1.Analysis of 150 cases from measuring sternal angle corresponded to thoracic plane by three-dimensional recon-struction of spiral CT
Xingning ZHOU ; Li YAO ; Xiangwei LI ; Su LYU
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2016;25(3):175-177,178
Objective To measure the sternal angle corresponded to thoracic plane by three-dimensional reconstruction of spiral CT , and to explore the accurate positioning methods and the preoperative assessment of cervicothoracic junction lesions .Methods Selected 42 cases of normal bone mass , 48 cases with bone loss , and 60 cases of osteoporosis who were diagnosed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry , and measured the location of thoracic sternal angle corresponded to the thoracic spine and thoracic kyphosis angle through the volume recon -struction data of the 16-slice spiral CT chest examinations .Results The range of sternal angle corresponded to thoracic plane was measure-ment units ⅢtoⅥ.The measure unit Ⅳwas the most, accounting for about 55%.There was no statistical significance between the position of sternal angle corresponded to thoracic plane and the relationship of bone mass , which required further study .The position of sternal angle corresponded to thoracic plane was associated with the thoracic kyphosis angle .The larger the thoracic kyphosis angle , the lower the corre-sponding position was .Conclusion The thoracic segment corresponded to the sternal angle is not a constant or accurate plane , which is not properly concerned as an accurate positioning mark to the thoracic segment .The measurement of the thoracic sternal angle was corresponded to the thoracic spine location , and its co-relationship evaluation between the thoracic kyphosis angle was vital for the accurately positioning of cervico-thoracic junction area lesions , the pre-assessment methods of surgical treatment , approach selection , and different methods for ster-num and other such contents .This research was of important clinical significance .
2.Mechanism of Qizhu Kang'ai Prescription for Inhibiting Proliferation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Regulating Tumor Metabolic Reprogramming via PCK1/Akt/p21 Signal Axis
Xin ZHONG ; Rui HU ; Jing LI ; Lanfen PENG ; Xingning LIU ; Qi HUANG ; Jialing SUN ; Xinfeng SUN ; Jianping CHEN ; Benqiang CAI ; Xiaozhou ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(3):26-36
ObjectiveTo study the effect of Qizhu Kang'ai prescription (QZAP) on the gluconeogenesis enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1) in the liver of mouse model of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) combined with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and Huh7 cells of human liver cancer, so as to explore the mechanism on regulating metabolic reprogramming and inhibiting cell proliferation of liver cancer cells. MethodDEN combined with CCl4 was used to construct a mouse model of liver cancer via intraperitoneal injection. A normal group, a model group, and a QZAP group were set up, in which QZAP (3.51 g·kg-1) or an equal volume of normal saline was administered daily by gavage, respectively. Serum and liver samples were collected after eight weeks of intervention. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in mice were detected to evaluate liver function changes of mice in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Sirius red staining were used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue. In the cell experiment, Huh7 cells were divided into blank group, QZAP low, medium, and high dose groups and/or PCK1 inhibitor (SKF-34288 hydrochloride) group, and Sorafenib group. The corresponding drug-containing serum and drug treatment were given, respectively. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method, colony formation experiment, Edu fluorescent labeling detection, intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content detection, and cell cycle flow cytometry detection were used to evaluate the proliferation ability, energy metabolism changes, and change in the cell cycle of Huh7 cells in each group. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of PCK1, serine/threonine kinase (Akt), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), and cell cycle-dependent protein kinase inhibitor 1A (p21). ResultCompared with the model group, the pathological changes such as cell atypia, necrosis, and collagen fiber deposition in liver cancer tissue of mice in the QZAP group were alleviated, and the number of liver tumors was reduced (P<0.01). The serum ALT, AST, γ-GT, and AFP levels were reduced (P<0.01). At the cell level, compared with the blank group, low, medium, and high-dose groups of QZAP-containing serum and the Sorafenib group could significantly reduce the survival rate of Huh7 cells (P<0.01) and the number of positive cells with Edu labeling (P<0.01) and inhibit clonal proliferation ability (P<0.01). The QZAP groups could also reduce the intracellular ATP content (P<0.05) and increase the distribution ratio of the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle (P<0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the model group and blank group, PCK1 and p21 protein levels of mouse liver cancer tissue and Huh7 cells in the QZAP groups were significantly reduced (P<0.05,P<0.01), and the p-Akt protein level was significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the blank group, the ATP content and cell survival rate of Huh7 cells in the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group were significantly increased (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in the ratio of Edu-positive cells and the proportion of G0/G1 phase distribution. Compared with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group, the QZAP combined with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group significantly reduced the ATP content, cell survival rate, and Edu-positive cell ratio of Huh7 cells (P<0.05) and significantly increased the G0/G1 phase distribution proportion (P<0.05). ConclusionQZAP may induce the metabolic reprogramming of liver cancer cells by activating PCK1 to promote Akt/p21-mediated tumor suppression, thereby exerting an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation mechanism.