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ObjectiveTerrible triad injury of the elbow (TTIE), comprising elbow dislocation with radial head and coronoid process fracture, is notoriously challenging to treat and has typically been associated with complications and poor outcomes. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the most recent available evidence regarding functional outcomes and complications following surgical management of TTIE.MethodsMedline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched to identify relevant studies, which were included if they were retrospective or prospective in design, involved participants who had TTIE, and were published in English. Outcomes of interest were functional outcomes and complications.ResultsSixteen studies, involving 312 patients, were included in the systematic review. Mean follow up after surgery was typically 25 to 30 months. Mean Mayo elbow performance scores ranged from 78 to 95. Mean Broberg-Morrey scores ranged from 76 to 90. Mean DASH scores ranged from 9 to 31. The proportion of patients who required reoperation due to complications ranged from 0 to 54.5% (overall  = 70/312 [22.4%]). Most of these complications were related to hardware fixation problems, joint stiffness, joint instability, and ulnar neuropathy. The most common complications that did not require reoperation were heterotopic ossification (39/312 [12.5%] patients) and arthrosis (35/312 [11.2%] patients).ConclusionsThe results of this systematic review indicate that functional outcomes after surgery for TTIE are generally satisfactory and that complications are common. Further research is warranted to determine which surgical techniques optimize functional outcomes and reduce the risk of complications.

Objectives. The complement system is a key component of innate immunity and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aimed at investigating whether polymorphisms of two genes in the complement pathway, complement factor H (CFH) and complement factor B (CFB), are associated with DR. Methods. 552 well-defined subjects with type 2 diabetes, consisting of 277 DR patients and 275 diabetic controls, were recruited. Four Tag-SNPs rs1048709, rs537160, rs4151657, and rs2072633 in CFB and rs800292 (I62V) in CFH were examined using TaqMan Genotyping Assays. Results. There were significant increases in the frequencies of A allele and AA genotype for rs1048709 in DR patients compared with diabetic controls (P corr = 0.035, OR = 1.42; P corr = 0.02, OR = 2.27, resp.): meanwhile, significant decreases in the frequencies of A allele and AA genotype for rs800292 were observed in DR patients compared with diabetic controls (P corr = 0.04, OR = 0.72; P corr = 0.015, OR = 0.51, resp.). Joint effect of these two loci was also identified. Moreover, rs800292/AA genotype was found to be related with delayed progression to DR. Conclusions. CFH-rs800292 and CFB-rs1048709 are associated with the presence of DR, which strengthens the concept that complement system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DR.

Since the discovery of penta-graphene, two-dimensional (2-D) pentagonal-structured materials have been highly expected for desirable performance because of their unique structures and accompanied physical properties. Hence, based on the first-principles...

Background/Aims: Recently, we observed an increase in O-GlcNAc (O-linked-ß-N-acetylglucosamine) modification, and signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins 3 (STAT3) expression in primary retinal vascular endothelial cells (RVECs) under high glucose conditions and tissues altered by diabetic retinopathy (DR). In this study, we focused on the correlations between O-GlcNAcylation and STAT3 phosphorylation, and their potential effects with regards to DR. Methods: Expression of O-GlcNAcylation and STAT3 were detected in DR-affected tissues and primary RVECs. The relationship between O-GlcNAcylation and STAT3 was further delineated by immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis. Effects of O-GlcNAcylation on human RVEC apoptosis and involved protein expression were assayed with flow cytometry and Western blot. Results: Global O-GlcNAcylation and pSTAT3 levels were significantly elevated in diabetic rat retina and primary RVECs under high glucose conditions. In vitro assays demonstrated that the Tyr705 site was sensitive to high glucose. While O-GlcNAcylation inhibited p727STAT3 expression, augmented O-GlcNAcylation could balance p705STAT3 expression within relatively high levels corresponding to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) changes. Immunoprecipitation revealed that STAT3 was modified by O-GlcNAcylation and phosphorylation simultaneously. Next, we observed that overexpression of O-GlcNAcylation could relieve human RVEC apoptosis related to the JAK2-Tyr705STAT3-VEGF pathway. Conclusion: O-GlcNAcylation could relieve RVECs apoptosis through the STAT3 pathway in DR, and O-GlcNAcylation combined with STAT3 phosphorylation might open up new insights into the mechanisms of DR and other diabetic complications.