BACKGROUND:Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur are particularly common in elderly and osteoporosis patients,and treatment often requires internal fixation surgery to stabilize the fracture and promote healing. However,internal fixation surgery may occasionally fail,leading to serious problems such as nonunion of fractures,malunion,or re-fracture.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of artificial total hip arthroplasty on postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur and the influencing factors of postoperative occult blood loss.METHODS:Totally 86 patients with failed internal fixation of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur who were treated in First People's Hospital of Yangquan City from May 2019 to September 2022 and had complete follow-up data were collected. Using artificial total hip arthroplasty for treatment,relevant clinical indicators of the patient were recorded,and Harris score,visual analog scale score,and SF-36 score were compared and analyzed before and after surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted on the factors affecting occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression models and neural network models were established to predict occult blood loss. The predictive performance and accuracy of the two models were compared by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Totally 86 patients with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were successfully treated with artificial total hip arthroplasty after internal fixation failure. (2) There were statistically significant differences in Harris score,visual analog scale score,SF-36 score,and hip active range of motion between patients before and 3,6,and 12 months after surgery (P<0.05). (3) The age,hypertension ratio,diabetes ratio,osteoporosis ratio,operation time,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease in the high occult blood loss group were significantly higher than those in the low occult blood loss group (P<0.05). The proportion of bone cement type prostheses,anterior approach,and 2-3 grade hip jointspace in the low occult blood loss group were higher than those in the high occult blood loss group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender ratio,body mass index,proportion of chronic bronchitis,proportion of sides,anesthesia method,and acetabular cup diameter (P>0.05). (4) Through multivariate logistic regression analysis,age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease were the risk factors for high occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty (P<0.05). (5) After incorporating influencing factors into the logistic regression model and neural network model for predicting occult blood loss,the receiver operating characteristic curves of the two models were plotted with area under curve values of 0.882 and 0.923,sensitivity values of 0.879 and 0.886,specificity values of 0.854 and 0.908,Youden index values of 0.733 and 0.794,and accuracy values of 0.867 and 0.897,respectively. The area under curve,Youden index,and accuracy of both models were higher than those of neural network models. (6) It is concluded that total hip arthroplasty has a significant clinical effect on treating postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur,with good recovery of hip joint range of motion. Age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease are important factors for the high risk of occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression model and neural network model based on risk factors have little difference in the prediction results of occult blood loss,and neural network model is higher.

The biological activity of chitinase in degrading chitin has garnered extensive attention,particularly for its potential applications in biological control.This study utilized four spore-form-ing Bacillus strains isolated from Dermacentor nuttalli ticks collected in the Hulunbuir region.Traditional bacterial culture methods were employed for isolation and identification,followed by 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the purified cultures.chitin-hydrolyzing strains were screened using colloidal chitin plates,and specific chitinase genes were detected via PCR.Fer-mentation was conducted at 37.0 ℃ for 4 d,and the supernatants were subjected to enzyme activity analysis using the DNS method.Four Gram-positive Bacillus strains were successfully isolated from tick tissue samples,they were identified as B.proteolyticus,B.paramycoides,B.thuringien-sis,and B.cereus,and renamed IMH/B-1,IMH/P-1,IMH/T-1,and IMH/C-1,respectively.PCR a-nalysis detected chitinase genes in B.proteolyticus and B.thuringiensis,while B.cereus and B.pa-ramycoides lacked these genes.However,three strains B.proteolyticus,B.thuringiensis,and B.ce-reus demonstrated significant(P＜0.01)chitin degradation activity on colloidal chitin.Enzyme ac-tivity assays revealed that chitinase activity ranged from 1.292 to 2.032 U/mL,with B.proteolytic-us exhibiting the highest activity 2.032 U/mL,followed by B.cereus 1.496 U/mL and B.thuring-iensis 1.324 U/mL.This study provides a foundation for further research and application of chiti-nase-producing Bacillus strains.

