Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), as the most common type of oral cancer, is responsible for almost 3% of all malignant tumors worldwide. Non‐coding RNAs such as lncRNAs and microRNAs have been ...involved in many cancers including OSCC. Recently, lncRNA metastasis‐associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript‐1 (MALAT1) has been reported to play an oncogenic role in OSCC metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism of MALAT1 in regulating OSCC progression remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the specific role of MALAT1 in OSCC development. It was observed that MALAT1 was upregulated in OSCC cell lines. Inhibition of MALAT1 can prevent OSCC proliferation while overexpressing MALAT1 promoted OSCC progression. In addition, bioinformatics search was used to identify that miR‐125b was a direct target of MALAT1, which indicated a negative correlation between MALAT1 and miR‐125b. Besides these, STAT3 was predicted as a binding target of miR‐125b in OSCC. Overexpression of MALAT1 was able to suppress the tumor inhibitory effect of miR‐125b mimics via upregulating STAT3. Moreover, the function of MALAT1 in OSCC development was further investigated by using in vivo assays. The established nude mice models revealed that downregulated MALAT1 greatly inhibited OSCC tumor growth and reversely upregualated MALAT1 promoted OSCC development via miR‐125b/STAT3 axis, respectively. In conclusion, MALAT1 can function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to modulate STAT3 expression by absorbing miR‐125b in OSCC and could be used as a novel therapeutic target in OSCC diagnosis and treatment.
Our findings in OSCC cell lines and xenografts suggested MALAT1 as an oncogene, which can promote OSCC development. This was the first report to demonstrate that MALAT1 can function as a ceRNA and modulate STAT3 expression by sponging miR‐125b in OSCC both in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicated that MALAT1 could be used as a therapeutic target in OSCC diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose
To introduce the concept of fracture reduction with positive medial cortical support and its clinical and radiological correlation in geriatric unstable pertrochanteric fractures.
Methods
A ...retrospective analysis of 127 patients (32 men and 95 women, with mean age 78.7 years) with AO/OTA 31A2.2 and 2.3 hip fractures treated with cephalomedullary nail (PFNA-II or Gamma-3) between July 2010 and June 2013 was performed. They were classified into three groups according the grade of medial cortical support in postoperative fracture reduction (positive, neutral, and negative). The positive cortex support was defined that the medial cortex of the head–neck fragment displaced and located a little bit superomedially to the medial cortex of the shaft. If the neck cortex is located laterally to the shaft, it is negative with no cortical buttress, and if the two cortices contact smoothly, it is in neutral position. The demographic baseline, postoperative radiographic femoral neck–shaft angle and neck length, rehabilitation progress and functional recovery scores of each group were recorded and compared.
Results
There were 89 cases (70 %) in positive, 26 in neutral, and 12 in negative support. No statistical differences were found between the three groups among patient age, sex ratio, prefracture score of activity of daily living, walking ability score, ASA physical risk score, number of medical comorbidities, osteoporosis Singh index, fracture reduction quality (Garden alignments), and the position of lag screw or helical blade in femoral head (TAD). In follow-up, patients in positive medial cortical support reduction group had the least loss in neck–shaft angle and neck length, and got ground-walking much earlier than negative reduction group, with good functional outcomes and less hip–thigh pain presence.
Conclusion
Fracture reduction with nonanatomic positive medial cortical support allows limited sliding of the head–neck fragment to contact with the femur shaft and achieve secondary stability, providing a good mechanical environment for fracture healing.
Abstract
We appreciate the interest by Drs. Hagiyama and coauthors in our work entitled “Calcar fracture gapping: a reliable predictor of anteromedial cortical support failure after cephalomedullary ...nailing for pertrochanteric femur fractures”. They discussed several pertinent points and it is our pleasure to respond their concerns in order. Firstly, we agree that calcar fracture gap and anteromedial cortical support are different concepts, though both of them were used to evaluate the displacement of fracture reduction quality. Secondly, our primary outcome parameter was the threshold distance of calcar fracture gapping in anteroposterior and lateral fluoroscopies, which was calculated based on sensitivity and specificity by receiver operating characteristic curves. Thirdly, we took immediate post-operative fluoroscopic images in 3 views to describe the initial reduction quality as baseline to compare and calculate the changes with three-dimensional computed tomography, which was taken about one week after operation for confirming secondary stability after head-neck sliding and impaction. Lastly, the parameters selected in multivariable analysis. Future work with better study-design is needed to improve the prediction of patient outcomes.
