Diabetic macular ischemia(DMI), playing key roles behind the progression of diabetic retinopathy(DR), is one of the causes of vision loss. Its pathophysiological process is complex, involving vascular structure changes, hemodynamic abnormalities, and many other aspects. Traditional inspection methods often make it difficult to accurately capture subtle changes in DMI. In turn, optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)has opened a pathway to the diagnosis and treatment of DMI, which not only has the advantages of non-invasive, safe and rapid imaging, but also furnishes high-resolution retinal vascular images to provide qualitative and quantitative descriptions of DMI. OCTA can visually show the morphological and structural changes of blood vessels in the macular region, as well as reveal the characteristics of pathological changes in the superficial and deep capillary plexus of DMI patients, which provides a deeper understanding of DMI and a new treatment option of diabetic eye disease.

Objective To study the effect of small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) silencing apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) on inflammatory response of lipopolysaccharide-induced alveolar epithelial A549 cells and its mechanism.Method Cell inflammation model of A549 cells was induced by lipopolysaccharide.The expression of ASK 1 in A549 cells was silenced by liposome transfection of siRNA.The mRNA and expression levels of ASK1,interleukin 6 (IL-6),interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in A549 cells were detected by immunoblotting,real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Result The expression of IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P＜0.001),which indicated that the inflammatory model of A549 cells was successfully constructed.The mRNA level and expression of ASK1 in the interference group was significantly lower than that in the negative control group and the blank control group (P＜0.01),indicating that silencing ASK1 was also successful.The expressions of IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α in the interference group (0.37±0.04,0.32±0.04,0.48 ±0.13) were significantly lower than those in the negative control group (1.04±0.11,1.22±0.19,0.93±0.14) and the blank control group (1.01±0.14,1.01 ±0.23,1.02±0.25).The expression of IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α protein in the interference group (pg/ml) (122.6± 11.0,537.2±42.4,159.2± 19.6) were also significantly lower than those in the negative control group (267.4±20.4,1 289.8±55.3,327.0±26.3) and blank control group (246.6±18.7,1 300.3±35.6,325.2± 18.3),with significant difference (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in each value between negative control group and blank control group (P＞0.05).Conclusion Silencing ASK1 by siRNA can down-regulate the expression of IL-6,IL-8 and TNF-α in A549 cells,suggesting that ASK 1 may be involved in the regulation of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in A549 cells.

Objective To investigate the role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) on the expression of surfactant proteins (SP) in alveolar epithelial cells line A549.Methods STAT3 overexpression lentivirus vector was constructed and transfected into A549 cells.Three small interfering RNAs (siRNA) were chemically synthesized and transfected into A549 cells by Lipofectamine 3000 to construct cells that silenced STAT3.The expression of STAT3,SP-A,SP-B,SP-C and SP-D were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blot.Results In A549 cells,over-or under-regulation of STAT3 were constructed successfully.When STAT3 was rendered over-expressed,the expression of SP-A,SP-B,SP-C,SP-D mRNA was significantly increased compared with Mock group(P ＜ 0.05).The proteins were found to be significantly increased as well.By contrast,when STAT3 was under-expressed,SP was down-regulated (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion STAT3 regulates the expression of pulmonary surfactant proteins in A549 cells.Over-expression of the STAT3 gene promotes the expression of SP,and its under-expression inhibited it.

