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Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has been proven as an ideal alternative surgical procedure to treat symptomatic isolated knee osteoarthritis, and recently this technique has gained its popularity. However, postoperative complications would inevitably compromise the effectiveness and patients' satisfaction. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the incidence and risk factors of delayed wound healing (DWH) after UKA. This retrospective cohort study was conducted from February 2021 to May 2022 and a total of 211 patients were enrolled. Demographic characteristics, operation-related variables, and laboratory indexes were extracted. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to detect the optimum cut-off value for continuous variables. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to demonstrate the risk factors of DWH. There were 155 female and 56 male patients with an average age of 64. 6 ± 6.9 years included in this study. After 6.6 ± 4.9 months' follow-up, 12 cases of DWH were observed which indicated an incidence of DWH of 5.7%, mean wound healing duration for 12 patients was 43.1 ± 19.3 days. In the univariate analysis, age 62.5 years, postoperative hospital stay 5.5 days, surgical incision 10.5 cm, barbed suture, body mass index (BMI) 32.0 kg/m

This phase II randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the efficacy and toxicity of Endostar, an antiangiogenesis inhibitor, combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Patients with LACC were randomly assigned to either CCRT plus Endostar (CCRT+E arm) or CCRT alone (CCRT arm). All patients received pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy. Weekly cisplatin was administered concurrently with IMRT. Patients in the CCRT+E arm also received concurrent Endostar every 3 weeks for two cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) and acute toxicities. The exploratory endpoint was the impact of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) expression on long-term survival. A total of 116 patients were enrolled. Patients in the CCRT+E arm and in the CCRT arm had similar acute and late toxicity profile. The 1- and 2-year PFS were 91.4% versus 82.1% and 80.8% versus 63.5% (p=0.091), respectively. The 1- and 2-year distance metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were 92.7% versus 81.1% and 86.0% versus 65.1% (p=0.031), respectively. Patients with positive VEGFR2 expression had significant longer PFS and overall survival (OS) compared with those with negative VEGFR2 expression. Patients in the CCRT+E arm had significantly longer PFS, OS, and DMFS than those in the CCRT arm when VEGFR2 expression was positive. In conclusion, CCRT plus Endostar significantly improved DMFS but not PFS over CCRT alone. The addition of Endostar could significantly improve survival for patients with positive VEGFR2 expression.

Heming Lu,1,* Yuying Wu,2,* Xu Liu,1 Huixian Huang,1 Hailan Jiang,1 Chaohua Zhu,1 Yuping Man,3 Pei Liu,4 Xianglong Li,1 Zhaohong Chen,1 Xianfeng Long,1 Qiang Pang,1 Shan Deng,1 Junzhao Gu1 1Department of Radiation Oncology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynecology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, 533000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Heming LuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 6 Taoyuan Road, Nanning, 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-771-218-6806Email luhming3632@163.comPurpose: To evaluate the role of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) in predicting early treatment response.Materials and Methods: Patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were enrolled. Pelvic DCE-MRI scans were performed before RT (pre-RT), in the middle of RT (mid-RT), and at the end of RT (post-RT), separately. Parameters (ie, Ktrans, Kep, and Ve) were measured. Pre-, mid-, and post-RT Ktrans were denoted as Ktrans-preTx, Ktrans-midTx, and Ktrans-postTx, respectively. And the same denoting rule also went for Kep and Ve. Difference for the same parameter such as Ktrans measured between two consecutive time points was calculated as second Ktrans value minus first Ktrans value. The differences in Ktrans between pre-RT and post-RT, between pre-RT and mid-RT, and between mid-RT and post-RT were denoted as ΔKtrans-post-preTx, ΔKtrans-mid-preTx, and ΔKtrans-post-midTx, respectively, and the same denoting rule was also applied to Kep and Ve.Results: A total of 57 patients were enrolled. After the treatment, 31 patients had complete response (CR group). The remaining 26 patients had partial response (NCR group). Significant differences were found in Ktrans-postTx, Kep-postTx, Ve-midTx, ΔKtrans-post-preTx, ΔKtrans-post-midTx, ΔKep-post-preTx, ΔKep-mid-preTx and ΔKep-post-midTx between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for their performances in predicting treatment response showed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.656– 0.849, sensitivity of 61.3– 93.5%, specificity of 46.1– 73.1%, and maximal Youden Index of 36.5– 66.6. Among those parameters, Kep-postTx was the best, and its AUC, sensitivity, specificity, maximal Youden Index, and cutoff value were 0.849, 87.1%, 73.1%, 60.2, and 0.341, respectively. These combined parameters showed an AUC of 0.952, with sensitivity of 87.1%, specificity of 96.1%, and maximal Youden Index of 83.2.Conclusion: DCE-MRI parameters can predict early treatment outcome. Among those parameters, Kep-postTx is the best predictor. The combination of multi-parameters can increase the predictive potency.Keywords: cervical cancer, locally advanced disease, dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, prognosis prediction

