Objective:To investigate the effect of application of problem-based learning (PBL) combined with evidence-based medicine (EBM) in clinical practice teaching of an orthopedic department.Methods:A total of 48 interns who entered Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China from June 2017 to June 2018 were randomly divided into experimental group (the PBL combined with EBM concept teaching group, n = 24) and control group (the traditional teaching group, n = 24). In the experimental group, teachers selected typical cases, designed questions with certain flexibility and complexity, and organized the students to consult the literature, discuss in groups, and report and summarize around the practical problems. In the control group, traditional indoctrination teaching was adopted according to the clinical experience of the teachers. The teaching effect was assessed by a questionnaire survey, a theoretical examination, and a clinical skill examination. The results were analyzed by t-test and Chi-square test using SPSS 16.0 software. Results:The questionnaire survey showed that compared with the control group, the experimental group gave a significantly better evaluation of the teaching methods they received in terms of improving their theoretical knowledge comprehension ability, comprehensive analysis ability, team collaboration awareness, document retrieval and language expression ability, stimulating their learning motivation, and enhancing their scientific thinking and innovation ability ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for both the theoretical test (92.42±2.55 vs. 86.17±3.36, P < 0.05) and the clinical skill test (85.79±3.15 vs. 78.88±3.41, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The application of PBL teaching in orthopedic practice, with the concept of EBM throughout the teaching process, has obtained a good effect. It can improve the clinical teaching quality in orthopedics, improve the comprehensive quality of clinical medical students, inspire their active learning enthusiasm, and cultivate their creative thinking, problem construction, comprehensive analysis, literature retrieval, and communication ability.

Cerebral infarction, with high incidence, high mortality, high disability and high recurrence rates, can impose a serious burden on families and society. After cerebral infarction occurrence, neurons, as the fundamental structures of the central nervous system, are unable to renew or multiply after death; hence, full recovery from neurological impairments following cerebral infarction is challenging. With stem cell and genetic recombination advancements, cellular replacement therapy after cerebral infarction progresses, which helps clinical transformation and application. In this paper, the basic researches of cellular replacement therapy after cerebral infarction are reviewed from 3 aspects: endogenous nerve regeneration, exogenous stem cell transplantation, and in situ somatic cell trans-differentiation into neurons, in order to provide references for cerebral infarction treatment

The reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients in the past have set strict limits on time window. However, with the imaging assessment algorithms for "tissue window" becoming more mature, the time window for reperfusion therapies has been continuously extended. Nowadays the time window of intravenous thrombolysis has been extended to 9 hours after onset of stroke and is expected to be further broadened to 24 hours. At the same time, clinical studies of mechanical thrombectomy for posterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO), LVO with large ischemic cores and distal and medium vessel occlusion are all in hot progress. This article summarized diverse imaging assessment algorithms for "tissue window" and the latest advances of clinical research related to different fibrinolytic drugs for intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy for various vascular occlusion and bridging therapy of AIS in the extended time window. The objective of this review was to provide some references for the clinical diagnosis and therapy of stroke beyond time window.

The unilateral biportal endoscopic technique is defined as posterior unilateral of two small incision with established percutaneous observation channel and endoscopic observation channel in monitoring field. The operation tools were placed within the channel for each operation inside and outside vertebral canal. The characteristics of dual channel intervention make this technology different from coaxial endoscopic technology. This technique has a clear vision for flexible and convenient operation with the advantages of relatively simple surgical instrument requirements. In recent years, the use of unilateral dual channel endoscopic surgery in treating spinal diseases was gradually increasing, especially in the removal of nucleus including lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion and lumbar spinal stenosis disease decompression, and in endoscopic space-occupying lesions such as vertebral fusion and spinal canal between inside and outside. It was also applied in cervical and thoracic diseases with good clinical effects. Its advantages include less surgical trauma and faster recovery process. In addition, it has a large surgical field of vision under the microscope for easy identification of structures and surgery and with relatively gentle learning curve. Thus, it is conducive to beginners' mastery. However, complications such as nerve injury and postoperative lower limb numbness are still frequently reported. Some factors have to be considered, including insufficient understanding of the new technology, the local anatomy of the dual-channel endoscope, the operation of the spinal canal under the microscope. The successful application of the technique in treating various lumbar diseases needs understanding the operation process of the technique and local anatomy under the microscope.

