Objective To investigate the efficacy of centrally fixed eyeball for assessment of the depth of anesthesia in premature infants undergoing outpatient fundus examination. Methods Fifty eight premature infants undergoing examination of fundus of eyes were enrolled in this study. Their gestational age (from the first day of last menstruation period to birth) + after birth age (from birth to the day when examination of fundus of eyes was performed) = 44-64 weeks. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: Ⅰ group body movement (group M, n = 27) and Ⅱ group centrally fixed eyeball (group E, n = 31). Anesthesia was induced and maintained with isoflurane inhalation. The patients were breathing spontaneously. The eyelids were kept open with speculum after induction of anesthesia. The EC50 of sevoflurane concentration which could inhibit body movement or make eyeballs centrally fixed was determined by up-and-down sequential experiment. The initial isoflurane concentration was 3% in both groups. Each time the isoflurane concentration was increased/decreased by 0.5 %. 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated. The lowest SpO2, respiratory rate and coughing during maintenance of anesthesia were recorded. Results The EC50 of sevoflurane (95% CI) was 2.9% (2.2%-3.6%) in group M and 3.4%(2.6%-4.6%) in group E. Examination was successfully completed in all patients. No respiratory depression and coughing occurred during examination and no vomiting and coughing were observed during feeding at 1 h after recovery from anesthesia. No body movement occurred in 15 patients whose eyeballs were centrally fixed in group E. Conclusion Centrally fixed eyeball can be used as sign of appropriate depth of anesthesia for fundus examination in premature infants.

BACKGROUND: Previous experiments demonstrated that low-temperature isotropic pyrolytic carbon has excellent biological features. However, the research regarding low-temperature isotropic pyrolytic carbon prosthesis in hip joints, especially the biological features following hemiarthroplasty are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: Utilizing implantation experiment, the aim of this study was to investigate the biocompatibility, as well as the interface wear properties of carbon femoral head prosthesis, coated with low-temperature isotropic pyrolytic carbon (silicon). DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: In vivo hemiarthroplasty, randomized controlled animal experiment. The experiment was performed at the Experimental Animal Center, the Second Military Medical University of Chinese PLA, from October 2008 to April 2009. MATERIALS: Carbon femoral head prostheses.were supplied by Jilin Central Hospital. The carbon femoral head prosthesis was coated with low-temperature isotropic pyrolytic carbon. METHODS: Carbon femoral head prostheses were implanted in 16 adult New Zealand white rabbits. The rabbits were sacrificed at weeks 6 (n=4), 11 (n=6), 21 (n=6), respectively. Rabbits in the 21-week group were induced to move from 18 weeks with 2 hours per day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The biocompatibility and the interface wear phenomena of the prostheses were investigated by general observation, X-ray observation and tissue slice observation. RESULTS: The carbon femoral head prostheses implanted in animals produced non-toxic side effects, without significant inflammatory response or foreign body reaction. Furthermore, new cartilage tissue around carbon prosthesis was found, while there was no obvious wear debris after sports experiments. CONCLUSION: The film coating carbon materials have excellent biocompatibility and good wear resistance as femoral head prosthesis. Thus, it is a kind of promising biomaterials in prosthesis manufacturing.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the exerted force in different phases of the female menstrual cycle, as well as the changes in estrogen (E2), osteocalcin (OCN), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during orthodontic tooth movement, to provide a theoretical basis for the selection of the best opportunity for efficient tooth movement.

METHODSTwelve women (aged 18 years to 28 years) with extracted first premolars had been selected. Six women in the group were randomly selected as the menstrual period group, whereas the remaining six were assigned to the ovulation period group. Right canines were retracted with 1.5 N NiTi close coil spring. GCF samples were collected prior to the force exertion experiments at 0 (T0), 15 (T1), 30 (T2), and 45 d (T3). The levels of E2, OCN, OPG and RANKL in GCF were measured by chemiluminescence and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTSThe E2 and OCN levels were significantly higher in the ovulation period group than in the menstrual period group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in RANKL and OPG levels between the two groups (P > 0.05). Finally, no significant difference was found in RANKL/OPG ratio between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONExerted force on teeth during the menstrual period may promote rapid tooth movement.

Female ; Gingival Crevicular Fluid ; Humans ; Menstrual Cycle ; Osteoprotegerin ; RANK Ligand ; Tooth Movement Techniques

OBJECTIVEThis research explores the regulatory role of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) in the expression of sclerostin in OCCM-30 cementoblast.

METHODSOCCM-30 cementoblasts were treated with 50 and 100 ng · mL⁻¹ BMP2 for 3, 5, and 7 days. SOST mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Western blot analysis was employed to detect the sclerostin levels in the nucleus. Five groups were prepared for the experiments: control, BMP2, BMP2+dorsomorphin, BMP2+SB202190, and BMP2+PD98059. OCCM-30 was pretreated with BMP2 for 3 and 5 days, and then the sclerostin and SOST mRNA levels were measured.

RESULTSRT-PCR and Western blot analyses showed that BMP2 upregulated the expression of SOST in a concentration-dependent manner. SOST expression increased with time (P < 0.05). Moreover, sclerostin levels of BMP2+dorsomorphin, BMP2+SB202190, and BMP2+PD98059 groups were lower than that of the BMP2 group, and the sclerostin level in BMP2+dorsomorphin group was lowest (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe upregulation of SOST by BMP2 in OCCM-30 is mainly mediated by the BMP2/Smad signal pathway.

Blotting, Western ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; metabolism ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; metabolism ; Dental Cementum ; metabolism ; Genetic Markers ; Signal Transduction ; Up-Regulation

Aim To investigate the combined effect of mangiferin and ephedrine as well as explore its underlying mechanism in mouse model of allergic asthma.Methods The mouse model of asthma was sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin(OVA).The behaviors of mice during the challenging period were observed.Continuous autonomic activities of mice after 1 h of drug treatment were monitored with the autonomic activity recorder for 14 days.The total and differential cells in peripheral blood were counted.Histological study of lung sections on airway inflammation was carried out with haematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining.The levels of ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E(OVA-sIgE) and(Cyclic Adenosine monophosphate) cAMP in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The mRNA expression of cytokines mainly produced by Th1/Th2 lymphocytes such as IFN-γ and IL-4, IL-5 were semi-quantitatively analyzed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results Combination treatment and mangiferin could reduce the aberrantly autonomic activity caused by ephedrine in mice.Compared with the model group, asthmatic symptoms in all treatment groups could be significantly relieved, the pathological changes of lung tissue were improved and airway inflammation was reduced.The effect of combined treatment was better than that of mangiferin treatment alone.Compared with the model group, the total number of white blood cells(WBC) and the eosinophils(EOS) ratio in peripheral blood in all treatment groups decreased, the level of OVA-sIgE declined and the level of cAMP increased in serum.Combination treatment could lower mRNA expressions of IL-4 and IL-5 from Th2 lymphocytes and increase the mRNA expressions of IFN-γ released by Th1 lymphocytes.Conclusions The effect of combined therapy of mangiferin and ephedrine is better than that of mangiferin treated alone, meanwhile it can reduce the side effects caused by ephedrine.The underlying mechanism is mainly associated with attenuating Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance and increasing the level of cAMP.

Objective:To study the radiation-sensitizing effects of nimotuzumab and X-ray radiotherapy on human esophageal carcino-ma KYSE450 cells. Methods:Human esophageal carcinoma cells KYSE450 were treated with nimotuzumab, irradiation, and the combi-nation of both. Cell growth inhibition was evaluated by MTT assay, and cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cy-tometry assay. Cell radiosensitivity was tested by clonogenic assay, and the survival curve was fitted using multi-target single-hit mod-el. The combination and accelerated radiation groups were tested by microarray technology, and the differentially expressed genes were screened among the two groups. Results:The growth of KYSE450 cells was inhibited in three groups, namely, the group treated with nimotuzumab, the group treated with irradiation, and the group treated with both. The group treated with both nimotuzumab and irradiation resulted in the highest inhibition rate (35.25%±5.62%) compared with that of the nimotuzumab (16.12%±8.73%) and ir-radiation groups (27.64%± 6.66%) (F=10.953, P<0.001). The highest rates of G2 phase arrest and cell apoptosis were observed in the group treated with the combination of nimotuzumab (29.37%±7.29%) (F=17.299, P<0.001) and irradiation (18.80%±2.03%) (F=85.691, P<0.001). Multi-target single-hit model showed that the values of SF2, Do, and Dq in the group with both treatments were smaller than those of the irradiation group with sensitization enhancement ratio of 1.63, which confirmed the radiosensitization effect of ni-motuzumab on KYSE450 cells. Microarray technology analysis found that nimotuzumab can enhance the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by cutting the genes of EGF/PDGF signaling pathways. Conclusion:This experiment shows that nimotuzumab can effectively inhibit the growth of human esophageal cancer cell KYSE450. Nimotuzumab can also promote apoptosis and G2 phase arrest when combined with X-ray radiotherapy, thereby enhancing the radiosensitivity of KYSE450 cells. This effect is associated with cutting the genes of EGFR signaling pathways.

