Polyetheretherketone Cages Alone with Allograft for Three-Level Anterior Cervical Fusion

A total of 25 consecutive patients suffering from degenerative cervical disc disease who underwent three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) including polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages packed with allograft were followed up for at least two years. The fusion rate reached 72% (18/25), and asymptomatic pseudarthrosis was seen in 6 patients but without mobility on flexion-extension radiographs, and revision surgery was not needed. Cage subsidence occurred at one level (C67), but it was not progressive, and reoperation was not necessary. A significant increase (P < 0.001) in fused segment angle (FSA) and fused segment height (FSH) was observed postoperatively. Similarly, a significant clinical improvement (P < 0.001) was demonstrated postoperatively in terms of Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and visual analog scales (VASs) score. PEEK cages alone with allograft proved to be a safe and effective surgical option in the treatment of three-level degenerative cervical disc disease. Although the fusion rate was not high, this technique may offer improvement of symptomatology and maintenance of cervical spine's sagittal profile

MUC1 as a Putative Prognostic Marker for Prostate Cancer

MUC1 is expressed on the apical surface of glandular epithelium. With functions including protection, adhesion and signaling, MUC1 has been implicated in prostate cancer. There are many splice variants, the best characterized of which are MUC1/1 and MUC1/2 which are determined by a SNP (rs4072037, 3506G>A)

XAF1 expression and regulatory effects of somatostatin on XAF1 in prostate cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Somatostatin prevents cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. Downregulation of the <it>XAF1 </it>transcript may occur during the development of prostate cancer. It is interesting to evaluate the potential regulatory effects of somatostatin on <it>XAF1 </it>expression during the development of prostate cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>XAF1 </it>mRNA and protein expression in human prostate epithelial cells RWPE-1, androgen dependent prostate cancer LNCaP, and androgen independent DU145 and PC3 cells were evaluated using RT-PCR and Western blot. The regulation of <it>XAF1 </it>mRNA and protein expression by somatostatin and its analogue Octreotide was evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Substantial levels of <it>XAF1 </it>mRNA and proteins were detected in RWPE-1 cells, whereas prostate cancer cells LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 exhibited lower <it>XAF1 </it>expression. Somatostatin and Octreotide up-regulated <it>XAF1 </it>mRNA and protein expression in all prostate cancer cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>XAF1 </it>down-regulation may contribute to the prostate cancer development. The enhanced <it>XAF1 </it>expression by somatostatin indicates a promising strategy for prostate cancer therapy.</p

Molecular subgroups of adult medulloblastoma: a long-term single-institution study

Background Recent transcriptomic approaches have demonstrated that there are at least 4 distinct subgroups in medulloblastoma (MB); however, survival studies of molecular subgroups in adult MB have been inconclusive because of small sample sizes. The aim of this study is to investigate the molecular subgroups in adult MB and identify their clinical and prognostic implications in a large, single-institution cohort. Methods We determined gene expression profiles for 13 primary adult MBs. Bioinformatics tools were used to establish distinct molecular subgroups based on the most informative genes in the dataset. Immunohistochemistry with subgroup-specific antibodies was then used for validation within an independent cohort of 201 formalin-fixed MB tumors, in conjunction with a systematic analysis of clinical and histological characteristics. Results Three distinct molecular variants of adult MB were identified: the SHH, WNT, and group 4 subgroups. Validation of these subgroups in the 201-tumor cohort by immunohistochemistry identified significant differences in subgroup-specific demographics, histology, and metastatic status. The SHH subgroup accounted for the majority of the tumors (62%), followed by the group 4 subgroup (28%) and the WNT subgroup (10%). Group 4 tumors had significantly worse progression-free and overall survival compared with tumors of the other molecular subtypes. Conclusions We have identified 3 subgroups of adult MB, characterized by distinct expression profiles, clinical features, pathological features, and prognosis. Clinical variables incorporated with molecular subgroup are more significantly informative for predicting adult patient outcome

Inorganic Antiflaming Wood Caused by a Ti

Wood materials with antiflaming capability were successfully fabricated by depositing a TiO2-decorated ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNAs) film on wood surface using a facile and one-pot hydrothermal method. The prepared specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). To explore the antiflaming properties, the combustion parameters of the wood treated by TiO2-decorated ZNAs were measured using the cone calorimetry technique compared with the untreated wood. For treated wood, the burning duration was prolonged for 55 s; smoke production rate (SPR) and total smoke production (TSP) were obviously reduced, especially for the production of CO was almost zero. As a result, thin inorganic film of TiO2-decorated ZNAs had desirable fire resistance, and one-pot hydrothermal method was a feasible method to fabricate nonflammable wood materials

