[Posterior arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis for symptomatic adult talocalcaneal coalition]

Objective: To investigate the functional outcomes of posterior arthroscopic subtalar arthrodesis (PASTA) for adult patients presenting with symptomatic talocalcaneal coalition. Methods: The study was a retrospective case-series research.The data of 17 adult patients (17 feet) with symptomatic talocalcaneal coalitions,treated with PASTA from March 2018 to February 2022 in Xuzhou Central Hospital were collected.This procedure involved 10 males and 7 females,aged (42.4±7.5) years(range:31 to 58 years).There were 9 cases on the right side and 7 cases on the left side.According to the Rozansky classification,there were 4 cases of type Ⅰ,7 cases of type Ⅱ, 3 cases of type Ⅲ,3 cases of type Ⅳ.The following items such as wound healing and bony union of the subtalar joint were observed.Clinical assessment was performed using pain visual analogue scale (VAS),American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scores and 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) scores.The paired t test was used for data comparison. Results: The follow-up time was (24.8±6.9) months(range:12 to 40 months).There were no complications such as wound infection,deep vein thrombosis,nonunion,or screw breakage.One patient with preoperative spasm,relieved after the second surgical procedure (peroneal brevis tendon lengthening).The union time of the subtalar joint was (8.8±2.2) weeks(range:6 to 12 weeks).At the final follow-up,the VAS decreased from (6.4±1.3) to (1.3±0.9)(t=14.114,P<0.01), the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score increased from (49.0±8.1) to (90.0±5.1)(t=38.782,P<0.01),and the SF-36 score increased from (50.8±9.5) to (91.0±4.9)(t=20.468,P<0.01). Conclusion: PASTA for adult patients presenting with symptomatic talocalcaneal coalition offers advantages of minimal trauma,fast recovery,and few complications,which is an effective method.

Investigation of insecticidal activity of two Rhododendron species on stored-product insects

This study was designed to investigate the insecticidal activity of the essential oils (EOs) and extracts from Rhododendron rufum and Rhododendron przewalskii. The EOs were extracted from the leaves of R. Rufum and R. przewalskii by hydro-distillation and their chemical components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The repellency, contact toxicity and antifeedant activity of the EOs and extracts were evaluated against Sitophilus oryzae and Tribolium castaneum along with those of their main components. A total of nine compounds were identified from the EO of R. Rufum, and the most abundant component was myristicin (79.72%). The EO of R. Rufum exhibited repellent activities at different levels and its main compound myristicin showed contact toxicity and repellent effects against S. oryzae and T. castaneum. Meanwhile, by bioassay-guided fractionation, four compounds with strong antifeedant activities against T. castaneum, 24-methylenecycloartanyl-2'E, 4'Z-tetradecadienoate (1), methyl thyrsiflorin B acetate (2), friedelin (3) and Excoecarin R1 methyl ester (4) were separated and identified from the ethanol extract of R. przewalskii for the first time. Considering the significant anti-insect activities, the EOs and extracts of R. Rufum and R. przewalskii might be used in integrated pest strategies, establishing a good perspective for the comprehensive use of natural plant resources of Rhododendron genus.

Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Three Rhododendron Species and Their Repellent, Insecticidal and Fumigant Activities

