Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of 308-nm excimer laser combined with topical tacrolimus 0.03％ cream for the treatment of childhood vitiligo on the face or neck.Methods Sixty-eight children aged ＜ or =14 years with vitiligo on the face or neck were enrolled in this study,and divided into two groups based on lesional sites,i.e.,skin group with lesions on the forehead,cheek,lower mandible,neck or in the periortic region and mucosa group with lesions in the perioral or periorbital region.All the patients received 308-nm excimer laser irradiation once or twice weekly and topical tacrolimus 0.03％ cream twice daily.Twenty sessions of irradiation served as a treatment course.Efficacy was evaluated at the end of the treatment course.The effects of erythema reaction and cumulative irradiation dose on efficacy were assessed.Results After 20 times of laser therapy,an excellent response was achieved in 78.4％ of the patients in the skin group,and 54.8％ in the mucosa group (P ＜ 0.05).During the treatment,the average frequency of erythema reaction lasting 48 hours or longer was significantly lower in the skin group than in the mucosa group (5.84 vs.9.12,P ＜ 0.01).After 10 and 20 times of laser therapy,the cumulative radiation dose was 4215 mJ/cm2 and 10 453 mJ/cm2 in the skin group,respectively,compared to 3364 mJ/cm2 and 7430 mJ/cm2 in the mucosa group,respectively (both P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions The 308-nm excimer laser combined with topical tacrolimus cream is effective and safe for the treatment of childhood vitiligo on the face or neck.Vitiligo on the forehead,cheek,lower mandible,neck and in the periortic region appears to respond better to this therapy with a weaker erythema reaction than that in the perioral or periorbital region.

Two cases of nevus of Ota resistant to multiple sessions of Q-switched laser treatment are reported.Both of the patients were females,who developed beige or blue patches on the left side of the face (zygomatic region,cheek)several months after birth.No conjunctiva or sclera was involved.The lesions spread to the left retroauricular region and posterior neck during pregnancy in one patient.Histopathological examination of the lesions showed scattered melanocytes and melanophages in lower dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue as well as apparent proliferation of collagen.Immunostaining for CD34 showed no abnormality in the distribution of vascular endothelial cells in these tissues.No obvious improvement was observed in either of the patient after more than 10 sessions(12 sessions in 1 case,and 13 sessions in the other case)of treatments with Q-switched alexandrite(755 nm)or Q-switched Nd:YAG laser(1064 nm).The immediate response of lesions to laser irradiation was unusual.Purpura or errhysis was absent in the lesions after repetitive irradiation with high-energy laser,but both were visible in the adjacent normal skin even after irradiation with low-energy laser.

Animals ; Bone Neoplasms ; Bone and Bones ; Humans ; Models, Animal ; Neoplasms ; Pain

OBJECTIVETo observe the intervention of electroacupuncture (EA) with different current frequencies and treatment frequencies on pain thresholt in rats with bone-cancer pain, so as to optimize treatment parameters of EA against bone cancer pain; and by measuring gene expression of opioid receptor and precursor in different tissues to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism of EA against bone cancer pain.

METHODSNinety healthy female SD rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, EA groups (6 subgroups according to different frequencies) and a sham EA group, ten rats in each one. Rats in the control group were injected with 10 µL of amicrobic phosphate buffer solution (PBS) into tibial cavity; rats in the remaining groups were injected with Walker 256 cancer cells to establish model of bone-cancer pain. No treatment was given to rats in the control group and model group; rats in the EA groups were treated with EA at bilateral "Housanli" (ST 36) and "Genduan" with 3 different current frequencies (2 Hz, 100 Hz and 2 Hz/100 Hz), once a day and once every other day, 30 min per treatment (1mA for 15 min, 2 mA for 15 min); rats in the sham EA group were treated with identical acupoints as the EA group, but the acupoints were needled subcutaneously and EA was connected with power off. All the treatment was given for 14 days. Dynamic plantar aesthesiometer was applied to measure the paw withdrawal thresholds (PWTs) of the affected side before the model establishment, 6d, 8d, 10d, 12d, 14d, 16d, 18d, and 20d after model establishment. The mRNA expressions of µ-opioid receptor (MOR), κ-opioid receptor (KOR), δ-opioid receptor (DOR), proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and prodynorphin (PDYN) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and lumbar spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) of L4-L6 of the affected side were detected by PCR method.

RESULTSThere were no differences in PWTs among all groups before model establishment (P>0. 05). Each time point after model establishment, PWTs in model group were obviously lower than those in the control group (all P<0. 01). Compared with the model group, PWTs in each EA subgroup were all increased (all P<0.05), but the differences at different time points were not significant among EA subgroups (P>0.05). The mRNA expressions of MOR, KOR, POMC, and PDYN in L4-L6 DRG in the 2 Hz/100 Hz II group were significantly higher than those in model group (P<0. 05, P<0. 01), while the mRNA expressions of MOR, KOR, DOR, POMC and PDYN in SCDH were not different compared with the model group (P>0. 05).

CONCLUSIONEA treatment has obvious analgesic effect on bone-cancer pain, however, its effect is not related with current frequency and treating frequency. EA against bone-cancer pain may be related with increasing the mRNA expression of some peripheral opioid receptors and precursor.

Acupuncture Analgesia ; instrumentation ; methods ; Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Bone Neoplasms ; complications ; Electroacupuncture ; instrumentation ; methods ; Enkephalins ; metabolism ; Female ; Ganglia, Spinal ; metabolism ; Humans ; Pain ; etiology ; genetics ; metabolism ; Pain Management ; instrumentation ; methods ; Protein Precursors ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To observe the functional changes of T lymphocytes in the spleen of rats with bone cancer pain.Methods forty-one healthy female Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study, and were divided into blank control, PBS and Walker-256 tumor groups.Bone cancer pain model was established by inoculation of Walker 256 cancer cells into the tibial cavity.The paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWL), and spontaneous pain (SP) were all measured before modelling (as base) and at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 days after modelling. The function of T lymphocyte proliferation, and the content of T lymphocytes and their subgroups in the spleen were detected by cell counting kit-8 method and flow cytometry, respectively, on day 20 after modelling.Results Before modellng, there were no differences of PWT, PWL, and SP between the PBS and model groups.After modelling, the PWT and SP of model group were significantly decreased on day 4, and were always lower than that of PBS group during the experiment.Statistical analysis revealed that Walker-256 cancer cell inoculation in the tibia induced a significant decrease in PWL on day 8, 10 and 12 after modellng.Compared with the control group, T lymphocyte proliferation, content of T lymphocyte (CD3) and subgroups ( CD4 and CD8) in the PBS group were not significantly decreased.However, T lymphocyte proliferation and the content of CD3 lymphocytes in the model group were significantly lower than those in the blank control group and/or PBS group.Conclusions The bone cancer pain rat model may appear obvious mechanical allodynia and spontaneous pain.Its thermal pain hyperalgesiaonly occurred in the intermediate stage of bone cancer pain. The content of T lymphocytes and its subgroups, and the function of T lymphocyte proliferation are weakened to some extent in the bone cancer pain rat model.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of compound polymyxin B ointment combined with desonide cream for the treatment of subacute or chronic eczema. Methods A multicenter, randomized, double?blind, parallel?group, controlled clinical study was conducted. Totally, 144 patients with subacute eczema and 144 patients with chronic eczema were enrolled into this study, and both randomly and equally divided into the test group and control group. The test group and control group firstly topically applied compound polymyxin B ointment and its vehicle respectively, then both topically applied desonide cream 3 hours later. The drugs or vehicle were applied twice a day in all the patients. Patients′ symptoms and signs (including degree of itching, inflammation, erosion/exudation and infiltration/thickening, as well as area of target lesions) were evaluated, and the time to onset and duration of itching?alleviating effect were recorded. The clinical efficacy and safety of treatments were analyzed and compared between the test group and control group. Results The total symptom and sign scores significantly decreased to different extents on days 7 and 14 in the test group(subacute eczema patients:6.09 ± 2.78 and 3.68 ± 3.18 vs. 13.44 ± 1.66; chronic eczema patients: 6.56 ± 2.68 and 4.38 ± 3.27 vs. 12.96 ± 1.16)and control group(subacute eczema patients:8.26 ± 3.17 and 5.28 ± 4.05 vs. 13.60 ± 1.75;chronic eczema patients: 8.84 ± 2.90 and 6.25 ± 3.78 and vs. 12.64 ± 1.18)compared with those at baseline. Moreover, the total symptom and sign score of patients with subacute or chronic eczema was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group on days 7 and 14(all P<0.05). A significant increment was observed in the degree of decrease in scores for itch, infiltration/thickening in patients with subacute eczema in the test group compared with that in the control group(all P<0.01), as well as in scores for itch, infiltration/thickening and area of target lesions in patients with chronic eczema in the test group compared with those in the control group (all P < 0.05). In addition, patients with subacute eczema in the test group showed significantly shorter onset and longer duration of itching?alleviating effect than those in the control group(both P<0.05). The time to onset of itching?alleviating effect was also significantly shorter in patients with chronic eczema in the test group than in those in the control group(P<0.000 1), but there was no significant difference in the duration of it between the two groups of patients with chronic eczema. Clinicians and patients were both more satisfied with therapeutic effects in the test group than in the control group(all P<0.05). Conclusions Topical compound polymyxin B ointment can increase the efficacy of topical desonide cream for the treatment of subacute or chronic eczema, especially subacute eczema. Compound polymyxin B ointment also shows a favorable therapeutic effect on itching and infiltration/thickening in patients with eczema.