BACKGROUND:Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur are particularly common in elderly and osteoporosis patients,and treatment often requires internal fixation surgery to stabilize the fracture and promote healing. However,internal fixation surgery may occasionally fail,leading to serious problems such as nonunion of fractures,malunion,or re-fracture.OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of artificial total hip arthroplasty on postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur and the influencing factors of postoperative occult blood loss.METHODS:Totally 86 patients with failed internal fixation of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur who were treated in First People's Hospital of Yangquan City from May 2019 to September 2022 and had complete follow-up data were collected. Using artificial total hip arthroplasty for treatment,relevant clinical indicators of the patient were recorded,and Harris score,visual analog scale score,and SF-36 score were compared and analyzed before and after surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted on the factors affecting occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression models and neural network models were established to predict occult blood loss. The predictive performance and accuracy of the two models were compared by drawing receiver operating characteristic curves.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Totally 86 patients with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were successfully treated with artificial total hip arthroplasty after internal fixation failure. (2) There were statistically significant differences in Harris score,visual analog scale score,SF-36 score,and hip active range of motion between patients before and 3,6,and 12 months after surgery (P<0.05). (3) The age,hypertension ratio,diabetes ratio,osteoporosis ratio,operation time,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease in the high occult blood loss group were significantly higher than those in the low occult blood loss group (P<0.05). The proportion of bone cement type prostheses,anterior approach,and 2-3 grade hip jointspace in the low occult blood loss group were higher than those in the high occult blood loss group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender ratio,body mass index,proportion of chronic bronchitis,proportion of sides,anesthesia method,and acetabular cup diameter (P>0.05). (4) Through multivariate logistic regression analysis,age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease were the risk factors for high occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty (P<0.05). (5) After incorporating influencing factors into the logistic regression model and neural network model for predicting occult blood loss,the receiver operating characteristic curves of the two models were plotted with area under curve values of 0.882 and 0.923,sensitivity values of 0.879 and 0.886,specificity values of 0.854 and 0.908,Youden index values of 0.733 and 0.794,and accuracy values of 0.867 and 0.897,respectively. The area under curve,Youden index,and accuracy of both models were higher than those of neural network models. (6) It is concluded that total hip arthroplasty has a significant clinical effect on treating postoperative failure of internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures of the femur,with good recovery of hip joint range of motion. Age,diabetes,osteoporosis,prosthesis type,surgical approach,hip joint space,total blood loss,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative drainage volume,and hemoglobin decrease are important factors for the high risk of occult blood loss after total hip arthroplasty. Logistic regression model and neural network model based on risk factors have little difference in the prediction results of occult blood loss,and neural network model is higher.

The biological activity of chitinase in degrading chitin has garnered extensive attention,particularly for its potential applications in biological control.This study utilized four spore-form-ing Bacillus strains isolated from Dermacentor nuttalli ticks collected in the Hulunbuir region.Traditional bacterial culture methods were employed for isolation and identification,followed by 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the purified cultures.chitin-hydrolyzing strains were screened using colloidal chitin plates,and specific chitinase genes were detected via PCR.Fer-mentation was conducted at 37.0 ℃ for 4 d,and the supernatants were subjected to enzyme activity analysis using the DNS method.Four Gram-positive Bacillus strains were successfully isolated from tick tissue samples,they were identified as B.proteolyticus,B.paramycoides,B.thuringien-sis,and B.cereus,and renamed IMH/B-1,IMH/P-1,IMH/T-1,and IMH/C-1,respectively.PCR a-nalysis detected chitinase genes in B.proteolyticus and B.thuringiensis,while B.cereus and B.pa-ramycoides lacked these genes.However,three strains B.proteolyticus,B.thuringiensis,and B.ce-reus demonstrated significant(P＜0.01)chitin degradation activity on colloidal chitin.Enzyme ac-tivity assays revealed that chitinase activity ranged from 1.292 to 2.032 U/mL,with B.proteolytic-us exhibiting the highest activity 2.032 U/mL,followed by B.cereus 1.496 U/mL and B.thuring-iensis 1.324 U/mL.This study provides a foundation for further research and application of chiti-nase-producing Bacillus strains.

Background::Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a microbarrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells.Methods::The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. Results::Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts.Conclusions::The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.

Objective To analyze the role of lienal polypeptide injection in acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats. Methods Eighty male SD rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups: a LPS group, a control group, a lienal polypeptide group and a LPS+ lienal polypeptide group (20 rats in each group). Lienal polypeptide or normal saline was given with an intramuscular injection 30 min after an intraperitoneal injection of LPS (5 mg/kg). The severity of pulmonary injury was evaluated 4 h after LPS challenge by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), wet-to-dry weight ratio, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, TUNEL and Western blotting. Results Lienal polypeptide injection treatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced pulmonary histopathologic changes, alveolar hemorrhage, and neutrophil infiltration. Moreover lienal polypeptide injection significantly suppressed LPS-induced activation of metastasis-associated protein-1 (MTA1). Conclusion Lienal polypeptide injection is demonstrated to protect rats from LPS-induced acute lung injury by the expression of MTA1.

Objective To evaluate the clinical therapeutic effectiveness of Ilizarov technique for the treatment of congenital brachymetatarsia.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the 5 patients who had been treated in our department for congenital brachymetatarsia (12 metatarsal bones in 10 feet) from January 2008 to January 2011.All of them were female,aged from 22 to 26 years (mean,24.2 years).All cases were bilaterally involved.Three of them suffered from bilateral brachymetatarsia of the first metatarsal bone,one from bilateral brachymetatarsia of the fourth metatarsal bone,and the other one from bilateral brachymetatarsia of the first and fourth metatarsal bones.Bone transport was conducted with a monolateral mini-fixator in 3 patients and with a modified semi-ring Ilizarov fixator in the other 2.Dorsal incision was used for all osteotomy before the external fixator was mounted.Bone transport began 7 days after surgery at a rate of 0.3 mm/d and was completed in 3 times.Results The 5 patients were followed up from 12 to 48 months (mean,22.0 months).The metatarsal bones were lengthened by 13.5 mm(12 to 17 mm) on average.The functions of the toe and ankle joint were normal without skin necrosis,vascular or nerve injury,tylosis of the footplate,or walking pain.The lengthened segments were mineralized well,with an average lengthening index of 48 d/cm(45 to 53 d/cm) and average time of external fixation of 64.8 days.At the last follow-up,the average AOFAS score was 92.2 points (90 to 95 points).Conclusions Although the Ilizarov technique necessitates a patient's prolonged fixation with an external fixator in the treatment of congenital brachymetatarsia,it has advantages of simplicity,minimal invasion,and satisfactory correction of brachymetatarsia.Consequently it is a good treatment for this disease.

Objective To investigate outcomes of different surgical approaches for treating cases of fracture and dislocation of the lower cervical spine.Methods The study involved 26 cases of fracture and dislocation of the lower cervical spine treated surgically from December 2002 to January 2012,including 19 males and 7 females with age ranging from 27 to 62 years (average 39 years).According to the AO classification,there were 12 cases of type B3.1,three of type B3.2,two of type C2.1,three of type C3.1,and six of type C3.2.Preoperative spinal cord function graded by Frankel criteria was six cases of grade A,five of grade B,seven of grade C,six of grade D,and two of grade E.Conventional skull traction was done for all patients before operation.Vertebral cannal decompression and interbody fusion through anterior,posterior or anterior-posterior approaches were determined according to type of fracture dislocation and severity of spinal cord injury.Radiography was performed regularly after operation to review the correction of dislocation,restoration of vertebral height,and interbody fusion.Spinal cord function was also evaluated postoperatively.Results No large blood vessel injury or aggravation of spinal cord injury occurred intraoperatively.There were no complications of incision infection,leakage of cerebrospinal fluid,herniation of bone graft or implant breakage postoperatively.All cases obtained successful correction of fracture and dislocation of the lower cervical spine as well as the recovery of cervical sequence,physiological curvature,and vertebral height in the 12 to 24 months of follow-up (average 16 months).Bony fusion was obtained for all cases at postoperative 3-6 months (average 3.5 months).Spinal function evaluated by Frankel criteria at the latest follow-up showed was grade A in six cases,grade B in three,grade C in five,grade D in five and grade E in seven,with different degree of improvement for all cases.Conclusions Operative approaches should be selected according to the specific status of fracture and dislocation of the lower cervical spine.Anterior approach can be performed for vertebral or intervertebral disc injury straightly and the procedure handles cervical instability immediately.Posterior surgical approach can be used to settle dislocation and interlocking of the articular process directly,but the intervertebral disc injury should be ruled out simultaneously in order to avoid further injury of spinal cord during the reduction process.Combined anterior and posterior surgical approach can be applied to treat fracture and dislocation of lower cervical spine and intervertebral disc injury concurrently but has high risk and large operation wound.

Background It is well known that diabetic retinopathy(DR) involves in complex pathogenesis.Worse outcome of brain ischemia with hyperglycemia is mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK).However,the effect of phosphorylation of MAPK signal pathway on DR needs further investigation.Objective This study was to explore the the possible role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2(ERK1/2)in DR.Methods Sixty SPF SD rats aged 8-weeks were grouped into the control group and diabetes group.Diabetic models were established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg) dissolved in citric acid buffer.Blood glucose level was more than 16.7 mmol/L were used as the diabetic group.The equivalent amount of citric acid buffer was injected in the same way in the rats of the control group.The rats were sacrificed and retinas were isolated in 4 weeks and 12 weeks after modeling.The morphology of rat retinas was examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining.The relative expression levels of phosphorylated-ERK1/2 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)(absorption,A value) in rat retinas were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results Blood glucose levels of rats were significantly higher than those in the diabetic group compared with the control group at both 4 and 12 weeks after modeling(t=14.174,13.771,both at P＜0.05).In addition,the body weight was significantly lower and the drinking was much more in the rats of the diabetic group in comparison with the control group in 12 weeks(t=8.670,18.725,both at P＜0.05).Twelve weeks after modeling,the decrease of retinal thickness,swelling of outer plexiform layer and decline of number of retinal ganglion cells,rods and cones were seen under the optical microscope.The relative expression levels of GFAP in the retinas were 3 197.1 ±13.1 and 7 202.0±56.8 in the diabetic group at the 4 and 12 weeks,which were significantly higher than those in the control group (2 152.8 ± 16.1 and 2 337.0±8.6) (t =6.327,16.417,both at P＜0.05).In 12 weeks after modeling,the relative expression level of phosphorylated-ERK 1/2 was significantly higher in the diabetic group compared with the control group (2 850.6±2.4 versus 1 274.6± 1.3),showing a significant difference between them (t =12.771,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 signal transduction pathway is involved in the STZ-induced DR through mediating the activation of Müller cells and inducing the apoptosis of photoreceptor and ganglione cells.

BACKGROUND: Conventional hemodialysis mainly for cleaning uremic micro molecule substance, such as urea nitrogen or creatinine; however, few hemodialyses can clean uremic middle molecule substances (MMS). With prolonged dialysis duration, MMS accumulates in vivo and induces a series of complications. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficiency of adsorptive dialysis (hemoperfusion unites hemodialysis) and conventional hemodialysis in cleaning uremic MMS. METHODS: Totally 60 maintenance hemodialysis patients were averagely divided into the adsorptive dialysis group and conventional hemodialysis group. First of all, hemoperfusion apparatus and dialyser were connected in series to take the adsorptive dialysis in the adsorptive dialysis group (hemoperfusion apparatus were equipped before dialyser). 120 minutes later, the hemoperfusion apparatus was toke off and continues to hemodialysis for 120 minutes. Duration of conventional hemodialysis was 240 minutes. Changes in clinical symptoms and levels of liver function, kidney function, serum electrolytes, hemocytes and uremic MMS were observed prior to and after treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Adsorptive dialysis could remove the MMS notably. Compared with the conventional hemodialysis group, a single 120 minutes treatment could decrease MMS significantly (P < 0.05). The platelet levels were obviously decreased in the adsorptive dialysis group after treatment (P < 0.05), which were significantly different from the conventional hemodialysis group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in liver function, kidney function or serum electrolytes concentration. But related symptoms, such as the skin itch, sleep disorders and myalgia, were relieved more or less.