[Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population].

Objective: To investigate the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene Apa I polymorphism and the susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population.

Methods: Between May, 2015 and June, 2016, 100 patients with bone and joint tuberculosis and 100 healthy volunteers were recruited concomitantly in Heyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Vitamin D receptor gene Apa I polymorphisms in these subjects were analyzed using SNaPshot.

[Fabrication of a new composite scaffold material for delivering rifampicin and its sustained drug release in rats].

Objective: To fabricate a new composite scaffold material as an implant for sustained delivery of rifampicin and evaluate its performance of sustained drug release and biocompatibility.

Methods: The composite scaffold material was prepared by loading poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres that encapsulated rifampicin in a biphasic calcium composite material with a negative surface charge. The in vitro drug release characteristics of the microspheres and the composite scaffold material were evaluated; the in vivo drug release profile of the composite scaffold material implanted in a rat muscle pouch was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography.