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Thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (TOPLL) is a rare but intractable disease, and is the second leading cause of thoracic myelopathy. This study aimed to illustrate the overall knowledge structure and development trends of TOPLL, using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools.Research data sets were acquired from the Web of Science. The literature search was also limited to articles that were published until October 30, 2021. VOS viewer and Citespace software was provided to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trend of publications, distribution, H-Index status, co-authorship status, and research hotspots were analyzed.A total of 206 publications met the requirement. Japan published most papers (92), both total citations (1574) and H-index (24) ranked first of all the countries. The most productive organization was Peking University (22). The most productive author was Yamazaki M (18). The most productive journal was Spine (33). Diagnosis and treatment on the accuracy of surgical segments, prognosis of patients, and gene research were the research hotspots in the recent years.The study showed an upward trend with a stable rise in recent years. Japan is country with the highest productivity, not only in quality, but also in quantity. Peking University and Spine have been the largest contributors. Indeed, this study provides great insights to the growth and development of TOPLL. Moreover, it will contribute to the growth of the international frontier.

To illustrate the research framework, overall knowledge structure, and development trends of Chinese medicine (CM) treatment for osteosarcoma (OS) by using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools. Research datasets were acquired from the Web of Science (WOS) database from January 1, 1980 to September 30, 2019. VOS viewer and Citespace software was used to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trends of publications, distribution of institutes, distribution of journals, citation and H-index status, co-authorship status, research hotspots and co-citation status were analyzed. A total of 223 publications in the WOS database met the requirement. The number of published articles showed a rise but the citation frequency and the H-index of China were relatively low. The cooperation between the countries, institutes and authors were relatively weak. Most publications were basic researches. Most of the previous researches focused on basic mechanisms of CM in treating OS, and therapy and improvement of dosage form may become a frontier in this research field. Compared with other fields, the field of CM treatment for osteosarcome is still in infancy. The distribution of researches is imbalanced and cooperation between countries, institutions and authors remains to be strengthened. Furthermore, basic research occupies an absolute dominant position, and the exploration of the molecular mechanism of CM in preventing and treating OS may become a key point in the future.

BackgroundSpontaneous epidural hematoma (EDH) has been suggested associated with adjacent infective pathologies, dural vascular malformations, extradural metastasis, or coagulopathies. Cryptogenic spontaneous EDH is extremely rare. Case presentationWe reported a cryptogenic spontaneous EDH case in a young woman following sexual intercourse. She occurred consecutively EDH at three different sites within a short time. After three timely operations, a satisfactory outcome was achieved.Conclusion EDH should be investigated when a young patient develops headaches and signs of increased ICP after emotional hyperactivity or hyperventilation. If early diagnosis and surgical decompression can be carried out in time, the prognosis is satisfactory.

Objective Designing surgical strategies for ossified lesions in the upper cervical spine is challenging owing to the complex anatomic structures. The present study aimed to clarify the prevalence of ossified lesions in the upper cervical spine in patients with ossification in the posterior longitudinal ligament and illustrate the clinical features, radiological findings, and surgical outcomes of this abnormality. Methods Demographic and clinical data were collected for all patients preoperatively and included age, gender, body mass index, alcohol and tobacco use, history of diabetes, visual analog score, and Japanese Orthopaedic Association score. The cervical angle, morphology of ossification in the posterior longitudinal ligament, K-line, occupation ratio, space available for the spinal cord, high-intensity zone, and compression ratio of the spinal cord were calculated. The operative approach, technique used, and complications were recorded. Results A total of 38 patients were enrolled. The upper cervical segment in 23 patients was not surgically addressed. In the group with the upper cervical segment addressed surgically, 10 patients were treated with C3–C6 open-door laminoplasty and C2 partial laminectomy, 1 with C1–C7 laminoplasty, 1 with C2–C7 laminoplasty, 2 with C3–C6 total and C2 partial laminectomy, and 1 with C1–C5 laminectomy and occipitocervical fusion. Conclusions The development of ossified lesions in the upper cervical spine has a high incidence. Decompressive surgery for upper cervical spine segments should be recommended for patients with severe narrowing of the spinal canal and a high signal intensity that extends to the upper cervical segment of the spinal cord. We hope that the findings from the present study will aid in clinical decision-making and provide useful information that can be incorporated into future guidelines.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) binds to estrogen receptors ER-α and β and is used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. BPA presents a potential environmental challenge to the immune system of both humans and wildlife due to its use in food containers and thermal receipts and its resulting presence in surface water and wastewater runoff. We observed that BPA exposure downregulates the expression of the chemokine that functions to recruit neutrophils in both mice (KC) and zebrafish (cxcl8) and that it decreases neutrophil recruitment to the injury site in MPO::GFP zebrafish. Neutrophils are essential for the removal of damaged tissue and invading microbes, thus facilitating tissue regeneration of the tail fin. To investigate BPA’s effects on larval zebrafish tail regeneration, we induced a tail injury at day 3 post fertilization (dpf) and measured tail fin growth at day 1 and 3 post injury (dpi). Fish exposed to 100 ng/ml BPA regenerate a smaller tail fin area at 3 dpi (p-value < 0.01). We hypothesized that BPA exposure and altered neutrophil recruitment could affect regeneration by directly altering the expression of regeneration-related genes wnt10a and il-10 or their downstream genes and/or indirectly by regulating inflammatory genes including il-1 and il-6. The expression of il-1, il-6, il-10, and wnt10a were detected in zebrafish embryos from 2–6 dpf using qPCR. BPA exposure reduces both il-1 and il-6 expression 3 hours post-injury, suggesting that BPA reduces the inflammatory response. To determine whether BPA alters gene expression of wnt10a, il-10, or their downstream-regulated genes qPCR will be performed at 24- and 72-hours post-injury. Supported by Carleton College.

Study design Bibliometric and visualization analysis. Objective Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) has become a common health problem and the most frequent indication for spinal surgery. This study aimed to illustrate the overall knowledge structure, and development trends of LSS, using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools. Materials and methods Research data sets were acquired from the Web of Science. The time span was defined as "2000-2019". VOS viewer and Citespace software was provided to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trend of publications, distribution, H-index status, co-authorship status and research hotspots were analyzed. Results A total of 1934 publications met the requirement. The United States published most papers (521, 26.9%), both total citations (17,626) and H-index (61) ranked first of all the countries. The most productive organizations on LSS is Seoul National University (50). Spine (43) published the most papers on LSS. Quality of life, risk factor, disability, double blind trials, and decompression surgery are the research hotspots in the recent years. Conclusion The number of publications showed an upward trend with a stable rise in recent years. The United States is a country with the highest productivity, not only in quality, but also in quantity. Seoul National University has been the largest contributor in this field. Spine is the best journal related to LSS. Quality of life, risk factor, disability, and decompression surgery are the research hotspots in the recent years. Indeed, this study provides a new insight to the growth and development of LSS. Moreover, it will contribute to the growth of the international frontier of LSS.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS), a most common malignant tumor arising from the bone, has a very high mortality and disability rate. Due to its multi-targeted and multi-biologically active natural components, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a good therapeutic efficacy and minimal side effects. So far, few analyses have summarized the researches of TCM treatment for OS. This study aimed to illustrate the research framework, overall knowledge structure, and development trends of TCM treatment for OS, using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools. Methods: Research datasets were acquired from the Web of Science (WOS) database and the time span was defined as “all years”. Articles were tracked using the key words “osteosarcoma”, “Traditional Chinese Medicine”, “Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula”, “Chinese Herb Formula” and “Chinese herbal drug”. Moreover, VOS viewer and Citespace software was used to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trends of publications, distribution of institutes, distribution of journals, citation and H-Index status, co-authorship status, research hotspots and co-citation status were analyzed. Results: After reading the abstract or the full text, 223 publications in the WOS database met the requirement. The number of published articles showed a rise but the citation frequency and the H-index of China were relatively low. The cooperation between the countries, institutes and authors were relatively weak. Most publications were basic researches. Most previous researches focused on basic mechanisms of TCM in treating OS, and therapy and improvement of dosage form may become a frontier in this research field. Conclusion: Compared with other fields, this field is still in infancy. The distribution of researches is imbalanced and cooperation between countries, institutions and authors remains to be strengthened. Furthermore, basic research occupies an absolute dominant position, and the exploration of the molecular mechanism of TCM in preventing and treating OS may become a key point in the future.

