OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of spring ligament repair combined with subtalar arthroereisis (STA) and the Kidner procedure for treating children's flexible flatfoot with painful accessory navicular. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 45 children (45 feet) aged 7-14 years with flexible flatfoot and painful accessory navicular who met the selection criteria and were treated between February 2018 and May 2022. Among them, 23 cases (23 feet) were treated with spring ligament repair combined with STA and Kidner procedure (observation group), while 22 cases (22 feet) received STA with Kidner procedure alone (control group). Comparison of baseline data between the two groups including gender, age, affected side, preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, talonavicular coverage angle (TCA), talus-first metatarsal angle (T1MT), talus-second metatarsal angle (T2MT), talus first plantar angle (Meary angle), calcaneal inclination angle (Pitch angle) showed no significant differences ( P>0.05). The following parameters were recorded and compared between the two groups: operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, hospital stay, time to full weight-bearing, and complication rates. Foot pain and functional recovery were assessed using the VAS score and AOFAS score preoperatively and at last follow-up. Radiographic measurements including TCA, T1MT, T2MT, Meary angle, and Pitch angle were analyzed by comparing preoperative to last follow-up values. RESULTS: Both groups of patients successfully completed the surgery without any procedure-related complications such as vascular, neural, or tendon injury. The operation time in the observation group was significantly longer than that in the control group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative blood loss, incision length, hospital stay, or time to full weight-bearing ( P>0.05). All patients were followed up 23-47 months (mean, 33.7 months). In the control group, 1 patient experienced discomfort during walking, attributed to screw irritation in the sinus tarsi, which resolved after 2-3 months of rehabilitation. None of the remaining patients developed complications such as sinus tarsi screw loosening, peroneal tendon contracture, or wound infection. At last follow-up, the observation group showed significantly better improvements in radiographic parameters (TCA, T1MT, T2MT, Meary angle, Pitch angle) and greater reductions in VAS and AOFAS scores compared to the control group ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION The combined procedure of spring ligament repair, STA, and Kidner procedure for children's flexible flatfoot with painful accessory navicular demonstrates significant improvements in foot appearance, arch collapse correction, and pain relief. This technique offers technical simplicity, minimal intraoperative complications, and satisfactory clinical outcomes.
Humans ; Flatfoot/surgery* ; Child ; Retrospective Studies ; Adolescent ; Male ; Female ; Treatment Outcome ; Tarsal Bones/abnormalities* ; Subtalar Joint/surgery* ; Ligaments, Articular/surgery* ; Orthopedic Procedures/methods* ; Foot Diseases

Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel non-invasive neuromodulation technique with the potential to precisely target deep brain structures. This study explores the neural and behavioral effects of tTIS on the superior colliculus (SC), a region involved in eye movement control, in mice. Computational modeling revealed that tTIS delivers more focused stimulation to the SC than traditional transcranial alternating current stimulation. In vivo experiments, including Ca²⁺ signal recordings and eye movement tracking, showed that tTIS effectively modulates SC neural activity and induces eye movements. A significant correlation was found between stimulation frequency and saccade frequency, suggesting direct tTIS-induced modulation of SC activity. These results demonstrate the precision of tTIS in targeting deep brain regions and regulating eye movements, highlighting its potential for neuroscientific research and therapeutic applications.
Animals ; Superior Colliculi/physiology* ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods* ; Eye Movements/physiology* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

OBJECTIVE To investigate the horizontal transfer mechanisms and genetic evolutionary characteristics of virulence genes in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae(HvKP)and resistance genes in carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP).METHODS The donor strain was a CRKP strain harboring both VIM and KPC resist-ance genes.The positive control was a CRKP strain containing blaIMP-4.The recipient strain was Escherichia coli J53.The horizontal transfer capability of the resistance genes was verified by plasmid conjugation assay.Fifty HvKP strains were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2017 to 2021 and conjuga-ted with the plasmids of five CRKP strains which could mediate the transmission of drug resistance genes.The conjugants were screened by selective medium containing meropenem,and polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was used to detect the resistance and virulence genes in the conjugation-successful strains.The lethality of conjugants was verified by Galleria mellonella larval assays.RESULTS The donor CRKP strain had the ability to mediate re-sistance gene transmission.Its blaKPC gene was successfully transferred to E.coli J53,but the transference of the VIM gene failed.Five CRKP strains with the ability to mediate resistance gene transmission were screened,of which one strain carried both VIM and KPC resistance genes,and the other four strains carried the IMP-4 resist-ance gene.Only one CRKP strain with the blaIMP-4 resistance gene was successfully conjugated with HvKP,carry-ing both virulence genes(aerobactin and RmpA)and the blaIMP-4 resistance gene,with positive wire drawing test result.The Galleria mellonella larvae test showed that the conjugation-successful strain caused the death of all lar-vae within 24 hours.CONCLUSIONS In the hospital environment,CRKP and HvKP can form"superbugs"with both drug resistance and high virulence through plasmid conjugation,posing a severe challenge to clinical an-ti-infection treatment.It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections.

