CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the abdominal-B homeotic gene in the global pest, fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda).

The Homeotic complex (Hox) genes play a crucial role in determining segment identity and appendage morphology in bilaterian animals along the antero-posterior axis. Recent studies have expanded to agricultural pests such as fall armyworm (FAW), scientifically known as Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which significantly threatens global agricultural productivity. However, the specific role of the hox gene Sfabd-B in FAW remains unexplored. This research investigates the spatial and temporal expression patterns of Sfabd-B in various tissues at different developmental stages using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Additionally, we explored the potential function of the Sfabd-B gene located in the FAW genome using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The larval mutant phenotypes can be classified into three subgroups as compared with wild-type individuals, that is, an excess of pedis in the posterior abdomen, deficient pedis due to segmental fusion and deviations in the posterior abdominal segments. Importantly, significant differences in mutant phenotypes between male and female individuals were also evident during the pupal and adult phases. Notably, both the decapentaplegic (dpp) and cuticular protein 12 (cp 12) genes displayed a substantial marked decrease in expression levels in the copulatory organ of male mutants and the ovipositor of female mutants compared with the wild type. These findings highlight the importance of Sfabd-B in genital tract patterning, providing a potential target for improving genetic control.

Utility of Advanced DWI in the Detection of Spinal Cord Microstructural Alterations and Assessment of Neurologic Function in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Patients.

BACKGROUND: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can quantify the microstructural changes in the spinal cord. It might be a substitute for T2 increased signal intensity (ISI) for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) evaluation and prognosis. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between DWI metrics and neurologic function of patients with CSM. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Forty-eight patients with CSM (18.8% females) and 36 healthy controls (HCs, 25.0% females). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T; spin-echo echo-planar imaging-DWI; turbo spin-echo T1/T2; multi-echo gradient echo T2*. ASSESSMENT: For patients, conventional MRI indicators (presence and grades of T2 ISI), DWI indicators (neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging [NODDI]-derived isotropic volume fraction [ISOVF], intracellular volume fraction, and orientation dispersion index [ODI], diffusion tensor imaging [DTI]-derived fractional anisotropy [FA] and mean diffusivity [MD], and diffusion kurtosis imaging [DKI]-derived FA, MD, and mean kurtosis), clinical conditions, and modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) were recorded before the surgery. Neurologic function improvement was measured by the 3-month follow-up recovery rate (RR). For HCs, DWI, and mJOA were measured as baseline comparison. STATISTICAL TESTS: Continuous (categorical) variables were compared between patients and HCs using Student's t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests (chi-square or Fisher exact tests). The relationships between DWI metrics/conventional MRI findings, and the pre-operative mJOA/RR were assessed using correlation and multivariate analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among patients, grades of T2 ISI were not correlated with pre-surgical mJOA/RR (P = 0.717  and 0.175, respectively). NODDI ODI correlated with pre-operative mJOA (r = -0.31). DTI FA, DKI FA, and NODDI ISOVF were correlated with the recovery rate (r = 0.31, 0.41, and -0.34, respectively). In multivariate analysis, NODDI ODI (DTI FA, DKI FA, NODDI ISOVF) significantly contributed to the pre-operative mJOA (RR) after adjusting for age. DATA CONCLUSION: DTI FA, DKI FA, and NODDI ISOVF are predictors for prognosis in patients with CSM. NODDI ODI can be used to evaluate CSM severity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 5.

Predicting postoperative recovery in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: construction and interpretation of T2*-weighted radiomic-based extra trees models.

