Intestinal dysmotility symptoms,such as abdominal pain,diarrhea and tenesmus are frequently seen in patients with ulcerative colitis( UC). Interstitial cells of Cajal( ICC)has been accepted as a therapeutic target for gastrointestinal motility disorders and regulation of autophagy might be a potential strategy for various diseases. Study on relationship between intestinal dysmotility in UC and ICC autophagy and the intervention mechanism of related drugs will benefit the controlling of disease activity,relieving of dysmotility symptoms and improving of quality of life in UC patients. In this review article,the possible relationship between intestinal dysmotility in UC and ICC autophagy,as well as the possibility of regulating ICC autophagy as a treatment strategy for UC intestinal dysmotility were summarized.

Objective To observe the vasodilation effect of extract of Jasminum samba (EJs), a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, on ex vivo rat thoracic aortic rings, and to investigate its mechanism. Methods On ex vivo aortic ring perfusion device, influence of EJs on contraction of the aorta induced by phenylephrine (PE) or potassium chloride (KCl) was observed. Influence of N-nitro-L-arginine-methylester ( L-NAME ), barium chloride ( BaCl2 ), glibenclamide ( Gli ) on vasodilating effect of EJs (0. 5, 1, 2, 4, 8 g·L-1 ) was detected. Effect of EJs on the contraction of calcium chloride (CaCl2 ) and PE in Ca2+-free medium was detected. [ Ca2+ ] i in vascular smooth muscle cells was determined by using laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Results In blood vessels with intact endothelium, EJs concentration-dependently decreased PE- or KCl-induced vasoconstriction, the maximum dilating effect being (105. 0±3. 2)% and (78. 0±6. 5)% , respectively; L-NAME affected the vasodilatory effect of EJs on thoracic aorta rings ( P<0. 01), the maximum dilatory effect being (58. 0 ± 6. 9)% . BaCl2 and Gli had significant influence on vasodilation of EJs, and the contraction was obviously attenuated (P<0. 01), the maximum dilatory effect being (37. 0±5. 2)% and (78. 0±10. 0)% , respectively. EJs significantly inhibited contracting effect of PE on thoracic aorta rings in Ca2+-free medium (P<0. 01). The maximum contraction effect was (70. 0±6. 3)% . EJs inhibited CaCl2-induced vasoconstriction (0. 5-8 mmol·L-1 ), and vasoconstriction was decreased by (65. 0±3. 2)% . LSCM recorded that Fmax / F0 of 4 and 8 g·L-1 EJs was (2. 0±0. 2) and (1. 5±0. 2), respectively. Conclusion EJs exerted a dose-dependent vasodilating effect on rat isolated aorta rings. The mechanism might be related to promoting NO release, activating K+channels and decreasing the concentration of cytoplasmic Ca2+.

Results : The reactive oxygen species expression in group B was obviously higher than in the other groups, in group C than in groups A, D, and E, and in groups D, E than in group A, all showing significant differences between groups ( P<0.05); but there was no significant difference between groups D and E ( P>0.05). The oil red O staining positive cells in group B were obviously more than the other groups, and groups C, D, E, and A decreased sequentially, the absorbance ( A) values had significant differences between groups ( P<0.05). RT-PCR detection showed that the relative expressions of SOD and Catalase mRNA in group B were significantly lower than those in the other groups, while in group C than in groups A, D, and E ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference among groups A, D, and E ( P>0.05). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR detection showed that the relative expressions of PPAR-γ and C/EBP mRNA in group B were significantly higher than those in the other groups, while in group C than in groups A, D, and E, and in groups D, E than in group A ( P<0.05); but there was no significant difference between groups D and E ( P>0.05). The relative expressions of Runx2 and ALP mRNA in group B were significantly lower than those in the other groups, while in group C than in groups A, D, and E, and in groups D, E than in group A ( P<0.05); but there was no significant difference between groups D and E ( P>0.05). Western blot detection showed that the relative expression of PPAR-γ and C/EBP protein in group B was significantly higher than those in the other groups, and groups C, D, E, and A decreased sequentially, all showing significant differences between groups ( P<0.05). The relative expression of Runx2 and ALP protein in group B was significantly lower than those in the other groups, and groups C, D, E, and A increased sequentially, all showing significant differences between groups ( P<0.05).

