ObjectTo study the adsorptive properties of spherical activated carbon on some effective ingredients from Chinese materia medica (CMM) and to approach the application feasibility to CMM purification. Methods The spherical activated carbon with high strength has been successfully prepared by the carbonation and activation of polymeric resin. The apparent and theoretical adsorption capacities under the condition of static operation were investigated by Langmuir monolayer adsorption model. Elution by 75% alcohol was studied. Results The static adsorption capacities of the berberine hydrochloride and dioscin were 35.46 mg/g and 47.12 mg/g, and theoretical adsorption capacities were 96.16 mg/g and 102.04 mg/g, respectively. The apparent adsorption amount of rutin was 40.88% mg/g. The elution ratio were 83.71%, 91.45%, and 87.69%, respectively. Conclusion The spherical activated carbon adsorbent shows better comprehensive adsorption properties and can be used to purification.

Thirteen patients with colorectal lesions underwent laparoscopic surgery from January to December 2019. Before surgery, 5.0 ml autogenous blood was injected under colonoscopy into the inferior margin and opposite sides of the lesion for localization. The operation time，success rate，complications，location efficiency and postoperative pathology were evaluated. The autologous blood tattooing was easily applied for all patients without complication. At laparoscopic surgery，the lesions of all patients were clearly visualized except one obese patients with rectal tumors, because the tumor was located below the retroperitoneal fold. No blood diffusion and leakage，and local inflammatory responses were observed. The surgical margins of all samples were tumor negative. Preoperative tattooing with autologous blood is recommended as an easy，safe and economical procedure for colonoscopic surgery in patients with colorectal lesions.

BACKGROUNDTo evaluate the incidence of multiple primary malignancies combined with lung and other organs and their relationship.

METHODSAll patients who consecutively treated for lung cancer from December 1964 to December 1992, were retrospectively analyzed regarding the recurrence of a synchronous primary tumor elsewhere in the body.

RESULTSOf total 1019 patients reviewed, 21 (2.1%) had associated carcinoma of other organs. In these 21 patients, the incidence of associated aerodigestive tract cancer was 71.4% (15/21) and that of other organs was 28.6% (6/21). Five patients had simultaneous cancer with the lung cancer and 16 had metachronous cancer.

CONCLUSIONSMultiple primary tumors in patients with carcinoma of the lungs is not a rare phenomenon. Surveillance programs for detection of second primary tumors should focus on these patients.

Objective To investigate the underlying mechanisms of Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) and Bickerstaff' s brainstem encephalitis (BBE) by studying their clinical and electrophysiological characteristics.Methods The clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of 13 MFS and 7 BBE cases in Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.The electrophysiological parameters included sensory and motor nerve conduction,electromyography,F wave,sympathetic skin response and brainstem auditory evoked potential and blink reflex.Results MFS and BBE had similar clinical characteristics:respiratory symptoms were the most common infectious symptoms before disease onset; Ophthalmoplegia,facial palsy and bulbar symptoms were common; They both had cerebrospinal fluid albuminocytological dissociation and positive serum anti-GQ1b antibody.However,BBE had more central nervous system lesion signs clinically such as conscious disturbance,positive Babinski' s sign and central facial palsy.Electrophysiologically,MFS and BBE also had similar electrophysiological features:sensory nerve abnormality ratios were 6/13,2/7 respectively,with prominently reduced sensory nerve active potential amplitude,normal or slightly slowed sensory conduction velocity; Motor nerves abnormality ratios were 2/13,1/7 respectively,with slightly prolonged distal motor latency and normal compound muscle action potential; Electromyography abnormality ratios were 1/7,0/4 respectively; F wave frequency abnormality ratios were 3/13,5/7 respectively,and in some cases,F wave frequency would restore; Sympathetic skin response abnormality ratios were 1/2,1/3 respectively; Blink reflex abnormalityratios were 1/2,1/1 respectively,with central involvement in BBE; Brainstem auditory evoked potential abnormality ratios were 3/5,1/4 respectively,with wave Ⅰ latency or amplitude abnormality.Conclusion The similarities of clinical and electrophysiological features suggest that MFS and BBE have the same mechanism and they form a continuous spectrum with variable central nervous system and peripheral nervous system involvement.

