Corrosion Dynamics of Carbon-Supported Platinum Electrocatalysts with Metal-Carbon Interactions Revealed by In Situ Liquid Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Carbon support is essential for electrocatalysis, but limitations remain, as carbon corrosion can lead to electrocatalyst degradation and affect the long-term durability of electrocatalysts. Here, we studied the corrosion dynamics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Vulcan carbon (VC) together with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles in real time by liquid cell (LC) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that CNTs with a high degree of graphitization exhibited higher corrosion resistance compared to VC. Furthermore, we observed that the main degradation path of Pt nanoparticles in Pt/CNTs was ripening, while in Pt/VC, it was aggregation and coalescence, which was dominated by the interactions between Pt nanoparticles and different hybridization of carbon supports. Finally, we performed an ex situ CV stability test to confirm the conclusions obtained from in situ experiments. This work provides deep insights into the corrosion mechanism of carbon-supported electrocatalysts to optimize the design of electrocatalysts with a higher durability.

Tensile-Strained Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Surface on Palladium Octahedra as a Highly Durable Oxygen Reduction Catalyst.

Designing shape-controlled Pt-based core-shell nanocrystals is a prospective strategy to maximize the utilization of Pt while maintaining high activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the core-shell structures with ultrathin Pt shell exhibit limited electrochemical durability. Therefore, a thicker shell is proposed to successfully improve the durability of the core-shell structures by preventing the core from dissolution. Nevertheless, the deposition of Pt tends to switch to the Stranski-Krastanov (S-K) growth mode with the increase of the number of layer, resulting in the absence of a conformal morphology. Herein, we realize the deposition of three-to-five-layer epitaxial Pt-Co layers on Pd octahedral seeds by introducing tensile strain in the epitaxial layer to impede the S-K growth. The as-obtained Pd@Pt-Co octahedra with four layers exhibit enhanced mass activity (0.69 A/mgPt) and specific activity (1.00 mA/cm2) for ORR, which are 4.93 and 5 times that of the commercial Pt/C, respectively. Furthermore, it shows only 17% decay for specific activity after a 30,000-cycle durability test. This work is expected to enlighten the design and synthesis of related core-shell nanocrystals with facetted multicomponent shells, offering a promising strategy for designing cost-effective and efficient catalysts.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis: The potential mechanisms by which alcohol disrupts gut and brain functions.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a high-risk psychiatric disorder and a key cause of death and disability in individuals. In the development of AUD, there is a connection known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis, where alcohol use disrupts the gut barrier, resulting in changes in intestinal permeability as well as the gut microbiota composition, which in turn impairs brain function and worsens the patient's mental status and gut activity. Potential mechanisms are explored by which alcohol alters gut and brain function through the effects of the gut microbiota and their metabolites on immune and inflammatory pathways. Alcohol and microbiota dysregulation regulating neurotransmitter release, including DA, 5-HT, and GABA, are also discussed. Thus, based on the above discussion, it is possible to speculate on the gut microbiota as an underlying target for the treatment of diseases associated with alcohol addiction. This review will focus more on how alcohol and gut microbiota affect the structure and function of the gut and brain, specific changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, and some measures to mitigate the changes caused by alcohol exposure. This leads to a potential intervention for alcohol addiction through fecal microbiota transplantation, which could normalize the disruption of gut microbiota after AUD.

Mastering the surface strain of platinum catalysts for efficient electrocatalysis.

Platinum (Pt) has found wide use as an electrocatalyst for sustainable energy conversion systems1-3. The activity of Pt is controlled by its electronic structure (typically, the d-band centre), which depends sensitively on lattice strain4,5. This dependence can be exploited for catalyst design4,6-8, and the use of core-shell structures and elastic substrates has resulted in strain-engineered Pt catalysts with drastically improved electrocatalytic performances7,9-13. However, it is challenging to map in detail the strain-activity correlations in Pt-catalysed conversions, which can involve a number of distinct processes, and to identify the optimal strain modification for specific reactions. Here we show that when ultrathin Pt shells are deposited on palladium-based nanocubes, expansion and shrinkage of the nanocubes through phosphorization and dephosphorization induces strain in the Pt(100) lattice that can be adjusted from -5.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent. We use this strain control to tune the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt shells over a wide range, finding that the strain-activity correlation for the methanol oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction follows an M-shaped curve and a volcano-shaped curve, respectively. We anticipate that our approach can be used to screen out lattice strain that will optimize the performance of Pt catalysts-and potentially other metal catalysts-for a wide range of reactions.

