Salvianolic Acid B Suppresses Inflammatory Mediator Levels by Downregulating NF-κB in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND Salvianolic acid B (SB) is a major active phyto-component of the plant Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza, which is traditionally used to treat joint pain and arthritis. The present study examined the anti-rheumatoid arthritis efficacy of SB on collagen-induced rheumatoid arthritis (CIA) in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-eight rats were divided into 4 groups: Control rats treated with saline (Group I), rats subjected to CIA induction by intradermal injection of bovine collagen II type at the tail (Group II), and rats subjected to CIA and supplemented with either 20 or 40 mg/kg of SB for 28 days (group III or IV). RESULTS Paw swelling, edema, arthritis score, thymus and spleen indexes, and neutrophil infiltration were significantly decreased (p<0.01) by treatment with 20 or 40 mg/kg of SB. The levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1ß, -6, and -17, and TNF-α) and anti-collagen II-specific immunoglobulins (IgG1 and IgG2a) were markedly decreased (p<0.01), and those of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GSH) were significantly increased (p<0.01) in SB-treated rats. Administration with SB (20 or 40 mg/kg) resulted in lower phosphorylated IkB-a and NF-κB p65 protein levels and markedly downregulated IκB-a expression. Furthermore, CIA rats revealed the presence of highly diffused polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) infiltration with eroded cartilage; however, these phenomena were considerably ameliorated by SB. CONCLUSIONS SB alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation in CIA rats, thus verifying its anti-rheumatoid arthritis property.

[Effect of Kümmell's disease with kyphosis on spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of Kümmell's disease with kyphosis on the sagittal morphology of the spine-pelvis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 34 patients of Kümmell's disease with kyphosis （Kümmell group） admitted from August 2015 to September 2022, including 10 males and 24 females with an average age of （71.1±8.5） years old. A control group of 37 asymptomatic population aged （69.3±6.7） years old was matched. Spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters were measured on the anterior-posterior and lateral X-rays of the whole spine in the standing position, including segmental kyphosis（SK） or thoracolumbar kyphosis（TLK）, thoracic kyphosis（TK）, lumbar lordosis（LL）, pelvic incidence（PI）, pelvic tilt（PT）, sacral slope（SS）, sagittal vertical axis（SVA）, T1 pelvic angle（TPA） and PI-LL. Vertebral wedge angle（WA） in Kümmell was measured and differences in parameters among groups were analyzed and the relationship between spino-pelvic parameters and WA, SK were also investigated. RESULTS: TK, SK, PT, SVA, TPA and PI-LL in Kümmell group were significantly larger than those in control group （P<0.05）, LL and SS in Kümmell group were significantly decreased than those in control group （P<0.05）, and there was no significant difference in PI between two groups （P>0.05）. In Kümmell group, WA（30.8±5.9）° showed a positive correlation with SK and TK（r=0.366, 0.597, P<0.05）, and SK was significantly correlated with LL and SS（r=0.539, -0.591, P<0.05）. Strong positive correlation between LL and PI, SS, SVA, TPA, PI-LL were also confirmed in patients with Kümmell with kyphosis（r=0.559, 0.741, -0.273, -0.356, -0.882, P<0.05）. CONCLUSION: Patients with Kümmell with kyphosis not only have segmental kyphosis, but also changes the overall spinal-pelvic sagittal parameters, including loss of lumbar lordosis, pelvic retrorotation, trunk forward tilt. The surgical treatment of Kümmell disease should not only pay attention to the recovery of the height of the collapsed vertebra, but also focus on the overall balance of the spine-pelvic sagittal plane for patients with kyphosis.

[Treatment of acetabular fracture involving quadrilateral body by external rectus abdominis incision combined with calcaneal profiled plate internal fixation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effect of lateral rectus abdominis incision combined with winged calcaneal plate on pelvic and acetabular fractures involving quadrilateral body. METHODS: From January 2017 to April 2021, 21 cases of pelvic and acetabular fractures involving quadrilateral bodies were retrospectively analyzed, including 12 males and 9 females. The age ranged from 21 to 73 years with an average of (43.23±6.45) years. All patients were treated by lateral incision of rectus abdominis combined with open reduction and internal fixation with aerofoil plate, including 12 cases of pelvis with anterior and posterior column fractures, 7 cases of acetabular fractures with quadrilateral involvement, and 2 cases of acetabular fractures with central dislocation. RESULTS: All 21 patients were followed up for 12 to 36 months with an average of (18.60±6.45) months. All fractures healed. According to Matta's image reduction evaluation after operation, 11 cases of pelvic anterior and posterior column fractures were all anatomic reduction, 1 case was satisfactory reduction, 7 cases of acetabular fractures involving quadrilateral were anatomic reduction, 1 case with central dislocation was anatomic reduction, and 1 case was satisfactory reduction. The modified Merle D'Aubigne Postel hip joint score was 13 to 17 points. CONCLUSION: Lateral incision approach of rectus abdominis combined with wing-shaped steel plate can obtain good radiological and clinical results in the treatment of complex pelvic and acetabular fractures involving quadrilateral bodies, and has advantages in the treatment of complex pelvic fractures and acetabular quadrilateral fractures.

[Analysis of related risk factors for the refracture of adjacent vertebral body after percutaneous kyphoplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors of vertebral refracture after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoprotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs), and to provide reference for clinical prevention. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 228 OVCFs patients who met the inclusion criteria admitted from November 6, 2013 to December 14, 2018. There were 35 males and 193 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 3∶20, and aged 58 to 91 years with an average of (69.70±7.03) years. All patients were treated with PKP and had complete clinical data. According to whether refracture occurred after operation, they were divided into refracture group (24 cases) and non refracture group (204 cases). Factors that may be related to refracture (including gender, age, surgical segment, number of vertebral bodies in the surgical segment, whether combined with degenerative scoliosis, whether anti-osteoporosis treatment) were included in the univariate analyses, and the single factor analysis of statistically significant risk factors was carried out with multiple Logistic regression analysis to further clarify the independent risk factors for vertebral body refracture after PKP. Survival analysis was performed using the time of vertebral refracture after PKP as the end time of follow up, the occurrence of refracture after PKP as the endpoint event, and the presence or absence of degenerative lateral curvature as a variable factor. RESULTS: All 228 patients were followed up for 1.8 to 63.6 months with an average of (28.8±15.6) months, and the refracture rate was 10.5%(24/228). There were statistically significant differences between two groups in age, number of operative vertebral bodies, whether combinedwith degenerative scoliosis and whether anti osteoporosis treatment (P<0.05). Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the number of vertebral bodies in the surgical segment and whether combined with degenerative scoliosis may be risk factors for refracture after PKP. Multiple Logistic regression analysis of the above possible risk factors showed that combined scoliosis was an independent risk factor for vertebral refracture of the vertebral body. Survival analysis showed that the mean survival time was 42.1 months, the P value was 0.00, and the mean 95% confidence interval was 34.4-49.7 months, indicating that the combination of degenerative lateral bending might be related to the occurrence of refracture. CONCLUSION: Combined scoliosis is an independent risk factor for refracture after OVCFs vertebroplasty, and it is also a possible high-risk factor for refracture after surgery.

[Study on preparation and characterization of resveratrol solid lipid nanoparticles and its anticancer effects in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare resveratrol solid lipid nanoparticles (Res-SLN) and investigate its physical and chemical speciality and anticancer effects in vitro. METHODS: Res-SLN was prepared by the solvent emulsification-evaporation method. Its morphology, particle size and zata potential were examined by transmission electron microscope and laser granularity equipment. Its entrapment efficiency, drug loading, release concentration were determined by HPLC. Its anticancer effect of Res-SLN in vitro were studied by MTT. RESULTS: Res-SLN assumed spherical shape. Its distribution of diameter was even with average particle size of 96. 7 nm, zata potential was--16.3mV, drug loading was (7.95 +/- 0.21)%, entrapment efficiency was (91.34 +/- 0.18)%; Res-SLN could retard drug release in vitro and its cytotoxicity was significantly higher than that of oridonin solution against HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION: Res-SLN has high entrapment efficiency and drug loading, uniform particle size, and can retard drug release in vitro and enhance anticancer effect.

