Risk Factors for Intraoperative Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures in Patients with Hip Dysplasia Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty with Uncemented Prostheses.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the potential risk factors for intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Patients who were diagnosed with DDH and undergoing THA (by artificial joint replacement) at our hospital from January 1999 to December 2019 were included in this study. Clinical and radiological factors were obtained from their medical records, such as age, sex, Crowe classification, morphological features of proximal femur, and features of surgical procedure. The outcome of interest was the occurrence of intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fracture, which was recorded and classified according to the Vancouver classification system. According to the fracture status, the patients were divided into two groups: the fracture group and the non-fracture group. Multivariate logistic regression model was built to identify the risk factors for these fractures. RESULTS: A total of 1252 hips were finally included. Intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures were identified in 62 hips. The incidence of intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures in patients with DDH undergoing THA was 4.95%. There were 22 patients (proportion = 35.48%, incidence = 1.76%) with Type A fractures, 38 (proportion = 61.29%, incidence = 3.04%) with Type B fractures, and two (proportion = 3.23%, incidence = 0.16%) with Type C fractures. Six independent risk factors for intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures were identified: osteoporosis (OR = 3.434; 95% CI, 1.963-6.007), previous surgical history (OR = 4.797; 95% CI, 2.446-9.410), Dorr Type A canal (OR = 3.025; 95% CI, 1.594-5.738), retained femoral neck length (OR = 1.121; 95% CI, 1.043-1.204), implanted metaphyseal-diaphyseal fixation stems (OR = 3.208; 95% CI, 1.562-6.591), and implanted stem with anteversion design (OR = 2.916; 95% CI, 1.473-5.770). CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures in patients with DDH undergoing THA was 4.95%, which was at a moderate level compared to patients with other diseases undergoing THA. Six independent risk factors were identified: osteoporosis, previous surgical history, Dorr Type A canal, insufficient neck osteotomy level, implantation of metaphyseal-diaphyseal fixation stem, and implantation of a stem with an anteversion design. Comprehending these risk factors might help surgeons prevent the occurrence of these intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures in patients with DDH.

Improvement of Biomineralization of Sporosarcina pasteurii as Biocementing Material for Concrete Repair by Atmospheric and Room Temperature Plasma Mutagenesis and Response Surface Methodology.

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has recently become an intelligent and environmentally friendly method for repairing cracks in concrete. To improve on this ability of microbial materials concrete repair, we applied random mutagenesis and optimization of mineralization conditions to improve the quantity and crystal form of microbially precipitated calcium carbonate. Sporosarcina pasteurii ATCC 11859 was used as the starting strain to obtain the mutant with high urease activity by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis. Next, we investigated the optimal biomineralization conditions and precipitation crystal form using Plackett-Burman experimental design and response surface methodology (RSM). Biomineralization with 0.73 mol/l calcium chloride, 45 g/l urea, reaction temperature of 45°C, and reaction time of 22 h, significantly increased the amount of precipitated calcium carbonate, which was deposited in the form of calcite crystals. Finally, the repair of concrete using the optimized biomineralization process was evaluated. A comparison of water absorption and adhesion of concrete specimens before and after repairs showed that concrete cracks and surface defects could be efficiently repaired. This study provides a new method to engineer biocementing material for concrete repair.

The activation of galanin receptor 2 plays an antinociceptive effect in nucleus accumbens of rats with neuropathic pain.

Our previous research has shown that galanin plays an antinociceptive effect via binding to galanin receptors (GalRs) in nucleus accumbens (NAc). This study focused on the involvement of GalR2 in galanin-induced antinociceptive effect in NAc of neuropathic pain rats. The chronic constriction injury of sciatic nerve (CCI) was used to mimic neuropathic pain model. The hind paw withdrawal latency (HWL) to thermal stimulation and hind paw withdrawal threshold (HWT) to mechanical stimulation were measured as the indicators of pain threshold. The results showed that 14 and 28 days after CCI, the expression of GalR2 was up-regulated in bilateral NAc of rats, and intra-NAc injection of GalR2 antagonist M871 reversed galanin-induced increases in HWL and HWT of CCI rats. Furthermore, intra-NAc injection of GalR2 agonist M1145 induced increases in HWL and HWT at day 14 and day 28 after CCI, which could also be reversed by M871. Finally, we found that M1145-induced antinociceptive effect in NAc of CCI rats was stronger than that in intact rats. These results imply that the GalR2 is activated in the NAc from day 14 to day 28 after CCI and GalR2 is involved in the galanin-induced antinociceptive effect in NAc of CCI rats.

