BACKGROUND:Core decompression can delay early osteonecrosis of the femoral head, but cannot completely repair the necrotic femoral head. Eventualy, femoral head colapse, even bone necrosis, wil occur. OBJECTIVE:To explore the curative effect of implantation of gelatin sponge carrying Foxc2-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels on the repair of experimental femoral head necrosis in rabbits. METHODS:Forty New Zealand white rabbits were selected, and femoral head necrosis models were prepared successfuly in 24 of 40 rabbits. Then, model rabbits were randomized into four groups: blank control group (n=4) with no treatment, core decompression group (n=4), GFP group (n=8) subjected to core decompression and implantation of gelatin sponge carrying GFP-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels, and Foxc2 group (n=8) subjected to core decompression and implantation of gelatin sponge carrying Foxc2-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels. At 1, 2, 4 weeks after implantation, ELISA was used to detect Foxc2 protein levels in the transplanted region. At 4, 8, 12 weeks after implantation, MRI scan of the hip was performed, and femoral head tissues were taken and sliced into sections for hematoxylin-eosin staining to observe bone growth. At 12 weeks after implantation, histomorphometry measurement and transmission electron microscope observation were carried out. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 1, 2, 4 weeks after implantation, Foxc2 was highly expressed in the femoral head in the Foxc2 group, which was significantly higher than that in the GFP group. At 4, 8, 12 weeks, only a few of new bone formed in the core decompression group and GFP group; at 12 weeks, fibrous tissues formed in the decompression channel. New bone formation was evident in the Foxc2 group, and at 12 weeks, the necrotic region was repaired completely. MRI findings showed normal femoral head morphology and signals in the Foxc2 group at 12 weeks, but there were decreased signals of the femoral head in the core decompression group and GFP group. These findings indicate that Foxc2-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel transplantationvia core decompression has good curative effects on experimental femoral head necrosis in animals.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between sleep parameters and suicidal ideation in patients with late-life depression (LLD). METHODS: Seventy-seven LLD patients over 60 years old from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University during July 2017 and July 2018 were included in the study. All patients were assessed with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and polysomnography (PSG) overnight. The suicidal score of item 3 in HAMD (HAM-D3)was used to define whether there was a suicidal ideation. Participants were subsequently grouped according to endorsement of presence (HAM-D3 score ≥1, =46) versus absence (HAM-D3 score=0, =31) of suicidal ideation symptoms. The sleep efficiency, total sleep time, wakefulness after sleep onset, rapid eye movement percent/latency, and non-rapid eye movement sleep stages 1-3 (N1-N3) were assessed. ANOVA analyses were conducted to explore the correlation of sleep parameters with suicidal ideation between the groups with and without suicidal ideation. In model 1, the HAM-D3 constituted the independent variable in separate ANOVA tests; in model 2 the impact of depressive symptoms were assessed as a covariate with sleep parameters. RESULTS: There was less stage N3 [(55±41)min, =-4.731, <0.05] and the reduced percentage of N3 [(15±11)%, =-4.194, <0.05] in LLD patients with suicidal ideation, compared with the LLD patients without suicidal ideation [(104±49) min, (26±11)%]. Correlation analyses revealed that there was a significant correlation between the suicidal ideation and the percentage of stage N3 and sleep time of stage N3 (both <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Suicidal ideation is associated with less N3 sleep in LLD patients.