Simultaneous arthroscopic cystectomy and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for the management of partial knee osteoarthritis with a popliteal cyst: A case report

IntroductionPopliteal cysts are secondary to degenerative changes in the knee joint. After total knee arthroplasty (TKA), 56.7% of patients with popliteal cysts at 4.9 years follow-up remained symptomatic in the popliteal area. However, the result of simultaneous arthroscopic cystectomy and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) was uncertain.Case presentationA 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe pain and swelling in his left knee and the popliteal area. He was diagnosed with severe medial unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with a symptomatic popliteal cyst. Subsequently, arthroscopic cystectomy and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) were performed simultaneously. A month after the operation, he returned to his normal life. There was no progression in the lateral compartment of the left knee and no recurrence of the popliteal cyst at the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionFor KOA patients with a popliteal cyst seeking UKA, simultaneous arthroscopic cystectomy and UKA are feasible with great success if managed appropriately

Whole-genome sequencing reveals genomic characterization of Listeria monocytogenes from food in China

IntroductionListeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterium that could persist in food and food processing environments for a long time. Understanding the population structure and genomic characterization of foodborne L. monocytogenes is essential for the prevention and control of listeriosis.MethodsA total of 322 foodborne L. monocytogenes isolates from 13 geographical locations and four food sources in China between 2000 and 2018 were selected for whole-genome sequencing.ResultsIn silico subtyping divided the 322 isolates into five serogroups, 35 sequence types (STs), 26 clonal complexes (CCs) and four lineages. Serogroup IIa was the most prevalent serogroup and ST9 was the most prevalent ST of foodborne L. monocytogenes strains isolated in China. The in-depth phylogenetic analysis on CC9 revealed that ST122 clone might be original from ST9 clone. Furthermore, 23 potentially relevant clusters were identified by pair-wised whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism analysis, indicating that persistent- and/or cross-contamination had occurred in markets in China. ST8 and ST121 were the second and third top STs of L. monocytogenes in China, which had heterogeneity with that of L. monocytogenes isolates from other countries. The antibiotic resistance genes aacA4, tetM, tetS, dfrG carried by different mobile elements were found in L. monocytogenes strains. One lineage II strain carrying Listeria Pathogenicity Island 3 was first reported. In addition, a novel type of premature stop codon in inlA gene was identified in this study.DiscussionThese findings revealed the genomic characteristics and evolutionary relationship of foodborne L. monocytogenes in China on a scale larger than previous studies, which further confirmed that whole-genome sequencing analysis would be a helpful tool for routine surveillance and source-tracing investigation

Structure-Based Discovery of Highly Selective Phosphodiesterase-9A Inhibitors and Implications for Inhibitor Design

A new series of phosphodiesterase-9 (PDE9) inhibitors that contain a scaffold of 6-amino-pyrazolopyrimidinone have been discovered by a combination of structure-based design and computational docking. This procedure significantly saved load of chemical synthesis and is an effective method for the discovery of inhibitors. The best compound 28 has an IC50 of 21 nM and 3.3 µM respectively for PDE9 and PDE5, and about three orders of magnitude of selectivity against other PDE families. The crystal structure of the PDE9 catalytic domain in complex with 28 has been determined and shows a hydrogen bond between 28 and Tyr424. This hydrogen bond may account for the 860-fold selectivity of 28 against PDE1B, in comparison with about 30-fold selectivity of BAY73-6691. Thus, our studies suggest that Tyr424, a unique residue of PDE8 and PDE9, is a potential target for improvement of selectivity of PDE9 inhibitors

A tau fragment links depressive-like behaviors and cognitive declines in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models through attenuating mitochondrial function

IntroductionAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease characterized by extracellular senile plaques including amyloid-β peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles consisting of abnormal Tau. Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms in AD, and clinical evidence demonstrates that depressive symptoms accelerate the cognitive deficit of AD patients. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of depressive symptoms present in the process of AD remain unclear.MethodsDepressive-like behaviors and cognitive decline in hTau mice were induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS). Computational prediction and molecular experiments supported that an asparagine endopeptidase (AEP)-derived Tau fragment, Tau N368 interacts with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPAR-δ). Further behavioral studies investigated the role of Tau N368-PPAR-δ interaction in depressive-like behaviors and cognitive declines of AD models exposed to CRS.ResultsWe found that mitochondrial dysfunction was positively associated with depressive-like behaviors and cognitive deficits in hTau mice. Chronic stress increased Tau N368 and promoted the interaction of Tau N368 with PPAR-δ, repressing PPAR-δ–mediated transactivation in the hippocampus of mice. Then we predicted and identified the binding sites of PPAR-δ. Finally, inhibition of AEP, clearance of Tau N368 and pharmacological activation of PPAR-δ effectively alleviated CRS-induced depressive-like behaviors and cognitive decline in mice.ConclusionThese results demonstrate that Tau N368 in the hippocampus impairs mitochondrial function by suppressing PPAR-δ, facilitating the occurrence of depressive-like behaviors and cognitive decline. Therefore, our findings may provide new mechanistic insight in the pathophysiology of depression-like phenotype in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease

Hyper-Crosslinked Porous Organic Nanomaterials: Structure-Oriented Design and Catalytic Applications