Objective To investigate the correlation of microperimetric parameters,best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) in diabetic macular edema (DME) eyes.Methods It is a prospective,no controlled,open study.Twenty-four consecutive patients (40 eyes) with DME were included.There were 10 males (18 eyes),14 females (22 eyes);aged from 41 to 79 years,with the mean age of (56.84±8.96) years.All the patients were type 2 diabetes,the average duration of diabetes was 8 years.BCVA was evaluated using the international Snellen E vision test chart,and then recorded as logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR).CRT was measured by Cirrus HD-OCT4000.MAIA microperimetric parameters were evaluated,including average threshold (AT) of retinal sensitivity,macular integrity index (MI),fixating points within a circle of 1° (P1) and 2° of radius (P2),bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) considering 63％ and 95％ of fixating points (A63,A95),and horizontal and vertical axes of that ellipse (H63,H95,V63,V95).Pearson correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the association between these variables.The independent factor influenced the type of fixation was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis.Results Strong correlations of logMAR BCVA with CRT (r=0.58,P=0.000),V63 (r=0.44,P=0.004),V95 (r=0.41,P=0.008),MI (r=0.36,P=0.024),AT (r=-0.61,P=0.000),P1 (r=-0.41,P=0.009),P2 (r=-0.38,P=0.015) were found.AT was correlations with P1 (r=0.53,P=0.000),P2 (r=0.51,P=0.001),A63 (r=-0.39,P=0.012),A95 (r=-0.40,P=0.012),V63 (r=-0.53,P=0.000),V95 (r=-0.46,P=0.003),MI (r=-0.50,P=0.001).There was no correlation between AT and CRT (r=-0.21,P=0.190).Forty eyes were included in this study,8 eyes (20％) had stable fixation,14 eyes (35％) had relatively unstable fixation,18 eyes (45％)had unstable fixation.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that fixation classification was independently affected by P 1.Conclusions In DME eyes,logMAR BCVA was positively correlated with CRT,negatively correlated with AT,P1 and P2.There is no correlation between AT and CRT.The fixation classification was independently affected by P 1.

OBJECTIVETo retrospectively analyze the clinicopathology of patients with gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor(gGIST) who underwent radical excision within 18 years in 10 domestic medical centers in order to understand the status of domestic surgical treatment of gGIST.

METHODSClinicopathological data of gGIST patients undergoing radical excision in 10 medical centers from January 1998 to January 2016 were collected, and their operational conditions, postoperative adjuvant therapy, gene detection and survival were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSA total of 1 846 cases were recruited in this study, including 246 cases from Guangdong General Hospital, 331 cases from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 374 cases from Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 342 cases from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, 265 cases from Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 148 cases from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 49 cases from West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 43 cases from Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, 28 cases from the 81st Hospital of Pepole's Liberation Army(PLA), 20 cases from Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute. There were 918 male (49.7%) and 928 female patients (50.3%) with median onset age of 59(18 to 95) years old. Fundus(735 cases, 39.8%) and body (781 cases, 42.3%) of stomach were the common sites of lesions. The average size of tumor was (5.3±4.6) cm. There were 1 421 cases with mitotic count ≤5(77.0%). According to the operation procedure, 924 cases (50.1%) underwent laparoscopic surgery, 759 cases (41.1%) laparotomy, 120 cases (6.5%) endoscopic surgery, and 20 cases (1.1%) laparoscopic combined with endoscopic surgery, 6 cases (0.3%) laparoscopic excision surgery through gastric wall and cavity, and 17 cases (0.9%) laparoscopy and then were transferred to laparotomy. Wedge excision were performed in 1 308 cases (70.9%), proximal gastric excision in 226 cases(12.2%), distal gastric excision in 92 cases (5.0%), total gastrectomy in 94 cases (5.1%), and local gastrectomy in 126 cases(6.8%). Multi-visceral excision was performed in 138 cases, and the splenectomy was performed in 83 cases(60.1%)with the highest ratio. According to modified NIH classification, 399 cases(21.6%) were extreme low risk, 580 cases(31.4%) were low risk, 424 cases(23.0%) were moderate risk, 443 cases (24.0%) were high risk. A total of 461 cases received postoperative imatinib adjuvant therapy, accounting for 53.2%(461/867) of patients with moderate and high risk. Among 1 846 cases, 1 402 cases (75.9%) had complete follow-up data and the median follow-up time was 33.6 (0.1 to 158) months. The 5-year survival rates of extreme low risk, low risk, moderate risk and high risk were 100%, 98.5%, 92.5%, and 79.2% with significant difference(P=0.000).

