BACKGROUND: Due to lack of the distribution of vessels and nerve, self-repairing capability of articular cartilage tissue is poor after inflammatory erosion.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of melatonin combined with compound betamethasone on the articular cartilage of osteoarthritis (OA) in rats.METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats received intra-articular injection of papain solution for establishing knee OA models.Meanwhile, 20 of them underwent constant intensive light condition for establishing pinealectomy models. Ten rats that under pinealectomy were administered melatonin combined with compound betamethasone. Another 10 normal control rats receiving no treatment served as controls. After 4 weeks of treatment, serum melatonin concentrations at 2 a.m. (highest melatonin concentration within circadian rhythms) and 2 p.m. (lowest melatonin concentration within circadian rhythms) were detected by ELISA. At the same time, all rats were sacrificed to collect femoral condyle cartilage for gross observation.After decalcification and toluidine blue staining, articular cartilage lesions were evaluated based on Mankin scores.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After OA model was created, cartilage surface was uneven, lost their luster, the chondrocytes were poorly arranged, severe loss of staining was observed, serum level of melatonin was decreased, and circadian change was unobvious. Constant intensive light condition further aggravated cartilage damage. After treatment by melatonin combined with compound betamethasone, softened cartilage disappeared, there were more regular chondrocytes arrangement, and dispersed chondrocytes and loss of staining were gradually decreased. In addition, there was significant difference in Mankin scores of toludine blue staining among groups (P ＜ 0.05). These findings indicate that melatonin combined with compound betamethasone can restrain the progression of cartilage damage.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with percutaneous vertebroplasty, the efficacy and safety of bone cement injection by unipedicular and bipedicular approaches are still controversial. Some studies suggest that bone cement injection via unipedicular approach can shorten operation time and reduce postoperative complications, while the other studies suggest that bone cement injection via bipedicular approach can make bone cement distribute more evenly in the vertebral body and relieve pain better. OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the efficacy and safety of percutaneous vertebroplasty via unipedicular versus bipedicular approach in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials about unipedicular versus bipedicular percutaneous vertebroplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture published before September 18 t h, 2018 were retrieved in the PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, WanFang data and CBM. Two researchers independently screened all the literatures, carried out data extraction and used improved Jadad to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis using Revam 5.3 was conducted. Egger's test was utilized to evaluate the publication bias. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Totally 14 randomized controlled trials including 900 cases were eventually included, 452 cases in unipedicular approach group and 448 cases in bipedicular approach group. The Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the bipedicular approach, the unipedicular approach required shorter operation time [weighted mean difference (WMD) =-16.59, 95％ confidence interval (CI) (-19.25, -13.94), P < 0.001], smaller amount of bone cement injected [WMD=-1.27, 95％ CI (-1.64, -0.89), P < 0.001], and had lower incidence of cement leakage [relative risk=0.70, 95％ CI (0.53, 0.92), P =0.01]. There were no significant differences in short-and long-term Visual Analogue Scale scores, short-and long-term Oswestry Disability Index scores, and the postoperative incidence of adjacent vertebral fractures between the two groups (P> 0.05). Overall, bone cement injection both via bipedicular and unipedicular approaches can lead to a significant improvement in pain relief and living quality of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture patients, but bone cement injection via unipedicular approach can shorten operation time, reduce cement volume and lower the incidence of cement leakage compared with the bipedicular approach.

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) is not adequately addressed by current treatment methods, making the exploration of effective management strategies a topic of significant interest. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seem to be a potential way for managing BCP, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this potential treatment. Methods: We established the male C57BL/6 mice BCP models. Behavioral tests, X-ray, bone histology, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to verify the analgesic effect of BMSCs. Results: Intramedullary injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the femur successfully generated the mice BCP models. The number of c-Fos-positive neurons and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins in the spinal dorsal horn of the BCP mice increased. Intrathecal injection of BMSCs temporarily improved the BCP mice’s mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to inhibiting spinal microglia and p-p38 MAPK activation. The analgesic effect of BMSCs may be related to the homing effect mediated by CXCR4. Conclusions Intrathecal injection of BMSCs can temporarily inhibit mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in BCP mice without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to the inhibition of p-p38 protein expression and the inhibition of microglia but not to p-ERK and p-JNK.

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) is not adequately addressed by current treatment methods, making the exploration of effective management strategies a topic of significant interest. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seem to be a potential way for managing BCP, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this potential treatment. Methods: We established the male C57BL/6 mice BCP models. Behavioral tests, X-ray, bone histology, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to verify the analgesic effect of BMSCs. Results: Intramedullary injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the femur successfully generated the mice BCP models. The number of c-Fos-positive neurons and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins in the spinal dorsal horn of the BCP mice increased. Intrathecal injection of BMSCs temporarily improved the BCP mice’s mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to inhibiting spinal microglia and p-p38 MAPK activation. The analgesic effect of BMSCs may be related to the homing effect mediated by CXCR4. Conclusions Intrathecal injection of BMSCs can temporarily inhibit mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in BCP mice without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to the inhibition of p-p38 protein expression and the inhibition of microglia but not to p-ERK and p-JNK.

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) is not adequately addressed by current treatment methods, making the exploration of effective management strategies a topic of significant interest. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seem to be a potential way for managing BCP, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this potential treatment. Methods: We established the male C57BL/6 mice BCP models. Behavioral tests, X-ray, bone histology, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to verify the analgesic effect of BMSCs. Results: Intramedullary injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the femur successfully generated the mice BCP models. The number of c-Fos-positive neurons and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins in the spinal dorsal horn of the BCP mice increased. Intrathecal injection of BMSCs temporarily improved the BCP mice’s mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to inhibiting spinal microglia and p-p38 MAPK activation. The analgesic effect of BMSCs may be related to the homing effect mediated by CXCR4. Conclusions Intrathecal injection of BMSCs can temporarily inhibit mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in BCP mice without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to the inhibition of p-p38 protein expression and the inhibition of microglia but not to p-ERK and p-JNK.

