Role of immune relevant factors in regenerative processes of bone tissue: a bibliometric and visualized analysis

Background:There is a deficiency of bibliometric and visually represented analysis in research on the immunological related variables involved in bone tissue regeneration.Using bibliometric and visual analysis,this study sought to thoroughly examine the hotspots and future directions in the investigation of immunological important variables in bone tissue regeneration.Methods:The Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC)database was searched and a collection of published works on the subject of immunological related factors in bone tissue regeneration between 2000 and 2021 was generated.The data chosen from the WoSCC were then subjected to a systematic bibliometric and visualized analysis using the online bibliometric analytics system,Apache ECharts,VOSviewer,Bibliographic Items Co-occurrence Matrix Builder 2.0,and Gcluto 1.0.Results:For this investigation,1,088 publications on the involvement of immune related components in bone tissue regeneration were chosen.Between 2000 and 2021,China maintained its supremacy in global research on the function of immune related components in bone tissue regeneration.Shanghai Jiao Tong University is the most productive institution.Biomaterials has published the most publications on the involvement of immune-related components in bone tissue regeneration.Xiao Y,Schmidt-Bleek K,and Ignatius A all played important roles in the study of immune-related variables in bone tissue regeneration.Research on the role of immune relevant factors in bone tissue regeneration has identified five hotspots:(1)macrophage-based immunomodulation on osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs);(2)biomaterials for bone repair in bone tissue engineering;(3)osteoimmunomodulation mediated by inflammation and macrophages during bone healing;(4)osteoimmunomodulation in angiogenesis during bone regeneration;and(5)the effect of macrophage polarization regulated by bone tissue engineering on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs as bone tissue.Conclusion:This study represents the first-ever bibliometric and visualized examination of how immune factors contribute to bone tissue regeneration.The focus and forthcoming direction in bone regeneration research will be on macrophage-driven immunomodulation in the process of bone regeneration.

Establishment and verification of a surgical prognostic model for cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality

Some studies have suggested that early surgical treatment can effectively improve the prognosis of cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality, but no research has focused on the development of a prognostic model of cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality. This retrospective analysis included 43 patients with cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality. Seven potential factors were assessed: age, sex, external force strength causing damage, duration of disease, degree of cervical spinal stenosis, Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, and physiological cervical curvature. A model was established using multiple binary logistic regression analysis. The model was evaluated by concordant profiling and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Bootstrapping was used for internal validation. The prognostic model was as follows: logit(P) =-25.4545 + 21.2576 VALUE + 1.2160SCORE-3.4224 TIME, where VALUE refers to the Pavlov ratio indicating the extent of cervical spinal stenosis, SCORE refers to the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score(0–17) after the operation, and TIME refers to the disease duration(from injury to operation). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for all patients was 0.8941(95% confidence interval, 0.7930–0.9952). Three factors assessed in the predictive model were associated with patient outcomes: a great extent of cervical stenosis, a poor preoperative neurological status, and a long disease duration. These three factors could worsen patient outcomes. Moreover, the disease prognosis was considered good when logit(P) ≥-2.5105. Overall, the model displayed a certain clinical value. This study was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, China(approval number: 2018063) on May 8, 2018.

Lithium promotes recovery after spinal cord injury

Lithium is associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis,but the mechanism by which lithium protects against spinal cord injury remains poorly understood.In this study,we found that intraperitoneal administration of lithium chloride(LiCl)in a rat model of spinal cord injury alleviated pathological spinal cord injury and inhibited expression of tumor necrosis factorα,interleukin-6,and interleukin 1β.Lithium inhibited pyroptosis and reduced inflammation by inhibiting Caspase-1 expression,reducing the oxidative stress response,and inhibiting activation of the Nod-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome.We also investigated the neuroprotective effects of lithium intervention on oxygen/glucose-deprived PC12 cells.We found that lithium reduced inflammation,oxidative damage,apoptosis,and necrosis and up-regulated nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)and heme oxygenase-1 in PC12 cells.All-trans retinoic acid,an Nrf2 inhibitor,reversed the effects of lithium.These results suggest that lithium exerts anti-inflammatory,anti-oxidant,and anti-pyroptotic effects through the Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 pathway to promote recovery after spinal cord injury.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Xi’an Jiaotong University(approval No.2018-2053)on October 23,2018.

Olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation alters the expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and promotes axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury

Cell transplantation is a potential treatment for spinal cord injury. Olfactory ensheathing cells(OECs) play an active role in the repair of spinal cord injury as a result of the dual characteristics of astrocytes and Schwann cells. However, the specific mechanisms of repair remain poorly understood. In the present study, a rat model of spinal cord injury was established by transection of T10. OECs were injected into the site, 1 mm from the spinal cord stump. To a certain extent, OEC transplantation restored locomotor function in the hindlimbs of rats with spinal cord injury, but had no effect on the formation or volume of glial scars. In addition, OEC transplantation reduced the immunopositivity of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans(neural/glial antigen 2 and neurocan) and glial fibrillary acidic protein at the injury site, and increased the immunopositivity of growth-associated protein 43 and neurofilament. These findings suggest that OEC transplantation can regulate the expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the spinal cord, inhibit scar formation caused by the excessive proliferation of glial cells, and increase the numbers of regenerated nerve fibers, thus promoting axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. The study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, China(approval No. 2018-2048) on September 9, 2018.

GEANT4 simulation study of over-response phenomenon of fiber x-ray sensor

The purpose of this article is to explore the cause of the over-response phenomenon of fiber x-ray sensor.The sensor is based on a length of PMMA fiber,whose end is filled with the scintillation material Gd_(2)O_(2)S:Tb.The Monte Carlo simulation software GEANT4 uses the phase space file provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA),by irradiating the fiber x-ray sensor in the water phantom,counting the fluorescence signal of the optical fiber x-ray sensor after propagation through the fiber.In addition,the number of Cerenkov photons propagating through the fiber is also counted.Comparing this article with previous research,we believe that one of the reasons for the over-response of the fiber x-ray sensor is the non-linear response of the deposition energy of the scintillator to the fluorescence.By establishing a region of interest and counting the x-rays in this region,the simulation results show that the counted number of x-rays that may affect the fiber x-ray sensor is the biggest in the area of interest at a water depth of 5 cm.This result is close to the maximum dose point of the experimental and simulated percentage depth dose(PDD) curve of fiber x-ray sensor.Therefore,the second reason of the over-response phenomenon is believed to be fact that the inorganic materials such as Gd_(2)O_(2)S:Tb have larger effective atomic numbers,so the fiber x-ray sensors will cause more collisions with x-ray in a low energy region of 0.1 MeV-1.5 MeV.

The Surgical Approaches of Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy and the Predictive Factors for the Surgical Outcomes

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of different surgical approaches of cervical spondylotic myelopathy, and the predictive factors for the outcome of surgery. Methods Clinical data of 68 consecutive patients who underwent surgical treatment from 2003-08-01 to 2006-12-01 were collected. The quantization of the efficacy of operation was made by applying Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scoring system, based on which the recovery rate and satisfaction rate were calculated. In the patients who underwent anterior approach, we compared the recovery rate among the subgroups of different duration of symptoms, age at surgery and the severity of diseases. Any surgery-related complications were also noted. Results 73.5% (50/68) patients underwent anterior approach, with an average recovery rate of (68.21 ± 10.06)% and the satisfaction rate of 88.00%;20.6% patients (14/68) underwent posterior approach, with an average recovery rate of (64.03 ± 7.07)% and the satisfaction rate of 100%. The recovery rate had no significant difference in the two approaches. Only 4 patients (5.9%) underwent anterior and posterior combined approach, and the recovery rate and the satisfaction rate were 65.10% and 100%, respectively. In the group of patients who accepted anterior approach, no significant differences were found in the recovery rates of different age subgroups and different duration of symptom subgroups;the significant differences recovery rates between the moderate and severe subgroups were identified. Minor complications, such as asymptomatic screw misplacement, transient dysphagia/odynophagia, pain related to the donor site and axial syndrome, were observed in a few patients. Conclusion The JOA score can be improved by applying the appropriate approaches and the high recovery and satisfaction rates can be achieved at the same time. The efficacies of anterior and posterior approaches were similar. The complications of surgery were minor. In the patients who underwent anterior approach, the severity of diseases was a predictive factor for the outcome of surgery.

Effect of cervical spine surgery on the biomechanics of the cervical spine

In clinical practice,cervical spine surgery inevitably alters the original physiological structure of the cervical spine,thus causing changes in the original biomechanical properties of the cervical spine.The biomechanical properties of the cervical spine are particularly significant as it is an essential structure that supports the head and connects the trunk.Different cervical spine surgery options can have different effects on the biomechanics of the cervical spine.Therefore,this review will discuss recent research advances on the effects of cervical spine surgery on cervical spine biomechanics.We hope that this review will provide some theoretical basis for future studies on the biomechanical effects of cervical spine surgery on the cervical spine.