Objective:To observe any effect of transplanting bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on microglia and neuron expression in newborn mice with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD).Methods:Sixty 10-day-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a hypoxic-ischemia group, a placebo group and a stem cell group, each of 15. The hypoxia-ischemia model was induced in the hypoxia-ischemia, placebo and stem cell groups, while the sham operation group was sutured after the neck incision. After successful modeling, the rats in the stem cell group were injected with BMSCs into the bregma while those in the placebo group received phosphate buffered saline. Seven days later, brain tissue was resected and its structure was observed using transmission electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to observe the expression of microglia and neurons in the left cerebral cortex.Results:Seven days after stem cell transplantation, the neuron morphology had improved and nerve fiber swelling was relieved in the stem cell group. The average expression of neurons was significantly greater in the stem cell group compared with the hypoxic-ischemia and placebo groups, while the expression of microglia was significantly lower.Conclusions:Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells may induce neuron regeneration and reduce inflammatory response by inhibiting the expression of microglia, at least in neonatal rats modeling hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Objective To investigate the value of dual-energy CT quantitative parameters combined with CT features for predicting perineural invasion(PNI)of colorectal adenocarcinoma.Methods Preoperative whole-abdominal CT data of 79 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma confirmed by postoperative pathology were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into PNI group(n=31)or no PNI group(n=48).Univariate analysis was used to compare CT features and dual-energy CT quantitative parameters between groups,and the variables with significant differences were included in binary logistic regression analysis to construct a combined model.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn and area under the curve(AUC)were calculated,the efficacy of single CT parameters and combined model for predicting PNI of colorectal adenocarcinoma were evaluated.Results There were significant differences of the location of the primary lesion,the maximum thickness of the diseased intestinal wall,the presence or absence of peritumoral lymph node metastases,peritumoral mesenteric streak shadow and tumor deposits shown on CT between groups(all P＜0.05).Significant differences of the arterial phase slope of energy spectrum curve(λHU),iodine concentration(IC),normalized IC(NIC),dual energy index and the venous phase NIC of dual energy index were found between groups(all P＜0.05).AUC of the above single parameters for predicting PNI of colorectal adenocarcinoma ranged from 0.615 to 0.698,while of the combined model was 0.864.Conclusion Dual-energy CT quantitative parameters combined with CT features could be used to effectively predict PNI of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of virtual reality on upper limb function in stroke patients through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). MethodsFrom September, 2021 to March, 2023, 80 stroke patients in the Fuzhou Second General Hospital were randomly divided into control group (n = 40) and experimental group (n = 40). Both groups received routine rehabilitation, while the experimental group received virtual reality training additionally, for four weeks. They were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) before treatment, after treatment and after four-week follow-up; and they were scaned with DTI to measure the fractional anisotropy (FA) and relative anisotropy (RA) of cerebral peduncle and posterior limb of inner capsule of the affected side before and after treatment. ResultsTwo cases dropped in each group. The FMA-UE and ARAT scores increased in both groups after treatment and follow-up (F > 2.790, P < 0.001), and increased more in the experimental group than in the control group (t > 2.297, P < 0.05). FA and RA in the posterior limb of inner capsule increased in both groups after treatment (t > 21.013, P < 0.001), and increased more in the experimental group (t > 2.006, P < 0.05). The d-value of FA of the posterior limb of internal capsule before and after treatment (ΔFA) was positively correlated with the d-value of FMA-UE score (r > 0.362, P < 0.05) in both groups, the ΔFA of the posterior limb of internal capsule was positively correlated with the d-value of ARAT score (r = 0.459, P < 0.01). ConclusionVirtual reality training can promote the recovery of upper limb function in stroke patients, which may associate with the conductivity of posterior limb of inner capsule.

Objective To carry out a pilot investigation into fungus diversity in corn samples harvested from Keshan disease areas and obtain the information of dominant fungi,to predict possible secondary toxins in future study.Methods In Keshan disease areas (Heshui County and Zhengning County of Gansu Province,Yuanbao Town of Heilongjiang Province) and non-Keshan disease area (Harbin suburbs of Heilongjiang Province),5 samples of newly harvested corn from local plants were collected via the simple random sampling method,and the samples (n =20) were put in a sterile bags and sealed,numbered and transported to laboratory,placed in the incubator for cultivating mould fungi,cuhured for 2 weeks,and fungal DNA was extracted.The DNA samples were sent to Beijing Auwegene Technology Co Ltd for quality inspection,and sequencing analysis of fungal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region was done using modern high-throughput DNA sequencing technique and MiSeq PE3000 platform,the rationality of sequencing data was analyzed through the rarefaction curve and the Shannon-Wiener curve trend to be gentle or not,and the true condition of the fungal community in the sample was tested by species composition Coverage ＞ 99％ or not,the difference in fungal community was studied between Keshan disease group and non-Keshan disease group based on the relative abundance of the fungal species in each group.Results A total of 513 869 high quality sequences were obtained,and 528 operational taxonomic unit (OTU) classifications were produced.The trend of rarefaction curve and Shannon-Wiener curve were gradually flattening,they showed that the sequences of the data were reasonable;and coverage ＞ 99％ showed that data could reflect the true situation of the fungal community.Analysis of species composition showed that there was a great overlap of fungal species between Keshan disease group and non-Keshan disease group,the relative abundance of the genus Wickerhamomyces,Candida and Aspergillus in Keshan disease group were higher than that of non-Keshan disease group.Conclusion Genus Wickerhamomyces,Candida and Aspergillus may be the dominant fungi associated with Keshan disease,it can be considered for secondary toxins studies.