Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB) during brain injury of irradiated rats.Methods According to the random number table method,82 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups:50 rats in the irradiation group and the other 32 rats in the control group given sham-irradiation.The whole brains of rats in the irradiation group were irradiated with a single dose of 20 Gy electron beam to establish an animal model of radiation-induced brain injury.All brain tissues were respectively taken out 1,3,7,14 and 28 d after irradiation.The quantificational real-time-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of the NF-κB mRNA while the expression of NF-κB protein was analyzed by ELISA and Western blot.The positioning expression of NF-κB protein in the hippocampus was measured with immunohistochemical staining.Results In the irradiation group,the expression of NF-κB mRNA significantly increased at 3 and 7 d following irradiation (t =37.79,35.30,P ＜ 0.05) and it approached a peak value on the third day following irradiation.The expression of NF-κB protein in whole brain tissues after irradiation was up-regulated and reached a peak on the first day post-irradiation and it was significantly higher than controls at 1,3,7,14 d after irradiation (t =30.94,14.87,27.17,13.27,P ＜ 0.05) then declined and dropped to the normal level by 28 d.The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that the number of NF-κB positive cells in the hippocampus increased at 1,3 and 7 d following irradiation (t =-8.49,-4.47,-3.46,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions After irradiation,the expressions of NF-κB mRNA and corresponding protein first increase and then later decrease,which promotes the development of brain injury.

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Objective:To evaluate the impact of sarcopenia on survival and treatment-related toxicity in postoperative recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.Methods:Clinical data of 147 patients with postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC receiving chemoradiotherapy in Huai'an First People's Hospital from 2016 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Pectoralis muscle area (PMA) was determined using routine pre-radiotherapy CT simulation scan above the aortic arch level. Sarcopenia was defined as a cut-off value of pectoralis muscle index (PMI) (PMA/height 2) <11.55 cm 2/m 2 for males and <8.69 cm 2/m 2 for females. The incidence of toxicity, 1- and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were statistically compared between patients with and without sarcopenia. Results:Sarcopenia was detected in 49 of 147 (33.3%) patients. The incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities in sarcopenic patients was significantly higher compared to that in their counterparts without sarcopenia (40.8% vs. 18.4%, P=0.005). In addition, patients with sarcopenia had significantly worse 1-year (61.2% vs. 82.7%) and 3-year OS rates (10.2% vs. 28.6%) than those without sarcopenia (both , P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that sarcopenia was an independent prognostic factor for poor OS ( P<0.001). Conclusion:PMI based on CT simulation scan has prognostic value in postoperative locoregional recurrent ESCC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy, which probably serves as a novel diagnostic tool for sarcopenia.