstructing the stability of lumbar vertebra and obtaining clinical efficacy on degenerative spine.

Objective To detect the expressions of Lingo-1 and myelin associated protein in the white matter and hippocampus of ovariectomized rats after short-term estrogen replacement therapy in order to explore the possible mechanisms for the effects of estrogen on the brain myelin sheaths and cognitive function.Methods 24 middleaged (9-12 months) female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were bilaterally ovariectomized (OVX) and randomly divided into vehicle replacement (OVX+Veh) group and estrogen replacement (OVX+E) group.After one month ERT,The spatial learning and memory ability of all rats were assessed with Morris water maze.Then,10 rats were randomly selected from each group.The ultrastucture of myelin sheaths in the cerebral white matter and hippocampus were observed,and the protein expression of MBP and Lingo-1 were investigated with Western blot and immunohistochemical staining.Results The escape latencies of OVX+E rats in navigation test were significantly shorter than that of OVX+Veh rats(P＜0.05).The myelin sheaths in the white matter and hippocampus of OVX+Veh rats showed obviously degeneration.In the OVX+E group,the expression of MBP in the white matter and hippocampus was significantly higher than that of OVX+Veh group(P＜0.05),however,the expression of Lingo-1 was significantly lower than that of OVX +Veh group (P＜ 0.05).Conclusions One-month ERT has significant beneficial effects on the spatial learning capacity and myelin sheaths in the white matter and hippocampus.The protective effects may be related to estrogen-induced downregulation of the Lingo-1 expression in the white matter and hippocampus of rats.

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.

Blended teaching can promote the learning engagement of students and enhance their experience by combining online independent learning and offline class learning. We applied blended teaching in the course of Histology and Embryology in the large class of 147 nursing undergraduates in Chongqing Medical University. First, the teaching method was designed by a pre-course survey, and online resources were constructed. Second, students' online learning activities and group discussions were guided by a learning map. Then, flipped classes were carried out in offline class hours. Finally, an end-of-course survey and final exam scores were used evaluate the effectiveness of blended teaching. A total of 142 valid questionnaires were returned; 123 students (86.6%) approved of the effectiveness of blended teaching, 133 students (93.7%) showed improved abilities in various aspects, and 79 students (55.6%) were able to complete their online learning tasks in fewer hours than required for face-to-face lectures. The final exam results showed that the average score of blended teaching class increased by 3.5 points compared with that of the traditional face-to-face lecture class. In conclusion, blended teaching in Histology and Embryology in the large class can achieve good learning and teaching effects and thus holds promise for application.

The data of a case of congenital subglottic stenosis (C-SGS) who underwent slide laryngotracheoplasty in the Center for Respiratory Intervention, Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University in December 2021 was analyzed retrospectively.The patient was a girl aged 2 months and 15 days.She visited the hospital 23 days after tracheotomy due to dyspnea for more than 2 months.The bronchoscopy and annular cartilage B ultrasound results suggested subglottic stenosis and no scar hyperplasia.Based on the medical history, the child was diagnosed with C-SGS.Slide laryngotracheoplasty was performed 2 weeks after admission, and the tracheotomy tube was removed after surgery.The child was followed up 2 months after surgery, and she recovered well with no dyspnea.The study results suggest that early and safe slide laryngotracheoplasty after definite diagnosis can provide immediate and sufficient airway space for C-SGS patients, and protect their voice and swallowing function.

Histology teaching requires a combination of theory and experiment for a better understanding of microstructure and related functions of body.On the basis of the comparison and summary of the advantages and limitations of traditional light microscopy tissue slices and the emerging digital slicing,we combined them in the teaching of micromorphology experiments to achieve a better teaching results.Each experimental course (about 3 to 4 hours) was divided into four parts:teaching videos,observation of light microscopy tissue slices and digital slicing,discussion on course content and random quizzes.This teaching method contributed to the improvement of the students' interest and motivation in learning,the teachers' teaching efficiency and the overall teaching quality.