Scutellarin ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis through inhibiting NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and inflammation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is featured with inflammation and extensive lung remodeling caused by overloaded deposition of extracellular matrix. Scutellarin is the major effective ingredient of breviscapine and its anti-inflammation efficacy has been reported before. Nevertheless, the impact of scutellarin on IPF and the downstream molecular mechanism remain unclear. In this study, scutellarin suppressed BLM-induced inflammation via NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway both in vivo and in vitro. BLM significantly elevated p-p65/p65 ratio, IκBα degradation, and levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, caspase-11, ASC, GSDMDNterm, IL-1ß, and IL-18, while scutellarin reversed the above alterations except for that of caspase-11. Scutellarin inhibited BLM-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in vivo and in vitro. The expression levels of EMT-related markers, including fibronectin, vimentin, N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9, were increased in BLM group, and suppressed by scutellarin. The expression level of E-cadherin showed the opposite changes. However, overexpression of NLRP3 eliminated the anti-inflammation and anti-EMT functions of scutellarin in vitro. In conclusion, scutellarin suppressed inflammation and EMT in BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis through NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling.

Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of spine trauma in the epidemic of COVID-19 / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

Outbreak of COVID-19 is ongoing all over the world. Spine trauma is one of the most common types of trauma and will probably be encountered during the fight against COVID-19 and resumption of work and production. Patients with unstable spine fractures or continuous deterioration of neurological function require emergency surgery. The COVID-19 epidemic has brought tremendous challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of such patients. To coordinate the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease prevention and spine trauma so as to formulate a rigorous diagnosis and treatment plan and to reduce the disability and mortality of the disease, multidisciplinary collaboration is needed. This expert consensus is formulated in order to (1) prevent and control the epidemic, (2) diagnose and treat patients with spine trauma reasonably, and (3) reduce the risk of cross-infection between patients and medical personnel during the treatment.

Risk Factors of Deterioration in Quality of Life Scores in Thyroid Cancer Patients After Thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the expectation of normal life expectancy for thyroid cancer, there are concerns about the decreased quality of life (QoL). The present study investigated the potential risk factors of deterioration in QoL scores in thyroid cancer patients after thyroidectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 286 patients who were diagnosed with thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy were involved in this prospective, single-center, observational study from November 2018 to June 2019. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 was used to assess the QoL 3 months after thyroidectomy. We investigated the effects of demographics (age, gender, education, marital status, area of residence, and annual mean income), tumor characteristics (histology, clinical stage, presence of metastasis, surgery type, and radiotherapy), and neurological deficits induced by recurrent nerve or superior laryngeal injury on QoL. RESULTS: The mean overall QoL in thyroid cancer survivors was 65.93 ±9.00 (on a scale of 0-100, where 100 was the best). Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that clinical stage (P < 0.010), surgery type (P < 0.001), histology (P < 0.001), neurological deficits (P < 0.001), and marital status (P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for decreased QoL 3 months after thyroidectomy. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that clinical stage, surgery type, histology, neurological deficits, and marital status were independent risk factors for decreased QoL at 3 months after thyroidectomy. Further exploration and validation of these findings in larger prospective studies are warranted.

