Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of excessive dynamic airway collapse(EDAC)treated by laser.Methods 13 patients with EDAC confirmed by bronchoscopy from January 2018 to August 2022 were selected and divided into a simple EDAC group(6 cases)and an EDAC combined with tracheobronchomalacia(TBM)group(7 cases)based on whether they were combined with TBM.All patients underwent laser tracheobronchoplasty under bronchoscope.Symptoms,airway collapse,oxygenation index,modified version of British Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale(mMRC)and 6 min walking test before and after treatment were compared to evaluate the therapeutic effect.Results 13 patients underwent 17 times of laser tracheobronchoplasty with laser power of 8～15 W,and 4 patients underwent 2 times of laser tracheobronchoplasty.After treatment,the clinical symptoms of cough,sputum,shortness of breath and dyspnea were improved in all patients.1 week post-treatment,the EDAC group showed a significant improvement in airway lumen stenosis,with a significant statistical difference(P<0.05),1 month post-treatment,enhancements were observed in airway stenosis,oxygenation index,FEV1%,6-minute walk test,and mMRC,which remained stable over a 6 month follow-up.In the EDAC + TBM group,significant enhancements in airway stenosis,oxygenation index,and mMRC were noted 1 week post-treatment,with statistical significance(P<0.05).Between 8 d～6 months post-treatment,some patients exhibited a recurrence of airway stenosis,necessitating comprehensive interventions like balloon dilation,cryotherapy,and stent insertion.Local necrosis and granuloma occurred in some patients after laser therapy,and no serious complications associated with laser intervention were found in all patients.Conclusion Laser tracheobronchoplasty is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of EDAC.For patients with EDAC alone,the therapeutic effect is good,but for patients with EDAC combined with TBM,the long-term effect is not good.

Background::Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has emerged as the leading cause of death from prostate cancer (PCa) in recent decades, bringing a great disease burden worldwide. Men with preexisting CVD have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events when treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The present study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk evaluation of CVD among people with newly diagnosed PCa in China.Methods::Clinical data of newly diagnosed PCa patients were retrospectively collected from 34 centers in China from 2010 to 2022 through convenience sampling. CVD was defined as myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and others. CVD risk was estimated by calculating Framingham risk scores (FRS). Patients were accordingly divided into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical variables. Results::A total of 4253 patients were enrolled in the present study. A total of 27.0% (1147/4253) of patients had comorbid PCa and CVD, and 7.2% (307/4253) had two or more CVDs. The enrolled population was distributed in six regions of China, and approximately 71.0% (3019/4253) of patients lived in urban areas. With imaging and pathological evaluation, most PCa patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage, with 20.5% (871/4253) locally progressing and 20.5% (871/4253) showing metastasis. Most of them initiated prostatectomy (46.6%, 1983/4253) or regimens involving ADT therapy (45.7%, 1944/4253) for prostate cancer. In the present PCa cohort, 43.1% (1832/4253) of patients had hypertension, and half of them had poorly controlled blood pressure. With FRS stratification, as expected, a higher risk of CVD was related to aging and metabolic disturbance. However, we also found that patients with treatment involving ADT presented an originally higher risk of CVD than those without ADT. This was in accordance with clinical practice, i.e., aged patients or patients at advanced oncological stages were inclined to accept systematic integrative therapy instead of surgery. Among patients who underwent medical castration, only 4.0% (45/1118) received gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists, in stark contrast to the grim situation of CVD prevalence and risk.Conclusions::PCa patients in China are diagnosed at an advanced stage. A heavy CVD burden was present at the initiation of treatment. Patients who accepted ADT-related therapy showed an original higher risk of CVD, but the awareness of cardiovascular protection was far from sufficient.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Bufeitang on intestinal flora of rats with lung Qi-deficiency syndrome of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD）， and to explore the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in regulating intestinal flora and thus restoring the balance of lung-gut axis. MethodA total of 84 rats were randomly divided into 7 groups， including blank group， model group， fecal bacterial transplantation（FMT） group， dexamethasone group and low， medium and high dose groups of Bufeitang， 12 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， cigarette and sawdust fumigation combined with intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide（LPS） were used to establish the COPD rat model with lung Qi-deficiency syndrome in all other groups. The low， medium and high dose groups of Bufeitang were intragastric administrated with Bufeitang（3.645， 7.29， 14.58 g·kg^-1）， the FMT group was given fecal bacteria liquid enema（10 mL·kg^-1）， dexamethasone group was given dexamethasone acetate tablet suspension by gavage（0.135 mg·kg^-1）， the blank group and model group were given equal amount of distilled water. Fresh feces were collected after 28 d of continuous intervention for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Lung and colon tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin（HE） for pathomorphological observation， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was performed to detect the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） and interleukin-8（IL-8） in lung tissues. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed severe abnormal lung tissue structure with alveolar atrophy and collapse accompanied by severe inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared with the model group， the extent of injury was significantly improved， and inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced with basically normal alveolar structure in the high dose group of Bufeitang. Compared with the blank group， the model group had severely abnormal colonic tissue structure， the epithelial cells in the mucosal layer were eroded and shed， the number of inflammatory cells increased， the submucosal layer was edematous and the gap was enlarged. Compared with the model group， the extent of damage was significantly improved in the medium and high dose groups of Bufeitang， the epithelial cells in the mucosal layer were neatly and closely arranged， with only a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration and no significant degeneration. Compared with the blank group， the TNF-α and IL-8 levels of lung tissue in the model group were significantly increased（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the TNF-α and IL-8 levels of lung tissues in the low， medium and high dose groups of Bufeitang were significantly decreased（P<0.01）. Bufeitang significantly modulated the number of bacteria species as well as alpha and beta diversity of model rats， corrected the return of intestinal flora to normal abundance and diversity， and positively regulated 4 differential phyla（such as Firmicutes， Proteobacteria） and 13 differential genera（such as Turicibacter， Lactobacillus， Anaerobiospirillum， Intestinimonas） in COPD model rats with lung Qi-deficiency syndrome， and down-regulated 2 carbohydrate metabolic pathway functions， including the pentose phosphate pathway（non-oxidative branch） Ⅰ and the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. ConclusionBufeitang can modulate the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora species， affect the function of metabolic pathways， repair the structure of lung and colon tissues， regulate the level of inflammatory factors， and thus improve COPD with lung Qi-deficiency syndrome. The mechanism may be related to its regulation of inflammation-related intestinal flora to restore the balance of lung-gut axis in COPD with lung Qi-deficiency syndrome.

Objective To investigate the effects of microRNA497 (miR-497) on the metastasis of gastric cancer and its possible molecular mechanism. Methods SGC-7901 gastric cancer parent cells were cultured in an ultra-low adhesion environment, and the anoikis resistance model of SGC-7901 cells was created after re-adhesion. Clone formation assay, flow cytometry, Transwell^TM test and scratch healing test were used to detect the differences of biological behavior compared with their parent cells. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to detect the expression of miR-497. Western blot analysis was used to detect the changes of key proteins of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) related proteins such as vimentin and E-cadherin. Parent cells and anoikis resistant SGC-7901 cells were transfected with miR-497 inhibitor or miR-497 mimic, and CCK-8 assay was used to detect the proliferation activity. Transwell^TM invasion assay was performed to detect the invasion ability of cells. Transwell^TM migration test and scratch healing assay was used to determine the migration ability. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expressions of Wnt1, β-catenin, vimentin and E-cadherin. By transfecting miR-497 mimic into the anoikis resistance SGC-7901 cells and inoculating them subcutaneously in nude mice, the changes in the volume and mass of tumor tissues were measured and recorded. Western blot analysis was used to determine the expressions of Wnt1, β-catenin, vimentin and E-cadherin of tumor tissues. Results Compared with the parent cells, the anoikis resistance SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells had faster proliferation rate, stronger colony formation, lower apoptosis rate, stronger invasion and migration ability. The expression of miR-497 was significantly decreased. After down-regulation of miR-497, the proliferation ability, invasion and migration ability were significantly enhanced. The expressions of Wnt1, β-catenin and vimentin increased significantly, while E-cadherin decreased notably. The results of up-regulation miR-497 were the opposite. The tumor growth rate, tumor volume and mass of miR-497 overexpression group were significantly lower than those of control group. The expressions of Wnt1, β-catenin and vimentin decreased significantly, while the expression of E-cadherin increased significantly. Conclusion The expression of miR-497 is low in the anoikis resistance SGC-7901 cells. miR-497 can inhibit the growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells by blocking Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and EMT.
Animals ; Mice ; Humans ; beta Catenin/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Vimentin/metabolism* ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Anoikis/genetics* ; Wnt Signaling Pathway/genetics* ; Mice, Nude ; Cell Proliferation/genetics* ; Cadherins/genetics* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics* ; Cell Movement/genetics*

Objective: To observe changes in the molecular expression of the NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing Protein 3 (NLRP3) pathway in depressed rats after treatment with Xiaoyaosan, and identify the regu-latory mechanism of this compound. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups with 12 rats in each group, including the control group, model group, Fluoxetine group, Xiaoyaosan group, and MCC950 group. A depression model was generated by chronic immobilization stress (induced by 3 h of restraint immo-bilization every day), and the drugs were administered at the same time in each group for 21 days. The effects of Xiaoyaosan on behavioral changes of depressed rats were observed through macroscopic characterization, body mass, open field experiments, and a sucrose preference test. The mRNA and protein expression of the NLRP3 signaling pathway was examined by fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot assays. Results: The Xiaoyaosan group, Fluoxetine group, and MCC950 group rats showed improved depressive behavior and an increased weight of sucrose water consumption. The protein and mRNA expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1, and IL-1β were also decreased in the Fluoxetine, Xiaoyaosan, and MCC950 groups. Conclusion: NLRP3, Caspase-1, and IL-1β protein and mRNA expression levels were increased in the cortex of depressed rats, while Xiaoyaosan protected cortical tissue in these rats by decreasing NLRP3, Caspase-1, and IL-1βprotein and mRNA expression.

The microneedle (MN), a highly efficient and versatile device, has attracted extensive scientific and industrial interests in the past decades due to prominent properties including painless penetration, low cost, excellent therapeutic efficacy, and relative safety. The robust microneedle enabling transdermal delivery has a paramount potential to create advanced functional devices with superior nature for biomedical applications. In this review, a great effort has been made to summarize the advance of microneedles including their materials and latest fabrication method, such as three-dimensional printing (3DP). Importantly, a variety of representative biomedical applications of microneedles such as disease treatment, immunobiological administration, disease diagnosis and cosmetic field, are highlighted in detail. At last, conclusions and future perspectives for development of advanced microneedles in biomedical fields have been discussed systematically. Taken together, as an emerging tool, microneedles have showed profound promise for biomedical applications.

Objective To explore the effect of perioperative continuous use of aspirin on bleeding in laparoscopic anterior resection for rectal cancer (RC) in patients taking low dose aspirin.Methods The prospective study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 96 RC patients taking low dose aspirin who were admitted to the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from September 2014 to September 2016 were collected.All the 96 patients were divided into the aspirin group (perioperative continuous use of aspirin) and non-aspirin group (discontinuation of aspirin at 7 days preoperatively and taking aspirin at 3 days postoperatively)by random number table.Laparoscopic anterior resection for RC was applied to patients by the same team of doctors.Observation indicators:(1) comparison of surgical and postoperative situations between the 2 groups;(2) follow-up situations.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect the postoperative survival of patients up to January 2017.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as (x)±s.Comparisons between groups were evaluated with the t test.Comparisons of count data were analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher exact probability.Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the nonparametric test.Results All the 96 patients were enrolled into the study,including 50 in the aspirin group and 46 in the non-aspirin group.(1) Comparison of surgical and postoperative situations between the 2 groups:96patients underwent successful laparoscopic anterior resection for RC,including 1 with conversion to open surgery and 95 undergoing laparoscopic anterior resection for RC,without perioperative death,postoperative blood transfusion and rcoperation.Cases with conversion to open surgery,operation time,volume of intraoperative blood loss,decreasing value of postoperative hemoglobin (Hb),time to anal exsufflation,peritoneal drainage volume from 1-3 days postoperatively,cases with postoperative hematoehezia,cardio-cerebrovascular complications and overall complications (including postoperative hematochezia and cardio-cerebrovascular complications),duration of hospital stay,hospital expenses,cases in stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ of postoperative TNM stage,postoperative coagulation indexes of platelet,prothrombin time,international normalized ratio,prothrombin activity,activated partial thromboplastin time,thrombin time and fibrinogen were 0,(112± 18) minutes,(39± 18) mL,(4.3±2.8)g/L,(57±24)hours,(22±9)mL/d,6,0,10,(8.6±2.5)days,(6 