The genome of low-chill Chinese plum 'Sanyueli' (Prunus salicina Lindl.) provides insights into the regulation of the chilling requirement of flower buds

Chinese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) is a stone fruit that belongs to the Prunus genus and plays an important role in the global production of plum. In this study, we report the genome sequence of the Chinese plum 'Sanyueli', which is known to have a low-chill requirement for flower bud break. The assembled genome size was 282.38 Mb, with a contig N50 of 1.37 Mb. Over 99% of the assembly was anchored to eight pseudochromosomes, with a scaffold N50 of 34.46Mb. A total of 29,708 protein-coding genes were predicted from the genome and 46.85% (132.32 Mb) of the genome was annotated as repetitive sequence. Bud dormancy is influenced by chilling requirement in plum and partly controlled by DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS-box (DAM) genes. Six tandemly arrayed PsDAM genes were identified in the assembled genome. Sequence analysis of PsDAM6 in 'Sanyueli' revealed the presence of large insertions in the intron and exon regions. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression of PsDAM6 in the dormant flower buds of 'Sanyueli' was significantly lower than that in the dormant flower buds of the high chill requiring 'Furongli' plum. In addition, the expression of PsDAM6 was repressed by chilling treatment. The genome sequence of 'Sanyueli' plum provides a valuable resource for elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for the regulation of chilling requirements, and it is also useful for the identification of the genes involved in the control of other important agronomic traits and molecular breeding in plum.

Activation of PsMYB10.2 Transcription Causes Anthocyanin Accumulation in Flesh of the Red-Fleshed Mutant of 'Sanyueli' (Prunus salicina Lindl.)

Plum is one of the most important stone fruits in the world and anthocyanin-rich plums are increasingly popular due to their health-promoting potential. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of anthocyanin accumulation in the flesh of the red-fleshed mutant of the yellow-fleshed plum 'Sanyueli'. RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR showed that anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and the transcription factor PsMYB10.2 were upregulated in the flesh of the mutant. Functional testing in tobacco leaves indicated that PsMYB10.2 was an anthocyanin pathway activator and can activate the promoter of the anthocyanin biosynthetic genes PsUFGT and PsGST. The role of PsMYB10.2 in anthocyanin accumulation in the flesh of plum was further confirmed by virus-induced gene silencing. These results provide information for further elucidating the underlying mechanisms of anthocyanin accumulation in the flesh of plum and for the breeding of new red-fleshed plum cultivars.

Illumina® Sequencing Reveals Candidate Genes of Carotenoid Metabolism in Three Pummelo Cultivars (Citrus Maxima) with Different Pulp Color

Pummelo (Citrus maxima) is one of important fruit trees, which belongs to Citrus species. The fruits of different pummelo cultivars have different colors and differ in the contents of carotenoid. Our results clearly showed that ‘Huangjinmiyou’ (HJMY) has the highest content of β-carotene, followed by ‘Hongroumiyou’ (HRMY) and ‘Guanximiyou’ (GXMY). Lycopene is dominantly accumulated in HRMY. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the carotenoid accumulation in pummelo flesh is not fully understood. In this study, we used the RNA-Seq technique to investigate the candidate genes of carotenoid metabolism in the flesh of pummelo cv. GXMY and its mutants HRMY and HJMY in three development periods of fruit. After data assembly and bioinformatic analysis, a total of 357 genes involved in biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were isolated, of which 12 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Among these 12 DEGs, phytoene synthase (PSY2), lycopene β-cyclase (LYCB2), lycopene Ɛ-cyclase (LYCE), carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCD4), 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED2), aldehyde oxidase 3 (AAO3), and ABA 8′-hydroxylases (CYP707A1) are the most distinct DEGs in three pummelo cultivars. The co-expression analysis revealed that the expression patterns of several transcription factors such as bHLH, MYB, ERF, NAC and WRKY are highly correlated with DEGs, which are involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. In addition, the expression patterns of 22 DEGs were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and the results are highly concordant with the RNA-Seq results. Our results provide a global vision of transcriptomic profile among three pummelo cultivars with different pulp colors. These results would be beneficial to further study the molecular mechanism of carotenoid accumulation in pummelo flesh and help the breeding of citrus with high carotenoid content.

Changes in secondary metabolites, organic acids and soluble sugars during the development of plum fruit cv. 'Furongli' (Prunus salicina Lindl)

BACKGROUND

Organic acids, sugars and pigments are key components that determine the taste and flavor of plum fruit. However, metabolism of organic acid and sugar is not fully understood during the development of plum fruit cv. 'Furongli'.

RESULTS

Mature fruit of 'Furongli' has the highest content of anthocyanins and the lowest content of total phenol compounds and flavonoids. Malate is the predominant organic acid anion in 'Furongli' fruit, followed by citrate and isocitrate. Glucose was the predominant sugar form, followed by fructose and sucrose. Correlation analysis indicated that malate content increased with increasing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity and decreasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-malate dehydrogenase (NAD-MDH) activity. Citrate and isocitrate content increased with increasing PEPC and aconitase (ACO) activities, respectively. Both acid invertase and neutral invertase had higher activities at the early stage than later stage of fruit development. Fructose content decreased with increasing phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) activity, whereas glucose content increased with decreasing hexokinase (HK) activity.

