"The Expert Group on Tumor Ablation Therapy of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, The Tumor Ablation Committee of Chinese College of Interventionalists, The Society of Tumor Ablation Therapy of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and The Ablation Expert Committee of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology" have organized multidisciplinary experts to formulate the consensus for thermal ablation of pulmonary subsolid nodules or ground-glass nodule (GGN). The expert consensus reviews current literatures and provides clinical practices for thermal ablation of GGN. The main contents include: (1) clinical evaluation of GGN, (2) procedures, indications, contraindications, outcomes evaluation and related complications of thermal ablation for GGN and (3) future development directions.
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Background::Estrogen is involved in the pathophysiological process of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in which epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role. Upregulation of aquaporin (AQP) 5, which is directly activated by estrogen, has been reported to promote EMT in multiple cells. This study aimed to examine the effects of AQP5 on estrogen-induced EMT in the prostate.Methods::Normal prostate (NP) tissue samples without any histopathological changes and BPH tissue samples with pathologically confirmed hyperplasia were obtained. An EMT cell model was subsequently established by adding estradiol (E2) to RWPE-1 cells, after which AQP5 knockdown was performed. Tissue morphological and immunohistochemical features were examined using hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the expression of AQPs, estrogen receptors, and EMT-related proteins. Cell proliferation was assessed and supernatants were collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) concentrations. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to assess protein expressions in RWPE-1 cells. Results::BPH tissues exhibited greater EMT (TGF-β1: 1.362 ± 0.196 vs. 0.107 ± 0.067, P = 0.003; vimentin: 1.581 ± 0.508 vs. 0.221 ± 0.047, P < 0.001; E-cadherin: 0.197 ± 0.188 vs. 1.344 ± 0.088, P < 0.001), higher AQP5 (1.268 ± 0.136 vs. 0.227 ± 0.055, P < 0.001) and estrogen receptor (ER) α (1.250 ± 0.117 vs. 0.329 ± 0.134, P < 0.001) expression but lower ERβ (0.271 ± 0.184 vs. 1.564 ± 0.130, P < 0.001) expression than NP tissues. E2-stimulated cells had higher AQP5 expression (1.298 ± 0.058 vs. 1.085 ± 0.104, P = 0.049), increased cell proliferation (1.510 ± 0.089 vs.1.000 ± 0.038, P < 0.001), and EMT (TGF-β1 concentration: 0.352 ± 0.021 ng/mL vs. 0.125 ± 0.014 ng/mL, P < 0.001; vimentin: 1.641 ± 0.120 vs. 0.188 ± 0.020, P = 0.002; E-cadherin: 0.075 ± 0.030 vs. 0.843 ± 0.046, P < 0.001) than controls. E2-stimulated cells with AQP5 knockdown exhibited decreased EMT (TGF-β1 concentration: 0.223 ± 0.041 ng/mL vs. 0.352 ± 0.021 ng/mL, P= 0.016; vimentin: 0.675 ± 0.056 vs. 1.641 ± 0.120, P = 0.001; E-cadherin: 0.159 ± 0.037 vs. 0.075 ± 0.030, P = 0.040) than E2-stimulated cells with non-related small interfering RNA (siRNA). Conclusion::Our findings suggest that estrogen induces BPH possibly by promoting AQP5 expression. Hence, AQP5 might be a novel target for modulating EMT in prostate epithelial cells.

Rapid discrimination of compounds with similar structures and properties is a hot topic in analytical chemistry. In this study, a cyclic chemiluminescence (CCL) system was designed by using nano-magnesium oxide as catalyst. The effects of reactant concentration, reaction temperature and detection wavelength on CCL analysis were studied. It was found that the CCL signal satisfied the first order exponential decay law. Each reaction had an exponential decay equation (EDE) describing its signal change law. The initial variable A was proportional to the reactant concentration. The decay-coefficient k was a characteristic constant that was independent of the reactant concentration. For iso-butanol, it's A-values versus concentration was linear in 0. 89-14. 24 mg / L, the average of k-value in this range was 32. 0 with a RSD of 2. 2% . Thus, qualitative and quantitative analysis could be conducted according to the A and k values. The system was used to analyze eight kinds of alcohol compounds, and it was found that there were significant differences in the k-values for different alcohols. For example, the k-values for n-butanol, iso-butanol and sec-butanol were 27. 2 ±0. 2, 32. 0±0. 8 and 19. 5±0. 1, respectively.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia in neonates.

METHODSA total of 70 neonates who were admitted to 17 hospitals in Foshan, China from January 2011 to December 2014 were enrolled as case group, and another 70 neonates who were hospitalized during the same period and had no anal atresia or other severe deformities were enrolled as control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia.

RESULTSThe univariate analysis revealed that the age of mothers, presence of oral administration of folic acid, infection during early pregnancy, and polyhydramnios, and sex of neonates showed significant differences between the case and control groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infection during early pregnancy (OR=18.776) and male neonates (OR=9.304) were risk factors for congenital anal atresia, and oral administration of folic acid during early pregnancy was the protective factor (OR=0.086).

CONCLUSIONSInfection during early pregnancy is the risk factor for congenital anal atresia, and male neonates are more likely to develop congenital anal atresia than female neonates. Supplementation of folic acid during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of congenital anal atresia.

Anus, Imperforate ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and its significance in premature infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 96 very low birth weight infants (gestational age of ≤ 32 weeks) who survived for more than 28 days and were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit between January 2010 and December 2012. These subjects were divided into BPD group (n=21) and non-BPD group (n=75). The expression of TGF-β1 and PAI-1 in blood was measured by ELISA.

RESULTSThe levels of TGF-β1 and PAI-1 in the BPD group increased gradually from the 7th day to the 14th day and then to the 21st day after birth, and were significantly higher than in the non-BPD group at all time points (P<0.01). The TGF-β1 and PAI-1 levels in the non-BPD group on the 7th, 14th, and 21st days after birth were not significantly different from each other (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of TGF-β1 and PAI-1 in blood is elevated in premature infants with BPD, which may be associated with the development of BPD.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; etiology ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; blood ; Retrospective Studies ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; blood

OBJECTIVETo compare efficacy differences between fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion and gabapentin combined with sham acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

METHODSOne hundred cases of PHN were randomly divided into a needle group and a medicine group, 50 cases in each one. In the needle group, pricking method of fire filiform needle was given at the Ashi points, and then mild moxibustion was applied for 15 min. In the medicine group, the oral administration of gabapentin capsule and sham acupuncture at non-acupoints in the distal end of lesions were applied. The treatment was required for 21 days in both groups. The visual analogue score (VAS) was recorded before treatment and on the 1st day, 2nd day, 3rd day, 6th day, 9th day and 12th day of treatment. The most severity of pain within last 24 h, preset severity of pain, immediate analgesia effect and starting time of pain relief were observed, also the efficacy was assessed and improvement of symptoms was observed in the follow-up visit.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 94.0% (47/50) in the fire filiform needle group, which was superior to 86.0% (43/50) in the medicine group (P < 0.05). Compared with medicine group, the VAS of the most severity of pain within last 24 h was obviously reduced after the 2nd treatment in the fire filiform needle group while that of present severity of pain was relieved after the 1st treatment (both P < 0.05). The immediate analgesia effect in the fire filiform needle group was obviously superior to that in the medicine group in the first three times of treatment (all P < 0.05). The average time of pain relief was (3.91 +/- 0.82) days in the fire filiform needle group, which was significantly earlier to (6.53 +/- 1.13) days in the medicine group (P < 0.05). 26 cases were cured in the fire filiform needle group in the follow-up visit, which was superior to 2 cases in the medicine group (P < 0.05). The improvement of VAS, pain range and sleep quality in the needle group were also superior to those in the medicine group (all P < 0.05). The direct medical cost in the fire filiform needle group was (232.32 +/- 48.108) yuan, which was significantly lower than (466.00 +/- 41.09) yuan in the medicine group (P < 0.05). There was only one case of adverse effect in the medicine group during the treatment.

CONCLUSIONThe fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion could obviously relieve the pain in PHN patients, which has superior immediate analgesia effect and pain relieving time compared with gabapentin, which also has less adverse effects and cheap cost.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; therapy ; Pain Measurement ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo establish a detection method based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for concentrations of volatile nitrosamine compounds in urine, and apply it to the test of real samples.

METHODSTarget compounds dichloromethane in urine samples was extracted with dichloromethane through liquid-liquid extraction, then the dichloromethane extract was filtrated, evaporated with nitrogen at 40°C to dryness, and the volume was set with 0.2 ml dichloromethane. Analysis of nine volatile nitroso-compounds were performed with GC-MS under selected ion monitoring mode, external reference method was used for quantification, and the detection limit, repeatability and sensitivity were evaluated. In addition, nine volatile nitroso-compounds of 92 urine samples in a town of Anhui province were measured.

RESULTSA good linear range of 2 - 200 ng/ml (with correlation coefficient 0.9985 - 0.9999) were obtained for the above mentioned nine kinds of analyte, and the lowest examination concentration was 0.05 - 0.50 ng/ml. The addition standard recoveries were 68%-102% with the RSD of 0.4% - 5.5% (n = 3). The detection limits were 0.001 - 0.013 ng/ml urine. The detection rate of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA) were 71% (65), 74% (68), 65% (60), 80% (73), 92% (85), 78% (72), 76% (70), 87% (80), 98% (90), respectively, with the results (0.27 ± 0.12), (0.75 ± 0.29), (0.06 ± 0.02), (0.16 ± 0.07), (23.66 ± 5.18), (1.01 ± 0.35), (0.38 ± 0.11), (2.47 ± 0.52) and (15.13 ± 3.48) nmol/g creatinine.

