Super-selective transcatheter prostatic arterial embolization is a newly-developed minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia with good maneuverability, safety and fewer complications. The short-term and mid-term follow-up has proved that it has higher clinical efficacy in improving the quality of life by alleviating lower urinary tract symptoms. It emerges as an innovative technology in urology and interventional radiology. In order to ensure a successful procedure with satisfactory clinical outcome the most important considerations when performing prostatic arterial embolization are to precisely identify the prostatic artery, to correctly differentiate the anastomoses with surrounding arteries, and to properly select embolic agents. This paper aims to make a comprehensive review on the progress and current situation of prostatic arterial embolization with a focus on the clinical issues and technical challenges.

The purpose of this study is to prepare T7 and TAT dual modified liposomes (T7-TAT-LIP) to penetrate through blood brain barrier and target to brain tumor cells. The liposomes were prepared with CFPE, T7 modified PEG-DSPE, TAT modified PEG-DSPE, soybean phospholipid, PEG-DSPE and cholesterol. The CFPE was used to track the cellular uptake efficiency. The density of T7 and TAT and the length of PEG were optimized, and then the liposomes were characterized by particle size, zeta potential, morphology and stability. Afterwards, the cellular uptake by bEnd.3 and C6 cells were evaluated. The results showed that the optimized parameters were 6% of T7, 0.5% of TAT, the molecular weight of PEG for T7 was 2000 and the molecular weight of PEG for TAT was 1000. After optimization, the particle size of T7-TAT-LIP was 118 nm, the zeta potential was -6.32 mV and the particles were spherical. The turbidity and particle size of liposomes were not obviously changed after 24 h incubation in PBS at 37 °C. The particle size and polydispersity index were also stable during 1 month incubation at 4-8 °C. The cellular uptake by both bEnd.3 and C6 cells of T7-TAT-LIP was higher than that of T7 or TAT modified liposomes, suggesting dual modified liposomes possessed better blood brain barrier targeting ability and brain tumor targeting ability than the single ligand modified liposomes.
Biological Transport ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; pharmacology ; Cholesterol ; Liposomes ; Particle Size ; Phosphatidylethanolamines ; Polyethylene Glycols

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical characteristics and radiological manifestations of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome(IRIS)in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS)patients with tuberculosis(TB)during highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART).MethodsThe clinical and radiological data in 4 AIDS patients with TB who presented IRIS were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsThe clinical presentations of IRIS in 4 patients included fever(4 cases),weakness and weight loss(3 cases),abdominal pain(2 cases),cough with sputum(1 case),dyspnea(1 case).Cervical and(or)supra-clavicular lymph node enlargement were seen in 3 patients,inguinal lymph node enlargement in 1 patient,abdominal lymph node enlargement in 1 patient,hilar or mediastinal lymph node enlargement in 2 patients,pulmonary parenchyma and liver were involved in 2 patients,the involvement of kidney,adrenal gland,mesentery,peritoneum,psoas,brain and cutis was respectively found in 1 patient.The clinical and radiological presentations of IRIS were temporary and self-limited,improvement can be seen with antituberculosis therapy and HAART. ConclusionsIt is possible to have IRIS during HAART in AIDS patients with TB.Imaging examinations play an important role in the early diagnosis,monitoting and evaluating the response to therapy of IRIS.

Objective To investigate the effects of quiet respiratory intrathoracic pressure changes on ventricular dimensions and left ventricular systolic function,and to further verify our newly proposed hypothesis of the mechanism of respiratory effects on hemodynamics.Methods Twenty healthy volunteers aged 18 to 40 years average(24?7) years were included.The respiratory curve and electrocardiogram were simultaneously recorded.The interventricular septum movement,ventricular dimensions and ventricular systolic excursions were recorded by two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography during quiet respiration.The respiratory variations of the above parameters were derived,and the parameters for assessing ventricular systolic function were calculated.Results With quiet respiration,the interventricular septum moved towards the left ventricle on inspiration,and then towards the right ventricle on expiration.The right ventricular diastolic dimension increased significantly on inspiration compared with those on expiration.The opposite changes occurred with left ventricular diastolic dimensions.The left ventricular posterior wall systolic excursion and the left ventricular stroke volume significantly increased during expiration compared with those during inspiration.No significant differences were found in left ventricular ejection fraction and fractional shortening between inspiration and expiration.Conclusions The respiratory intrathoracic pressure change is one of the factors influencing the reciprocal changes of the left and right ventricular parameters related to ventricular dimensions and systolic function.

Objective To investigate the molecular genetic causes and their characteristics of deafness from patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss in Gansu province.Methods Peripheral blood samples were obtained from a total of 375 patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss to extract genomic DNA.Three genes of GJB2, mitochondrial DNA 12SrRNA, and SLC26A4 were screened for mutations in our study cohort using SNPscan technology.Results Among 375 patients, 23 patients were found to carry the homoplasmic mtDNA12SrRNA A1555G mutation, and 2 patients were detected to carry the homoplasmic mtDNA12SrRNA C1494T mutation.Forty-two cases(11.2%) were caused by GJB2 mutations, including 31cases(8.3%) of homozygous mutations, 11 patients(2.9%) of compound heterozygous mutations, and 25 cases(6.7%) of single homozygous mutations.c.235delC was the most prevalent GJB2 mutation with the allele frequency of 8.8%.Twenty-nine cases (7.7%) were caused by SLC26A4mutations, including 17cases(4.5%) of homozygous mutations, 12 patients(3.2%) of compound heterozygous mutations, and 16 cases(4.3%) of single homozygous mutations.c.919-2A>G and c.2168A>G were the most common SLC26A4 mutation, the allele frequencies were 5.2% and 2.0%, respectively.Conclusion A high incidence of mtDNA12SrRNAA1555G mutation is found in nonsyndromic hearing loss patients from Gansu province, while the incidence of GJB2 and SLC26A4 mutations is similar to the level of the overall Chinese deaf population.These findings demonstrate that a total of 25.6% of deaf patients have inherited hearing impairment caused by GJB2, SLC26A4, and mitochondrialDNA12SrRNA mutations.As a result 36% patients and family member can acquire effective genetic counseling.

Objective Studies show that the abnormal ex-pressions of APC and survivin play important roles in the development and progression of colon cancer .Survivin shRNA and APC double gene co-expression lentiviral vector was constructed to observe whether it could be successfully expressed in HT-29 colon cancer cells and whether it could impact on colon cancer cell apoptosis . Methods We selected the best shRNA interference fragment from the construc-tion of three pairs of complementary shRNA fragments and connected it with the effective fragment of APC ( aa1020-1698 ) to construct a double gene co-expression lentiviral vector .HT-29 cells were divid-ed into experimental group , empty loading group and blank group .HT-29 cells were observed by fluorescence microscopy after infec-tion.Survivin and APC expression levels were observed by real time PCR and western blot .Apoptosis was detected by caspase-3 activi-ty assay. Results ①We successfully constructed three pairs of shRNA sequences and proved that they had no human gene homolo -gous to the rest.Real time PCR analysis showed that the best sequence was shRNA 3.②After the sequence alignment of constructed shRNA vectors, three pairs of shRNA sequences were completely the same with the first designed sequence .Green fluorescence was observed in HT-29 cells by fluorescence microscope .The survivin content in experiment group (31.71 ±1.49) was significantly de-creased compared with empty loading group (100 ±0) and blank group(95.12 ±2.15)(P<0.05).The expression level of APC mR-NA was significantly increased compared with empty loading group (0 ±0) and blank group(0.51 ±0.15)(P<0.05).③The relative ratio of apoptosis in experiment group (0.573 ±0.050) was significantly increased compared with empty loading group (0.390 ± 0.040) and blank group(0.407 ±0.030)(P<0.05). Conclusion We have successfully constructed survivin-shRNA-APC double gene co-expression lentiviral vector which can be successfully expressed in HT-29 colon cancer cells , providing references for subse-quent gene therapy by the use of the carrier .

