[Finite element analysis of arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff injury with different transosseous techniques].

OBJECTIVE: To compare and analyze the biomechanical differences between different transosseous techniques in arthroscopic repairment of rotator cuff injuries by finite element analysis. METHODS: Finite element models of traditional arthroscopic transosseous(ATO) technique, giant needle technique, and ArthroTunneler(AT) technique were established based on the shoulder CT data of a healthy adult. Then, loads of 10 N and 20 N were applied to the sutures on the different technical models, respectively. Compare and analyze the stress changes of the bone tunnels and sutures of the three models were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: Under the same condition of loading, the stress on the lateral bone tunnels and sutures of the traditional ATO technology model was the largest, followed by the giant needle technology model. The stress on the mid-section bone tunnels and sutures of the AT technology model was the largest, followed by the giant needle technology model. Under the different conditions of loading, the high-stress areas of the three models were mainly concentrated on the contact area between the sutures and the bone tunnels. Besides, compared with the traditional ATO technology model, the stress distribution of the lateral bone tunnels and sutures of the giant needle technology and AT technology model were more dispersed, but there was obvious stress concentration phenomena in the stress distribution in the mid-section bone tunnels and sutures in the AT technology model. CONCLUSION: Compared with the traditional ATO technique, both the giant needle technique and the AT technique can reduce the risk of cutout between the bone tunnel and suture, and may be better treatments for rotator cuff tear. However, compared with the giant needle technique, the application of AT technique in patients with osteoporosis may be limited.

Aquaporin-1 expression as an indicator in evaluating the efficacy of meloxicam in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: A comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: The key objective of the study was to investigate the correlation between the expression of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) and the efficacy of meloxicam and expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: 40 AS patients whom had received meloxicam were recruited and subsequently placed into the experiment, while 40 healthy individuals were recruited as control group. Clinical indicators were detected before treatment (0 week), and at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 week intervals after treatment, which included various assessments including Ankylosing Spondylitis 20% (ASAS20) response, Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), visual analog scale (VAS) for back pain, duration of morning stiffness, Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Healthy volunteers were examined for ESR and CRP levels. The mRNA and protein expressions of AQP1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were detected 6 and 12 weeks after treatment using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Correlation of expressions of AQP1, efficacy of meloxicam and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined via Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Following 12 weeks of meloxicam treatment, the ASAS20 response reached 93.7±3.61%. 6 weeks after treatment, BASDAI, VAS for back pain, duration of morning stiffness, BASFI, ESR, and CRP levels all exhibited considerably reduced levels compared to the initial levels observed prior to the commencement of treatment. Compared with before treatment, the expressions of TNF-α, IL-2 and AQP1 mRNA and protein all displayed decreases in the experiment group after both 6 and 12-week periods of treatment. Pre and post treatment levels of TNF-α, IL-2 and AQP1 mRNA and protein expressions were higher than those in the control group. The expressions of AQP1 mRNA and protein in the experiment group were positively correlated with clinical indicators and expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that AQP1 was both highly expressed and positively correlated with the efficacy of meloxicam and expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines in AS patients, thereby highlighting the promise of meloxicam as a potential indicator in predicting the efficacy in the treatment of AS.