Objective To campare biomechanical effects of different postural compression techniques on three-dimensional model of lumbar disc herniation(LDH)by finite element analysis.Methods Lumbar CT image of a 48-year-old female patient with LDH(heighted 163 cm,weighted 53 kg)was collected.Mimics 20.0,Geomagic Studio,Solidwords and other software were used to establish three-dimensional finite element model of LDH on L4,5 segments.Compression techniques under horizon-tal position,30° forward bending and 10° backward extension were simulated respectively.After applying the pressure,the ef-fects of compression techniques under different positions on stress,strain and displacement of various tissues of intervertebral disc and nerve root were observed.Results L4,5 segment finite element model was successfully established,and the model was validated.When compression manipulation was performed on the horizontal position,30° flexion and 10° extension,the annular stress were 0.732,5.929,1.286 MPa,the nucleus pulposus stress were 0.190,1.527,0.295 MPa,and the annular strain were 0.097,0.922 and 0.424,the strain sizes of nucleus pulposus were 0.153,1.222 and 0.282,respectively.The overall displace-ment distance of intervertebral disc on Y direction were-3.707,-18.990,-4.171 mm,and displacement distance of nerve root on Y direction were+7.836,+5.341,+3.859 mm,respectively.The relative displacement distances of nerve root and interverte-bral disc on Y direction were 11.543,24.331 and 8.030 mm,respectively.Conclusion Compression manipulation could make herniated intervertebral disc produce contraction and retraction trend,by increasing the distance between herniated interverte-bral disc and nerve root,to reduce symptoms of nerve compression,to achieve purpose of treatment for patients with LDH,in which the compression manipulation is more effective when the forward flexion is 30°.

Proximal tibial aspect ratio (PTAR) is closely related to age, disease status and cutting parameters with considerable inter-individual variation independent of gender and race, nevertheless the aspect ratio of tibial components from different manufacturers remains relatively constant from smallest to largest size. As a result, component mismatching is an unavoidable dilemma during tibia preparation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Various prosthesis systems all can achieve more than 80% coverage on proximal tibia, whereas their optimal fit rates are generally not more than 50%. It is difficult for symmetrical components to avoid anteroposterior mismatch, internal malrotation tends to occur when maximum coverage is pursued on the resected surface with a medial dominant plateau or lower PTAR. Although it is easier to achieve a balance of rotation and coverage with anatomical components, significant anteromedial overhang tends to appear on the resected surface with a symmetrical or lateral dominant plateau. Further researches should focus on the law of inter-individual variability of proximal tibial morphology, the quantitative definition of "ideal matching" safety zone of key morphological parameters on different areas of proximal tibia and the methodology of realizing"ideal matching"in the majority patients with the least amount of component sizes. In addition, with the rapid development of additive manufacturing and digital orthopedic technology, individual customized implant is expected to become a breakthrough point in the field of TKA component fitting.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mood disorder that affects almost 20% of the global population. In addition, much evidence has implicated altered function of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) system in the pathophysiology of depression. Recent research has indicated that GABA receptors (GABARs) are an emerging therapeutic target in the treatment of stress-related disorders such as MDD. However, which cell types with GABARs are involved in this process is unknown. As hippocampal dysfunction is implicated in MDD, we knocked down GABARs in the hippocampus and found that knocking down these receptors in astrocytes, but not in GABAergic or pyramidal neurons, caused a decrease in immobility in the forced swimming test (FST) without affecting other anxiety- and depression-related behaviors. We also generated astrocyte-specific GABAR-knockout mice and found decreased immobility in the FST in these mice. Furthermore, the conditional knockout of GABARs in astrocytes selectively increased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein in hippocampal astrocytes, which controlled the decrease in immobility in the FST. Taken together, our findings contribute to the current understanding of which cell types expressing GABARs modulate antidepressant activity in the FST, and they may provide new insights into the pathological mechanisms and potential targets for the treatment of depression.

Ankle Fractures/surgery* ; Ankle Injuries ; Ankle Joint ; Bone Cysts/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Talus/surgery*

In the present study, we carried out a phytochemical investigation of the ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Baeckea frutescens, which resulted in the isolation of two new flavonoid glycosides, myricetin 3-O-(5″-O-galloyl)-α-L-arabinofuranoside (1), 6-methylquercetin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), one new methylchromone glycoside, 7-O-(4', 6'-digalloyl)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-5-hydroxy-2-methylchromone (3), together with three known compounds (4-6). The structures of these isolated compounds were established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR techniques and chemical methods. The anti-inflammatory activities of the compounds 1-6 were evaluated for their inhibitory effects against cyclooxygenases-1 and -2 in vitro. Compounds 1-6 showed potent COX-1 and COX-2 inhibiting activities in vitro with IC values ranging from 1.95 to 5.54 μmol·L and ranging from 1.01 to 2.27 μmol·L, respectively.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Cyclooxygenase 1 ; chemistry ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; chemistry ; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Flavonoids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Myrtaceae ; chemistry ; Plant Components, Aerial ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

Longgu is the fossil of ancient mammals which was used as a common kind of mineral medicine. Longgu is always used to treat neurological diseases. Currently, the quality standard of Longgu is incomplete. Moreover, because of the non-renewable nature of the resource and the increase of national protection of fossils, the clinical application of Longgu is facing a series of problems. As the discovery of the ingredient and the development of forging technology researchers launched to search the substitutes of Longgu. The article summarizes the usage and the study of Longgu, in order that we can discuss the modern usage and substitutability of Longgu.

