Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) could induce extensive and rapid future liver remnant hypertrophy. However, the morbidity for ALPPS is very high. This paper reports a modified ALPPS (associating microwave ablation and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy, AMAPS), which was successfully applied in the treatment of huge hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis, and the procedure of operation was greatly simplified. Hence, AMAPS is feasible and safe in selected patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Fibrosis* ; Hepatectomy* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Ligation* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Microwaves* ; Portal Vein*

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major obstacle for drug delivery into the central nervous system (CNS). However, there is no ideal model animal for the study of BBB permeability till now. Currently zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a powerful model organism for the study of vertebrate biology. In this study, the feasibility of using zebrafish as model animal was investigated for BBB permeability by comparing the results of administration of BBB-penetrating peptide and protein to mouse and zebrafish. The results showed that the BBBs of mouse and zebrafish were similar in molecular permeability. Additionally, zebrafish has advantageous features as a model animal, such as small size, fertile and easy to breed. Therefore, it is suggested that zebrafish may be a favored model for the study of BBB permeability.
Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; metabolism ; Brain ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorescent Dyes ; pharmacokinetics ; Glycoproteins ; pharmacokinetics ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Peptide Fragments ; pharmacokinetics ; Permeability ; Rhodamines ; pharmacokinetics ; Tissue Distribution ; Viral Proteins ; pharmacokinetics ; Zebrafish ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDNeural tube defects are the most common human birth defects. The causes are multifactorial with complex genetic and environmental factors, although the exact genetic causes are unknown. This research was conducted to study the frequency of Msx2 gene polymorphisms in 59 women with a history of pregnancy with a neural tube defect and in 73 healthy controls. We aimed to determine the effect of this genetic polymorphism on the incidence of neural tube defects in the Han Chinese population.

METHODSWe studied 59 mothers with at least one previous child with a neural tube defect (the case group) and 73 case-control subjects during the same period, from Shanxi Province, China. We analyzed the genotypic distributions and allele frequencies of Msx2 C386T polymorphisms in DNA samples from the case and control groups. A three-dimensional protein model was predicted using Swiss-Pdb Viewer software version 4.0. Disease association was analyzed using chi-square tests.

RESULTSSignificant differences were observed in the genotypes and allele frequencies of the Msx2 C386T allele between the case and control groups (CT: 32% vs. 15%, P = 0.0073 and TT 15% vs. 4%, P = 0.013, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that the C386T mutation is a potential risk factor for neural tube defects (P < 0.05; OR: 3.466; 95%CI: 1.831 - 6.560). Three-dimensional structure prediction revealed that the Msx2 C386T mutation results in a threonine substitution for methionine at position 129 of exon 2, which might lead to structural mutations or dysfunctions in the protein encoded by Msx2.

CONCLUSIONMaternal Msx2 C386T gene polymorphisms were associated with fetal neural tube defects in Han Chinese women in Shanxi Province.

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neural Tube Defects ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Pregnancy ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of propofol used as anesthesia and deep sedation during flexible bronchoscopy in children. METHODS: The clinical data of 206 children with atelectasis who underwent flexible bronchoscopic alveolar lavage in the Endoscopy Room of the Respiratory Department of Hebei Children's Hospital from January 2016 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Children for ASAⅠ/Ⅱ level were divided into two groups according to the sedation method :there were 106 cases in the propofol group(2 mg/kg)and 100 cases in the midazolam group(0.1 mg/kg).To compare the onset time of anesthetict,heart rate(HR),respiratory rate(RR),mean arterial pressure(MAP),percutaneous oxygen saturation(SPO2)before and after anesthesia induction(T0,T1),during endoscopy placement(T2)and after awakening(T3)at 4 time points,operative duration,the waked duration of postoperation,the rate of adverse reactions(hiccups,respiratory depression)in the operation and Ramsay score between two groups. All data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 statistical software.RESULTS:(1)There were statistically significant differences at the onset time of anestheticts,operative duration and the rate of side-effects between the two groups(P<0.05). There was no statistical differences in awake time(P>0.05).(2)There was no significant difference in MAP or SPO2 at time points of T0,T1,T2,T3(P>0.05),whereas the difference in HR and RR at time points of T1,T2,T3 between the two groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).(3)The sedative effect of propofol group was significantly better than that of midazolam group in Ramsay sedative scoring. CONCLUSION: Propofol used for anesthesia and deep sedation works fast,safely and effectively in flexible bronchoscopy for children;the time to gain consciousness is short,the operation time is short and there is fewer side effects,which is worth promoting.