[Minimally invasive external fixation of humeral supracondylar angular rotation center for the treatment of cubitus varus deformity in adolescents].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical effect of minimally invasive osteotomy and external fixation with the center of roration of angulation (CORA) in treating cubitus varus in adolescents. METHODS: From August 2013 to August 2017, 15 patients with cubitus varus caused by supracondylar fracture of humerus were treated with minimally invasive osteotomy and external fixation with the CORA. Among them, including 9 males and 6 females; 11 patients on the left side and 4 patients on the right side; aged from 13 to 16 years old with an average of 14.5 years old. The time from injury to operation was for 6 to 10 years with an average of 7.5 years. Five patients had a history of recurrence after cubitus varus surgery. Correction time. fracture healing time, carrying angle were observed, Laupattarakasem standard was used to evaluate clinical effect. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 12 to 30 months with an average of 24 months; correction time ranged from 3 to 5 weeks with an average of 4 weeks; fracture healing time ranged from 4 to 6 months with an average of 5 months; carrying angle before operation ranged from -12° to -23°, and improved 9° to 14° after operation. According to Laupattarakasem evaluation criteria, 11 patients got an excellent result, 3 good and 1 fair. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive osteotomy and external fixation with CORA in treating cubitus varus deformity in adolescents has advantages of less trauma, less blood loss, earlier exercise, speed and angle of correction could controlled without hospitalized for fixation.

Characterization of phytohormone and transcriptome reprogramming profiles during maize early kernel development.

BACKGROUND: During maize early kernel development, the dramatic transcriptional reprogramming determines the rate of developmental progression, and phytohormone plays critical role in these important processes. To investigate the phytohormone levels and transcriptome reprogramming profiles during maize early kernel development, two maize inbreds with similar genetic background but different mature kernel sizes (ILa and ILb) were used. RESULTS: The levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were increased continuously in maize kernels from 5 days after pollination (DAP) to 10 DAP. ILa had smaller mature kernels than ILb, and ILa kernels had significantly lower IAA levels and significantly higher SA levels than ILb at 10 DAP. The different phytohormone profiles correlated with different transcriptional reprogramming in the two kernels. The global transcriptomes in ILa and ILb kernels were strikingly different at 5 DAP, and their differences peaked at 8 DAP. Functional analysis showed that the biggest transcriptome difference between the two kernels is those response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Further analyses indicated that the start of dramatic transcriptional reprogramming and the onset of significantly enriched functional categories, especially the "plant hormone signal transduction" and "starch and sucrose metabolism", was earlier in ILa than in ILb, whereas more significant enrichment of those functional categories occurred at later stage of kernel development in ILb. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that later onset of the significantly enriched functional categories, coincide with their stronger activities at a later developmental stage and higher IAA level, are necessary for young kernels to undergo longer mitotic activity and finally develop a larger kernel size. The different onset times and complex interactions of the important functional categories, especially phytohormone signal, and carbohydrate metabolism, form the most important molecular regulators mediating maize early kernel development.

Serum cystatin C level is associated with carotid intima-media thickening and plaque.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Chronic kidney disease has recently been shown to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and carotid intima-media thickness has been widely used as a biomarker for early detection of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to confirm whether carotid thickening and carotid plaque are associated with preclinical chronic kidney disease in individuals without clinical cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on participants from Maanshan City, China. All participants underwent carotid ultrasonography. Kidney function was measured using cystatin C, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and blood uric acid. Demographics and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases were obtained from each participant. RESULTS: A total of 927 subjects were surveyed; 453 (48.87%) were men and 474 (51.13%) were women. A total of 525 (56.63%) of the participants were found to have carotid thickening of which 281 (53.52%) were men and 244 (46.48%) were women. Kidney function was strongly associated with carotid thickening and plaque in the unadjusted analysis. However, cystatin C was the only measure of kidney function that was significantly associated with carotid thickening and plaque in the adjusted analysis (in order to select risk factors from sex, age, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, cystatin C, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, blood uric, estimated GFR). CONCLUSION: Cystatin C, an alternative measure of kidney function, was more strongly associated with carotid thickening and plaque than other measures of kidney function.

[Repairing tibial post-traumatic osteomyelitis with bone and skin defect by Ilizarov technique at stage I].

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical effects of Ilizarov technique at stage I for repairing tibial post-traumatic osteomyelitis with bone and skin defect. METHODS: From June 2010 to December 2013,44 patients with tibial post-traumatic osteomyelitis with bone and skin defect were treated with Ilizarov technique at stage I . Among them, there were 35 males and 9 females aged from 18 to 70 years old with an average of 42.5 years old. Bone defect ranged from 4 to 16 cm, skin defect ranged from 3 cm x 4 cm to 5 cm x 16 cm. The operation was performed debridement thoroughly, removed inflammatory bone section, osteotomy invasively, install circular external fixator by Ilizarow technique; screw nut were rotated at 1 week after operation, and prolonged 0.5 to 1.0 mm everyday. Wound surface, new born callus and bone healing were observed to evaluate clinical effects. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 11 to 36 months with an average of 18.5 months. Bone defect after osteotomy was from 6 to 22 cm with an average of 11.5 cm; the time of wound healing time ranged from 21 to 79 d with an average of 38 d; bone defect healing time was from 8 to 15 months with an average of 12.5 months. All patients were cured, no recurrent infection, refracture and shorten of calf deformity were occurred. CONCLUSION: Repairing tibial post-traumatic osteomyelitis with bone and skin defect by llizarov technique at stage I has advantages of less trauma, low inflammatory recurrence rate, could avoid multiple complex operation, and receive definite curative effect.

[CO2 absorption and regeneration performance of a natural amino acid and its potassium salt].

In order to decrease the solvent loss due to amine volatilization and oxidative degradation and reduce the risk of environmental pollution resulting from amine volatilization, amino acid salts with negligible volatility and better resistance to oxidative degradation may be considered as the alternative during the course of CO2 capture. So, experimental study on CO2 absorption and regeneration characteristics of L-arginine and potassium argininate (PA) was put forward in this study based on the CO2 absorption rate and heating regeneration rate at ambient pressure. And the influences of absorbent mass concentration, reaction temperature and absorption-regeneration cycles on CO2 absorption performance of L-arginine and PA were also investigated, which were used to compare with the typical absorbents including monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA). Results showed that among all the five absorbents, PA had the highest CO2 absorption rate of 24.5 x 10(-3) mol x (L x min)(-1) and CO2 loading capacity of 1.99 mol x mol(-1), which were 2.1% and 290.2% higher than MEA with the same mass concentration, respectively. The results also showed that CO2 absorption rate of PA and MEA at 40 degrees C was the highest compared to other temperatures. In addition, although CO2 loading of lean PA solution was slightly higher than that of MEA under the same regeneration conditions, 72.8% CO2 in the rich PA solution can be released, which is 19% higher than that of MEA. After three absorption-regeneration cycles, CO2 absorption capacity of 10% PA was found to be approximate 1.03 mol x mol(-1), which is 255.2% higher than MEA. Furthermore, L-arginine was found to have the stronger CO2 absorption capacity, and its CO2 absorption rate may be comparable to DEA with the same mass concentration.

[The small RNAs in plant immunity].

Small RNAs are involved in a multitude of biological processes in plants. Based on their origins and precursor structures, small RNAs can be divided into two major classes: microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interference RNAs (siRNAs). Small RNAs are typically 21-24 nucleotide (nt) long, and differ in both biogenesis and biological function. In the pathogenic process, pathogens can either induce or suppress the synthesis of small RNAs, which, in turn, regulate the expression of pathogenesis-related genes to mediate diverse plant-pathogen interactions. The biogenesis and biological functions of small RNAs, together with possible regulation mechanisms underlying the host-pathogen interactions, are summarized in this review.