Association between P-glycoprotein expression and response to chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma: a systematic and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the association between p-glycoprotein (Pgp) expression and response to chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched and included the openly published articles evaluated the correlation between Pgp expression and response to chemotherapy. The odds ratio (OR) of response rate for Pgp positive group versus Pgp negative group was aggregated by random or fixed effect model. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included in our meta-analysis. The mean Pgp positive rate was 0.39 ± 0.10 with its range of (0.14-0.53). The summary response rate was 0.46 ± 0.16 in Pgp positive and 0.57 ± 0.27 in the Pgp negative group, with no statistical difference between two groups (P > 0.05). The pooled OR of response rate for Pgp positive group versus Pgp negative group was 0.75 with its 95% confidence interval of 0.47-1.22, indicating there was no association between Pgp expression and response to chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma. CONCLUSION: The present evidence indicated that there was no association between p-glycoprotein expression and chemotherapy response in patients with osteosarcoma.

Treatment for severe idiopathic upper thoracic scoliosis in adolescence.

STUDY DESIGN: To review the study of severe upper thoracic scoliosis (>90 degrees) in adolescence treated with pedicle screw constructs. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the treatment for upper thoracic scoliosis in adolescence. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Upper thoracic scoliosis is an uncommon spinal deformity in young children. Upper thoracic scoliosis is special. METHODS: There were 21 patients (11 boys and 10 girls) with severe upper thoracic scoliosis and their mean age was 15 years (range, 13-18 y). The mean Cobb angle was 102.2 degrees (90-118 degrees) The clavicle angle ranged from 18 to 23 degrees, with an average of 21 degrees. Patients with the major curve of scoliosis located in the upper thoracic spine were treated with a posterior spinal fusion with a pedicle screw-only construct. There was a minimum 2-year follow-up. Follow-up information was obtained clinically and radiologically. RESULTS: All patients underwent a posterior spinal fusion with a pedicle screw-only construct. Their shoulders were nearly balanced. The preoperative major curve was 102.2±8.9 degrees with a flexibility of 25.8%±8.1% in a side-bending film. The deformity was corrected to 29.7±5.9 and 32.1±5.6 degrees at the most recent follow-up. There was a 3.9-degree correction loss during the postoperative follow-up. There were no neurological or vascular complications at 2 years of follow-up. There was no crankshaft phenomenon. CONCLUSIONS: The pedicle screw constructs can be safely used for severe upper thoracic scoliosis. Curve correction is powerful for these curves, which are stiff and difficult to manage. Screw accuracy was excellent in this review.

A case report of a metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor occurring in femur.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal neoplasms that most commonly affect the stomach or small intestine, but can occur anywhere throughout the gastrointestinal tract. To the best of our knowledge, few cases have been reported in the literature about the femur metastasis of GIST. This paper describes a metastasis of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) to the femur in a 62-year-old male, 2 years after treatment for a gastric primary. There were no signs of tumor recurrence at followup after 12 mo. This case suggests that the femur can be a potential metastatic site of GIST.

[Current state and development in surgical treatment for children with spinal tuberculosis].

This article reviews a large number of recent years' literatures about surgical treatment for children with spinal tuberculosis on the characteristics of children with spinal tuberculosis, and analyzes the development of surgical treatment for children with spinal tuberculosis. Then it summarizes the indications of surgical treatment for children with spinal tuberculosis, and analyzes the clinical effect of various surgical methods of spinal tuberculosis, assesses that anterior debridement combined with anterior and posterior interbody autografting can be a good growth rate and deformity correction. Pedicle fixation on the children with spinal tuberculosis is safe and feasible. The positive early surgery can control children kyphosis. Minimally invasive surgery is the development direction of treatment for children spinal tuberculosis.