BACKGROUND:Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a refractory disease in the field of orthopedics.There is no definitive idea to fully explain its pathogenesis.With the increased research on the active ingredients of Panax notoginseng interfering with the signaling pathways related to various diseases,the active ingredients of Panax notoginseng that treat steroid-induced necrosis of the femoral head via the regulation of relevant signaling pathways have gradually become a hot research topic. OBJECTIVE:To systematically summarize the literature on the pathological mechanism of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head and the regulation of signaling pathways by the active ingredients of Panax notoginseng in recent years,thereby providing a reference for the follow-up study on the active ingredients of Panax notoginseng in the treatment of this disease. METHODS:CNKI,WanFang,and PubMed were searched for relevant literature with the key words of"glucocorticoid,steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head,pathological mechanism,signaling pathway,Panax notoginseng,active ingredient"in Chinese and English.Documents related to the pathological mechanism of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head as well as related to the intervention of active ingredients of Panax notoginseng on the signaling pathway of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head were retrieved.A total of 63 documents were finally included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The main ingredients of Panax notoginseng include Panax notoginseng saponins,ginsenoside,Panax notoginseng saponins,quercetin,kaempferol,etc.Panax notoginseng saponins,ginsenoside Rb1 and quercetin can promote bone repair and angiogenesis by acting on the transforming growth factor-β/bone morphogenetic protein pathway.Panax notoginseng saponins,ginsenoside CK and kaempferol can promote osteogenic differentiation and lipid metabolism by acting on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.Panax notoginseng saponins and Panax notoginseng saponins R1/R2 act on the MAPK pathway to inhibit osteoclastogenesis and promote bone repair.Panax notoginseng saponins,ginsenoside Rb2 and quercetin can inhibit osteoclast proliferation and promote osteoblastic differentiation by acting on the RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway.Panax notoginseng saponins,quercetin and kaempferol can repair vascular injury and promote osteogenesis by acting on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α pathway.Panax notoginseng saponins R1,quercetin combined with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles,Panax notoginseng saponins combined with polyethylene-L-lactic acid and other biomaterials have good research prospects in the treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head.The active ingredients of Panax notoginseng can regulate the signaling pathways related to steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head through various mechanisms,and play an active intervention role in the disease.However,the depth and breadth of relevant research are insufficient at present,and the future research should be based on the existing mechanism to explore the specific mechanism of Panax notoginseng regulating different pathways and the interaction between pathways,which will be beneficial to the multi-development of the active ingredients of Panax notoginseng in the treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

The incidence of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture (OTLVF) in the elderly is gradually increasing. The kyphotic deformity caused by various factors has become an important characteristic of OTLVF and has received increasing attention. Its clinical manifestations include pain, delayed nerve damage, sagittal imbalance, etc. Currently, the definition and diagnosis of OTLVF with kyphotic deformity in the elderly are still unclear. Although there are many treatment options, they are controversial. Existing guidelines or consensuses pay little attention to this type of fracture with kyphotic deformity. To this end, the Lumbar Education Working Group of the Spine Branch of the Chinese Medicine Education Association and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized the experts in the relevant fields to jointly develop Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures with kyphotic deformity in the elderly ( version 2024), based on evidence-based medical advancements and the principles of scientificity, practicality, and advanced nature, which provided 18 recommendations to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To analyze predictive risk indicators associated with the development of Kümmell's disease (KD) in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).Methods:A 1∶1 frequency-matched case-control study design was employed, selecting patients who visited the Department of Spine Surgery at Liuzhou Workers' Hospital from January 2021 to June 2023. Patients were divided into case and control groups based on whether they progressed to Kümmell's disease (KD). Detailed demographic information, comorbidities, and laboratory data were collected, and baseline characteristics of the two groups were compared. Initial predictive variables significantly associated with the target variable were preliminarily screened through univariate analysis. A correlation heatmap was then constructed to assess collinearity among these variables, followed by further selection of potential predictors using the Lasso regression model. Finally, a multivariable logistic regression model was used for the prediction and analysis of KD-related risk indicators.Results:Univariate analysis identified significant predictors of Kümmell's disease, including patient age, bone mineral density, kyphotic Cobb angle, and multiple vertebral fractures. These were included in the subsequent Lasso regression analysis, which identified key predictors with non-zero coefficients: age, bone density, Cobb angle, multiple vertebral fractures, platelet count (PLT), aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT), albumin (Alb), albumin/globulin ratio (Alb/Glb), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urea (UREA), serum uric acid (SUA), fibrinogen (Fn), blood glucose (BG), and C-reactive protein (CRP). The correlation heatmap revealed the correlation and collinearity risks between these variables, with ALT and AST/ALT showing a high correlation ( r=0.750) and PLT and Alb showing a low correlation ( r=-0.110). Multivariable logistic regression indicated that the presence of multiple vertebral fractures [ OR=2.078, 95% CI (1.072, 4.025), P=0.030], increased Cobb angle [ OR=1.033, 95% CI (1.008, 1.058), P=0.009], elevated levels of ALP [ OR=1.013, 95% CI(1.004, 1.023), P=0.006], and SUA [ OR=1.004, 95% CI (1.000, 1.007), P=0.043] were associated with an increased risk of KD in patients with OVCFs. Conversely, decreased levels of Fn [ OR=0.996, 95% CI (0.992, 0.999), P=0.008] were linked to an increased risk of KD. Conclusion:Multiple vertebral fractures, increased Cobb angle, elevated levels of ALP and SUA, along with decreased levels of Fn, can be used as early-warning indicators to predict whether patients with OVCFs will develop KD. Monitoring these indicators is crucial for the early detection and intervention in these patients.