Objective:To develop a unilateral biportal endoscopic technique and investigate the clinical efficacy of unilateral biportal endoscopic technique in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis.Methods:Between July 2018 and June 2019, 60 patients with lumbar disc herniation or spinal stenosis were treated by unilateral biportal endoscopic technique. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 51 patients were included in the study. There were 25 cases of prolapsed lumbar disc herniation, 26 cases of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, all of which were treated with posterior lumbar decompression by unilateral biportal endoscopic laminectomy, and contralateral stealth decompression by unilateral approach was performed on the patients with bilateral stenosis. Endoscopic interbody fusion and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation were performed in 5 patients with instability. Operation time, length of incision, hospital stay and complications were recorded. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for low back pain and leg pain, Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) and the modified Macnab scale were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy.Results:All operations were completed successfully, and no cases were transferred to open surgery. The operative time was 70.29±19.55 min (44-151 min), while the length of incision was 1.79±0.34 cm (1.4-3.0 cm). Postoperative CT suggested complete decompression with intact contralateral structure. All patients got out of bed 1-3 d after surgery, and the postoperative hospital stay was 3.49±2.76 d (1-14 d). The postoperative follow-up time was 13.59±2.80 months (10-21 months). Forty-six patients returned to work or normal activities within 3 weeks and 5 patients with interbody fusion returned to normal activities within 4 weeks. According to the modified Macnab criteria, the final outcome was excellent in 43 cases, good in 6 cases, and fair in 2 cases. There were 3 cases of dural sac tear during operation and 2 cases of transient numbness of lower limbs after surgery and they all recovered after conservative treatment. The VAS score of low back pain of 26 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis was reduced from 6.69±1.44 before surgery to 3.27±1.43 at postoperative 1 month, 2.69±1.57 at postoperative 3 months, 2.31±1.16 at postoperative 6 months and 2.23±1.28 at the last follow-up, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=128.534, P<0.005). The VAS scoreof leg pain was reduced from 6.77±1.34 before surgery to 3.27±1.37 at postoperative 1 month, 2.88±1.48 at postoperative 3 months, 2.85±1.52 at postoperative 6 months and 2.54±1.53 at the last follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=146.951, P<0.005). The ODI score was reduced from 64.18%±8.23% before surgery to 37.53%±4.45% at postoperative 1 month, 27.51%±3.83% at postoperative 3 months, 19.91%±5.27% at postoperative 6 months and 6.84%±2.74% at the last follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=783.966, P<0.005). The VAS score of low back pain of 25 patients with lumbar disc herniation was reduced from 5.60±1.38 before surgery to 3.04±1.54 at postoperative 1 month, 2.84±1.75 at postoperative 3 months, 3.12±1.86 at postoperative 6 months and 3.44±1.69 at the last follow-up, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=22.357, P<0.005). The VAS scoreof leg pain was reduced from 5.48±1.45 before surgery to 2.88±1.64 at postoperative 1 month, 2.52±1.83 at postoperative 3 months, 2.76±1.83 at postoperative 6 months and 3.00±1.92 at the last follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=29.445, P<0.005). The ODI score was reduced from 53.59%±6.87% before surgery to 32.46%±3.78% at postoperative 1 month, 23.39%±2.78% at postoperative 3 months, 16.49%±3.49% at postoperative 6 months and 7.23%±3.15% at the last follow-up, and the difference was statistically significant ( F=790.985, P<0.005). Conclusion:Unilateral biportal endoscopic technique has the advantages of clear and wide field of vision, large operating space, relatively simple surgical instrument need and convenient and flexible operation procedure. It has excellent clinical effects in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis.

Ischemic stroke has the characteristics of high disability,high mortality,and high recurrence rate,and the abundant collateral circulation is an independent predictor of good outcomes in stroke.This article mainly elaborates the cytological and molecular mechanisms of vascular remodeling process after ischemic stroke in order to provide new ideas and targets for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

The mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is considered an immune privileged system as it is separated from the periphery by the blood brain barrier (BBB). Yet, immune functions have been postulated to heavily influence the functional state of the CNS, especially after injury or during neurodegeneration. There is controversy regarding whether adaptive immune responses are beneficial or detrimental to CNS injury repair. In this study, we utilized immunocompromised SCID mice and subjected them to spinal cord injury (SCI). We analyzed motor function, electrophysiology, histochemistry, and performed unbiased RNA-sequencing. SCID mice displayed improved CNS functional recovery compared to WT mice after SCI. Weighted gene-coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) of spinal cord transcriptomes revealed that SCID mice had reduced expression of immune function-related genes and heightened expression of neural transmission-related genes after SCI, which was confirmed by immunohistochemical analysis and was consistent with better functional recovery. Transcriptomic analyses also indicated heightened expression of neurotransmission-related genes before injury in SCID mice, suggesting that a steady state of immune-deficiency potentially led to CNS hyper-connectivity. Consequently, SCID mice without injury demonstrated worse performance in Morris water maze test. Taken together, not only reduced inflammation after injury but also dampened steady-state immune function without injury heightened the neurotransmission program, resulting in better or worse behavioral outcomes respectively. This study revealed the intricate relationship between immune and nervous systems, raising the possibility for therapeutic manipulation of neural function via immune modulation.