In order to assess the repellent, contact, and fumigant properties of three essential oils (EOs) from Rhododendron species in China against adults of Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne, Sitophilus oryzae, this study analyzed their chemical components. The three EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation from leaves of Rhododendron species, including R. davidsonianum, R. heliolepis and R. strigillosum. Sesquiterpenoids and monoterpenes were the main components of the three EOs that were detected by GC/MS and GC-FID. α-Pinene, β-Caryophyllene, α-Humulene, Kaura-16-ene and Sandaracopimaradiene was among the comparatively high components. In this study, the EOs of three Rhododendron species demonstrated repellent activities against T. castaneum and L. serricorne in 2 h and 4 h exposure, but the repellent activity to S. oryzae was not obvious. The three EOs from R. davidsonianum, R. heliolepis and R. strigillosum also had contact activities and fumigant activities against the Tribolium castaneum (LC50 =13.453 mg/L air, 4.728 mg/L air, 4.529 mg/L air and LD50 =15.027 μg/adult, 15.017 μg/adult, 10.994 μg/adult, respectively), Lasioderma serricorne (LC50 =8.584 mg/L air, 6.044 mg/L air, 6.355 mg/L air and LD50 =4.566 μg/adult, 7.067 μg/adult, 3.652 μg/adult, respectively) and Sitophilus oryzae (LC50 =3.304 mg/L air, 6.795 mg/L air, 7.130 mg/L air and LD50 =10.200 μg/adult, 15.021 μg/adult, 9.178 μg/adult, respectively) adults. The above results not only opened a potential prospect for applications of Rhododendrons in the prevention and control of insects in stored products, but also provide a basis for the comprehensive utilization of the rich natural Rhododendron plant resources.

[Arthroscopic treatment of acute closed noninsertional rupture of Achilles tendon]

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic treatment of acute closed noninsertional rupture of Achilles tendon. Methods: The clinical and imaging data of 30 patients (30 feet) with acute closed noninsertional rupture of Achilles tendon who were treated with all-inside arthroscopic technique at the Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery,Xuzhou Central Hospital from June 2018 to June 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 26 males and 4 females,aged (38.3±8.5)years old(range:19 to 66 years). There were 22 cases on the right side and 8 cases on the left side. The duration from injury to surgery was (2.1±1.4) days (range:1 to 7 days).All patients were treated with all-inside arthroscopic technique.The function of the ankle and the foot was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS),the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle hindfoot scale and the Achilles tendon total rupture score (ATRS). The Arner-Lindholm score system was used to evaluate the excellent and good rate of clinical effect. Paired sample t test or rank-sum test was used for data comparison. Results: The patients were followed up for (18.6±2.2)months(range:12 to 28 months).All the wounds healed at the first stage.No complication such as infection,sural nerve injury or re-rupture happened.Two patinets felt mild pain after a long time exercise, and were alleviated by microwave therapy and stretching the Achilles tendon consistently.Another patient was unable to do a sustained single stance heel raise,which was recovered after repeated function practice.At the last follow-up,the VAS (M(IQR)) decreased from 6(5) preoperatively to 0(1)(Z=6.512,P<0.01),the AOFAS ankle hindfoot scale improved from 60.6±8.3 preoperatively to 96.3±4.8(t=-29.774,P<0.01),and the ATRS improved from 61.7±7.8 preoperatively to 97.1±2.3 (t=-53.661,P<0.01).According to the Arner-Lindholm score system,27 cases were excellent,3 cases were good,and the excellent and good rate was 100%. Conclusions: The all-inside arthroscopic technique not only ensures the quality of tendon ananstomosis,but also avoids injury to the sural nerve.It has the advantages of small trauma,faster recovery and fewer complications.

[Progress and thinking of minimally invasive technique in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendon rupture]

In recent years,the application of minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendon rupture has become more and more mature,and it also faces many controversies and challenges.The concept of minimally invasive technique is to minimize the dissection of soft tissue around the Achilles tendon and reduce the occurrence of postoperative wound complications.Minimally invasive small incision surgery does not expose the Achilles tendon stump,and either tendon transposition or tendon transplantation can be achieved using this technique,but there is a risk of accidental injury to the peripheral nerve.There are two main categories of arthroscopic treatment of old Achilles tendon rupture:endoscopic flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer and endoscopic tendon bridging.The former has a certain effect on postoperative flexor digitorum strength,and the latter is used in large segment defects mostly. The scientific and reasonable application of minimally invasive techniques in the treatment of patients with chronic Achilles tendon rupture is the goal and direction of continuous struggle of foot and ankle surgeons in the future.

