Objective:To analyze the clinical efficacy of inter-spinal distraction fusion and fixation and Posterior lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation with stenosis, and to evaluate the health economics of the two surgical methods.Methods:Retrospectivly analyzed the clinical data of 400 patients with lumbar disc herniation with stenosis, who were enrolled in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2019, including 190 male cases and 210 female cases, aged from 50 to 87 years old, with the average age of 67.97. All patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods. Among them, 200 patients used interspinous process fusion and distraction fixation (ISDFF group), the other 200 cases used posterior lumbar decompression and pedicle internal fixation (PLIF group). All patients completed the follow-up time of more than 1 year after operation. The basic information of patients′ age, gender, total number of days in hospital, intraoperative bleeding, operation time, surgical incision length and other basic information were observed. The Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI), the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score (JOA) and the visual analog scale (VAS) were used to evaluate the relief of symptoms before and after the two groups of patients. Total medical expenses, anesthesia expenses, surgical expenses and other expenses were analysed. The software of SPSS 20.0 were conducted to analyze data.Results:The patients in the ISDFF group were (70.84±8.93) years old, and the PLIF group was (65.10±10.23) years old ( t=5.98, P=0.008). The operation time in the ISDFF group was (59.21±16.22) min, and the operation time in the PLIF group was (81.31±17.24) min( t=13.20, P<0.001). The bleeding volume of the ISDFF group was (33.24±11.31) mL, and the bleeding volume of the PLIF group was (67.30±17.61) mL ( t=23.02, P<0.001). The length of the surgical incision in the ISDFF group was (8.27±2.53) cm, and the length of the surgical incision in the PLIF group was (11.15±1.91) cm ( t=11.848, P<0.001). The total hospitalization time in the ISDFF group was (15.15±0.54) days, and the total hospitalization time in the PLIF group was (19.86±0.97) days( t=4.26, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in preoperative ODI, JOA and VAS between the two groups ( P>0.05). Symptoms of postoperative patients were significantly improved compared with preoperative. There were statistical differences in ODI, JOA and VAS between the two groups before and after operation ( P<0.05). However, ODI, JOA and VAS were no statistical difference between the two groups after operation. Complications occurred in 5 cases of the two groups of patients, including two cases of superficial infection in the PLIF group, two cases of dural tear in the PLIF group, one case of spinous process fracture in the ISDFF group. The total hospitalization fee for ISDFF was (57 450±8 670) (yuan), and the total hospitalization fee for PLIF was (75 770±1 640) (yuan), with statistical differences ( t=9.92, P<0.001). The cost of ISDFF operation was 1864±38.19 (yuan), and the cost of PLIF operation was 2352±41.39 (yuan) ( t=8.65, P<0.001). ISDFF antibacterial drug usage fee was 635.5±64.69 (yuan), PLIF antibacterial drug usage fee was 1449±307.1 (yuan) ( t=2.59, P<0.001). The one-time medical material cost during the ISDFF operation was (38 990±300) (yuan), and the one-time medical material cost during the PLIF operation was (52 110±150) (yuan) ( t=5.88, P<0.001). The excellent and good rate of ISDFF group was 92%, and that of PLIF group was 86%. In this study, the total cost of hospitalization was used as an indicator to measure the cost, and further cost-effectiveness evaluation was made. For every good patient, the cost of the ISDFF group was 62 450 yuan, and the cost of the PLIF group was 88, 100 yuan. Conclusions:ISDFF is beneficial to reduce the cost of medical insurance in China, which is in line with the direction of national reform to reduce medical expenditure. It is a surgical method worthy of wide promotion and has a good application prospect.

