BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stem cells can be colonized into the mouse endometrium. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the migration of bone marrow stem cells into the endometrium are still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of CXCL12 and CXCR4 on the chemotaxis of bone marrow stem cells towards endometrial stromal cells. METHODS: Mouse bone marrow stem cells and human endometrial stromal cells were serum-starved overnight. After 24 hours of estradiol pretreatment, the mRNA expressions of CXCR4 and CXCL12 in the mouse bone marrow stem cells were detected by RT-PCR; the levels of CXCL12 in the mouse bone marrow stem cells and human endometrial stromal cells were detected by ELISA; and the migration of mouse bone marrow stem cells into human endometrial stromal cells was observed by Transwell chamber test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Estradiol pretreatment could upregulate the expression of CXCL12 in the human endometrial stromal cells as well as the expression of CXCR4 in the mouse bone marrow cells, promoting the migration of mouse bone marrow stem cells towards the conditioned medium of human endometrial stromal cells. In conclusion, estradiol can promote the migration of bone marrow stem cells into the endometrium, which may provide new ideas for the treatment of endometrial diseases.

Liver resection is widely accepted as firstline treatment for patient with liver cancer.Most patients with liver cancer have varied degrees of liver cirrhosis,which is an important risk factor adversely affect the outcomes of liver resection.The adverse effects are more significant as the increase of degree of liver cirrhosis.At present,it is generally believed that liver resection of 60％ volume is appropriate for patients with liver cirrhosis when liver function is within Child A.However,surgeons usually assess whether a patient has liver cirrhosis using "Yes" or "No",ignoring the pathological severity of liver cirrhosis.How to determine the extent of liver resection for patients combined with liver cirrhosis is still controversial.The authors have proposed a method for evaluating the degree of cirrhosis before and during surgery.It is believed that the extent of liver resection should be appropriately reduced with the increase of degree of liver cirrhosis.Further studies are needed to investigate how to accurately assess the severity of liver cirrhosis and how to scientifically determine the extent of liver resection before operation.

Objective To observe the effect of simulated microgravity on the photopic negative response (PhNR) of full-field flash ERG in adult mice.Methods In an experimental study,forty-eight adult male C57BL/6J mice (48 eyes) were randomly divided into model and control groups.Model mice were further divided into three subgroups of 8 each:tail-suspended for 15 days (subgroup A),tail-suspended for 30 days (subgroup B),and tail-suspended for 30 days followed by returning to normal position for 30 days (subgroup C).The three control subgroups were similarly fixed with a harness but kept in the normal position for corresponding periods of 15,30,and 60 days.The mice were immediately examined using ERG-PhNR,flash VEP,OCT and visually-guided behavior in vivo,and subsequently sacrificed to analyze the retinal histology in vitro.PhNR amplitude was measured from baseline to PhNR trough.N1 peak-time and N1-P1 amplitude of VEP was analyzed.The escape duration was used to quantitatively evaluate the visual function of mice.In addition,inner retinal thickness was analyzed by OCT imaging.Data were compared by the independent sample t-test.Results PhNR amplitude in the model subgroup A was obviously lower than the corresponding control subgroup,the difference was statistically significant (t=-3.196,P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in PhNR amplitude between the model subgroup B or C and the corresponding control subgroup (t=-1.976,0.285;P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in FVEP N1 peak-time or N1-P1 amplitude between any of the three model subgroups and the corresponding control subgroup (P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in OCT-measured inner retinal thickness between any of the three model subgroups and the corresponding control subgroup (t=-0.461,2.073,-0.402;P＞0.05).The three model subgroups showed almost normal retinal structure,including the retinal ganglion cell,inner pexiform layer,inner nuclear layer,outer plexiform layer,outer nuclear layer,ellipsoid zone and RPE.There was no significant difference in visually-guided escape time between any of the three model subgroups and the corresponding control subgroup (t=-0.637,-0.955,1.297;P＞0.05).Conclusion Via tail-suspension,short-term simulated microgravity can affect the PhNR of flash ERG;however,the change is reversible and does not affect visual function of mice.