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of plate fixation via the lateral transverse incisions and double-window approaches for the treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 21 intra-articular calcaneal fractures (22 feet) which had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital to Anhui Medical University from May 2014 to April 2016. There were 19 males and 2 females, aged from 20 to 60 years (average, 38.3 years). The fracture affected 13 left feet and 9 right feet. According to the Sanders classification, 10 feet were type Ⅱ, 11 type Ⅲ and one type Ⅳ. They were treated by plate fixation via the lateral transverse incisions and double-window approaches. Early complications within 3 months after operation, the length, width, height, Böhler angle and Gissane angle of the calcaneus one year after operation, functional recovery of the affected feet at the last follow-up, and complications were recorded. Results: The 21 patients were followed up for 21 to 44 months (mean, 36.7 months). Incisions were all healed at the first postoperative stage with no serious skin or soft tissue complications like superficial infection, deep infection or wound dehiscence. At the early stage, one patient suffered epidermal necrosis at the margin of incision, which was cured after dressing change. None of the patients developed subtalar arthritis by the last follow-up. The preoperative length, width, height, Böhler angle and Gissane angle of the calcaneus (respectively, 68.6±1.2 mm, 46.7±0.8 mm, 39.1±2.0 mm, 5.4°±12.1° and 104.3°±10.2°) were significantly improved to 71.7±1.6 mm, 48.8±2.0 mm, 32.8±1.3 mm, 29.2°±6.8°, and 120.8°±6.2° one year after operation(P<0.05). At the last follow-up, their AOFAS ankle-hind foot scores averaged 92.7 points (from 73 to 98 points); 17 feet were rated as excellent, 3 as good and 2 as moderate, giving an excellent and good rate of 90.1%. Conclusion Plate fixation via the lateral transverse incisions and double-window approaches can reduce incidences of postoperative soft tissue complications and subtalar arthritis, leading to good clinical results in the treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures.

Objective: Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) is one of the severe complications of ischemic stroke thrombolysis. Several prognostic scales have been developed to predict the risk of sICH. The performance of seven scales was compared in a single center cohort. Methods: Data of patients with consecutive ischemic stroke who received 0.9 mg/kg intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis within 4.5 h time window from stroke onset were collected. Seven scales that can provide an estimate of risk of sICH were identified and evaluated: Hemorrhage After Thrombolysis (HAT), blood Sugar, Early infarct signs, (hyper) Dense cerebral artery sign, Age, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Scale (SEDAN), Stroke Prognostication using Age and NIH Stroke Scale (SPAN)-100, Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke (SITS), Total Health Risks In Vascular Events (THRIVE), Glucose at presentation, Race (Asia), Age, Sex (male), systolic blood Pressure at presentation, and Severity of stroke at presentation (NIH Stroke Scale; GRASPS) and Multicenter Stroke Survey (MSS). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated and Logistic regression and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test were also performed. Results: The current study included 293 patients, of whom 7.85% (23/293) had sICH by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (SICH_NINDS), 5.46% (16/293) by Europe Cooperative Acute Stroke Study Ⅱ (SICH_ECASSⅡ) and 4.44% (13/293) by Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke (SICH_SITS) criteria. SEDAN had the highest AUROC for predicting sICH: sICH_NINDS: AUROC=0.843, OR=3.167, 95%CI 2.106-4.762, P<0.01; sICH_ECASSⅡ: AUROC=0.797, OR=2.509, 95%CI 1.652-3.812, P<0.01; sICH_SITS: AUROC=0.784, OR=2.172, 95%CI 1.405-3.357, P<0.01. And SPAN-100 had the lowest AUROC among all the seven scales and was only associated with risk of SICH_NINDS in regression analysis. Furthermore, when sub-grouped the cohort into anterior circulation infarction and posterior circulation infarction, regression analysis suggested that all the seven scales were however not associated with sICH risk in patients with posterior circulation infarction. Conclusions SEDAN constantly had the highest predictive power, SPAN-100 had the worst. The seven scales studied could not predict sICH in posterior circulation infarction.