Objective To Explore the significance of successful exposing and recognizing Zuckerkandl's tuhercle(ZT)during thyroidectomy.Methods Three hundred and seventy patients(501 sides) underwent lobectomy or total thyroidectomy from January 2009 to June 2011 were included in this study.The ZT was assessed in terms of its presence or absence,size and anatomical association with the recurrent laryngeal nerve(RLN)and superior parathyroid(SP).Results ZTs were found in 412 of 501 sides ( 82.2％ ),among which 368(89.3％ ) ZTs were located in the middle third of the lateral lobe of the thyroid gland.ZTs passed over the RLN in 379 of 412 sides(92.0％ ).When the ZTs were located in the middle or lower third of the lateral lobe of the thyroid gland,the SPs were all located in the cranial portion of ZT.The SP was adhered to the ZT in 80.1％ of the cases.RLN damage rate was 0.40％,and no SP damage occurred.Conclusion Exposing and recognizing Zuckerkandl's tubercle during thyroidectomy is of important clinical significance,which helps to identify and protect RLN and SP,so as to reduce surgical complications.

The expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), serine-threonine kinase (Akt), 4E-binding protein (4EBP1), phophorylated ribosomal protein S6 kinasel (p70S6Kl) and ribosomal protein S6 ( S6) were detected with immunohistochemistry in 48 cases of human breast cancer. Tumors high-expressing HER2 showed higher Akt expression as compared to tumors with negative HER2 (P < 0. 01). Levels of Akt were correlated with the downstream molecules 4EBP1 ( P < 0. 01) and p70S6K ( P < 0. 05 ). 4EBP1 was mainly expressed in poorly differentiated tumors (P <0. 01) and correlated with tumor size ( P < 0. 05) , lymph node metastasis ( P < 0. 01) and locoregional recurrences ( P < 0. 01). Results suggest that 4EBPl may be the main factor in PI-phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mammalian targot of rapanycin signal transduction pathways, which is associated with grade of malignancy and prognosis of breast cancer.

Objective:Sertoli cells (SCs) provide physical support and material supply for germ cells and participate in the formation of blood-testis barrier.The number of SCs is directly proportional to the number of germ cells.And mature SCs ensure the growth of germ cells and the production of sperm.In this study,we explored the effect and underlying mechanism of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on primary SCs in young rats.Methods:Primary SCs were isolated from the testis of 20-day old rats.The cells were then treated with different concentrations of LBP.Immunocytochemistry was used to detect the expression of Ki67 and the androgen receptor (AR),and western blotting was used to detect the expression of cytokeratin-18 (CK-18),AR and phosphorylated Akt (Ser473) in SCs.Results:The number of SCs increased significantly after LBP treatment,and the 100 mg/mL.LBP group had 14％ more cells than the control group.The expression of Ki67 in LBP treated groups also increased significantly.LBP inhibited the expression of cytokeratin 18 in SCs.Besides,LBP increased the expression of AR on SCs and promoted the activation of Akt at the set473 phosphorylation site.Conclusion:LBP promotes the proliferation of immature SCs in young rats and also accelerates their differentiation and maturation.This seems to be associated with activation of the Akt signaling pathway via up-regulation of AR.

