Objective To explore factors related to the development of segmental instabilities in lumbar spine. Methods Fifty-seven patients with lumbar segment instabilities at L 4～5 were selected as illness group, 22 patients with facetectomy at L 4～5 as post-operation control group, and 19 healthy subjects as normal control. X-ray plain films were taken in sagittal,flexion and extension positions. Computed tomographic scans were taken to define the axial morphology of the facet joint. Magnetic resonance scans were taken to describe disc degeneration of 36 patients in illness group. Results The facet joint was oriented sagittally in the forward translation patients in flexion. The disc degeneration was slight in the rotational instability patients. The patients with total facetectomy exited forward translation in flexion. Conclusion A more sagittally oriented facet and disc degeneration are associated with forward translation in flexion and may be the cause of degenerative spondylolisthesis, whereas ligament failure is associated with rotational instability.

Objective To evaluate the effect of the transcranial magnetic stimulation on upper-extremity function rehabilitation and changes in the excitability of cerebral cortex,and to evaluate from the viewpoint of electro-physiology the prognosis so as to guide the rehabilitation treatment of patients after stroke.Methods Forty-six patients in the early stage after a stroke were given TMS examinations of the ipsilateral brain region.Those with the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) amplitudes lower than 50 μV were classified into a motion-induced experimental negative group (the negative group),whiie those whose MEP amplitude reached 50 μV or more were classified as movement-induced positive (the positive group).Both groups were given the same treatment.Before and after 2,4 and 8 weeks of treatment the Fugl-Meyer movement function rating scale was used to assess their bilateral upper limb movement function.TMS technology was used to detect any change in the resting motor threshold (RMT) and the amplitude (Amp) of MEPs in the motor cortex.The incubation period of the cortex (CL) and the central motor conduction time (CMCT) in the contralateral motor cerebral cortex were also observed.Results After 4 weeks of treatment,the average score of the positive group on Fugl-Meyer upper movement function rating scale reached (54.99±2.76),significantly higher than before treatment and significantly higher than the negative group's average (P＜0.05).After 8 weeks of treatment,the average score in the positive group had increased further to 73.11±2.98,still significantly higher than that of the negative group (P＜0.01).After treatment,RMT decreased progressively in both groups,but that of the negative group dropped from (98.35±10.12) to (30.35±7.31) (9＜0.01),with significantly greater decline in amplitude and rate than that of the positive group (P＜0.05).After treatment,the Amp of both groups showed a gradual increasing trend.Amp increased earlier in the positive group,but there was no significant difference in the extent of the increase between the two groups (P＞0.05).After the treatment the CL and CMCT had shortened significantly in the negative group compared to before the treatment (P＜0.05),while there was no significant change in CL and CMCT after the treatment (P＞0.05).Conclusions The excitability of the contralateral motor cortex changes after a stroke.TMS can be used to characterize the MEP to monitor and predict recovery.This should help clinicians prepare more scientific rehabilitation plans.

BACKGROUND: Stem cell regeneration can repair injured myocardium. However, bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs) transplantation for non-ischemic heart failure remains poorly understood.OBJECTIVE: To investigate effect of transplantation of autologous BM-MNCs on cardiac function in canine model of heart failure by rapid ventricular pacing. METHODS: Implantation and model control groups were subjected to model establishment of heart failure by rapid pacing of apex of right ventricle, and respectively injected with CM-DiI-labeled BM-MNCs and normal saline into myocardium. After 4 weeks, all dogs were sacrificed, and specimens of myocardium were collected from the apex, anterior wall and interventricular septum. All specimens were labeled by FITC. Myocardial fibrosis conditions of implanted cells were observed, collagen volume fraction was determined, and hemodynamic indexes were measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: BM-MNCs labeled by CM-DiI and FITC were observed in the transplantation group showing yellow fluorescence, while in the control group FITC-labeled green fluorescence was seen. HE and Masson staining showed that inflammatory cell infiltration in interstitial matrix, displaying interstitial fibrosis and myocardial fibrosis in model control group, but no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration or myocardial fibrosis was observed in the transplantation group, indicating a success model establishment of heart failure by rapid ventricular pacing. Compared with model control group, the collagen volume fraction decreased significantly (P < 0.05), ejection fracture remarkably increased (P < 0.05), but left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic diameter remained unchanged in the transplantation group (P > 0.05). Autologous BM-MNCs in canine model of heart failure show myocardium-like cells differentiation, and improve heart function, which possibly associate with the ability of inhibiting the myocardial fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy.MethodsThe data of 59 patients with laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy in Shangjin hospital of West China hospital of Sichuan University from January 2014 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively.The general data,operative time,estimated blood loss,conversion rate,time to liquid diet,postoperative hospital stay and complications were analyzed.Results The laparoscopic pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy were successfully performed in 56 cases,the successful rate was 94.9%,the other 3 patients were converted to laparotomy for superior mesenteric vein/portal vein involvement.The operative time was 255~510 minutes,with mean operative time (384±145) minutes,the intraoperatve blood soss was 50~800 mL,with mean estimated blood loss (148±28)mL,the time to liquid diet was 1.0~4.0 days,with average time (3.2±1.1)days,the postoperative hospital stay was 5.0~53.0 days,with average time (10.3±2.6)days.After surgery,16 cases suffered from complication,the rate was 27.1%.The most common complication was pancreatic fistula which occurred in 13 cases including 12 cases of grade A and 1 case of grade pancreatic fistula.No grade C pancreatic fistula occurred in this series.Six patients suffered from delayed gastric emptying.One patient suffered from bile leakage.Conclusion Laparoscopic pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy was safe and feasible.Pylorus-preserving does not increase the incidence of delayed gastric emptying.