Defeng Qing,1,* Yuying Wu,2,* Xu Liu,1,* Hailan Jiang,1,* Chaohua Zhu,1,* Pei Liu,3 Junming Dang,4 Xianglong Li,1 Zhaohong Chen,1 Xianfeng Long,1 Qiang Pang,1 Luxing Peng,1 Shan Deng,1 Junzhao Gu,1 Renfeng Zhao,2 Changyi Chen,2 Heming Lu1 1Department of Radiation Oncology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gynecology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning 530021, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiation Oncology, Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise 533000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Oncology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Heming LuDepartment of Radiation Oncology, People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning City 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-771-218-6504Email luhming3632@163.comPurpose: We aimed to evaluate the long-term survival outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) combined with nimotuzumab followed by surgery in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC).Patients and Methods: Patients received whole pelvic intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and concomitantly with weekly cisplatin (40 mg/m2) or nedaplatin (30 mg/m2) and weekly nimotuzumab (200 mg). After assessment of the treatment response, patients then underwent radical surgery.Results: Between June 2013 and July 2016, 33 patients with FIGO IB2–IIIB cervical cancer were recruited. Clinical complete response and partial response were observed in 8 (24.3%) and 23 patients (69.7%), respectively. Twenty-seven patients (81.8%) were successfully treated with radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy: 9 (33.3%) showed pathological complete response; 10 (37.1%) showed partial response and 8 (29.6%) presented with persistent macroscopic/microscopic residual carcinoma. For the intention-to-treat population, the median follow-up time was 53.7 months. Locoregional recurrence and distant metastases were observed in three and seven patients, respectively. The 5-year overall survival, progression-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival were 81.5%, 72.7%, 90.9%, and 78.3%, respectively. Both acute and late toxicities were manageable and mainly limited to grade 1 or 2.Conclusion: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab followed by surgery for patients with LACC is safe and results in excellent long-term treatment outcomes. Further randomized controlled studies are warranted to confirm the findings.Keywords: locally advanced cervical cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, radical surgery

