Objective To investigate the clinical application of Utrecht applicator in three-dimensional image-guided brachytherapy (3D-IGBT) for locally advanced cervical cancer,as well as its application discipline in intracavitary/interstitial (IC/IS) therapy.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 45 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer who received radical radiotherapy,and the patients received external beam radiotherapy followed by 3D-IGBT.A total of 130 times (n =45) of IC/IS therapy were performed,and the patients who received such therapy were all enrolled.The patients who met the target dose fractionation defined in the plan were enrolled as group A (n=37,86 times),and the other patients were enrolled as group B (n=22,44 times).Two groups difference was analyzed with Group t-test.Results The frequencies of use of 15-,20-,and 25-mm ovoids by the applicator were 50.0％,20.0％,and 30.0％,respectively,and the 30-mm ovoid was not used.A total of 499 needles were used,and the frequencies of use of 6,7,10,and 11 insertion holes were 23.1％,21.2％,21.2％,and 24.1 ％,respectively.Group A had a significantly lower mean number of the needles than group B (3.7 vs.4.2,P=0.008).Compared with group B,group A had a significantly lower mean high-risk clinical target volume (CTV)(40.71±18.43 cm3 vs.51.81±14.74 cm3,P=0.001),as well significantly lower width and height of high-risk CTV (P=0.011 and 0.006),but the thickness of high-risk CTV was similar between the two groups (P=0.595).The difference between height and insertion depth (DH) was similar between the two groups (P=0.366).Group A had a smaller difference between width and pinhole distance Dw than group B (P=0.007).Conclusions When IC/IS therapy is performed for locally advanced cervical cancer,the 15-,20-,and 25-mm ovoids of Utrecht applicator and 6,7,10,and 11 insertion holes are frequently used.When the number of needles is no less than 4 and the depth is no less than 3 cm,width is the major factor which affects the planned dose.

White-rot fungi is a kind of basidiomycetes making wood rotten. For their particular metabolism and extracellular degrading ability, they can degrade a lot of organic pollutants, and then become the hot point of international academic research. This paper reviews the recent research progress in many aspects,such as the sort and degradation mechanism of white rot fungus, advances in applied research for white rot fungi on industry and environmental pollution disposal and so on. In addition, some suggestions on the prospective application in the composting of municipal solid waste are presented in the end.

Ten compounds, including seven sesquiterpenes, two phenols and one phenylpropanoid, were isolated from the roots of Illicium majus by means of silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, and preparative HPLC. On analysis of MS and NMR spectroscopic data , their structures were established as cycloparviflorolide (1), cycloparvifloralone (2), tashironin (3), tashironin A (4), anislactone A(5), anislactone B (6), pseudomajucin (7), syringaldehyde (8), methyl-4-hydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxybenzoate (9), and (E)-3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxycinnamic alchol (10), respectively. Compounds 1-4 and 8-10 were first isolated from this plant. In the in vitro assays, at a concentration of 1.0 x 10(-5) mol x L(-1), compounds 5 and 6 were active against LPS induced NO production in microglia with a inhibition rate of 75.31% and 53.7%, respectively.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; chemistry ; Illicium ; chemistry ; Organic Chemicals ; analysis ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry

Radiotherapy is an important part of the postoperative adjuvant therapy of cervical cancer. Along with the persistent development of radiotherapy techniques, the application of brachytherapy has been more and more used as a boost to external beam radiotherapy. In this artical, the indications of postoperative radiotherapy and the application of brachytherapy were reviewed.

Objective:To explore the effects of different approaches for second-trimester multifetal pregnancy reduction on pregnancy outcome in women with dichorionic triamniotic (DCTA) triplet.Methods:A retrospective study was performed on 51 women with DCTA triplet pregnancies who were referred to Guangdong Women and Children Hospital for second-trimester multifetal pregnancy reduction from January 2014 to January 2020. All participants were divided into either preventive group ( n=39) or treatment group ( n=12) according to the indication for multifetal pregnancy reduction, and they were further allocated to three subgroups based on different reduction methods, which were reduction to dichorionic twin by radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (RFA subgroup), reduction to monochorionic singleton (KCl-singleton subgroup) or monochorionic twin (KCl-twin subgroup) by cardiac injection of potassium chloride. Pregnancy loss rate, neonatal birth weight, gestational age at delivery, incidence of intrauterine death, and neonatal death were compared and analyzed between different groups using t-test, analysis of variance, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and Bonferroni correction. Results:(1) The mean gestational week at operation in the treatment group was significantly later than that in the preventive group [(18.5±3.1) vs (15.0±2.3) weeks, t=-4.209, P<0.001]. In the preventive group, the mean gestational week at operation in the RFA subgroup was later than the KCl-singleton and KCl-twin subgroup[(17.2±1.6) vs (13.8±1.5) and (12.7±1.0) weeks, t=6.630 and 3.875, respectively, both P<0.05]. (2) The postoperative pregnancy loss rate in the preventive group was decreased compared with the treatment group [10.3%(4/39) vs 5/12, Fisher's exact test, P<0.05], and the live birth ratio was increased [ 85.7%(48/56) vs 10/18, χ2=5.640, P=0.018]. No live birth infants with birth weight <1 500 g was reported in the KCl-singleton subgroup in preventive group, and the statistical significance was observed in the intra-group differences ( P<0.05) rather than the pairwise comparison differences in the preventive group. For the proportion of live births, there was a statistically significant difference in the intra-group comparison in the treatment group, which was higher in the RFA subgroup than that in the KCl-twin subgroup (6/6 vs 1/6, P=0.045). No significant difference was revealed among pregnancy loss rate, gestational weeks at delivery, the mean birth weight, premature delivery <32 gestational weeks, and full-term birth rate among three different approaches within the two groups. (3) No monochorionic twin complications or perinatal death occurred in any RFA or KCl-singleton subgroups in the two groups. In the KCl-twin subgroups including five cases with ten fetuses, including three live birth, four miscarriage, three intrauterine death occured, while no neonatal death was reported. One case with selective fetal uterine growth restriction in the preventive group delivered two live births, and one case with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome in the treatment group had intrauterine death in one fetus and one survival neonate. Conclusions:The pregnancy outcome of multifetal pregnancy reduction to dichorionic diamniotic twins by RFA or reduction to singleton by cardiac injection of potassium chloride are comparative in women with DCTA triplet, regardless of whether it is a preventive or therapeutic reduction.

In order to investigate the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in multiple myeloma patients and the in vitro and in vivo proangiogenic effects of BDNF, the plasma concentrations of BDNF and VEGF in MM patients and control group were determined by ELISA, the effect of BDNF on the in vitro proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was examined by MTT assay; the effects of BDNF on HUVEC migration and tube formation were studied by modified Boyden chamber assay and tube formation assay, respectively. Matrigel plug assay and chorioallantoic membrane assay were used to evaluate the effect of BDNF on angiogenesis in vivo. The results demonstrated that the concentration of BDNF was (4.22 +/- 0.64) ng/ml and (2.03 +/- 0.38) ng/ml in MM group and control group, respectively, (P = 0.01). There was also a significant difference between VEGF levels of two groups [(79.35 +/- 13.25) pg/ml vs (34.41 +/- 1.78) pg/ml, P = 0.006]. The levels of BDNF and VEGF correlated significantly (r = 0.430, P = 0.025). BDNF stimulated the migration and tube formation in vitro significantly, although it had no effect on the proliferation of HUVEC. BDNF also stimulated angiogenesis both in matrigel plug of mouse model and in chick chorioallantoic membrane. It is concluded that the concentrations of BDNF and VEGF in MM patients' peripheral blood are at high level; BDNF can stimulate the angiogenesis markedly in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, BDNF may act as an important regulator in angiogenesis of MM.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; blood ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; blood ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Chick Embryo ; Chorioallantoic Membrane ; blood supply ; drug effects ; embryology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; blood ; pathology ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; drug effects ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; pharmacology

