Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with lower cervical fracture is often categorized into unstable fracture, with a high incidence of neurological injury and a high rate of disability and morbidity. As factors such as shoulder occlusion may affect the accuracy of X-ray imaging diagnosis, it is often easily misdiagnosed at the primary diagnosis. Non-operative treatment has complications such as bone nonunion and the possibility of secondary neurological damage, while the timing, access and choice of surgical treatment are still controversial. Currently, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture with or without dislocation. To this end, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate Clinical guidelines for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis combined with lower cervical fracture in adults ( version 2024) in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine, scientificity and practicality, in which 11 recommendations were put forward in terms of the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, typing and treatment, etc, to provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with lower cervical fracture.

Objective:To investigate the long-term efficacy of self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate in the treatment of unstable atlas fracture.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 20 patients with unstable atlas fracture who were admitted to Affiliated Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2011 to April 2013, including 14 males and 6 females, aged 23-60 years [(42.7±8.6)years]. All the patients were treated with internal fixation using self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate. The operation time and intraoperative bleeding volume were recorded. The fracture reduction was evaluated by CT scan at 3 days after surgery. The bone healing was observed by X-ray (anterior-posterior and lateral views of the cervical spine) and CT scan at 9 months after surgery. The delayed spinal cord injuries were evaluated by Frankel grade at 1 and 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before surgery, at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were compared. The axial rotation, flexion and extension range of the cervical spine at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were compared. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed.Results:All the patients were followed up for 121-148 months [(135.0±6.8)months]. The operation duration was 68-122 minutes [(86.0±14.1)minutes], with the intraoperative blood loss of 90-400 ml [(120.0±67.9)ml]. The CT scan of the cervical spine at 3 days after surgery showed all satisfactory fracture reduction. Satisfactory bone reunion was observed at 9 months after surgery. All patients were scaled as Frankel grade E at 1 year, 2 years and at the last follow-up after surgery, with no delayed spinal cord injuries observed. The VAS scores of the cervical spine at 3 months, 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were 2.0(1.3, 3.0)points, 1.0(1.0, 1.8)points, 1.0(0.3, 1.0)points and 1.0(0.3, 1.0)points, which were significantly lower than that before surgery [7.0(6.0, 7.8)points] ( P<0.05), with significantly lower scores at 1-, 2-year after surgeny and at the last follow-up than at 3 months after surgery ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences among the other time points ( P>0.05). The axial rotation ranges of the cervical spine were (103.0±8.3)°, (128.3± 11.4)° and (129.8±13.6)° at 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up respectively, which were significantly higher than that at 3 months after surgery [(85.3±7.0)°] ( P<0.05); It was further improved at 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up compared with that at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05), with no significant difference at the last follow-up compared with that at 2 years after surgery ( P>0.05). The flexion and extension range of the cervical spine at 1 year, 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up were (65.5±4.8)°, (78.3±6.5)° and (79.3±6.9)° respectively, which were significantly higher than that at 3 months after surgery [(54.3±4.4)°] ( P<0.05); It was further improved at 2 years after surgery and at the last follow-up compared with that at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05), with no significant difference between the last follow-up and 2 years after surgery ( P>0.05). No intraoperative injuries such as arteriovenous injury were observed. No incision infection or dehiscence occurred after surgery, with no complications caused by long-term bed rest such as lung or urinary tract infection, pressure sore formation or deep vein thrombosis occurred. No loosening or breakage of the screw and atlas plate was observed at the long-term follow-up. One patient had mild cervical pain, snap during rotation, and limited range of motion at the last follow-up. Conclusion:Self-designed posterior atlas polyaxial screw-plate has merits including small surgical wounds, satisfactory reduction, solid fixation, obvious pain relief, effective preservation of the previous cervical motion, few complications, and satisfactory long-term efficacy in the treatment of unstable atlas fracture.

