ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of Shentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation （LDH） with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome， and its effect on nucleus pulposus reabsorption and immune-inflammatory factors， exploring its therapeutic mechanism from the perspective of reabsorption. MethodsA total of 120 patients with LDH from the Fourth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine， treated between June 2020 and January 2023， were randomly divided into the control group （52 cases， with 8 dropouts） and the observation group （49 cases， with 11 dropouts） according to a random number table. The control group received routine treatment， while the observation group was treated with Shentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang in addition to routine treatment. Visual Analogue Scale （VAS）， Oswestry Disability Index （ODI）， Japanese Orthopaedic Association （JOA） score， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score were measured before treatment and after 3 courses of treatment. Venous blood samples were collected for the determination of serological indexes. MR examination was performed during the 6-month follow-up to calculate the absorption rate. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed significant reductions in VAS， ODI， TCM syndrome score， serum tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， matrix metalloproteinase （MMP）-9， and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） levels， and a significant increase in JOA score compared with pre-treatment values （P<0.05）. Compared with the control group， the observation group showed significantly lower VAS， ODI， TCM syndrome score， serum TNF-α， MMP-9， and VEGF levels， and a significantly higher JOA score （P<0.05）. The proportion of nucleus pulposus reabsorption in the observation group was 57.14% （28/49）， significantly higher than 21.15% （11/52） in the control group （χ²=6.161， P<0.05）. ConclusionShentong Zhuyutang combined with Dilongtang can effectively relieve pain， improve lumbar function， and alleviate TCM clinical symptoms in LDH patients with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. Imaging findings suggest that the treatment promotes the reabsorption of nucleus pulposus protrusion， while laboratory testing shows reduced serum levels of TNF-α， MMP-9， and VEGF， which contribute to the rehabilitation of patients.

Hallux valgus is one of the common diseases in foot and ankle surgery, mainly manifested as hallux toe valgus, first metatarsal adduction and first metatarsophalangeal joint dislocation or subluxation, resulting in a series of pathological changes. There are more than 200 surgical methods, and osteotomy can only be performed empirically, which is a great challenge for most doctors. The physical model generated by 3D printing technology can intuitively see the specific shape of the patient′s heel toes, and can make better preoperative planning through the model, which provides a better choice and method for the surgical method of hallux valgus and the design of intraoperative guide plate. With the rapid development of minimally invasive technology, the treatment of hallux valgus has also been greatly improved. This article mainly reviews the diagnosis and treatment of hallux valgus and the application progress of 3D printing.

BACKGROUND: Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule, a well-known traditional prescription, exhibits remarkable treatment outcomes in knee osteoarthritis, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulatory effect of Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule on miR-27a of synovial cells in Sprague-Dawley rats with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: The model of knee osteoarthritis was established in 120 Sprague-Dawley rats using Hulth method, and then these rat models were randomized into four groups, followed by given75 mg/kg normal saline (blank control group), 34 (low-dose group), 75 (medium-dose group) and 140 (high-dose group) mg/kg Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule aqueous solvent via gavage according to body mass, respectively, twice daily, for consecutive 2 courses (15 days as a course) with 2 days in between. The synovium and cartilages were removed after each course, and the expression of miR-27a in the knee joint synovium and chondrocytes was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Gross observation found that the degeneration of synovium and cartilage in the Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule groups was milder than that in the blank control group. Real-time PCR revealed that there was an increasing trend in the expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and cartilage in each group, especially in the high-dose group, and there was a significant difference between groups (P < 0.05). Our findings show that Bushen Huoxue Tongluo Capsule can suppress the reduced expression of miRNA-27a in the synovium and chondrocytes in rats with knee osteoarthritis, further alleviating knee degeneration and protecting the knee from damage.

BACKGROUND: Zero-P anterior cervical fixation system is an important means for treatment of cervical myelopathy in recent years. Zero-P fixation system can achieve effective decompression of spinal cord and nerve, and restore cervical curvature, with good stability.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biocompatibility of Zero-P for multilevel cervical myelopathy.METHODS: Totally 62 patients with multilevel cervical disease who were treated by anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with Zero-P were selected, including double segments in 47 cases, three segments in 13 cases and four segments in 2 cases. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by pain visual analogue scale score, Japanese Orthopedic Association score, neck disability index score at postoperative 1, 6, 12, 24 months. Simultaneously, incidence of postoperative complications, cervical intervertebral space height and Cobb angle changes were observed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) 54 patients were followed 2 years after treatment by clinic or telephone. Mean operative time was (102.00±32.41) minutes; average blood loss was (62.45±18.36) mL. (2) Two patients affected mild throat discomfort at one day after operation, and the symptoms went to lift six days after. The remaining patients did not experience any other complications. (3) Visual analogue scale score and neck disability index score at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation were all less than preoperatively (P < 0.05); Japanese Orthopedic Association scores were higher than preoperatively (P < 0.05); the Cobb angle was improved significantly and greater than before treatment (P < 0.05).Postoperative cervical intervertebral space height was significantly higher than preoperatively (P < 0.05). Japanese Orthopedic Association results showed that among 54 patients, excellent was found in 34 cases, good in 14 cases,average in 6 cases and poor in 0 cases; the excellent and good rate was 89%. (4) Zero-P has a good clinical efficacy for multilevel cervical myelopathy, relieves symptoms significantly and restores cervical curvature and height, and has a good biocompatibility.

