Objective To investigate and compare the clinical effects of intraarticular injection of sodium hyaluronate and diprospan on knee osteoarthritis. Methods 94 patients with knee osteoarthritis were divided into two groups, the HA group and Cortieosteroid group. Each patient in the HA group was treated with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate at 2.5 ml every week for 5 weeks, and each patient in the Corticosteroid group was treated with intra-articular injection of diprospan at 1ml on the first and fourth week. The clinical assessments included pain,joint effusion,and Lequesne Index. Assessments were done at baseline, at week 4, and week 12. Results 88 cases were followed up for 3 months. A significant decrease in VAS scores for pain and in Lequesne Index was found in both groups at week 4 when compared to baseline and there were no significant differences between the two groups. However,at 12 week improvement in pain score and Lequesne Index was found in favour of hyaluronic acid. In addition,diprospan seemed to have preferable short-term effect on patient with joint effusion. Conclusion Both intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate and diprospan provided clinically significant improvement in short-term and demonstrated that hyaluronic acid had a more long-term beneficial effect in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Microalgae have been identified as promising candidates for biorefinery of value-added molecules. The valuable products from microalgae include polyunsaturated fatty acids and pigments, clean and sustainable energy (e.g. biodiesel). Nevertheless, high cost for microalgae biomass harvesting has restricted the industrial application of microalgae. Flocculation, compared with other microalgae harvesting methods, has distinguished itself as a promising method with low cost and easy operation. Here, we reviewed the methods of microalgae harvesting using flocculation, including chemical flocculation, physical flocculation and biological flocculation, and the progress and prospect in bio-flocculation are especially focused. Harvesting microalgae via bio-flocculation, especially using bio-flocculant and microalgal strains that is self-flocculated, is one of the eco-friendly, cost-effective and efficient microalgae harvesting methods.
Biofuels ; Biomass ; Flocculation ; Microalgae ; growth & development

Objective To investigate the effect of sodium arsenite by Wnt signaling pathway on proliferation and apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.Methods Cell proliferation was detected after 1.25,2.5,5,10,20μmol/L sodium arsenite treatment human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line Tca8113 for 24,48,72 hours by CCK8 experiment.0 and 14μmol/L sodium arsenite was used to treatment Tca8113 cells with 48h,cell apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry,Cleaved Caspase3,β-catenin,Cyclin D1 protein expression were detected by Western blot.Tca8113 cells were divided into control group,sodium arsenite group,activating agent+sodium arsenite group,all treated for 48hour,cell proliferation,apoptosis and Cleaved Caspase3,β-catenin,Cyclin D1 protein expression were detected by CCK8 assay,flow cytometry and Western blot.Results Tca8113 cell proliferation was inhibited significantly with the increase of treatment time and sodium arsenite concentration,and has a time and concentration dependent manner(P<0.05 or P<0.01).10μmol/L sodium arsenite as a follow-up study according to the IC50.Cell inhibition rate,apoptosis rate and Cleaved Caspase3 protein expression in 10μmol/L group were significantly higher than that of 0 mol/L group,the expression of β-catenin,Cyclin D1 protein was significantly lower than that of 0 mol/L group(P<0.01).Apoptosis rate,cell inhibition rate and Cleaved Caspase 3 protein expression in sodium arsenite group and activating agent+sodium arsenite group were significantly higher than control group,the expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 protein were significantly lower than control group(P<0.01).Apoptosis rate,cell inhibition rate and Cleaved Caspase 3 protein expression in activating agent + sodium arsenite group were significantly lower than that of sodium arsenite group,the expression of β-catenin and Cyclin D1 protein were significantly higher than that of sodium arsenite group(P<0.01).Conclusion Sodium arsenite can inhibit the proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma and promote apoptosis,and the mechanism was related to regulation of Wnt signaling pathway.

