Percutaneous kyphoplasty in the treatment of Kümmell disease in lumbar scoliosis: A case report.

Background: Due to mechanical imbalance in the spine, elderly scoliosis patients tend to develop vertebral fracture nonunion, , Kümmell disease, when osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures occur. However, accompanying vertebral rotational deformities make surgical procedures challenging risky. Such patients are usually compelled to undergo conservative treatment and there are very few reports on minimally invasive surgeries for them.

Conservation tillage facilitates the accumulation of soil organic carbon fractions by affecting the microbial community in an eolian sandy soil.

Conservation tillage (CT) is an important agronomic measure that facilitates soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation by reducing soil disturbance and plant residue mulching, thus increasing crop yields, improving soil fertility and achieving C neutrality. However, our understanding of the microbial mechanism underlying SOC fraction accumulation under different tillage practices is still lacking. Here, a 6-year field experiment was carried out to explore the effects of CT and traditional tillage (CK) practices on SOC fractions in an eolian sandy soil.

Protective effect of betaine against lead-induced testicular toxicity in male mice.

Lead (Pb) is an environmental toxicant reported to impair male reproductive system. Betaine is a natural product which has promising beneficial effects against oxidative stress. In this experimental study, we evaluated the ameliorative effect of betaine on sperm quality and oxidative stress induced by lead (Pb) in the testis of adult male mice.

SIRT7 Regulates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Injury by Suppressing the NF-B Signaling Pathway.

Mastitis has severely affected the cattle industry worldwide and has resulted in decreased dairy production and cattle reproduction. Although prevention and treatment methods have been implemented for decades, cattle mastitis is still an intractable disease. Sirtuin 7 (SIRT7) is an NAD-dependent deacetylase that is involved in various biological processes, including ribosomal RNA synthesis and protein synthesis, DNA damage response, metabolism, and tumorigenesis.

Heme oxygenase 1 regulates apoptosis induced by heat stress in bovine ovarian granulosa cells via the ERK1/2 pathway.

Heat stress can inhibit follicular development in dairy cows, and thus can affect their reproductive performance. Follicular granulosa cells can synthesize estrogen, that affects the development and differentiation of follicles by apoptosis. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1/heat shock protein 32) plays an antiapoptotic and cytoprotective role in various cells during stress-induced apoptosis, but little is known about its definitive function in bovine (ovarian) granulosa cells (bGCs).

SIRT7 depletion inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and increases drug sensitivity by activating p38MAPK in breast cancer cells.

SIRT7 is a member of the sirtuin family of proteins that are known to be associated with tumor development. However, the functional roles and molecular mechanisms underlying the function of SIRT7 in breast cancer cell survival and tumor development remain unclear. Recent studies demonstrated that SIRT7 is upregulated in breast cancer cells and tissues.

Long noncoding RNA and mRNA profiling in MDA-MB-231 cells following RNAi-mediated knockdown of SIRT7.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers among women and a major clinical obstacle. Although studies have reported the abnormal expression of SIRT7 in breast cancer, whether the function of SIRT7 regulates the expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in breast cancer remains unknown. We aimed to determine the differential expressions of mRNAs and lncRNAs associated with SIRT7 and understand the regulatory mechanism of SIRT7 in breast cancer.

Changes in expression and production of heme oxygenase-1 in rats with acute liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.

To investigate the changes of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression and production in rats with acute liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and explore the role of HO-1 in the pathogenesis of liver injury. Liver injury was assessed histologically and the serum level of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were examined. The activity of super oxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbon monoxide (CO) in liver tissues were also examined at the same time.

Percutaneous Kyphoplasty for Kummell Disease with Severe Spinal Canal Stenosis.

Background: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) has been proven as an effective, minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of Kummell's disease in the early stages. However, a risk of cement leakage and further neurological damage remains during and after PKP, especially in chronic osteoporotic stage III Kummell's disease with severe spinal canal stenosis.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of PKP for the treatment of chronic osteoporotic stage III Kummell's disease with severe spinal canal stenosis.

Heat stress impairs mice granulosa cell function by diminishing steroids production and inducing apoptosis.

Ovarian injury can be induced by heat stress. Mice granulosa cells (GCs) are critical for normal ovarian function and they synthesize a variety of growth factors and steroids for the follicle. Furthermore, the growth, differentiation, and maturate of theca cells and oocyte are dependent upon the synthesis of GCs.

In silico identification of conserved microRNAs and their targets in bovine fat tissue.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a newly identified class of non-protein-coding ~22 nt small RNA which plays important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNA or repressing mRNA translation. Here we present EST (expressed sequence tags)-based and GSS (Genomic Survey Sequences)-based combined approach for the detection of conserved miRNAs of cattle. A total of 20 conserved miRNAs that belong to 18 miRNA families were detected following a range of filtering criteria; their functions were further predicted and analyzed.

Comparisons of three anterior cervical surgeries in treating cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Background: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) was one of the preferred treatments for degenerative cervical spondylosis. However, the motion of adjacent segment was significantly increased after operation. So cervical disc arthroplasty have been suggested to keep the motion of adjacent segment.

Identification and bioinformatics analysis of microRNAs associated with stress and immune response in serum of heat-stressed and normal Holstein cows.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-stranded non-coding RNAs that have an important regulatory function in animal growth and developmental processes. However, the differential expression of miRNA and the role of these miRNAs in heat-stressed Holstein cows are still unknown. In this study, the profile of differentially expressed miRNAs and the target genes analysis in the serum of heat-stressed and normal Holstein cows were investigated by a Solexa deep-sequencing approach and bioinformatics.

