Background The purpose of this study was to establish a novel rat model for ligamentum flavum (LF) hypertrophy using increased motion of lumbar and to elucidate the etiology of (LFH). Methods A total number of 30 male rats were used. The increased motion of lumbar was induced by surgical resection of L5/6 posterior elements (n = 15). The other rats underwent a sham operation (n = 15). After 8 weeks, all rats were taken lateral plain X-rays. The LF from L5/6 in both groups were harvested to investigate histological, immunohistological, and real-time PCR analysis. Results According to radiological results, the disc height ratio, flexion ratio, and extension ratio were larger in the rats in the experimental group than that of in the sham group. The HE staining showed that the LF thickness in the experimental group significantly increased in comparison to the sham group. The Masson trichrome staining showed that the ratio of elastic fibers to collagen fibers in experimental group was lower than that in the sham group. The protein and gene expression of TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and Col 1 were significantly higher in the experimental group than that in the sham group. Conclusion A relatively safe, simple, and rapid rat model of LFH using increased motion of lumbar was established. The increased motion of lumbar could lead to high expression of inflammatory and fibrotic factors in LF, causing the accumulation of collagen fibers and decreasing of elastic fibers.
Background. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely applied in the clinical practice of neck pain owing to cervical radiculopathy (CR). While many systematic reviews exist in CAM to improve CR, research is distributed across population, intervention, comparison, and setting. Objective. This overview aims to summarize the characteristics and evaluate critically the evidence from systematic reviews. Methods. A comprehensive literature search was performed in the six databases without language restrictions on February 24, 2015. We had identified relevant systematic reviews that examined the subjects with neck pain due to cervical radiculopathy undergoing CAM. Two authors independently appraised the methodological quality using the revised assessment of multiple systematic reviews instrument. Results. We had included eight systematic reviews. The effectiveness and safety of acupotomy, acupuncture, Jingfukang granule, manual therapies, and cervical spine manipulation were investigated. Based on available evidence, the systematic reviews supported various forms of CAM for CR. Nevertheless, the methodological quality for most of systematic reviews was low or moderate. In addition, adverse reactions of primary studies were infrequent. Conclusions. Current systematic reviews showed potential advantages to CAM for CR. Due to the frequently poor methodological quality of primary studies, the conclusions should be treated with caution for clinical practice.
Background: In China, celebrities, represented by entertainment and sports personalities, are often involved in charitable activities to assist the party-state in solving social problems. Although previous research has addressed the manifestation of prosocial behavior by Chinese celebrities, altruistic engagements have rarely been theorized from the perspective of impression management.Methods: Based on the perspective of impression management, we use the discourse analysis approach to analyze the interview manuscripts of Chinese celebrities in media reports and then summarize the charitable motives and impression management strategies adopted by Chinese celebrities in their self-presentation.Results: Chinese celebrities’ self-presentation of philanthropic motives in the media can be roughly divided into five categories: motivation for empathy-altruism, motivation for social responsibility, motivation to gain prestige, and pursue fame, motivation to reduce negative emotions, and motivation to achieve fulfillment and satisfaction. The philanthropic motives presented in media reports include the impression management processes of celebrities. They adopt a variety of image management strategies to self-present their philanthropic motives, and sometimes several strategies coexist.Conclusion: Our paper helps to expand the existing understanding of the relationship between impression management and philanthropy. The presentation of Chinese celebrities’ philanthropic motivations in the media reflects the uniqueness of China’s political, institutional, and social environment in influencing celebrity philanthropy. As a philanthropic phenomenon with Chinese characteristics, this study could provide some insights into the understanding of celebrities and philanthropy in other cultural contexts.
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