Contractile Properties of Erector Spinae in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Based on Tensiomyography / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To analyze the contractile properties of the lumbar erector spinae in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNLBP), and to explore their correlation with pain and dysfunction. Methods:From January to June, 2020, 24 patients with CNLBP in the outpatient and the ward of geriatric rehabilitation medicine department and 26 asymptomatic volunteers were included. Their contractile properties of the lumbar erector spinae were measured with tensiomyography, including maximum radial muscle displacement (Dm), contraction time (Tc), delay time (Td), sustain time (Ts), half-time relaxation (Tr) and lateral symmetry (LS). The contraction velocity (VC) was calculated. Potential associations of tensiomyography parameters to Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were assessed using correlation analysis. Results:No significant differences were found in Td, Ts, Tc, Tr and LS between two groups (P > 0.05). Dm and Vc were significantly lower in both sides of CNLBP group than in the control group (t > 2.058, P < 0.01). Dm or Vc were not correlated with VAS and ODI (P > 0.05). Conclusion:Erector spinae are stiff and fatiguable in patients with CNLBP, however, they are not associated with pain and dysfunction. Tensiomyography could be used for accurate diagnosis and treatment of CNLBP.

Strategies and reflections on platelet-based targeted therapy for tumor / 药学学报

In the past few decades, our understanding of platelets has made great progress. Platelets play an unexpected central role in cancer and greatly affect the behavior of cancer cells. At the same time, the physiology and phenotype of platelets are also affected by cancer cells. Therefore, platelet-based tumor targeted therapy strategies have attracted the attention of researchers, but the limitations of their application require more attention. In this paper, the strategies of platelet-based tumor targeted therapy are summarized, and the strategies of platelet mimicking nanocarrier delivery, platelet hitch riding, platelet membrane coating biomimetic and engineered platelet targeting are mainly introduced. The easy activation, hard storage and unknown functional and phenotypic changes of platelets were discussed. At the same time, the strategy of platelet-based targeted tumor therapy is reviewed from theoretical basis and practical application. The development potential of platelets in the field of tumor diagnosis and treatment is discussed, which will provide some theoretical reference for the study of platelet-related tumor diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Experimental treatment of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis with human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the therapeutic effect and possible action mechanism of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) in the treatment of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The second generation of hUCB-MSCs was cultured to the fourth generation. Sixty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats (clean grade) were randomly and equally divided into 4 groups: bleomycin group, stem cell treatment group, dexamethasone treatment group, and negative control group. A pulmonary fibrosis model was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin in the bleomycin group, stem cell treatment group, and dexamethasone treatment group. The stem cell treatment group was injected with stem cells labeled with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (Brdu) via the caudal vein immediately after the model was established. The dexamethasone treatment group was intraperitoneally injected with dexamethasone for 7 d from the next day after the model was established. The negative control group was given an equal volume of normal saline by intra-tracheal instillation. In each group, 5 rats were sacrificed in the 7th, 14th, and 28th days. The expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and Brdu-labeled stem cells were observed by HE and Masson staining and immunohistochemistry. Lung hydroxyproline content was determined by acid hydrolysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The stem cell treatment groups had Brdu-labeled stem cells seen in lung tissue in the 7th, 14th, and 28th days. Compared with the negative control group, the bleomycin group, stem cell treatment group, and dexamethasone treatment group had significantly increased scores of alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis (P < 0.05). In the 7th, 14th, and 28th days, the scores of alveolitis in stem cell treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group were significantly lower than those in bleomycin group (P < 0.05); in the 28th day, the scores of pulmonary fibrosis in stem cell treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group were significantly lower than that in bleomycin group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in scores of alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis between the dexamethasone treatment group and stem cell treatment group (P > 0.05). Compared with the bleomycin group, the stem cell treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group had significantly decreased number of TGF-β1-positive cells and hydroxyproline content in lung tissue at all time points (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in number of TGF-β1-positive cells and hydroxyproline content in lung tissue between the stem cell treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>hUCB-MSCs can be transplanted into damaged lung tissue and effectively reduce alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis in the early stage of pulmonary fibrosis. The action mechanism of hUCB-MSCs may involve inhibiting the expression of TGF-β1 and reducing the formation of collagen.</p>

Relationship of occupational injuries with social and economic factors / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship of occupational injuries with social and economic factors in chemical industry during 2000.01 - 2001.12.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>1:2 paired case-control study, univariable logistic regression analysis, principal component analysis, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used in this study.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Univariable analysis showed that occupational injuries had significant relationship with age, sex, education, employment pattern, technology, workplace, work changing, wage, family income, enterprise scale, enterprise proprietorship, projective device, operation rules, and training rules of work safety. The extracted four principal components (PC(1), PC(2), PC(3) and PC(4), ranked by contribution) gave good expressions to the initial 11 variables. The cumulative proportion of the four principal components reached 77.36%. PC(1) was the indicative factor of occupational injuries, which represented 46.69% information of initial variables. PC(2) was the kinetic factor of occupational injuries. PC(3) was the stable factor of occupational injuries. PC(4) was the sex factor of occupational injuries. The results of multiple conditional logistic regression analysis showed that occupational injuries had statistically significant relationship with PC(1) and PC(2). Among the initial variables, sex, employment pattern, income, scale of enterprise, and property of enterprise were more prominent.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Occupational injuries are related with multiple social and economic factors, which often interact on each other. The prevention and control of occupational injuries should require a comprehensive approach, including training and education of work safety, improving workers' consciousness of self-protection, and enhancing proprietors' consciousness of work safety.</p>

Anticancer effects of various fractions extracted from Dioscorea bulbifera on mice bearing HepA / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the anti-cancer activities and the possible mechanism of Chinese herb Dioscrea bulbifera.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The herb was extracted sequentially with petroleum ether, ethanol and water. The anticancer screen were carried out in vivo with HepA in mice.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The inhibitory effects on the formation of ascites volume and HepA cell viability in ascites were found in those extracted fractions except water fraction, the petroleum ether fraction being the strongest. Life span of mice bearing HepA ascites was prolonged after exposed to 100 mg x kg(-1) petroleum ether fraction and shortened after exposed to water fraction significantly. Besides, abnormal microstructure on HepA cells surface was found and it was supposed to be potential effect against viability of HepA which was convinced with the regeneration of HepA cells from ascites in mice exposed to petroleum ether fraction.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Anticancer active compounds are mainly extracted by petroleum ether from hydrophobic constituents of Dioscrea bulbifera and the anticancer effects were related to direct toxicity on tumor cell.</p>