BACKGROUND:Atlantal lateral mass screw fixation contains lateral mass screw fixation under the posterior arch of the atlas and lateral mass screw fixation via the posterior arch of atlas (also cal ed atlas pedicle screw fixation) according to different insertion points. The two methods have their advantages and disadvantages. There are lacks of the comparative studies on bony anatomy feasibility by two kinds of atlantal lateral mass screw fixation.
OBJECTIVE:To compare the feasibility associated with two kinds of atlantal lateral mass screw fixations taking Chinese data of atlantal bony anatomy as evidence.
METHODS:Data of CT scans in 30 adults with cervical spondylosis (60 sides) were col ected, and data were reconstructed using CT workstation. We measured key bone anatomy structure after atlantal lateral mass screw fixation. The atlantal lateral mass was suitable for lateral mass screw fixation via the posterior arch of atlas if its height and width of vertebral artery groove at the posterior arch ≥ 4 mm. It was suitable for lateral mass screw fixation under the posterior arch of the atlas if the height of posterior arch of atlas lateral mass ≥ 4 mm.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The height of vertebral artery groove at the posterior arch was (4.54±1.17) mm. The width of vertebral artery groove at the posterior arch was (8.69±1.12) mm. The height of posterior arch of atlas lateral mass was (4.98±1.07) mm. There were 41 cases with the height of vertebral artery groove at the posterior arch>4 mm (suitable for lateral mass screw fixation via the posterior arch of atlas, occupying 68%. There were 52 cases with the height of posterior arch of atlas lateral mass>4 mm (suitable for lateral mass screw fixation under the posterior arch of the atlas), occupying 87%. There were significant differences in the differences between the two groups (P<0.05). These results indicated that lateral mass screw fixation under the posterior arch of the atlas was more feasible compared with lateral mass screw fixation via the posterior arch of atlas. Preoperative CT measure for key anatomic structure was significant for making personalized surgical plan.

Earthquake can result in a large number of patients with spinal cord injury(SCI).The unique characteristic of spine trauma with SCI leads to challenges in the search-and-rescue phase and early trauma care for these patients.Rescue workers should be aware of the importance of spinal immobilization in people who is suspected of SCI.Special considerations are indicated for children less than 7 years old.The ABCs should be implemented as a primary resuscitative effort.Acute respiratory and hemodynamic failure after SCI should also require careful management at the scene.All efforts are aimed primarily at reducing the morbidity associated with acute SCI and increasing the survival rate of patients with SCI.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics, due to their strong antibacterial effects and broad antimicrobial spectra, have been very commonly used in clinical practice in the past half century. However, aminoglycoside antibiotics manifest severe ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity, and are one of top factors in hearing loss. In this study, three members of the aminoglycoside antibiotics family, gentamycin, neomycin and streptomycin, were chosen as the representatives to be investigated for their toxicity to the embryonic development and the larva hair cells in zebrafish, and also to their target genes associated with hearing-related genes. The results showed that: (1) the lethal effect of all three drugs demonstrated a significant dependence on concentration, and the severity order of the lethal effect was streptomycin > neomycin > gentamycin; (2) all the three drugs caused the larva trunk bending in resting state at 5 dpf (day past fertilization), probably due to their ototoxicity in the physical imbalance and postural abnormalities; (3) impairment and reducing of the hair cells were observed in all three cases of drug treatment; (4) four genes, eya1, val, otx2 and dlx6a, which play an important role in the development of hearing organs, showed differential and significant decrease of gene expression in a drug concentration-dependent manner. This study for the first time reports the relevance between the expression of hearing genes and the three ototoxic antibiotics and also proved the feasibility of establishing a simple, accurate, intuitive and fast model with zebrafish for the detection of drug ototoxicity.

Objective:To observe the effect of icariin on the osteoporosis of the ovariectomized rats,and to explore the mechanism.Methods:Fifty female rats aged 6 months were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group,positive drug group,low dose of icariin group and high dose of icariin group (n= 10).The rats in positive drug group were given with 1 mg· kg-1 nilestriol every week;the rats in low and high doses of icariin groups were given with 50 and 100 mg · kg-1 icariin every day.The bilateral ovaries of rats were excised by operation to establish the osteoporosis models.2 weeks after operation,the rats were treated with icariin for 12 weeks,and then they were sacrificed by drawing blood from abdominal aorta under anesthesia condion.The bone mineral density (BMD),serum biochemical indicators,bone histomorphology and the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins were detected.Results:Compared with sham operation group,the BMD of the rats in model group was decreased (P <0.01),the serum calcium level was decreased (P <0.05),and the serum phosphorus level was increased (P <0.05),and the serum BGP,ALP,NO and NOS levels were significantly decreased (P <0.05 or P <0.01).Compared with model group,the BMD of the rats in positive drug group and high dose of icariin group were obviously increased (P < 0.01 ), the serum calcium levels were increased, the phosphorus levels were decreased (P <0.05),and the BGP and ALP levels were increased significantly (P < 0.05 ). Compared with control group,the cortical in model group was thinned,the width of bone trabecula was reduced,the Bax and Caspase-3 expression levels in bone tissue were increased,and the Bcl-2 expression level was decreased.Compared with model group,the cortical in icariin group was thicked,the width of bone trabecula was increased,the Bax and Caspase-3 expression levels were decreased,and the Bcl-2 expression level was increased (P <0.05 or P <0.01). Conclusion:Icariin can protect the osteoporosis of ovariectomized rats,the function may be related to the inhibition of apoptosis.

