Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheterization for continuous negative pressure drainage combined with polidocanol in treating large thyroid cysts.Method:Clinical data of 38 patients with large thyroid cysts who were treated consecutively with catheter drainage combined with polidocanol sclerotherapy by the same doctor at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from Jan 2021 to May 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The effectiveness and safety were statistically evaluated, and the relationship between drainage volume and cyst volume was analyzed.Results:Among the 38 patients with thyroid cysts who completed the treatment, the median follow-up was 9 months (range: 3-24 months). The effectiveness rate was 92% (35/38), of which 32 cases (84%) met the cure standard. The maximum diameter of the cysts before treatment was (4.8±1.0) cm, and the maximum diameter of the residual nodules after treatment was (1.5±1.1) cm, the difference was statistically significant ( t=17.389, P<0.01). The amount of drainage exudate is related to the volume of the cyst and the maximum diameter before treatment ( t=-3.149, P=0.003; t=-3.057, P<0.005). 19% of patients showed transient low fever after the injection of polidocanol, with no other complications. Conclusion:For large thyroid cysts, ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheterization for continuous negative pressure drainage combined with polidocanol sclerotherapy is a safe and effective method.

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheterization for continuous negative pressure drainage combined with polidocanol in treating large thyroid cysts.Method:Clinical data of 38 patients with large thyroid cysts who were treated consecutively with catheter drainage combined with polidocanol sclerotherapy by the same doctor at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from Jan 2021 to May 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The effectiveness and safety were statistically evaluated, and the relationship between drainage volume and cyst volume was analyzed.Results:Among the 38 patients with thyroid cysts who completed the treatment, the median follow-up was 9 months (range: 3-24 months). The effectiveness rate was 92% (35/38), of which 32 cases (84%) met the cure standard. The maximum diameter of the cysts before treatment was (4.8±1.0) cm, and the maximum diameter of the residual nodules after treatment was (1.5±1.1) cm, the difference was statistically significant ( t=17.389, P<0.01). The amount of drainage exudate is related to the volume of the cyst and the maximum diameter before treatment ( t=-3.149, P=0.003; t=-3.057, P<0.005). 19% of patients showed transient low fever after the injection of polidocanol, with no other complications. Conclusion:For large thyroid cysts, ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheterization for continuous negative pressure drainage combined with polidocanol sclerotherapy is a safe and effective method.

Background: Obesity is an independent risk factor for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), but the mechanism remains unclear. There are few studies focusing on the effectiveness of standard dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in treating obese GERD patients. Aims: To investigate the effect of obesity on esophageal motility and acid reflux in GERD patients and the efficacy of standard dose PPI in treating obese GERD patients. Methods: Patients who were initially diagnosed as GERD and met the inclusion criteria from January 2017 to October 2021 at Anhui Provincial Hospital were included in this study. The results of esophageal high-resolution manometry and 24 h esophageal pH-impedance monitoring before PPI treatment in patients with normal body mass index (BMI) and obesity (BMI≥28.0 kg/m

