[Spinal endoscopic technique in the surgical treatment of thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum].

Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) is a pathological heterotopic ossification disease in which the fibrous tissue of the ligamentum flavum of the thoracic spine converts into bony tissue, often leading to thoracic spinal stenosis and compression of the thoracic spinal cord nerve. When TOLF patients present with symptoms of spinal cord nerve compression, surgical treatment is usually required, and traditional open surgery is more invasive and carries a higher risk of spinal cord nerve injury. In recent years, domestic and foreign researchers have tried to apply spinal endoscopic techniques such as microendoscopy, percutaneous foraminoscopy, and unilateral biportal endoscopy for the treatment of TOLF, which can maximize the preservation of normal bone while achieving adequate decompression of the spinal cord nerve, with less damage to spinal stability, and have the advantages of less surgical trauma, less bleeding, and faster postoperative recovery. Due to the special anatomical structure of the thoracic vertebra, spinal endoscopic techniques should focus on safety and it is recommended that they are performed in experienced centers, and surgical indications should be strictly controlled.

Prevalence and pathogenesis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli causing urinary tract infection in hospitalized patients.

A total of 296 E. coli strains isolated from hospitalized patients with urinary tract infection were included in this study. These strains were tested for their resistance to 22 antimicrobial drugs and the presence of ESBLs genes coding for TEM, SHV, OXA, and CTX-M. We further characterized them for their interaction with a renal cell line (A-498) and a gastrointestinal cell line (Caco-2). Strains were also typed using a combination of RAPD-PCR, PhP-typing and phylogenetic grouping. Only eight strains (2.7 %) were confirmed as ESBLs producers. The most common clonal type contained 35 isolates and only two of them were ESBLs producers and both showed a high degree of adhesion to both cell lines but only one was able to translocate in Caco-2 cells. These strains belonged to phylogenetic group B2, were resistant to nine antibiotics and carried CTX-M-type of ESBL. The remaining six strains belonged to single clones with different phylogenetic groups and ESBL genotypes and were resistant to between 12 and 15 antibiotics. They also showed a high rate of adhesion to A-498 cells (19 ± 2 to 35 ± 3 CFU/cell) and all translocated in this cell line. The rate of adhesion of ESBL-producing strains to Caco-2 cells (11 ± 3.4 CFU/cell) was significantly lower than A-498 cells (26 ± 8 CFU/cell) (p = 0.0002) and only four of them translocated in Caco-2 cells. Our results suggest that the ESBL-producing clones of E. coli have a potential to translocate and cause septicemia in hospitalized patients with UTI.