Objective To explore the safety of Habib VesOpen bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) catheter used in the treatment of portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). Methods A total of 10 miniature pigs were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A(n=6):RFA of normal portal vein was directly performed;group B (n=2): balloon obstruction of the portal vein was performed first, which was followed by RFA for the fresh thrombus in the portal vein; group C (n=2): PVTT model was established first, and RFA of the portal vein was carried out when the portal thrombus became organized. MRI examination was employed at one, 3 and 4 weeks after RFA; the animals were sacrificed 4 weeks after RFA and pathological examination of portal vein was performed. Results Pigs of group A received portal vein RFA under the condition of 5 W power for 0.6-3.6 min. No obvious abnormality was detected by MRI and pathological examination , which were performed one month after the treatment. In the pigs of group B , MRI performed after RFA showed that the damage of portal vein area was more serious than that in the pigs of group A;abdominal MRI examination performed at one, 3 and 4 weeks after RFA showed that the portal venous edema was gradually decreased;pathological examination at one month after RFA demonstrated serious injury of adjacent liver tissue. Pigs of group C received portal vein RFA under the condition of 7 W power for 1.5 min; no obvious edema of the ablated area was observed on MRI performed after RFA , and pathological examination revealed organized thrombus necrosis and va scular endothelial cell damage. Conclusion When Habib VesOpen bipolar RFA catheter is used for the treatment of PVTT, the RFA power and time should be properly selected according to the severity of PVTT. In order to ensure a safer procedure, high power and short ablation time should be used when the severity of PVTT is mild, while low power and longer ablation time are recommended when the PVTT is more severe.

Objective To make a systematic analysis of the interaction between osteoporosis and smoking to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying osteoporosis susceptibility affected by smoking.Methods First,a two-way ANOVA analysis was conducted using microarray data to search all potential genes associated with both smoking and osteoporosis.We further explored the potential biologically related metabolic pathways through gene pathway enrichment analysis.Then the interaction genes within enriched pathways were verified by genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis.Finally,protein-protein interaction analysis was applied to identify the core regulatory network in which those verified genes involved.Results We identified 441 risk genes closely associated with both smoking and osteoporosis by microarray analysis.Through gene pathway analysis,we identified a vital metabolism pathway, gap junction, which is a potential mediator between smoking and osteoporosis process. Finally,we verified some critical genes by genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis,and revealed a potential smoking-osteoporosis interaction core regulatory network that included 1 3 proteins by protein network analysis.Conclusion We have discovered a new regulatory framework connecting smoking and osteoporosis, which provides new clues about disease etiologies and novel promising drug targets.

OBJECTIVEHigh altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a life-threatening disease, has no biological markers used for the routine prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to identify serum proteins differentially expressed in patients with HAPE for discovering essential biomarkers.

METHODSA complete serum proteomic analysis was performed on 10 HAPE patients and on 10 high altitude and 11 sea level healthy people as control using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and peptide mass fingerprinting. Finally, two most significantly changed proteins were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSEight protein spots stained with differential intensity, respresenting 5 distinct proteins were identified in patients compared with healthy controls through analysis of these composite gels. Among them, four proteins, namely alpha 1-antitrypsin(alpha1-AT), Haptoglobin(Hp), apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) and Complement C3 increased remarkably, while one protein, apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) decreased significantly. The variation of alpha1-AT and Haptoglobin, as detected by ELISA, was consistent with the results from proteomic analysis.

CONCLUSIONSIt is well known that Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 are associated with inflammation and apoA-1 and apoA-IV play important roles in lipid absorption, transport and metabolism. Therefore, the significant expression changes of Hp, alpha1-AT and complement C3 and apoA-1 and apoA-IV between HAPE patients and their corresponding healthy controls highlight the role of inflammatory response system and lipid metabolism system in the pathophysiology of HAPE.

Altitude ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Peptide Mapping ; Proteome ; Pulmonary Edema ; blood ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization