Comparison between minimally invasive and open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for the treatment of multi‑segmental lumbar degenerative disease: A systematic evaluation and meta‑analysis.

The present study aimed to compare the differences between minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar fusion (MIS-TLIF) and open transforaminal lumbar fusion (TLIF) for multi-segmental lumbar degenerative disease regarding intraoperative indices and postoperative outcomes. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases were searched for literature on MIS-TLIF and open TLIF in treating multi-segmental lumbar degenerative diseases. Of the 1,608 articles retrieved, 10 were included for final analysis.

Effects of acupuncture on Chinese medicine syndromes of vascular dementia.

Objective: To study the effects of acupuncture on Chinese medicine syndromes of vascular dementia (VaD).

Methods: Sixty-three VaD patients were divided into three groups. Those willing to be randomized were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture (random acupuncture group, 24 cases) or rehabilitation training (guided rehabilitation group, 24 cases) for 6 weeks.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on cerebral PKC isozyme expression levels in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of "Dingzhongxian" (MS 5) and "Dingpangxian" (MS 8) on the expression of cerebral protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes in local cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury (CI/RI) rats so as to explore its underlying mechanism in protecting ischemic brain tissue.

Methods: Seventy-two Wistar rats were randomized into normal control (n = 8), CI/RI model (model, n = 32), and EA (n = 32) groups. The later two groups were further divided into 4, 12, 24 and 72 h subgroups, respectively, with 8 rats in each.

[Neurological disturbance of the lower extremities by an extramedullary hematopoietic mass complicated with primary myelofibrosis].

A 59-year-old man with primary myelofibrosis developed motor and sensory neurological disturbance of the legs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a mass lesion of the thoracic vertebra at Th4-6, and in the thoracic vertebral canal at Th4-9, which compressed the spinal cord. Needle biopsy of the mass lesion demonstrated extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Dynamic expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase in rat liver tissue during hepatic fibrogenesis.

Aim: To investigate whether extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK(1)) is activated and associated with hepatic stellate cell (HSC) proliferation in fibrotic rat liver tissue.

Methods: Rat hepatic fibrosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL). Histopathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and Masson's trichrome method.

[Clinical study on acupuncture and moxibustion for treatment of plaque of carotid atherosclerosis].

Objective: To observe effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on carotid plaque in the patient of carotid atherosclerosis due to ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Methods: Sixty cases were randomly divided into an acup-mox group and a drug group, 30 cases in each group. Plaque of carotid atherosclerosis and quality of the plaque were investigated by color B-ultrasonography and the thickness and area of the plaque were calculated.