Research on the clinical efficacy of the combination of Chinese traditional medicine and western medicine on the chronic traumatic tibial osteomyelitis.

The research investigation is carried to observe the clinical efficacy of the combination of Chinese traditional medicine (TCM) and Western medicine on the traumatic chronic tibial osteomyelitis (CO). A total of 80 patients who were admitted to this hospital between January 2012 and January 2017 were randomly divided into two groups, i.e. the control group and the observation group, with 40 patients in each group. In the control group, patients underwent the surgery to eliminate the lesion plus the antibiotics, while those in the observation group received the surgery, antibiotics administration and the wuwei xiaodu drink. In the observation group, patients had lowered erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils in comparison with the control group (p<0.05). The total effectiveness rate of patients in the observation group was 92.5%, significantly higher than 80.0% in the control group (p<0.05). Combination of the TCM and Western medicine can mitigate the local lesion of traumatic CO and ameliorate the general status, with significant efficacy. Thus, it is worthy of being promoted in clinical practice.

Flavonoids of Herba Epimedii Enhances Bone Repair in a Rabbit Model of Chronic Osteomyelitis During Post-infection Treatment and Stimulates Osteoblast Proliferation in Vitro.

Flavonoids are the active component of the Herba Epimedii (H. Epimedii), which is commonly used in Asia. This study is to investigate the effect of H. Epimedii on bone repair after anti-infection treatment in vivo. The bioactive-composition group of H. Epimedii (BCGE) contained four flavonoids with the total content of 43.34%. Rabbits with chronic osteomyelitis in response to injection with Staphylococcus aureus were treated with BCGE of 242.70 mg/kg/day intragastrically after vancomycin-calcium sulphate treatment. Micro-computerd tomography (CT), morphology, blood biochemistry and osteocalcin levels were assessed for effect evaluation. In addition, the rat calvarial osteoblasts infected with S. aureus were treated with vancomycin and BCGE. Cell viability, alkaline phosphatase activity, bone morphogenetic protein 2, Runt-related transcription factor 2, osteoprotegerin, receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand mRNA levels and protein expression were assessed. Our results indicated that BCGE promoted bone repair via increasing the bone mass, the volume of bone, promoting osteocalcin secretion after vancomycin-calcium sulfate treatment. BCGE enhanced the cell proliferation, by regulating bone morphogenetic protein 2, runt-related transcription factor 2, and osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand mRNA and protein expression to maintain the balance between bone formation and bone resorption. Therefore, BCGE is a potential adjuvant herbal remedy for the post-infection treatment of chronic osteomyelitis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Application of Recombinant Collagen Type â Combined with Polyaspartic Acid in Biomimetic Biomineralization.

Objective To prepare biomimetic bone material by reconstructing type Ⅰ collagen combined with polyaspartic acid. Methods By acid hydrolysis,rat tail type Ⅰ collagen was decomposed into collagen fibers,which were then placed in the calcium phosphate mineralization solution. Under the cross-linking of glutaraldehyde,the collagen fibers were reconstructed and assembled into collagen fibers,and the calcium phosphate crystals were wrapped in the inner side of the collagen fibers for biomineralizationin. After poly aspartate acid was added,calcium hydroxyapatite calcium precursor was added into the collagen fibers to simulate thebiomimetic biomineralizationin the human body. After mineralization for 3-9 days,the bone mineralization process was observed by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. Results Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction displayed that,after 3 days of mineralization,calcium hydroxyapatite precursor was wrapped in the collagen fiber gap,and the collagen fiber was partially mineralized. After 9 days of mineralization,calcium hydroxyapatite precursor completely infiltrated into the collagen fiber,and the amorphous calcium phosphate was transformed into hydroxyapatite calcium crystal. Thus,the simulation of bone mineralization was completed,and collagen type Ⅰ collagen/hydroxyapatite calcium biomimetic bone material was formed. Conclusion Reconstruction of type Ⅰ collagen combined with polyaspartic acid can prepare biomimetic bone material that has close chemical composition and molecular structure to the human bone tissue.

Beam quality management by periodic reproduction of wavefront aberrations in end-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser amplifiers.

