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Foot drop is a syndrome resulting from weakness or paralysis of the tibialis anterior muscle. Some patients with thoracic disc herniation seek medical help complain of foot drop as the initial symptom. The study investigated the clinical characteristics of these patients and clarified the clinical efficacy after treatment.A total of 13 patients with foot drop as the initial symptom arising from thoracic disc herniation were collected from January 2015 to December 2020. The average follow-up period was 20.5 months. We recorded neurological functions, the tibialis anterior muscle strength, Japanese Orthopedic Association score (JOA), location of the lesion, and occupation rate of herniation in the spinal canal preoperatively and at the final follow-up.None pathological reflex was found in the patients. Surgical treatment was performed in 12 of the 13 patients, and tibialis anterior functional recovery was observed in 83.4% (10/12) of the cases, with an average recovery rate of 52.8 ± 18.5%. The mean JOA score increased from 6.8 ± 1.9 points preoperatively to 8.9 ± 1.3 points postoperatively (p 0.05), achieving a mean recovery rate of 52.3 ± 13.1%. The MRI showed the conus medullaris was obviously compressed at the level of T11-L1, and the occupation rate of herniation was more than 40% in all patients, with an average of 65.4 ± 16.3%. CT indicated that 84.6% of the cases had calcification in intervertebral discs.Foot drop can be the initial symptom caused by thoracic disc herniation at the T11-L1 level, especially for the calcified disc herniation. A satisfactory recovery rate can be achieved by surgical decompression with fixation.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a common chronic degenerative and disabling spinal disease in which the inflammatory response plays a crucial role. Rebamipide (REB) prevents gastric mucosal damage by suppressing inflammatory cytokines via the NF-κB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate how REB affects the pathological process of IVD degeneration. In our study, nucleus pulposus tissue and cells were obtained from patients and mice, and western blotting, real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, histological staining, and flow cytometry were used to identify the mechanism of REB in TNF-α-induced IVD degeneration, demonstrating that TNF-α induced lumbar disc degeneration and REB prevented lumbar disc degeneration induced by the TNF-α pathway. REB inhibited TNF-α-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix and protected the inflammatory responses of TNF-α-induced disc degeneration. Furthermore, a mechanistic study verified that REB could suppress TNF-α-mediated disc degeneration through the NF-κB signaling pathway. The role of REB in disc degeneration in vivo was validated using a needle puncture model in rats. Overall, REB inhibited lumbar disc degeneration by suppressing inflammatory responses via the NF-κB signaling pathway. REB provides a potential therapeutic treatment for back pain due to IVDD.

Meng Si,1,* Yanni Xia,1,* Menglin Cong,1,* Dandan Wang,2 Yong Hou,1 Hecheng Ma1 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of China; 2Jinan Center hospital affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hecheng Ma, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-531-82166551, Email yopo2007@qq.comPurpose: Osteosarcoma is considered as the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents, and the treatments including chemotherapy and surgery were far from satisfactory. Localized tumor treatments by hydrogels incorporating combined chemotherapeutic drugs have recently emerged as superior approaches for enhanced anti-tumor effects and reduced systemic toxicity.Methods: A novel injectable thermosensitive poly (lactide-co- glycolide)-poly (ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) triblock copolymer hydrogel containing doxorubicin and cisplatin for the localized chemotherapy of osteosarcoma were synthesized and characterized. The in vitro drug release properties of the drugs-loaded hydrogels were investigated. To study the anti-tumor efficacy of hydrogels depots in vitro, the cytotoxicity and apoptosis rate against Saos-2 and MG-63 cells were evaluated by MTT, Annexin V and PCR methods. The in vivo synergistic anti-tumor efficacy of the multi-drugs co-loaded hydrogels was investigated by human osteosarcoma xenografts. Additionally, the systemic toxic side effects were evaluated by ex vivo histological analysis of the major organs of the mice.Results: The PLGA-PEG-PLGA copolymer solution underwent a sol-gel transition at appropriate temperature and degraded in the PBS, presenting a friendly biocompatibility in vitro. The in vitro cell viability tests demonstrated that DOX and CDDP co-loaded hydrogels exhibited synergistic anti-proliferation effect, due to the sustained release of drugs from the drugs-loaded hydrogel. The treatment with DOX and CDDP co-loaded hydrogel led to the highest efficiency in inhibiting the tumor growth, enhanced tumor necrosis rate and increased regulation of the apoptosis-related gene expressions, indicating a synergistic anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. Additionally, ex vivo histological analysis of the nude mice exhibited low systemic toxicity.Conclusion: The combination treatment of osteosarcoma by localized, sustained co-delivery of DOX and CDDP by PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogel may serve as a promising strategy for efficient clinical treatment of osteosarcoma.Keywords: hydrogels, localized delivery, synergistic therapy, combination therapy, osteosarcoma

A flower-like S-scheme BP/BiOCl photocatalyst has been successfully prepared via a simple co-precipitation method, which shows high photocatalytic activity and good stability.

