Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1) in cervical cancer. Methods Immunohistochemical method was applied to detect the expression level of MST1 protein in specimens of cervical cancer tissues (n=139) and pericarcinomatous tissues (n=20, with≥4 cm distance from the primary tumor's edge). Western blot assay and qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA transcription expression levels of MST1 in 20 pairs of cervical cancer tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues, respectively. The correlation between MST1 expression, clinic pathological features and the prognosis were analyzed. Results MST1 was mainly expressed in cytoplasm. The positive expression rate of MST1 was significantly lower in cervical cancer tissues (27%, 38/139) than that in pericarcinomatous tissues (80%, 16/20,χ2=21.62, P<0.01). The expressions levels of MST1 protein and mRNA were both lower in the cervical cancer tissues (P<0.01). In cervical cancer, the positive expression rate of MST1 inⅠb+Ⅱa stage was higher than that ofⅡb+Ⅳstage (P<0.05), the positive expression rate of MST1 in lymph node metastasis was lower than that of without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Values of age, tumor size, histological type and differentiation degree showed no significant difference to positive expression rate of MST1. Moreover, the negative expression of MST1 displayed a significantly poorer overall survival time than that of positive expression of MST1 (Log-rank χ2=28.35, P < 0.01). Conclusion MST1 shows a lower expression in cervical cancer, which may be a new target for clinical treatment and prognosis of cervical cancer.

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations of early postoperative internal hernia. Methods Patients who were diagnosed with early postoperative small bowel obstruction(EPSBO)within 30 days after operation and underwent laparotomy between 1994 and 2006 were included for study.Clinical and radiological findings were analyzed. Results Totally 38 EPSBO patients were identined.among those,9 patients(23.7%)had an internal hera ag the cause of the howel obstruction.Other causes included intestinal adhesions in 27 patients(71.1%),gallstone ileus in 1 patient(2.6%)and stoma obstruction in 1 patient(2.6%).In the internal hernia group,6 cases were male and 3 cases were female witIl a mean age of 53.6 years.The mean time from the primary operation to symptom development was 7.8 d(range,2～17 d)and the mean time of conservative treatment Was 3.4 d(range,1～8 d).The main clinical features included:complete mechanical obstruction with symptoms rapidly progressing and early bowel strangulation.Specific radiologic abnormalities misht be identified,especially by contrast-enhanced CT.In this series,intestinal strangulation was found in 6 patients with bowel necrosis in 4 eases,necessitating howel resection in 5 patients.Wound infection developed in one cage and there was no perioperative death.Conclusion Internal hernia can occur early postoperatively and it bears a high risk of strangulation and bowel necrosis.Prompt operative intervention should be carried out in highly suspicious patients in order to avoid complications and achieve good outcome.

Objective Evaluation the Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy (FSRT) for the patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) after the whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) failure.Methods We retrospectively analyzed 35 patients with brain metastases from small-cell lung cancer treated with linear accelerator FSRT after the WBRT failure. Multivariate analysis was used to determine significant prognostic factor related to survival.ResultsThe following-up rate was 100％.The median following-up time was 11 months.The median over-all survival (OS) time was 10.3( 1 -30) months after FSRT.Controlled extra cranial disease was the only identified significant predictor of increased median OS time (χ2 =4.02,P =0.045 ).The median OS time from the diagnosis of brain metastasis was 22 (6 - 134 )months.14 patients died from brain metastasis,14 from extra-cranial progression,1 from leptomeningeal metastases,and 3 from other causes. Local control at 6 months and 12 months was 91％ and 76％,respectively.No significant late complications.New brain metastases outside of the treated area developed in 17％ of patients at a median time of 4(2 -20) months; all patients had received previous WBRT.ConclusionsFractionated stereotactic radiotherapy was safe and effective treatment for recurrent small-cell lung carcinoma brain metastases.