Cortical buttress are important factors for postoperative stable reconstruction of per/inter-trochanteric fractures. The study aimed to measure the remnant axial cortical length (RACL) of the ...proximal circumference of the femur, and to determine which part of the RACL can be used reliably to postoperatively sustain the head-neck fragment as a cortical support pattern.
Eighty patients with trochanteric hip fractures admitted from January 2015 to January 2016 were included in a retrospective study. Their pre-operative computed tomography (CT) images were used to form 3D-CT reconstructions via Mimics software. After simulated rotation and movement for fracture reduction, the RACL, its three component parts-namely, the remnant anterior cortex (RAC), remnant lateral cortex (RLC), and remnant posterior cortex (RPC) -the γ angle between the anterior and posterior cortex, and the Hsu's lateral wall thickness (LWT) were evaluated.
Patients with an A1 fracture (21/80) had a longer RACL (88.8 ± 15.8 mm) than those with an A2 fracture (60.0 ± 11.9 mm; P < 0.01). The RAC, RLC, and RPC of the RACL in A1 fractures were also significantly longer than those in A2 fractures (P < 0.001). However, the most significant difference among the three components of the RACL was in the RPC, which was 27.3 ± 7.8 mm in A1 fractures and 9.2 ± 6.6 mm in A2 fractures. In addition, the coefficient of variation of the RAC was only 20.0%, while that of the RPC was 75.5%. The average γ angle in A1 fractures was 16.2 ± 13.1°, which was significantly smaller than that in A2 fractures, which was 40.3 ± 14.5° (P < 0.001). There was a significant statistical difference in the LWT between A1 and A2 fractures (P < 0.001). There were significant differences in the RACL, RAC, RLC, RPC, γ angle, and LWT among the five subtypes (P < 0.001).
The RAC is relatively stable in pertrochanteric fractures. Fracture reduction through a RAC buttress may help to enhance the postoperative stable reconstruction of per/inter-trochanteric fractures and make possible good mechanical support for fracture healing.
Excessive postoperative sliding is a common complication of intramedullary nails in the treatment of intertrochanteric femur fractures. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for ...excessive postoperative sliding in the intertrochanteric fractures treated with an intramedullary nail.
A retrospective analysis of 369 patients with femoral intertrochanteric fractures treated with short intramedullary nails between February 2017 and September 2020 was performed. Patients were classified into an excessive sliding group (ES group) and a control group according to the sliding distance after 6 months of follow-up. The proximal medullary filling degree (MFD), fracture reduction patterns in the anteroposterior (AP) view and lateral view, and tip-apex distance (TAD) were evaluated and compared in each group.
Thirty-three cases were included in the ES group, and 336 cases were included in the control group. No significant differences in age, sex, fracture side, AO Foundation and Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification, Dorr classification, Singh Osteoporosis Index (SOI), American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (ASA), TAD or fracture reduction patterns in the AP view were noted between the two groups. The negative reduction pattern can strongly predict excessive postoperative sliding (OR 4.286, 95% CI 1.637-11.216, P = 0.003). The incidence of excessive postoperative sliding increased by 8.713-fold when the MFD decreased by 10% (OR 8.713, 95% CI 1.925-39.437, P = 0.005).
A low medullary filling degree and negative fracture reduction pattern in the lateral view were both independent risk factors for excessive postoperative sliding.
Anteromedial cortex-to-cortex reduction is a key parameter for stable reconstruction of the fracture fragments during the intertrochanteric fracture fixation. This paper introduces the oblique ...fluoroscopic projection as a novel method to evaluate the quality of anteromedial cortical apposition.