739±481)yuan,11,35,4,(236±80) × 109/L,(12.7± 1.1) seconds,1.00±0.08,101％ ± 15％,(28 ±4) seconds,(15.5 ± 1.9) seconds,(3.2±1.0)g/L in the aspirin group and 1,(118±16)minutes,(38±22)mL,(3.5±3.0)g/L,(55±29)hours,(20±8)mL/d,4,1,8,(9.1±2.3)days,(6606±510)yuan,5,36,5,(211±49)×109/L,(12.5±0.7)seconds,1.00±0.06,103％±11％,(29±3)seconds,(15.3±1.7)seconds,(3.1±0.7)g/L in the non-aspirin group,respectively,with no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (t =-1.737,0.204,1.416,0.380,1.365,x2=0.038,0.107,t=-1.082,1.322,Z=-1.370,t=1.850,0.978,0.872,-0.712,-1.291,0.311,0.585,P＞0.05).Ten patients with postoperative hematochezia in the 2 groups were cured,without special treatment.One patient in the non-aspirin group was complicated with deep venous thrombosis and then was cured by single anticoagulant drug.Two and 2 patients in the aspirin group were respectively complicated with urinary retention and urinary tract infection.One,1 and 1 patients in the non-aspirin group were respectively complicated with inflammatory intestinal obstruction,urinary retention and urinary tract infection,and then were cured by conservative treatment.(2) Follow-up situations:of 96 patients,95 were followed-up for 4-27 months,with a median time of 13 months.During the follow-up,3 patients died and 92 had survival.Conclusion The perioperative continuous use of aspirin cannot increase risk of bleeding in laparoscopic anterior resection for RC in patients taking low dose aspirin.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the treatments for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) on the resistant hypertension (RH) of patients. Methods: Eighty patients with OSAHS and RH (blood pressure could not be controlled under 140/90 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) even with more than three kinds of antihypertensive drugs including diuretics) received surgery or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. The results of polysomnography monitoring, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and the dosage of antihypertensive medication were recorded before and six months after the treatment. Results: Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) decreased from (32.9±10.8) before treatment to (9.4±6.5) after treatment, while the lowest oxygen saturation (SaO₂) increased from (0.682±0.062) to (0.884±0.056), with significant differences (t value was 18.863 and 26.614, respectively; both P<0.001). Twenty-four hours systolic blood pressure (SBP)/diastolic blood pressure (DBP) decreased respectively from ((150.5±9.8)/(97.8±7.3)) mmHg to ((140.7±6.8)/(88.6±6.3)) mmHg, daytime SBP/DBP decreased from ((154.3±8.9)/(100.6±7.4)) mmHg to ((144.8±5.8)/(91.3±5.5)) mmHg, and nighttime SBP/DBP decreased from ((145.5±8.8)/(93.8±6.4)) mmHg to ((135.8±5.7)/(84.6±5.9)) mmHg, with significant differences (t value was 7.832, 6.903, 7.005, 6.848, 8.025, 7.554, respectively; all P<0.001). The reduction of nighttime SBP /DBP was ((11.5±2.2)/(10.2±3.1)) mmHg, and the reduction of daytime SBP/DBP was ((9.0±2.8)/(7.9±3.5)) mmHg. The reduction of nighttime SBP/DBP was more obvious than daytime SBP/DBP, with significant differences (t value was 9.732 and 6.936, respectively; both P<0.001). Before treatment, nighttime blood pressure decrease rate below 10% was showed in 75 percent of patients, and after treatment, this rate only in 37.5 percent of patients (χ²=22.857, P<0.01). The numbers of required antihypertensive drugs decreased in 45 (56.3%) cases, the average numbers of antihypertensive drugs decreased from (3.2±0.4) before treatment to (2.6±0.5) after treatment, with a significant difference (t=9.276, P<0.01). Conclusions After treatment of OSAHS, the blood pressure of the patients with OSAHS and RH dropped significantly, the circadian rhythm of blood pressure condition was better, the varieties of antihypertensive drugs taken in these patients were reduced significantly.

Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease, which mainly involves joints across the body, resulting in joint stiffness and loss of daily activity. Recent evidence suggests that numerous self-reacting T cells, including Th1 and Th17, infiltrate the synovium in RA patients, accompanied by functionally-compromised Treg. Iguratimod, a new small molecule with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, has shown curative effects in animal models of arthritis. In this study, we aimed to test the clinical effects of Iguratimodˊs on RA patients and its role in immunoregulation. Methods We examined the clinical effects of iguratimod on RA patients in a random controlled clinical trials and analyzed its effects on Th1, Th17 and Treg as well as their associated cytokines and transcription factors by flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Then t-test, chi-square test and rank sum test were used to conduct statistical analysis. Results Our results revealed that iguratimod therapy provided significantly greater clinical benefit [ACR20, ACR50, ACR70 reached 50%, 20%, 15% respectively in iguratimod treatment group, Z=-2.216,P=0.027] than placebo group with the reduction of Th1 and Th17 but increment of Treg after iguratimod treatment [Th1: week 0 (26.5 ±8.0)%, week 24 (14.2 ±7.3)%, P<0.01; Th17:week 0 (1.7±0.7)%, week 24 (1.3±0.4)%, P<0.05;Treg:week 0 (6.8±1.6)%, week 24 (8.9±2.9)%, P<0.05], which was statistically significant. Conclusion Our results provide theoretical and clinical based evidence for the impact of iguratimod on immunomodulation of RA.

Objective To explore the application value and clinical efficacy of the transanal specimen extraction via prolapsing approach in laparoscopic anterior resection for ultra-low rectal cancer.Methods The clinical data of 27 patients with ultra-low rectal cancer who underwent transanal specimen extraction via prolapsing approach in laparoscopic anterior resection for ultra-low rectal cancer at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from July 2010 to July 2013 were analyzed retrospectively.The average operation time, average volume of intraoperative blood loss, average number of lymph nodes dissection, average distance to resection margin, average length of resected specimen, results of postoperative pathological examination, time for postoperative outoff-bed activity, time to anal exsufflation, gastric tube removal time and postoperative complications were recorded.The visual analogue scale (VSA) pain score and Wexner score for evaluating fecal incontinence were performed at postoperative week 1 and at postoperative month 1, respectively.The anal function was tested at postoperative month 3 and 12.The follow-up including tumor metastasis and recurrence, Wexner score and anorectal anometry was performed by outpatient examination and telephone interview once every 3 months for 2 years after operation and then once every year up to October 2014.Measurement data with normal distribution was presented as-x ± s and average (range).Repeated measures data were analyzed by the repeated measures ANOVA.Results All the patients received successful operations without procedure change or intraoperative accident.The average operating time, average volume of intraoperative blood loss, average number of lymph nodes dissection, average distance to distal resection margin and average length of resected specimen were 140 minutes (range, 115-173 mintues), 27 mL(range, 15-55 mL), 17(range, 14-20), 1.7 cm(range, 1.3-2.2 cm) and 18.5 cm(range, 14.7-22.4 cm), respectively.Postoperative TNM stages: T2N0M0 was detected in 19 patients, T2N1M0 in 3 patients,T3N0M0 in 4 patients and T3N1M0 in 1 patients.The time for postoperative out-off-bed activity and time to anal exsufflation were 8.8 hours (range, 7.0-13.0 hours) and 51 hours (range, 30-79 hours).Twenty-seven patients had the gastric tube removal after operation with fluid diet intake at postoperative hour 24 and semi-fluid diet intake at postoperative hour 48.One male patient was complicated with urinary retention at postoperative day 3 and 1 with anastomotic leakage at postoperative day 9, they were cured by symptomatic treatment.VSA pain scores in all patients from 1 day to 6 days postoperatively were 5.6, 4.6, 4.0, 3.2, 2.2 and 1.3.The average duration of hospital stay was 11.1 days (range, 7.0-19.0 days).Patients had good healing of abdominal incision at postoperative week 2.All the patients were followed up for a average time of 24.8 months (range, 15.0-32.0 months) without tumor metastasis and recurrence.Wexner score was 2.6 (range, 1.0-4.0) at postoperative month 1.The results of anorectal anometry: maximum anorectal resting pressure (MARP) and maximum anorectal systolic pressure were (267 ±23)mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa) and (305 ± 23)mmHg before operation, (266 ± 40)mmHg and (300 ± 38)mmHg at postoperative month 3, (267 ± 33)mmHg and (315 ± 30)mmHg at postoperative month 12, respectively, with no significant difference in the changing trend between pre-and post-operation (F =0.510, 1.390, P ＞ 0.05).Anorectal resting vector volume and anorectal systolic vector volume were (45 594 ± 1 981) cm (mmHg) 2 and (98 480 ± 8 165) cm (mmHg) 2 before operation, (40 310 ±3 465)cm(mmHg)2 and (78 461 ±6 777)cm(mmHg)2 at postoperative month 3, (40 385 ± 3 379) cm(mmHg) 2 and (82 082 ± 10 383) cm(mmHg) 2 at postoperative month 12, respectively, with significant differences in the changing trend between pre-and post-operation (F =26.845, 48.090, P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Transanal specimen extraction via prolapsing approach in laparoscopic anterior resection for ultra-low rectal cancer is safe, aesthetic and minimally invasive compared with the traditional laparoscopic surgery, with the advantages of radical cure of tumor and protection of anal function.