Objective To investigate the effect of trichostatin A (TSA) and 5-azacitidine (5-AzaC) on pancreatic β-cells impaired by cytokine,via measuring the proliferation,apoptosis,and function of pancreatic β-cells.Methods RIN-m5f was impaired by interleukin-1β and interferon-γin vitro,and treated with TSA and 5-AzaC.Experiment groups included blank control group,cytokine induction group,0.05/0.10 μmoL/L TSA group,0.63/1.25 μmoL/L 5-AzaC group,and0.10 μmol/L TSA plus 1.25 μmol/L 5-AzaC group.The viability of RIN-m5f cells was detected by MTT assay.Apoptotic rate was determined by Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) /propidium iodide flow cytometry.Insulin secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results The viability of RIN-m5f cells in 0.05/0.10 μmoL/L TSA group,0.63/1.25 μmol/L 5-AzaC group,and 5-AzaC plus TSA group was 70.1％/79.2 ％,67.3 ％/82.9 ％,and 89.1％ respectively,being higher than that in the cytokine group (33.9％,P＜0.05) ; the apoptosis rate was 10.3％/10.5％,7.9％/9.6％,and 8.2％,being lower than that in the cytokine group (16.6％,P＜0.05) ; the capacity of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion of all the treated groups was higher than that in the cytokine group (P＜0.05).Conclusion TSA and 5-AzaC might promote the proliferation of pancreatic β-cells impaired by cytokines,inhibit its apoptosis and recover its insulin secretion.

OBJECTIVETo study the diagnostic value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

METHODSTwenty healthy volunteers and fifty patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy underwent DTI in the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Ningbo University from January 2014 to April 2015. Healthy volunteers served as controls. Fifty patients were divided into three groups (group A , B, C) according to cervical MRI scan standard. Group A (17 cases) had only the dura mater spinalis compressed; Group B (23 cases) showed the cervical spinal cord compressed, but no high signal in it; Group C (10 cases) had the cervical spinal cord compressed with high signal in the same level. The average apparent diffusion coefficients(ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA)values in these examinee were analyzed and all subjects were performed fiber tracking.

RESULTSThere was no statistically significant differences in ADC and FA values in C2/C3, C3/C4, C4/C5, C5/C6, C6/C7 of control group (P>0.05). The average ADC and FA values in control group were (0.875 +/- 0.096) x10(3) mm2/s and 0.720 +/- 0.051, respectively; compared with group A,there was no statistically significant difference; compared with group B and C, there was significant difference; comparison among group A, B, C, there was significant differences.

CONCLUSIONDTI can early and accurately quantify the changes of microstructure in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Fiber tracking can show the damage range of spinal cord lesions.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cervical Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Spondylosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVERecently, many studies have focused on stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and found some stem cell markers in HCC, which are associated with the prognosis. OCT4, as a member of the POU transcription factor family, is a key factor to maintain self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This study was to explore the expression of the ESCs marker OCT4A in HCC, and its correlations with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of HCC.

METHODSOCT4A mRNA expression was detected in five liver cancer cell lines (SMMC-7721, BEL-7402, Hep-G2, MHCC97-L, and MHCC97-H), one immortalized liver cell line L-O2, tumor tissues with matched non-neoplastic liver tissues in 107 HCC patients, and normal liver tissues of 20 cases using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The correlations between OCT4A mRNA and clinicopathologic features and prognosis of HCC were analyzed.

RESULTSOCT4A mRNA was detected in SMMC-7721, BEL-7402, Hep-G2, MHCC-97L, and MHCC-97H cells, but not in L-O2 cells. The positive rate of OCT4A mRNA expression was significantly higher in the HCC tissues than in the non-neoplastic liver tissues (72.0% vs. 30.8%, P<0.001). No OCT4A mRNA expression was found in the normal liver tissues. OCT4A mRNA expression was correlated with the tumor size, vascular invasion, and TNM stage (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that patients with positive expression of OCT4A mRNA had lower overall survival and disease-free survival rates.

