Objective:To study the biological characteristics of new retrograde filling materials iRoot BP plus and iRoot FS.Methods:(1 )The roots were cut into 3 mm in length,and the root canals were pre-pared to 1 mm in diameter,followed by being filled with iRoot BP plus,iRoot FS,or mineral trioxide ag-gregate (MTA).The specimens were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF).The ability of minerali-zation in vitro was detected through three studies.First,the mineralization of specimens was analyzed through scanning electron microscope observations and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer.Then,the pH of SBF was monitored using pH meter.(2)The extracts were gained by immersing blocks of iRoot BP plus,iRoot FS,and MTA (8 mm diameter and 2 mm height)into dulbecco’s modified eagle medium (DMEM).The effects of the extracts on proliferation of MG63 cells were detected through MTT assay. The gene expression level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP)was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR, and the expression of ALP activity was observed by ALP activity staining.Results:(1 )The formation of minerals could be observed on the surfaces of iRoot BP plus,iRoot FS,and MTA at the end of 24 h,and there were more amounts of apatite aggregated after 14 days.The values of Ca/P ratios of apatites were 1.43,1.39,and 1.51,respectively.(2)The pH of SBF could be raised to 8.09 ±0.07,7.91 ± 0.06,and 8.1 1 ±0.06,respectively,significantly higher than the blank.(3)The extracts of iRoot BP plus,iRoot FS,and MTA of dilutions of 1∶5 and 1∶10 presented no effect of proliferation of MG63 cells. (4)iRoot BP plus and iRoot FS could significantly up-regulated the levels of ALP messenger RNA ex-pression,while there was no obvious difference in ALP staining among the iRoot BP plus,iRoot FS, MTA,and the blank.Conclusion:The present study shows that iRoot has displayed good mineralization capability in vitro and capability to promote differentiation and mineralization of MG63 cells,inferring that iRoot may have good bioactivity.

Objective The CYP19 gene product enzyme aromatase mediates the conversion of the androgen testosterone to es -tradiol.The aim of this study is to investigate whether the CYP19A1 gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with the susceptibility to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and serum hormone levels. Methods We conducted a case-controlled study, which included 373 PCOS patients and 313 healthy controls.We genotyped SNP rs2899470 in the subjects using the polymerase chain re-action-restriction fragment length polymorphism ( PCR-RFLP) method and analyzed the frequencies of genotypes and alleles as well as the association of different genotypes with age , menarchal age, body mass index (BMI), and serum levels of hormones. Results The gen-otypic distributions of rs2899470 GG, TG, and TT in the PCOS women were 44.5%, 49.6%, and 5.9%, respectively, significantly dif-ferent from 39.3%, 48.6%, and 12.1%in the healthy controls (P=0.013).The frequency of the G allele was 69.3%in the former, remarkably higher than 63.6%in the latter (P=0.025).The rs2899470 genotypic frequencies were associated with the serum E 2/T lev-els in the PCOS patients. Conclusion SNP rs2899470 in the CYP19A1 gene is associated with the susceptibility to PCOS , and so is the genotype of rs2899470 with serum E2/T levels, which may be attributed mainly to the reduced activity of aromatase .

