Efficacy Analysis of Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Combined with PEEK Rods for Giant Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective. This study describes a randomized controlled trial that assesses percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) combined with a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rod in patients with GLDH (herniation affecting 50% of the sagittal diameter of the spinal canal) and reports the 2-year follow-up outcome. Methods. In all, 243 patients were randomly assigned to undergo PELD or PELD combined with a PEEK rod by generating random numbers with a random number generator. Clinical outcome data, including the numerical rating scale (NRS), were used to assess the patients’ back and leg pain, while the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to quantify pain and disability. Imaging data included intervertebral disc height (IDH), range of motion (ROM), and modified Pfirrmann grades. Results. At the final follow-up, the NRS for back and leg pain and the ODI scores were significantly decreased in both groups. The NRS for back pain and the ODI scores in the PELD + PEEK group (1.32 ± 0.70, 14.10 ± 4.74) were better than those in the PELD group (1.91 ± 0.69, 16.93 ± 4.33) (P<0.05). The IDH of the PELD + PEEK group (10.54 ± 1.62) was significantly higher than that in the PELD group (9.98 ± 1.90) (P=0.025). The ROM of the PELD + PEEK group (2.39 ± 0.90) was significantly lower than that of the PELD group (9.49 ± 1.62) (P<0.001). Conclusion. For symptomatic patients with GLDH, both PELD and PELD combined with a PEEK rod showed good efficacy. However, the long-term effect of PELD combined with a PEEK rod is better than that of PELD alone. Moreover, PELD combined with a PEEK rod can effectively reduce the recurrence rate. Maximum benefit can be gained if we adhere to strict selection criteria for PELD combined with a PEEK rod

Room-temperature synthesis of nonstoichiometric copper sulfide (Cu2−xS) for sodium ion storage

Nonstoichiometric transition metal chalcogenides, characterized by intrinsic vacancy defects and high conductivity, have garnered significant interest for their diverse applications in catalysis, sensing, biomedicine, and energy conversion. Nevertheless, conventional synthesis strategies often necessitate harsh conditions or intricate procedures. It remains challenging to develop a rapid, facile, energy-efficient, and environmental-friendly strategy for the preparation of nonstoichiometric chalcogenides. Herein, we propose a surprisingly efficient yet simple method for the preparation of nonstoichiometric face-centered cubic (fcc) Cu2−xS (0 \u3c x \u3c 1) nanoparticles, which are p-type semiconducting and non-toxic, by simply mixing aqueous solutions of Cu2+ with excess S2−/HS− at room temperature. The Cu2−xS is resulted from the redox reaction between the Cu2+ and excess S2−/HS− with S22− as the side product, as has been demonstrated by the color change and the UV-Vis characterization of the supernatant. Moreover, the cyclic utilization of the excess S2−/HS− for repeatedly synthesizing Cu2−xS is demonstrated. In contrast, the mixing of similar amounts of Cu2+ and S2−/HS− produces hexagonal CuS through the well-known precipitation reaction. The cubic Cu2−xS exhibits outstanding rate capability and cycling stability as an anode material for sodium ion batteries, maintaining high specific capacities of 288 and 237 mA h g−1 at rates of 2 and 5 A g−1 respectively after 3000 cycles. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations unveil the exceptional Na+ storage properties of the as-prepared cubic Cu2−xS, attributing them to its elevated structural stability. Moreover, the substantiation of a reduced Na+-diffusion barrier energy provides theoretical reinforcement to these observations. The inorganic synthesis chemistry reported in this work paves a new pathway for the preparation of nonstoichiometric transition metal sulfides. In addition, the exceptional sodium-ion storage properties and the related understanding offer novel insights for optimizing the ion storage performances of transition metal chalcogenides

Dexmedetomidine Promotes Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Differentiation of Cardiac Fibroblasts and Collagen I/III Synthesis through &alpha;2A Adrenoreceptor-Mediated Activation of the PKC-p38-Smad2/3 Signaling Pathway in Mice

Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a selective &alpha;2 adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist, is commonly used as a sedative drug during critical illness. In the present study, we explored a novel accelerative effect of DEX on cardiac fibroblast (CF) differentiation mediated by LPS and clarified its potential mechanism. LPS apparently increased the expression of &alpha;-SMA and collagen I/III and the phosphorylation of p38 and Smad-3 in the CFs of mice. These effects were significantly enhanced by DEX through increasing &alpha;2A-AR expression in CFs after LPS stimulation. The CFs from &alpha;2A-AR knockout mice were markedly less sensitive to DEX treatment than those of wild-type mice. Inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) abolished the enhanced effects of DEX on LPS-induced differentiation of CFs. We also found that the &alpha;-SMA level in the second-passage CFs was much higher than that in the nonpassage and first-passage CFs. However, after LPS stimulation, the TNF-&alpha; released from the nonpassage CFs was much higher than that in the first- and second-passage CFs. DEX had no effect on LPS-induced release of TNF-&alpha; and IL-6 from CFs. Further investigation indicated that DEX promoted cardiac fibrosis and collagen I/III synthesis in mice exposed to LPS for four weeks. Our results demonstrated that DEX effectively accelerated LPS-induced differentiation of CFs to myofibroblasts through the PKC-p38-Smad2/3 signaling pathway by activating &alpha;2A-AR

Aneuploid Cell Survival Relies upon Sphingolipid Homeostasis

Aneuploidy, a hallmark of cancer cells, poses an appealing opportunity for cancer treatment and prevention strategies. Using a cell-based screen to identify small molecules that could selectively kill aneuploid cells, we identified the compound N-[2hydroxy-1-(4-morpholinylmethyl)-2-phenylethyl]-decanamide monohydrochloride (DL-PDMP), an antagonist of UDP-glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase. DL-PDMP selectively inhibited proliferation of aneuploid primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and aneuploid colorectal cancer cells. Its selective cytotoxic effects were based on further accentuating the elevated levels of ceramide, which characterize aneuploid cells, leading to increased apoptosis. We observed that DL-PDMP could also enhance the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel, a standard-of-care chemotherapeutic agent that causes aneuploidy, in human colon cancer and mouse lymphoma cells. Our results offer pharmacologic evidence that the aneuploid state in cancer cells can be targeted selectively for therapeutic purposes, or for reducing the toxicity of taxane-based drug regimens.National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P30-CA14051