PURPOSE: The fixation method commonly employed worldwide for treating unstable fractures of the posterior pelvic ring is the percutaneous iliosacral screw technique. However, prolonged operation time and frequent fluoroscopies result in surgical risks. This study aimed to investigate whether a new triangulation method could reduce operative and fluoroscopy times and increase the accuracy of screw placement. METHODS: This study is a real-world retrospective cohort analysis that examined a patient cohort who underwent percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2022. Inclusion criteria were patients (1) diagnosed with posterior pelvic ring instability who underwent pelvic fracture closed reduction and percutaneous S1 transverse-penetrating iliosacral screw placement and (2) aged >18 years. Exclusion criteria were: (1) combined proximal femoral fractures, (2) severe soft tissue injury in the surgical area, (3) incomplete imaging data, and (4) declining to provide written informed consent by the patient. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the screw insertion method: conventional and triangulation methods. Screw placement and fluoroscopy times recorded by the C-arm were compared between the 2 methods. The accuracy of screw placement was evaluated by Smith grading on postoperative CT. Normality tests were conducted to assess the distribution of the quantitative variables and the Chi-square test was used to compare the qualitative variables. RESULTS: The study included a total of 94 patients diagnosed with posterior pelvic ring instability, who underwent percutaneous iliosacral screw placement. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 46 patients treated with the conventional surgical method and 48 patients received the triangulation method. The operation time (61.13±9.69 vs. 35.77±6.27) min and fluoroscopy frequency times (52.15±9.29 vs. 24.40±4.04) of the triangulation method were significantly reduced (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The use of a triangular positioning technique for the surface positioning of percutaneous iliosacral screws could reduce the operative time and fluoroscopy frequency. And the screw placement accuracy using this new method was comparable to that using other conventional methods.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Bone Screws ; Pelvic Bones/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods* ; Fractures, Bone/surgery* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Fluoroscopy ; Aged ; Sacrum/surgery* ; Operative Time

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship among seminal oxidation-reduction potential (nORP), sperm DNA fragmentation (DFI) and semen parameters in patients with varicocele. METHODS: Clinical data of 522 patients treated in the reproductive andrology clinic of the Northern Theater General Hospital from November 2023 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 435 men of childbearing age and 87 men of infertile age. The patients were divided into the varicocele group (n=116) and non-varicocele group (n=406) according to clinical diagnosis. The differences of seminal plasma nORP, DFI, sperm high DNA stain ability (HDS) and semen parameters were analyzed between the two groups. The relationship among general clinical data, seminal plasma nORP, semen parameters, DFI and HDS in patients with varicocele were further analyzed. According to the severity of varicocele, the patients were divided into three groups, including mild, moderate and severe. And the differences of seminal plasma nORP and semen parameters, DFI and HDS among all groups were analyzed. The differences of seminal plasma nORP, semen parameters, DFI and HDS were compared between the varicocele and non-varicocele groups. RESULTS: The total sperm count, sperm concentration, progressive motility sperm percentage (PR%) and normal sperm morphology rate (NSMR) in patients with varicocele were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05). And seminal plasma nORP, DFI and HDS in patients with varicocele were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). Seminal plasma nORP in patients with varicocele was significantly negatively correlated with total sperm, sperm concentration and NSMR (P<0.05), and significantly positively correlated with DFI and HDS (P<0.05). There were significant differences in nORP, total sperm count, sperm concentration, PR%, DFI and HDS among mild, moderate and severe varicocele groups (P<0.05). Seminal plasma nORP, sperm concentration, PR% and DFI in severe group were significantly lower than those in mild and moderate groups(P<0.05). Sperm count and HDS in severe group were significantly lower than those in mild group (P<0.05). In infertile patients, seminal plasma nORP, DFI and HDS in varicocele group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). And PR% in varicocele group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Seminal plasma nORP in patients with varicocele may be an important marker of oxidative stress affecting DFI and semen parameters.
Humans ; Male ; Varicocele/metabolism* ; Semen/metabolism* ; Spermatozoa ; Sperm Count ; Infertility, Male ; Retrospective Studies ; DNA Fragmentation ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility

Numerous studies on the formation and consolidation of memory have shown that memory processes are characterized by phase-dependent and dynamic regulation. Memory retrieval, as the only representation of memory content and an active form of memory processing that induces memory reconsolidation, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Although the molecular mechanisms specific to memory retrieval-induced reconsolidation have been gradually revealed, an understanding of the time-dependent regulatory mechanisms of this process is still lacking. In this study, we applied a transcriptome analysis of memory retrieval at different time points in the recent memory stage. Differential expression analysis and Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) depicting temporal gene expression patterns indicated that most differential gene expression occurred at 48 h, and the STEM cluster showing the greatest transcriptional upregulation at 48 h demonstrated the most significant difference. We then screened the differentially-expressed genes associated with that met the expression patterns of those cluster-identified genes that have been reported to be involved in learning and memory processes in addition to dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9). Further quantitative polymerase chain reaction verification and pharmacological intervention suggested that DPP9 is involved in 48-h fear memory retrieval and viral vector-mediated overexpression of DPP9 countered the 48-h retrieval-induced attenuation of fear memory. Taken together, our findings suggest that temporal gene expression patterns are induced by recent memory retrieval and provide hitherto undocumented evidence of the role of DPP9 in the retrieval-induced reconsolidation of fear memory.
Animals ; Fear/physiology* ; Male ; Dipeptidyl-Peptidases and Tripeptidyl-Peptidases/genetics* ; Memory Consolidation/physiology* ; Time Factors ; Mental Recall/drug effects* ; Mice ; Gene Expression Profiling

AIM To investigate the clinical effects of Jingu Xiaotong Powder combined with platelet-rich plasma on patients with knee osteoarthritis.METHODS Ninety-six patients were randomly assigned into control group(48 cases)for 8-week administration of platelet-rich plasma,and observation group(48 cases)for 8-week administration of both Jingu Xiaotong Powder and platelet-rich plasma.The changes in clinical effects,IL-17,SDF-1,TLR4,GSH-Px,NO,ox-LDL,WOMAC scores,TCM syndrome score,AIM2-SF score were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P<0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased IL-17,SDF-1,TLR4,NO,ox-LDL,WOMAC scores,TCM syndrome score(P<0.05),and increased GSH-Px,AIM2-SF score(P<0.05),especially for the observation group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with knee osteoarthritis,Jingu Xiaotong Powder combined with platelet-rich plasma can reduce IL-17,SDF-1,TLR4 levels,inhibit body inflammation,improve oxidative stress indices,alleviate pain,and enhance clinical efficacy and life quality.

Aim To preliminarily evaluate the effects of hypobaric hypoxia on organism damage in rats with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD),with a view to laying a foundation for drug research in plateau PTSD.Methods The rats were randomly divided into four groups,namely,the control(Control)group,the sin-gle-prolonged stress(SPS)group,the hypobaric hy-poxia(HH)group and the single-prolonged stress combined with hypobaric hypoxia(SPS+HH)group.The PTSD model was firstly constructed using the SPS method for rats in the SPS and SPS+HH groups.On the second day,rats in the HH group and SPS+HH group were placed in a low-pressure hypoxia chamber at a simulated altitude of 6000 m for 14 days.General condition,behavior,blood tests,and histomorphology were examined in order to evaluate the damage caused by low pressure hypoxia in PTSD rats.Results The body mass of rats in the SPS+HH group was signifi-cantly reduced;the feces were partly hard and lumpy,and some of them were seen to have high viscosity.Anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors were ob-served in all groups except in the control group,in which hypobaric hypoxia aggravated the behavioral ab-normalities in SPS rats.Rats in both the SPS and SPS+HH groups had coagulation dysfunction and abnor-mally increased blood viscosity,which was significantly abnormal in the SPS+HH group;erythrocytes,hemo-globin,and erythrocyte specific volume in whole blood of rats in the SPS+HH group were significantly in-creased compared with those of rats in the SPS group;and serum TP,LDH and GLU levels were abnormal in rats in the SPS+HH group.Dilated and congested blood vessels were seen in hippocampal tissue,conges-ted central veins were seen in hepatic tissue,and dilat-ed and congested liver sinusoids with mild granuloma-tous degeneration of hepatocytes were seen in rats of the SPS+HH group.Conclusion Hypobaric hypoxia exacerbates depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors in PTSD rats,as well as hematological indices and his-tomorphometric abnormalities in PTSD rats.

