Objective To evaluate the effect of acute hypoxia on the contractile function of isolated small pulmonary arteries in patients with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods Seven patients with lung cancer,of both sexes,scheduled for elective pulmonary lobectomy,with no pulmonary hypertension and with normal pulmonary function after examination,were included in the study.Six cases were diagnosed as having moderate COPD.Lung tissues 5 cm away from the tumor tissues were taken during operation and the small pulmonary arteries were isolated and divided into 2 groups:control group (n =7) and COPD group (n =6).The contractile amplitude of small pulmonary arteries was detected using vasomotor tone meter under the state of acute hypoxia.Results Contractile amplitude of small pulmonary arteries in response to hypoxic stimulus was significantly decreased in COPD group compared with control group (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Acute hypoxia can further reduce the contractile function of isolated small pulmonary arteries in patients with moderate COPD.

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation factors of cervical lymphatic metastasis in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Methods Data of 62 patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed.Factors associated with cervical lymphatic metastasis were analyzed by using x2 test and multivariate Logistic regression analysis.ResultsLymphatic metastasis was found in 36 cases (58.1％ ),of which metastasis in cervical lymph node was found in 15 cases(24.2％ ).A total of 1954 lymph nodes were excised,with an average of 31.5 per patient.Of all the lymph nodes,metastasis was found in 187 (9.6％) nodes.Logistic regression showed that tumor location,tumor length,thoracic lymphatic metastasis,the metastasis number of thoracic lymph nodes and thoracic lymphatic metastasis along recurrent laryngeal nerve were independent risk factors of cervical lymphatic metastasis [ OR:1.976 ( 1.436-2.538 ),P =0.035 ; 1.346(1.032-1.683),P =0.041;3.012( 1.572-6.825),P =0.012;2.023( 1.463-4.745),P =0.025 and2.254 ( 1.483-4.952 ),P =0.020,respectively ].Conclusion The independent risk factors of cervical lymphatic metastasis are foundation of selective 3-field lymph node dissection and their validities should be validated in further clinical trials.

To obtain active protein of pIL-18 expression in Lactococcus lactis, and to observe its biological activity, the total RNA was extracted as template from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Porcine interleukin 18 (pIL-18) was amplified by RT-PCR. The resulting fragment was cloned into pAMJ399 L. lactis vector, and then transformed to L. lactis MG1363 cells by electroporation. Expression of pIL-18 protein was detected by SDS-PAGE and Western-blotting. Bioactivity of the product was tested by pig spleen lymphocyte proliferation test and cytopathogenic effect inhibition assay. The result of Western blotting and bioactivity test shows that the molecular weight of pIL-18 protein was 19 kDa. The react line was observed in both supernatant and precipitated of the recombinant bacteria pAMJ399-pIL18/MG1363. The expressed pIL-18 can promote the proliferation of pig spleen lymphocyte, and significantly inhibit virus multiplication. As conclusion, porcine interleukin-18 was successfully expressed in L. lactis, and the product was biologically active.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Electroporation ; Genetic Vectors ; Interleukin-18 ; biosynthesis ; Lactococcus lactis ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Swine

This article was to elucidate that the needling depth is closely related to the meridian qi, disease location, disease nature and needled area based on the records of needling depth in Nei Jing (Canon of Internal Medicine). Moreover, different depths will produce different therapeutic efficacies;meanwhile, improper depth may lead to grave consequences.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy of YANG's pricking-cupping therapy for knee osteoar thritis (KOA). Methods This was a multi-center randomized parallel controlled trial. One hundred and seventy one patients with KOA were randomly allocated to a pricking-cupping group (89 cases) and a conventional acu puncture group (82 cases). Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Dubi (ST 35) and ashi points were selected in the two groups. Patients in the pricking-cupping group were treated with YANG's pricking-cupping therapy; the seven-star needles were used to perform pricking at acupoints, then cupping was used until slight bleeding was observed. Patients in the conventional acupuncture group were treated with semi-standardized filiform needle therapy. The treatment was given for 4 weeks (from a minimum of 5 times to a maximum of 10 times). The follow-up visit was 4 weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were adopted for the efficacy assessments.

RESULTSThe pain score, stiffness score, physical function score and total score of WOMAC were all reduced after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit in the two groups (all P<0. 0001). Except that the difference of stiffness score between the two groups was not significant after 4-week treatment (P>0. 05), each score and total score of WOMAC in the pricking-cupping group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit (P<0. 0001, P<0. 01). After 2-week treatment, 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit, the VAS was all reduced compared with that before treatment (all P<0. 0001) ; with the increase of the treatment, the reducing trend of VAS was more significant (P<0. 0001). The scores of VAS in the pricking-cupping group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture group after 4-week treatment and during follow-up visit (P < 0. 01, P <0. 0001). CONCLUSION The YANG's pricking-cupping and conventional acupuncture therapy can both significantly improve knee joint pain and function in patients with KOA, which are relatively safe. The pricking cupping therapy is superior to conventional acupuncture with the identical selection of acupoints.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Arthralgia ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the reactivity of intrapulmonary arterial rings to vasoactive substances as thromboxane A2 and endothelin-1 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

METHODSIntrapulmonary arterial rings isolated from patients with normal lung function and COPD were mounted in a Multi Myograph system to determine the reactivity of the intrapulmonary arterial rings to 60 mmol/L KCl, thromboxane A2 analogue U46619 and endothelin-1 before and after preconditioning with the COX synthase inhibitor indomethacin.

RESULTSThe reactivity of intrapulmonary arterial rings to U46619 and endothelin-1 was significantly decreased in patients with COPD. The reactivity to U46619 was dramatically decreased in patients with normal lung function after application of indomethacin.

CONCLUSIONThe reactivity of intrapulmonary arterial rings is significantly decreased in patients with COPD.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid ; pharmacology ; Aged ; Endothelin-1 ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Indomethacin ; pharmacology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; metabolism ; Thromboxane A2 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic diagnosis of a patient featuring secondary amenorrhea, breast dysplasia and mental retardation. METHODS: Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from the patient and her family members and subjected to G-banding karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) analysis. RESULTS: The patient was found to have a karyotype of 46,X,der(X)(12qter→ 12q22::Xq23→ Xpter)mat, her mother had a karyotype of 46,X,t(X;12)(Xpter→ Xq23::12q22→ 12qter;12pter→ 12q22::Xq23→ Xqter), while her father and brother were both 46,XY. SNP-array analysis suggested the patient to be arr[hg19]12q22q24.33(94 792 972-133 777 562)× 3, Xq23q28(108 786 070-155 233 098)×1. CONCLUSION The abnormal phenotypes of the patient can probably be attributed to the presence of Xq23-qter deletion and 12q22-qter duplication, both have derived from her mother's balanced t (X;12) translocation.

Propofol is a widely used anesthetic. Many studies have shown that propofol has direct effects on blood vessels, but the precise mechanism is not fully understood. Secondary intrapulmonary artery rings from male rats were prepared and mounted in a Multi Myograph System. The following constrictors were used to induce contractions in isolated artery rings: high K+ solution (60 mmol/L); U46619 solution (100 nmol/L); 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; 3 micromol/L); or phenylephrine (Phe; 1 micromol/L). The relaxation effects of propofol were tested on high K+ or U46619 precontracted rings. Propofol also was added to induce relaxation of rings preconstricted by U46619 after pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The effects of propofol on Ca2+ influx via the L-type Ca2+ channels were evaluated by examining contraction-dependent responses to CaCl2 in the absence or presence of propofol (10 to 300 micromol/L). High K+ solution and U46619 induced remarkable contractions of the rings, whereas contractions induced by 5-HT and Phe were weak. Propofol induced dose-dependent relaxation of artery rings precontracted by the high K+ solution. Propofol also induced relaxation of rings precontracted by U46619 in an endothelium-independent way. Propofol at different concentrations significantly inhibited the Ca2+-induced contractions of pulmonary rings exposed to high K+-containing and Ca2+-free solution in a dose-dependent manner. Propofol relaxed vessels precontracted by the high K+ solution and U46619 in an endothelium-independent way. The mechanism for this effect may involve inhibition of calcium influx through voltage-operated calcium channels (VOCCs) and receptor-operated calcium channels (ROCCs).
15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid ; Animals ; Arteries* ; Blood Vessels ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Endothelium ; Humans ; Male ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Phenylephrine ; Propofol* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats* ; Relaxation ; Serotonin

Objective:To investigate the correlation between preoperative serum γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level and the postoperative survival of patients with renal cell carcinoma.Methods:The clinical data of 235 patients with renal cell carcinoma who underwent nephrectomy from December 2005 to December 2011 in the Affiliated Hospital of China University of Mining and Technology were retrospectively analyzed. According to the preoperative serum GGT level at 1.5 times the upper limit of normal value 90 U/L (the upper limit of normal value of samples in this study was 60 U/L), patients were divided into 2 groups: GGT ≤ 90 U/L group (218 cases) and GGT>90 U/L group (17 cases). The correlation between GGT and clinicopathological characteristics as well as postoperative survival of patient with renal cell carcinoma was also analyzed.Results:There were statistically significant differences in gender, age, the level of the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), the neutrpphil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, neoplasm staging between GGT ≤ 90 U/L group and >90 U/L group (all P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the median overall survival time was 84 months and 54 months, respectively in GGT ≤ 90 U/L group and GGT > 90 U/L group, and the difference was statistically significant of both groups ( χ2 = 4.334, P = 0.037). Univariate Cox proportional risk regression model showed that pathologic type, pathology T staging, preoperative GGT level, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, ALT level were influencing factors of postoperative overall survival in patient with renal cell carcinoma (all P < 0.05). The multivariate Cox regression model analysis showed that the pathological type ( HR = 2.323, 95% CI 1.228-4.396, P = 0.010), GGT level ( HR = 2.406, 95% CI 1.077-5.376, P = 0.032), LDH level ( HR = 2.320, 95% CI 1.080-4.981, P = 0.031) were independent influencing factors of postoperative overall survival in patient with renal cell carcinoma. Conclusions:Preoperative elevated serum GGT level is associated with poor prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma, and the monitoring of it may help to evaluate the prognosis of patients and provide guidelines for individual treatment method.

It was a cross-sectional study. Six myocardial infarction patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA group) admitted to Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from July 2021 to August 2022 were enrolled in the study and 78 healthy subjects were selected as control group. The patients and healthy controls were selected with 1∶1 propensity score matching according to age, gender, body mass index, occupation and marriage status; and 5 study subjects of each group were finally enrolled in the study. The general clinical data and magnetocardiographic (MCG) results were collected from the hospital′s electronic medical record system. Compared with control group, MINOCA group showed abnormal QR rotation, discrete changes in positive and negative magnetic poles in TT segment, and disordered current direction. The analysis of MCG data revealed 35 parameters with statistically significant difference between the two groups, involving TT interval, QRS complex, RS interval and QR interval. This study explored the magnetocardiographic characteristics of MINOCA, which suggest that MCG may be conducive for diagnosis of MINOCA in the future.