Immunofluorescent staining of septins in primary cilia

Primary cilia are cellular antennae that receive and transduce extracellular cues. These microtubule-rich structures are comprised of at least three distinct ciliary compartments: basal bodies, transition zone, and axoneme. Septins have been implicated in cilia function at the transition zone, but accumulating evidence suggests that they localize predominantly within the axoneme. Here, we describe three fixation conditions that preserve the substructure of primary cilia and demonstrate known ciliary proteins that localize to these distinct ciliary substructures. Finally, we show immunostaining and live microscopy methods to detect septins within the axoneme.

[Surgical management of primary hyperthyroidism and coexistent thyroid carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluated the results of surgical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism coexistent with thyroid cancer.

METHODS

From March 2007 to May 2014, 27 patients suffered thyroid carcinoma coexistent with primary hyperparathyroidism with pathological and laboratory confirmation were studied retrospectively. In 8 of 27 cases thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy were performed separately, with interval time of 3 to 26 months, and in the remaining cases both procedures were done simultaneously. During surgery quick PTH evaluation and calcium measure were routinely performed.

RESULTS

Postoperative temporary hypoparathyroidism was found in 26 of 27 cases, and postoperative permanent hypoparathyroidism developed in 4 cases that underwent separate operation. Limited movement of vocal cord was showed in 4 cases after parathyroidectomy, but it lasted no more than 2 months. No permanent paralysis of recurrent laryngeal nerve was found. No thyroid cancer or hyperparathyroidism was found with follows-up of 11 to 43 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy performed separately have higher risk to develop hypoparathyroidism than they are done simultaneously. PTH and calcium should be evaluated in patients with thyroid carcinoma whenever available.

Keto-supplemented Low Protein Diet: A Valid Therapeutic Approach for Patients with Steroid-resistant Proteinuria during Early-stage Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Low protein diets supplemented with keto acid (sLPD) are recommended for patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study assessed whether sLPD is beneficial for patients with steroid-resistant proteinuria during early-stage CKD.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND MEASUREMENTS

A 1-year randomized controlled trial was conducted from 2010 to 2012. In this study, 108 proteinuric patients who were steroid-resistant were assigned to a sLPD group (0.6 g/kg/d with 0.09 g/kg/d keto acids) or a normal protein diet group (NPD, 1.0 g/kg/d). Estimated dietary protein intake, urinary protein excretion, remission rate, renal function, nutritional status, and blood pressure were measured.

RESULTS

Baseline characteristics were comparable between the sLPD group (47 patients) and the NPD group (49 patients). Urinary protein excretion significantly decreased in sLPD compared to NPD in months 6, 9, and 12 (P<0.05). Proteinuria reduction was higher in sLPD than in NPD (P<0.001) at the end of the study. Complete remission and partial remission rates were higher in sLPD than in NPD. Serum albumin and pre-albumin levels were higher in sLPD than in NPD in months 9 and 12 (P<0.05). Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels declined more significantly in sLPD than in NPD (P<0.01) at the end of the study. There were no differences in nutritional status, renal function, hemoglobin, or blood pressure between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

sLPD is both nutritionally safe and beneficial, providing nephroprotective effects for early-stage CKD patients with steroid-resistant proteinuria.

[A biomechanical evaluation of odontoid screw plate fixation system]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the biomechanical stability of anterior odontoid screw plate (AOSP).

METHODS

Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric cervical spine specimens were subjected to stepwise destabilization of the C1-C3 complex, simulating a type Ⅰ Hangman fracture, type Ⅱ odontoid fracture, and the C2-3 disc injury. Intact specimens, fractured specimens, and fractured specimens with posterior, anterior fixation techniques were divided into six groups: control group (intact), injury group of type Ⅱ odontoid fracture and type Ⅰ Hangman fracture combined with C2-3 disk injury, after anterior cervical plate+ odontoid screw+ cage (ACP+ OS+ cage) group, after anterior odontoid screw plate (AOSP) fixation system group, after affixing rods from pedicle screws in C2 to lateral mass screws in C3+ odontoid screw (C2PS+ C3LMS+ OS) group, after affixing rods from pedicle screws in C1 to pedicle screws in C2 and lateral mass screws in C3 (C1PS+ C2PS+ C3LMS) group. The range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone of C1-C2 and C2-C3 segment was tested.

RESULTS

There was statistically significant difference between the C1PS+ C2PS+ C3LMS fixation group and the AOSP fixation group of ROMC1-C2(P<0.05). During all loading modes, AOSP+ Bone graft fixation significantly outperformed the ACP+ OS+ cage fixation in limiting ROMC2-C3. During flexion and extension, AOSP fixation significantly outperformed the C1PS+ C2PS+ C3LMS fixation and C2PS+ C3LMS+ OS fixation in limiting ROMC2-C3.

CONCLUSION

The AOSP fixation system has excellent biomechanical performance when dealing with type Ⅰ Hangman fracture, type Ⅱ odontoid fracture, and the C2-3 disc injury, and appear to be a safe and effective technique for dealing with the combined injury.

Microarray expression profiling of dysregulated long non-coding RNAs in Hirschsprung's disease reveals their potential role in molecular diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) is one of the common digestive disorders in the new born. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in various biological processes. However, knowledge on lncRNAs in HSCR is limited.

METHODS

The expression profile of lncRNAs in HSCR was obtained using microarray. A total of 2078 differentially expressed lncRNAs were detected by microarray in HSCR tissues compared with matched normal colon tissues (fold change ≥2, p < 0.05). Candidate biomarkers were selected from these differentially expressed lncRNAs based on artificial criterion (raw signal intensity ≥50; fold change ≥8) and then validated in 80 pairs of HSCR and normal tissues using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, the computational analysis was used to evaluate the lncRNA-microRNA and lncRNA-protein relationships.

KEY RESULTS

A panel of 5-lncRNAs was identified to distinguish HSCR from normal tissues with remarkable sensitivity and specificity. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for HSCR identification in the validation set was 0.875. The bioinformatics analysis reveals that these dysregulated lncRNAs are mainly involved in RNA-protein relationships, including RNA splicing, binding, transport, processing, and localization.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Our results are the first to report the expression profile of dysregulated lncRNAs in HSCR and infer that lncRNAs may serve as novel diagnostic biomarkers for HSCR.

Resonant Raman scattering of ZnSxSe1−x solid solutions: the role of S and Se electronic states

A combined theoretical and experimental study of the enhancement in the Raman mode intensities of ZnSSe compounds, under various resonant conditions, is presented, leading to more detailed insights into the role of chalcogen electronic states in the photon–matter interaction.

Sintering Behavior and Effect of Silver Nanowires on the Electrical Conductivity of Electrically Conductive Adhesives

In this paper, two kinds of silver nanowires with a 160 nm average diameter ranging from 30 to 90 µm length and a 450 nm average diameter up to 100 µm length were successfully synthesized by a polyol process with FeCl3 and Na₂S as reaction inhibitor, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the morphologies and sintering behaviors of both of silver nanowires are impacted by glutaric acid and sintering temperature. The isotropically conductive adhesives (ICAs) filled with micro-sized silver flakes and silver nanowires as hybrid fillers were fabricated and the electrical properties were investigated based on the fraction of the silver nanowires of the total of silver fillers and the curing temperature, etc. The in situ monitoring the variation in electrical resistance of the ICAs explores that silver nanowires have influence on the curing behavior of the ICAs. Silver nanowires synthesized with Na2S as reaction inhibitor and treated with glutaric acid can significantly improve the electrical conductivity of the ICAs in the case of the low loading of silver fillers in the appropriate proportion range of the weight ratio of micro-sized silver flakes and silver nanowires, primarily as a result of connecting effect. When the loading of silver fillers in the ICAs is high, the electrical conductivity is also enhanced slightly in the case of the proper fraction of silver nanowires of the total of silver fillers. The effect of the curing temperature on the electrical conductivity relates to the fraction of silver nanowires and the total loading of silver fillers. The electrical conductivity of the ICAs filled with micro-sized silver flakes and silver nanowires synthesized with FeCl₃ as reaction inhibitor is greatly damaged, indicating that the size of silver nanowires also is one of main factor to impact the electrical conductivity of the ICAs doped with silver nanowires. The electrical property of the ICAs filled with micro-sized silver flakes and silver nanowires results mainly from the synergy of silver flakes and nanowires, forming the conductive pathways.

