BACKGROUND:The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase(PI3K/AKT)signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating osteoclast activation,which is essential for maintaining bone homeostasis.Bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis is caused by aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.However,the role of the PI3K signaling pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced aberrant osteoclastogenesis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects and mechanisms of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway inhibitor BYL-719 on aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS:RAW264.7 cells were infected with bovine Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus calmette-cuerin vaccine,and Ag85B was used for cellular immunofluorescence staining.The cell counting kit-8 assay was employed to determine the safe concentration of BYL-719.There were four groups in the experiment:blank control group,BYL-719 group,BCG group,and BCG+BYL-719 group.Under the induction of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand,the effects of BYL-719 on post-infection osteoclast differentiation and fusion were explored through tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and phalloidin staining.RT-PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression of osteoclast-related genes and proteins,and further investigate the mechanism of action. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Immunofluorescence staining showed that RAW264.7 cells phagocytosed Mycobacterium tuberculosis.Cell counting kit-8 data indicated that 40 nmol/L BYL-719 was non-toxic to cells.Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining and phalloidin staining showed that BYL-719 inhibited the generation and fusion ability of osteoclasts following infection.RT-PCR and western blot results also indicated that BYL-719 suppressed the upregulation of osteoclast-specific genes(including c-Fos,NFATc1,matrix metalloproteinase 9,and CtsK)induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection(P<0.05).Western blot and immunofluorescence staining revealed that BYL-719 inhibited excessive osteoclast differentiation induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis by downregulating the expression of IκBα-p65.To conclude,BYL-719 inhibits aberrant osteoclastogenesis induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis through the downregulation of IκBα/p65.Therefore,the IκBα/p65 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for osteoarticular tuberculosis,and BYL-719 holds potential value for the preventing and amelioration of bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis.BYL-719 has the potential to prevent and ameliorate bone destruction in osteoarticular tuberculosis.

Objective:Based on the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, back propagation neutral network (BPNN), and ARIMA-BPNN model, select the optimal model suitable for predicting the incidence trend of hepatitis C in Taiyuan City according to the characteristics of the data.Methods:The data of reported cases of hepatitis C in Taiyuan from 2008 to 2021 were selected, and the seasonal trend decomposition chart was used to analyze the seasonal characteristics of the monthly incidence rate of hepatitis C in Taiyuan during the period, and the ARIMA model, BPNN model, and ARIMA-BPNN model were established to predict. The performance of the model was measured using four indicators: mean absolute error ( MAE), mean squared error ( MSE), root mean square error ( RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error ( MAPE). Results:A total of 20 025 cases of hepatitis C were reported, and the overall incidence trend was stable. The BPNN model performed well on MSE, MAE, and RMSE indicators, the ARIMA-BPNN model performed well on MAPE indicators, and the ARIMA model performed relatively averagely. Conclusions:The ARIMA-BPNN model is a better model for predicting the trend of hepatitis C in Taiyuan City, with a higher predictive performance than a single model. It has significant prospects in predicting the trend of infectious diseases.

Objective To understand the current status of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources and their use in Taiyuan City, China, and provide data support for optimizing resource allocation and standardizing diagnosis and treatment. Methods A census-based approach was implemented using a standardized questionnaire to collect basic information on radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions in Taiyuan City. The number and use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources were calculated based on the resident population of Taiyuan City at the end of 2023. Results There were a total of 562 radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions in Taiyuan City, with 3970 workers and 1354 pieces of equipment. The numbers of radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions, workers, and equipment per 1 000 000 population were 103, 728, and 248, respectively. There were significant differences in radiation diagnosis and treatment resources among different districts and counties. There were 526 (93.59%) radiation diagnosis and treatment institutions and 25 (96.15%) tertiary hospitals in the six urban districts. All institutions offering nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment and radiotherapy were located in the urban districts. There were substantial disparities among hospitals of different levels. The average numbers of radiation workers and equipment were in the order of tertiary hospitals (99.42, 17.15) > secondary hospitals (13.31, 4.62) > primary and unrated hospitals (1.43, 1.38). The frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment in tertiary hospitals was 112 149 per hospital, which is 5 times that of secondary hospitals and 44 times that of primary and unrated hospitals. The use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment was 975.79 per 1000 population. The use frequency was 941.12 per 1000 population for X-ray diagnosis, 21.68 per 1000 population for interventional radiology, 8.70 per 1000 population for nuclear medicine diagnosis, 2.33 per 1000 population for nuclear medicine treatment, and 1.95 per 1000 population for radiotherapy. Conclusion There are abundant radiation diagnosis and treatment resources in Taiyuan City. The use frequency of radiation diagnosis and treatment has reached the level of Class II medical and health care regions, and there remains considerable room for growth and improvement. At present, the distribution of radiation diagnosis and treatment resources and services is unbalanced among different districts and counties as well as among institutions of different levels, mainly concentrated in urban districts and tertiary hospitals. The health administrative department needs to make overall plans and allocate resources scientifically.