Background Clinical effectiveness of intavitreal injection of glucocorticosteroid for macular edema has been verified,especially triamcinolone acetonide(TA).However,the efficacy and safety of combination of TA with macular laser grid photocoagulation for macular edema is concerned. Objective This clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal injection of TA combined with macular laser grid photocoagulation in the treatment of macular edema. Methods A case-cohort study was designed.One hundred and twenty eyes of 120 patients with macular edema from diabetes or retinal vein occlusion were included in this study.The patients were randomized into trial group and control group,with the matched age,course,visual acuity,intraocular pressure (IOP).The patients of the trial group received intravitreal injection of TA combined with macular laser grid photocoagulation,and those of the control group were managed with macular laser grid photocoagulation only.Best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA),optical coherence tomography(OCT),fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA) and IOP were examined before TA injection and 1 week,1 month,3 months,6 months after treatment and compared among different time points between two groups.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to entering this trial. Results Compared with TA injection before,the BCVA was significantly elevated in the trial group 1 week,1 month,3 months and 6 months after TA injection( all P=0.000),however,no obvious improvement of visual acuity was found in the control group before and after treatment at any time point (P＞0.05 ).At various time points,the visual acuity was significantly improved in the trial group than the control group (P =0.037,0.000,0.002,0.046 ).Macular thickness was significantly decreased at various time points after TA injection in comparison with before TA injection in the trial group(all P=0.000),but no significant change in macular thickness in the control group between before and after treatment at any time point( P＞0.05 ).Macular thickness was lower in the trial group compared with the control group at various time points after treatment ( P＜0.05 ).Recurrence of macular edema was seen in 7 eyes ( 1 1.67％ ) 4-6 months,and the IOP raise( ＞21 mmHg)was found in 11 eyes( 14.1％ )after TA injection in the trial group.Conclusions Intravitreal injection of TA combined with macular laser grid photocoagulation can be an effective method in the treatment of macular edema.However,recurrence of macular edema or increase of IOP may occur in a few patients within 6 months after TA injection.A long-term follow-up should be performed for the evaluation of efficacy and safety after intravitreous injection of TA.

A rapid analytical method for the determination of dezocine and pethidine in hair samples using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was established.After cleaned hair was extracted by grinding with methanol and ultrasonic, the final solution was analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS.The targets were gradient eluted on a Waters Acquity BEH C18 (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.7 μm) column with 0.1% formic acid-water and methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min.The ESI+ ion source and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) were used to select the qualitative and quantitative ion pairs of dezocine and pethidine.Dezocine and pethidine showed good linearity in the range of 0.01-8 ng/mg, with the limit of detection of 0.005 ng/mg and the LOQs of 0.01 ng/mg.The accuracy, precision, matrix effect, extraction recovery, and stability all met the requirements.The established method is simple, rapid, and accurate for the qualitative and quantitative determination of dezocine and pethidine in hair, which can be applied in the case analysis of dezocine and/or pethidine abuse.

OBJECTIVETo summarize the clinical manifestation and diagnosis of ganglioneuroma in spine and investigate the clinical effect of surgical treatment.

METHODSThe clinical data of 6 patients underwent a surgery for ganglioneuroma in spine from January 2008 to January 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 4 males and 2 females, aged from 2 to 63 years old with an average of 34.6 years. The courses of disease were from 3 days to 17 years. Five patients complicated with superficial hypesthesia in correlative level of tumor, and the muscle strength under tumor plane had decreased at different levels, with the strength of grade II-IV. Two cases complicated with hypermyotonia and positive bilateral Hoffmann's and Babinski sign. Five cases were sporadic lesion in correlative spinal canal and one case complicated with the giant occupying lesion in thoracic cavity.

RESULTSSix operations had been performed including 5 en bloc and 1 subtotal resection. Postoperative pathological results showed tumor cells scattered or fasciculated inserted into Schwann cells in the stroma. In 2 patients complicated with radiculalgia before operation, 1 case was relieved and 1 was invariant after operation. All 4 patients with preoperative dyscinesia in the limbs obtained improvement after operation. All the patients were followed up from 0.3 to 6.8 years with an average of 2.5 years. At the final follow-up, according to ASIA grade, 5 cases were good and 1 case was invariant. During the follow-up, only 1 patient experienced chemoradiation because of merging ganglioneuroblastoma and receiving subtotal resection. No recurrence in other 5 cases.

CONCLUSIONGanglioneuroma is a benign and rare tumors in spine. Clinically, radicular pain and sensory-motor disorders are the main manifestations. Its diagnosis depends on pathological examination. Prognosis of surgical treatment is good.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglioneuroma ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery

Congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD) is an important factor that contributes to obstructive azoospermia and male infertility. The etiology of CAVD is associated with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and defects in the Wolffian duct, and frequently complicated by renal agenesis and other urogenital abnormalities. Physical examination may reveal nonpalpable scrotal vas deferentia, while vasography intrinsic vasal absence. Ultrasound and computerized tomography (CT) can rule out the abnormalities of the upper urinary tracts and the seminal vesicles. Although it is difficult to cure the disease, it is now possible for CAVD patients to father children with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The present review is focused on the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of CAVD.
Cystic Fibrosis ; etiology ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; etiology ; Male ; Mesonephros ; abnormalities ; Urogenital Abnormalities ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Vas Deferens ; abnormalities

