Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of Bilateral Pedicle Approach Combined with Positional Reduction for the Treatment of Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures.

Background: Osteoporotic thoracolumbar burst fractures (OTLBF) pose challenges for vertebroplasty due to the risk of cement leakage and spinal injury resulting from the fracture of the posterior vertebra and spinal canal occupancy. It limits the application of vertebroplasty in these patients. Objective: This study investigates the efficacy and safety of a bilateral pedicle approach combined with postural reduction for treating OTLBF using vertebroplasty. Material and Methods: Thirteen patients (aged ≥ 65 years) with thoracolumbar fractures without neurological deficits underwent vertebroplasty. The fractures affected the anterior and middle columns of the vertebrae, with mild compression of the canal. Clinical symptoms, procedure effects, patient mobility, and pain were assessed before the procedure and between 1 day and 3 months post-procedure. Kyphosis correction, wedge angle, and height restoration were also measured. Results: Immediate improvements in pain and mobility were observed in all patients following vertebroplasty, with sustained improvements over 6 months. Significant improvements were observed between 1 day and 6 months post-procedure, with at least a 4-level reduction in pain after 6 months. No comorbidities were observed. Kyphosis correction, wedge angle, and height restoration were improved. In one patient, postoperative computed tomography revealed polymethylmethacrylate leakage into the disc space and paravertebral space through the endplate fracture site, while no intraspinal leakage was found in other patients. Conclusions: Although vertebroplasty is generally considered contraindicated in OTLBF patients with posterior body involvement, this study demonstrates successful and safe treatment without causing neurological deficits. Percutaneous vertebroplasty combined with body reduction may serve as an alternative method for treating OTLBF, effectively preventing major surgical complications. Furthermore, it offers superior kyphosis correction, vertebral body reduction, pain reduction, early mobilization, and pain relief for patients.

Joint QTL Mapping and Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis Reveal Candidate Genes for Salinity Tolerance in Oryza sativa L. ssp. Japonica Seedlings.

Salinity stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting crop growth and production. Rice is an important food crop in the world, but also a salt-sensitive crop, and the rice seedling stage is the most sensitive to salt stress, which directly affects the final yield formation. In this study, two RIL populations derived from the crosses of CD (salt-sensitive)/WD (salt-tolerant) and KY131 (salt-sensitive)/XBJZ (salt-tolerant) were used as experimental materials, and the score of salinity toxicity (SST), the relative shoot length (RSL), the relative shoot fresh weight (RSFW), and the relative shoot dry weight (RSDW) were used for evaluating the degree of tolerance under salt stress in different lines. The genetic linkage map containing 978 and 527 bin markers were constructed in two RIL populations. A total of 14 QTLs were detected on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Among them, qSST12-1, qSST12-2, and qRSL12 were co-localized in a 140-kb overlap interval on chromosome 12, which containing 16 candidate genes. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing and qRT-PCR were analyzed in CD and WD under normal and 120 mM NaCl stress. LOC_Os12g29330, LOC_Os12g29350, LOC_Os12g29390, and LOC_Os12g29400 were significantly induced by salt stress in both CD and WD. Sequence analysis showed that LOC_Os12g29400 in the salt-sensitive parents CD and KY131 was consistent with the reference sequence (Nipponbare), whereas the salt-tolerant parents WD and XBJZ differed significantly from the reference sequence both in the promoter and exon regions. The salt-tolerant phenotype was identified by using two T3 homozygous mutant plants of LOC_Os12g29400; the results showed that the score of salinity toxicity (SST) of the mutant plants (CR-3 and CR-5) was significantly lower than that of the wild type, and the seedling survival rate (SSR) was significantly higher than that of the wild type, which indicated that LOC_Os12g29400 could negatively regulate the salinity tolerance of rice at the seedling stage. The results lay a foundation for the analysis of the molecular mechanism of rice salinity tolerance and the cultivation of new rice varieties.