Design of a new detachable pedicle screw based on medical optical imaging inspection to improve osteoporosis and enhance vertebral body revision effect.

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that often leads to difficulty in vertebrae revision. Traditional pedicle screws are often complicated to operate and have poor visibility during implantation. A new detachable pedicle screw is needed to improve the revision effect. The aim of this study was to design a new detachable pedicle screw based on medical optical imaging to improve the outcome of vertebral revision in osteoporosis, and to improve operational feasibility and visibility. In this study, the parameters related to the degree of osteoporosis were obtained by optical imaging detection of the osteoporotic vertebral body. Then a new detachable pedicle screw was designed according to the test results to improve the effect of vertebral body revision. By preparing and optimizing the material and structure of the screw, it is ensured that it has sufficient mechanical strength and stability. Finally, the visibility and operability of the improved screw during implantation were verified by medical optical imaging. Compared with traditional screws, the new detachable pedicle screw can improve the vertebral body revision in the case of osteoporosis. The optical imaging test results show that the new screw has good visibility and maneuverability, providing more accurate guidance and positioning for the vertebral body revision operation.

Three-dimensional gait quantitative analysis in postoperative rehabilitation of lumbar degenerative diseases: a self-controlled before-after study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of three-dimensional (3-D) gait quantitative analysis in the surgical treatment and postoperative rehabilitation in patients with lumbar degenerative diseases. METHODS: This is a prospective study with self-controll before -after. A total of 48 patients with lumbar degenerative diseases and treated in our hospital were enrolled in the observation group, 40 healthy individuals were included in the control group. Gait analysis was carried out with 3-D motion acquisition and analysis system. The 3-D gait quantitative parameters of the two groups were compared preoperatively. These include time-distance parameters (gait speed, stride frequency, stride length, support phase), hip joint flexion angle and gait deviation index (GDI). The 3-D gait quantitative parameters in the observation group were analyzed post operation and during rehabilitation. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between 3-D gait quantitative parameters and the patient's visual analog score (VAS), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). RESULTS: Compared with the healthy group, the time-distance parameters and the kinematics parameters of lower extremity joints in the observation group were significantly decreased (both P<0.001). The gait index indicated that there were significant gait abnormalities in the observation group (P<0.001). Two weeks after operation, the patient's VAS score, JOA score and ODI were significantly improved compared to the results preoperatively, as well as the 3-D gait quantitative parameters (all P<0.05). Further improvement was then observed after 12 weeks of rehabilitation training (all P<0.05), and the patient's gait was close to normal. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the improvement of the 3-D gait quantitative parameters positively correlated with VAS score, JOA score and ODI (all P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The 3-D gait quantitative analysis can effectively evaluate the effect of operation and rehabilitation training.

Combined analysis of gene expression and genome binding profiles identified potential therapeutic targets of ciclopirox in Ewing sarcoma.

Ciclopirox (CPX) is a synthetic antifungal drug that is mainly used to treat dermatomycoses. The aim of the present study was to determine whether CPX could influence Ewing sarcoma progression. The present study suggested that CPX treatment may inhibit Ewing sarcoma (ES) progression through Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1­Friend leukemia integration 1 (EWS­FLI1), a common fusion transcript structure in patients with ES. To determine the underlying mechanisms of ES progression, cross analysis was conducted on three high­throughput genome or transcript me datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus. The results indicated that CPX may inhibit ES growth by affecting vasculature development and DNA replication. A combination of genome­wide expression and binding profiles revealed several potential targets for CPX in ES, including collagen type I α2 chain, N­myc proto­oncogene and transforming growth factor ß1, which contained significantly enriched binding peaks of FLI1. In addition, network analysis, including a protein­protein interaction network and a transcription regulatory network, provided further detailed information about the roles of CPX in ES. This study may provide a novel solution for ES treatment and may also aid in improving its prognosis.

Comparison of the gas-liquid dual support fixation and Heitzman fixation techniques for preparing lung specimens.

The aim of the present study was to compare the gas-liquid dual support fixation and Heitzman fixation techniques for the preparation of lung specimens. A total of 40 fresh lung samples were surgically collected from 40 male patients with lung cancer by biopsy. Patients were recruited from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College (Qingdao, China) between July 2007 and June 2014. Samples were prepared using either the gas-liquid dual support fixation method (group A; n=26) or the Heitzman fixation method (group B; n=14). High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scanning was performed prior to surgery and corresponding postoperative HRCT scanning was conducted for the lung specimens; the gross transverse specimen section, cord photography images and histological sections were evaluated. Morphological observations of lung specimens indicated that there were 22 cases in group A with grade I (84.6%) and 4 cases with grade II (15.4%), whereas, in group B, there were 5 cases with grade II (35.7%) and 9 cases with grade III (64.3%). Statistical analysis demonstrated that the grades of specimens between the two groups were significantly different (P<0.01). Results from imaging and histological studies found that the quality of lung specimens was superior in group A, compared with group B. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that, compared with the Heitzman fixation method, gas-liquid dual support fixation may be a superior technique for the preparation of lung specimens. This finding may facilitate the improvement of lung HRCT and pathological studies.

F3MB(PANDER) decreases mice hepatic triglyceride and is associated with decreased DGAT1 expression.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreatic-derived factor (PANDER, also named as FAM3B) is secreted by pancreatic α and ß cells. Increasing evidence suggests that it may serve a hormonal function related to glycemic and lipid metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effects of PANDER overexpression on hepatic and adipose triglyceride metabolism in high-fat diet-fed male C57BL/6 mice. METHODS: PANDER overexpression was achieved by tail-vein injection of recombinant Ad-PANDER and Ad-GFP injected mice served as a control. The TG metabolism in both groups were compared. RESULTS: Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of PANDER did not affect body weight, food consumption, or liver enzymes. The triglyceride (TG) content of both liver and adipose tissue was significantly decreased in Ad-PANDER mice (liver: 6.16±1.89 mg/g vs. control 14.95±2.27 mg/g, P<0.05; adipose: 39.31±1.99 mg/100mg vs. 47.22±2.21 mg/100mg, P<0.05). The free fatty acid (FFA) content of adipose tissue in Ad-PANDER mice was also decreased (1.38±0.18 mg/g vs. 2.77±0.31 mg/g, P<0.01). The investigation of key enzymes of triglyceride hydrolysis and FFA oxidation in liver and adipose tissue showed that p-HSL/HSL was significantly increased and that DGAT1 gene and protein expression were significantly reduced in the liver of PANDER-overexpressing mice. PKA phosphorylation was also significantly increased in the livers of Ad-PANDER mice. No differences in ATGL, CPT1, ACOX1, or DGAT2 expression were observed. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of PANDER is associated with observable decreases in TG, increases in PKA phosphorylation, and decreased DGAT1 expression, suggesting a possible interrelationship. The mechanisms by which this occurs remain to be elucidated.