ObjectiveTo evaluate the therapeutic effect of endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) for gastric stromal tumors.MethodsA total of 33 patients with gastric stromal tumor orgination from deep muscularis propria layer received EFTR from January 2010 to July 2011.The effectiveness and safety of EFTR were compared with those of other 34 patients with gastric stromal tumor origination from muscularis propria layer who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).ResultsExcept in 2 patients with lesions larger than 3.0 × 3.0 cm,EFTR was successful in others 31 patients,who recovered well and had no recurrence during the follow-up within 12 months.There were no significant differences in resection rate,incidence of complications,body temperature,white blood cell counts or recovery time between 2 procedures (P ＞ 0.05 ).However,the number of clips used in EFTR ( 7.0 ± 3.5 vs.4.9 ± 3.1,P =0.013 ) and postoperative fasting days (3.4 ± 1.5 vs.2.0 ± 1.0,P =0.001 ) were significantly higher than those of ESD procedures.ConclusionEFTR is effective and safe for gastric stromal tumors with no higher risk than ESD,but it is more complex technically.EFTR can be used as an expanding method of ESD in endoscopic treatment of gastric stromal tumors.

In this paper, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and signal different-to-noise ratio (SDNR) methods were used to compare image quality using two different radiofrequency coils. The two coil types included an eight-element phased-array coil and a quadrature birdcage head coil with endcap and the comparison studies performed on a uniform cylindrical phantom and volunteer respectively. The results showed phased-array coil have advantages and proved effectiveness of the method in the evaluation and selection of coils.
Adult ; Cerebral Angiography ; methods ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; methods ; Male ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio

Chaetominine is a quinazoline alkaloid originating from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus CY018. In this study, we showed evidence that chaetominine has cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on human leukemia K562 cells and investigated the pathway involved in chaetominine-induced apoptosis in detail. Chaetominine inhibited K562 cell growth, with an IC50 value of 35 nM, but showed little inhibitory effect on the growth of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The high apoptosis rates, morphological apoptotic features, and DNA fragmentation caused by chaetominine indicated that the cytotoxicity was partially caused by its pro-apoptotic effect. Under chaetominine treatment, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was upregulated (from 0.3 to 8), which was followed by a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol, and stimulation of Apaf-1. Furthermore, activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, which are the main executers of the apoptotic process, was observed. These results demonstrated that chaetominine induced cell apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway. Chaetominine inhibited K562 cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death through the intrinsic pathway, which suggests that chaetominine might be a promising therapeutic for leukemia.
Apoptosis ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Cell Death ; Cell Line* ; Cytochromes c ; Cytosol ; DNA Fragmentation ; Fungi ; Humans* ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; K562 Cells ; Leukemia* ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mitochondria

Anticoagulants ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Platelet Count ; Thrombocytopenia ; chemically induced

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of the expressions of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in colorectal cancer tissues with Dukes' clinicopathological features.

METHODSAng-2 and Tie-2 mRNA expressions were detected in colorectal cancer tissues, adjacent tissues, and normal tissues by real time-PCR. Quantikine immunoassays were used to measure the protein expressions of Ang-2 and VEGF in the tissues and serum samples.

RESULTSAng-2 and Tie-2 levels were significantly higher in the serum of the patients than in the normal tissues (P<0.05), and their expressions were strongly correlated (r=0.879, P=0.000). Tumor tissue Ang-2 and VEGF levels were significantly higher than their levels in the adjacent and normal tissues (P<0.05). In colorectal cancer patients, the peripheral blood level of Ang-2 was significantly higher than that in healthy control subjects, and comparable with that in mesenteric blood (P>0.05). In Dukes' stage C and D patients, serum Ang-2 and VEGF levels were significantly higher than those in patients in Dukes' stage A and B (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONAng-2 and VEGF over expressions may play an important role in the occurrence and progression of colorectal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Angiopoietin-2 ; blood ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; blood supply ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; metabolism