Regulatory effect of neuroglobin in the recovery of spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of neuroglobin in the recovery of spinal cord injury. METHODS: The male albino Wistar strain rats were used as an experimental model, and adeno associated virus (AAV) was administered in the T12 section of spinal cord ten days prior to the injury. Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale was used to determine the recovery of the hind limb during four weeks post-operation. Malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined in the spinal cord tissues. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) assay was carried out to determine the presence of apoptotic cells. Immunofluorescence analysis was carried out to determine the neuroglobin expression. Western blot analysis was carried out to determine the protein expressions of caspase-3, cytochrome c, bax and bcl-2 in the spinal cord tissues. RESULTS: Experimental results showed that rats were recovered from the spinal cord injury due to increased neuroglobin expression. Lipid peroxidation was reduced, whereas catalase and SOD activity were increased in the spinal cord tissues. Apoptosis and lesions were significantly reduced in the spinal cord tissues. Caspase-3, cytochrome c and bax levels were significantly reduced, whereas bcl-2 expression was reduced in the spinal cord tissues. CONCLUSION: Taking all these data together, it is suggested that the increased neuroglobin expression could improve the locomotor function.

A novel revision surgery for treatment of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament after initial posterior surgery: preliminary clinical investigation of anterior controllable antidisplacement and fusion.

BACKGROUND: Cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a progressive disease. Posterior decompression surgery is reported to be an effective and comparatively safe procedure with few complications for treatment of patients with myelopathy caused by OPLL. However, some patients require revision surgery because of late neurological deterioration due to OPLL progression or kyphotic changes in cervical alignment. This study reports preliminary clinical results of anterior controllable antidisplacement and fusion (ACAF), a novel revision surgery after initial posterior surgery for OPLL. METHODS: From January 2017 to June 2018, ten patients with cervical OPLL who underwent ACAF revision surgery after initial posterior surgery were included in this study. The mean age was 62.1 ± 8.0 years (52-78), and the mean interval between initial posterior surgery and revision was 78.0 ± 48.2 months (5-180). The Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scales, Neck Disability Index (NDI), visual analog scale (VAS), and surgical complications were recorded. RESULTS: The mean surgery time was 179.3 ± 41.8 min (120-240), and the mean blood loss was 432.5 ± 198.3 ml (225-850). The patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The JOA scores improved from 8.7 ± 2.8 to 13.4 ± 2.4; the mean improvement rate was 59.9% ± 16.1%. Postoperative NDI and VAS scores were 13.3 ± 3.7 and 2.0 ± 1.6, respectively, and were significantly improved compared to those before the procedure (P < 0.05). Cervical lordosis improved from 3.8 ± 4.3° to 17 ± 4.6° after revision surgery. There was only one instance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage; no instances of postoperative hematoma, C5 root palsy, or hoarseness occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that excellent postoperative outcomes can be achieved with the ACAF technique for revision treatment of OPLL. Though further study is required to confirm the conclusion, this novel technique has the potential to serve as an alternative surgical technique for revision treatment of OPLL.

Pedicle screw placement in patients with variant atlas pedicle.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the anatomy of variant atlas vertebra impacts on the strategy used to place pedicle screws used to treat atlantoaxial instability. METHODS: The study enrolled patients with cervical instability who had a posterior arch pedicle height <3.5 mm at the anchor point, a vertebral artery groove height <3.5 mm, or both. Pedicle screws were fitted according to the anatomy of the variant atlas vertebra. Patients were followed-up to evaluate accuracy of the screw placement and maintenance of cervical stability. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients were enrolled. The mean height of the atlas pedicle proximal section was >5.0 mm. For the vertebral artery groove, the height of the lateral region was significantly greater than that of the medial region. Approximately 60% of atlas vertebrae had lateral heights >3.5 mm (34 of 56). The majority of the posterior arch heights were <3.0 mm. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications observed. CONCLUSIONS: Pedicle screw placement in the lateral pedicle region is the safest and most reliable strategy to treat variant atlas pedicles.

The Efficacy of Bipolar Sealer on Blood Loss in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Meta-Analysis.

