Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and medical costs of high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein,simple foam sclerotherapy,and high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy for treating varicose of great saphenous vein.Methods The clinical data of patients with varicose of great saphenous vein undergoing high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein,simple foam sclerotherapy,or high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy were analyzed retrospectively.The evaluation included efficacy assessment,quality of life evaluation,hospitalization days and costs,postoperative complications,and recurrence after surgery.Results There were no statistical differences in gender,age,disease course and clinical etiology anatomy pathophysiology(CEAP)grading system among the three groups(P＞0.05).The clinical efficacy assessments in all patients among the three groups showed significant effects at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.One patient in the group treated with high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy suffered deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity after operation.In terms of quality of life,there was no statistically significant difference in venous clinical severity score(VCSS)among the three groups at 3 months postoperatively(P＞0.05).The group treated with simple foam sclerotherapy showed significantly shorter hospitalization days compared with the other two groups.Additionally,the group treated with simple foam sclerotherapy showed lower hospitalization expenses,which was not statistically significant when compared to the group treated with high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein group(P＞0.05),but there was a statistical difference compared to the group treated with high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy(P＜0.05).Conclusion There are no significant differences in clinical efficacy,postoperative pain,and quality of life evaluation among the three methods.However,simple foam scle-rotherapy may reduce the length of hospitalization stay and direct medical costs.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and medical costs of high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein,simple foam sclerotherapy,and high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy for treating varicose of great saphenous vein.Methods The clinical data of patients with varicose of great saphenous vein undergoing high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein,simple foam sclerotherapy,or high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy were analyzed retrospectively.The evaluation included efficacy assessment,quality of life evaluation,hospitalization days and costs,postoperative complications,and recurrence after surgery.Results There were no statistical differences in gender,age,disease course and clinical etiology anatomy pathophysiology(CEAP)grading system among the three groups(P＞0.05).The clinical efficacy assessments in all patients among the three groups showed significant effects at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.One patient in the group treated with high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy suffered deep vein thrombosis of lower extremity after operation.In terms of quality of life,there was no statistically significant difference in venous clinical severity score(VCSS)among the three groups at 3 months postoperatively(P＞0.05).The group treated with simple foam sclerotherapy showed significantly shorter hospitalization days compared with the other two groups.Additionally,the group treated with simple foam sclerotherapy showed lower hospitalization expenses,which was not statistically significant when compared to the group treated with high ligation and stripping of the great saphenous vein group(P＞0.05),but there was a statistical difference compared to the group treated with high ligation of the great saphenous vein combined with foam sclerotherapy(P＜0.05).Conclusion There are no significant differences in clinical efficacy,postoperative pain,and quality of life evaluation among the three methods.However,simple foam scle-rotherapy may reduce the length of hospitalization stay and direct medical costs.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating traumatic disease seriously impairing the quality of life in patients. Expectations to allow the hopeless central nervous system to repair itself after injury are unfeasible. Developing new approaches to regenerate the central nervous system is still the priority. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exo) have been proven to robustly quench the inflammatory response or oxidative stress and curb neuronal apoptosis and autophagy following SCI, which are the key processes to rescue damaged spinal cord neurons and restore their functions. Nonetheless, MSC-Exo in SCI received scant attention. In this review, we reviewed our previous work and other studies to summarize the roles of MSC-Exo in SCI and its underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we also focus on the application of exosomes as drug carrier in SCI. In particular, it combs the advantages of exosomes as a drug carrier for SCI, imaging advantages, drug types, loading methods, etc., which provides the latest progress for exosomes in the treatment of SCI, especially drug carrier.

Retrovenal ureter is a type of inferior vena cava mutation. Retrovenal ureter with right double inferior vena cava mutation is rare. We reported a case of retrocaval ureteral with right double inferior vena cava variation, right ureteral calculi and hydronephrosis of the right kidney. Peritoneal laparoscopic ureterolithotomy and right posterior vena cava dissection ureteroplasty were performed. Fourteen months after surgery, B-ultrasound of the urinary system was reexamined, and no hydronephrosis was found in the right renal pelvis and ureter.

Objective: To screen and analyze the mutations of MITF gene in two children of type Ⅱ Waardenburg syndrome (WS2) from different families in Yunnan,China,and to explore the possible molecular pathogenesis. Methods: With informed consent, medical history collection, physical examinations, audiological evaluation, and high resolution computer tomography (HRCT) scan of temporal bone were performed on the two WS2 probands and their family members. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of all individuals. The coding regions including all exons, part of introns and promoters of MITF, PAX3, SOX10, SNAI2, END3, ENDRB, and KITLG genes were sequenced by high-throughput sequencing. According to the results of high-throughput sequencing, pathogenic mutations detected in the probands and their parents were verified by Sanger sequencing. Results: The proband 1 carried c.641_643delGAA mutation in the 7th exon of MITF gene, which was a frame-shift mutation resulting in an amino acid change of p.214delR. It was a de novo mutation as the parents of proband 1 showed no variation on this site. The proband 2 carried heterozygous loss of the large fragment ranging from exon 1 to exon 9 of MITF gene, which defected the function of MITF protein. Conclusion: Genetic examinations provide important evidence for diagnosis of Waardenburg syndrome. Heterozygous mutation c.641_643delGAA and heterozygous loss of the large fragment ranging from exon 1 to exon 9 of MITF gene might be the molecular pathogenesis of the two WS2 probands in this study.
Asians/genetics* ; Child ; China ; Humans ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; SOXE Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Waardenburg Syndrome/genetics*

It is of great significance to carry out scientific investigation of threatened species and assess their in-situ conservation status in order to guide the conservation and management of these species within a region. In this study, we explored and assessed the biodiversity and in-situ conservation status of the threatened medicinal vascular plants(TMVPs) in central China. The results showed that there were 276 TMVPs in central China, including 18 critically endangered(CR), 77 endangered(EN), and 181 vulnerable(VU) species. Of which, 222 TMVPs were distributed in 49 national nature reserves, with an in-situ conservation rate of 80.43%. And the in-situ conservation rate of CR, EN and NR species were 83.33%, 77.92% and 81.22%, respectively. The complementary algorithm was used to select the nine national nature reserves with the highest protection and complementary contribution to the TMVPs. The cumulative protection contribution rate of these nine nature reserves was 81.98%. Fifty-four TMVPs were distributed outside of national nature reserves, while mainly distributed within 10 hotspot counties including Badong county, Hubei province, Sangzhi county, Hunan province, Jianghua Yao Autonomous county, Hunan province and so on. In general, TMVPs are well protected by the national nature reserves in central China. However, there are still some conservation gaps. It is necessary to carry out further field investigation on the species with conservation gaps and identify the gap areas, so as to provide scientific guidance for the optimization of the conservation of TMVPs in this region.
Biodiversity ; China ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Endangered Species ; Plants, Medicinal ; Tracheophyta

This study investigated the effects of different frequencies of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on chronic neuropathic pain in rats.The behavior of rats with experimental chronic neuropathic pain was observed,and the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) and the activation and proliferation of astrocytes in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn were detected.Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:sham-operated group,sham-rTMS group,1 Hz group and 20 Hz group (8 rats in each group).Chronic constriction nerve injury induced by sciatic nerve ligation was made to establish the models of the chronic neuropathic pain in rats except those in the sham-operated group.Then we applied different frequencies of rTMS to the primary motor cortex (M1) contralateral to the pain side once daily for 10 consecutive days.Pain behavior scores were observed before and after treatment.Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of nNOS in ipsilateral L4-6 DRGs.Double immunofluorescent labeling for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was employed to observe the activation and proliferation of astrocytes in the ipsilateral L4-6 spinal dorsal horn.After rTMS treatment,the spontaneous pain behavior scores were significantly lower in the 20 Hz group than those in the sham-rTMS group (P＜0.05).Moreover,the brush-evoked pain behavior scores were significantly lower in the 20 Hz group than those in the sham-rTMS and 1 Hz group (P＜0.05),suggesting that the spontaneous pain and brush-evoked pain in the 20 Hz group were significantly alleviated.Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of nNOS in ipsilateral L4-6 DRGs was significantly decreased in the 20 Hz group as compared with the sham-rTMS group and the 1 Hz group (P＜0.01) after rTMS treatment.Double immunofluorescence suggested that the expression of GFAP and the co-localization with BrdU in astrocytes were less in the sham-operated group than those in the sham-rTMS group and the 1 Hz group in L4-6 spinal dorsal horn ipsilateral to the neuropathic pain.After rTMS treatment,the expression of GFAP and the co-localization with BrdU decreased in the 20 Hz group as compared with the sham-rTMS group and the 1 Hz group (P＜0.05).In addition,the alleviation degree of spontaneous pain and brush-evoked pain in the 20 Hz group was negatively correlated with the expression of nNOS in ipsilateral DRGs and the number of GFAP/BrdU co-labelled astrocytes in L4-6 spinal dorsal horn ipsilateral to the neuropathic pain (P＜0.05).It was suggested that high-frequency rTMS may relieve neuropathic pain through down-regulating the overexpression of nNOS in ipsilateral DRGs and inhibiting the activity and proliferation of astrocytes in L4-6 spinal dorsal horn ipsilateral to the neuropathic pain.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of BAM bone grafting combined with inactivated autologous porous bone flap in repairing skull defect in rats.

