YAP targetome reveals activation of SPEM in gastric pre-neoplastic progression and regeneration

Peptic ulcer disease caused by environmental factors increases the risk of developing gastric cancer (GC), one of the most common and deadly cancers in the world. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. A major type of GC uniquely undergoes spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM) followed by intestinal metaplasia. Notably, intestinal-type GC patients with high levels of YAP signaling exhibit a lower survival rate and poor prognosis. YAP overexpression in gastric cells induces atrophy, metaplasia, and hyperproliferation, while its deletion in a Notch-activated gastric adenoma model suppresses them. By defining the YAP targetome genome-wide, we demonstrate that YAP binds to active chromatin elements of SPEM-related genes, which correlates with the activation of their expression in both metaplasia and ulcers. Single-cell analysis combined with our YAP signature reveals that YAP signaling is activated during SPEM, demonstrating YAP as a central regulator of SPEM in gastric neoplasia and regeneration.

Expression patterns of claudins in cancer

Claudins are four-transmembrane proteins, which were found in tight junctions. They maintain cell barriers and regulate cell differentiation and proliferation. They are involved in maintaining cellular polarity and normal functions. Different claudins show different expression patterns. The expression level and localization of claudins are altered in various cancers. They promote or inhibit proliferation, invasion, and migration of cancer cells through multiple signaling pathways. Therefore, claudins may serve as diagnostic markers, novel therapeutic targets, and prognostic risk factors. The important roles of claudins in cancer aroused our great interest. In the present review, we provide a summary of insights into expression patterns of claudins in cancer, which is more comprehensive and provides new ideas for further research.

Association between metabolic syndrome and early-stage colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Accumulating studies have suggested metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributed to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, advanced CRC might decrease the detection proportion of MetS due to chronic malnutrition, we included patients with early-stage CRC to examine the associations among MetS, onset age, and different tumorigenesis pathways of CRC.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study that included 638 patients with early-stage CRC from January 2014 to December 2018. Patient information was collected from the medical record system and further refined during the follow-up. Stratified analyses of the associations between MetS and different stratification factors were determined by the Cochran‒Mantel‒Haenszel test.

RESULTS

There were 16 (13.3%) and 111 (21.4%) cases suffering from MetS in the early-onset and late-onset CRC groups, respectively. MetS coexisted in early-stage CRC patients ≥ 50 years of age more frequently than patients < 50 years of age (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.01 to 3.12), but not for women patients (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.90). MetS patients were associated with a higher risk of advanced serrated lesions than that of conventional adenomas (OR 1.585; 95% CI 1.02 to 2.45), especially in patients ≥ 50 years (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.85).

CONCLUSIONS

Metabolic dysregulation might partly contribute to the incidence of colorectal serrated lesions. Prevention of MetS should be highly appreciated in the early diagnosis and early treatment of the colorectal cancer system, especially in patients ≥ 50 years.

Correlation of Claudin18.2 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVES

Claudin18.2 (Cldn18.2) is a tight junction protein expressed in gastric epithelial cells and is an emerging target for gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to analyze the correlation between Cldn18.2 and clinicopathological parameters in GC patients undergoing radical surgery.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study included 426 GC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy. The expression of Cldn18.2 was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and grading. The statistical results indicated that the expression of Cldn18.2 was correlated with T stage, TNM stage, Lauren classification, and the expression level of Mucin-2 (MUC2), Mucin-5AC (MUC5AC), Mucin-6 (MUC6), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), P53 and trefoil factor 2 (TFF2). In addition, through data mining of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, it is suggested that Cldn18.2 expression level is significantly correlated with the expression level of MUC5AC, MUC6, and TFF2. Besides, Cldn18.2 is related to tumor immune infiltration, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD 1) pathway, cell cycle and Wnt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of Cldn18.2 was closely related to gastric-type GC, so gastric-type GC patients may benefit more from targeted drugs targeting Cldn18.2. In GC cells, depletion of Cldn18.2 may influence cell cycle and immune response by affecting Wnt signaling pathway and PD 1 pathway.

An adjusted Asia-Pacific colorectal screening score system to predict advanced colorectal neoplasia in asymptomatic Chinese patients

PURPOSE

The Asia-Pacific Colorectal Screening (APCS) score and its derivatives have been used to predict advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACN). However, it remains unknown whether they apply to the current Chinese population in general clinical practice. Therefore, we aimed to update the APCS score system by applying data from two independent asymptomatic populations to predict the risk of ACN in China.

METHODS

We developed an adjusted APCS (A-APCS) score by using the data of asymptomatic Chinese patients undergoing colonoscopies from January 2014 to December 2018. Furthermore, we validated this system in another cohort of 812 patients who underwent screening colonoscopy between January and December 2021. The discriminative calibration ability of the A-APCS and APCS scores was comparatively evaluated.

RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were applied to assess the risk factors for ACN, and an adjusted scoring system of 0 to 6.5 points was schemed according to the results. Utilizing the developed score, 20.2%, 41.2%, and 38.6% of patients in the validation cohort were classified as average, moderate, and high risk, respectively. The corresponding ACN incidence rates were 1.2%, 6.0%, and 11.1%, respectively. In addition, the A-APCS score (c-statistics: 0.68 for the derivation and 0.80 for the validation cohort) showed better discriminative power than using predictors of APCS alone.

CONCLUSIONS

The A-APCS score may be simple and useful in clinical applications for predicting ACN risk in China.

Ratiometric fluorescent detection of exosomal piRNA-823 based on Au NCs/UiO-66-NH2 and target-triggered rolling circle amplification

piR-823 is a newly discovered colorectal cancer marker with high diagnostic efficacy. However, the current quantification methods have complicated operations and high cost, which restrict its clinical application. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF) with a UiO-66 prototype structure which supports gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), Au NCs/UiO-66-NH₂, were prepared as a model nanobiosensing platform for ratiometric detection of exosomal piR-823. The rolling circle amplification process provides high sensitivity and the ratiometric detection process ensures good accuracy of the sensor. Such biosensor showed a wide linear range of 0.04-4 pM, and a low detection limit of 10.2 fM towards piR-823. In addition, piR-823 can be used as an effective supplement to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in clinical diagnosis of colorectal cancer. This study not only provides a potentially valuable ratio fluorescence platform involving enzyme catalytic reaction, but also offers a design blueprint for further expansion of nanotechnology in the diverse biological analysis.

PTPN14 promotes gastric cancer progression by PI3KA/AKT/mTOR pathway

Gastric cancer is a high molecular heterogeneous disease with a poor prognosis. Although gastric cancer is a hot area of medical research, the mechanism of gastric cancer occurrence and development is still unclear. New strategies for treating gastric cancer need to be further explored. Protein tyrosine phosphatases play vital roles in cancer. A growing stream of studies shows that strategies or inhibitors targeting protein tyrosine phosphatases have been developed. PTPN14 belongs to the protein tyrosine phosphatase subfamily. As an inert phosphatase, PTPN14 has very poor activity and mainly functions as a binding protein through its FERM (four-point-one, ezrin, radixin, and moesin) domain or PPxY motif. The online database indicated that PTPN14 may be a poor prognostic factor for gastric cancer. However, the function and underlying mechanism of PTPN14 in gastric cancer remain unclear. We collected gastric cancer tissues and detected the expression of PTPN14. We found that PTPN14 was elevated in gastric cancer. Further correlation analysis indicated that PTPN14 was relevant with the T stage and cTNM (clinical tumor node metastasis classification) stage. The survival curve analysis showed that gastric cancer patients with higher PTPN14 expression had a shorter survival time. In addition, we illustrated that CEBP/β (CCAAT enhanced binding protein beta) could transcriptionally activate PTPN14 expression in gastric cancer. The highly expressed PTPN14 combined with NFkB (nuclear factor Kappa B) through its FERM domain and accelerated NFkB nucleus translocation. Then, NFkB promoted the transcription of PI3KA and initiated the PI3KA/AKT/mTOR pathway to promote gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Finally, we established mice models to validate the function and the molecular mechanism of PTPN14 in gastric cancer. In summary, our results illustrated the function of PTPN14 in gastric cancer and demonstrated the potential mechanisms. Our findings provide a theoretical basis to better understand the occurrence and development of gastric cancer.

