Objective To investigate the effect of afferent blockade of visceral adipose tissue(VAT)on cardiac function and cardiac neural remodeling in rats after myocardial infarction(MI).Methods After 30 healthy SPF-grade male SD rats were subjected,12 of them were randomly divided into control group(n=6)and activation group(n=6).In the activation group,low-dose capsaicin(1 mmol/L)was used to activate VAT afferent nerves,while in the control group,an equal amount of normal saline was injected,and real-time blood pressure and heart rate were monitored for 30 min.The other 18 rats were randomly assigned into sham group(n=6),MI group(n=6),and high-dose capsaicin blockade group(n=6).The MI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery.After MI modeling,the high-dose capsaicin blockade group was give 33 mmol/L capsaicin to block VAT afferent nerve,and the sham opera-tion group and MI group were injected with the same amount of normal saline.After 2 weeks,car-diac function was measured by echocardiography,infarct size was measured by TTC staining,heart rate variability was analyzed,and myocardial tyrosine hydroxylase(TH)was measured.The levels of myocardial superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)were measured by biochemical methods.Results More significant changes in blood pressure and heart rate were observed in the activation group than the control group(P＜0.01).The MI group had obviously larger infarct size,higher LVEDD and LVESD,and increased myocardial TH density and MDA level,but lower LVEF and myocardial SOD activity than the sham group(P＜0.05).However,the infarct size,LVEDD(9.15±0.37 mm vs 10.1±0.85 mm),LVESD(6.33±0.40 mm vs 7.87±0.86 mm)were obviously decreased,while LVEF[(67.04±3.34)％vs(47.10±3.89)％]and myocar-dial FS[(33.26±2.50)％vs(20.81±2.14)％]activity were greatly increased in the high dose capsaicin group than the MI group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Activation of VAT afferent nerve can increase blood pressure and heart rate;while its blockade can reduce the infarct size,protect cardiac function and inhibit cardiac nerve remodeling in MI rats,possibly by reducing oxidative stress.

Objective:To investigate the effect of tocilizumab (TCZ) on ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) after myocardial infarction (MI) in Sprague-Dawley rats and explore its potential mechanism.Methods:The random number table method was used to divide 32 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats into 4 groups: Sham group, TCZ group, MI group and MI+TCZ group, with 8 rats in each group. The MI model was established by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery in the MI and MI+TCZ groups, and only sutured without ligation in the Sham and TCZ groups. TCZ was injected into the left superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of rats in the TCZ and MI+TCZ groups after successful modeling or sham operation, and the same amount of normal saline was injected in the Sham and MI groups. 24 h after successful modeling, ECG of rats in each group was recorded, heart rate variability (HRV, including low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF), LF/HF ratio), QT interval, QTc interval were calculated, and left ventricular effective refractory period (ERP) and VA inducibility were measured. Myocardial infarct size and tissue changes were observed with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and HE staining. Real-time PCR analysis was used to detect the messager RNA (mRNA) expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 in SCG and potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily D member 2 (Kcnd2) in myocardial infarction periphery. The expression of c-fos in SCG was detected by immunofluorescence staining.Results:Compared with Sham group and MI+TCZ group, rats in MI group had higher LF and LF/HF ratio, longer QT interval and QTc interval, more VAs induced, lower HF and shorter ERP ( P all<0.05). Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and HE staining showed that rats in the Sham and TCZ groups had normal myocardial tissue structure, those in the MI group had severe myocardial injury, and those in the MI+TCZ group had less myocardial injury than those in the MI group. Real-ime PCR analysis showed that compared with Sham group and MI+TCZ group, mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and STAT3 in SCG of rats in MI group were higher, and mRNA expression level of myocardial Kcnd2 was lower ( P all<0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed that the content of c-fos in SCG of rats in MI group was higher than that of Sham group and MI+TCZ group ( P all<0.05). Conclusions:TCZ may reduce neural activity of the SCG after MI by inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating myocardial injury and inhibiting VAs.

