OBJECTIVETo enlarge the ratio of length to width of a prefabricated random skin flap in a short period, in order to meet a special clinical need.

METHODSA white rat and a white mini-pig was chosen for an animal model for the experiment. They were divided into the experimental group and the control. The prefabricated flap was formed as the planned design. In the experimental group, the flaps were treated with a desired pressure in certain intervals at the planned part of the flap. We estimated and inspected the digitized perfusion of flap microcirculation, and made overcong and wide random skin flap survive within 24 hours, and this technique was finally used for the clinical wound treatment.

RESULTSAs expected, the survival area of the flap in the experimental group was significantly larger than the control. This technique was successfully used to repair the defects of the special sites in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

CONCLUSIONThe method of quickly prefabricated random flap could enlarge the ratio of length to width of the flap and put the flap in shape in short time. With the digitized estimating and inspecting, this method could obviously improve the survival area of the random flap and could also be very useful for the clinical treatment.

Adult ; Animals ; Dermatologic Surgical Procedures ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; metabolism ; pathology ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; supply & distribution ; Time Factors ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Treatment Outcome

To simulate intervention measures in controlling an outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis on one school campus by using the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model, to provide evidence for preparedness and response to the epidemic. Classical SIR model was used to model the epidemic. Malthusian exponential decline method was employed to estimate the infective coefficient β for interventions. The initial value of parameters was determined based on empirical data. The modeling was implemented using Matlab 7.1 software. Without interventions, the outbreak was expected to experience three phrases: (1)early stage (the first 5 days) in which the epidemic developed slowly and could be intervened easily; (2) rapid growing stage (6-15 days) in which the number of infected cases increased quickly and the epidemic could not be well controlled;and (3) medium and late stage (16 days and later) in which more than 90% of the susceptible persons were infected but the intervention measures failed to prevent the epidemic. With the implementation of interventions, the epidemic was predicted to be controlled in the early stage, under the SIR model. The simulation based on the SIR model kept an acceptable consistency with the actual development of epidemic after the implementation of intervention measures. The SIR model seemed effective in modeling interventions to the epidemic of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in the schools.

Hydrogel is a kind of material with high water content,good biocompatibility and extracellular matrix-like property,among which polypyrrole(PPy)conductive hydrogels have both physical characteristics and excellent conductivity of hydrogels themselves.Its conductivity can be used to detect electrical signals generated in biological systems and provide electrical stimulation to regulate the activities and functions of cells and tissues.These characteristics make it widely used in the biomedical field.The recent progress of PPy conductive hydrogels in biomedical field was reviewed in this paper.In terms of classification,according to the cross-linking mechanism of PPy and hydrogel matrix,the non-covalent cross-linked PPy conductive hydrogels and covalent cross-linked PPy conductive hydrogels were divided.The applications of PPy conductive hydrogels in the biomedical field(Skin damage repair,nerve repair,myocardial repair and flexible sensing,etc.)were mainly introduced,and the development trend and challenges of PPy conductive hydrogels in the biomedical field were discussed.

OBJECTIVEIt has been proposed that genetic polymorphisms in apoptosis-related genes might be associated with sensitivity of cancer cells to platinum-based chemotherapy. This study examined the relationship between p53 and p73 genetic polymorphisms and the response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSA total of 165 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemotherapy were genotyped for the p53 codon 72 Pro-->Arg and p73 exon 2 G4C14-->A4T14 polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP and ARMS-PCR assays. Clinical response to the chemotherapy was obtained after 2 to 3 cycles. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression model. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTSThe p53 Pro allele carriers had higher response rate than non-carriers (OR = 2.46; 95% CI = 1.11 - 5.45). A higher response rate was also observed for the p73 G4C14/A4T14 or A4T14/A4T14 genotype, compared with the G4C14/G4C14 genotype (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.14 - 4.30). When these two polymorphisms were combined to be analyzed, it was found that the response rate in those carrying the wild-type genotypes at both genes was only 7.7%, whereas the response rates in patients carrying 1, 2, or more than 2 variant alleles of p53 and p73 were 34.8%, 42.2% and 40.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThose results suggest that p53 and p73 polymorphisms may be associated with clinical responsiveness to platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Exons ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Tumor Protein p73 ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVESTo study the effects of fenvalerate exposure on the semen quality of occupational workers in order to find out the early effective biomarkers.

