Surgical Treatment of Brucellar Cervical Epidural Abscess.

Objectives: Brucellar cervical epidural abscess (CEA) is a rare condition with potentially permanent neurological damage if left untreated. This study aims to define the clinical presentation of brucellar CEA and evaluate the outcome of surgical treatment, specifically decompression and fusion surgery. The findings will contribute to understanding whether all patients with brucellar CEA could benefit from this surgical intervention.

Status and Risk Factors in Patients Requiring Unplanned Intensive Care Unit Readmission Within 48 Hours: A Retrospective Propensity-Matched Study in China.

Aim: This study investigated the current status and related risk factors of 48-hour unplanned return to the intensive care unit (ICU) to reduce the return rate and improve the quality of critical care management.

Methods: Data were collected from 2365 patients discharged from the comprehensive ICU. Multivariate and 1:1 propensity score matching analyses were performed.

Management of granulomatous lobular mastitis: an international multidisciplinary consensus (2021 edition).

Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) is a rare and chronic benign inflammatory disease of the breast. Difficulties exist in the management of GLM for many front-line surgeons and medical specialists who care for patients with inflammatory disorders of the breast. This consensus is summarized to establish evidence-based recommendations for the management of GLM.

Low-grade elevation of palmitate and lipopolysaccharide synergistically induced β-cell damage via inhibition of neutral ceramidase.

High concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) could lead to β-cell apoptosis and dysfunction, while low-grade elevation of FFAs or LPS, which are more common in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or obesity, have no obvious toxic effect on β-cells. Palmitate is a component closely related to metabolic disorders in FFAs. Recent studies have found that low-grade elevation of palmitate and LPS synergistically affects the sphingolipid signaling pathway by activating Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and further enhances the expression of inflammatory cytokines in immune cells.

Delayed Presentation of Thoracic Aortic Pseudoaneurysm Following Pedicle Screw Implantation: A Case Report.

Background: Pedicle screw insertion has been known to have several complications even in the most skilled surgical hands. However, injury to the thoracic aorta during pedicle screw insertion is rare, delayed presentation secondary to pseudoaneurysm is even rarer, the pseudoaneurysm formation caused by a series of malpositioned pedicle screws has perhaps not been reported so far.

Case Presentation: In this paper, we report here a case in which inadvertent injury to the thoracic aorta resulted in pseudoaneurysm, its manifestation was initially vague, resulting in a delayed diagnosis.

[Progress on clinical treatment of Kümmell's disease].

Kümmell's disease is a delayed complication of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) . The disease can occur months or even years after the initial spinal injury. Unlike the common osteoporotic compression fracture, it develops slowly and causes intractable pain or neurological dysfunction due to intraspinal instability.

[Clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of ganglioneuroma in spine].

Objective: To summarize the clinical manifestation and diagnosis of ganglioneuroma in spine and investigate the clinical effect of surgical treatment.

Methods: The clinical data of 6 patients underwent a surgery for ganglioneuroma in spine from January 2008 to January 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 4 males and 2 females, aged from 2 to 63 years old with an average of 34.

Arachnoiditis ossificans after spinal surgery.

This article presents an unusual case of arachnoiditis ossificans after spinal surgery. A case of arachnoiditis ossificans secondary to lumbar fixation and decompression surgery for the treatment of multilevel lumbar fractures is reported and the relevant literature is reviewed. A 29-year-old man who previously underwent posterior pedicle screw fixation and fusion for multiple lumbar spine fractures reported lower back stiffness and discomfort 23 months postoperatively.

[Current situation and progression of induced pluripotent stem cells in treating spinal cord injury].

Spinal cord injury is a difficult medical problem and current therapeutic methods could not obtain satisfactory results. Recent 20 years, stem cell technology developed rapidly, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells were used for treating neurological disease and nerve injury of animal models and the clinical results were confirmed. It provided a new prospect for the treatment of nerve injury at the cellular level.

Green fluorescent protein as marker in chondrocytes overexpressing human insulin-like growth factor-1 for repair of articular cartilage defects in rabbits.

Objective: To label the primary articular chondrocytes overexpressing human insulin-like growth factor (hIGF 1) with green fluorescent protein (GFP) for repair of articular cartilage defects in rabbits.

Methods: GFP cDNA was inserted into pcDNA3.1 hIGF 1 to label the expression vector.

Biomechanical study on pullout strength of thoracic extrapedicular screw fixation.

Objective: To identify the biomechanical feasibility of the thoracic extrapedicular approach to the placement of screws.

Methods: Five fresh adult cadaveric thoracic spine from T1 to T8 were harvested. The screw was inserted either by pedicular approach or extrapedicular approach.

Labeling of human insulin-like growth factor-I eukaryotic expression vector with green fluorescent protein.

Objective: To label human insulin-like growth factor-I (hIGF-I) eukaryotic expression vector with green fluorescent protein (GFP) for the repair of articular cartilage defects.

Methods: GFP cDNA was inserted into pcDNA(3.1)-hIGF-1 to construct the co-expression vector with two multiple cloning sites mammalian expression vector under two cytomegalovirus promoters/enhancers respectively.

Radiographic verification of pedicle screw pilot hole placement in thoracic spine using Kirschner wires versus spiral wires.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of the pedicle screw pilot holes placement in thoracic spine using the spiral wires as the guide pin.

Methods: The pedicle screw pilot holes were drilled within the center of the pedicle and the lateral and medial pedicle walls were violated in 9 human dried thoracic vertebrae. Kirschner wires or spiral wires were separately placed in the holes, and then the posteroanterior and lateral radiographs were taken.

[Stable expression of human basic fibroblast growth factor gene in retinal pigment epithelial cells by gene transfer procedures].

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore whether gene transferred retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) can constantly express human basic fibroblast growth factor gene (hbFGF) and to study the feasibility of using this procedure for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa.

Methods: Plasmid carrying hbFGF [using green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter gene] was constructed and transferred into the RPE cells by lipofectamine. The positively expressed cell clones were selected with G418 and cultured for 4 weeks.