Objective:Based on the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, back propagation neutral network (BPNN), and ARIMA-BPNN model, select the optimal model suitable for predicting the incidence trend of hepatitis C in Taiyuan City according to the characteristics of the data.Methods:The data of reported cases of hepatitis C in Taiyuan from 2008 to 2021 were selected, and the seasonal trend decomposition chart was used to analyze the seasonal characteristics of the monthly incidence rate of hepatitis C in Taiyuan during the period, and the ARIMA model, BPNN model, and ARIMA-BPNN model were established to predict. The performance of the model was measured using four indicators: mean absolute error ( MAE), mean squared error ( MSE), root mean square error ( RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error ( MAPE). Results:A total of 20 025 cases of hepatitis C were reported, and the overall incidence trend was stable. The BPNN model performed well on MSE, MAE, and RMSE indicators, the ARIMA-BPNN model performed well on MAPE indicators, and the ARIMA model performed relatively averagely. Conclusions:The ARIMA-BPNN model is a better model for predicting the trend of hepatitis C in Taiyuan City, with a higher predictive performance than a single model. It has significant prospects in predicting the trend of infectious diseases.

Objective To understand the basic information of the number, classification, and distribution of radiation work units in non-medical institutions in Shanxi Province, China, and to analyze the status quo of health management and radiation protection measures for radiation workers, so as to provide a scientific basis for occupational exposure protection in non-medical radiation work units and better protect the occupational health rights and interests of radiation workers. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate some non-medical institutions in Shanxi Province. On-site testing was carried out to determine the risk factors for radioactive occupational diseases in the selected non-medical institutions. Results In 220 non-medical institutions, there were 340 radiation devices and 2284 radioactive sources. The rate of individual dose monitoring was 92.7% and the rate of occupational health examination was 87.2%. These devices were equipped with 325 detection instruments for radiation protection, 1316 personal protective equipment, and 730 personal dose alarms. Radiation occupational disease risk factors were investigated in 101 institutions. Conclusion The occupational health management of radiation workers in non-medical institutions in Shanxi Province is generally in line with the national standards. However, there is still a big gap with the level of occupational health management in medical institutions. The health administration departments should clarify the management measures for non-medical institutions and strengthen their supervision and management functions.

Objectives:To investigate the long-term efficacy of balloon assisted endplate reduction with vertebral augmentation combined with pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures, and to compare the clinical efficacy of calcium sulfate cement (CSC) and calcium phosphate cement(CPC).Methods:This study is a retrospective cohort study.The clinical data of 39 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures admitted to Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from November 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were treated with pedicle screw reduction and fixation of the injured vertebra,balloon-assisted reduction of the collapsed endplate of the injured vertebra,and artificial bone vertebral body augmentation,and the follow-up time was >5 years.There were 24 males and 15 females,aged (42.9±13.3) years (range: 29 to 56 years).According to the Frankel spinal nerve dysfunction grading standard, there were 4 cases of grade C, 7 cases of grade D and 28 cases of grade E. There were 21 cases of CSC augmentation(CSC group) and 18 cases of CPC augmentation (CPC group). X-ray and CT were performed at 1 week, 1-, 2-, 5-year after surgery and at the last follow-up, and the imaging indicators were measured, including the injured vertebra anterior edge height ratio,the injured vertebra middle height ratio,the injured vertebra wedge angle,and the sagittal plane Cobb angle. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used for functional evaluation, nervous function was evaluated according to the Frankel spinal nerve dysfunction grading standard.Independent sample t test was used for inter-group comparison, and paired sample t test and repeated measure ANOVA were used for intra-group comparison. Results:All operative procedures were successfully completed, no spinal nerve function damage occurred. The postoperative imaging indexes of the patients were significantly improved compared with those before surgery (all P<0.01). The follow-up time of patients was (6.7±2.8)years (range: 5 to 9 years). Among the 11 patients with symptoms of neurological impairment before surgery, 9 patients completely recovered at the last follow-up, and 2 patients recovered from Frankel grade C to D. There were no significant differences in imaging indexes between the first week after surgery and the last follow-up in the CPC group (all P>0.05), while there were significant differences in imaging indexes between the CSC group and the last follow-up (all P<0.05). CPC group was superior to CSC group in frontal height ratio, middle height ratio, wedge angle variation and sagittal Cobb angle correction loss at 2 year, 5 year after surgery and the last follow-up, with statistical significance (all P<0.05). At the last follow-up, there were no differences in VAS and ODI between the two groups (all P>0.05). After absorption of CSC in the filling area, a hardened zone was formed around the area, and the central cavity remained without bone tissue filling. CPC absorption was very slow, and the CPC group was still filled satisfactorily at the last follow-up. Conclusions:Balloon assisted endplate reduction and vertebral augmentation combined with pedicle screw fixation through the injured vertebra have good long-term efficacy in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Compared with CSC, CPC vertebral augmentation can better maintain the shape and spinal sequence of the injured vertebra in the long term, and can effectively reduce the collapse of the space above the injured vertebra.