CONCLUSION

Dynamics in organic acid anions were not solely controlled by a single enzyme but regulated by the integrated activity of enzymes such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-malic enzyme (NADP-ME), NAD-ME, PEPC, ACO and NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase. Sugar metabolism enzymes such as PGI, invertase and HK may play vital roles in the regulation of individual sugar metabolic processes. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification of Candidate Anthocyanin-Related Genes by Transcriptomic Analysis of 'Furongli' Plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) during Fruit Ripening Using RNA-Seq

Anthocyanins are important pigments and are responsible for red coloration in plums. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation in plum fruits. In this study, the RNA-seq technique was used to analyze the transcriptomic changes during fruit ripening in the red-fleshed plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.) cultivar 'Furongli'. Over 161 million high-quality reads were assembled into 52,093 unigenes and 49.4% of these were annotated using public databases. Of these, 25,681 unigenes had significant hits to the sequences in the NCBI Nr database, 17,203 unigenes showed significant similarity to known proteins in the Swiss-Prot database and 5816 and 8585 unigenes had significant similarity to existing sequences in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and the Cluster of Orthologous Groups databases, respectively. A total of 3548 unigenes were differentially expressed during fruit ripening and 119 of these were annotated as involved in "biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites." Biological pathway analysis and gene ontology term enrichment analysis revealed that 13 differentially expressed genes are involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Furthermore, transcription factors such as MYB and bHLH, which may control anthocyanin biosynthesis, were identified through coexpression analysis of transcription factors, and structural genes. Real-time qPCR analysis of candidate genes showed good correlation with the transcriptome data. These results contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin biosynthesis in plum flesh. The transcriptomic data generated in this study provide a basis for further studies of fruit ripening in plum.

Regulation of PD-L1: a novel role of pro-survival signalling in cancer

Evasion of immune system is a hallmark of cancer, which enables cancer cells to escape the attack from immune cells. Cancer cells can express many immune inhibitory signalling proteins to cause immune cell dysfunction and apoptosis. One of these inhibitory molecules is programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1), which binds to programmed death-1 (PD-1) expressed on T-cells, B-cells, dendritic cells and natural killer T-cells to suppress anti-cancer immunity. Therefore, anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 antibodies have been used for the treatment of cancer, showing promising outcomes. However, only a proportion of patients respond to the treatments. Further understanding of the regulation of PD-L1 expression could be helpful for the improvement of anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 treatments. Studies have shown that PD-L1 expression is regulated by signalling pathways, transcriptional factors and epigenetic factors. In this review, we summarise the recent progress of the regulation of PD-L1 expression in cancer cells and propose a regulatory model for unified explanation. Both PI3K and MAPK pathways are involved in PD-L1 regulation but the downstream molecules that control PD-L1 and cell proliferation may differ. Transcriptional factors hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and signal transducer and activation of transcription-3 act on the promoter of PD-L1 to regulate its expression. In addition, microRNAs including miR-570, miR-513, miR-197, miR-34a and miR-200 negatively regulate PD-L1. Clinically, it could increase treatment efficacy of targeted therapy by choosing those molecules that control both PD-L1 expression and cell proliferation.

INPP4B is an oncogenic regulator in human colon cancer

Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) negatively regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling and is a tumor suppressor in some types of cancers. However, we have found that it is frequently upregulated in human colon cancer cells. Here we show that silencing of INPP4B blocks activation of Akt and serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 3 (SGK3), inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and retards colon cancer xenograft growth. Conversely, overexpression of INPP4B increases proliferation and triggers anchorage-independent growth of normal colon epithelial cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that the effect of INPP4B on Akt and SGK3 is associated with inactivation of phosphate and tensin homolog through its protein phosphatase activity and that the increase in INPP4B is due to Ets-1-mediated transcriptional upregulation in colon cancer cells. Collectively, these results suggest that INPP4B may function as an oncogenic driver in colon cancer, with potential implications for targeting INPP4B as a novel approach to treat this disease.

Note: A new regulation method of stable operation of high power cathode ion source

The hot cathode ion source will tend to be unstable when operated with high power and long pulse. In order to achieve stable operation, a new regulation method based on the arc power (discharge power) feedback control was designed and tested on the hot cathode ion source test bed with arc discharge and beam extraction. The results show that the new regulation method can achieve stable arc discharge and beam extraction. It verifies the success of feedback control of arc source with arc power.

Adipocytes contribute to resistance of human melanoma cells to chemotherapy and targeted therapy

Epidemiological evidence has linked the development and progression of several cancers including melanoma with obesity. However, whether obesity impinges on responses of cancer cells to treatment remains less understood. Here we report that human adipocytes contribute to resistance of melanoma cells to various therapeutic agents. Exposure to media from adipocyte cultures (adipocyte media) increased cell proliferation and reduced sensitivity of melanoma cells to apoptosis induced by diverse chemotherapeutic drugs, including the DNA-damaging drug cisplatin, the microtubuletargeting agent docetaxel, and the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA. This was associated with increased activation of PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK signaling, and was attenuated by a PI3K or MEK inhibitor. The effect of adipocyte media on melanoma cells was, at least in part, due to the interaction between the adipokine leptin and its long form receptor OB-Rb, in that immunodepletion of leptin in adipocyte media or siRNA knockdown of OB-Rb in melanoma cells reversed the increase in Akt and ERK activation, enhancement in cell proliferation, and importantly, protection of melanoma cells against the drugs. In support, recombinant leptin partially recapitulated the effect of adipocyte media on melanoma cells. Of note, OB-Rb was increased on the surface of melanoma cells compared to melanocytes, whereas leptin short form receptors appeared to be suppressed post-transcriptionally, suggesting that OB-Rb was selectively upregulated in melanoma cells. Collectively, these results indicate that adipocytes contribute to the resistance of melanoma cells to chemotherapeutic drugs and agents targeting the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways, and suggest that inhibition of the leptin/ OB-Rb system may be useful to improve the efficacy of multiple therapeutic approaches in the treatment of melanoma.