Targeting kinesin family member 21B by miR-132-3p represses cell proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer

Recently, kinesin family member 21B (KIF21B) has been reported to be an oncogene in non-small cell lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the functional role of KIF21B and related molecular mechanisms in gastric cancer (GC) remain largely uncovered. In this study, online bioinformatics analysis showed that KIF21B was overexpression in GC and predicted poor prognosis. Consistently, we found that the protein expression of KIF21B was upregulated in GC tissues compared with adjacent tissues by immunohistochemistry. Knockdown of KIF21B significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in GC cell lines (AGS and SNU-5) using Cell counting kit‑8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation and transwell assay. KIF21B was confirmed as the target of miR-132-3p in GC cells by luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, miR-132-3p was down-regulated and KIF21B expression was upregulated in GC tissues. Overexpression of KIF21B reversed the miR-132-3p-mediated suppressive effects on GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, miR-132-3p overexpression downregulated the protein levels of Wnt1, c-Myc, β-catenin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and N-cadherin, and upregulated E-cadherin expression in GC cells, which were all alleviated after KIF21B overexpression. In conclusion, our findings indicate that down-regulation of KIF21B by miR-132-3p suppresses cellular functions in GC, which might be linked to reduced Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Increases in Future AR Count and Size: Overview of the ARTMIP Tier 2 CMIP5/6 Experiment

The Atmospheric River (AR) Tracking Method Intercomparison Project (ARTMIP) is a community effort to systematically assess how the uncertainties from AR detectors (ARDTs) impact our scientific understanding of ARs. This study describes the ARTMIP Tier 2 experimental design and initial results using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phases 5 and 6 multi-model ensembles. We show that AR statistics from a given ARDT in CMIP5/6 historical simulations compare remarkably well with the MERRA-2 reanalysis. In CMIP5/6 future simulations, most ARDTs project a global increase in AR frequency, counts, and sizes, especially along the western coastlines of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We find that the choice of ARDT is the dominant contributor to the uncertainty in projected AR frequency when compared with model choice. These results imply that new projects investigating future changes in ARs should explicitly consider ARDT uncertainty as a core part of the experimental design.

The effect of dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan on its control and prevention of COVID-19

Objectives

As a unique prevention and control measure, the dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan has played a key role in protecting Wuhan against COVID-19. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the effect of this key measure in reducing infections and fatalities.

Study design

A scenario analysis is used in this study, where the forming of scenarios is on the basis of the stages of medical to Wuhan. We divided the evaluation into 4 scenarios: Scenario Ⅰ—no dispatch, Scenario Ⅱ—dispatch of 4599 medical staff, Scenario Ⅲ—dispatch of 16,000 staff, and Scenario Ⅳ—dispatch of 32,000 staff.

Methods

The extended Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered-Death model was adopted to quantify the effect of the dispatch of national medical teams to Wuhan on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Results

The dispatch dramatically cuts the channels for the transmission of the virus and succeeds in raising the cure rates while reducing the fatality rates. If there were no dispatch at all, a cumulative total of 158,881 confirmed cases, 18,700 fatalities and a fatality rate of 11.77% would have occurred in Wuhan, which are 3.2 times, 4.8 times and 1.5 times the real figures respectively. The dispatch has avoided 108,541 confirmed cases and 14,831 fatalities in this city.

Conclusions

The proven successful measure provides valuable experience and enlightenment to international cooperation on prevention and control of COVID-19, as well as a similar outbreak of new emerging infectious diseases.

High expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-associated cell adhesion molecule 1 is associated with microangiogenesis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Carcinoembryonic antigen-associated cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) plays an important role in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis by regulating angiogenesis. However, the expression of CEACAM1 in esophageal cancer tissues and its relationship with microvessel density (MVD) has not been investigated before.

Methods

MVD and the expression of CEACAM1 in 80 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analyses were conducted to test the associations between CEACAM1 expression, MVD level, clinicopathologic factors, and prognosis.

Results

The expression level of CEACAM1 was significantly correlated with the level of MVD. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant correlations between local recurrence and distant metastasis in high MVD and high CEACAM-1 expression group. Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed a poorer survival rate in patients with high MVD or high CEACAM-1. Univariate analysis showed that MVD levels, CEACAM1 expression, lymph node metastasis, and patient's age were prognostic factors for postoperative ESCC. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that the significance of the prognostic effect of CEACAM-1 expression observed by univariate analysis disappeared when analyzed together with MVD, suggesting that the prognostic impact of CEACAM1 expression was dependent on MVD level, while MVD was still a significant prognostic factor for adverse cancer-related survival (P=0.001).

Conclusions

The CEACAM1 expression is a potential prognostic factor for postoperative ESCC combined with MVD level.

Clinicopathologic features and prognosis of epithelioid glioblastoma

OBJECTIVE

To improve the understanding of epithelioid glioblastoma (E-GBM) and provide accurate basis for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis through the analysis of clinicopathologic characteristics, immunohistochemical expression, molecular characteristics, and prognosis of E-GBM.