Objective    To explore whether surgery combined with adjuvant chemotherapy can bring survival benefits to patients with cervical and upper thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods    The clinical data of patients with cervical and upper thoracic ESCC who underwent R0 resection and neck anastomosis in our department from 2006 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients received neoadjuvant therapy or adjuvant radiotherapy were excluded. The adjuvant chemotherapy group was given a combination of taxanes and platinum based chemotherapy after surgery; the surgery alone group did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival difference between the adjuvant chemotherapy group and the surgery alone group. Results    A total of 181 patients were enrolled, including 141 (77.9%) males and 40 (22.1%) females, with an average age of 61.0±8.2 years (80 patients aged≤61 years, 101 patients aged>61 years). There were 70 (38.7%) patients of cervical ESCC, and 111 (61.3%) patients of upper thoracic ESCC. Eighty-seven (48.1%) patients underwent postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and 94 (51.9%) patients underwent surgery alone, and the basic clinical characteristics were well balanced between the two groups (P>0.05). The median survival time of patients in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and the surgery alone group was 31.93 months and 26.07 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 35.0% and 32.0%, respectively (P=0.227). There was no statistical difference in median survival time between the cervical ESCC and upper thoracic ESCC group (31.83 months vs. 29.76 months, P=0.763). For cervical ESCC patients, the median survival time was 45.07 months in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 14.70 months in the surgery alone group (P=0.074). Further analysis showed that the median survival time of lymph node negative group was 32.53 months, and the lymph node positive group was 24.57 months (P=0.356). The median survival time was 30.43 months in the lymph-node positive group with adjuvant chemotherapy and 17.77 months in the lymph-node positive group with surgery alone. The survival curve showed a trend of difference, but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.557). Conclusion    There is no statistical difference in the long-term survival of cervical and upper thoracic ESCC patients after R0 resection. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy may have survival benefits for patients with cervical ESCC and upper ESCC with postoperative positive lymph nodes, but the differences are not statistically significant in this setting.

Objective    To evaluate the clinical outcomes of larynx-preserving limited resection with total thoracic esophagectomy and gastric pull-up reconstruction for the treatment of cervical esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) without tumor involvement of the larynx and hypopharynx compared with the upper thoracic ESCC. Methods    Retrospective and comparative analysis of consecutive patients with cervical and upper thoracic ESCC who underwent R0 surgical resection from 2006 to 2011 in our center was performed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the patients’ survival. Results    In total, 44 pairs of patients, including 71 males and 17 females with an average age of 60.66±8.49 years were enrolled in the study after propensity score matching. The baseline characteristics of the two groups of patients were well balanced. There was no statistical difference in the operation time (P=0.100), blood loss (P=0.685), mortality rate in 30 days (P=1.000), total complication rate (P=0.829), cervical anastomosis leakage (P=0.816), mechanical ventilation (P=1.000), normal oral diet within 15 days (P=0.822) and anastomosis recurrence rate (P=0.676) between the two groups. Survival analysis showed that there was no statistical difference in survival time between the cervical group [31.83 (95%CI 8.65-55.02) months] and upper thoracic group [37.73 (95%CI 25.29-50.18) months, P=0.533]. The 5-year survival rates were 32.6% and 42.1%, respectively. Conclusion    Larynx-preserving limited resection  with total thoracic esophagectomy and gastric pull-up reconstruction for the treatment of cervical ESCC without involvement of the larynx and hypopharynx may result in a similar clinical outcome to upper thoracic ESCC.

Objective    To investigate the safety and feasibility of laryngeal mask general anesthesia as a replacement of tracheal intubation general anesthesia in the "three-port" thoracoscopic thymectomy via subxiphoid and subcostal arch for thymoma patients without myasthenia. Methods    From January 2018 to June 2019, clinical data of patients with thymoma who underwent the novel "three-port" operation in our institution were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups according to the anesthesia methods, including a tracheal intubation general anesthesia group and a laryngeal mask general anesthesia group. There were 70 patients in the tracheal intubation general anesthesia group, including 42 males and 28 females, with an average age of 45.83±15.89 years. There were 39 patients in the laryngeal mask general anesthesia group, including 26 males and 13 females, with an average age of 43.31±15.64 years. The clinical data of the two groups were compared. Results    The baseline characteristics of the patients in the two groups were well balanced (P>0.05). No massive bleeding, conversion to thoracotomy, postoperative myasthenia or death occurred in those patients. No patient with laryngeal mask anesthesia had a conversion to tracheal intubation anesthesia during the operation. There was no significant difference in the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, intraoperative maximum partial pressure of CO2, lowest partial pressure of oxygen and anesthesia effect score between the two groups (P>0.05). There was also no statistical difference in postoperative aspiration, gastrointestinal discomfort, length of hospital stay, pain score and patient satisfaction degree between the two groups (P>0.05). However, the anesthesia time before operation and the time of awake after anesthesia in the laryngeal mask anesthesia group were significantly shorter than those in the tracheal intubation general anesthesia group (P<0.05), and the incidence of transient arrhythmia, laryngeal discomfort and hoarseness in the laryngeal mask general anesthesia group was significantly lower than that in the tracheal intubation general anesthesia group (P<0.05). Conclusion    The "three-port" thoracoscopic thymectomy via subxiphoid and subcostal arch under laryngeal mask general anesthesia is safe and feasible in the treatment of thymoma without myasthenia, and can be recommended routinely.

Objective To investigate the bactericidal mechanism of electrolyzed oxidizing water (EOW) against Pseudomona aeruginosa (P.aeruginosa).Methods Bactericidal mechanism of EOW against P.aeruginosa was studied through intracellular protein leakage,nucleic acid,and cell membrane calcium ion permeability,2 ％ glutaraldehyde was used as positive control group,and normal saline (NS) was used as negative control group.Results The killing rates of EOW and 2％ glutaraldehyde to P.aeruginosa were both＞99.99％ with 30-second contact time,and 100.00％ with 60-second contact time.After 60-second contact with EOW,NS,and 2％ glutaraldehyde,the protein leakage of P.aeruginosa detected by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) were (96.00 ± 7.42),(94.15 ± 7.49),and (216.97 ± 10.35)μg/mL,respectively,difference was significant(F =613.20,P＜0.01),2％ glutaraldehyde group was higher than EOW group and NS group;protein leakage did not change with the increase of contact time(all P＞0.05).Electrophoretogram of random amplified polymorphic DNA showed high intensity dense band between 500-1000 Kb in EOW group and NS group,while 2％ glutaraldehyde group was without amplified bands.The fluorescence intensity of calcium ion of EOW group and 2％ glutaraldehyde group were both lower than that of NS group.Conclusion Bactericidal mechanism of EOW may be due to the damage of membrane permeability of P.aeruginosa,which causes Ca2+ leakage,but fails to cause protein leakage,the damage to nucleic acid is not obvious,DNA may not be a bactericidal target of EOW.

Objective To explore the expressions of Smad4 and estrogen receptor (ER) and their interrelation,and the relationship with the clinicopathological features of breast cancer.Methods The immunohistochemical SP method was used to detect the expressions of Smad4 and ER in 50 case of invasive cancer,12 cases of carcinoma in situ and 15 cases of normal breast tissues.The differences in different clinical stages,differentiation degrees and nodal metastases were analyzed.The correlation between Smad4 and ER was explored.Results The positive expression rate of Smad4 in invasive cancer was 52.00％,which lower than that in normal breast tissue (93.33％),with a significant difference (x2 =8.329,P =0.004),positive expression rates of ER were 60.00％ and 40.00％ respectively,with no significant difference (x2 =1.868,P =0.172).The positive expression rates of Smad4 in carcinoma in situ and invasive cancer were 75.00％ and 52.00％ respectively,with no significant difference (x2 =2.082,P =0.149).The positive expression rates of ER were 58.33％ and 60.00％ respectively,with no significant difference (x2 =0.011,P =0.916).The positive expression of Smad4 was related to the TNM stage (x2 =6.392,P =0.011) and the lymph node metastasis (x2 =6.738,P =0.009),but it was not associated with the histologic grade (x2 =0.542,P =0.462).The positive expression of ER was related to the lymph node metastasis (x2 =4.133,P =0.042) and histologic grade (x2 =5.357,P =0.021),but it was not associated with the TNM stage (x2 =1.159,P =0.282).There was positive correlation between Smad4 and ER in breast cancer tissue (r =0.263,P =0.032).Conclusion Smad4 is expressed at lower level in breast cancer than in normal breast tissue.The expressions of Smad4 and ER are related to the different clinicopathological features of breast cancer with positive correlation.

