Traumatic brachial plexus injury: a study of 510 surgical cases from multicenter services in Guangxi, China.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brachial plexus injuries are severe lesions, and the incidence of these injuries has been increasing in recent years. METHODS: The clinical data of 510 operated patients with brachial plexus injury recruited from 74 hospitals in Guangxi from 2004 to 2016 were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Our study included 447 males and 63 females, with an average age of 29.04 years. Traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury (64.71%), especially motorcycle accidents. Closed injuries accounted for 88.24% of cases, and 83.53% of patients had associated injuries, the most common of which were fractures (76.27%). The preoperative predictive value of root injury of MRI and CT was 74.71% and 71.28%, respectively. 44.71% of patients underwent an initial operation within 6 months after the trauma. Regarding the surgery, neurolysis alone, brachial plexus reconstruction, and free functioning gracilis graft accounted for 16.67%, 75.50%, and 4.51%, respectively. A total of 415 patients were followed up with an average time of 47.95 (25-68) months, and anxiety or depression were found among 81.20% of them. Two hundred seventy-six patients suffered from nerve pain, with mild pain present in 67.03% of patients. Additionally, 347 patients were followed up for more than 3 years, 76.81% of patients with C5-C6 injury recovery to useful function, and the procedure of neurolysis alone demonstrated the best efficacy (79.45%). CONCLUSIONS: Brachial plexus injury is still a challenging trauma for surgeons, and traffic accidents are the dominant cause. Timely and effective surgery is important for functional limb recovery.

[Application of MR arthrography for diagnosis of femoral acetabular impingement syndrome].

Femora acetabular impingement (FAI) is thought as the major reason leds to hip osteoarthritis. FAI results to destruction of the arthrodial cartilage. Prognoses of hip osteoarthritis is affected by the degree of arthrodial cartilage destruction. The hip osteoarthritis could be prevented if FAI is diagnosed and treated in earlier period. How can we diagnose FAI in earlier period? Recent studies showed that MRI was the best way for FAI diagnosis. It has higher resolution and signal-noise ratio. Cartilage and gleniod labrum of hip could be shown by MRI. The paper reviewed the standard and difficulties of diagnosis about FAI. High magnet MRI maybe is one way to solve the problems.

Methanol metabolism in the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Plants produce and release large quantities of methanol, especially when attacked by herbivores. It seems that the herbivores may suffer from methanol intoxication. Here we reported the tolerance to and the metabolism of methanol by Ostrinia furnacalis third-instar larvae. When larvae were exposed to dietary methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid for 72h, the estimated LC(50) value was 28, 40 and 29 mg/g diet, respectively. Toxicity of methanol was enhanced by 4-methylpyrazole, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and piperonyl butoxide, and toxicity of formaldehyde was increased by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole and piperonyl butoxide. However, triphenyl phosphate had little synergistic effects on both methanol and formaldehyde. These data indicate that alcohol dehydrogenase, and probably catalase and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase oxidize methanol to formaldehyde, catalase and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase catalyze formaldehyde to formic acid, water and carbon dioxide, and carboxylesterase may have a minor effect. Several fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were identified from extracts of the frass of larvae which had been exposed to a methanol-contained diet, in contrast to those on a methanol-free artificial diet. In vitro tests revealed that a crude enzyme solution from the larvae could synthesize FAMEs from corresponding fatty acids and methanol. In addition, dietary methanol induced higher esterase activities in the first-, second- and third-instar larvae. These findings demonstrate that both oxidative metabolism and non-oxidative metabolism are partially responsible for methanol elimination in O. furnacalis larvae.