Application of one-third tubular steel plates and screws for fixation of medial column in pilon fractures.

Background: The present study sought to explore the efficacy of one-third tubular steel plates and screws for the treatment of medial column of pilon fractures. Methods: The present retrospective study comprised 40 subjects with Rüedi-Allgöwer type III pilon fractures that attended Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from April 2016 to April 2019. Patients were assigned to 2 groups based on reconstruction and fixation components used on the medial column. The medial column of participants in the control group (n=20) was anchored using screws. The medial column for subjects in the treatment group (n=20) was reconstructed using a one-third tubular steel plate. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing time, preoperative detumescence duration, operation time, postoperative weightbearing duration, and postoperative Burwell-Charnley radiological score of the 2 groups were compared. Results: The findings showed that intraoperative blood loss, preoperative detumescence time, and operation time for the treatment group were not statistically different relative to the control group (P>0.05). The fracture healing time and postoperative weightbearing time in the treatment group were 15.07±0.98 weeks and 6.91±0.61 weeks, respectively, while those in the control group were 15.84±0.59 weeks and 8.60±0.53 weeks, respectively (P<0.05). Patients in the treatment group showed markedly higher AOFAS scores relative to the AOFAS scores of subjects in the control group at month 1, 2, and 3 post-operation (P<0.05). AOFAS scores for the 2 groups were not significantly different at month 6, 12 and 24 post-operation. Subjects in the control group had a significantly lower Burwell-Charnley number radiology score relative to that of subjects in the treatment group (P<0.05). Conclusions: The present findings show that the medial column of subjects with Rüedi-Allgöwer type III pilon fracture can be repaired using a one-third tubular steel plate. Compared with simple screw fixation, the use of a one-third tubular steel plate allows earlier postoperative weightbearing, decreases the rate of postoperative reduction loss, and leads to better clinical effects and prognosis.

Clinical application of Kirschner wires combined with 5-Ethibond fixation for patella fractures.

Background: Patella fractures that require surgery are conventionally treated using Kirschner wires (K-wires) and stainless steel wires. In recent years, the nonabsorbable polyester has been reported to have excellent outcomes clinically. Therefore, the goal of our study was to evaluate the effects of Kirschner wires combined with 5-Ethibond on treating patellar fractures. Methods: From July 2018 to January 2022, 22 patella fracture patients were treated with Kirschner wires combined with 5-Ethibond. Radiographs of the knees were used to evaluate fracture healing and hardware complications. The clinical results were evaluated through the functional score, knee joint range of motion (ROM), and Bostman patella fracture functional score. Results: The average age of patients was 57.4 ± 11.9 (range 33-74) years. The mean follow-up time was 15.2 ± 7.6 (range 4-36) months. The mean operation time was 56.8 ± 8.7 (range 45-80) min. The entire patients had bony union at an average of 10.5 ± 1.9 (range 8-14) weeks. At the final follow-up, the mean range of postoperative ROM was 123.4° ± 14.6° (range 95°-140°), and the functional score was 28.7 ± 1.2 (range 26-30) points. No patient exhibited internal fixation failure, and no symptomatic implants or skin complications were recorded. Conclusions: The fixation approach using K-wires combined with 5-Ethibond has a lower complication rate and delivers superior clinical results. This research reveals that such technology is a safe and prospective substitute for conventional metal fixation approaches.

Retracted: Evodiamine Induces Apoptosis, G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of Cell Migration and Invasion in Human Osteosarcoma Cells via Raf/MEK/ERK Signalling Pathway.

An editorial decision has been made to retract this manuscript due to breach of publishing guidelines, following the identification of non-original and manipulated figures. Reference: Yuelai Zhou, Jinlong Hu: Evodiamine Induces Apoptosis, G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of Cell Migration and Invasion in Human Osteosarcoma Cells via Raf/MEK/ERK Signalling Pathway.  Med Sci Monit 2018; 24: 5874-5880. 10.12659/MSM.909682.