AEBP1 upregulation confers acquired resistance to BRAF (V600E) inhibition in melanoma

An activating BRAF (V600E) kinase mutation occurs in approximately half of melanomas. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that vemurafenib (PLX4032) and dabrafenib, potent and selective inhibitors of mutant v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF), exhibit remarkable activities in patients with V600 BRAF mutant melanomas. However, acquired drug resistance invariably develops after the initial treatment. Identification of acquired resistance mechanisms may inform the development of new therapies that elicit long-term responses of melanomas to BRAF inhibitors. Here we report that increased expression of AEBP1 (adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1) confers acquired resistance to BRAF inhibition in melanoma. AEBP1 is shown to be highly upregulated in PLX4032-resistant melanoma cells because of the hyperactivation of the PI3K/Akt-cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway. This upregulates AEBP1 expression and thus leads to the activation of NF-κB via accelerating IκBa degradation. In addition, inhibition of the PI3K/Akt-CREB-AEBP1-NF-κB pathway greatly reverses the PLX4032-resistant phenotype of melanoma cells. Furthermore, increased expression of AEBP1 is validated in post-treatment tumors in patients with acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitor. Therefore, these results reveal a novel PI3K/Akt-CREB-AEBP1-NF-κB pathway whose activation contributes to acquired resistance to BRAF inhibition, and suggest that this pathway, particularly AEBP1, may represent a novel therapeutic target for treating BRAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma.

Oncogenic suppression of PHLPP1 in human melanoma

Akt is constitutively activated in up to 70% of human melanomas and has an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease. However, little is known about protein phosphatases that dephosphorylate and thereby inactivate it in melanoma cells. Here we report that suppression of pleckstrin homology domain and leucine-rich repeat Ser/Thr protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) by DNA methylation promotes Akt activation and has an oncogenic role in melanoma. While it is commonly downregulated, overexpression of PHLPP1 reduces Akt activation and inhibits melanoma cell proliferation in vitro, and retards melanoma growth in a xenograft model. In contrast, knockdown of PHLPP1 increases Akt activation, enhances melanoma cell and melanocyte proliferation, and results in anchorage-independent growth of melanocytes. Suppression of PHLPP1 involves blockade of binding of the transcription factor Sp1 to the PHLPP1 promoter. Collectively, these results suggest that suppression of PHLPP1 by DNA methylation contributes to melanoma development and progression.

Repression of microRNA-768-3p by MEK/ERK signalling contributes to enhanced mRNA translation in human melanoma

Increased global protein synthesis and selective translation of mRNAs encoding proteins contributing to malignancy is common in cancer cells. This is often associated with elevated expression of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 (eIF4E), the rate-limiting factor of cap-dependent translation initiation. We report here that in human melanoma downregulation of miR-768-3p as a result of activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway has an important role in the upregulation of eIF4E and enhancement in protein synthesis. Melanoma cells displayed increased nascent protein production and elevated eIF4E expression, which was associated with the downregulation of miR-768-3p that was predicted to target the 3'-untranslated region of the eIF4E mRNA. Overexpression of miR-768-3p led to the downregulation of the endogenous eIF4E protein, reduction in nascent protein synthesis and inhibition of cell survival and proliferation. These effects were efficiently reversed when eIF4E was co-overexpressed in melanoma cells. On the other hand, introduction of anti-miR-768-3p into melanocytes upregulated endogenous eIF4E protein expression and increased global protein synthesis. Downregulation of miR-768-3p appeared to be mediated by activation of the MEK/ERK pathway, in that treatment of BRAF(V600E) melanoma cells with the mutant BRAF inhibitor PLX4720 or exposure of either BRAF(V600E) or wild-type BRAF melanoma cells to the MEK inhibitor U0126 resulted in the upregulation of miR-768-3p and inhibition of nascent protein synthesis. This inhibition was partially blocked in cells cointroduced with anti-miR-768-3p. Significantly, miR-768-3p was similarly downregulated, which was inversely associated with the expression levels of eIF4E in fresh melanoma isolates. Taken together, these results identify downregulation of miR-768-3p and subsequent upregulation of eIF4E as an important mechanism in addition to phosphorylation of eIF4E responsible for MEK/ERK-mediated enhancement of protein synthesis in melanoma.

Suppression of PP2A is critical for protection of melanoma cells upon endoplasmic reticulum stress

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggers apoptosis by activating Bim in diverse types of cells, which involves dephosphorylation of Bim_EL by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). However, melanoma cells are largely resistant to ER stress-induced apoptosis, suggesting that Bim activation is suppressed in melanoma cells undergoing ER stress. We show here that ER stress reduces PP2A activity leading to increased ERK activation and subsequent phosphorylation and proteasomal degradation of Bim_EL. Despite sustained upregulation of Bim at the transcriptional level, the Bim_EL protein expression was downregulated after an initial increase in melanoma cells subjected to pharmacological ER stress. This was mediated by increased activity of ERK, whereas the phosphatase activity of PP2A was reduced by ER stress in melanoma cells. The increase in ERK activation was, at least in part, due to reduced dephosphorylation by PP2A, which was associated with downregulation of the PP2A catalytic C subunit. Notably, instead of direct dephosphorylation of Bim_EL, PP2A inhibited its phosphorylation indirectly through dephosphorylation of ERK in melanoma cells. Taken together, these results identify downregualtion of PP2A activity as an important protective mechanism of melanoma cells against ER stress-induced apoptosis.

