Correlation between the Coaptation and Regeneration of Tendon Stumps in Endoscopic Assisted Achilles Tendon Rupture Repair.

OBJECTIVE: When the endoscopic Achilles tendon repair technique is utilized, direct stitching of the ruptured site is challenging due to the frayed tendon stumps. To explore whether undesirable coaptation of the tendon stumps influences the generation of the tendons. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of 46 patients who underwent a modified endoscopic Achilles tendon rupture repair from October 2018 to June 2020. Patients were divided into two groups according to the coaptation of tendon stumps on postoperative ultrasonography. Group 1 included 17 cases with undesirable coaptation (<50%), and Group 2 included 29 cases with appropriate coaptation (≥50%). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained postoperatively at 3, 6, and 12 months to evaluate the tendon morphological construction. Clinical evaluations were performed using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hind foot score, the Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS), muscle power, and the Achilles tendon resting angle at the final follow-up. Complications were also encountered. The Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used to assess differences among both groups. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 37.5 ± 10.6 months in Group 1 and 39.0 ± 11.6 months in Group 2, respectively. The average age in Group 1 is slightly older than in Group 2 (37.3 ± 6.1 vs. 32.7 ± 6.3, p = 0.021). The tendon cross-section areas and thickness increased initially and decreased later on postoperative MRI evaluation. It also showed a significantly higher signal/noise quotient (SNQ) in Group 1 at postoperative 3 months. At postoperative 6 and 12 months, the SNQ between both groups was similar. The AOFAS score (95.9 ± 5.1 vs. 96.2 ± 4.9, p = 0.832), ATRS score (97.0 ± 3.6 vs. 97.7 ± 3.3, p = 0.527), and muscle power (21.38 vs. 24.74, p = 0.287) were not significantly different between both groups. However, the resting angle of Group 1 was significantly larger than that of Group 2 (4.6 ± 2.4 vs. 2.4 ± 2.3, p = 0.004). There was no difference in the complications (p = 0.628). CONCLUSION: Although complete regeneration can be finally achieved, the early stage of tendon stump regeneration can be prolonged due to undesirable coaptation when endoscopic Achilles tendon repair technique is applied. The prolonged high signal duration on MRI indicates the less-than-ideal regeneration of the tendon, which might lead to elongation of the tendon.

Melatonin treatment delays ripening in mangoes associated with maintaining the membrane integrity of fruit exocarp during postharvest.

The effects of exogenous melatonin on postharvest ripening of mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Keitt) were investigated after the fruit were dipped in 0 (as the control), 100, or 200 µM melatonin solution for 30 min, and then stored at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C). The results showed that melatonin treatments could delay the ripening process as indicated by inhibition to softening, respiration, color change and chlorophyll degradation in fruit during storage. Notably, 200 µM melatonin treatment delayed the degradation of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylinositol (PI), and the accumulation of phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidic acid (PA) in membrane phospholipids, inhibited the decrease in unsaturated fatty acids (IUFA) index and also decreased the contents of H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the exocarp of the fruit, which might collectively contribute to the integrity of the membrane associated with the delay in the ripening process of mango fruit during postharvest.

Effect of benzothiadiazole treatment on quality and anthocyanin biosynthesis in plum fruit during storage at ambient temperature.

BACKGROUND: Plums tend to experience a reduction in fruit quality due to ripening and they deteriorate quickly during storage at room temperature. Benzothiadiazole (BTH) is a plant elicitor capable of inducing disease resistance in many crops. In this study, the effect of BTH treatment on fruit ripening, fruit quality, and anthocyanin biosynthesis in 'Taoxingli' plum was investigated. RESULTS: The results showed that BTH treatment could accelerate fruit ripening without affecting the incidence of fruit decay or the shelf life. Benzothiadiazole treatment improved the quality and consumer acceptability of 'Taoxingli' plums during storage by increasing the sweetness, red color formation, and the concentration of healthy antioxidant compounds. The BTH treatment could also effectively promote the biosynthesis of anthocyanin by enhancing the enzyme activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), and uridine diphosphate flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT) and up-regulating the gene expressions of PsPAL, PsCHI, PsDFR, PsANS, and PsUFGT during storage. CONCLUSION: Benzothiadiazole treatment could be a potential postharvest technology for improving fruit quality and consumer acceptability in harvested plum fruit. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.