METHODSThirty-two male workers who exposed to fenvalerate and 46 male administrators in the office in a pesticide factory were selected as the exposure group and internal control group, respectively, and 22 male administrators in a center for disease control were served as the external control group. In order to evaluate the exposed levels, the concentration of fenvalerate, toluene and xylene in the ambient air of working place in these three groups were monitored simultaneously for three consecutive days. After the semen were collected according to the standard method, the workers' semen qualities were analysed with University of California at Davis (UCDavis) method and the sperm motility were evaluated using computer assisted sperm analysis(CASA).

RESULTSIn the exposure group, the concentrations of fenvalerate were significantly higher than those in the internal and external control group (P < 0.01), while no significant difference of the concentration on toluene or xylene was found (P > 0.05). Sperm motion parameters in the exposure group such as linearity(LIN), straightness(STR), and the sperm count were decreased significantly, and the abnormality rate of viscidity, coagulation and sperm count were increased significantly as compared with the internal and the external control groups(P < 0.05). Furthermore, the sperm progression and beat cross frequency (BCF) in the exposure group were also lower significantly than those in the external control group(P < 0.05), while the abnormality rate of sperm progression was increased significantly.

CONCLUSIONSIn such a low concentration, occupational exposure to fenvalerate can affect workers' semen quality, especially the sperm count and sperm movement ability.

Adult ; Humans ; Insecticides ; toxicity ; Male ; Nitriles ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Pyrethrins ; toxicity ; Semen ; drug effects ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects

INTRODUCTIONThere are many treatment options for vestibular schwannomas (VSs), including radiosurgery. Previous studies have shown good outcomes for smaller tumours. We report the results of a seven-year cohort of patients with VS who were treated at our centre using a linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery system.

METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the case notes and magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with VS treated with radiosurgery. Treatment was administered as either a single 13 Gy session or 25 Gy in five sessions. At our centre, only larger or higher Koos grade VSs, were routinely treated with hypofractionated radiosurgery. Tumour response and hearing were assessed using RECIST criteria and Gardner-Robertson scale, respectively. Other toxicities were assessed using physical examination and history-taking. Freedom from radiological progression was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS46 patients received single-fraction radiosurgery and 31 received hypofractionated radiosurgery. Median follow-up duration was 40.6 months. 29 patients had prior surgery to remove the tumour (median size 1.68 cm3). One patient who had symptomatic increase in tumour size (> 20% in largest diameter) was treated conservatively and subsequently showed stable disease on MR imaging. Progression-free survival was 98.7%. Another patient had symptomatic oedema requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion. 11 patients had serviceable hearing before radiotherapy and 72.7% of them retained useful hearing (20.1 dB mean decline in pure tone average). Facial and trigeminal nerve functions and sense of equilibrium were preserved in > 90% of patients.

CONCLUSIONRadiosurgery is effective and safe for small VSs or as an adjunct therapy after microsurgery.

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the twigs of Morus alba L..METHODS The 60％ ethanol extract from M.alba twigs was isolated and purified by ODS,sephadax LH-20 and semi-preparative column,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.RESULTS Ten compounds were isolated and identified as 4'-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-hydroxyresveratrol 3-(6-O-β-D-glucopyanosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) (1),3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-2'-hydroxyresveratrol 4'-(6-O-β-D-glucopyanosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside) (2),mulberroside A (3),mulberroside E (4),mulberroside F (5),transoxyresveratrol-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6),trans-oxyresveratrol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7),cis-mulberroside A (8),3,4-dimethoxyphenyl β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (9),kelampayoside A (10).CONCLUSION Compounds 9 and 10 are isolated from genus Morus for the first time,compounds 1,2,4-7 are first isolated from this plant.