OBJECTIVETo explore possible mechanism of electroacupuncture (EA) for regulating immune function in anxiety disorder (AD) rats by observing the effect of acupuncture on the histology of thymus and expressions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and natriuretic peptide receptor type A (NPR- A) in thymus.

METHODSTotally 34 SD healthy rats were randomly divided into the blank control group (n = 10), the model group (n = 12), the EA group (n = 12). Anxiety model was established in rats of the model group and the EA group by using chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) stimulation. EA (15/25 Hz) at Neiguan (PC6) and Shenmen (HT7) was performed in the EA group, with 15-min needle retaining, once every other day, 15 days in total. Needle was fixed at same acupoints for 15 min without electric stimulus in the other two groups. Anxiety-like behavior was measured by elevated plus-maze (EPM) test. Pathological changes of thymus tissue were observed by optical microscope. Expressions of ANP and NPR-A in thymus were measured by immunohistochemical assay.

RESULTSThe thymus tissue in the model group was severely atrophied, with unclear structure of thymic lobules, unclear margin of thymic medulla, loosely arranged lymphocytes ,and obviously enlarged volume of thymic corpuscle. The thymus tissue in the EA group was mildly atrophied, with existent structure of thymic lobules, clear margin of thymic medulla, densely arranged lymphocytes in cortical region, and widened medullary area. Com- pared with the blank control group, the percentage of open-arms entries (OE%) in the total QE times ob- viously decreased in the model group (P < 0.05), ANP expression obviously increased (P < 0.05), and NPR-A expression obviously decreased (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, OE% was obviously elevated (P < 0.05), ANP expression obviously decreased (P < 0.05), and NPR-A expression obviously increased (P < 0.01) in the EA group.

CONCLUSIONEA not only could reduce anxiety of rats, but also could improve chronic stress induced thymus injury through intervening synthesis and secretion of ANP, as well as the expression of NPR-A (a specific receptor of ANP).

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Anxiety Disorders ; therapy ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; metabolism ; Electroacupuncture ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; metabolism ; Thymus Gland ; pathology

Oval cells have a potential to differentiate into a variety of cell lineages including hepatocytes and biliary epithelia. Several models have been established to activate the oval cells by incorporating a variety of toxins and carcinogens, alone or combined with surgical treatment. Those models are obviously not suitable for the study on human hepatic oval cells. It is necessary to establish a new and efficient model to study the human hepatic oval cells. In this study, the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were used to induce differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells into hepatic oval cells. We first confirmed that hepatic oval cells derived from ES cells, which are bipotential, do exist during the course of mouse ES cells' differentiation into hepatic parenchymal cells. RT-PCR and transmission electron microscopy were applied in this study. The ratio of Sca-1+/CD34+ cells sorted by FACS in the induction group was increased from day 4 and reached the maximum on the day 8, whereas that in the control group remained at a low level. The differentiation ratio of Sca-1+/CD34+ cells in the induction group was significantly higher than that in the control group. About 92.48% of the sorted Sca-1+/CD34+ cells on the day 8 were A6 positive. Highly purified A6+/Sca-1+/CD34+ hepatic oval cells derived from ES cells could be obtained by FACS. The differentiation ratio of hepatic oval cells in the induction group (up to 4.46%) was significantly higher than that in the control group. The number of hepatic oval cells could be increased significantly by HGF and EGF. The study also examined the ultrastructures of ES-derived hepatic oval cells' membrane surface by atomic force microscopy. The ES-derived hepatic oval cells cultured and sorted by our protocols may be available for the future clinical application.
Animals ; Antigens, CD34 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Antigens, Ly ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; genetics ; physiology ; Cell Line ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; drug effects ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Liver ; cytology ; metabolism ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Atomic Force ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effects of Ping-tang Recipe (, PTR) on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODSForty male SD rats were included in the study. Ten rats were fed on normal diet as normal control, and thirty rats were fed on HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity, followed with low dose (0.42 g/kg) or high dose (0.84 g/kg) of PTR or vehicle for 8 weeks with 10 animals for each group. Glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity were evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test. Hepatic steatosis was measured by immunohistochemistry. Liver lipid metabolic genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) expression was examined by Western blot.

RESULTSRats fed on HFD developed abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and NAFLD. PTR treatment reduced visceral fat (peri-epididymal and peri-renal) accumulation, improved glucose metabolism, and attenuated hepatic steatosis. The expressions of the key lipolytic regulating genes, including peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PRAR-γ) and α (PRAR-α), were up-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the expressions of lipogenic genes such as sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) were down-regulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, PTR activated AMPK and promoted acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation in the liver.

CONCLUSIONSPTR improves insulin resistance and reverse hepatic steatosis in the rat model of HFD-induced obesity through promotion of lipolysis and reduction of lipogenesis, which involves the AMPK signaling pathway, thus representing a new therapeutic intervention for obesity related insulin resistance and NAFLD.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Liver ; blood ; complications ; prevention & control ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; drug effects ; pathology ; Lipogenesis ; drug effects ; Lipolysis ; drug effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Obesity ; blood ; complications ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; metabolism