Mediated relationships between coping style and social support on the quality of life of disabled older adults.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the relationship between coping styles, social support and quality of life among disabled older adults and to examine the mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between social support and quality of life. METHODS: Using a purposive sampling method, three investigators conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey of eligible participants in the geriatric department of a tertiary care hospital in one of the largest cities in southern China between August 2021 and March 2022. A total of 187 questionnaires were collected, of which 176 were valid, with an effective response rate of 94.1%. RESULTS: Social support and positive coping were positively related to disabled older adults' quality of life, while negative coping was negatively related to both social support and disabled older adults' quality of life. According to the mediating effect analysis after covariate adjustment, positive coping completely mediated the relationship between social support and older adults' quality of life (p < 0.01), with the mediating effect size accounting for 76.9% of the total effect. Negative coping had some mediating effect on the relationship between social support and older adults' quality of life (p < 0.01), with the mediating effect size accounting for 13.0% of the total effect. CONCLUSION: The quality of life of disabled older adults is low, which is closely related to their social support and coping styles. Therefore, it is important to recognize and emphasize the key role that social support systems play in improving the quality of life of this population, broaden their access to social support and guide them to adopt positive coping styles.

Protective effect and possible mechanisms of resveratrol in animal models of osteoporosis: A preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis.

Resveratrol (RES) has extensively been utilized to treat osteoporosis (OP) in animal models. However, the anti-OP effects of RES have not been tested during clinical application due to the lack of evidence and poor knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, there is little preclinical evidence to support the use of RES in the management of OP. In the present paper, we conducted a preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of RES in animal OP models. The potential mechanisms underlying the efficacy of RES against OP were summarized. The online databases PubMed, CNKI, EMBASE, Wanfang, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature, Cochrane Library, and Chinese VIP were retrieved from inception to December 2021. The CAMARADES 10-item quality checklist was utilized to assess the risk of bias of the included studies. STATA 12.0 software was employed to analyze the data. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Thirteen studies containing 248 animals were included yielding a mean risk of bias score of 5.54 (range 4-7). The pooled estimates showed that the administration of RES could significantly elevate the bone mineral density (BMD) both at femur (SMD = 2.536; 95% CI = 1.950-3.122; p < 0.001) and lumbar spine (SMD = 1.363; 95% CI = 0894-1.832; p < 0.001), bone volume over total volume (BV/TV) (SMD = 2.543; 95% CI = 2.023-3.062; p < 0.001), trabecular linear density (Tb.N) (SMD = 2.724; 95% CI = 2.186-3.262; p < 0.001) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) (SMD = 1.745; 95% CI = 1.294-2.196; p < 0.001), while serum phosphorus (S-P) (SMD = -2.168; 95% CI = -2.753 to -1.583; p < 0.001) and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) (SMD = -2.856; 95% CI = -4.218 to -1.494; p < 0.001) were significantly reduced in animal OP models. No significant change in serum calcium (S-Ca) (SMD = -2.448; 95% CI = -5.255-0.360; p = 0.087) was observed after RES treatment. Furthermore, RES could significantly improve the bone biomechanical indexes: bone maximum load (BML) (SMD = 2.563; 95% CI = 1.827-3.299; p < 0.001) and connectivity density (Conn.D) (SMD = 1.512; 95% CI = 0.909-2.116; p < 0.001) and decrease the structural model index (SMI) (SMD = -2.522; 95% CI = -3.243 to -1.801; p < 0.001). Overall, the present study revealed that RES has huge prospects as a medicine or dietary supplement for the clinical treatment of OP. High-quality studies with stringent designs and larger sample sizes are warranted to substantiate our conclusion.

