Hedgehog( Hh)signaling pathway is evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates,its excessive activation is associated with abnormal cell differentiation, over proliferation, apoptosis resistance and promotion of invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Hh signaling pathway involves in the formation and maintenance of esophageal columnar epithelium in embryonic stage,however,undetectable or barely expressed in matured esophageal squamous epithelium. Studies have shown that esophageal Hh signaling pathway can be activated by gastric acid and bile salts. Aberrant activation of Hh signaling pathway can cause the gradual transition of squamous epithelium to columnar epithelium and intestinal-type epithelium,ultimately induces the occurrence of Barrett’s esophagus( BE). Therefore,targeted inhibiting the Hh signaling pathway may be a new strategy for the treatment of BE. This article reviewed the advances in study on Hh signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of BE.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical feasibility and image quality of three-dimensional breath-hold gradient and spin-echo (3D BH-GRASE) sequence in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP).Methods:In this prospective study, 59 patients with clinically suspected pancreaticobiliary duct disease performed MRCP with both 3D BH-GRASE and 3D respiration-triggered turbo spin-echo (3D RT-TSE) sequences on 3.0 T scanner in the Affiliated Zhangjiagang Hospital of Soochow University from November 2017 to December 2018. The overall image quality was scored independently by 3 experienced radiologists based on the visibility of different anatomical features of the pancreaticobiliary duct. For comparing the 2 sequences, the statistical difference in scan time was assessed with a paired t test; while subjective scores, signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), contrast ratios (CR) and contrast noise ratios (CNR) were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results:The scan time of 3D BH-GRASE sequence was 16.4 s while that of 3D RT-TSE was (258.6±42.2) s. Their difference was statistically significant ( t=44.073, P<0.001), with the scan time for 3D BH-GRASE shortened by 94%. The overall quality scores of 3D BH-GRASE images were better than those of 3D RT-TSE ( Z=-6.595, P<0.001). There was no statistical difference ( P>0.05) in the scores regarding the visibility of the upper, middle and lower parts of common bile duct and the first and second branches of left and right hepatic ducts. For visualizing the bottom, body, neck and duct of gallbladder, the 3D BH-GRASE sequence received a higher score than the 3D RT-TSE sequence ( P<0.001). For displaying the proximal, middle and distal segments of main pancreatic duct, the 3D RT-TSE sequence was scored higher than the 3D BH-GRASE sequence ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference of SNR between the two sequences ( Z=0.403, P=0.687), whereas CR and CNR of 3D RT-TSE MRCP were better than those of 3D BH-GRASE MRCP ( Z=6.215, P<0.001 and Z=3.046, P=0.002, respectively). Conclusion:Under the prerequisite of ensuring image quality, a proper use of 3D BH-GRASE sequence can significantly shorten the scan time and thus greatly improve the working efficiency of MRCP examination.

Medically unexplained physical symptoms in patients are abbreviated to MUPS. At present, they are treated as psychological disorders. Beginning with the definition of MUPS and the influence to medical diagnosis and treatment, this article discusses on the countermeasure, patient management, medical practice and medical ed-ucation on the basis of etiology analysis and systematic assessment.

Objective To explore the effect of chemotherapy on serum IL-6 expression in cancer patients with T2DM. Methods Eighty patients were divided into the malignant tumor group with T 2DM (n=40) and the malignant tumor group without T2DM (n=40).All the patients were given two cycles of chemotherapy .2 ml of fasting venous blood in the morn-ing before and after the day of chemotherapy was collected .Then the serum was separated .Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)was used to measure the level changes of serum IL-6.20 cases of healthy people were selected for compari-son.Results The expression of serum IL-6 in groups with or without T2DM was significantly higher than in the normal control group before the first cycle of chemotherapy (P<0.05).The expression of serum IL-6 was decreased in the different-cancer group with T2DM after the first cycle of chemotherapy .But the level was increased after the second cycle of chemo-therapy (P<0.05).The expression of serum IL-6 showed a continuous decrease after the first and the second cycle of chemotherapy in the group without T2DM(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion The expression level of serum IL-6 declines after the first cycle chemotherapy in the malignant tumor groups with T2DM or without T2DM but rises in the malignant tumor group with T2DM after the second cycle chemotherapy .

