血浆D-二聚体、纤维蛋白原水平与骨创伤患者创伤程度的相关性

目的:分析骨创伤患者的血浆D-二聚体、纤维蛋白原水平及其与创伤程度的相关性。方法:收集2015年1月至2016年1月我院收治的骨创伤患者180例作为观察组,选择同期接受体检的健康者100例作为对照组。动态监测两组受检者入院后第1、3、6、10 d的血浆D-二聚(DD)和纤维蛋白原(FIB)的水平,并分析DD和FIB水平与骨创伤程度的相关性。结果:入院后第1、3、6、10 d,观察组的FIB和DD水平均出现下降趋势,但均显著高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。重度创伤组和中度创伤组患者的FIB水平显著高于轻度创伤组,且重度创伤组FIB水平显著高于中度创伤组,组间比较差异均具有统计学差异(P0.05)。从入院第1 d至10 d,3组患者的FIB水平均出现显著降低(P0.05)。轻度创伤组患者的DD水平最低,其次是中度创伤组,重度创伤组最高,组间比较差异均具有统计学差异(P0.05)。从入院第1 d至10 d,3组患者的DD水平均出现显著降低(P0.05)。此骨创伤患者创伤严重程度与FIB和DD的水平均呈现出显著正相关关系(r=0.64,P=0.003;r=0.71,P=0.002)。结论:骨创伤患者的血浆FIB和DD水平显著高于健康人,与创伤程度呈显著正相关,可能作为骨创伤患者病情程度和预后评估的生物指标。     

神经节苷脂联合高压氧对重度脑外伤急性期患者凝血功能的影响及促醒作用

目的:分析神经节苷脂联合高压氧对重度脑外伤急性期患者凝血功能的影响及促醒作用。方法:收集我院2014年2月至2015年2月收治的重度脑外伤急性期患者120例,对照组60例行常规治疗,研究组60例在常规治疗基础上联合神经节苷脂及高压氧治疗,比较两组治疗后内皮功能、凝血功能、Barthel指数及格拉斯哥加昏迷量表(GCS)评分变化,清醒时间、并发症及预后情况。结果:治疗后,研究组内皮功能明显优于对照组,D-二聚体(D-D)、凝血酶原时间(PT)、活化部分凝血酶原时间(APTT)低于对照组,Barthel生活指数及GCS评分高于对照组,清醒时间短于对照组,并发症率低于对照组,预后良好率高于对照组,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:神经节苷脂联合高压氧可有效改善重度脑外伤急性期患者的凝血功能,促进患者苏醒,改善患者的预后。     

Activation Status of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases as an Early Predictive Marker of Response to Chemotherapy in Osteosarcoma

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are membrane receptors that play a vital role in various biological processes, in particular, cell survival, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation. These cellular processes are composed of multitiered signaling cascades of kinases starting from ligand binding to extracellular domains of RTKs that activate the entire pathways through tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptors and downstream effectors. A previous study reported that, based on proteomics data, RTKs were a major candidate target for osteosarcoma. In this study, activation profiles of six candidate RTKs, including c-Met, c-Kit, VEGFR2, HER2, FGFR1, and PDGFRα, were directly examined from chemonaive fresh frozen tissues of 32 osteosarcoma patients using a multiplex immunoassay. That examination revealed distinct patterns of tyrosine phosphorylation of RTKs in osteosarcoma cases. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was calculated using Pearson uncentered correlation coefficient to classify RTKs into two groups—Group A (c-Met, c-Kit, VEGFR2, and HER2) and Group B (FGFR1 and PDGFRα)—based on tyrosine phosphorylation patterns. Nonactivation of all Group A RTKs was associated with shorter overall survival in stage IIB osteosarcoma patients. Percentages of tumor necrosis in patients with inactive Group A RTKs were significantly lower than those in patients with at least one active Group A RTK. Paired primary osteosarcoma cells with fresh osteosarcoma tissue were extracted and cultured for cytotoxicity testing. Primary cells with active Group A RTKs tended to be sensitive to doxorubicin and cisplatin. We also found that osteosarcoma cells with active Group A RTKs were more proliferative than cells with inactive Group A RTKs. These findings indicate that the activation pattern of Group A RTKs is a potential risk stratification and chemoresponse predictor and might be used to guide the optimum chemotherapy regimen for osteosarcoma patients.     

The management of episiotomy technique and its effect on pelvic floor muscles during a malposition childbirth

Vaginal childbirth is the leading cause of pelvic floor muscles injury, which contributes to pelvic floor dysfunction, being enhanced by fetal malposition. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to verify the influence of mediolateral episiotomies in the mechanics of the pelvic floor with the fetus in occiput posterior position when compared to the occiput anterior position. Numerical simulations of vaginal deliveries, with and without episiotomy, are performed based on the Finite Element Method. The biomechanical model includes the pelvic floor muscles, a surface to delimit the anterior region of the birth canal and a fetus. Fetal malposition induces greater extension of the muscle compared to the normal position, leading to increases of stretch. The faster enlargement may be responsible for a prolonged second stage of labor. Regarding the force required to achieve delivery, the difference between the analyzed cases are 35 N, which might justify the increased need of surgical interventions. Furthermore, episiotomy is essential in reducing the damage to values near the ones obtained with normal position, making the fetal position irrelevant. These biomechanical models have become extremely useful tools to provide some understanding of pelvic floor function during delivery helping in the development of preventative strategies.     

In situ metabolic flux analysis to quantify the liver metabolic response to experimental burn injury

Trauma such as burns induces a hypermetabolic response associated with altered central carbon and nitrogen metabolism. The liver plays a key role in these metabolic changes; however, studies to date have evaluated the metabolic state of liver using ex vivo perfusions or isotope labeling techniques targeted to specific pathways. Herein, we developed a unique mass balance approach to characterize the metabolic state of the liver in situ, and used it to quantify the metabolic changes to experimental burn injury in rats. Rats received a sham (control uninjured), 20% or 40% total body surface area (TBSA) scald burn, and were allowed to develop a hypermetabolic response. One day prior to evaluation, all animals were fasted to deplete glycogen stores. Four days post-burn, blood flow rates in major vessels of the liver were measured, and blood samples harvested. We combined measurements of metabolite concentrations and flow rates in the major vessels entering and leaving the liver with a steady-state mass balance model to generate a quantitative picture of the metabolic state of liver. The main findings were: (1) Sham-burned animals exhibited a gluconeogenic pattern, consistent with the fasted state; (2) the 20% TBSA burn inhibited gluconeogenesis and exhibited glycolytic-like features with very few other significant changes; (3) the 40% TBSA burn, by contrast, further enhanced gluconeogenesis and also increased amino acid extraction, urea cycle reactions, and several reactions involved in oxidative phosphorylation. These results suggest that increasing the severity of injury does not lead to a simple dose-dependent metabolic response, but rather leads to qualitatively different responses.     

Acheron regulates vascular endothelial proliferation and angiogenesis together with Id1 during wound healing

RNA binding protein acheron has proved to be either the mediator of integrin‐extracellular matrix interactions or the regulatory factor that participates in vertebrate development, cell differentiation and cell death. We report the role of acheron in vascular endothelial proliferation, angiogenesis and wound healing post‐trauma. Co‐immunoprecipitation showed that Acheron forms a ternary complex with β1 integrin and Id1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells following stimulation with serious trauma serum. Acheron, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and β1 integrin mRNA expression was apparently inhibited, and capillary density and wound healing rate also were reduced in Id1‐deficient mice trauma model. Acheron together with Id1 significantly induces VEGF, not CD105 level inhibition by serious trauma serum for 24 h. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that acheron may be an effective mediator of promoting endothelial proliferation, angiogenesis and wound healing probably by regulating VEGF together with Id1. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Na-K-Cl cotransporter-1 in the mechanism of cell swelling in cultured astrocytes after fluid percussion injury

Brain edema and associated increased intracranial pressure are major consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). An important early component of the edema associated with TBI is astrocyte swelling (cytotoxic edema). Mechanisms for such swelling, however, are poorly understood. Ion channels/transporters/exchangers play a major role in cell volume regulation, and a disturbance in one or more of these systems may result in cell swelling. To examine potential mechanisms in TBI-mediated brain edema, we employed a fluid percussion model of in vitro barotrauma and examined the role of the ion transporter Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-)-cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) in trauma-induced astrocyte swelling as this transporter has been strongly implicated in the mechanism of cell swelling in various neurological conditions. Cultures exposed to trauma (3, 4, 5 atm pressure) caused a significant increase in NKCC1 activity (21%, 42%, 110%, respectively) at 3 h. At 5 atm pressure, trauma significantly increased NKCC1 activity at 1 h and it remained increased for up to 3 h. Trauma also increased the phosphorylation (activation) of NKCC1 at 1 and 3 h. Inhibition of MAPKs and oxidative/nitrosative stress diminished the trauma-induced NKCC1 phosphorylation as well as its activity. Bumetanide, an inhibitor of NKCC1, significantly reduced the trauma-induced astrocyte swelling (61%). Silencing NKCC1 with siRNA led to a reduction in trauma-induced NKCC1 activity as well as in cell swelling. These findings demonstrate the critical involvement of NKCC1 in the astrocyte swelling following in vitro trauma, and suggest that blocking NKCC1 activity may represent a useful therapeutic strategy for the cytotoxic brain edema associated with the early phase of TBI.     

Endophthalmitis caused by Fusarium: An emerging problem in patients with corneal trauma. A case series

Background

Although fortunately very rare in countries with a temperate climate, certain factors, such as clinical or pharmacological immunosuppression, may cause Fusarium-related fungal infections to become an emerging problem. Moreover, Fusarium is one of the most important etiological agents in exogenous endophthalmitis, which is often favored by the disruption of the epithelial barriers.

微创踝关节融合术治疗老年创伤性踝关节炎中的临床效果及对患者氧化损伤与骨代谢的影响

目的:研究微创踝关节融合术治疗老年创伤性踝关节炎中的临床效果及对患者氧化损伤与骨代谢的影响。方法:收集2014年3月至2015年3月我院收治的94例老年创伤性踝关节炎患者,按随机数表法分为实验组和对照组,每组各45例。两组患者在手术前均进行常规检查,对照组采用常规开放式踝关节融合术,实验组采用微创踝关节融合术。对比两组治疗后血清氧化损伤指标肌红蛋白(MYO)、缺血修饰白蛋白(IMA)、总抗氧化能力(TAC)、丙二醛(MDA)水平,骨代谢指标碱性磷酸酶(ALP)、酸性磷酸酶(ACP)、甲状旁腺素(PTH)、骨钙素(BGP)、降钙素(CT)水平,视觉疼痛模拟评分(VAS)、美国矫形外科足踝协会(AOFAS)评分及不良反应的发生情况。结果:治疗后,实验组血清MYO、IMA、MDA水平显著低于对照组[(20.48±2.59)ng/mL vs.(27.07±2.97)ng/m L,(65.68±8.20)U/L vs.(74.27±9.01)U/L,(5.01±1.03)nmol/L vs.(9.64±2.17)nmol/L](P0.05),血清TAC水平显著高于对照组[(11.40±2.50)kU/L vs.(7.36±1.03)kU/L](P0.05);血清ALP、BGP、CT水平均显著高于对照组[(103.28±12.47)U/L vs.(90.53±10.02)U/L,(11.08±1.42)ng/L vs.(8.01±1.23)ng/L,(61.39±5.87)ng/L vs.(50.28±4.92)ng/L](P0.05),ACP、PTH水平均显著低于对照组[(5.21±0.60)U/L vs.(8.03±0.92)U/L,(42.95±5.38)ng/L vs.(60.49±6.92)ng/L](P0.05);VAS评分显著低于对照组[(1.06±0.23)分vs.(3.79±0.67)分](P0.05),AOFAS评分显著高于对照组[(73.02±6.28)分vs.(65.58±5.13)分](P0.05);不良反应总发生率显著低于对照组[6.66%(3/45) vs. 20.41%(10/49)](P0.05)。结论:微创踝关节融合术可调节老年创伤性踝关节炎患者的骨代谢,增强骨密度,减少术后不良反应,有利于改善患者预后。