18 out of 779 operated cases for lumbar prolapsed disc at our department were reoperated with excellent or good results obtained in 17 and improvement in 1. 14 out of these were initially treated at our department with satisfactory results for from 2 months to 12 years before symptoms recurred while 4 were first operated upon at other hospitals with good results in 2 and failure for the others after the primary operation. The recurrence rate is 14/779 in our service, i. e. 1.8%, lower than those previously reported.Reoperation for recurrent cases is generally considered extremely difficult and result uncertain because of extensive scar and dense adhesions about the nerve coot and dura. More often than not the results reported in literature were not good enough to warrant reoperation. Consequently those recurrent patients in our series so badly incapacitated would have to suffer or remain crippled for lifetime were they not reoperated. However our patients were salvaged by reoperation with meticulous performance after careful clinical evaluation as to diagnosis, indication and tyfe of operation adopted. Operative procedure for exploration and resolution of coexisting spinal stenosis is discussed in detail.

Twenty-six patients with stenosis of the thoracic spinal canal and myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum were treated from 1983 to June 1991. There were 21 patients with spastic paraplegia and 5 with flaccid paraplegia in the series. The findings on radiograms, CT scans, myelograms and MRI were described. Total laminectomy was performed in all of the patients which resulted in an effective rate of 91.6% and exellent and good results in 83.3%. The mechanism of the disease our experience in diagnosis and surgical treatment, causes of misdiagnosis and surgical techniques are discussed.

Objective To establish the genetic and biochemical loci in Mesocricetus auratus and its albino mua-tant.Methods Protein isozyme cellulose acetate electrophoresis was used to determine the genetic and biochemical loci in Mesocricetus auratus and its albino mutant, using the genetic and biochemical loci of mice and rats.Results 25 biochemi-cal markers of Mesocricetus auratus and albino mutant were established, and polymorphism of their genetic biochemical loci was analyzed.Conclusions Polymorphism of biochemical loci is present in Mesocricetus auratus.Some differences exist between the genetic biochemical loci of Mesocricetus auratus and their albino mutant.These results laid the foundation for further study on genetic mechanism of albino mutation in Mesocricetus auratus.

Objective To find out a reference range of epidermal nerve fiber density in normal humans and compare the concordance between clinical features, electrophysiology and the results of skin biopsy. Methods Fifty-one patients with peripheral neuropathy and 10 normal controls were studied. Skin biopsies were obtained from distal leg and/or proximal leg and nerves identified using immunohistochemistry with antibody against protein gene product (PGP) 9. 5. Forty-one in 51 performed routine nerve conduction vdocity and electromyography, 21 in 51 performed sympathetic skin response(SSR). The concordance of the consequences was compared. Results Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) was (21.4 + 2. 7) /mm in thigh and (15.4±2. 2) /mm in the distal part of the leg in normal controls. IENFD was (15.0± 6. 3)/mm and (8. 1±5.9) /mm in patients. The intraepidermal nerve fiber density was significantly lower in the patients than in the normal controls both in proximal (t = 2. 976, P = 0.004) and distal legs (t= 3.191, P=0.002). Forty-eight out of 51 patients showed abnormalities in skin biopsy, among which 33 patients had length-dependent neuropathy. In the group of abnormal skin biopsy, 41 received routine electrophysiology, among which 21 (51.2%) were abnormal and they were performed SSR, turning out that 17 (81.0%) were abnormal. In 29 patients who had only small fiber neuropathy, 27(93. 1%) showed abnormalities in skin biopsy, out of whom 20 were performed routine electromyography, and it identified that 6 (30. 0%) were abnormaL In 14 receiving SSR, 11 were abnormal. Conclusion Skin biopsy is safe and tolerable, which has a higher sensitivity especially in small fiber neuropathy.

Post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD) is a serious psychiatric disorder when someone suffered from a major trauma, next followed by sleep disorder, emotional and cognitive disorder and other symptoms. Over the past few decades, many stress rodents models have been developed for searching the potential pathophysiological pathways of PTSD. All models showed PTSD-like symptoms, but none of them could manifestate all the symptoms and biological changes of PTSD completely. Thus, this article makes a brief summary about the PTSD models commonly used in recent years.

Objective To observe the pathological changes of pituitary tissue in rats with acute necrotizing pancreatitis and to explore the mechanism of pituitary tissue injury in rats.Methods 24 SD rats were randomly divided into normal group (N group,n=8),sham operation group (SO group,n=8),and acute necrotizing pancreatitis group (ANP group,n=8).ANP model was established by retrograde injection of 5％ sodium taurocholate into the biliopancretic duct.The serum levels of amylase(AMY) and lipase (LIP) were detected by automatic biochemical.The serum levels of growth hormone (GH),adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH),thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured by radioimmunoassay.The pathological changes of pancreatic tissue and pituitary tissue were observed by the light microscope.The expression of Casepase3,Caspasel2 and CHOP in pituitary tissue were determined by immunohistochemical method.Results Compared to SO group,the serum levels of AMY(8679.16±307.60) U/L and LIP(9376.83±380.92) U/L were significantly higher in ANP group (P＜0.05).The serum levels of ACTH (0.92±0.41) pg/ml,TSH (0.14±0.06) pg/ml,and FSH (2.01±0.38) pg/ml were significantly lower in ANP group(P＜0.05).The expression of Caspse 3 (65.66±7.58),Caspase12(70.66±4.76) and CHOP(143.16±19.05) in pituitary tissue were significantly increased in ANP group (P＜0.05).The pancreatic injury was more severe in ANP group under light microscope (P＜0.05).The degree of hyperemia of pituitary tissue of ANP group was aggravated.Conclusion Pathological changes occur in rat pituitary tissues and endoplasmic reticulum stress injury plays a role in pituitary injury during ANP.

Objective To explore the protective mechanism of glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β) inhibitor TDZD-8 on acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) associated kidney injury in rats. Methods SPF male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 20): sham operation group (Sham group), ANP model group, TDZD-8 intervention group and TDZD-8 control group. The rat ANP model was prepared by retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile duct; the same volume of normal saline was injected into the pancreatic duct of the Sham group. The TDZD-8 intervention group and the TDZD-8 control group were injected with GSK-3β inhibitor TDZD-8 (1 mL/kg) via the femoral vein 30 minutes before the model or sham operation; the ANP model group and the Sham group were injected equal volume of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Rats in each group were sacrificed at 12 hours after operation to measure the serum amylase (AMY), blood lipase (LIPA), serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels and to observe the pathological changes of pancreatic tissues and kidney tissues. Ultrastructural change of renal cells was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The activation of nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry assay. The protein expressions of GSK-3β, phospho-GSK-3β (Ser 9), tumor necrosis factor -α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the kidney were determined by Western Blot. Results Compared with the Sham group, the serum and inflammatory factors levels of the ANP model group were significantly increased, the pathological damage of the pancreas and kidney tissues were severe, the histopathological score was significantly increased, the expression of NF-κB p65 was enhanced in the nucleus of the kidney tissue, and the expressions of GSK-3β, TNF-α, ICAM-1 and iNOS were significantly enhanced, and the expressions of p-GSK-3β(Ser 9) and IL-10 were significantly attenuated. Compared with the ANP model group, TDZD-8 pretreatment significantly reduced serum and inflammatory factor levels in the ANP model group [AMY (kU/L): 5.60±0.30 vs. 10.07±0.34, LIPA (U/L): 1 111.0±110.8 vs. 2 375.0±51.1, SCr (μmol/L): 47.38±1.48 vs. 72.50±2.43, BUN (mmol/L): 17.6±1.0 vs. 26.0±1.0, IL-1β (ng/L):195.90±5.50 vs. 332.40±38.29, IL-6 (ng/L): 246.10±26.74 vs. 385.30±32.19, all P < 0.01]; pathological damage of pancreas and kidney tissue (histopathological score: 7.1±0.4 vs. 12.1±0.3, 301.2±7.5 vs. 433.5±13.8, both P < 0.01) and ultrastructural damage of renal cells were alleviated; the expression of NF-κB p65 in the nucleus was significantly decreased; the expression of p-GSK-3β(Ser 9) was significantly increased, and blocking GSK-3β activity could inhibit the expressions of TNF-α, ICAM-1, iNOS and increase the expression of IL-10, while the expression of GSK-3β in renal tissues was not statistically significant. There were no significant differences between the TDZD-8 control group and the Sham group. Conclusions Blockade of GSK-3βactivity by TDZD-8 exerts the protective effect against kidney injury by inhibiting the inflammation signaling pathway in ANP. It can alleviate histopathological and ultrastructural changes in kidney injury, which protection mechanism is mediated by NF-κB and its related inflammatory mediators.

Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4 ( TLR4 ) and NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3)inflammasome in the liver injury of acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) rat with obesity. Methods Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, ANP group, obesity group and obesity ANP group. The obesity rat model was established by continuously feeding high fat diet and the ANP model was induced by retrograde infusion of 5％ sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. Rats were killed at 12 h after model establishment, and automatic biochemical immune analyzer were used for detecting serum AMY, LIP, ALT, AST, TG and TC. Pathological changes of pancreas and liver tissue samples were observed by miscroscopy and pathological score was recorded. The levels of MPO, CD68 , TLR4, NLRP3 and IL-1βin liver tissue were detected by immunofluorescence, and NF-κB and caspase-3 in liver tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results The serum ALT and AST in obesity ANP group were significantly increased than those in ANP group (233. 00 ± 34. 44 U/L vs 102. 83 ± 8. 90 U/L,388. 00 ± 41. 60 U/L vs 282. 00 ± 21. 06 U/L);and liver pathologic score was also significantly higher than ANP group (6. 66 ± 1. 21 vs 3. 33 ± 1. 03);and CD68 + /TLR4 +, CD68 + /NLRP3 +, TLR4 + /NLRP3 +, MPO, NF-κB, IL-1β and caspase-3 level were all greatly higher in obesity ANP than those in ANP group, respectively (24. 16 ± 1. 47 vs 6. 66 ± 1. 21, 25. 00 ± 2. 60 vs 7. 00 ± 1. 41, 14. 16 ± 1. 47 vs 5. 50 ± 1. 04, 35. 33 ± 6. 88 vs 20. 83 ± 2. 48, 58. 80 ± 6. 75 vs 37. 63 ± 2. 96, 50. 00 ± 2. 36 vs 35. 00 ± 2. 82, 66. 00 ± 4. 04 vs 55. 00 ± 2. 60); and all the differences were statistically significant (all P<0. 05). Conclusions Liver injury was more severe in ANP rats with obesity, which may be related to the fact that obesity may enhance the activation of TLR4/NLRP3 signal pathway and result in the release of more inflammatory factors.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common and severe disease causing multiple organ dysfunction. With the deepening of research on AP pathogenesis, it has been found that macrophages play an important role in the initiation and progress of AP. The systemic innate macrophage populations, such as the pancreatic macrophages, Kupffer cells, peritoneal macrophages and pulmonary macrophages, can be activated by inflammatory mediators in different stages of pancreatitis, triggering inflammatory cascade reaction and systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This review focused on the recent progress in the role of macrophages in AP.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of modified Chunzetang on urinary retention in rats with spinal cord injury （SCI） and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （JNK/p38 MAPK） signaling pathway. MethodBefore modeling， 10 of the 70 female SD rats were randomly selected to assign to the blank group， and 10 to the sham group. The remaining 50 rats were used to prepare a SCI-induced urinary retention model using the spinal cord transection method. The model rats were randomly divided into model group， low-dose modified Chunzetang group， high-dose modified Chunzetang group， and inhibitor group. After modeling， the blank group， sham group， and inhibitor group were given 2 mL of saline by gavage. The high-dose and low-dose groups of modified Chunzetang were given modified Chunzetang at 28.8 g·kg^-1 and 14.4 g·kg^-1 by gavage， respectively. The inhibitor group was injected intraperitoneally with the JNK inhibitor SP600125 twice a week at a dose of 15 mg·kg^-1. All rats were gavaged for a total of 28 days. Urodynamic and bladder muscle tension tests were conducted to evaluate bladder function. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the morphology of bladder smooth muscle tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to measure the levels of JNK， phosphorylated （p）-p38 MAPK， B cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3）. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of p-JNK， p-p38 MAPK， ETS-like protein-1 （ELK-1）， and activator protein-1 （AP1） in the detrusor muscle. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of p-JNK， p-p38 MAPK， and AP1. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling （TUNEL） assay was conducted to measure cell apoptosis. ResultCompared with blank group and sham group， the model group showed a significant increase in maximum bladder capacity and bladder compliance， and a significant decrease in leak point pressure. The minimum contraction force was increased， and the contraction frequency was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The structure of bladder smooth muscle was disordered， with a large number of vacuolar cells， tissue edema， mononuclear cell infiltration， obvious hemorrhage， and a trend towards fibrosis in connective tissue. TUNEL positive cells increased significantly. The protein expression levels of p-JNK， p-p38 MAPK， AP1， and ELK-1 were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， all intervention groups showed significant improvement in urodynamic and bladder muscle contraction tests. In the low-dose modified Chunzetang group， the levels of p-p38 MAPK and Caspase-3 was decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The levels of JNK, p-p38 MAPK and Caspase-3 in the high-dose group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the level of Bcl-2 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The expression levels of p-JNK， p-p38 MAPK， and AP1 proteins were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and ELK-1 protein expression was decreased （P<0.05）. The positive rate of p-JNK and AP1 receptors was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The positive cell rate was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The high-dose modified Chunzetang group was positioned between the low-dose group and the inhibitor group， with no significant difference compared to the inhibitor group. ConclusionModified Chunzetang can improve urinary retention in SCI and enhance the contraction force of bladder smooth muscle. This effect is related to the inhibition of the JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway activation， thereby reducing apoptosis of bladder smooth muscle cells.