Objective:To explore the medication rules of Ye Tianshi in the treatment of constipation from his clinical records. Methods:The drugs in the prescriptions of intestinal obstruction and stool closure were collected in Guide to Clinical Practice with Medical Records. Then the frequency of the prescriptions and the herbs for the treatment,as well as the herbal natures, flavors and meridian belongings were analyzed by Excel, SPSS 22.0 and SPSS Modeler software. Results:The main syndrome types of Ye's treatment of fecal occlusive disease were internal accumulation of dampness and heat, deficiency of kidney Yang, hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency, deficiency of liver and kidney Yin, and dysfunction of lung. The medicinal properties were mainly warm, cold and flat, and the tastes were mainly sweet, pungent and bitter, and the meridians mainly belonged to spleen and stomach, lung, liver, kidney and heart. Armeniacae Semen Amarum, Angelica sinensis, Poria, Semen Platycladi, Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim, Semen Persicae were often used. The commonly used drug pairs, included Armeniacae Amarum Semen and Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim, Armeniacae Amarum Semen and Radix Curcumae Aromaticae, Angelica sinensis and Semen Platycladi and so on. Conclusions:Ye Tianshi takes spleen and stomach as the center, pays attention to the important position of dampness pathogen in the pathogenic process, and pays attention to lung Qi purging, liver Qi drainage and bladder gasification. It provides new treatment ideas and methods, guiding future doctors.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of serum adiponectin (APN) for post-stroke depression (PSD) in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods Patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Departments of Neurology, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and Dongguan Changping Hospital were enrolled prospectively from September 2016 to January 2018. Serum APN levels were measured by radioimmunoassay the next day after admission. PSD was diagnosed by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Edition) at one month after discharge. The baseline clinical features in the PSD group and the non-PSD group were compared. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for PSD. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of APN for PSD. Results A total of 220 patients were enrolled, including 57 (25.9%) in the PSD group and 163 (74.1%) in the non-PSD group. The proportion of patients with diabetes (P=0.020) and living alone (P=0.012), as well as age (P=0.17), homocysteine (P=0.009), C-reactive protein ( P=0.001), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ( P=0.007) in the PSD group were significantly higher than those in the non-PSD group, while the APN level was significantly lower than that in the non-PSD group (P=0.003). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the 4th quartile of serum APN level was used as a reference, the 1st quartile of APN level was an independent risk factor for PSD (odds ratio, 4 .202, 95% confidence interval 1.401-12.067; P=0.013). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum APN level for predicting PSD was 0.642 (95% confidence interval 0.564-0.721; P=0.001). The optimal cutoff value was 6.4 mg/L, and its sensitivity of predicting PSD was 63.2%, the specificity was 63.8%, the positive predictive value was 83.3%, and the negative predictive value was 57 .7%. Conclusion Serum APN has a certain predictive value for PSD in patients with ischemic stroke.

AIM:To explore the effects of genipin (GEN) on high glucose (HG) -induced oxidative stress injury and apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.METHODS:H9c2 cells were cultured in vitro and HG-induced injury model was established.H9c2 cells were divided into 4 groups:normal control (NC) group (glucose at 5.6 mmol/L) , HG group (glucose at 50 mmol/L) , NG+GEN group and HG+GEN group.The concentration of genipin was used at 10μmol/L.The viability of the H9c2 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay.The intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were determined by enzyme labeling and WST-1 methods, respectively.The activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cell culture supernatant was detected by microplate method.Fluorescent probe DCF was used to detect intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS).Nucleosome fragments was measured to evaluate cell apoptosis by ELISA.The intracellular mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 method.The protein levels of Mn-SOD, cytochrome C (Cyt C) , Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were determined by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with HG group, the cell viability in HG+GEN group was increased significantly (P<0.05) , the levels of MDA and LDH were decreased (P<0.05) , SOD activity was increased (P<0.05) , the levels of ROS and nucleosome fragments in HG+GEN group were decreased (P<0.05) , and the mitochondrial membranes potential was notably increased (P<0.05).Compared with NG group, the activation of Mn-SOD was decreased, but the protein levels of Cyt C, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were increased in HG group (P<0.05).Compared with HG group, the activation of Mn-SOD was increased, and the protein levels of Cyt C, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 were decreased in HG+GEN group (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Genipin protects HG-induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes against oxidative stress injury and apoptosis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify novel plasma biomarkers for distinguishing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients from healthy individuals who have positive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral capsid antigen (VCA-IgA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy-four plasma cytokines were analyzed by a Cytokine Array in eight healthy individuals with positive EBV VCA-IgA and eight patients with NPC. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect the expression levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) in NPC cell lines and tumor tissues. Plasma MIF and CCL3 were measured by ELISA in 138 NPC patients, 127 EBV VCA-IgA negative (VN) and 100 EBV VCA-IgA positive healthy donors (VP). Plasma EBV VCA-IgA was determined by immunoenzymatic techniques. RESULTS: Thirty-four of the 174 cytokines varied significantly between the VP and NPC group. Plasma MIF and CCL3 were significantly elevated in NPC patients compared with VN and VP. Combination of MIF and CCL3 could be used for the differential diagnosis of NPC from VN cohort (area under the curve [AUC], 0.913; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 80.30%), and combination of MIF, CCL3, and VCA-IgA could be used for the differential diagnosis of NPC from VP cohort (AUC, 0.920; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 84.00%), from (VN+VP) cohort (AUC, 0.961; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 92.00%). Overexpressions of MIF and CCL3 were observed in NPC plasma, NPC cell lines and NPC tissues. CONCLUSION: Plasma MIF, CCL3, and VCA-IgA combination significantly improves the diagnostic specificity of NPC in high-risk individuals.
Biomarkers* ; Blotting, Western ; Capsid* ; Cell Line ; Chemokine CCL3 ; Cohort Studies ; Cytokines ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Macrophages* ; Plasma* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tissue Donors