Synthesis of hierarchical nanosheet-assembled V2O5 microflowers with high sensing properties towards amines

Hierarchical three-dimensional nanosheet-assembled vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) microflowers are successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method, followed by a high-temperature sintering treatment.

The Positive Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Sleep

Between June 2009 and July 2012, Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI) and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaires Scores (FOSQ) were prospectively evaluated pre- and post-operatively in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. A total of 167 subjects were studied, 75.4% were females. The median age was 46 (14-75) years and BMI 49 (36-69) kg/m2. Ninety two (55.0%) patients were diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) preoperatively. Fifty (54.0%) required positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. The mean reduction in BMI post bariatric surgery was 12.2 ± 4.52 kg/m2 at 6.56 ± 2.70 months. Eighty (87.9%) reported improved sleep quality reflected in improved scores in all domains of the FOSQ (p < 0.001, paired t-test). Improvement in FOSQ scores remained significant (p < 0.05) in those with and without OSA. Thirty-nine (90.7%) patients discontinued PAP due to resolution of daytime sleepiness. In conclusion, weight loss following bariatric surgery has a positive impact on sleep in-patients with and without OSAS.

A pilot study using the Chinese herbal paste Liu-He-Dan to manage radiodermatitis associated with breast cancer radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

During radiotherapy for breast cancer, patients are greatly affected by pain, infection, and delayed healing of wounds caused by radiodermatitis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of Liu-He-Dan in treating radiodermatitis.

METHODS

In 26 breast cancer patients who experienced moist decrustation while receiving radiotherapy, 5 g Liu-He-Dan was applied externally once daily after the wound surface had been cleaned and dried. The healing time was recorded, and a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was applied to analyze the treatment course. Meanwhile, a pain assessment using the Numeric Rating Scale (nrs) recorded the pain level experienced by patients after application of the Liu-He-Dan.

RESULTS

After application of Liu-He-Dan, the average healing time for the surface of the moist decrustation wounds was 14.17 ± 2.03 days (range: 5-22 days). Inflammatory seepage decreased significantly and exudation almost disappeared in 3 days. The pain trend line indicated that the average nrs score declined with treatment in all patients. The average nrs scores at days 1, 4, and 7 were 6.13, 3.62, and 2.58 respectively. After 3 days of treatment, pain was remarkably alleviated in 80.76% of patients. After treatment for 1 week, the pain remission rate was 96.15%, without any obvious adverse reactions.

CONCLUSIONS

Liu-He-Dan was efficacious in treating radiation skin injury with little toxicity and few side effects; the economic efficiency of the treatment was also favourable. The Liu-He-Dan was generally well tolerated by patients. In future, randomized control trials will be established for further observation of the value of Liu-He-Dan in treating radiodermatitis in breast cancer.

Low temperature superplasticity and thermal stability of a nanostructured low-carbon microalloyed steel

We describe here for the first time the low temperature superplasticity of nanostructured low carbon steel (microalloyed with V, N, Mn, Al, Si, and Ni). Low carbon nanograined/ultrafine-grained (NG/UFG) bulk steel was processed using a combination of cold-rolling and annealing of martensite. The complex microstructure of NG/UFG ferrite and 50–80 nm cementite exhibited high thermal stability at 500 °C with low temperature elongation exceeding 100% (at less than 0.5 of the absolute melting point) as compared to the conventional fine-grained (FG) counterpart. The low temperature superplasticity is adequate to form complex components. Moreover, the low strength during hot processing is favorable for decreasing the spring back and minimize die loss.

