3D printing-assisted percutaneous balloon dilatation plasty for treatment of osteoporotic calcaneal fractures of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ in the elderly patients / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy between 3D printing-assisted percutaneous balloon dilatation calcaneal plasty (3D-PCP) and conventional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) via the extended lateral L-shaped approach in the treatment of osteoporotic calcaneal fractures of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ in the elderly patients.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed were the data of 36 elderly patients with osteoporotic calcaneal fracture of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ who had been surgically treated at Department of Orthopaedics, Yixing People's Hospital from June 2012 to June 2018. According to their treatment methods, the patients were divided into a 3D-PCP group [16 cases, 9 males and 7 females with an age of (73.0 ± 3.4) years] and an ORIF group [20 cases, 8 females and 12 females with an age of (71.4 ± 2.6) years]. The 2 groups were compared in terms of hospital stay, operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, suture removal time, weight bearing time, fracture healing time, visual analogue scale (VAS) for the surgical site 2 days and one year after surgery, American Foot and Ankle Surgery Association (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, calcaneal imaging parameters (B?hler angle, Gissane angle, and length, width and height of the calcaneus axis) at 2 days and one year after surgery, and postoperative complications.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P > 0.05). All patients were followed up for 14 to 18 months (mean, 15.6 months). Compared with the ORIF group, the 3D-PCP group had significantly shorter hospital stay, significantly shorter operation time, significantly earlier suture removal, significantly earlier weight-bearing, significantly lower VAS scores at 2 days after surgery, significantly higher AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one month after surgery, but significantly more times of intraoperative fluoroscopy (all P < 0.05). In all patients, the VAS scores at 2 days after surgery were significantly lower than those before surgery, and those at one year after surgery significantly lower than those at 2 days after surgery ( P < 0.05). In all patients, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one month after surgery were significantly higher than those before surgery ( P < 0.001). In the ORIF group, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores at one year after surgery were significantly higher than those at one month after surgery ( P < 0.05), but in the 3D-PCP group there was no such a significant difference between one year and one month after surgery ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS score, AOFAS score, fracture healing time or postoperative imaging parameters between the 2 groups at one year after surgery ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference either in the incidence of complications between the 2 groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of osteoporotic calcaneal fractures of Sanders type Ⅱ or Ⅲ in the elderly patients, compared with conventional ORIF, 3D-PCP shows advantages of shorter operation time, minimal invasion, quicker incision healing, shorter hospital stay, earlier weight-bearing exercise, and better functional recovery but a disadvantage of increased times of intraoperative fluoroscopy.

Tangshen formula improves cholesterol uptake and efflux of macrophages induced by high lipid via activating PGC-1α/LXR/ABCA1 pathway / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

AIM: To observe the effects of Tangshen formula (TSF) treatment on lipid efflux and uptake in sodium palmitate (PA) induced RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODS: After 200 μmol/L PA induced RAW264.7 macrophages, TSF and PGC-1α-siRNA were given to intervene respectively. The lipid content in the cells was detected by ELISA kit; intracellular lipid droplet deposition was detected by BODIPY 493/503 and Filipin staining. Western blot and Real-time PCR were used to detect the expression of PGC-1α, LXR, ABCA1 and CD36. RESULTS: TSF diminished the levels of TC, TG and intracellular lipid droplet deposition in PA-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. Western blot and Real-time PCR analysis showed that TSF could up-regulate the expression of PGC-1α, LXR, ABCA1 and down-regulate the expression of CD36. Furthermore, silencing PCG-1α by SiRNA significantly suppressed the effects of upregulating the expression of PGC-1α, LXR and ABCA1, and downregulating the CD36 expression with TSF treatment. CONCLUSION: TSF may extenuate intracellular lipid droplet deposition in macrophages by upregulating cholesterol efflux through activating the PGC-1α/LXR/ABCA1 pathway and inhibiting lipid uptake through down-regulateing the expression of CD36.

The Uneven Distribution of Mating Type Genes in Natural and Cultivated Truffle Orchards Contributes to the Fructification of Tuber indicum

The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of distribution of mating type (MAT) genes of Tuber indicum in ectomycorhizosphere soils from natural T. indicum-producing areas and cultivated truffle orchards and ascocarp samples from different regions. Quantitative real-time PCR and multiplex PCR were used to weight the copy numbers of MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 in natural truffle soils and cultivated orchard soils. The effect of limestone on the pattern of truffle MAT genes and the correlation between soil properties and the proportion of MAT genes were also assessed. These results indicated that an uneven and nonrandom distribution of MAT genes was common in truffle-producing areas, cultivated truffle orchards, and ascocarps gleba. The competition between the two mating type genes and the expansion of unbalanced distribution was found to be closely related to truffle fructification. Limestone treatments failed to alter the proportion of the two mating type genes in the soil. The content of available phosphorus in soil was significantly correlated with the value of MAT1-1-1/MAT1-2-1 in cultivated and natural ectomycorhizosphere soils. The application of real-time quantitative PCR can provide reference for monitoring the dynamic changes of mating type genes in soil. This study investigates the distributional pattern of T. indicum MAT genes in the ectomycorhizosphere soil and ascocarp gleba from different regions, which may provide a foundation for the cultivation of T. indicum.

Protective effect of melatonin on mitochondria in diabetic rats / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To explore the effect of melatonin on mitochondria in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and its potential mechanism. Methods The diabetic rat models were induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ, and the diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups: diabetes mellitus group (DM group) and melatonin-treated group (DM± MT group). The normal non-diabetic rats were served as control group. Mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling were measured, the expression of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC)was assayed by immunohistochemistry in the heart, liver and kidney among the different groups after 8 weeks. Results (1)Compared with DM group, mitochondrial membrane potential in the heart,liver and kidney were significantly elevated in DM± MT group (553.6± 193.5 vs. 311.4 ± 133.7;745.7±115.8 vs. 358.9±158.7; 951.6±246.1 vs. 425.8±177.9, all P＜0.05). (2)Compared with DM group, mitochondrial swelling in the heart, liver and kidney was reinforced in DM ± MT group. (3)Compared with DM group, the expressions of VDAC in the heart, liver and kidney were significantly up-regulated in DM± MT group (76.93 ± 8.263 vs. 58.59 ± 7.62, 50.69 ± 6.33 vs.40.11±6.30, 77.86±8.59 vs. 61.44± 12.86, all P＜0.05). Conclusions Melatonin has protective effect on the activity of mitochondria in the heart, liver and kidney in diabetic rats possibly by up-regulating the expression of VDAC.

Oxidative stress and oxidative stress-mediated cell apoptosis in diabetic nephropathy / 医学研究生学报

Reactive oxygen species(ROS) resulting from oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.It induces cell apoptosis and accelerates the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy through mitochondrial activation,DNA oxidative injury and influence on gene expression.Reducing ROS formation and blocking the pathway of cell apoptosis activated by ROS may become a new target in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.