Objective To explore the effects of passive smoking on pregnant rats and embryo development.Methods The pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to passive smoking4times per day,10min per time,continuously for20days,and the body weights were measured at the1st day,10th day and20th day.At the at20th day,the concentrations of NO in serum of pregnant rats were determined,simultansly the fetal death,embrgonic absorption were observed,the body weights,body length,tail length,brain weight and live weight of fetuses fetal growth retardation(IUGR)were observed.Results Significantly higher frequencies of fetal death,embryonic absorption,IUGR and significantly lower concentration s of NO in serum of pregnant rats were found in experiment group exposed to passive smoking.Significantly lower levels of body weight,body length,tail length,brain weight of fetuses were found in experiment group exposed to passive smoking compared with those of controls(P

Objective To investigate the effect of Calponin-1 suppression on human myometrium cells through adenovirus mediated siRNA. Methods Human uterine smooth muscle tissues were digested with enzymes, cultured and confirmed with immunocytochemistry. Aadenovirus siRNA-Calponin-1 plasmid was transfected into primary cultured uterine smooth muscle cells in vitro. The expressions of Calponin-1 mRNA and protein were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively.Results The pAdEasy-pShuttle-U6-Calponin-1 siRNA plasmid was successfully constructed, and Calponin-1 siRNA mediated by recombinant adenovirus resulted in markedly reduced expression of Calponin-1 mRNA and protein in human myometrium cells. The gray values of Calponin-1 mRNA in the uterine smooth muscle cells in the experimental, blank control, and empty vector groups were 316.3±39.2, 1048.5±126.4 and 1027.2±127.5, respectively. The gray values of Calponin-1 protein were 323.3±43.2, 1021.5±143.4, and 1019.2±144.5,respectively. The difference between the experimental group and the blank control group as well as the empty vector group was significant (P< 0.05). There was no significant difference between the empty vector group and the blank control group (P>0.05).Conclusion The pAdEasy-pShuttle-U6-Calponin-1 siRNA plasmid can inhibit the expression of Calponin-1 in human myometrium cells in vitro,which may be a useful approach to determine the role of Calponin-1 in delivery.

Oral English teaching for Chinese postgraduates has always been focused on the drill of language skills,thus little attention was paid to the cultivation of students' thinking ability. This pa-per explored into the definition and theoretical basis of critical thinking and gave a case analysis of how to integrate the cultivation of critical thinking skills into the oral English classrooms in an effec-tive way. The questionnaire and interview among students showed that questioning,controversial dia-logue,debate and survey can help students to form the habit of critical thinking in an effective way and are also proved to be popular among medical postgraduates.

Objective Evaluation of cerebral blood flow in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) using cerebral CT perfusion imaging.Methods CT perfusion scan was performed on a consecutive series of 20 patients with clinical definite TIA.Following their initial CT scan at acute stage of TIA, patients underwent two repeat CT perfusion scanning of region of interest at acute stage and one month after symptom remission.Results Mild to moderate decrease in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and unchanged or mildly decrease in regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were observed at acute stage in the majority cases.Normal cerebral perfusion was found in 12 cases and mild to moderate decrease of rCBF in 8 cases one month after TIA.During the one-year follow-up period, all of 12 cases with normal cerebral perfusion did not have recurrence while among 8 cases with mild to moderate decrease of rCBF at initial scan, 6 cases had recurrent TIA or cerebral infarction and 2 cases did not have recurrence.Patients with more severe cerebral perfusion defects usually had a shorter interval time between two attacks.Conclusions Intensive intervention should be performed on patients with severe and long lasting decrease of cerebral perfusion.

Objective To explore the effect of low frequency repetitive transranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on unilateral spatial neglect (USN). Methods 40 stroke patients with USN were divided into treatment group (n=20) and control group (n=20). Patients in the treatment group were treated with low frequency rTMS for 2 weeks. The USN degree of these groups were evaluated before and after the treatment. Results There was no significant difference of USN degree between these groups before the treatment (P>0.05); Compared with the control group, the treatment group improved significantly after the treatment (P<0.05). The USN degree of patients in the treatment group decreased significantly after the treatment (P<0.05), while patients in the controlled group had no difference (P>0.05). Conclusion USN induced by stroke could be improved obviously through low frequency rTMS.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of Calponin-1 and Transgenlin in the uterine smooth muscles during normal labor on-sets, and to evaluate their effect on initiating the normal labor. METHODS: A total of 14 uterine bodies and lower segments of human pregnancy were divided to a non-labor group (NIL) and a labor group(IL). Immunohistochemical technology and Western blot were used to determine the expression of Calponin-1 and Transgelin in the 2 groups. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical detection and Western blot showed that Calponin-1 protein in the uterine smooth muscle tissue of the body and the lower uterine segment of smooth muscle tissues had significant difference (P<0.05). The expression of Transgelin in the uterine body smooth muscle tissue in the IL was higher than that in the NIL(P<0.05). In the lower uterine segments of the smooth muscle, the expression of Transgelin was not significantly different in the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Calponin-1 of the uterine smooth muscle and Transgelin of the uterine body smooth muscle may involve in the regulation of uterine smooth muscle contractility, which is closely related to child birth launch.
Adult ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Labor Onset ; metabolism ; Microfilament Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Muscle Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Myometrium ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Uterine Contraction ; metabolism

Objective:To detect the expression of ARK5 in peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from pancreatic cancer patients and explore its correlation with the efficacy and prognosis for gemcitabine chemotherapy.Methods:A total of 175 peripheral blood samples of pancreatic cancer patients who were treated in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University from January 2016 to June 2021 were collected. CTCs were enriched by nano-microfluidic chip technology. The expression of ARK5 in CTCs was detected by immunofluorescence. According to the expression of ARK5, the patients were divided into two groups: positive group and negative group. The differences on clinicopathological features, the efficacy of chemotherapy, median survival and progression-free survival time between the two groups were compared.Results:CTCs were enriched in 98 of 175 patients (55.6%), including 70 ARK5 positive and 28 ARK5 negative patients. There were no significant differences on clinical features between the two groups, and the two groups were comparable. In the 70 ARK5 positive patients, 64 patients (91.4%) were resistant to gemcitabine, while only 12 of the 28 ARK5 negative patients (42.8%) were resistant to gemcitabine. The incidence of gemcitabine resistance in ARK5 positive patients was significantly higher than that in ARK5 negative patients, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.001). The median survival time was 11.5 months in ARK5 positive group and 14 months in ARK5 negative expression group, and the progression-free survival time was 6 months in ARK5 positive expression group and 8 months in negative expression group. The survival time of ARK5 positive group was significantly shorter than that of ARK5 negative group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The pancreatic cancer patients with ARK5 positive CTCs have significantly higher incidence of gemcitabine resistance and shorter survival time than those with ARK5 negative CTCs. Detection of ARK5 expression in CTCs may be a new method to judge chemotherapy efficacy and prognosis for pancreatic cancer patients.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficiency of depilation with intense pulsed light (IPL) in congenital microtia patients during different phase of reconstruction treatment sessions.Methods:The hairy skin was treated with the M22TM system (Lumenis, German) using a filter of 695-1 200 mm. A three pluses mode of the radiant setting with a pulse width of 3.5 ms, a delay of 60 ms, and an energy density of 16-18 mJ/cm 2 was applied in the expanded patients. Depilation efficacy was evaluated as follows: excellent (hair density reduction >75%), good (50%-75%), fair (25%-50%), and poor (<25%). The depilation effect was compared between different phases. And the adverse effect was observed. Results:A total of 131 cases were included. There was no difference of the hair density reduction between patients with different expander volume after same IPL depilation treatments [15 (13-19) vs. 16 (15-19) root/cm 2, Wilcoxon rank analysis]. The hair density reduction in the expansion group was lower than the non-expansion group after two IPL depilation treatments [15 (13-19) vs. 17 (15-21) root/cm 2, P<0.05, Wilcoxon rank analysis]. The depilation efficacy was highly related with the numbers of IPL depilation treatments the patients received [Kendall′ stat b=0.74 (95% CI: 0.71-0.77), P<0.05]. There were 3 cases of folliculitis, 2 cases of blisters occurred in this study, and no expander exposure and cartilage absorption were observed. Conclusions:Hair removal with IPL is a safe and effective photo-epilation method during all stages of ear reconstruction using tissue expander. The volume of the expander does not significantly affect the hair removal efficiency. Depilation in the expansion phase is more efficient than that in the non-expansion phase, and the ideal result of " hair-free" or " less hairy" reconstructed ears can be achieved in 5 treatments, with suboptimal results in 3 treatments.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of rapamycin in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) associated renal disease. Methods: A prospective self-control study was conducted. The clinical data of 92 children diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis complex associated kidney disease at the People′s Liberation Army General Hospital from January 2011 to January 2019 were collected. The long-term rapamycin treatment for all patients initiated at 1 mg/(m²·d), which was gradually adjusted to reach a blood concentration of 5-10 μg/L. The changes of the maximum diameter of renal lesions in children after rapamycin treatment were observed and analyzed with Wilcoxon test. Results: Ninety-two children, including 52 males and 40 females, who met the criteria were analyzed. Sixty patients had only renal angiomyolipoma(RAML), while 24 patients had only multiple renal cysts(MRC), and 8 patients had both lesions. The age of TSC diagnosis was 16.0 (7.0, 42.0) months, and the age of initial treatment with rapamycin was 63.5 (21.0, 103.0) months. The follow-up lasted for 12.0 (4.0, 23.0) months. Sequencing of TSC1 and TSC2 genes was performed in 54 children with TSC, including 3 patients (6%) with mutations in TSC1 gene and 51 patients (94%) with mutations in TSC2 gene. The maximum RAML diameter before treatment was 7.0 (4.0, 9.0) mm. The best effect reached at 3 months of treatment, with the diameter of 4.0 (0,7.0) mm. The maximum diameters at 6 months, 1 year and 1-2 years were 5.0 (0,9.8) mm, 5.0 (1.5, 8.5) mm, 5.5 (3.0, 9.0) mm, respectively, and were significantly different from the baseline (Z=-2.404,-2.350,-2.750,P=0.016,0.019,0.006, respectively). The maximum diameter after 2-3 years, and ≥3 years were 5.0 (3.9,7.0) mm and 6.0 (1.0, 11.0) mm, without significant difference from the baseline (Z=-0.856,-0.102,P=0.393,0.919, respectively).The maximum diameters of MRC after 3 months, 6 months, 1 year,1-2 years, 2-3 years, and ≥3 years were 11.0 (5.0, 14.0) mm,3.0 (0.0,11.0) mm,5.0 (0,21.0) mm,0 (0,14.0) mm,0 (0,10.0) mm, and 0 (0,18.3) mm, respectively, but were not significantly different rom the baseline (7.0 (5.0, 15.7) mm)(Z=-0.944,-1.214,-1.035,-1.896,-1.603,-1.214,P=0.345,0.225,0.301,0.058,0.109,0.225, respectively).Twenty-nine patients (32%) had oral ulcers during the entire treatment period, and no serious adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions Rapamycin could decrease the diameter of TSC-related RAML, but could not inhibit the growth of cysts. It is well tolerated in the treatment of renal diseases associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.