Aim To study the effects of L-borneol on the chloride channel and cell volume of human umbili-cal vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods Whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to record chloride currents. The expression of ClC-3 protein was down-regulated by siRNA interference technique. The cell volume was measured by dynamic image analysis. Results 20 nmol·L-1L-borneol significantly activa-ted chloride current in HUVEC (79.59 ± 4.90) pA/pF, which could be inhibited by chloride channel blockers,NPPB and DIDS. The outward current inhib-itory rate of NPPB was (95.57 ± 2.57)%, while that of DIDS was (97.28 ± 6.36)%. The chloride current activated by L-borneol significantly decreased after the silence of ClC-3 (27.03 ± 3.89) pA/pF. Cell volume was markedly reduced by L-borneol (14.38 ± 1.58)%,which was inhibited after NPPB appliance. Conclusion L-borneol can activate ClC-3 chloride channel in HUVECs, which induces Cl- outflow then cell volume decrease.

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of Astragali Radix-Curcumae Rhizoma(HQEZ) in the treatment of gastric cancer based on network pharmacology. Further, the SGC7901 cell model of gastric cancer was employed to validate the efficacy and key targets of the herb pair. Firstly, the CCK-8 assay was employed to evaluate the direct effect of HQEZ on the proliferation of gastric cancer SGC7901 cells. Then, network pharmacology methods were employed to investigate the active ingredients, key targets, and key signaling pathways involved in the treatment of gastric cancer with HQEZ. The results showed that HQEZ contained 18 potential active ingredients, such as quercetin, naringenin, and curcumin. The results of gene ontology(GO) functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment suggested that the main targets of HQEZ in treating gastric cancer were involved in the regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) activity, cysteine-type endopeptidase activity, and negative regulation of protein serine/threonine kinase activity. The hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1) signaling pathway, ATP-binding cassette(ABC) transporters, cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of xenobiotics, p53 signaling pathway, and cell apoptosis were key signaling pathways of HQEZ in treating gastric cancer. The cell experiments demonstrated that HQEZ significantly downregulated the expression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1), epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), phosphorylated serine/threonine kinase(p-AKT), hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha(HIF1A), B-cell lymphoma 2(BCL2), breast cancer susceptibility protein 1(BRCA1), DNA polymerase theta(POLH), ribonucleotide reductase M1(RRM1), and excision repair cross-complementation group 1(ERCC1), and upregulated the expression of tumor protein P53(TP53) and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase(CAPS3). Finally, a multivariate COX regression model was adopted to study the relationship between gene expression and clinical information data of gastric cancer patients in the TCGA database, which demonstrated that the key targets of HQEZ were associated with the poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Further feature selection using the LASSO algorithm showed that EGFR, HIF1A, TP53, POLH, RRM1, and ERCC1 were closely associated with the survival of gastric can-cer patients. In conclusion, HQEZ regulates the expression of genes involved in DNA repair, survival, and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells via multiple targets and pathways, assisting the treatment of gastric cancer.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/genetics* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; Network Pharmacology ; ErbB Receptors ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases ; Serine ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*

AIM To evaluate the habitat suitability of Hedysari Radix based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS.METHODS Using the MaxEnt model to screen the ecological factors affecting the distribution of Hedysari Radix,an evaluation model was thus established.ArcGIS software was used to evaluate the ecological suitability of Hedysari Radix to obtain the data about the highly suitable area,the moderate suitable area,the low suitable area and non-suitable area for its growth in China.RESULTS Hedysari Radix found its 1.29×106 km2 suitable area in China,among which the highly suitable area was 5×104 km2,mainly in Gansu Province,the moderately suitable area was 3.38×105 km2,and the low-suitable area was 9×105 km2,occupying 4.03%,26.20%and 69.77%of all,respectively.The main ecological factors affecting the distribution of Hedysari Radix were determined to be altitude,precipitation in the hottest quarter,solar radiation in September and December,seasonal temperature variation deviation and basic saturation of upper soil(0-30 cm).CONCLUSION With its result complying well with the literature records,this study provides theoretical basis for the introduction and cultivation of Hedysari Radix,and sustainable utilization of resources as well.