MicroRNA-497 targets insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor and has a tumour suppressive role in human colorectal cancer

Past studies have shown that amplified insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1)/IGF1 receptor (IGF1-R) signalling has an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, progression and resistance to treatment. In this report, we demonstrate that downregulation of microRNA-497 (miR-497) as a result of DNA copy number reduction is involved in upregulation of IGF1-R in CRC cells. MiR-497 and miR-195 of the miR-15/16/195/424/497 family that share the same 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) binding seed sequence and are predicted to target IGF1-R were concurrently downregulated in the majority of CRC tissues relative to paired adjacent normal mucosa. However, only overexpression of miR-497 led to suppression of the IGF1-R 3′UTR activity and downregulation of the endogenous IGF1-R protein in CRC cells. This was associated with inhibition of cell survival, proliferation and invasion, and increased sensitivity to apoptosis induced by various stimuli including the chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, and the death ligand tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. The biological effect of miR-497 on CRC cells was largely mediated by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signalling, as overexpression of an active form of Akt reversed its impact on cell survival and proliferation, recapitulating the effect of overexpression of IGF1-R. Downregulation of miR-497 and miR-195 appeared to associate with copy number loss of a segment of chromosome 17p13.1, where these miRs are located at proximity. Similarly to miR-195, the members of the same miR family, miR-424 that was upregulated, and miR-15a, miR-15b and miR-16 that were unaltered in expression in CRC tissues compared with paired adjacent normal mucosa, did not appear to have a role in regulating the expression of IGF1-R. Taken together, these results identify downregulation of miR-497 as an important mechanism of upregulation of IGF1-R in CRC cells that contributes to malignancy of CRC.

The modulation function and realizing method of holographic functional screen

The modulation function of holographic functional screen (HFS) in the real-time, large-size full-color (RLF), three-dimensional (3D) display system is derived from angular spectrum analysis. The directional laser speckle (DLS) method to realize the HFS is proposed. A HFS by the DLS method was fabricated and used in the experiment. Experimental results show that the HFS is valid in the RLF 3D display, and that the derived modulation function is valuable for the design of the HFS. The research results are important to realize the RLF 3D display system which will find many applications such as holographic video.

Demonstration of a large-size real-time full-color three-dimensional display

A large-size and full-color three-dimensional (3D) display system without the need for special eyeglasses is demonstrated. With a specially fabricated holographic functional screen with a size of 1.8x1.3 m(2), the system including optimally designed camera-projector arrays and a video server can display the fully continuous, natural 3D scene with more than 1 m image depth in real time. We explain the operating principle and present experimental results.

Vibration arthrometry in patients with knee joint disorders

Physiological patellofemoral crepitus (PPC) is the vibration signal produced by the knee joint during slow motion (less than 5 degrees per second), which can be measured by vibration arthrometry (VAM). By using the autoregressive (AR) model for the PPC signals of patients with knee osteoarthritis, the study analyzes the PPC signals to evaluate the condition of patellar-femoral joint cartilage. Accordingly, we can divide osteoarthritis into three types, type 1: the cartilage of patellar-femoral joint is intact, the osteoarthritis found in the femoral-tibial joint surface; type 2: degeneration occurs in the surface cartilage of both the femoral-tibial joint and the femoral trochlea, but not on the patellar surface; type 3: both patellar-femoral and femoral-tibial joints have osteoarthritis. For the analysis, the intraclass distance of AR coefficients and spectral power ratio of dominant poles are adopted. Based on the proposed method, two cases of type 1, six of type 2, and 28 of type 3 were found in 36 cases of knee osteoarthritis. This is in agreement with the operative findings. For comparison, the PPC signals of 10 subjects with normal knees (without pain or wound history) were also measured. The results of analysis of the 10 normal subjects were consistent and clearly differentiable from those of the osteoarthritis patients. Therefore, the proposed method is efficient for the analysis of the condition of patellar-femoral joint cartilage and VAM may become an alternative way of noninvasive diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis.

Modified Bankart procedure for recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation is a serious condition, for which the Bankart procedure is a standard treatment. Having made three modifications to the original procedure, we examined the efficacy of this modified Bankart procedure in the treatment of patients with recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The medical records of 21 patients who received a modified Bankart procedure for recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation during the period from 1989 through 1998 were retrospectively analyzed. The average age at initial dislocation was 22 +/- 5 years. The average postoperative follow-up period was 41 +/- 16 months. Three of the patients complained of mild shoulder pain before their operation.

RESULTS

The postoperative loss of external rotation and abduction compared with the nonoperated side was 9 +/- 4 degrees and 5 +/- 4 degrees, respectively. There were no limitations in daily activities during follow-up. No patient had shoulder pain after surgery. Redislocation occurred in one patient during the follow-up period. Patient satisfaction was rated as excellent by 20 (96%) patients and poor by one.

CONCLUSION

This modified Bankart procedure is a technically easy operation with a low complication rate, a high rate of patient satisfaction, and a low redislocation rate. It is a procedure of choice for the management of traumatic recurrent anterior shoulder dislocation.