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury is a damage to the spinal cord with a high morbidity that can be divided into primary and secondary injury. Secondary injury does more harm to the body than primary injury, which can be regulated and improved through proper interventions. In addition to the drugs, surgical decompression and other traditional treatments, hypothermia is an important physical intervention that has been shown to regulate secondary injury following spinal cord injury, and hold neuroprotective effect.OBJECTIVE: To introduce different hypothermia treatments for spinal cord injury and the effect on the disordered environment after spinal cord injury, as well as summarize the latest progression. METHODS: A computer-based search of CNKI and PubMed databases was conducted for the articles addressing the application of hypothermia in spinal cord injury published from January 2001 to June 2016, using the keywords of therapeutic hypothermia or low temperature, spinal cord injury in Chinese and English, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Hypothermia is divided into systematic and local hypothermia, and the former is simple and convenient, but it may lead to complications. Local hypothermia can quickly reach the target temperature, to make deep hypothermia at injury site and stablize the core temperature in the body, but it is invasive, and the necessary time of locating and maintaining effective temperature is a challenge. In general, hypothermia can improve the disordered microenvironment after spinal cord injury, reduce inflammatory infiltration, regulate the expression of relative genes and proteins, and promote the proliferation and differentiation of endogenous nerve cells. There are basic and clinical studies on hypothermia neuroprotection against spinal cord injury from various aspects; thereafter, hypothermia is a promising treatment strategy for spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND:Peripheral nerve defect due to limb dysfunction has always been the difficulty faced by the medical profession. Ideal materials and processing technology for constructing a tissue engineering scaffold targeting peripheral nerve repair are stil in research stage. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress in peripheral nerve repair using col agen/silk fibroin nerve conduits. METHODS:In this paper, the first author retrieved the PubMed and CNKI from 2003 to 2016 to search articles regarding methods of constructing artificial nerve scaffolds and selection of raw materials. Data from these articles were col ected, summarized and analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Forty-six articles were included for final analysis. Col agen and its degradation products trigger no inflammatory response in the host because of high biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, its use is largely limited by its rapid degradation and poor physical performance. Silk fibroin has a high flexibility and biocompatibility, and exhibits a slow degradation in vivo. As a rapid prototyping technique, three-dimensional printing can print various forms of scaffolds within a short time, characterized as high-quality pore structure and large-scale production. Given these, the col agen/silk fibroin nerve conduit prepared using the three-dimensional printing technology can maintain the biocompatibility and even improve the mechanical properties of the raw materials. Until now, more investigations on nerve repair using col agen or silk fibroin have been done, and we have never stopped improving the production process of these scaffolds. Therefore, the col agen/silk fibroin scaffold prepared using the three-dimensional printing technology is expected to become the main candidate for the repair of peripheral nerve defects.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cell therapy, as a new treatment strategy, has great treatment potential for lung injury. OBJECTIVE: To review the roles and protective mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of lung injury, providing theoretical basis for clinical treatment of lung injury with mesenchymal stem cells. METHODS: We searched the articles about the treatment of mesenchymal stem cells for lung injury from May 2001 to May 2019 in WanFang, CNKI, PubMed and Web of Science databases. The retrieval terms were “mesenchymal stem cells, lung injury, pulmonary injury, lung” in Chinese and English. After excluding old and repetitive articles, a total of 53 articles were included for further analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) After summarizing the definition and characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells and its mechanism of treating lung injury, we found that mesenchymal stem cells can treat lung injury by their own functions and by producing various cytokines and exosomes. (2) The related signaling pathways of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of lung injury are summarized, such as: PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway. (3) Combined use of mesenchymal stem cells and other drugs, such as erythropoietin and corticosteroids, can enhance the therapeutic effects on lung injury. (4) This article can provide theoretical basis for the treatment of lung injury with mesenchymal stem cells in the clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the short-term clinical efficacy of levosimendan on treating patients with decompensated cardiac insufficiency.Methods One hundred and twenty patients with heart failure (NYHA Ⅲ-Ⅳ or Killip Ⅲ) were randomly divided into levosimendan group(n =60) and control group(n =60).The patients in levosimendan group were given intravenous levosimendan for 24 hours beside conventional heart failure medications.The patients in control group were given the conventional heart failure medications.The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was recorded and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured before and after treatment.NYHA grade and mortality also were recorded.All patients were followed up for 3 months.Results The LVEF in the levosimendan group after the treatment was (35.6 ± 13.3)％,significantly higher than that in the control group ((31.4 ± 6.7) ％,F =8.952,P =0.002).The BNP in two groups after treatment were lower compared with before treatment(P ＜0.05).And it was more remarkable after treatment in levosimendan group compared with control group (441.0 (212.5,1050.0) ng/L vs.870.0 (435.0,1267.0) ng/L,P =0.014).The change of NYHA grade in levosimendan group was better than that in control group after 5 d.The recovery rate and ineffective or deterioration rate in levosimendan group were 45.0％ (27/60),26.7％ (16/30) and 43.3％ (26/60) respectively,higher than that of control group (28.3％ (17/60),20.0％ (12/60),36.7％ (22/60)) (OR =2.280,95％ CI 1.163-4.468,P =0.016).There was no significant difference in term of mortality between in hospital and 3 months follow-up in the levosimendan and the control group (20％ (12/60) vs.25％ (15/60),28.3％ (17/30) vs.41.7％ (25/60),x2 =1.543,P =0.214 and x2 =2.590,P =0.108).There was a decreasing trend regarding of readmission rate during 3 months in levosimendan group compared with that of the control group (21.7％ (13/60) vs.33.3％ (20/60),x2 =3.591,P =0.058),but mortality or readmission rate was lower than that in the control group (46.7 ％ (28/60)vs.66.7％ (40/60),x2 =4.835,P =0.028).Conclusion The short-term clinical efficacy of levosimendan on treating patients with decompensated cardiac insufficiency is remarkable better than the traditional treatment.

Objective To evaluate the improvement effect of levosimendan by vein injection on short term cardiac function of patients with decompensated heart failure.Methods One hundred and sixty patients admitted due to heart failure were randomly divided into levosimendan group and control group (80 subjects for each group).Patients in control group were given a regular therapy including diuretics,vasodilators (including the recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide),angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor(ACEI) or angiotensin Ⅱ receptorantagonists(ARB),β blockers,spironolactone and stain.Patients in levosimendan were administered levosimendan for 24 hours plus regular therapy.The improvements of dyspnoea in 9 days and cardiac function classification in 30 days after therapy were assessed.Mortality of 1 month and 3 month in two group were calculated and compared during follow-up.Results The dyspnoea improvement rate was superior than that of control group during 9 days (OR =1.956,95％ CI:1.156-3.310,P =0.013).The improvements in the levosimendan group were better than in the control group at 1 st day (OR =2.261,95 ％ CI:1.280-3.999,P =0.005),at 3rd (OR =2.002,95 ％ CI:1.111-3.607,P =0.021) and 5th day (OR =1.846,95 ％ CI:1.009 -3.377,P =0.047).However,there was no significant difference in term of improving dyspnoea between the levosimendan group and the control group at 9th day (P =0.126).Similarly,the improvement of cardiac function classification in the levosimendan group was superior than the control group during 30 days (OR =1.933,95％ CI:1.229-3.040,P =0.004).Although no significant difference was seen regarding of improving cardiac function classification between the two groups at 30th day after treatment (P =0.115),the improvements in the levosimendan group were better than in the control group at 3rd (OR =1.986,95％ CI:1.195-3.300,P =0.008),5th (OR =2.268,95 ％ CI:1.329-3.873,P =0.003),9th (OR =2.627,95 ％ CI:1.419-4.860,P =0.002) and 14th day(OR =2.212,95％ CI:1.189-4.112,P =0.012).Moreover,there was a nonsignificant reduction in terms of mortality in levosimendan group during 1-month and 3-month follow-up compared with control group (P ＞ 0.05).Condusion Levosimendan can effectively improve the short-term cardiac function in patients with decompensated heart failure.

BACKGROUND:Studies on basic research of magnetic treatment of limb ischemic disease are not much, because poor compliance of animals and the stability of the magnetic field strength are difficult to control, resulting in big experimental error and decreased credibility of the results. For this kind of problem, experimental study on low-frequency electromagnetic magnetic cages for treatment of ischemic limbs was conducted, thus overcoming the two major issues of poor compliance of animals and difficult control of the stability of magnetic field strength.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of self-made low-frequency magnetic fields of rabbit cages on neovascular growth-promoting factor of rabbits with limb ischemia.
METHODS:A total of 96 rabbit models of atherosclerosis were constructed, numbered and randomly divided into ischemia group and non-ischemia group (12 treatment combination in each group). Experiments in each group were performed four times according to the requirement of factorial design. Electromagnetic field intensity factor A (0, 3, 6, 12 mT) and the time factor B (3, 5, 7 days) were set.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Low-frequency magnetic field could apparently promote hypoxia inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor and CD34 expression in ischemic limb of rabbits. Electromagnetic field intensity factor A was a key factor for contributing to the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor and CD34, and the time factor B was secondary factor. Low-frequency magnetic field also promoted hypoxia inducible factor-1αexpression in non-ischemia limb, but did not promote vascular endothelial growth factor and CD34 expression. Thus, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and CD34 was regulated by hypoxia inducible factor-1α, as wel as other factors, in the ischemic state.