Phase transformation of Cu-rich precipitates from 9R to 3R variant via ledges mechanism in ferritic steel containing copper

Precipitates and solute enrich in aged ferritic steel containing copper were examined using high-resolution electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Two ledges with one-atom and two-atom layers height in the 9R/3R interface were observed. The enrichment of copper into two successive closed-packed planes with an interval of Fe-rich close-packed plane was detected. The passage of the Shockley partial, or the shearing, changes the stacking sequence of closed-packed planes. Finally, 9R Cu variant transformed into 3R Cu variant.

Expression of serum miR-218 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its prognostic significance

BACKGROUND

Several recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are stably detectable in the circulation and can be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of malignancy. The aim of this manuscript is to investigate serum miR-218 expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to analyze its potential diagnostic and prognostic value in HCC.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was conducted to detect serum miR-218 expression from 156 HCC and 98 benign liver diseases (BLD) as well as 64 healthy controls. The relevance of serum miR-218 expression to the clinicopathological factors was assessed. In addition, the prediction of cutoff values of the markers was performed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves and univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Consequently, our findings revealed that serum miR-218 levels were remarkably underexpressed in HCC patients as compared to BLD patients and healthy controls. And its low level was obviously related to tumor size (p = 0.048), tumor number (p = 0.018), vascular invasion (p = 0.039), Edmondson grade (p = 0.042), and higher TNM stage (III-IV). ROC curve analysis showed that miR-218 had a significant diagnostic accuracy, yielded an AUC (the areas under the ROC curve) of 0.734 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.789, p < 0.01), thus providing a sensitivity of 66.7 % and a specificity of 69.1 % in discriminating HCC from BLD and healthy controls. Meanwhile, miR-218 can act as a useful biomarker in distinguishing the patients with large tumors (>5 cm) from patients with small tumors (<5 cm) (p < 0.01). In addition, the combination of miR-218 and AFP had greater diagnosis capacity with an AUC of 0.908 (95 % CI 0.876-0.940; p < 0.01). Both log-rank test and Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the decreased serum expression of miR-218 had a significant impact on overall survival of the patients with HCC (HR = 3.049, 95 % CI 2.028-4.585, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Taken together, this study suggested that serum expression of miR-218 might be a potential noninvasive tumor biomarker in the diagnosis and assessment of prognosis of HCC.

Biogenesis and function of Porphyromonas gingivalis outer membrane vesicles

Porphyromonas gingivalis is one of the keystone pathogens associated with chronic periodontitis. All P. gingivalis strains examined thus far produce outer membrane vesicles. Recent studies have found that vesicles possess some well-known virulence factors of P. gingivalis such as adhesins, toxins and proteolytic enzymes. Carrying most of the characteristic features of their parent P. gingivalis cells, vesicles communicate with host cells and other members of microbial biofilms, resulting in the transmission of virulence factors into these host cells and the formation of pathogenic bacteria-dominated microbial communities. An in-depth understanding of both the nature and role of vesicles in the pathogenicity of P. gingivalis is both important and timely, particularly when speaking of periodontitis and its related systemic effects.

Extralevator abdominoperineal excision for low rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the short-term outcome

AIM

The superiority of extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) over conventional abdominoperineal excision (APE) remains controversial, despite the publication of many studies on this issue. The aim of this meta-analysis was to provide a clear, evidence-based comparison of the two procedures.

METHOD

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted through a comprehensive search of the PubMed, EMBASE/Medline and Cochrane Central Library databases for all studies comparing ELAPE with conventional APE for low rectal cancer. Pooled data on circumferential resection margin (CRM) positivity, intra-operative bowel perforation, perineal wound complications and local recurrence were analysed.

RESULTS

Seven studies, involving a total of 2672 patients, were included. Analysis of the pooled data did not reveal a significant difference between the two operations regarding CRM positivity [risk ratio (RR) = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.40-1.57; P = 0.50, I(2)  = 86%] and perineal wound complications (RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.71-1.16; P = 0.44, I(2)  = 49%), and showed a borderline reduced risk of intra-operative bowel perforation for ELAPE, but still did not reveal a significant difference between the two groups (RR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.37-1.00; P = 0.05, I(2)  = 58%).

CONCLUSION

The current evidence does not indicate a statistically significant superiority of ELAPE over conventional APE in terms of CRM positivity and intra-operative bowel perforation.

In search for better pharmacological prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness: looking in other directions

Despite decades of research, the exact pathogenic mechanisms underlying acute mountain sickness (AMS) are still poorly understood. This fact frustrates the search for novel pharmacological prophylaxis for AMS. The prevailing view is that AMS results from an insufficient physiological response to hypoxia and that prophylaxis should aim at stimulating the response. Starting off from the opposite hypothesis that AMS may be caused by an initial excessive response to hypoxia, we suggest that directly or indirectly blunting-specific parts of the response might provide promising research alternatives. This reasoning is based on the observations that (i) humans, once acclimatized, can climb Mt Everest experiencing arterial partial oxygen pressures (PaO2) as low as 25 mmHg without AMS symptoms; (ii) paradoxically, AMS usually develops at much higher PaO2 levels; and (iii) several biomarkers, suggesting initial activation of specific pathways at such PaO2, are correlated with AMS. Apart from looking for substances that stimulate certain hypoxia triggered effects, such as the ventilatory response to hypoxia, we suggest to also investigate pharmacological means aiming at blunting certain other specific hypoxia-activated pathways, or stimulating their agonists, in the quest for better pharmacological prophylaxis for AMS.

Role of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel-mediated PKC-ε in delayed protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated hearts of sevoflurane-preconditioned rats

This study aimed to determine the role of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium (mitoK_ATP) channels and protein kinase C (PKC)-ε in the delayed protective effects of sevoflurane preconditioning using Langendorff isolated heart perfusion models. Fifty-four isolated perfused rat hearts were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=9). The rats were exposed for 60 min to 2.5% sevoflurane (the second window of protection group, SWOP group) or 33% oxygen inhalation (I/R group) 24 h before coronary occlusion. The control group (CON) and the sevoflurane group (SEVO) group were exposed to 33% oxygen and 2.5% sevoflurane for 60 min, respectively, without coronary occlusion. The mitoK_ATP channel inhibitor 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) was given 30 min before sevoflurane preconditioning (5-HD+SWOP group). Cardiac function indices, infarct sizes, serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations, and the expression levels of phosphorylated PKC-ε (p-PKC-ε) and caspase-8 were measured. Cardiac function was unchanged, p-PKC-ε expression was upregulated, caspase-8 expression was downregulated, cTnI concentrations were decreased, and the infarcts were significantly smaller (P<0.05) in the SWOP group compared with the I/R group. Cardiac function was worse, p-PKC-ε expression was downregulated, caspase-8 expression was upregulated, cTnI concentration was increased and infarcts were larger in the 5-HD+SWOP group (P<0.05) compared with the SWOP group. The results suggest that mitoK_ATP channels are involved in the myocardial protective effects of sevoflurane in preconditioning against I/R injury, by regulating PKC-ε phosphorylation before ischemia, and by downregulating caspase-8 during reperfusion.

Using fast moving electrode to achieve overvoltage breakdown of gas switch stressed with high direct voltages

A small-scale fast risetime gas switch attached to a 50 Ω pulse forming line is tested. It includes a fast moving electrode and a fixed electrode. For the applied direct voltages, such as 2.8 kV, 2.0 kV, and 1.0 kV, the risetimes of this switch are tested to be ∼3.8 ns, ∼2.3 ns, and ∼1.1 ns, respectively, while the risetimes of a switch with two fixed electrodes are about ∼10.1 ns, ∼9.0 ns, and ∼3.6 ns. The results of high-speed photography and laser interferometry reveal that the moving electrode will obviously shorten discharge spark length but almost will not change the inter-electrodes gas pressure. The reason of shortening spark length is the existence of the discharge time delay of gas switch. After moving to the static breakdown spacing, the fast moving electrode will move on for an additional distance within the discharge time delay, which makes gas switch achieve overvoltage breakdown under high direct voltages and therefore leads to shorter spark length and faster switch risetime.