Upregulation of heat shock protein 32 with hemin alleviates acute heat-induced hepatic injury in mice.

Heat shock protein 32 (HSP32) is a stress response protein that can be induced by heat stress in the liver, and its induction can act as an important cellular defence mechanism against heat-induced liver injury. To investigate the functional role of HSP32 in protecting liver tissue against heat stress in mice and the mechanism by which it achieves this protective effect, HSP32 expression and carbon monoxide (CO) contents in a model of mice subjected to acute, transient heat exposure were examined. Furthermore, functional and histological parameters of liver damage and the possible involvement of oxidative stress to induce oxidative deterioration of liver functions and caspase-3 expression were also investigated in this study.

Heat shock protein 32/heme oxygenase-1 protects mouse Sertoli cells from hyperthermia-induced apoptosis by CO activation of sGC signalling pathways.

Heat shock protein 32 (Hsp32)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) may be a key enzyme for the protection of cells against stress. Its anti-apoptotic effect has been attributed to its product, carbon monoxide (CO), in many types of cells. However, whether its anti-apoptotic mechanism plays a role in Sertoli cells (SCs) is not yet clear.

Identification of microRNA and bioinformatics target gene analysis in beef cattle intramuscular fat and subcutaneous fat.

MicroRNA (miRNA) is endogenous non-coding RNA that has been proposed to play an important role in the formation of body fat. However, the differential expression of miRNA and the role of these miRNAs in bovine intramuscular and subcutaneous fat tissue are still unknown. In this study, the profile of differentially expressed miRNA and the target gene analysis in intramuscular adipose and subcutaneous adipose of adult beef cattle were investigated by microarray and bioinformatics.

High expression of survivin in sacral chordoma.

Chordoma is a rare and invasive malignant tumor which primarily relies on surgical treatments. Anticipation of its recurrence and patient survival longevity has been a critical issue of the treatments. This retrospective study examined the survivin expression of sacral chordoma in 30 patients undergoing surgery in our hospital from January 2000 to July 2010, and compared it with chordoma recurrence.

Upregulation of heat shock protein 32 in Sertoli cells alleviates the impairments caused by heat shock-induced apoptosis in mouse testis.

Heat stress results in apoptosis in testicular germ cells. A small heat shock protein (hsp), hsp32, is induced by heat stress in the testis, but little is known about its definitive function in physiological processes. To clarify the underlying role of hsp32, hsp32 expression and related signals in the heat shock pathway were analysed in mouse testes and Sertoli cells after heat stress in vivo and in vitro; meanwhile, expression of hsp32 was silenced only in the Sertoli cells using three different small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to further verify the functional role of hsp32 in Sertoli cells, and hsp32-derived carbon monoxide (CO) contents in cultured media were analysed to clarify whether hsp32-derived CO involve in the apoptosis regulation mechanisms.

The Signaling Mechanism of TGF-β1 Induced Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cell Apoptosis.

The present study showed that Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) can induce apoptosis of bovine mammary epithelial cells. This apoptosis was also observed with phosphorylation of Smad2/3 within 0.5-2 h.

[The effect of genetic polymorphism of the exon 2 of the beta-lactoglobulin gene on the milk composition in Chinese Holstein].

Objective: In order to study the effect of the polymorphism at the exon2 region of the (3-LG allele gene on milk composition and yield.

Methods: The single-strand conformation polymorphism method (PCR-SSCP) was used to analyze for polymorphism the exon2 region of the 3-LG gene (NCBI accession number: DQ489319) in Chinese Holstein.

Results: Eight SSCP patterns were detected in the fragments: ab, abc, abd, abe, abcd, abce, abde and abcde, and the patterns frequencies as follows: 0.

Regulation of fertilization in male rats by CatSper2 knockdown.

Interest in ion channels as drug targets for contraception has grown with the realization that certain ion channel subunits are located exclusively in sperm. Selective knockdown of ion channel subunits can lead to infertility without ill effects, and selective inhibitors and/or openers of these ion channels could interfere with sperm function. In this study, in vivo electroporation (EP) and rete testis microinjection-mediated plasmid DNA were adopted to silence CatSper2 expression, which is essential in sperm hyperactivation.

Combination of skull traction with posterior C1-2 fusion for old C1-2 dislocations.

Between January 2003 and December 2009, 23 patients who had suffered old C1-2 dislocations, were surgically treated in our orthopedics department. Fifteen patients underwent direct posterior C1-2 fusion following pre-operative reduction by skull traction. In eight patients, reduction was achieved only by skull traction under general anesthesia, facilitated by manual hyperextension of the cervical spine and maintained by simultaneous posterior C1-2 fusion.

[Analysis of HSP70 mRNA level and association between linked microsatellite loci and heat tolerance traits in dairy cows].

The objective of this study was to investigate the variation of HSP70 mRNA level in dairy cows and relationships of its closely linked microsatellite loci with heat tolerance traits. Blood samples were collected from ten healthy Holstein cows with the same age and milking stage at different temperatures-humid-index (THI) (86.2, high temperature; 70.

[Balloon kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with osteonecrosis].

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of the percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with osteonecrosis.

Methods: The clinical data of 31 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures associated with osteonecrosis from January 2005 to January 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 13 male and 18 female in this study.