Purpose To investigate the clinicopathological features, treatment and prognosis of perivascular epithelioid cell tumor ( PEComa) of the head and neck. Methods Two cases of PEComa were analyzed by studying clinical data, histopathologic and immu-nohistochemical ( EnVision) changes and the related literatures were reviewed. Results Case 1 was a 26-year-old woman with a re-current larynx tumor, and case 2 was diagnosed in a 56-year-old man with a left nasal cavity mass. Their tumors were well-demarcated, and ranged from 2. 5 to 3. 5 cm in diameter. Microscopically, the tumors were composed of epithelioid cells arranged in nets, organoid pattern. The tumor cells had abundant pale eosinophilic granular to clear cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei, and mild atypia. The stroma was rich in capillaries, sinusoidal vasculature. There was mitotic activity and focal necrosis. By immunohistochemistry, the tumor cells were diffusely or focally positive for vimentin (2/2), HMB-45(1/2), Melan-A(2/2), SMA(2/2), Calponin(2/2), desmin(1/2), and TFE3(1/2). They were negative for CK, CD10, S-100, CgA, Syn, and MyoD1. Conclusion PEComa of the head and neck is rare. Definite diagnosis depends upon the comprehensive analysis of histopathology and coexpression of melanocytic and myoid mark-ers. The differential diagnosis include paraganglioma, malignant melanoma and metastatic carcinoma. Few PEComas of the head and neck behaved in an aggressive fashion with distant or loco-regional metastases and died of disease-related causes, it should be regarded as tumors with a malignant potential.

Objective To investigate the relationship of plasma homocysteine with the genotype distribution of MTHFR and MTRR among Chinese Han women in Xiangtan. Methods MTHFR C677T, A1298C and MTRR A66G geno?typing was analyzed to detect the distribution of gene polymorphisms among 1 701 women from Xiangtan city then the data were compared with the rest of the Han women in Zibo, Zhengzhou, Yantai, Zhenjiang, Songzi, Huizhou, Qionghai. Plasma Hcy levels from 110 patients were measured and analyzed the correlation with gene polymorphisms. Results The frequency of MTHFR C677T genotype and allele frequencies in Xiangtan is 12.6%which is higher than Huizhou (10.9%) and Qionghai (6.1%) but lower than Zibo (43.6%), Zhengzhou (36.8%), Yantai (32.2%), Zhenjiang (21.8%) with statistically significant dif?ference (P<0.05). There is no significant different in MTHFR C677T between Xiangtan and Songzi. The frequency of MTH?FR A1298C genotype and allele frequencies in Xiangtan is 4.8%which is lower than Qionghai(7.1%)but higher than Zibo (1.4%),Zhengzhou(2.4%), Yantai(1.8%), Zhenjiang(3.5%)and Songzi(2.6%)with statistically significant difference. The frenquency of MTRR A66G genotype and allele frequencies in Xiangtan is 6.8%which is higher than Zibo (4.8%) but lower than Qionghai (9.3%) with statistically signifcant difference. Plasma Hcy concentration correlate with MTHFR C677T, Hcy concentration in TT population is higher than that in CT and CC population(μmol/L:8.52±2.01 vs 5.94±1.47 vs 5.71± 0.18);Plasma Hcy concentration also correlate with MTHFR A1298C and Hcy concentration in CC population is higher than AA and AC population(μmol/L:9.83 ± 2.26 vs 6.35 ± 2.13 vs 5.55 ± 1.75);Plasma Hcy concentration does not correlate with MTRR A66G. Conclusion The gene polymorphism of MTHFR C677T, A1298C and MTRR A66G among the Han women in Xiangtan was statistically different from other selected regions of China. Mutation in MTHFR C 677T and A1298C were associated with elevated plasma levels of Hcy.

AIM:To evaluate therapeutic effect of Zhiqi oral solution on adult periodontitis. METHODS: Supragingival scaling and root planning were carried out in 100 patients with adult periodontitis. Then the patients with periodontitis were divided into two groups randomly. 32 patients in the control group took orally Metronidazole and 68 patients in the experimental group took orally Zhiqi oral solution. The pain reaction, bleeding index, probing depth, plaque index, changes of microorganisms in periodontal pocket and side effect before and after the treatment were observed at a 30 days observation period. RESULTS:Zhiqi oral solution had a therapeutic effect on periodontitis, compared with the control group ( P

BACKGROUND: Due to its high water content and biomimetic properties simulating extracellular matrix (ECM), hydrogels have been used as preferred cell culture and delivery systems. Similarly, cell-loaded hydrogels can be easily injected into target areas in a minimally invasive manner, minimizing surgical trauma, adapting to irregular shaped defects, and benefiting patients. In this study, we systematically reviewed multiple studies on hydrogel-based bone defect research and briefly summarized the progress of injectable and cell-loaded hydrogels in bone defect repair. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases using selected search terms. RESULTS: Initially, 185 articles were retrieved from the databases. After full-text screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 articles were included in this systematic review. Data collected from each study included culture model, seed cell type and origin, cell concentration, scaffold material, scaffold shape, experimental animal and site, bioactive agents, and binding method. This injectable and cell-loaded hydrogel shows certain feasibility in bone tissue engineering applications. CONCLUSION Injectable and cell-loaded hydrogels have been widely applied in bone tissue engineering research. The future direction of bone tissue engineering for bone defect treatment involves the use of new hydrogel materials and biochemical stimulation.

Urea transporters (UT) play a vital role in the mechanism of urine concentration and are recognized as novel targets for the development of salt-sparing diuretics. Thus, UT inhibitors are promising for development as novel diuretics. In the present study, a novel UT inhibitor with a diarylamide scaffold was discovered by high-throughput screening. Optimization of the inhibitor led to the identification of a promising preclinical candidate,