Objective To explore clinical effects and operative experience of transanal pull-through procedure for Hirschsprung's disease (HD).Methods The clinical data of 126 children aged from 13 days to 14 years with HD were reviewed.There were 30 cases of short-segment type,85 of common type,and 11 of long-segment type.A total of 95 cases was operated with modified Soave and the other 31 cases were operated with modified Swenson.Results Except two-stage resection in 7(5.6％) cases who already underwent transanal Soave procedure early,one-stage transanal pull-through procedure was performed in the other cases.Laparotomy assisted operation was used for 5 cases and laparoscope assisted operation for 12 cases.The complications were occurred in 35 (27.8％) cases post-operation,including 15 perianatitis,9 enterocolitis,5 anastomotic stenosis,2 soiling,and 4 reoperation.The statistical analysis indicated no difference between two procedures and postoperative complications could be noted between different types (P ＞0.05).A total of 103 patients were followed up from 1 to 10 (mean 2) years.Of all patients,96 (93.2％) were cured,5 (4.9％) symptoms were improved and 2(1.9％) were failed.There were no significant differences in two procedure and the excellent rate of defecation function(P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Two transanal procedures for HD both had a good efficacy and similar complications.By comparison,transanal Swenson procedure was simpler than Soave procedure,and did not need to enlarge anus post-operation as well.

Objective To compare and analyze the main manifestations of HIV/ AIDS impact on marriage and family structure.Methods The relevant data of 931 HIV households and 995 non-HIV households were collected in five provinces with high HIV prevalence in China,using the method of questionnaire survey.The differences between people living with HIV/ AIDS(PLWHA)and non-HIV individuals in marriage and family structure were analyzed and compared.Results The percentage of PLWHA who were unmarried,divorced,widowed and remarried was higher than that of individuals in non-HIV households;the average size of the non-HIV households was 4.4 persons,while the size of HIV households was 4.0 persons;of the surveyed HIV households 41.1 % were stem families,while in the case of non-HIV households this percentage was lower,only 33.4 %.The rate of school enrollment among children in HIV households was lower than that in non-HIV households,while the rate of labor participation among the elderly in HIV households was higher than that in non-HIV households.Conclusion The results indicate that HIV/AIDS destroys the normal marriage among PLWHA,leading to an increased number of stem families and changes in family structure;the impact on the elderly and children in the HIV households is severe.All this means that HIV/AIDS weakens or even destroys the family function.

OBJECTIVETo study different effects of Herba Lycopodii (HL) Alcohol Extracted Granule combined methylprednisolone on behavioral changes, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression levels, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor levels in rats with spinal cord injury (SCI).

METHODSMale adult SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, i.e., the sham-operation group, the model group, the HL treatment group, the methylprednisolone treatment group, the HL + methylprednisolone treatment group. Rats in the HL treatment group were intragastrically administered with HL at the daily dose of 50 mg/kg for 5 successive days. Rats in the methylprednisolone treatment group were intramuscularly injected with 50 mg/kg methylprednisolone within 8 h after spinal cord contusion, and then the dose of methylprednisolone was reduced for 10 mg/kg for 5 successive days. Rats in the HL + methylprednisolone treatment group received the two methods used for the aforesaid two groups. Basso Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) score (for hindlimb motor functions) were assessed at day 0, 3, 7, and 28 after operation. At day 13 after SCI, injured spinal T8-10 was taken from 8 rats of each group and stored in liquid nitrogen. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor affinity (Kd) and the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) were determined using [3H]MK-801 radioactive ligand assay. Rats' injured spinal cords were taken for immunohistochemical assay at day 28 after SCI. Expression levels of BDNF in the ventral and dorsal horn of the spinal cord were observed.

RESULTSCompared with the sham-operation group, the number of BDNF positive neurons in the ventral and dorsal horn of the spinal cord increased in the model group, Bmax increased (470 ± 34), Kd decreased, and BBB scores decreased at day 3 -28 (all P <0. 05). Compared with the SCI model group, the number of BDNF positive neurons and Kd increased, BBB scores at day 3 -28 increased (P <0. 05) in each medicated group. Bmax was (660 ± 15) in the methylprednisolone treatment group, (646 ± 25) in the HL treatment group, and (510 ± 21) in the HL +methylprednisolone treatment group (P <0. 05). Compared with the methylprednisolone treatment group, the number of BDNF positive neurons and Kd increased, BBB scores at day 7 -28 increased, and Bmax decreased in the HL treatment group and the HL + methylprednisolone treatment group (all P <0. 05). Compard with the HL treatment group, the number of BDNF positive neurons and Kd increased, and Bmax decreased (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHL could effectively improve motor functions of handlimbs, increase expression levels of BDNF in the spinal cord, and lessen secondary injury by affecting spinal levels of NMDA receptors. It showed certain therapeutic and protective roles in treating SCI. Its effect was better than that of methylprednisolone with synergism.

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ethanol ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Models, Animal ; N-Methylaspartate ; metabolism ; Neurons ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; drug therapy ; metabolism

PURPOSE: Effective biomarkers and models are needed to improve the prognostic prospects of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The purpose of this work was to identify DNA methylation biomarkers and to evaluate the utility of DNA methylation analysis for ccRCC prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An overview of genome-wide methylation of ccRCC tissues derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was download for analysis. DNA methylation signatures were identified using Cox regression methods. The potential clinical significance of methylation biomarkers acting as a novel prognostic markers was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: This study analyzed data for 215 patients with information on 23171 DNA methylation sites and identified a two-DNA methylation signature (cg18034859, cg24199834) with the help of a step-wise multivariable Cox regression model. The area under the curve of ROCs for the two-DNA methylation signature was 0.819. The study samples were stratified into low- and high-risk classifications based on an optimal threshold, and the two groups showed markedly different survival rates. Moreover, the two-DNA methylation marker was suitable for patients of varying ages, sex, stages (I and IV), and histologic grade (G2). CONCLUSION: The two-DNA methylation signature was deemed to be a potential novel prognostic biomarker of use in increasing the accuracy of predicting overall survival of ccRCC patients.
Biomarkers ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Classification ; DNA Methylation ; Genome ; Humans ; Methods ; Methylation ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Survival Rate

In contrast to the well-established genomic 5-methylcytosine (5mC), the existence of N⁶-methyladenine (6 mA) in eukaryotic genomes was discovered only recently. Initial studies found that it was actively regulated in cancer cells, suggesting its involvement in the process of carcinogenesis. However, the contribution of 6 mA in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) still remains uncharacterized. In this study, a pan-cancer type analysis was first performed, which revealed enhanced 6 mA metabolism in diverse cancer types. The study was then focused on the regulation of 6 mA metabolism, as well as its effects on TSCC cells. To these aspects, genome 6 mA level was found greatly increased in TSCC tissues and cultured cells. By knocking down 6 mA methylases N6AMT1 and METTL4, the level of genomic 6 mA was decreased in TSCC cells. This led to suppressed colony formation and cell migration. By contrast, knockdown of 6 mA demethylase ALKBH1 resulted in an increased 6 mA level, enhanced colony formation, and cell migration. Further study suggested that regulation of the NF-κB pathway might contribute to the enhanced migration of TSCC cells. Therefore, in the case of TSCC, we have shown that genomic 6 mA modification is involved in the proliferation and migration of cancer cells.
AlkB Homolog 1, Histone H2a Dioxygenase/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Site-Specific DNA-Methyltransferase (Adenine-Specific)/metabolism* ; Tongue Neoplasms/metabolism*