Machine learning for the prediction of postoperative nosocomial pulmonary infection in patients with spinal cord injury.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish the best prediction model for postoperative nosocomial pulmonary infection through machine learning (ML) and assist physicians to make accurate diagnosis and treatment decisions. METHODS: Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who admitted to a general hospital between July 2014 and April 2022 were included in this study. The data were segmented according to the ratio of seven to three, 70% were randomly selected to train the model, and the other 30% were used for testing. We used LASSO regression to screen the variables, and the selected variables were used in the construction of six different ML models. Shapley additive explanations and permutation importance were used to explain the output of the ML models. Finally, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were used as the evaluation index of the model. RESULTS: A total of 870 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 98 (11.26%) developed pulmonary infection. Seven variables were used for ML model construction and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Among these variables, age, ASIA scale and tracheotomy were found to be the independent risk factors for postoperative nosocomial pulmonary infection in SCI patients. Meanwhile, the prediction model based on RF algorithm performed best in the training and test sets. (AUC = 0.721, accuracy = 0.664, sensitivity = 0.694, specificity = 0.656). CONCLUSION: Age, ASIA scale and tracheotomy were the independent risk factors of postoperative nosocomial pulmonary infection in SCI. The prediction model based on RF algorithm had the best performance.

Role of magnetic resonance imaging features in diagnosing and localization of disc rupture related to cervical spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormalities.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (TSCI) is often associated with disc rupture. It was reported that high signal of disc and anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) rupture on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were the typical signs of ruptured disc. However, for TSCI with no fracture or dislocation, there is still difficult to diagnose disc rupture. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic efficiency and localization method of different MRI features for cervical disc rupture in patient with TSCI but no any signs of fracture or dislocation. SETTING: Affiliated hospital of University in Nanchang, China. METHODS: Patients who had TSCI and underwent anterior cervical surgery between June 2016 and December 2021 in our hospital were included. All patients received X-ray, CT scan, and MRI examinations before surgery. MRI findings such as prevertebral hematoma, high-signal SCI, high-signal posterior ligamentous complex (PLC), were recorded. The correlation between preoperative MRI features and intraoperative findings was analyzed. Also, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of these MRI features in diagnosing the disc rupture were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 140 consecutive patients, 120 males and 20 females with an average age of 53 years were included in this study. Of these patients, 98 (134 cervical discs) were intraoperatively confirmed with cervical disc rupture, but 59.1% (58 patients) of them had no definite evidence of an injured disc on preoperative MRI (high-signal disc or ALL rupture signal). For these patients, the high-signal PLC on preoperative MRI had the highest diagnostic rate for disc rupture based on intraoperative findings, with a sensitivity of 97%, specificity of 72%, PPV of 84% and NPV of 93%. Combined high-signal SCI with high-signal PLC had higher specificity (97%) and PPV (98%), and a lower FPR (3%) and FNR (9%) for the diagnosis of disc rupture. And combination of three MRI features (prevertebral hematoma, high-signal SCI and PLC) had the highest accuracy in diagnosing traumatic disc rupture. For the localization of the ruptured disc, the level of the high-signal SCI had the highest consistency with the segment of the ruptured disc. CONCLUSION: MRI features, such as prevertebral hematoma, high-signal SCI and PLC, demonstrated high sensitivities for diagnosing cervical disc rupture. High-signal SCI on preoperative MRI could be used to locate the segment of ruptured disc.

Incidences and reasons of postoperative surgical site infection after lumbar spinal surgery: a large population study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidences of postoperative acute surgical site infection (SSI) after lumbar spinal surgery and its possible reasons in our hospital during the past 9 years. METHODS: This is a retrospective study with a large sample size. The medical records of all included patients were reviewed, and patients with acute SSI were identified. The incidence and possible reasons of SSI were determined. RESULTS: A total of 7240 patients who underwent posterior lumbar spinal surgery were included in this study, and the total incidence of postoperative SSI was 1.53% (111/7240). Gram-negative bacteria were found to be dominant in postoperative wound infections after lumbar spinal surgery. And Escherichia coli were the most common pathogen in patients with SSI. The rate of postoperative SSI following lumbar spinal surgery was increased at first and then decreased during the past 9 years. Additionally, from 2011 to 2014, it was mainly deep infection in these patients, and then was mainly superficial infection from 2015 to 2019. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis had the highest incidence of postoperative SSI (2.39%, P < 0.001). There was also a significant difference for the number of SSI cases among different surgeons. CONCLUSION: Based on a large population analysis, Gram-negative bacteria were the most common pathogen in postoperative SSI after lumbar spinal surgery. And patients with lumbar spinal stenosis had the highest incidence of SSI. Increasing the intervention of Gram-negative may be an important step to reduce the postoperative SSI after lumbar spinal surgery.

The effect of screw tunnels on the biomechanical stability of vertebral body after pedicle screws removal: a finite element analysis.

PURPOSE: Posterior reduction and pedicle screw fixation is a widely used procedure for thoracic and lumbar vertebrae fractures. Usually, the pedicle screws would be removed after the fracture healing and screw tunnels would be left. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of screw tunnels on the biomechanical stability of the lumbar vertebral body after pedicle screws removal by finite element analysis (FEA). METHODS: First, the CT values of the screw tunnels wall in the fractured vertebral bodies were measured in patients whose pedicle screws were removed, and they were then compared with the values of vertebral cortical bone. Second, an adult patient was included and the CT images of the lumbar spine were harvested. Three dimensional finite element models of the L1 vertebra with unilateral or bilateral screw tunnels were created based on the CT images. Different compressive loads were vertically acted on the models. The maximum loads which the models sustained and the distribution of the force in the different parts of the models were recorded and compared with each other. RESULTS: The CT values of the tunnels wall and vertebral cortical bone were 387.126±62.342 and 399.204±53.612, which were not statistically different (P=0.149). The models of three dimensional tetrahedral mesh finite element of normal lumbar 1 vertebra were established with good geometric similarity and realistic appearance. After given the compressive loads, the cortical bone was the first one to reach its ultimate stress. The maximum loads which the bilateral screw tunnels model, unilateral screw tunnel model, and normal vertebral model can sustain were 3.97 Mpa, 3.83 Mpa, and 3.78 Mpa, respectively. For the diameter of the screw tunnels, the model with a diameter of 6.5 mm could sustain the largest load. In addition, the stress distributing on the outside of the cortical bone gradually decreased as the thickness of the tunnel wall increased. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the FEA, pedicle screw tunnels would not decrease the biomechanical stability and strength of the vertebral body. A large diameter of screw tunnel and thick tunnel wall were helpful for the biomechanical stability of the vertebral body.

Incidence and risk factors for symptomatic spinal epidural haematoma following lumbar spinal surgery.

PURPOSE: Spinal epidural haematoma (SEH) is a common complication after lumbar spinal decompression surgery, and symptomatic SEH usually causes devastating neurological deficits. Although different risk factors for post-operative SEH have been reported, few studies focused on patients' laboratory tests. The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence of symptomatic SEH following lumbar spinal surgery, as well as identify the risk factors for it. METHODS: Patients who underwent posterior lumbar spinal decompression surgery between January 2010 and August 2016 were included in this study and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Those who developed post-operative symptomatic SEH after the surgery were identified. The risk factors for SEH were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 2715 patients were included in this study and 31 (1.14%) were identified with post-operative symptomatic SEH. Of these patients, 19 were males and 12 were females, with an average age of 59.39 ± 11.66 years. After multivariate logistic regression analysis, low serum calcium level (P = 0.025), blood type A (P = 0.04), increased estimated blood loss (P = 0.032), prolonged surgical duration (P = 0.018), and decreased post-operative globulin (P = 0.016) were identified as the independent risk factors for post-operative SEH following lumbar spinal surgery. Furthermore, prolonged surgical duration (odds ratio = 3.105) was the strongest risk factor for SEH. CONCLUSION: Based on a large population investigation, the incidence of symptomatic SEH following lumbar spinal decompression surgery was 1.14%. Blood type A, increased estimated blood loss, and prolonged surgical duration were identified as the independent risk factors for post-operative SEH while two new risk factors, including low serum calcium level and decreased post-operative globulin, were firstly identified in this study.

