Ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block for pain control in total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided fascia iliaca compartment block (UGFICB) compared to quadratus lumborum block (QLB) for pain management in total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, there is currently a lack of a systematic review specifically addressing this issue. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the efficacy and safety of UGFICB versus QLB for pain management in THA. METHODS: An extensive search was conducted in various electronic databases, including PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, China Biomedical Literature Service System, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. This search encompassed all relevant studies published from the inception of these databases until June 30, 2023. The selected outcomes for analysis included moving and resting visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 12 hours and 24 hours post-surgery, as well as opioids consumption at 24 hours post-surgery. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was utilized to assess the risk of bias in the trials included in the analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 software. RESULTS: A total of 8 trials, involving 656 patients, were included in this study. The results of the meta-analysis showed no significant differences between the 2 modalities in terms of moving VAS scores (mean difference [MD] = 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.79, 1.14], P = .72) and resting VAS scores (MD = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.27, 0.36], P = .78) at 12 hours post-surgery, and moving VAS scores (MD = 0.27, 95% CI [-0.46, 1.01], P = .47) and resting VAS scores (MD = -0.05, 95% CI [-0.45, 0.35], P = .80) at 24 hours post-surgery. However, there was significant differences in opioids consumption at 24 hours post-surgery (MD = 8.98, 95% CI [2.04, 15.93], P = .01) between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, the study concludes that UGFICB may be more beneficial than QLB for pain management in THA. However, it is important to interpret these results with caution due to certain limitations.

Effects of fascia iliaca compartment block as an adjunctive management to parecoxib for pain control after total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study investigated the effects of fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) as an adjunctive management to parecoxib for pain control after total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: A total of 72 patient records of THA were included in this retrospective study. All patients received parecoxib and were allocated to either the treatment group (n = 36) or the control group (n = 36). In addition, patients in the treatment group underwent FICB. The primary outcome was pain intensity measured using a resting and moving visual analog scales (VASs). The secondary outcomes were inflammatory factors (interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein) and occurrence rate of adverse events. RESULTS: Patients in the treatment group had better outcomes in the resting VAS (12 hours, P < .01; 24 hours, P < .01; 36 hours, P = .01; 72 hours, P = .03), moving VAS (12 hours, P < .01; 24 hours, P < .01; 36 hours, P = .02; 72 hours, P = .02), serum interleukin 6 (P < .01), and C-reactive protein (P < .01) than those in the control group at different time points. In addition, there were no significant differences in the occurrence rate of adverse events. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrated that the effects of FICB as an adjunctive management to parecoxib are superior to those of parecoxib alone for pain control after THA.

Effect of Periodontal Pathogens on Total Bone Volume Fraction: A Phenotypic Study.

Studies have shown that periodontal pathogens can enter the bloodstream, causing a series of reactions that can lead to a variety of systemic diseases. Epidemiological investigations also found a tight correlation between periodontitis (PD) and osteoporosis. This study aimed to further explore the effect of periodontal pathogens on bone volume fraction like bone tissue and mass, and explain the relationship between PD and osteoporosis. Sprague Dawley rats (female, 16 weeks old) were divided into the wild-type (WT) control group (n=9) and PD group (n=9). After eight weeks, periodontal tissues and ligatures, the fourth lumbar vertebra, the femur, the tibia, and blood were extracted and analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), respectively. We found that the bone mass of the lumbar vertebra, femur, and tibia was decreased in the PD group. The number of osteoclasts was higher in bone tissue in the PD group than in the WT group (P<0.05). The levels of inflammatory mediators and type I collagen C-terminal peptide (CTX-1) were higher in the PD group than in the WT group (P<0.05), although no significant difference in bone glutamic acid protein (BGP) levels was observed (P>0.05). In addition, we detected several periodontal pathogens, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum, in blood samples from rats in the PD group. These findings suggest that periodontal pathogens can enter the blood circulation from periodontal tissue, promote a systemic inflammation response, and subsequently reduce systemic bone density.

Siamese crocodile bile induces apoptosis in NCI-H1299 human non-small cell lung cancer cells via a mitochondria-mediated intrinsic pathway and inhibits tumorigenesis.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a widespread and particularly aggressive form of cancer. Patients with NSCLC and early metastases typically have poor prognosis, highlighting the critical need for additional drugs to improve disease outcome following surgical resection. The present study aimed to determine if Siamese crocodile bile (SCB) had an anti­cancer effect on NCI­H1299 human NSCLC cells. The inhibitory mechanism of SCB was examined in cell culture and nude mice. In vitro experimental results revealed that SCB inhibited the proliferation and colony­forming ability of NCI­H1299 cells by arresting cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. The loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c indicated that SCB treatment may lead to mitochondrial dysfunction in NCI­H1299 cells. At the molecular level, SCB altered the ratio of protein expression of Bax/Bcl­2 and activated associated caspases, suggesting that intrinsic pathway involvement in the SCB­induced apoptosis of NCI­H1299 cells. In the in vivo experiments, intraperitoneal injection of SCB for 4 weeks inhibited xenograft tumor growth by 46.8% without observable toxicity in nude mice. Immunohistochemistry analysis of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and vascular endothelial growth factor also revealed that SCB inhibited cell proliferation and metastasis in NSCLC xenograft tumors. Overall, SCB exerted an anti-cancer effect on NCI­H1299 human NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo and may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of human NSCLC.

Maxillary anterior teeth dimensions and proportions in a central mainland chinese population.

