Advancing treatment strategies for posterior malleolar malunion: The ankle dislocation method.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the radiological and clinical outcomes of treatment using the ankle dislocation method for posterior malleolar malunion. METHOD: Thirty-one patients with posterior malleolar malunion who underwent treatment using the ankle dislocation method from May 2015 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Key outcome measures were radiographic parameters (articular step-off, tibiofibular clear space, fibular length, tibial lateral surface angle, and ankle osteoarthritis), clinical scores (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scale and Visual Analogue Scale), and patient satisfaction rate. RESULT: Preoperative computed tomography revealed that Bartoní cek types 3 and 4 accounted for 64.5 % (n = 20) of total cases. Most posterior malleolar malunions were accompanied by depressed intercalary fragments (61.2 % [n = 19]). At the final follow-up, radiographic parameters and clinical scores showed significant improvements postoperatively (P < 0.05), with a high patient satisfaction rate of 77.4 %. Subgroup analysis revealed that the posterior malleolar fracture morphology significantly affected postoperative pain, particularly in more complex fractures (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The ankle dislocation method effectively exposes the distal tibial articular surface and facilitates the anatomical restoration of joint congruity under direct vision. This approach substantially improves the clinical and imaging outcomes in patients with complex posterior malleolar malunion. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective case series.

N-alkylamides from Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. with potential anti-inflammatory activity.

Six amides, including a new N-alkylamide (1), four known N-alkylamides (2-5) and one nicotinamide (6) were isolated from Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., which is a pioneer herb traditionally utilized in medicine. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR experiments and by comparison of their spectroscopic and physical data with the literature values. Cubebamide (1) is a new cinnamoyltyraminealkylamide and possessed obvious anti-inflammatory activity against NO production with IC50 values of 18.45 µM. Further in-depth pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking were carried out to reveal the binding mode of the active compound inside the 5-LOX enzyme. The results indicate that L. cubeba, and the isolated amides might be useful in the development of lead compounds for the prevention of inflammatory diseases.

Inhibitory effects of Dioscin on atherosclerosis and foam cell formation in hyperlipidemia rats.

Macrophage-derived foam cells are well known for their key role in development of atherosclerosis (AS). The present study aimed to examine whether dioscin exerts anti-atherosclerotic activity and inhibits foam cell formation. A high-fat induced AS model and ox-LDL treated macrophages were established and received treatment of dioscin. Anti-atherosclerotic activity in vivo was assessed by atherosclerotic lesions size and aortic lipid contents. Macrophage formed foam cells were positively identified by oil red o staining. Moreover, the expression of LOX-1 and NF-κB in aorta tissue and macrophages was examined by western blotting assay. Our results showed that dioscin not only reduced the levels of plasma lipid, TNF-a, IL-1ß and IL-6, but also inhibited atherosclerotic development in AS rats, as evidenced by decreased atherosclerotic lesions size and aortic lipid level. In vitro study revealed dioscin directly reduced foam cell formation, decreased intracellular cholesterol accumulation and lowered TNF-a, IL-1ß and IL-6 secretion in ox-LDL treated macrophages. Interestingly, further work found dioscin significantly reduced expression of LOX-1 and NF-κB in the aortic tissue and ox-LDL treated macrophages. In summary, our study was the first to confirm anti-atherosclerotic activity of dioscin in vivo and vitro. Moreover, the other important finding is dioscin mediated ox-LDL/LOX-1/NF-κB regulated contributions to the attenuate macrophage ox-LDL uptake and AS.