Objective To detect the expression level of 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase(ABAT)in bone marrow of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS),and analyze its influence on clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients.Methods From January 2016 to March 2020,92 patients with MDS and 30 patients with acute myeloid leukemia(AML)from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College were retrospectively collected.Meanwhile,30 patients with immunothrombocytopenia who did not develop MDS or other clonal diseases of the blood system during a 3-year follow-up were collected as control group.Real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the relative expression level and methylation level of ABAT mRNA of all patients,and the relative expression level and methylation level of ABAT mRNA among different clinical characteristics of MDS patients were compared.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors affecting the adverse prognosis of MDS.The clinical value of detecting ABAT methylation level in predicting poor prognosis of MDS patients was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the 3-year survival rate between groups with different ABAT mRNA relative expression levels and methylation levels,and log-rank test was used for their comparison.Results The expression level of ABAT mRNA in MDS group(0.42±0.08)was lower than that in control group(0.56±0.15)and AML group(0.52±0.10),while the methylation level of ABAT(32.51±5.32)was higher than that of AML group(26.21±4.58)and control group(10.25±4.31),and the differences were significant(t=4.251,4.562;10.415,8.326,all P<0.001).The methylation level of ABAT in high-risk patients(42.65±5.32)was higher than that in low-risk patients(25.63±4.16),intermediate-risk-1 patients(30.59±2.51)and intermediate-risk-2 patients(33.25±3.69)by IPSS risk grade,and the differences were significant(t=8.329,7.077,15.874,all P<0.001).Poor Karyotype analysis result[OR(95%CI):4.973(1.524～8.581),P=0.004],high IPSS risk grade[OR(95%CI):8.542(2.365～14.521),P<0.001]and ABAT hypermethylation level[OR(95%CI):6.178(1.589～13.021),P<0.001]were the risk factors affecting the poor prognosis of MDS.The cut-offvalue of ABAT methylation level to predict the poor prognosis of MDS were 30.54,and the area under the curve(AUC),the sensitivity and specificity were 0.92,0.874 and 0.851,respectively.The 3-year survival rate of the high ABAT methylation group(>30.54)was 66.67%,which was lower than that of the low ABAT methylation group(≤30.54)was 93.18%,with significant difference(Log-rank x2=9.814,P=0.002).Conclusion The ABAT methylation levels in MDS bone marrow increase,which is a risk factor affecting the poor prognosis of patients.ABAT basal level>30.54 is expected to become a factors predicting the poor prognosis of patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of manganese(Mn) and high fat diet(HFD) co-exposure on the neurological behavior and gut microbiota in mice, and to observe the correlation between them. METHODS: Specific pathogen free adult male C57 BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups. Mice in control group and Mn exposure group were fed with normal diet, while the HFD group and co-exposure group were fed with HFD. Both the Mn exposure group and the co-exposure group were exposed to 10 mg/(kg·d) manganese chloride by intraperitoneal injection, while the control group and HFD group were treated with 0.9% sodium chloride solution of the same volume, once per day for 60 consecutive days. At the end of exposure, the mice were subjected to experiments of neurological behaviors. Then, the mice were sacrificed and intestinal feces were collected. The relative abundance of gut microbiota(relative abundance>1.000%) was detected by high-throughput sequencing. RESULTS: After exposure, the body weight of the HFD group and the co-exposure group increased significantly(P<0.05), while that of the Mn exposure group decreased(P<0.05), compared with the control group. The latency, time in central, crossing, total distance and open arm time(OT%) of mice in the Mn exposure group were lower than that of the control group(P<0.05), and close arm time(CT%) prolonged(P<0.05). Compared with the control group and the HFD group, the latency, rearing, time in central, crossing, total distance, OT% and open arm entry(OE%) of mice in the co-exposure group decreased(P<0.05), and CT% increased(P<0.05). The total distance of mice in the co-exposure group was lower than that of the Mn exposure group(P<0.05). The relative abundance of Firmicutes increased(P<0.05), those of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria decreased in mice in the HFD group at the phylum level(P<0.05) compared with mice in the control group. The relative abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria increased(P<0.05), and Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria decreased(P<0.05) in mice in the Mn exposure group. The relative abundance of Oscillospira, Bacteroides and Prevotella of mice in the HFD group reduced at the genus level(P<0.05) compared with the control group. The relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased in Mn exposure group(P<0.05), and Oscillospira, Bacteroides and Prevotella decreased(P<0.05). The relative abundance of Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria and Lactobacillus of mice in the co-exposure group increased(P<0.05), and those of the remaining 6 bacteria were lower(P<0.05) compared with mice in the other 3 groups. Among the mice of co-exposure group, the latency was positively correlated with Bacteroidetes(P<0.05). The rearing was positively correlated with Firmicutes(P<0.05) and negatively correlated with Actinobacteria(P<0.01). The OE% was negatively correlated with Firmicutes(P<0.05) and positively correlated with Actinobacteria(P<0.05). The crossing was positively correlated with Prevotella(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Manganese combined with HFD had a synergistic effect on the abnormality of neurological behavior of mice. There are some correlation between the abnormality of neurological behavior and the homeostatic imbalance of intestinal flora in mice.

Background At present, radiation therapy is widely used in clinical treatment of tumors. However, while radiation therapy damages tumor cells, it also injures surrounding normal tissues. Studies have shown that hydrogen is a potential radiation-protective agent. Objective To investigate the neuroprotective mechanisms of hydrogen-rich water activating phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/cysteinyl aspartate specificproteinase-9 (Caspase-9) signaling pathway in acute radiation-induced brain injury. Methods Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, irradiation only group (IR), high-dose hydrogen-rich water intervention group (IR+HHRW), and low-dose hydrogen-rich water intervention group (IR+LHRW), 10 rats in each group. Except for the control group, animals in each group received a single 20 Gy whole brain irradiation. Animals in all groups were gavaged once a day from 3 d before irradiation to 7 d after irradiation, pure water (20 mL·kg⁻¹) was given to the control and the IR groups, and hydrogen-rich water (20 mL·kg⁻¹, 10 mL·kg⁻¹) was given to the IR+HHRW and the IR+LHRW groups. After 7 d of intervention, 5 rats in each group were selected for the Morris water maze experiment for behavioral evaluation. Autopsies were conducted after anesthesia for the remaining animals and blood samples were collected for hematological analysis. Rat brains were harvested for TUNEL staining to observe neuronal apoptosis. HE staining was performed to observe histopathological changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted to detect oxidative stress-related indicators, and real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expressions of PI3K/AKT/Caspase-9 pathway-related genes and proteins. Results The body weight of rats receiving irradiation decreased after 7 d of irradiation compared with the control group (P<0.05), and the symptoms such as arched back and malaise occurred to varying degrees, and the symptoms of rats in the IR+HHRW group were significantly milder than those in the IR group. The behavioral test results showed that the escape latency of rats in the IR+HHRW group or the IR+LHRW group was shorter than that in the IR group from day 2 to day 5 (P<0.05), and it took less time for rats in the IR+HHRW group to reach the original position after removing the platform on day 6 (P<0.05). The hematological test results showed that red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (HGB) level, and white blood cell (WBC) count were significantly decreased in the IR group (P<0.05), and the changes in the IR+HHRW group were improved (P<0.05). The HE staining results showed that the number of abnormal nerve cells, broken and dissolved nuclei, and the degree of damage in the IR+HHRW group were significantly reduced than those in the IR group. The results of oxidative stress evaluation showed that the ability of the IR group to inhibit free radicals decreased, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased (P<0.01); the MDA level decreased after LHRW intervention (P<0.05); the SOD activity was elevated after HHRW intervention (P<0.05). The TUNEL staining results showed that the apoptosis signals in the IR+HHRW group were sparser than those in the IR group (P<0.05). The real-time PCR results showed that compared with the IR group, the mRNA expression levels of PI3K and AKT in the IR+HHRW group and the IR+LHRW group increased (P<0.05), while the mRNA expression levels of Cytc and Caspase-9 decreased (P<0.05). The Western blotting results showed that compared with the IR group, the phospho-AKT (pAKT) protein expression level in the IR+HHRW group increased significantly (P<0.05), while the expression of Caspase-9 and Cytc proteins decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion Hydrogen-rich water can significantly reduce inflammation and oxidative stress caused by acute irradiation-induced brain injury, and decrease neuronal apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the PI3K/AKT/Caspase-9 signaling pathway.

Background In the process of radiotherapy, when radiation kills tumor cells, it inevitably damages normal tissue cells. Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor−kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway in the improvement of cognitive impairment induced by ionizing radiation by hydrogen-rich water before and after whole brain irradiation in rats. Methods Fifteen male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, irradiated group (IR group), and hydrogen-rich water intervention group (IR+HRW group), with 5 rats in each group. The control group was not irradiated, but was given purified water (20 mL·kg⁻¹) by gavage every day, while the IR group and the IR+HRW group were irradiated with a single dose of 20 Gy. Three days before, 10 min before, and 30 days after irradiation, purified water/hydrogen-rich water (20 mL·kg⁻¹) was given by continuous gavage every day. The general condition of the rats was observed every day, and the body weight were measured on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 30th days after irradiation. On the 30th day after irradiation, the learning and memory ability of the rats was tested by Morris water maze; the pathological changes of hippocampus were detected by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining after sacrificing the rats; the contents of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and hydroxyl radicals in brain tissues were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); the mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4, NF-κB, NOD-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3), and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase 1) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting in the hippocampus of rats. Results After irradiation, the rats in the IR group showed symptoms such as head hair removal and salivation, while the symptoms of the rats in the IR+HRW group were milder. No animal died in the control and the IR+HRW groups, while one rat died in the IR group. From day 14 to day 30 after irradiation, the body weight of the rats in the IR+HRW group tended to be higher than that in the IR group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The Morris water maze results showed that the escape latency of the IR+HRW group was shortened compared with that of IR group from day 1 to day 5 except day 3, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). For the rats in the IR+HRW group, it took less time to reach the original location of the platform after removing the platform on day 6 and the number of crossing the platform and the residence time in the original platform quadrant increased (P<0.05). The HE staining showed that the number of hippocampal cells in the IR+HRW group was slightly reduced and arranged neatly, without obvious nuclear hyperchromatic and pyknotic phenomenon. The ELISA results showed that the MDA and hydroxyl radical levels were decreased in the IR+HRW group compared with the IR group (P<0.05), the GSH content was increased, and the IL-1β concentration was decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The results of qRT-PCR showed that the mRNA expression levels of TLR4 and Caspase 1 in the hippocampus of the IR+HRW group were decreased compared with the IR group (P<0.05), and the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB and NLRP3 were also decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of TLR4 and Caspase 1 protein in the hippocampus of the IR+HRW group were decreased compared with the IR group (P<0.05), and the expression levels of NF-κB p65 and NLRP3 protein were also decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Hydrogen-rich water can improve cognitive impairment induced by ionizing radiation in rats, and its mechanism may be related to regulating TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibiting inflammatory factors, and attenuating oxidative stress.