CONCLUSIONSOCT4A mRNA, which is highly expressed in a subset of liver cancer cell lines and HCC tissues, may be involved in the carcinogenesis of HCC. OCT4A mRNA may be a valuable biomarker for assessing the prognosis of HCC.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Octamer Transcription Factor-3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship among serum reproductive hormone levels, serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels, metabolic syndrome (MS), and the components of MS in middle-aged and elderly males.

METHODSUsing the cluster and stratified sampling methods and a unified structured questionnaire, we conducted a survey among 948 men aged 40 - 80 years in the rural community, measured their basic physical parameters, and obtained their reproductive hormone levels, serum Hcy concentrations, and metabolism-related indicators. We collected 868 valid questionnaires along with their serum samples, divided the subjects into an MS and a non-MS control group in a 1:1 ratio, and measured their serum Hcy concentrations.

RESULTSAmong the subjects included, 132 were diagnosed with MS. Nonparametric tests showed statistically significant differences between the MS and non-MS groups in the waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P < 0.05), but not in age (P > 0.05). Significant differences were also observed between the two groups in the levels of serum tT, SHBG, LH, and FTI (P < 0.05) , but not in the concentrations of serum Hcy (P > 0.05). The concentration of serum Hcy exhibited no correlation with BMI, SBP, DBP, FBG, TG, and HDL-C (P > 0.05) and had no influence on MS.

CONCLUSIONThe concentration of serum Hcy is not significantly correlated with MS, nor with its components. The levels of male serum reproductive hormones are associated both with MS and with its components.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Homocysteine ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Reproduction ; Rural Population ; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin ; metabolism ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Testosterone ; blood ; Thyroxine ; blood ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Objective Endometrial cancer (EMC) is a most common malignancy in the female reproductive system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with the prognosis of EMC. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and follow-up data about 153 EMC patients surgically treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Based on the cutoff values of NLR and PLR, we divided the patients into a high and a low value group,and analyzed the relationships of NLR and PLR with clinical pathological features and prognosis of the patients. Results There were statistically significant differences between the high value group(NLR>3.40) and the low value group (NLR≤3.40) in the FIGO stage,pathological grade,invasion depth,and lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). No sig-nificant correlation was found between the PLR and the prognosis EMC (P>0.05). COX regression analysis showed that FIGO stageⅢ-Ⅳ (P<0.001),pathological grade G3(P=0.022) and NLR>3.4(P=0.004) were independent risk factors for the overall surviv-al and disease-free survival of the EMC patients. Conclusion High preoperative NLR was closely related with the FIGO stage, pathological grade,invasion depth,and lymph node metastasis in pa-tients with endometrial cancer.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of robot-assisted versus fluoroscopy-assisted sacroiliac screw internal fixation for posterior pelvic ring fractures.Methods:China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect were searched for literature on robot-assisted versus fluoroscopy-assisted sacroiliac screw internal fixation for posterior pelvic ring fractures. The search time was from the establishment of each database to March 2023. Meta-analysis was performed on the included literature. The random-effects model was used when the heterogeneity between groups was large, and the fixed-effects model was used when the heterogeneity between groups was small.Results:A total of 15 studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 465 patients in the robot-assisted group and 396 patients in the fluoroscopy-assisted group. Meta-analysis showed that the number of fluoroscopies [ SMD=-3.12, 95% CI (-4.34, -1.89), P<0.001], the number of guide pin adjustments [ SMD=-3.75, 95% CI (-6.77, -0.72), P=0.015], intraoperative blood loss [ SMD=-0.83, 95% CI (-1.18, -0.49), P<0.001], and operative time [ SMD=-2.59, 95% CI (-4.11, -1.08), P<0.001] were smaller than those in the fluoroscopy-assisted group. The rate of excellent screw implantation [ OR=10.13, 95% CI (3.67,27.98), P<0.001] of the robot-assisted was larger than the fluoroscopy-assisted group. There was no significant difference in Majeed functional score [ SMD=0.28, 95% CI (-0.0003, 0.55), P=0.050] and fracture healing time [ SMD=-0.14, 95% CI (-0.46, 0.17), P=0.367] between the two groups. Conclusion:Robot-assisted percutaneous sacroiliac screw fixation for posterior pelvic ring fractures has the advantages of less fluoroscopy, less guide pin adjustment, less intraoperative blood loss, shorter operation time, and higher rate of excellent screw position. However, there is no difference in Majeed score and fracture healing time between robot-assisted percutaneous sacroiliac screw fixation and fluoroscopy-assisted percutaneous sacroiliac screw fixation.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the distribution characteristics of the main semen parameters of healthy semen donors and normal fertile men in Shanghai, compare the semen quality between the two groups, and investigate the normal reference values of the semen parameters of the fertile population in Shanghai.