METHODSSeventy-two Wistar rats with skull defect were randomly divided into control group, inactivated autologous bone flap group (AB group), BAM bone-induced artificial bone material group (BAM group), and inactivated autologous bone flap with BAM bone-induced artificial bone group (BAM+AB group). The bone healing was evaluated with micro-CT and the new bone formation was assessed with histological staining at 1, 2, and 3 months after modeling.

RESULTSInactivated porous bone flap combined with BAM bone-induced artificial bone effectively induced vascular and fibrous tissue regeneration and osteogenesis in the cranial defects. With the inactivated porous bone flap as the scaffold, BAM bone-induced artificial bone obviously promoted the restoration of the skull appearance in the rats with cranial defects.

CONCLUSIONInactivated autologous bone flap group and BAM bone-induced artificial bone material can promote skull healing and restoration of the original skull appearance, and can be used for reconstruction of the local anatomy of the skull surface.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of premature rupture of the membrane (PROM) on neonatal complications in premature infants.

METHODSThe registration information of 7684 preterm infants with gestational age <37 weeks were collected from the cooperative units in the task group between January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. Specially trained personnel from each cooperative units filled in the unified form in a standardized format to record the gender, gestational age, birth weight, PROM, placental abruption, antenatal corticosteroid, Apgar score, amniotic fluid pollution, and complications of the infants. The data were analyzed comparatively between the cases with PROM and those without (control).

RESULTSThe preterm mortality rate was significantly lower but the incidences of ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly higher in PROM group than in the control group (P<0.05). The 95% confidence interval of the OR value was <1 for mortality, and was >1 for ICH, NEC, ROP and BPD. After adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, gender, mode of delivery, placental abruption, placenta previa, prenatal hormones, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), gestational period hypertension and 5-min Apgar score <7, the incidences of NEC, ROP and BPD were significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05) with 95% confidence interval of OR value >1, but the mortality rate and incidence of ICH were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPROM is a risk factor for NEC, ROP and BPD in preterm infants, and adequate intervention of PROM can reduce the incidences of such complications as NEC, ROP and BPD in the infants.

Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture ; pathology ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases ; etiology ; Infant, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo compare the expression of nuclear matrix proteins (NMPs) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) epithelial cell line BPH-1 versus those in androgen-dependent human prostate cancer cell line LNCap and androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line PC-3.

METHODSWe isolated NMPs from the BPH-1, LNCap and PC-3 cell lines by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), analyzed the differentially expressed proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption / ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and identified them by peptide mass fingerprint and database searching.

RESULTSWe successfully obtained well-resolved reproducible 2-DE patterns of NMPs in human prostate cancer cell lines, identified 12 differentially expressed NMPs including enzymes, regulatory proteins, RNA-binding protein and various other factors, 3 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated in prostate cancer cell lines.

CONCLUSIONThere are obvious differences in the expressions of NMPs between human prostate cancer cell lines and benign prostatic hyperplasia epithelial cell line.

Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Humans ; Male ; Nuclear Matrix-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Proteome ; analysis ; Proteomics ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization