Background The widespread use of herbicides has led to environmental contamination and has implications for human health. The liver is an important organ for the detoxification of environmental pollutants; however, studies on the association between herbicide exposure and liver function are limited. Objectives To investigate the association between baseline serum herbicide levels and changes in liver enzyme levels and liver enzyme abnormalities over a 5-year period in middle-aged and older adults. Methods This study was based on a nested case-control population of type 2 diabetes established in the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort, with a total of 1388 subjects included in this study and followed up for 5 years. Epidemiological data were collected through questionnaires, and baseline serum concentrations of three herbicides (metolachlor, propham, and acetochlor) were measured by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were detected at baseline and follow-up visits. The associations between baseline serum herbicide levels and changes in AST and ALT over 5 years were assessed using linear regression models with herbicide levels categorized into quartiles, adjusting for age, sex, education level, smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, body mass index, and new-onset type 2 diabetes occurred during follow-up. The relationship between baseline serum herbicide levels and the risk of liver enzyme abnormalities during follow-up was further analyzed using logistic regression models. Results The positive rates of metolachlor, propham, and acetochlor were all higher than 80%, and their spiked rates of recovery ranged from 73.46% to 106.77%. The mean ± standard deviation of the age of subjects at baseline was (62.7±7.6) years, with 34.1% being male. The median serum levels of metolachlor, propham, and acetochlor at baseline were 0.05, 0.16, and 0.03 ng·mL⁻¹, respectively. There was no significant difference in baseline serum herbicide levels between the normal and abnormal liver enzyme groups at follow-up (P >0.05). The baseline liver enzyme levels and the changes in AST and ALT over 5 years in those who developed abnormal liver enzymes were significantly higher than those in the normal liver enzyme group (P <0.05). The linear regression analysis showed that the changes in AST increased progressively over 5 years in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of propham compared to the lowest quartile group (the second quartile: b=1.49, 95%CI: 0.10, 2.87; the third quartile: b=1.52, 95%CI: 0.14, 2.90; the fourth quartile: b=1.69, 95%CI: 0.31, 3.08; P <0.05). The associations of serum metolachlor and acetochlor with changes in AST were not significant. Additionally, no significant relationships were found between the three serum herbicides and the changes in ALT over 5 years or the risk of liver enzyme abnormalities. Conclusion Serum propham levels in middle-aged and older adults are positively associated with changes in liver enzyme AST, which may have an effect on liver function. More studies are needed to provide scientific evidence for the association between herbicide exposure and liver function.

Objective:To investigate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose ( 18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) in predicting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma. Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and 18F-FDG PET-CT imaging data of 206 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by pathology and underwent EGFR mutation test in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2013 to October 2018. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to quantify the predictive value of maximum standard uptake value (SUV max), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG). The Chi- squared test was used to assess the difference in PET parameters. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to yield the parameters with statistic difference. Results:All of 206 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma showed a high 18F-FDG uptake. The median of SUV max, MTV and TLG were 19.14, 37.69 cm 3 and 291.73, respectively. Among the 206 patients, EGFR mutations were identified in 14 cases, including 7 with exon 21 (L858R) mutation, 6 with exon 19 mutation and 1 with exon 20 mutation. ROC curve showed that the AUC of SUV max, MTV and TLG were 0.624 (95% CI=0.454-0.794, P=0.122), 0.892 (95% CI=0.811-0.973, P<0.001) and 0.860 (95% CI=0.768-0.952, P<0.001), respectively. The median SUV max (19.14) was used as the cutoff points due to the small value of AUC. The cutoff point of MTV was 20.09 cm 3, the cutoff point of TLG was 211.07. Univariate analysis showed that the sex, smoking history, M stage, MTV and TLG were associated with EGFR mutations (all P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that the sex, smoking history and TLG were the independent predictors of EGFR mutation (all P<0.05). Conclusion:TLG detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT is an independent factor for predicting EGFR mutation in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma, and has certain reference value for predicting EGFR mutation.

Objective:To investigate the value of 18F-fluorodeoxy glucose ( 18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) in predicting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma. Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and 18F-FDG PET-CT imaging data of 206 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by pathology and underwent EGFR mutation test in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2013 to October 2018. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to quantify the predictive value of maximum standard uptake value (SUV max), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG). The Chi- squared test was used to assess the difference in PET parameters. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to yield the parameters with statistic difference. Results:All of 206 patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma showed a high 18F-FDG uptake. The median of SUV max, MTV and TLG were 19.14, 37.69 cm 3 and 291.73, respectively. Among the 206 patients, EGFR mutations were identified in 14 cases, including 7 with exon 21 (L858R) mutation, 6 with exon 19 mutation and 1 with exon 20 mutation. ROC curve showed that the AUC of SUV max, MTV and TLG were 0.624 (95% CI=0.454-0.794, P=0.122), 0.892 (95% CI=0.811-0.973, P<0.001) and 0.860 (95% CI=0.768-0.952, P<0.001), respectively. The median SUV max (19.14) was used as the cutoff points due to the small value of AUC. The cutoff point of MTV was 20.09 cm 3, the cutoff point of TLG was 211.07. Univariate analysis showed that the sex, smoking history, M stage, MTV and TLG were associated with EGFR mutations (all P<0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that the sex, smoking history and TLG were the independent predictors of EGFR mutation (all P<0.05). Conclusion:TLG detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT is an independent factor for predicting EGFR mutation in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma, and has certain reference value for predicting EGFR mutation.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of ventral bladder mucosa onlay graft urethroplasty for the management of panurethral stricture.Methods From August of 2005 to July of 2013,11 cases of panurethral stricture were treated by ventral bladder mucosa onlay graft urethroplasty.The median age of the patients was 53 years (22-72 year),The median stricture length was 15 cm (12-18 cm).The patient was placed in the lithotomy position,Penile urethra was exposed by circumcoronal incision and degloving of skin,Bulbar urethra was exposed by inverted Y-shaped perineal incision.The strictured urethral segment was then opened ventrally in the midline up to at least 1 cm proximally into the healthy urethra.An appropriate size bladder mucosa graft was harvested,and was quilted to the splited urethra edge,the graft width was 1.5-2.0 cm.Two F10 fenestrated silicone catheters were left as urethral stents,a suprapupic cystostomy tube was left.The urethral stent was removed 4 weeks postoperatively.Follow-up was performed every 3 months for the first year,and annually thereafter.Success was defined as normal voiding with a maximum flow rates ≥ 15 ml/s,and the patients required no further instrumentation,including dilation or urethrotomy.Results The mean follow-up was 18 months (range,9-36 months),the overall success rate was 10/11.One patient developed urethral meatus stenosis 3 months postoperatively,and was managed by meatal dilatation.Conclusion Ventral bladder mucosa onlay graft urethroplasty can be used for the management of panurethral stricture,Bladder mucosa is an alternative substitution for complex urethral reconstruction.

Objective To investigate the effects of rapamycin on the expression of glioma patients tumor helicase RECQ1.Methods 50 glioma patients admitted to the department of neurosurgery in second hospital of hebei medical university were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups,25 patients in control group,were treated with routine admission surgical treatment;25 cases in the experimental group,firstly were given rapamycin capsule 1 mg,1 times/day orally,took 14 days in a row,and had surgical treatment after stopping drug a week.Glioma tissue samples were taken during the operation,mRNA and protein expression of tumor helicase RECQ1 were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)and Western blot.Results Glioma tumor helicase RECQ1 mRNA expression in the control group increased more significantly than experimental group,the optical density value in control group was(1.657 ±0.748),while the experimental group optical density value was(1.059 ±0.894),and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05 );all organizations had the expression of tumor helicase RECQ1 protein,but gliomas tumor helicase RECQ1 protein expression in the experimental group patients(0.952 ±0.021)was significantly lower than that in the control group(1.211 ±0.024),and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Rapamycin capsule could reduce the expression of mRNA helicase RECQ1,inhibit DNA glial tumor cells of brain replication,effectively kill cancer cells,control the the progress of brain glioma,and improve prognosis,worth clinical promotion.

Objective To investigate the medical assistance to inpatients from low-income families for solving their difficulties in seeing doctors and affordability.Methods Random sampling was made to five ongoing medical assistance projects in the hospital for statistics and analysis of the data so collected.Results Medical expenses of such inpatients are beyond their affordability.Despite the coverage of their basic medical insurance,the reimbursement rate is too low to alleviate their financial burden.Conclusion A“4-party payment”model is recommended,combining the government support for basic medical insurance,social welfare assistance,philanthropic assistance and that paid by the inpatients.This model is expected to effectively alleviate the financial burden of such inpatients.

Objective To review the diagnosis and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of renal pelvis. Methods The clinical data from October 1991 to May 2009 of eight cases of squamous cell carcinoma of renal pelvis were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. The symptoms of the patients were hematuria (eight cases), pain (seven cases) and abdominal mass (one case). All patients underwent B-ultrasound and IVU examination and four cases underwent CT scan. Three cases were diagnosed as having a tumor before surgery. Five cases were diagnosed as renal calculus, two of the five cases were diagnosed by intraoperative frozen section. Radical nephroureterectomy were performed in four cases, nephrectomy in three cases and palliative resection in one case. Results Histological classification revealed that six cases were moderately differentiated, one case was well differentiated and one case was poorly differentiated. Two cases had stage pT1/pT2 and six cases had stage pT3/pT4. 2 cases had regional lymph nodes metastasis. Seven cases were followed-up. All patients died of tumor recurrence or metastasis. The median tumor specific survive time was six months (range from two months to 42 months). Conclusions Squamous cell carcinoma of renal pelvis is often occurs concurrently with urolithiasis which could lead to difficulty in diagnose before operation. As the most of the patients were diagnosed with advanced stage disease, squamous cell carcinoma of renal pelvis tended to early recurrence and metastasis and the prognosis was very poor.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression of mycoplasma monoclonal antibody PD4 in different laryngeal carcinoma tissues and their clinical significance. METHOD: Using immunohistochemistry methods to detect 256 cases of laryngeal tissues, including 105 cases of laryngeal carcinoma tissues, 31 cases of neck metastasis lymph node tissues, 18 cases of precarcinoma tissues, 53 cases of vocal cord polyps, 20 cases of normal tissues adjacent to laryngeal carcinoma and 29 cases of normal tissues around laryngeal carcinoma. RESULT: (1) The positive rate of PD4 was 44.76% in laryngeal carcinoma, which was much higher than that in other laryngeal tissues (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). (2) The PD4 expression in laryngeal carcinoma was higher in the third and fourth stages than in the first and second stages, higher with cervical metastasis than those without cervical metastasis and higher in the third and second histological grade than in the first histological grade (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). (3) To 3 and 5 years survival, PD4 positive cases had lower chance than PD4 negative cases (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION These results implicate that the occurrence, development and prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma may be closely related to mycoplasma infection.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; mortality ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycoplasma Infections ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism

Chronic and heavy alcohol consumption is one of the causes of heart diseases. However, the effects of ethanol on insulin sensitivity in myocardium has been unclear. To investigate the effects of ethanol on the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), all of which are involved in the regulation of insulin sensitivity, in the myocardium, we performed three parts of experiments in vivo and in vitro. I: Rats were injected with 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR, 0.8 mg.kg(-1)) for 2 h. II: Rats received different dose (0.5, 2.5 or 5 g.kg(-1).d(-1)) of ethanol for 22-week. III: Primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were isolated and treated with or without 100 mM ethanol or 1 mM AICAR for 4 h. The cardiac protein and mRNA expression of AMPKalpha subunits, MEF2 and GLUT4 were observed by western-blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. Serum TNFalpha levels were assessed by ELISA. The results showed chronic ethanol exposure induced insulin resistance. Ethanol decreased the mRNA levels of AMPKalpha1 and alpha2, the protein levels of total- and phospho-AMPKalpha in cardiomyocytes. Similarly, ethanol showed inhibitory effects on both the mRNA and protein levels of MEF2A and 2D, and GLUT4 in a dose-response-like fashion. Correlation analysis implied an association between phospho-AMPKalpha and MEF2A or MEF2D, and between the levels of MEF2 protein and GLUT4 transcription. In addition, ethanol elevated serum TNFalpha level. Taken together, chronic ethanol exposure decreases the expression of AMPKalpha and MEF2, and is associated with GLUT4 decline in rat myocardium.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics/*metabolism ; Aminoimidazole Carboxamide/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Animals ; Enzyme Activation/drug effects ; Ethanol/*administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Feeding Behavior/*drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects ; Glucose Transporter Type 4/genetics/*metabolism ; Insulin/pharmacology ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Myocardium/*enzymology ; Myogenic Regulatory Factors/antagonists & inhibitors/genetics/*metabolism ; Protein Isoforms/antagonists & inhibitors/genetics/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/genetics/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Ribonucleotides/pharmacology ; Time Factors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of PD4, CD44 and PCNA proteins in laryngeal carcinoma and their relationships with the pathogenesis, development and prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma. METHOD: Immunohistochemistry was used to study 140 cases of laryngeal carcinoma tissues, 25 cases of precarcinoma tissues, 36 cases of vocal cord polyps and 13 cases of normal tissues adjacent to laryngeal carcinoma. RESULT: 1. The positive rates of PD4, CD44 and PCNA were 45.71% (64/140), 64.29% (90/140) and 77.86% (109/140) in laryngeal carcinoma, which were much higher than in non-carcinoma tissues (P < 0.01). 2. The third and fourth stages laryngeal carcinoma express stronger PD4 and CD44 than those of the first and second stages. Laryngeal carcinoma with cervical metastasis had higher expression than those without cervical metastasis. To 3 and 5 years' survival, PD4, CD44 and PCNA positive cases had lower chance than those negative cases(P < 0.01 or 0.05). 3. The over all positive rate of PD4, CD44 and PCNA was 27.86% (39/140) in laryngeal carcinoma tissues and 5.41% (4/74) in non-carcinoma tissues. CONCLUSION The high expression of PD4, CD44 and PCNA proteins maybe closely related to the pathogenesis, development and prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Hyaluronan Receptors ; metabolism ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Larynx ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism