AIM: To investigate the effects of nitric oxide (NO) inhalation on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and endothelin-1 (ET-l) of patients with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. METHODS: Examined 13 pulmonic blood samples to determine the concentration of NOS in leukocyte and ET - 1 in plasma before NO inhalation, 30 minutes after inhalation, 2 and 12 hours after stopping of inhalation respectiviy. RESULTS: The values taken before inhalation was NOS (0.70 ? 0.21 )mol/min?mg-l, ET-1 (78.89 ? 46.59) Pmol/L; 30 minutes after inhalation (0.74?0.14)mol/min.mg-l, ET - 1 (88 .27 ? 45 .41 )pmol/L; 2 hours after stopping of inhalation NOS (0.64 ? 0.22)mol/min.mg-1, ET - 1 (80.76?42.66)pmol/L; and 12 hours after stopping of inhalation NOS (0. 63? 0. 17)mol/min.mg-1, ET-1(61.07?29.44)pmol/L. NO significant difference was found in the values of NOS and ET- 1 before and after inhalation, P＞ 0. 05. CONCLUSION: The effects of NO inhalation on NOS and ET-l in patients with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension are not significant according to the above investigation.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of the extracapsular spread (ECS) of regional lymph nodes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on magnetic resonance imaging.Methods A retrospective review was performed for 477 previously untreated patients with NPC who were treated in Yuebei People′s Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013.Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to identify the prognostic value of ECS in NPC.Results There were 216 patients with ECS and 261 patients without ECS,and the median survival of the two groups of patients was 38.5 months and 39.0 months,respectively.The 3-year overall survival (OS),progression-free survival (PFS),local recurrence-free survival (LRFS),and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates of the patients with ECS versus those without ECS were 81.9% versus 90.7%,65.8% versus 85.0%,87.8% versus 95.8%,and 80.3% versus 92.9%,respectively (all P=0.000).The univariate analysis showed that N stage and ECS were important prognostic factors for OS,PFS,LRFS,and DMFS in NPC patients (P=0.000-0.004),and T stage and TNM stage were associated with OS,PFS,and DMFS (all P=0.000).The multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model showed that T stage was an independent prognostic factor for the survival of NPC patients,and ECS was an important prognostic factor for PFS,LRFS,and DMFS.Conclusion ECS of regional lymph nodes is a risk factor for local recurrence or distant metastasis in patients with NPC.

Objective:To explore the effect of family history of cancer on clinical features and prognostic factors in nasopharyngeal car-cinoma (NPC) patients. Methods:The clinical data of 89 NPC patients with a family history of cancer and 388 NPC patients without a family history of cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were performed to identify possi-ble prognostic factors. Results:The clinical characteristics of NPC patients with and without family history of cancer were compared. The gender, age, TNM stage, pathological type, and hemoglobin radiotherapy concentration before treatment did not significantly dif-fer between the two groups (P>0.05). NPC patients with a family history of cancer had better 3-year overall survival than those with-out family history of cancer (91.6%vs. 85.5%), but no statistically significant difference was observed (P=0.211). Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that T, N, and TNM stages were the important prognosis factors affecting 3-year overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of NPC (P<0.05). However, neither family history of cancer nor family history of NPC in 3-year OS, PFS, LRFS, and DMFS was significant in NPC patients (P>0.05). Conclusion:NPC patients with family history of cancer had better 3-year OS than those without family history of cancer, but no statistically significant observation was found. Large T stage or high lymph node stage contributed to poor survival of NPC. Family history of cancer had no significant in-fluence on the survival of NPC patients.

Objective: To develop the Adolescent Mental Health Literacy Assessment Questionnaire (AMHLAQ), and to evaluate its reliability and validity among undergraduates. Methods: On the basis of the definition of mental health literacy (MHL) and the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) theory, this study constructed a total of 36 items consisting of four dimensions, and scores were measured according to a five point Likert type scale. Using a cluster sampling method, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 3 826 freshmen and sophomore students from two medical schools in Anhui Province. The items were screened by performing t tests, Pearson s correlation coefficient analysis and factor analysis. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated using indicators including homogeneity reliability, the split half reliability coefficient, and construct validity. Results: Factor analysis revealed that the AMHLAQ consisted of 22 questions grouped into four domains. The variance cumulative contribution rate was 62.213%. The reliability result showed that the Cronbach s alpha coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.897, the split half reliability was 0.800, the Cronbach s coefficient of each dimension was 0.796 to 0.885, the split half reliability of each dimension was 0.725 to 0.846, and the indicators had a high level of reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model fit was good ( χ 2/df =19.319, P <0.01; RMSEA=0.069). Conclusion AMHLAQ is consistent with the evaluation standard of psychometrics, has good reliability and validity, and can be used to estimate the level of MHL among undergraduates.

Sj?gren′s syndrome is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease characterized by exocrine gland and extraglandular involvement. Cases of Sj?gren′s syndrome-associated aseptic meningitis (SS-AM) are relatively rare, and a case of recurrent aseptic meningitis with leukopenia and mild anemia associated with primary Sj?gren′s syndrome is reported, whose symptoms basically disappeared after treatment with prednison and hydroxychloroquine. The purpose of reporting this case is to raise awareness of SS-AM among fellow clinicians.

Objective:To investigate the genetic safety of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation in traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods:(1) In vivo experiment: BMSCs from male SD rats were isolated and cultured. Moderate TBI models were prepared by implanting and fixing micro-drug injection cannula into the left ventricle of 12 female SD rats, and 3 d after that, striking the right cerebral cortex of the rats with pneumatic precision percussion device was performed. Four h, and 3, 6, 9, and 12 d after modeling, TBI rats were given a single/multiple BMSCs infusion (2.5×10 5/time, total volume 10 μL) by cannula; 48 and 72 h, and 10 and 14 d after modeling, brain tissues of TBI rats (3 at each time point) were prepared into paraffin specimens. Immunofluorescent staining was used to detect the microglia activation, and RNAscope ? technology was used to detect the co-localization of astrocytes, neurons, microglia and transplanted BMSCs to observe whether the allogeneic BMSCs were integrated with the host brain cells after transplantation into TBI host. (2) In vitro experiment: the frozen and revived microglial cell line BV2 was transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive lentiviral particles, and then, BMSCs prelabeled with pHrodo RED probe and BV2 cells pretreated with lipopolysaccharide were co-cultured in a certain ratio (BV2:BMSCs=1:1, 1:2, 2:1); after 36 and 72 h of co-culture, the phagocytosis between the 2 kinds of cells was observed under confocal fluorescence inverted microscope to observe the specific action forms of microglia on BMSCs. Results:(1) In vivo experiment: 48 and 72 h, and 10 and 14 d after modeling, no colocalization of transplanted BMSCs with astrocytes or neurons was found in paraffin sections of brain tissue in TBI rats; however, 10 and 14 d after modeling, microglia in TBI rats were obviously activated and migrated to the left lateral ventricle and choroid plexus, and co-localization of microglia with transplanted BMSCs was observed. (2) In vitro experiment: phagocytosis occurred after co-culture of BV2 cells at different proportions with BMSCs for 36 and 72 h. Conclusion:After transplantation, allogeneic BMSCs do not integrate with astrocytes or neurons of the TBI host, but they could be phagocytosed by microglia, indicating that allogeneic BMSCs transplantation for TBI is genetically safe.