Objective:To describe a new technique for chronic anal fissure surgery aimed at minimal invasion and reducing pain, and to evaluate the preliminary results concerning non-healing and intact anal function.Methods:A prospective observational study in twenty-five chronic anal fissure patients treated by Intersphincteric Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy (ILIS) technique from February to June 2018 in the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University were conducted.Results:Chronic anal fissure in twenty-five patients healed primarily (96%, 24/25). There was one non-healing case. The mean healing time was(14.66 ± 5.63) d. Pain scores of 1, 3 and 5 d after surgery were (2.32 ± 0.82), (1.66 ± 0.74), (1.22 ± 0.63) scores. None had disturbance in clinical anal continence. Wexner score was 0.Conclusions:The early outcome of the ILIS technique is quite impressive. This technique is minimally invasive, with shorter healing time and less pain. It has the potential to become a viable option for chronic anal fissure surgery.

Seventy seven patients with complicated anal fistula were randomly assigned to receive tunnel fistulectomy with multiseton drainage (group A, n=38) or traditional fistulectomy (group B, n=39) for treatment.The clinical data and the treatment outcomes of two groups were compared.There was no significant difference in operation time between two groups (P>0.05). However, group A was significantly superior to group B in postoperative pain Numerical Pain Rating Scak (NPRS) score [(2.2±0.84) vs. (4.2±1.3), P<0.05)], wound surface area [(3.7±0.84) cm² vs. (7.28±1.83) cm^2, P<0.05], wound healing time [(23.4±2.41) d vs. (38.8±3.49) d, P<0.05 ], cure rate(97.4% vs. 79.5%, P<0.05) and recurrent rate 1 year after surgery(5.3% vs. 25.6%, P<0.05). The postoperative anorectal dynamic parameters of group A were also better than those of group B (P<0.05). Compared to traditional fistulectomy, the tunnel fistulectomy with multiseton drainage has advantages of less pain, faster recovery, less disturbance in anal function and better long-term clinical effect in treatment of complicated anal fistula.

Twelve patients with complex anal fistulas were treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University from June to December 2018. All the patients were successfully operated, and after the operation the wound was rinsed twice a day by buried drainage tube. Patients were followed up for 3 months, the wound was healed in 11 cases and relapsed in 1 case with a mean wound healing time of (25.2±7.0) d; the pain scores at 1 d, 3 d and 5 d after surgery were 3.21±1.27, 2.34±1.22 and 1.89±0.78, respectively. There was no significant difference in preoperative and postoperative Wexner scores, anal resting pressure, and anal maximum systolic pressure (P>0.05).This innovative technique with buried drainage tube is safe and effective, which can shorten the recovery time and reduce the recurrence rate.

Objective:To observe the regulatory effect of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) on aquaporin 4 (AQP4) in rats after hydrocephalus, and to explore its significance in hydrocephalus prevention.Methods:Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated group ( n=10), hydrocephalus group ( n=20), and hydrocephalus+inhibitor (SB203580) group (SB group, n=20). The rat models of hydrocephalus in the latter two groups were prepared by intracerebroventricular injection of kaolin suspension; rats in the sham-operated group were injected with same amount of normal saline into the lateral ventricle. The p38 MAPK specific inhibitor SB203580 (10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected into the rats of SB group on the 8 th d of modeling for 7 consecutive d; same volume of dimethylsulfoxide was given to the rats of hydrocephalus group on the 8 th d of modeling for 7 consecutive d; rats in the sham-operated group did not give any treatment. The severity of hydrocephalus in these rats was observed by MRI. The inflammatory factor tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α level in the cerebrospinal fluid was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The AQP4 and TNF-α mRNA expressions were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The phosphorylated p38 MAPK and AQP4 expressions in the periventricular brain tissues were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results:No hydrocephalus developed in sham-operated group and hydrocephalus developed in the latter two groups. As compared with sham-operated group, hydrocephalus group and SB group had significantly increased lateral ventricle volume, significantly aggravated periventricular edema, significantly higher EVAN's index, and statistically increased brain water content ( P<0.05). Two weeks after modeling, the TNF-α expression levels in cerebrospinal fluid of sham-operated group, hydrocephalus group and SB group were (20.49±0.96), (42.04±3.17), and (28.00±3.71) pg/mL, respectively, with significant differences ( F=186.000, P<0.001); the TNF-α expression level in SB group was significantly higher than that in sham-operated group and significantly lower than that in hydrocephalus group ( P<0.05). Two weeks after modeling, the TNF-α and AQP4 mRNA expression levels in brain tissues of the three groups were significantly different ( P<0.05); the TNF-α and AQP4 mRNA expression levels in hydrocephalus group were significantly higher than those in sham-operated group and SB group ( P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that there was a positive linear correlation between AQP4 mRNA expression and TNF-α mRNA expression in hydrocephalus group ( r=0.511, P=0.026), and there was a positive linear correlation between AQP4 protein expression and phosphorylated p38 MAPK protein expression in hydrocephalus group and SB group ( r=0.560, P=0.013; r=0.463, P=0.030). Immunohistochemical staining results showed that AQP4 expression was abundant in glial cells of the three groups; the p38 MAPK distribution was uniform and non-polar; the phosphorylated p38 MAPK protein expression in the hydrocephalus group was significantly higher than that in the sham-operated group, and that in the SB group returned to the level of the sham-operated group. Conclusion:The p38 MAPK pathway is involved in the positive regulation of AQP4 expression, which could be inhibited by SB203580.

