PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of percutaneous posterolateral fusion in the spine utilizing rhBMP-2.
STUDY DESIGN: Animal study.
METHODS: This is an animal research model involving 32 New Zealand white rabbits stratified into 4 study groups: control, autogenous iliac crest bone graft (ICBG), demineralized bone matrix (DBM), and rhBMP-2 groups, with 8 study subjects per group. The rhBMP-2 group was subdivided into the open technique (right side) and the percutaneous technique groups (left side). Fusion was graded at 6 weeks and 3 months after plain radiography, computed tomography, and clinical assessment with the following grading system: grade A, no bone formation; grade B, non-bridging bone formation; grade C, fusion; and grade D, fusion with ectopic bone formation.
RESULTS: No fusion was noted in the placebo and the DBM groups. However, in the DBM group, bone formation occurred in 37.5% of the subjects. The rhBMP-2 group had a higher fusion rate compared with the ICBG group at 6 weeks and 3 months. The fusion rate for the ICBG, the rhBMP-2 (open), and the rhBMP-2 (percutaneous) groups were 37.5%, 87.5%, and 50.0% at 6 weeks and 50.0%, 100.0%, and 62.5% at 3 months, respectively. Ectopic bone formation occurred in 12.5% of the cases in the rhBMP-2 (percutaneous) group and in 25.0% of the cases in the rhBMP-2 (open) group.
CONCLUSIONS: Usage of rhBMP-2 is feasible for percutaneous posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine in this animal model. However, a more precise delivery system might improve the fusion rate when the percutaneous technique is used. A significant rate of ectopic bone formation occurred when rhBMP-2 was used.
METHODS: The MTT assay was utilized to analyze the effects of the test compounds on NRK-52E rat kidney epithelial cells. The detection of apoptosis and ability to scavenge free radicals was assessed via acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO-EB) dual fluorescence staining, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyfree assay (DPPH), respectively. The ability of anti-inflammatory effect of the test compounds and western blot analysis against TGF-β, TNF-α, and IL-6 further assessed to determine the combinatorial efficacy.
RESULTS: Atorvastatin and quercetin treatment significantly lowered the expression of TGF-β, TNF-α, and IL-6 indicating the protective role in Streptozotocin-induced nephrotoxicity. The kidney cells treated with a combination of atorvastatin and quercetin showed green fluorescing nuclei in the AO-EB staining assay, indicating that the combination treatment restored cell viability. Quercetin, both alone and in combination with atorvastatin, demonstrated strong DPPH free radical scavenging activity and further encountered an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect on the combination of these drugs.
CONCLUSION: Nevertheless, there is currently no existing literature that reports on the role of QCT as a combination renoprotective drug with statins in the context of diabetic nephropathy. Hence, these findings suggest that atorvastatin and quercetin may have clinical potential in treating diabetic nephropathy.
METHODS: In this study, we established persistently NDV-infected EJ28 bladder cancer cells, designated as EJ28P. Global transcriptomic analysis was subsequently carried out by microarray analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between EJ28 and EJ28P cells identified by the edgeR program were further analysed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) analyses. In addition, the microarray data were validated by RT-qPCR.
RESULTS: Persistently NDV-infected EJ28 bladder cancer cells were successfully established and confirmed by flow cytometry. Microarray analysis identified a total of 368 genes as differentially expressed in EJ28P cells when compared to the non-infected EJ28 cells. GSEA revealed that the Wnt/β-catenin and KRAS signalling pathways were upregulated while the TGF-β signalling pathway was downregulated. Findings from this study suggest that the upregulation of genes that are associated with cell growth, pro-survival, and anti-apoptosis may explain the survivability of EJ28P cells and the development of persistent infection of NDV.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the transcriptomic changes that occur and the specific signalling pathways that are potentially involved in the development and maintenance of NDV persistency of infection in bladder cancer cells. These findings warrant further investigation and is crucial towards the development of effective NDV oncolytic therapy against cancer.