BACKGROUND:"Tendon off-position"is a disease name included in the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision,and also a clinical indication of manipulation,acupuncture and other treatments.However,its specific mechanism is still unclear.It is urgent to establish an animal model that can reflect the clinical and pathological characteristics of"tendon off-position,"so as to further study the mechanism of effective clinical treatments. OBJECTIVE:To establish an animal model of"tendon off-position"in rats based on isometric contraction of skeletal muscles,and to explore the changes of skeletal muscle function and morphological phenotype after"tendon off-position." METHODS:Sixty rats were randomly divided into control group,static-loading group and extra loading group,with twenty rats in each group.Rats in the control group were kept normally without treatment.In the latter two groups,the rats were fixed by the self-made static-loading modeling device and a static-loading(the body mass of each rats was applied as the static-loading)was applied to cause sustained isometric contraction of the upper limb muscles.Then,animal models of"tendon off-position"were successfully established.In the extra loading group,50%of the body mass was added to the ankle joint after modeling.The skeletal muscle samples were harvested at 2 and 4 weeks after modeling.The changes of limb grip strength,wet mass of skeletal muscle,and serum levels of creatine kinase-muscle and lactate dehydrogenase A were measured,and the changes of skeletal muscle histomorphology and ultrastructure were observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At 2 weeks after modeling,the rats in the static-loading group and extra loading group showed significantly decreased grip strength and wet muscle mass,significantly increased serum levels of creatine kinase-muscle and lactate dehydrogenase A,and abnormal muscle fiber morphology and structure accompanied by a large number of deposited collagen fibers.Electron microscopy results showed that the structure of myofibrils was disordered,the Z-line was distorted,and the light and dark boundaries were blurred.At 4 weeks after modeling,the grip strength of the model rats was increased compared with that at 2 weeks,the serum creatine kinase-muscle and lactate dehydrogenase A levels were decreased,and the changes of muscle fiber morphology and ultrastructure were recovered to varying degrees.It is suggested that the rat skeletal muscle injury model based on continuous isometric contraction of skeletal muscle can well reflect the pathological characteristics of"tendon off-position"at 2 weeks,and can be used to study the mechanism of acupuncture and manipulation in the treatment of"tendon off-position."

