BACKGROUND:Anular repair after discectomy in intervertebral disc degeneration obtains good clinical outcomes and reduces the recurrent rate, but there is little report on the effective suturing method and reliable instrument. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effectiveness of annulus repair after discectomy under Mast Quadrant system for lumbar disc herniation. METHODS: Fifty patients with lumbar disc herniation admitted in the Hubei Provincial Hospital of TCM from August 2013 to August 2015 were selected, followed by divided into experimental and control groups (n=25 per group), and then received annulus repair after discectomy and simple discectomy, respectively. The length of incision, operation time and intraoperative blood loss were compared between two groups, and the Oswestry disability index and visual analogue scale scores for lumbago and lower limb pain before and after surgery were detected, as well as the incidence of complications and recurrence were recorded. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:All patients in the experimental group completed the follow-up, while only 23 in the control group finished the follow-up. There were no significant differences in the baseline data between two groups (P > 0.05). The postoperative Oswestry disability index and visual analogue scale scores in both two groups were significantly lower than those before surgery (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the visual analog scale score at 1 month postoperatively between two groups (P < 0.05), while the scores at other time points showed insignificant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). There were two cases of recurrence in the control group, one of which received secondary treatment, and the recurrent rate was 9%. In the experimental group, there was only one case of recurrence receiving no treatment, and the recurrent rate was 4%. There were no cerebrospinal fluid leakage, infection, never root injury or other serious complications in both two groups. These results indicate that annulus repair after discectomy is minimally invasive, achieves the reconstruction of disc, and reduces the recurrence rate, which is available for lumbar disc herniation.

To study the effects of Icariin on expression of osteopontin (OPN) mRNA and type Ⅰ collagen in rat osteoblasts in vitro and to explore its possible mechanisms in preventing osteoporo sis. OB was isolated from calvaria of new-born new-born fetal Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by means of modified sequential collagenase digestion and incubated in MEM medium and the cell morphology was observed under inverted phase contrast microscope, OB was identified by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining. Different concentration (0.1 μg/mL, 1.0 μg/mL, 10 tg/mL) of Icariin was added to the OB and incubated. The effect of Icariin on the proliferation and osteogenesis of OB was monitored by MTT analysis. The expression of type Ⅰ collagen was estimated with immunohisto chemistry techniques. The expression levels of mRNA of OPN in the cells in every group were examined by reverse-transcriptase ploymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of OPN mRNA and type Ⅰ collagen was strengthened gradually with the increase of Icariin concentration and peaked with 10 μg/mL Icariin on the 5th day. Icariin could significantly promote the expression of OPN mRNA and type Ⅰ collagen in rat osteoblasts in vitro. The levels of expression of OPN mRNA and type Ⅰ collagen were changed with different concentration of Icariin. Icariin could effectively prevent and treat osteoporosis and promote the bone formation.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Tongdu Huoxue decoction in the treatment of acute lumbar disc herniation （LDH）. MethodA total of 316 patients with acute LDH admitted to the orthopedic outpatient department of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Honghu City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to June 2023 were randomly divided into two groups. 156 cases in the control group （two cases with stopped follow-up） were treated with meloxicam tablets， while 153 cases in the observation group （five cases with stopped follow-up） were treated with Tongdu Huoxue decoction. Both groups were treated for three months. The clinical efficacy， McGill Pain Score Scale （SF-MPQ）， Oswestry Dysfunction Index （ODI） score， and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） scores of the two groups before and after treatment were compared. The serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） of the patients before and after treatment were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The NDI-092 type electromyography-evoked potential instrument was adopted to measure the motor conduction velocity and clinical efficacy of the tibial and common peroneal nerves in patients of the two groups before and after treatment， and the clinical safety of the two groups of patients was compared. ResultAfter treatment， the total effective rate in the observation group was 95.4% （146/153）， significantly higher than that in the control group of 76.3% （119/156） （χ² =23.18， P<0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in SF-MPQ and ODI scores， as well as the levels of IL-1β， IL-6， and TNF-α （P<0.05）， with the observation group showing a more significant reduction （P<0.05）. Both groups showed a significant increase in JOA scores and motor conduction velocities of the tibial and common peroneal nerves after treatment （P<0.05）， with the observation group showing a more significant increase （P<0.05）. ConclusionTongdu Huoxue decoction can alleviate lumbar and leg pain in acute LDH， improve lumbar spine function， and suppress inflammatory reactions. It is highly safe and is worthy of clinical promotion.