Application of a self-made swivel intravenous transfusion device in constructing allogenic small bowel transplantation rejection model in rats

BACKGROUND

Lacking a long-term continuous intravenous infusion device for experimental animals is the biggest obstacle to constructing an allogenic small bowel transplantation rejection model.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a rat heterotopic small bowel transplantation model with the use of a swivel device for intravenous transfusion.

METHODS

The randomized block design of controlled observations included 90 inbred male F344/NCrl BR rats as donors and 90 LEW/Crl rats as recipients. On the basis of body weight, the rats were divided into three groups each with 30 pairs of rats. Group 1, the control group, underwent small bowel transplantation. Group 2, the transfusion group, received small bowel transplantation and continuous infusion of parenteral nutrient solution. Group 3, the tacrolimus (FK506) treatment group, received small bowel transplantation, continuous infusion of parenteral nutrient solution, and intravenous injection of FK506. The general status and survival time of transplanted rats were observed for 5 weeks.

RESULTS

The operative success rate was 100%. The survival rate was 83.3% (25/30) in the control group; and 96.7% (58/60) in groups 2 and 3 (P = .039). The mean survival time of the FK506 group was 22.1 +/- 13.4 days, which was significantly higher than that in the transfusion group (10.4 +/- 2.9 days, P = .023).

CONCLUSION

The simple, practical swivel intravenous infusion device provided treatment for more than 30 days, a useful tool for heterotopic segmental small bowel transplantation.

DEP and AFO regulate reproductive habit in rice

Sexual reproduction is essential for the life cycle of most angiosperms. However, pseudovivipary is an important reproductive strategy in some grasses. In this mode of reproduction, asexual propagules are produced in place of sexual reproductive structures. However, the molecular mechanism of pseudovivipary still remains a mystery. In this work, we found three naturally occurring mutants in rice, namely, phoenix (pho), degenerative palea (dep), and abnormal floral organs (afo). Genetic analysis of them indicated that the stable pseudovivipary mutant pho was a double mutant containing both a Mendelian mutation in DEP and a non-Mendelian mutation in AFO. Further map-based cloning and microarray analysis revealed that dep mutant was caused by a genetic alteration in OsMADS15 while afo was caused by an epigenetic mutation in OsMADS1. Thus, OsMADS1 and OsMADS15 are both required to ensure sexual reproduction in rice and mutations of them lead to the switch of reproductive habit from sexual to asexual in rice. For the first time, our results reveal two regulators for sexual and asexual reproduction modes in flowering plants. In addition, our findings also make it possible to manipulate the reproductive strategy of plants, at least in rice.

Sexual reproduction is essential for the life cycle of most flowering plants. However, pseudovivipary, in which floral organs are replaced by bulbils or plantlets, provides an asexual means for many grasses to reproduce in extreme environments. Although the molecular mechanism of pseudovivipary is still unknown, the high-frequency occurrence of pseudovivipary in extreme environments indicates that only a few key regulators are responsible for the switch of reproductive habit. Here, by analyzing three naturally occurring mutants in rice, we show that mutations in DEP and AFO lead to the transformation of rice flowers/spikelets into juvenile plantlets and subsequently the switch of reproductive strategy from sexual to asexual, suggesting that DEP and AFO might work cooperatively to regulate reproductive habit in rice. Thus, we reveal a critical mechanism of the switch of reproductive habit in plants. In addition, our results also make it possible to manipulate the reproductive habit of plants, at least in rice.

Laparoscopic sacral colpopexy for uterine prolapse with prolene mesh

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical effects of laparoscopic sacral colpopexy using prolene mesh for patients with pelvic organ prolapse.

METHODS

Laparoscopic placement of prolene mesh in the rectovaginal septum and veslcovaginal septum of 42 women with uterine prolapse with bladder and rectum prolapse. One mesh was fixed to the round ligaments and another to the periosteum of the sacral vertebrae. Operation time, blood loss, complication rate and follow-up surgery results were recorded monthly and analyzed according to the POP-Q system. The uterus was preserved in all cases.

RESULTS

The mean operating time was 92 +/- 12 min and the mean blood loss during surgery was 98 +/- 11 ml. Postoperatively, both prolapse and symptoms were highly significantly improved (p < 0.001) according to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system.

CONCLUSIONS

Laparoscopic sacral colpopexy for uterine prolapse using prolene mesh is a minimally invasive and effective new technique that offers a chance for patients who desire to preserve their uterus.

Association between enamel hypoplasia and dental caries in primary second molars: a cohort study

The purpose of this study was to assess the longitudinal relationships between enamel hypoplasia and caries experience of primary second molars. The study sample was 491 subjects who received dental examinations at both age 5 and 9 by the calibrated examiners. Four primary second molars (n = 1,892) were scored for the presence of enamel hypoplasia for each participant. Caries presence and number of decayed and filled surfaces (dfs) were determined at age 5 and 9. The relationships between enamel hypoplasia and caries experience were assessed. Among primary second molars, 3.9% of children and 1.7% of primary second molars had enamel hypoplasia. At age 5, 36.8% of children with hypoplasia had caries, while 16.9% of children without enamel hypoplasia had caries. At age 9, the corresponding numbers were 52.6% for children with hypoplasia and 34.5% for children without hypoplasia, respectively. At the tooth level, for age 5, 28.1% of teeth with hypoplasia had caries (mean dfs = 0.40), and 7.6% of teeth without hypoplasia had caries (mean dfs = 0.11). At age 9, the corresponding numbers were 41.9% (mean dfs = 0.76) for teeth with hypoplasia and 18.3% (mean dfs = 0.34) for teeth without hypoplasia. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, teeth of subjects with enamel hypoplasia had a significantly higher risk for caries at age 5 and 9 after controlling for other risk factors. Enamel hypoplasia appears to be a significant risk factor for caries and should be considered in caries risk assessment.

Prediction of the prognosis of patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure using the model for end-stage liver disease scoring system and a novel logistic regression model

The objective of this study was to determine the predictive value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scoring system in patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACLF-HBV), and to establish a new model for predicting the prognosis of ACLF-HBV. A total of 204 adult patients with ACLF-HBV were retrospectively recruited between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2004. The MELD scores were calculated according to the widely accepted formula. The 3-month mortality was calculated. The validity of the MELD model was determined by means of the concordance (c) statistic. Clinical data and biochemical values were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis based on which the regression model for predicting prognosis was established. The receiver-operating characteristic curves were drawn for the MELD scoring system and the new regression model and the areas under the curves (AUC) were compared by the z-test. The 3-month mortality rate was 57.8%. The mean MELD score for the patients who died was significantly greater than those who survived beyond 3 months (28.7 vs 22.4, P = 0.003). The concordance (c) statistic (equivalent to the AUC) for the MELD scoring system predicting 3-month mortality was 0.709 (SE = 0.036, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval 0.638-0.780). The independent factors predicting prognosis were hepatorenal syndrome (P < 0.001), liver cirrhosis (P = 0.009), HBeAg (P = 0.013), albumin (P = 0.028) and prothrombin activity (P = 0.011) as identified in multivariate logistic regression analysis. The regression model that was constructed by the logistic regression analysis produced a greater prognostic value (c = 0.891) than the MELD scoring system (z = 4.333, P < 0.001). The MELD scoring system is a promising and useful predictor for 3-month mortality of ACLF-HBV patients. Hepatorenal syndrome, liver cirrhosis, HBeAg, albumin and prothrombin activity are independent factors affecting the 3-month mortality. The newly established logistic regression model appears to be superior to the MELD scoring system in predicting 3-month mortality in patients with ACLF-HBV.

Prognostic value of the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) and its receptors in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients: A pilot study

e17029

Background: TNFa was initially described as an inductor of apoptosis in cancer cells. In vitro data showed that TNFa can also activate anti-apoptotic signaling in cancer cells. We analyzed the prognostic value of the expression of TNFa and its receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2 in HNC patients. Methods: Twenty-four patients treated for HNC were retrospectively analyzed for TNFa, TNFR1, and TNFR2 expression by real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Tissue samples were collected at the time of initial diagnosis. Total RNA was reverse-transcribed with TaqMan quantitative RT-PCR (Applied Biosystems). Results were recorded as average threshold cycle, and relative expression was determined using Normalized Expressions method. Expression of TNFa, TNFR1, and TNFR2 was related to survival after 3 years of follow-up. Results: In the 24 patients, expression of TNFa (mean value 7.8, median 2.4, range 0.02–62.3), TNFR1 (mean value 58, median 49, range 0.02–246.9) and TNFR2 (mean value 4.8, median 3.3, range 0.8–18.9) demonstrated a great variability between patients. After a 3-year follow-up, 14 patients were alive without evolution of cancer (group A) and 10 were dead because of cancer evolution (group D). In group D, median level of TNFa was 8.8 whereas it was 1.1 in group A (p = 0.02). Median level of TNFR1 was 71.8 in group D and 28.5 in group A (p = 0.01). In contrast, median level of TNFR2 was 3.3 for both groups. Patients with high level of TNFa or TNFR1 expression had a worse survival (p = 0.01 and p = 0.009, respectively). There was also a strong correlation between high expression of TNFa and of TNFR1 (p = 0.0007). Conclusions: In this small series, TNFa and TNFR1 expression seem to have significant prognostic value to predict survival of HNC patients. This result needs to be confirmed in larger series and compared with usual prognostic factor. It suggests that TNFa expression could have a dual effect in HNC and that TNFR1 expression may play a role in this process.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Influence of pressure on quasielastic scattering in glasses: relationship to the boson peak

We report unexpectedly strong variations in the quasielastic scattering (QES) intensity in glasses under pressure. Analysis of the data reveals strong correlations between pressure-induced changes in the QES intensity and the intensity of the boson peak. This observation emphasizes a direct relationship between these two components of the fast dynamics. In addition, we observe changes of the QES spectral shape that can be interpreted as pressure-induced variations in the underlying energy landscape.