Objective To report the primary experience of open placement of triple-branched stent graft for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Methods Between June 2008 and September 2009, 20 well-selected patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent open placement of triple-branched stent graft for total arch reconstruction. When core cooling to a 20℃ nasophageal temperature, perfusion to the lower body was discontinued and the ascending aorta was transected at the base of the innominate artery. Through a transverse incision, the triple-branched stent graft was inserted into the true lumen of the arch and descending aorta, and each side arm of the stent graft was positioned one by one into the arch branches.The transected stump of the ascending aorta was reconstructed by inner proximal stent-free dacron tube of the main graft and outer teflon felt, and subsequently continuous anastomosis to the 1-branched dacron tube graft was made. Results Open placement of triple-branched stent graft was technically successful in all patients. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time and lower body arrest time were (163.2 ±19.2) min, (89.4 ±10.0) min and (32. 7 ±6. 6)min, respectively. Transient postoperative neurological dysfunction was observed in 1 patient and acute renal failure in 1 patient. All patients were discharged from the hospital. Their computed tomographic scans at 3 months postoperatively showed that all stent grafts were fully opened without distortion. In the vascular stent implantation site the dissected false lumen was eliminated. The false lumen of the descending aorta distal to the stent graft was closed with thrombus in 16 cases. Conclusion Open placement of triple-branched stent graft is a new effective technique for total arch reconstruction in acute type A aortic dissection. Patients have the indications of the extensive primary repair of the thoracic aorta without primary intimal tears in the arch may be the best candidates for this new technique. The size of the stent graft, the distances between two neighboring side arm grafts and the prevention of the intimal trauma during the placement are crucial for successful open placement of triple-branched stent graft.

Course teaching for international students in many domestic universities is in English.Some practice and experience of the department of nuclear medicine in Tianjin medical university are introduced from the aspects of teaching course,concerning preparations before class,teaching process and teaching techniques,which will give references to nuclear medicine teaching for international students.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between preoperative parametres and positive surgical margin after robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy.Method:From October 2014 to January 2019, the clinical data of 310 patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy(RARP) by single surgeon were collected retrospectively. The median age, PSA, f/t PSA and PSAD was 68(62-72)years, 26(13-63) ng/ ml, 0.12 (0.07-0.18) and 0.36(0.20-0.75) ng/ml 2, respectively. There were 115 cases with clinical T 1, 100 with clinical T 2, 41 with clinical T 3, and 15 with clinical T 4. Based on the MRI or ultrasound examination, the median value for the transverse diameter, anteroposterior diameter, vertical diameter, and volume of the prostate is 44(35-50)mm, 45(40-51)mm, 41(36-50)mm, and 76(54-118)ml, respectively. In this study, 84(27%)cases were diagnosed pathologically by transurethral resection of the prostate, and 226(73%)cases by prostate biopsy. The biopsy technique was transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic 12-point biopsy, and additional 1-5 needles were performed in regions with abnormal ultrasound echoes. The median for total number of puncture needles, number and percentages of positive needles were 12(12-13), 9(4-12)and 85%(35%-100%), respectively. Of all the patients, there were 61 cases with Gleason score≤6, 95 with Gleason score=7 and 84 with Gleason score≥8. There were 237(76%)patients undergoing neoadjuvant endocrine therapy. The patients were divided into the negative surgical margin group and positive surgical margin group. The correlation between positive surgical margin and general clinical data, PSA derivates, prostate size (transversal diameter, anteroposterior diameter, vertical diameter, and prostate volume), percentage of positive biopsy cores, Gleason score, method of pathological diagnosis, and endocrine therapy were analyzed. Results:Of all the 310 enrolled patients, the overall positive surgical margin rate was 34.2%(106/310). Univariate analysis showed that tPSA(41.3 ng/ml vs.24.8ng/ml, P=0.029), f/tPSA(0.14 vs.0.10, P=0.004), transversal diameter of prostate(46 mm vs.38mm, P=0.049), percentage of positive biopsy cores(100% vs.58%, P=0.001), and biopsy Gleason score(Gleason score≤6, =7 and ≥8: 14, 31 and 32 cases vs. 47, 64 and 42 cases, P<0.05)exhibited significant correlation with postoperative positive surgical margin. Multivariate analysis showed that transversal diameter of prostate( P=0.026) and percentage of positive biopsy cores( P=0.048) were independent risk factors for positive surgical margin. Conclusions:Transversal diameter of prostate and percentage of positive biopsy cores were independent risk factors, which help to predict the occurrence of postoperative positive surgical margin.