BACKGROUND Botanical pesticides play an important role in organic agricultural practices and are widely used in integrated pest management (IPM). Uvaria grandiflora was mainly reported as traditional medicines and possessed antibacterial, antioxidant, and antiprotozoal activities. Therefore, important biological activities of U. grandiflora may suggest that they have the potential to be used as botanical pesticides. RESULTS The extract of U. grandiflora exhibited broad-spectrum inhibitory activity toward phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes, particularly against Colletotrichum musae and Phytophthora capsici, and its secondary metabolite zeylenone also displayed strong antifungal and anti-oomycete activities against phytopathogens. Particularly, half maximal effective concentration (EC50 ) values of zeylenone against Phytophthora capsici and C. musae were 6.98 and 3.37 μg mL-1 , showing better inhibitory effects than those of commercial fungicides (azoxystrobin and osthole). Additionally, the pot experiments showed that the extract of U. grandiflora could effectively control Pseudoperonospora cubensis, Phytophthora infestans, Phytophthora capsici and Podosphaera xanthii. In the field experiment, 5% microemulsion of U. grandiflora extract exhibited 79.72% efficacy against cucumber powdery mildew at 87.5 g ha-1 on the 14th day after two sprayings, which was better than that of 21.5% trifloxystrobin and 21.5% fluopyram SC at 200.9 g ha-1 . Surprisingly, 5% microemulsion of U. grandiflora extract could promote cucumber growth significantly. Furthermore, the action mechanism analysis indicated that zeylenone may damage the cytoderm and affect energy metabolism of Phytophthora capsici. CONCLUSION It is the first time that the extract of U. grandiflora and zeylenone have been discovered leading to broad application prospects in the development as botanical fungicides. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has high incidence in Southern China and is derived from the mucosal epithelium of the nasopharynx. Accumulating evidence has revealed that peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) exerts carcinogenic effect on certain cancers. We designed this study to probe the specific role that PAD4 plays in NPC and its molecular mechanism. PAD4 expression in NPC cells was detected by RT-qPCR analysis. MTT, colony formation, flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and LC3-II punctuation experiments were done to probe into the biological functions of PAD4 on NPC cellular behaviors in vitro. Subsequently, the upstream regulatory mechanism of PAD4 was investigated by luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RIP assays. The impact of PAD4 on NPC tumor growth in mice was assessed by in vivo xenograft tumor assay. PAD4 was upregulated in NPC cells. PAD4 knockdown suppressed proliferative ability and promoted apoptosis and autophagy in NPC cells. Additionally, PAD4 expression was negatively regulated by microRNA 3164 (miR-3164). LINC00324 positively upregulated PAD4 expression by interacting with miR-3164 and recruiting HuR protein. The LINC00324/miR-3164/PAD4 axis modulated the PI3K/AKT pathway in NPC cells. Moreover, PAD4 upregulation countervailed the influences of LINC00324 deficiency on NPC cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy and on NPC tumor growth in mice. LINC00324 promoted NPC malignancy by upregulation of PAD4 to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Purpose: We aimed to establish a nomogram model based on computed tomography (CT) imaging radiomic signature and clinical factors to predict the risk of local recurrence in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Methods: This was a retrospective study consisting of 156 NPC patients treated with IMRT. Radiomics features were extracted from the gross tumor volume for nasopharynx (GTVnx) in pretreatment CT images for patients with or without local recurrence. Discriminative radiomics features were selected after t-test and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. The most stable model was obtained to generate radiomics signature (Rad_Score) by using machine learning models including Logistic Regression, K-Nearest neighbor, Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, Stochastic Gradient Descent, Gradient Booting Tree and Linear Support Vector Classification. A nomogram for local recurrence was established based on Rad_Score and clinical factors. The predictive performance of nomogram was evaluated by discrimination ability and calibration ability. Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical benefits of the multi-factor nomogram in predicting local recurrence after IMRT.Results: Local recurrence occurred in 42 patients. A total of 1,452 radiomics features were initially extracted and seven stable features finally selected after LASSO analysis were used for machine learning algorithm modeling to generate Rad_Score. The nomogram showed that the greater Rad_Score was associated with the higher risk of local recurrence. The concordance index, specificity and sensitivity in the training cohort were 0.931 (95%CI:0.8765–0.9856), 91.2 and 82.8%, respectively; whereas, in the validation cohort, they were 0.799 (95%CI: 0.6458–0.9515), 79.4, and 69.2%, respectively.Conclusion: The nomogram based on radiomics signature and clinical factors can predict the risk of local recurrence after IMRT in patients with NPC and provide evidence for early clinical intervention.

Surface layers, referred simply as S-layers, are the two-dimensional crystalline arrays of protein or glycoprotein subunits on cell surface. They are one of the most common outermost envelope components observed in prokaryotic organisms (Archaea and Bacteria). Over the past decades, S-layers have become an issue of increasing interest due to their ubiquitousness, special features and functions. Substantial work in this field provides evidences of an enormous diversity in S-layers. This paper reviews and illustrates the diversity from several different aspects, involving the S-layer-carrying strains, the structure of S-layers, the S-layer proteins and genes, as well as the functions of S-layers.

To evaluate the value of CT common rail technique for application in intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Twenty-seven NPC patients underwent Somatom CT scans using the Siemens CTVision system prior to the commencement of the radiotherapy sessions. The acquired CT images were registered with the planning CT images using the matching function of the system to obtain the linear set-up errors of 3 directions, namely X (left to right), Y (superior to inferior), and Z (anterior to posterior). The errors were then corrected online on the moving couch.The 27 NPC patients underwent a total of 110 CT scans and the displacement deviations of the X, Y and Z directions were -0.16∓1.68 mm, 0.25∓1.66 mm, and 0.33∓1.09 mm, respectively.CT common rail technique can accurately and rapidly measure the space error between the posture and the target area to improve the set-up precision of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for NPC.

