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Five series of cyanostilbene-based rod-like liquid crystals containing one different terminal atom (H, F, Cl, Br and I) at one end and one terminal aliphatic chain with different numbers of carbon atoms at the other end were reported by Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel reactions. The influence of terminal halogen atoms and terminal chain length on the self-assembly, AIE behavior, temperature-dependent emission and mechanochromism behavior was explored by POM, DSC, XRD, SEM, absorption spectra and emission spectra. All the compounds are enantiotropic liquid crystals. The lowest non-halogen substituted homologue exhibited solo N phase, but the higher non-halogen substituted homologues exhibited mesogenic transition from SmA phase to N phase upon rising temperature. All the lowest halogen substituted homologues exhibited mesogenic transition from SmA phase to N phase upon rising temperature and all the higher homologues only exhibited SmA. The distinct mesogenic phase transition could be attributed to the intermolecular interaction produced by terminal halogen and the rigidity of the terminal aliphatic chain. All the non-halogen substituted compounds and halogen substituted compounds with smaller terminal halogen atom (F, Cl and Br atom) exhibited AIE behaviors, whereas the iodinated compounds exhibited extremely weak emission in solution and aggregated states due to the heavy atoms effect. These compounds also exhibited distinct solid-state emission with blue or cyan fluorescence, which could be quenched by increasing temperature. The reversible mechanochromism behavior was also achieved in all the compounds. The mechanical force induced quench in emission in non-halogen substituted compounds and halogen substituted compounds with smaller terminal halogen atom (F, Cl and Br atom), whereas enhancement in iodinated compounds. The reversible mechanochromism behavior endowed these compounds with potential applications in rewritable paper and anti-counterfeiting. The interesting properties in these liquid crystals would be attributed to the balance of the halogen-halogen interactions, heavy atom effect, steric-hindrance effect and chain length. These investigations would be helpful to understand the relationship between chemical structures and properties.
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Perovskite monocrystalline films are regarded as desirable candidates for the integration of high-performance optoelectronics due to their unique photophysical properties. However, the heterogeneous integration of a perovskite monocrystalline film with other semiconductors is fundamentally limited by the lattice mismatch, which hinders direct epitaxy. Herein, the van der Waals (vdW) integration strategy for 3D perovskites is developed, where perovskite monocrystalline films are epitaxially grown on the mother substrate, followed by its peeling off and transferring to arbitrary semiconductors, forming monocrystalline heterojunctions. The as-achieved CsPbBr3-Nb-doped SrTiO3 (Nb:STO) vdW p-n heterojunction exhibited comparable performance to their directly epitaxial counterpart, demonstrating the feasibility of vdW integration for 3D perovskites. Furthermore, the vdW integration could be extended to silicon substrates, rendering the CsPbBr3-n-Si and CsPbCl3-p-Si p-n heterojunction with apparent rectification behaviors and photoresponse. The vdW integration significantly enriches the selections of semiconductors hybridizing with perovskites and provides opportunities for monocrystalline perovskite optoelectronics with complex configurations and multiple functionalities.
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Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common clinical malignant tumors worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality. Presently, the overall response rate to immunotherapy is low, and current methods for predicting the prognosis of GC are not optimal. Therefore, novel biomarkers with accuracy, efficiency, stability, performance ratio, and wide clinical application are needed. Based on public data sets, the chemotherapy cohort and immunotherapy cohort from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, a series of bioinformatics analyses, such as differential expression analysis, survival analysis, drug sensitivity prediction, enrichment analysis, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion analysis, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis, stemness index calculation, and immune cell infiltration analysis, were performed for screening and preliminary exploration. Immunohistochemical staining and in vitro experiments were performed for further verification. Overexpression of COX7A1 promoted the resistance of GC cells to Oxaliplatin. COX7A1 may induce immune escape by regulating the number of fibroblasts and their cellular communication with immune cells. In summary, measuring the expression levels of COX7A1 in the clinic may be useful in predicting the prognosis of GC patients, the degree of chemotherapy resistance, and the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Background: Pediatric sepsis has a very high morbidity and mortality rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate diagnostic biomarkers and immune cell infiltration in pediatric sepsis. Methods: Three datasets (GSE13904, GSE26378, and GSE26440) were downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. After identifying overlapping genes in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and modular sepsis genes selected via a weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) in the GSE26378 dataset, pivotal genes were further identified by using LASSO regression and random forest analysis to construct a diagnostic model. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to validate the efficacy of the diagnostic model for pediatric sepsis. Furthermore, we used qRT-PCR to detect the expression levels of pivotal genes and validate the diagnostic model's ability to diagnose pediatric sepsis in 65 actual clinical samples. Results: Among 294 overlapping genes of DEGs and modular sepsis genes, five pivotal genes (STOM, MS4A4A, CD177, MMP8, and MCEMP1) were screened to construct a diagnostic model of pediatric sepsis. The expression of the five pivotal genes was higher in the sepsis group than in the normal group. The diagnostic model showed good diagnostic ability with AUCs of 1, 0.986, and 0.968. More importantly, the diagnostic model showed good diagnostic ability with AUCs of 0.937 in the 65 clinical samples and showed better efficacy compared to conventional inflammatory indicators such as procalcitonin (PCT), white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil percentage (NEU%). Conclusion: We developed and tested a five-gene diagnostic model that can reliably identify pediatric sepsis and also suggest prospective candidate genes for peripheral blood diagnostic testing in pediatric sepsis patients.
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The fabrication of perovskite single crystal-based optoelectronics with improved performance is largely hindered by limited processing techniques. Particularly, the local halide composition manipulation, which dominates the bandgap and thus the formation of heterostructures and emission of multiple-wavelength light, is realized via prevalent liquid- or gas-phase anion exchange with the utilization of lithography, while the monocrystalline nature is sacrificed due to polycrystalline transition in exchange with massive defects emerging, impeding carrier separation and transportation. Thus, a damage-free and lithography-free solid-state anion exchange strategy, aiming at in situ halide manipulation in perovskite monocrystalline film, is developed. Typically, CsPbCl3 working as medium to deliver halide is van der Waals (vdW) assembled to specific spots of CsPbBr3, followed by the removal of CsPbCl3 after anion exchange, with the halide composition in contact area modulated and monocrystalline nature of CsPbBr3 preserved. CsPbBr3-CsPbBrxCl3-x monocrystalline heterostructure has been achieved without lithography. Device based on the heterostructure shows apparent rectification behavior and improved photo-response rate. Heterostructure arrays can also be constructed with customized medium crystal. Furthermore, the halide composition can be accurately tuned to enable full coverage of visible spectra. The solid-state exchange enriches the toolbox for processing vulnerable perovskite and paves the way for the integration of monocrystalline perovskite optoelectronics.
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Strongly correlated states commonly emerge in twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) with "magic-angle" (1.1°), where the electron-electron (e-e) interaction U becomes prominent relative to the small bandwidth W of the nearly flat band. However, the stringent requirement of this magic angle makes the sample preparation and the further application facing great challenges. Here, using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), we demonstrate that the correlation-induced symmetry-broken states can also be achieved in a 3.45° TBG, via engineering this nonmagic-angle TBG into regimes of U/W > 1. We enhance the e-e interaction through controlling the microscopic dielectric environment by using a MoS2 substrate. Simultaneously, the width of the low-energy van Hove singularity (VHS) peak is reduced by enhancing the interlayer coupling via STM tip modulation. When partially filled, the VHS peak exhibits a giant splitting into two states flanked by the Fermi level and shows a symmetry-broken LDOS distribution with a stripy charge order, which confirms the existence of strong correlation effect in our 3.45° TBG. Our result demonstrates the feasibility of the study and application of the correlation physics in TBGs with a wider range of twist angle.
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BACKGROUND: GC is a highly heterogeneous tumor with different responses to immunotherapy, and the positive response depends on the unique interaction between the tumor and the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the currently available methods for prognostic prediction are not satisfactory. Therefore, this study aims to construct a novel model that integrates relevant gene sets to predict the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy and the prognosis of GC patients based on machine learning. METHODS: Seven GC datasets were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and literature sources. Based on the immunotherapy cohort, we first obtained a list of immunotherapy related genes through differential expression analysis. Then, Cox regression analysis was applied to divide these genes with prognostic significancy into protective and risky types. Then, the Single Sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm was used to score the two categories of gene sets separately, and the scores differences between the two gene sets were used as the basis for constructing the prognostic model. Subsequently, Weighted Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA) and Cytoscape were applied to further screen the gene sets of the constructed model, and finally COX7A1 was selected for the exploration and prediction of the relationship between the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for GC. The correlation between COX7A1 and immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity scoring, and immunohistochemical staining were performed to initially understand the potential role of COX7A1 in the development and progression of GC. Finally, the differential expression of COX7A1 was verified in those GC patients receiving immunotherapy. RESULTS: First, 47 protective genes and 408 risky genes were obtained, and the ssGSEA algorithm was applied for model construction, showing good prognostic discrimination ability. In addition, the patients with high model scores showed higher TMB and MSI levels, and lower tumor heterogeneity scores. Then, it is found that the COX7A1 expressions in GC tissues were significantly lower than those in their corresponding paracancerous tissues. Meanwhile, the patients with high COX7A1 expression showed higher probability of cancer invasion, worse clinical efficacy of immunotherapy, worse overall survival (OS) and worse disease-free survival (DFS). CONCLUSIONS: The ssGSEA score we constructed can serve as a biomarker for GC patients and provide important guidance for individualized treatment. In addition, the COX7A1 gene can accurately distinguish the prognosis of GC patients and predict the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy for GC patients.
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Neoplasias Gástricas , Humanos , Neoplasias Gástricas/genética , Neoplasias Gástricas/terapia , Prognóstico , Biomarcadores , Imunoterapia , Microambiente Tumoral/genética , Complexo IV da Cadeia de Transporte de ElétronsRESUMO
Two-dimensional (2D) chromium-based self-intercalated materials Cr1+nX2 (0 ≤ n ≤ 1, X = S, Se, Te) have attracted much attention because of their tunable magnetism with good environmental stability. Intriguingly, the magnetic and electrical properties of the materials can be effectively tuned by altering the coverage and spatial arrangement of the intercalated Cr (ic-Cr) within the van der Waals gap, contributing to different stoichiometries. Several different Cr1+nX2 systems have been widely investigated recently; however, those with the same stoichiometric ratio (such as Cr1.25Te2) were reported to exhibit disparate magnetic properties, which still lacks explanation. Therefore, a systematic in situ study of the mechanisms with microscopy techniques is in high demand to look into the origin of these discrepancies. Herein, 2D self-intercalated Cr1+nSe2 nanoflakes were synthesized as a platform to conduct the characterization. Combining scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we studied in depth the microscopic structure and local electronic properties of the Cr1+nSe2 nanoflakes. The self-intercalation mechanism of ic-Cr and local stoichiometric-ratio variation in a Cr1+nSe2 ultrathin nanoflake is clearly detected at the nanometer scale. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements indicate that Cr1.5Se2/Cr2Se2 and Cr1.25Se2 exhibit conductive and semiconductive behaviors, respectively. The STM tip manipulation method is further applied to manipulate the microstructure of Cr1+nSe2, which successfully produces clean zigzag-type boundaries. Our systematic microscopy study paves the way for the in-depth study of the magnetic mechanism of 2D self-intercalated magnets at the nano/micro scale and the development of new magnetic and spintronic devices.
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Two series of unsymmetric α-cyanostilbene-based tetracatenars containing three hexadecyl chains at one end and one alkyl chain with varying lengths at the other end were prepared by using Suzuki coupling and Knoevenagel reactions. These tetracatenars with the terminal three hexadecyl chains, which are adjacent to the cyano group are non-mesogens, whereas the isomers with one alkyl chain, which is adjacent to the cyano group display transition from non-mesogens to monotropic hexagonal columnar liquid crystal upon elongation of the alkyl chain. This transition could be attributed to that the three hexadecyl chains which are adjacent to the cyano group decrease the interactions between π-conjugated rigid cores, hindering the formation of mesophase. In addition, weak slovatochromism implies weak ICT in both series tetracatenars. Both series isomers exhibit distinct AIE characteristics attributing to the presence of α-cyanostilbene, which could induce stereoisomerism and restricted intermolecular rotation in the aggregated state. Different mechanochromism behaviors could be achieved due to the positional isomerism of terminal alkyl chains. Therefore, tuning the position of terminal alkyl chains could give rise to distinct changes in the molecular aggregate, which provides a scheme to build multifunctional materials with diverse potentials.
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Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and HQTL (heterosis QTLs) for grain shape are two major genetic factors of grain yield and quality in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Although many QTLs for grain shape have been reported, only a few are applied in production. In this study, 54 QTLs for grain shape were detected on 10 chromosomes using 33 SSSLs (single-segment substitution lines) and methods of statistical genetics. Among these, 23 exhibited significant positive additive genetic effects, including some novel QTLs, among which qTGW4-(1,2), qTGW10-2, and qTGW10-3 were three QTLs newly found in this study and should be paid more attention. Moreover, 26 HQTLs for grain shape were probed. Eighteen of these exhibited significant positive dominant genetic effects. Thirty-three QTLs for grain shape were further mapped using linkage analysis. Most of the QTLs for grain shape produced pleiotropic effects, which simultaneously controlled multiple appearance traits of grain shape. Linkage mapping of the F2 population derived from sub-single-segment substitution lines further narrowed the interval harbouring qTGW10-3 to 75.124 kb between PSM169 and RM25753. The candidate gene was identified and could be applied to breeding applications by molecular marker-assisted selection. These identified QTLs for grain shape will offer additional insights for improving grain yield and quality in rice breeding.
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Rice, a cold-sensitive crop, is a staple food for more than 50% of the world's population. Low temperature severely compromises the growth of rice and challenges China's food safety. Dongxiang wild rice (DXWR) is the most northerly common wild rice in China and has strong cold tolerance, but the genetic basis of its cold tolerance is still unclear. Here, we report quantitative trait loci (QTLs) analysis for seedling cold tolerance (SCT) using a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism linkage map in the backcross recombinant inbred lines that were derived from a cross of DXWR, and an indica cultivar, GZX49. A total of 10 putative QTLs were identified for SCT under 4 °C cold treatment, each explaining 2.0-6.8% of the phenotypic variation in this population. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing of DXWR seedlings before and after cold treatment was performed, and 898 and 3413 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) relative to 0 h in cold-tolerant for 4 h and 12 h were identified, respectively. Gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed on these DEGs. Using transcriptome data and genetic linkage analysis, combined with qRT-PCR, sequence comparison, and bioinformatics, LOC_Os08g04840 was putatively identified as a candidate gene for the major effect locus qSCT8. These findings provided insights into the genetic basis of SCT for the improvement of cold stress potential in rice breeding programs.
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As a lattice interference effect, moiré superlattices feature a magnification effect that they respond sensitively to both the extrinsic mechanical perturbations and intrinsic atomic reconstructions. Here, using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we observe that long-wavelength WS2 superlattices are reconstructed into various moiré morphologies, ranging from regular hexagons to heavily deformed ones. We show that a dedicated interplay between the extrinsic nonuniform heterostrain and the intrinsic atomic reconstruction is responsible for this interesting moiré structure evolution. Importantly, the interplay between these two factors also introduces a local inhomogeneous intralayer strain within a moiré. Contrary to the commonly reported electronic modulation that occurred at the valence band edge due to interlayer hybridization, we find that this local intralayer strain induces a strong modulation at K point of the conduction band, reaching up to 300 meV in the heavily deformed moiré. Our microscopic explorations provide valuable information in understanding the intriguing physics in TMD moirés.
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To discover novel pesticide candidates, a series of sulfoximine derivatives were designed and synthesized via the oxidation coupling reaction of sulfides and N-alkyl nitroguanidines. The compounds were evaluated for their antifungal activity against six phytopathogenic fungi. Most of them exhibited a broad spectrum of fungicidal activity inâ vitro. Compound 8IV-b displayed good fungicidal activity against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium graminearum, and Phytophthora capsici, with EC50 value of 12.82, 12.50, 17.25, 31.08, and 30.11â mg/L, respectively. In addition, compounds 8III-c and 8IV-e had EC50 values of 22.23 and 20.67â mg/L against P.â capsic, which were significantly better than that of the commercial procymidone (118.15â mg/L). Strikingly, 8IV-d exhibited satisfactory fungicidal activity against B.â cinerea, which was comparable to control procymidone in terms of their EC50 values (7.42 versus 10.83â mg/L), and the bioassays inâ vivo further confirmed that 8IV-d possessed potent protective effect against B.â cinerea at 200â mg/L (72.2 %). These present findings will facilitate the design and development of novel potent fungicides.
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Antifúngicos , Fungicidas Industriais , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Botrytis , Fungicidas Industriais/farmacologia , Guanidinas/farmacologia , Relação Estrutura-AtividadeRESUMO
We applied different concentrations of spore suspension of Streptomyces exfoliatus FT05W and S. cyaneus ZEA17I to inoculate Gerbera jamesonii to screen for the most effective application concentration. We aimed to explore the effects of two Streptomyces strains on growth and physiological properties of G. jamesonii, and to provide scientific evidence for the application of Streptomyces in G. jamesonii production. The results showed that different concentrations of S. exfoliatus FT05W and S. cyaneus ZEA17I spore suspension could effectively promote the growth of G. jamesonii. In general, S. exfoliatus FT05W performed better than S. cyaneus ZEA17I. S. exfoliatus FT05W (1×109 CFU·mL-1) could significantly increase the height and crown width of G. jamesonii respectively by 30.2% and 41.5%. Meanwhile, it increased the length and width of the stem. When treated by S. exfoliatus FT05W (1×109 CFU·mL-1), the content of chlorophyll in G. jamesonii was significantly increased by 65.2%, root activity was significantly increased by 103.3%, and the superoxide dismutase activity was increased by 84.4%. The malondialdehyde content in G. jamesonii was maintained at a low level when treated with the two Streptomyces strains. In summary, S. exfoliatus FT05W and S. cyaneus ZEA17I could effectively promote the growth and physiological properties of G. jamesonii, which could further contribute to its resistance to stress. Therefore, S. exfoliatus FT05W had the potential as a bio-fertilizer for G. jamesonii to solve cultivation obstacles.
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Asteraceae , StreptomycesRESUMO
Discotic mesogens P/n-M (n=12, 16, 18, M=2 H, Zn and Cu) bearing a porphyrin core, triazole linkages and peripheral 3,4,5-trialkoxybenzyl units have been synthesized by a click-chemistry approach. The thermal behavior, photophysical properties and morphologies of these compounds were investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), XRD, UV and PL, SEM and TEM. These compounds can self-assemble into hexagonal columnar phases in their pure states and form organogels in 1,4-dioxane with unusually flower-like sphere morphology. The supramolecular complexes of P/18-Zn with C70 or 4,7-di-4-pydriyl-2,1,3-benzothadiazole can display hexagonal columnar phases too. Additionally, zinc porphyrin compounds P/n-Zn show binding selectivity to Cu2+ among a series of cations in THF/H2 O.