Objective To study the placental vascular distribution of monochorionic (MC) twins with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) or hirth weight discordance.Methods Twenty-eight MC placentas were injected in Peking University Third Hospital between Feb.2010 and Feb.2011.The vascular distribution type (parallel,crossed,mixed and monoamniotic),the anastomosis of vessels and the placental sharing were recorded.The outcome of pregnancy and the placental characteristics of birth weight discordance (birth weight discordance ≥ 20％) in non-TTTS MC twins were analyzed.Results (1) The outcome of pregnancy:the miscarriage or gestational weeks of 28 MC twins were 20 to 38 weeks (median of 35 weeks).Six cases were TTTS,3 of which received fetoscopic laser occlusion of communicating vessels (FLOC).There were 48 live births,with an average birth weight of (2036 ± 623) g.(2) Type of placental vascular distribution:in the 28 MC placentas,number of parallel,crossed,mixed and monoamniotic type of placental vascular distribution were 4 (14％),14 (50％),6 (21％) and 4 (14％) cases,respectively.No parallel type was found in TTTS.There was no significant difference of vascular anastomosis or unequal placental sharing among the different placental vascular distribution types (P ＞ 0.05).(3) Characteristics of placental vascular distribution in birth weight discordance twins:there were 20 non-TTTS MC twin pregnancies,all of which got live births of both babies.Birth weight discordance equal to or more than 20％ was found in 6 pairs of newborns,while birth weight discordance less than 20％ was found in the rest 14 cases.Ratio of unequal placental sharing was significantly different between the two groups (P ＜ 0.01).There was no significant difference of umbilical cord insertion,placental vascular distribution and anastomosis in the two groups (P ＞0.01).Conclusions Vascular distribution type of MC twins might be related to TTTS.Unequal placental sharing is a risk factor of birth weight discordance in non-TTTS MC twins.

BACKGROUND: Intrapulmonary vascular abnormalities result in the right-to-left shunting and severe hypoxemia in liver transplantation candidates. Currently, a convenient, sensitive and effective method is absent to screen the intrapulmonary vascular dilatations.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of contrast-enhanced echocardiography on clinical diagnosis of intrapulmonary shunting in liver transplantation candidates.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: The experiment, prospective controlled observation based on cases, was performed at the Hepatology Unit of the 458 Hospital of PLA (Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) from February 2004 to February 2006.PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four consecutive liver transplantation candidates were recruited from the Hepatology Unit of the 458Hospital of PLA.METHODS: Routine examination was conducted under the condition without any regimen of vascular dilatation drugs.Contrast-enhanced echocardiography was applied to detect the prevalence of right-to-left shunting in the patients with end-stage liver disease. The microvesicle of the left ventricle in patients was qualitatively assessed by a score from 1+ to 3+. Accordingly, all patients were divided into two groups: intrapulmonary shunting and non-intrapulmonary shunting.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of right-to-left shunting and clinical characteristics of liver transplantation candidates were determined.RESULTS: Ten (41.7%) of 24 patients with positive contrast-enhanced echocardiography were proved to develop the intrapulmonary right-to-left shunting, including 6 for l+ and 4 for 2+ by left ventricle abnormality, which emerged after 6-10 cardiac cycles of right ventricle abnormality. There were no significant differences in age, gender, arterial blood gas analysis and liver function tests between the two groups (P > 0.05). Echocardiography results demonstrated that, the upper digestive tract hemorrhage,spleen thickness that indicated portal hypertension, pulmonary artery systolic pressure and Tei index were significandy higher in the patients of intrapulmonary shunting than in those of non-intrapulmonary shunting (P<0.05-0.01 ).CONCLUSION: Intrapulmonary vascular dilatation occurs frequently in liver transplantation candidates associated with intrapulmonary shunting but without hypoxemia. Contrast-enhanced echocardiography is a sensitive and non-invasive method for the early diagnosis of intrapulmonary vascular dilatation. The pathogenic cause is portal hypertension. Tel index can be used as an important parameter for evaluating right ventricular function in patients of intrapulmonary vascular dilatation.

Objective To discuss the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in differentiating benign and malignant tumor of pelvic cavity.Methods From October 2014 to January 2016,abdominal ultrasonography or trans-vaginal ultrasonography were performed among outpatients and inpatients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University.We found 62 cases with pelvic cavity tumors with 64 lumps,which were detected at cystic mass,cystic-solid mass,and solid mass in conventional ultrasonography.We made the diagnosis of all the lumps by performing contrast-enhanced ultrasonography,observing the infusion process and analyzing perfusion pattern,the intensity of perfusion and time intensity curve.By contrasting the diagnosis and the pathologic and long-term follow-up results,we classified the tumors into two groups,benign and malignant.Then we analyzed the time intensity curve and imaging parameters of the two groups.Restlts Among the total 64 lumps,43 was found in the group of benign tumor and 21 in the group of malignant tumor.Sixty-two were proved by pathologic results and 2 were proved by long-term follow-up results.Benign tumors showed that the infusion flowed from the peripheral to the center and enhanced equably and the vessels were regularly shaped.Malignant tumor showed that the infusion infiltrated from the center to the peripheral and enhanced quickly and unequally,and vessels were distorted.In the time intensity curve,group of benign tumors presented a gently slow raise and fall type,and group of malignant tumors showed a quickly raise and fall type.Rise time (RT) of malignant group (7.70 ± 2.56s) was shorter than benign group (11.40 ± 6.77s) (P＜0.05).Peak intensity (PI) of malignant group (16.30 ± 7.41dB) was higher than benign group (12.12 ± 6.70dB) (P＜0.05).Area Under the Curve (AUC) of malignant group (981.65 ± 548.04 dB s) was bigger than benign group (715.22 ± 651.04dB s) (P＜ 0.05).No difference was found between two groups in Time to Peak (TP) and Mean Transit Time (MTF) (P＞ 0.05).The sensitivity,specificity,positive and negative predictive value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were 95.2％,93.0％,86.9％,and 97.5％ respectively.Conclusion Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography ean show an eligible blood perfusion and vascularity of lumps.Analyzing perfusion pattern,time intensity curve,and other parameters can improve capacity of diagnosing and differentiating benign tumor and malignant tumor of pelvic cavity.

Objective:To explore the abnormalities of efficiency in resting state functional brain network in patients with paranoid schizophrenia and the correlations between efficiencies and clinical symptoms.Methods:A total of 73 patients with schizophrenia (SZ group) met with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-Ⅳ) criteria for schizophrenia and 70 healthy controls (HC group) were included .All subjects were checked by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and positive and negative syndrome scale(PANSS) were used to assess the symptoms.Abnormalities of global and local efficiency of brain regions in brain functional network were analyzed by graph theory.