The Effectiveness of Medial Femoral Epicondyle Up-Sliding Osteotomy to Correct Severe Valgus Deformity in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: While many surgical techniques can achieve neutral limb alignment and soft tissue balance in severe valgus deformity during total knee arthroplasty (TKA), few published reports concern medial femoral epicondyle up-sliding osteotomy. METHODS: A prospective investigation was conducted of patients with severe valgus deformities who underwent medial femoral epicondyle up-sliding osteotomy. Clinical measurements, radiological evaluation, and complication data were recorded. RESULTS: Using posterior-stabilized prostheses, 26 patients underwent 28 TKAs performed by the same surgeon using medial femoral epicondyle up-sliding osteotomy to balance the soft tissue. On average, the follow-up was 54 ± 18 months, and the patient age was 63 ± 11 years. All knees were type II according to Krackow's classification. Varus-valgus knee motion was prohibited with the protection of long-leg knee brace for 3 months. At the last follow-up, the Knee Society function score, Hospital for Special Surgery knee-rating scale, and range of motion were 94 ± 6, 91 ± 4, and 116° ± 8°, respectively. All knees were stable laterally, whereas 2 knees had mild medial laxity and the others were stable. The hip-knee-ankle angle, femorotibial angle, condylar-hip angle, plateau-ankle angle, and valgus angle were 179.9° ± 3.4°, 172.9° ± 3.6°, 89.8° ± 2.5°, 90.2° ± 1.1°, and 7.3° ± 3.5°, respectively. CONCLUSION: Medial femoral epicondyle up-sliding osteotomy during TKA in patients with severe valgus deformities facilitates the restoration of lower limb alignment, soft tissue balance, and knee stability.

[Light and temperature and their effects on photosynthesis characteristics of stereoscopic cultivation in Panax notoginseng].

Light intensity, gas temperature, soil temperature and gas exchange parameters were determined of three years old Panax notoginseng planted on different layers seedbed and different location (left, middle, right) of the same layer in greenhouse. Result show that diurnal variation of light intensity, gas temperature and soil temperature showed that upper layer > middle layer > lower layer; different locations of the same layer showed that light intensity of upper layer was not different among different locations; light intensity of middle and lower layer in right and left were the same, and significantly higher than those in the middle position; the gas temperature of each layer all with less different of each location; soil temperature of 12 cm depth is the lowest, and was gradually increased to the upper and lower surface; net photosynthetic efficiency of P. notoginseng showed that upper layer > middle layer > lower layer; there were significant correlation between soil temperature, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration and photosynthetic rate were correlated with light intensity significantly; transpiration rates had notable correlation with light intensity and gas temperature. All above indicated that net photosynthesis rate of P. notoginseng was affected by light intensity directly, gas temperature and soil temperature indirectly. Inconclusion, stereoscopic cultivation of P. notoginseng was practicable in present study. The planting quality of P. notoginseng under stereoscopic cultivation could be improved by ameliorate the structure of seedbed to enhance the light intensity of middle and lower layer. Increase the thickness of the seedbed to decrease the temperature difference of soil. Further the management of ventilation facilities of greenhouse to control the gas temperature.

[Cloning and expression analysis of pathogenesis-related protein 1 gene of Panax notoginseng].

By reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), an open reading frame of pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1) was isolated from Panax notoginseng and named as PnPR1. Molecular and bioinformatic analyses of PnPR1 revealed that an open reading frame of 501 bp was predicted to encode a 166-amino acid protein with a deduced molecular mass of 18.1 kD. Homology analysis showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of PR1 protein of Panax notoginseng had a high similarity with other higher plants had the same conservative structure domain of cysteine-rich secretory protein (CAP). The recombinant expressed plasmid pET28a(+)-PnPR1 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The expression conditions were optimized by induction at different times, different temperatures, different IPTG concentrations and different giving times. The optimum expression condition was 0.4 mmol.L-1 IPTG at 28 degrees C for 20 h. The successful expression of PnPR1 provides some basis for protein purification and preparation of the monoclonal antibody.

[Optimization of expression and purification of recombinant Salvia miltiorrhiza WRKY1 protein in Escherichia coli].

WRKY transcription factor is one of the Zinc finger proteins which contains a highly conserved WRKY domain and is a family of the plant-specific transcription factor. The plasmid pET28a-SmWRKY1 harboring Salvia miltiorrhiza WRKY1 (SmWRKY1) gene was successfully transformed and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The conditions on protein expression of SmWRKY1 in E. coli, including induction duration, temperature, IPTG concentration and the E. coli concentration were optimized. The results showed that the highest protein expression of SmWRKY1 was obtained at 24 hours after the E. coli was cultured in the presence of 0.2 mol x L(-1) IPTG at 20 degrees C with A600 values of 1.0-1.5. This recombinant histidine-tagged protein was expressed at 2.454 g x L(-1) as inclusion body, which was first extracted using urea, and then purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography and identified by SDS-PAGE. The expression of SmWRKY1 in E. coli was further confirmed by western blotting analysis.