A Rapid and Safe Minimally Invasive Procedure for Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Removal: A Case-Control Study and Technical Description.

Purpose: Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation is a common minimally invasive treatment for traumatic thoracolumbar and lumbar fractures; however, research on hardware removal after successful healing is limited. We aimed to introduce a rapid, safe, minimally invasive, and cost-effective method for percutaneous pedicle screw removal. Patients and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of demographic (age, sex, body mass index, alcohol use, and current smoking), clinical (hypertension and diabetes mellitus), surgical (affected levels, number of screws, time of surgery, and blood loss), and treatment cost characteristics of 92 patients who had undergone percutaneous pedicle screw removal between May 2016 and February 2023. The first 57 patients underwent the conventional method, and the remaining 35 underwent the modified method. Independent-sample t-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively, between the two groups. Results: No significant differences were observed in the demographic parameters, complications, or affected levels between the groups. However, the average surgical time (P=0.000) was significantly shorter, and the average blood loss volume (P=0.002) and total cost (P=0.000) were significantly lower in the modified group than in the conventional group. Conclusion: Compared with the conventional method, our modified method can shorten the surgical time, reduce blood loss, and reduce the total cost of treatment. It is a quick and safe minimally invasive method that does not require additional surgical instruments and is suitable for implementation in primary hospitals.

Deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2): a possible biomarker that holds promise for future diagnosis and treatment of cancer

The mechanism of deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2)-long non-coding RNA in tumors has become a major point of interest in recent research related to the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors. Recent studies have shown that the long non-coding RNA DLEU2 (lncRNA-DLEU2) can cause abnormal gene or protein expression by acting on downstream targets in cancers. At present, most lncRNA-DLEU2 play the role of oncogenes in different tumors, which are mostly associated with tumor characteristics, such as proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The data thus far show that because lncRNA-DLEU2 plays an important role in most tumors, targeting abnormal lncRNA-DLEU2 may be an effective treatment strategy for early diagnosis and improving the prognosis of patients. In this review, we integrated lncRNA-DLEU2 expression in tumors, its biological functions, molecular mechanisms, and the utility of DLEU2 as an effective diagnostic and prognostic marker of tumors. This study aimed to provide a potential direction for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of tumors using lncRNA-DLEU2 as a biomarker and therapeutic target (AU)

Deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2): a possible biomarker that holds promise for future diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The mechanism of deleted in lymphocytic leukemia 2 (DLEU2)-long non-coding RNA in tumors has become a major point of interest in recent research related to the occurrence and development of a variety of tumors. Recent studies have shown that the long non-coding RNA DLEU2 (lncRNA-DLEU2) can cause abnormal gene or protein expression by acting on downstream targets in cancers. At present, most lncRNA-DLEU2 play the role of oncogenes in different tumors, which are mostly associated with tumor characteristics, such as proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The data thus far show that because lncRNA-DLEU2 plays an important role in most tumors, targeting abnormal lncRNA-DLEU2 may be an effective treatment strategy for early diagnosis and improving the prognosis of patients. In this review, we integrated lncRNA-DLEU2 expression in tumors, its biological functions, molecular mechanisms, and the utility of DLEU2 as an effective diagnostic and prognostic marker of tumors. This study aimed to provide a potential direction for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of tumors using lncRNA-DLEU2 as a biomarker and therapeutic target.

Cytochrome c injection induced embryo loss.

Cytochrome c has been used as first-aid in the clinic for organs which are lacking oxygen. But recent report show cytochrome c injection destroys dendritic cells (DCs) which play a pivotal role in feto-maternal tolerance. However, it is not clear whether cytochrome c injection causes abortion. The cytochrome c was injected by tail vein of mice at the Day 5.5 of pregnancy (E5.5) after mating with male BALB/c mice. The total number of implantations and resorption sites was recorded at the E12.5 in pregnant mice. Expression of interferon-γ, tumor necrosis-α interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, IL-12 and transforming growth factor-ß in the mouse endometrium was measured by ELISA. Injection of cytochrome c via tail vein at the E5.5 induced fetal resorption at E12.5, and evoked an immune imbalance at the maternal-fetal interface. Notably, injection of mouse bone marrow-derived DCs (BM-DCs) rescued the cytochrome c-evoked embryo resorption. The present study suggests cytochrome c injection causes embryo resorption in mice, hinting caution regarding the use of cytochrome c in pregnant women. In addition, it may provide an easy and novel way to establish a mouse model of abortion.HighlightsCytochrome c injection induced fetal rejection.Cytochrome c injection leads to a T helper 1/T helper 2 imbalance at the maternal-fetal interface.A mouse model of abortion was established by injecting tail vein with cytochrome c.

Trophoblast H2S Maintains Early Pregnancy via Regulating Maternal-Fetal Interface Immune Hemostasis.

