GhMAC3e is involved in plant growth and defense response to Verticillium dahliae.

KEY MESSAGE: GhMAC3e expression was induced by various stresses and hormones. GhMAC3e may regulate plant growth by influencing auxin distribution, and play important roles in Verticillium wilt resistance via mediating SA signaling. The MOS4-Associated Complex (MAC) is a highly conserved protein complex involved in pre-mRNA splicing and spliceosome assembly, which plays a vital role in plant immunity. It comprises key components such as MOS4, CDC5, and PRL1. MAC3A/B, as U-box E3 ubiquitin ligases, are crucial for various plant processes including development, stress responses, and disease resistance. However, their roles in cotton remain largely unknown. In this study, we first cloned the GhMAC3e gene from cotton and explored its biological functions by using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton and transgenic overexpression in Arabidopsis. The results showed that GhMAC3e is ubiquitously expressed in cotton tissues and could be induced by salt stress, Verticillium dahliae (VD) infection, PEG, ABA, ETH, GA3, MeJA, and SA. Silencing GhMAC3e retarded primary stem growth and reduced biomass of cotton coupled with the reduced auxin content in the petioles and veins. Silencing GhMAC3e up-regulated expression of cell growth-related genes GhXTH16 and Gh3.6, while down-regulated GhSAUR12 expression. Ectopic expression of GhMAC3e in Arabidopsis significantly enhanced its resistance to Verticillium wilt (VW) in terms of decreased pathogen biomass and lowered plant mortality. Overexpression of GhMAC3e dramatically upregulated AtPR1 by around 15 fold and more than 262 fold under basal and VD inoculation condition, respectively. This change was not associated with the expression of GhNPR1. In conclusion, GhMAC3e may not only regulate plant growth by influencing auxin distribution and growth-related gene expression, but also play important roles in VW resistance via mediating SA signaling independent of NPR1 transcription level.

From the exotic to the everyday: The Avocado crossing borders via cyberspace.

With the globalization of food sales and consumption, exotic foods are now regularly crossing geographical and cultural borders and moving into local areas. This process is attracting ever-increasing attention from academics. Taking avocado consumption presented on Sina Weibo as an example, this research analyzes avocado related user-generated content on Sina Weibo over three years- 2013, 2015, and 2017- and employs topic modeling and semantic network methods to obtain the mechanism by which exotic food cross borders to appear in local consumers' daily food choices. Two specific links are explored: online information dissemination and offline daily consumption. The result indicates that a selective geographical narrative and framework for avocado information influence local consumers' choice of exotic foods according to three aspects: edibility, accessibility, and acceptability. For local consumers, the avocado is now connected with local objects and spaces, gradually transforming from a novelty to functional daily food and from low to high-frequency consumption to high-frequency consumption, escaping the marginal and penetrating into the core cultural context and completing the process of embedment into the everyday. This study refutes the assertion that "globalized diets bring about homogenized diets," explores the mechanism of influence by which information dissemination in cyberspace affects cultural borders, complements the study of food consumption in Southern countries, and provides new thoughts on the theoretical and practical exploration of food globalization from the perspective of food geography.

Prevalence, diagnosis, and impact on clinical outcomes of dural ossification in the thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum: a systematic review.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF) has become the principal cause of thoracic spinal stenosis. Dural ossification (DO) was a common clinical feature accompanying with TOLF. However, on account of the rarity, we know little about the DO in TOLF so far. PURPOSE: This study was conducted to elucidate the prevalence, diagnostic measures, and impact on the clinical outcomes of DO in TOLF by integrating the existing evidence. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Database were comprehensively searched for studies relevant to the prevalence, diagnostic measures, or impact on the clinical outcomes of DO in TOLF. All retrieved studies meeting the inclusion and criterion were included into this systematic review. RESULTS: The prevalence of DO in TOLF treated surgically was 27% (281/1046), ranging from 11 to 67%. Eight diagnostic measures have been put forward to predict the DO in TOLF using the CT or MRI modalities, including "tram track sign", "comma sign", "bridge sign", "banner cloud sign", "T2 ring sign", TOLF-DO grading system, CSAOR grading system, and CCAR grading system. DO did not affect the neurological recovery of TOLF patients treated with the laminectomy. The rate of dural tear or CSF leakage in TOLF patients with DO was approximately 83% (149/180). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DO in TOLF treated surgically was 27%. Eight diagnostic measures have been put forward to predict the DO in TOLF. DO did not affect the neurological recovery of TOLF treated with laminectomy but was associated with high risk of complications.