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of two types of segmented biodegradable esophageal stents in treatment of refractory benign esophagus strictures. Methods: Uncovered biodegradable segmented stent and fully-covered biodegradable segmented stent were implanted into the porcine esophagus (6 for each). Data on biodegradation, complications, and tissue reactions were compared between two groups. Results: All animals kept good general conditions; no death, decreased food intake, weight loss and malnutrition were observed. No perforation, ulcer, hemorrhage, stent migration and severe complications occurred. Stents degradation commenced at week 3. Stents structure breakage and complete stents absorption occurred at week 7-8 and week 9-10 in uncovered stents. While in fully-covered stents, stents structure breakage and complete stents absorption occurred at week 8-9 and week 10-11. Hyperplasia was prominent at week 1-3 and ameliorated at week 6 after stent implantation. A longer degradation period was present in fully-covered stents than in uncovered stents, while fully-covered stents induced tissue reactions at early stage were mild. Conclusions: The application of biodegradable esophageal stents with a segmented trunk in refractory benign esophagus strictures worth further investigation. The fully-covered stent has longer degradation period, which may be more suitable for clinical use.
Animals ; Esophagus ; surgery ; Models, Animal ; Stents ; adverse effects ; standards ; Swine ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To establish a novel stress-induced depression model by changing the lighting conditions and continuously damping cushion (L-D). Methods: The L-D stress depression animal model was established in C57BL / 6 mice with body weight of 18-22 g. Seventy-five mice with the horizontal and vertical scores higher than 30 and less than 120 in open field test were employed.In the research of model construction, mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n=9), chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) model group (n=10) and L-D model group (n=9). In the drug intervention experiments, mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group (n=9), chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) model group (n=10), L-D model group (n=9), CUMS+ fluoxetine group (n=10) and L-D model+ fluoxetine group (n=9). Open field test, forced swimming test and sucrose preference test were used to evaluate the degree of depression in animals. Results: (1) In the open field test, the horizontal score of CUMS model group (67.20±5.81) and the L-D model group (52.56±19.05) were significantly lower than that of the control group (76.44±9.22) (t=2.645, t=3.387, both P<0.05). And horizontal score of the L-D model was significantly lower than that of the CUMS model (t=2.321, both P<0.05). In forced swimming experiment, compared with the control group ((39.67±21.12)s), the immobility time of the CUMS model group ((60.90±10.34)s) and the L-D model group ((74.89±16.10)s) were significantly prolonged (t=2.831, 3.979, both P<0.05). The immobility time of the L-D model group was also significantly higher than that of the CUMS model group (t=2.278, P<0.05). In the sucrose preference experiment, the percentage of sucrose preference in CUMS model group ((72±7)%) and L-D model group ((65±5)%) was lower than that in the control group ((81±12)%) (t=2.195, 3.875, both P<0.05). The percentage of sucrose preference of L-D model group was significantly higher than that of CUMS model group (t=2.286, P<0.05). (2) After intervention with antidepressants, the horizontal scores of the CUMS model group (65.60±6.43) and the L-D model group (54.33±14.67) were significantly lower than that of the control group (75.78±8.27) in open field test (t=3.011, t=3.861, both P<0.05), and the score of L-D group was lower than that of CUMS group(t=2.235, P<0.05). The vertical score of the L-D model group (33.44±4.54) was significantly lower than that of the control group (39.22±5.56) (t=2.553, P<0.05). There was significant increase in the level score and vertical score of CUMS model and L-D model after fluoxetine intervention (t=3.090, t=2.692, both P<0.05), and significant twist in the vertical score of CUMS model and L-D model (t=2.681, t=2.354; both P<0.05). In the forced swimming experiment, the immobility time of the L-D model((64.11±13.06)s) was significantly longer than that of the control group ((42.00±13.77)s) (t=3.494, P<0.05). The immobility time of CUMS model and L-D model mice was significantly longer than that of non-intervention group (t=2.137, 2.940, both P<0.05). After the intervention of fluoxetine, there was no significant difference between the CUMS group, L-D group, the control group(all P>0.05). Conclusion Changing the lighting conditions and continuously damping cushion is a new method to establish mice model with depression behavior.Shorter modeling duration and simple operation are the main advantages of this model.

Screening and evaluating the diseases responding specifically to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） will help to highlight the advantages of TCM treatment， and the evaluation method should be standardized with consideration to the unique characteristics of the diseases. The incidence of Sjögren's Syndrome （SS） is increasing year by year， while the pathogenesis of this disease remains unclear. Modern therapies for this disease include biological agents and immunosuppressants， which generally have unsatisfactory efficacy. The TCM treatment of SS focuses on the harmony of the physical and mental health. The Rheumatology Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine organizes experts in TCM， Western medicine， and evidence-based medicine to form working groups. Delphi method and bibliometric method were used for analysis， and SS was selected as a disease responding specifically to TCM. Furthermore， the evaluation system was established for this disease， and the consensus regarding this disease was reached after seminar discussion. This paper summarized the whole process of the evaluation of the advantages of TCM treatment of SS. First， because TCM atomization is widely used in clinical practice and enriches TCM administration methods， this therapy is included after other non-drug therapies were taken as characteristic therapies. Second， the evaluation indicators of therapeutic effect should be determined with consideration to international acceptance and the current research status. Third， the expression method should be accurate， standardized， and objective， highlight the natural advantages of TCM， and avoid arbitrary extension. This paper provides a reference for clinicians to explore other diseases responding specifically to TCM.

Peptides are a particular molecule class with inherent attributes of some small-molecule drugs and macromolecular biologics, thereby inspiring continuous searches for peptides with therapeutic and/or agrochemical potentials. However, the success rate is decreasing, presumably because many interesting but less-abundant peptides are so scarce or labile that they are likely 'overlooked' during the characterization effort. Here, we present the biochemical characterization and druggability improvement of an unprecedented minor fungal RiPP (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide), named acalitide, by taking the relevant advantages of metabolomics approach and disulfide-bridged substructure which is more frequently imprinted in the marketed peptide drug molecules. Acalitide is biosynthetically unique in the macrotricyclization via two disulfide bridges and a protease (AcaB)-catalyzed lactamization of AcaA, an unprecedented precursor peptide. Such a biosynthetic logic was successfully re-edited for its sample supply renewal to facilitate the identification of the in vitro and in vivo antiparkinsonian efficacy of acalitide which was further confirmed safe and rendered brain-targetable by the liposome encapsulation strategy. Taken together, the work updates the mining strategy and biosynthetic complexity of RiPPs to unravel an antiparkinsonian drug candidate valuable for combating Parkinson's disease that is globally prevailing in an alarming manner.