CONCLUSIONSGastric GIST occurs mostly in fundus and body of stomach in China. Wedge excision is the main operational procedure and laparoscopic operation is over 50%. General prognosis of gastric GIST is quite good.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate ; therapeutic use ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Splenectomy ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

This study compared the efficacy and safety of tiotropium bromide inhalation powder (spiriva) and doxofylline oral tablet (doxofylline) in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A multi-center, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-controlled study involved 127 eligible stable moderate to severe COPD patients treated with inhaled tiotropium dry powder (18 μg/day) or oral doxofylline tablets (0.2 g/time, 2 times a day) for 12 and 24 weeks. Before and after treatment for 12 weeks and 24 weeks, respectively, pulmonary function, 6-min walking distance and dyspnea index were recorded. The results showed that in both tiotropium group and doxofylline groups, after 12-week treatment, FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC% and 6-min walk distance were significantly higher than those before the medication, while dyspnea index decreased as compared with that before treatment. After 24-week treatment, a slight improvement in the measures was observed as compared with that of 12-weeks treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant. With both 12-week and 24-week treatment, the effect of tiotropium was slightly better than that of doxofylline tablets, with the difference being statistically insignificant. The major adverse events in the tiotropium group and doxofylline group were observed in 9 cases (9.9%) and 12 cases (12.9%), respectively, and no statistically significant difference was found between them. We are led to conclude that both tiotropium at 18 μg a day and doxofylline tablets at 0.2 g/day (two times a day) are effective and safe for the treatment of COPD.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of Ad-hTGF-β1 transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell(BMSCs) into chondrocytes differentiation and the change of TAZ mRNA. Methods Rats BMSCs were obtained and cultured by whole bone marrow method, and then the third-generation cells were seeded into cell culture plate, and divided into three groups:Ad-hTGF-β1 transfected group,Ad-EGFP transfected group and the control group. The control group was added in common medium without any treatment while the other two groups were respectively added in serum-free medium containing Ad-hTGF-β1 or that containing Ad-EGFP. Seven days later, real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR and Western blot were employed for detecting the expression of TGF-β1 ,while immunohistochemical and Western blot for the expression of collagen Ⅱ , and real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR for the expression of TAZ mRNA. Results Seven days after the transfection, real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR revealed that the average relative expression of TGF-β1 was:Ad-hTGF-β1 group 0.863, Ad-EGFP group 0.183, and the control group 0.180; The average relative expression of TAZ was:Ad-hTGF-β1 group 0.810, Ad-EGFP group 0.416, and the control group 0.366.The expression difference of TGF-β1 and TAZ were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05). Western blot and immunohistochemical proved strong collagen Ⅱ expression in Ad-hTGF-β1 group while it was detected a little in the other two groups. Conclusion BMSCs could be successfully and stably induced into chondrocytes differentiation by Ad-hTGF-β1. Meanwhile, the mRNA of TAZ is up regulate during the differentiation,so it is suppose that TGF-β1 improve BMSCs into chondrocytes differentiation by TAZ.

To investigate the effect of the Ginkgo Biloba Extract (GBE) on the asthma and examine its possible mechanisms, 75 asthma patients were divided into 4 groups and the patients were respectively treated with fluticasone propionate for 2 weeks or 4 weeks, or treated with fluticasone propionate plus GBE for 2 weeks or 4 weeks. Fifteen healthy volunteers served as healthy controls. Sputum inhalation with inhaling hypertonic saline (4%-5%) was performed. Lung ventilatory function and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were measured. The numbers of different cells in induced sputum were calculated. The expression of PKCα in the cells was immunocytochemically detected and the percentages of positive cells in different cells were counted. Interleukin-5 (IL-5) in sputum supernatants was detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The percentage of eosinophils, lymphocytes, PKCα positive inflammatory cells and the concentration of IL-5 in asthmatic patients were higher than those in the controls (P＜0.05), and the eosinophils, lymphocytes,positive expression of PKCα and the level of IL-5 were significantly decreased in asthmatic patients after they were treated with fluticasone propionate or fluticasone propionate plus GBE. However,they were still significantly higher than those of the controls. Compared to the group treated with glucocorticosteroid for 2 weeks, no significant decrease was found in the percentage of eosinophils,lymphocytes, PKCα positive inflammatory cells and the IL-5 in the supernatant of induced sputum.Compared with the group treated with glucocorticosteroid for 2 or 4 weeks, significant decrease in the same parameters was observed in the group treated with fluticasone propionate and GBE for 4 weeks. The IL-5 level in the supernatant of induced sputum was positively correlated with the percentage of PKCα-positive inflammatory cells and the percentage of eosinophils in the induced sputum in asthma patient groups respectively (n=150, r= 0.83, P＜0.01; n=150, r=0.76, P＜0.01). The FEV1 was negatively correlated with the percentage of PKCα-positive inflammatory cells and the IL-5 levels in supernatant of induced sputum in asthma patients respectively (n=150, r=-0.77,P＜0.01; n=150, r= -0.64, P＜0.01). It is concluded that GBE could significantly decrease the infiltration of inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and lymphocytes in the asthmatic airway and relieve the airway inflammation. GBE may decrease the activation of the PKCα in the inflammatory cells and thereby decrease the IL-5 level in induced sputum. GBE may be used as a complement to the glucocorticosteroid therapy for asthma.