Objective To investigate the application valve of bFGF to improve the viability of trans-plantation flap in Wistar rat. Methods Forty-eight Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups based on the age: group A,B(1.5 month old, every group was 12 rats) and group C,D (3 month old, every group was 12 rats). After an ischemic model completed, recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) was given to groups A and C in ischemie zone by vascularization flap injection and the equality of normal saline to groups B and D. 14 days postoperatively, the muscular tissue was sent for histology, the blood vessel density was calculated by image analysis, and positive VEGF was detected by immunohistochem-istry. Results The member of capillaries and positive VEGF were more in group A than that in B, and also were morein group C than D(P < 0.05), but there were not statistic difference between group A and C (P > 0.05). Conclusion Recombinant bovine bFGF can stimulate angiogenesis and improve the ischemie vascu-larization flap of rat, which is not associated with their age.

Objective Using MRI compatible OxyLiteTM fiber-optic microprobes to verify the reliability of detecting the oxygenation changes in rats C6 glioma by BOLD fMRI with non- hemodynamic response function (non-HRF) post-processing algorithm. Methods A total of 20 male SD rats were used to establish the subcutaneous C6 glioma model. GRE-EPI BOLD fMRI scans were performed in the tumor-bearing rats with Carbogen inhalation after anatomic scans using 1.5 T MR imaging system with
Micro-47 microscopic coil. Fiber-optic microprobes were implanted in tumor to acquire the dynamic pO2 indications during BOLD fMRI scan.“Oxy-localization map”and“oxy-amplitude map”were generated from BOLD functional image data by non-HRF post-processing algorithm analysis. A ROI about 1.5 mm on a side centered to the tip of microprobe was defined on the MRI morphological image, and then was copied onto the“oxy-localization map”and“oxy-amplitude map”to extract the values of significant re-oxygenation (T), percent BOLD signal change (ΔPSC). The mean difference of pO2(ΔpO2) measured by fiber-optic microprobes before(pO2-Air)and after (pO2-Car)Carbogen inhalation in the ROI areas was calculated. Correlation analysis was madebetween cov (T value, Δ pO2) and cov (ΔPSC value, Δ pO2). The difference between pO2-Air and pO2-Car were tested by Mann Whitney U test. Results pO2 was successfully measured and recorded from 23 points in tumor using fiber-optic microprobe during the BOLD fMRI scan. The analysis results both of physiological and functional imaging parameters were as follows: pO2-Air=2.285(19.056) mmHg,pO2-Car=14.701(48.390)mmHg,ΔpO2=8.107(33.557)mmHg,ΔPSC=0.402(2.192)%,T=2.025 (8.293). (1) 10 points were identified clearly in parenchyma area of tumor. The mean value of pO2 during air inhalation [19.462(21.511)mmHg] significantly increased after Carbogen inhalation [59.904(56.710)mmHg] (U=14.000,P=0.007). (2) 5 points were identified in tumor necrosis area. The mean value of pO2 during air inhalation [0.149(0.479)mmHg] showed no significant change comparing with Carbogen inhalation[0.273 (8.050)mmHg](U=9.000,P=0.465). (3) 8 points were identified in the boundary of tumor parenchyma and necrosis areas. Among which, 5 showed the similar pO2 change to that located in tumor necrosis area, 2 showed the similar to the tumor parenchyma. However, the pO2 showed continuously decrease after Carbogen inhalation in the last 1 point. TheΔpO2 measured from the total of 23 points correlated positively toΔPSC and T value extracted from the corresponding ROI (r=0.660,0.576,P<0.01). TheΔpO2 measured from 10 points in tumor parenchyma correlated positively to ΔPSC(r=0.717,P=0.020). Conclusion“Oxy-localization map”and“oxy-amplitude map”generated from BOLD fMRI combined with non-HRF post-processing algorithm could show reliably not only the location but also the extent where the re-oxygenation occurred within tumor.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of isolated celiac artery (CA) dissection and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection.MethodsIntegrating clinical data of 119 cases with isolated dissection of the visceral arteries ( IDVA ) reported in literature and 2 patients with spontaneous isolated dissections of both CA and SMA treated in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University,the diagnosis and treatment of IDVA were analyzed retrospectively.Results Among 119 cases reported in the literature,69 cases were symptomatic.All of the cases were diagnosed by contrast-enhanced abdominal CT or MRI.After IDVA was discovered,surgical treatment and endovascular stent placement was performed in 8 and 5 patients respectively,although the remaining 106 patients were managed conservatively with good results.In our 2 cases,the diagnosis of CA and SMA dissection was established by contrastenhanced CT and confirmed by conventional angiograghy.One patient was treated with anticoagulation and antihypertension,and the other patient was treated with endovascular stenting.Both of the patients didn't have discomfort during the follow-up period of 12 and 3 months respectively.ConclusionsContrastenhanced abdominal CT is the main tool for detection of IDVA.Most of the patients with IDVA can be managed conservatively,but close surveillance with imaging studies is necessary for early recognition of dissection progression.Patients with persistent or relapsed symptoms,and dissection progression,should undergo surgical or endovascular treatment.