Contact toxicity and repellence of essential oil from Senecio scandens and its major components against three stored product insects

The objective of this work was to investigate the chemical compositions of the essential oil (EO) extracted from Senecio scandens by hydrodistillation and their insecticidal activities against Tribolium castaneum, Lasioderma serricorne and Liposceis bostrychophila. The chemical profile of the EO were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and 20 compounds were identified which accounted for 88.03% of the total EO. Five major compounds identified in the EO were assayed against the three stored product insects. The EO showed strong contact toxicity to T. castaneum (LD₅₀ = 18.01 μg/adult), L. serricorne (LD₅₀ = 20.11 μg/adult) and L. bostrychophila (LD₅₀ = 72.14 μg/cm²). Among all compounds, geraniol showed the contact toxicity against L. serricorne and L. bostrychophila with LD₅₀ values of 15.82 μg/adult and 26.64 μg/cm². The EO and its five chemical compounds also exhibited different level of potential repellence to the three stored product insects.

Clinical effects of apatinib mesylate for treatment of multiple brain micrometastases: Two case reports

BACKGROUND

Apatinib is a small-molecule multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Apatinib has demonstrated encouraging antitumor activities. This study aimed to observe the efficacy and safety of apatinib for the treatment of multiple brain micrometastases.

CASE SUMMARY

We report two patients with multiple brain micrometastases after failure of second-line treatment. Both patients had extracerebral metastases. When the patients took 250 mg/d apatinib orally, the intracerebral lesions disappeared. The extracerebral lesions were partially alleviated. Both patients had a progression-free survival of more than 12 mo and were still stable. The safety was good. The main adverse events (AEs) were mild hypertension and proteinuria, which could be controlled.

CONCLUSION

Apatinib has clear efficacy and good tolerance in patients with multiple brain micrometastases after failure of second-line treatment.

[A case of gout secondary to primary myelofibrosis]

A 52-year-old man was referred to our department with a 2-year history of polyarthritis. He was diagnosed as gout due to acute arthritis of bilateral feet dorsum 2 years ago,but he didn't receive any standard treatment. 1 year ago,there were more and more joints evolved during the gout attack, and many subcutaneous nodules occurred. When he presented to our clinic 1 month ago,the urate acid level was as high as 715 μmol/L. Moreover, we could find bone erosion in the X rays of his hand and foot,as well as synovitis,double contour sign and tophus on the ultrasound examination. The diagnosis of gout was clearly and definitely. However, he had leukocytosis and thrombocytosis for 4 years in the past history, and the urate acid level was only 400 μmol/L at that time. He also had well-controlled hypertension. The family history was unremarkable. Furthermore, we found megalosplenia on his physical examination. The bone marrow examination showed myelofibrosis and JAK2 V617F gene was positive. He was diagnosed as primary myelofibrosis and treated with interferon-α, together with urate acid-lowing therapy (febuxostat 60 mg once daily). Following-up for 1 year,the dosage of febuxostat decreased to 40 mg once daily, and the patient didn't have gout attack again, some of the tophus diminished, and the urate acid level ranged from 400 to 500 μmol/L. Gout is a common disease in clinical practice,usually combined with metabolic syndrome,chronic renal failure and specific drugs using (diuretic and calcineurin inhibitors). However,it is relatively rare to see gout associated with myeloproliferative diseases, including polycythemia vera, primary thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis and chronic myelocytic leukemia. In these diseases, the turnover of nucleic acids is greatly augmented, and an excess of purine metabolites, including uric acid, is released. In the natural course of gout, the appearance of tophus from the first onset of arthritis usually takes several years. This patient only had one traditional risk factor, but his urate acid level was remarkably high and he developed tophus in a short term. After treatment of primary myelofibrosis, the symptom of gout partially alleviated. Careful physical examination and medical history taking lead to the diagnosis of secondary gout, which should be reminded in the daily practice.