Objective To compare with the efficiency between X-ray or B ultrasound guided puncture target calyces of treatment of upper urinary calculi in MPCNL.Methods From October 2010 to October 2012,we have a retrospective analysis of the 116 cases in urological department in the second affiliated hospital of Kunming Medical University,it had the sugery that was MPCNL.Selected 116 cases as the research object,(8 patients were lost to follow-up).With X-ray locating (48 cases),B ultrasound locating (53 cases),and compared with preoperative,intraoperative and postoperative clinical objective indicators of two different methods.Results X-ray locating (48 cases),the mean age was (44.86 ± 12.84) years; the mean Stone diameter(1.43 ±0.70) cm; Stone is located in the upper calyx in 1 case,the middle of calyx in 23 cases,under the calyx in 8 cases,the upper ureter in 16 cases.B ultrasonic locating (53 cases),the mean age was(46.36 ± 14.29) years; the mean Stone diameter (1.34 ±0.62) cm; Stone is located in the upper calyx in 2 cases,the middle of calyx in 24 cases,under the calyx in 8 cases,the upper ureter in 16 cases.Compared with preoperative general data of two groups,there was no statistically significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).X-ray group,the mean operation time (130.43 ± 31.63) min ; Intraoperative blood loss(80.42 ± 43.75) mL; Postoperative hospital stay (6.20 ± 2.08) d; Infected with 8 cases (17％) of postoperative,hemorrhage in 2 cases (4％) ; and calculi exhausted rate was 90％ (43/47).B Ultrasound group,the mean operation time(102.45 ± 36.32) min.Intraoperative blood loss(160.07 ± 52.33) mL;Postoperative hospital stay(5.62 ±2.37) d; Infected with 16 cases (30％) of postoperative,bleeding in 9 cases (17％) ; and calculi exhausted rate was 83％ (46/53).By comparison,X-ray and B ultrasound group in operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative infection,a stone exhausted rate was statistically significant (P ＜0.05),and postoperative hospital stay,no statistical significance (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion X-ray positioning compared with B ultrasound,X-ray is longer than B ultrasonic of operation time,but,blood much less,calculi exhausted rate is higher,and infected rate is lower.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and testicular sperm extraction (TESE) in the diagnosis and treatment of azoospermia.

METHODSWe examined 385 azoospermia patients using the techniques of PESA and TESE.

RESULTSOf the total number of the azoospermia patients, 64 (16.62%) had sperm in the epididymis and 45 (11.69%) in the testis. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was applied to 64 of the patients with sperm in the epididymis or testis. The pregnancy rate after the embryo transfer was 39.07%.

CONCLUSIONPESA and TESE, as an effective therapy for azoospermia, can further the classification of azoospermia and provide chances of procreation to azoospermia patients with partial obstruction.

Adult ; Azoospermia ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Cell Separation ; methods ; Epididymis ; cytology ; Humans ; Male ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; methods ; Testis ; cytology ; Treatment Outcome