This paper studies the shape similarity evaluation of free-form surfaces expressed by B-spline with single curvature feature and proposes a similarity evaluation algorithm based on curvature feature. Firstly, we calculate the normal vector direction of the two surfaces compared, and use it as the Z axis, so that the two surfaces are aligned on the Z axis. Then, the two surfaces are cut with planes that all perpendicular to the Z axis, and the intersection sets of two surfaces are obtained respectively. Finally, we design the similarity algorithm of plane curves to realize the similarity comparison of corresponding curves in the two sets of intersection, and which is used as the basis for evaluating the similarity between two surfaces. The algorithm transforms the problem of similarity comparison between 3D surfaces into two dimensional space by plane cutting method, and reduces the complexity of the problem effectively. The algorithm only needs to align one coordinate axis in the process of posture adjustment, so it is easy to implement. In order to test the effect of the algorithm, simulation experiments on different type of single curvature feature B-spline surfaces are carried out. The results show that the proposed similarity comparison algorithm of free-form surfaces is feasible and effective.

The phenol-formaldehyde crosslinker has low reactivity at low temperature, and is not easy to occur crosslinking reaction. In order to solve this problem, a kind of ammonium-promoted phenol-formaldehyde-based gel profile control agent was constructed which has the reactivity at low temperature. The basic formula is 0.30%~0.60%polymer, 0.01%resorcinol, 0.60% phenol-formaldehyde crosslinker and 0.10% ammonium salt. The results showed that the final gelling time was 6 days at 65°C, and the final gelling strength could reach G grade. In response to the problem that the plugging characteristics of ammonium-promoted phenol-formalde-hydebased gel are still unclear, the seepage characteristics of the phenol-formaldehyde-based gel in porous media are revealed by physical simulation of sand-pack. The research shows that the plugging rate of porous media with permeability of 2000 mD reaches 98%, the breakthrough pressure gradient is greater than 1.35 MPa/m.

The clinical evidence indicated that cyclophosphamide (CPD), one of the chemotherapy drugs, caused severe deteriorations in bones of cancer patients. However, the exact mechanisms by which CPD exerts effects on bone remodeling is not yet fully elucidated. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the role and potential mechanism of CPD in osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Here it was found that CPD treatment (100mg/kg/day) for 7 days led to osteoporosis phenotype in male mice. CPD inhibited osteoblastogenesis as shown by decreasing the number and differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and reducing the formation and activity of osteoblasts. Moreover, CPD suppressed the osteoclastogenesis mediated by receptor activator for nuclear factor-κ B ligand (RANKL) as shown by reducing the maturation and activity of osteoclasts. At the molecular level, CPD exerted inhibitory effect on the expression of components (Cyclin D1, β-catenin, Wnt 1, Wnt10b) of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in MSCs and osteoblasts-specific factors (alkaline phosphatase, Runx2, and osteocalcin). CPD also down-regulated the expression of the components (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6, nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasm 1, c-Fos and NF-κB) of RANKL signaling pathway and the factors (matrix metalloproteinase 9, cathepsin K, tartrate-resistant acid phosphates and carbonic anhydrase II) for osteoclastic activity. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the short-term treatment of CPD induced osteoporosis in mice and the underlying mechanism might be attributed to its marked suppression on osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis, especially the effect of CPD on bone formation might play a dominant role in its detrimental effects on bone remodeling.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the proportion of heavy oil production has been increasing. Cycle steam stimulation (CSS in short) is the prevailing technology for the development of heavy oil reservoirs and has made a great contribution to the development of heavy oil. However, the current research on the factors affecting the steam injection capacity of CSS heavy oil reservoirs and the degree of influence of each factor is insufficient. Oil recovery and heat utilization efficiency are poor, especially in the oil fields with poor reservoir conditions and severe heterogeneity. In this paper, the reservoir geological model of the Bohai oilfield was established, and the CSS development was predicted. The problems in the development process of CSS in Bohai oilfield were pointed out. Then, laboratory experiments were carried out to study the steam absorption law of CSS heavy oil reservoirs in consideration of reservoir permeability, steam injection rate, steam injection temperature and crude oil viscosity. The result showed that higher formation permeability and steam injection temperature could improve oil displacement efficiency; higher steam injection rate would reduce oil displacement efficiency. Finally, the influence rules of different injection-production parameters were clarified to shed some lights on the efficient exploitation of heavy oil reservoirs.

A new full-length cDNA encoding strictosidine synthase (designated as OjSTR, GenBank Accession No. 1087598), which catalyzes a committed step in camptothecin biosynthetic pathway, was isolated from young leaves of Ophiorrhiza japonica for the first time. OjSTR was 1,258 bp and contained a 1,062 bp open reading frame encoding a deduced protein of 353 amino acid residues. Sequence analyses showed that OjSTR had high homology with other STRs from some TIA-producing plants. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that OjSTR had closest relationship with STR from O. pumila. Tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that OjSTR constitutively expressed in all the tested tissues at different levels, which was high in flower, moderate in leaf and root, low in stem. Expression profiles under plant defense signals such as methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid were investigated, and the results revealed that expression of OjSTR was all induced, implying that OjSTR was high elicitor responsive.

The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome with the subunit Cdh1 (APC/C(Cdh1)) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in the control of the cell cycle. Here, we identified sporadic mutations occurring in the genes encoding APC components, including Cdh1, in human melanoma samples and found that loss of APC/C(Cdh1) may promote melanoma development and progression, but not by affecting cell cycle regulatory targets of APC/C. Most of the mutations we found in CDH1 were those associated with ultraviolet light (UV)-induced melanomagenesis. Compared with normal human skin tissue and human or mouse melanocytes, the abundance of Cdh1 was decreased and that of the transcription factor PAX3 was increased in human melanoma tissue and human or mouse melanoma cell lines, respectively; Cdh1 abundance was further decreased with advanced stages of human melanoma. PAX3 was a substrate of APC/C(Cdh1) in melanocytes, and APC/C(Cdh1)-mediated ubiquitylation marked PAX3 for proteolytic degradation in a manner dependent on the D-box motif in PAX3. Either mutating the D-box in PAX3 or knocking down Cdh1 prevented the ubiquitylation and degradation of PAX3 and increased proliferation and melanin production in melanocytes. Knocking down Cdh1 in melanoma cells in culture or before implantation in mice promoted doxorubicin resistance, whereas reexpressing wild-type Cdh1, but not E3 ligase-deficient Cdh1 or a mutant that could not interact with PAX3, restored doxorubicin sensitivity in melanoma cells both in culture and in xenografts. Thus, our findings suggest a tumor suppressor role for APC/C(Cdh1) in melanocytes and that targeting PAX3 may be a strategy for treating melanoma.

To further investigate the role of p53 in apoptosis in vivo and the interaction between p53 and Bcl-2 in the regulation of cellular apoptosis in vivo, we depleted p53 in Bcl-2-null mice. We found that the interaction between p53 and Bcl-2 are tissue dependent. Specifically, loss of p53 in Bcl-2-/- mice inhibits apoptotic induction in spleen and subsequently inhibits the Bcl-2-null-induced spleen atrophy. Furthermore, p53 deficiency overcomes loss of melanocyte stem cell (MSC)-induced apoptosis and subsequently prevents hair graying in Bcl-2- null mice. In addition, p53 deletion partly inhibits apoptosis in hair follicle keratinocytes, leading to the alleviation of hair growth delay in Bcl-2-null mice. However, p53 absence in Bcl-2-null mice cannot restore other defects in Bcl-2-null mice, including retardation of growth, short ears and polycystic kidney disease.

High levels of serum uric acid (SUAC) are frequently detected in patients with psoriasis. However, the relationship between psoriasis and hyperuricemia remains unknown. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to identify the SUAC levels in subjects with psoriasis and to determine whether there is an associated risk between psoriasis and hyperuricemia.A comprehensive search of the literature from January 1980 to November 2014 across 7 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register, and 4 Chinese databases) was conducted to determine whether there is an associated risk between psoriasis and hyperuricemia.Among the 170 identified reports, 14 observational studies were included in this meta-analysis. We found a significant higher SUAC level (MD 0.68, 95% CI 0.26-1.09; P = 0.002) in patients with psoriasis in Western Europe, but no significant differences were found between the East Asia and India subgroup (MD 1.22, 95% CI -0.13-2.56; P = 0.08) or the Middle East subgroup (MD 0.48, 95% CI -0.49-1.44; P = 0.33). Similar results were obtained from the meta-analysis of SUAC levels in subjects with severe psoriasis.Our meta-analysis showed that the correlation between psoriasis and hyperuricemia was either ethnicity- or region-dependent and that patients with psoriasis in Western Europe were more likely to have hyperuricemia.