Objective:To study the relationship between the expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1α (CPT1α) and progression of renal interstitial fibrosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to evaluate the value of CPT1α as a biomarker in pathological diagnosis of renal interstitial fibrosis and CKD.Methods:As a retrospective cohort study, information of CKD patients dignosed with tubulointerstitial fibrosis by renal biopsy and receiving follow-up from March 1, 2010 to July 30, 2017 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were collected. Renal tissues were stained by immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of CPT1α protein and then divided into three groups according to the quartile of proportion of CPT1α positive staining cells, including group Q1(>67.89%), group Q2(49.84%-67.89%) and group Q3(<49.84%). The degree of renal interstitial fibrosis was measured by Masson staining and lipid deposition was represented by Bodipy staining. Messenger RNA of CPT1α and collagen as well as other extracellular matrix genes were detected by real time-PCR. Relationships between proportion of CPT1α positive staining cells and renal interstitial fibrosis and renal function were analyzed by linear regression analysis. The relationship between CPT1α positive cell number ratio and renal function progression was measured by Pearson correlation analysis and generalized linear model. The effect of lipid-lowering medicine on renal function of CKD patients was analyzed by paired comparative analysis.Results:Ninety patients with CKD were included in this study. Renal interstitial fibrosis and lipid droplets deposition area increased in Q2/Q3 group compared with Q1 group by Masson and Bodipy staining (all P<0.05). Messenger RNA level of extracellular matrix-related proteins increased in Q2/Q3 group by real time-PCR than those of Q1 group (all P<0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that fibrosis area was negatively correlated with the proportion of CPT1α positive staining cells ( r=-0.309, P<0.01). The baseline expression of CPT1α in renal issues was negatively related with serum creatinine (Scr) ( r=-2.801, P<0.001), positively related with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ( r=1.240, P<0.001). After a medium follow-up of 3.47 years, CPT1α positive cell number ratio was positively correlated with eGFR change rate by Pearson analysis ( r=0.220, P=0.038). Paired stratified analysis showed that taking lipid-lowering medicines attenuated the decrease of eGFR in Q2 group and Q3 group but not in Q1 group (both P<0.05). Conclusions:The decline of CPT1α in renal tissues of CKD patients is associated with the increase of Scr, the decrease of eGFR and renal interstitial fibrosis. CPT1α is a promising molecular marker to evaluate the degree of renal fibrosis and the progression of CKD.

Objective To explore the factors related with bladder function after surgical intervention in patients with first lumbar burst fractures uniting isolated conus medullaris syndrome (CMS). Methods 25 patients complicated CMS in 618 patients with Ｌ1 burst fracture were analyzed retrospectively. Results The recovery rate of patients with saddle sensation weakness was higher than the patients with saddle sensation disappeared (P<0.05). There was no difference in bladder function between patients accepted surgery within 2 weeks and more than 2 weeks (P>0.05). Conclusion Saddle sensation before surgery related with the recovery of bladder function.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of intravertebral augmentation which including transpedicular bone graft, transpediclebody augmenter and vertebroplasty in preventing the correction loss and implant failure of short-segment pedicle instrumentation for thoracolumbarfractures through meta-analysis. Methods Experimental studies (randomized controlled trails, non-randomized controlled trails)and observational studies (cohort studies, case control studies) related with application of posterior short-segment pedicle instrumentationwith intravertebral augmentation for thoracolumbar fractures were searched from Pubmed, EMBASE and CNKI according to the inclusionand exclusion criteria, and hand-searched in Chinese and English journals. RevMan 5.0.18 provided by Cochrane was used to analyse the data.Results 1 randomized controlled trail and 7 observational studies were included. There were 442 patients, in which 216 patients werewith and 226 patients without intravertebral augmentation. There was no significant difference in correction loss and risk of implant failurebetween these two groups. Conclusion Intravertebral augmentation does little about the risk of correction loss and implant failure associatedwith posterior short-segment pedicle instrumention for patients with thoraculumbar fractures.