Three proximal femur specimens were marked with steel wires along five anatomic landmarks: Greater trochanter, Lesser trochanter, Intertrochanteric line, Anterolateral tubercle and the Anteromedial cortical line. After obtaining the standard femoral neck AP and lateral fluoroscopic images, the C-arm was rotated by every 5°increments until a clear tangential view of the antero-medial-inferior corner cortex was observed. 98 cases of intertrochanteric hip fractures were enrolled from April 2018 to October 2019. After fixation with the nails, the intra-operative anteromedial cortex reduction quality was evaluated from the AP, the true lateral, and the new anteromedial oblique fluoroscopic images. The fluoroscopic results were compared with the post-operative 3D-CT reconstruction images.
The specimen study showed that internal rotation of the C-arm to approximately 30 ° can remove all the obscure shadows and clearly display the antero-medial-inferior cortical tangent line. Clinically,the positive, neutral and negative apposition of different cortices via intra-operative fluoroscopic images showed79, 19 and 0 cases of medial cortical apposition in AP views; 2, 68 and 28 cases of anterior cortices in lateral views;and 22, 51 and 25cases of anteromedial cortical apposition in oblique views respectively. The post-operative 3D-CT reconstruction images revealed that the final anteromedial cortical contact was noted in 62 cases (63.3%), and lost in 36 cases (36.7%). The overall coincidence rate between intra-operative fluoroscopy and post-operative 3D-CT was 63.3% (62/98) in AP view,79.6% (78/98) in lateral view, and 86.7% (85/98) in oblique view(p < 0.001). Negative cortical apposition in oblique view was highly predictive of a final loss of cortical support on 3D CT (24/25 cases, 96%).And non-negative cortical apposition in oblique view was highly associated with true cortical support on 3D CT images (61/73 cases, 83.6%) (p < 0.001).
Besides the AP and lateral projections, an anteromedial oblique view of 30° certifies to be a very useful means for evaluation of the fracture reduction quality of anteromedial cortical apposition.
Maintaining anteromedial cortical support is essential for controlling sliding and decreasing postoperative implant-related complications. However, adequate fracture reduction with cortical support ...in immediate postoperative fluoroscopy is not invariable in postoperative follow-ups. This study was conducted to investigate the risk factors leading to anteromedial cortical support failure in follow up for pertrochanteric femur fractures treated with cephalomedullary nails.
This retrospective study enrolled 159 patients with pertrochanteric fractures (AO/OTA- 31A1 and 31A2) that fixed with cephalomedullary nails. All patients were evaluated as adequate fracture reduction in immediate postoperative fluoroscopy before leaving the operation theater. The patients were separated into two groups based on the condition of the anteromedial cortex in the postoperative 3D CT with full-range observation: those with calcar support maintained in Group 1 and those with calcar support lost in Group 2. Demographic information, fracture classification, TAD (tip-apex distance), Cal-TAD, Parker ratio, NSA (neck-shaft angle), reduction quality score, and calcar fracture gapping were collected and compared. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the risk factors leading to anteromedial cortex change.
Anteromedial cortical support failure was noted in 46 cases (29%). There was no significant difference between the two groups concerning age, sex, side injury, TAD, Cal-TAD, Parker ratio, or NSA. There was a significant difference in the AO/OTA fracture classification in univariate analysis but no difference in the multivariable analysis. The reduction quality score, calcar fracture gapping in the AP (anteroposterior), and lateral views were significantly associated with anteromedial cortical support failure in follow-up after cephalomedullary nailing in the multivariable analysis. The threshold value of calcar fracture gapping for the risk of loss was 4.2 mm in the AP and 3.8 mm in the lateral fluoroscopies. Mechanical complications (lateral sliding and varus) were frequently observed in the negative anteromedial cortical support group.
Good reduction quality was a protective factor, and larger calcar fracture gapping in the AP and lateral views were risk factors leading to the postoperative loss of anteromedial cortical support. Therefore, we should pay close attention to fracture reduction and minimize the calcar fracture gap during surgery.
Anteromedial cortical support apposition (positive and/or neutral cortical relations) is crucial for surgical stability reconstruction in the treatment of trochanteric femur fractures. However, the ...loss of fracture reduction is frequent in follow-ups after cephalomedullary nail fixation. This paper aimed to investigate the possible predictive risk factors for postoperative loss of anteromedial cortex buttress after nail fixation.
A retrospective analysis of 122 patients with AO/OTA 31A1 and A2 trochanteric femur fractures treated with cephalomedullary nails between January 2017 and December 2019 was performed. The patients were classified into two groups according to the postoperative status of the anteromedial cortical apposition in 3D CT images: Group 1 with contact "yes" (positive or anatomic) and Group 2 with contact "No" (negative, loss of contact). The fracture reduction quality score, tip-apex distance (TAD), calcar-referenced TAD (Cal-TAD), Parker ratio, neck-shaft angle (NSA), and the filling ratio of the distal nail segment to medullary canal diameter in anteroposterior (AP) and lateral fluoroscopies (taken immediately after the operation) were examined in univariate and multivariate analyses. Mechanical complications were measured and compared in follow-up radiographs.
According to the postoperative 3D CT, 84 individuals (69%) were categorized into Group 1, and 38 individuals (31%) were classified as Group 2. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the poor fracture reduction quality score (P < 0.001) and decreasing filling ratio in the lateral view (P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for the loss of anteromedial cortical contact. The threshold value for the distal nail filling ratio in lateral fluoroscopy predicting fracture reduction re-displacement was found to be 53%, with 89.3% sensitivity and 78.9% specificity. The mechanical complication (varus and over lateral sliding) rate was higher in Group 2.
The fracture reduction quality score and the decreasing filling ratio of the distal nail to the medullary canal in the lateral view (a novel parameter causing pendulum-like movement of the nail) were possible risk factors for postoperative loss of anteromedial cortical support.
Objective
Dual‐plate fixation was thought to be the gold standard for treating complicated bicondylar tibial plateau fractures, yet it was found to be hard to accommodate the posterior column in ...three‐column fractures. Currently, column‐specific fixation is becoming more and more recognized, but no comprehensive investigation has been performed to back it up. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate the importance of posterior column fixation in the three‐column tibial fractures by a finite element (FE) analysis and clinical study.
Methods
In FE analysis, three models were developed: the longitudinal triple‐plate group (LTPG), the oblique triple‐plate group (OTPG), and the dual‐plate group (DPG). Three loading scenarios were simulated. The distribution of the displacement and the equivalent von Mises stress (VMS) in each structure was calculated. The comparative measurements including the maximum posterior column collapse (MPCC), the maximum total displacement of the model (MTD), the maximum VMS of cortical posterior column (MPC‐VMS), and the maximum VMS located on each group of plates and screws (MPS‐VMS). The clinical study evaluated the indicators between the groups with or without the posterior plate, including operation time, blood loss volume, full‐weight bearing period, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Scoring system (HSS), Rasmussen score, and common postoperative complications.
Results
In the FE analysis, the MPCC, the MPC‐VMS, and the MTD were detected in much lower amounts in LTPG and OTPG than in DPG. In comparison with DPG, the LTPG and OTPG had larger MPS‐VMS. In the clinical study, 35 cases were included. In the triple‐plate (14) and dual‐plate (21) groups, the operation took 115.6 min and 100.5 min (p < 0.05), respectively. Blood loss in both groups was 287.0 mL and 206.6 mL (p < 0.05), and the full‐weight bearing period was 14.5 weeks and 16.2 weeks (p < 0.05). At the final follow‐up, the HSS score was 85.0 in the triple‐plate group and 77.5 in the dual‐plate (p < 0.05), the Rasmussen score was 24.1 and 21.6 (p < 0.05), there were two cases with reduction loss (9.5%) in the dual‐plate group and one case of superficial incision infection found in the triple‐plate group.
Conclusion
The posterior implant was beneficial in optimizing the biomechanical stability and functional outcomes in the three‐column tibial plateau fractures.
In this work, we performed an FE analysis and a clinical study to verify that it was important to employ a posterior implant in maintaining the anatomical reduction and reducing the risk of secondary articular collapse which were associated with a better functional outcome in the three‐column tibial plateau fractures.