Objective To observe the impact of semi-solidification enteral nutrition on feeding tolerance,nutritional and infection related indicators,and prognosis in neurocritical patients.Methods Adopting the prospective research method,the neurocritical patients who were admitted to the department of intensive care unit(ICU)of the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University from December 2021 to May 2022 and had to stay in the nasogastric tube for enteral nutrition were selected as the study subjects,pectin was added to achieve the semi-solidification of enteral nutrition,and the patients were divided into pectin group and control group according to the principle of randomized control,with 25 cases in each group.Enteral nutrition was started within 24-48 hours of admission to the ICU in all patients,and pectin plus continuously pumped enteral nutrition preparation was given in the pectin group and continuously pumped enteral nutrition preparation in the control group,all of which was used continuously for more than 7 days.Differences in albumin,prealbumin,Glasgow coma scale(GCS),acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ),sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA),procalcitonin(PCT),interleukin-6(IL-6)and C-reactive protein(CRP)were compared between the two groups before and after 7 days of treatment,and enteral nutrition compliance rates at 3 days and 7 days of treatment,as well as the incidence of enteral nutrition intolerance(including vomiting,diarrhea,constipation,aspiration and bloating),along with the length of ICU stay and 28 days prognosis were observed.Results There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in general clinical data[including gender,age and body mass index(BMI)]and pre-treatment GCS score,APACHEⅡ score,SOFA score,albumin,prealbumin,PCT,IL-6 and CRP levels.The incidence of vomiting,diarrhea,constipation,and bloating during enteral nutrition was significantly lower in the pectin group than those in the control group[vomiting:4.0％(1/25)vs.24.0％(6/25),diarrhea:8.0％(2/25)vs.32.0％(8/25),constipation:20.0％(5/25)vs.65.0％(13/25),bloating:12.0％(3/25)vs.36.0％(9/25),all P<0.05],but the difference in the incidence of aspiration compared with the control group was not statistically significant[4.0％(1/25)vs.16.0％(4/25),P>0.05].Caloric compliance with enteral nutrition was significantly higher in the pectin group than in the control group at both 3 days and 7 days of treatment[3 days of treatment:48.0％(12/25)vs.20.0％(5/25),7 days of treatment:88.0％(22/25)vs.60.0％(15/25),both P<0.05],and the prealbumin level was significantly higher in the pectin group than in the control group at the end of 7 days treatment(mg/L:248.08±43.99 vs.221.64±33.95,P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison of GCS score,APACHEⅡ score,SOFA score,PCT,IL-6,CRP,length of ICU stay,and 28 days mortality between the two groups after treatment.Conclusion The administration of semi-solidification enteral nutrition reduces the incidence of enteral nutrition intolerance,improves caloric intake and nutritional status in neurocritical patients,but has no significant effect on infection indicators and prognosis.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) under enhanced regional and conventional anesthesia for multisegmental acute symptomatic osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (m-ASOTLF).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 91 patients with m-ASOTLF who were admitted to Honghui Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2021 to December 2022, including 36 males and 55 females, aged 55-80 years [(67.4±7.3)years]. According to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification system, 18 patients were classified as grade I, 52 grade II, and 21 grade III. Injured segments included T 6-T 10 in 23 patients, T 11-L 2 in 47 and L 3-L 5 in 21. All the patients were treated with PVP, among whom 45 were given enhanced regional anesthesia (enhanced anesthesia group) and 46 regional conventional anesthesia (conventional anesthesia group). The following indicators were compared between the two groups: the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative heart rate, intraoperative mean arterial pressure (MAP), number of intraoperative fluoroscopies, and total amount of bone cement injected; the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) before surgery, at 1 day, 1 month after surgery and at the last follow-up; the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) before surgery, at 1, 6, and 12 hours after surgery; the anterior vertebrae height (AVH), middle vertebrae height (MVH), and vertebral kyphosis angle (VKA) before and at 1 day after surgery; the incidence of complications such as bone cement leakage. Results:All the patients were followed up for 12-20 months [(15.8±2.6)months]. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative heart rate, intraoperative MAP, number of intraoperative fluoroscopies or total amount of bone cement injected ( P>0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups in VAS or ODI before surgery and at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). The VAS scores in the enhanced anesthesia group were (2.5±0.4)points and (1.8±0.3)points at 1 day and 1 month postoperatively respectively, which were both lower than (3.5±0.4)points and (2.0±0.5)points in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.01). The ODI values in the enhanced anesthesia group were 39.8±3.3 and 26.5±5.0 at 1 day and 1 month postoperatively respectively, which were both lower than 43.8±7.5 and 30.3±6.4 in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.01). The VAS and ODI at all postoperative time points decreased in both groups compared with those before surgery, with significant differences among those at all postoperative time points ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the MMSE scores before, at 1, 6, and 12 hours after surgery ( P>0.05). The MMSE scores at 1 and 6 hours postoperatively were lower than that preoperatively in both groups ( P<0.05), and it was increased at 6 hours compared with that at 1 hour postoperatively ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the MMSE scores at 12 hours postoperatively and preoperatively in both groups ( P>0.05). The differences between the two groups in AVH, MVH, or VKA preoperatively were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The AVH and MVH at 1 day postoperatively in the enhanced anesthesia group were (22.4±4.2)mm and (22.7±3.7)mm respectively, which were both higher than those in the conventional anesthesia group [(19.3±3.7)mm and (20.1±6.3)mm] ( P<0.05 or 0.01); the VKA at 1 day postoperatively in the enhanced anesthesia group was (13.9±3.7)°, which was lower than that in the conventional anesthesia group (15.8±4.1)° ( P<0.05). The AVH, MVH, and VKA in both groups were all improved at 1 day postoperatively compared with those preoperatively ( P<0.05). The incidence of bone cement leakage in the enhanced anesthesia group was 6.7% (3/45), which was lower than 21.7% (10/46) in the conventional anesthesia group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with conventional regional anesthesia, PVP under enhanced regional anesthesia for m-ASOTLF has more advantages in early postoperative pain relief, improvement of spinal function, restoration of vertebral height and reduction of bone cement leakage.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) combined with spinal fractures with thoracic and lumbar fracture as the most common type shows characteristics of unstable fracture, high incidence of nerve injury, high mortality and high disability rate. The diagnosis may be missed because it is mostly caused by low-energy injury, when spinal rigidity and osteoporosis have a great impact on the accuracy of imaging examination. At the same time, the treatment choices are controversial, with no relevant specifications. Non-operative treatments can easily lead to bone nonunion, pseudoarthrosis and delayed nerve injury, while surgeries may be failed due to internal fixation failure. At present, there are no evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture. In this context, the Spinal Trauma Academic Group of Orthopedics Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts to formulate the Clinical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of adult ankylosing spondylitis combined with thoracolumbar fracture ( version 2023) by following the principles of evidence-based medicine and systematically review related literatures. Ten recommendations on the diagnosis, imaging evaluation, classification and treatment of AS combined with thoracic and lumbar fracture were put forward, aiming to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment of such disorder.

The acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults have a higher rate of neurological injury and early death compared with atlas or axial fractures alone. Currently, the diagnosis and treatment choices of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults are controversial because of the lack of standards for implementation. Non-operative treatments have a high incidence of bone nonunion and complications, while surgeries may easily lead to the injury of the vertebral artery, spinal cord and nerve root. At present, there are no evidence-based Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults. To provide orthopedic surgeons with the most up-to-date and effective information in treating acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts in the field of spinal trauma to develop the Evidence-based guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults ( version 2023) by referring to the "Management of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults" published by American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in 2013 and the relevant Chinese and English literatures. Ten recommendations were made concerning the radiological diagnosis, stability judgment, treatment rules, treatment options and complications based on medical evidence, aiming to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) can lead to lower back pain and may be even accompanied by scoliosis, neurological dysfunction and other complications, which will affect the daily activities and life quality of patients. Vertebral augmentation is an effective treatment method for OVCF, but it cannot correct unbalance of bone metabolism or improve the osteoporotic status, causing complications like lower back pain, limited spinal activities and vertebral refracture. The post-operative systematic and standardized rehabilitation treatments can improve curative effect and therapeutic efficacy of anti-osteoporosis, reduce risk of vertebral refracture, increase patient compliance and improve quality of life. Since there still lack relevant clinical treatment guidelines for postoperative rehabilitation treatments following vertebral augmentation for OVCF, the current treatments are varied with uneven therapeutic effect. In order to standardize the postoperative rehabilitation treatment, the Spine Trauma Group of the Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized relevant experts to refer to relevant literature and develop the "Guideline for postoperative rehabilitation treatment following vertebral augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (2022 version)" based on the clinical guidelines published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) as well as on the principles of scientificity, practicality and advancement. The guideline provided evidence-based recommendations on 10 important issues related to postoperative rehabilitation treatments of OVCF.