The 30th International Symposium on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Motor Neuron Disease was held in Perth, Australia from December 4 to 6, 2019. This article mainly introduces the clinical research of this meeting, including epidemiology, non-motor symptoms, auxiliary examinations and biomarkers, etc., while the basic research includes genomics and genetics, protein metabolism abnormalities, neuroimmunity and inflammation, synapse pathology and preclinical treatment strategies,

Objective To explore the effect of adeno-associated virus sense transfection up-regulating the expression level of the growth and differential factor 11 (GDF11) in vivo on aortic injury in type 2 diabetic mellitus rats (T2DM).Methods Nine-week-old male SD rats were randomly selected to establish a T2DM model by using high-sugar and high-fat chow plus small-dose streptozotocin (STZ) combined induction.Both normal rats and dia-betic model rats were randomly divided into five groups:blank control group (Control group) , negative virus con-trol group (NC group), GDF11 adeno-associated virus group (GDF11 group), diabetic group (DM group), and diabetic + GDF11 adeno-associated virus group (DM+GDF11 group) .After 8 weeks of feeding, the serum con-centrations of insulin (INS) , advanced glycosylation end products (AGES) , recombinant growth transforming fac-tor 11 (GDF11), total cholesterol (T-CHO), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C), high-densi-ty lipoproteins (HDL-C) , asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) , and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assayed in the rats;periodic acid-schiff stain(PAS stain) was used to observe the sites of glycogen deposition, and hematoxy-lin-eosin staining (HE) was used to observe vascular damage.Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the damage of vascular endothelial cells and vascular elastic fibers, and protein blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of vascular injury-related proteins.Protein blotting and immunohistochem-istry were used to detect the expression levels of vascular injury-related proteins.Results The biochemical inde-xes showed that the serum concentrations of AGES, T-CHO, TG, LDL-C and MDA were higher in the DM group than those in the Control group (P<0.05), the concentrations of INS, GDF11, HDL-C and ADMA were signifi-cantly lower than those in the Control group (P<0.05) , and the concentrations of AGES and HDL-C were not sig-nificantly lower in the DM+GDF11 group compared with the DM group (P<0.05) .HDL-C was not significantly different from the DM group, and several other data were improved (P<0.05) .Pathological staining suggested that PAS staining in the DM group suggested that glycogen particles deposited in the endothelium and subendotheli-um of the aorta, HE staining observed thickening of the aortic mesentery, endothelial cells and elastic fibers broke off in an irregular alignment, and electron microscopy observed endothelial damage in the vasculature and elastic fi-bers broke off in the DM group, and these changes attenuated in the DM+GDF11 group.Protein blotting and im-munohistochemistry indicated that the expression of endothelial cell-associated proteins decreased in the DM group (P<0.05) , and mesenchymal markers elevated in the DM group (P<0.05) , these proteins were regressed in the DM+GDF11 group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05).Conclusion Increasing the expression level of GDF11 in vivo can improve aortic vascular injury caused by diabetes mellitus, which is inferred that it may be related to the inhibition of endothelial mesenchymal transition to protect the function of vascular endo-thelial cells and thus improve vascular injury.