BACKGROUND:Studies have demonstrated that postmenopausal osteoporosis is related to female reproductive characteristics and exercise diets,but few studies have demonstrated whether female reproductive characteristics and exercise diets have an effect on vitamin D in postmenopausal women. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship of vitamin D levels with female reproductive characteristics and exercise diets and their influencing factors in postmenopausal women in Beijing. METHODS:Totally 727 postmenopausal women with an age range of 46-75 years old who received on-site questionnaires in 17 communities of Beijing from September 2017 to May 2018 were selected as the study subjects,and the questionnaires included the subjects'basic information and history of menstruation,menopause,pregnancy,and exercise diet.An electrochemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer and its auxiliary reagents were used to determine 25-(OH)D levels.Bone mineral density and T values of the lumbar spine(L1-L4,whole)and both hips(femoral neck,whole)were determined using a dual-energy X-ray bone mineral density detector.The correlation of vitamin D with reproductive characteristics and exercise diet was observed,as well as the influencing factors of vitamin D were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:There were 136 cases(18.7%)in the vitamin D normal group,389 cases(53.5%)in the vitamin D insufficient group,and 202 cases(27.8%)in the vitamin D deficient group.The mean vitamin D level was(15.60±5.85)ng/mL.With the increase of vitamin D level,the bone mineral density value and T value of different parts of the body also increased.Vitamin D level was positively correlated with age at menarche,days of menstrual duration,stage of menopause,activity,diet type,and dietary preference(P<0.05);was negatively correlated with menstrual cycle,age at menopause,and number of childbearing(P<0.05);and had no correlation with age at first conception and number of pregnancies(P>0.05).The results of multifactorial ordered Logistic regression analyses showed that there was a positive correlation between the frequency of drinking dairy products and vitamin D level(P<0.05),and dairy products were a protective factor for vitamin D level.To conclude,vitamin D levels are generally insufficient and bone mineral density values are generally low in postmenopausal women in Beijing.Vitamin D levels are correlated with some reproductive characteristics and exercise diets,and drinking dairy products is a protective factor.Therefore,it is possible to intervene in the dietary situation of postmenopausal women by means of health education about osteoporosis and by increasing vitamin D levels in order to increase bone density values and reduce the prevalence of osteoporosis in the postmenopausal period.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and complication rates of staged open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and external fixation combined with limited internal fixation (EFLIF) in the treatment of high-energy Pilon fractures. METHODS: A retrospective selection was conducted on 78 patients diagnosed with high-energy tibial Pilon fractures who received treatment between January 2021 and October 2023. These patients were categorized into the staged ORIF group and the EFLIF group according to their respective treatment protocols. The staged ORIF group comprised 48 patients, including 29 males and 19 females, aged from 33 to 53 years old with a mean age of (43.25±4.67) years old. The time from injury to treatment averaged (6.54±2.21) hours. All patients received staged ORIF treatment. The EFLIF Group consisted of 30 patients, including 18 males and 12 females, aged from 36 to 54 years old with a mean age of (43.37±3.24) years old. The time from injury to treatment averaged (6.87±1.96) hours. All patients received EFLIF treatment. The recovery of ankle joint function, fracture reduction quality, fracture healing time, and surgical-related indicators between two groups were observed and compared six months after surgery. Additionally, the postoperative complications of the two groups were recorded. RESULTS: Both groups of patients were followed up and the duration ranged from 6 to 12 months, with an average of (8.97±1.26) months. At 6-month postoperative follow-up, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score in the ORIF group was (83.15±20.93), which did not show a statistically significant difference compared to the EFLIF group (81.88±20.67), P>0.05. The excellent and good rate of fracture reduction in the staged ORIF group was 33.33% (16/48), which did not show a statistically significant difference compared to the EFLIF group (30.00%, 9/30), P>0.05. The hospitalization duration and fracture healing time in the staged ORIF group were (16.57±1.25) days and (12.14±1.15) weeks, respectively. When compared to the EFLIF group, which demonstrated a hospitalization duration of (15.97±2.16 ) days and a fracture healing time of (12.36±1.17) weeks, no statistically significant differences were observed (P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss in the staged ORIF group was (76.54±11.65) ml, which was significantly higher than that in the EFLIF group (70.15±10.29) ml, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of superficial tissue infection was 2.08%(1/48), which was significantly lower than that observed in the EFLIF group at 16.67% (5/30), and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Both staged ORIF and EFLIF were effective treatment options for high-energy closed Pilon fractures of the tibia. However, regarding the prevention of superficial tissue infection, staged ORIF demonstrates superior risk control compared to EFLIF.