Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide inhibits vascular calcification via anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects in chronic kidney disease.

Vascular calcification is very common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but so far, there is no effective treatment. Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP), a natural component of Chinese herbal medicine, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity. Inflammation and apoptosis play an essential role in the progression of vascular calcification.

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Role of Interleukin 12B and Interleukin 6R Gene Polymorphism in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Objectives: Interleukin 23 (IL-23) pathway and IL-1 cluster genes play prominent role in the etiopathology of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic role of 5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms related to IL-23 pathway and IL-1 cluster genes in AS patients.

Methods: Four hundred thirty-one patients with AS and 206 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited in this prospective cohort study.

Comparison of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy versus open lumbar microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation: A meta-analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical results of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) and open lumbar microdiscectomy (OLM) for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods: Randomized controlled trials or non-randomized controlled trials published from the time when databases were built to March 2016 that compared the clinical effectiveness of PELD and OLM surgical approaches for the treatment of LDH were acquired by a comprehensive search in four electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane library). A total of 7 studies (1389 patients) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.

Anterior versus posterior approach for the treatment of cervical compressive myelopathy due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical results of anterior and posterior approaches for the treatment of cervical compressive myelopathy due to cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL).

Methods: Randomized controlled trials or non-randomized controlled trials published since January 1995 to October 2015 that compared the clinical effectiveness of anterior and posterior surgical approaches for the treatment of cervical OPLL were acquired by a comprehensive search in three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library). A total of 13 studies (1050 patients) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.