Objective To observe the effects of tumor necrosis factor-or (TNF-α) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) on vascular neointimal hyperplasia on matrix metalloproteinase 9/2 gene knockout (MMP9/2-/-) mice and explore related mechanisms.Methods Mice of control group,MMP9-/-group,MMP2-/-group and MMP9/2-/-group were studied.Femoral artery was injured by transluminal wire,the mRNA expression levels of TNF-o and PDGF on femoral artery were detected by RT-PCR;the protein expression of MMP9 and MMP2 were assessed by Western blot on day 0,1,3,7,14and 28 post injury.Mice in control group received TNF-α(5 ng/ml,0.10 ml),TNF-α(0.05 ml) + MMP inhibitor SB-3CT (0.50 ng/ml,0.05 ml) injection,or PDGF-bb (10 ng/ml,0.10 ml) and PDGF-bb (0.05 ml) + SB-3CT(0.05 ml) injection around injured artery,intimal hyperplasia at 2 and 4 weeks after injury was observed.Intimal hyperplasia at 2 and 4 weeks after injury was also observed in MMP9/2-/-mice.TNF-α(5 ng/ml,0.10 ml) was injected to MMP2-/-mice,PDGF-bb (0.1 ml) was injected to MMP9-/-mice around injured artery,intimal hyperplasia at 2 and 4 weeks after injury was observed.The degree of neointimal hyperplasia were observed by the Elastica-van Gieson staining and the area of neointima and media of the arteries were measured by SigmaPlot and intima ratio was calculated.Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) mediums of MMP9-/-and MMP2-/-mice were stimulated by TNF-α and PDGF-bb,respectively,and migration assay,and proliferation assay were performed,relative migration and proliferation cells numbers were counted.Results (1) mRNA expression of TNF-o (235.33 ± 23.68) and PDGF-bb (3.30 ±0.56) in femoral arteries peaked at 1 day after injury,while MMP9 or MMP2 protein expression peaked at 7 or 28 days after injury.(2) In control mice,TNF-α intervention significantly enhanced intimal hyperplasia at 2 weeks after injury (2.21 ±0.05 vs.1.55 ±0.03 in blank control group,P ＜ 0.05),while PDGF-bb intervention significantly enhanced intimal hyperplasia at 4 weeks after injury (2.60 ± 0.07 vs.1.89 ± 0.04,P =0.03).(3) Intima hyperplasia was significantly higher in control group than in MMP9/2-/-group at 2 weeks (1.63 ± 0.05 vs.0.46 ± 0.01,P =0.008) and 4 weeks (2.24 ±0.06 vs.0.51 ±0.01) after injury(P =0.005).(4) TNF-o intervention stimulated intimal hyperplasia in MMP2-/-mice (intimal ratio at 2 weeks after injury:1.73 ± 0.05 vs.1.23 ± 0.03,P =0.02) and PDGF-bb intervention stimulated intimal hyperplasia in MMP9-/-mice(intimal ratio at 4 weeks after injury:2.32 ± 0.06 vs.1.35 ± 0.03,P =0.03).(5) Reduced VSMC migration was evidenced in MMP9-/-mice post TNF-α stimulation (1.45 ±0.03 vs.2.16 ±0.04 in control group,P =0.03),while reduced VSMC proliferation post PDGF was seen in MMP2-/-group (1.15 ± 0.02 vs.1.82 ± 0.04 in control group,P =0.03).Conclusions TNF-o induced MMP9 activation plays a major role on promoting VSMC migration at the first 2 weeks after vascular injury,while PDGF induced MMP2 activation plays a crucial role on VSMC proliferation on the following 2 weeks after vascular injury in this mice model.Thus,the axis of TNF-α-MMP9-VSMC migration axis and PDGF-MMP2-VSMC proliferation axis are the two major working mechanisms responsible for intimal hyperplasia post vascular injury.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the gold standard for nucleic acid amplification in molecular diagnostics. The PCR includes multiple reaction stages (denaturation, annealing, and extension), and a complicated thermalcycler is required to repetitively provide different temperatures for different stages for 30-40 cycles within at least 1-2 hours. Due to the complicated devices and the long amplification time, it is difficult to adopt conventional PCR in point-of-care testing (POCT). Comparing to conventional PCR, isothermal amplification is able to provide a much faster and more convenient nucleic acid detection because of highly efficient amplification at a constant reaction temperature provided by a simple heating device. When isothermal amplification is combined with microfluidics, a more competent platform for POCT can be established. For example, various diagnosis devices based on isothermal amplification have been used to rapidly and conveniently detect SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This review summarized the recent development and applications of the microfluidics-based isothermal amplification. First, different typical isothermal amplification methods and related detection methods have been introduced. Subsequently, different types of microfluidic systems with isothermal amplification were discussed based on their characteristics, for example, functionality, system structure, flow control, and operation principles. Furthermore, detection of pathogens (e.g. SARS-CoV-2 viruses) based on isothermal amplification was introduced. Finally, the combination of isothermal amplification with other new technologies, e.g. CRISPR, has been introduced as well.
COVID-19/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Microfluidics ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of LCL161, a Smac mimetic, on the proliferation and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms. 
 METHODS: The effect of LCL161 on the cell viability of HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells was measured by MTT assay. The effect of LCL161 at lower concentrations on the proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells was detected by colony formation assay. Apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry with PI staining. The mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by JC-1 staining. The expression of PARP, p-Akt, cIAP1 and XIAP protein was analyzed by Western blot.
 RESULTS: LCL161 displayed notable antiproliferative activity on HCC cells at the concentrations of 1-16 μmol/L (P<0.01), with IC50 values of 4.3 and 4.9 μmol/L for HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells, respectively, after treatment for 48 h. LCL161 at lower concentrations obviously inhibited the colony formation of HCC cells. LCL161 induced significant apoptosis in HCC cells (P<0.01), and resulted in the apoptotic rate at (1.5±0.8)% or (1.8±0.6)% , (15.2±2.8)% or (12.2±2.4)%, (28.7±3.0)% or (22.4±2.7)%, (34.6±2.3)% or (30.2±2.4)% for HepG2 cells or SMMC7721 cells at the concentration of 0, 2, 4 or 8 μmol/L, respectively. The result of JC-1 staining indicated that the mitochondrial membrane potential of HCC cells was reduced by LCL161. In addition, LCL161 promoted the cleavage of PARP, down-regulated the protein expression of p-Akt, and degraded cIAP1.
 CONCLUSION LCL161 possesses significant anti-proliferative activity and pro-apoptotic action in HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells, which might be correlated with reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, down-regulation of p-Akt and degradation of cIAP1.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; Down-Regulation ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; drug effects ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; Thiazoles ; pharmacology ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases ; metabolism ; X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein

Radiotherapy uses high-energy X-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells and medical practitioners have used this approach extensively for cancer treatment (Hachadorian et al., 2020). However, it is accompanied by risks because it seriously harms normal cells while killing cancer cells. The side effects can lower cancer patients' quality of life and are very unpredictable due to individual differences (Bentzen, 2006). Therefore, it is essential to assess a patient's body damage after radiotherapy to formulate an individualized recovery treatment plan. Exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be changed by radiotherapy and thus used for medical diagnosis (Vaks et al., 2012). During treatment, high-energy X-rays can induce apoptosis; meanwhile, cell membranes are damaged due to lipid peroxidation, converting unsaturated fatty acids into volatile metabolites (Losada-Barreiro and Bravo-Díaz, 2017). At the same time, radiotherapy oxidizes water, resulting in reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can increase the epithelial permeability of pulmonary alveoli, enabling the respiratory system to exhale volatile metabolites (Davidovich et al., 2013; Popa et al., 2020). These exhaled VOCs can be used to monitor body damage caused by radiotherapy.
Breath Tests/methods* ; Exhalation ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Respiratory System/chemistry* ; Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis*