Objectives:To analyze the clinical efficacy of far-lateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(TLIF)under a full-endoscope with dual-operation channels for the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 20 patients with single-level lumbar spondylolisthesis who underwent dual-operation channels full-endoscopic far-lateral TLIF at the Department of Neck-shoulder and Lumbocrural Pain Division 1,Sichuan Orthopedic Hospital,from June 2023 to December 2023.Among the patients,there were 15 cases of degenerative spondylolisthesis and 5 cases of isthmic spondylolisthesis;7 females and 13 males,aged 49 to 72 years(59.95±7.16 years).The duration of symptoms ranged from 2 to 120 months(35.15±42.10 months).The operative time,intraoperative blood loss,length of hospital stay,and surgical complications were recorded.Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oswestry disability index(ODI)and visual analog scale(VAS)scores for back and leg pain,preoperatively,1 month postoperatively,and at the final follow-up.Lumbar CT scans were used to evaluate interbody fusion according to the Bridwell criteria.Results:All the patients successfully underwent endoscopic fusion surgery.The operative time was 175min to 235min(201.75±24.40min).The follow-up period for all the cases was 12-16 months,with an average of 14.15±1.14 months.One month after surgery and final follow-up ODI,as well as VAS scores for both lower back pain and leg pain,showed significant improvement compared to preoperative levels(P＜0.05).No serious complications occurred intraoperatively,postoperatively,or during the follow-up pe-riod.Of the 20 patients who underwent lumbar CT scans during the follow-up period,19(95.0％)achieved solid bony fusion.Conclusions:The far-lateral TLIF under a dual-operation channels full-endoscope demon-strate satisfactory clinical outcomes in early follow-up,which offers a minimally invasive,safe,and effective option for the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Objectives:To analyze the clinical efficacy of far-lateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(TLIF)under a full-endoscope with dual-operation channels for the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 20 patients with single-level lumbar spondylolisthesis who underwent dual-operation channels full-endoscopic far-lateral TLIF at the Department of Neck-shoulder and Lumbocrural Pain Division 1,Sichuan Orthopedic Hospital,from June 2023 to December 2023.Among the patients,there were 15 cases of degenerative spondylolisthesis and 5 cases of isthmic spondylolisthesis;7 females and 13 males,aged 49 to 72 years(59.95±7.16 years).The duration of symptoms ranged from 2 to 120 months(35.15±42.10 months).The operative time,intraoperative blood loss,length of hospital stay,and surgical complications were recorded.Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oswestry disability index(ODI)and visual analog scale(VAS)scores for back and leg pain,preoperatively,1 month postoperatively,and at the final follow-up.Lumbar CT scans were used to evaluate interbody fusion according to the Bridwell criteria.Results:All the patients successfully underwent endoscopic fusion surgery.The operative time was 175min to 235min(201.75±24.40min).The follow-up period for all the cases was 12-16 months,with an average of 14.15±1.14 months.One month after surgery and final follow-up ODI,as well as VAS scores for both lower back pain and leg pain,showed significant improvement compared to preoperative levels(P＜0.05).No serious complications occurred intraoperatively,postoperatively,or during the follow-up pe-riod.Of the 20 patients who underwent lumbar CT scans during the follow-up period,19(95.0％)achieved solid bony fusion.Conclusions:The far-lateral TLIF under a dual-operation channels full-endoscope demon-strate satisfactory clinical outcomes in early follow-up,which offers a minimally invasive,safe,and effective option for the treatment of lumbar spondylolisthesis.

Objective:To observe the effect of acupuncture combined with vitamin B12 point injection on pain severity in patients with discogenic low back pain and to analyze its potential mechanisms. Methods:A total of 96 patients with discogenic low back pain were randomly divided into two groups.The control group received acupuncture treatment,while the combined group received vitamin B12 point injection in addition to the identical acupuncture treatment in the control group.Both groups were treated for 2 weeks.The visual analog scale(VAS)and Oswestry disability index(ODI)scores were compared before treatment,after 1 week of treatment,and after 2 weeks of treatment.The levels of such serum inflammatory factors as tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-6,serum beta-endorphin(β-EP),and prostaglandin(PG)E2 were compared before and after treatment.Adverse reactions and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups after treatment. Results:The total effective rate in the combined group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The VAS and ODI scores in the combined group after 1 week and 2 weeks of treatment were lower than those in the control group at the same time point(P<0.05).The levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and PGE2 in the combined group were lower than those in the control group after treatment(P<0.05),while the level of β-EP was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).There was no statistical difference in the overall incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P>0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture combined with vitamin B12 point injection can alleviate pain and promote functional recovery in patients with discogenic low back pain;reducing the levels of TNF-α,IL-6,and PGE2 and increasing the level of β-EP may be part of the mechanism of the therapy.

In this review, we advance a new concept in developing vaccines and/or drugs to target specific proteins expressed during the early stage of Bacillus anthracis (an thrax) infection and address existing challenges to this concept. Three proteins (immune inhibitor A, GPR-like spore protease, and alanine racemase) initially identified by proteomics in our laboratory were found to have differential expres sions during anthrax spore germination and early outgrowth. Other studies of different bacillus strains indicate that these three proteins are involved in either germination or cytotoxicity of spores, suggesting that they may serve as potential targets for the design of anti-anthrax vaccines and drugs.