Objective To evaluate the effect of intrathecal oxytocin on neuropathic pain in rats.Methods Thirty-six SPF male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 4-6 weeks,weighing 100-150 g,were divided into 4 groups (n =9 each) using a random number table:control group (group C),neuropathic pain group (group NP),neuropathic pain plus normal saline group (group NPN) and neuropathic pain plus oxytocin group (group NPO).The neuropathic pain model was made by partial sciatic nerve injury in NP,NPN and NPO groups.In group NPO,oxytocin l0 μl (0.1 μg) was intrathecally injected on the day of establishing the model and 1 and 2 days after establishing the model,and then normal saline 10 μl was given for tube sealing at 9 a.m.and 4 p.m.every day.In group NPN,normal saline 20 μl was given for tube sealing at the corresponding time points.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured at 1 day before establishing the model and 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7 days after establishing the model.The expression of the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and a specific marker of microglia ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBa-1) was detected by Western blot at 1 day before establishing the model and 3 and 7 days after establishing the model.Results Compared with group C,the MWT was significantly decreased,TWL was shortened and the expression of GFAP and IBa-1 was up-regulated at each time point in NP and NPN groups (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in MWT,TWL GFAP and IBa-1 at each time point between group NPN and group NP (P＞0.05).Compared with NP group,MWT was significantly increased at 2-4 days after establishing the model,TWL was prolonged at 1-4 days after establishing the model,the expression of IBa-1 was down-regulated on 3 days after establishing the model,and the expression of GFAP was downregulated on 3 and 7 days after establishing the model in group NPO (P＜0.05).Conclusion Oxytocin can reduce neuropathic pain,and the mechanism may be related to inhibiting activation of glial cells in the spinal cord of rats.

Pigs are increasingly recognized as "natural" hosts of infection by human respiratory viruses because of their similarities to humans in terms of lung physiology, airway morphology, cell types, and distribution of cell receptors in the respiratory tract. We wished to explore the mechanisms of infection by respiratory viruses and screening of drug that could be used to treat respiratory-system diseases. Hence, we developed a model of well-differentiated porcine airway epithelial cells (PAECs) derived from pig-lung tissue and cultured them with serum-free medium under an air-liquid interface condition in vitro. We identified the PAEC model using scanning electron microscopy, electrophysiology, and immunohistology. To evaluate application of gene therapy of adeno-associated virus (AAV)6 on the PAEC model, we generated recombinant adeno-associated virus 6-green fluorescent protein (rAAV6-GFP) using the three-plasmid transfection method and infected PAECs from the apical surface with rAAV6-GFP. Results demonstrated that the PAEC model comprised a multilayer epithelial structure containing ciliated mucous secretory cells, with basal cells located directly beneath the multilayer. rAAV6-GFP could infect PAECs from the apical surface and efficiently transduce PAECs to mediate the long-term expression of the exogenous gene. Establishment of a model of well-differentiated PAECs in vitro could lay a solid foundation for the study of infection by respiratory pathogens, as well as the screening and gene therapy of agents used to treat diseases of the respiratory system.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Dependovirus ; genetics ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Lung ; cytology ; Membrane Potentials ; Mucins ; metabolism ; Swine ; Transduction, Genetic ; Tubulin ; metabolism

Respiratory virus poses a serious threat to human life and health. Airway epithelial cells are the body's first line of defense from a wide variety of foreign pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. Therefore, successful airway epithelial cell culture can provide a model for investigating the mechanisms underlying respiratory pathogenic diseases following airway virus infection. This respiratory disease model can also be used for the potential development of novel therapeutics. Here we provide a brief review of recent developments on the culture of cells derived from human trachea-bronchial airway epithelium, and the application of this model for studying respiratory virus and disease.
Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Epithelial Cells ; virology ; Humans ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; virology ; Virus Diseases ; virology ; Virus Physiological Phenomena ; Viruses ; genetics ; isolation & purification