Objective To conduct a survey on students for their common needs for the course and the support to their research training,to provide reference for course reform and curriculum of ideology and politics.Methods A survey before and after course was conducted in 704 graduates who selected the course of"Experiments of Molecu-lar Biology"from the autumn of 2018 to the spring of 2024.After collecting the survey,they were summarized,counted,and analyzed.Results The students selected this course were mainly research-oriented graduate students.Their professional background was mainly in clinical medicine,and there was a relatively lack of training in tech-nology and laboratory skill in molecular biology experiment.The follow-up survey showed that experimental operation and implementation as well as analysis of experimental results were the two most helpful aspects for students;PCR,RNA extraction and detection,and Western blot were the most useful techniques for student learning and scientific research.Conclusions Through the survey,the professional background of students,dynamic changes in their course selection needs are well acknowledged and so thus able to optimize,provide good reference for teaching and learning in this field,and provide a basis for curriculum reform and construction of ideological and political courses.

Objectives:To investigate the risk factors of early postoperative complications in patients with a-cute subaxial cervical spinal cord injury after anterior bone grafting and fusion surgery.Methods:The clinical data of 168 cases of traumatic cervical spinal cord injury who underwent anterior surgery in our hospital from January 2017 to November 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 133 males and 35 females.The age ranged from 23 to 82 years,with an average age of 53.8±11.2 years.There were 33 patients with preop-erative comorbidities(19.6％).ASIA classification of preoperative neurological impairment was as follows:34 patients of grade A,10 patients of grade B,62 patients of grade C,and 62 patients of grade D.50 patients were treated with high-dose methylprednisolone(29.8％).135 cases(80.4％)were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF),and 33 cases(19.6％)were treated with anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion(ACCF).Early postoperative complications and death of patients during hospitalization period were collected.Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate possible relationships between early postoperative complications and the factors including sex,age,preoperative comorbidities,cause of injury,neurological level of injury,preoperative ASIA grade,whether there was brain,thoracic and abdominal injury,whether high-dose methylprednisolone treatment was used,time from injury to surgery,preoperative hemoglobin(HGB),preopera-tive albumin(ALB),extent of surgery,surgical method,operative time,and intraoperative blood loss.A multi-variate logistic analysis was performed on the variables with P＜0.2 in the univariate analysis to identify signif-icant independent risk factors.Results:The incidence of early postoperative complications was 29.1％(49/168).Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the cause of injury(P=0.032),preoperative ASIA grade(P＜0.001),whether combined with brain,thoracic and abdominal injury(P=0.043),whether high-dose methylpred-nisolone treatment was used(P=0.017),preoperative HGB(P=0.002),preoperative ALB(P=0.001)and surgical method(P=0.002)were correlated with early postoperative complications.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ASIA grades A and B(P＜0.001,OR=5.389,95％CI 2.243-12.950)and high-dose methylprednisolone treatment(P=0.044,OR=2.541,95％CI 1.024-6.303)were independent risk factors for early postoperative complications.Conclusions:Preoperative ASIA grades A and B and high-dose methylpred-nisolone treatment are the independent risk factors for early postoperative complications in patients with acute subaxial cervical spinal cord injury.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.