Galanin plays a role in antinociception via binding to galanin receptors in the nucleus accumbens of rats with neuropathic pain.

Galanin and galanin receptors (GalRs) play important roles in the transmission and modulation of nociceptive information. Our previous research has shown that the expression of GalR1 is upregulated and that GalR1 activation in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats with neuropathic pain has an antinociceptive effect. However, the antinociceptive effect of NAc galanin in neuralgia remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the antinociceptive effect induced by galanin in rats with neuropathic pain and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that the intra-NAc injection of galanin induced a dose-dependent increase in hindpaw withdrawal latency (HWL) to noxious thermal and mechanical stimulation in mononeuropathic rats and that this effect was stronger than that in intact rats. The intra-NAc injection of the non-selective GalR antagonist galantide reduced HWL in the rats with neuropathic pain, but there was no influence of galantide on HWL in intact rats. Moreover, galanin expression in the NAc was upregulated after sciatic nerve ligation. All of these results demonstrate that galanin plays a role in antinociception via binding to GalRs in the NAc of rats and that endogenous galanin is involved in the antinociception after peripheral nerve injury.

Expression of GFRα3 correlates with tumor progression and promotes cell metastasis in urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a major health problem in the general population. We aimed to evaluate the function of GFRα3 and unravel its underlying molecular mechanism to develop novel treatment options equivalent to UC. METHODS: To evaluate the function of GFRα3, a group of 60 pairs of UC patients were recruited in for this study. UC tissues and their adjacent normal control tissues (NCTs) were collected between 2012 and 2015. We used immunohistochemistry to analyze the correlation between GFRα3 expression and clinicopathologic variables and patient survival. The role of regulation of GFRα3 in UC was applied in vitro. In addition, we further investigated the signaling pathway of GFRα3 in UC progression. RESULTS: The expression level of GFRα3 was remarkably upregulated in 49.3% (19/60) patients and downregulated in 25.0% (15/60) patients. The GFRα3 protein expression was upregulated in UC tissues. GFRα3 promotes UC cell migration and invasion in vitro. GFRα3 also promotes UC cell metastasis in vitro. High level of GFRα3 promotes UC cell migration via upregulation of MMP9 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that increased GFRα3 expression is significantly correlated with poor prognosis of patients with UC. Thus, GFRα3 might be an important marker and a therapeutic target for UC.

Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of the thermo-treatment process to dispose of recombinant DNA waste from biological research laboratories.

The discharge of recombinant DNA waste from biological laboratories into the eco-system may be one of the pathways resulting in horizontal gene transfer or "gene pollution". Heating at 100 degrees C for 5-10 min is a common method for treating recombinant DNA waste in biological research laboratories in China. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness and the safety of the thermo-treatment method in the disposal of recombinant DNA waste. Quantitative PCR, plasmid transformation and electrophoresis technology were used to evaluate the decay/denaturation efficiency during the thermo-treatment process of recombinant plasmid, pET-28b. Results showed that prolonging thermo-treatment time could improve decay efficiency of the plasmid, and its decay half-life was 2.7-4.0 min during the thermo-treatment at 100 degrees C. However, after 30 min of thermo-treatment some transforming activity remained. Higher ionic strength could protect recombinant plasmid from decay during the treatment process. These results indicate that thermo-treatment at 100 degrees C cannot decay and inactivate pET-28b completely. In addition, preliminary results showed that thermo-treated recombinant plasmids were not degraded completely in a short period when they were discharged into an aquatic environment. This implies that when thermo-treated recombinant DNAs are discharged into the eco-system, they may have enough time to re-nature and transform, thus resulting in gene diffusion.