Objective:To explore the feasibility and efficacy for the dissection and ligation of the superior laryngeal artery in endoscopic surgery for hypopharyngeal cancer.Methods:Eight cadaveric heads were selected, and the laryngopharynxes were harvested. The positions of the superior laryngeal arteries entering the larynxes were dissected and observed under endoscopic vision, and their anatomical characteristics were summarized. Twenty-nine patients (all were male, aged 39-74 years old) with hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent transoral endoscopic surgery at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected, and the patients were randomly divided into two groups by drawing lots, namely, the superior laryngeal artery was actively dissected and occluded during surgery in observation group ( n=15) or not in control group ( n=14). The differences in surgical time, bleeding volume, postoperative complications, and postoperative disease-free survival rate were compared between the two groups. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0 software. Results:The entry point of the superior laryngeal artery into the larynx was approximately at the level of the superior edge of the thyroid cartilage, and entered the larynx at the posterior one-third of the lateral wall of the pyriform fossa. The superior laryngeal artery might be determined through endoscopic exploration in all patients of observation group. The endoscopic surgery time [(40.00±7.56) minutes] and intraoperative bleeding volume [(24.00±8.28) ml] in the observation group were respectively less than those [(48.57±14.06) minutes and (42.86±15.41) ml] in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=-2.064, P=0.049; t=-4.064, P=0.001). There was no case with postoperative bleeding in the observation group, but with one case of postoperative bleeding in the control group. Total disease free survival rate was 86.2% and there was no significant difference in disease free survival rates between the two groups during a follow-up period of at least 36 months ( P=0.986). Conclusion:Dissection of the superior laryngeal artery during endoscopic surgery for hypopharyngeal cancer is feasible, and pre-management and occlusion of the superior laryngeal artery can effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding.

Objective:To screen differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)in the hippocampus of epileptic rats,pro-viding ideas for further exploring the pathogenesis and drug therapeutic targets of epilepsy.Methods:The epileptic rat model(PTZ group)induced by pentylenetetrazol(PTZ).The protein profiles of hippocampal tissues of the PTZ group and control groups were detected by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation(iTRAQ)combined with LC-MS/MS technology,and the fold changes in the protein expression of the PTZ group versus the control group was considered to be more than 1.5 or less than 0.67,and P＜0.05 was taken as the criteria for screening DEPs.Then DEPs were subjected to bioinformatics analyses such as Gene Ontology(GO)functional annotation and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis.Results:A total of 80 proteins showed significantly different expression,which included 39 up-regulated and 41 down-regulated.GO analysis showed that the up-regulated DEPs were mainly involved in biological processes such as cellular response to nerve growth factor stimulus,axon develop-ment,cell surface receptor signaling pathway,neuron migration,actin filament depolymerization,and signal transduc-tion,while down-regulated DEPs were mainly involved in biological processes such as tricarboxylic acid cycle,citrate metabolism process,acetyl-CoA biosynthetic process from pyruvate,oxaloacetate metabolism process,and regulation of focal adhesion assembly.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that up-regulated DEPs were mainly involved in five signaling pathways,including AMPK signaling pathway,regulation of actin cytoskeleton,sphingolipid signaling pathway,phenylalanine metabolism,and insulin signaling pathway;The down-regulated DEPs were mainly involved in six signaling pathways,including the citric acid cycle,carbon metabolism,acetate and dicarboxylate metabolism,meta-bolic pathways,amino acid biosynthesis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis signaling pathways.Conclusion:DEPs from epileptic hippocampal tissues were screened by iTRAQ proteomics,and the metabolic pathways enriched by bioinformat-ics methods for DEPs may be closely related to the pathogenesis of epilepsy.

Objective The aim of this study is to combine Raman spectroscopy and machine learning techniques to distinguish subgin-gival plaques among three groups of subjects,including patients with chronic periodontitis(CP)and type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),patients with CP alone,and healthy controls.Methods The Raman spectra of the subgingival plaques from 20 patients with CP and T2DM(group A),23 patients with CP alone(group B),and 23 healthy controls(group C)were obtained using a portable Raman spec-trometer.Eight common machine learning algorithms were applied to build models to distinguish the Raman spectra of the three types of subgingival plaques.Results The model identified as optimal for distinguishing the three types of subgingival plaques was linear discri-minant analysis(LDA).The optimal model to distinguish groups A and B is LDA,groups A and C is extra trees(ET),and groups B and C group is LDA.Conclusion The proposed classification model based on Raman spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms can dis-tinguish subgingival plaques among patients with CP and T2DM,with CP alone,and healthy controls.This technique can be used in future clinical practice as a screening or diagnostic tool.

The structure of N-glycans on specific proteins can regulate innate and adaptive immunity via sensing environmental signals. Meanwhile, the structural diversity of N-glycans poses analytical challenges that limit the exploration of specific glycosylation functions. In this work, we used THP-1-derived macrophages as examples to show the vast potential of a N-glycan structural interpretation tool StrucGP in N-glycoproteomic analysis. The intact glycopeptides of macrophages were enriched and analyzed using mass spectrometry (MS)-based glycoproteomic approaches, followed by the large-scale mapping of site-specific glycan structures via StrucGP. Results revealed that bisected GlcNAc, core fucosylated, and sialylated glycans (e.g., HexNAc₄Hex₅Fuc₁Neu5Ac₁, N₄H₅F₁S₁) were increased in M1 and M2 macrophages, especially in the latter. The findings indicated that these structures may be closely related to macrophage polarization. In addition, a high level of glycosylated PD-L1 was observed in M1 macrophages, and the LacNAc moiety was detected at Asn-192 and Asn-200 of PD-L1, and Asn-200 contained Lewis epitopes. The precision structural interpretation of site-specific glycans and subsequent intervention of target glycoproteins and related glycosyltransferases are of great value for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for different diseases.
Humans ; B7-H1 Antigen ; Glycosylation ; Polysaccharides/metabolism*

Macrophages are widely distributed immune cells that contribute to tissue homeostasis. Human THP-1 cells have been widely used in various macrophage-associated studies, especially those involving pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes. However, the molecular characterization of four M2 subtypes (M2a, M2b, M2c, and M2d) derived from THP-1 has not been fully investigated. In this study, we systematically analyzed the protein expression profiles of human THP-1-derived macrophages (M0, M1, M2a, M2b, M2c, and M2d) using quantitative proteomics approaches. The commonly and specially regulated proteins of the four M2 subtypes and their potential biological functions were further investigated. The results showed that M2a and M2b, and M2c and M2d have very similar protein expression profiles. These data could serve as an important resource for studies of macrophages using THP-1 cells, and provide a reference to distinguish different M2 subtypes in macrophage-associated diseases for subsequent clinical research.
Humans ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Phenotype ; Proteomics ; THP-1 Cells

Objective:This study was performed to investigate the feasibility of preservation of internal branch of superior laryngeal nerve(ibSLN) during transoral endoscopic surgery for hypopharyngeal squamous cancer(HSCC) and the influence on patient′s swallowing function after operation.Methods:From May 2020 to June 2021, the data of 29 HSCC patients who required for transoral endoscopic surgery in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were prospectively included, and the included patients were divided into two groups randomly by lottery. According to whether ibSLN was actively dissected during operation, they were divided into ibSLN preservation group ( n=15) and control group ( n=14, without ibSLN preservation). Operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, intraoperative neck dissection, postoperative radiotherapy, postoperative recurrence within 1 year, retention and swallowing function, the recovery of oral soft diet and the quality of life were compared between two groups. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results:The study included 29 eligible patients, including 25 males and 4 females.The age ranged from 42 to 67 (56.07±5.93) years. There were no significant differences( P>0.05) between 2 groups in the following data,including age( t=-0.56), gender( χ2=0.01), TNM stage(T stage χ2=0.29, N stage χ2=0.02), pathological diagnosis( χ2=0.03), preoperative swallowing function( χ2=0.00) and M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory(MDADI) score(global t=0.55, emotional t=0.16, functional t=0.60, physical t=0.64), operation time( t=1.62) and intraoperative hemorrhage( t=-1.46), intraoperative neck dissection( χ2=0.01), postoperative radiotherapy( χ2=0.32), postoperative recurrence within 1 year( P>0.050). The swallowing function was evaluated by water swallowing test after operation. The swallowing function of ibSLN preservation group was better than control group, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant on the 1st ( χ2=4.44, P=0.035), 5th ( χ2=4.24, P=0.039) and 7th ( χ2=4.55, P=0.033) day after operation. On the 14th day after operation, the MDADI scores of patients in the ibSLN preservation group were higher than those in the control group in global ( t=2.45, P=0.021), functional ( t=2.54, P=0.017) and physical ( t=2.24, P=0.034) dimensions, except for emotional dimension ( t=1.89, P=0.070). The median time of oral soft diet( U=23.00, P<0.001), normal oral diet( U=21.00, P<0.001) and the nasogastric tube removal time ( U=18.50, P<0.001) in ibSLN preservation group was 2 days, 5 days and 6 days respectively, earlier than that in control group, which had statistically significant difference. Conclusion:Our results show that it is feasible to preserve the ibSLN during HSCC transoral endoscopic surgery, which can achieve rapid recovery of postoperative swallowing function.