Objective:Socioeconomic status(SES)is associated with childhood obesity,but the underlying factors remain unknown.This study aimed to identify mediators that may explain SES disparities in childhood obesity in China.Methods:Nationally representative longitudinal data from the China Education Panel Survey of 11 019 chil-dren(13.03±0.79)collected from 2013-2014 to 2016-2017 academic years.Overweight/obesity was de-fined using Chinese national body mass index cut-points.Principal component analysis was used to con-vert the four SES indicators(maternal and paternal education,and occupation)into one comprehensive vari-able.Mediation analysis for SES disparities in childhood obesity was conducted using structure equation models.Results:The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 12.8％,and was higher in boys than in girls(17.8％vs.7.6％,P＜0.001)at baseline.Among boys,relative risk(RR)of obesity was 1.23(95％CI:1.09 to 1.40,P＜0.001)for per unit change in SES.There was no significant association between obesity and SES among girls.Mediation analyses showed that among boys,birth weight,being the only child in the family and children's self-perceived weight status mediated 70.0％of the effects of SES on obesity.No mediation effect was detected in girls.Conclusions:Chinese boys are more likely to be overweight or obese than girls.SES may impact childhood obesity through birth weight,being the only child in the family and children's self-perceived body weight status in boys,but not in girls.More attention should be made to address childhood obesity in high SES families among boys.Interventions targeting at these mediators are needed.

COVID-19/genetics* ; Genome, Viral/genetics* ; Humans ; RNA, Viral/genetics* ; RNA-Seq ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Whole Genome Sequencing

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted percutaneous screw implantation and free-hand open screw implantation by Wiltse approach in the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 71 patients with thoracolumbar fracture admitted to Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from May 2018 to May 2020. There were 52 males and 19 females, with age range of 22-54 years［(41.0±7.8)years］. Of all, 33 patients were treated with robot-assisted percutaneous screw implantation (Group A) and 38 patients were treated with free-hand open screw implantation by Wiltse approach (Group B). Following parameters were measured, including frequency of radiation exposure, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, incidence of complications, rate of fracture healing at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI) at 3 days, 3 months, 6 months postoperatively and at the last follow-up, anterior vertebral body height ratio and sagittal Cobb angle preoperatively, at 3 days postoperatively and at the last follow-up, and rate of screw implantation of grade A and B and rate of facet joint violation at 3 days postoperatively.Results:All patients were followed up for 10-24 months［(15.2±4.4)months］. Frequency of radiation exposure and operation time showed no statistical differences between the two groups (both P>0.05). Intraoperative blood loss was 100(100, 135)ml in Group A, less than 160(120, 200)ml in Group B ( P<0.01). Length of hospital stay was 8(7, 11) days in Group A, shorter than 12(10, 16)days in Group B ( P<0.01). There were no complications such as infection, spinal nerve injury or cerebrospinal fluid leakage in both group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the rate of fracture healing at 3 and 6 months postoperatively (all P>0.05). VAS and ODI in Group A was 3(2, 4)points and 21(18, 23)points at 3 days postoperatively, lower than 4 (3, 5)points and 27(20, 32)points in Group B ( P<0.05 or 0.01), and the two groups showed no significant differences in VAS and ODI at other time points (all P>0.05). There were no significant difference in the anterior vertebral body height ratio or sagittal Cobb angle between the two groups at 3 days postoperatively and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05). Rate of screw implantation of grade A and B was 96.5% (191/198) in Group A, higher than 90.4% (206/228) in Group B ( P<0.05). Rate of facet joint violation was 4.0%(8/198) in Group A, lower than 11.8% (27/228) in Group B ( P<0.01). Conclusion:For thoracolumbar fracture, robot-assisted percutaneous screw implantation is superior to free-hand open screw implantation by Wiltse approach in terms of less bleeding, shorter hospitalization, earlier pain alleviation, higher accuracy of screw implantation and lower risk of facet joint violation.

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to have a high ability of liquid-liquid phase separation, which enables its incorporation into stress granules (SGs) of host cells. However, whether SG invasion by N protein occurs in the scenario of SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknow, neither do we know its consequence. Here, we used SARS-CoV-2 to infect mammalian cells and observed the incorporation of N protein into SGs, which resulted in markedly impaired self-disassembly but stimulated cell cellular clearance of SGs. NMR experiments further showed that N protein binds to the SG-related amyloid proteins via non-specific transient interactions, which not only expedites the phase transition of these proteins to aberrant amyloid aggregation in vitro, but also promotes the aggregation of FUS with ALS-associated P525L mutation in cells. In addition, we found that ACE2 is not necessary for the infection of SARS-CoV-2 to mammalian cells. Our work indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection can impair the disassembly of host SGs and promote the aggregation of SG-related amyloid proteins, which may lead to an increased risk of neurodegeneration.
Amyloidogenic Proteins/metabolism* ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics* ; Animals ; COVID-19 ; Cytoplasmic Granules/metabolism* ; Mammals ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Stress Granules