ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of de-splanchnic circulation of the stomach (DSCS) on ultramicrostructure of gastric mucosa and submucosal microcirculation in prehepatic portal hypertensive canine models.MethodsTwelve prehepatic portal hypertensive canine models were established by half constriction and silk line chronic embolization of the portal vein. The esophageal varices and collateral circulation were observed by venography after 4 weeks.Dogs with established model were divided into pericardial devascularization group and DSCS group randomly.Esophageal variceal pressure (VP) was measured when the abdoman was open immediately before the abdoman was closed and 4 weeks after the operation respectively. The liver function was also tested preoperatively and 4 weeks postoperatively. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosa and submucosal microcirculation was observed by transmission electron microscope.ResultsThe VP decreased significantly from (22. 1 ± 0.9 ) cm H2O to (17. 8 ± 0. 4) cm H2O after DSCS ( P ＜ 0. 01 ).There were no obvious different changes in the liver function preoperatively and postoperatively ( P ＞ 0. 05 ) in pericardial devascularization group. The microvillus of gastric epithelium cells were interrupted and fell off and that microvillus significantly reduced. Moreover, it was also shown that the basal lamina of submucosal veinule endothelial cells were uneven thick and discontinuous and that red blood cells could be obviously gathered in the endothelial cells interspace. While there were less severe damages in the gastric musosa epithelia and submucosal venule endothelial cells in DSCS group.ConclusionsDSCS procedure can significantly decrease espophageal variceal pressure and improve the ultramicrostructure of gastric mucosa and submucosal microcirculation in canine models with prehepatic portal hypertension.

To further investigate the mechanisms of action of icariin (ICA), we assessed the effects of ICA on the in vitro formation of cGMP and cAMP in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum. Isolated segments of rabbit corpus cavernosum were exposed to increasing concentrations of ICA and the dose-dependent accumulation of cGMP and cAMP was determined in the tissues samples by means of 125I radioimmunoassay. Responses of the isolated tissues preparations to ICA were compared with those obtained with the reference compounds sildenafil (Sild). Furthermore, the effects of ICA on the mRNA expression of specific cGMP-binding phosphodiesterase type V (PDE5) in rat penis were also observed. After incubation with ICA for 6 h or 14 h respectively, the levels of PDE5 mRNA were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that ICA increased cGMP concentrations directly (P < 0.05), but there was no significant effect on cAMP concentrations (P > 0.05). In the presence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a stimulatory agent of cGMP, both ICA and Sild increased cGMP concentrations with increasing dose (P < 0.01). Their EC50 was 4.62 (ICA) and 0.42 (Sild) micromol/L respectively. Under the same condition, ICA and Sild unaltered cAMP level significantly (P > 0.05). There were PDE5A1 and PDE5A2 mRNA expressions in rat corpus cavernosum with PDE5A2 being the dominant isoform. ICA could obviously inhibit these two isoforms mRNA expression in rat penis, and decrease PDE5A1 more pronouncedly (P < 0.01). The present study indicated that the aphrodisiac mechanisms of icariin involved the NO-cGMP signal transduction pathway, with increasing cGMP levels in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. The inhibitory effect of icariin on PDE5 mRNA expression, especially on PDE5A1, might account for its molecular mechanisms for its long-term activity.

Objective To investigate the clinical pathological features and imaging findings of primary pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma. Methods Fifteen patients with a pathologically verified primary pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma were reviewed retrospectively. Fourteen patients had CT examinations and I0 of them had contrast-enhanced CT scan. Nine patients had chest plain films. Results Of 15 patients, 14 were peripheral and 1 was central, diameters ranging from 2.5 cm to 9.5 cm. Five located in the upper, 3 in the middle and 4 in the lower lobe of the right lung. The other 3 located in the upper left lobe. All cases presented with a spheroid solid lung mass on chest plain film and CT examinations. Three had irregular eccentric cavities. Six were well demarcated, 2 were ill defined, 4 were lobulated and 3 were speculated. The central case had obstructive pneumonia and showed ill defined. Ten showed irregular peripheral heterogeneous contrast enhancement. The center part of the tumor showed no enhancement or inhomogeneous enhancement. Seven had thoracic wall or pleural invasion, 4 had hilar or mediastinal lymphopathy and 2 had metastasis. Histopathologically, 8 were pleomorphic carcinoma, 2 were spindle cell carcinoma, 3 were giant cell carcinoma and 3 were pulmonary blastomas. Conclusion The X-ray and CT findings of the primary pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma are not specific. The clinicopathologic features were the evidence of diagnosis.