OBJECTIVES: To obtain maxillary anterior tooth dimension and proportion values for the Central Chinese population and to evaluate the existence of sexual dimorphism, any consistent relationships between the tooth ratios, and the presence of golden proportions. METHODS: Tooth dimensions and proportions of six maxillary anterior teeth were recorded on gypsum casts obtained from 147 subjects (82 women and 65 men). Of these, 115 casts were digitally photographed in a standardised manner and apparent width values for six maxillary anterior teeth were recorded for golden proportion analysis. Existence of sexual dimorphism, any consistent width/height ratio and golden proportions were statistically analysed. One-sample t-test, two-sample t-test, and paired t-test were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between measurements on the right and left side. Sexual dimorphism existed for various tooth dimensions. There was no statistically significant difference for width/height ratios between the two genders for central incisor and lateral incisor. However, canines showed a statistically significant difference. The golden proportion guideline was not applicable for this population. CONCLUSION: The maxillary anterior teeth dimensions were significantly greater for men than women; however, the mean difference was small (< 0.2 mm) and may not be clinically significant. The golden proportion, or any recurring anterior teeth proportions, was not found for the population. There was a significant difference in width/height ratio of canines between the genders, confirming its greatest gender-based morphological difference.

Structure characterization of proanthocyanidins from Caryota ochlandra Hance and their bioactivities.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) from Caryota ochlandra fruit pericarp and fruit flesh were characterized by (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance, high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry techniques. The fruit pericarp and flesh PAs were complex mixtures of homo- and heteropolymers of B-type procyanidins and prodelphinidins both with degrees of polymerization up to dodecamer. Their antioxidant and antityrosinase activities were investigated. The fruit pericarp PAs exhibited potent antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 142.86 ± 1.53 and 80.51 ± 0.4 µg/ml for DPPH and ABTS free-radical scavenging assays; with FRAP value of 373.09 ± 5.02 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g dry weight. Furthermore, the fruit pericarp PAs had antityrosinase activity while the fruit flesh PAs could be oxidized by tyrosinase. The structure and antioxidant activities of the C. ochlandra fruit PAs together with their effects on tyrosinase activity would lay scientific foundation for their utilization in food and nutrition industry.

Structural analysis of proanthocyanidins isolated from fruit stone of Chinese hawthorn with potent antityrosinase and antioxidant activity.

Proanthocyanidins were isolated from fruit stone of Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. var. major N.E.Br.). Their structures were analyzed and elucidated by methods of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). The results demonstrated that these compounds are complicated mixtures of homo- and heteropolymers consisting of procyanidin/procyanidin gallate and prodelphinidin. They possessed structural heterogeneity in monomer units, polymer length, and interflavan linkage (A-type and B-type). Their antityrosinase and antioxidant activity were then investigated. The results revealed that they can inhibit tyrosinase activities, including the monophenolase activity and the diphenolase activity. In addition, proanthocyanidins possessed potent antioxidant activity. Our studies revealed that proanthocyanidins isolated from fruit stone of Chinese hawthorn may be applied in food, agriculture, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

[Progress on nitrogen regulation gene expression of plant pathogenic fungi under nitrogen starvation].

It has been confirmed that the occurrence of plant disease is caused by the effector molecules secreted by plant pathogens. The regulation effector gene expression is an important aspect in understanding of the infection process. The nutritional status of cells has been postulated to be a vital role for effector gene expression. Studies have indicated that the induction of the same effecter genes during growth in vitro as those during growth in planta under nitrogen-starved conditions. This showed that the nitrogen poor environment existed in the early time of plant evolution. This paper describes the system in the pathogenesis of several fungal pathogens and nitrogen in the process of gene expression effects from the results of several species by comparing and contrasting the function of nitrogen regulatory genes, as well as by studying plants in vivo and in vitro gene under nitrogen limitation inductive effect in order to reveal the effectiveness of nitrogen in the development process of host plant disease is an important factor.

[Genome-wide analysis of the secreted proteins of phytophthora infestans].

Based on the Phytophthora infestans genome sequence, we used bioinformatics and computer-based prediction algorithms to predict the secreted proteins of P infestans in detail, which would help us to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction between the host plants and the P infestans. In this study, the signal peptide prediction algorithms SignalP v3.0 and PSORT, transmembrane helix prediction algorithms TMHMM-2.0 and THUMBUP, GPI-anchoring site prediction algorithm big-PI Predictor, and subcellular protein location distribution algorithm TargetP v1.01 were used to analyze the 22658 protein sequences of P infestans published. Our results suggested that there might be 671 secreted pro- teins, accounting for 3.0% of the total proteins. Among them, the functions of the 45 secreted proteins had been described previously. Their functions involved cellular metabolism and signal transduction etc. In addition, some of the secreted proteins were functionally similar to elicitin, which were likely to be associated with the virulence of P. infestans.

Increased expression of galectin-1 is associated with human oral squamous cell carcinoma development.

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a newly found immunoregulatory carbohydrate-binding protein in cancer biology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Gal-1 on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) development. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and RT-PCR were carried out in 62 primary OSCC, 38 oral leukoplakia (OPL) tissues to detect the Gal-1 expression in both protein and mRNA levels. Ten normal oral mucosa (NOM) tissues were used as control. Gal-1 protein was significantly overexpressed in OSCC cancer cells and OPL prickle cells compared to NOM (P<0.05). In accordance with Gal-1 protein, Gal-1 mRNA was also up-regulated in OSCC tissues and OPL tissues. Furthermore, both the Gal-1 protein and mRNA in OSCC tissues were higher than in OPL tissues (P<0.05). Our data supports the important roles of Gal-1 in OSCC development and suggests that Gal-1 upregulation in the OSCC and OPL tissues might be a predictor of early oral carcinogenesis.