Objective:Medial sural artery perforator flap (MSAPF) was applied to aesthetically reconstruct wounds in foot, and clinical outcome of this surgical method was explored.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 10 patients who underwent the surgery of transfer of free MSAPF in reconstruction of foot wounds in the Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Xuzhou Renci Hospital from January 2020 to January 2023. The patients were 6 males and 4 females, aged 21 to 52 years, with an average of 42.5 years. The soft tissue defects of the injuries were at 2.0 cm × 4.0 cm to 3.5 cm × 6.0 cm in size, with deep tissues exposure down to the base of wound. MSAPF was used for aesthetic reconstruction of the wounds. The surgical procedures were: (1) The flap was thinned under a microscope and only the subdermal vascular network was kept. (2) Vascular pedicle of the flap was taken as long as possible and had it anastomosed with the proximal dorsal foot artery and vein through a subcutaneous tunnel. (3) Allg?wer-Donati method was applied to suture the skin of flap. (4) Donor site was directly closed in surgery. All patients were entered in the scheduled postoperative follow-up at the outpatient clinic of the surgeon who performed the surgery to evaluate the postoperative effect and observe the survival of flaps. Maryland foot function score and British Medical Research Council (BMRC) sensory function score were used to assess the recovery of flap and limb function.Results:The flaps completely survived, and all the donor and recipient sites had primary healing. All of the 10 patients were included in the postoperative follow-up which lasted 8 to 15 months, with an average of 12 months. The flaps from foot featured a pleasing appearance, with good elasticity and wear-resistant. All patients were satisfied and able to walk normally and bear weight without an occurrence of flap ulceration. At the final follow-up, the therapeutic effect was evaluated according to the Maryland scoring system and achieved the scores at 91 to 98, with 95.6 in average. Nine patients were rated as excellent and 1 as good. The sensory grading by BMRC for the flaps was as follows: the flap sensation of the sutured nerve group recovered to S 3 in 3 cases and S 4 in 2 cases, while the non sutured nerve group only recovered protective sensation, S 2 in 3 cases and S 2+ in 2 cases. Conclusion:By applying MSAPF aesthetics to treat foot wounds, a good appearance has been achieved, with good functional recovery and satisfactory therapeutic effects.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the horizontal transfer mechanisms and genetic evolutionary characteristics of virulence genes in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae(HvKP)and resistance genes in carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae(CRKP).METHODS The donor strain was a CRKP strain harboring both VIM and KPC resist-ance genes.The positive control was a CRKP strain containing blaIMP-4.The recipient strain was Escherichia coli J53.The horizontal transfer capability of the resistance genes was verified by plasmid conjugation assay.Fifty HvKP strains were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2017 to 2021 and conjuga-ted with the plasmids of five CRKP strains which could mediate the transmission of drug resistance genes.The conjugants were screened by selective medium containing meropenem,and polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was used to detect the resistance and virulence genes in the conjugation-successful strains.The lethality of conjugants was verified by Galleria mellonella larval assays.RESULTS The donor CRKP strain had the ability to mediate re-sistance gene transmission.Its blaKPC gene was successfully transferred to E.coli J53,but the transference of the VIM gene failed.Five CRKP strains with the ability to mediate resistance gene transmission were screened,of which one strain carried both VIM and KPC resistance genes,and the other four strains carried the IMP-4 resist-ance gene.Only one CRKP strain with the blaIMP-4 resistance gene was successfully conjugated with HvKP,carry-ing both virulence genes(aerobactin and RmpA)and the blaIMP-4 resistance gene,with positive wire drawing test result.The Galleria mellonella larvae test showed that the conjugation-successful strain caused the death of all lar-vae within 24 hours.CONCLUSIONS In the hospital environment,CRKP and HvKP can form"superbugs"with both drug resistance and high virulence through plasmid conjugation,posing a severe challenge to clinical an-ti-infection treatment.It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of hospital-acquired infections.