OBJECTIVES: Conventional MRI may not be ideal for predicting cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) prognosis. In this study, we used radiomics in predicting postoperative recovery in CSM. We aimed to develop and validate radiomic feature-based extra trees models. METHODS: There were 151 patients with CSM who underwent preoperative T2-/ T2*-weighted imaging (WI) and surgery. They were divided into good/poor outcome groups based on the recovery rate. Datasets from multiple scanners were randomised into training and internal validation sets, while the dataset from an independent scanner was used for external validation. Radiomic features were extracted from the transverse spinal cord at the maximum compressed level. Threshold selection algorithm, collinearity removal, and tree-based feature selection were applied sequentially in the training set to obtain the optimal radiomic features. The classification of intramedullary increased signal on T2/T2*WI and compression ratio of the spinal cord on T2*WI were selected as the conventional MRI features. Clinical features were age, preoperative mJOA, and symptom duration. Four models were constructed: radiological, radiomic, clinical-radiological, and clinical-radiomic. An AUC significantly > 0.5 was considered meaningful predictive performance based on the DeLong test. The mean decrease in impurity was used to measure feature importance. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: On internal and external validations, AUCs of the radiomic and clinical-radiomic models, and radiological and clinical-radiological models ranged from 0.71 to 0.81 (significantly > 0.5) and 0.40 to 0.55, respectively. Wavelet-LL first-order variance was the most important feature in the radiomic model. CONCLUSION: Radiomic features, especially wavelet-LL first-order variance, contribute to meaningful predictive models for CSM prognosis. KEY POINTS: • Conventional MRI features may not be ideal in predicting prognosis. • Radiomics provides greater predictive efficiency in the recovery from cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Usefulness of a combined approach of DIERS Formetric 4D® and QUINTIC gait analysis system to evaluate the clinical effects of different spinal diseases on spinal-pelvic-lower limb motor function.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the alterations in body movement and their compensatory characteristics under different spinal diseases through an objective and quantitative analysis of the spinal-pelvic-lower limb motor function. METHODS: A total of 120 subjects were recruited from October 2016 to April 2017. The patients were classified into 2 groups in which 65 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and 25 patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS). The former group was evaluated with JOA score while those in the IS group underwent Lenke classification. A control group was set up with 30 healthy subjects. All the subjects were instructed to walk at a constant speed for one minute on a treadmill, and their spinal-pelvic-lower limb motions were monitored simultaneously with a DIERS Formetric 4D® grating system and a QUINTIC gait analysis system. RESULTS: The rotation angle of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in IS group were larger than those in the control group (P < 0.05), and the knee joint angle A in the CSM group and IS group were larger than the control group (P < 0.05). In the CSM group, the knee joint angular velocity and angular acceleration were both greater than the control group (P < 0.05). And there was a negative linear correlation between the JOA score for the lower extremity of CSM patients and their knee joint angular acceleration. CONCLUSION: IS patients tend to demonstrate increased swing amplitude of the trunk. Those with CSM will also have larger knee joint angular velocity and angular acceleration.

The Bond-Energy Method in Site Occupancy and Property of Eu3+ Doped in SrAl2B2O7 Phosphors.

The SrAl2B2O7:1%Eu3+ phosphors were obtained by solid-state reaction. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra are characterized the property of samples, and under the excitation of 394 nm, the sharp emission lines of SrAl2B2O7:1%Eu3+ can be assigned to Judd-Ofelt transitions (5D0-7FJ) of Eu3+, which are 5D0-7F1, 5D0-7F2, 5D0-7F3, and 5D0-7F4. The bond energy method is used to determine the site occupancy, and the occupancy of Eu3+ can be determined by comparing the deviation of its bond energy in different locations at Sr2+, Al3+ and B3+ sites. Theoretical calculation result indicates that Eu3+ would preferentially occupy the smaller energy variation sites Sr2+.

The Bond-Energy Method in Site Occupancy and Property of High Concentration Eu3+ in Sr2CeO4 Phosphors.

The low concentration of Eu3+ doped Sr2CeO4 phosphors has been widely studied in recent years and in this paper, we researched the properties of high concentration Eu3+ doped in Sr2CeO4. The Sr2Ce(1-x)Eu4-x/2 (x = 0, 1%, 10%, 20%) phosphors were obtained by traditional solid-state reaction. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra are characterized the property of samples. PL spectra illustrate that the concentration of Eu3+ increased, the intensity of 5D0-7F1, 5D0-7F2 increased and intensity of Sr2CeO4 host emission intensity was decreased. The phenomenon can be ascribed to the energy transfer from Ce4+ to Eu3+. When the concentration of Eu3+ is 20%, the completely red emission can be obtained even if no other ions are doped under the excitation wavelength of 350 nm, it is proved that Eu3+ occupied Ce sites rather than Sr site in Sr2CeO4 samples. The conclusion we make is due to the value of |ΔEEuCe-O| and |ΔEEuSr-O| calculated by bond-energy method, the smaller the value, the easier it is for the doped ions Eu3+ to enter the site.

Percutaneous albumin/doxycycline injection versus open surgery for aneurysmal bone cysts in the mobile spine.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to validate the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous doxycycline/albumin injection for spinal aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) as an alternative to open surgery. METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2016, 25 patients who had no/minor neurological deficits (modified Frankel scale D or E) and acceptable local stability (spinal instability neoplastic score < 12) were included in the study, of whom 14 were treated with percutaneous doxycycline/albumin injection (injection group) and 11 were treated with open surgery (surgery group). The demographic and clinical information of the injection and surgery groups were recorded and compared. RESULTS: In the injection group, lesion size was significantly reduced in all 14 patients, all patients showed complete neurological recovery, and 13 patients had complete relief of neck pain; their mean visual analogue scale (VAS) decreased from 3.4 to 0.5. No complication or recurrence was observed during the mean 30.7-month follow-up (range, 24-50 months). In the surgery group, 9 patients had complete neurological recovery and 2 patients had residual slight paresthesia; their mean VAS decreased from 3.4 to 0.5. Two had local recurrence during their follow-up at 66.5 months (range, 50-96 months). Compared with the surgery group, the injection group showed no significant difference in the rate of recurrence (P = 0.14) and complication (P = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous doxycycline/albumin injection for spinal ABCs can be safely and effectively performed in well-selected cases. It could serve as an alternative treatment, especially for spinal ABCs lesions with acceptable local stability and in patients without severe neurological deficits. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Trace Elements in the Feathers of Waterfowl from Nanhaizi Wetland, Baotou, China.

The trace element concentrations (Cr, Ni, Pb, Hg, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) of feathers from Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), Gadwall (Anas strepera), and Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) from Nanhaizi Wetland, China were measured. (1) There were significant differences in the concentrations of the Cr, Ni, and Pb among the waterfowl species. The concentrations of Cr and Ni in Gadwall feathers and Pb in Green-winged Teal feathers were higher than the concentrations of Cr, Ni and Pb in Ferruginous duck. (2) The Pb concentrations in the feathers of four Green-winged Teals and one Ferruginous duck, Cr concentrations in the feathers of Gadwalls (geomean 5.33 µg g-1 dry weight) and Green-winged Teals (geomean 4.55 µg g-1 dry weight) exceeded the thresholds at which they pose a threat to bird health (i.e., Pb > 4 µg g-1, Cr > 2.8 µg g-1). (3) The Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn concentrations of feathers were within the normal ranges reported for most waterfowl.

[Experts consensus statement on Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao in clinical practice].

Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao is a Tibetan traditional prescription,which has the functions of promoting blood circulation,relieving swelling and relieving pain. It has been widely used in various clinical departments such as orthopedics department,rheumatology department,pain management department,and rehabilitation department to treat all types of acute and chronic skeletal muscle pain. However,duet to the lack of detailed description of the specific use of various diseases in its manual,and in the published guidelines,monographs,and clinical reports,the introduction of the dominant clinical disease,usage,treatment,safety,etc. of Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao is not detailed. Therefore,this experts consensus statement has been prepared based on the research and analysis of clinicians and patients,evidence-based medical research and evaluation,combined with the experience of clinical experts. The experts consensus statement regulates usage,dosage,combination,safety,etc. in the treatment of acute and chronic contusion( soft tissue injury),osteoarthritis,low back pain,frozen shoulder,cervical spondylosis postoperative recovery pain and other pain relief and other skeletal muscle system diseases to provide evidence and reference for the rational and safety using of Cheezheng Xiaotong Tiegao.

Intraosseous schwannoma of the mobile spine: a report of twenty cases.

PURPOSE: To clarify the clinical features, surgical strategies, and outcomes of intraosseous schwannoma (IOS) of the mobile spine. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients with primary benign spinal schwannoma who underwent surgery in our orthopedic department. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients with primary benign schwannoma located in the mobile spine underwent surgery in our orthopedic department from 2005 to 2015. Twenty-five patients presented with aggressive features. Twenty patients were regularly followed up, twelve with lesions in the cervical spine, six with lesions in the thoracic region, and two with lesions in the lumbar spine. Preoperative CT-guided biopsy was performed in fourteen cases; the accuracy of diagnosis was 100%, and IOS is not histologically different from conventional schwannoma. The computed tomography (CT) scan revealed expansile and osteolytic bone destruction in all these cases, with six patients having pathological fracture. On T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, the lobulated schwannomas showed heterogeneous signal intensity and significant heterogeneous enhancement on post-contrast images. Gross total resection was performed in seventeen patients and subtotal resection in three. Tumor-involved nerve roots resection were documented to decrease local recurrence in fourteen cases. The visual analog scale score decreased from 5.66 ± 1.79 preoperatively to 1.16 ± 1.77 at the final follow-up. No local recurrence was noticed at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: CT-guided biopsy is effective for the preoperative diagnosis of spinal IOS. Total resection is the optimal treatment for IOS, whereas subtotal resection could be an alternative choice for high-risk cases. These slides can be retrieved under electronic supplementary material.

How does the sagittal spinal balance of the scoliotic population deviate from the asymptomatic population?

BACKGROUND: Previously, the sagittal spinal balance in both asymptomatic and scoliotic Caucasian people has been characterized and compared. Very recently, the sagittal spino-pelvic parameters among asymptomatic Chinese adults have been studied, and the results were compared with Caucasian adults, indicating that a difference did exist. Unfortunately, the distribution of sagittal standing posture patterns among the Chinese population has not been characterized in either asymptomatic or scoliotic groups. METHODS: We conducted a radiographic comparison study to define the deviation of sagittal balance in scoliotic patients from that of an asymptomatic population. A total of 126 asymptomatic and 117 idiopathic scoliotic (IS) young adults were recruited. Radiographic data from each subject were reviewed, and sagittal spinopelvic parameters were measured. The Roussouly type was then determined, as well as the relative position of the C7 plumbline with respect to the sacrum and hip axis. Comparison analyses were undertaken between the two different groups. RESULTS: The IS group had a larger pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt and sacral slope, but a smaller spinal tilt than the asymptomatic group (P < 0.05), while other sagittal parameters were similar. The distribution of Roussouly types was similar between the asymptomatic and IS groups, of which 49.2% and 45.3% belonged to Roussouly Type 3, respectively. Asymptomatic males and females had a similar distribution, which was different between the two genders in the IS group (P < 0.05), with more females possessing a neutral sagittal standing posture. In addition, more IS subjects had forward displacement of the C7 plumbline than asymptomatic ones (P < 0.05), while there was no difference between the two genders in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Although sagittal pelvic parameters were greater in the IS population, their sagittal spinal balance was maintained and there was no sagittal standing posture pattern correlated with IS. The occurrence of anterior displacement of the C7 plumbline was more common in IS patients than asymptomatic adults, but did not appear to be correlated with gender in both populations.

[Macrophages depletion impairs skeletal muscle regeneration by regulating inflammation and oxidative stress levels].

The objective of this study was to explore the roles of macrophages in the regeneration of injured skeletal muscle and the mechanisms involved. Mice were randomly divided into the following groups: muscle contusion (S), muscle contusion control (SCon), macrophages depleted (T) and macrophages depleted control (TCon) groups. Muscle contusion model was created by high-energy blunt injury. Macrophages depletion model was constructed by injection of clodronate-liposomes. Their gastrocnemius muscles were harvested at the time points of 1, 3, 7 and 14 d post-injury. The changes in skeletal muscle morphology were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Masson's trichrome staining. The mRNA and protein levels of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress factors were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RCR) and Western blotting, respectively. HE staining results showed that a small amount of regenerating myofibers were observed in the S group (14 d post-injury), whereas a large number of regenerating muscle fibers were observed in the T group. Quantitative analyses showed that the sizes of regenerating myofibers were significantly smaller in the T group as compared with the S group at 14 d post-injury (P < 0.05). At the same time, Masson staining results showed that macrophage depletion significantly increased the area of fibrosis as compared with the S group at 14 d post-injury (P < 0.01). The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and oxidative stress factors were increased significantly after muscle injury. Moreover, macrophage depletion increased the expressions of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress factors as compared with the S group during the later stage of injury (7-14 d post-injury). These results suggest that macrophages depletion can aggravate fibrosis and impair muscle regeneration, and inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and oxidative stress factors may be involved in this process.