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Tibial Fractures/physiopathology* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; External Fixators ; Open Fracture Reduction/methods* ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the correlation between muscle strength level and bone mineral density and bone metabolism indexes in postmenopausal women in Beijing.Methods Postmenopausal women who were investi-gated by on-site questionnaires and followed by bone mineral density examination in Beijing from September 2017 to May 2018 were recruited as study subjects.They were divided into early menopausal group,middle menopausal group,late menopausal group,and twilight menopausal group according to the years of menopause.Changes in grip strength,5 times sit-to-stand test(FTSST)with bone mineral density(BMD)and bone metabolism indexes were observed in the four groups and their correlations were analyzed.Results A total of 815 cases of postmenopausal women were included.At different menopausal stages,muscle strength was all found to decrease with the increase of menopausal years(P＜0.05),there was non-significance of different bone metabolism indexes among the four groups(P＞0.05);Femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD decreased with the increase of menopausal years(P＜0.05).Maximum grip strength was positively correlated with both femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD(R=0.158,P＜0.05;R=0.130,P＜0.05).There was no correlation between muscle strength and bone metabo-lism indexes(P＜0.05).Conclusions Different bone metabolism indexes are not associated with muscle strength in menopausal women.Maximum grip strength is positively correlated with bone mineral density,which can be used as an auxiliary screening tool for osteoporosis(OP)in women.The FTSST suggests that the lower limb muscle strength of menopausal women decreases with age,which can be used as one of the indicators for predicting the risk of falls in menopausal women.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of a self-designed wound measurement grid on the design of lobulated perforator flap.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2022, soft tissue defects in limbs of 9 patients were reconstructed by lobulated perforator flaps in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of Shenzhen Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. The patients were 7 males and 2 females aged 21-55 years old with 40.3 years old in average. There were 6 upper limb defects and 3 lower limb defects. Self-designed wound measuring grids were applied to guide the design and excision of lobulated perforator flaps during surgery. Five patients were treated by lobulated perforator flap pedicled with the descending branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery and 4 by perforator flaps pedicled with dorsal interosseous artery. The areas of soft tissue defect were 4.0 cm×1.5 cm-26.0 cm×8.0 cm, and the sizes of the flaps were 4.5 cm×1.8 cm-22.0 cm×10.0 cm. After surgery, the blood supply of flaps, flap survival and wound healing were monitored. Flap survival, donor site recovery and limb function were observed at outpatient clinic over the postoperative follow-up, and the limb function was evaluated by the Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Partial Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association and Lower Extremity Measure(LEM).Results:In this study, a total of 17 of 18 lobes of the lobulated perforator flaps survived after surgery. One flap had venous occlusion and after exploration and further treatment, a necrosis occurred in 1 lobe of the lobulated flap and then a free flap transfer was performed again. All the wounds achieved stage-I healing. Postoperative follow-up lasted for 3-18 months with 8.6 months in average. All flaps had good colour and texture, satisfactory appearance and only linear scars remained in the donor sites, without pain and scar contracture. The reconstructed upper extremity defect were evaluated according to the Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Partial Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association, with 4 patients were in excellent and 2 in good. The reconstructed lower extremity defects were evaluated according to the LEM, and 2 patients were in excellent and 1 in good.Conclusion:The self-designed wound measurement grid was successfully applied in the design of lobed perforator flaps. It can accurately measure a wound surface and quickly extract a wound profile, and it is more convenient and intuitive to guide the design of flaps. It has a good effect in clinical application and further clinical trials are required.