OBJECTIVETo examine the benefits of anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flaps in reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects.

METHODSPatients were recruited from February 2002 to June 2013 in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Central South University. All patients (1,185 patients, 1,212 transferred flaps) underwent reconstructive surgery employing anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flaps. Basic information for all patients including defect side, flap size and type, recipient vessel processing method, donor complications, and postoperative quality of life were recorded and statistically analyzed.

RESULTSAmong the 1 212 transferred flaps, 1 176 survived and 36 showed necrosis, for a survival rate of about 97.0%. No cases presented with local serious complications, and 90% of patients achieved good functional recovery and aesthetically acceptable results after reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects at various locations using anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flaps. The time for anastomosis of one vein was significantly less than that for two veins (P=-0.000 3), which indicated one vein anastomosis could significantly reduce the operating time. The incidence of venous crisis, the survival rate after treatment, and the rate of venous crisis resulting in flap necrosis were comparable between the groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONAnterolateral thigh myocutaneous flaps can be easily obtained and provide a good amount of muscle for filling dead space and fascia lata. These flaps can meet the various requirements of oral and maxillofacial defects. Therefore, the anterolateral thigh myocutaneous free flaps are more suitable for oral and maxillofacial defects than other flaps.

Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Maxillofacial Abnormalities ; surgery ; Myocutaneous Flap ; Necrosis ; Quality of Life ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Surgery, Oral ; Thigh ; Wound Healing

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression level of microRNA-145 (miR-145) in peripheral blood and clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal cancer patients and evaluate its significance in short-term efficacy of radiotherapy.Methods A total of 52 patients with esophageal.cancer diagnosed in Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were collected,and all of the patients rec.eived radiotherapy alone.The relative expression level of miR-145 in peripheral blood was detected by using the method of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) before radiotherapy.The correlations between the expression of miR-145 and pathological characteristics as well as short-term efficacy of radiotherapy were analyzed.Results In the 52 patients,the relative expression of miR-145 [M(QR)] in peripheral blood of clinical stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ was 3.14 (1.44),higher than that of stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ [1.71 (0.48)],and the difference was statistically significant (Z =-3.002,P =0.003).The expression level of miR-145 was not related with the age (Z =-0.403,P =0.687),gender (Z =-1.179,P =0.238) and history of drinking (Z =-0.389,P =0.697).The expression levels of miR-145 in complete response (CR),partial response (PR) and no change (NC) groups were 3.27 (1.64),1.83 (1.26) and 1.40 (2.51),respectively,and the difference was statistically significant (H =6.567,P =0.038).Conclusion The expression level of miR-145 in peripheral blood is significantly correlated with the clinical stage of esophageal cancer.Its expression level is positively correlated with the short-term efficacy of esophageal cancer radiotherapy.High expression of miR-145 shows a better short-term efficacy of radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of visceral fat area(VFA) on laparoscopic radical gastrectomy and short-term outcome in patients with gastric carcinoma.

METHODSClinicopathological and imaging data of 202 patients with gastric cancer who were treated by laparoscopic radical gastrectomy in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from May 2011 to July 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. VFA of all the patients were measured by CT, of which more than 10 000 m(2) were found in 104 patients(VFA-L group), less than 10 000 m2 in other 98 patients (VFA-S group). Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThere were no differences in operation time, intraoperative blood loss and number of harvested lymph node between the two groups(all P>0.05). As compared to VFA-S group, VFA-L group had a higher incidence of conversion to open surgery[9.6%(10/104) vs. 2.0%(2/98), P=0.023], higher complication rate [22.1%(23/104) vs. 10.2%(10/98), P=0.003], longer postoperative fever time [(3.0±1.3) d vs. (2.4±1.1) d, P=0.000], total length of hospital stay [(18.6±11.8) d vs. (15.8±6.0) d, P=0.039]. There were no significant differences in first flatus passage time and total hospitalization costs between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONElevated VFA can raise the difficulty of laparoscopic radical gastrectomy, increase the risk of postoperative complication and prolong the postoperative recovery.

Blood Loss, Surgical ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Nodes ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms

To further investigate the mechanisms of action of icariin (ICA), we assessed the effects of ICA on the in vitro formation of cGMP and cAMP in isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum. Isolated segments of rabbit corpus cavernosum were exposed to increasing concentrations of ICA and the dose-dependent accumulation of cGMP and cAMP was determined in the tissues samples by means of 125I radioimmunoassay. Responses of the isolated tissues preparations to ICA were compared with those obtained with the reference compounds sildenafil (Sild). Furthermore, the effects of ICA on the mRNA expression of specific cGMP-binding phosphodiesterase type V (PDE5) in rat penis were also observed. After incubation with ICA for 6 h or 14 h respectively, the levels of PDE5 mRNA were examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that ICA increased cGMP concentrations directly (P＜0.05), but there was no significant effect on cAMP concentrations (P＞0.05). In the presence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a stimulatory agent of cGMP,both ICA and Sild increased cGMP concentrations with increasing dose (P＜0.01). Their EC50 was 4.62 (ICA) and 0.42 (Sild) μmol/L respectively. Under the same condition, ICA and Sild unaltered cAMP level significantly (P＞0.05). There were PDE5A1 and PDE5A2 mRNA expressions in rat corpus cavernosum with PDE5A2 being the dominant isoform. ICA could obviously inhibit these two isoforms mRNA expression in rat penis, and decrease PDE5A1 more pronouncedly (P＜ 0.01). The present study indicated that the aphrodisiac mechanisms of icariin involved the NO-cGMP signal transduction pathway, with increasing cGMP levels in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. The inhibitory effect of icariin on PDE5 mRNA expression, especially on PDE5A1, might account for its molecular mechanisms for its long-term activity.

In this paper is proposed a new method for functional connectivity detection using regression analysis. First, the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from each voxel is passed through a bandpass filter to obtain frequencies between 0.01 Hz and 0.1 Hz. Then, the region of interest (ROI) is defined and the mean time course of all voxels in ROI is used as a regressor. Finally, the linear relationship between the time course of other voxels and the regressor in the resting brain is estimated. By the application of this new method in simulation data and fMRI data, the relevant validity and reliability are demonstrated.
Brain ; physiology ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Regression Analysis ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Objective:To investigate the preoperative endocrinological characteristics of pituitary apoplexy of infarcted type.Methods:Twenty-six patients with pituitary apoplexy of infarcted type, confirmed by pathological pathology in our hospital from January 2010 to October 2019, were chosen. All patients were performed pituitary adenoma stroke scale before surgery, and endocrine examinations were performed on three pituitary target gland axes, namely the pituitary-thyroid axis, pituitary-gonadal axis and pituitary-adrenal axis, to evaluate the pituitary function and functions of three target gland axes.Results:Preoperative pituitary adenoma stroke scale scores were (1.92±1.78), ranged from 2 to 8. Twenty-five patients (96%) were with impaired pituitary function, including 13 patients (50%) with panhypopituitarism and 12 patients (46%) with partial hypopituitarism; in these 12 patients with partial hypopituitarism, 9 patients were noted to be involved two target gland axes, and 3 patients were noted to be involved one target gland axis. There were 22 patients (85%) with hypophysia-gonadal axis hypopituitarism, 14 (54%) with hypophysia-thyroid axis hypopituitarism, and 13 (50%) with hypophysia-adrenal axis hypopituitarism. Preoperative levels of prolactin in 26 patients (100%), testosterone in 26 patients (100%), luteinizing hormone in 18 patients (75%), progestational hormone in 18 patients (75%), thyroid stimulating hormone in 18 patients (69%), free triiodothyronine in 17 patients (65%), free thyroxine in 14 patients (54%), estradiol in 13 patients (54%), cortisol in 13 patients (52%), follicle stimulating hormone in 9 patients (38%), adrenocorticotrophic hormone in 9 patients (35%), growth hormone in 3 patients (15%) were lower as compared with baseline levels.Conclusion:Hypophysia-gonadal axis hypopituitarism is most common in pituitary apoplexy of infarcted type, and the endocrinological features are the sharp decrease of prolactin and testosterone levels.