[Application value of bone cement containing rhbFGF and RHBMP-2 in PKP treatment of osteoporotic lumbar compression fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of bone cement containing recombinant human basic fibroblast growth factor (rhbFGF) and recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in percutaneous kyphoplasty(PKP)treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture(OVCF). METHODS: A total of 103 OVCF patients who underwent PKP from January 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 40 males and 63 females, aged from 61 to 78 years old with an average of (65.72±3.29) years old. The injury mechanism included slipping 33 patients, falling 42 patients, and lifting injury 28 patients. The patients were divided into three groups according to the filling of bone cement. Calcium phosphate consisted of 34 patients, aged(65.1±3.3) years old, 14 males and 20 females, who were filled with calcium phosphate bone cement. rhBMP-2 consisted of 34 patients, aged (64.8±3.2) years old, 12 males and 22 females, who were filled with bone cement containing rhBMP-2. And rhbFGF+rhBMP-2 consisted of 35 patients, aged (65.1±3.6) years old, 14 males and 21 females, who were filled with bone cement containing rhbFGF and rhBMP-2. Oswestry disability index (ODI), bone mineral density, anterior edge loss height, anterior edge compression rate of injured vertebra, visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, and the incidence of refracture were compared between groups. RESULTS: All patients were followed for 12 months. Postoperative ODI and VAS score of the three groups decreased (P<0.001), while bone mineral density increased (P<0.001), anterior edge loss height, anterior edge compression rate of injured vertebra decreased first and then slowly increased (P<0.001). ODI and VAS of group calcium phosphate after 1 months, 6 months, 12 months were lower than that of rhBMP-2 and group rhbFGF+rhBMP-2(P<0.05), bone mineral density after 6 months, 12 months was higher than that of rhBMP-2 and group calcium phosphate(P<0.05), and anterior edge loss height, anterior edge compression rate of injured vertebra of group rhbFGF+rhBMP-2 after 6 months and 12 months were lower than that of group rhBMP-2 and group calcium phosphate(P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of re-fracture among the three groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Bone cement containing rhbFGF and rhBMP-2 could more effectively increase bone mineral density in patients with OVCF, obtain satisfactory clinical and radiological effects after operation, and significantly improve clinical symptoms.

Integrating TCGA and Single-Cell Sequencing Data for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Novel Glycosylation (GLY)/Tumor Microenvironment (TME) Classifier to Predict Prognosis and Immunotherapy Response.

The major liver cancer subtype is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Studies have indicated that a better prognosis is related to the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in HCC. However, the molecular pathways that drive immune cell variation in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remain poorly understood. Glycosylation (GLY)-related genes have a vital function in the pathogenesis of numerous tumors, including HCC. This study aimed to develop a GLY/TME classifier based on glycosylation-related gene scores and tumor microenvironment scores to provide a novel prognostic model to improve the prediction of clinical outcomes. The reliability of the signatures was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and survival analyses and was verified with external datasets. Furthermore, the correlation between glycosylation-related genes and other cells in the immune environment, the immune signature of the GLY/TME classifier, and the efficacy of immunotherapy were also investigated. The GLY score low/TME score high subgroup showed a favorable prognosis and therapeutic response based on significant differences in immune-related molecules and cancer cell signaling mechanisms. We evaluated the prognostic role of the GLY/TME classifier that demonstrated overall prognostic significance for prognosis and therapeutic response before treatment, which may provide new options for creating the best possible therapeutic approaches for patients.

[Comparison of the efficacy of three types of Kirschner wire tension bands for ulnar olecranal fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effect of three types of Kirschner wire tension band for olecranon fracture. METHODS: The clinical data of 64 patients with olecranon fracture treated by Kirschner wire tension band fixation from March 2016 to May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 19 patients were treated with intramedullary K-wires fixation(group A) including 8 males and 11 females with an average of (48.2±18.3) years old, 3 patients were typeⅠ, and 16 patients were typeⅡ according to Mayo classification;20 patients were treated with transcortical K-wires fixation (group B) including 13 males and 7 females with an average of (43.5±20.4) years old, 3 patients were typeⅠand 17 patients were typeⅡ according to Mayo classification;25 patients were treated with perforated Kirschner wire(group C) including 15 males and 10 females with an average of (55.2±17.5) years old, 4 patients were typeⅠand 21 patients were typeⅡ according to Mayo classification. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, times of Intraoperative fluoroscopy, fracture healing time and complications of 3 groups were compared. At the final follow-up, elbow function was assessed using the Mayo Elbow Function Scale. RESULTS: There were differences in operative time, intraoperative fluoroscopy times, postoperative VAS and soft tissue irritation among the three groups(P<0.05). The operative time, intraoperative fluoroscopy times in group A and C was better than that in group B. The postoperative VAS score, skin irritability in group C was better than that of group B. The difference was statistically significant on Mayo elbow function score at the final follow-up among three groups(P<0.05), the scores of group A and C were higher than that of group B. CONCLUSION: Compared with transcortical K-wires screw fixation, both intramedullary K-wires screw fixation and perforated Kirschner wire fixation, which can significantly reduce the occurrence of soft tissue irritation, reduce surgical complications and shorten the operation time.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals the metabolic changes and the prognostic value of malignant hepatocyte subpopulations and predict new therapeutic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The development of HCC is often associated with extensive metabolic disturbances. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a better understanding of cellular behavior in the context of complex tumor microenvironments by analyzing individual cell populations. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data was employed to investigate the metabolic pathways in HCC. Principal component analysis (PCA) and uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) analysis were applied to identify six cell subpopulations, namely, T/NK cells, hepatocytes, macrophages, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and B cells. The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore the existence of pathway heterogeneity across different cell subpopulations. Univariate Cox analysis was used to screen genes differentially related to The Overall Survival in TCGA-LIHC patients based on scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq datasets, and LASSO analysis was used to select significant predictors for incorporation into multivariate Cox regression. Connectivity Map (CMap) was applied to analysis drug sensitivity of risk models and targeting of potential compounds in high risk groups. Results: Analysis of TCGA-LIHC survival data revealed the molecular markers associated with HCC prognosis, including MARCKSL1, SPP1, BSG, CCT3, LAGE3, KPNA2, SF3B4, GTPBP4, PON1, CFHR3, and CYP2C9. The RNA expression of 11 prognosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in normal human hepatocyte cell line MIHA and HCC cell lines HCC-LM3 and HepG2 were compared by qPCR. Higher KPNA2, LAGE3, SF3B4, CCT3 and GTPBP4 protein expression and lower CYP2C9 and PON1 protein expression in HCC tissues from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases. The results of target compound screening of risk model showed that mercaptopurine is a potential anti-HCC drug. Conclusion: The prognostic genes associated with glucose and lipid metabolic changes in a hepatocyte subpopulation and comparison of liver malignancy cells to normal liver cells may provide insight into the metabolic characteristics of HCC and the potential prognostic biomarkers of tumor-related genes and contribute to developing new treatment strategies for individuals.