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the abnormal global efficiency and local efficiency of brain regions of SZ group and PANSS.SPSS 20.0 software was used for dependent-sample t-test, ANOVA test and Pearson correlation analysis. Results:Compared with the HC group, SZ group showed increased global efficiency in bilateral thalamus(left: 0.26±0.06, 0.28±0.04, t=2.03, P=0.044.right: 0.26±0.06, 0.28±0.05, t=2.08, P=0.040), right orbital part of middle frontal gyrus(0.21±0.04, 0.23±0.05, t=2.25, P=0.026), cerebellar lobule Ⅸ(0.19±0.06, 0.21±0.05, t=2.56, P=0.011) and vermis Ⅲ(0.15±0.08, 0.19±0.07, t=3.27, P=0.001), while decreased global efficiency in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus(left: 0.25±0.05, 0.22±0.05, t=-3.34, P=0.001.right: 0.27±0.04, 0.23±0.05, t=-4.96, P=0.000), superior occipital gyrus(left: 0.27±0.03, 0.26±0.03, t=-2.70, P=0.008.right: 0.27±0.02, 0.26±0.03, t=-2.73, P=0.007), superior parietal gyrus(left: 0.27±0.03, 0.26±0.05, t=-2.63, P=0.010.right: 0.27±0.03, 0.25±0.05, t=-2.76, P=0.007), paracentral lobule(left: 0.28±0.03, 0.26±0.07, t=-2.47, P=0.015.right: 0.28±0.04, 0.25±0.07, t=-3.06, P=0.003), left precental gyrus(0.28±0.04, 0.27±0.04, t=-1.98, P=0.049), left cuneus(0.26±0.04, 0.25±0.04, t=-2.08, P=0.039), left lingual gyrus(0.29±0.03, 0.28±0.03, t=-2.28, P=0.024), left middle occipital gyrus(0.29±0.03, 0.28±0.03; t=-2.74, P=0.007), left middle temporal gyrus(0.28±0.03, 0.26±0.03, t=-2.73, P=0.007), temporal pole in left middle temporal gyrus(0.20±0.06, 0.18±0.06, t=-2.59, P=0.011) and right hippocampus(0.27±0.04, 0.26±0.06, t=-2.05, P=0.042).Compared with the HC group, SZ group showed increased local efficiency in bilateral caudate nucleus(left: 0.33±0.06, 0.35±0.05, t=2.54, P=0.012.right: 0.33±0.07, 0.35±0.04, t=2.77, P=0.007) and left superior occipital gyrus(0.39±0.03, 0.40±0.02, t=2.17, P=0.031), while decreased local efficiency in bilateral parahippocampal gyrus(left: 0.35±0.04, 0.32±0.07, t=-3.16, P=0.002.right: 0.34±0.04, 0.32±0.07, t=-2.91, P=0.004), left supplementary motor area(0.36±0.02, 0.35±0.05, t=-2.01, P=0.047), left inferior parietal but supramarginal and angular gyrus(0.35±0.03, 0.34±0.05, t=-2.65, P=0.009), left cerebellar crus Ⅱ(0.37±0.03, 0.36±0.04, t=-2.01, P=0.046), lobule ⅦB(0.37±0.03, 0.35±0.07, t=-1.98, P=0.049), right posterior cingulate gyrus(0.36±0.04, 0.34±0.07, t=-2.07, P=0.041), right superior parietal gyrus(0.37±0.03, 0.36±0.05, t=-2.19, P=0.031), right precuneus(0.36±0.02, 0.35±0.04, t=-2.36, P=0.020), right paracentral lobule(0.37±0.02, 0.36±0.06, t=-2.07, P=0.041) and right temporal pole in middle temporal gyrus(0.33±0.08, 0.30±0.09, t=-2.09, P=0.038).The global efficiency of bilateral paracentral lobule and left temporal pole in middle temporal gyrus in SZ group were negatively correlated with the negative scale scores( r=-0.25, -0.25, -0.26, all P<0.05).The global efficiency of right hippocampus in SZ group was positively correlated with total scores of PANSS( r=0.23, P=0.049).The global efficiency of left middle temporal gyrus in SZ group was negatively correlated with total scores of PANSS( r=-0.23, P=0.049).The local efficiency of right paracentral lobule in SZ group was negatively correlated with the positive scale scores( r=-0.24, P=0.038). Conclusion:The brain networks of patients with first-episode paranoid schizophrenia may have regional dysfunction in the transmission efficiency and fault-tolerant ability of resting state brain functional network, and the abnormalities of efficiency may be associated with the severity of psychiatric symptoms in several brain regions.