CONCLUSIONSA gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detect method was developed for low level volatile nitrosamines in urine samples.

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Nitrosamines ; urine ; Urinalysis ; methods ; Volatile Organic Compounds ; urine

OBJECTIVETo observe changes in plasma motilin (MOT) level among preterm infants after birth, to investigate the relationship between plasma motilin level and feeding intolerance (FI), and to clarify the possible risk factors.

METHODSA total of 112 preterm infants were divided into feeding tolerance (FT) group (n=59) and FI group (n=53). Their plasma MOT levels were measured by radioimmunoassay on days 1, 4, 7 and 14 of life. The clinical data of FI group were collected and subjected to multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSCompared with the FT group, the FI group showed significantly lower plasma MOT levels on days 1, 4, 7 and 14 of life (P<0.05), and there was a positive correlation between plasma MOT level and gestational age, age in days, and volume of enteral feeding in the FI group. The lower the gestational age, the longer the FI duration. There was a negative correlation between the plasma MOT level on day 1 of life and the FI duration (r=-0.913, P<0.001). Gestational age and prenatal use of glucocorticoid were protective factors for FI, while fetal distress, placental abnormality and perinatal infection were risk factors for FI.

CONCLUSIONSChange in plasma MOT level may be closely related to the development of FI in preterm infants. Early monitoring of plasma MOT level may be useful for predicting the occurrence of FI.

Enteral Nutrition ; adverse effects ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; blood ; Infant, Premature, Diseases ; blood ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Motilin ; blood

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of post-discharge formula (PDF) for preterm infants, breast milk (BM) and term infant formula (TF) on increase rates of body weight, length and head circumference in preterm and low-birth-weight infants (PLBWIs) from discharge to 3 months after birth, and to provide a reference for the choice of feeding pattern for PLBWIs.

METHODSA total of 407 PLBWIs discharged from the newborn departments of ten hospitals in Guangzhou City and Foshan City in Guangdong Province, China were chosen for this study. According to feeding pattern, they were assigned to three groups: PDF-fed (n=258), BM-fed (n=58) and TF-fed (n=91). Their body weight, length and head circumference were measured at 3 months after birth, and the increase rates of growth indices relative to baseline values (at birth) were calculated and compared.

RESULTSAt 3 months after birth, the PDF-fed group had significantly greater body weight, length and head circumference than the BM-fed and TF-fed groups (P<0.05). The increase rates of body weight and length were significantly higher in the PDF-fed group than in the BM-fed and TF-fed groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with those fed with BM and TF after discharge, the PDF-fed PLBWIs have higher increase rates of body weight and length and show greater body weight and length at 3 months after birth. However, further study is needed to investigate the long-term effects.

Body Height ; Body Weight ; Breast Feeding ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Formula ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; growth & development ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; growth & development ; Male

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the application of ²⁰¹TI and (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy in assessment of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for osteosarcoma.

METHODSTwenty-two patients with osteosarcoma underwent both ²⁰¹TI and (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy. According to tumor necrosis rate (TNR), 22 patients were classified into three groups: Group 1(necrosis less than 50%), Group 2(50% ≊ 89% necrosis) and Group 3(necrosis greater than 90%). The uptake ratio(UR) was obtained in images before and after chemotherapy. The alteration ratio(AR) and tumor necrosis ratio (TNR) were calculated.

RESULTSIn ²⁰¹Tl images,UR(pre) and UR(post) (mean ± s.d.) of Group 1 were 2.14 ± 0.67, 2.07 ± 0.71 (P>0.05); UR(pre) and UR(post)of Group 2 were 3.45 ± 1.57 and 2.02 ± 0.97 (P<0.01); UR(pre) and UR(post) of Group 3 were 3.57 ± 0.67 and 1.36 ± 0.20 (P<0.01). In (99m)Tc-MIBI images, UR(pre)and UR(post) of Group 1 were 1.66 ± 0.42 and 1.85 ± 0.70 (P>0.05); UR(pre) and UR(post) of Group 2 were 2.39 ± 1.41 and 1.68 ± 0.72 (P<0.05);UR(pre) and UR(post) of Group 3 were 2.56 ± 0.60 and 1.19 ± 0.14 (P<0.01). The AR value in (201)Tl scintigraphy was -0.03-0.72, the liner regression analysis of AR versus TNR showed a highly significant positive correlation (r=0.95). The AR value in (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy was -1.21-0.64, the liner regression analysis of AR versus TNR showed a highly significant positive correlation (r=0.71). The liner regression analysis of AR in ²⁰¹TI scintigraphy versus AR in (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy showed a highly significant positive correlation (r=0.70).

CONCLUSIONThe AR changes significantly after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and is positively correlated with TNR, which indicates that ²⁰¹TI- and (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy can be used for evaluation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Bone Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Osteosarcoma ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Preoperative Care ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi ; Thallium Radioisotopes ; Young Adult