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) comprises nerve and motor function disorders that may be caused by a variety of damaging factors and is challenging to treat. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regenerative effects of neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation combined with intraperitoneal injection of erythropoietin (EPO) on cross-sectional SCI in rats. A model of SCI was induced in 40 adult Wistar rats via the complete transection of the 10th thoracic vertebra (T10). The rats were allocated at random into 4 groups: Control, NSC, EPO and NSC + EPO groups (n=10 per group). Morphological alterations associated with axonal regeneration were detected using neurofilament (NF)-200 immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining after 8 weeks. Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring was used to evaluate the recovery of hindlimb function. A total of 5 rats died following surgery, including 2 control rats and 1 rat each in the EPO, NSC and NSC + EPO groups. NSCs labeled with bromodeoxyuridine were observed to have survived and migrated in the spinal cord tissue after 8 weeks. Significant histomorphological differences were observed in the NSC and NSC + EPO groups compared with the EPO and control groups. Furthermore, the rats of the NSC + EPO group exhibited significantly enhanced axonal regeneration in the SCI area compared with the NSC group rats. The rats of the NSC and NSC + EPO groups exhibited significantly improved BBB scores compared with the EPO and control group rats at 7 days after treatment (P<0.05). In addition, the BBB scores of the NSC + EPO group were significantly improved compared with those of the three other groups at 7 days after surgery (P<0.05). Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that NSC transplantation combined with intraperitoneal injection of EPO may benefit the survival and regeneration of injured axons, and accelerate the repair of injured spinal cord tissue, thus facilitating the functional recovery of hindlimb locomotor function in rats.
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OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of posterior lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of double-segmental bilateral isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis. METHODS: Between February 2008 and December 2013, 17 patients with double-segmental bilateral isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis were treated with posterior lumbar interbody fusion. There were 12 males and 5 females, with an age ranged 48-69 years (mean, 55.4 years). The disease duration ranged from 11 months to 17 years (median, 22 months). According to the Meyerding classification, 30 vertebrea were rated as degree I, 3 as degree II, and 1 as degree III. L4,5 was involved in 14 cases and L3,4 in 3 cases. The preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 8.6 ± 3.2. RESULTS: Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 2 cases because of intraoperative dural tear; primary healing of incision was obtained, with no operation related complication in the other patients. The patients were followed up 1-6 years (mean, 3.4 years). At last follow-up, VAS score was decreased significantly to 1.1 ± 0.4, showing significant difference when compared with preoperative score (t=7.652, P=0.008). X-ray films showed that slippage vertebral body obtained different degree of reduction, with a complete reduction rate of 85% (29/34) at 1 week after operation. All patients achieved bony union at 6-12 months (mean, 7.4 months). According to the Lenke classification, 13 cases were rated as grade A and 4 cases as grade B. No internal fixation loosening and fracture were observed during the follow-up. Intervertebral disc height was maintained, no loss of spondylolisthesis reduction was found. CONCLUSION: It can obtain satisfactory clinical result to use spinal canal decompression by posterior approach, and screw fixation for posterior fusion in treatment of double-segmental bilateral isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis. The key points to successful operation include accurate insertion of screw, effective decompression, distraction before reduction, rational use of pulling screws, and interbody fusion.
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Vértebras Lombares/cirurgia , Região Lombossacral/cirurgia , Fusão Vertebral/métodos , Espondilolistese/cirurgia , Idoso , Parafusos Ósseos , Vazamento de Líquido Cefalorraquidiano , Descompressão , Descompressão Cirúrgica/métodos , Feminino , Seguimentos , Fixação Interna de Fraturas/métodos , Fraturas Ósseas , Humanos , Instabilidade Articular , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Sinostose , Resultado do Tratamento , CicatrizaçãoRESUMO
Prolonged use of glucocorticoids (GCs) for the treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases commonly exerts various side-effects, including impairment of skeletal development. However, the effect of GCs on chondrocytes, which play a key role in skeletal development, has been rarely reported. In the present study, autophagy was induced in the ATDC5 chondrocyte cell line following treatment with dexamethasone (Dex) at doses of 1100 µM, and that this effect can be inhibited by RU486, a GC antagonist. Autophagy induced by the highest Dex dose (100 µM) was associated with a reduction in ATDC5 cell viability. We conclude that high doses of GC can reduce ATDC5 chondrocyte cell viability by inducing autophagy.