ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical efficacy of surgical treatment using a combined medial and lateral approach combined with an external fixator for the treatment of post-traumatic heterotopic ossification(HO) in patients with stiff elbow joints.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Surgical release using the combined medial and lateral approach combined with external fixation for the treatment of HO and elbow stiffness in 26 patients from July 2010 to December 2013. The study group included 18 males and 8 females, with an average age 38.7 years (ranged 14 to 60 years). The time from injury to surgery averaged 9.3 (ranged 7 to 18) months. Before and after operation, the elbow range of motion and forearm rotation angle were measured, and the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) was evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The wound of all patients was well healed during the first period, except one patient who had chronic infection at the external fixation pin 3 weeks after operation. Then the external fixator was removed. All 26 patients were followed up, and the during ranged from 24 to 40 months, with an average of 34 months. HO recurrence occurred in 1 patient 8 months after operation. The range of motion, forearm rotation angle, and Mayo Elbow Performance Score of elbow joint in patients was significantly improved compared with that before surgery(<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Surgical release using the combined medial and lateral approach combined with an external fixator for the treatment of traumatic HO and elbow stiffness can effectively improve elbow function, resulting in a satisfactory effect.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To verify the pharmacological hypothesis of prescriptions by studying the targeted distribution of major components in stewed rhubarb in the rat model with acute pancreatitis (AP).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Normal SD rats (control group, n = 5) and the AP model induced with intraperitoneal cerulein (model group, n = 5) were taken as the experimental objects. Rats of the two groups were orally administered with stewed rhubarb granules (20 g x kg(-1)). Their heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and pancreas were collected two hours after the administration. Such constituents as emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, rhein and aloe-emodin and their concentrations in each tissue homogenate were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-mass-mass.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Aloe-emodin and physcion in stewed rhubarb whose concentrations in liver and kidney of normal rats were higher than that in pancreatic tissues, while the distribution spectrums and concentrations of the remaining components in pancreatic tissues had no significant difference with that of other organs. The concentrations of emodin, aloe-emodin, rhein and chrysophanol in stewed rhubarb in pancreatic tissues of the AP model group were higher than that in other tissues and organs, while their concentrations in pancreatic, renal and splenic tissues were notably higher than that in the normal group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In the conditions of AP, effective components in stewed rhubarb show a targeted distribution feature in pancreas, which provides experimental basis for the pharmacological hypothesis of prescriptions.</p>