Genome-Wide Association Study of MKI67 Expression and its Clinical Implications in HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Southern China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high rate of recurrence. Immunohistochemical analysis of the marker of proliferation Ki-67 (MKI67) is used to assess proliferation activity of HCC The regulation of MKI67 expression remains unclear in HCC This study aims to explore the association between MKI67 expression and gene variants. METHODS: A total of 195 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients were genotyped using Illumina HumanExome BeadChip-12-1_A (242,901 markers). An independent cohort (97 subjects) validated the association of polymorphism determinants and candidate genes with MKI67 expression. The relationships between MKI67 with p53 and variants of candidate genes in the clinical outcomes of HCC patients were analyzed. RESULTS: We found that MKI67 combined with p53 was associated with a 3-year recurrence-free survival and five variants near TTN and CCDC8 were associated with MKI67 expression. TTN harboring rs2288563-TT and rs2562832-AA+CA indicated a favorable outcome for HCC patients. CONCLUSION: Variants near TTN and CCDC8 were associated with MKI67 expression, and rs2288563 and rs2562832 in TTN are potential biomarkers for the prediction of clinical outcomes in HBV-related HCC patients.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for spinal osteoid osteoma and osteoblastoma.

PURPOSES: We sought to verify the efficacy and safety of RFA in spinal OO and osteoblastomas (OB) (Enneking Stage 2, S2). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients treated in our hospital. Surgical resection was indicated for Enneking Stage 3 OB. RFA indications for spinal OO and OB (S2) were no neurological deficits, complete bone cortex around the lesion on computed tomography (CT), and cerebrospinal fluid between a lesion and the spinal cord/nerve root on magnetic resonance imaging. Abundant cerebrospinal fluid (more than 1.0 mm) between the lesion and nerve root/spinal cord was preferred to prevent neurological damage by heat. Otherwise, surgery was recommended. The minimum follow-up was 24 months. RESULTS: Ten patients were treated with CT-guided percutaneous RFA, including three with OB and seven with OO. No patients had neurological deficits or scoliosis. In OO patients, the average visual analog scale (VAS) scores were 7.6/10 (range 6-10) before RFA. In OB cases, the VAS scores were 8, 7, and 9 before RFA. Nine patients had a one-stage biopsy and then RFA, and one patient had a two-stage procedure (biopsy before RFA). The average RFA time for OO was 10 min (range 4-12). In the three OB cases, the RFA time was 12, 12, and 24 min. The time of the whole produce was 98 min (range 65-130 min). All 10 patients were followed-up. The average follow-up time of OO was 46.6 months (range 24-66). Six patients were free of pain, except one who suffered occasional pain with VAS 2/10. The three OB cases were free of pain at 24, 26, and 26 months. CONCLUSION: CT-guided percutaneous RFA is a safe and effective treatment for spinal OO and S2 OB, especially in lesions with no neurological deficits and intact cortical bone. Cerebrospinal fluid around the lesion is an appropriate indication for percutaneous RFA.

The relationship between changes of cervical sagittal alignment after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and spino-pelvic sagittal alignment under roussouly classification: a four-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is widely used in the treatment of cervical degenerative disease; however, the variation of cervical sagittal alignment changes after ACDF has been rarely explored. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between changes of cervical sagittal alignment after ACDF and spino-pelvic sagittal alignment under Roussouly classification. METHODS: A cohort of 133 Chinese cervical spondylotic patients who received ACDF from 2011 to 2012 was recruited. All patients were categorized with Roussouly Classification. Lateral X-ray images of global spine were obtained, and preoperative and postoperative parameters were measured and analyzed, including C2-C7 angles (C2-C7), C0-C7 angles (C0-C7), external auditory meatus (EAM) tilt, sacral slope (SS), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis (LL), spinal sacral angles (SSA), Superior adjacent inter-vertebral angle (SAIV), inferior adjacent inter-vertebral angle (IAIV) and et al. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for intragroup comparisons preoperatively and at postoperative 48 months. RESULTS: Among the parameters, C2-C7 and C0-C7 showed significant increase, while EAM TK, and IAIV decreased significantly. In type I, EAM and TK decreased significantly, however SS showed a significant increase; in type II, TK showed a significant decrease, but SSA showed a significant increase; in type III, a significant increase of C0-C7 was observed with a significant decrease in EAM, nevertheless, LL, SS and SSA showed significant decreases; and in type IV, C2-C7 showed a significant increase and EAM decreased significantly. The percentage of lordotic alignment in cervical spine increased, which was presenting in type I, III and IV. Nevertheless, the amount of patients with straight cervical alignment increased in type II. CONCLUSION: The backward movement of head occurs is the compensatory mechanism in cervical sagittal alignment modifications after ACDF. The compensatory alteration of spino-pelvic sagittal alignment varied in different Roussouly type.