Design of Highly Durable Core-Shell Catalysts by Controlling Shell Distribution Guided by In-Situ Corrosion Study.

Most degradations in electrocatalysis are caused by corrosion in operation, for example the corrosion of the core in a core-shell electrocatalyst during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, according to the in-situ study on nanoscale corrosion kinetics via liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LC-TEM) in the authors' previous work, they sequentially designed an optimized nanocube with the protection of more layers on the corners by adjusting the Pt atom distribution on corners and terraces. This modified nanocube (MNC) is much more corrosion resistant in the in-situ observation. Furthermore, in the practical electrochemical stability testing, the MNC catalyst also showed the best stability performance with the 0.37% and 9.01% loss in specific and mass activity after 30 000 cycles accelerated durability test (ADT). This work also demonstrates that how an in-situ study can guide the design of desired materials with improved properties and build a bridge between in-situ study and practical application.

Understanding of Strain-Induced Electronic Structure Changes in Metal-Based Electrocatalysts: Using Pd@Pt Core-Shell Nanocrystals as an Ideal Platform.

While metal-based electrocatalysts have garnered extensive attention owing to the large variety of enzyme-mimic properties, the search for such highly-efficient catalysts still relies on empirical explorations, owing to the lack of predictive indicators as well as the ambiguity of structure-activity relationships. Notably, surface electronic structures play a crucial role in metal-based catalysts yet remain unexplored in enzyme-mimics. Herein, the authors investigate the electronic structure as a possible indicator of electrocatalytic activities of H2 O2 decomposition and glucose oxidation using Pd@Pt core-shell nanocrystals as a well-defined platform. The electron densities of the Pd@Pt are modulated with the correlation of strain through precise control of surface orientation and the number of atomic layers. The close relationships between the electrocatalytic activities and the surface charge accumulation are found, in which the increase of the electron accumulation can enhance both the enzyme-mimic activities. As a result, the Pd@Pt3L icosahedra with compressive strain in Pt shells exhibit the highest electrocatalytic activities for H2 O2 decomposition and glucose oxidation. Such systematic and comprehensive study provides the structure-activity relationships and paves a new way for the rational design of metal-based electrocatalysts. Especially, the charge accumulation degrees may serve as a general performance indicator for metal-based catalysts.

Astragalus protects PC12 cells from 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neuronal damage: A serum pharmacological study.

Accumulating evidence has already indicated that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) possesses tremendous potential for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Astragalus, also named Huangqi, is a famous traditional medical herb that can be applied to treat cerebral ischemia and prevent neuronal degeneration. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In the present study, Astragalus-containing serum (ASMES) was prepared and added into the culture medium of PC12 cells to explore its neuroprotective effect on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-caused neuronal toxicity. Our data showed that ASMES significantly ameliorated the cellular viability of cultured PC12 cells against the neurotoxicity induced by 6-OHDA (P < 0.05). Moreover, ASMES significantly decreased the cell apoptosis triggered by 6-OHDA (P < 0.01). Furthermore, 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate assay was performed to detect the changes in oxidative stress, and we showed that 6-OHDA elevated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas ASMES significantly reversed these changes (P < 0.01). Besides, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assay showed that ASMES could restore 6-OHDA-damaged MMP in cultured PC12 cells (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Astragalus could protect PC12 cells from 6-OHDA-caused neuronal toxicity, and possibly, the ROS-mediated apoptotic pathway participated in this process. Collectively, our findings provided valuable insights into the potential in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Deposition of Atomically Thin Pt Shells on Amorphous Palladium Phosphide Cores for Enhancing the Electrocatalytic Durability.

