Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of Bryan disc replacement with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients with cervical spondylopathy. Methods Sixteen patients underwent Bryan cervical disc replacement (A group), and 35 patients underwent traditional ACDF (B group) were included in the study. Patients were followed up at regular intervals. The JOA score, SF-36, neck disability index (NDI) score and the dynamic flexion-extension radiographs were used to evaluated the oucomes.Results All the patients were followed up for more than 6 years (mean, 73.5 months). There were no severe adverse events in both groups. In A group, there were no differences between postoperative and preoperative mobility of surgical segments (P＞0.05). All patients obtained bone fusions 6 month after surgery in group B.In both groups, the clinical symptoms relieved obviously after surgery. The postoperative scores of the JOA,SF-36 and NDI significantly improved compared with those of preoperative ones (P＜0.05). In B group, range of motion (ROM) was significantly decreased postoperatively (P ＜0.01); in A group, there were no significant differences between postoperative and preoperative ROM (P＞0.05). The difference between two groups regarding ROM was noted (P＜0.05). Conclusion The mid-term outcomes of Bryan cervical arthroplasty are satisfied. And the cervical arthroplasty which can maintain the mobility of the segment, and decrease the incidence of the postoperative neck axial symptoms is a viable alternative to cervical spondylopathy.

Objective To evaluate biomechanical effect of bone cement distribution on lumbar vertebral body with osteoporotic fracture.Methods Forty nine lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5) specimens were collected from 12 old cadavers.After exerting axial pressure load on every specimen,the initial intensity and stiffness were measured,and then vertebral body crush fracture models were established.According to zones where bone cement was injected in vertebrae,the specimens were divided into one control group and six experimental groups:A,B,C,D,E,F groups,i.e.unilateral anterior 2/3 group,unilateral posterior 2/3 group,unilateral whole group,bilateral anterior 2/3 group,bilateral posterior 2/3 group,and bilateral whole group,respectively,including 7 specimens in each group.In A,B,C groups,unipedicular balloon kyphoplasty was done,while in D,E,F groups,bipedicular balloon kyphoplasty was done.Then the maximum compressive strength and stiffness were measured.Results After percutaneous kyphoplasty,the maximum strength in all experimental groups was significantly greater than that in the control group.There were no significant differences in strength between A and B groups,between C,D and E groups.For the maximum strength,the results of comparison were:F group ＞ C group,D and C groups ＞ A and B groups.Except for F group,the stiffness in other 5 experimental groups was significantly lower than its initial value.There were no significant differences in stiffness between A,B,and C groups,between D and E groups.However,the stiffness in F group was greater than those in D and E groups,and it was greater in bilateral groups than those in unilateral groups.Conclusion Bone cement distribution in lumbar vertebral body can affect biomechanical property of vertebral body,and the bilateral distribution can cause better biomechanical effect than unilateral distribution.The ideal distribution zone of bone cement is in the anterior 2/3 of the vertebral body.

Objective: To compare the curative effects between our self-designed flexible vertebroplasty device and the conventional straight bone cement injector in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracic compression fractures. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 140 patients with osteoporotic thoracic compression fracture who had been admitted to Department of Spine Surgery, Xi’an Honghui Hospital from June 2016 to January 2017. They were 61 males and 79 females, aged from 55 to 88 years (average, 70.3 years). Their fractured vertebrae distributed from T5 to T12. Our self-designed flexible vertebroplasty device was used in 67 of them (group A) while the conventional straight bone cement injector in the other 73 patients (group B). The 2 groups were compared in terms of operative time, amount of bone cement injected, distribution ratio of bone cement on the contralateral side, bone cement leakage, and visual analogue scale (VAS), anterior height ratio of the fractured vertebra and kyphosis cobb angle at 1 d, 1 and 2 years after operation. Results: The 2 groups were comparable due to their insignificant differences in preoperative general data (P>0.05). All the patients were followed up for more than 2 years, with an average of 26.7 months. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in operation time (28.1±4.2 min versus 26.3±3.2 min) or in bone cement leakage [34.3%(23/67) versus 17.8%(13/73)] (P>0.05). However, group A was significantly higher than group B in amount of bone cement injection (5.6±1.2 mL versus 4.9±1.1 mL) and in distribution ratio of bone cement on the contralateral side (71.5%±11.3% versus 65.7%±12.9%), significantly lower than group B in VAS at 1 and 2 years after operation (2.8±0.7 and 3.0±0.9 versus 3.1±0.8 and 3.4±0.8) and in kyphosis cobb angle at 1 and 2 years after operation (25.2°±5.2° and 26.8°±5.5° versus 27.7°±4.9° and 29.1°±1.6°), and significantly higher than group B in anterior height ratio of the fractured vertebra at 1 and 2 years after operation (39.2%±8.1% and 37.1%±7.2% versus 35.4%±7.8% and 33.2%±8.4%) (all P< 0.05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in VAS, anterior height ratio of the fractured vertebra or kyphosis cobb angle at one day after operation (P>0.05). Conclusions Compared with the conventional straight bone cement injector, our self-designed flexible vertebroplasty device can lead to better contralateral distribution of bone cement, more effective maintenance of the height of injured vertebra, and better long-term analgesic effect in the treatment of osteoporotic thoracic compression fractures.

Objective To analyze the characteristics on demographical,spatial distribution and transmission mode of HIV infections among 50-year-old population.Methods Related information on demography,spatial distribution,high risk behavioral and history of HIV infections among 50-year-old population were collected and analyzed.Possible time of infection based on their first CD4 testing results right after the HIV diagnoses,was estimated.Results Since 2008,the number of new HIV/AIDS cases among the over-50-year-olds was reported increasing annually.The number of aged 50 and above in 2014 was 4.2 times than the number in 2008.50-year-old or older population were infected mainly through heterosexual behavior (88.0％).Among these cases,83.9％ self-reported as having histories on extramarital sex intercourse and the number was increasing yearly.Among male cases who admitted as having heterosexual experience,95.1％ of them reported as having histories of extramarital sex intercourse while 53.4％ of the female cases reported as having the same experiences.46.6％ of spouses of the females or with fixed partners were HIV positive.Through estimating the time of infection and the time interval between infection and diagnosis,we found that the proportion was 15.5％,from infection to diagnosis as 3 years among the 50 and older age groups,but the proportion of 8 years from infection to diagnosis was 43.6％.We estimated that 66.5％ of the new HIV cases who were at age 50 and over,were infected when they were at that age span.The average time from infection and being tested was (6.8 ± 2.7) years.Conclusion The increasing number of being diagnosed on HIV among the 50-year-olds population might be related to both high risk exposure and belated diagnoses among this population,calling for the necessity of deriving the sources of HIV infection and tailoring the HIV prevention strategies in this population.

Objective To compare the prevalence of HIV/STD and related health care seeking behaviors among male STD clinic attendees between Xi'an and Xianyang cities.Methods During June and July 2016,206 male STD clinic attendees were studied in Xi'an city,with another 221 male STD clinic attendees in Xianyang city.Cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to collect attendees' behavioral information.Blood samples were collected via HIV/HCV/Syphilis testing.Results The prevalence rate of HIV infection was 2.4％ (5/206) in Xi'an and 0.9％ (2/221) in Xianyang,with no statistical significant difference between the two cities.The prevalence rate of syphilis was 4.9％ (10/206) in Xi'an,which was significantly lower than 13.6％ (30/221) in Xianyang.The proportion of respondents,diagnosed with other sexually transmitted diseases,in Xi'an was higher than that of Xianyang.The proportions of commercial heterosexual sex and sex with temporary sexual partners in the past 3 months were 18.0％ (37/206) and 15.5％ (32/206) in Xi'an,lower than 46.6％ (103/221) and 15.8％ (35/221) in Xianyang (x2 =39.70,P ＜0.01;x2 =-0.01,P=0.93).The proportions of condom use with commercial sex workers or temporary sexual partners in the past 3 months among Xi'an were 37.8％ (14/37) and 6.3％ (2/32),lower than 93.1％ (95/102)and 57.1％ (20/35) in Xianyang (x2=49.06,P＜0.01;x2=19.63,P＜0.01).Conclusion Differences were noticed between Xi'an and Xianyang city in terms of STD and HIV prevalences,behaviors related to commercial sex and use of condoms among the male STD clinic attendees that calling for targeted actions in control of high risk behaviors in both HIV/AIDS and STDs transmission.