Brain science accelerates the study of intelligence and behavior, contributes fundamental insights into human cognition, and offers prospective treatments for brain disease. Faced with the challenges posed by imaging technologies and deep learning computational models, big data and high-performance computing (HPC) play essential roles in studying brain function, brain diseases, and large-scale brain models or connectomes. We review the driving forces behind big data and HPC methods applied to brain science, including deep learning, powerful data analysis capabilities, and computational performance solutions, each of which can be used to improve diagnostic accuracy and research output. This work reinforces predictions that big data and HPC will continue to improve brain science by making ultrahigh-performance analysis possible, by improving data standardization and sharing, and by providing new neuromorphic insights.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been recognized to have a role in human orthopedic disorders. The objective of our study was to explore the expression profile and biological function of miRNA-17-5p (miR-17-5p), which is well known to be related to cancer cell proliferation and invasion, in osteoblastic differentiation and in cell proliferation. The expression levels of miR-17-5p in the femoral head mesenchymal stem cells of 20 patients with non-traumatic osteonecrosis (ON) and 10 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the interaction between miR-17-5p and SMAD7 was observed. We found that in non-traumatic ON samples the level of mature miR-17-5p was significantly lower than that of OA samples (P=0.0002). By targeting SMAD7, miR-17-5p promoted nuclear translocation of beta-catenin, enhanced expression of COL1A1 and finally facilitated the proliferation and differentiation of HMSC-bm cells. We also demonstrated that restoring expression of SMAD7 in HMSC-bm cells partially reversed the function of miR-17-5p. Together, our data suggested a theory that dysfunction of a network containing miR-17-5p, SMAD7 and beta-catenin could contribute to ON pathogenesis. The present study prompts the potential clinical value of miR-17-5p in non-traumatic ON.
Adult ; Base Sequence ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2/metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Female ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Male ; MicroRNAs/genetics/*metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis/genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Osteoblasts/*cytology/metabolism/*pathology ; Osteogenesis ; Osteonecrosis/*genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Signal Transduction ; Smad7 Protein/*genetics/metabolism ; beta Catenin/metabolism

Objective:To evaluate the impact of metastatic site on the prognosis in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), and it′s value for modifying the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria.Methods:The data of 218 patients pathologically diagnosed with mRCC were analyzed retrospectively in West China Hospital from Jan. 2009 to Dec. 2019. Among all patients, 71.6%(156/218) were male, and 89.0% (194/218) underwent nephrectomy. Most of the patients were pathologically diagnosed with renal clear cell carcinoma (176 patients, 80.7%). Lung (137/218, 62.8%) was the most observed metastatic site, following by bone (47/218, 26.1%), lymph node (37/218, 17.0%) and liver (23/218, 10.6%). All patients were classified into favorable (26 patients, 11.9%), intermediate (126 patients, 57.8%) or poor (37 patients, 17.0%) risk group according to IMDC criteria. Endpoints of this study were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and tumor response. The impact of metastatic sites on patients’ prognosis was analyzed, and those that had significant relationship with prognosis were then added into IMDC criteria and a modifying IMDC model was established. Predictive value of this model was further evaluated by calculating concordance index (C-index).Results:In the whole cohort, median PFS and OS were 13.0 and 33.0 months. Survival analysis suggested that patients with bone ( P=0.004), brain ( P=0.042) and liver ( P=0.046) had significantly shorter OS. Thus, patients were divided into two groups: patients with bone/brain/liver metastasis (82 patients, 37.6%) and patients with other metastatic sites (136 patients, 62.4%). Compared with patients with other metastatic sites, those who with bone/brain/liver metastasis had inferior tumor response by TKIs treatment (disease control rate: 51.2% vs. 73.5%, P=0.004). Multivariate analysis suggested that bone/brain/liver metastasis had negative impact on OS (25.0 vs. 47.0 mo, P=0.039). Furthermore, bone/brain/liver metastasis also showed significant relationship with shorter OS in IMDC low (30.0 vs. 62.0 months, P=0.036), intermediate (31.0 vs. 48.0 months, P=0.048) or high (7.0 vs. 18.0 months, P=0.037) risk group, indicating that metastatic site had predictive value for prognosis of mRCC patients. Based on that, bone/brain/liver metastasis were added into the IMDC criteria, and weighting each parameter was weighted according to its coefficient to patients’ OS. Finally, a modified IMDC scoring system were established. C-index of this modified model was 0.669 (0.599 for current IMDC criteria). Conclusions:Bone/brain/liver metastasis in mRCC patients indicated a shorter OS duration. When adding bone/brain/liver metastasis as a predictive parameter for prognosis of mRCC patients into IMDC criteria, the modified IMDC criteria could offer more accurate prediction for patients’ survival.

Objective: To establish a mouse model of osteoarthritis (OA) and study the bone microarchitecture and bone metabolism of tibial subchondral bone in early stage of OA. Methods: The mouse model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) with anterior cruciate ligament (ACLT) was established by using c57 mice. The Sham operation group served as the control group. All mice were fed with conventional diet. All mice were sacrificed after 4 weeks. The degeneration of knee joint was observed by HE staining and Safranin O-Fast Green staining. The number of osteoclasts was counted by TRAP staining. Micro CT was used to analyze the quantitative parameters of the microstructure of tibia subchondral bone in mice. Serum levels of bone resorption biomarker CTX I and cartilage degeneration marker CTX II were determined. Results: After ACLT 4 weeks, the average score of OARSI in ACLT group was 3.2, which was higher than that in Sham group, and the joint degeneration occurred in mice, presenting the pathological characteristics of early OA. Compared with the sham operation phase, the total subchondral bone volume (TV) of ACLT group was 4.72 mm³, increased by 13.6%; the bone trabecular resolution (Tb.Sp) was 0.130 and 0.154 mm, respectively, and the ACLT group also increased by 18.8%; the bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) was 0.470 and 0.294, respectively, and the ACLT group decreased by 48.9%; the bone trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) was 0.162 and 0.083 mm groups, ACLT decreased by 37.5%. Trap staining showed that the number of osteoclasts per unit volume in ACLT group was 72, which was significantly higher than that in sham operation group. The CTX I of mice in the sham operated ACLT group and sham operated group were 20.9 ng/ml and 18.29 ng/ml, with an increase of 48.9% in the ACLT group; the CTX II of mice in the ACLT group and sham operated group were 35.5 ng/ml and 28.6 ng/ml, with an increase of 24.1% in the ACLT group. Conclusion ACLT Mouse model can successfully construct early OA, which confirms the early loss of osteochondral bone and the pathological changes of osteoclast activation in OA, and provides a new specific target for the treatment of OA.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of artificial vision,radiomics(RAD)and deep learning(DL)in distinguishing atypical usual interstitial pneumonia(UIP)from nonspecific interstitial pneumonia(NSIP).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 300 patients diagnosed with interstitial pneumonia(IP).A total of 56 cases of atypical UIP and 57 cases of NSIP were included.All patients underwent CT examination before biopsy,and were randomly divided into training and test groups.DL and RAD artificial intelligence models were developed and trained.The consistency of artificial vision assessment was performed via Kappa test and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis was performed via logistic regression.Then,the differences in the area under the curve(AUC)of different models were compared via DeLong analysis.The diagnostic efficiency of the model was evaluated via AUC and accuracy(ACC)as the main indicators and compared with the artificial vision evaluation.Results Two radiologists showed significant consistency in the CT diagnosis and interpretation of atypical UIP and NSIP(Kappa=0.852,P＜0.01).On high-resolution computed tomography(HRCT),the atypical UIP patients mainly showed basal bronchiectasis,honeycombing,and reticular opacities,while,the NSIP patients showed basal reticular opacities,ground glass opacity(GGO)and subpleural avoidance sign.The probability of GGO exceeding the reticular opacities of the NSIP patients was significantly higher than that of the atypical UIP patients(P＜0.05).The DL model showed significantly higher diagnostic efficiency than RAD and artificial vision in the differential diagnosis of atypical UIP and NSIP(AUC:0.94 vs 0.85 vs 0.65,P＜0.01).Conclusion CT and RAD have a certain significant diagnostic value for atypical UIP and NSIP.Atypical UIP and NSIP can be more accurately differentiated and diagnosed based on the DL model,thereby,the management of IP is further strengthened in clinical practice.