Objective To investigate the risk factors and revision strategies for rod fracture in patients with severe kyphoscoliosis following posterior vertebral column resection (PVCR).Methods Between June 2003 and June 2011,7 patients (4 males and 3 females) who developed rod fractures following PVCR in our institution were retrospectively reviewed.The average age was 24.4 years (range,12-39 years) at the time of primary surgeries.The occurrence times and locations of the rod fractures were recorded and the risk factors for the fractures were analyzed.Results The occurrence times of the rod fractures ranged from 6 to 53 months.Five cases of fracture occurred within 2 years after the primary surgeries,while the other 2 cases occurred more than 4 years after the primary surgeries.Six cases of fracture occurred at levels of osteotomies and 1 case occurred at 1 level below the osteotomy.The potential reasons for rod fractures were listed as follows:(1)residual kyphosis (1 case); (2) residual kyphosis combined with unsteady gait (1 case); (3) residual kyphosis combined with single rod fixation (1 case); (4) residual kyphosis combined with malposition of titanium mesh cage (1 case); (5) residual kyphosis combined with anterior column defect; (6) injury (2 cases).Six patients underwent revision surgeries,5 patients received one-stage combined anterior-posterior approach surgeries,while 1 patient received single posterior surgery.They were followed up for 12 to 22 months (average,18months).At final follow-up,all patients obtained satisfying corrections and graft fusion,without internal fixationrelated complications.Conclusion Rod fractures mostly occur at levels of osteotomies within 2 years after PVCR.Residual kyphosis is the main risk factor for the rod fracture.Injury,anterior column defects,unsteady gait,single rod fixation and malposition of titanium mesh cage also increase risks of rod fractures.

Objective To investigate the effects of UVA irradiation on the expression of inducible nitric oxide sgnthase(iNOS)and level of nitric oxide(NO)in HaCaT cells.Methods HaCaT cells were cultured,irradiated with difrerent doses(1,5,1 0 J/cm2)of UVA.After another 24-,48-,72-hour culture,the mRNA and protein expressions of iNOS and level of NO wen measured bv RT-PCR,Westem blot and Griess reagent kit,respectively.Results Atier the irradiation with 1.5 or 10 J/cm2 of UVA,the mRNA expression of iNOS was observed in HaCaT cells at 24 h,reached a peak at 48 h,then decreased at 72 h;significant differences were fcIund between the three time points (all P＜0.05).No expression of iNOS protein was detected in HaCaT cells at any time point after irradiation witll UVA Of 1 J/cm2;meanwhile,with UVA irradiation of 5 and 10 J/cm2,the protein expression of iNOS increased at 24 h,peaked at 48 h,but was undetected at 72 h.In HaCaT cells irradiated with UVA of 1.5 or 10 J/cm2.the level Of NO showed an increase at 24 h.a marked increase at 48 h,and a stable increase at 72 h,and significant differences were noticed between irradiated cells and control cells at three time points(all P＜0.05).In unirradiated HaCaT cells,no expression of iNOS mRNA or protein was observed with a low level of NO.Conclusions The changes in iNOS expression and NO level in HaCaT cells are related to the duration and dose of UVA irradiation.

Objective To observe the protection of human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT cell, from UVA damage by resveratrol and its possible mechanism. Methods HaCaT cells were incubated with or without 0.01 mmol/L or 0.1 mmol/L resveratrol after exposure to 5 J/cm2 UVA irradiation. Unirradiated HaCaT cells-without the treatment with resveratrol served as the control. After another 24-hour culture, MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of cells, RT-PCR and Western-blot to measure the iNOS mRNA and protein expression respectively, electron microscopic technique to observe the changes in cell ultrastructure. Results After irradiation with UVA of 5 J/cm2, the proliferation of HaCaT cells decreased with the absorbance at 490 nm descending from 0.889±0.083 to 0.542±0.004, while a significant increase was observed in the relative expression level of iNOS mRNA and protein in HaCaT cells (1.532±0.041 vs 0.009±0.003, 1.331 ±0.046 vs 0.003±0.001, both P < 0.05) with the presence of typical apoptotic cells. The treatment with 0.01 and 0.1 mmol/L resveratrol significantly promoted the proliferation of irradiated cells with the absorbance at 490 nm being 0.753±0.435 and 0.892±0.173 respectively, but inhibited the mRNA (0.853±0.038 vs 1.532±0.041, 0.392±0.033 vs 1.532±0.041, both P< 0.05) and protein expression level (0.809±0.018 vs 1.331±0.046, 0.412±0.026 vs 1.331±0.046, both P< 0.05) of iNOS in irradiated cells, and the resveratrol of 0.1 mmol/L was more effective than that ofO.01 mmol/L in all tested parameters (P< 0.05). Furthermore, no apoptofic cells or necrotic cells were observed in irradiated ceils incubated with resveratrol. Conclusion Resveratrol effectively protects HaCaT cells from UVA damage, which may be related to the inhibition of UVA-induced iNOS expression by resveratrol.

dosage ( P<0.01).Conclusion UVA can inhibit the proliferation activity of human skin fibroblasts. It might be related to the up-regulation of iNOS gene expression and the over-secretion of NO induced by UVA.

Objective To analyze MR imaging appearance of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNEN) and to investigate the practical value of MR imaging appearance in predicting pathological grade of pNEN. Methods All data of 35 patients with pathologically proven pNEN were retrospectively reviewed. MR examinations of the abdomen were performed on all these patients before operation and the data of clinical, pathological and MR imaging were intact. Both plain scan and contrast-enhanced MR scan were performed on each patient. Histopathological grade of pNEN was defined as: G1, G2, and G3 according to World Health Organization classification of tumours of the digestive system guidelines(2010). Image analysis included tumor location, number, size, shape, lesion margins, signal intensity, enhancement pattern, main pancreatic duct dilatation, extrapancreatic spread, and metastases of lymph node and liver. The comparison of quantitative index between G1 and G2 group was performed with t test. Categorical variables were tested using Fisher exact test. Results Thirty five lesions were found in 35 patients, with 14 lesions in G1, 19 lesions in G2, and 2 lesions in G3.Thirty three lesions appeared as a solid mass, and 2 lesions appeared as a cystic lesion. Significant gender-based difference was found between G1 group and G2 group (P<0.05). No significant age-based or endocrine function difference was found between the G1 group and G2 group(P>0.05). Of the 35 lesions, 27 lesions were round in shape, while other 8 lesions were irregular. There were 18 lesions with clear margin, and the margins in other 17 lesions were blurred. Main pancreatic duct dilatation was found in 3 cases(1 in G2, 2 in G3). Significant differences in tumor diameter, shape, margin, signal intensity on precontrast images, extrapancreatic spread and metastases were found between G1 group and G2 group(P<0.05). No significant difference was found in main pancreatic duct dilatation or signal intensity on all enhancement phases between G1 group and G2 group. The 2 lesions in G3 group appeared mild contrast enhancement with degrees lower than the pancreas in all enhancement phases. Conclusion MR imaging features such as tumor diameter, shape, margin, signal intensity on precontrast images, extrapancreatic spread and metastases may preoperatively predict the pathological graden of pNEN.

ObjectiveTo explore the change of spino-pelvic parameters following pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) for thoracolumbar kyphosis secondary to ankylosing spondylitis(AS).MethodsTwenty-one AS patients with thoracolumbar kyphosis,who underwent PSO at L1 level from July 2006 to October 2010 in our hospital,were retrospectively reviewed.There were 18 males and 3 females with a mean age of 35.6 years (range,21-53 years).The pre- and post-operative thoracic kyphosis(TK),lumbar lordosis (LL),globe kyphosis (GK),angle of the fusion levels (AFL),sagittal imbalance (SVA),pelvic incidence (PI),sacral slope (SS) and pelvic tilting (PT) were measured.ResultsSignificant differences were observed in terms of the improvement of LL,PT,SS,SVA,GK and AFL (P＜ 0.01).The alteration of LL showed significant correlation with the change of PT (r=0.59,P=0.005),SS (r=0.64,P=0.002),SVA (r=0.49,P=0.025),and AFL (r=0.60,P=0.004).The change of PT exhibited cardinal correlation with the change of SS(r=0.94,P=0.000).The improvement of AFL significantly correlated with the improvement of SS(r=0.61,P=0.003),PT (r=0.59,P=0.005).ConclusionThe change of the sagittal spino-pelvic profile following PSO in AS-related thoracolumbar kyphosis is closely related with the improvement of LL.

Objective To investigate the expression of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) in lesions of four cuta-neous tumors. Methods Immtmohistochemistry was utilized to measure the expression of AQP3 in tissue samples from 30 patients with seborrheic keratosis, 15 patients with Bowen's disease, 32 patients with squa-mous cell carcinoma, 17 patients with malignant melanoma and 15 normal human controls. Results AQP3 was observed in all the tissue samples from both patients and controls. A significant increment was noticed in the expression of AQP3 in patients with Bowen's disease, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma compared with the normal controls (all P < 0.01), while no significant difference was found between patients with seborrheic keratosis and the controls (P > 0.05). The highest expression of AQP3 was obtained in lesions from patients with squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, followed by those with Bowen's disease (both P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference between squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma (P > 0.05). The differentiation status of squamous cell carcinoma significantly corre-lated with the expression of AQP3 (P < 0.01). AQP3 was significantly higher in malignant melanoma with metastasis than that in malignant melanoma without metastasis (P < 0.05). Conclusion The expression of AQP3 is upregulated in malignant skin tumors.

Objective To study the activation of Janus protein tyrosine kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway and its inhibitor-signal transducer and activator of transcription-1(SOCS-1) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods A total of 45 patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 30 healthy controls were randomly selected. Western blot was performed to measure the expression of Stat1 protein and phospho-Stat1 protein (an activated form of Stat1 protein) in the monocytes after stimulation with recombinant high mobility group box1 (rHMGB1) at various time points. Expression of Stat1 protein in the skin or lesional skin was also detected. Phasic expressions of SOCS-1 mRNA in the monocytes after rHMGB1 stimulation were detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. SOCS-1 gene expression in the skin or lesional skin was also detected. Results The expression level of Stat1 proteins in the monocytes from patients with SLE was higher than that from healthy controls (t=9.16,P＜0.01) and positively correlated with SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) (r=0.59,P＜0.01). Expression of phospho-Stat1 in the monocytes from SLE patients was time-dependently upregulated after stimulation with rHMGB1 at various time points, while expression of SOCS-1 mRNA remained unchanged(all P＞0.05). Expressions of phospho-Stat1 protein and SOCS-1 mRNA in the monocytes from healthy controls were increased transiently after stimulation with rHMGB1(all P＜0.05). Both expressions of phospho-Stat1 protein and SOCS-1 gene in the lesional skin from patients with SLE were upregulated compared with those in normal skin from healthy controls (all P＜0.01). Conclusion There are hyperactivation of JAK-STAT1 signaling pathway and negative feedback down-regulation of SOCS-1 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. HMGB-1 may be partly involved in the pathogenesis of SLE by the abnormal mediating function of JAK-STAT1 signal transduction pathway.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of Fite staining in leprosy histopathology.Methods Between 2013 and 2017,13 patients diagnosed with leprosy or suspected leprosy (high suspicion of leprosy based on clinical manifestations and hematoxylin-eosin staining,but negative acid-fast staining) in our department,were enrolled into this study.The histopathological sections were subjected to Fite staining,and the results were compared with those of acid-fast staining,so as to assess the value of Fite staining in the diagnosis of leprosy.Results Six patients with positive acid-fast staining still showed positive Fite staining.Among 7 patients with suspected leprosy and negative acid-fast staining,6 patients showed positive Fite staining with varying numbers of Mycobacterium leprae,and 1 showed negative Fite staining.Conclusion Fite staining can increase the detection rate of Mycobacterium leprae.

With the aging of the Chinese society and the population, the incidence of hip fractures in the elderly is increasing significantly. Elderly patients have various basic diseases and decreased organ compensatory capacity, which increase the risks related to surgery and anesthesia, increase the incidence of postoperative complications and mortality, and affect the recovery process of patients. Malnutrition is one of the main causes of hip fractures in elderly patients, and it is also a major factor predicting the prognosis of patients. Elderly patients with hip fractures are considered at high risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition can lead to adverse clinical outcomes, such as increased mortality and complications, prolonged hospital stays, and increased hospital costs. Elderly patients with hip fracture should be routinely screened for nutritional risk. Those with malnutrition or nutritional risk, should be given nutritional support treatment. And conduct assessments and optimizations of nutritional support treatmentby observing the prognosis indicators such as complication rate, mortality, and rehabilitation status. At present, orthopedic surgeons who are the main body of elderly hip fracture treatment do not pay enough attention to the nutritional status of patients. Many elderly hip fracture patients undergo surgery while their malnutrition status has not improved. Therefore, it is important to improve their prognosis that strengthen the perioperative nutritional management of elderly patients with hip fracture. Domestic research on the nutritional status of elderly hip fracture patients started late. Many medical institutions have not carried out routine nutritional screening and active nutritional support treatment for elderly hip fracture patients, and there is also a lack of relevant clinical research and data statistics in the nutritional support and treatment of elderly patients with hip fractures. This article describes the current research status of nutritional risk screening and nutritional support treatment for elderly patients with hip fracture at home and abroad. However, due to differences in ethnicity, lifestyle, religious culture, and eating habits in various regions, foreign research data may not be suitable for domestic patients. Therefore, this article provides a reference for the research on perioperative nutritional screening and nutritional treatment of elderly hip fracture patients, and establishes a nutritional management plan suitable for elderly hip fracture patients in China.