GPU MrBayes V3.1: MrBayes on Graphics Processing Units for Protein Sequence Data.

We present a modified GPU (graphics processing unit) version of MrBayes, called ta(MC)(3) (GPU MrBayes V3.1), for Bayesian phylogenetic inference on protein data sets. Our main contributions are 1) utilizing 64-bit variables, thereby enabling ta(MC)(3) to process larger data sets than MrBayes; and 2) to use Kahan summation to improve accuracy, convergence rates, and consequently runtime. Versus the current fastest software, we achieve a speedup of up to around 2.5 (and up to around 90 vs. serial MrBayes), and more on multi-GPU hardware. GPU MrBayes V3.1 is available from http://sourceforge.net/projects/mrbayes-gpu/.

Analysis of cervical and global spine alignment under Roussouly sagittal classification in Chinese cervical spondylotic patients and asymptomatic subjects.

PURPOSE: To explore the relationship between cervical spine and the global spine alignment and to postulate the hypotheses that a lordotic alignment of cervical spine is not the only standard to identify asymptomatic subjects, and the degenerative modification of cervical curves depends primarily on their spinal-pelvic alignment. METHODS: A cohort of 120 cases of Chinese asymptomatic subjects and a cohort of 121 cases of Chinese cervical spondylotic patients were recruited prospectively from 2011 to 2012. Roussouly Classification was utilized to categorize all subjects and patients according to their thoracic spine, lumbar spine and pelvic alignment. The cervical alignments were evaluated as lordosis, straight, sigmoid or kyphosis. Through the lateral X-ray images of neutral cervical and global spine, a number of parameters were measured and analyzed, including pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis, global cervical angles (angles between two lines parallel with posterior walls of C2 and C7), practical cervical angles (the addition of different cervical end plate angles from C3 to C7, and inter-vertebral angles from C23 to C67), T1 slope, spinal sacral angles (SSA), Hip to C7/Hip to Sacrum and C0-C2 angle. RESULTS: The percentages of cervical lordosis were 28.3% and 36.4% in asymptomatic and spondylotic group, respectively. The cervical spine alignments correlated with Roussouly types of global spine alignment in both asymptomatic and cervical spondylotic group (P < 0.001). And there were significant differences between Roussouly Type 2 and 4, Type 3 and 4, Type 1 and 3 in cervical angles in spondylotic group (P < 0.05). In the comparison of the two cohorts, significant differences were found in both general and practical cervical angles in Roussouly Type 4 (P = 0.00 and 0.01, respectively), and there were significant differences in inter-vertebral angle in Roussouly Type 2 at C4-5 and C5-6 levels (P = 0.04 and 0.04, respectively), and in Roussouly Type 3 at C6-7 level (P = 0.01). The SSA showed significant difference between Roussouly Type 2 and 4 in asymptomatic subjects (P = 0.00), and between Type 1 and 3, 1 and 4, 2 and 3, 2 and 4 in cervical spondylotic patients (P = 0.01, 0.02, 0.00 and 0.01, respectively). The T1 slope was significantly different among Roussouly types (P = 0.04) with its largest value in Type 1 in cervical spondylotic group. There are significant differences in C0-C2 angles in all Roussouly types (P = 0.01, 0.02, 0.00 and 0.01, respectively), as well as in the ratio of Hip to C7/hip to sacrum in Type 2 (P = 0.01), and Type 3 (P = 0.00) in the comparison of the two cohorts. The multiple linear regression of all parameters showed both general and practical cervical angles were significantly related to TK, C0-C2 and T1 slope (P = 0.01, 0.00 and 0.00, respectively). CONCLUSION: The cervical alignment correlates with their global spine and pelvic curves. And lordosis is not the only presentation in asymptomatic subjects. The degenerative modification of cervical disc angles was the compensation of global spine degeneration for horizontal gaze. Cervical angles are influenced by their TK angles, occipital-C2 joint and the tilt of T1 vertebral body. The occipital-C2 joint has a compensating mechanism in all Roussouly types in cervical spondylosis.

Surgical treatment options for aggressive osteoblastoma in the mobile spine.

PURPOSE: Osteoblastoma (OBL) is a benign bone tumor with considerable recurrence potential. Resection is the mainstay for the treatment of Enneking stage 3 (st. 3) OBL. This retrospective study aimed to verify the appropriate surgical strategy for st. 3 lesions in the mobile spine. METHODS: 19 cases of st. 3 OBL was diagnosed between 2001 and 2011. Clinical, radiological, surgical, and follow-up data were analyzed. This series included 14 men and 5 women and the mean age at diagnosis was 30.4 years. The lesions were located in the cervical spine in ten cases, in the thoracic spine in eight, and in the lumbar spine in one. Fourteen patients were surgically treated for the first time (intact cases), and five were referred to us after previous unsuccessful treatments (non-intact cases). RESULTS: Before 2008, 11 patients underwent curettage followed by radiotherapy, including 5 non-intact cases and 6 intact cases. Tumor recurrence was observed in all five non-intact cases and four of the six intact cases. After 2008, eight intact patients underwent intralesional vertebrectomy, including six who underwent piecemeal total vertebrectomy and two who underwent intralesional en bloc vertebrectomy. All the eight patients had embolization before surgery. 18 patients had an average 67.3 months (range 36-148 months) of follow-up. Recurrence was not observed in any of these eight cases with intralesional vertebrectomy. CONCLUSION: Intralesional total vertebrectomy might be an appropriate choice for intact st. 3 OBL spine lesions. More cases with longer follow-up periods should be recruited in the future to better understand the treatment options available for this disease.

Differential expression of miR-125a-5p and let-7e predicts the progression and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Aberrant expression of various microRNAs (miRNA) has shown diagnostic and prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). qRT-PCR analysis confirmed altered expression of miR-125a-5p, let-7e, miR-30a, miR-30e and miR-30e-3p in 70 paired tissue and serum samples from NSCLC patients. The reduced expression of miR-125a-5p, let-7e and miR-30e was strongly associated with NSCLC dedifferentiation. The lost expression of miR-125a-5p and let-7e was associated with shorter overall survival and let-7e was an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC patients. These five miRNA expressions should be further evaluated as biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis of NSCLC patients.

[Efficacy and survival rate analysis of lung cancer with spinal metastases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy of surgical treatment and the prognosis factors of spinal metastases secondary to lung cancer. METHODS: From April 2005 to April 2012, 35 patients diagnosed as spinal metastases secondary to lung cancer were reviewed retrospectively. All the patients were divided into surgical group and conservative group. Severity of pain, neurological status and quality of life preoperatively and postoperatively were compared; and the relevance between their survival time and radiotherapy, medical therapy (chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy), surgical treatment, quality of life, and neurological status were evaluated. RESULTS: Of all the patients, 28 (80%, 28/35) had been followed up. The surgical group contained 22 cases and the conservative group 6. The severity of pain and quality of life improved significantly in the surgical group. The median of visual analog scale for pain reduced from 7 points to 3 points (z = 4.143, P < 0.05); the median of Karnorfsky performance score increased from 50 points to 60 points (z = 3.825, P < 0.05). For the 13 patients in the surgical group who had neurological deterioration, the improvement of Frankel grade was statistically different (z = 2.530, P < 0.05). The survival analysis indicated that medical therapy had significant association with longer survival (P = 0.001). However, surgery, radiotherapy, neurological status and quality of life had no direct relations with survival time. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment for spinal metastases secondary to lung cancer can effectively relieve the pain, improve the quality of life and neurological status. The survival time is largely influenced by medical therapy.