Clinical value of digital tomographic fusion imaging in the diagnosis of avascular necrosis of the femoral head in adults

Metabolic Profiling Analysis of the Effect and Mechanism of Gushiling Capsule in Rabbits With Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

Gushiling capsule (GSLC) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GIONFH). This study established the serum metabolite profiles of GSLC in rabbits and explored the metabolic mechanism and effect of GSLC on GIONFH. Seventy-five Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into the control, model, and GSLC groups. The rabbits in the model group and the GSLC group received injection of prednisolone acetate. Meanwhile, rabbits in the GSLC group were treated by gavage at a therapeutic dose of GSLC once a day. The control group and the model group received the same volume of normal saline gavage. Three groups of serum samples were collected at different time points, and the changes in the metabolic spectrum were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The resulting data set was analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis to identify potential biomarkers related to GSLC treatment. The metabolic pathway was analyzed by MetaboAnalyst 4.0 and a heatmap was constructed using the HEML1.0.3.7 software package. In addition, histopathological and radiography studies were carried out to verify the anti-GIONFH effects of GSLC. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) score plots revealed a significant separation trend between the control group and the model group and the GSLC group (1-3 weeks), but there were no significant differences in the GSLC group (4-6 weeks). Orthogonal PLS-DA (OPLS-DA) score plots also revealed an obvious difference between the model and the GSLC groups (4-6 weeks). Ten potential metabolite biomarkers, mainly phospholipids, were identified in rabbit serum samples and demonstrated to be associated with GIONFH. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and magnetic resonance imaging indicated that the pathological changes in femoral head necrosis in the GSLC group were less than in the model group, which was consistent with the improved serum metabolite spectrum. GSLC regulated the metabolic disorder of endogenous lipid components in GIONFH rabbits. GSLC may prevent and treat GIONFH mainly by regulating phospholipid metabolism in vivo.

A review of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in pathological processes

With the continuous growth of the human population and new challenges in the quality of life, it is more important than ever to diagnose diseases and pathologies with high accuracy, sensitivity and in different scenarios from medical implants to the operation room. Although conventional methods of diagnosis revolutionized healthcare, alternative analytical methods are making their way out of academic labs into clinics. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) developed immensely with its capability to achieve single-molecule sensitivity and high-specificity in the last two decades, and now it is well on its way to join the arsenal of physicians. This review discusses how SERS is becoming an essential tool for the clinical investigation of pathologies including inflammation, infections, necrosis/apoptosis, hypoxia, and tumors. We critically discuss the strategies reported so far in nanoparticle assembly, functionalization, non-metallic substrates, colloidal solutions and how these techniques improve SERS characteristics during pathology diagnoses like sensitivity, selectivity, and detection limit. Moreover, it is crucial to introduce the most recent developments and future perspectives of SERS as a biomedical analytical method. We finally discuss the challenges that remain as bottlenecks for a routine SERS implementation in the medical room from in vitro to in vivo applications. The review showcases the adaptability and versatility of SERS to resolve pathological processes by covering various experimental and analytical methods and the specific spectral features and analysis results achieved by these methods.