Evaluation of knee cartilage based on MRI artificial intelligence reconstruction model of knee joint / 中华骨科杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of the AI intelligent reconstruction model based on knee joint magnetic resonance data developed by Nuctech Company Limited for evaluating knee cartilage injury.Methods:Thirty-three patients (a total of forty-one knees) who were hospitalized with severe knee osteoarthritis in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from May 2021 to April 2022 were selected. All of them were planned to be performed total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Fifteen males with an average age of 71±5 years old and twenty six females with an average age of 71±9 years old were included in this study. There were 19 cases of left knee and 22 cases of right knee. Thin layer MRI examination on the patients' knee joints was performed before the surgery, and artificial intelligence model based on the thin layer MRI data of the knee joint was reconstructed. The cartilage part of the model was selected and corrected by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in order to realize model straightening. The tibial plateau cartilage of knee joint which intercepted during operation was classified according to the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS). Finally the results were compared with the ICRS classification results of knee artificial intelligence reconstruction model and artificial recognition of knee joint MRI images.Results:Compared with the grade of cartilage injury intercepted during our operation which was according to the ICRS classification, the sensitivity of artificial intelligence reconstruction model for the diagnosis of cartilage injury with ICRS classification grade four was 93.1%. The specificity of artificial intelligence reconstruction model was 91.4%. The positive predictive value (PPV) of artificial intelligence reconstruction model was 92.2%. And the negative predictive value (NPV) of artificial intelligence reconstruction model was 80.3%. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.92. The ICRS classification consistency between artificial intelligence model and physical inspection results was good with kappa value 0.81 ( P<0.001) . In the aspect of artificial recognition of cartilage injury grading in MRI images, the sensitivity of artificial recognition was 92.10% compared with the manual identification of cartilage injury classification in MRI images. The specificity of artificial recognition was 91.60%. The positive predictive value (PPV) of artificial recognition was 97.20% and the negative predictive value (NPV) of artificial recognition was 78.8%. The kappa value of the cartilage injury classification in MRI images consistency between artificial recognition and manual identification was 0.79 ( P<0.001). Conclusion:Based on the evaluation of cartilage injury by AI reconstruction model of knee joint, the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis of ICRS grade IV cartilage injury can be acceptable, but still needs to be improved.

Increased EZH2 Levels in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Microglia Aggravate Neuropathic Pain by Inhibiting Autophagy Following Brachial Plexus Avulsion in Rats / 神经科学通报·英文版

After brachial plexus avulsion (BPA), microglia induce inflammation, initiating and maintaining neuropathic pain. EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) has been implicated in inflammation and neuropathic pain, but the mechanisms by which it regulates neuropathic pain remain unclear. Here, we found that EZH2 levels were markedly upregulated during BPA-induced neuropathic pain in vivo and in vitro, stimulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) secretion in vivo. In rats with BPA-induced neuropathic pain, mechanical and cold hypersensitivities were induced by EZH2 upregulation and inhibited by EZH2 downregulation in the anterior cingulate cortex. Microglial autophagy was also significantly inhibited, with EZH2 inhibition activating autophagy and reducing neuroinflammation in vivo. However, this effect was impaired by inhibiting autophagy with 3-methyladenine, suggesting that the MTOR signaling pathway is a functional target of EZH2. These data suggest that EZH2 regulates neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain via a novel MTOR-mediated autophagy signaling pathway, providing a promising approach for managing neuropathic pain.

Clinical Analysis of Arthroscopic Repairing of Ellman Grade Ⅲ Bursal-side Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tears / 中国运动医学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical outcome of Ellman grade Ⅲ bursal-side partial-thickness rotator cuff tears(b-PT-RCT)treated by the arthroscopic single-row technique with articular tendon fibers reservation.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 31 patients with Ellman grade Ⅲ (b-PT-RCT) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR) with the single-row technique in our hospital between January 2014 and October 2016.The intact articular side tissue of the rotator cuff was reserved in 17 patients of group A,and was resected to convert to a full-thickness cuff tear in 14 patients of group B.The visual analog pain scale(VAS)score,Constant-Murley score and shoulder active range of motion(ROM),and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)results were compared between the two groups during the last follow-up.Results Among the 31 patients,25 were followed,with 14 in group A followed for an average of 16.29(12～25)months and 11 of group B followed for an average of 15.37(12～27)months.There were no significant differences between the two groups in all measurements before the intervention and at the last follow-up.After the operation,significant improvement was observed in all planes of the active ROM for both groups(P＜0.05).The VAS score of group A and B decreased significantly from 6.50 ± 1.16 and 6.63 ± 1.80 before the operation to 0.86 ± 0.57 and 0.91 ± 0.63 at the last follow-up(P＜0.05 for both).However,the average Constant-Murley score improved significantly from 55.21 ± 6.40 to 86.85 ± 4.85 in Group A(P＜0.05),while from 54.37 ± 6.30 to 85.73 ± 5.36 in group B(P＜0.05).During the last follow-up,no retear occurred in both groups according to the MRI examination.Conclusion The outcome of single-row repair for grade Ⅲ bursal-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears with either articular tendon preservation or converting of the lesion to a full-thickness tear is satisfying.No significant differences were found in their clinical outcomes.

Immune Response of Recombinant Pseudorabies Virus rPRV-VP2 Expressing VP2 Gene of Porcine Parvovirus in Mice / 病毒学报

In order to develop a combined live vaccine that will be used to prevent against porcine parvovirus (PPV) and Pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection, the VP2 gene of PPV was inserted into the transfer vector plasmid pG to produce the recombinant plasmid pGVP2. The plasmid pGVP2 and the genome of PRV HB98 attenuated vaccine were transfected by using lipofectamine into swine testis cells for the homologous recombination. The recombinant virus rPRV-VP2 was purified by selection of green fluorescence plaques for five cycles. 6-week-old female Kunming mice were immunized intramuscularly with attenuated PRV parent HB98 strain, commercial inactivated vaccine against PPV, recombinant virus, DMEM culture solution. The injections were repeated with an equivalent dose after 2 weeks in all of the groups, and then challenged with the virulent PRV NY strain at 7 weeks after the first immunization. The recombinant virus rPRV-VP2 was successfully generated, and the recombinant virus could effectively elicite anti-PPV and PRV antibody and significant cellular immune response as indicated by anti-PPV ELISA and HI, PRV-neutralizing assay and flow cytometry. The challenge assay indicated that recombinant virus could protect the mice against the virulent PRV challenge. These results demonstrated that the recombinant virus can be a candidate recombinant vaccine strain for the prevention of PRV and PPV.

The hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of Laminaria japonica on diabetic model induced by alloxan in rats / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To investigate the hypoglycemic effects of Laminaria japonica (L. japonica) on diabetic model induced by alloxan in rats. Methods Sixty healthy female rats were used to establish diabetic models by injecting alloxan peritoneally, and L.japonica was applied as raw materials for potential marine drugs.The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) were detected by automatic blood glucose device. Enzyme linkedimmunoabsorbant assay was applied to determine the insulin level in serum. The shape and structure of isletcells were observed with histopathological staining, and the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in islet cells were detected by immunohistochemical technique. Results After the treatment, the levels of FBG of L.japonica treated group B [(9.37±1.70) mmol/LandC (9.18±1.65 ) mmol/L, F= 32.81, q=6.35～11.72, P<0.05 ] reduced, while the serum levels of insulin in treated group A, Band C (0.0378±0.0026, 0.0378±0.0027, 0.0367±0.0035) increased(F= 11.40, q=4.28～8.47, P<0.05) significantly than those of diabetic model group (0.0456 ±0.0057) . The shape and structure of islet cells improved with the up-expressing SOD(t=4.73～4.76, P<0.05)and down-expressing iNOS (t=4.81～5.30, P<0.05) in L.japonica treated group B and C than those in diabetic model group. Conclusion L.japonica might decrease the serum level of FBG through promoting the islet cell recovery by an anti-oxide effect.