Objective To evaluate the prognosis influencing factors of early non-small cell luny cancer (NSCLC) after radiotherapy.Methods 81 early NSCLC patients received definitive radiotherapy and were eligible.Among these patients,60 were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma,16 were adenocarcinoma and 5 were diagnosed through imaging instead of pathology.45 patients received conventional radiotherapy,36 patients received three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT),All of them received a total dose of 50-96 Gy with a median dose of 67.8 Gy. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression model analysis were applied to evaluate the survival and prognostic factors. Results The median survival time was 34 months.The 1-,3- and 5-year survival rates (OS) were 88.7 ％,41.9 ％,21.8 ％,respectively.Karnofsky performance status≥80,Clinical stage, diameter≤4 cm and the therapeutic effect were associated with improving overall survival.Cox hazards model showed that Karnofsky performance status≥ 80 and diameter≤4 cm were likely to be independent positive prognostic factors. Conclusion Karnofsky performance status and tumor diamater can be used to evaluate the prognosis of early NSCLC after radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND:Estrogen has an effect on orthodontic tooth movement. Currently, only animal experiments show that the lower estrogen levels, the greater the amount of orthodontic tooth movement;the higher estrogen levels are, the smal er the amount of orthodontic tooth movement is.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate effects of orthodontic force applied on orthodontic tooth movement at different stages of menstrual cycle among young female patients.
METHODS:Twelve young female patients were included in this study, aged 14-18 years old. They already have regular menstrual cycle, and need to extract the first premolar in the maxil a. By using self-control method, these female patients with their maxil ary canine at both sides were randomly divided into two groups:orthodontic force at ovulatory period and orthodontic force at menstrual period. Micro-implant anchorage was implanted to the distal y moving canine. Orthodontic force was given to the group of ovulatory period 2 weeks after the force was given at menstrual period. Dentition models were taken at day 0 and 28 after force, to prepare a superhard plaster model using silastic impression materials. Between these two groups, the distances of the canine distal movement were measured and statistical analysis was performed with GraphPad Prism5 software.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:The distances of the canine distal movement in the group of orthodontic force at menstrual period were greater than that in the other group (P<0.05). The orthodontic teeth with the application of orthodontic force at menstrual period move faster than that with the application of orthodontic force at ovulatory period, thus effectively shortening orthodontic treatment.

Objective To investigate the effect of pretreatment serum hemoglobin (Hb) level on the prognosis of early-stage extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 175 patients with stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma who were admitted to The Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University from 2000 to 2015.The inclusion criteria included Ann Arbor Ⅰ/Ⅱ stage, the primary tumor located in the upper aerodigestive tract, without other malignant diseases, and complete clinical information and follow-up data.Of the 175 patients, 67 received chemotherapy alone, 8 received radiotherapy alone,100 received radiotherapy and chemotherapyed.The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.The log-rank test was used for univariate prognostic analysis.The Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis.Results The univariate analysis showed that pretreatment serum Hb level (≥120 g/L), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (normal), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (0-1), Ann Arbor stage (IE), and radiotherapy were associated with significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)(P=0.000-0.046).The multivariate analysis showed that pretreatment serum Hb level, LDH level, ECOG score, and Ann Arbor stage were independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS (P=0.000-0.040).Conclusion Patients with a high pretreatment serum Hb level (≥120 g/L) have a better prognosis than those with a low pretreatment serum Hb level (<120 g/L).

0.05). Conclusion The defecation function was similar between CPP group and CJP group. Therefore, the coloplasty pouch seems to be superior because of feasibility, simplicity, and effectiveness.