Effects of ginsenoside Rg3 on bone loss, bone mineral density and osteoclast number in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis rats, and the likely michanism of action

Purpose: To investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on bone loss, bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoclast number in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) rats, and the mechanism of action involved.Methods: Sixty female Wistar rats were assigned to control, model group, ginsenoside Rg3, and alendronate sodium groups, comprised of 15 rats per group. The osteoporosis rat model was established via intramuscular injection of dexamethasone. Changes in bone mineral content (BMC), BMD trabecular thickness and area, osteoblasts and osteoclasts in femurs and lumbar vertebrae were measured after 3 months of treatment.Results: There were significantly higher BMC and BMD levels in ginsenoside Rg3 group than in alendronate rats (p < 0.05). The thickness and  trabecular area in femur and lumbar vertebrae in the ginsenoside Rg3 group were significantly higher than those in the model group (p < 0.05), but were comparable with those in the alendronate sodium group (p > 0.05). There were marked increases in osteoblasts, and marked decreases in osteoclasts in the ginsenoside Rg3 group, alendronate sodium and control rats, relative to model rats (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rg3 arrests bone loss, and enhances bone density, trabecular thickness and area, bone microstructure, osteoblast activity and population of osteoclasts number in glucocorticoidinduced osteoporotic rats. This provides a new research direction for the clinical treatment ofosteoporosis. Keywords: Ginseng soap, Rg3, Glucocorticoid, Osteoporosis, Bone loss, Bone mineral density, Osteoclast populatio

Achieving Urban Stormwater Mitigation Goals on Different Land Parcels with a Capacity Trading Approach

Building Green Infrastructures (GIs) to reduce stormwater runoff has been recognized as an effective approach to mitigate the negative impact of urban sprawl. Due to the significant differences in urban land use, some Land Parcels (LPs) may have difficulty in building enough GIs to meet stormwater mitigation goals. In this paper, we proposed a Capacity Trading (CT) approach that allows some LPs to trade their extra runoff retention capacities with LPs that have building difficulties, so that they can jointly reach the overall mitigation goal together. The rationale behind CT is that, to avoid potential penalties, it may be more economical for some LPs to ‘buy’ credit rather than to ‘build’ GIs. A case study was used to demonstrate CT operations for two trading scales: (1) CT within neighboring LPs (i.e., CT-1), and (2) CT within 20 m-radius LPs (i.e., CT-2). A GI implementation baseline intensity was set up firstly by treating the whole study area as one entity to reach a specified stormwater runoff control target; individual LPs were then examined for their GI building capacities, which may be deficit or surplus against the target. Results showed that the number and area of deficit LPs were reduced significantly through either CT scales; the number of deficit LPs was reduced from 139 to 97 with CT-1 and 78 with CT-2, and the deficit area was reduced from 649 ha to 558 with CT-1 and 478 ha with CT-2, respectively. The proposed method assumes LPs as the basic planning unit and encourages some stakeholders to maximize their GI building potential to compensate for those with disadvantages. The economic incentives for conducting CT among different LPs in urban area can help achieve stormwater mitigation goals more economically and flexibly. Some coordination among LPs in GI implementation is necessary, which presents both opportunities and challenges for city management

Alternating levels versus all levels mini-plate fixation in open door cervical laminoplasty for treatment of degenerative cervical myelopathy

Objectiveː To investigate clinical and radiological results of alternating levels compared with all levels mini-plate fixation in open door cervical laminoplasty for treatment of degenerative cervical myelopathy. METHODSː From January 2011 to April 2014, 64 patients sustained degenerative cervical myelopathy, who underwent cervical laminoplasty with alternating levels (31 patients in group A) or all levels plate fixation (33 patients in group B) were included in this retrospectively study. Clinical and radiological results were calculated.  RESULTSːThe mean cost for group B was higher than group A(P < 0.05). No statistical difference was found in the mean operation time, blood loss, axial symptoms，C5 palsy, improvement in JOA and NDI score between group A and B. Open angle in mini-plate fixed levels was significantly more than that in suture fixed levels(P < 0.05). No statistical difference was found in drift back of spinal cord, APD, Pavlov's ratio, CCI and ROM between mini-plate fixed levels and suture fixed levels.CONCLUSIONSː Open door laminoplasty at alternating levels mini-plate fixation is an economical surgical method and can obtain similar satisfactory clinical and radiological results compared to all levels mini-plate fixation. 

Percutaneous mesh-container-plasty versus percutaneous kyphoplasty for the treatment of Kümmell's disease: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Both percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) and percutaneous mesh-container-plasty (PMCP) were important procedures for the treatment of Kümmell's disease. This study aimed to compare the clinical and radiological results of PKP and PMCP for the treatment of Kümmell's disease. Methods This study included patients with Kümmell's disease treated at our center between January 2016 and December 2019. A total of 256 patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical treatment they received. Clinical, radiological, epidemiological, and surgical data were compared between the two groups. Cement leakage, height restoration, deformity correction, and distribution were evaluated. The visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and short-form 36 health survey domains “role-physical” (SF-36 rp) and “bodily pain” (SF-36 bp) were calculated preoperatively, immediately after surgery, and 1-year postoperatively. Results The VAS and ODI scores improved in the PKP [preoperative: 6 (6–7), 68.75 ± 6.64; postoperative: 2 (2–3), 23.25 ± 3.50, respectively] (p < 0.05) and the PMCP [preoperative: 6 (5–7), 67.70 ± 6.50; postoperative: 2 (2–2), 22.24 ± 3.55, respectively] groups (p < 0.05). There were significant differences between the two groups. The mean cost in the PKP group was lower than that in the PMCP group (3697 ± 461 vs. 5255 ± 262 USD, p < 0.05). The cement distribution in the PMCP group was significantly higher than that in the PKP group (41.81 ± 8.82% vs. 33.65 ± 9.24%, p < 0.001). Cement leakage was lower in the PMCP group (23/134) than in the PKP group (35/122) (p < 0.05). The anterior vertebral body height ratio (AVBHr) and Cobb’s angle improved in the PKP (preoperative: 70.85 ± 16.62% and 17.29 ± 9.78°; postoperative: 80.28 ± 13.02% and 13.05 ± 8.40°, respectively) and PMCP (preoperative: 70.96 ± 18.01% and 17.01 ± 10.53°; postoperative: 84.81 ± 12.96% and 10.76 ± 9.23°, respectively) groups (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in vertebral body height recovery and segmental kyphosis improvement between the two groups. Conclusions PMCP had advantages over PKP in terms of pain relief and functional recovery for the treatment of Kümmell's disease. Moreover, PMCP is more effective than PKP in preventing cement leakage, increasing cement distribution, and improving vertebral height and segmental kyphosis, despite its higher cost

Hydrogel-based treatments for spinal cord injuries

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by damage resulting in dysfunction of the spinal cord. Hydrogels are common biomaterials that play an important role in the treatment of SCI. Hydrogels are biocompatible, and some have electrical conductivity that are compatible with spinal cord tissues. Hydrogels have a high drug-carrying capacity, allowing them to be used for SCI treatment through the loading of various types of active substances, drugs, or cells. We first discuss the basic anatomy and physiology of the human spinal cord and briefly discuss SCI and its treatment. Then, we describe different treatment strategies for SCI. We further discuss the crosslinking methods and classification of hydrogels and detail hydrogel biomaterials prepared using different processing methods for the treatment of SCI. Finally, we analyze the future applications and limitations of hydrogels for SCI. The development of biomaterials opens up new possibilities and options for the treatment of SCI. Thus, our findings will inspire scholars in related fields and promote the development of hydrogel therapy for SCI

Comparison of unipedicular and bipedicular kyphoplasty for treating acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the lower lumbar spine: a retrospective study

Abstract Background Unipedicular and bipedicular approaches for percutaneous kyphoplasty are reportedly both effective in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). However, most studies have reported thoracolumbar fractures, with few reports describing the treatment of the lower lumbar spine. Here, we compared the clinical and radiological results of unipedicular and bipedicular approaches for percutaneous kyphoplasty for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 160 patients who underwent percutaneous kyphoplasty for lower lumbar (L3–L5) osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures between January 2016 and January 2020. Patient characteristics, surgical outcomes, operation time, blood loss, clinical and radiological features, and complications were compared between two groups. Cement leakage, height restoration, and cement distribution were calculated from the radiographs. Visual pain analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were calculated before surgery, immediately post-surgery, and 2 years after surgery. Results The mean age, sex, body mass index, injury time, segmental distribution, and morphological classification of fractures before surgery did not differ significantly between the groups. The results showed significant improvements in the VAS score, ODI score, and vertebral height restoration in each group (p  0.05). The mean operation time and extent of blood loss were lower in the unipedicular group than those in the bipedicular group (p < 0.05). Different types of bone cement leakage were observed in both groups. Leakage rate was higher in the bipedicular group than in the unipedicular group. Patients in the bipedicular group showed greater improvement in bone cement distribution than those in the unipedicular group (p < 0.05). Conclusions The clinical and radiological results of unipedicular percutaneous kyphoplasty for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the lower lumbar region were similar to those of bipedicular percutaneous kyphoplasty. However, the unipedicular approach resulted in shorter surgical time, less blood loss, and less bone cement leakage. Thus, the unipedicular approach may be preferable owing to its several advantages

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Two Sweet Sorghum Genotypes with Different Salt Tolerance Abilities to Reveal the Mechanism of Salt Tolerance

Sweet sorghum is a C4 crop that can be grown for silage forage, fiber, syrup and fuel production. It is generally considered a salt-tolerant plant. However, the salt tolerance ability varies among genotypes, and the mechanism is not well known. To further uncover the salt tolerance mechanism, we performed comparative transcriptome analysis with RNA samples in two sweet sorghum genotypes showing different salt tolerance abilities (salt-tolerant line RIO and salt-sensitive line SN005) upon salt treatment. These response processes mainly focused on secondary metabolism, hormone signaling and stress response. The expression pattern cluster analysis showed that RIO-specific response genes were significantly enriched in the categories related to secondary metabolic pathways. GO enrichment analysis indicated that RIO responded earlier than SN005 in the 2 h after treatment. In addition, we identified more transcription factors (TFs) in RIO than SN005 that were specifically expressed differently in the first 2 h of salt treatment, and the pattern of TF change was obviously different. These results indicate that an early response in secondary metabolism might be essential for salt tolerance in sweet sorghum. In conclusion, we found that an early response, especially in secondary metabolism and hormone signaling, might be essential for salt tolerance in sweet sorghum