Objective:To investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of laparoscopic pro-ximal gastrectomy (LPG) for proximal gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction.Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 385 patients with proximal gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction who underwent LPG in the 15 medical centers, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University et al, from January 2014 to March 2022 were collected. There were 304 males and 81 females, aged (63±9)years. Of the 385 patients, 335 cases undergoing LPG were divided into the laparoscopic group and 50 cases undergoing open proximal gastrectomy were divided into the open group. Observation indicators: (1) intraoperative and postoperative situations; (2) follow-up; (3) stratified analysis. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Repeated measurement data were analyzed using the repeated ANOVA. Results:(1) Intraoperative and postoperative situations. The operation time, cases with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis and esophageal-jejunal anastomosis, cases with postoperative pathological staging as stage 0?Ⅰ and stage Ⅱ?Ⅲ, duration of postoperative hospital stay, cases with postoperative early complications were (212±96)minutes, 270, 65, 177, 107, 10(range, 8?14)days, 40 in patients of the laparoscopic group, with 51 cases missing the data of postoperative pathological staging. The above indicators were (174±90)minutes, 39, 11, 22, 28, 10(range, 8?18)days, 10 in patients of the open group. There were significant differences in the opera-tion time and postoperative pathological staging between the two groups ( t=2.62, χ2=5.93, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the reconstruction of digestive tract, duration of post-operative hospital stay, postoperative early complications between the two groups ( χ2=0.19, Z=0.40, χ2=2.50, P>0.05). (2) Follow-up. Of the 385 patients,202 cases were followed up during the post-operative 12 months, including 187 cases in the laparoscopic group and 15 cases in the open group. Cases with reflux esophagitis, cases with esophageal anastomotic stenosis were 48, 11 in patients of the laparoscopic group, versus 5, 2 in patients of the open group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( P>0.05). The body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin (Hb), albumin (Alb) at postoperative 6 months and 12 months were (21±3)kg/m 2, (130±15)g/L, (40±4)g/L and (21±3)kg/m 2, (132±14)g/L, (41±4)g/L in patients of the laparoscopic group, versus (21±3)kg/m 2, (121±19)g/L, (37±5)g/L and (21±3)kg/m 2, (125±21)g/L, (43±6)g/L in patients of the open group. There were significant differences in postoperative Hb between the two groups ( Fgroup=5.88, Ftime=5.49, Finteraction=19.95, P<0.05) and there were significant differences in time effect of postopera-tive BMI and Alb between the two groups ( Ftime=9.53, 49.88, P<0.05). (3) Stratified analysis. ① Incidence of postoperative of reflux esophagitis and esophageal anastomotic stenosis in patients with different reconstruction of digestive tract. Of the 202 patients, cases with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis and esophageal-jejunal anastomosis were 168 and 34, respectively. The incidence rates of postoperative of reflux esophagitis were 26.79%(45/168)and 23.53%(8/34)in cases with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis and esophageal-jejunal anastomosis, showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=0.16, P>0.05). Cases undergoing esophageal anastomotic stenosis were 13 in patients with reconstruction of diges-tive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis. ② The BMI, Hb, Alb in patients with different reconstruc-tion of digestive tract. The BMI, Hb, Alb were (24±3)kg/m 2, (135±20)g/L, (41±5)g/L in the 168 patients with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis before the operation, versus (23±3)kg/m 2, (130±19)g/L, (40±4)g/L in the 34 patients with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophageal-jejunal anastomosis before the operation, showing no significant difference between them ( t=1.44, 1.77, 1.33, P>0.05). The BMI, Hb, Alb at postoperative 6 months and 12 months were (21±3)kg/m 2, (128±16)g/L, (39±4)g/L and (21±3)kg/m 2, (131±16)g/L, (41±4)g/L in the 168 patients with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophagogastric anastomosis, versus (20±4)kg/m 2, (133±13)g/L, (43±3)g/L and (21±3)kg/m 2, (135±12)g/L, (44±3)g/L in the 34 patients with reconstruction of digestive tract as esophageal-jejunal anastomosis. There were significant differences in the group effect and time effect of postoperative Alb between patients with different reconstruction of diges-tive tract ( Fgroup=15.82, Ftime=5.43, P<0.05), and there was also a significant difference in the time effect of postoperative BMI between them ( Ftime=4.22 , P<0.05). Conclusion:LPG can be used to the treatment of proximal gastric cancer and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction, with a good safety and short-term efficacy.