Purpose: Primary intraspinal tumors are rare tumors of the central nervous system. There is a paucity of detailed clinical data on the tumors for neurosurgeons. The paper is to report the clinical characters of 589 patients with primary intraspinal tumors in China.Methods: Medical records of 589 patients with primary intraspinal tumor treated surgically with pathologic confirmation from January 2015 to December 2019 in our hospital were collected and reviewed. In each case, data about patient's age at surgery, sex, clinical presentation, anatomical location, vertebral levels and histological diagnosis were obtained and analyzed.Results: The entire cohort included 281 (47.7%) males and 308 (52.3%) females with a mean age of 48.1 years. Primary intraspinal tumors were most likely occurred on thoracic levels, counting 38.7%, compared with cervical 25.1% and lumbar 33.7%. 80.3% (472/589) of intraspinal tumors were intradural extramedullary, and 5.60% (33/589) were intramedullary, and 13.07% (77/589) were epidural. The pathological diagnoses included schwannoma (52.8%), meningioma (10.4%), cyst (8.0%), teratoma (24,4.1%), ependymoma (23,3.9%), and angioma (23,3.9%), and females had a higher incidence of meningiomas than males, with a male/female of 0.20. Pain, numbness, weakness, and sensory disturbances were most common presentations of the intraspinal tumor, which was determined partially by the vertebral level distribution and anatomical location.Conclusions: This large single-center clinical study adds new insights into the descriptive epidemiology and characters of primary intraspinal tumors by providing in-depth analyses of these tumors, which is of vital importance in planning studies on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the tumors.

In this research work, we deposited rGO QDs on the surface of flower-shaped hierarchical Bi-Bi2WO6/EP (Expanded Perlite) floating photocatalyst via the facile-liquid-phase deposition route. The rGO QDs-Bi-Bi2WO6/EP is the EP-based floating nanocomposite which is consisting of 3C heterojunction (rGO QDs, Bi2WO6 and Bi nanoparticles). In as-fabricated rGO QDs-Bi-Bi2WO6/EP photocatalyst, rGO QDs-Bi-Bi2WO6 was successfully immobilized as superior-active photocatalyst component and the selection of EP was retainable price sustainable support and recyclability of the designed photocatalyst. The as-fabricated nanocomposites were comprehensively characterized by spectroscopic techniques and electrochemical reaction. The photocatalytic degradation performances of rGO QDs-Bi-Bi2WO6/EP nanocomposite was evaluated evidently by the degradation of hazardous organic contaminants (RhB and phenol) with high rate constants k of 0.23 min−1 and 0.047 min−1, respectively, under sun-like irradiation. The obviously enhanced photocatalytic efficacy of rGO QDs-Bi-Bi2WO6/EP should be attributed to uniform dispersion and floating behavior of the well-designed photocatalyst owing to enhanced visible-light absorption, photocurrent and high transfer efficiency of photoinduced electron-hole pairs due to close intimated contact between rGO QDs and Bi-Bi2WO6/EP.

Photocatalysis currently faces a number of challenging issues, such as low efficiency, expensive precursors of noble metals, and difficult recycling of powder, which are grievous impeders for powde...

Highly efficient and durable visible-light-utilized nanocomposites have a vital role in environmental pollutants remediation. Hence, in this study, we have fabricated CdS QDs cosensitized CQDs/H-TiO2 (hollow titania) ternary heterostructures (CdS QDs/CQDs/H-TiO2) in a facile region-selective deposition route. The as-fabricated nanocomposites were evidently characterized by physicochemical techniques. CdS QDs were uniformly distributed on the smooth surface of hierarchical CQDs/H-TiO2 heterojunction. The as-prepared CdS QDs/CQDs/H-TiO2 nanocomposite has high-performances for efficient degradation efficacy of phenol, MB, and RhB, which exhibited enhanced degradation activities with rate constants (k) of 0.03, 0.051, and 0.045 min–1, respectively. All these superior photocatalytic activities obviously attributed to the effect of calcination temperature, enhanced photocurrent, minimized recombination of photoinduced charges in the photocatalysis and optimum content of CdS QDs have the distinct basis for the c...

The cadmium sulfide (CdS) faces photochemical corrosion, and hence, the photocatalytic efficacy decreases with the light-irradiation time. The deposition of suitable content of CdS on the expanded perlite (EP) may prevent the photochemical corrosion and aggregation of CdS nanoparticles. Hence, a series of solid nanocomposites containing CdS nanoparticles on the EP support with different CdS contents were synthesized. CdS/EP buoyant nanocomposites have been successfully prepared by deposition of CdS on the EP using a simple one-step facile liquid phase deposition route at ambient temperature. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HRTEM), UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The XRD and HRTEM results indicated the formation of CdS nanoparticles with the hexagonal cubic phase in the EP. The SEM, TEM and HRTEM results clearly show that CdS nanoparticles have homogenously embedded in the mesopores of EP supports. The photocatalytic activities of CdS/EP nanocomposites with varying CdS contents were examined for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible light irradiation. Hence, these results reveal that enhanced catalytic activity arises in novel CdS/EP nanocomposites and significantly, its photocatalytic activity is about two times higher than that of bare CdS. This advanced nanocomposite is expected to provide a new appreciation into the design of floating photocatalysts with excellent recyclability, high efficiency, and good stability.

A flower-like hierarchical CdS QDs/Bi/Bi2WO6 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via an in situ reduction and deposition process. The samples were systematically characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), nitrogen absorption–desorption isotherms, photoelectrochemical measurements and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The results indicate that plasmonic Bi nanoparticles as the electron-conduction mediator with size of 10 nm promote charge transfer effectively between the CdS nanoparticles and Bi2WO6 nanosheets. The photocatalytic performance tests show that the CdS QDs/Bi/Bi2WO6 composite exhibits extraordinarily enhanced photocatalytic activity than pure Bi2WO6, Bi/Bi2WO6 and CdS QDs/Bi2WO6 for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B and formaldehyde. The superior photocatalytic performance of the CdS QDs/Bi/Bi2WO6 composite is attributed to its improved visible light absorption property by coupling CdS QDs with plasmonic Bi and also to the efficient charge transfer of the metallic Bi nanoparticles.

In this paper, we present the fabrication of an expanded-perlite (EP)-based floating photocatalyst comprising CdS and Ag nanoparticles. In the Ag-CdS/EP nanocomposite, Ag-CdS was introduced as the photocatalytically active components and EP was employed as a low cost and sustainable support to reduce the problem of easy aggregation and improve the floating behavior of the designed catalyst. The Ag-CdS/EP photocatalyst was characterized via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) and photoelectrochemical measurements. The XRD and HR-TEM results confirmed the formation of cubic crystalline silver nanoparticles anchored on the surface of EP-immobilized hexagonal cubic CdS. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities of the Ag-CdS/EP nanocomposite with varying Ag contents were investigated for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol under visible light irradiation, and it was found that the photocatalytic reaction proceeds via first order kinetics. Furthermore, the desirable cycling ability (5 runs) of the Ag-CdS/EP photocatalyst indicates its promising stability and reusability. The designed novel photocatalyst also conforms to the development of green chemistry since no organic solvents were required.

Combination cancer therapy has emerged as crucial approach for achieving superior anti-cancer efficacy. In this study, we developed a strategy by localized co-delivery of PLK1shRNA/polylysine-modified polyethylenimine (PEI-Lys) complexes and doxorubicin (DOX) using biodegradable, thermosensitive PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogels for treatment of osteosarcoma. When incubated with osteosarcoma Saos-2 and MG-63 cells, the hydrogel containing PLK1shRNA/PEI-Lys and DOX displayed significant synergistic effects in promoting the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. After subcutaneous injection of the hydrogel containing PLK1shRNA/PEI-Lys and DOX beside the tumors of nude mice bearing osteosarcoma Saos-2 xenografts, the hydrogels exhibited superior antitumor efficacy in vivo compared to the hydrogels loaded with PLK1shRNA/PEI-Lys or DOX alone. It is noteworthy that the combination treatment in vivo led to almost complete suppression of tumor growth up to 16 days, significantly enhanced PLK1 silencing, higher apoptosis of tumor masses, as well as increased cell cycle regulation. Additionally, ex vivo histological analysis of major organs of the mice indicated that the localized treatments showed no obvious damage to the organs, suggesting lower systemic toxicity of the treatments. Therefore, the strategy of localized, sustained co-delivery of PLK1shRNA and DOX by using the biodegradable, injectable hydrogel may have potential for efficient clinical treatment of osteosarcoma.