A method for beam quality management is presented in a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) using Nd:YVO4 as the gain medium by extra-cavity periodic reproduction of wavefront aberrations. The wavefront aberration evolution of the intra-cavity beams is investigated for both symmetrical and asymmetrical resonators. The wavefront aberration reproduction process is successfully realized outside the cavity in four-stage amplifiers. In the MOPA with a symmetrical oscillator, the laser power increases linearly and the beam quality hardly changes. In the MOPA with an asymmetrical oscillator, the beam quality is deteriorated after the odd-stage amplifier and is improved after the even-stage amplifier. The wavefront aberration reproduction during the extra-cavity beam propagation in the amplifiers is equivalent to that during the intra-cavity propagation. This solution helps to achieve the effective beam quality management in laser amplifier chains.

1.6 MW peak power, 90 ps all-solid-state laser from an aberration self-compensated double-passing end-pumped Nd:YVO4 rod amplifier.

In this paper a delicately designed double-passing end-pumped Nd:YVO4 rod amplifier is reported that produces 10.2 W average laser output when seeded by a 6 mW Nd:YVO4 microchip laser at a repetition rate of 70 kHz with pulse duration of 90 ps. A pulse peak power of ∼1.6 MW and pulse energy of ∼143 µJ is achieved. The beam quality is well preserved by a double-passing configuration for spherical-aberration compensation. The laser-beam size in the amplifier is optimized to prevent the unwanted damage from the high pulse peak-power density. This study provides a simple and robust picosecond all-solid-state master oscillator power amplifier system with both high peak power and high beam quality, which shows great potential in the micromachining.

Effects of Sanguis Draconis on Perforator Flap Survival in Rats.

Sanguis draconis, a resin known to improve blood circulation, relieve pain, stimulate tissue regeneration, and heal wounds, is widely used in clinical practice. In this study, we prepared an ethanol extract of sanguis draconis (EESD) containing 75.08 mg/g of dracorhodin. The experiment was carried out on 20 rats that were divided into two groups, a control group (n = 10) and an EESD group (n = 10). All the rats underwent a perforator flap surgery, after which post-operative abdominal compressions of EESD were given to the EESD group for seven days, while the control group received saline. Flap survival percentages were determined after seven days, and were found to be significantly higher in the EESD group than in the control group. Results of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) showed that perforator flaps in the EESD group had higher perfusion values than those of the control group. The flap tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, followed by immunohistochemical evaluation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression and micro-vessel development markedly increased in the EESD group, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased. This is the first study to investigate the effect of sanguis draconis on perforator flap survival. Our results demonstrate that sanguis draconis can improve perforator flap survival in rats by promoting microvessel regeneration and blood perfusion.

Isolation and purification of six iridoid glycosides from gardenia jasminoides fruit by medium-pressure liquid chromatography combined with macroporous resin chromatography.

Gardeniae fructus is one of the most frequently used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. In the present study, a process for the enrichment of six iridoid glycosides from Gardeniae fructus was developed using medium-pressure liquid chromatography combined with macroporous resin and reversed-phase chromatography. The purities of different fractions from Gardeniae fructus were assessed using quantitative high-performance liquid chromatography. After fractionation using HPD-100 column chromatography, a 30% ethanol fraction was selected based on high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry qualitative analysis to separate and purify. Based on the orientation analysis results, six compounds-deacetyl asperulosidic acid methyl ester, gardenoside, ixoroside, scandoside methyl ester, genipin-1-O-ß-d-gentiobioside, and geniposide-were successfully isolated and purified in three to four combined steps from Gardeniae fructus. The purities of these compounds were found by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis to be 97.9, 98.1, 95.5, 96.3, 97.1, and 98.7%, respectively. Moreover, their structures were elucidated by NMR spectroscopy and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The separation process was highly efficient, rapid, and accurate, making it a potential approach for the large-scale production of iridoids in the laboratory and providing several marker compounds for quality control. This procedure may be meaningful for the purification of other natural products used in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Transcriptomic characteristics analysis of bone from chronic osteomyelitis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular mechanism of chronic osteomyelitis and to clarify the role of MAPK signal pathway in the pathogenesis of chronic osteomyelitis, by collecting and analyzing the transcriptional information of bone tissue in patients with chronic osteomyelitis. METHODS: Four cases of traumatic osteomyelitis in limbs from June 2019 to June 2020 were selected, and the samples of necrotic osteonecrosis from chronic osteomyelitis (necrotic group), and normal bone tissue (control group) were collected. Transcriptome information was collected by Illumina Hiseq Xten high throughput sequencing platform, and the gene expression in bone tissue was calculated by FPKM. The differentially expressed genes were screened by comparing the transcripts of the Necrotic group and control group. Genes were enriched by GO and KEGG. MAP3K7 and NFATC1 were selected as differential targets in the verification experiments, by using rat osteomyelitis animal model and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5548 differentially expressed genes were obtained by high throughput sequencing by comparing the necrotic group and control group, including 2701 up-regulated and 2847 down-regulated genes. The genes enriched in MAPK pathway and osteoclast differentiation pathway were screened, the common genes expressed in both MAPK and osteoclast differentiation pathway were (inhibitor of nuclear factor κ subunit Beta, IκBKß), (mitogen-activated protein kinase 7, MAP3K7), (nuclear factor of activated t cells 1, NFATC1) and (nuclear factor Kappa B subunit 2, NFκB2). In rat osteomyelitis model, MAP3K7 and NFATC1 were highly expressed in bone marrow and injured bone tissue. CONCLUSION: Based on the transcriptome analysis, the MAPK signaling and osteoclast differentiation pathways were closely related to chronic osteomyelitis, and the key genes IκBKß, MAP3K7, NFATC1, NFκB2 might be new targets for clinical diagnosis and therapy of chronic osteomyelitis.