Metal-Organic Framework with Near-Infrared Luminescence for "Switch-on" Determination of Kaempferol and Quercetin by the Antenna Effect.

The establishment of a reliable and sensitive method for the detection of flavonoids, such as kaempferol (Kae) and quercetin (Que), is important and challenging in food chemistry and pharmacology because numerous structural analogues may interfere with the detection. Until now, designing an efficient switch-on fluorescence sensing strategy for Kae and Que was still in the unachievable stage. In this work, a switch-on near-infrared (NIR) luminescence sensing assay for Kae and Que was fabricated based on a metal-organic framework (MOF) called IQBA-Yb for the first time. The fluorescence enhancing mechanism was that analytes served as additional "antenna" of Yb3+, leading to the efficient switch-on NIR emission under excitation at 467 nm. Meanwhile, the combination results of experiment and theoretical calculation revealed that there existed hydrogen bonds between Kae, Que, and the MOF skeleton, further promoting the energy transfer between the analyte and Yb3+ and facilitating fluorescence enhancement response. The developed probe possessed excellent sensing capability for Kae and Que, accompanied by a wide linear range (0.04-70, 0.06-90 µM), low detection limit (0.01, 0.06 µM), and short response time (20 min, 6 min), which was used to determine the Kae and Que contents in Green Lake and eatable Que samples with satisfactory results.

Significance of body mass index on thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum in Chinese population.

PURPOSE: To investigate the risk factors for thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF), especially the relationship between BMI and TOLF. METHODS: A total of 856 individuals consisting of 326 controls without ossification of spinal ligaments and 530 TOLF inpatients who underwent thoracic spine decompression surgery at our hospital between January 2013 and September 2020 were included. All subjects were classified into 4 grades: Grade 0) control; Grade 1) single-segment TOLF; Grade 2) multi-segment TOLF; and Grade 3) TOLF combined thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (T-OPLL). Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for TOLF. The TOLF index was calculated to assess the severity of TOLF, and its relationship with BMI was investigated by correlation analysis. RESULTS: Overall, TOLF patients are most numerous in the 50-59 age group. Age and gender were considered as independent risk factors for Grades 1 and 2. BMI was identified as an independent risk factor for TOLF. Furthermore, BMI was significantly higher in Grade 1 (26.1 VS 24.5 kg/m2, P = 0.0001), Grade 2 (28.2 VS 24.5 kg/m2, P < 0.0001), and Grade 3 (29.1 VS 24.5 kg/m2, P < 0.0001) than Grade 0. Notably, in TOLF patients without combined T-OPLL, BMI was positively correlated with TOLF index, while BMI was negatively correlated with age in younger individuals. CONCLUSION: BMI is a crucial risk factor for TOLF. It highlights the necessity of close follow-up of asymptomatic TOLF patients with high BMI to detect and treat their TOLF progression promptly.

Genomics, expression, and function analyses of XB3 family genes in cotton.

XANTHOMONAS RESISTANCE 21-binding protein3 (XB3) is the first characterized XA21 interacting protein required for plant immunity. We isolated GhXB32A that is similar to XBAT32 and was induced during inoculation of Verticillium dahliae in cotton. 32 putative XB3 family genes were identified in G. hirsutum, G. arboreum, and G. raimondii. Cis-Acting elements related to growth, stresses, and phytohormone were detected in the promoter regions. GhXB3s were ubiquitously expressed in different cotton tissues with different patterns. Most GhXB3s were down-regulated by cold stress, but up-regulated by heat, salt, PEG, V. dahliae, ethylene, and some were up-regulated by SA or MeJA. Silencing GhXB32A and GhXB32D greatly improved resistance to Verticillium wilt, while silencing GhXB35A(D) or GhXB37A(D) made them more susceptible to V. dahliae. The interacting proteins of GhXB32A and GhXB32D were functionally enriched in response to abiotic and/or biotic stresses, and photosynthesis. XB3 family genes are potential stress resistance genes for cotton improvement.

Reversible Photochromic Coordination Polymer by Phototriggered Subtle Molecular Conformation Variations.

