These data support the hypothesis that shRNA-mediated disruption of FAK expression could attenuate extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and promote ECM degradation, making FAK a potential target for novel anti-fibrosis therapies.

AIMTo evaluate the effects of phosphatase and tension homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) gene on collagen metabolism in hepatic fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms.METHODSRat primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and human LX-2 cells were transfected with adenovirus containing cDNA constructs encoding wild-type PTEN (Ad-PTEN), PTEN mutant G129E gene (Ad-G129E), and RNA interference constructs targeting the PTEN sequence PTEN short hairpin RNA to up-regulate and down-regulate the expression of PTEN. HSCs were assayed using fluorescent microscopy, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting. Moreover, a CCl4-induced rat hepatic fibrosis model was established to investigate the in vivo effects. Hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson’s trichrome were used to assess the histological changes. The expression of collagen I and III was assessed using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis.RESULTSElevated expression of PTEN gene reduced serum levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase, decreased collagen deposition in the liver, and reduced hepatocyte necrosis. In contrast, knockdown of PTEN expression had an opposite effect, such as increased collagen deposition in the liver, and was molecularly characterized by the increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 (P < 0.01) and MMP-2 (P < 0.01), as well as decreased expression of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 (P < 0.01) and TIMP-2 (P < 0.01).CONCLUSIONThese data indicated that gene therapy using recombinant adenovirus encoding PTEN might be a novel way of treating hepatic fibrosis.

Background . Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease in spinal surgery which often causes acute radicular pain. However, LDH with buttock pain (BP) as the main clinical symptom is rare. Herein, we retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) in the treatment of LDH with the buttock as the primary clinical symptom. Methods . Totally 12 patients have LDH (L4-5) with BP who underwent PTED from January 2019 to June 2020 were enrolled. All patients performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) preoperatively, 1 week postoperatively, and at follow-up. The pain relieve were evaluated by the Visual analog scale (VAS), the functional recovery was assessed by Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Roland-Morris questionnaire (RMQ). Parameters were evaluated preoperatively, immediately after surgery, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after surgery, respectively. Moreover, the lumbar function was determined by modified MacNab criteria. Results . Pain relieve was found in 11 patients postoperatively. The VAS, ODI and RMQ scores were improved significantly at the latest follow up visit compared to preoperative (P < 0.05). One patient suffered from LDH recurrence one month after operation and received revision surgery, then achieved satisfied effect. Two patients experienced residual BP after operation and obtained good clinical outcomes by conservative treatment. No other surgical complications were found during follow up period. The average length of follow-up was 6.68 ± 0.67 months. Conclusion. PTED is a safe and efficacious method in treating LDH with BP.

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