BACKGROUND:The traditional percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for thoracolumbar fractures has a lot of shortcomings,such as restoring the vertebral height.The combination of hyperextension traction-elastic compression and internal percutaneous pedicle screw fixation provides a new treatment strategy.OBJECTIVE:To observe and compare the biomechanical properties of the traditional percutaneous transpedicular screw fixation and hyperextension traction-elastic compression combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures.METHODS:Clinical data of 40 patients with simple vertebral compression fractures undergoing traditional percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (control group) or hyperextension traction-elastic compression combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (treatment group) were analyzed retrospectively,and none had neurologic signs or symptoms.The operation time,intraoperative radiant volume,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time or complications were compared between two groups.The sagittal Cobb angle and percentage of anterior height in vertebral body were measured at baseline and different time points after internal fixation.The pain and symptom improvement were evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale and Oswestry Disability Index.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:All patients were followed up for 12 months.(1) There were no significant differences in the operation time,intraoperative radiation volume,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time and complications between two groups (P ＞ 0.05).(2) The sagittal Cobb angle,percentage of anterior height in vertebral body,Visual Analogue Scale and Oswestry Disability Index scores after internal fixation were significantly superior to those before internal fixation in both two groups (P ＜ 0.05).(3) The sagittal Cobb angle and percentage of anterior height in vertebral body in the treatment group were significantly superior to those in the control group at 24 hours,6 and 12 months postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).(4) The Visual Analogue Scale and Oswestry Disability Index scores in the treatment group were significantly superior to those in the control group at 12 months postoperatively (P ＜ 0.05).(5) These results indicate that hyperextension traction-elastic compression combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation exerts remarkable effect on restoring the vertebral height and effectiveness compared with the traditional percutaneous pedicle screw fixation.

BACKGROUND:Different anesthesia methods significantly impact mean arterial pressure, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, arterial blood pH and blood viscosity, but what kind of anesthesia method is more suitable for preparation of animal model does not reach an agreement. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of local anesthesia and general anesthesia for preparation of rabbit intervertebral disc degeneration model in procession of percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut. METHODS:A total of 48 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the local anesthesia group and the general anesthesia group. The local anesthesia group was anesthetized with 0.5% lidocaine. The general anesthesia group was intraperitoneally injected with 3% sodium pentobarbital (30 mg/kg). In the two groups, models of intervertebral disc degeneration were established by minimally invasive percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut at L4/5, L5/6 levels. Modeling time was observed in both groups. Disc degeneration was evaluated by the gross observation, MRI detection, and histopathological examination at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after modeling. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) General observation: the nucleus pulposus gradually with darker color and elasticity reduced in two groups after modeling. (2) MRI T2-weighted image results showed no significant changes in disc signal intensity at early stage, but the signal strength showed a decreasing trend with time. (3) Disc degeneration was evaluated according to Pfirrmann grading. Disc degeneration was gradually increased with time in two groups (P< 0.05), but there was no significant difference at postoperative time points in both groups (P > 0.05). (4) Masson staining showed that different degrees of annulus irregular arrangement appear in the two groups 8 and 12 weeks after modeling, but the structure was still intact. 16 weeks later, annulus disorganized, or even breakage in the two groups; no significant difference was detected between the two groups. (5) Safranin O staining showed that nucleus pulposus cells were not significantly reduced in the two groups at 4 weeks, but were significantly reduced at 16 weeks. (6) The average modeling time of local anesthesia group [(15.24±2.67) minutes] was significantly shorter than that in the general anesthesia group [(25.64±6.85) minutes] (P < 0.05). These results indicate that intervertebral disc degeneration model can be successfully established by minimally invasive percutaneous acupuncture rotary cut by using local anesthesia and general anesthesia; however, local anesthesia has a shorter operating time and simple anesthetic procedure. The efficacy was identical between the two methods.

BACKGROUND:The Herbal Compound formula Yaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration has achieved satisfactory efficacy, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible molecular mechanisms ofYaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration based on transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). METHODS: Ten New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into control and experimental groups (n=5 per group), followed by intragastric injection of 20 mL of normal saline and 20 mL of water decoction of Yaotu Granules, respectively, twice daily for consecutive 1 week. The different drug serums were prepared using serum samples obtained from the common carotid artery at 2 hours after the last injection. Human nucleus pulposus cells were cultured in DMEM containing 10% different drug serums to observe the cellular morphology in each group. The cell viability was detected by trypan blue staining. The passage 3 human nucleus pulposus cells were pretreated for 48 hours, the mRNA level was detected using RNA-seq, and the differentially expressed mRNA was screened by RNA-seq. Subsequently, the differential gene expression, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Pathway enrichment analysis were performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the experimental group, there were round or fusiform cells with abundant cytoplasm and clear nuclei that showed smooth surface and complete nuclear membrane; elongated rough endoplasmic reticulum arranged regularly, and less mitochondrion, scattered lysosomes and filaments were visible in the cytoplasm. In the control group, spindle and polygonal cells were found, and the large nuclei with 2 or 3 nucleoli and slightly rough surface were observed; there were mildly dilated endoplasmic reticulum, and few mitochondria with incomplete membrane. The adherent rate, generation time and cell viability of passage 1, 2 and 3 cells in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Sequencing results found that there were 464 differentially expressed genes including 143 upregulated, and 321 downregulated genes. GO analysis revealed that the differentiated genes were mainly concentrated on cell regulation and metabolism. Pathway analysis found that mainly differentiated genes focused on the metabolism related pathways. These findings suggest that the differentially expressed gene profile of Yaotu Granules for lumbar disc degeneration is obtained by RNA-seq technology.Yaotu Granules mainly upregulate extracellular matrix metabolism-related genes and downregulate polysaccharide synthesis related genes in the prevention and treatment of lumbar disc degeneration, which provides basis for further research.

Objective To make a comparison between the plain radiograph, CT, and MR findings of gouty arthritis and to analyse the relationship between clinical data and imaging findings. Methods Fifty-four joints of 33 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of gouty arthritis were included in this study. In the morning, the blood uric acid level of patients was tested before meal. In the afternoon, their clinical data were recorded and joints were examinated by plain radiography, CT, and MRI. The imaging findings were evaluated by tophi, bone erosion, soft tissue swelling, hydrarthrosis, synovial thickness, and bone oedema. The data was analyzed by Chi-square test, indepentdent-samples t test, and logistic regression. Results The Chi-square test was utilized to evaluate number of joints with tophi(CT>plain radiography, MR>plain radiography, P<0. 01), soft tissue swelling (MR>CT>plain radiography, P<0. 01), hydrarthrosis(MR>CT, P<0. 01). In addition, 35 joints had bone oedema and 50 joints had synovial thickness. The course of disease(tophi positive group vs tophi negative group, P<0. 01) was analyzed by indepentdent-samples t test. The tophi's causative agents including bone erosion and course of disease were analysed by logistic regression(P<0. 01). Conclusions MRI is superior to CT and plain radiography on the early diagnosis of gout. Tophi and bone erosion may not affect the blood uric acid level. With the progression of disease, the probability of tophi formation increases. The relationship between the formation of tophi and bone erosion may be interpromotied.

AIM:To investigate the roles of maspin in the biological behaviors of non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells.METHODS:Full-length coding region of maspin was amplified by PCR from human normal breast tissue and cloned into MSCV vector .Virus supernatants was produced by Phoenix A packaging system , and target cell line was infec-ted with the virus supernatants .The transfected cells were screened with puromycin .The cell line with maspin over-expres-sion was identified by real-time PCR and Western blot.Cell growth, migration and invasion were investigated by xCelli-gence system .RESULTS:Maspin over-expression vector was successfully constructed .The cell line with maspin over-ex-pression was established .No difference of the growth between A 549-control cells and A549-maspin cells was observed .The migration and invasion were quite different between A 549-control cells and A549-maspin cells.The expression level of inte-grin β1 in A549-maspin cells was decreased compared with A 549-control cells .CONCLUSION:Maspin has no effect on the growth of A549 cells.Maspin suppresses the migration and invasion of A 549 cells, in which integrin β1 is involved.

A perfect clinical trial must nave a solid study design, strict conduction, complete quality control, non-interference of statistical result, and acceptable risk-benefit ratio. To reach the target, the quality control (QC) should be performed from the study design to conduction, from the analysis to conclusion. We discuss the relationship between data management and biostatistics from the statistical point of view, and emphasize the importance of the statistical concept and methods in the improvement of data quality in clinical data management.