Photochromic materials are constructed with molecules accompanied by structural change after triggering by light, which are of great importance and necessity for various applications. However, because of space-confinement effects, molecule stacking of these photoresponsive chromophores within coordination polymers (CPs) always results in an efficiency decrement and a response delay, and this phenomenon will lead to a poor photochromic property. Herein, a CP (named CIT-E) with a 3-fold-interpenetrating network structure, which was prepared with (Z)-1,2-diphenyl-1,2-bis[4-(pyridin-3-ylmethoxy)phenyl]ethene (1Z) and a CuI cluster, showed fast reversible photochromic behavior. Under UV-light illumination, the color of CIT-Z changed from pale yellow to reddish brown. With the illumination of green light, the polymer could return to its initial color within 10 s. To reveal the mechanism of reversible photochromic behavior of CIT-Z, single-crystal structures of each color state were fully studied, and other scientific study methods were also used, such as time-dependent density functional theory calculation and control experiments. It was found that, with light illumination, this behavior of CIT-Z was the result of a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer process, and this process was triggered by subtle molecular conformation variation of tetraphenylethylene. It should be noted that CIT-Z has high thermal and chemical stability, which are excellent advantages as smart photoresponsive materials. As a proof of concept, a uniform thin film with such a fascinating photochromic property allows applications in invisible anticounterfeiting and dynamic optical data storage. Overall, the present study opens up a new avenue toward reversible photochromic materials.

Unplanned hospital readmission after surgical treatment for thoracic spinal stenosis: incidence and causative factors.

BACKGROUND: To assess the incidence and causative factors of unplanned hospital readmission within 90 days after surgical treatment of thoracic spinal stenosis (TSS). METHODS: Hospital administrative database was queried to identify patients who underwent surgical treatment of TSS from July 2010 through December 2017. All unplanned readmissions within 90 days of discharge were reviewed for causes and the rate of unplanned readmissions was calculated. Patients of unplanned readmission were matched 1:3 to a control cohort without readmission. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (incidence of 1.7 % in 1239 patients) presented unplanned hospital readmission within a 90-day period and enrolled as the study group, 63 non-readmission patients (a proportion of 1: 3) were randomly selected as the control group. Causes of readmission include pseudomeningocele (8 patients; 38 %), CSF leakage combined with poor incision healing (6 patients; 29 %), wound dehiscence (2 patient; 9 %), surgical site infection (2 patients; 9 %), spinal epidural hematoma (1 patient; 5 %), inadequate original surgical decompression (2 patients; 9 %). Mean duration from re-admission to the first surgery was 39.6 ± 28.2 days, most of the patients readmitted at the first 40 days (66.7 %, 14/21 patients). When compared to the non-readmitted patients, diagnosis of OPLL + OFL, circumferential decompression, dural injury, long hospital stay were more to be seen in readmitted patients. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of 90-day unplanned readmission after surgical treatment for TSS is 1.7 %, CSF leakage and pseudomeningocele were the most common causes of readmission, the peak period of readmission occurred from 10 to 40 days after surgery, patients should be closely followed up within this period.

Pseudomeningocele-a rare complication following thoracic spinal decompression surgery: clinical features, treatment guidelines, technical notes, and evaluation of results.

PURPOSE: Pseudomeningocele (PMC) is a rare complication following thoracic spinal decompression surgery. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical features and treatment of PMC and provide the technical notes with revision surgery. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2019, patients who developed PMC after posterior thoracic surgery were enrolled. An additional 25 patients who suffered cerebrospinal fluid leakage (CSFL) but did not develop PMC in the same period were randomly selected. General data, intra-operative factors, CSFL position, cost, modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scores, patient satisfaction, and clinical features were recorded and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were diagnosed with PMC after thoracic spinal surgery. The average length, width, and depth were 16.25 ± 5.73 cm, 6.96 ± 3.61 cm and 4.39 ± 2.2 cm, respectively. The most common symptom was neurological deficits following incision problems and headache. Compared with the control group, the PMC group showed a longer duration of initial surgery, greater estimated blood loss, an increased rate of CSFL on the ventral side, reduced mJOA scores, and lower patient satisfaction at the final follow-up. CONCLUSION: PMC is a rare complication of thoracic surgery with an incidence of 1.12%. PMC typically occurs at the upper and lower thoracic spine, resulting in increased health care costs, poorer neurological recovery, and a lower rate of patient satisfaction. The management of PMC should be individualized depending on diagnosis time and symptoms.

