Safety of percutaneous vertebroplasty for the treatment of metastatic spinal tumors in patients with posterior wall defects.

PURPOSE: To assess the clinical effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of metastatic spinal tumors in patients with posterior wall defect. METHODS: The treated vertebrae bodies were divided into four groups: group A, non-posterior vertebral wall defect; group B, posterior vertebral wall with cribriform defects; group C, posterior vertebral wall with local fragmentation defects; group D, posterior vertebral wall with severe defects. The injected volume of bone cement, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), cement leakage and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: The injected volume of bone cement for group A was significantly higher than posterior wall defect group (including group B, C, and D). No significant differences about the injected volume of bone cement among the posterior wall defect groups. The incidence of bone cement leakage for group A was not significantly different as compared to posterior vertebral wall defect group. However, there were significant differences with respect to the incidence of bone cement leakage among the posterior wall defect groups. In four groups the postoperative VAS pain scores and KPS were statistical different as comparison to the preoperative values. No statistical difference with respect to the VAS pain scores and KPS was observed at any time point between the non-posterior wall defect group and posterior wall defect group. CONCLUSION: PVP can be an effective treatment for metastatic spinal tumors in patients with posterior wall deficiency; however, care should be taken to control the distribution of the bone cement due to the relatively high risk of cement leakage.

Fluvastatin Prevents Lung Adenocarcinoma Bone Metastasis by Triggering Autophagy.

Bone is one of the most preferred sites of metastasis in lung cancer. Currently, bisphosphonates and denosumab are major agents for controlling tumor-associated skeletal-related events (SREs). However, both bisphosphonates and denosumab significantly increase the risk for jaw osteonecrosis. Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors and the most frequently prescribed cholesterol-lowering agents, have been reported to inhibit tumor progression and induce autophagy in cancer cells. However, the effects of statin and role of autophagy by statin on bone metastasis are unknown. In this study, we report that fluvastatin effectively prevented lung adenocarcinoma bone metastasis in a nude mouse model. We further reveal that fluvastatin-induced anti-bone metastatic property was largely dependent on its ability to induce autophagy in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Atg5 or Atg7 deletion, or 3-methyadenine (3-MA) or Bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1) treatment prevented the fluvastatin-induced suppression of bone metastasis. Furthermore, we reveal that fluvastatin stimulation increased the nuclear p53 expression, and fluvastatin-induced autophagy and anti-bone metastatic activity were mostly dependent on p53.

FRET-capable supramolecular polymers based on a BODIPY-bridged pillar[5]arene dimer with BODIPY guests for mimicking the light-harvesting system of natural photosynthesis.

AA/BB-type and A2/B3-type FRET-capable supramolecular polymers based on a BODIPY-bridged pillar[5]arene dimer and two BODIPY derivative guests have been successfully constructed and their application in mimicking the light-harvesting system of natural photosynthesis was studied.