Tumor suppressor genes and their underlying interactions in paclitaxel resistance in cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVES: Paclitaxel (PTX) is frequently used in the clinical treatment of solid tumors. But the PTX-resistance is a great obstacle in cancer treatment. Exploration of the mechanisms of drug resistance suggests that tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) play a key role in the response of chemotherapeutic drugs. TSGs, a set of genes that are often inactivated in cancers, can regulate various biological processes. In this study, an overview of the contribution of TSGs to PTX resistance and their underlying relationship in cancers are reported by using GeneMANIA, a web-based tool for gene/protein function prediction. METHODS: Using PubMed online database and Google web site, the terms "paclitaxel resistance" or "taxol resistance" or "drug resistance" or "chemotherapy resistance", and "cancer" or "carcinoma", and "tumor suppressor genes" or "TSGs" or "negative regulated protein" or "antioncogenes" were searched and analyzed. GeneMANIA data base was used to predict gene/protein interactions and functions. RESULTS: We identified 22 TSGs involved in PTX resistance, including BRCA1, TP53, PTEN, APC, CDKN1A, CDKN2A, HIN-1, RASSF1, YAP, ING4, PLK2, FBW7, BLU, LZTS1, REST, FADD, PDCD4, TGFBI, ING1, Bax, PinX1 and hEx. The TSGs were found to have direct and indirect relationships with each other, and thus they could contribute to PTX resistance as a group. The varied expression status and regulation function of the TSGs on cell cycle in different cancers might play an important role in PTX resistance. CONCLUSION: A further understanding of the roles of tumor suppressor genes in drug resistance is an important step to overcome chemotherapy tolerance. Tumor suppressor gene therapy targets the altered genes and signaling pathways and can be a new strategy to reverse chemotherapy resistance.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of HER2 related to osteosarcoma susceptibility.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between single necleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) gene with osteosarcoma susceptibility in Chinese Han population. METHODS: 90 patients with osteosarcoma and 100 healthy controls who were frequency-matched with the former by age and gender were enrolled for a case-control study. 5 SNPs of HER2, namely rs2952155, rs1810132, rs2952156, rs1136201 and rs1058808, were tested by Sequenom time of flight mass spectrometry technique. The linkage disequilibrium and haplotype were analyzed using haploview software. The risk intensity of osteosarcoma was expressed by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) which was calculated by chi-squared text. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was also evaluated by chi-squared text. RESULTS: HER2 gene rs1136201 and rs1058808 polymorphisms were associated with the increased risk of osteosarcoma (P=0.04 and 0.02, respectively). Allele G in rs1136201 was 1.67 higher risk for osteosarcoma in cases than the control group (OR=1.67, 95% CI=1.11-2.51) and G allele of rs1058808 polymorphism also significantly increased osteosarcoma susceptibility (OR=2.06, 95% CI=1.27-3.22). The haplotype analysis showed that haplotype C-T-G-G might be a susceptible haplotype to osteosarcoma (OR=1.74, 95% CI=1.01-3.00). HWE test was eligible in controls (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: HER2 gene rs1136201 and rs1058808 polymorphisms and haplotype C-T-G-G may be related to osteosarcoma susceptibility in Chinese Han population, indicating that the interaction of gene polrmorphism plays an role in osteosarcoma risk.

[Isoflavone accumulation associated with cell structural changes in Maackia amurensis suspension cultures elicited by methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid and nitric oxide].

Comparison between changes in isoflavone accumulation and cell structure in Maackia amurensis suspension cultures elicited by methyl jasmonate (MeJA),salicylic acid (SA) and nitric oxide (NO) was studied. The results suggested that MeJA, SA and NO can all stimulate isoflavone production remarkably. After 9d treatment with 200 micromol/L MeJA,100 micromol/L SA and 50 micromol/L SNP, the isoflavone content was 417.18%, 185.45% and 222.45% of the control, respectively. At the same time, the electron-dense body (EDB) could be easily found in the cells, while its number achieved most after 9 d treatment,and the number of EDB and isoflavone content were positive correlated. It was deduced that elicitors stimulated plant secondary metabolites production associated with changes in cell structure.

[Effects of small interfering RNA specific for Her-2 gene on biological behavior of ovarian carcinoma cell].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for Her-2 gene on biological behavior of ovarian carcinoma cell. METHODS: Her-2 siRNA recombinant plasmid and negative control plasmid were transfected into packing cell line PT67 by liposome, and PT67 was selected by puromycin later. SKOV3 was infected by the virus supernatant of stably transfected PT67 cell lines, and the stably transfected SKOV3 cell lines (SKOV3/siRNA, SKOV3/siRNA-negative) established by selection with puromycin were investigated in terms of the reduction levels of Her-2 mRNA and p185 by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Cell proliferation was assayed with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium, and cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were assayed with flow cytometry. The tumor growth of the null mice was analyzed after injection of SKOV3/siRNA and SKOV3/siRNA-negative into the skin. RESULTS: (1) The stable SKOV3 cell lines with a persistent silence of Her-2 gene were established. (2) The percentages of SKOV3/siRNA in G(0)/G(1) phase and S phase were 68.6%, 15.1% respectively; while the percentages of SKOV3/siRNA-negative in G(0)/G(1) phase and S phase were 55.8%, 23.3%. (3) The percentage of SKOV3/siRNA in early apoptosis was (10.500 +/- 0.250)%, while the percentage of SKOV3/siRNA-negative was (0.340 +/- 0.010)% (P < 0.01). (4) Compared with SKOV3/siRNA-negative, the proliferation of SKOV3/siRNA was delayed obviously (P < 0.05), and the growth of the corresponding implanted tumor slowed down significantly (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: siRNA can inhibit the expression of Her-2 gene effectively, which restrains the biological behavior of ovarian carcinoma cell.