Surgical strategy for non-continuous thoracic spinal stenosis: one- or two-stage surgery?

PURPOSE: Non-continuous thoracic spinal stenosis (NTSS) is a rare disease, but it is a challenging clinical entity for spine surgeons. However, few studies have focused on its treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide surgical treatment guidelines for it by comparing the clinical outcomes of different surgical approaches. METHODS: Patients who underwent thoracic decompression surgery for two diseased segments with two incisions (normal segments ≥ 3) between January 2010 and December 2018 were included. Among these patients, nine were treated with posterior decompression (PD) and circumferential decompression (CD) procedures in one-stage surgery (group A), 14 with PD and CD procedures in two-stage surgery (group B), 36 patients with PD procedures in one-stage surgery and 15 with PD procedures in two-stage surgery (group D). Medical records, operative time, blood loss and complications were reviewed. Neurologic status was assessed by the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association scale for thoracic myelopathy. RESULTS: Groups A, B, C and D were followed for 54.11 ± 20.51 months, 49.36 ± 29.30 months, 49.94 ± 31.94 months and 39.93 ± 26.18 months, respectively. When comparing groups A and B, operative time, blood loss and length of stay in hospital were significantly less in group A. However, the average recovery rate in group B was significantly higher than that in group A. In regard to groups C and D, group C showed a significantly shorter length of stay in hospital and lower rate of post-operative neurological deterioration. At final follow-up, groups C and D showed similar average recovery rates. CONCLUSION: Different surgical procedures are suitable for different types of NTSS. For patients with NTSS mainly caused by posterior compression, PD via laminectomy in one-stage with two incisions can achieve satisfying clinical outcomes. Staged surgery, including CD and PD procedures, is recommended for patients with NTSS mainly caused by anterior compression.

Adiponectin regulates bone mass in AIS osteopenia via RANKL/OPG and IL6 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Osteopenia have been well documented in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Adiponectin has been shown to be inversely proportional to body mass index and to affect bone metabolism. However, the circulating levels of adiponectin and the relationship between adiponectin and low bone mass in AIS remain unclear. METHODS: A total of 563 AIS and 281 age-matched controls were recruited for this study. Anthropometry and bone mass were measured in all participants. Plasma adiponectin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the AIS and control groups. An improved multiplex ligation detection reaction was performed to study on single nucleotide polymorphism. Facet joints were collected and used to measure the microstructure, the expression of RANKL, OPG, osteoblast-related genes, inflammatory factors, adiponectin and its receptors by qPCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, primary cells were extracted from facet joints to observe the reaction after adiponectin stimulation. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, lower body mass index and a marked increase in circulating adiponectin were observed in AIS osteopenia (17.09 ± 1.09 kg/m2 and 21.63 ± 10.30 mg/L). A significant difference in the presence of rs7639352was detected in the AIS osteopenia, AIS normal bone mass and control groups. The T allele showed a significant higher proportion in AIS osteopenia than AIS normal bone mass and control groups (41.75% vs 31.3% vs 25.7%, p < 0.05). micro-CT demonstrated that the AIS convex side had a significant lower bone volume than concave side. RNA and protein analyses showed that in cancellous bone, higher RANKL/OPG and adipoR1 levels and lower runx2 levels were observed, and in cartilage, higher adipoR1 and IL6 levels were observed in AIS. Furthermore, convex side had higher RANKL/OPG, IL6 and adipoR1 than concave side. Compared with normal primary cells, convex side primary cells showed the most acute action, and concave side primary cells showed the second-most acute action when exposed under same adiponectin concentration gradient. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that high circulating adiponectin levels may result from gene variations in AIS osteopenia. Adiponectin has a negative effect on bone metabolism, and this negative effect might be mediated by the ADR1-RANKL/OPG and ADR1-IL6 pathways.