As an excellent electrocatalyst, platinum (Pt) is often deposited as a thin layer on a nanoscale substrate to achieve high utilization efficiency. However, the practical application of the as-designed catalysts has been substantially restricted by the poor durability arising from the leaching of cores. Herein, by employing amorphous palladium phosphide (a-Pd-P) as substrates, we develop a class of leaching-free, ultrastable core-shell Pt catalysts with well-controlled shell thicknesses and surface structures for fuel cell electrocatalysis. When a submonolayer of Pt is deposited on the 6 nm nanocubes, the resulting Pd@a-Pd-P@PtSML core-shell catalyst can deliver a mass activity as high as 4.08 A/mgPt and 1.37 A/mgPd+Pt toward the oxygen reduction reaction at 0.9 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode and undergoes 50 000 potential cycles with only ∼9% activity loss and negligible structural deformation. As elucidated by the DFT calculations, the superior durability of the catalysts originates from the high corrosion resistance of the disordered a-Pd-P substrates and the strong interfacial Pt-P interactions between the Pt shell and amorphous Pd-P layer.

Is pronator quadratus repair necessary to improve outcomes after volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare functional outcomes with or without pronator quadratus (PQ) repair after volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures. METHODS: An electronic search was conducted for PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and Google Scholar databases up to 15th January 2020. Both retrospective case-control and randomised control trials (RCTs) were included. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies met the inclusion criteria. 4 were RCTs and 2 were retrospective studies. The primary outcome was the difference in the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores between the two groups. On analysis of 203 patients with PQ repair and 180 patients with no repair, our results indicated no statistical significant difference in DASH scores between the two groups (SMD: 0.43, 95% CI: -0.12 to 0.98, I2=85%, p=0.12). Also, meta-analysis did not demonstrate any difference in grip strength (SMD: -0.10, 95% CI: -0.53 to 0.33, I2=64%, p=0.64) and pronation strength (SMD: -0.02, 95% CI: -0.82 to 0.78, I2=82%, p=0.96) with or without PQ repair. The pooled analysis did not demonstrate any benefit of PQ repair in improving postoperative ROM. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that repair of PQ muscle may not be necessary after volar plate fixation of distal radius fractures. Further large scale RCTs shall validate our conclusions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II, systematic review and meta-analysis.

Amorphous Cr2WO6-Modified WO3 Nanowires with a Large Specific Surface Area and Rich Lewis Acid Sites: A Highly Efficient Catalyst for Oxidative Desulfurization.

The oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of fuel oils is of great significance for environmental protection, and the development of efficient ODS heterogeneous catalysts is highly desired. Herein, we have designed and synthesized a novel material of amorphous Cr2WO6-modified WO3 (a-Cr2WO6/WO3) nanowires (3-6 nm) with a large specific surface area of 289.5 m2·g-1 and rich Lewis acid sites. The formation of such a unique nanowire is attributed to the adsorption of Cr3+ cations on non-(001) planes of WO3. In the ODS process, the a-Cr2WO6/WO3 nanowires can efficiently oxidize benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT), and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) to their corresponding sulfones in a quasi-microemulsion reaction system and possess the highest activity (Ea = 55.4 kJ/mol) for DBT: 99.0% of 15,000 ppm DBT with 2600 ppm S can be removed (70 °C, H2O2 as the oxidant). The improvement in ODS activity from most of WO3 catalysts is owing to the sufficient active sites and enhanced adsorption of DBT on the basis of structural features of a-Cr2WO6/WO3 nanowires. Combined with free radical capture experiments, a possible ODS mechanism of W(O2) peroxotungstate route based on surface -OH groups is reasonably proposed. Moreover, the a-Cr2WO6/WO3 nanowires have good stability and can be synthesized on a large scale, suggesting its potential applications as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst.

Manipulation of Electron Transfer between Pd and TiO2 for Improved Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Performance.

The urgent need of catalysts with improved performances toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is still one of the crucial issues for the water splitting electrocatalysis. Herein, we exhibit that the HER activity of the Pd nanocubes could be improved by selecting the appropriately shaped titania nanocrystals as support. In particular, we used Pd nanoparticles with (100)-facet exposed to show that the HER performance of Pd cubes can be improved in both acidic and alkaline electrolyte media when combined on the anatase TiO2 nanocrystals. Furthermore, we have also investigated the facet effect of TiO2 on the performance in detail, which indicated stronger catalytic activity when (001)-TiO2 was used rather than (mix 101/001)-TiO2 and (101)-TiO2. The electron-transfer-induced improvement of HER activity of Pd/TiO2 was assessed by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Thereafter, the combined support materials with suitable facet exposed can give an additional adjusting path to regulate the HER activities of Pd nanocatalysts, which henceforth can further contribute to a novel way for tuning other catalysts with good electrocatalytic properties.

Real-Time Visualization of Solid-Phase Ion Migration Kinetics on Nanowire Monolayer.

Ion migration has been recognized as a critical step in determining the performance of numerous devices in chemistry, biology, and material science. However, direct visualization and quantitative investigation of solid-phase ion migration among anisotropic nanostructures have been a challenging task. Here, we report an in-situ ChemTEM method to quantitatively investigate the solid-phase ion migration process among coassembled nanowires (NWs). This complicated process was tracked within a NW and between NWs with an obvious nanogap, which was revealed by both phase field simulation and ab initio modeling theoretical evaluation. A migration "bridge" between neighboring NWs was observed. Furthermore, these new observations could be applied to migration of other metal ions on semiconductor NWs. These findings provide critical insights into the solid-phase ion migration kinetics occurring in nanoscale systems with generality and offer an efficient tool to explore other ion migration processes, which will facilitate fabrication of customized and new heteronanostructures in the future.

Up-regulated miR-374a-3p relieves lipopolysaccharides induced injury in CHON-001 cells via regulating Wingless-type MMTV integration site family member 5B.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a frequent and incurable joint disease, inducing significant pain and seriously threatening to human health. It has been reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles on cancers and inflammatory diseases via cooperating with genes. However, the effect of miR-374a-3p/Wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5B (WNT5B) pair in OA remains to be explored. METHODS: GSE105027 and GSE55457 datasets were obtained to reveal the expression of miR-374a-3p and WNT5B in OA cartilages using log-scale. The OA cell model was established by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulation in CHON-001 cells and the functional role of miR-374a-3p on OA was investigated by analyzing cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax and Bim). Through bioinformatics prediction, WNT5B, the target gene of miR-374a-3p, was predicted and the association between miR-374a-3p and WNT5B was further explored by luciferase reporter assay. Functional experiments in vitro were conducted to assess whether WNT5B was involved in the regulation of miR-374a-3p to LPS-stimulated CHON-001. Finally, the expression of JNK/ERK/MAPK pathway-related proteins was detected to explore the underlying molecular mechanism. RESULTS: The data set showed that miR-374a-3p was decreased in OA cartilages and the consistent expressional pattern was observed in LPS-stimulated CHON-001 cells. Overexpression of miR-374a-3p significantly alleviated LPS-induced damage in CHON-001 cells, whereas miR-374a-3p inhibitor aggravated LPS-stimulated injury. Further experiments demonstrated that WNT5B was a target of miR-374a-3p and its expression was decreased by miR-374a-3p. WNT5B expression was increased in OA cartilages. Silencing WNT5B prevented CHON-001 cells from LPS-induced damage. Down-regulation of WNT5B strengthened the protective effect of miR-374a-3p on LPS-stimulated CHON-001 cells. Moreover, miR-374a-3p cooperated with WNT5B to affect cell behaviors of LPS-stimulated CHON-001 cells via mediating the JNK/ERK/MAPK pathway. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that overexpression of miR-374a-3p protects CHON-001 cells against LPS challenge by modulating WNT5B and inhibiting the JNK/ERK/MAPK pathway.

Plasmonic-Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction of Silver/Graphene Electrocatalysts.

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of paramount importance in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells due to its sluggish kinetics. In this work, a plasmon-induced hot electrons enhancement method is introduced to enhance ORR property of the silver (Ag)-based electrocatalysts. Three types of Ag nanostructures with differently localized surface plasmon resonances have been used as electrocatalysts. The thermal effect of plasmonic-enhanced ORR can be minimized in our work by using graphene as the support of Ag nanoparticles. By tuning the resonance positions and laser power, the enhancement of ORR properties of Ag catalysts has been optimized. Among these catalysts, Ag nanotriangles after excitation show the highest mass activity and reach 0.086 mA/µgAg at 0.8 V, which is almost 17 times that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst after the price is accounted. Our results demonstrate that the hot electrons generated from surface plasmon resonance can be utilized for electrochemical reaction, and tuning the resonance positions by light is a promising and viable approach to boost electrochemical reactions.

Intraoperative Raman-Guided Chemo-Photothermal Synergistic Therapy of Advanced Disseminated Ovarian Cancers.

Abdominal miliary spread and metastasis is one of the most aggressive features in advanced ovarian cancer patients. The current standard treatment of advanced ovarian cancer is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). However, most patients cannot receive optimal CRS outcomes due to the extreme difficulty of completely excising all microtumors during operation. Though HIPEC can improve prognosis, treatment is untargeted and may damage healthy organs and cause complications. New strategies for precise detection and complete elimination of disseminated microtumors without side effects are therefore highly desirable. Here, cisplatin-loaded gap-enhanced Raman tags (C-GERTs) are designed specifically for the intraoperative detection and elimination of unresectable disseminated advanced ovarian tumors. With unique and strong Raman signals, good biocompatibility, decent plasmonic photothermal conversion, and good drug loading capacity, C-GERTs enable detection and specific elimination of microtumors with a minimum diameter of 1 mm via chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy, causing minimal side effects and significantly prolonging survival in mice. The results demonstrate that C-GERTs-based chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy can effectively control the spread of disseminated tumors in mice and has potential as a safe and powerful method for treatment of advanced ovarian cancers, to improve survival and life quality of patients.

Nanoscale kinetics of asymmetrical corrosion in core-shell nanoparticles.

Designing new materials and structure to sustain the corrosion during operation requires better understanding on the corrosion dynamics. Observation on how the corrosion proceeds in atomic scale is thus critical. Here, using a liquid cell, we studied the real-time corrosion process of palladium@platinum (Pd@Pt) core-shell nanocubes via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results revealed that multiple etching pathways operatively contribute to the morphology evolution during corrosion, including galvanic etching on non-defected sites with slow kinetics and halogen-induced etching at defected sites at faster rates. Corners are the preferential corrosion sites; both etching pathways are mutually restricted during corrosion. Those insights on the interaction of nanostructures with reactive liquid environments can help better engineer the surface structure to improve the stability of electrocatalysts as well as design a new porous structure that may provide more active sites for catalysis.

Ag3PO4 electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction: enhancement from positive charge.

We have demonstrated Ag3PO4 as an active non-Pt electrocatalyst with enhanced activity compared with Ag for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Density functional theory reveals that better ORR performance of Ag atoms on Ag3PO4 surface than that on pure silver surface originates from more appropriate oxygen adsorption on positively charged Ag atoms. Further study of the surface geometry of Ag3PO4 including tetrahedron, rhombic dodecahedron and cube indicates that the highest density of Ag and appropriate oxygen adsorption on {110} surface of rhombic dodecahedral Ag3PO4 lead to the highest ORR activity, which is about 12 times that of Pt catalysts from a commercial perspective. It may be applicable for developing low-cost and highly active non-Pt catalytic materials from a broader range of material systems.