Corrigendum: Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals the metabolic changes and the prognostic value of malignant hepatocyte subpopulations and predict new therapeutic agents for hepatocellular carcinoma.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1104262.].

The Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 56 Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: An electronic search was conducted in eight databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese VIP Database, and Wanfang Database) from inception until December 2019. The risk of bias assessment of the included RCTs was evaluated by Cochrane collaboration's tool. The inclusion criteria were RCTs that investigated the efficacy and safety of CHM in the treatment of KOA, with no restrictions on publication status or language. The exclusion criteria included nonrandomized or quasi-RCTs, no clear KOA diagnostic approach, combined Chinese medicinal herbs with other traditional Chinese medicine treatment modalities, and published using repeated data and missing data. We computed the relative risk (RR) and the standard mean difference (SMD) for dichotomous outcomes and continuous outcomes, respectively. When heterogeneity was detected or there was significant statistical heterogeneity (P < 0.05 or I 2 > 50%), a random-effects model was employed, followed by further subgroup analysis and metaregression estimations to ascertain the origins of heterogeneity. Otherwise, we used a fixed-effects model (P ≥ 0.05 or I 2 ≤ 50%). The primary outcome measures were visual analog score (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Lysholm score, and Lequesne index. Secondary outcome measures were the total clinical effective rate and adverse events. The meta-analysis was performed using the Stata 14.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 56 RCTs comprising 5350 patients met the inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis showed that application of CHM as adjuvant therapy or monotherapy for KOA can significantly decrease VAS, WOMAC, and the Lequesne index and improve the Lysholm score as well as the total effective rate. In addition, this treatment has fewer adverse effects, suggesting that CHM is generally safe and well tolerated among patients with KOA. CONCLUSION: Our study offers supportive evidence that CHM, either adjuvant therapy or monotherapy, reduces the VAS, WOMAC, and Lequesne index and improves the Lysholm score and overall effective rate in patients with KOA. Additionally, CHM was well tolerated and safe in KOA patients. We found frequently used CHMs that might contribute to the formulation of a herbal formula that could be considered for further clinical use. However, given the heterogeneity and limited sample size in this study, larger multicenter and high-quality RCTs are needed to validate the benefits of CHM in the treatment of KOA.

Protective Effect and Possible Mechanisms of Tripterygium Glycosides in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The safety and efficacy of Tripterygium glycosides (TG) were assessed for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in accordance with the existing literatures. Materials and Methods: Electronic literature was searched from Chinese VIP databases, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wanfang Web of Science, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the PubMed for the studies with the publication from the beginning to December 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included only. The major variables of result comprised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), Spinal Pain Visual Analog Score (SP-VAS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Moreover, the secondary variables of result covered the overall clinical effective rate following the adverse drug reaction (ADR). We carried out the meta-analysis with the use of STATA 12.0 and RevMan 5.3. We used GRADE pro3.6.1 software to assess the quality of evidence. Results: In general, we covered 15 randomized controlled trials with the focus of 1186 patients. As proven by our meta-analysis, TG as adjuvant therapy or monotherapy decreased the BASDAI, BASFI, SP-VAS, serum CRP, and ESR than control in patients suffering from AS. Additionally, TG treatment visibly improved the overall effective rate in AS. Nevertheless, TG was not found to significantly increase the rate of ADR in contrast to the control. Conclusion: As indicated by our result, TG may be an option to treat AS. In this paper, we recommended strict trials with high quality and large samples sizes for confirming the finding here.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E family member nCBP facilitates the accumulation of TGB-encoding viruses by recognizing the viral coat protein in potato and tobacco.

Due to their limited coding capacity, plant viruses have to depend on various host factors for successful infection of the host. Loss of function of these host factors will result in recessively inherited resistance, and therefore, these host factors are also described as susceptibility genes or recessive resistance genes. Most of the identified recessive resistance genes are members of the eukaryotic translation initiation factors 4E family (eIF4E) and its isoforms. Recently, an eIF4E-type gene, novel cap-binding protein (nCBP), was reported to be associated with the infection of several viruses encoding triple gene block proteins (TGBps) in Arabidopsis. Here, we, for the first time, report that the knockdown of nCBP in potato (StnCBP) compromises the accumulation of potato virus S (PVS) but not that of potato virus M (PVM) and potato virus X (PVX), which are three potato viruses encoding TGBps. Further assays demonstrated that StnCBP interacts with the coat proteins (CPs) of PVS and PVM but not with that of PVX, and substitution of PVS CP in the PVS infectious clone by PVM CP recovered the virus infection in StnCBP-silenced transgenic plants, suggesting that the recognition of PVS CP is crucial for StnCBP-mediated recessive resistance to PVS. Moreover, the knockdown of nCBP in Nicotiana benthamiana (NbnCBP) by virus-induced gene silencing suppressed PVX accumulation but not PVM, while NbnCBP interacted with the CPs of both PVX and PVM. Our results indicate that the nCBP orthologues in potato and tobacco have conserved function as in Arabidopsis in terms of recessive resistance against TGB-encoding viruses, and the interaction between nCBP and the CP of TGB-encoding virus is necessary but not sufficient to determine the function of nCBP as a susceptibility gene.

Antiosteoporosis Effect and Possible Mechanisms of the Ingredients of Fructus Psoraleae in Animal Models of Osteoporosis: A Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Fructus Psoraleae (FP) and its ingredients (IFP) have a variety of biological activities and are widely used to treat osteoporosis (OP). Herein, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the efficacy of IFP for an animal model of OP from the current literatures. Potential mechanisms of IFP in the treatment of OP were also summarized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a search for electronic literature in the PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, EMBASE, Wanfang, Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Cochrane Library, as well as Chinese VIP databases targeting articles published from inception to June 2021. The inclusion criteria were animal studies that assessed the efficacy and safety of IFP for OP, regardless of publication status or language. The exclusion criteria included (1) other types of studies (in vitro studies, case reports, clinical trials, reviews, abstracts, comments, and editorials), (2) combination with other compounds, (3) compared with other traditional Chinese medicine, (4) not osteoporosis or bone loss model, (5) studies with insufficient data, (6) lack of a control group, and (7) duplicate publications. The modified Collaborative Approach to Meta-Analysis and Review of Animal Data from Experimental Stroke (CAMARADES) 10-item quality checklist was used to evaluate the risk of bias of included studies. We computed the relative risk (RR) and the standard mean difference (SMD) for dichotomous outcomes and continuous outcomes, respectively. When heterogeneity was detected or there was significant statistical heterogeneity (P < 0.05 or I 2 > 50%), a random-effects model was employed, followed by further subgroup analysis and metaregression estimations to ascertain the origins of heterogeneity. Otherwise, we used a fixed-effects model (P ≥ 0.05 or I 2 ≤ 50%). The primary outcome measures were bone mineral density (BMD), serum osteocalcin(S-OCN), bone volume over total volume (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), bone maximum load, and elasticity modulus. The secondary outcome measure was the antiosteoporosis mechanisms of IFP. The STATA 12.0 software was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Overall, 16 studies focusing on 379 animals were enrolled into the study. The risk of bias score of included studies ranged from 4 to 7 with an average score of 5.25. The present study provided the preliminary preclinical evidence that administration of IFP could significantly increase the S-OCN, BMD, BV/TV, and Tb.N while Tb.Th and Tb.Sp were remarkably decreased by IFP in OP model animals (P < 0.05). Moreover, IFP could significantly improve the bone biomechanical indicator bone maximum load and elasticity modulus (P < 0.05). In terms of the possible mechanisms of treatment of OP, IFP exerts anti-OP effects in animal models probably through osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (OPG/RANKL/RANK), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ)/Axin2/Wnt, antioxidative stress via forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a)/Axin2/Wnt, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), estrogen-like effect, and gamma-aminobutyric acid/gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor (GABA/GABABRI) signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the findings suggest the possibility of developing IFP as a drug or an ingredient in diet for the clinical treatment of OP. We recommend that rigorous, as well as high-quality, trials involving large sample sizes should be conducted to confirm our findings.

The Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine Xianling Gubao Capsule Combined With Alendronate in the Treatment of Primary Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 20 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: Herein, we purposed to evaluate the efficacy along with the safety of Xianling Gubao capsule (XLGB) combined with alendronate (ALE) for primary osteoporosis (POP) from the current literature. Materials and Methods: We carried out a search for electronic literature in the PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, EMBASE, Wanfang Web of Science, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Cochrane Library, as well as Chinese VIP databases targeting articles published from inception to December 2020. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were enrolled into the study. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), visual analogue scale (VAS), serum phosphorus (S-P), bone gla protein (BGP), serum calcium (S-Ca) and bone mineral density (BMD) were the primary outcome variable. The total clinical effective rate along with the adverse drug reaction (ADR) were the secondary outcome variables. The meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 and STATA 12.0. GRADE pro3.6.1 software was used for the assessment of evidence quality. Results: Overall, 20 RCTs focusing on 1911 patients were enrolled into the study. Our meta-analysis demonstrated that XLGB combined with ALE remarkably increased BMD (p < 0.001), BGP (p < 0.001), S-Ca (p < 0.001), S-P (p < 0.001) and effective rate (p < 0.001) than ALE alone in patients with POP. Moreover, ALP (p < 0.001) and VAS (p < 0.001) were overtly by decreased XLGB. However, XLGB combined with ALE would not markedly increase the rate of ADR in contrast with ALE alone (p = 0.499). Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrated that XLGB is a potential candidate for OP treatment. We recommend that rigorous, as well as high-quality trials involving large samples sizes should be conducted to confirm our findings.

A novel hybrid fixation (coracoclavicular screw supplemented with K-wire) for the treatment of acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the radiological and clinical outcomes of clavicular hook plate fixation and the coracoclavicular lag screw supplemented with K-wire fixation in the treatment of acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation. METHODS: Between January 2012 to December 2015, 81 patients with acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation were included in this prospective study. 43 patients were treated with clavicular hook plate fixation (Group A) and 38 patients were treated with coracoclavicular lag screw supplemented with K-wire fixation (Group B). Incision length, operation duration, blood loss volume, intraoperative fluoroscopy times and length of hospitalization were recorded. Radiographic outcomes, functional outcomes and complications were also recorded. RESULTS: Both two groups could achieve good radiographic and functional outcomes after operation. Group B exhibited significantly shorter operation duration, shorter length of incision, less blood loss volume and shorter length of hospitalization than Group A (P < 0.001). In addition, significant difference could be found between the two groups regarding the VAS scores three month postoperatively and the final follow-up (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in radiographic and functional outcomes between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The two groups can both achieve satisfactory radiological and functional outcomes in treating acute AC joint dislocation. However, CC screw fixation supplemented with K-wire exerts some advantages regarding the incision length, operation duration, blood loss volume, length of hospitalization. Furthermore, it can better relieve the pain caused by dislocation. Therefore, the novel hybrid fixation (CC screw fixation supplemented with K-wire) provides an alternative treatment for acute AC joint dislocation.

Molecular cloning of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) cDNA from mud turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis.

The complete complementary DNA (cDNA) of proopiomelanocortin (POMC), a common precursor of opioid hormone beta-endorphin, melanotropin (MSH), and corticortropin (ACTH), was cloned and sequenced from pituitary and hypothalamus of mud turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) by RT-PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) methods. Two transcripts of POMC mRNAs with different polyadenylation sites were observed. Both transcripts had an open reading frame encoding a 261-amino acid peptide containing nine dibasic amino acids (pair of Arg and Lys), putative proteolytic cleavage sites for processing to functional peptides. All the functional peptide fragments of mud turtle POMC, gamma-MSH, alpha-MSH, ACTH, beta-MSH, and beta-endorphin, are flanked by dibasic residues as found in other tetrapods, implying that it could be processed to give rise to all members of POMC-derived peptides. The deduced amino acid sequences of mud turtle POMC displays 63-67% identity with amphibian, 59% with chicken, 48-53% with mammals, and 37-59% identity with fish. However, functional peptide fragments are much more conserved than overall sequence and intervening fragments. In addition to pituitary and brain, mud turtle POMC mRNAs are also expressed in many peripheral tissues, such as skin, thyroid, and testis. This is the first report on the complete sequence of cDNA nucleotides and deduced amino acids of POMC in reptile.