Clinical outcomes of S2 Alar-Iliac screw technique in the treatment of severe spinal sagittal imbalance: a retrospective 2-year follow-up study

Background: The treatment of adult spinal deformity (ASD) remains a significant challenge, especially in elderly patients. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the S2AI screw technique in the treatment of severe spinal sagittal imbalance with a minimum 2-year follow-up.Methods: From January 2015 to December 2018, 23 patients with severe degenerative thoracolumbar kyphosis who underwent placement of S2AI screws for long segment fusion were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into group A (no mechanical complications, 13 cases) and group B (with mechanical complications, 10 cases) according to the occurrence of mechanical complications at the last follow-up. Radiographic parameters were compared between groups preoperatively, 1 month postoperatively and at the last follow-up. Risk factors for mechanical complications were analyzed.Results: The incidence of mechanical complications was 43.5% and the revision rate was 17.4%. At 1 month postoperatively, sagittal correction was better in group A than in group B (p&lt;0.05). The area under the curve for predicting mechanical complications of sacral slope (SS), lumbar lordosis (LL), PI (pelvic incidence)-LL at 1 month postoperatively were 0.762 (p=0.035), 0.896 (p=0.001) and 0.754 (p=0.041) respectively and the best cut-off values were 24.1°, 32.8°and 12.0°. The sagittal correction of both groups was partially lost at the last follow-up.Conclusions: A high incidence of mechanical complications was observed in long-segment corrective surgery with the S2AI screw technique for severe spinal sagittal imbalance. Inadequate sagittal correction is a risk factor for the development of mechanical complications.

Distribution Measurement and Mechanism Research on Deformation due to Losing Water of Overburden Layer

Abstract Based on FBG fiber Bragg grating technology and BOTDA distributed optical fiber sensing technology, this study used fine sand to simulate overburden layer in vertical shaft model equipment. The placing technique and test method for optical fiber sensors in the overburden layer were studied, combined with MODFLOW software to simulate the change of the water head value when the overburden layer was losing water, and obtained the deformation features of overburden layer. The results showed that at the beginning of water loss, the vertical deformation increased due to larger hydraulic pressure drop, while the deformation decreased gradually and tended to be stable with the hydraulic pressure drop reducing. The circumferential deformation was closely related to the distance between the drainage holes, variations of water head value and the method of drainage. The monitoring result based on optical fiber sensing technology was consistent to the characteristics of water loss in overburden layer simulated by MODFLOW software, which showed that the optical fiber sensing technology applied to monitor shaft overburden layer was feasible

A Retrospective Study of Progression-Free and Overall Survival in Pediatric Medulloblastoma Based on Molecular Subgroup Classification: A Single-Institution Experience

BackgroundMedulloblastoma (MB) has been classified into four core subgroups according to the transcriptional profile in recent years. However, some disagreement among researchers remains regarding the prognoses and most effective treatments of the different subgroups with different age distributions.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to analyze MB prognosis in children population based on the classification of four molecular subgroups.MethodsFrom January 2011 to January 2013, 84 consecutive MB patients aged underwent tumor removal at Beijing Tiantan Hospital. A total of 55 patients who ranged in age from 4 to 18 years underwent detailed follow-up. Molecular subgrouping was performed using RT-PCR.ResultsThe 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for the entire cohort were 76.2 ± 5.8 and 81.8 ± 5.2%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that the Group 4 patients had a better survival (2-year OS, 90.6 ± 5.2%) than the SHH subgroup (P = 0.002) and Group 3 patients (P = 0.008). Only two of the 23 non-metastasized Group 4 patients relapsed, and chemotherapy did significantly affect these patients (PFS, P = 0.685). One out of five WNT patients had tumor relapse and died at last. Large cell/anaplastic (LC/A) histology and chemotherapy were independent risk factors in multivariate analysis.ConclusionIn our study, the non-metastasized Group 4 patients had an excellent prognosis. The SHH subgroup and Group 3 patients had worst prognoses. LC/A histology had a dismal prognosis in our cohorts, which warrants intensive treatment

Cross-Linked ZnO Nanowalls Immobilized onto Bamboo Surface and Their Use as Recyclable Photocatalysts

A novel recyclable photocatalyst was fabricated by hydrothermal method to immobilize the cross-linked ZnO nanowalls on the bamboo surface. The resultant samples were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) techniques. FTIR spectra demonstrated that the cross-linked wurtzite ZnO nanowalls and bamboo surface were interconnected with each other by hydrogen bonds. Meanwhile, the cross-linked ZnO nanowalls modified bamboo (CZNB) presented a superior photocatalytic ability and could be recycled at least 3 times with a photocatalytic efficiency up to 70%. The current research provides a new opportunity for the development of a portable and recycled biomass-based photocatalysts which can be an efficiently degraded pollutant solution and reused several times