[Quantitative evaluation of the degrees of traditional Chinese medicine qualitative syndromes of osteoporosis].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a quantitative estimate model for diagnosing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes of patients with osteoporosis. METHODS: Symptoms and signs of osteoporosis and methodology related to syndrome research were collected by reviewing medical literature. The symptoms and sighs were quantitatively classified into three, two or one category according to a 100-mm visual analog scale. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model of TCM qualitative syndromes was performed based on analytic hierarchy process. Then "Hall for Workshop of Metasynthetic Engineering" expert symposium was held on subjects of syndrome quantification method and weight of evaluation indices in different levels for developing the analysis model of common syndromes. For clinical verification, the created models were applied to patients with osteoporosis for discriminating syndromes. Syndrome of each patient was also identified by 8 experts major in integrative medicine treating osteoporosis for comparing the coincidence rate using a self-made clinical questionnaire. RESULTS: Through literature reviewing, symptoms and signs quantification and expert discussing, the authors formed estimate models of essence deficit, qi deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, and blood stasis. A total of 220 patients with osteoporosis were enrolled and filled the clinical questionnaire. All 8 experts completed and returned the questionnaire (1 760 cases), and 1 545 of them were filled in completely. Experts' opinion on syndrome differentiation was exactly coincidence to estimate model in 611 cases and almost coincidence in 639 cases. The total coincidence rate reached to 94.05%. CONCLUSION: The estimate model for syndrome differentiation of osteoporosis has a high-coincidence rate with the fuzzy evaluation from experts, with good rationality and feasibility, and is worthy of promotion in the clinical study.

[A study of diagnostic criteria for traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in osteoporosis].

OBJECTIVE: To establish diagnostic criteria for common traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in osteoporosis. METHODS: Based on the collection and analysis of related medical literature, clinical investigation, and expert discussion, a draft of preliminary diagnostic criteria for the basic syndromes of TCM in patients with osteoporosis was formulated. Then it was used in clinic for verification and revised repeatedly until a formal version of diagnostic criteria was satisfactorily achieved. RESULTS: The basic syndromes listed in the diagnostic criteria for patients with osteoporosis consisted of two parts: qualitative diagnosis and localization diagnosis. Results of qualitative diagnosis showed that the qualitative syndromes included damage of essence, deficiency of vital energy, deficiency of yin, deficiency of yang and blood stasis. The localization diagnosis showed that location of osteoporosis is bone and corresponds to the kidney, and also involves liver, lung, spleen (stomach) and heart. The diagnostic content has established the specific symptoms and the non-specific symptoms during various stages. Each of the above syndromes could be diagnosed according to a specific combination of its corresponding symptoms or signs. The clinical verification results showed that the total matching ratio of qualitative diagnosis was 80.56% between the diagnoses made according to the criteria and the diagnoses acquired from the experts' experience, and the total matching ratio of localization diagnosis was 85.56%. CONCLUSION: The TCM syndrome diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis is generally consistent with TCM clinical practice, worthy of further popularization and application in clinical practice.

Pedicle screw fixation against burst fracture of thoracolumbar vertebrae.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the application of vertebral pedicle screw fixation in the treatment of burst fracture of thoracolumbar vertebrae. METHODS: A total of 48 cases (31 males and 17 females, aged from 18-72 years, mean: 41.3 years) with thoracolumbar vertebrae burst fracture were treated by pedicle screw system since January 2004. According to the AO classification of thoracolumbar vertebrae fracture, there are 36 cases of Type A, 9 of Type B and 3 of Type C. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for 6-25 months (average 12 months), no secondary nerve root injury, spinal cord injury, loosening or breakage of pedicle screw were observed. The nerve function of 29 patients with cauda equina nerve injury was restored to different degrees. The vertebral body height returned to normal level and posterior process angle was rectified after operation. CONCLUSIONS: The vertebral pedicle screw internal fixation was technologically applicable, which can efficiently reposition and stabilize the bursting fractured vertebrae, indirectly decompress canalis spinalis, maintain spine stability, scatter stress of screw system, reduce the risk of loosening or breakage of screw and loss of vertebral height, and prevent the formation of posterior convex after operation.