To obtain bioceramics with good osteoinductive ability and mechanical strength, graded hydroxyapatite-zirconia (HA-ZrO(2)) composite bioceramics were prepared in this work. The biocompatibility of the bioceramics was investigated in vitro based on acute toxicity and cytotoxicity tests and hemolysis assay. Results showed the studied graded HA-ZrO(2) had little toxicity to mouse and L929 mouse fibroblasts. Also, hemolysis assay indicated a good blood compatibility of the bioceramics. Based on the results of in vitro tests, animal experiments were performed on white New Zealand rabbits by implantation into hip muscles and femur. It was found that the graded HA-ZrO(2) composite bioceramics exhibited superior osteoinductive ability, which may be a promising bioceramics implant.
Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is a more aggressive form of thyroid cancer than the common papillary type. Alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase (ST8SIA) family members are expressed in various cancers and may be associated with FTC progression. In this study, we measured ST8SIA family expression in two FTC cell lines with different invasive potentials (FTC-133 and FTC-238) and Nthy-ori 3-1 cell lines, as well as FTC and normal thyroid tissues. ST8SIA4 was downregulated in the highly invasive FTC-238 cells and FTC tissues. Additionally, ST8SIA4 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of FTC both in vitro and in vivo. miR-146a and miR-146b were previously shown to be upregulated in thyroid carcinoma, and bioinformatics analyses indicated that miR-146a and miR-146b inhibit ST8SIA4. We found that miR-146a and miR-146b were significantly upregulated in FTC and promoted tumour progression. Furthermore, ST8SIA4 restoration decreased the invasiveness of miR-146a/b-overexpressing FTC-133 cells, and ST8SIA4 suppression reversed the effects of miR-146a/b inhibition in FTC-238 cells. We showed that miR-146a/b activated the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway at least partially via suppression of ST8SIA4. Thus, our results demonstrate that miR-146a and miR-146b promote proliferation, migration and invasion of FTC via inhibition of ST8SIA4.
Objectives: To evaluate the therapeutic outcomes with Kalix II subtalar arthroereisis in sinus tarsi for juvenile flexible flatfoot.Methods: A retrospective analysis of the data of 20 juveniles with symptomatic flexible flatfoot (27 feet) who underwent the Kalix II implant procedure from January 2008 to September 2012 was performed. The pain during daily activities was assessed and followed up by use of a standard 10-point visual analog scale (VAS), and function was evaluated using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle and hindfoot scoring system, and anteroposterior talar-first metatarsal angle, lateral talar-first metatarsal angle, calcaneal pitch angle, and talar declination angle at X-ray film were measured to assess the therapeutic outcomes. Patients were asked to grade the result of the procedure as excellent, good, fair, or poor at latest follow-up. The data was expressed as mean AE standard deviation (SD). A paired Student's t-test was used for comparisons of the preoperative and postoperative angular measurements for each foot, VAS scores, and AOFAS scores. In all tests, P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The mean age of the patients was 12.1 years (range, 7-16 years), and 16 left feet and 11 right feet were involved. All patients finished the follow-up with a mean period of 28.1 months (range, 23-60 months). Eleven feet were treated with subtalar arthroereisis combined with reconstruction of the end point of the posterior tibialis tendon after dissection of the accessory scaphoid. The subtalar arthroereisis device displaced in 1 foot due to a fall from the inversion position 3 months after surgery, and was replaced by a new device after the failure of conservative treatment. The mean VAS score decreased from 5.6 AE 0.5 preoperatively to 1.2 AE 0.2 (P < 0.001), and the mean AOFAS hindfoot and ankle score improved from 71.1 AE 6.1 preoperatively to 88.1 AE 6.3 (P < 0.001). Differences between preoperative and postoperative measurements for each radiographic variable were statistically significant (P < 0.001).Comparison of radiographic measurements showed that the anteroposterior talar-first metatarsal (Meary) angle decreased by a mean of 12.8 AE 1.5 , the lateral talar-first metatarsal (Meary) angle decreased by a mean of 15.4 AE 1.3 , the calcaneal pitch angle increased by a mean of −2.1 AE 0.7 , and the talar declination angle decreased by a mean of 17.9 AE 2.8 . Overall, 12 patients rated the result as excellent, 6 as good, and 2 as fair.
Conclusion:The application of Kalix II in subtalar arthroereisis combined with dissection of accessory scaphoid and reconstruction of posterior tibialis tendon is an effective therapy for flexible juvenile flatfoot.
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