The emergence of regular short repetitive palindromic sequence clusters (CRISPR) and CRISPR- associated proteins 9 (Cas9) gene editing technology has greatly promoted the wide application of genetically modified pigs. Efficient single guide RNA (sgRNA) is the key to the success of gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. For large animals with a long reproductive cycle, such as pigs, it is necessary to screen out efficient sgRNA
Animals ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/genetics* ; Gene Editing ; RNA, Guide/genetics* ; Swine

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of partial superficial parotidectomy with V-shaped incision by comparing with the Blair incision and hairline N-shaped incision.Methods:From January 2015 to January 2016, 60 patients (47 males and 13 females, with an age range of 25- 63 years) required for superficial partial parotid gland resection were randomly divided into three groups: V-shaped incision (VI) group, Blair incision (BI) group and hairline N-shaped incision (NI) group, with 20 cases in each group.Intraoperative, postoperative and follow-up indexes were compared between three groups. Operative time and drainage volume in the surgery of tumors at different sites in VI group were compared. SPSS18.0 software was used for statistic analysis.Results:There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in operative time, drainage volume, postoperative hospital stay, periauricular numbness, fistulas, pain score, facial palsy, and scar score at the 3rd month after surgery ( P>0.05). For appearance satisfaction score at the 6th month after surgery, VI group was better than BI group or NI group, with significant differences(VI group vs. BI group: 9.00[8.00, 9.00] vs. 5.00[4.00, 5.25], χ 2=6.629, P<0.001; VI group vs. NI group: 9.00[8.00, 9.00] vs. 7.00[6.00, 8.00], χ 2=2.942, P=0.010; BI group vs. NI group: 5.00[4.00, 5.25] vs. 7.00[6.00, 8.00], χ 2=-3.687, P=0.001). For tumors located in the front, upper and middle of parotid gland, there were no statistically significant differences in operative time and drainage volume between the three groups ( P>0.05). For tumors located at the lower part of parotid gland, the difference in operative time between the three groups was statistically significant ( F=7.278, P=0.01). With pairwise comparison, operative time in VI group was longer than that in BI group or NI group, but there was no significant difference between BI group and NI group (VI group vs. BI group: (181.00±22.89) min vs. (132.50±9.01) min, t=3.694, P=0.004; VI group vs. NI group:(181.00±22.89) min vs. (149.00±15.94) min, t=2.585, P=0.025; BIgroup vs. NI group, (132.50±9.01) min vs. (149.00±15.94) min, t=1.257, P=0.235). For tumors located at the lower part of parotid gland, the differences in intraoperative drainage volume were not statistically significant between three groups ( P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in operative time and drainage volume in the surgery of tumors at different sites in VI group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:By use of V-shaped incision for the surgery of benign parotid gland tumors, the operation time of tumors located only in the lower part of the parotid gland will be prolonged. For tumors in different sites without increasing surgical complications, this modality can get good cosmetic effect.

Objective: To investigate blood pressure and vascular remodeling of OSAS by establishing the chronic-intermittent hypoxia model in rat. Methods: Experiments were performed on 35 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were randomly divided into four groups: unhandled control group (with 5 rats in it), CIH group at 9/6/3 weeks (with 10 ratsin each group). Rats in CIH group went through 8-hour intermittent hypoxia everyday, and those in control group were raising normally. After 9-week experiment, blood pressure was measured. The changes of the following indexes were observed: pathological changes of aorta and the middle aorta thickness (HE staining), the collagen of aorta wall (Masson staining). The experimental data were analyzed by SPSS 24.0 statistical software. The variance was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, and the irregularity was selected using the calibration t test. Results: The systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the CIH9, 6, and 3 weeks groups and the control group were: (127±13) and (79±9), (124±11) and (81±7), (101±11) and (75±9), (91±10) and (65±9) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa). The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of the rats in the week of CIH 9 and 6 weeks were significantly higher than the control group (F=14.64, P=0.000; F=6.81, P=0.000). There was no significant difference in the mean blood pressure between the three groups of CIH and the control group. Membrane thickness in CIH9, 6 and 3 weeks and control group were: (20±2), (19±2), (14±2), (13±3) μm. Compared with the control group, the aortic pathology and thickness of the middle layer of the CIH9 and 6 weeks group were significantly thicker (F=20.24, P=0.000), but there was no significant difference between the CIH3 week group and the control group; the collagen deposition was unchanged compared with the control group. Conclusion Intermittent hypoxia for 6 weeks or more in rats resulted in the increasement of blood pressure, morphological changes of aorta and vascular remodeling in thickened media.