Objective To discuss the correlation between family history of malignant neoplasms (MN-FH) and the clinicopathological features of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The clinicopathological data of 326 patients with NSCLC in Yangzhou University Affiliated Hospital from June 2016 to June 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups based on with or without MN-FH, and the clinicopathological features of the two groups were analyzed by χ 2 test. Results Of the 326 patients with NSCLC, 41 (12.6％) were in the MN-FH group and 285 (87.4％) in the MN-FH group. There were no significant differences in sex, age, smoking, location of tumors and histological classification between patients with or without MN-FH (χ 2 values were 0.031, 0.769, 0.546, 0.117, and 0.945, all P > 0.05), but in patients with MN-FH, the proportion of tumor diameter < 5 cm [65.9％ (27/41) vs. 42.5％(121/285), χ 2 = 14.173, P < 0.05], undifferentiation and low differentiation [70.7％ (29/41) vs. 53.7％(153/285), χ 2 = 4.224, P < 0.05], TNM stage Ⅲ+Ⅳ [65.9％ (27/41) vs. 46.7％ (133/285), χ 2 = 5.280, P <0.05], lymph node metastasis [78.0％ (32/41) vs. 60.0％ (171/285), χ 2 = 4.970, P < 0.05], distant metastasis [75.6％ (31/41) vs. 53.3％ (152/285), χ 2 = 7.224, P < 0.05], high degree of malignancy [70.7％ (29/41) vs. 51.6％ (147/285), χ 2 = 5.293, P < 0.05] and combination of other tumors [29.3％ (12/41) vs. 7.7％ (22/285),χ 2 = 17.817, P < 0.05] were significantly higher than those in patients without MN-FH. Conclusions NSCLC patients with MN-FH have a higher degree of malignancy. For people with MN-FH, physical examination is very important.

We conducted a detailed analysis of different hypothermic circulatory arrest techniques, from its evolution, application on aortic arch surgery and research, focusing on the application and advantages and disadvantage, which provides some guide for the future discussion on the optimal temperature of hypothermic circulatory arrest.

Objective To study the expression of ultra-conserved gene sequence uc.454 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and its clinical significance.Methods Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of uc.454 mRNA in 130 cases of NSCLC and adjacent normal tissues from Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University between January 2014 and December 2017,and its association with clinicopathological factors and prognosis of NSCLC patients was analyzed.Results The expression level of uc.454 mRNA in NSCLC tissues was lower than that in adjacent normal tissues (2.98 ±0.96 vs.13.95± 2.23,t =98.441,P ＜ 0.05),and its expression level was associated with tumor infiltration depth (x2 =7.823,P =0.040),TNM stage (x2 =20.719,P ＜ 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (x2 =24.142,P ＜ 0.01).The survival time of patients with low expression of uc.454 mRNA was shorter than that of patients with normal or high expression (26.9 months vs.43.7 months),and the difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The low expression of ultra-conserved gene sequence uc.454 mRNA is related to the occurrence,development and prognosis of NSCLC.