Bel1, a transactivator of prototype foamy virus (PFV), plays pivotal roles in the replication of PFV. Previous studies have shown that Bel1 bears a nuclear localization signal (NLS), but its amino acid sequence remains unclear and the corresponding importins have not been identified. In this report, we inserted various fragments of Bel1 into an EGFP-GST fusion protein and investigated their subcellular localization by fluorescence microscopy. We found that the 215PRQKRPR221 fragment could direct nuclear localization, which accords with the consensus sequence K(K/R)X(K/R) of monopartite NLS. Point mutation experiments revealed that K218, R219, and R221 are essential for the nuclear localization of Bel1. The results of the GST-pulldown showed that the Bel1 fragment with residues 215-223, which bears the NLS, interacts with KPNA1, KPNA6, and KPNA7. This result suggests that KPNA1, KPNA6, and KPNA7 maybe involved in Bel1 nuclear translocation.
Cell Line ; Cell Nucleus ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; Humans ; Nuclear Localization Signals ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Transport ; Retroviridae Infections ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; Retroviridae Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Spumavirus ; chemistry ; genetics ; physiology ; Trans-Activators ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; alpha Karyopherins ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the risk factors for conversion of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) to laparotomy.Methods In 1020 LC patients,36 patients with conversion of LC to laparotomy were chosen as the case group,108 patients with successful LC were chosen as the control group.Univariate analysis and Logistic multivariate regression model were used to analyze the risk factors for conversion of LC to laparotomy.Results Age ＞ 65 years (0R=3.234,95％ CI:0.532-6.853),course of disease ＞ 72h (OR =2.342,95％ CI:0.568 ～ 5.656),history of upper abdominal operation (OR =2.453,95％ CI:0.345-7.453),thickness of gallbladder wall ≥ 6 mm (OR =2.453,95％ CI:0.453-6.343),white bloodcell count ＞ 15.0 × 109/L (OR =4.532,95％ CI:0.535-8.329) were risk factors for conversion of LC to laparotomy.Conclusion Preoperative comprehensive evaluation the risk factors and selecting suitable program have important clinical significant in reducing the rate of conversion LC to laparotomy.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of integrons in A.baumannii isolates,analyze the correlation between inte- grons and resistance of A.baumannii,and study the resistance genes in integrons.Methods A total of 106 strains of A.bau- mannii were collected to test the antibiotic susceptibility by disk diffusion method.The classification of integrons was per- formed by analyzing the positive PCR products using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).The variable region of integrons was amplified by integron PCR.RFLP and DNA sequencing were used to analyze the resistance genes in integrons. Results About 52.8% (56/106) of the isolates showed integron positive.PCR-RFLP analysis revealed that they were all class I integrons.About 94.6%(53/56) of the positive strains with integrons owned the variable region,which was confirmed by integron PCR.The sizes of the amplicons ranged from 0.15 kb to 2.8 kb.All together 7 different cassette arrays were detec- ted,including genes coding resistance to aminoglycosides (aadA1,aadA2,aadA5,aadB,aacA4),sulphonamides (dfrⅫ, dfr17),?-lactam compounds (bla_(ara-10)),chloramphenicol (catB-like,catB8),and two open reading frames (orfF,orfI) with unknown function.A novel cassette array orfI-aadA1 was reported,and its GenBank accession number was DQ092497.Conclu- sions Class I integrons are widespread in A.baumannii isolates in Nanjing.The integrons are closely associated with the resist- ance and multidrug resistance in A.baumannii isolates.

Objective To investigate the relationship between carotid intima media thickness (IMT) and pulse pressure index (PPI) in elderly hypertensive patients.PPI was defined as 24 h mean pulse pressure(PP)/24 h mean SBP.Methods One hundred and three elderly hypertensive patients were categorized by PPI level:group A (PPI