METHODSWe obtained semen samples from 100 healthy donors and 41 fertile men, performed semen analyses according to the WHO (2010) guidelines, and determined the semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm progressive motility, total sperm count and total progressively motile sperm count. We analyzed the distribution of the semen parameters of the normal fertile men, and obtained the lower limits of their normal reference values.

RESULTSThere were no statistically significant differences in the main semen parameters between the healthy donors and normal fertile men (P < 0.05). The lower reference limits for the semen parameters of normal fertile men in Shanghai (P < 0.05) were as follows: sperm concentration > or = 27.3 x 10(6)/ml, sperm progressive motility > or = 8.1%, semen volume > or = 0.82 ml, total sperm count > or = 44.73 x 10(6) per ejaculate, and total progressively motile sperm count > or = 24.68 x 10(6) per ejaculate.

CONCLUSIONFor the evaluation of male fecundity, total sperm count and total progressively motile sperm count may be two better predictors than others.

Adult ; China ; Fertility ; Humans ; Male ; Reference Values ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; Tissue Donors ; Young Adult

The aim of the present study was to develop three-dimensional (3D) culture model, a more pathologically relevant model, of human breast cancer for drug resistance study. MCF-7 cells were embedded within collagen gel to establish 3D culture model. Cellular morphology was observed using Carmine and HE staining. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 assay, and cell activity was detected by Live/Dead staining kit. Drug sensitivities of the 3D culture to doxorubicin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil were assayed and compared with those of monolayer (2D) culture. In addition, the levels of drug resistance-related genes P-glycoprotein (P-gp), mrp2 mRNA expressions were detected by real time RT-PCR. Expression level of P-gp protein was detected by Western blot. The results showed that MCF-7 cells in 3D culture formed a number of cell aggregates, and most of them displayed good cell viability. The IC50 values of doxorubicin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil were all increased significantly in 3D culture compared with those in 2D culture. Moreover, compared with MCF-7 cells in 2D culture, the cells in 3D culture showed increased mRNA levels of P-gp and mrp2, as well as up-regulated protein expression of P-gp. These results suggest that in vitro collagen-embedded culture system of human breast cancer cells represents an improved pathologically relevant 3D microenvironment for breast cancer cells, providing a robust tool to explore the mechanism of drug resistance of cancer cells.
ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells

: Objective: To explore the feasibility and preliminary technical experience of the double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after total laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (TLPG) in the treatment of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG). Methods: A descriptive case series study method was used. Clinical data of 12 AEG patients who underwent the double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after TLPG from January 2021 to June 2021 at the Department of General Surgery, First Medical Center, PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among the 12 patients, the median tumor diameter was 2.0 (1.5-2.9) cm, and the pathological stage was T1-3N0-3aM0. All the patients routinely underwent TLPG and D2 lymph node dissection with double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis: (1) Double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis: mesentery 25 cm away from the Trevor ligament was treated, and an incision of about 1 cm was made on the mesenteric border of the intestinal wall and the right wall of the esophagus, two arms of the linear cutting closure were inserted, and esophagojejunal side-to-side anastomosis was performed. A linear stapler was used to cut off the lower edge of the anastomosis and close the common opening to complete the esophagojejunal π-shaped anastomosis. (2) Side-to-side gastrojejunostomy anastomosis: an incision of about 1 cm was made at the jejunum to mesenteric border and at the greater curvature of the remnant stomach 15 cm from the esophagojejunostomy, and a linear stapler was inserted to complete the gastrojejunostomy side-to-side anastomosis. (3) Side-to-side jejunojejunal anastomosis: an incision of about 1 cm was made at the proximal and distal jejunum to the mesangial border 40 cm from the esophagojejunostomy, and two arms of the linear stapler were inserted respectively to complete the side-to-side jejunojejunal anastomosis. A midline incision about 4-6 cm in the upper abdomen was conducted to take out the specimen, and an abdominal drainage tube was placed, then layer-by-layer abdominal closure was performed. INDICATIONS: (1) adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (Seiwert type II-III) was diagnosed by endoscopy and pathological examination; (2) ability to preserve at least 1/2 of the distal stomach after R0 resection of proximal stomach was evaluated preoperatively. CONTRAINDICATIONS: (1) evaluation indicated distant metastasis of tumor or invasion of other organs; (2) short abdominal esophagus or existence of diaphragmatic hiatal hernia was assessed during the operation; (3) mesentery was too short or the tension was too high; (4) existence of severe comorbidities before surgery; (5) only palliative surgery was required in preoperative evaluation; (6) poor nutritional status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, time to first flatus and time to start liquid diet, postoperative hospital stay, operation cost, etc. Continuous variables that conformed to normal distribution were presented as mean ± standard deviation, and those that did not conform to normal distribution were presented as median (Q1,Q3). Results: All the patients successfully completed TLPG with double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis, and postoperative pathology showed that no cancer cells were found on the upper incision margin. The operation time was (247.9±62.4) minutes, the median intraoperative blood loss was 100.0 (62.5, 100.0) ml, no intraoperative blood transfusion was required, the incision length was (4.9±1.0) cm, and the operation cost was (55.5±0.7) thousand yuan. The median time to start liquid diet was 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) days, and the mean time to flatus was (3.1±0.9) days. All the patients were discharged uneventfully. Only 1 patient developed postoperative paralytic ileus and infectious pneumonia with Clavien-Dindo classification of grade II. The patient recovered after conservative treatment. There was no surgery-related death. The postoperative hospital stay was (8.3±2.1) days. Conclusion: The double-tract reconstruction combined with π-shaped esophagojejunal anastomosis after TLPG is safe and feasible, which can minimize surgical trauma and accelerate postoperative recovery.
Adenocarcinoma/surgery* ; Anastomosis, Surgical/methods* ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Esophagogastric Junction/surgery* ; Flatulence ; Gastrectomy/methods* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery*

MSC transplantation has been explored as a new clinical approach to stem cell-based therapies for bone diseases in regenerative medicine due to their osteogenic capability. However, only a small population of implanted MSC could successfully reach the injured areas. Therefore, enhancing MSC migration could be a beneficial strategy to improve the therapeutic potential of cell transplantation. Catharmus tinctorius volatile oil (CTVO) was found to facilitate MSC migration. Further exploration of the underlying molecular mechanism participating in the pro-migratory ability may provide a novel strategy to improve MSC transplantation efficacy. This study indicated that CTVO promotes MSC migration through enhancing ROCK2 mRNA and protein expressions. MSC migration induced by CTVO was blunted by ROCK2 inhibitor, which also decreased myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Meanwhile, the siRNA for ROCK2 inhibited the effect of CTVO on MSC migration ability and attenuated MLC phosphorylation, suggesting that CTVO may promote BMSC migration via the ROCK2/MLC signaling. Taken together, this study indicates that C. tinctorius volatile oil could enhance MSC migration via ROCK2/MLC signaling in vitro. C. tinctorius volatile oil-targeted therapy could be a beneficial strategy to improve the therapeutic potential of cell transplantation for bone diseases in regenerative medicine.