State-of-the-art of minimally invasive treatments of bone metastases.

Bone metastases is a common manifestation of advanced malignant tumors. With the recent advances in medical technology, the survival period of patients with malignant tumors is prolonged, and the probability of bone metastases is significantly increased. Approximately 70% to 80% of patients with breast or prostate cancer will eventually develop bone metastases. In addition, thyroid, lung, and kidney carcinomas are all known to cause bone metastases, with a 30% to 40% incidence upon postmortem assessment. Bone metastases often lead to severe pain, pathological fractures, and nerve damage and have become a critical factor affecting the quality of life and life expectancy of cancer patients. Although treatments for bone metastases are diverse, choosing the appropriate treatment is difficult. Both conservative treatment and open surgery have certain drawbacks and may not be appropriate for all patients. Interventional procedures have the advantages of less trauma with quicker recovery and represent a viable alternative. This review provides updates on the progress of research on the interventional treatment of bone metastases and directions regarding relevant further studies.

Heterotopic ossification in the post cruciate ligament of the knee: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is noted most frequently in periarticular muscles and has not yet been reported in the cruciate ligaments of the knee. We present a rare case of symptomatic ossification of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). CASE PRESENTATION: A 59-year-old woman had a 2-year history of knee pain that was getting worse during knee motion and had restricted knee motion for 1 year. X-rays could not show the lesion clearly. Multi-planar computed tomography demonstrated ossification within the PCL with mild osteoarthritic changes and excluded any other intra-articular pathology. The patient underwent arthroscopic debridement and then experienced immediate relief of pain and complete recovery of range of motion. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of HO in the PCL as a possible cause of knee pain and restricted knee motion. On the basis of literature review, this case elaborates the difference between HO and calcification in the ligaments, the related factors inducing HO and the undefined pathogenesis, and favorable prognosis after adequate treatment.

Theobromine mitigates IL-1ß-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and degradation of type II collagen in human chondrocytes.

Osteoarthritis is one of the major causes of disability in elderly adults. Chondrocytes are responsible for the formation and remodeling of articular cartilage in joint tissue. The dysfunction of chondrocytes is a significant factor in the development of osteoarthritis. In the current study, we found that theobromine, a constituent of the cacao plant, possesses a preventive effect against interleukin (IL)-1ß-induced chondrocyte dysfunction. Theobromine ameliorates IL-1ß-induced production of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory mediators including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The presence of theobromine suppresses IL-1ß-induced inducible nitro oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and cellular nitro oxide (NO) production. Theobromine also suppresses IL-1ß-induced production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), as well as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-3 and MMP-13. Additionally, theobromine mitigates IL-1ß-induced type II collagen degradation. Mechanistically, we show that theobromine inhibits IL-1ß-induced IκBα activation, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) protein p65 accumulation, and transfected NF-κB promoter activity, indicating that theobromine suppresses the NF-κB pathway in chondrocytes. Collectively, our study demonstrates that the natural molecule theobromine has a protective effect to counter cytokine-induced chondrocyte dysfunction, implying its beneficial effect in the prevention of osteoarthritis.