To address the shortcomings of traditional hydrogels in terms of mechanical performance and environmental stability,a new conductive organogel based on polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)and polypyrrole(PPy)was prepared in this study.By introducing dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)as a solvent,the mechanical strength and durability of the gel were significantly improved.Various characterization techniques,including infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis,and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize this conductive organogel.The experimental results showed that the prepared organogel exhibited optimal performance at PVA concentration level of 8%(m/m),with an average pore size of 5.2 μm and a conductivity of 0.65 S/cm.As a wearable strain sensor,the PVA/PPy organogel demonstrated excellent sensitivity and responsiveness,capable of precisely detecting joint and muscle movements as well as subtle physiological signals such as pulse and vocal cord vibrations.Notably,the gel maintained stable sensing performance even after 48 h at room temperature,showing outstanding environmental adaptability and long-term use potential.This innovative material design provided robust technical support for smart healthcare,health monitoring,and human-machine interaction,showing broad application prospects.

Objective:To test the expression of miR-146a-5p RNA, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) as markers for predicting post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI).Methods:Forty cerebral infarction patients who had been followed up after 3 months formed a PSCI group, and another 40 who showed no post-stroke impairment formed the normal (PSCN) group. Forty healthy age-matched people were the AMC group. The executive functioning of each participant was quantified using the digital span test (DST), a Stroop color word test (SCWT), part B of the trail making test (TMT-B), and a semantic fluency test (SFT). Plasma expression levels of miR-146a-5p, IL-6 and TNF-α were also recorded. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were prepared to analyze the value of the miR-146a-5p, IL-6, TNF-α and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores for predicting PSCI.Results:At baseline, the average expression of plasma miR-146a-5p in the PSCI group was significantly lower than in the other groups, with that of the PSCN group significantly higher than the AMC group′s average. Plasma IL-6 content in the PSCI group was significantly higher than in the other two groups on average, with that in the PSCN group significantly higher than in the AMC group. The average TNF-α levels in both the PSCI and PSCN groups were significantly higher than in the AMC group. Three months later, however, the average DST and SFT scores of the PSCI group were significantly lower than those of the other two groups, while TMT-B and stroop interference effects (SIE) times were significantly longer. TMT-B and SIE times in the PSCN group averaged significantly longer than in the AMC group. At baseline, the area under the curve predicting PSCI of plasma miR-146a-5P combined with MoCA scores was 0.90, with a sensitivity of 72.5% and specificity at the optimal critical point of 97.5%.Conclusions:A high level of plasma miR-146a-5p in the acute stage may protect an ACI patient′s cognitive functioning by inhibiting neuroinflammatory responses. Its expression level and the patient′s MoCA score can help to predict PSCI.

In order to improve the poor photostability of nifedipine, this study designed a cocrystal based on the principles of crystal engineering and prepared nifedipine-imidazole cocrystal by suspension method. The new cocrystal was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) to confirm the formation of the cocrystal. The photostability of nifedipine and its cocrystal was measured by powder X-ray diffraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the nifedipine-imidazole cocrystal improved the photostability of nifedipine to a certain extent. This study provides guidance for the development of nifedipine cocrystals and the improvement of its druggability.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement(TTVR)is characterized by minimal invasiveness,rapid recovery,and a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate compared to surgical procedures.It is the preferred treatment for patients with bioprosthetic valve failure following surgical tricuspid valve replacement.However,when the delivery system is relatively bulky,challenges can arise due to the reduced orifice area post-surgery and the constraints imposed by the valve frame.These factors may result in difficulties advancing the delivery system.Additionally,the tortuous right heart pathway and limited support provided by the guide wire further increase the complexity of the procedure.In the present case,the patient experienced bioprosthetic valve failure following surgical tricuspid valve replacement.During TTVR,the advancement of the delivery system across the tricuspid valve encountered difficulties.Our team promptly employed the parallel anchoring-supporting sheath and snared wire(PASS)technique,pioneered at our center.Utilizing a large supporting sheath in conjunction with a snare to secure the tip of a extra-stiff guide wire,we straightened the tortuous pathway,providing additional support to the extra-stiff guide wire.This maneuver successfully facilitated the advancement of the delivery system across the tricuspid valve,offering a practical and effective solution for overcoming intraoperative challenges associated with TTVR.