Fabrication of Large-Area Silicon Spherical Microlens Arrays by Thermal Reflow and ICP Etching.

In this paper, we proposed an efficient and high-precision process for fabricating large-area microlens arrays using thermal reflow combined with ICP etching. When the temperature rises above the glass transition temperature, the polymer cylinder will reflow into a smooth hemisphere due to the surface tension effect. The dimensional differences generated after reflow can be corrected using etching selectivity in the following ICP etching process, which transfers the microstructure on the photoresist to the substrate. The volume variation before and after reflow, as well as the effect of etching selectivity using process parameters, such as RF power and gas flow, were explored. Due to the surface tension effect and the simultaneous molding of all microlens units, machining a 3.84 × 3.84 mm2 silicon microlens array required only 3 min of reflow and 15 min of ICP etching with an extremely low average surface roughness Sa of 1.2 nm.

[Application of vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate in treatment of osteomyelitis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate in the treatment of osteomyelitis. METHODS: We implanted vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate into 24 patients with traumatic osteomyelitis who were treated in our hospital from February 2008 to February 2010,and then the antibiotic concentrations in the lesions were measured.Bacterial culture results,inflammatory markers,as well as wound healing were observed.X-ray was performed in the location where the vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate was implanted.The blood vancomycin level as well as liver and kidney functions were determined. RESULTS: The vancomycin concentration in the lesion exceeded the effective therapeutic concentrations and the minimum inhibitory concentration,while the blood concentration was low.The liver and renal function remained normal.The safety profile was good,and the cure rate of osteomyelitis reached 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate can release high-concentration vancomycin in the diseased sites without causing high blood concentration.Also,it can guide the regeneration of bones.Therefore,it is effective and safe in treating osteomyelitis.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Dry Etching of Silicon Deep Trenches with Extremely Vertical Smooth Sidewalls Used in Micro-Optical Gyroscopes.

Micro-optical gyroscopes (MOGs) place a range of components of the fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) onto a silicon substrate, enabling miniaturization, low cost, and batch processing. MOGs require high-precision waveguide trenches fabricated on silicon instead of the ultra-long interference ring of conventional F OGs. In our study, the Bosch process, pseudo-Bosch process, and cryogenic etching process were investigated to fabricate silicon deep trenches with vertical and smooth sidewalls. Different process parameters and mask layer materials were explored for their effect on etching. The effect of charges in the Al mask layer was found to cause undercut below the mask, which can be suppressed by selecting proper mask materials such as SiO2. Finally, ultra-long spiral trenches with a depth of 18.1 µm, a verticality of 89.23°, and an average roughness of trench sidewalls less than 3 nm were obtained using a cryogenic process at -100 °C.

