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Southwest China has a high burden of spinal tuberculosis (TB). Few large case studies of spinal TB in southwest China have been conducted. This study investigated the features of 921 patients who were treated for spinal TB at a general hospital in southwest China between 2001 and 2016. Demographic data, clinical data, laboratory data, imaging findings, treatment methods, and outcomes of patients who were admitted to the hospital for spinal TB were reviewed retrospectively. The annual incidence of spinal TB increased throughout the study period. The greatest number of patients were 41 to 50 years old (22.04%). Local pain was the most common symptom (97.8%). A significant difference in the duration of symptoms was observed between rural populations (28.40 months) and urban populations (10.17 months) (P=.041). Of the patients, 32.68% had a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate and 25.84% had a normal C-reactive protein level. The lumbar spine was the most commonly involved spinal site (44.77%), followed by the thoracic spine (43.60%). All of the patients underwent chemotherapy, and 77.10% of patients underwent surgery. Most of the patients were cured, with the exception of 2.19% of patients who discontinued chemotherapy after early improvement of clinical status. Spinal TB is still a major public health problem in southwest China. Chemotherapy and surgery can yield satisfactory outcomes with timely diagnosis and long-term treatment. It is urgent to increase the attention paid to spinal TB and improve knowledge of this disease among the general public, especially in southwest China. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(6):e1017-e1023.]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paramylon is a polysaccharide primarily composed of β-1,3-glucan, characterized by its high crystallinity and insolubility in water. Enhancing its water solubility through structural modifications presents an effective strategy to unlock its biological activity. In this study, carboxymethylation was employed to produce carboxymethylated paramylon (CEP) with varying carboxyl concentrations. The successful introduction of carboxyl groups led to a notable improvement in water solubility. In vivo experiments demonstrated that CEP reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 24.42 %, improved oral glucose tolerance, and enhanced insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice. Additionally, CEP regulated lipid homeostasis and ameliorated liver damage. Through modulation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway and the glucose-6-phosphatase/phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase pathway, CEP effectively regulated hepatic glucose absorption and production. Furthermore, CEP mitigated diabetes-induced lipid metabolism disorders. These findings suggest that CEP holds significant promise in ameliorating glucose metabolism disorder, indicating its potential as a novel hypoglycemic functional food., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors state that they do not have any conflicting financial interests related to this work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study intraoperative reduction strategy in treatment of femoral neck fracture using cannulated screw fixation and the relationship between excellent and good rate of reduction and postoperative effectiveness., Methods: A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 174 cases of femoral neck fracture treated between August 2005 and March 2015. There were 78 males and 96 females with an average age of 53.8 years (range, 23-75 years). The injury causes were falling in 85 cases, traffic accident in 61 cases, and falling from height in 28 cases. According to Garden typing, there were 35 cases of type I, 56 cases of type Ⅱ, 47 cases of type Ⅲ, and 36 cases of type Ⅳ. The time from injury to operation was 1-7 days (mean, 2.74 days). Based on reduction strategy, closed 3 hollow compression screws were used; evaluating standards for fracture reduction effect were also established. Harris score was used for effectiveness evaluation., Results: All the cases received follow-up of 12-42 months (mean, 36.5 months). Bone healing was obtained in 152 cases at 6-12 months (mean, 9 months). Non-union and internal fixation failure occurred in 9 and 3 patients respectively, who underwent hemiarthroplasty; femoral head necrosis occurred in 6 patients after removing internal fixator at 15-26 months (mean, 18.5 months) after operation, who underwent total hip arthroplasty; 4 patients with non-union received vascular pedicle iliac flap transplantation. No other serious complications were observed. At last follow-up, the excellent and good rate of reduction was 94.29% for Garden type I, 91.07% for type Ⅱ, 87.23% for type Ⅲ, and 75.00% for type Ⅳ, with a total excellent and good rate of 87.36%; the excellent and good rate of Harris score was 97.14% for Garden type I, 78.57% for type Ⅱ, 68.09% for type Ⅲ, and 50.00% for type Ⅳ, with a total excellent and good rate of 73.56%., Conclusions: To obtain high Harris score in fixation of femoral neck fractures by using hollow screws, surgeons not only need reasonable technology, but also follow correct and good reduction strategy and assessment,fracture complexity is inversely proportional to excellent and good rate of reduction. Higher excellent and good reduction rate of complexity fracture should be obtained as much as possible in order to achieve good prognosis.