Objective: To investigate the effects of leptin on the proliferation of stem cells from human stem cells from the apical papilla (hSCAPs) and the expression of osteogenic/dentinogenic genes in vitro to provide an experimental basis for the sustainable development of young permanent teeth. Methods : The tissue block method was used to isolate and culture hSCAPs from the apical papilla of the immature third permanent molar. The expression of leptin and OBRb in hSCAPs was detected using immunocytofluorescence staining, western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. The hSCAPs was treated with 0.1 μg/mL of leptin (0.1 μg/mL group) or 1.5 μg/mL of leptin (1.5 μg/mL group) at different time points. The control group was treated with alpha-MEM medium. Cell proliferation was measured using the CCK8 assay and cell cycle analysis. QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of related osteoblast/odontogenic genes for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), dentin matrix protein -1 (DMP-1), dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), and osteocalcin (OCN) mRNA. The differences between the treatment groups and the control group were analyzed statistically using one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni analysis. Results: The expression of both leptin and OBRb were found in hSCAPs. Compared with the control group, the cell proliferation capacity and S phase cells in the treatment groups were higher than those in the control group, with the 1.5 μg /mL group displaying higher levels than 0.1 μg /mL group, and the treated hSCAPs demonstrated a higher proliferation rate and a higher expression of ALP, DSPP, and DMP-1 from day 3 to day 7, with the 1.5 μg /mL group displaying higher levels than 0.1 μg /mL group , and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), at day 7. The treated hSCAPs demonstrated a lower expression of ALP, DSPP, and DMP-1. Compared with the control group, the treated hSCAPs demonstrated a higher expression of OCN from day 7 to day 14, with significantly higher expression in the 1.5 μg /mL group compared to the 0.1 μg /mL group. Conclusion Leptin may promote cell proliferation and upregulate the expression of relative osteogenic/dentinogenic genes.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of endovascular therapy for small unruptured intracranial aneurysms (sUIAs). Methods Patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms who underwent endovascular therapy in the Department of Neurology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital from January 2008 to January 2018 were retrospectively included. According to the size of the aneurysms, they were divided into the sUIAs group (diameter <5 mm) and the non-sUIAs group (diameter ≥5 mm). Demographics, vascular risk factors, aneurysm characteristics, and treatment method, effectiveness, perioperative complications, and outcomes of endovascular therapy were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 80 patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms were enrolled, including 33 patients with sUIAs (41.25% ) and 47 patients with non-sUIAs. The age of patients (51.1 ± 9.7 years vs. 61.2 ± 8.1 years; t=5.058, P<0.001), and the maximum diameter (3.6 ± 1.1 mm vs. 8.2 ± 3.2 mm; t=7.923, P<0.001) and neck width (3.1 ± 0.5 mm vs. 4.5 ± 2.5 mm; t=3.167, P=0.002) of aneurysms as well as the proportion of patients with wide-neck aneurysm (3.0% vs. 21.3% ; χ2 =7.213, P=0.007) and stent-assisted embolization (6.1% vs. 23.4% ; χ2 =4.285, P=0.038) in the sUIA group were significantly less than those of the non-sUIAs group. The embolization results, the perioperative complication rate and the good outcome rate were comparable between the two groups. Conclusion For sUIAs, endovascular therapy is effective and safe, comparable to endovascular therapy for non-sUIAs.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy and safety of percutaneous microwave ablation guided by multimode ultrasound in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules.Methods The clinical data of 100 cases of benign thyroid nodules admitted from June 2017 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.50 cases of benign thyroid nodules were treated by traditional open surgery as the control group,and 50 cases of benign thyroid nodules were treated by ultrasound-guided microwave ablation as the observation group.The complete clearance rate of lesion tissue and the incidence of comphcations were compared between the two groups.Results (1) The nodule clearance rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group,with significant statistically difference (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group (transient thyroid dysfunction 16％,recurrent laryngeal nerve injury 10％),the incidence of complications (transient hypothyroidism 2％,recurrent laryngeal nerve injury 0％) was significantly lower in the observation group (P ＜ 0.05).(2) The quality of life scores of the observation group and the control group were significantly higher than those before the treatment (P ＜ 0.05);The quality of life score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Compared with traditional open thyroidectomy,multimodal ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation has better efficacy and safety,which is worthy of wide application and promotion.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of autophagy on osteogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) in the presence of tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) stimulation . METHODS: SCAPs treated with TNF- (0, 5, and 10 ng/mL) with or without 5 mmol/L 3-MA were examined for the expression of autophagy marker LC3-Ⅱ using Western blotting. The cells were transfected with GFP-LC3 plasmid and fluorescence microscopy was used for quantitative analysis of intracellular GFP-LC3; AO staining was used to detect the acidic vesicles in the cells. The cell viability was assessed with CCK-8 assays and the cell apoptosis rate was analyzed using flow cytometry. The cells treated with TNF- or with TNF- and 3-MA were cultured in osteogenic differentiation medium for 3 to 14 days, and real- time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of osteogenesis-related genes (ALP, BSP, and OCN) for evaluating the cell differentiation. RESULTS: TNF- induced activation of autophagy in cultured SCAPs. Pharmacological inhibition of TNF--induced autophagy by 3-MA significantly decreased the cell viability and increased the apoptosis rate of SCAPs ( < 0.05). Compared with the cells treated with TNF- alone, the cells treated with both TNF- and 3-MA exhibited decreased expressions of the ALP and BSP mRNA on days 3, 7 and 14 during osteogenic induction ( < 0.05) and decreased expression of OCN mRNA on days 3 and 7 during the induction ( < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Autophagy may play an important role during the osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs in the presence of TNF- stimulation.
Autophagy ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dental Papilla ; cytology ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; Humans ; Osteogenesis ; physiology ; Stem Cells ; drug effects ; physiology ; Transfection ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; administration & dosage ; antagonists & inhibitors ; pharmacology