Objective:Medial sural artery perforator flap (MSAPF) was applied to aesthetically reconstruct wounds in foot, and clinical outcome of this surgical method was explored.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 10 patients who underwent the surgery of transfer of free MSAPF in reconstruction of foot wounds in the Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Xuzhou Renci Hospital from January 2020 to January 2023. The patients were 6 males and 4 females, aged 21 to 52 years, with an average of 42.5 years. The soft tissue defects of the injuries were at 2.0 cm × 4.0 cm to 3.5 cm × 6.0 cm in size, with deep tissues exposure down to the base of wound. MSAPF was used for aesthetic reconstruction of the wounds. The surgical procedures were: (1) The flap was thinned under a microscope and only the subdermal vascular network was kept. (2) Vascular pedicle of the flap was taken as long as possible and had it anastomosed with the proximal dorsal foot artery and vein through a subcutaneous tunnel. (3) Allg?wer-Donati method was applied to suture the skin of flap. (4) Donor site was directly closed in surgery. All patients were entered in the scheduled postoperative follow-up at the outpatient clinic of the surgeon who performed the surgery to evaluate the postoperative effect and observe the survival of flaps. Maryland foot function score and British Medical Research Council (BMRC) sensory function score were used to assess the recovery of flap and limb function.Results:The flaps completely survived, and all the donor and recipient sites had primary healing. All of the 10 patients were included in the postoperative follow-up which lasted 8 to 15 months, with an average of 12 months. The flaps from foot featured a pleasing appearance, with good elasticity and wear-resistant. All patients were satisfied and able to walk normally and bear weight without an occurrence of flap ulceration. At the final follow-up, the therapeutic effect was evaluated according to the Maryland scoring system and achieved the scores at 91 to 98, with 95.6 in average. Nine patients were rated as excellent and 1 as good. The sensory grading by BMRC for the flaps was as follows: the flap sensation of the sutured nerve group recovered to S 3 in 3 cases and S 4 in 2 cases, while the non sutured nerve group only recovered protective sensation, S 2 in 3 cases and S 2+ in 2 cases. Conclusion:By applying MSAPF aesthetics to treat foot wounds, a good appearance has been achieved, with good functional recovery and satisfactory therapeutic effects.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the concentration of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) in demineralized bone matrix (DBM) prepared from different long bones and to evaluate the osteoinductivity of different DBM on MC3T3-E1 cells. METHODS: Different bones from the same cadaver donor were used as the initial materials for making DBM, which were divided into ulna group (uDBM), humerus group (hDBM), tibia group (tDBM), and femur group (fDBM) according to the origins, and boiled DBM (cDBM) was taken as the control group. The proteins of DBM were extracted by guanidine hydrochloride, and the concentrations of BMP-2 were determined by ELISA assay. Then the DBM were co-cultured with MC3T3-E1 cells, the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells was observed by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay. The osteogenic differentiation ability of MC3T3-E1 cells was qualitatively observed by alizarin red, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and Van Gieson staining, and the osteogenic differentiation ability of MC3T3-E1 cells was quantitatively analyzed by ALP content. Linear regression was used to analyze the effect of BMP-2 concentration in DBM on ALP synthesis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the concentration of BMP-2 among the DBM groups (P<0.05). The concentrations of BMP-2 in the lower limb long bone were higher than those in the upper limb long bone, and the concentration of BMP-2 in the fDBM group was about 35.5 times that in the uDBM group. CCK-8 assay showed that the cells in each group continued to proliferate within 5 days of co-culture, and the absorbance (A) values at different time points were in the order of cDBM groupP<0.05). Linear regression analysis showed that y^=0.361+0.017x, the effect of BMP-2 concentration in DBM on cellular ALP content was significant (t=3.552, P=0.005); for every 1 ng/g increase in BMP-2 concentration, ALP content would increase by 0.017 [95%CI (0.006, 0.027)] U/100 mL. CONCLUSION The concentration of natural BMP-2 in different long bones varies greatly, and the lower limb long bone is higher than the upper limb long bone. The harvested location of bone material was an important factor affecting the osteoinductivity of DBM.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Bone Matrix ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; Cell Count ; Coloring Agents ; Osteogenesis ; Animals ; Mice

OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of TightRope elastic fixation combined with functional total repair of the inferior tibiofibular ligament in the treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury. METHODS: The clinical data of 34 patients with distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury who met the selection criteria between January 2020 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into improved group (TightRope elastic fixation combined with functional total repair of inferior tibiofibular ligament) and control group (distal tibiofibular screw fixation) according to the surgical methods, with 17 cases in each group. There was no significant difference in age, gender, body mass index, fracture type, and other baseline data between the two groups (P>0.05). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and complications were recorded in the two groups. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, ankle metatarsal flexion and dorsal extension range of motion were used to evaluate the ankle function. The patient satisfaction survey was conducted at last follow-up. RESULTS: All 34 patients were followed up 8-20 months, with a median of 13 months. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss in the improved group were significantly longer than that in the control group (P<0.05). In the improved group, no infection or poor reduction occurred, and only 1 patient had TightRope knot reaction at 6 months after operation. In the control group, there were 2 cases of poor reduction, 1 case of lower tibiofibular screw rupture, and 1 case of subcutaneous infection (cured after anti-infection treatment). There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between the two groups (P>0.05). At last follow-up, the AOFAS score and ankle metatarsal flexion and dorsal extension range of motion of the improved group were significantly better than those of the control group (P<0.05). The satisfaction rates of patients in the improved group and the control group were 94.1% and 82.4%, respectively, showing significant difference (P<0.05). CONCLUSION TightRope elastic fixation combined with functional total repair of inferior tibiofibular ligament in the treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury has sufficient fixation strength, and can achieve better effectiveness and joint function compared with traditional screw fixation.
Humans ; Ankle Joint/surgery* ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Ligaments/surgery* ; Plastic Surgery Procedures ; Retrospective Studies ; Ankle Injuries/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of subtalar arthroereisis (STA) combined with modified Kidner procedure versus STA alone in the treatment of flexible flatfoot combined with painful accessory navicular bone in children. METHODS: The clinical data of 33 children with flexible flatfoot combined with painful accessory navicular bone who were admitted between August 2018 and August 2021 and met the selection criteria were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into a combination group (17 cases, treated by STA combined with modified Kidner procedure) and a control group (16 cases, treated by STA alone) according to the surgical methods. There was no significant difference in baseline data between the two groups ( P>0.05), such as gender, age, affected side of the foot, disease duration, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, talus-first metatarsal angle (T1MT), talus-second metatarsal angle (T2MT), talonavicular coverage angle (TCA), talus first plantar angle (Meary angle), calcaneal inclination angle (Pitch angle), and heel valgus angle (HV). The operation time, incision length, intraoperative blood loss, number of intraoperative fluoroscopies, and perioperative complications were recorded in both groups. The anteroposterior, lateral, and calcaneal axial X-ray films for the affected feet were taken regularly, and T1MT, T2MT, TCA, Meary angle, Pitch angle, and HV were measured. The VAS score, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score were used to evaluate pain and functional recovery before and after operation. RESULTS: Surgeries in both groups were successfully performed without surgical complication such as vascular, nerve, or tendon injuries. Less operation time, shorter incision length, less intraoperative blood loss, and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies were found in the control group than in the combination group ( P<0.05). One case in the combination group had partial necrosis of the skin at the edge of the incision, which healed after the dressing change and infrared light therapy, and the rest of the incisions healed by first intention. All children were followed up 12-36 months, with a mean of 19.6 months. At last follow-up, VAS score and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score significantly improved in both groups when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05), and the differences of these scores between before and after operation improved more significantly in the combination group than in the control group ( P<0.05). Imaging results showed that the T1MT, T2MT, TCA, Meary angle, and HV significantly improved in both groups at last follow-up when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05), and the Pitch angle had no significant difference when compared with preoperative one ( P>0.05). But there was no significant difference in the difference of these indicators between before and after operation between the two groups ( P>0.05). CONCLUSION Both procedures are effective in the treatment of flexible flatfoot children with painful accessory navicular bone. STA has the advantage of minimally invasive, while STA combined with modified Kidner procedure has better effectiveness.
Humans ; Child ; Flatfoot/surgery* ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Osteotomy/methods* ; Talus ; Pain

Objective:To explore the application effect of immersive experiential teaching strategies in the teaching of clinical anesthesiology for undergraduates.Methods:Undergraduates majoring in 5-year clinical medicine in Air Force Medical University from January 2022 to May 2022 were enrolled as the research objects. Students were randomly divided into the immersive teaching group and the traditional teaching group, with 35 students in each. Students in the immersive teaching group underwent immersive experiential teaching strategies and the traditional teaching group received lecture-based teaching strategies. After classes, all students in these two groups took the same theoretical and operational examination, and conducted a teaching satisfaction survey and a comprehensive ability evaluation. The results were analyzed by t-test and Chi-square test using SPSS 22.0 software. Results:Students in the immersive teaching group were more satisfied with teaching (88.32±7.28 vs.70.15±7.11) ( P=0.001), and had higher scores of theorical examination (86.34±7.42 vs. 77.31±5.32) ( P=0.020) and operational examination (92.23±5.33 vs. 81.21±4.98) ( P=0.022) than those in the traditional teaching group. In addition, the scores of communication ability ( P=0.026), response ability ( P<0.001) adaptability ( P=0.007), and critical thinking ( P<0.001) in the immersive teaching group were higher than those in the traditional teaching group. Conclusion:The immersive experiential teaching strategies can effectively improve the theoretical and practical operational ability of undergraduates after completing courses of clinical anesthesiology, and can effectively stimulate the enthusiasm of students. It is worthy to be popularized in subsequent teaching abilities.