Vibration arthrometry in the patients with failed total knee replacement

This is a preliminary research on the vibration arthrometry of artificial knee joint in vivo. Analyzing the vibration signals measured from the accelerometer on patella, there are two speed protocols in knee kinematics: 1) 2 degrees/s, the signal is called "physiological patellofemoral crepitus (PPC)", and 2) 67 degrees/s, the signal is called "vibration signal in rapid knee motion". The study has collected 14 patients who had revision total knee arthroplasty due to prosthetic wear or malalignment represent the failed total knee replacement (FTKR), and 12 patients who had just undergone the primary total knee arthroplasty in the past two to six months and have currently no knee pain represent the normal total knee replacement (NTKR). FTKR is clinically divided into three categories: metal wear, polyethylene wear of the patellar component, and no wear but with prosthesis malalignment. In PPC, the value of root mean square (rms) is used as a parameter; in vibration signals in rapid knee motion, autoregressive modeling is used for adaptive segmentation and extracting the dominant pole of each signal segment to calculate the spectral power ratios in f < 100 Hz and f > 500 Hz. It was found that in the case of metal wear, the rms value of PPC signal is far greater than a knee joint with polyethylene wear and without wear, i.e., PPC signal appears only in metal wear. As for vibration signals in rapid knee motion, prominent time-domain vibration signals could be found in the FTKR patients with either polyethylene or metal wear of the patellar component. We also found that for normal knee joint, the spectral power ratio of dominant poles has nearly 80% distribution in f < 100 Hz, is between 50% and 70% for knee with polyethylene wear and below 30% for metal wear, whereas in f > 500 Hz, spectral power ratio of dominant poles has over 30% distribution in metal wear but only nonsignificant distribution in polyethylene wear, no wear, and normal knee. The results show that vibration signals in rapid knee motion can be used for effectively detecting polyethylene wear of the patellar component in the early stage, while PPC signals can only be used to detect prosthetic metal wear in the late stage.

Regional nerve block for total knee arthroplasty

Femoral and sciatic nerve blocks have been used occasionally for unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique, combined femoral 3-in-1 and sciatic nerve blocks were performed in 20 cases of TKA, by the same surgeon. This surgeon also performed unilateral TKA under spinal anesthesia in another 20 cases. The anesthetic effectiveness of the two types of anesthesia was compared in terms of the time needed to complete the surgery, amount of intraoperative blood loss, and time interval until the first dose of analgesic. The results showed that the two types of anesthesia had comparable anesthetic effects. Ten of the 20 patients who had spinal anesthesia complained of postoperative urinary retention, while none of those who had nerve block had this complaint. Neither group experienced postpunctural headache, neurovascular damage, or drug-over-dose toxicity. We conclude that combined femoral 3-in-1 and sciatic nerve block is an effective anesthetic alternative for unilateral TKA.

Evaluation of critical postoperative situations in orthopedic patients

Most orthopedic surgery is elective. Even in the severely traumatized patient, orthopedic surgery is carried out after the patient's general condition stabilizes. Critical postoperative situations are still problems in orthopedic surgery. From November 1992 through May 1995, 7,325 patients were admitted to the orthopedic ward at the National Taiwan University Hospital and underwent surgery. We present a retrospective study of 78 postoperative orthopedic patients who were admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) during this period. Fourteen of these became vegetative or died. The patients admitted to an ICU were categorized into four groups, based on the type of surgery: arthroplasty (13 patients), spinal surgery (50), fracture other than spine (13), and others (2). The causes of ICU admission in each group were analyzed. The following operations were found to carry a high risk of postoperative complications: revisional total hip arthroplasty (one of four ICU-admitted patients died); debridement for infected total hip arthroplasty (two of two died); bilateral total knee arthroplasty (two of four died); and debridement of spinal infection (three of five died). The associated risk factors for ICU admission were: old age, underlying medical disease, pulmonary embolism in multiple fracture, respiratory compromise in spinal surgery, and massive blood loss. Great care should be taken when performing orthopedic surgery on patients with these risk factors.

MRI of meniscus and cruciate ligament tears correlated with arthroscopy

Findings from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of 50 knees were retrospectively interpreted. The results were correlated with arthroscopic findings. Multiple pulse sequences were performed including sagittal double-echo, coronal T1-weighted and gradient echo, axial gradient echo or fat suppression imaging. Three-dimensional MRI was performed if there was a high suspicion of a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. The individual positive predictive value, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were calculated from the comparison between MRI and arthroscopic findings of the menisci, anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. The following results were obtained: 1) Tears of the medial meniscus-positive predictive value, 72%; sensitivity, 87%; specificity, 86%; and accuracy, 86%. 2) Tears of the lateral meniscus-positive predictive value, 85%; sensitivity, 85%; specificity, 90%; and accuracy, 88%. 3) Tears of the anterior cruciate ligament-positive predictive value, 88%; sensitivity, 95%; specificity, 89%; and accuracy, 92%. 4) Tears of the posterior cruciate ligament-positive predictive value, 100%; sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 100%; and accuracy, 100%. It is concluded that MRI is a noninvasive and accurate method for detecting the internal derangement of the knee.

