OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism by which gastrodin improves renal hyperten-sion in rats.METHODS A rat model of renal hypertension was established by ligating the renal artery.seventy-five rats were randomly divided into 5 groups(n=15):control group(sham operation group),model group,model+ramipril 1 mg·kg-1,model+gastrodin 100 and 200 mg·kg-1.The systolic blood pressure of the tail artery after modeling>18.12 kPa was regarded as the success of modeling.After the model was established,rats in the model+ramipril group were ig given ramipril 1 mg·kg-1 while the model+gastrodin group was ig given gastrodin 100 and 200 mg·kg-1 respectively for 4 weeks.Colori-metric assay kit was used to detect the serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity and malondialde-hyde(MDA)content in rats.ELISA was used to detect serum angiotensin-2(Ang-2)and aldosterone(ALD)contents,as well as serum and thoracic aortic tissue interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)content.HE staining was performed to detect pathological changes in thoracic aorta tissue of rats.The expressions of autophagy protein miceotubule associated protein light chain 3(LC3)-Ⅱand LC3-Ⅰwere detected by Western blotting.RESULTS The systolic pressure of the tail artery of rats after modeling exceeded 18.12 kPa,indicating that the modeling was successful.Compared with the control group,the contens of Ang-2(P<0.01)and ALD(P<0.01)in the model group were significantly increased,the activity of SOD(P<0.01)in serum and thoracic aorta tissue was significantly decreased,the content of MDA(P<0.01)was significantly increased,the contents of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α in serum and thoracic aorta tissue were significantly decreased(P<0.01)and the ratio of LC-32/LC-31 in thoracic aorta tissue was significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,gastrodin significantly increased the systolic pressure of the tail artery(P<0.01),the contents of Ang-2(P<0.01)and ALD(P<0.01)and the activity of SOD(P<0.01)in serum,as well as decreased the contents of MDA,IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α(P<0.01)in serum and thoracic aorta tissue.Meanwhile,gastrodin signifi-cantly decreased the ratio of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ in rat thoracic aorta(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Gastrodin can improve the blood pressure of renal hypertensive rats,and the mechanism is possibly related to the reduction of autophagy protein LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰratio.

Nerve block is a technique for anesthesia and pain management, which is realized by blocking nerve conduction in a specific nerve area with local anesthetic drugs. Compared with general anesthesia, nerve block has many advantages, which can provide local and selective analgesic effect, and meanwhile reduce complications and drug side effects related to general anesthesia. Dexmedetomidine is a type of α₂ adrenergic receptor agonist, and as a potential adjuvant, dexmedetomidine has been widely applied in nerve block. Dexmedetomidine has sedative, analgesic and anti-anxiety effects, and can be used in combination with local anesthetics to enhance the effect of nerve block. In this paper, the clinical effects of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant of nerve block in various parts are reviewed, and application in maxillofacial nerve block and stellate ganglion block was added in order to provide reference for nerve block anesthesia and analgesia.

Objective To analyze the thyroid hormone levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Methods A total of 121 patients with AIS were selected, and were divided into NVAF group (AIS patients with NVAF) and control group (AIS patients without atrial fibrillation). Serum levels of triiodothyronine (T₃), free triiodothyronine (FT₃), thyroxine (T₄), free thyroxine (FT₄) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in two groups were measured and compared. The survival of the two groups was compared. Results The serum T₃ level in the NVAF group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum FT₃, T₄, FT₄ and TSH levels between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in survival between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion NVAF is associated with serum T₃ levels in AIS patients. There is no correlation between the risk of death and NVAF in AIS patients.

We previously identified a unique nucleus, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-contacting nucleus. This study aims to understand its gene architecture and preliminarily suggest its functions. The results showed that there were about 19,666 genes in this nucleus, of which 913 were distinct from the dorsal raphe nucleus (non-CSF contacting). The top 40 highly-expressed genes are mainly related to energy metabolism, protein synthesis, transport, secretion, and hydrolysis. The main neurotransmitter is 5-HT. The receptors of 5-HT and GABA are abundant. The channels for Cl^-, Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺ are routinely expressed. The signaling molecules associated with the CaMK, JAK, and MAPK pathways were identified accurately. In particular, the channels of transient receptor potential associated with nociceptors and the solute carrier superfamily members associated with cell membrane transport were significantly expressed. The relationship between the main genes of the nucleus and life activities is preliminarily verified.
Rats ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Serotonin/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Cerebrospinal Fluid/metabolism*

Objective:To investigate the effect of irradiation on the expression of miR-150-5p and miR-23a-3p in human peripheral blood serum by collecting peripheral blood of tumor patients before and after radiotherapy, so as to provide scientific basis for finding radiation biomarkers.Methods:A total of 63 tumor patients treated with radiotherapy from October 2021 to March 2022 were enrolled in this study. The relative expression levels of miR-150-5p and miR-23a-3p in peripheral blood serum in these patients were detected using the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) before and after radiotherapy. The differential changes in the expression levels of the two miRNAs in the peripheral blood serum of the patients before and after radiotherapy were compared, and their relationships with factors such as cancer types were analyzed.Results:The relative expression levels of miR-150-5p and miR-23a-3p in peripheral blood serum of the patients after radiotherapy were significantly lower than those before radiotherapy ( t = 4.97, Z = -2.77, P < 0.05). Among different cancer types, the relative expression level of miR-150-5p in the patients with breast cancer, esophageal cancer, or other digestive tract cancer decreased after radiotherapy ( t = 3.47, 2.47, 2.87, P < 0.05), and the relative expression level of miR-23a-3p in the patients with digestive tract cancer decreased after radiotherapy ( Z = -1.99, P < 0.05). The changes in the expression level of miR-150-5p before and after radiotherapy were not affected by gender, age, chemotherapy, and cancer type ( P > 0.05). By contrast, the changes in the expression level of miR-23a-3p before and after radiotherapy were significantly affected by gender, age, and chemotherapy ( t=2.04, -3.34, -2.29, P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression of miR-150-5p in the serum of tumor patients may be affected by radiotherapy, which has the potential to be used as a biological indicator of radiation.

Background: The corner pocket (CP) approach for supraclavicular block (SCB) prevents ulnar nerve (UN) sparing due to needle proximity to the lower trunk. Improved ultrasound resolution has suggested that the intertruncal (IT) approach is a suitable alternative method. We compared efficiency of these two approaches on the UN blockade. Methods: Sixty patients were randomized to undergo SCB using the ultrasound-guided CP or IT approach. For lower trunk blockade, 10 ml of local anesthetic agents (1 : 1 mixture of 0.75% ropivacaine and 1% lidocaine) were injected in the CP (CP approach) or between the lower and middle trunks (IT approach). Additional 15 ml was injected identically to block the middle and upper trunks in both groups. Sensory and motor blockade was evaluated after intervention. Results: Complete sensory blockade (75.9% [22/29] vs. 43.3% [13/30], P = 0.023) and complete motor blockade (82.8% [24/29] vs. 50.0% [15/30], P = 0.017) of the UN at 15 min after SCB were significantly more frequent in the IT than in the CP group. Sensory block onset time of the UN was significantly shorter in the IT compared to the CP group (15.0 [10.0; 15.0] min vs. 20.0 [15.0; 20.0] min; P = 0.012). Conclusions The IT approach provided a more rapid onset of UN blockade than the CP approach. These results suggest that the IT approach is a suitable alternative to the CP approach and can provide faster surgical readiness.

Portal hypertension is a common clinical syndrome in chronic liver disease,such as schistosomiasis,portal vein occlusion cirrhosis and so on,which can be diagnosed when the hepatic venous pressure gradient is (HVPG) ＞ 5 mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa).It could lead to gastroesophageal varicose veins rupture,ascites,spontaneous bacterial peritonitis,hepatorenal syndrome,hepatopulmonary syndrome,hepatic encephalopathy and some other serious complications,and is the primary death cause in cirrhosis and liver transplantation.The development of portal hypertension has experienced 4 phases ineluding the research about portal hypertension related theories and animal trial phase,preclinical tests and data accumulation phase,devascularization and shunts rapid development phase,the development phase of new technologies such as interventional and endoscopic surgical treatment,liver transplantation since the middle of the 19th century.The surgical procedures have been modified,which greatly reduce the complication and improve the life quality after operation.But so far none of them can cure portal hypertension thoroughly.This paper not only introduces the pathophysiologic basis of the surgical treatment,but also reviews the history of its development to summarize the recent progress,which may facilitate its surgical treatment.

Objective To establish a dual liver transplantation rat model,which could benefit the future clinical practice.Methods Y type vein derived from the crossover segment of vena cava and two iliac veins in donor and Y type bile duct prosthesis were employed to recanalize portal vein and bile duct from dual liver grafts to recipient liver.The dual right upper lobes with about 45％ ～ 50％ of the recipient liver volume were taken as donor.One was orthotopically implanted at its original position,while the other was rotated 180° sagittally and heterotopically positioned in the left upper quadrant.Survival rate was analyzed to evaluate the function of dual liver grafts.Results A total of 7 rats which underwent dual liver transplantation survived more than 7 days and the survival rate was 58.3％.5 rats died due to abdominal hemorrhage,bile leakage and liver abscess.Conclusion Using Y type vein and bile duct prosthesis,we successfully established a novel rat model of dual right upper liver lobe transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Developing predictive markers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is important, because many patients experience recurrence and metastasis. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a developmental process that plays an important role during embryogenesis and also during cancer metastasis. Paired-related homeobox protein 1 (Prrx-1) is an EMT inducer that has recently been introduced, and its prognostic significance in HCC is largely unknown. METHODS: Tissue microarray was constructed using surgically resected primary HCCs from 244 cases. Immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin and Prrx-1 was performed. The correlation between E-cadherin loss and Prrx-1 expression, as well as other clinicopathologic factors, was evaluated. RESULTS: E-cadherin expression was decreased in 96 cases (39.4%). Loss of E-cadherin correlated with a higher recurrence rate (p < .001) but was not correlated with patient's survival. Thirty-two cases (13.3%) showed at least focal nuclear Prrx-1 immunoreactivity while all non-neoplastic livers (n = 22) were negative. Prrx-1 expression was not associated with E-cadherin loss, survival or recurrence rates, pathologic factors, or the Ki-67 labeling index. Twenty tumors that were positive for E-cadherin and Prrx-1 had significantly higher nuclear grades than the rest of the cohort (p = .037). In Cox proportional hazard models, E-cadherin loss and large vessel invasion were independent prognostic factors for shorter disease-free survival. Cirrhosis and high Ki-67 index (> 40%) were independent prognostic factors for shorter overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Prrx-1 was expressed in small portions of HCCs but not in normal livers. Additional studies with a large number of Prrx-1-positive cases are required to confirm the results of this study.
Cadherins* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Embryonic Development ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Genes, Homeobox ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pregnancy ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Recurrence