[Efficacy of micro steel plate and Kirschner needle oblique and transverse internal fixation of adjacent metacarpal bone in the treatment of metacarpal diaphyseal oblique fracture].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of micro steel plate and Kirschner needle oblique and transverse internal fixation of adjacent metacarpal bone in the treatment of metacarpal diaphyseal oblique fracture. METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with metacarpal diaphyseal oblique fractures admitted between January 2018 and September 2021 were selected as the study subjects and divided into the observation group (29 cases) and the control group (30 cases) based on different internal fixation methods. The observation group was treated with Kirschner wire oblique and transverse internal fixation of adjacent metacarpal bones, while the control group was treated with micro steel plate internal fixation. Postoperative complications, operation time, incision length, fracture healing time, treatment cost, and metacarpophalangeal function were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: No incision or Kirschner wire infections occurred in the 59 patients, except for one in the observation group. No fixation loosening, rupture, or loss of fracture reduction occurred in any of the patients. The operation time and incision length in the observation group were (20.5±4.2) min and (1.6±0.2) cm, respectively, which were significantly shorter than those in the control group (30.8±5.6) min and (4.3±0.8) cm (P<0.05). The treatment cost and fracture healing time in the observation group were (3 804.5±300.8) yuan and (7.2±1.1) weeks, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group (9 906.9±860.6) yuan and (9.3±1.7) weeks (P<0.05). The excellent and good rate of metacarpophalangeal joint function in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group at 1, 2, and 3 months after operation (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two groups at 6 months after operation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Micro steel plate internal fixation and Kirschner wire oblique and transverse internal fixation of adjacent metacarpal bones are both viable surgical methods for treating metacarpal diaphyseal oblique fractures. However, the latter has the advantages of causing less surgical trauma, shorter operation time, better fracture healing, lower cost of fixation materials, and no need for secondary incision and removal of internal fixation.

Neuroprotective effect of combining tanshinone IIA with low-dose methylprednisolone following acute spinal cord injury in rats.

The present study compared the potential neuroprotective effect of tanshinone IIA (TIIA) monotherapy, methylprednisolone (MP) monotherapy and combined treatment in an adult acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) rat model. The current study used the weight-drop method (Allen's Impactor) in the rat model and the mechanical scratch method in primary spinal cord neuron culture to determine whether the combined treatment was able to reduce the required dosage of MP in the treatment of ASCI to produce a similar or improved therapeutic effect. In vivo male Sprague Dawley rats (n=60) were randomly divided into 5 groups, of which 12 rats were selected for the sham group and T9-T11 laminectomies, leading to ASCI, were performed on 48 of the 60 rats using a 10 g ×25 mm weight-drop at the level of T10 spinal cord. Therefore, the ASCI group (n=12) included the 'laminectomy and weight-drop'. The remaining 36 ASCI model animals were subdivided into 3 groups (n=12 each group): TIIA group (30 mg/kg/day), MP group (30 mg/kg) and combined treatment group (TIIA 30 mg/kg/day + MP 20 mg/kg). Neuronal function following ASCI was evaluated using the Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale. Levels of the anti-apoptotic factor B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), the pro-apoptotic factors Bcl-2 associated protein X (Bax) and caspase-3, and the inflammatory associated factor nuclear factor-κB, were analyzed by western blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect caspase-3. To investigate the underlying mechanism, the anti-oxidative effect of combination TIIA and MP treatment was assessed by measuring the activity of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in ASCI. In agreement with the experiment in vivo, primary neurons were prepared from the spinal cord of one-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats' and co-cultured with astrocytes from the brain cortex. The injury of neurons was induced by mechanical scratch and levels of apoptosis factors were analyzed by western blot analysis. The results of the current study indicated that injured animals in the combined treatment group exhibited a significant increase in BBB scores (P<0.05). TIIA + MP combined treatment and MP treatment was observed to reduce the expression of pro-apoptotic factors and promote neuron survival in vivo and in vitro. Combined treatment may promote neuroprotection through reduced apoptosis and inflammation caused by ASCI, similar to MP alone. Combined treatment reversed the decrease of SOD and the increase of MDA level caused by ASCI. In addition, combined treatment decreased the expression of caspase-3 in the neurons following ASCI in rats, as indicated by immunofluorescence double labeling. Overall, the present study indicates that the combined treatment of TIIA and MP may protect the neurons by stimulating the rapid initiation of neuroprotection following ASCI and reduce the dosage of MP in the treatment of ASCI required to produce the same or improved neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro.