Progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons is the main pathogenesis of glaucoma. The cause of glaucoma is not fully understood, but the neurodegeneration of glaucoma involves many mechanisms such as oxidative stress, glutamate toxicity and ischemia/reperfusion insult. In order to target these mechanisms, multiple neuroprotective interventions have been investigated to prevent the death of RGCs. Of note are some tonic herbs from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacopeia that have shown neuroprotective effects in glaucoma. TCM differs from Western medicine in that TCM exhibits complicated bioactive components, triggering many signaling pathways and extensive actions on vital organs. Modern scientific approaches have demonstrated some of their underlying mechanisms. In this review, we used Lycium barbarum and Ginkgo biloba as examples to elaborate the characteristics of TCM and their potential applications in neuroprotection in glaucoma.

Objective To study the short-term clinical outcomes of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for medial compartmental knee osteoarthritis,and to compare 2 kinds of unicompartmental prosthesis.Methods From March 2010 to June 2013,data of 43 patients underwent unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) were retrospectively analyzed.17 patients (17knees) used rotating platform prosthesis,and 26 patients (28 knees) used fixed bearing prosthesis.There were 7 males (7 knees)and 9 females (10 knees) in rotating platform group,with an average age of 64.1 years (range,54-82 years);while 10 males (10knees) and 17 females (18 knees) in fixed bearing group,with an average age of 62.2 years (range,43-79 years).All patients presented signs of narrowed medial joint space,medial tenderness and pain on weight-bearing.X-ray and MRI were used for documenting joint narrowing and cartilage defect.The pain and the knee functions were recorded both pre and post-operatively with knee society score (KSS),2 cases of simultaneous anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction were assessed with TegnerLysholm knee scoring scale as well.Results All 43 patients were followed up for 6 month to 37 months,and the average duration was 21.1 months.There were no dislocations,joint infection,deep venous thrombosis,prosthetic loosening,etc.The KSS in rotating platform group was 56.11 ±9.51 preoperatively,and 92.23±5.46 postoperatively.While the KSS in fixed bearing group was 57.11 ±9.56,and 93.69±6.37,respectively.There were statistical differences comparing between preoperative and postoperative KSS knee scores.There was no significant difference in KSS scores between rotating platform group and fixed bearing group.Conclusion Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty is a less invasive and effective method for knee osteoarthritis in medial compartment with less complications.There was no significant difference in clinical outcomes between rotating platform and fixed bearing design in terms of patients' satisfactory rate,clinical and functional outcomes in this short-term follow-up study.