Localized cancer treatments with combination drugs have recently emerged as crucial approaches for effective inhibition of tumor growth and reoccurrence. In this study, we present a new strategy for the osteosarcoma treatment by localized co-delivery of multiple drugs, including doxorubicin (DOX), cisplatin (CDDP) and methotraxate (MTX), using thermosensitive PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogels. The release profiles of the drugs from the hydrogels were investigated in vitro. It was found that the multidrug coloaded hydrogels exhibited synergistic effects on cytotoxicity against osteosarcoma Saos-2 and MG-63 cells in vitro. After a single peritumoral injection of the drug-loaded hydrogels into nude mice bearing human osteosarcoma Saos-2 xenografts, the hydrogels coloaded with DOX, CDDP, and MTX displayed the highest tumor suppression efficacy in vivo for up to 16 days, as well as led to enhanced tumor apoptosis and increased regulation of the expressions of apoptosis-related genes. Moreover, the monitoring on the mice body change and the ex vivo histological analysis of the key organs indicated that the localized treatments caused less systemic toxicity and no obvious damage to the normal organs. Therefore, the approach of localized co-delivery of DOX, CDDP, and MTX by the thermosensitive hydrogels may be a promising approach for enhanced osteosarcoma treatment.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are considered as multipotent cells, representing a multi-lineage potential to differentiate into mesodermal lineages of mesenchymal tissues, including cartilage, bone, fat, muscle and tendon. Tissue engineering in BMSCs has made great advances in the regeneration of cartilage and bone defects. To uncover the mechanisms of the multipotent differentiation process, the molecular changes in gene expression profiles during chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation need to be evaluated with reliable, accurate, fast and sensitive methods. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction is a commonly used technology for analyzing gene expression, depending on an appropriate reference gene to normalize the errors. The commonly used reference genes vary, and no ideal and universal reference genes suitable for all conditions exist; therefore validation of the stability of gene expression is required. In the present study, three common statistical algorithms, geNorm, Normfinder and BestKeeper, were used to identify the expression stability of 12 genes, and the target differentiation markers during the differentiation of BMSCs were evaluated accurately. Our results demonstrated that YWHAZ, PPIA and GAPDH were suitable as reference genes for chondrogenic differentiation, while RPL13a allowed an efficient normalization expression value of interest genes for osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. By contrast, the most unstable reference genes were 18s rRNA, B2M and HPRT1 in all studies, and these should be avoided when investigating the differentiation of BMSCs. Our results demonstrate validation of the appropriate reference genes for accurate gene expression in chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

The present study was designed to define the morphological dimensions of the acetabulum in normal Chinese adults and to statistically compare these data with the available data worldwide. This information is important for the diagnosis of dysplasia and treatment of total hip arthroplasty. In this study, the gender and bilateral differences were evaluated. One-hundred CT scans of patients were retrospectively studied. These individuals showed no signs of developmental disturbances in either of the hip joints. Thirty-five morphometric parameters of the acetabulum were measured. The size of acetabulum was evaluated by the acetabular perimeter, anteroposterior diameter, vertical diameter, the depth and width of fossa ovalis in both transaxial and coronal plane. The parameters of acetabular orientation were the acetabular angle, anterior center edge angle, neck shaft angle, acetabular anteversion, and abduction angle. The coverage of acetabulum was examined as the, acetabular head index, center edge angle, the distance between the femoral head, and acetabulum. Gender and bilateral differences were analyzed for each parameter, and compared with available worldwide data. The results showed statistically significant differences between the Chinese genders and also between the Chinese and other human races in some parameters. In conclusion, gender, bilateral and racial differences exist in the morphology of acetabulum. The data may be helpful for the design of total hip arthroplasty for the Chinese population.