Objectives:To investigate the long-term efficacy of balloon assisted endplate reduction with vertebral augmentation combined with pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures, and to compare the clinical efficacy of calcium sulfate cement (CSC) and calcium phosphate cement(CPC).Methods:This study is a retrospective cohort study.The clinical data of 39 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures admitted to Hefei Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from November 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients were treated with pedicle screw reduction and fixation of the injured vertebra,balloon-assisted reduction of the collapsed endplate of the injured vertebra,and artificial bone vertebral body augmentation,and the follow-up time was >5 years.There were 24 males and 15 females,aged (42.9±13.3) years (range: 29 to 56 years).According to the Frankel spinal nerve dysfunction grading standard, there were 4 cases of grade C, 7 cases of grade D and 28 cases of grade E. There were 21 cases of CSC augmentation(CSC group) and 18 cases of CPC augmentation (CPC group). X-ray and CT were performed at 1 week, 1-, 2-, 5-year after surgery and at the last follow-up, and the imaging indicators were measured, including the injured vertebra anterior edge height ratio,the injured vertebra middle height ratio,the injured vertebra wedge angle,and the sagittal plane Cobb angle. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used for functional evaluation, nervous function was evaluated according to the Frankel spinal nerve dysfunction grading standard.Independent sample t test was used for inter-group comparison, and paired sample t test and repeated measure ANOVA were used for intra-group comparison. Results:All operative procedures were successfully completed, no spinal nerve function damage occurred. The postoperative imaging indexes of the patients were significantly improved compared with those before surgery (all P<0.01). The follow-up time of patients was (6.7±2.8)years (range: 5 to 9 years). Among the 11 patients with symptoms of neurological impairment before surgery, 9 patients completely recovered at the last follow-up, and 2 patients recovered from Frankel grade C to D. There were no significant differences in imaging indexes between the first week after surgery and the last follow-up in the CPC group (all P>0.05), while there were significant differences in imaging indexes between the CSC group and the last follow-up (all P<0.05). CPC group was superior to CSC group in frontal height ratio, middle height ratio, wedge angle variation and sagittal Cobb angle correction loss at 2 year, 5 year after surgery and the last follow-up, with statistical significance (all P<0.05). At the last follow-up, there were no differences in VAS and ODI between the two groups (all P>0.05). After absorption of CSC in the filling area, a hardened zone was formed around the area, and the central cavity remained without bone tissue filling. CPC absorption was very slow, and the CPC group was still filled satisfactorily at the last follow-up. Conclusions:Balloon assisted endplate reduction and vertebral augmentation combined with pedicle screw fixation through the injured vertebra have good long-term efficacy in the treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures. Compared with CSC, CPC vertebral augmentation can better maintain the shape and spinal sequence of the injured vertebra in the long term, and can effectively reduce the collapse of the space above the injured vertebra.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for axial deviation in the treatment of tibial defect susing Orthofix unilateral external fixator and proximal tibial osteotomy for bone transport.Methods:A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 90 patients who had been treated for tibial bone defects by the Orthofix unilateral external fixator at Department of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Hospital Affiliated to Xinjiang Medical University from May 2012 to June 2019. There were 77 males and 13 females with a mean age of 41.2 years (from 17 to 63 years).The bone defects ranged from 4 to 13 cm in length. According to the Paley criteria for axial deviation, the 90 patients were divided into 2 groups: a deviation-free group with no axial deviation or an axial deviation ≤5° and a deviation group with an axial deviation>5°. The 2 groups were compared in terms of age, number of prior surgery, defect length, placement angle of Schanz screws, external fixation time, external fixation index and bending degree of Schanz screws at the last follow-up.The factors with P<0.05 were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression to find the risk factors for coronal axial deviation. Results:The 90 patients were followed up for an average of 23 months (from 12 to 40 months). The incidence of axial deviation in this cohort was 36.7% (33/90).The deviation group had a significantly larger number of prior surgery [5 (3, 6) times], a significantly longer defect length [8 (8, 9) cm], a significantly longer external fixation time [400.0 (341.8, 426.3) d], and a significantly greater bending degree of Schanz screws at the last follow-up [1.2° (0.4°, 3.5°)] than the deviation-free group [3 (2, 3) times, 6 (5, 8) cm, 340.8 (226.5, 422.8) d, and 0.8° (0.2°, 3.7°)] (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the number of prior surgery ( OR=2.581, 95% CI: 1.496-4.450, P=0.001) and the defect length ( OR=5.310, 95% CI: 1.952-14.442, P=0.001) were the risk factors for the axial deviation. Conclusion:In the treatment of tibial defect susing Orthofix unilateral external fixator and proximal tibial osteotomy for bone transport, the more prior surgeries and the longer a bone defect, the higher the risk for axial deviation.

Humans ; Mental Retardation, X-Linked/genetics* ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2/genetics* ; Gene Duplication

Objective To investigate the association between the nutritional status and related factors in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods Seventy-two patients with PD (PD group) and 71 age-and sex-matched healthy controls (control group) were enrolled in this study from September 2014 to November 2017 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.Their serum nutritional indices,including serum albumin,prealbumin,transferrin,free fatty acid and retinol conjugated protein,were collected.The PD participants were interviewed and assessed using motor and non-motor scales,including Hoehn and Yahr stage,Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS),Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire for Parkinson's Disease (NMSS),Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE),Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) and 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39).Their medication dosage was indicated by daily levodopa equivalent doses (LEDD).Body mass index (BMI) was used to determine their nutritional status,with abnormal nutritional status defined as BMI lower than 20 kg/m2.Results Levels of serum albumin (41.60 (40.28,43.98) g/L vs 44.00 (42.30,46.20) g/L,Z=4.500,P＜0.01),transferrin ((2.32±0.34) g/L vs (2.51±0.34) g/L,t=-3.305,P=0.001),and free fatty acid (418.00 (289.75,637.25) μmol/L vs 547.00 (386.00,699.00) μmol/L,Z=2.079,P=0.038) of the PD group were significantly lower than those of the control group.There was a significant negative correlation between serum albumin and MDS-UPDRS-Ⅱ score (r=-0.254,P=0.031),MDS-UPDRS-Ⅳ score (r=-0.256,P=0.030),years of dyskinesia (r=-0.240,P=0.043),years of motor fluctuation (r=-0.304,P=0.009) and LEDDs (r=-0.321,P=0.006).Disease duration was negatively correlated with serum albumin (r=-0.285,P=0.015) and transferrin (r=-0.275,P=0.019),and age (r=-0.252,P=0.032) was negatively correlated with prealbumin.The forward binary Logistic regression model indicated that abnormal nutritional status was closely associated with rigidity (OR=1.171,95％CI 1.013-1.354,P=0.032),akinesia (OR=1.070,95％CI 1.000-1.144,P=0.048),UDysRS score (OR=1.051,95％CI 1.004-1.099,P=0.032),MDS-UPDRS-Ⅳ score (OR=1.177,95％CI 1.018-1.360,P=0.027) and MMSE score (OR=0.821,95％CI 0.678-0.994,P=0.043),but not correlated with tremor and axial symptoms.Compared with PD patients with abnormal nutritional status,PD patients with normal nutritional status had higher MMSE scores (28.00 (27.00,29.00) vs 28.00 (25.00,28.00),Z=-2.060,P=0.039),lower rigidity (9.60±3.83 vs 12.00±4.29,t=-2.264,P=0.027),akinesia (19.98 ± 8.00 vs 24.42:±:8.06,t=-2.071,P=0.042) and MDS-UPDRS-Ⅳ scores (8.00 (5.00,11.00) vs 10.00 (9.00,13.00),Z=2.642,P=0.008).Conclusions PD patients tend to have a lower serum nutritional indices.PD patients with lower levels of serum nutritional indices are characterized by more severe motor complication,longer disease duration,older age and higher LEDD.PD patients with abnormal nutritional status have worse cognition and more severe motor symptoms (rigidity,akinesia and motor complication).