颈椎后路单开门微型钢板内固定术治疗颈椎管狭窄症

目的:探讨颈椎后路单开门微型钢板内固定术治疗颈椎管狭窄症的临床疗效和安全性。方法:2017年3月至2019年3月收治25例颈椎管狭窄症患者。男15例,女10例。年龄33~68岁,中位数45岁。C3~C5狭窄16例,C3~C6狭窄9例。发育型狭窄18例,退行性狭窄7例。病程1~7年,中位数4年。均采用颈椎后路单开门微型钢板内固定术治疗。测定患者的颈椎曲度和活动度,采用视觉模拟量表(visual analogue scale,VAS)和Oswestry功能障碍指数(Oswestry disability index,ODI)量表评价颈肩部疼痛情况,采用日本骨科学会(Japanese Orthopedic Association,JOA)脊髓型颈椎病评分量表(17分法)评价颈髓功能,采用Odom评级标准评价整体疗效,记录并发症发生情况。结果:所有患者均随访至术后12个月。与术前相比,术后3个月时患者的颈椎曲度和活动度均增大(5.25°±3.05°,8.02°±3.13°,t=3.169,P=0.003;38.48°±13.60°,56.12°±12.90°,t=4.705,P=0.000),颈肩部疼痛VAS评分和ODI均减小[(7.69±0.53)分,(3.14±0.21)分,t=39.906,P=0.000;(21.75±5.48)分,(10.13±2.12)分,t=9.888,P=0.000]。患者术前及术后3个月、6个月、12个月的JOA评分比较,总体差异有统计学意义[(8.22±1.51)分,(14.75±3.32)分,(16.53±3.52)分,(16.78±3.66)分,F=41.001,P=0.000];术后3个月、6个月、12个月的JOA评分均高于术前(P=0.000;P=0.000;P=0.000)。术后12个月时,按照Odom评级标准评定,优12例、良10例、一般2例、差1例;疗效评定为差的1例患者,经非手术治疗后病情控制。1例患者术后出现背部疼痛,服用非甾体抗炎止痛药后疼痛缓解;均未出现吞咽困难、脊髓损伤、内固定松动等并发症。结论:采用颈椎后路单开门微型钢板内固定术治疗颈椎管狭窄症,能有效改善患者的颈椎曲度和活动度、减轻颈肩部疼痛症状、改善颈髓功能,总体疗效较好,而且具有较高的安全性。     

Deferoxamine promotes recovery of traumatic spinal cord injury by inhibiting ferroptosis

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent novel cell death pathway. Deferoxamine, a ferroptosis inhibitor, has been reported to promote spinal cord injury repair. It has yet to be clarified whether ferroptosis inhibition represents the mechanism of action of Deferoxamine on spinal cord injury recovery. A rat model of Deferoxamine at thoracic 10 segment was established using a modified Allen's method. Ninety 8-week-old female Wistar rats were used. Rats in the Deferoxamine group were intraperitoneally injected with 100 mg/kg Deferoxamine 30 minutes before injury. Simultaneously, the Sham and Deferoxamine groups served as controls. Drug administration was conducted for 7 consecutive days. The results were as follows:(1) Electron microscopy revealed shrunken mitochondria in the spinal cord injury group.(2) The Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor rating score showed that recovery of the hindlimb was remarkably better in the Deferoxamine group than in the spinal cord injury group.(3) The iron concentration was lower in the Deferoxamine group than in the spinal cord injury group after injury.(4) Western blot assay revealed that, compared with the spinal cord injury group, GPX4, xCT, and glutathione expression was markedly increased in the Deferoxamine group.(5) Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that, compared with the Deferoxamine group, mRNA levels of ferroptosis-related genes Acyl-CoA synthetase family member 2(ACSF2) and iron-responsive element-binding protein 2(IREB2) were up-regulated in the Deferoxamine group.(6) Deferoxamine increased survival of neurons and inhibited gliosis. These findings confirm that Deferoxamine can repair spinal cord injury by inhibiting ferroptosis. Targeting ferroptosis is therefore a promising therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury.     

HIFα Regulates Developmental Myelination Independent of Autocrine Wnt Signaling

The developing CNS is exposed to physiological hypoxia, under which hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) is stabilized and plays a crucial role in regulating neural development. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of HIFα in developmental myelination remain incompletely understood. A previous concept proposes that HIFα regulates CNS developmental myelination by activating the autocrine Wnt/β-catenin signaling in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). Here, by analyzing a battery of genetic mice of both sexes, we presented in vivo evidence supporting an alternative understanding of oligodendroglial HIFα-regulated developmental myelination. At the cellular level, we found that HIFα was required for developmental myelination by transiently controlling upstream OPC differentiation but not downstream oligodendrocyte maturation and that HIFα dysregulation in OPCs but not oligodendrocytes disturbed normal developmental myelination. We demonstrated that HIFα played a minor, if any, role in regulating canonical Wnt signaling in the oligodendroglial lineage or in the CNS. At the molecular level, blocking autocrine Wnt signaling did not affect HIFα-regulated OPC differentiation and myelination. We further identified HIFα–Sox9 regulatory axis as an underlying molecular mechanism in HIFα-regulated OPC differentiation. Our findings support a concept shift in our mechanistic understanding of HIFα-regulated CNS myelination from the previous Wnt-dependent view to a Wnt-independent one and unveil a previously unappreciated HIFα–Sox9 pathway in regulating OPC differentiation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Promoting disturbed developmental myelination is a promising option in treating diffuse white matter injury, previously called periventricular leukomalacia, a major form of brain injury affecting premature infants. In the developing CNS, hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) is a key regulator that adapts neural cells to physiological and pathologic hypoxic cues. The role and mechanism of HIFα in oligodendroglial myelination, which is severely disturbed in preterm infants affected with diffuse white matter injury, is incompletely understood. Our findings presented here represent a concept shift in our mechanistic understanding of HIFα-regulated developmental myelination and suggest the potential of intervening with an oligodendroglial HIFα-mediated signaling pathway to mitigate disturbed myelination in premature white matter injury.     

Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to THP-1 macrophages: interactions with saturated or unsaturated free fatty acids

In a biological microenvironment, free fatty acids (FFA) as ubiquitous biological molecules might interact with nanoparticles (NPs) and consequently change the toxicological responses. However, whether the chemical structures of FFA could influence their interactions with NPs remain unknown. This study investigated the interactions between ZnO NPs and saturated or unsaturated FFA (complexed to BSA), namely stearic acid (SA, C18:0), oleic acid (OA, C18:1), and α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3). It was shown that BSA, SA, OA, and ALA increased the atomic force microscope (AFM) heights as well the polydispersity index (PDI) of ZnO NPs. BSA modestly protected THP-1 macrophages from ZnO NP exposure, whereas OA and ALA led to relatively less cyto-protective effects of BSA. Moreover, only co-exposure to ZnO NPs and SA significantly promoted the release of interleukin-8. BSA, SA, OA, and ALA equally changed intracellular ROS and Zn ions associated with ZnO exposure, but co-exposure to ZnO NPs and OA/ALA particularly activated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis genes. In combination, these results showed that FFA could influence the colloidal aspects and toxicological signaling pathway of ZnO NPs, which is dependent on the number of unsaturated bonds of FFA.     

2016至2018年某医院真菌血流感染者流行病学特征及耐药性分析

目的分析真菌性血流感染的病原菌分布以及耐药特征，为真菌血流感染的早期合理用药提供理论依据。 方法回顾性分析武汉大学人民医院2016年1月至2018年12月收治的真菌性血流感染者的菌群、科室分布以及耐药性。 结果入组192例真菌血流感染者的血培养样本中共分离192株真菌，其中白色念珠菌检出率为31.77%（61/192），其次热带念珠菌检出率为18.75%（36/192）；重症医学科检出率最高为33.85%（65/192）。所有菌株均对两性霉素B敏感，对其他抗菌药物耐药率分别为5-氟胞嘧啶4.49%（9/192）、伊曲康唑5.73%（11/192）、氟康唑10.94%（21/192）和伏立康唑11.46%（22/192）；除两性霉素B外，2016至2018年真菌对其他抗菌药物的耐药率均逐年上升，其中2018年所分离192株光滑念珠菌对伊曲康唑耐药菌率达46.7%。 结论真菌血流感染病原菌以念珠菌属为主，对目前抗真菌药物具有较高敏感性，但耐药率逐年上升，加强监测血培养病原菌变化及耐药趋势对指导临床用药至关重要。     

Association Between Patient and Physician Sex and Physician-Estimated Stroke and Bleeding Risks in Atrial Fibrillation

Background

Physicians treating nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) assess stroke and bleeding risks when deciding on anticoagulation. The agreement between empirical and physician-estimated risks is unclear. Furthermore, the association between patient and physician sex and anticoagulation decision-making is uncertain.