CircGNB1 drives osteoarthritis pathogenesis by inducing oxidative stress in chondrocytes.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have risen to prominence as important regulators of biological processes. This study investigated whether circGNB1 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate the pathological process of oxidative stress in age-related osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: The relationship between circGNB1 expression and oxidative stress/OA severity was determined in cartilages from OA patients at different ages. The biological roles of circGNB1 in oxidative stress and OA progression, and its downstream targets were determined using gain- and loss-of-function experiments in various biochemical assays in human chondrocytes (HCs). The in vivo effects of circGNB1 overexpression and knockdown were also determined using a destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model. RESULTS: Increased circGNB1 expression was detected in HCs under oxidative and inflammatory stress and in the cartilage of older individuals. Mechanistically, circGNB1 sponged miR-152-3p and thus blocked its interaction with its downstream mRNA target, ring finger protein 219 (RNF219), which in turn stabilized caveolin-1 (CAV1) by preventing its ubiquitination at the K47 residue. CircGNB1 inhibited IL-10 signalling by antagonizing miR-152-3p-mediated RNF219 and CAV1 inhibition. Consequently, circGNB1 overexpression promoted OA progression by enhancing catabolic factor expression and oxidative stress and by suppressing anabolic genes in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, circGNB1 knockdown alleviated the severity of OA, whereas circGNB1 overexpression had the opposite effect in a DMM mouse model of OA. CONCLUSION: CircGNB1 regulated oxidative stress and OA progression via the miR-152-3p/RNF219/CAV1 axis. Modulating circGNB1 could be an effective strategy for treating OA.

Feasibility of manufacturing geopolymer bricks using circulating fluidized bed combustion bottom ash.

This paper presents a study on geopolymer bricks manufactured using bottom ash from circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC). The alkali activators used for synthesis were sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide solutions. The study included the impact of alkali activator on compressive strength. The reaction products were analysed by XRD, FT-IR and SEM/EDS. The compressive strength of bricks was dependent on the modulus of the sodium silicate activator and the type and concentration of alkali activator. The highest compressive strength could be gained when the modulus was 1.5, and the value could reach 16.1 MPa (7 d after manufacture) and 21.9 MPa (28 d after manufacture). Under pure alkaline systems, the compressive strength was in the order of 10 M KOH > 10 M NaOH > 5 M LiOH > 5 M KOH > 5 M NaOH. Quartz was the only crystalline phase in the original bottom ash, and no new crystalline phase was found after the reaction. The main product of reaction was amorphous alkali aluminosilicate gel and a small amount of crystalline phase was also found by SEM.

[Study of feature extraction methods for maize's near infrared spectra in biomimetic pattern recognition].

Near infrared spectrum is an important step in near infrared spectrum qualitative analysis, which influences the qualitative analysis results directly. Diffuse transmittance measurements mode was used to collect spectral data of eight maize varieties. PCA, ICA, PLS-DA and wavelet transformation were used to extract features of pretreated data. Finally, we used the test set data to test the recognition models of eight maize varieties which were built based on biomimetic pattern recognition (BPR). We draw a conclusion that PLS-DA can make models get higher average correct recognition rate than PCA, ICA and Wavelet transformation.

Fabrication of High Precision Silicon Spherical Microlens Arrays by Hot Embossing Process.

In this paper, a high-precision, low-cost, batch processing nanoimprint method is proposed to process a spherical microlens array (MLA). The nanoimprint mold with high surface precision and low surface roughness was fabricated by single-point diamond turning. The anti-sticking treatment of the mold was carried out by perfluorooctyl phosphoric acid (PFOPA) liquid deposition. Through the orthogonal experiment of hot embossing with the treated mold and subsequent inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, the microstructure of MLA was transferred to the silicon substrate, with a root mean square error of 17.7 nm and a roughness of 12.1 nm Sa. The average fitted radius of the microlens array units is 406.145 µm, which is 1.54% different from the design radius.

Oxidative stress-induced circKIF18A downregulation impairs MCM7-mediated anti-senescence in intervertebral disc degeneration.

Low back pain, triggered by intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD), is one of the most common causes of disability and financial expenditure worldwide. However, except for surgical interventions, effective medical treatment to prevent the progression of IVDD is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the effects of circKIF18A, a novel circRNA, on IVDD progression and to explore its underlying mechanism in IVDD. In this study, we found that oxidative stress was positively correlated with nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) senescence in IVDD and that circKIF18A was downregulated in IVDD and attenuated senescent phenotypes such as cell cycle arrest and extracellular matrix degradation in NPCs. Mechanistically, circKIF18A competitively suppressed ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of MCM7, and the protective effects of circKIF18A on NPCs were partially mediated by MCM7 under oxidative stress. Intradiscal injection of adenoviral circKIF18A ameliorated IVDD in a rat model. This study revealed that circKIF18A regulates NPC degeneration by stabilizing MCM7 and identified a novel signaling pathway, the circKIF18A-MCM7 axis, for anti-senescence molecular therapy in IVDD.

An 83-year-old-male with bronchopleural fistula and empyema successfully treated with multidisciplinary management of thoracostomy, endoscopic, and surgical treatment: a case report.

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) with empyema is a severe complication in patients undergoing lobectomy or pneumonectomy and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Although a wide variety of treatment options exist, refractory cases with larger fistulas are still difficult to cure, especially in elderly patients. Here, we report a case of an 83-year-old man with stage I squamous cell lung carcinoma who underwent minimally invasive right lower lobectomy. After an initially uneventful postoperative course, he was readmitted to our hospital due to the progression of severe cough with fever after lung resection. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed an empyema cavity containing pleural effusion and a drainage tube in the right lower thorax. Bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of a fistula between the right lower bronchial stump and the pleural cavity. On the basis of his clinical symptoms and these imaging findings, the patient was diagnosed with BPF with empyema after lobectomy. He was successfully treated with multidisciplinary management including adequate pleural drainage by open-window thoracostomy, closure of the BPF by endoscopic therapy using an Amplatzer device, and complete obliteration of the empyema cavity with pedicled muscle flap. Multidisciplinary management combining thoracostomy, endoscopic therapy, and pedicled muscle flap transfer is a safe and effective treatment for elderly patients with larger fistulas and empyema.

Transcriptome sequencing profiling identifies miRNA-331-3p as an osteoblast-specific miRNA in infected bone nonunion.

Bone nonunion caused by bacterial infection accounts for bone fractures, bone trauma and bone transplantation surgeries. Severe consequences include delayed unions and amputation and result in functional limitations, work disability, and poor quality of life. However, the mechanism of bone nonunion remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to screen the miRNA biomarkers of bacterial bone infection and investigated whether miRNAs regulate the osteoblasts and thus contribute to bone nonunion. We established a miRNA-mRNA network based on high-throughput RNA sequencing to compare the model rabbits infected with Staphylococcus aureus with the control rabbits. After validation experiments, miRNA-331-3p and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) were found to be inversely correlated with the pathways of osteoblast mineralization and pathology of infected bone nonunion. In in vitro experiments, miRNA-331-3p was downregulated and FGF23 was upregulated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse calvarial osteoblasts. Further studies of the mechanism showed that mutated of putative miRNA-331-3p can bind to FGF23 3'-untranslated region sites. MiRNA-331-3p acted as an osteoblast mineralization promoter by directly targeting FGF23. Downregulation of miRNA-331-3p led to inhibition of osteoblast mineralization by regulating the DKK1/ß-catenin mediated signaling. Thus, we established an improved animal model and identified new bone-related biomarkers in the infected bone nonunion. The miRNA-331-3p biomarker was demonstrated to regulate osteoblast mineralization by targeting FGF23. The novel mechanism can be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the infected bone nonunion and other inflammatory bone disorders.

Fabrication of Antireflection Micro/Nanostructures on the Surface of Aluminum Alloy by Femtosecond Laser.

Designed micro-nano structures on the surface of aluminum alloy provide excellent light trapping properties that can be used extensively in thermal photovoltaics, sensors, etc. However, the fabrication of high-performance antireflective micro-nano structures on aluminum alloy is challenging because aluminum has shallow intrinsic losses and weak absorption. A two-step strategy is proposed for fabricating broadband antireflection structures by superimposing nanostructures onto microscale structures. By optimizing the processing parameters of femtosecond laser, the average reflectances of 2.6% within the visible spectral region (400-800 nm) and 5.14% within the Vis-NIR spectral region (400-2500 nm) are obtained.

Surgical treatment of recurrent acute lymphoblastic leukemia with humeral osteomyelitis as the first symptom: a case report and literature review.

Osteomyelitis is a complication of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); however, its incidence rate is low. Recurrent ALL for which osteomyelitis is the first manifestation is rarer still. The repair and reconstruction of segmental bone defects caused by infection is a clinical problem. This article reports a rare case study of a 22-year-old male patient with recurrent ALL for which right humeral osteomyelitis was the first symptom including chills at first, recurrent fever and chills then, purulence from poster lateral right upper arm finally. Before treatment, the patient concealed his previous history of ALL. Debridement was performed, and the Masquelet technique and free fibula transplantation were used to reconstruct the humerus. ALL recurred with extensive bone invasion throughout the body 10 weeks after the humeral reconstruction. Despite the success of bone marrow transplantation, the patient died of complications. A limited follow-up period reveled that while leukemia extensively affected the bones of the patient's body, the reconstruction of the humerus was successful, and bone healing was good. This case study suggests that atypical or unexplained osteoarticular infection may be the precursor to some systemic diseases, and that Masquelet technology combined with free fibula transplantation is one of the best choices to treat segmental bone defects.