Objective Using CT three-dimensional image technique to observe the pulmonary vein stenosis of circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CPVA) for atrial ifbrillation (AF) on the structure of pulmonary vein before and after radiofrequency ablation. Methods 28 patients with AF who underwent CPVA were followed-up for a mean (6.5±3.9) months.The results of Pulmonary vein morphology study was compared with analysis of preablation, after following up radiofrequency catheter alation (6.5±3.9) months. Pulmonary vein diameters, cross-sectional area and left atrial volume were measured before and after CPVA using 64-slice multidector computed tomography (CT). Results Mild stenosis of pulmonary vein maximum diameter and pulmonary minimum diameter were 61.6%and 56.3%after CPVA. Moderate stenosis of pulmonary vein maximum diameter and pulmonary minimum diameter were 3.6%and 5.4%. All patients does not present symptoms of pulmonary vein stenosis at rest on during excercise during follow up. Conclusions Mild and moderate asymptomatic pulmonary vein stenosis may present in some patients after CPVA.

Vine tea has been used as an herbal tea by several ethnic minorities for hundreds of years in China.Flavonoids,a kind of indispensable component in a variety of nutraceutical,pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications,are identified to be the major metabolites and bioactive ingredients in vine tea.Interest-ingly,vine tea exhibits a wide range of significant bioactivities including anti-oxidant,anti-inflammatory,anti-tumor,antidiabetic,neuroprotective and other activities,but no toxicity.These bioactivities,to some extent,enrich the understanding about the role of vine tea in disease prevention and therapy.The health benefits of vine tea,particularly dihydromyricetin and myricetin,are widely investigated.However,there is currently no comprehensive review available on vine tea.Therefore,this report summarizes the most recent studies investigating bioactive constituents,pharmacological effects and possible mechanisms of vine tea,which will provide a better understanding about the health benefits and preclinical assessment of novel application of vine tea.

Objective To evaluate the role of chemokine CXC-ligand 16 (CXCL16) in renal fibrosis following renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice.Methods Twenty-four healthy male C57BL/6 mice,aged 8-10 weeks,weighing 20-30 g,were divided into 4 groups (n =6 each) using a random number table method:sham operation group (group S),sham operation plus anti-CXCL16 antibody group (group S+A),group I/R,and I/R plus anti-CXCL16 antibody group (group I/R+A).Renal ischemia was induced by occlusion of the left renal artery for 30 min followed by 72-h reperfusion,and the fight kidney was removed on 5th day in anesthetized mice.CXCL16 antibody 5 mg/kg and the equal volume of normal saline were intraperitoneally injected at 72 h after reperfusion twice a week for 2 consecutive weeks in I/R+A and I/R groups,respectively.Sham operation was performed,and the equal volume of CXCL16 antibody 5 mg/kg and normal saline were intraperitoneally injected at 72 h after reperfusion twice a week for 2 consecutive weeks in S+A and S groups,respectively.Orbital venous blood samples were collected at day 14 after reperfusion for determination of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) concentrations.Animals were then sacrificed and the left kidney was removed for measurement of the renal fibrosis size (using Sirius red staining),expression of t-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),fibronectin (FN) and type Ⅰ collagen (Col-Ⅰ) in renal tissues by Western blot.Results Compared with group S,the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal fibrosis size were significantly increased,and the expression of α-SMA,FN and Col-Ⅰ was up-regulated in group I/R (P＜0.05).Compared with group I/R,the serum BUN and Cr concentrations and renal fibrosis size were significantly decreased,and the expression of α-SMA,FN and Col-Ⅰ was down-regulated in group I/R+A (P＜0.05).Conclusion CXCL16 is involved in the process of renal fibrosis following renal I/R injury in mice.

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 4B2 with early-onset glaucoma (CMT4B2, OMIM 604563) is a genetically-heterogeneous childhood-onset neuromuscular disorder. Here, we report the case of a 15-year-old male adolescent with lower extremity weakness, gait abnormalities, foot deformities and early-onset glaucoma. Since clinical diagnosis alone was insufficient for providing pathogenetic evidence to indicate that the condition belonged to a consanguineous family, we applied whole-exome sequencing to samples from the patient, his parents and his younger brother, assuming that the patient’s condition is transmitted in an autosomal recessive pattern. A frame-shift mutation, c.4571delG (P.Gly1524Glufs*42), was revealed in the CMT4B2-related gene SBF2 (also known as MTMR13, MIM 607697), and this mutation was found to be homozygous in the proband and heterozygous in his parents and younger brother. Together with the results of clinical diagnosis, this case was diagnosed as CMT4B2. Our finding further demonstrates the use of whole-exome sequencing in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.

Objective:To investigate the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in rectal cancer tissues and the correlation of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival of patients.Methods:The clinical data of 200 newly treated rectal cancer patients in Shanxi Provincial Cancer Hospital from January 2014 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The expression of PD-L1 in rectal cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations of PD-L1 expression with gender, age, tumor T stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor differentiation, histological type, tumor TNM stage, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and overall survival of patients were analyzed.Results:The positive expression rate of PD-L1 was 24% (48/200). The positive expression rate of PD-L1 was high in patients with lymph node metastasis and high NLR (≥ 3.5) (both P < 0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate in PD-L1-positive group was 42%, and the PD-L1-negative group was 59%, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis ( HR = 3.456, 95% CI 2.148-5.556, P < 0.01), NLR ≥ 3.5 ( HR = 1.871, 95% CI 1.169-2.996, P = 0.009), and PD-L1-positive expression ( HR = 2.187, 95% CI 1.373-3.484, P = 0.001) were independent adverse influencing factors for the overall survival of rectal cancer patients. Conclusion:PD-L1 is highly expressed in rectal cancer tissues, and the positive expression of PD-L1 is associated with poor overall survival of patients.

Colorectal serrated lesions are a group of polyps/adenomas with serrated architecture, including hyperplastic polyp, sessile serrated lesion and sessile serrated lesion with dysplasia, traditional serrated adenoma, and unclassified serrated adenoma. Sessile serrated lesion and traditional serrated adenoma are precursors of serrated lesions progressing to colorectal cancer. Serrated lesions are characterized by genetic (BRAF or KRAS gene mutations) and epigenetic (CpG island methylator phenotype) alterations that synergistically drive colorectal mucosa to develop polyps or adenomas, and with malignant transformation into colorectal cancer. The complexity of serrated lesion makes it difficult to diagnose, easy to miss diagnosis and has a high malignant rate. This article reviewed the advances in research on colorectal serrated lesions from the aspects of endoscopic, pathological and molecular features.