Objective: To investigate the effect of enolase 1 (ENO1) expression on proliferation, apoptosis and migration of lung cancer PC14 cells. Methods: ENO1 over-expression vector-pcDNA3.1/ENO1 was constructed and transfected into PC14 cells at logarithmic growth phase with liposome LipofectamineTM 2000. G418 was used to screen PC14 cells that stably expressing ENO1. The effects of ENO1 over-expression on proliferation, migration and apoptosis of PC14 cells were detected by CCK-8 method, scratch-healing assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: The ENO1 over-expression cell model was successfully constructed. Compared with PC14-vehicle and wild-type PC14 cells, the mRNA and protein expression levels of ENO1 in PC14-ENO1 cells were significantly elevated (all P<0.05), and the proliferation of PC14-ENO1 cells was significantly increased (all P<0.05). The relative mobility of PC14ENO1 cells was significantly higher than that of pcDNA3.1-vehicle cells and wild-type PC14 cells ([13.26±1.13]% vs [8.46±1.11]%, [7.86±1.00]%, both P<0.05). There was no significant difference in apoptotic rate among PC14-ENO1, PC14-vehicle and PC14 cells (all P> 0.05) Conclusion: Over-expression of ENO1 promotes proliferation and migration of lung cancer PC14 cells.

Objective To evaluate the relationship of prostate specific antigen(PSA)related variables and MRI+MRS examination with the results of prostate biopsy.Methods A total of 1227 patients aged(66.1± 7.7) years (range,55-90 years) undergoing prostate biopsy in our hospital from May 2014 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.Two hundred forty-two patients with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA)in "the grey zone (total PSA =4-10 μg/L)",and having indications for prostate biopsy were selected.According to the results of transrectal ultrasound-guided prostatic biopsy,patients were divided into the prostate cancer group and the benign prostate hyperplasia group.The levels of total PSA (tPSA),free PSA/tPSA ratios (f/t PSA),prostate specific antigen density(PSAD),(f/t) PSA/PSAD,prostate volume (PV) and other relevant data,as well as MRI+MRS test findings were statistically analyzed.Results The positive cancer rate of prostate biopsy was 26.0％ (63/242)in patients with total PSA in "the grey zone",including 56 cases of adenocarcinoma,3 cases of mucinous adenocarcinoma,and 4 cases of stromal sarcoma.Negative prostate biopsy results were found in 179 cases.Two hundred sixteen patients underwent MRI+MRS test before prostate biopsy,among which 81 were positive and 135 were negative.There were significant differences in PSAD,(f/t) PSA/PSAD,PV and MRI + MRS test findings (P =0.001,0.002,0.045 and 0.001)and there was no significant difference in tPSA and free/total PSA ratios(P＞0.05)between the prostate cancer group and the benign prostate hyperplasia group.Conclusions The positive cancer rate of prostate biopsy in patients with total PSA in the gray zone is 26.0％.The PSAD,(f/t)PSA/PSAD,prostate volume and MRI+ MRS examination are very useful for whether or not to perform the prostate biopsy,which can be used to guide the prostate biopsy in patients with total PSA in the "gray zone".

Objective:To investigate the synergistic effects and molecular mechanisms of dihydroartemisinin(DHA) and sorafenib(SOR) in inducing ferroptosis in anaplastic thyroid cancer(ATC) cells.Methods:CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays were performed to detect the effects of DHA and SOR on the proliferation and ferroptosis of ATC cells(CAL-62). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blotting assays were performed to detect the expressions of ferroptosis-related genes glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4), solute carrier family 7 member 11 gene(SCL7A11), lipoxygenase-15(LOX-15), and p53. The levels of iron death intermediate metabolites including lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), glutathione(GSH), malondialdehyde(MDA), ferrous ion(Fe 2+ ), nitric oxide(NO), and reactive oxygen species(ROS)were measured by corresponding assay kits. The corresponding inhibition of DHA and SOR on ATC in vivo was analyzed in a tumor model in nude mice. Results:Compared with the control group, DHA, SOR, and DHA+ SOR treatment significantly inhibited cell proliferation and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner( P<0.001), with increased LDH, Fe 2+, MDA, and ROS contents and reduced GSH activity( P<0.001), which were promoted by ferrous sulfate(FeSO 4)and reversed by ferroptosis inhibitor-1. Compared with the control group and the drug monotherapy group, 15-LOX-2 and p53 expressions were upregulated in DHA+ SOR group while GPX4 and SCL7A11 expressions were decreased( P<0.001), without significant difference in 15-LOX-1 protein content. In addition, NO level was significantly increased in DHA+ SOR group( P<0.001). DHA and SOR inhibited tumor growth of ATC in vivo. Conclusion:DHA and SOR synergistically induced ferroptosis via upregulating the expression of 15-LOX-2 gene and inhibiting NO synthesis in ATC cells.

Objective:To provide reference for the construction and development of medical colleges and universities by comparing the scientific research competitiveness of four newly-established medical universities in Shanghai, Shaanxi, Zhejiang and Fujian of China.Methods:Four young state-owned medical universities, founded successively from 2015 in Shanghai, Shaanxi, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, were selected as the research samples. Both CNKI and WoS databases were used to conduct comparative bibliometric analysis of high-quality literature published in core Chinese and foreign journals during 2016 to 2020 from such perspectives as number of papers, discipline distribution, source titles and funding, etc.Results:All four universities have displayed an increasing trend of publishing literature in core Chinese and foreign journals, but there are relatively fewer literature published in top international journals. The university from Shaanxi leads the other three with most indexes, and the two universities from Shanghai and Zhejiang stand close, while the one from Fujian lags behind, indicating a gap of scientific research competitiveness among the four.Conclusion:The reasons for the existing gap are potentially related to different college foundation and history, orientation and objectives, as well as the strength of scientific research team. Newly-built medical universities should keep deepening the comprehensive reform of medical education and strengthening comprehensive power of scientific research competitiveness.

Background::CD5L (CD5 molecular-like) plays an important role in lipid metabolism and immune regulation. This study aimed to investigate the roles of CD5L on liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC).Methods::We analyzed the CD5L mRNA expression and its potential prognostic value based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to investigate the CD5L levels in LIHC tissues. Serum CD5L levels in LIHC were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to investigate the effect of CD5L treatment on HepG2 and QSG-7701 cell proliferation. CD5L expression correlated genes were exhumed based on the LinkedOmics. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses for CD5L associated genes were performed. The correlation between CD5L and tumor immune infiltration was analyzed by using Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) 2.0.Results::CD5L mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in LIHC tumor tissue compared with non-tumor control tissues. Moreover, serum CD5L levels were significantly lower in LIHC patients than that in healthy subjects. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 and Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis showed that a high-CD5L expression was correlated with favorable overall survival in LIHC patients, except the LIHC patients with hepatitis virus. CCK-8 results showed that CD5L treatment significantly decreased HepG2 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner, and CD5L treatment had no effect on the proliferation of non-tumor hepatocyte line QSG-7701. CD5L associated genes were enriched in the immune response biological process, and CD5L expression levels were positively correlated with the immune infiltrates of CD8 + T cell and M1 macrophage cells but negatively correlated with CD4 + T cells and M0 macrophage cell infiltration. Conclusions::Exogenous CD5L inhibits cell proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. CD5L may act as a role of prognostic marker.

Objective To investigate the effect of MALAT1 expressions on cell proliferation and apoptosis in astrocytes by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK1,2)pathway.Methods The MALAT1 gene was knocked down and over-expressed in C8-D1A cells by lentiviral and plasmid vectors,respectively.The expressions of MALAT1,cell proliferation-related markers(Ki67,MCM2,PCNA)and apoptosis-related proteins(Caspase-3,Bax,Bcl-2)were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qPCR).CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry were used for cell proliferation and apoptosis in C8-D1A cells.Immunofluorescence was adopted to detect the protein expressions of Caspase-3 and Ki67.Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of Caspase-3,Bax,Bcl-2,ERK1/2,p-ERK1/2,p38MAPK and p-p38MAPK.Results Compared with the control group,over-expressed MALAT1 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in C8-D1A cells while the knockdown of MALAT1 significantly enhanced cell proliferation and anti-apoptotic ability in C8-D1A cells.The proportion of C8-D1A cells in G0/G1-phase and G2/M-phase was higher than in the control group as evidenced by flow cytometry,but was lower in S-phase.Meanwhile,data showed that Caspase-3 was increased while p-ERK1/2 was decreased in terms of protein levels.The mRNA expressions of Ki67 and PCNA were decreased.After knockdown of MALAT1,the proportion of C8-D1A cells in S-phase was higher,but was lower in G2/M-phase.The protein expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax decreased while those of p-ERK1/2 and p-p38MAPK increased.The mRNA expressions of Ki67,MCM2 and PCNA were increased.The differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion MALAT1 promotes astrocyte apoptosis and inhibits proliferation by regulating the MAPK/ERK1,2 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical value of detecting carcinoembryonic antigen levels in pleural effusion (PCEA) and serum (SCEA) and their ratio (P/S) in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions resulting from tuberculosis and lung cancer. METHODS: This retrospectively study was conducted among 82 patients with pleural effusion caused by pulmonary tuberculous (TB; control group) and 120 patients with pleural effusion resulting from lung cancer in our hospital between April, 2016 and March, 2018. PCEA, SCEA and P/S were compared between the two groups and among the subgroups of lung cancer patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SqCa), adenocarcinoma (ACA), small cell carcinoma (SCLC). The receiveroperating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was used to confirm the optimal critical value to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of different combinations of PCEA, SCEA and P/S. RESULTS: PCEA, SCEA and P/S were significantly higher in the overall cancer patients and in all the 3 subgroups of cancer patients than in the patients with TB ( < 0.05). The areas under the ROC curve of PCEA, SCEA and P/S were 0.925, 0.866 and 0.796, respectively; PCEA had the highest diagnostic value, whose diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accurate rate, and diagnostic threshold were 83.33%, 96.34, 88.61%, and 3.26 ng/ml, respectively; SCEA had the lowest diagnostic performance; the diagnostic performance of P/S was between that of SCEA and PCEA, but its combination with SCEA greatly improved the diagnostic performance and reduced the rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. Parallel tests showed that the 3 indexes combined had significantly higher diagnostic sensitivity than each or any two of the single indexes ( < 0.05), but the diagnostic specificity did not differ significantly. The area under the ROC curve of combined detections of the 3 indexes was 0.941 for diagnosis of lung cancer-related pleural effusion, higher than those of any other combinations of the indexes. CONCLUSIONS The combined detection of PCEA, SCEA and P/S has a high sensitivity for diagnosis of lung cancer-related pleural effusion and provides important information for rapid and accurate diagnosis of suspected cases.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; analysis ; blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; complications ; Pleural Effusion ; blood ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant ; blood ; chemistry ; diagnosis ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; complications