OBJECTIVE: To explore the integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment plan for ankylosing spondylitis complicated with lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation, adopt the treatment plan of preoperative continuous traction, intraoperative prizing reduction combined with anterior long-segment plate-screw and posterior short-segment pedicle screw-rod system internal fixation, and evaluate its surgical efficacy and clinical application value. METHODS: From June 2018 to September 2022, 7 male patients with ankylosing spondylitis complicated with lower cervical spine fractures were admitted, aged 43 to 65 years old. Among them, there was 1 case of C_3,4 fracture, 1 case of C_4,5 fracture, 1 case of C_6,7 fracture, and 4 cases of C_5,6 fracture, all of which were fracture and dislocation. All patients received preoperative continuous skull traction, and intraoperative prizing reduction combined with anterior long-segment plate-screw and posterior short-segment pedicle screw-rod system internal fixation. The Neck Disability Index (NDI), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and Frankel scale were used to evaluate the neurological function and quality of life before and after surgery. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate neck and limb pain. The operation time, blood loss, hospital stay, and surgery-related complications were recorded. RESULTS: All 7 patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months after surgery. The operation time of the 7 patients ranged from 300 to 480 minutes, the blood loss ranged from 300 to 1000 ml, and the hospital stay ranged from 8 to 25 days. The preoperative NDI of the 7 patients ranged from 25% to 42%, which decreased to 12% to 30% at 1 week after surgery and 5% to 25% at the last follow-up. The preoperative JOA score ranged from 8 to 13 points, which increased to 12 to 15 points at 1 week after surgery and 13 to 16 points at the last follow-up. The preoperative VAS ranged from 6 to 8 points, which decreased to 2 to 4 points at 1 week after surgery and 0 to 3 points at the last follow-up. Regarding the Frankel grade of neurological function, 2 patients were grade C before surgery and recovered to grade D at the last follow-up after surgery, and the remaining patients recovered to grade E at the last follow-up after surgery. There were 3 cases of pressure ulcers, including 1 case of intraoperative pressure ulcer, 1 case of cervical cerebrospinal fluid leakage, 1 case of screw loosening, and 1 case of aggravated fracture dislocation due to preoperative traction. CONCLUSION Preoperative cervical traction combined with intraoperative prizing reduction and anterior long-segment plate combined with posterior short-segment pedicle screw internal fixation provides a safe and effective surgical option for ankylosing spondylitis complicated with lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation, which can minimize surgical trauma and improve clinical efficacy. However, this study has a small sample size and a short follow-up time for some patients, so further verification with large-sample and long-term follow-up data is still needed.
Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/surgery* ; Cervical Vertebrae/surgery* ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Traction ; Aged ; Joint Dislocations/surgery*

On August 24 2024, Xiaoshan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou City, received a report of two cases of varicella infection among staff in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in its jurisdiction. The center immediately organized personnel to conduct an epidemiological investigation of the cases and their close contacts. The index case was a patient admitted to the ICU who had large areas of red rash and pustules on the chest, back, and right axilla. This case was diagnosed with herpes zoster by a dermatology consultation within the hospital. The other nine secondary cases were all nursing staff in the ICU, who were clinically diagnosed with varicella between August 21 and September 1, with an attack rate of 14.06%. All secondary varicella cases had a history of contact with the herpes zoster case and no history of varicella infection. Their varicella vaccination history was unknown. Based on the results of the on-site epidemiological and sanitary investigations, it was determined that this was an outbreak of varicella in the hospital caused by a herpes zoster case. After the last case was diagnosed, no new cases were reported within the longest incubation period (21 days), and the outbreak was declared over on September 21. Close contact with the herpes zoster case was likely the main cause of the outbreak. This highlights the need for early identification and isolation of suspected herpes zoster cases in hospitals in the future, as well as enhanced protective measures to prevent nosocomial infections.

To evaluate long-term survival and clinical outcomes of patients with knee osteo-arthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) through long-term follow-up.

To analyze the occurrence of early complications after total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

[Objective]To investigate the role of endothelial microparticles(EMPs)in diabetic macrovascular complications(DMCs),summarize the research progress and analyze the research progress on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)regulation of EMPs for the prevention and treatment of DMCs.[Methods]Base on the research on the pathological mechanism of DMCs,the biological characteristic of EMPs and their mechanism of action in DMCs in recent years,combined with the experimental and clinical studies on the regulation of EMPs by TCM for disease prevention and treatment,their paper summarizes the action targets of EMPs in regulating the pathological process of DMCs and the resarch progress of TCM intervention,on this basis,the limitations of current research and future prospects are summarized.[Results]EMPs are important biomarkers of endothelial injury,promoting mechanisms such as inflammation,oxidative stress,thrombosis and atherosclerosis,contributes to the pathological progression of DMCs.TCM intervenes in the generation and release of EMPs through mechanisms such as regulating inflammatory responses,alleviating oxidative stress,relieving endothelial dysfunction and promoting vascular repair.This approach helps maintain endothelial homeostasis and plays a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of DMCs.[Conclusion]EMPs play a significant role in the onset and progression of DMCs,serving as potential intervention targets.TCM offers novel therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of DMCs by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress,promoting vascular remodeling and repair,and suppressing the formation of thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