[Systemic lupus erythmatosus and panniculitis presenting as multiple ulcers: one case report]

A 36-year-old woman had an 8-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and was being treated with 10 mg/d of prednisone. She presented with a 6-month history of intermittent fever and multiple painful multi skin erythematous macules in her button, hips and extremities that had slowly enlarged to 8 cm×4 cm in diameter. The lesions started as painful erythematous macules, which eventually ulcerated and scared. Laboratory tests showed leukopenia, protenuria, positive anti-double strand DNA and hypocomplementemia. Cultures of the bottom ulcer were E. Coli, fugus and Tuberculous mycobacteria were both negative. Biopsy was performed and revealed necrosis of epidermis, thrombus and cellulose degeneration in epidermis with neutrophils karyorrhexis and vasculitis. Her SLE was active, so she was prescribed antibiotics for 2 weeks and prednisone was added to 60 mg/d for a month. However her skin ulcers did not relieve. When prednisone was added to 120 mg/d with combination therapy of cyclophosphamide and hydroxychloroquine, her skin ulcer cicatrized gradually.

Identification and expression analysis of components involved in rice Xa21-mediated disease resistance signalling

Rice Xa21 gene encodes a receptor-like kinase that confers broad-spectrum resistance against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Recently, a number of genes involved in the Xa21-mediated disease resistance pathway have been identified. Based on our previous data and the literature, we chose 16 candidate proteins and made corresponding antibodies. Using Western blotting, we systematically investigated the expression profile of the proteins in Xa21-mediated disease resistance response. We found nine proteins with altered expression. We further compared their expression in resistance, susceptible and mock responses, and found that GST expression was up-regulated during the resistance process, indicating GST is a positive regulator in resistance responses. ATPsB expression was down-regulated during both the resistance and susceptible response processes, although it was higher in the resistance response than that in the susceptible response. The total amount of MYB, GAPDH, CatB, Trx and NB-ARC proteins was lower in the resistance than in the susceptible response, but their abundance per unit bacteria in the resistance response was still higher than in the susceptible response, suggesting that these proteins might be positive regulators in the resistance response. In addition, expression of another ERF was induced by inoculation with bacterial blight pathogen, and expression of Zf-LSD1 was activated by wounding stress alone. Interestingly, most proteins showed similar altered expression patterns in the resistance and susceptible responses, but differed to some extents, implying that both responses might share common molecular mechanisms. This study revealed evidence of resistance-related protein expression, providing a foundation for better understanding of their functions.

Purification and characterization of a thermal stable antimicrobial protein from housefly larvae, Musca domestica, induced by ultrasonic wave

This work describes the induction, purification and partial biochemical characterizations of an antimicrobial protein from the housefly larvae induced by ultrasonic wave. It has been purified to apparent homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sephadex G-75, Bio-gel P6 gel filtration, and CM-Sepharose Fast Flow cation exchange chromatography. The protein is a cationic protein with an apparent molecular weight of 16315 Da determined by no-denaturing electrophoresis and SDS-PAGE, respectively. Biochemical profile assays show that this protein has good thermal stability, and repeatedly frozen and defrosted durability. The optimum pH for antimicrobial activity is around pH5. The antimicrobial range of the protein includes Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and some fungi. Results of the membrane permeability assays suggest that the probable mode of action of this protein is membrane-disrupting mechanism.

Phase transition and elastic constants of zirconium from first-principles calculations

Using the projector augmented wave (PAW) within the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) form of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), we investigate the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the structures of zirconium metal at zero temperature. We obtain the [Formula: see text] transition at around 26.8 GPa, which is in excellent agreement with the experimental values. We also find that the ω phase is most stable at 0 K and 0 GPa. This conclusion is supported by first-principles calculations of Schell et al and Jona et al. The elastic constants of ω-Zr under high pressures are calculated for the first time. We find that the compressional and shear wave velocities increase monotonically with increasing pressure and the results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The pressure dependences of three anisotropies of elastic waves are also presented.

Studies on the antibacterial activities and mechanisms of chitosan obtained from cuticles of housefly larvae

Chitosan was obtained from cuticles of the housefly (Musca domestica) larvae. Antibacterial activities of different Mw chitosans were examined against six bacteria. Antibacterial mechanisms of chitosan were investigated by measuring permeability of bacterial cell membranes and observing integrity of bacterial cells. Results show that the antibacterial activity of chitosan decreased with increase in Mw. Chitosan showed higher antibacterial activity at low pH. Ca2+ and Mg2+ could markedly reduce the antibacterial activity of chitosan. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of chitosans ranged from 0.03% - 0.25% and varied with the type of bacteria and Mw of chitosan. Chitosan could cause leakage of cell contents of the bacteria and disrupt the cell wall.

