SuperPATH Minimally Invasive Approach to Total Hip Arthroplasty of Femoral Neck Fractures in the Elderly: Preliminary Clinical Results.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and advantages of the SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty in the treatment of femoral neck fractures in the elderly. METHODS: From January 2016 to September 2018, 110 cases of elderly patients with femoral neck fractures were included in the present study. According to the method of operation, the patients were divided into two groups for comparison. There were 55 cases of the SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty and 55 cases with the conventional posterolateral approach to total hip arthroplasty. The operation time, the length of incision, the amount of operative blood loss, the hospitalization time, and the hospitalization cost were compared between the two groups. The position of total hip prosthesis was observed during the follow-up period. All patients were evaluated for the degree of hip joint pain and the function of the hip joint using the visual analog score (VAS) and the Harris score at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the operation. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The operation time was 108.58 ± 15.87 min in the SuperPATH group and 102.51 ± 19.61 min in the conventional group. The length of incision was 6.65 ± 1.53 cm in the SuperPATH group and 17.08 ± 1.40 cm in the conventional group. The amount of operative blood loss was 147.51 ± 28.84 mL in the SuperPATH group and 170.22 ± 25.34 mL in the conventional group. The hospitalization time was 10.05 ± 2.52 days in the SuperPATH group and 13.36 ± 3.39 days in the conventional group. The hospitalization cost was 6871.78 ± 141.63 dollars in the SuperPATH group and 7791.09 ± 184.88 dollars in the conventional group. Compared with the conventional group, the SuperPATH group had shorter incision length, less blood loss, shorter hospitalization time, and lower hospitalization cost. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the two groups, there were no complications such as infection, lower extremity venous thrombosis, prosthesis loosening, periprosthetic fracture, and dislocation during the follow-up period. The VAS score was 4.45 ± 0.94 in the SuperPATH group and 4.89 ± 0.79 in the conventional group at 1 week after the operation. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The Harris score was 75.36 ± 3.36 and 80.25 ± 3.09 in the SuperPATH group and 68.80 ± 3.25 and 77.35 ± 3.77 in the conventional group at 1 week and 1 month after the operation, respectively. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the analysis of the operation time, the VAS score at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the operation, and the Harris score at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty is an ideal method for the treatment of femoral neck fractures in the elderly. This method has the advantages of the relatively simple operation, short incision, less blood loss, and less trauma. The patients had short hospitalization times, low hospitalization costs, and good recovery of hip joint function.

Research on the treatment of biologically treated landfill leachate by joint electrochemical system.

Biologically treated landfill leachate (BTLL) is typically characterized by significantly high amount of total nitrogen (TN) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), and it has low biodegradability. In this study, a joint electrochemical system (JES) composed of iron anode reactor (IAR) and Ti/RuO2 anode reactor (TAR) was constructed to remove both TN and COD from BTLL and improve its biodegradability. The IAR and TAR with the same structure but using different anodes. As a result, JES could simultaneously remove COD and TN by 90.9 ±â€¯0.3% and 90.2 ±â€¯1.0%, respectively. Reduction of nitrite-N by Cu/Zn cathode in IAR and oxidation of ammonium-N by active chlorine in TAR were the major pathways for TN removal, while the COD could be removed by coagulation of iron flocs and oxidation by hydroxyl radicals and active chlorine. Fluorescence spectrum and parallel factor analysis showed that the main components of organics in BTLL were humic-like substances, fulvic-like substances, and soluble microbial degradation products. Humic-like substances were particularly removed by JES, and the remaining organics after electrolysis were some alkanes (e.g., heptane and nonane). Furthermore, decrease in molecular weight and aromaticity and increase in biodegradable substances indicated that the biodegradability of BTLL was effectively improved by the JES. The developed JES is a promising approach for application in the BTLL treatment.

Cisplatin-stitched α-poly(glutamatic acid) nanoconjugate for enhanced safety and effective tumor inhibition.

Conjugation of cisplatin to macromolecular carriers has been extensively studied for reducing systemic side effects. Here, a cisplatin-stitched α-poly(glutamatic acid) nanoconjugate with reduced adverse reactions and effective anti-tumor efficacy was synthesized via ionic interaction between platinum ion of cisplatin with carboxylic groups of α-poly(glutamatic acid). The nanoconjugate exhibited good water solubility, suitable size and polydispersity, almost spherical morphologies, and a sustained release profile without burst release. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell apoptosis assays performed in MCF-7 cells showed significantly decreased cytotoxicity of nanoconjugate compared with free cisplatin, and larger ratio of early apoptosis than late apoptosis. Quantitative cellular uptake assay also supported that conjugation of cisplatin to α-poly(glutamatic acid) reduced its cytotoxicity. Further studies revealed that the unique space structure of nanoconjugate acted as a shield for cisplatin against GSH detoxification under physiological conditions. In vivo studies regarding maximum tolerated dose, hematological parameters evaluation and histopathology assay demonstrated the superior safety of nanoconjugates. Furthermore, the nanoconjugates also achieved comparable antitumor efficacy with no apparent weight loss and death at a high equivalent cisplatin dose of 25 mg/kg. Moreover, the survival rate of mice treated with nanoconjugate was greatly larger than that of free cisplatin. These findings suggest that the cisplatin-stitched α-poly(glutamatic acid) nanoconjugate may hold great potential in clinical application for cancer therapy.