Objective:To investigate the effect of actin related protein 2/3 complex subunit 2 (ARPC2) gene silencing on the biological characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) TPC-1 cells through lentivirus-mediated RNA interference.Methods:TPC-1 cells infected with nonsense short hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequence lentivirus (shCtrl) was used as the control group. TPC-1 cells infected with ARPC2 shRNA interference sequence lentivirus (shARPC2) was used as the experimental group, in which the expression of ARPC2 gene was specifically interfered. The effects of silencing the expression of ARPC2 gene on the proliferation of TPC-1 cells were detected by using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, Western blot and colony formation test. Flow cytometry and Western blot were conducted to detect the effect of silencing ARPC2 gene on TPC-1 cells apoptosis and related proteins.Results:shARPC2 could efficiently infect TPC-1 cells, and the expression efficiency of green fluorescent protein was over 85%. Compared with the control group, TPC-1 proliferation was inhibited in the experimental group. The ratio of S-phase cells in the experimental group was reduced compared with that in the control group [(14.79±0.21)% vs. (21.13±0.33)%, t = 27.77, P < 0.05]. The ratio of G 1 and G 2/M-phase cells in the experimental group was increased compared with that in the control group [G 1 phase: (67.57±0.08)% vs. (62.06±0.36)%, t=25.56, P < 0.05; G 2/M phase: (17.64±0.12)% vs. (16.91±0.17)%, t=6.154, P < 0.05]. Meanwhile, the expressions of cell cycle-related proteins CDK2, CyclinE and CyclinD were reduced in the experimental group. The number of clone formation in the experimental group was less than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant [(10±2) vs. (161±6), t=9.011, P < 0.05]. In addition, the apoptotic ratio of cells in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(8.60±0.77)% vs. (4.08±0.40)%, t=9.011, P < 0.05]. Western blot showed that the expressions of anti-apoptotic factors p21 and bcl-2 were reduced in the experimental group, while the expression of pro-apoptotic factor bax was increased. Conclusion:The interference with the expression of ARPC2 regulated by shRNA can inhibit the proliferation, and promote the apoptosis of PTC TPC-1 cells, indicating that ARPC2 may be a possible biological new target for the treatment of PTC.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of The Stork OTC conception aid kit for the treatment of male infertility compared with natural sexual intercourse.Methods:A multi-center, prospective, open, self-controlled, randomly crossed trial was performed in 57 infertility couples who were unable to naturally conceive, and were selected in Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Reproductive Medicine Center,Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Anhui Provincial Hospital from July 2017 to September 2018. Patients were required to participate both the conception aid kit and natural sexual intercourse in two consecutive periods of ovulation. A random envelope method was used to determine the application sequences of two methods. Twenty-nine couples were treated with the conception aid kit in the first month of ovulation, and applied the natural sexual intercourse in the second month of ovulation as group A. Twenty-eight couples were applied the natural sexual intercourse in the first month of ovulation, and were treated with the conception aid kit in the second month of ovulation as group B. Test results collected from all couples who used the conception aid kit were categorized as the test group data. Meanwhile, test results out of those couples who completed natural sexual intercourse were collected as control group data. Compared with its self-controlled natural sexual intercourse two months before and after, the effectiveness and safety of the conception aid kit was verified by general vaginal examination, routine leucorrhea examination, motile sperm score from post coital test (PCT), pregnancy rate comparison and other methods.Results:The trial was conducted at three clinical trial centers. A total of 57 infertility couples were enrolled. A total of 54 couples were validated eventually including 26 couples in group A and 28 infertility couples in group B. Effectiveness was evaluated. The PCT results showed that the sperm score of test group was 6.11±3.00, and the score of the sperm score of control group was 1.22±0.79. The motile sperm score of test group was 5 times ( P<0.001) than that in control group. In the follow-up, 7 (13.0%) of the couples successfully achieved pregnancy with the conception aid kit, 6 (85.7%) of them had healthy offspring, 1 (14.3%) had spontaneous abortion. No couples were pregnant after natural sexual intercourse. Safety was evaluated. The general examination of the vagina and the routine tests of the vaginal leukorrhea showed no difference between test group and control group. All 54 effective couples who completed the test can successfully use the conception aid kid to place the seminal vesicles containing semen and remove them with the attached pulling thread on time without obvious discomfort. Conclusion:The Stork OTC conception aid kits can effectively treat infertility, significantly increase the number of forward-moving sperm entering the cervix, and significantly increase the pregnancy rate. It is safe, non-invasive, simple, can be easily operate by patients themselves, and meets the needs of clinical applications.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of The Stork OTC conception aid kit for the treatment of male infertility compared with natural sexual intercourse.Methods:A multi-center, prospective, open, self-controlled, randomly crossed trial was performed in 57 infertility couples who were unable to naturally conceive, and were selected in Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Reproductive Medicine Center,Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Anhui Provincial Hospital from July 2017 to September 2018. Patients were required to participate both the conception aid kit and natural sexual intercourse in two consecutive periods of ovulation. A random envelope method was used to determine the application sequences of two methods. Twenty-nine couples were treated with the conception aid kit in the first month of ovulation, and applied the natural sexual intercourse in the second month of ovulation as group A. Twenty-eight couples were applied the natural sexual intercourse in the first month of ovulation, and were treated with the conception aid kit in the second month of ovulation as group B. Test results collected from all couples who used the conception aid kit were categorized as the test group data. Meanwhile, test results out of those couples who completed natural sexual intercourse were collected as control group data. Compared with its self-controlled natural sexual intercourse two months before and after, the effectiveness and safety of the conception aid kit was verified by general vaginal examination, routine leucorrhea examination, motile sperm score from post coital test (PCT), pregnancy rate comparison and other methods.Results:The trial was conducted at three clinical trial centers. A total of 57 infertility couples were enrolled. A total of 54 couples were validated eventually including 26 couples in group A and 28 infertility couples in group B. Effectiveness was evaluated. The PCT results showed that the sperm score of test group was 6.11±3.00, and the score of the sperm score of control group was 1.22±0.79. The motile sperm score of test group was 5 times ( P<0.001) than that in control group. In the follow-up, 7 (13.0%) of the couples successfully achieved pregnancy with the conception aid kit, 6 (85.7%) of them had healthy offspring, 1 (14.3%) had spontaneous abortion. No couples were pregnant after natural sexual intercourse. Safety was evaluated. The general examination of the vagina and the routine tests of the vaginal leukorrhea showed no difference between test group and control group. All 54 effective couples who completed the test can successfully use the conception aid kid to place the seminal vesicles containing semen and remove them with the attached pulling thread on time without obvious discomfort. Conclusion:The Stork OTC conception aid kits can effectively treat infertility, significantly increase the number of forward-moving sperm entering the cervix, and significantly increase the pregnancy rate. It is safe, non-invasive, simple, can be easily operate by patients themselves, and meets the needs of clinical applications.