Objective:To investigate the application of self-designed wound measuring grid in the measurement of wound and the design of perforator flap.Methods:From February 2018 to February 2020, 31 cases of soft tissue defects of limbs were repaired by free transfer of perforator flap. During the operation, the self-designed membrane with measurement grid was used to measure the wound surface. The flaps were designed and harvested according to the accurate measurement of the wound. The flaps were reviewed at hospital clinic during follow-up.Results:All patients entered 3-15 months of follow-up with an average of 8 months. All 31 flaps survived, of which 2 flaps encountered vascular crisis and were rescued after surgical exploration. There was no infection of flaps and all flaps had stage I healing. The flaps were satisfactory in appearance with the sensation recovery to S 2 in 21 cases and S 3 in 10 cases. Only linear scars were left on the donor sites. Conclusion:The membrane with a measurement grid can accurately measure a wound, and help the design of the flap according to the measured size and profile of the wound. It can reduce the operation time and the risk as well as to improve the operation efficiency. The clinical application is satisfactory. Large scale and multi-centre studies are required to further prove the benefit of the measurement grid.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of the second toenail flap with the dorsal bone of the phalange in repairing the defect of fingernail bed.Methods:From January, 2012 to June, 2019, 10 patients with large area of fingernail bed defect were treated by the second toenail flap with bone on the back of the phalanx. The survival of the flap was observed after the operation, and the fracture healing, the shape of the nail and the flexion and extension function of the finger joint were observed in the outpatient follow-up.Results:All flaps of the second toenail survived. The average follow-up period was 8 (4-12) months. The fractured ends of 10 patients' phalanges healed well without nonunion, good appearance of toenail and deformity of toenail. The recovery of hand function was evaluated according to the evaluation standard of upper limb function of Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association, 9 cases were excellent, and 1 case was good.Conclusion:The second toenail flap with dorsal bone of the phalanx preserved is easy to cut, simple to operate, and has good clinical effect. It is a good method to repair the defect of the fingernail bed.

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and clinical effect in the repair of thumb tip defect with radial thenar fasciocutaneous flap.Methods:From March, 2016 to January, 2019, 15 patients with thumb tip defect were treated by radial thenar fasciocutaneous flap. There were 6 defects in left thumb and 9 in right thumb. All the thumbtip defects had the exposure of digital bone, and some had defects of digital bone itself. The size of defects ranged from 1.0 cm×2.0 cm to 1.5 cm×3.0 cm, and the size of the flaps ranged from 1.2 cm×2.5 cm to 1.8 cm×4.0 cm. All of the donor sites were directly closed. The patients entered follow-up by outpatient visit, telephone calls or WeChat reviews to evaluate the quality of the flaps and the clinical effects of the surgery.Results:All flaps survived with good quality. All the donor sites achieved primary healing. The follow-ups lasted for 6 to 18 months with an average of 10.5 months. At the final follow-up review, the appearance of flaps was satisfactory in natural colour, flexible and wear-resistant. There were various degrees of sensation recovery of the flaps, with TPD from 6 mm to 12 mm. The sensation around the donor site was close to normal. Function of the thumbs was evaluated according to the total active movement (TAM) evaluation system. Twelve thumbs were graded excellent and 3 in good.Conclusion:The radial thenar fasciocutaneous flap achieved satisfactory clinical effect in the repair of thumb tip defect. The texture of the flaps is close to the recipient site and the damage to the donor site is minimal.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of menatetrenone (MK₄) on the osteoblasts in oxidative stress, and to clarify the anti-osteoporosis mechanism of MK₄. Methods Mouse osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1) induced by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was used. Cell viability, ALP activity and the area of bone nodule were observed. The level of ROS was detected by DCFH-DA, mitochondrial membrane potential by JC-1, apoptosis rate by annexin V-FITC/PI, and the expression of FoxO1, FoxO3, SOD, bcl-2 and bax by RT-PCR. Results Menatetrenone at 10 μmol/L significantly increased the proliferation of osteoblasts stimulated by H₂O₂, ALP activity, bone nodule formation area, cell membrane potential, the antioxidant SOD and transcription factors FoxO1 and FoxO3 mRNA expression. In the meantime, the elevated malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species level in cells induced by H₂O₂, the apoptosis rate and the mRNA expression level of bax/Bcl-2 were significantly reduced. Conclusion menatetrenone can protect osteoblasts from oxidative damage by regulating FoxO pathway and reduce osteoblasts apoptosis by up regulating the proportion of Bcl-2/bax.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of entecavir (ETV) add-on peg-interferon therapy compared with ETV monotherapy in treatment-naïve hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients remains controversial. We investigated whether adding peg-interferon to ongoing ETV treatment leads to a better curative effect or not. METHODS: All patients have been recruited between August 2013 and January 2015 from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Zhongshan Hospital (China). Eligible HBV patients (n = 144) were randomly divided (1:1) to receive either ETV monotherapy (n = 70) or peg-interferon add-on therapy from week 26 to 52 (n = 74). Patients were followed-up for at least 2 years. Indexes including hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion rate, sustained virologic response, transient elastography value, and histological scores were evaluated every 3 months until the end of the study. The rate of patients with HBsAg loss was defined as the primary endpoint criteria. RESULTS: At week 26, no patient achieved HBsAg seroconversion in either group. At week 52, one patient in the monotherapy group was HBsAg-negative but there was none in the combination therapy group. The monotherapy group showed significantly better liver function recovery results than the combination therapy group. At week 78, one patient in the combination group had HBsAg seroconverted. At week 104, only three patients in the combination therapy group were HBsAg-negative compared with one patient in monotherapy. The mean alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and transient elastography values decreased significantly compared with baseline. Both groups showed a favorable decrease in alpha-fetoprotein (monotherapy: 4.5 [2.8, 7.1] vs. 2.2 [1.8, 3.1] ng/mL, P < 0.001; combination therapy: 5.7 [3.0, 18.8] vs. 3.2 [2.0, 4.3] ng/mL, P < 0.001) and an improved result of liver biopsy examination scores. The combination group showed a better improvement in histology compared with the monotherapy group (mean transient elastography value 6.6 [4.9, 9.8] vs. 7.8 [5.4, 11.1] kPa, P = 0.028). But there was no significant difference in HBsAg conversion rate (1.8% [1/56] vs. 4.1% [3/73], P = 0.809) and HBeAg conversion rate (12.5% [7/56] vs. 11.0% [8/73], P = 0.787), as well as HBV-DNA, sustained virologic response (93.2% vs. 98.5%, P = 0.150) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both therapies supported liver function recovery and histology improvement. Combination therapy did not show better anti-viral efficacy in HBsAg or HBeAg seroconversion compared with monotherapy. However, combination therapy played a more positive role in reversing hepatic fibrosis compared with monotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02849132; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02849132.

Chloroquine (CQ) phosphate has been suggested to be clinically effective in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To develop a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for predicting tissue distribution of CQ and apply it to optimize dosage regimens, a PBPK model, with parameterization of drug distribution extrapolated from animal data, was developed to predict human tissue distribution of CQ. The physiological characteristics of time-dependent accumulation was mimicked through an active transport mechanism. Several dosing regimens were proposed based on PBPK simulation combined with known clinical exposure-response relationships. The model was also validated by clinical data from Chinese patients with COVID-19. The novel PBPK model allows in-depth description of the pharmacokinetics of CQ in several key organs (lung, heart, liver, and kidney), and was applied to design dosing strategies in patients with acute COVID-19 (Day 1: 750 mg BID, Days 2-5: 500 mg BID, CQ phosphate), patients with moderate COVID-19 (Day 1: 750 mg and 500 mg, Days 2-3: 500 mg BID, Days 4-5: 250 mg BID, CQ phosphate), and other vulnerable populations (.., renal and hepatic impairment and elderly patients, Days 1-5: 250 mg BID, CQ phosphate). A PBPK model of CQ was successfully developed to optimize dosage regimens for patients with COVID-19.