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and changing patterns of HIV transmission through heterosexual contact since 2008,and to project the influences of heterosexual transmission mode on the HIV epidemic in China.Methods Demographic data and history of exposure in newly identified HIV/AIDS cases aged 15 years or older,through heterosexual transmission mode from 2008 to 2014,were collected and analyzed.Results The number of HIV/AIDS cases caused by heterosexual transmission increased from 23 402 in 2008,to 68 671 in 2014.The proportion of heterosexual transmission mode increased from 8.7％ in 2008 to 66.4％ in 2014.Among these cases,the proportion of males increased from 55.3％ in 2008 to 68.2％ in 2014.Among those who reported acquiring HIV through heterosexual contact,the proportion of cases through extra-marital sexual acts out of all the newly report ones,increased from 78.2％ in 2008 to 88.2％ in 2014.This mode of infection accounted for 85.2％ in the age 15 to 49 years group,comparing to 84.2％ in the age group of 50 years old or above.The proportion of reported HIV infections through extra-marital sexual acts appeared 93.8％ on males while 69.0％ on females,with statistically significant difference (x2=36 000.000,P＜0.001).Conclusion As the predominant factor of HIV/AIDS epidemic,currently in China,heterosexual transmission showed diversities in different sub-epidemic areas,gender or age groups.Tailored strategies were urgently needed for health education and high-risk behavioral intervention,according to the local epidemic driven factors,respectively.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging provides accurate anatomic information and advanced soft contrast, making it the reference standard for assessing cardiac volumes and systolic function. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in CMR sequences. New technical development has widened the use of CMR imaging beyond the simple characterization of myocardial scars and assessment of contractility. These novel CMR sequences offer comprehensive assessments of coronary plaque characterization, myocardial fiber orientation, and even metabolic activity, and they can be readily applied in clinical settings. CMR imaging is able to provide new insights into understanding the pathophysiologic process of underlying cardiac disease, and it can help physicians choose the best treatment strategies. Although several limitations, including the high cost and time-consuming process, have limited the widespread clinical use of CMR imaging so far, recent advances in software and hardware technologies have made the future more promising.
Cardiac Volume ; Cardiology ; Cicatrix ; Heart Diseases ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Purpose To investigate the difference of resting-state functional connectivity density(FCD)between chronic primary insomnia patients and healthy controls via resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).Materials and Methods All rs-fMRI data of 35 patients with chronic primary insomnia from Xidian Group Hospital and Xi'an Encephalopathy Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,and 35 healthy controls were prospectively collected from August 2020 to December 2021.The voxel-wise FCD approach was applied to explore the differences of whole-brain functional networks between chronic primary insomnia patients and healthy controls.The relationships between FCD value and Pittsburgh sleep quality index,self-rating scale of sleep,insomnia severity index,self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale in primary insomnia patients were investigated,respectively.Results Compared with healthy controls,the decreased FCD values were showed in the right insula,bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus,left orbitofrontal middle gyrus,left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus,right medial superior frontal gyrus and bilateral thalamus(t<-5.271,Padjust<0.05),while the increased FCD values showed in the right superior temporal gyrus,bilateral middle temporal gyrus,bilateral precuneus and left posterior cingulate gyrus(t>4.379,Padjust<0.05)in the chronic primary insomnia patients group.The FCD values of bilateral thalamus(r=-0.620,P<0.001;r=-0.562,P<0.005)and right insula(r=-0.651,P<0.001)were negatively correlated with insomnia severity index in the chronic primary insomnia patients group,respectively.Conclusion The extensive functional connectivity abnormalities are observed in primary insomnia patients via FCD analysis.These findings explain the neural mechanisms of underlying emotional regulation and cognitive impairment in chronic insomnia from the perspective of functional integration and functional separation.

Objective:To investigate the effects of tuina, treadmill running or both on the expression of factors related to gastrocnemius muscle proteins after acute muscle injury and to explore the mechanisms involved.Methods:Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group, a natural recovery group, a tuina group, a treadmill running group and a combined treatment group, each of 6. An impactor was used to induce an acute skeletal muscle injury in the right hind legs of all of the rats except those of the control group. One day after the successful modelling, the tuina, treadmill running and combined groups were given interventions as their name implied, 5 times a week for 3 weeks. The gait of rats in each group was analyzed and the number of times the rats fell into and striken by the electrical grid was counted. The injured muscles′ cross-sectional areas (CSAs) and the diameters of muscle fibers were observed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of mTOR, p-mTOR, p70S6K, p-p70S6K and smad2/3 protein were tested using western blotting. The relative expression of myostatin (MSTN) mRNA was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions.Results:Compared with the natural recovery group, all the other groups fell into the electrical grid significantly less often. The average CSA and wet weight of the affected gastrocnemius had increased significantly in the tuina, treadmill running and combined treatment groups, with the average CSA increases in the treadmill running and combined treatment groups significantly greater compared with the tuina group. The average relative expression of mTOR, p-mTOR, p70S6K, and p-p70S6K in the other four groups increased significantly compared with the control group, while that of Smad2/3 and MSTN decreased significantly. Compared with the natural recovery group, the average increases in the other groups were significantly greater. Compared with the tuina group, the treadmill running and combined treatment groups showed significantly better improvements, on average.Conclusions:Tuina, treadmill running and their combination all can improve recovery from skeletal muscle trauma, at least in rats. However, treadmill running and combined treatment are more effect than tuina alone.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging provides accurate anatomic information and advanced soft contrast, making it the reference standard for assessing cardiac volumes and systolic function. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in CMR sequences. New technical development has widened the use of CMR imaging beyond the simple characterization of myocardial scars and assessment of contractility. These novel CMR sequences offer comprehensive assessments of coronary plaque characterization, myocardial fiber orientation, and even metabolic activity, and they can be readily applied in clinical settings. CMR imaging is able to provide new insights into understanding the pathophysiologic process of underlying cardiac disease, and it can help physicians choose the best treatment strategies. Although several limitations, including the high cost and time-consuming process, have limited the widespread clinical use of CMR imaging so far, recent advances in software and hardware technologies have made the future more promising.