Objective:To investigate the physicochemical and biological properties of different magnesium modified calcium phosphate bone cements.Methods:The different magnesium modified calcium phosphate bone cements were divided into magnesium citrate, magnesium lactate, magnesium malate, magnesium phosphate and magnesium glycinate groups, each of which was added with different magnesium agents in the proportion of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% of the total weight of calcium phosphate bone cements. The initial and final setting time, injectability, anti-collapse performance and compressive strength of different magnesium modified calcium phosphate bone cements were tested. Furthermore, the screened bone cement extracts were used to culture with third generation osteoblasts. Bioactivity assays were performed using the Cell Proliferation and Toxicity Assay Kit (CCK-8). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin Red S (ARS) staining were performed on osteoblasts to observe the osteogenic activity of magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements.Results:The addition of different proportions of different magnesium agents led to the shortening of the initial and final setting time of modified calcium phosphate bone cements. Moreover, the final setting time of 5% magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements was the shortest (<40 minutes), which was significantly shorter compared with other magnesium agents in the same proportion (all P<0.05). With the addition of different magnesium agents in different proportions, the injectability of bone cements was gradually increased, and the injectability of 5% magnesium malate calcium phosphate bone cements reached the highest for (87.3±1.9)%, which was significantly increased compared with other magnesium agents in the same proportion (all P<0.05). The anti-collapse performance of bone cements was decreased with the addition of different magnesium agents in different proportions. Magnesium citrate, magnesium phosphate and magnesium glycinate modified calcium phosphate bone cements could not resist the flushing of deionized water. In particular, magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements had the best anti-collapse performance, with the maximum weight loss rate for only (9.8±2.3)% after 30 minutes of deionized water flushing, which was better than the rest of the groups (all P<0.05). The compressive strength of magnesium lactate and magnesium phosphate modified calcium phosphate bone cements showed a decrease compared with original calcium phosphate bone cements, while the compressive strength of magnesium citrate and magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements was significantly increased compared with original calcium phosphate bone cements, of which 3% magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements had the greatest compressive strength of (6.2±0.2)MPa, significantly higher than the rest of the groups (all P<0.05). The sieve test yielded magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cement, which had a weight loss of (27.0±0.9)% at 35 days in vitro. The release of magnesium ions was increased with increasing magnesium malate dose in the in vitro environment of magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements in different ratios. A stable magnesium ion release was achieved within 35 days.Also, the pro-proliferative and osteogenic effects of modified calcium phosphate bone cements on osteoblasts were more obvious with increase of magnesium malate dose. For 5% magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements, the cell number, ALP staining area ratio and calcium nodule area ratio were significantly increased compared with the groups in the proportion of 0% and 1% magnesium malate (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Among magnesium citrate, magnesium lactate, magnesium malate, magnesium phosphate and magnesium glycinate modified calcium phosphate bone cements, magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements have relatively suitable setting time, excellent anti-collapse performance and mechanical strength. Meanwhile, 5% magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements have better biological activity among different ratios of magnesium malate modified calcium phosphate bone cements, suggesting a potential value for clinical application.

Objective:To analyze the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018.Methods:Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to randomly select hospitals capable of treating patients with spinal cord injury from 3 regions，9 provinces and 27 cities in China to retrospectively investigate eligible patients with traumatic spinal cord injury admitted in 2018. National and regional incidence rates were calculated. The data of cause of injury，injury level，severity of injury，segment and type of fracture，complications，death and other data were collected by medical record questionnaire，and analyzed according to geographical region，age and gender.Results:Medical records of 4，134 patients were included in this study，with a male-to-female ratio of 2.99∶1. The incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury in China in 2018 was 50.484 / 1 million （95% CI 50.122-50.846）. The highest incidence in the Eastern region was 53.791 / 1 million （95% CI 53.217-54.365）. In the whole country，the main causes of injury were high falls （29.58%），as well as in the Western region （40.68%），while the main causes of injury in the Eastern and Central regions were traffic injuries （31.22%，30.10%）. The main injury level was cervical spinal cord in the whole country （64.49%），and the proportion of cervical spinal cord injury in the Central region was the highest （74.68%），and the proportion of lumbosacral spinal cord injury in the Western region was the highest （32.30%）. The highest proportion of degree of injury was incomplete quadriplegia （55.20%），and the distribution pattern was the same in each region. A total of 65.87% of the patients were complicated with fracture or dislocation，77.95% in the Western region and only 54.77% in the Central region. In the whole country，the head was the main combined injury （37.87%），as well as in the Eastern and Central regions，while the proportion of chest combined injury in the Western region was the highest （38.57%）. A total of 32.90% of the patients were complicated with respiratory complications. There were 23 patients （0.56%） died in hospital，of which 17（73.91%） died of respiratory dysfunction. Conclusions:The Eastern region of China has a high incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury. Other epidemiological features include high fall as the main cause of injury cervical spinal cord injury as the main injury level，incomplete quadriplegia as the main degree of injury，head as the main combined injury，and respiratory complications as the main complication.

Objective:To explore the effect of calcium phosphate cement（CPC）scaffold loaded with emodin（EMO）on osteogenic activity of osteoblasts.Methods:The bone cement scaffold was prepared by mixing EMO powder and CPC powder（ratio 1∶9），adding citric acid and then was poured into polytetrafluoroethylene mold（EMO-CPC group）. A dose of 0.36 g CPC powder was mixed with citric acid and injected into the polytetrafluoroethylene mold（CPC group）. General morphology，setting time（initial setting time and final setting time），injection rate and compressive strength of stents were compared between the two groups. Primary osteoblasts were extracted and co-cultured with two sets of scaffolds. After co-culture for 3 days，their characterization was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Live/dead cell staining and 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazole-2）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT）colorimetric method were used to detect cell viability，toxicity and proliferation activity of scaffolds. Two sets of scaffolds were stained with immunofluorescence for osteopontin（OPN），and protein expression was observed under an inverted fluorescence microscope. After co-culture for 7 days，tetrazolium nitro blue/5-bromo-4-chloro- 3-indolyl-phosphate（NBT/BCIP）staining method was used for alkaline phosphatase（ALP）staining. After co-culture for 14 days，two sets of scaffolds were stained with Alizarin Red to detect their osteogenic activity.Results:Two sets of stents showed relatively smooth and flat topography under the scanning electron microscope. There were no significant differences in initial setting time，final setting time，injection rate and compressive strength of stents between two groups（ P > 0.05）. After co-culture for 3 days，the osteoblast clusters were adhered to the surface of the EMO-CPC scaffold，with good shape. Viable cell rate reached（98.2 ± 0.1）% in EMO-CPC group and（90.2% ± 0.1）% in CPC group（ P <0.05）. Cell proliferation activity in EMO-CPC group was stronger than that in CPC group（ P < 0.05）. OPN-specific staining showed that EMO-CPC group had stronger OPN protein fluorescence expression compared to CPC group. After co-culture for 7 days，expression of ALP in EMO-CPC group was higher than that in CPC group. After co-culture for 14 days，staining intensity of Alizarin Red in EMO-CPC group was more significant than that in CPC group. Conclusions:The EMO-CPC scaffold can provide a suitable environment for the growth of osteoblasts for it has better biocompatibility，cell proliferation and osteogenic activity than the CPC scaffold.