BACKGROUND:Patients with osteoporotic compression fractures of the lumbar spine have varying degrees of changes in the sagittal parameters of the spine and pelvis,resulting in disequilibrium and rebalancing of the sagittal plane of the whole spine/lumbar spine.If the primary osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture is not treated promptly,it develops into an old osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture with nonunion over time. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty in nine patients with old osteoporotic lumbar compression fracture with nonunion. METHODS:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of nine elderly patients with old osteoporotic lumbar compression fractures with nonunion treated in the Orthopedics Department of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from September 2018 to August 2022.All patients underwent revision treatment with percutaneous vertebroplasty and received regular anti-osteoporosis treatment and rehabilitation training.The lumbar spine X-ray plain film and three-dimensional CT test results were reviewed before discharge and during follow-up to evaluate the diffusion of bone cement.Visual analog scale score,lumbar Oswestry disability index score,and Roussouly classification were recorded before,after surgery and during follow-up. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)During postoperative follow-up,none of the 9 cases in this group experienced serious surgical complications such as nerve injury,infection,bone cement leakage,pulmonary embolism,and allergic shock,and no adverse reactions related to bone cement occurred.One patient died of respiratory failure due to COVID-19 infection 2 years after operation.(2)The visual analog scale score and Oswestry disability index score of postoperative pain in patients with recurrent vertebral fractures after percutaneous vertebroplasty were significantly lower than those before revision surgery.After the last follow-up percutaneous vertebroplasty revision surgery,the Roussouly classification of patients significantly improved.There was no statistically significant difference between the changes in vertebral body height during the last follow-up measurement and preoperative comparison.(3)These findings indicate that for patients with old osteoporotic lumbar compression fractures with nonunion,moderate injection of bone cement and effective dispersion of bone cement have a significant relieving effect on postoperative pain.Regular anti-osteoporosis and effective postoperative rehabilitation training can help patients improve their postoperative lumbar spine function.

Hypoxia inducible factors(HIFs)are core molecules that enable the body to adapt to hypoxia environments.By sensing changes in intracellular oxygen pressure,HIFs regulate gene expression related to hypoxia adaptation,thereby enhancing the body's hypoxia tolerance at cellular,tissue and organ levels.On the other hand,HIFs promote the generation of red blood cells,angiogenesis,and regulate the body's energy metabolism,thereby improving its hypoxia tolerance.The enhancement of hypoxia tolerance is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of hypoxia-related diseases,upgrading of athletes'performance,enhancement of workers'efficiency at high-altitudes,and the improvement of individu-als'quality of life.This article reviews the relationships between HIFs and hypoxia tolerance as well as related mechanisms in order to provide strategies for enhancing hypoxia tolerance in the body.

Objective:Investigating the efficacy of unilateral adrenalectomy in treatment for primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD).Methods:Clinical data of 26 patients with PPNAD treated in our hospital from January 2013 to June 2023 was retrospectively analyzed.There were 11 males and 15 females, with an average age of (19.4±4.7) years. 25 cases presented with typical Cushing's syndrome, and 16 cases were diagnosed with Carney's syndrome. PRKAR1A gene mutation detected in 8 out of 10 cases. CT showed multiple small nodules on bilateral adrenal glands in 14 cases, unilateral small nodules or mild thickening with normal contralateral glands in 8 cases, and no obvious abnormalities in 4 cases. All patients showed autonomous oversecretion of cortisol by endocrine laboratory tests, with a median 24 h-UFC of 408.35 (334.28, 800.78) μg/24 h and decreased level of adrenocorticotropic hormone. All 26 patients underwent laparoscopic unilateral adrenalectomy, with left side adrenalectomy in 8 cases and right side adrenalectomy in 18 cases.Results:The average surgical duration was (85.2±28.7) minutes, with intraoperative blood loss <50 ml in all cases. The median time to drainage tube removal post-operation was 3 (2, 3) days. One patient developed a postoperative pulmonary infection, and 3 patients required postoperative hormone replacement therapy. The median follow-up duration was 64 (31.5, 103.8) months, and all patients showed alleviation of Cushing syndrome clinical manifestations after operations. 19 patients (73.1%) had their 24 h-UFC levels normalized to a median of 42.0 (22.4, 58.3) μg/24 h within 8.5 (5, 46) days post-surgery. 7 patients (26.9%) did not achieve normal 24 h-UFC levels, yet experienced an average reduction of (73.2±10.4)%. 13 patients (50.0%) did not experience recurrence, with a median follow-up of 51 (7, 89.5) months, including two cases without recurrence at 10 years post-surgery. 13 patients showed recurrent increase in postoperative cortisol levels, with a median of 225.6 (188.9, 397.2) μg/24 h. The median time to increased 24 h-UFC post-surgery was 27 (13.5, 50.5) months, with the longest duration reaching 104 months. Among these, 9 cases exhibited clinical signs and symptoms of recurrence, while 4 cases did not. Of the 13 patients with recurrence, 9 underwent contralateral adrenalectomy or subtotal resection, while 4 were observed with follow-up.Conclusions:Unilateral adrenalectomy could be a surgical treatment option for PPNAD. Despite the recurrence in some patients postoperatively, unilateral adrenalectomy could effectively and rapidly reduce cortisol levels in PPNAD patients and alleviate the clinical manifestations of Cushing syndrome.