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) is not adequately addressed by current treatment methods, making the exploration of effective management strategies a topic of significant interest. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seem to be a potential way for managing BCP, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this potential treatment. Methods: We established the male C57BL/6 mice BCP models. Behavioral tests, X-ray, bone histology, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to verify the analgesic effect of BMSCs. Results: Intramedullary injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the femur successfully generated the mice BCP models. The number of c-Fos-positive neurons and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins in the spinal dorsal horn of the BCP mice increased. Intrathecal injection of BMSCs temporarily improved the BCP mice’s mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to inhibiting spinal microglia and p-p38 MAPK activation. The analgesic effect of BMSCs may be related to the homing effect mediated by CXCR4. Conclusions Intrathecal injection of BMSCs can temporarily inhibit mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in BCP mice without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to the inhibition of p-p38 protein expression and the inhibition of microglia but not to p-ERK and p-JNK.

Background: Bone cancer pain (BCP) is not adequately addressed by current treatment methods, making the exploration of effective management strategies a topic of significant interest. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) seem to be a potential way for managing BCP, yet little is known about the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this potential treatment. Methods: We established the male C57BL/6 mice BCP models. Behavioral tests, X-ray, bone histology, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to verify the analgesic effect of BMSCs. Results: Intramedullary injection of Lewis lung carcinoma cells into the femur successfully generated the mice BCP models. The number of c-Fos-positive neurons and phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) proteins in the spinal dorsal horn of the BCP mice increased. Intrathecal injection of BMSCs temporarily improved the BCP mice’s mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to inhibiting spinal microglia and p-p38 MAPK activation. The analgesic effect of BMSCs may be related to the homing effect mediated by CXCR4. Conclusions Intrathecal injection of BMSCs can temporarily inhibit mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in BCP mice without affecting motor function. This effect may be related to the inhibition of p-p38 protein expression and the inhibition of microglia but not to p-ERK and p-JNK.

Objective:To investigate the short-term outcomes of robot-assisted pancreato-duodenectomy (RPD) performed by one single surgeon.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinico-pathological data of 240 patients who were performed RPD by one single surgeon at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from July 2016 to October 2023 were collected. There were 130 males and 110 females, aged 59(19)years. All RPD were performed by the same surgeon. Observation indicators: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative pathological examination and outcome of patients. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were expressed as M(IQR). Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages. Results:(1) Surgical situations. Of 240 patients, 15 cases underwent combined vascular resection and reconstruction, and 13 patients were combined with other operations simultaneously. Of 240 patients, 4 cases converted to open surgery, with the conversion rate as 1.67%. The operation time of 240 patients was 458(152)minutes, volume of intraopera-tive blood loss was 50(50)mL, intraoperative erythrocyte transfusion was required in 17 patients. The R 0 resection rate was 99.17%(238/240), the number of lymph nodes harvested was 10(6) and duration of postoperative hospital stay was 17(12)days. (2) Postoperative pathological examination and outcome of patients. Of 240 patients, 51 cases were pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, 41 cases were ampullary carcinoma, 41 cases were neuroendocrine neoplasms, 35 cases were pancreatic cystic neoplasms, 28 cases were duodenal carcinoma and 44 cases were other pathologic types. Of 99 patients with major complications, there were 57 cases with clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula, 44 cases with postoperative delayed gastric empty, 11 cases with postoperative biliary fistula, 8 cases with postoperative chyle fistula, 14 cases with incision infec-tion, and 24 cases with postoperative hemorrhage. Multiple complications might occur to the same patient. Reoperation was performed in 6 of the 240 patients. One patient died within 30 days after surgery. Twenty-four patients returned to hospital within 30 days after discharge. Conclusions:RPD performed by one single surgeon is safe and feasible, with favorable short-term outcomes, which can be performed in medical centers with experiences in robot-assisted pancreatic surgery.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and short-term efficacy of robotic-assisted resection for Bismuth-Corlette type Ⅲ and Ⅳ perihilar cholangiocarcinoma in Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery,The First Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University Methods:The clinical data of Bismuth-Corlette type Ⅲ and Ⅳ perihilar cholangiocarcinoma patients who have undergone robotic-assisted resection at The First Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University between July 2017 and May 2023 were retrospectively studied.The clinicopathological features and perioperative outcomes of the patients were analyzed. Results:A total of 9 patients with Bismuth-Corlette type Ⅲ or Ⅳ perihilar cholangiocarcinoma,including 4 type Ⅲa patients,4 type Ⅲ b patients and 1 type Ⅳ patient,received robotic-assisted resection.1 patient converted to open surgery.The median operation time was 645 min[interquartile range(IQR):554-745 min],the median intraoperative blood loss was 300 mL(IQR:150-650 mL),and the median number of lymph node retrieval was 11(IQR:6-12).7 patients(77.8％)had R0 resection.5 patients(55.6％)had postoperative major complications(Clavein-Dindo classification was Ⅲ-Ⅴ),including intra-abdominal infection in 2 patients,liver function failure in 2 patients and upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 1 patient.1 patient underwent reoperation for the jejuno-jejunostomy bleeding 19 d after the initial operation and achieved good recovery.1 patient died within 30 d after initial operation due to liver function failure.The median length of postoperative hospital stay was 18 d(IQR:10-32 d). Conclusion:Robotic-assisted resection for Bismuth-Corlette type Ⅲ and Ⅳ perihilar cholangio-carcinoma is technically feasible and safe with good short-term efficacy,and can be performed in large-volume centers with ample experience in robotic-assisted hepatopancreatobiliary surgery.