Demethylation-mediated miR-129-5p up-regulation inhibits malignant phenotype of osteogenic osteosarcoma by targeting Homo sapiens valosin-containing protein (VCP).

Previous studies demonstrated that increased Homo sapiens valosin-containing protein (VCP) may be involved in osteosarcoma (OS) metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism of VCP over-expression in OS remains unknown. In the present study, we found a significantly negative correlation between miR-129-5p and VCP protein expression in OS tissues with pulmonary metastasis (Spearman's rho, rs = -0.948). Bioinformatical prediction, Luciferase reporter assay, Western blot, and RT-PCR assays performed on OS cells indicated that VCP is a target of miR-129-5p. In addition, three CPG islands in the region of miR-129-5p promoter were detected by bioinformatical prediction, and significantly higher expression of miR-129-5p and lower methylation level of miR-129-2 gene in OS cells treated with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (a potent DNA demethylating agent) than in those untreated cells were observed. Furthermore, lower migratory and invasive ability was found in cells with elevated miR-129-5p than in those with decreased miR-129-5p. These findings indicated that increased miR-129-5p may be mediated by demethylation and inhibit OS cell migration and invasion by targeting VCP in OS, and targeting miR-129-5p/VCP signaling pathway may serve as a therapeutic strategy for OS management, although further studies will be necessary.

Sparganosis of a thoracic vertebra misdiagnosed as bone metastasis from lung cancer.

Sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection caused by plerocercoid tapeworm larvae. We described a case of a 27-year-old man presenting with numbness in both legs and masses in the right lung and spine, initially thought to have spinal metastasis from lung cancer. However, after pathological and parasitological examinations, the patient was found to have spinal sparganosis, likely due to a history of consuming raw frogs. The patient was successfully treated with praziquantel, resulting in the recovery of muscle strength in his legs. This case highlights the importance of considering spinal sparganosis as a differential diagnosis in patients with spinal masses, especially those with a history of consuming raw or undercooked frogs. Accurate diagnosis and early treatment are crucial for managing this infection.

Trend of unplanned reoperation rates after lumbar degenerative surgery from 2011 to 2019: a large patient population study.

BACKGROUND: Unplanned reoperation is commonly performed due to postoperative complications. Previous studies have reported the incidence of unplanned reoperation following lumbar spinal surgery. But few study focused on the trend of reoperation rates, and the reasons of unplanned reoperation were not clear. In this study, we conducted a retrospective study to determine the trend of unplanned reoperation rates after degenerative lumbar spinal surgery from 2011 to 2019, and the reasons and risk factors of unplanned reoperation were also determined. METHODS: Data of patients who were diagnosed with degenerative lumbar spinal disease and underwent posterior lumbar spinal fusion surgery in our institution from January 2011 to December 2019 were reviewed. Those who received unplanned reoperation during the primary admission were identified. The demographics, diagnosis, surgical segments and postoperative complications of these patients were recorded. The rates of unplanned reoperation from 2011 to 2019 were calculated, and the reasons of unplanned reoperation were statistically analysed. RESULTS: A total of 5289 patients were reviewed. Of them, 1.91% (n = 101) received unplanned reoperation during the primary admission. The unplanned reoperation rates of degenerative lumbar spinal surgery firstly increased from 2011 to 2014, with a peak rate in 2014 (2.53%). Then, the rates decreased from 2014 to 2019, with the lowest one in 2019 (1.46%). Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis have a higher rate of unplanned reoperation (2.67%) compared with those diagnosed as lumbar disc herniation (1.50%) and lumbar spondylolisthesis (2.04%) (P < 0.05). The main reasons for unplanned reoperation were wound infection (42.57%), followed by wound hematoma (23.76%). Patients who underwent 2-segment spinal surgery had a higher unplanned reoperation rate (3.79%) than those receiving other segments surgery (P < 0.001). And different spine surgeons had different reoperation rates. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of unplanned reoperation after lumbar degenerative surgery increased at first and then decreased during past 9 years. Wound infection was the major reason for unplanned reoperation. 2-segment surgery and surgeon's surgical skills were related to the reoperation rate.

A practical dynamic nomogram model for predicting bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to established a dynamic nomogram for assessing the risk of bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer (TC) and assist physicians to make accurate clinical decisions. Methods: The clinical data of patients with TC admitted to the First Affiliated hospital of Nanchang University from January 2006 to November 2016 were included in this study. Demographic and clinicopathological parameters of all patients at primary diagnosis were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to build a predictive model incorporating parameters. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the nomogram were evaluated using the C-index, ROC curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis. Internal validation was evaluated using the bootstrapping method. Results: A total of 565 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 25 (4.21%) developed bone metastases. Based on logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.040, P=0.019), hemoglobin (HB) (OR=0.947, P<0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (OR=1.006, P=0.002) levels were used to construct the nomogram. The model exhibited good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.825 and good calibration. A C-index value of 0.815 was achieved on interval validation analysis. Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically useful when intervention was decided at a bone metastases possibility threshold of 1%. Conclusions: This dynamic nomogram, with relatively good accuracy, incorporating age, HB, and ALP, could be conveniently used to facilitate the prediction of bone metastasis risk in patients with TC.

Development and biomechanical test of a new pedicle screw for thoracolumbar spinal surgery.

Rupture of the medial pedicle wall often occurs during pedicle screw insertion. This allows the pedicle screw to compress or cut the nerve root and/or spinal cord. In this paper, we designed a new double-threaded pedicle screw that has a cylindrical outer diameter and a conical core diameter, with a wide thread at the front, no thread in the middle, and a narrow thread at the rear, according to an analysis of the shortcomings of the conventional pedicle screw and anatomical parameters in 300 healthy adult volunteers. After the screw was placed, the non-threaded portion of the screw was located at the vertebral pedicle. No nerve root cutting occurred if the screw was misplaced and the medial wall of the vertebral pedicle was broken. We then performed biomechanical tests using a static universal testing machine and compared the new double-threaded screws with the conventional full-threaded pedicle screws, however, the differences were not obvious. In compression bending fatigue tests, the novel double-threaded pedicle screws were subjected to 5 million fatigue cycle loads without failure. The current study demonstrated that the new pedicle screw possesses similar biomechanical features as those of the conventional fully threaded pedicle screw. This provides a basis for further clinical applications.

Identification of a Novel Pyroptosis-Related Gene Signature Indicative of Disease Prognosis and Treatment Response in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma.

Purpose: Pyroptosis plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of many tumors; however, the specific mechanisms involved remain unknown. Here, we construct a pyroptosis-related gene signature that can be used to predict survival prognosis of skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) and provide guidance for clinical treatment. Methods: By integrating data from the two databases from the GTEx and TCGA, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from normal tissues and skin cutaneous tumor tissues were identified. The main signaling pathways and function enrichment of these differential genes were determined. Univariate and multivariate COX regression analysis, and risk score analysis were used to construct a signature to assess its predictive value for overall survival. The mRNA expression of these five genes in melanoma cells was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The pRRophetic algorithm was used to estimate the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of chemotherapy drugs in SKCM patients. The expression of multiple immune checkpoint genes also was evaluated. Results: Sixteen DEGs associated with pyroptosis in SKCM and normal skin tissues were identified. Of these, 12 pyroptosis-related DEGs were associated with the prognosis of SKCM. A five-gene signature (GSDMA, GSDMC, IL-18, NLRP6, and AIM2) model was constructed. Patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups using the risk scores. Of these, the high-risk group had a worse survival prognosis. There are significant differences in the predicted sensitivity of the high-risk and low-risk groups to chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, compared with the high-risk group, the low-risk group showed higher expression of PD-1, PDL-1, CTLA-4, LAG-3, and VSIR. Conclusion: In this study, we constructed a novel prognostic pyroptosis-related gene-signature for SKCM. These genes showed good predictive value for patient prognosis and could provide guidance for better treatment of SKCM patients.

Prediction of bone metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer based on machine learning.

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to develop a machine learning algorithm with good performance in predicting bone metastasis (BM) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and establish a simple web predictor based on the algorithm. Methods: Patients who diagnosed with NSCLC between 2010 and 2018 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were involved. To increase the extensibility of the research, data of patients who first diagnosed with NSCLC at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2007 and December 2016 were also included in this study. Independent risk factors for BM in NSCLC were screened by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. At this basis, we chose six commonly machine learning algorithms to build predictive models, including Logistic Regression (LR), Decision tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Naive Bayes classifiers (NBC) and eXtreme gradient boosting (XGB). Then, the best model was identified to build the web-predictor for predicting BM of NSCLC patients. Finally, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were used to evaluate the performance of these models. Results: A total of 50581 NSCLC patients were included in this study, and 5087(10.06%) of them developed BM. The sex, grade, laterality, histology, T stage, N stage, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors for NSCLC. Of these six models, the machine learning model built by the XGB algorithm performed best in both internal and external data setting validation, with AUC scores of 0.808 and 0.841, respectively. Then, the XGB algorithm was used to build a web predictor of BM from NSCLC. Conclusion: This study developed a web predictor based XGB algorithm for predicting the risk of BM in NSCLC patients, which may assist doctors for clinical decision making.

Short-segment fixation and transpedicular bone grafting for the treatment of thoracolumbar spine fracture.

Purpose: Thoracolumbar fracture is one of the most common fractures of spine. And short-segment posterior fixation including the fractured vertebra (SSPFI) is usually used for the surgical treatment of it. However, the outcomes of SSPFI for different types of thoracolumbar fractures are not clear, and whether it is necessary to perform transpedicular bone grafting is still controversial. This study was conducted to determine the clinical efficacy of SSPFI for the treatment of different types of single-level thoracolumbar fracture, and make clear what kind of fractures need transpedicular bone grafting during the surgery. Methods: Patients with single-level thoracolumbar fracture undergoing SSPFI surgery between January 2013 and June 2020 were included in this study. The operative duration, intraoperative blood loss, anterior vertebral height ratio (AVHR) and anterior vertebral height compressive ratio (AVHC) of the fractured vertebra, local kyphotic Cobb angle (LKA), vertebral wedge angle (VWA) and correction loss during follow up period were recorded. Outcomes between unilateral and bilateral pedicle screw fixation for fractured vertebra, between SSPFI with and without transpedicular bone grafting (TBG), and among different compressive degrees of fractured vertebrae were compared, respectively. Results: A total of 161 patients were included in this study. All the patients were followed up, and the mean follow-upped duration was 25.2 ± 3.1 months (6-52 months). At the final follow-up, the AVHR was greater, and the LKA and VWA were smaller in patients with bilateral fixation (6-screw fixation) than those with unilateral fixation (5-screw fixation) of AO type A3/A4 fractures (P < 0.001). The correction loss of AVHR, LKA and VWA in fractured vertebra were significantly great when preoperative AVHC was >50% (P < 0.05). For patients with AVHC >50%, the correction loss in patients with TBG were less than those without TBG at the final follow-up (P < 0.05). Conclusions: SSPFI using bilateral fixation was more effective than unilateral fixation in maintaining the fractured vertebral height for AO type A3/A4 fractures. For patients with AVHC >50%, the loss of correction was more obvious and it can be decreased by transpedicular bone grafting.

Transepithelial transport of Cerulenin across Caco-2 cell monolayers.

The transepithelial transport of Cerulenin across Caco-2 cell monolayers was examined in this study. The permeated amounts of Cerulenin were measured by HPLC method to calculate the permeation rate and the apparent permeability coefficient (P(app)). The transport of Cerulenin was independent on apical pH and exhibited concentration-dependent and nonsatuable even at 10 mM Cerulenin. The permeation rate at 1 mM Cerulenin in the apical-to-basolateral direction was 0.151 ng/min/mg of protein and the P(app) was 3.76 x 10(-6) cm/second. The permeation rate of Cerulenin was affected by neither metabolic inhibitors nor inhibitors for P-glycoprotein, as was the same case in monolayers treated with cytochalasin D. All these data from experiments indicated that transport of Cerulenin across Caco-2 cell monolayers was not mediated by ATP-dependent transport systems nor via paracellular pathway, but via passive diffusion without efflux by P-glycoprotein.

Valosin-containing protein promotes metastasis of osteosarcoma through autophagy induction and anoikis inhibition via the ERK/NF-κß/beclin-1 signaling pathway.

Valosin-containing protein (VCP) promotes the development of metastasis in osteosarcoma (OS) via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. However, inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway does not completely reverse VCP-mediated invasion and migration of OS, suggesting that VCP-mediated OS invasion and migration involves additional mechanisms. In the present study, a positive correlation between the expression of VCP and cell autophagy was observed among OS tissues. Inhibiting VCP may decrease the survival of malignant cells; however, an autophagy stimulator may compensate for VCP inhibition and promote malignant cell survival. Altering the level of autophagy did not affect cell invasiveness or migration. ERK, NF-κß and beclin-1 protein expression levels were markedly decreased following VCP inhibition. These findings indicated that VCP may induce autophagy and enhance anoikis resistance without affecting cell invasiveness or migration. Via anoikis resistance, VCP may promote metastasis in OS. Therefore, targeting of the ERK/NF-κß/beclin-1 signaling pathway may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the management of OS.

Are Routine Postoperative Laboratory Tests Really Necessary After Lumbar Spinal Surgery?

BACKGROUND: For patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery, many surgeons routinely perform laboratory tests within 3 days after surgery. However, few studies have reported the necessity for routine laboratory tests for patients with uncomplicated cases within 3 days after surgery. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients with lumbar degenerative disease who had undergone lumbar spinal surgery from May 2014 to May 2017. The perioperative patient information was recorded. The abnormal postoperative laboratory tests were recorded. Finally, the incidence and risk factors for patients requiring postoperative clinical treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1915 patients were included in the present study. Postoperative laboratory tests had been ordered for 870 patients (45.43%). Of these patients, only a small proportion had required postoperative clinical intervention to treat abnormal serum hemoglobin (2.53%), albumin (1.95%), serum potassium (0.92%), or serum calcium (6.55%) levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender and operative time were risk factors for the need for blood transfusion after lumbar spinal surgery. Age and operative time were risk factors for patients requiring albumin supplementation after lumbar spinal surgery. Finally, intraoperative blood loss and operative time were independent risk factors for patients requiring calcium supplementation after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Owing to the small number of postoperative clinical interventions for abnormal laboratory test results, we believe that the use of routine laboratory tests within 3 days after lumbar spinal surgery for patients with uncomplicated cases are unnecessary. Our results showed that operative time is a potential risk factor for the necessity for clinical treatment after lumbar spinal surgery.

The risk factors for bone metastases in patients with colorectal cancer.

This retrospective analysis aim to evaluate the potential risk factors for bone metastases (BM) in patients who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).A total of 2790 patients diagnosed with CRC between January 2006 and December 2016 were collected in this study. All patients were divided into 2 groups, BM and no BM. The associations between biomarkers (including age, gender, histopathological types, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125, and so on), and BM in patients with CRC were analyzed. All the analyses were conducted by SPSS software (version 22.0, SPSS, Chicago, IL).Of all patients, 74 (2.7%) were identified with BM. The level of serum ALP, CEA, and cancer antigen 125 in patients with BM were obviously higher than those without BM (P < .001, P = .005, and P < .001). And the cut-off values of ALP, CEA, and cancer antigen 125 were 85.5 U/L, 6.9 mmol/L, and 16.8 mmol/L, respectively.ALP, CEA, and cancer antigen 125 were identified as the independent risk factors for BM in patients with CRC.

Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection After Posterior Lumbar Spinal Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the independent risk factors for postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) after posterior lumbar spinal surgery based on the perioperative factors analysis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: SSI is one of the most common complications after spinal surgery. Previous studies have identified different risk factors for postoperative SSI after lumbar spinal surgery. However, most of the studies were focused on the patient and procedure-related factors. Few studies reported the correlation between laboratory tests and postoperative SSI. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in a single institution. Patients who underwent posterior lumbar spinal surgery between January 2010 and August 2016 were included in this study. All patients' medical records were reviewed and patients with postoperative SSI were identified. Perioperative variables were included to determine the risk factors for SSI by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2715 patients undergoing posterior lumbar spinal surgery were included in this study. Of these patients, 64 (2.4%) were detected with postoperative SSI, including 46 men and 18 women. Diabetes mellitus (P = 0.026), low preoperative serum level of calcium (P = 0.009), low preoperative and postoperative albumin (P = 0.025 and 0.035), high preoperative serum glucose (P = 0.029), multiple fusion segments (P < 0.001), increased surgical time and estimated blood loss (P = 0.023 and 0.005), decreased postoperative hemoglobin (P = 0.008), and prolonged drainage duration (P = 0.016) were found to be the independent risk factors for SSI. Multilevel fusion and a history of diabetes mellitus were the two strongest risk factors (odds ratio = 2.329 and 2.227) for SSI. CONCLUSION: Based on a large population analysis, previous reported risk factors for SSI were confirmed in this study while some new independent risk factors were identified significantly associated with SSI following lumbar spinal surgery, including preoperative low serum level of calcium, decreased preoperative and postoperative albumin, and decreased postoperative hemoglobin. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

Let-7a inhibits osteosarcoma cell growth and lung metastasis by targeting Aurora-B.

PURPOSE: Accumulating studies showed that the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) was dysregulated in osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of let-7a on OS progression and its potential molecular mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate the expression level of let-7a and Aurora-B (AURKB) in OS tissues and cells. The OS cells were treated with let-7a mimic, let7a inhibitor, negative mimic and Lv-AURKB combined with let-7a. The ability of cell proliferation, migration and invasion was measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and wound-healing and transwell invasion assays. The protein of AURKB, NF-κßp65, MMP2 and MMP9 was measured by Western blot analysis. Xenograft model was performed to investigate the effects of let-7a on tumor growth and metastasis. The lung metastasis was measured by counting the metastatic node using H&E staining. RESULTS: Let-7a expression was significantly underexpressed in OS cell lines and tissues compared with human osteoblast cell lines, hFOB1.19, and adjacent normal bone tissues. Exogenous let-7a inhibited the viability, migratory and invasive ability of OS cells in vitro. In addition, the overexpression of AURKB in OS cells could partly rescue let-7a-mediated tumor inhibition. Also, the overexpression of let-7a inhibited OS cell growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, the results showed that let-7a could decrease the expression of NF-κßp65, MMP2 and MMP9 proteins by targeting AURKB in OS cells. CONCLUSION: Let-7a inhibits the malignant phenotype of OS cells by targeting AURKB at least partially. Targeting let-7a and AURKB/NF-κß may be a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of OS.

Potential Molecular Mechanisms of AURKB in the Oncogenesis and Progression of Osteosarcoma Cells: A Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics Analysis.

Our previous study indicated that knockdown of Aurora-B inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells. But the function and molecular mechanisms of Aurora-B in osteosarcoma cells growth and metastasis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of Aurora-B in the progression of osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma cells (U2-OS and 143B) were treated with specific Lentivirus-Vectors (up or downregulation Aurora-B). The ability of cells proliferation, migration, and invasion was measured using Cell-Counting Kit-8, wound healing and transwell invasion assays. Furthermore, based on label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of potential molecular mechanisms of Aurora-B in human 143B cells. A total of 25 downregulated and 76 upregulated differentially expressed proteins were screened in terms of the change in their expression abundance. We performed functional annotation and functional enrichment analyses. Gene ontology enrichment, KEGG analysis, and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed and analyzed. We found that the PTK2 may play an important role in the progression of osteosarcoma cells. Finally, Western blot revealed that expression of PTK2, AKT, PI3K, and nuclear factor-kappaB increased after over expression of Aurora-B. Overall, these data highlight that Aurora-B may promote the malignant phenotype of osteosarcoma cells by activating the PTK2/PI3K/AKt/nuclear factor-KappaB pathway.