Multiple sparganosis spinal infections mainly in the thoracic region: A case report

BACKGROUND Spinal infection with sparganosis is rarely seen,and multiple spinal infections with sparganosis in the thoracic spine have not been reported.CASE SUMMARY In this case report,a 56-year old male patient suffered from back pain for 3 mo.Computed tomography examination of the thoracic spine showed bone destruction of the T4-5 vertebral body,as well as the right pedicle and lamina of T5.Magnetic resonance imaging showed high signals on T2W1 images and fat-suppressed images in the right vertebral body of T4-5 and the right pedicle and lamina of T5,a high signal in the vertebral canal,and similar high signals in the paravertebral and subcutaneous regions of the whole spine.Puncture biopsy showed sparganosis.Following definite diagnosis,the patient was treated with debridement of T4-5 infected lesions under a microscope,bone grafting and internal fixation.Postoperatively,the patient's back pain symptoms were significantly relieved;the incision healed after one-stage treatment,and alben-dazole antiparasitic treatment was administered.CONCLUSION Puncture biopsy is the most reliable method to diagnose infection by sparganum.Removal of infected lesions under the microscope and albendazole for anti-parasitic treatment are safe and effective.

Identification of Serum Exosomal MicroRNA Expression Profiling in Menopausal Females with Osteoporosis by High-throughput Sequencing

Estrogen deficiency,which mainly occurs in postmenopausal women,is a primary reason for osteoporosis in clinical diagnosis.However,the molecular regulation of osteoporosis in menopausal females is still not adequately explained in the literature,with the diagnosis and treatment for osteoporosis being limited.Herein,exosomal microRNAs(miRNAs)were used to evaluate their diagnosis and prediction effects in menopausal females with osteoporosis.In this study,6 menopausal females without osteoporosis and 12 menopausal females with osteoporosis were enrolled.The serum exosomes were isolated,and the miRNA expression was detected by miRNA high-throughput sequencing.Exosomal miRNA effects were analyzed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses.The miRNA-targeted genes were evaluated by Targetscan 7.2 and the protein-protein interactions(PPI)by STRING.Hub genes were analyzed by the CytoHubba app of Cytoscape.The results showed that 191 aberrant miRNAs were found in the group of menopausal females with osteoporosis,including 72 upregulated miRNAs and 121 downregulated miRNAs.Aberrant miRNAs were involved in many signaling pathways,such as the Wnt,MAPK,and Hippo pathways.Based on PPI network analysis,FBXL3,FBXL13,COPS2,UBE2D3,DCUN1D1,DCUN1D4,CUL3,FBXO22,ASB6,and COMMD2 were the 10 most notable genes in the PPI network.In conclusion,aberrant serum exosomal miRNAs were associated with an altered risk of osteoporosis in menopausal females and may act as potential biomarkers for the prediction of risk of osteoporosis in menopausal females.

Efficacy of Spinal Pia Mater Incision and Laminoplasty Combined with Internal Fixation for Old Spinal Cord Injury

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of incising spinal pia mater to relieve pressure and unilateral open-door laminoplasty with internal screw fixation for treatment of the dated spinal cord injury. Methods From March, 2009 to July, 2010, 16 cases with chronic cervical cord injury underwent spinal dura mater incision and unilateral open-door laminoplasty with internal screw fixation. Nerve functions of preand postoperation were evaluated by Frankel classification and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scale. The improvement rate of JOA score at the indicated time was recorded. Results Postoperative Frankel classification rating of 16 patients improved obviously. JOA scores at the 1st month, 3rd month, 6th month, and 12th month after surgery were 7.9±2.3, 8.5±1.6, 8.9±2.1, and 12.4±2.5, respectively, and significantly increased compared with that prior to surgery (5.5±0.6). At the end of follow-up period, JOA score was significantly higher than that of pre-treatment (P<0.05). The recovery was relatively rapid during the first 3 months following the surgery, then entered a platform period. Conclusion It is effective for patients with dated spinal cord injury to undergo spinal decompression and laminoplasty.