Role of flexors in knee stability

The muscle strength of knee extensors is commonly used as an indicator of a patient's functional recovery following reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The knee flexors are dynamic stabilizers that prevent tibial anterior displacement and may reinforce the function of the ACL. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of knee flexor performance assessed by isokinetic dynamometer and clinical evaluations including KT-1000 stability tests, shuttle run tests, thigh and calf circumference and range of motion of the knee joint. Ten patients who received ACL reconstruction over a 3- to 5-year period were included in this study, as were 15 normal controls who were tested for comparison. There was no significant difference in the time taken for the shuttle run test between normal controls and patients who underwent ACL, but there was a positive correlation between the shuttle run test and laxity of the knee joint. The knee laxity of ACL patients was significantly greater than that of the normal controls under passive anterior force. However, no significant difference was seen in the stability test under active contraction of the knee extensors. In addition, a positive correlation was seen between the KT-1000 knee ligament arthrometry test results and both torque acceleration energy and the average power of the flexors. These results suggest that physical therapy for patients following ACL reconstruction should emphasize the explosiveness of knee flexors to help strengthen the dynamic stability of the knee joint and motor performance.

Vibration arthrometry of the knee with torn meniscus: a preliminary report

Although projects using vibration signals generated by the joint to detect joint disorders are still experimental, vibration arthrometry has been shown to be useful in assessing meniscal pathology. A prospective study using vibration arthrometry to diagnose meniscal tears was carried out in 25 consecutive patients with knee injuries. They comprised 20 males and five females with an average age of 34 years. An arthroscopic examination of the injured knee was given to every patient. Six cases of medial meniscal tear, 12 lateral meniscal tear, and two torn discoid menisci were found. The remaining five cases had normal menisci. By correlating the vibration arthrography of the patients to their corresponding arthroscopic findings, 15 were found to be true-positive, five true-negative and five false-negative. There were no false-positive readings. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the vibration arthrometry in diagnosing meniscal tear was 80%, 75% and 100%, respectively. Vibration arthrometry was shown to be a reliable, non-invasive diagnostic tool in diagnosing meniscal tear of the knee.

Posterior slope angle of the medial tibial plateau

The overall average of the posterior slope of the medial plateau of the tibia as determined from the lateral radiography of the knee was 10 degrees +/- 4 degrees, with a range from 0 degrees to 20 degrees. This value was independent of age and gender and was unaffected by arthrosis as long as the arcuate contours of the medial socket were not eroded and could be identified by lateral radiography. While the average value of this posterior slope was similar to that of a cadaveric study, the range was much greater. The current practice of neglecting the preoperative posterior tibial slope and arbitrarily setting the tibial component at a predetermined posterior tilt angle failed to take into account the wide variation in posterior tibial slope.

Epiphyseal scar of the femoral head: risk factor of osteonecrosis

PURPOSE

To find out whether a correlation exists between the presence of epiphyseal scar within the femoral head and osteonecrosis at examination with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 117 femoral heads in 60 patients were examined. Lipogenic factors (defined as either the use of steroid or alcohol abuse) were positive in 46 patients (average age, 37 years) and absent in 14 (average age, 47 years). Both hip joints were examined simultaneously at 1.5 T; three pulse sequences were used in each imaging study. All images were interpreted for type of epiphyseal scar and presence or absence of osteonecrosis.

RESULTS

Six types of epiphyseal scar (A-F), each with a different shape, were seen. A total of 72 femoral heads had type A or B sealed-off scars; 32 of these 72 had osteonecrosis. Of the 45 femoral heads with type C, D, E, or F perforated scars, only one had osteonecrosis. The difference between these two groups was statistically significant (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

The presence of a sealed-off epiphyseal scar was associated with a very high risk of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Patellar thickness in total knee replacement

The question of patellar thickness after total knee replacement (TKR) is an important issue. From November 1989 to June 1993, a total of 294 TKR were performed on 219 patients (34 males, 185 females) with an average age of 67 years. Tricon-M prostheses were used in TKRs performed before October 1992, and PCA prostheses were used after that date. In each TKR, all polyethylene patellar components used on patellar resurfacing were cemented in place. The average preoperative patellar thickness was 21.2 +/- 1.8 mm. The thickness was preserved in 106 knees, while for 53 knees, a slight increase in thickness (mean, 1.5 +/- 0.9 mm) was recorded, and for 120 knees, a slight decrease in thickness (mean, 1.5 +/- 0.8 mm) was recorded. Lateral retinacular release was performed in 96 knees (40%) of the 238 TKR with a Tricon-M prosthesis, but in only seven knees (17%) among the 41 TKR using the PCA prosthesis. Patellar subluxation and dislocation after TKR occurred in 13 knees of 11 patients (10 females, one male, mean body weight 63.5 kg) with the Tricon-M prosthesis. The mean time from arthroplasty to occurrence of patellar instability was eight months. Six knees were treated by proximal realignment procedure while seven knees were given conservative treatment, with good results and no recurrence reported. The use of a patellar cutting jig allows better control of patellar thickness when performing patellar resurfacing for small patella. No complications such as patellar fracture, infection or patellar component-loosening were encountered in the 294 TKRs performed.

Changes in the moment arms of the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles with abduction and rotation

The behavior of the moment arms of the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles was studied during simple and combine movements of abduction and rotation about the glenohumeral joint. This was done by experimental measurement of excursions of the muscles in an in vitro cadaver model and by use of a multiple-regression analysis to delineate the changes in the moment arms as a function of abduction and rotation. The results demonstrated the potential of some rotator cuff muscles to contribute to both abduction and rotation, the sensitivity of the abductor moment-arm lengths to internal and external rotation and of the rotator moment-arm lengths to the degree of abduction, and the capacity of the abductor moment-arm lengths of the deltoid to increase with increasing abduction. Characterization of this behavior resulted in an increased understanding of the complex role of the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles about the gleno-humeral joint and provided quantitative descriptions of functional relationships. This study demonstrates the capacity of the infraspinatus and subscapularis muscles to contribute not only to external and internal rotation, respectively, but also to elevation of the arm in the plane of the scapula, a role for which these muscles have been given little or no consideration. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the contribution of the infraspinatus to abduction is enhanced with internal rotation while that of the subscapularis is enhanced with external rotation. Thus, dysfunction of the supraspinatus muscle need not preclude good elevation of the arm, and rehabilitation to reprogram and strengthen the remaining muscles becomes an important consideration.

The excursion length of posterior cruciate ligament during range of motion in prosthetic knee

Restriction of knee motion after total knee replacement was noted to be associated with lengthening of the posterior cruciate ligament during flexion of the knee which was replaced with a cruciate retaining knee prosthesis. The purpose of this study was to measure the excursion length of the PCL in the normal knee in four different cruciate-retaining knee prostheses, and in five cadaveric knees which were replaced with the Tricon prosthesis. For every knee, the tibial part was fixed on a stand and the femoral part was allowed to do flexion-extension motion upon the tibial plateau. The angle of the motion was monitored by the self-readout goniometer. A thin wire cord was attached to the proposed origin site of the PCL on the femur. The wire cord was passed through a tiny hook which was attached to the proposed insertion site of the PCL on the tibia and connected to a dial gauge. The excursion length of the PCL during 90 degrees flexion was measured. The same measurement was repeated five times in each cadaver knee and prosthetic knee studied, and in five knee specimens which were replaced with the Tricon prosthesis. The excursion length of the PCL during 0 degrees to 90 degrees of flexion in five cadaver knees averaged 0.08cm of lengthening. Three different origin sites of the ligament were designated to represent the anterior, middle and posterior part of the ligament.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Epiphyseal scar of the femoral head: a three-dimensional anatomic observation

The purpose of this study was to inspect the three-dimensional structure of the epiphyseal scar of the femoral head. Three adult human femoral head specimens with a dense epiphyseal scar shown by radiography were used to study the morphology of the scar. One femoral head was cut in the coronal plane to show the cross-section. A trabecular pattern in the femoral head was demonstrated by radiography. The second femoral head specimen, was cut by a wafering saw in a plane parallel to the epiphyseal scar into 1.5 mm thick slices. Microradiographs of these specimen slices were taken to trace the scar from the proximal part of the femoral head to its distal end. In the third specimen, the epiphysis was chipped away to uncover the whole epiphyseal scar for a topographic examination by dissecting microscope and scanning electron microscope. The epiphyseal scar was found to consist of multiple layers of plate-like bony structure capping the metaphysis similar to an inverted cup with a defect adjacent to the fovea. Differences between the trabecular pattern in the epiphysis and metaphysis were distinctive. These morphologic characteristics of the femoral head should be taken into account when investigating stress distribution in the femoral head.

Magnetic resonance imaging of rotator cuff lesions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in rotator cuff diseases. Forty consecutive patients studied by MRI from September 1990 to September 1992 were included in the study. MRI was performed on a 1.5 tesla MR scanner. Each MRI study was reviewed by two radiologists experienced in rotator cuff tendons. The MRI finding was compared with the surgical result. MRI sensitivity for all tears (partial and complete) was 1.0 (22/22), specificity 0.89 (16/18), accuracy rate 0.95 (38/40), and the predictive value 0.92 (22/24). Signal changes of the rotator cuff tendon (primary signs) were the most reliable criteria in diagnosis of the tear. Changes of subacromial and subdeltoid fat planes and bursa (secondary signs) were complimentary when primary signs were indeterminant. The direction of the long axis of abnormal signal intensity in the rotator cuff tendon may be a good indicator when differentiating tears from tendinitis. We conclude that MRI shows excellent performance in the determination of the presence or absence of a rotator cuff tear.

Correlation between MRI and operative findings of the rotator cuff tear

Rotator cuff disease is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. Various methods have been used to evaluate this problem. In this study, we determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the shoulder in diagnosing the rotator cuff tear based on operative findings. Ten patients with a painful shoulder requiring operation received an MRI of the shoulder before surgery. A GE 1.5 Tesla MR scanner with a five-inch planar surface coil was applied and the diagnosis was confirmed by an experienced radiologist in the field of musculoskeletal MRI. All patients underwent surgery within two weeks of MRI examination. Nine of the 10 patients were shown to have rotator cuff tear by MRI. Among the nine MRI positive patients, eight were proven to have such lesions on operation (two massive tears, four moderate complete tears, and two bursal side tears). One false-positive result was found to be an adhesive capsulitis and supraspinatus tendinitis at operation. The remaining case, diagnosed as tendinitis by MRI, turned out to be a small incomplete tear on operation. Therefore, the sensitivity of MRI for rotator cuff tear in this study was 0.89. The overall accuracy was 80%. We concluded that MRI has a high accuracy in detecting the rotator cuff tear. False-positive and false-negative diagnoses were attributed to a severe tendinitis and an incomplete tear, respectively.

Effect of patellar thickness on kinematics of the knee joint

Patellofemoral problems are common complications after total knee replacement. In order to investigate the effect of an increase in the patellar thickness on the kinematics of the knee joint, four intact embalmed cadaveric knee specimens were prepared to control the thickness of the patella and to measure: 1) the excursion lengths of the quadriceps muscles during knee flexion using a linear voltage displacement transducer; 2) patellar tracking and patellofemoral contact pressure using pressure sensitive Fuji prescale film; and 3) patellar movement during knee flexion using an image processing system. As the patellar thickness increased from the original dimension to a 7-mm increment, the excursion lengths of the quadriceps muscle during knee flexion did not vary significantly, but lateral patellar subluxation was clearly demonstrated by an increase in the patellofemoral contact pressure on the lateral femoral condyle and by lateral displacement of the patella. Increased patellar thickness in a total knee replacement is considered to be one of the causes of lateral subluxation. The importance of monitoring the patellar thickness using a patellar cutting jig is stressed.

Factors affecting knee motion after total knee arthroplasty: a cadaveric study of the collateral ligament

Many of the factors affecting postoperative knee motion are related to collateral ligament imbalance. In a cadaveric knee model, the center of origin of either the medial or lateral collateral ligament was found to be located at the center of the quarter circle of the posterior femoral condyle. Two distances were identified: OD (from the center of origin of the collateral ligament to the distal tibiofemoral articulation) and OP (from the center of origin of the collateral ligament to the posterior tibiofemoral articulation). The effect of the collateral ligaments on knee motion was demonstrated by stimulating joint line elevation and ligamentous stretching in a cadaveric knee model. In the knee with an elevated joint line without concomitant anterior displacement (OD reduced, OP unchanged), the flexion limit was reduced. When the collateral ligaments were stretched in a knee with constant OD and OP, both the flexion and extension limits were reduced. A correct joint level can be achieved by measuring the OD, OP and the tension of the collateral ligaments during total knee arthroplasty.

Effect of external load on isokinetic torque production by the knee in anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an external load on the isokinetic torque production of the knee directly from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of deficient patients. Ten surgically proven ACL deficient patients were included in this study. Each patient was preoperatively studied using a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer. Isokinetic contraction of the quadriceps muscle and hamstring muscles were performed in five repetitions with an angular velocity of 45 degrees per second with proximal and distal pad placement, respectively. The results demonstrated that the ratio of torque production of the ACL deficient knee to the contralateral normal knee was greater in proximal pad placement than in distal placement and that the ratio of torque production of the knee in proximal pad placement to that of the knee in distal pad placement was greater in the ACL deficient knee than in the contralateral normal knee. Similar results were found for both extension and flexion of the knee. The results showed that ACL deficient patients felt more confident doing isokinetic contractions of the knee with proximal pad placement.

Effect of rotation on the axial alignment of the femur. Pitfalls in the use of femoral intramedullary guides in total knee arthroplasty

Intramedullary alignment guides for total knee arthroplasty are currently routine instruments. However, in some cases, the intramedullary guide can be misleading because of unusual femoral bowing and the rotational position of the femur. To determine the effect of rotation, an intramedullary guide was inserted into seven normal adult anatomic specimen femurs that were then examined roentgenographically in known positions of internal and external rotation. A variation of 2.5 degrees was found between the positions of 20 degrees of internal rotation and 20 degrees of external rotation of the femur. Intramedullary instrumentation provides sufficient accuracy when the femur has a normal anatomic shape. However, when an excessive degree of femoral bowing is present, rotational attitudes can affect the roentgenographic measurements, and thus it is prudent to use the intramedullary and extramedullary alignment guides whenever the roentgenogram indicates an unusual angle of femoral resection.

[Meningioma of the fourth ventricle]

Description of 2 rare cases of meningioma located in the 4th ventricle, of which only 21 other cases have been published, is followed by a review of the relevant literature. The authors point out that CT scan and selective vertebral angiography are the main laboratory investigation in making the diagnosis and total removal of the benign tumor can gain satisfactory result, although the tumor is difficult to be differentiated from ependymoma in naked eye.

[A preliminary report on stereotactic multi-target limbic leucotomy]

Ten patients suffering from chronic psychiatric disorder with violence were admitted for stereotactic multitarget limbic leucotomy. Eight of them were schizophrenia, one was paranoid, and one was mania. In operation, thermococagulative lesions were made bilaterally in the amygdala, the anterior cingulate region and the innominate region. The criteria of the patients selected for the operation, the operative procedure and evaluation of the results are introduced. Five patients achieved significant improvement and three patients showed some improvement after operation. The complications included, temporary mild paraplegia (in four cases) and sphincter disturbances (in five cases) in the first two weeks postoperation. The choice of targets and possible causes of complications are discussed.

A new jig for proximal tibial osteotomy

The result of a proximal dome-shaped tibial osteotomy depends greatly on the accuracy of the surgical procedure. Contemporary jigs still are not sufficiently precise to provide three-dimensional guidance. A new jig was designed to place the pins correctly in both coronal and sagittal planes and to provide anterior advancement of the distal fragment of the tibia. The results obtained with this relatively simple device are predictable and reproducible.

The relationship between needling sensation and acupuncture effects, with special reference to their ascending pathway in the spinal cord

Acupuncture studies were carried out in 25 cases of Syringomyelia, concerning needling sensation and effect. The results of the experiments have proved the theory of Chinese traditional medicine--"'Qi' reaches, thus effect produces"--and elucidated the ascending spinal pathway of needling sensation.