Objective:To analyze the effect of inter-spinal distraction fusion and fixation (ISDFF) combined with limited decompression on the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis in elderly patients.Methods:A total of 32 elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, aged from 80 to 87 years old (mean age: 82.0±2.0 years) including 10 males and 22 females, in the Department of Orthopedics, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2016 to January 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Clinical evaluation and imaging measurement were performed before operation, after operation, 6 months and 24 months after operation. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. Measured data of normal distribution were expressed as means±standard deviation. One way analysis of variance was used for comparison between groups. Paired t-test was used to compare between preoperative and postoperative as well as between preoperative and 24 months′ follow-up. Results:All of the 32 patients had one or more common accompanying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and so on. All patients were successfully completed the operation with a total of 32 segments. VAS score was decreased from (6.22±0.91) before operation to (1.94±0.76) at 24 months( t=16.52, P<0.001). ODI score was also demonstrated the similar trend, from (54.17±10.65) preoperatively to (19.91±4.20) at 24 months follow-up( t=15.89, P<0.001). JOA score was significantly increased from (11.69±3.36) before surgery to (23.44±1.66) at the last follow-up ( t=-19.90, P<0.001). In the change of imaging, the intervertebral angle was decreased from preoperation (9.12±4.65) to (6.77±2.70) at 24 months( t=3.53, P=0.001). The posterior disk height was increased from (0.68±0.19) cm to (0.76±0.19) cm at the last follow-up( t=-2.45, P=0.020). Conclusions:As a new type of minimally invasive internal fixator, the ISDFF combined with limited decompression can relieve the pain of elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and improve the quality of life. It is suitable for the treatment of elderly patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the post-stroke stage, cardiac dysfunction is common and is known as the brain-heart interaction. Diabetes mellitus worsens the post-stroke outcome. Stroke-induced systemic inflammation is the major causative factor for the sequential complications, but the mechanism underlying the brain-heart interaction in diabetes has not been clarified. The NLRP3 (NLR pyrin domain-containing 3) inflammasome, an important component of the inflammation after stroke, is mainly activated in M1-polarized macrophages. In this study, we found that the cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemic stroke is more severe in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, M1-polarized macrophage infiltration and NLRP3 inflammasome activation increased in the cardiac ventricle after diabetic stroke. Importantly, the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor CY-09 restored cardiac function, indicating that the M1-polarized macrophage-NLRP3 inflammasome activation is a pathway underlying the brain-heart interaction after diabetic stroke.

Objective: To explore the key genes and potential therapeutic drugs for osteoarthritis (OA) by bioinformatics.Method: The microarray data GSE55235 was downloaded from the data platform of gene expression omnibus (GEO) and the differentially expressed genes were screened by R language software (3.5.0).Then,the differentially expressed genes were subjected to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway analysis with David online database.The protein-protein interaction was analyzed by String 10.5 online database and visual editing was analyzed by Cytoscape v3.6.1 software.Subnetwork module analysis was utilized by MCODE plugin to screen the core genes in the process of OA.Finally,small molecule drugs with potential treatment for OA were analyzed by connectivity map (CMap) database.Result: A total of 556 differentially expressed genes were screened,among which 252 were up-regulated and 304 were down-regulated.These genes were mainly involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) organization,inflammatory response,cell adhesion,immune response,collagen binding,etc.The analysis of KEGG pathway showed that differential genes were mainly involved in ECM-receptor interaction,phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase-protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway and osteoclast differentiation.Some genes,such as interleukin-6(IL-6),JUN,vascular endothelial growth factor α(VEGFA),FOS,MYC and early growth response gene-1(EGR-1),activating transcription factor-3(ATF-3),playing critical role in the process of OA were identified by protein-protein interaction.Some potential small molecular drugs for the treatment of OA have also been screened,such as lycorine and anisomycin.Conclusion: The selected key genes may be targets for the diagnosis of OA or potential targets for the treatment of OA,and the selected small molecular drugs can be developed as the key drugs for the treatment of OA.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is considered a serious global threat. However, little is known regarding the multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms of CRKP. This study investigated the phenotypes and MDR mechanisms of CRKP and identified their clonal characteristics. METHODS: PCR and sequencing were utilized to identify antibiotic resistance determinants. Integron gene cassette arrays were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used for epidemiological analysis. Plasmids were typed by using a PCR-based replicon typing and analyzed by conjugation and transformation assays. RESULTS: Seventy-eight strains were identified as resistant to at least one carbapenem; these CRKP strains had a high prevalence rate (38.5%, 30/78) of carbapenemase producers. Additionally, most isolates harbored MDR genes, including Extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC, and quinolone and aminoglycoside resistance genes. Loss of porin genes was observed, and Class 1 integron was detected in 66.7% of the investigated isolates. PFGE and MLST results excluded the occurrence of clonal dissemination among these isolates. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of NDM-1 genes encoding carbapenem resistance determinants was demonstrated among the K. pneumoniae isolates. Importantly, this is the first report of bla(NDM-1) carriage in a K. pneumoniae ST1383 clone in China and of a MDR CRKP isolate co-harboring bla(NDM-1), bla(KPC-2), bla(CTX-M), bla(SHV), acc(6′)-Ib, rmtB, qnrB, and acc(6′)-Ib-cr.
China* ; Clone Cells ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Drug Resistance, Multiple* ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Genes, MDR ; Integrons ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Phenotype ; Plasmids ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Prevalence ; Replicon

OBJECTIVETo gain insights into the role of forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by performing a comparative analysis of Foxp3 mRNA expression and promoter methylation status in HCC and normal liver tissues.

METHODSThirty-nine HCC and 13 normal liver tissue specimens were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR and pyrosequencing to measure the expression of Foxp3 mRNA and determine the methylation status of its promoter, respectively. Statistical analyses of the data were conducted by rank-sum test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test.

RESULTSThe HCC specimens showed significantly higher mRNA expression of Foxp3 (vs. normal liver tissues, Z =-2.770, P =0.0056). Moreover, the HCC specimens showed significant hypomethylation of the Foxp3 promoter site A (vs. normal liver tissues, Z =2.118, P =0.0339), and the Foxp3 mRNA level was negatively correlated with the methylation of site A (rs =-0.344, P =0.046). None of the other four sites in the Foxp3 promoter showed a significant difference in methylation, and the overall methylation was not significantly different between the HCC and normal liver tissues.

CONCLUSIONOverexpression and low methylation of Foxp3 may be involved in the oncogenic and progression processes of HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; CpG Islands ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

Aminopyridines ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Benzamides ; therapeutic use ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Depsipeptides ; therapeutic use ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Histone Deacetylases ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hydroxamic Acids ; therapeutic use ; Indoles ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Sulfonamides ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical efficacy and benefit response of extracorporeal high frequency thermotherapy (EHFT) combined with Chinese medicine (CM) in the treatment of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer.

METHODSThe study adopted a prospective, small sample and randomized controlled method, and the advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients were assigned to two groups according to the table of random digits, one having the treatment of EHFT combined with CM (the treatment group), the other only with CM (the control group). The patients in the treatment group were treated with EHFT one hour once per day, together with CM differentiation decoction, 250 mL orally taken, twice daily for 14 days as one cycle, and 3-4 cycles was performed. The patients in the control group were treated only with CM differentiation decoction using the same dose as the treatment group. The efficacies were evaluated after three to four cycles of treatment. Primary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR) and time to progression (TTP). Secondary endpoints were overall survival time and 1-year survival rate.

RESULTSSixty-six patients accomplished the study. After the patients underwent different treatments, none of the patients got a complete response or partial response in both groups. In the treatment group, DCR was 72.2%, and 10 had progression of disease (28.8%), while the DCR of the control group was 63.3%, and 11 had progression of disease (36.7%); there was a significant statistical difference (P <0.05), suggesting that the combined regimen had superiority on the DCR. As for long-term efficacy, the median survival time (MST) of the treatment group was 7.5 months, TTP was 5.5 months, and 1-year survival rate was 21.4 %; in the control group, the results were 6.8 months, 4.5 months and 16.6% respectively. There was significant statistical difference on TTP (P <0.05), but no difference on MST or 1-year survival rate.

CONCLUSIONEHFT combined with CM differentiation has better tolerance and short-term efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced NSCLC.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Lung Neoplasms ; therapy ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo identify epidemic status of murine typhus in Hongta areas of Yuxi city and to provide evidence for control and prevention of the disease.

METHODSSerologic survey was conducted among residents and rodents. Isolation of Rickettsia moseri was performed.

RESULTSThe overall infection rate among general population was 28.92% (96/332) with geometric meantiter (GMT) as 10.83 and there was no difference between males and females (26.71%, 43/161 vs. 30.99%, 53/171, P > 0.05). Significant differences were found between age groups (P < 0.05) with positive rates of 29.63% (8/27), 18.06% (13/72), 39.62% (42/106), 27.50% (22/80) and 23.40% (11/47) among age groups 0-6, 7-18, 19-39, 40-59 and over 60, respectively. The overall rate of infection in mouse was 44.95% (89/198) with GMT as 30.30. Five isolates of R. moseri from mouse specimen, three from fleas plus one case of murine typhus were diagnosed. Rattus norvegicus and Rattus flavipectus were the predominant species of rodent animals (99.49%, 197/198) and Xenopsylla cheopis was the major species of vector (74.26%, 303/408). Flea index and mouse density were 2.06 and 11.13% respectively.

CONCLUSIONHigh infection rates on R. moseri were demonstrated in rodents and residents as well as high risk of murine typhus outbreak might occur in these areas.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mice ; Middle Aged ; Rats ; Rodent Diseases ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; transmission ; Siphonaptera ; microbiology ; Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; transmission ; Young Adult