Changes in circulating cell-free nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) which characterized by complex three-dimensional deformity of spine has been difficult to cure because of the unknown etiopathology and uncertainty of progression. Nowadays, circulating cell-free (ccf) DNA was found to be a potential biomarker for several benign and malignant diseases. However, whether ccf DNA can be a biomarker for AIS has not been reported yet. In this study, we investigate the circulating cell-free nuclear DNA (ccf n-DNA) and mitochondrial DNA (ccf mt-DNA) concentrations in the plasma of patients with AIS and controls (CT), and the changed plasma ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels and their association with clinical parameters were assessed. METHODS: The plasma of peripheral blood from 69 AIS patients and 21 age-matched CT was collected for ccf DNA analysis. Quantitative PCR was used to detect ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels, and correlation analyses between the ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels and clinical characteristics were conducted. Receiver operator curves (ROC) were used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels to different characteristics. RESULTS: The plasma ccf n-DNA levels of both GAPDH and ACTB were significantly decreased in AIS patients compared with those in controls, while the plasma ccf mt-DNA levels did not changed. According to sex-related analyses, the ccf n-DNA levels in male CT-M was higher than that in female CT and male AIS, but the ccf n-DNA levels in female AIS was not significantly changed when compared with male AIS or female CT. However, the concentration of ccf mt-DNA in female AIS increased significantly when compared with male AIS. Surprisingly, Lenke type-related analyses suggested that Lenke type 1 patients had lower ccf n-DNA levels, whereas Lenke type 5 patients had higher ccf mt-DNA levels compared with those of controls. However, a lower sensitivity and specificity of AIS predicted by ccf n-DNA or ccf mt-DNA levels was observed, whether in total, by sex, or by Lenke type. CONCLUSION: Although with no/little predictive accuracy of AIS/progressed AIS by ccf DNA levels, significantly changed plasma ccf DNA levels were observed in AIS patients compared with those in controls.

Association of IFNG gene polymorphisms with pulmonary tuberculosis but not with spinal tuberculosis in a Chinese Han population.

Spinal tuberculosis (STB) is an extrapulmonary form of tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which accounts for around 2% of all TB cases and can lead to spine degeneration. It is widely accepted that host genetic factors participate in the pathogenesis of active TB, but the factors controlling which TB form will manifest after Mtb infection remain unknown. We hypothesized that a genetic difference may exist between the development of STB and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Here, three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IFNG gene (rs2069718), IRGM gene (rs10065172), and MBL2 gene (rs11003125) were genotyped among 183 PTB patients, 177 STB patients, and 360 healthy controls from the Chinese Han population. We found that rs2069718 genotypes were significantly associated with PTB (TT, p = 0.007; CT, p = 0.008) but not STB, and the TT genotype (p = 0.046) of rs2069718 were less common in PTB than in STB. In contrast, neither PTB nor STB were found to be associated with rs10065172 and rs11003125. Overall, we found a difference in the rs2069718 genetic distribution between the STB and PTB patients in a Chinese Han population. The rs2069718 TT genotype was associated with a protective role in PTB but not STB development during active Mtb infection.

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 promoter -1607 bp 1G/2G polymorphism associated with increased risk of spinal tuberculosis in Southern Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Spinal tuberculosis is the most common form of musculoskeletal tuberculosis. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) is increased in cells with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. MMP-1 plays a curial role in extracellular matrix degradation during the progression of tuberculosis. Although the 1G/2G polymorphism in MMP-1-1607 influences its transcription, its role in spinal tuberculosis remains unknown. METHODS: Healthy controls and patients with spinal tuberculosis of Han ethnicity were recruited between January 2010 and May 2016. The MMP-1-1607 1G/2G polymorphism was genotyped using the Sequenom mass Array polymorphism analysis system. RESULTS: The genotypes of 1G/1G, 1G/2G, and 2G/2G were found in 13.7%, 53.6%, and 32.8% of patients, and 12.2%, 37.4%, and 50.4% of controls, respectively. The 1G/2G genotype were more common in cases than in controls (P=2.05E-04). The 1G allele showed an association with an increased risk for spinal tuberculosis when compared to 2G allele (P=.004). 1G genotypes, having at least one 1G allele, were associated with the risk of developing spinal tuberculosis (1G/1G+1G/2G vs 2G/2G: OR=2.084, 95%CI=1.401-3.100, P=2.65E-04). CONCLUSION: 1G genotypes of the MMP-1-1607 may be associated with susceptibility to spinal tuberculosis in Southern Chinese Han population.