Hyper-crosslinked porous organic nanomaterials, especially the hyper-crosslinked polymers (HCPs), are a unique class of materials that combine the benefits of high surface area, porous structure, and good chemical and thermal stability all rolled into one. A wide range of synthetic methods offer an enormous variety of HCPs with different pore structures and morphologies, which has allowed HCPs to be developed for gas adsorption and separations, chemical adsorption and encapsulation, and heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we present a systematic review of recent approaches to pore size modulation and morphological tailoring of HCPs and their applications to catalysis. We mainly compare the effects of pore size modulation and morphological tailoring on catalytic applications, aiming to pave the way for researchers to develop HCPs with an optimal performance for modern applications

Sequential vigilance is unpredictable in reproductive Black-necked Cranes

Abstract Background Vigilance refers to the behavior of animals scanning their surroundings with a main purpose of anti-predation. Whether vigilance can serve the function of anti-predation depends on its unpredictability, meaning instantaneous randomness, sequential randomness, and independence, the three assumptions from Pulliam model (J Theor Biol 38:419, 1973). Here we tested two of these three assumptions in reproductive Black-necked Cranes (Grus nigricollis) in Tibetan Plateau: instantaneous randomness and sequential randomness. Methods Observations were carried out in July and September of 2014, July and August in 2017 in Selincuo National Nature Reserve, Tibet, with the help of focal sampling method. For instantaneous randomness, we used Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for its negative exponential distribution; for sequential randomness, we used Run test, correlation analysis, and generalized linear model to see if an inter-scan and its previous scan were correlated. Results Not similar to some recent studies, we did not find a significant predictable vigilance in this crane. Most inter-scan intervals (86/100, 86.0%) passed negative exponential distribution test, meaning vigilance sequences with instantaneous randomness; most inter-scan intervals (91/100, 91.0%) passed sequential random test, showing vigilance sequences were random organized. Conclusion Our results suggest that keeping a vigilance pattern with unpredictability is beneficial to the survival of the Black-necked Cranes, which are facing with both cruel natural environments and high predation risks

Feasibility of Early Evaluation for the Recurrence of Bladder Cancer after Trans-Urethral Resection: A Comparison between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Multidetector Computed Tomography

(1) Background: This study investigates the early evaluation value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in diagnosing the recurrence of bladder cancer (BC) after trans-urethral resection (TUR) alone or combined with intravesical perfusion chemotherapy. (2) Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 92 patients with BC who underwent MRI and MDCT after TUR. The time interval between MRI and MDCT was no more than 1 week. Tumor recurrence was recorded by two experienced radiologists who were double-blind. Recurrent patients were divided into nodular masses, irregular wall thickening and smooth wall thickening groups according to tumor morphology in cystoscopy and resected gross specimens. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was evaluated using the Kappa test. Imaging diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and McNemar’s test based on pathology. (3) Results: There were 56 relapsed and 36 non-relapsed patients. The intra-observer agreement for the imaging diagnosis was excellent (κ = 0.96 for MRI and κ = 0.91 for MDCT, both p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve of MRI was higher than that for MDCT (0.91 vs. 0.74, p < 0.001) in identifying tumor recurrence and benign treatment-related changes. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI (87.5%, 94.4% and 90.2%, respectively) were higher than those of MDCT (67.9%, 80.6% and 72.8%, respectively) in diagnosing tumor recurrence. Two observers missed 10 cases of small lesions (<1 cm) on MDCT. The accuracy of MRI (100%, 90.0% and 25.0%, respectively) was higher than that of MDCT (92.1%, 30.0% and 0%, respectively) in diagnosing nodular masses, irregular wall thickening and smooth wall thickening recurrence patterns. (4) Conclusions: Compared with MDCT, MRI had a higher accuracy in detecting BC recurrence early, especially for nodular masses and irregular wall thickening, and could better differentiate tumor recurrence from benign treatment-related changes

Multiple directional DWI combined with T2WI in predicting muscle layer and Ki‐67 correlation in bladder cancer in 3.0‐T MRI

Abstract Objective To investigate the value of 3.0T MRI multi‐directional diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) combined with T2WI morphological features and lesion distribution in preoperative prediction of muscle layer invasion of bladder cancer (BC) and the correlation with postoperative Ki‐67. Materials and Methods This retrospective study enrolled patients with BC between 2019 and 2021. Patients with muscular invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or non‐muscular invasive BC (NMIBC) were also analyzed by preoperative 3.0T MRI aFostic efficacy. Results A total of 186 patients were enrolled. About 27 patients with MIBC (35 lesions in total) and 62 with NMIBC (99 lesions in total). We found the tumor with a larger size, a wide base, and a smaller apparent dispersion coefficient (ADC) value and normalized ADC(nADC) value, without a stalk, presenting a greater risk of muscle invasion. ADC value, nADC value, maximum diameter, and stalk were independently associated with muscle invasion. Lesions located at the bladder fundus or involvement of multiple sites were independently associated with muscle invasion compared to the bladder body. In combination with morphological features, the AUCs of ADC and nADC showed accuracies of 0.925 and 0.947–0.951, respectively. TADC and nTADC showed the best diagnostic efficacy in multiple respects. KI‐67 LI was negatively correlated with ADC and nADC values. Conclusions This is the first report in which we found Multi‐directional DWI combined with T2WI in 3.0T MRI can be used to predict the muscle layer invasion of bladder cancer. ADC values reflect the muscular invasion of bladder cancer and show a moderate negative correlation with Ki‐67. It is especially suitable for bladder cancer patients with renal insufficiency or tumor recurrence