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of craniocervical flexion training using pressure biofeedback combined with cervical traction among patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). Methods: Sixty patients with CSR receiving treatment in Center of Rehabilitation, Zhejiang Hospital from January 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled and randomly assigned into the control and treatment groups, of 30 patients in each group. All patients were given cervical traction, and patients in the treatment group were given additional craniocervical flexion training using pressure biofeedback for successive four weeks. The effectiveness of craniocervical flexion training combined with cervical traction was evaluated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the active range of motion (AROM) of cervical flexion, and the neck pain and cervical functions were compared between the two groups before and after treatments using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: Fifteen men were included in the treatment group, with a mean age of (49.47±5.33) years, mean disease course of (5.53±2.89) months, and mean VAS score of (4.73±1.39) points, and there were no significant differences between the control and treatment groups in terms of gender, age, course of disease or VAS score (P>0.05). The VAS score and NDI were lower 4 weeks post-treatment than pretreatment in both the treatment [VAS score: (2.13±1.01) vs. (4.73±1.39); NDI: (12.17±2.12) vs. (20.20±3.78)] and control groups [VAS score: (2.93±1.11) vs. (4.90±1.21); NDI: (15.23±2.39) vs. (19.60±3.30)], and the AROM of cervical flexion was significantly higher 4 weeks post-treatment than pretreatment in both the treatment [(42.87°±2.99°) vs. (37.50°±2.80°)] and control groups [(41.80°±3.61°) vs. (38.07°±2.99°)]; there was an interaction between time and group, and a higher improvement for cervical functions was seen in the treatment group than in the control group (FVAS =5.119, P=0.027; FNDI=15.473, P<0.001; FAROM=11.443, P<0.001). Conclusion Craniocervical flexion training using pressure biofeedback combined with cervical traction may effectively alleviate the neck pain and increase the AROM among patients with CRS, which is more effective to improve patients' cervical functions than cervical traction alone.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the mass scores of naringin and neohesperidin in Fructus aurantii and Citrus chang-shan-huyou with their processed products and evaluate the quality of Fructus aurantii and Citrus changshan-huyou with their pro-cessed products. METHODS:According to the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2010 edition)and Zhejiang Province Tradi-tional Chinese Medicine Preparation Standards (2005 edition),the moisture and ash of F. aurantii and C. changshan-huyou with their processed products were detected. And the contents of naringin and neohesperidin were determined. The ZORBAX SB-C18 column was used with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-water(20∶80,V/V)at the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The detection wave-length was set at 283 nm,and the column temperature was 40℃.The samples size was 10μl. RESULTS:The moisture of F. au-rantii and C. changshan-huyou was decreased after processing with no obvious change for ash. The contents of naringin and neohes-peridin were decreased,significantly for F. aurantii,and all consistent with the requirements of Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2010 edi-tion)except F. aurantii. The linear range was 0.028 45-0.284 5μg(r=0.999 7)for naringin and 0.085 9-0.858 6μg(r=0.999 6)for neohesperidin;the RSDs of precision,stability and reproducibility tests were no more than 1.36% and the average recovery was re-spectively 96.45%-100.43%(RSD=1.45%,n=6) and 98.36%-102.00%(RSD=1.26%,n=6). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the inspection and determination re-sults in F. aurantii and C. changshan-huyou. It is suggested to adjust the limitation of content determination in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2010 edition)and processed standards.

Objective:To analyze the radiotherapy-related factors affecting the survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients complicated with malignant pleural effusion (MPE)(MPE-NSCLC).Methods:From 2007 to 2019, 256 patients pathologically diagnosed with MPE-NSCLC received primary treatment. Among them, 117 cases were enrolled in this study. All patients were divided into two groups according to the radiation dose (<63 Gy and≥63 Gy). Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to further adjust the confounding factors (Calipers value=0.1). The impact of radiotherapy-related factors on the overall survival (OS) was analyzed by Kaplan—Meier method, log-rank test and Cox’s regression model. Results:Primary tumor radiotherapy significantly prolonged the OS ( P<0.001). The radiation dose escalation (36.0-44.1 Gy, 45.0-62.1 Gy, 63.0-71.1 Gy) of primary tumor significantly prolonged the OS ( P<0.001). The corresponding median OS were 5, 13 and 18 months, respectively. Before the PSM, univariate analysis suggested that radiation dose ≥63 Gy, gross tumor volume (GTV)<157.7 cm 3 and stations of metastatic lymph node (S-mlN)≤5 were significantly associated with better OS (all P<0.05) and T 4N 3 was significantly associated with worse OS ( P=0.018). After the PSM, univariate analysis indicated that radiation dose ≥63 Gy was significantly associated with better OS ( P=0.013) and S-mlN ≤5 had a tendency to prolong the OS ( P=0.098). Prior to the PSM, multivariate analysis showed that radiation dose ≥63 Gy was an independent favorable factor of OS ( HR=0.566, 95% CI 0.368-0.871, P=0.010) and GTV<157.7 cm 3 had a tendency to prolong the OS ( HR=0.679, 95% CI 0.450-1.024, P=0.065). After the PSM, multivariate analysis revealed that radiation dose ≥63 Gy was still an independent favorable factor of OS ( HR=0.547, 95% CI 0.333~0.899, P=0.017). No ≥grade 4 radiation toxicity occurred. The incidence rates of grade 3 radiation esophagitis and pneumonitis were 9.4% and 5.1%, respectively. Conclusion:For MPE-NSCLC, radiotherapy dose of primary tumor may play a key role in improving OS on the basis of controllable MPE.