Low-temperature in situ large strain plasticity of ceramic SiC nanowires and its atomic-scale mechanism

Large strain plasticity is phenomenologically defined as the ability of a material to exhibit an exceptionally large deformation rate during mechanical deformation. It is a property that is well established for metals and alloys but is rarely observed for ceramic materials especially at low temperature ( approximately 300 K). With the reduction in dimensionality, however, unusual mechanical properties are shown by ceramic nanomaterials. In this Letter, we demonstrated unusually large strain plasticity of ceramic SiC nanowires (NWs) at temperatures close to room temperature that was directly observed in situ by a novel high-resolution transmission electron microscopy technique. The continuous plasticity of the SiC NWs is accompanied by a process of increased dislocation density at an early stage, followed by an obvious lattice distortion, and finally reaches an entire structure amorphization at the most strained region of the NW. These unusual phenomena for the SiC NWs are fundamentally important for understanding the nanoscale fracture and strain-induced band structure variation for high-temperature semiconductors. Our result may also provide useful information for further studying of nanoscale elastic-plastic and brittle-ductile transitions of ceramic materials with superplasticity.

Effect of cryopreservation on apple genetic resources at morphological, chromosomal, and molecular levels

Shoot tips of three apple genotypes, namely, Malus pumila cv. M26, Gala, and Hokkaido No. 9, were successfully cryopreserved using a modified encapsulation-dehydration method. As a result, in addition to a high survival rate and regeneration rate, the capacity of shoots regenerated from cryopreserved samples to root was enhanced. Eight M26 single-bud sibling lines were used to assess genetic stability. Although cytological examination revealed a ploidy difference in the noncryopreserved control, the ploidy constitution remained relatively stable during the period of cryopreservation. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) assay was performed to detect DNA-level variation. No change in DNA fragment pattern and number was observed between the control and the cryopreserved samples. In addition, methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) assay was carried out to investigate the DNA methylation status during the period of cryopreservation. It was found that cryopreservation induced a decrease in DNA methylation level.

[Correlation between DNA topoisomerase II alpha expression and sensitivity to etoposide in human glioma cell lines]

The expression of topoisomerase II alpha (Topo II alpha) was investigated in six human glioma cell lines as a function of doubling time, cell cycle distribution, and sensitivity to an antineoplastic agent, etoposide (ETP). The Topo II alpha level was determined by immunohistochemical and flow cytometric studies using monoclonal antibody, 8D2, specific for Topo II alpha. In all cell lines, the Topo II alpha level correlated directly with sensitivity to ETP, but not with doubling time or percentage of cells in any phase of the cell cycle. These findings suggest that the cytocidal activity of ETP may be mediated by qualitative and quantitative changes in Topo II alpha in human glioma cells. We speculate that better knowledge of Topo II alpha expression in surgical specimens may lead to more individualized use of ETP in patients with malignant glioma.

[Induction of embryogenic callus of loose skin mandarins]

Young ovules from 3 cultivars and undeveloped ovules in mature fruits from 8 cultivars of loose skin mandarin of Citrus were cultured on 4 different media respectively to induce embryogenic calli. Results showed that the combination of EME(MT + 500 mg/L malt extract) and MKT (EME + 10 mg/L KT) media performed well in the induction of embryogenic calli from young ovules; MGS(EME + 1 mg/L GA3 + 40 mg/L sulfate adenine) medium was better than MDB (MT + 0.01 mg/L 2,4-D + 0.1 mg/L BA) medium in inducing calli from the undeveloped ovules, and the darkness was conducive to the induction of embryogenic calli. There was no chromosome number variation in the induced calli. All of the examined cells were diploid with 2n = 2x = 18 chromosomes.