To investigate the relationship between intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i)and calcium-activated chloride (Clca) channels of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in rats under acute and chronic hypoxic conditions, acute hypoxia-induced contraction was observed in rat pulmonary artery by using routine blood vascular perfusion in vitro. The fluorescence Ca2+indicator Fura-2/AM was used to observe [Ca2+]i of rat PASMCs under normal and chronic hypoxic condition. The effect of Clca channels on PASMCs proliferation was assessed by MTT assay.The Clca channel blockersniflumic acid (NFA) and indaryloxyacetic acid (IAA-94) exerted inhibitory effects on acute hypoxia-evoked contractions in the pulmonary artery. Under chronic hypoxic condition, [Ca2+ ]i was increased. Under normoxic condition, [Ca2+]i was (123.63±18.98) nmol/L, and in hypoxic condition, [Ca2+]i was (281. 75±16.48) nmol/L (P＜0.01). Under normoxic condition, [Ca2+]i showed no significant change and no effect on Clca channels was observed (P＞0. 05). Chronic hypoxia increased [Ca2+]i which opened Clca channels. The NFA and IAA-94blocked the channels and decreased [Ca2+]i from (281. 75±16.48) nmol/L to (117.66±15.36)nmol/L (P＜0.01). MTT assay showed that under chronic hypoxic condition NFA and IAA-94 decreased the value of absorbency (A value) from 0. 459±0. 058 to 0. 224±0. 025 (P＜0.01).Hypoxia increased [Ca2+]i which opened Clca channels and had a positive-feedback in [Ca2+]i. Thismay play an important role in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Under chronic hypoxic condition,Clca channel may play a part in the regulation of proliferation of PASMCs.

To investigate the relationship between intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and calcium-activated chloride (Clca) channels of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in rats under acute and chronic hypoxic conditions, acute hypoxia-induced contraction was observed in rat pulmonary artery by using routine blood vascular perfusion in vitro. The fluorescence Ca2+ indicator Fura-2/AM was used to observe [Ca2+]i of rat PASMCs under normal and chronic hypoxic condition. The effect of Clca channels on PASMCs proliferation was assessed by MTT assay. The Clca channel blockers niflumic acid (NFA) and indaryloxyacetic acid (IAA-94) exerted inhibitory effects on acute hypoxia-evoked contractions in the pulmonary artery. Under chronic hypoxic condition, [Ca2+]i was increased. Under normoxic condition, [Ca2+]i was (123.63 +/- 18.98) nmol/L, and in hypoxic condition, [Ca2+]i was (281.75 +/- 16.48) nmol/L (P<0.01). Under normoxic condition, [Ca2+]i showed no significant change and no effect on Clca channels was observed (P> 0.05). Chronic hypoxia increased [Ca2+]i which opened Clca channels. The NFA and IAA-94 blocked the channels and decreased [Ca2+]i from (281.75 +/- 16.48) nmol/L to (117.66 +/- 15.36) nmol/L (P<0.01). MTT assay showed that under chronic hypoxic condition NFA and IAA-94 decreased the value of absorbency (A value) from 0.459 +/- 0.058 to 0.224 +/- 0.025 (P<0.01). Hypoxia increased [Ca2+]i which opened Clca channels and had a positive-feedback in [Ca2+]i. This may play an important role in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Under chronic hypoxic condition, Clca channel may play a part in the regulation of proliferation of PASMCs.