Objective To explore effects of different urostomy education paths in patients undergoing cystectomy with creation of a urostomy.Methods 42 cases of patients after radical cystectomy with creation of a urostomy were randomly divided into the control group and the observation group. The control group received the original version of urostomy education path, while observation group received modified version of urostomy education path. Knowledge of urostomy, stoma bag replacing skills, and length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Results Patients in the observation group who received modified version of urostomy education path showed better knowledge of urostomy and skills of replaceing stomy bag, as well as shorter hospital stay (P<0.05).Conclusions Our modified version of urostomy education path results in improved self-care ability among patients and their family members. It suggests the urostomy education needs constant innovation and enhancement on the basis of practice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of kaempferol on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of human hepatoma Bel-7402 cells and related molecular mechanism. MethodsHepatoma Bel-7402 cells cultured in vitro were randomly divided into control group and low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups. The experimental groups were treated with low-, middle-, and high-concentration kaempferol (25, 50, and 100 μmol/L), and the control group was treated with an equal volume of dimethyl sulfoxide. CCK-8 assay was used to observe the effect of kaempferol on the viability of Bel-7402 cells; plate colony formation assay was used to evaluate the effect of kaempferol on cell colony formation ability; wound healing assay and Transwell chamber were used to observe the effect of kaempferol on cell migration and invasion; Western blot was used to measure the expression of apoptosis- and cycle-related proteins. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsAfter 24 hours of treatment, the cell viability was 100.00%±2.72% in the control group and 75.70%±2.42%, 62.79%±2.45%, and 43.41%±2.11%, respectively, in the low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups, and compared with the control group, the experimental groups had a significant reduction in cell viability (all P＜0.05). The number of cell colonies was 923.3±35.2 in the control group and 682.7±24.4, 464.0±22.0, and 327.3±14.0, respectively, in the low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups, and compared with the control group, the experimental groups had a significant reduction in cell colony formation ability (all P＜0.05). After 24 hours of treatment, the relative migration rate was 100.00%±1.11% in the control group and 63.33%±1.16%, 51.72%±3.23%, and 37.18%±2.71%, respectively, in the low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups, and the number of transmembrane cells was 212.0±3.0 in the control group and 134.0±2.0, 71.0±2.0, and 34.0±1.0, respectively, in the low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups; compared with the control group, the experimental groups had significant reductions in relative migration rate and number of transmembrane cells (all P＜0.05). After 48 hours of treatment, compared with the control group, the low-, middle-, and high-concentration experimental groups had a significant reduction in the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 (all P＜0.05), a significant increase in the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax (all P＜0.05), and a significant reduction in the expression of C＜italic/＞yclinD1 (all P＜005). ConclusionKaempferol can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human hepatoma Bel-7402 cells and promote the apoptosis of such cells, possibly by regulating the apoptosis proteins Bax and Bcl-2 and downregulating the expression of CyclinD1.

Objective To investigate the impact of the changes of posttreatment karnofsky performance status (KPSpost) on the overall survival (OS) for patients with stage Ⅳ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) underwent concurrent chemoradiation.Methods A total of 279 patients (male 198 and female 81) with histological confirmed stage Ⅳ NSCLC were enrolled in this study with a median age of 58 years old (range 22 to 80 years old).There were 166 cases of squamous carcinoma,87 cases of adenocarcinoma,and 22 cases of unclassified carcinoma,respectively.All enrolled patients received more than 2 cycles of chemotherapy and more than 36 Gy of concurrent radiotherapy.Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were applied to evaluate OS.Multivariate analyses were carried out by the Cox proportionalhazard model.Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to explore the related factors of KPSpost.Results There were 198 patients with improved KPSpost and 81 patients with decreased KPSpost,respectively.Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that the improvement of KPSpost was associated with longer OS.Logistic regression analysis showed that the improvement of KPSpost was positively related with treatment of more than 4-6 cycles chemotherapy concurrent with over 63 Gy radiation to primary tumor.The improvement of KPSpost also correlated positively with disease control rate (DCR),but negatively with PLT toxicity and radiation esophagitis.Conclusions KPSpost was an independent prognostic factor of OS for patients with stage Ⅳ NSCLC underwent concurrent chemoradiation.Chemotherapy of 4-6 cycles and concurrent over 63 Gy radiotherapy dose to primary tumor,as well as DCR were positive factors for KPSpost improvement.However,stage 3-4 PLT toxicities and radiation esophagitis decreased the KPSpost.