Agarwood is a traditional and precious medicinal material and natural spice in China and other southeast Asian countries.As the head of all spices,agarwood has many pharmacological activities such as analgesia,antidiarrheal,anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Due to its high price and scarce resources,there were just a few previous studies on it,mainly focusing on the chemical compositions of the agarwood essential oil and solvent extract mixture. The components of agarwood oils obtained by supercritical extraction and steam distillation were analyzed by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer( GC-MS),and then the agarwood oils compositions and contents were compared between the traditional extraction method and the recently emerging supercritical extraction method. Antioxidant experiments of scavenging DPPH,ABTS,hydroxyl radical,total reducing power and MIC experiments of five kinds of tester strains such as staphylococcus aureus were combined to illustrate the differences between these two kinds of agarwood oils in terms of antioxidant and bacteriostatic activities. The results showed that the main components of agarwood oil were sesquiterpenoids( 68. 68%) in steam distillation extraction method,but sesquiterpenoids( 23. 78%) and chromones( 29. 42%) in supercritical extraction method. Fourteen common components included benzyl acetone,α-santalol,γ-eudesmol,agarospirol and guaiol etc. The antioxidant activity and inhibitory MIC of agarwood oils in supercritical extraction method were better than those in steam distillation method,and the inhibitory effect of agarwood oil on the growth of bacillus subtilis was found for the first time.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Antioxidants/pharmacology* ; China ; Distillation/methods* ; Oils, Volatile/pharmacology* ; Plant Oils/pharmacology* ; Steam ; Thymelaeaceae/chemistry* ; Wood/chemistry*

Objective To observe the effect of ligustrazine injection combined with chemotherapy on common immunological parameters in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods Eighty cases diagnosed with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma from January 2013 to January 2015 in the hospital were randomly divided into observation group and control group, 40 patients in each group.The control group received only conventional treatment of chemotherapy and observation group received ligustrazine injection on the basis of control group.The levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-4 and transforming growth factor beta ( TGF-β) wwere compared based on the record between two groups pre-and post-treatment.Results There were no significant differences between two groups in IL-1,IL-4 and TGF-βlevels pre-treatment.After treatment, the IL-1, IL-4 and TGF-βlevels in observation group were lower than those in control group [(41.4 ±11.8)vs (76.0 ±12.2)ng/L,(118.5 ±39.9)vs(223.0 ±47.3)ng/L,(6.7 ±3.2)vs(11.7 ± 2.6)ng/mL, respectively, all P<0.05].Conclusion Ligustrazine injection combined with chemotherapy has an exact effect on improving the immunological parameters associated with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma without significantly increasing side effects, it is worthy of further research and application.

Objective To investigate the correlation between colony-stimulating activities of serum from patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and their responses to immunosuppressive therapy (IST).Methods The effects in vitro of a total 50 test serum samples from SAA patients before and after IST, and from normal subjects on healthy human marrow colony growth of BFU-E and CFU-GM were examined to reflect their burst promoting activities (BPAs) and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating activities (GM-CSAs). Serum erythropoietin (Epo) level was also measured with ELISA method before and after IST in SAA patients.Results The results showed that the BPAs of sera from SAA patients before IST were higher significantly than that of normal controls (P<0.001), after IST, the BPAs of sera from SAA patients had no obvious changes. Serum GM-CSAs from 13 of 22 SAA patients were normal, and the other 9 patients were extremely lower compared with normal subjects; after IST, their serum GM-CSAs also had no obvious changes. Serum Epo concentrations in SAA patients both at diagnosis and after IST were higher significantly than normal (P<0.001); however, serum concentrations declined in responded patients (P>0.05), while further increased in nonresponded patients (P>0.05).Conclusion Serum GM-CSA of SAA patients was a predictive factor for responsiveness to IST, and a normal value was associated with a good response.