CONTEXT: Dysregulated immune hemostasis occurs in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA). Synthesized by cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) promotes regulatory T-cell differentiation and regulates immune hemostasis; yet, its role in URSA is elusive. OBJECTIVE: To determine if H2S plays a role in early pregnancy and if dysregulated H2S signaling results in recurrent spontaneous abortion. DESIGN: First trimester placenta villi and decidua were collected from normal and URSA pregnancies. Protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. Human trophoblast HTR8/SVneo and JEG3 cells were treated with H2S donors; HTR8/SVneo cells were transfected with CBS ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) or complementary deoxyribonucleic acid. Cell migration and invasion were determined by transwell assays; trophoblast transcriptomes were determined by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Wild-type, CBS-deficient, and CBA/J × DBA/2 mice were treated with CBS and CSE inhibitors or H2S donors to determine the role of H2S in early pregnancy in vivo. RESULTS: CBS and CSE proteins showed cell-specific expressions, but only CBS decreased in the villous cytotrophoblast in URSA versus normal participants. H2S donors promoted migration and invasion and MMP-2 and VEGF expression in human placenta trophoblast cells that contain SV40 viral deoxyribonucleic acid sequences (HTR8/SVneo) and human placenta trophoblast cells (JEG3 cells), similar to forced CBS expression in HTR8/SVneo cells. The CBS-responsive transcriptomes in HTR8/SVneo cells contained differentially regulated genes (ie, interleukin-1 receptor and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) that are associated with nuclear factor-κB-mediated inflammatory response. In vivo, dysregulated CBS/H2S signaling significantly increased embryonic resorption and decidual T-helper 1/T-helper 2 imbalance in mice, which was partially rescued by H2S donors. CONCLUSION: CBS/H2S signaling maintains early pregnancy, possibly via regulating maternal-fetal interface immune hemostasis, offering opportunities for H2S-based immunotherapies for URSA.

Hyperosmolarity evokes histamine release from ileum mucosa by stimulating a cholinergic pathway.

Changes in extracellular osmolarity lead to alteration in cellular volume. In the study, we examined the effects of hyperosmolarity on short-circuit currents (Isc) in the rat ileum using the Ussing chamber technique. Mucosal exposure to 20 mM glucose evoked a decrease of ISC in the rat ileum, which was antagonized by the stretch-activated channel blocker GdCl3, TTX and atropine, respectively. In contrast, it was not blocked by phlorizin, a Na+-glucose cotransporter SGLT1 inhibitor. Furthermore, the unabsorbed substances, such as sucrose, lactulose or urea, also induced a decrease of ISC in rat ileum. ELISA results revealed that 20 mM glucose stimulated the release of histamine from rat ileum mucosa, which was attenuated by TTX. In addition, the glucose-induced ISC was depressed by pyrilamine, a histamine H1 receptor blocker (H1 antagonist) whereas it was not affected by ranitidine (H2 antagonist), clobenpropit (H3 antagonists) or JNJ7777120 (H4 antagonist), respectively. The ion substitution experiments suggest that the changes of Na+ and HCO3- ion flux underlie the glucose-induced ISC. In conclusion, osmotic stimulus decreased the basal ISC of rat ileum by evoking histamine release from ileum mucosa. The changes of Na+ and HCO3- ion transport are involved in the glucose-evoked decrease of basal ISC.

Proteome analysis of haptoglobin in cerebrospinal fluid of neuromyelitis optica.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease with generally poor prognosis that selectively targets optic nerves and spinal cord. Although diagnostic criteria for NMO are available, there is still a need for biomarkers, predicting disease development and progression to improve individually tailored treatment. CSF proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The interaction between these proteins was further analyzed by Pathway Studio software. Seven protein spots in CSF were significantly altered in NMO patients compared with controls. Identification made by mass spectrometry revealed that the most significant protein was haptoglobin, which was increased in the NMO gels. The subsequent ELISA test were performed to validate it, which confirmed the results of proteomic analysis. Protein network was built, which showed some biological interactions among the seven proteins. These results support a correlation between the level of haptoglobin and NMO. Haptoglobin may be a potential useful biomarker for diagnosis or a medicine target for treatment of NMO.

Proteome analysis of biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid of neuromyelitis optica patients.

PURPOSE: To better understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neuromyelitis optica (NMO), we developed a proteomics platform for biomarker discovery in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with NMO. METHODS: Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) were used to compare the CSF proteome of NMO patients with that of controls. A subsequent ELISA and western blot analysis were performed to verify the results of the proteomic analysis. Pathway Studio 5.0 software was used to determine possible functional interactions among these differentially expressed proteins. RESULTS: Using 2-DE and MALDI-TOF MS, we identified 11 differentially expressed proteins and two isoforms of these same proteins. The expression of four proteins was enhanced, whereas the expression of seven proteins was reduced in the NMO group in comparison to the control group. These differences in protein expression were confirmed by performing ELISA and western blot analyses (p<0.01). Protein network analyses revealed biologic interactions and cross-talks among these differentially expressed proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Because of their unique expression profile in NMO CSFs, these proteins are candidate biomarkers for NMO. Thus, our findings may have important implications for both the diagnosis of NMO and the further understanding of its pathogenesis.