The efficacy analysis of selective decompression of lumbar root canal of elderly lumbar spinal stenosis / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of the treatments of lumbar spinal stenosis by selective decompression of lumbar root canal and laminectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From March 2007 to March 2011, 144 lumbar spinal stenosis patients were treated by selective decompression of lumbosacral root canal and laminectomy. All of these patients included 64 male and 80 female patients, age range 60-87 years, average (66 ± 5) years. Duration 6-72 months, average (12 ± 16) months. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to surgical procedure underwent: group A including 70 patients who were treated with selective decompression of lumbar root canal, group B including 74 patients who were treated with traditional laminectomy. Five time points were selected to assess clinical effect using Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA), which were pre-operation and 1 month, 6 months, 12 months and last follow-up. The data were analyzed through Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All operations were completed well without severe complications. The duration of follow-up was 12-55 months, average (31 ± 6) months. All patients' symptoms got improved or partial remission. The average pre- and post-operative scores of JOA in group A and B were from 14.0 ± 1.6 to 20.3 ± 1.7, from 13.6 ± 1.7 to 20.2 ± 2.0, respectively, there were significant statistical differences (Z = 2.41 and 2.23, P < 0.05). The average pre- and post-operative scores of ODI in group A and B were from 62% ± 4% to 28% ± 4%, from 63% ± 4% to 27% ± 3%, respectively, there were significant statistical differences (Z = 2.93 and 2.64, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Personalized treatment programs should be established for elderly lumbar spinal stenosis according to stenosis location. Laminectomy is carried out with the stenosis in the central spinal canal; selective decompression of lumbosacral root canal is accepted with the stenosis in the nerve root canal without central stenosis.</p>

Up-regulation of Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling in the spinal cord impairs neural cell migration, neurogenesis, synapse formation, and dendritic spine development / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling pathway controls many cellular responses such as cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and death. In the nervous system, emerging evidence also points to a death-promoting role for ERK1/2 in both in vitro and in vivo models of neuronal death. To further investigate how Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 up-regulation may lead to the development of spinal cord injury, we developed a cellular model of Raf/ERK up-regulation by overexpressing c-Raf in cultured spinal cord neurons (SCNs) and dorsal root ganglions (DRGs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DRGs and SCNs were prepared from C57BL/6J mouse pups. DRGs or SCNs were infected with Ad-Raf-1 or Ad-Null adenovirus alone. Cell adhesion assay and cell migration assay were investigated, DiI labeling was employed to examine the effect of the up-regulation of Ras/Raf/ERK1/2 signaling on the dendritic formation of spinal neurons. We used the TO-PRO-3 staining to examine the apoptotic effect of c-Raf on DRGs or SCNs. The effect on the synapse formation of neurons was measured by using immunofluorescence.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>We found that Raf/ERK up-regulation stimulates the migration of both SCNs and DRGs, and impairs the formation of excitatory synapses in SCNs. In addition, we found that Raf/ERK up-regulation inhibits the development of mature dendritic spines in SCNs. Investigating the possible mechanisms through which Raf/ERK up-regulation affects the excitatory synapse formation and dendritic spine development, we discovered that Raf/ERK up-regulation suppresses the development and maturation of SCNs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The up-regulation of the Raf/ERK signaling pathway may contribute to the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury through both its impairment of the SCN development and causing neural circuit imbalances.</p>

Five-level noncontiguous spinal injuries of cervical region: report of a case and literature review / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

The incidence of multiple noncontiguous spinal injuries (MNSI) in the cervical spine is rare but has catastrophic consequences. The patient in this report was a 34-year-old woman with five-level cervical MNSI. CT and MRI showed that injuries included atlantoaxial instability, burst fracture of C6, dislocation of C6/7, rupture of the intervertebal disc or ligamentous complex, and irreversible cord damage. The mechanism for this case was a combined pattern of hyperflexion, compression, and hyperextension injuries. A review of the literature revealed that this case is the first report in the literature of a vehicle related accident causing five-level noncontiguous injuries of the cervical spine.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and the treatment of spinal cord injury / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To review the recent studies about human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) and advances in the treatment of spinal cord injury. Data sources Published articles (1983 - 2007) about hUCMSCs and spinal cord injury were selected using Medline. Study selection Articles selected were relevant to development of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for transplantation in spinal cord injury therapy. Of 258 originally identified articles 51 were selected that specifically addressed the stated purpose.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Recent work has revealed that hUCMSCs share most of the characteristics with MSCs derived from bone marrow and are more appropriate to transplantation for cell based therapies.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Human umbilical cord could be regarded as a source of MSCs for experimental and clinical needs. In addition, as a peculiar source of stem cells, hUCMSCs may play an important role in the treatment of spinal cord injury.</p>

Effect of ultrasonic separation on the structure and properties of diallyl phthalate prepolymer.