Management of eosinophilic granuloma in pediatric patients: surgical intervention and surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic granuloma (EG) of spine in pediatric patients presents kinds of clinical manifestation and a difficult management scenario. The choice of treatment, issues of surgical intervention versus conservative treatment, combination therapy or single treatment, all these factors, including neurological deficits, spinal stability, long-term complications, and continued skeletal growth, must be considered. METHODS: From 2008 to the 2015, 31 pediatric patients of spinal EG were retrospectively reviewed. They were 17 males and 14 females, with a mean age 8.89 ± 2.84 years old (range, 3.5-14 years old). All the cases were divided into two groups. Twenty-three cases (Group S) accepted surgical interventions and surgery combined with local low-dose radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Eight patients (Group C) accepted radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. All the patients had imaging studies of the lesion including standard radiography, three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scan, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to and after treatment. Cases in group S underwent surgery-related treatment, which include six patients accepted surgery only, nine patients accepted postoperative low-dose radiotherapy, four patients accepted additional chemotherapy, and four patients accepted both. Cases in group C accepted radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, which include five patients accepted radiotherapy, one patient accepted chemotherapy, and two patients accepted both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Clinical symptoms, neurologic status, radiologic manifestations, treatment, outcome, and/or complications were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: All the 31 patients had pain relief (both in group S and group C) but the patients in group S obtained more prompt pain relief. All the patients in group S obtained local kyphosis correction, reconstruction of stability of spine, and recovery of neurological deficit after treatment. They have no surgery-related complications after treatment and in follow-up. Seventeen patients who received additional postoperative radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy also had good outcomes. There were no severe radiation and chemotherapy complications in procedure. The patients (group C) who accepted non-surgical treatment also have no severe complications, and a new femur lesion was found in one patient in follow-up. CONCLUSION: Surgical intervention, including anterior and/or posterior approach with bone graft or surgery combined with postoperative low-dose radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy is a safe and effective way for treatment of the spinal EG. Compared with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, more prompt pain relief can be achieved via surgical intervention or surgery combined radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.

More preoperative flexibility implies adequate neural pliability for curve correction without prophylactic untethering in scoliosis patients with asymptomatic tethered spinal cord, a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Tethered spinal cord is frequently associated with scoliosis. It is still controversial whether a prophylactic untethering is necessary before correction procedure in scoliosis patients with tethered spinal cord. In this study we determined the clinical outcome of a one-stage posterior scoliosis correction without a prophylactic untethering for treating scoliosis with an asymptomatic tethered spinal cord. METHODS: Seventeen (5 males and 12 females) scoliosis patients with tethered spinal cords were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent a one-stage posterior scoliosis correction without preventive untethering. Parameters of radiograph were used to assess correction result. The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 questionnaire was analyzed pre- and post-operatively to evaluate the clinical outcomes. The modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score was used to assess the pre- and post-operative spinal cord function. RESULTS: The post-operative coronal Cobb angle was significantly decreased compared with preoperative. (23.8 ± 6.4° vs. 58.4 ± 12.6°, P < 0.01). The coronal Cobb angle was 22.4 ± 6.8° at the final follow-up evaluation. The apical vertebral translation (AVT) was also decreased significantly. (27.5 mm vs. 60.9 mm, P < 0.01). The SRS-22 total score was improved at the 1-year follow-up evaluation compared with the pre-operative SRS-22 total score (87 ± 4 vs. 70 ± 5, p < 0.05). The functional activities, pain, self-image, mental health, and surgery satisfactory scores at the final follow-up evaluation were all improved compared with the corresponding pre-operative scores, especially the self-image and mental health scores (p < 0.05). The spinal cord function was stable and there was no new neurological symptoms after scoliosis correction. No difference existed between the pre- and post-operative total mJOA score (26 ± 2 vs. 27 ± 2, p = 0.39), which including subjective symptom (p = 0.07), clinical symptom (p = 0.33), daily activities (p = 0.44) and bladder function (p = 0.67). CONCLUSION: One-stage posterior scoliosis correction is a safe and effective surgical procedure for scoliosis patients combined with asymptomatic tethered spinal cord who have adequate spinal cord function reserve.

ZNF606 interacts with Sox9 to regulate chondrocyte differentiation.

SRY-related high-mobility-group box 9 (Sox9) gene is a transcription factor that plays an essential role in chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage formation. In this study, we identified the transcriptional factor ZNF606 as an interacting partner for Sox9 in cells. We further demonstrated that overexpression of ZNF606 inhibited the transcriptional activity of Sox9, while knockdown of ZNF606 increased Sox9-mediated transcription. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that ZNF606 prevents Sox9 binding to the enhancers of its target gene col2a1. Importantly, the interaction between ZNF606 and Sox9 was decreased during chondrocyte differentiation. Consistent with these findings, ZNF606 inhibited chondrocyte differentiation. Thus, our results demonstrate that ZNF606 acts as a novel Sox9 co-regulator that inhibits Sox9-mediated chondrocyte differentiation.

Leptin Receptor Metabolism Disorder in Primary Chondrocytes from Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Girls.

To investigate the underlying mechanisms of low metabolic activity of primary chondrocytes obtained from girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS); AIS is a spine-deforming disease that often occurs in girls. AIS is associated with a lower bone mass than that of healthy individuals and osteopenia. Leptin was shown to play an important role in bone growth. It can also regulate the function of chondrocytes. Changes in leptin and Ob-R levels in AIS patients have been reported in several studies. The underlying mechanisms between the dysfunction of peripheral leptin signaling and abnormal chondrocytes remain unclear; The following parameters were evaluated in AIS patients and the control groups: total serum leptin levels; Ob-R expression in the plasma membrane of primary chondrocytes; JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation status. Then, we inhibited the lysosome and proteasome and knocked down clathrin heavy chain (CHC) expression in primary chondrocytes isolated from girls with AIS and evaluated Ob-R expression. We investigated the effects of leptin combined with a lysosome inhibitor or CHC knockdown in primary chondrocytes obtained from AIS patients; Compared with the controls, AIS patients showed similar total serum leptin levels, reduced JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation, and decreased cartilage matrix synthesis in the facet joint. Lower metabolic activity and lower membrane expression of Ob-R were observed in primary chondrocytes from the AIS group than in the controls. Lysosome inhibition increased the total Ob-R content but had no effect on the membrane expression of Ob-R or leptin's effects on AIS primary chondrocytes. CHC knockdown upregulated the membrane Ob-R levels and enhanced leptin's effects on AIS primary chondrocytes; The underlying mechanism of chondrocytes that are hyposensitive to leptin in some girls with AIS is low plasma membrane Ob-R expression that results from an imbalance between the rate of receptor endocytosis and the insertion of newly synthesized receptors into the membrane.

Carbon nanotube-fullerene hybrid nanostructures by C60 bombardment: formation and mechanical behavior.

This study reports the investigation on C60 bombardment on the carbon nanotube (CNT) by molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. We found that carbon nanotube nanobuds or nanotube-fullerene hybrid nanostructures can be formed by C60 bombardment. Different from the nanobuds in earlier studies, more structural patterns are found in the bombardment formed nanobuds and nanotube-fullerene hybrid nanostructures. In addition, the attaching strengths of the carbon nanobuds are explored, and results indicate that the junction between C60 and CNTs in the nanobuds is very stable. Moreover, we also found that the bombardment formed nanobuds and nanotube-fullerene hybrid nanostructures generally decrease the maximum tensile strength and Young's modulus of carbon nanotubes.

Capturing acyl-enzyme intermediates with genetically encoded 2,3-diaminopropionic acid for hydrolase substrate identification.

Catalytic mechanism-based, light-activated traps have recently been developed to identify the substrates of cysteine or serine hydrolases. These traps are hydrolase mutants whose catalytic cysteine or serine are replaced with genetically encoded 2,3-diaminopropionic acid (DAP). DAP-containing hydrolases specifically capture the transient thioester- or ester-linked acyl-enzyme intermediates resulting from the first step of the proteolytic reaction as their stable amide analogs. The trapped substrate fragments allow the downstream identification of hydrolase substrates by mass spectrometry and immunoblotting. In this protocol, we provide a detailed step-by-step guide for substrate capture and identification of the peptidase domain of the large tegument protein deneddylase (UL36USP) from human herpesvirus 1, both in mammalian cell lysate and live mammalian cells. Four procedures are included: Procedure 1, DAP-mediated substrate trapping in mammalian cell lysate (~8 d); Procedure 2, DAP-mediated substrate trapping in adherent mammalian cells (~6 d); Procedure 3, DAP-mediated substrate trapping in suspension mammalian cells (~5 d); and Procedure 4, substrate identification and validation (~12-13 d). Basic skills to perform protein expression in bacteria or mammalian cells, affinity enrichment and proteomic analysis are required to implement the protocol. This protocol will be a practical guide for identifying substrates of serine or cysteine hydrolases either in a complex mixture, where genetic manipulation is challenging, or in live cells such as bacteria, yeasts and mammalian cells.