Objective:To summarize the ultrasound characteristics of incarceration of gravid uterus (IGU) for improving the diagnostic accuracy of IGU.Methods:Three cases of IGU patients were diagnosed in Peking University Third Hospital from May 2018 to May 2020. CNKI, Wanfang Data, China Science and Technology Journal Database and PubMed were searched using the search terms "incarcerate uterus" or "uterine incarceration" and "gravid" through January 2000 to July 2020, 53 IGU cases were found. The ultrasound data and outcomes of the 56 IGU patients were retrospectively analyzed. The display rate of various ultrasonic features were counted. Relevant literatures were reviewed and the experience were summarized.Results:Of the 56 cases with IGU, 45 cases (80.4%) had positive results, of which 34 cases (60.7%) were found abnormal cervix(elongated anteriorly and superiorly displaced cervix or poorly visualized cervix), 27 cases (48.2%) were found retroversion of the gravid uterus, 12 cases (21.4%) were found that the fundus of the uterus lay deeply in the Douglas pouch, 4 cases (7.1%) were found anteriorly and superiorly displaced bladder. There was statistically significant difference between the displaying rates of abnormal cervix and retroversion of the gravid uterus(χ 2=5.452, P<0.05). Conclusions:Abnormal cervix was the most common feature of IGU by ultrasound. Correct identification of the cervix is helpful to improve the detection rate of IGU.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel in dog days of summer for postpartum pantalgia. Methods:A total of 64 patients with postpartum pantalgia were randomized into an observation group and a control group,with 32 cases in each group.Both groups were treated with herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel.The control group was treated in non-dog days,and the observation group was treated in dog days of summer.Both groups were treated with moxibustion once every 3 d,3 times as one course of treatment,for a total of 3 courses.The range and degree of pain were evaluated by the 45-region body surface area score and visual analog scale(VAS)score before treatment,after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice.The revised fibromyalgia impact questionnaire(FIQR)was used to evaluate the quality of life of the patients.The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups after treatment. Results:During the trial,there were 2 dropout cases in the observation group,and 2 cases were eliminated from the control group.After treatment,the total effective rate in the observation group was 93.3%,which was higher than 76.6%in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the number of pain sites and pain areas of the patients in both groups decreased after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice(P<0.05),and the FIQR score decreased(P<0.05).The score of each item in the observation group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).Compared with before treatment,the VAS score in the observation group decreased after treatment,1 month after treatment,and around the Winter Solstice(P<0.01),and was lower than that in the control group at the same time point(P<0.05). Conclusion:Herb-insulated moxibustion on the Governor Vessel can improve the range and degree of pain in patients with postpartum pantalgia and improve their quality of life.The total efficacy of the moxibustion performed in dog days is superior to that in non-dog days,and the effect lasts longer.

Objective:To evaluate the outcome of laser coagulation under fetoscope for placental chorioangioma (CA).Methods:The clinical data of three pregnant women with giant CA treated by laser coagulation under fetoscope in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Relevant articles up to September 2022 were retrieved from Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and PubMed, and the clinical data of all patients were retrospectively summarized. Indications and intervention effects of fetoscopic laser therapy were analyzed. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the data.Results:Thirteen patients were involved in this study including 10 cases retrieved from the databases. The average age of the pregnant women was (30.3±6.2) years old. There were 12 cases of single pregnancy and one case of twin pregnancy (monochorionic diamnionic twin pregnancy). Except for cases for which data were not available in the literatures, at the diagnosis of CA, the average gestational age was (19.9±4.5) weeks ( n=7) and the average maximum diameter of the mass was (6.1±4.1) cm ( n=6). The patients underwent fetoscopic laser therapy at an average gestational age of (25.0±2.0) weeks ( n=13) with the average maximum tumor diameter of (7.6±2.8) cm ( n=9). After treatment, the amniotic fluid volume of three cases decreased to normal. In one case, the amniotic fluid volume decreased but was still above the upper limit of the normal range. Moreover, the maximum tumor diameter decreased in four cases; the peak systolic velocity of the fetal middle cerebral artery decreased to normal in one case; fetal heart function became normal in two cases and fetal edema was relieved in one case. Among the three patients treated in our hospital, the blood supply of CA disappeared after treatment. Intrauterine fetal death occurred in two cases. The other 11 patients gave birth to live babies at the gestational age of (36.6±3.8) weeks with five through cesarean section (5/11), five through vaginal delivery (4/11) and two not reported. The birth weight of the neonates was (2 712±1 023) g and all of them survived. The gender of five neonates were reported and all were females, two of them were monochorionic diamnionic twins. No abnormality was found in the three neonates delivered in our hospital during a six-month follow-up. No abnormality was reported in the other neonates during ten days to six months of follow-up. Conclusions:Fetoscopic laser coagulation may help reduce the size of CA, decrease complications and improve pregnancy outcomes.