Quercetin reduces tendon adhesion in rat through suppression of oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: Tendon adhesion is one of the most common clinical problems, which poses a considerable challenge to orthopedics doctors. Quercetin (QUE) as a popular drug at present, it has various biological functions, including anti-inflammatory, anti-ischemic, anti-peroxidation, and antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of quercetin on tendon adhesion and whether quercetin can inhibit oxidative stress. METHOD: Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into three groups, including control group, low QUE (50 mg/kg/day) group, and high QUE (100 mg/kg/day) group. After 1 week, the levels of SOD, MDA and GPx were measured. The degree of tendon adhesion was assessed by macroscopic evaluation and histological evaluation. After 4 weeks. Besides, the pharmacological toxicity of quercetin to main organs were evaluated by histological analysis. RESULTS: The extent of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) of tendon tissue in high QUE group was significantly higher than those of low QUE group and control group. And the extent of malondialdehyde (MDA) of tendon tissue in high QUE group was significantly lower than that of low QUE group and control group. By macroscopic evaluation and histological analysis, the extent of tendon adhesion in high QUE group was lower than low QUE group and control group. However, there were no significant changes of the major organs through histological analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Quercetin may be a good and safe strategy in preventing tendon adhesion. But further clinical research is needed before its recommendation in the prevention and treatment of tendon adhesion.

LINC00612 functions as a ceRNA for miR-214-5p to promote the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators that participate in multiple biological processes, including cancer formation and progression. The biological function and molecular mechanism of LINC00612 in the progression of osteosarcoma has not been elucidated before. In this study, we evaluated the expression of LINC00612 in osteosarcoma by qRT-PCR. ShRNA-induced LINC00612 downregulation and plasmid-transduced LINC00612 overexpression were conducted in U2OS and HOS cells. The in vitro functional effects of LINC00612 downregulation and overexpression on osteosarcoma cells were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, scratch assay, transwell invasion assay and flow cytometry; in vivo tumor xenografts were conducted in nude mice. The effects of LINC00612 downregulation and overexpression on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were assessed by scratch assay, transwell assay and qRT-PCR. The possibility of LINC00612 acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to target microRNA miR-214-5p was examined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Then, miR-214-5p was downregulated or overexpressed to examine its effect on invasion and SOX4 expression in osteosarcoma cells. LINC00612 was found to be significantly upregulated in osteosarcoma cells and metastatic osteosarcoma. LINC00612 overexpression promoted the proliferation, invasion and in vivo explant growth of osteosarcoma. In addition, LINC00612 overexpression regulated EMT by elevating the expression of ZEB1, Snail, and Fibronectin 1 and inhibiting E-cadherin. MiR-214-5p was confirmed to be a ceRNA of LINC00612. LINC00612 overexpression upregulated SOX4 by inhibiting miR-214-5p. Our study shows that LINC00612 plays an important role in regulating the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma by endogenously competing with miR-214-5p and mediating EMT.

Evodiamine Induces Apoptosis, G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of Cell Migration and Invasion in Human Osteosarcoma Cells via Raf/MEK/ERK Signalling Pathway.

BACKGROUND Osteosarcoma is a prevalent type of bone tumor mainly reported in children and adolescents. The treatments for osteosarcoma are limited and are associated with serious adverse effects. In this study we evaluated the anticancer activity of Evodiamine, a plant-derived natural product, against a panel of osteosarcoma cells and explored the underlying mechanisms. MATERIAL AND METHODS The viability of osteosarcoma cell lines was investigated by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by DAPI and annexin V/PI staining and cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. The expression of the proteins was examined by Western blotting. RESULTS The results of the present study indicated that Evodiamine inhibited the proliferation of U2OS osteosarcoma cells with an IC50 of 6 µM. Further investigations indicated the antiproliferative effects of Evodiamine are due to induction of apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. The results of Western blotting revealed that the expression of several apoptosis (Cytochrome c, Bax, Bid, Caspase 3, 9, 8, and PARP) and cell cycle-related proteins (cyclin B1, Cdc25c, and Cdc2) was significantly altered. Evodiamine also suppressed the migration and invasion of U2OS osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, Evodiamine downregulated the expression of important regulatory proteins such as p-MEK and p-ERK, leading to the inhibition of Raf/MEK/ERK signalling pathways. CONCLUSIONS We found that Evodiamine exerts anticancer effects on osteosarcoma cells and has potential in the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Proliferative Constituents from the Leaves of Micromelum integerrimum.

Two new compounds, 5-O-methyl-4-desmethyl-myricanol (1) and 6-formyl-5-isopropyl-3-hydroxymethyl-7-methyl-1H-indene (2), were isolated from the leaves of Micromelum integerrimum. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. Additionally, compound 1 could stimulate the growth of NIH3T3 cells and promote cell migration. Compound 1 might exert its effects through increasing the protein expression of connective tissue growth factor.