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Cervical disc arthroplasty is a common method of treating cervical degenerative disease. However, the footprints of most prosthesis dimensions are obtained from data of Caucasian individuals. Besides, there is a large discrepancy between footprints of currently available cervical disc prostheses and anatomic dimensions of cervical endplates. We aimed to detail the three-dimensional (3D) anatomic morphology of the subaxial cervical vertebral endplate, utilizing high-precision, high-resolution scanning equipment, and provide a theoretical basis for designing appropriate disc prostheses for Chinese patients.A total of 138 cervical vertebral endplates were studied. Each endplate was digitized using a non-contact optical 3D range scanning system and then reconstructed to quantify diameters and surface area for the whole endplate and its components (central endplate and epiphyseal rim). The whole endplate and mid-plane concavity depth were measured.There is marked morphologic asymmetry, in that the cranial endplate is more concave than the corresponding caudal endplate, with endplate concavity depths of 2.04 and 0.69 mm, respectively. For the caudal endplates, the endplate concavity apex locations were always located in the posterior portion (81.42%), while in cranial endplates relatively even. The central endplate was approximately 60% of the area of the whole endplate and the anterior section of the ring was the widest. From C3/4 down to C6/7 discs, the vertebral endplate gradually became more elliptical. Chinese cervical endplate anatomic sizes are generally smaller than that of Caucasians. Although Korean and Chinese individuals both belong to the Asian population subgroup, the majority of anatomic dimensions differ. Singaporean cervical endplate morphology is very similar to that of Chinese patients.We performed a comprehensive and accurate quantitative description of the cervical endplate, which provide references to shape and profile an artificial cervical disc without sacrificing valuable bone stock. To design a device with footprint as large as possible to distribute the axial load, we suggest that additional attention should be paid to the marginal rim. It is essential to specifically design appropriate disc prosthesis for Chinese patients. To fit the morphologic and biomechanical variations, we also propose that the disc prostheses for different vertebral segments should be separately designed.Abbreviations: 3D = three-dimensional, APD = the anteroposterior diameter, ECD = the whole endplate concavity depth, ECL = the endplate concavity apex location, SCD = the mid-sagittal plane concavity depth, SCL = the sagittal concavity apex, TD = the transverse diameter.

Ginsenoside Rd (Rd), one of the main active ingredients in Panax ginseng, has multifunctional activity via different mechanisms and neuroprotective effects that are exerted probably via its antioxidant or free radical scavenger action. However, the effects of Rd on spinal cord mitochondrial dysfunction and underlying mechanisms are still obscure. In this study, we sought to investigate the in vitro effects of Rd on mitochondrial integrity and redox balance in isolated spinal cord mitochondria. We verified that Ca2+ dissipated the membrane potential, provoked mitochondrial swelling and decreased NAD(P)H matrix content, which were all attenuated by Rd pretreatment in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, Rd was not able to inhibit Ca2+ induced mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide generation. The results of Western blot showed that Rd significantly increased the expression of p-Akt and p-ERK, but had no effects on phosphorylation of PKC and p38. In addition, Rd treatment significantly attenuated Ca2+ induced cytochrome c release, which was partly reversed by antagonists of Akt and ERK, but not p-38 inhibitor. The effects of bisindolylmaleimide, a PKC inhibitor, on Rd-induced inhibition of cytochrome c release seem to be at the level of its own detrimental activity on mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we also found that pretreatment with Rd in vivo (10 and 50 mg/kg) protected spinal cord mitochondria against Ca2+ induced mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation and cytochrome c release. It is concluded that Rd regulate mitochondrial permeability transition pore formation and cytochrome c release through protein kinases dependent mechanism involving activation of intramitochondrial Akt and ERK pathways.

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A simple, rapid response time and ultrahigh sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) DNA assay based on FeO@SiO@Au-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Au-MNPs) was developed for detection of p53 tumor suppressor gene. In this study, 2',6'-dimethylcarbonylphenyl-10-sulfopropyl acridinium-9-carboxylate 4'-NHS ester (NSP-DMAE-NHS), as a new kind of highly efficient luminescence reagent, was immobilized on the complementary sequence of the wild-type p53 (ssDNA) to improve the detection sensitivity. The optimal concentration of ssDNA-(NSP-DMAE-NHS) conjugates mixed with the wild-type p53 (wtp53) samples respectively. Then, the wtp53-Au-MNPs conjugates were added to continue the competitive reaction in the above solution. Subsequently, the Au-MNPs separated under magnetic field, measured by a homemade luminescent measurement system. Under optimal conditions, the method exhibited ultrasensitive sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.001 ng mL (0.16 pM), a wide range of liner response from 0.001 ng mL~6.6 μg mL. Therefore, the immunomagnetic nanocomposites-based detection strategy was rapid, low-cost, and highly sensitive that can be easily extended to the early diagnosis of cancer development and monitoring of patient therapy.