The blood loss during total hip arthroplasty is difficult to manage and there is no consensus about the effect of bipolar sealer used during operation. Thus, a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of blood loss using bipolar sealer after total hip arthroplasty (THA).Relevant literature of comparisons of bipolar sealer after THA for blood loss were searched for in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google scholar from their inception to October, 2015. High-quality RCTs were selected to evaluate the need for transfusion, blood loss, and other complications. The software RevMan 5.30 was used for the meta-analysis.Six studies reporting on 6 RCTs comprising 751 patients were included. Compared with standard electrocautery, bipolar sealer was associated with lower rates of need for transfusion (relative risk [RR] = 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39-0.94), estimated blood loss (mean differences [MD] = -127.39; 95% CI -233.32 to -21.46; P = 0.02), and lower total blood loss (MD = -226.57; 95% CI -350.80-102.34; P = 0.0004). There is no significant difference between the hemoglobin drop, blood loss in drainage, intraoperative blood loss, Harris score, and rates of infection.The present meta-analysis indicated that bipolar sealer can decrease the need for transfusion and total blood loss; however, there is no benefit of bipolar sealer from the recovery. It is still need for samples to determine the balance between the economic cost and transfusion.

[Clinical effect of posterior atlanto axial vertebra internal fixation for treatment of instability of occipitocervical].

OBJECTIVE: To explore radiographic results and clinical effects of posterior atlanto axial vertebra internal fixation in treating instability of occipitocervical. METHODS: The clinical data of 155 patients with instability of occipitocervical treated by posterior atlanto axial vertebra internal fixation were respectively analyzed from September 2005 to January 2011. There were 68 males and 87 females, ranging in age from 6 to 75 years old with an average of 45.6 years old. Of them, 53 cases were fresh odontoid fractures(Aderson type II C), 30 cases were os odontoideum, 20 cases were old odontoid fractures, 18 cases were unstable atlas fractures, 12 cases were atlanto axial rotatory dislocation, 11 cases were atlanto axial dislocation after rheumatoid arthritis, and 11 cases were basilar invagination. Radiographic results were evaluated in terms of atlas pedicle screw fixation, bone healing and bone graft fusion. Clinical effect evaluation included relief of pain in the occipital-cervical region by VAS score and JOA score. RESULTS: Totally 300 screws were set through atlas pedicle screw fixation in 150 patients. Five patients receivde hook fixation. Postoperative CT showed ideal nailing were 275 (91.7%),acceptable nailing were 14 (4.7%) and unacceptable nailing were 11 (3.6%). All patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 16 to 40 months with an average of 25.4 months. The fresh fractures healed and 140 cases got bone graft fusion. Preoperative VAS and JOA score were respectively improved from (7.2 +/- 1.1), (7.3 +/- 2.4) to (3.2 +/- 1.1), (13.3 +/- 2.4) at the latest follow-up. CONCLUSION: Posterior atlanto axial vertebra internal fixation in treating instability of occipitocervical can effectively recover physiological curvature of cervical, provide mechanical stability, and obtain good clinical effect. For the young patients who require further activity, posterior fixation and non-fusion technology is a good choose, which can avoid bone graft.

[Arthroscopic treatment of acute patellar dislocation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate therapeutic effects of arthroscopic treatment for acute patellar dislocation. METHODS: From May 2002 to March 2009, 36 patients with acute patellar dislocation were treated with arthroscopy, including taking out of the free cartilage chips, relaxing lateral retinaculum and tight suturing medial retinaculum. Among the patients, 6 patients were males and 30 patients were females, ranging in age from 12 to 30 years (averaged, 20.5 years). Fifteen patients had the dislocations on the left an 21 patients had the dislocations on the right. The development of condyles of femur and Q trianglel were detected by preoperative radiology. The Lysholm criteria system was used to evaluate the clinical effects. RESULTS: All the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 13 to 60 months (averaged, 42 months). All the patients had no complications such as infection, and the knee range of motion recovered to normal without pain. The Lysholm score improved from preoperative (28.9 +/- 2.5) to postoperative (95.1 +/- 8.4). All the patients had no redislocation. CONCLUSION: Acute dislocation of the patella is an potential devastating injury. The arthroscopic treatment for acute patellar dislocation has advantages such as less trauma, faster recovery and more reliable.