Objective:To study the use of the da Vinci robot in distal pancreatectomy.Methods:The data of 53 patients who underwent minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy at the Department of General Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February 2017 to March 2022 were retrospectively analysed. There were 16 males and 37 females, aged (48.2±16.9) years. These patients were divided into the robot assisted pancreatectomy group (the robot group, n=18) and the laparoscopic pancreatectomy group (the laparoscopic group, n=35) based on the surgical treatment methods. The operations were performed by the same team of surgeons. All patients were diagnosed to have benign or borderline malignant tumors of body and tail of pancreas by preoperative examinations. The success rate of spleen preservation distal pancreatectomy, operation time, intraoperative bleeding, and postoperative complications (including pancreatic fistula, postoperative bleeding, abdominal infection) were compared between the two groups. Results:Spleen preserving distal pancreatectomy was successfully carried out in 13 patients (72.2%) in the robot group and 15 patients (42.9%) in the laparoscopic group. The rate of spleen preservation in the robot group was significantly higher than that in the laparoscopic group (χ 2=4.11, P=0.043). Intraoperative blood loss (104.4±69.3) ml and time to first postoperative passage of flatus were (3.7±1.0) d in the robot group were significantly better than the laparoscopic group (199.4±102.9) ml and (4.8±1.3) d, respectively (both P<0.05). The total incidence of complications in the robot group was 7 cases (38.9%), compared with 14 cases (40.0%) in the laparoscopic group, with no significant difference between the two groups(χ 2=0.006, P=0.938). Conclusions:Robotic-assisted distal pancreatectomy was safe and feasible, and it had advantages in resulting in better spleen preservation than laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy.

Objective To investigate the renal level of 1o-hydroxylase and the change of serum calcium in rats with severe acute pancreatitis,and their correlation.Methods Eighty male Wistar rats were randomly (random number) divided into two groups:sham operation group (SO group),severe acute pancreatitis group (SAP group),and each group was further randomly divided into 1 h,3 h,6 h,and 12 h subgroups (n =10).Severe acute pancreatitis model was made by retrograde infusion with 5％ sodium taurocholate solution into the biliopancreatic duct,rats were sacrificed at 1 h,3 h,6 h,and 12 h separately after modeling.The levels of serum amylase,serum calcium,serum urea nitrogen,serum creatinine,serum 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 were measured,and the level of lα-hydroxylase protein in the kidney was determined with immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.The histopathologic changes of kidney tissue were observed under light microscope and the changes of the proximal tubular epithelial cell were observed under electron microscope.Results Compared with SO group,the levels of serum amylase,serum urea nitrogen,and serum creatinine were higher in SAP group,but the levels of serum calcium and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 decreased at 3,6,and 12 h,and the renal level of 1 α-hydroxylase also decreased at 3,6,and 12 h after modeling.In SAP group,the levels of serum calcium,serum 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 and the renal level of 1 α-hydroxylase gradually decreased,and the renal level of 1 α-hydroxylase and the level of serum 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 had positive correlation at 3 h,6 h,and 12 h (r =0.93,P ＜0.01; r=0.951,P ＜0.01; r =0.92,P ＜0.01; r =0.878,P ＜0.01),and the renal level of 1α-hydroxylase and the level of serum calcium had positive correlation at 3 h,6 h,and 12 h (r =0.975,P ＜0.01; r=0.946,P＜0.01; r=0.747,P＜0.01).Conclusions Intheearly course of SAP,the lowered activity of 1 α-hydroxylase may play an important role in the development of hypocalcemia.

Objective To explore the clinical features, treatment and prognosis of mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kidney. Methods Patient 1, a 42-year-old woman presented with space-occupying lesion of the lower pole of the left kidney with no symptoms in physical examination for 1 week. CT revealed a low-enhanced tumor located in the lower pole of the left kidney in cT1b N0M0. Radical left nephrectomy was performed. Patient 2, a 76-year-old woman presented with space-occupying lesion of the middle of the left kidney with no symptoms in physical examination for 10 d. CT revealed a low-enhanced tumor located in the middle of the left kidney in cT1b N0 M0. Laparoscopic radical left nephrectomy was performed. The patient received adjuvant treatment with IL-2 and interferon-α 3 months after nephrectomy. Patient 3, a 50-year-old woman presented with lumbago for 3 months. CT revealed a low-enhanced tumor located in the right kidney in cT2 N0 M0. Radical right nephrectomy was performed. The patient received adjuvant treatment with IL-2 and interferon-α 3months after nephrectomy. Patient 4, a 60-year-old woman presented with lumbago and hematuria for 15 d. CT revealed a low-enhanced tumor located in the lower pole of the left kidney in cT1a N0M0.Radical left nephrectomy was performed. Results Histological examination of the tumors showed that they consisted of spindle cells arranged in tubular and trabecular patterns embedded in a myxoid stroma. Pathologic diagnosis of all 4 patients were MTSCCa. There was no evidence of recurrence in all patients for 9- 46 months. Conclusions MTSCCa is a rare low-grade renal cell carcinoma.There is a female predominance. Early surgical excision is the best treatment and the prognosis is relatively good.