The bulk polymerization of diallyl phthalate (DAP) was carried out at high temperature (190 degrees C) without using any initiator, and the reaction was stopped before the gelation point in order to get the prepolymer of DAP. The mixture for the prepolymer and the monomer was successfully separated by a novel ultrasonic method for the first time, and the separation efficiency for the new method was obviously higher than that for the traditional reprecipitation. The product obtained by ultrasonic separation was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and iodine number measurement. It was shown that the average molecular weight of the prepolymer got by the ultrasonic method was lower than that of the prepolymer got by the multi-precipitation, moreover, the molecular weight distribution of the prepolymer got by the ultrasonic separation was broader. Besides, the residual unsaturation degree of the prepolymer separated by ultrasonic was slightly higher than that of prepolymer separated by reprecipitation.

Reliability of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing posterior ligament complex injury in thoracolumbar fractures / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the reliability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting posterior ligament complex injury in thoracolumbar fractures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-five patients with thoracolumbar fracture were evaluated by palpation of the inter-spinal gap, plain radiography, and MRI before operation. In addition to conventional MRI sequences, a fat-suppressed T2-weighted sagittal sequence was performed. Surgery was performed by a posterior approach. During the operation, posterior ligament complex was examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A wide inter-spinal gap was palpated in 41 patients and was found in 55 patients on plain radiography. According to MRI, injury to the supraspinal ligament was suspected in 85 patients, the inter-spinal ligament in 83 patients, and the ligamentum flavum in 26 patients. There were 82 supraspinal ligament injuries, 80 inter-spinal ligament injuries, and 20 ligamentum flavum injuries in operative findings. The relations between plain radiography and operative findings, between MRI interpretation and operative findings were statistically significant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A fat-suppressed T2-weighted sagittal sequence of MRI is a highly sensitive, specific, and accurate method to detect posterior ligament complex injury and which is recommended for the accurate evaluation of posterior ligament complex injury in thoracolumbar fractures.</p>

[Establishing a L02 cell model with whole HBV gene transfection and analyzing its expressions of HLA-A, B, C and MICA/B].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a cell model with HBV secretion by plasmid transfection with whole HBV genes into hepatic L02 cells, and to analyze the effect of HBV on the expression of HLA-A, B, C and MICA/B in L02 cells. METHODS: The mock control plasmid was built by digesting pEcob6 plasmid with EcoR I at the HBV DNA site and ligating the fragment without HBV DNA. The L02 cells were transfected with pEcob6 or mock plasmid and pcDNA3 1-neo by liposome. The expressions of HBsAg, HBcAg/HBeAg and HBV DNA were detected by immunofluorescence assay, Abbott enzymoimmunoassay, or FQ-PCR. The expressions of HLA-A, B, C and MICA/B were determined by FACS and the differences in the two molecules were analyzed. RESULTS: After the transfected cells were selected by G418, the HBsAg and HBeAg in the supernatant of L02-HBV cells were 24.78(S/N) and 4.117(S/N). The quantity of HBV DNA was 9.67 x 10(4) copies/ml, but in L02-mock and in L02 cells they were all negative. Under a confocal microscope HBsAg was brightly shown in the cytoplasm while HBcAg showed dimly in the cytoplasm or in the nuclei. By using FACS, the L02 and L02-mock cells showed some low expressions of HLA-A, B, C and a little expression of MICA/B, while the expression of the two molecules was higher in L02-HBV and the differences were significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A cell model with the expression of HBV antigens and the secretion of HBV DNA was established by pEcob6 transfection into L02 cells, the transcription or replication of HBV gene might induce stronger expressions of HLA-A, B, C and MICA/B on hepatic cells. They might be related to the immune injuries of hepatic cells.