This article has systematically sorted out and verified the name， origin， producing area， quality evaluation， harvesting and processing of Pruni Semen by consulting ancient materia medica， medical books， prescription books and modern literature， in order to provide a basis for the development of famous classical formulas containing Pruni Semen. The results showed that Pruni Semen， as a medicinal material， has been widely used in medical literature of past dynasties since it was collected in Shennong Bencaojing， and also included under the names such as Yuhe， Yuzi and Yuli， and aliases such as Jueli， Queli and Chexiali. The primordial plants mentioned in the past dynasties involve about 12 species of Rosaceae， but with Prunus humilis， P. japonica and P. glandulosa as mainstream varieties used in the past dynasties， while the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulates that the basal plants are P. humilis， P. japonica and P. pedunculata. Most of the ancient records for the origin of Pruni Semen are found everywhere in high mountains， valleys and hills， modern literature records that its origin varies according to its base， for example， P. humilis and P. japonica are mainly produced in Hebei， eastern Inner Mongolia， Liaoning， Shandong and other regions of China， and P. pedunculata is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia. Modern literature summarizes its quality as faint yellow， full and fulfilling， neat and not broken， and non-oiling， and the small Pruni Semen is better than the big Pruni Semen. The ancient processing methods of Pruni Semen mainly include blanching and peeling， blanching and peeling followed by frying， and blanching and peeling followed by pounding， with the common feature of blanching and peeling. The successive editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia stipulate that it should be pounded when used. Based on the results of the herbal textual research and the writing time of Bianzhenglu， and combined with the market survey of Pruni Semen， it is suggested that P. humilis or P. japonica should be used as the origin of Pruni Semen in Sanpiantang， and it is harvested when the fruits are ripe， the kernels are collected by removing the stones， and processed by blanching， peeling and pounding consulting the decoction method in the current edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Objective : To investigate the effect of miR-135a-5p on the expression levels of insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) and testosterone in the testicular tissues of flutamide-induced cryptorchidism mouse． Methods : A model of flutamide-induced cryptorchidism in mouse was constructed，and the experiment was divided into normal control group，flutamide group，flutamide + miR-135a-5p knockdown group and flutamide + miR-135a-5p overexpression group. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-135a-5p and INSL3 mRNA．Western blot was em- ployed to assess the protein expression level of INSL3．ELISA was performed to measure the expression level of tes- tosterone. Results : The expression levels of miR-135a-5p，INSL3 mRNA and protein and testosterone were significantly down-regulated in the testis of cryptorchid mice by flutamide (P＜0. 05) ．Knockdown of miR-135a-5p could downregulate the expression of INSL3 mRNA，INSL3 protein and testosterone (P ＜0. 01 ) ，while overexpression of miR-135a-5p had the opposite result． Conclusion miR-135a-5p decreased in flutamide-induced cryptorchidism mouse testicular tissues，and overexpression of miR-135a-5p could restore the expression levels of INSL3 and testosterone.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL) with the all-seeing needle system(Microperc)for the treatment of upper urinary calculi in children. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 25 cases of upper urolithiasis treated with Microperc from November 2016 to January 2018 in Guizhou Provincial People′s Hospital was performed, including 18 boys and 7 girls.The age of patients was (6.4±3.9) years(10 months-14 years), and 4 cases were less than 3 years old.Among them, 3 cases had upper ureteral calculi and 22 cases had renal calculi.The mean stone size was 14.5 mm(8-20 mm). Stone fragmentation was performed by using a 200 μm holmium(YAG laser fiber). Results: All patients were successfully treated in stage I. In 6 patients, access was achieved through the 4.8Fr all-seeing needle method.Conversion to mini-PCNL (10-12Fr) was required in 19 patients due to intraoperative bleeding and high stone burden.The duration of operation time was (60.8±15.1) min (40-100 min). The mean postoperative drop in hemoglobin was (7.5±5.4) g/L, and no patient required blood transfusion.The hospital stay was (4.9±1.2) days (3-6 days). There were residual fragments in 3 patients, and the overall stone-free rate at 4 weeks was 88%(22/25 cases). Four cases had a fever(Clavien grade Ⅰ) complications, while no grade Ⅱ and grade Ⅲ complications were observed. Conclusions Microperc can establish a surgical channel through visual images quickly and safely, and it greatly reduces the risk and difficulty in doing operation.This technology is not only suitable for learner of surgery, but also for patients with mild hydronephrosis and children with calculus.

Objective To investigate the effect of HBP-A on meniscal injuries and the expressions of genes associated with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscusinduced by abnormal loading. Methods Bovine meniscus explants were subjected to 25%strain at 0.3 Hz for 3 h and treated with 0.6 mg/mL of HBP-A. The cell viability in the meniscus explants after 72 hin culture was determined using live/dead staining and the expression levels of genes associated with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscus (ANKH, ENPP1, ALP, MMP13, and IL-1) were measured using real-time PCR and Western blotting. The conditioned medium was collected for testing sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release. Results The number of dead cells, loss of proteoglycan content, and the expressions of ANKH, ENPP1, ALP and MMP13, and IL-1 at both the mRNA and protein levels were all significantly lower in the meniscus explants treated with 0.6 mg/mL HBP-A than in the explants with only 25%abnormal pressure stimulation (n=3, P<0.05). Conclusion HBP-A can effectively alleviate meniscal injuries induced by abnormal loading and suppress the expressions of genes related with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscus, and can serve as a potential drug for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Objective To investigate the effect of HBP-A on meniscal injuries and the expressions of genes associated with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscusinduced by abnormal loading. Methods Bovine meniscus explants were subjected to 25%strain at 0.3 Hz for 3 h and treated with 0.6 mg/mL of HBP-A. The cell viability in the meniscus explants after 72 hin culture was determined using live/dead staining and the expression levels of genes associated with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscus (ANKH, ENPP1, ALP, MMP13, and IL-1) were measured using real-time PCR and Western blotting. The conditioned medium was collected for testing sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release. Results The number of dead cells, loss of proteoglycan content, and the expressions of ANKH, ENPP1, ALP and MMP13, and IL-1 at both the mRNA and protein levels were all significantly lower in the meniscus explants treated with 0.6 mg/mL HBP-A than in the explants with only 25%abnormal pressure stimulation (n=3, P<0.05). Conclusion HBP-A can effectively alleviate meniscal injuries induced by abnormal loading and suppress the expressions of genes related with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscus, and can serve as a potential drug for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of terlipressin therapy for refractory ascites in cirrhosis and type-2 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS-2). MethodsForty patients with refractory ascites in cirrhosis and HRS-2 who were admitted to our hospital from June 2009 to June 2014 were randomly divided into treatment group (n=23) and control group (n=17). The control group was given comprehensive medical treatment including liver protection therapy, anti-infection therapy, and nutritional support, and the treatment group was treated with terlipressin in addition to the treatment for the control group. The body weight, abdomen circumference, urine volume and urinary sodium output within 24 hours, liver and kidney function, and adverse reactions in both groups were evaluated before and after treatment. Between-group comparison of continuous data was performed by t test, and between-group comparison of categorical data was performed by χ2 test. ResultsIn the treatment group, the urine volume and urinary sodium output within 24 hours were significantly increased after treatment (270.0±120.0 vs 1200.0±490.0 ml, P＜0.05; 20.6±10.5 vs 62.5±16.5 mmol, P＜0.05), while the body weight and abdomen circumference were significantly reduced after treatment (58.5±5.3 vs 53.6±4.8 kg, P＜0.05; 97.6±7.5 vs 90.5±6.8 cm, P＜0.05). The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine in the treatment group were significantly lower after treatment (P＜0.05), while the serum level of Alb in the treatment group was significantly higher after treatment (P＜005). All the above indices were significantly superior in the treatment group than in the control group (P＜0.05). The overall response rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (82.6% vs 52.9%, P＜0.05). There were no severe adverse reactions in both groups. ConclusionOn the basis of comprehensive medical treatment, terlipressin achieves good efficacy in the treatment of refractory ascites in cirrhosis and HRS-2 with few adverse reactions.

Objective To assess the use of human albumin (ALB) after hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients in our hospital .Methods 150 hospital medical records from June 2012 to June 2013 were analyzed ,which used the human ser-um albumin during the perioperative period of hepatectomy at hepatocellular carcinoma (preoperative Child-Pugh A or B) retro-spectively ,the rationality of human blood albumin use was evaluated .Results Among the 150 medical records ,the total appli-cation amount of albumin was 11 212 .5 g (897 bottles) ,the total cost was 527 ,744 yuan ,nearly 20 percent of total drug costs ,accounting for nearly 10% of the total cost of hospitalization .By using human serum albumin after surgery ,the patients'liver function was significantly improved (P<0 .05) ,there was a positive correlation between the Child-Pugh score and dosage of human albumin (P<0 .05) .Conclusion The use of human serum albumin was rational during the perioperative period of hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients in our hospital ,which had achieved the desired therapeutic effect .

A comprehensive, geometrically accurate, nonlinear C0-T1 three-dimensional finite element (FE) model was developed for the biomechanical study of human cervical spine and related disorders. The model was developed with anatomic detail from the computed tomography (CT) images of a 46-year-old female healthy volunteer, and applied the finite element model processing softwares such as MIMICS13.1, Hypermesh11.0, Abaqus 6.12-1, etc., for developing, preprocessing, calculating and analysing sequentially. The stress concentration region and the range of motion (ROM) of each vertebral level under axial rotation, flexion, extension, and lateral bending under physiologic static loadings were observed and recorded. The model was proven reliable, which was validated with the range of motion in previous published literatures. The model predicted the front and side parts of the foramen magnum and contralateral pedicle and facet was the stress concentration region under physiological loads of the upper spine and the lower spine, respectively. The development of this comprehensive, geometrically accurate, nonlinear cervical spine FE model could provide an ideal platform for theoretical biomechanical study of human cervical spine and related disorders.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Female ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Models, Biological ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Rotation

The Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in bone metabolism. Inducing the Wnt signaling pathway promotes bone formation while restraining it results in osteopenic states. Although the regulation of this signaling pathway may bring enormous therapeutic potential, it still requires cautious approach because of the risks of tumorigenesis. The role of the Wnt signaling pathway in bone metabolism and the molecular targets of therapeutic potential for osteoporosis are discussed in this review.