OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of combined administration of verapamil and nitroglycerin on the function of canine transplanted lungs. METHODS: Twenty orthotopic left lung transplantations were performed in 40 canines, which were randomly divided into 4 groups. In group I (control), the donor lungs were perfused and preserved with LPD solution, while group II with LPD solution plus verapamil 0.1 g/L, group III with LPD solution plus nitroglycerin 0.1g/L, and group IV with LPD solution plus verapamil 0.1 g/L and nitroglycerin 0.1 g/L. Hemodynamics and graft gas exchange were assessed 0, 2 and 4 h after the operation. The lung grafts were harvested to measure the wet/dry weight ratio, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. RESULTS: Compared with group I, II and III, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI), partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO₂), dynamic compliance (Cdyn) and alveolar-arterial oxygen tension volume [P(A- a)O₂] in group IV were improved significantly (P<0.05). No significant difference in the partial pressure of carbondioxide (PaCO₂) and peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) was observed in the 4 groups (P>0.05). In group IV, the wet/dry weight ratio and MDA contents were lower than those in the other 3 groups, and the SOD activity was significantly higher than that of the other 3 groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Verapamil and nitroglycerin in LPD solution can protect the respiratory function of canine lung grafts by attenuating pulmonary edema and oxidative stress.
Animals ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Dogs ; Hemodynamics ; Lung ; Lung Transplantation ; Nitroglycerin ; pharmacology ; Organ Preservation ; Protective Agents ; Reperfusion Injury ; Verapamil ; pharmacology

The objective is to deal with brain effective connectivity among epilepsy electroencephalogram (EEG) signals recorded by use of depth electrodes in the cerebral cortex of patients suffering from refractory epilepsy during their epileptic seizures. The Wiener-Granger Causality Index (WGCI) is a well-known effective measure that can be useful to detect causal relations of interdependence in these kinds of EEG signals. It is based on the linear autoregressive model, and the issue of the estimation of the model parameters plays an important role in the calculation accuracy and robustness of WGCI to do research on brain effective connectivity. Focusing on this issue, a modified Akaike's information criterion algorithm is introduced in the computation of the WGCI to estimate the orders involved in the underlying models and in order to advance the performance of WGCI to detect brain effective connectivity. Experimental results support the interesting performance of the proposed algorithm to characterize the information flow both in a linear stochastic system and a physiology-based model.

Objective    To investigate the clinical effect of three-port Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of lung cancer. Methods    The clinical data of patients who underwent Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of lung cancer in the Second Department of Thoracic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from April 2021 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the number of surgical ports, they were divided into two groups: a three-port group (three-port Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of lung cancer), and a four-port group (traditional Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of lung cancer). The operation time, intraoperative bleeding, lymphadenectomy, total thoracic drainage, extubation time, postoperative complications and postoperative pain of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results    A total of 58 patients were included, including 19 males and 39 females, aged 31-79 years. There were 21 patients in the three-port group, and 37 patients in the four-port group. The visual analogue scores on the first and third day after the operation were 4.33±1.20 points and 2.24±0.77 points in the three-port group, and 5.11±1.22 points and 2.78±1.06 points in the four-port group, and there were statistical differences between the two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of operation time, intraoperative bleeding, lymph node dissection, postoperative thoracic drainage, time of thoracic tube insertion or postoperative complications (P>0.05). Conclusion    Three-port Da Vinci robot-assisted radical resection of lung cancer can reduce the postoperative pain without increasing the operation difficulty and complications, and can be widely used in  the clinical practice.

Cadinanes are a class of bicyclic sesquiterpenes with complex stereochemistry and broad pharmacological activities, such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic activities. To date, structurally diverse and bioactive cadinane sesquiterpenes have been isolated and identified from a variety of plants and microorganisms. Moreover, deeper understandings on cadinane sesquiterpene synthases have been made. This article categorized the 124 new cadinanes which were published in the literatures in the past four years (2017-2020) into five structural types, and presented their pharmacological activities. We also illustrated the elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways for typical cadinanes, summarized the research progress on cadinane sesquiterpene synthases. Finally, current challenges and future prospects were proposed and discussed.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Polycyclic Sesquiterpenes ; Sesquiterpenes