Nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF), predominantly affecting the elderly, can lead to intractable pain, vertebral collapse, progressive kyphotic deformity, and neurological impairment, significantly compromising patients′ quality of life. There exists considerable debate on diagnosis and management of OVF, encompassing key issues such as clinical diagnosis and staging criteria for nonunion, surgical indications and procedure selection, and postoperative rehabilitation planning. Currently, there lacks standardized clinical guideline and expert consensus on the diagnosis and management of OVF nonunion in China. To address this gap, Minimally Invasive Surgery Group of Chinese Orthopedic Association, Osteoporosis Committee of Chinese Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee for Osteoporosis of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine and Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgery Branch of China Association for Geriatric Care jointly organized domestic experts in spinal surgery, endocrinology, and rehabilitation to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment for nonunion of osteoporotic vertebral fractures ( version 2025), based on existing literature and clinical experience and adhering to principles of scientific rigor and practicality. The guideline provided 13 evidence-based recommendations encompassing diagnosis and treatment of OVF nonunion, aiming to standardize its clinical management.

BACKGROUND:There are few studies on the effect of different patellar morphologies on the outcome after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of different patellar morphologies on functional recovery and patellofemoral joint alignment after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty based on patellar Wiberg classification.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted in 186 patients with medial knee osteoarthritis who underwent unicompartmental knee arthroplasty at Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between January 2022 and March 2023.Patients were categorized into group A(type Ⅰ,n=43),group B(typeⅡ,n=104),and group C(type Ⅲ,n=39)according to the Wiberg classification.The Hospital for Specia Surgery knee score,Feller score,and incidence of anterior knee pain,as well as radiologic data(patellar index,patellar tilt angle,and lateral patellofemoral angle)were compared among the three groups.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There was no significant difference in the Feller patellar score and Hospital for Specia Surgery score at the final postoperative follow-up in patients with Wiberg type Ⅰ,type Ⅱ,and type Ⅲ patellae(P＞0.05).(2)Although there was no significant difference in the incidence of anterior knee pain among the three groups at the final follow-up,patients with type Ⅲ patellae were significantly more likely to have experienced anterior knee pain early in the postoperative period.(3)Different patellar morphologies can improve patellar position to some extent after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty,but type Ⅲ had greater patellar tilt than types Ⅰ and Ⅱ,both preoperatively and postoperatively.(4)This finding highlights the need for tailored morphological adjustments to the Wiberg Ⅲ patella during unicompartmental knee arthroplasty to improve surgical outcomes.

BACKGROUND:Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty effectively addresses medial knee osteoarthritis.The accurate tibial component rotational alignment is crucial to ensure the best surgical outcome.OBJECTIVE:To assess the impact of tibial component rotational alignment on short-term outcomes after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in medial knee osteoarthritis patients.METHODS:From February 2021 to February 2023,91 patients who underwent mobile-bearing unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were selected.According to the rotational alignment of tibial prosthesis relative to Akagi's line measured by postoperative CT,the patients were divided into three groups.Group A had internal rotation greater than 0°,group B had external rotation from 0° to 5°,and group C had external rotation greater than 5°.The knee range of motion,Oxford knee score,and forgotten joint score were recorded and compared among three groups preoperatively,at the last follow-up after surgery.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)At the last follow-up after surgery,the Oxford knee score of group B was significantly lower than that of group A(P=0.003)and group C(P=0.025).The knee range of motion of group B was higher than that of group A(P=0.011)and group C(P=0.024),and the forgotten joint score of group B was higher than that of group A(P=0.001)and group C(P=0.049).(2)The forgotten joint score in group C was significantly higher than that in group A at the last follow-up(P=0.044).(3)Patients were followed up for 12-36 months after arthroplasty.There were 2 and 7 cases of postoperative knee pain in groups B and C,and the difference was statistically significant(P=0.033).(4)It is indicated that external rotation of the tibial prosthesis by 0°-5° is ideal for achieving satisfactory short-term clinical outcomes,so we should avoid intraoperative tibial prosthesis malrotation.

Ferroptosis of chondrocytes is a significant contributor to osteoarthritis(OA),for which there is still a lack of safe and effective therapeutic drugs targeting ferroptosis.Here,we screen for anti-ferroptotic drugs in Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved drug library via a high-throughput manner in chondrocytes.We identified a group of FDA-approved anti-ferroptotic drugs,among which vitamin K showed the most powerful protective effect.Further study demonstrated that vitamin K effectively inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated the extracellular matrix(ECM)degradation in chondrocytes.Intra-articular injection of vitamin K inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated OA phenotype in destabilization of the medial meniscus(DMM)mouse model.Mechanistically,transcriptome sequencing and knockdown experiments revealed that the anti-ferroptotic effects of vitamin K depended on growth arrest-specific 6(Gas6).Furthermore,exogenous expression of Gas6 was found to inhibit ferroptosis through the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase(AXL)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase(AKT)axis.Together,we demonstrate that vitamin K inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates OA progression via enhancing Gas6 expression and its downstream pathway of AXL/PI3K/AKT axis,indicating vitamin K as well as Gas6 to serve as a potential therapeutic target for OA and other ferroptosis-related diseases.

Oxygen generation technologies with lower requirement and higher performance urgently need to be developed to meet the challenges of manned lunar landing and Mars exploration.In this paper,the mission requirements,technical characteristics,key technologies and operation status of oxygen generation assembly by water electrolysis(OGAWE)in China Space Station(CSS)are introduced.Furthermore,the latest developments about oxygen generation by electrolyzing carbon dioxide based on solid oxide electroyte is reported.The application effects and research achievements demonstrate the oxygen generation by electrolysis is one of the most suitable techniques for oxygen regeneration in manned space mission.In addition,the oxygen generation by novel electrolysis technology provides feasible approach for improving the performance of oxygen regeneration and producing oxygen by in-situ utilization of extraterrestrial resource.These development experiments of OGAWE in CSS and research results of novel electrolysis provide valuable references for the technical progress of oxygen generation by electrolysis for manned spaceflight.

AIM: To investigate the mechanism of Hexue Mingmu Tablets(HXMMT)in improving diabetic retinopathy(DR)based on transcriptomics.METHODS: Zebrafish DR models were established by 3-day glucose induction(130 mmol/L)starting at 3 days post-fertilization(dpf). Larvae were randomized into four groups: control group(CG; aquaculture water), model group(MG; 130 mmol/L glucose), low-dose HXMMT treatment group(L-HX; 130 mmol/L glucose +7.5 mg/L HXMMT), and high-dose HXMMT treatment group(H-HX; 130 mmol/L glucose +75 mg/L HXMMT), with a 3-day intervention period until 6 dpf. The area and length of eyes, and body length of zebrafish were observed by stereomicroscopy, retinal morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE), and retinal vessel diameter was observed under fluorescence microscope. Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified by RNA-sequencing(RNA-seq)technology to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of HXMMT in improving DR in zebrafish, and the sequencing accuracy was validated through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).RESULTS: HE staining demonstrated that the intervention with HXMMT significantly improved the disordered cell arrangement, widened gaps, and thickened inner nuclear layer(INL)in ganglion cell layer GCL); retinal vascular diameter quantification revealed that the retinal vessel diameter of the MG significantly increased compared with the CG, and it was significantly changed after the intervention of HXMMT, with significant efficacy in the H-HX(P<0.05); transcriptomics profiling identified 1 470 reversed DEGs, predominantly enriched in the AMPK signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, retinal developmental processes, and tight junction regulation. Technical validation confirmed strong correlation between qRT-PCR and RNA-seq data(R2=0.8571, P<0.05).CONCLUSION: HXMMT may improve retinal vascular microcirculation disorders in DR by regulating core targets including vsx1, pde6c, arr3a, plk1, fbp1b, foxo1a, pcna, and cdk1, as well as synergistically modulating processes such as retinal development in camera-type eyes, visual perception, microtubule cytoskeletal organization, tight junctions, and the AMPK signaling pathway, Foxo signaling pathway.

Ferroptosis of chondrocytes is a significant contributor to osteoarthritis (OA), for which there is still a lack of safe and effective therapeutic drugs targeting ferroptosis. Here, we screen for anti-ferroptotic drugs in Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug library via a high-throughput manner in chondrocytes. We identified a group of FDA-approved anti-ferroptotic drugs, among which vitamin K showed the most powerful protective effect. Further study demonstrated that vitamin K effectively inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated the extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation in chondrocytes. Intra-articular injection of vitamin K inhibited ferroptosis and alleviated OA phenotype in destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model. Mechanistically, transcriptome sequencing and knockdown experiments revealed that the anti-ferroptotic effects of vitamin K depended on growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6). Furthermore, exogenous expression of Gas6 was found to inhibit ferroptosis through the AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL)/phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT) axis. Together, we demonstrate that vitamin K inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates OA progression via enhancing Gas6 expression and its downstream pathway of AXL/PI3K/AKT axis, indicating vitamin K as well as Gas6 to serve as a potential therapeutic target for OA and other ferroptosis-related diseases.

Objective:To analyze the revision strategies for failed atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) surgery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 145 patients who underwent revision surgery for AAD at the General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command of PLA between September 2009 and December 2023. The cohort included 74 males and 71 females, with a mean age of 43±16 years (range, 6-72 years). The initial surgical approaches were: anterior 31 cases, posterior 114 cases. Based on imaging assessments of immediate postoperative reduction and fusion status prior to revision, the cases of failure were classified into reduction-nonfusion type (22 cases), nonreduction-fusion type (31 cases), and nonreduction-nonfusion type (92 cases). Among the nonreduction-nonfusion cases, 39 had initial surgery with internal fixation for reduction, while 53 had initial surgery with simple decompression (posterior arch resection, foramen magnum decompression) without reduction. In the nonreduction-fusion cases, 8 cases had spot fusion and 23 had extensive fusion. Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores were compared before and after revision, and complication rates were observed.Results:All patients successfully underwent surgery. The revision approaches included: anterior (anterior fixation and fusion 52 cases, anterior implant removal combined anterior fixation and fusion 4 cases, transoral odontoidectomies 16 cases, anterior implant removal combined transoral odontoidectomy 2 cases), posterior (posterior fixation and fusion 2 cases, posterior implant removal combined posterior fixation and fusion 22 cases), and combined anterior-posterior (posterior implant removal combined anterior fixation and fusion 18 cases, anterior implant removal combined posterior fixation and fusion 25 cases, posterior implant removal combined transoral odontoidectomy 5 cases). Operative time was 254.20±107.63 min (range, 90-660 min), and blood loss was 218.83±172.17 ml (range, 20-800 ml). Except for 3 patients who died due to postoperative complications, all patients were followed up for a duration of 12±11 months (range, 3-60 months). Six patients who failed to achieve bony fusion after the initial revision surgery underwent a second revision due to poor reduction (1 case), infection (1 case), suboptimal implant position (3 cases), and graft nonunion (1 case). All three patients with bony fusion after the initial revision surgery underwent a second revision due to poor reduction. Following the second revision surgery, none of the 9 patients exhibited graft nonunion or spinal cord compression. The 136 successful initial revision cases had a final follow-up JOA score of 14.75±2.00, significantly higher than the preoperative score of 11.93±2.92 ( t=-18.869, P<0.001). Conclusions:Revision surgery for AAD should take into account the immediate postoperative reduction status and fusion status prior to revision. An appropriate revision strategy should be selected to achieve satisfactory reduction and bony fusion.

This study aims to establish an indirect ELISA method for detecting RVFV antibodies u-sing recombinant proteins of Rift Valley fever virus(RVFV)Gn protein Ⅱ-Ⅲ structural domains as the encapsulated antigen which was expressed by the Escherichia coli(E.coli)expression sys-tem.The gene sequences encoding the Ⅱ and Ⅲ subdomains of RVFV Gn protein were inserted in-to pET-30a(+)to construct the recombinant plasmid pET-RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ.After transforma-tion of the recombinant plasmid into DE3(BL21)competent cells,the recombinant Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was induced with IPTG and purified using affinity chromatography.An indirect ELISA method for the detection of RVFV antibodies was developed using purified recombinant protein as coating antigen and SPA-HRP as the enzyme-labelled secondary antibody.Western blot analysis confirmed that the RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed.The optimal expression conditions for RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein were induced with 0.8 mmol/L IPTG at 37 ℃ for 5 h.The Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was purified using affinity chromatography with a purity of 91.9％,and the purified protein was used as the encapsulated antigen to develop an ELISA assay for RVFV anti-bodies.The specificity evaluation showed that the method specifically detected RVFV-positive sera and did not cross-react with sera positive for West Nile virus(WNV),Ebola virus(EBOV),Mar-burg virus(MARV)and tick-borne encephalitis virus(TBEV).When the RVFV Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ posi-tive serum was diluted to 6 400 times,the test result still showed positive results,demonstrating the method had good sensitivity.The repeatability evaluation results indicated that the variation co-efficients for both intra-and inter-batch responses was less than 10％,indicating that the method had good repeatability.In conclusion,the RVFV Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed u-sing the E.coli expression system.The purified recombinant Gn-D Ⅱ-Ⅲ protein was used as the encapsulated antigen to develop an indirect ELISA assay for RVFV antibodies,which provides a preliminary basis for the diagnosis of RVF and the research and development of RVF vaccines.