To study the effectiveness of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using autologous periosteum wrapping tendon allograft by comparing with using simple tendon allograft.Between March 2008 and November 2008, 68 patients with ACL injury were treated, who were in accordance with the inclusion criteria. They were divided into 2 groups randomly according to different treatment methods: ACL was reconstructed with autologous periosteum wrapping tendon allograft in 31 patients (test group) and with simple tendon allograft (control group) in 37 patients. There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, the cause of injury, and functional score preoperatively between 2 groups (P0.05). Anatomic single-bundle ACL reconstruction was performed in 2 groups.Little exudation at tibial tunnel incision was found in 1 case respectively in both groups at 2 weeks after operation and was cured by dressing change and antibiotics. The other incisions healed by first intention. The patients were followed up 24-29 months (mean, 26 months) in the test group and 24-32 months (mean, 27 months) in the control group. CT showed bone tunnel enlargement in both groups at 2 years after operation, but the rate of the tunnel enlargement was less in the test group (5/31, 16.1%) than in the control group (14/37, 37.8%), showing significant difference (chi2 = 3.948, P = 0.047). At 2 years after operation, the results of Lachman test and pivot shift test were negative in 23 cases (74.2%) and 25 cases (80.6%) of the test group, and in 26 cases (70.3%) and 30 cases (81.1%) of the control group, respectively. KT-1000 examination showed the displacement of the test group [(1.74 +/- 0.88) mm] was less than that of the control group [(2.36 +/- 0.83) mm], showing significant difference (t = -2.979, P = 0.004). There was no significant difference in Lysholm score, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, Tegner score, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score between 2 groups at 2 years after operation (P0.05).Compared with simple tendon allograft, ACL reconstruction with autologous periosteum wrapping tendon allograft can improve tendon-bone healing, and decrease the rate of bone tunnel enlargement, so it has good short-term outcome.

To evaluate the tendon regeneration after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon autografts by MRI.Between September 2007 and September 2009, 52 patients undergoing ACL reconstructions with semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon autografts were enrolled. There were 29 males and 23 females with an average age of 31.6 years (range, 19-42 years). The left knees were involved in 34 cases and the right knees in 18 cases. The injury was caused by traffic accident in 11 cases, by sports in 38 cases, by heavy pound injury in 2 cases, and by other in 1 case. The time between injury and operation was 6 days to 31 months (median, 11.4 months). Joint pain occurred in 19 cases, joint instability in 28 cases, and joint swelling in 5 cases. The physical examination on admission showed thigh amyotrophy in 7 cases (thigh circumference side-to-side difference1 cm) and limitation of joint motion in 2 cases. The results of floating patella test, Lachman test, pivot shift test, and anterior drawer test were positive in 5, 51, 49, and 52 cases, respectively. The range of motion of knee was (127.77 +/- 5.73) degrees, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score was 49.50 +/- 4.08, and Lysholm score was 52.40 +/- 3.45. Of the patients, 23 were accompanied with medial meniscus tear, 6 with lateral meniscus tear, 2 with plica synovialis, and 1 with loose body.All incisions healed by first intention. All the patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 14.9 months). At 12 months postoperatively, the results of Lachman test and pivot shift test were positive in 1 case, respectively; the results of anterior drawer test were negative in 52 cases. The range of motion of knee was (131.91 +/- 1.81)degrees, Lysholm score was 94.98 +/- 2.77, IKDC score was 93.65 +/- 2.42; and there were significant differences when compared with the preoperative ones (P0.05). At 12 months postoperatively, at 90 degrees resisted flexion of the knee, a very distinct fibrous band could be identified on the posteromedial aspect of the knee in 39 cases. MRI showed that both semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon regeneration in 10 cases, only semitendinosus tendon regeneration in 29 cases, only gracilis tendon regeneration in 2 cases, and no tendon regeneration in 11 cases. The regeneration rate of the semitendinosus tendon was 75.0% (39/52); the regeneration rate of the gracilis tendon was 23.1% (12/52); and the regeneration rate of the semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon was 78.8% (41/52).MRI results suggest that some of the semitendinosus tendon and gracilis tendon could regenerate after harvested for ACL reconstruction.

To compare the recovery of proprioception between autograft and allograft for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.Between January 2008 and January 2010, 40 patients underwent ACL reconstruction with autologous tendon (autograft group, n = 20) and allogeneic tendon (allograft group, n = 20). No significant difference was found in gender, age, disease duration, and function scores between 2 groups (P0.05). All the patients underwent the ACL reconstruction with single-bundle technique. The knee range of motion (ROM), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and Lysholm score were measured after operation. The proprioception was assessed by the joint position sense (JPS) at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. The normal knee was used as control.The patients of 2 groups achieved healing of incision by first intention without complication of infection or haemarthrosis. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 13.5 months). There were significant differences in knee ROM, IKDC score, and Lysholm score between preoperation and 12 months postoperatively in 2 groups (P0.05). There was no significant difference in JPS 30 degrees, JPS 60 degrees, and JPS 90 degrees between affected knees and normal knees in autograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P0.05). No significant difference was found in JPS 30 degrees between affected knees and normal knees in allograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P0.05); but significant differences were found in JPS 60 degrees and JPS 90 degrees between affected knees and normal knees in allograft group at 3 months postoperatively (P0.05). There was no significant difference in JPS 30 degrees, JPS 60 degrees, and JPS 90 degrees between affected knees and normal knees in 2 groups at 12 months postoperatively (P0.05). Significant differences were also found in JPS 60 degrees and JPS 90 degrees between affected knees of 2 groups (P0.05) at 3 months postoperatively, whereas no significant difference was found in JPS 30 degrees between affected knees of 2 groups (P0.05). No significant difference was found in JPS 30 degrees, JPS 60 degrees, and JPS 90 degrees between affected knees of 2 groups at 12 months postoperatively (P0.05).Autologous and ACL reconstruction is better than allogeneic ACL reconstruction in the recovery of proprioception at early time after surgery.

To compare the effectiveness between arthroscopic double-bundle and single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with deep-frozen allografts.Between January 2008 and January 2009, 105 patients undergoing arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with deep-frozen allografts were selected and randomly divided into single-bundle (n = 59) or double-bundle (n = 46) groups. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively 6, 12, and 24 months. Of the patients, 93 (51 in the single-bundle group and 42 in the double-bundle group) were available for full evaluation. There was no significant difference in gender, age, height, weight, disease duration, complication, the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and Lysholm score between 2 groups (P0.05). The anterior drawer test and the Lachman test for all were rated as + in 2 groups, and the pivot shift test were rated as ++ before operation.All wounds healed by first intention, and no related complication such as fracture, infection, or deep venous thrombosis was observed. There was no significant difference in the IKDC score, Lysholm score, anterior drawer test, pivot shift test, and Lachman test between 2 groups at 6-month and 12-month follow-up (P0.05). The IKDC score, Lysholm score, pivot shift test, Lachman test, and the side-to-side difference measured by KT-1000 arthrometer in the double-bundle group were significantly better than those in single-bundle group at 24-month follow-up (P0.05).The double-bundle ACL reconstruction with deep-frozen allografts has better effectiveness than the single-bundle ACL reconstruction.

With Piper nigrum, Mangifera indica and Clausena lansium as the donators, this paper studied their potential allelopathic effects on the germination and growth of Zea mays, Glycine max, Cucurbita moschata, Arachis hypogaea, Raphanus sativus, Echinochloa crusgalli, Digitaria sanguinalis and Stylosanthes guianensis. The results showed that the aqueous extracts of these donators could inhibit the germination and growth of Z. mays, G. max, C. moschata, E. crus-galli and D. sanguinalis at high concentration, but stimulate them at low concentration. In rhizosphere soil of P. nigrum and M. indica, the germination and growth of Z. mays L was stimulated, while A. hypogaea was inhibited. The aqueous extracts of the donators were extracted by ethyl acetate and n-butanol, respectively, and the inhibitory activity of both aqueous and n-butanol fractions from P. nigrum and M. indica on Z. mays, R. sativus and S. guianensis was stronger than that of ethyl acetate fraction, indicating that P. nigrum and M. indica contained the allelochemicals with high polarity.