Objective:To explore the potential role of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and components of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the early progression of carotid arteriosclerosis.Methods:The study was a cross-sectional study. Urban participants undergoing routine health check-ups were enrolled from all 11 prefecture-level cities in Zhejiang Province between January and December 2022. General clinical information was obtained through interviews, and data on MS was collected from the clinical health examinations. Serum Lp-PLA? levels were measured in all participants. All participants were divided into 3 groups according to the results of the carotid ultrasound: the normal group, the intima thickening group with carotid intima thickening change and the plaque group. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the associations of Lp-PLA2, MS, and the components of MS with early carotid atherosclerosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of combining Lp-PLA2 with MS and the cumulative number of MS components for early carotid atherosclerosis.Results:A total of 4 009 urban adults undergoing routine health check-ups were enrolled (mean age (48.9±8.46) years, 2 665(66.5 %)male). Of these, 1 398 were in the normal group, 1 650 in the intima thickening group, and 961 in the plaque group. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that Lp-PLA2 was independently associated with early carotid atherosclerosis ( OR=1.34, 95% CI: 1.11-1.63, P=0.003). Lp-PLA2 also showed independent positive associations with both carotid intima thickening and carotid plaque formation, with the latter being more pronounced (both P<0.05). MS was independently and positively associated with early carotid atherosclerosis ( OR=1.48, 95 % CI: 1.20-1.84, P<0.001), as well as with intima thickening and carotid plaque formation, with the association being stronger for the latter (both P<0.05). Furthermore, the strength of the association increased progressively with the number of MS components ( P<0.001), especially for carotid plaques formation (both P<0.001). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that, compared with individuals without MS and low Lp-PLA2 levels, the risk of early carotid atherosclerosis was increased in those with high Lp-PLA2 alone, MS alone, or both conditions concurrently, with the highest risk observed when both were present (all P<0.05). ROC analyses demonstrated that the combination of elevated Lp-PLA2 with 3, 4, or 5 MS components yielded good diagnostic performance for early carotid atherosclerosis ( AUC=0.869, 0.888, and 0.889, respectively), intima thickening ( AUC=0.844, 0.860, and 0.845, respectively), and carotid plaque formation ( AUC=0.899, 0.924, and 0.968, respectively) in urban health-screening participants. Conclusions:Lp-PLA2, MS, and the number of MS components were independently and positively associated with early carotid atherosclerosis in urban health chek-up populations. The combination of MS components and Lp-PLA2 provided favorable diagnostic performance for the detection of early carotid atherosclerosis.

Objective:To investigate the effect of the sizes of osteon-like concentric microgroove structures on the osteoclastic differentiation of macrophages on titanium surfaces, and to provide reference for the surface modification of implants.Methods:The silicon wafers sputtered with titanium were selected as the control group (smooth surface specimens) and four concentric groups (concentric circles with the maximum diameter of 200 μm, the minimum diameter of 20 μ m, the spacing of concentric circles of 10 or 30 μm, the width of microgrooves of 10 or 30 μm, and the depth of microgrooves of 5 or 10 μm) specimens (the total sample size in each group was 27). The width of microgrooves of C10-5 and C10-10 groups was 10 μm, the depth was 5 and 10 μm, and the width of microgrooves of C30-5 and C30-10 groups was 30 μ m, the depth was 5 and 10 μ m, respectively. The physicochemical properties of the material surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and contact-angle measurement. The proliferation, adhesion of macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7 and the formation of osteoclast actin-rings on the specimen surfaces were observed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), immunofluorescence staining and laser confocal microscopy. Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) quantitative detection, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to investigate the regulation of osteon-like concentric microgroove structures on the specimen surfaces on the osteoclastic differentiation of macrophages.Results:Macrophages aggregated and grew disorderly on the surface of the smooth group, and arranged in concentric circles along the microgroove structures on the surfaces of the concentric groups. After 5 days of culture, the cell proliferation of C30 groups (the A values of C30-5 group and C30-10 group were 1.335±0.018 and 1.340±0.033, respectively) was significantly higher than that of C10 groups (the A values of C10-5 group and C10-10 group were 0.967±0.015 and 1.182±0.020, respectively)(all P<0.05). The cell proliferation of the four concentric groups was significantly higher than that of the control group (the A value was 0.796±0.012), with statistical significance (all P<0.05). After osteoclastic induction for 5 days the osteoclasts induced in the C10-5 and C10-10 groups exhibited smaller actin rings and fewer numbers. The TRAP activity in each concentric group was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P<0.05). The expression levels of osteoclast differentiation-related genes TRAP (0.610±0.022) in the C10-10 group was lowest, and CtsK (0.489±0.136, 0.445±0.037) in the C10-5 and C10-10 groups were lower compared to the smooth group and other concentric groups, with statistical significance (all P<0.05), the expression levels of osteoclast differentiation-related proteins TRAP (0.648±0.041), MMP-9 (0.688±0.026) in the C10-10 group were lowest, and CtsK (0.491±0.016, 0.453±0.010) in the C10-10 and C30-10 groups were also lower compared to the smooth group and other concentric groups, with statistical significance (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The osteon-like concentric microgroove structures inhibit the osteoclastic differentiation of macrophage-like cell line RAW264.7, with the microgrooves 10 μm wide and 10 μm deep showing the most significant inhibitory effect on the osteoclastic differentiation.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) complicated by multiple primary malignancies (MPCs) in a real-world setting.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on 238 NPC patients with MPCs who received radical radiotherapy at Fujian Cancer Hospital between January 1st, 2004 and December 31st, 2023. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and cumulative survival rate. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank / Breslow tests, and univariate analysis of prognostic factors was performed using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results:A total of 246 primary malignant tumors were identified in 238 patients, involving 12 organ systems and 39 tumor types. The most common coexisting malignancies occurred in the respiratory and intrathoracic organs [25.2% (62/246)], followed by digestive organ malignancies [22.8% (56/246)], malignancies of the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx [22.8% (56/246)], and thyroid and other endocrine gland malignancies [15.4% (38/246)]. The median OS was 186 months, and the 3-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative survival rates were 90.84%, 85.25%, and 69.45%, respectively. Poorer survival was associated with male sex, age>48 years at onset, locally advanced disease (stage IVA), synchronous MPCs and/or digestive system malignancies, fewer total cycles of chemotherapy, and lack of concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy.Conclusions:In patients with NPC, MPCs most frequently involve the respiratory system, digestive system, and head and neck organs (including the thyroid). Male sex, older age, locally advanced primary NPC, synchronous and/or digestive system MPCs, fewer chemotherapy cycles, and lach of concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy were significantly associated with poorer prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the potential causal relationships between gut microbiota composition and the risk of developing various subtypes of breast cancer by using bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization(MR).Methods:The research utilized genome-wide association studies(GWAS) data on gut microbiota from the MiBioGen database and GWAS data on breast cancer from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). In this MR study, inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR Egger, and MR-PRESSO methods were used. Additionally, reverse MR and stratified analyses were conducted to assess reverse causality and the impact on different subtypes of breast cancer.Results:Adlercreutzia (IVW OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.98, P=0.01) and Parabacteroides (IVW OR=0.87, 95% CI: 0.79-0.96, P=0.007) exhibited a statistically significant protective effect on breast cancer. Conversely, Sellimonas (IVW OR=1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.09, P=0.01) was significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Desulfovibrio (IVW OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-1.00, P=0.04) and Ruminococcaceae (UCG013) (IVW OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-0.99, P=0.03) presented suggestive protective effects against breast cancer. Furthermore, stratified analysis revealed that the protective effect of Adlercreutzia against breast cancer persisted in the estrogen receptor(ER)-positive subtypes, while Desulfovibrio persisted in the ER-negative subtypes. Sellimonas was causally associated with the risk of ER-positive subtypes. CACNA1S was identified as the functional gene of Adlercreutzia, and associated with favorable prognosis in breast cancer, while ERBB4 was identified as the functional gene of Sellimonas and associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Conclusions:This study identifies the causal relationships between gut microbiota and breast cancer, suggesting a novel target for early clinical intervention and treatment, with potential implications for future functional analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the key genes and immunological pathways shared by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and explore the potential therapeutic targets of T2DM complicated by COPD. METHODS: GEO database was used for analyzing the gene expression profiles in T2DM and COPD to identify the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the two diseases. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed to identify the candidate hub genes, which were validated in datasets and disease sets to obtain the target genes. The diagnostic accuracy of these target genes was assessed with ROC analysis, and their expression levels and association with pulmonary functions were investigated using clinical data and blood samples of patients with T2DM and COPD. The abundance of 22 immune cells was analyzed with CIBERSORT algorithm, and their relationship with the target genes was examined using correlation analysis. DGIdb database was used for analyzing the drug-gene interactions and the druggable genes followed by gene set enrichment analysis. RESULTS: We identified a total of 175 common DEGs in T2DM and COPD, mainly enriched in immune- and inflammation-related pathways. Among these genes, CXCL12 was identified as the final target gene, whose expression was elevated in both T2DM and COPD (P<0.05) and showed good diagnostic efficacy. Immune cell infiltration correlation analysis showed significant correlations of CXCL12 with various immune cells (P<0.01). GESA analysis showed that high CXCL12 expression was significantly correlated with "cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction". Drug-gene analysis showed that most of CXCL12-related drugs were not targeted drugs with significant cytotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS CXCL12 is a potential common key pathogenic gene of COPD and T2DM, and small-molecule targeted drugs against CXCL12 can provide a new strategy for treatment T2DM complicated by COPD.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/complications* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics* ; Chemokine CXCL12/metabolism* ; Protein Interaction Maps ; Gene Expression Profiling