METHODS

The clinicopathologic characteristics of 33 cases of E-GBM in our hospital from January 2015 to September 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. Kaplan Meier method was used for survival analysis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors affecting the survival time of patients.

RESULTS

Among 33 patients with E-GBM, 16 were male and 17 were female. The age ranged from 9 to 67 years old, with the median age of 36 years old and the average age of 38 years old. The tumor size (calculated by the largest diameter): 1-6 cm, average size: 3.5 cm. The ratio of smoking and non-smoking is 17:16. All the tumors were located in the cerebral hemisphere, and 26 cases (78.79%) of brain MR showed that the tumors invaded the cortex (white matter).

CLINICAL SYMPTOMS

asymptomatic physical examination was found in 6 cases (18.18%), 5 cases (15.15%) had epilepsy history, 2 cases (6.06%) had malignant vomiting, 3 cases (9.09%) had hypertension history, and 17 cases (51.52%) had headache and dizziness. All patients received surgery (total or partial resection). Postoperative radiotherapy was given in 7 cases (21.00%), chemotherapy (TMZ temozolomide) in 3 cases (1.00%), and combined chemoradiotherapy in 16 cases (48.40%). Immunohistochemical staining: the positive rates of CK, GFAP, IDH-1, IDH-2, HMB45, Desmin, BRAF, P53, ATRX, INI-1, S-100, Ki-67 were 20/33, 30/33, 1/33, 1/33, 0/33, 0/33, 33/33, 5/33, 30/33, 33/33, 6/33, Ki-67 of all cases were higher than 40%, among which 11 cases were higher than 60%. The detection of related genes showed that 33 cases (100%) had BRAF V600E mutation. TERT mutation was found in 18 cases (54.5%); IDH1 mutation was found in 1 case (3%); MGMT promoter methylation was found in 15 cases (45.4%); EGFR amplification and 1p/19q co-deletion were not found in any cases.

CONCLUSION

E-GBM is a highly invasive and rare malignant nervous system tumor, with poor prognosis and lack of clinical specificity. Immunohistochemically, the higher expression of CK, GFAP and Ki67 proliferation index is more conducive to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of E-GBM. Smoking, brain MR showing tumor invasion of cortex, TERT mutation, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are independent risk factors affecting the prognosis (survival time) of patients.

[Voxel-based morphometry study of the brain structures in patients with congenital hereditary hearing loss]

Objective: To analyze the physiological basics for changes of cerebral functions in patients with congenital hereditary hearing loss (CHHL), by using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Methods: From June 2016 to June 2017, we recruited volunteers from Yangzhou Special Education School and CHHL patients from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Subei People's Hospital as a case group with a total of 14 cases (8 males and 6 females), with an average age from 10 to 18 (13.13 ± 0.39). At the same time,patients with no ear diseases were recruited as a control group, a total of 23 cases (10 males and 13 females), with an average age from 10 to18 (13.50 ± 0.49). Brain scanning with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed on all subjects, and 3D T1WI was collected and processed by the analyzing software. Two sample t-tests were conducted with alphasim correction at the threshold level of P<0.001. Different morphologies of cerebral cortex were identified between patients with CHHL and their normal controls retrospectively. Results: Compared to their normal controls, patients with CHHL had no significant difference in terms of brain volume, gray matter volume, white matter volume, and cerebrospinal fluid volume ((1 397.53±103.98)cm(3) vs. (1 439.45±128.84)cm(3), (765.19±60.27)cm(3) vs. (800.139±77.64)cm(3), (392.89±40.38)cm(3) vs. (414.54±49.22)cm(3), (314.17±25.81)cm(3) vs. (296.47±51.42)cm(3), all P>0.05). However, compared to their normal controls, patients with CHHL had significantly increased (P<0.001) gray matter in the following cerebral gyri: right temporal pole: middle temporal gyrus, right inferior temporal gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, right inferior parietal gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus, left superior occipital gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, compared to their normal controls, patients with CHHL had significantly decreased (P<0.001) gray matter in the following cerebral gyri: left parahippocampal gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, left insula, right inferior frontal gyrus, left precentral gyrus, and right superior parietal gyrus. Conclusions: Patients with CHHL show global changes in cerebral cortex not limited to auditory associated cerebral areas. This suggests that adaptable reshaping of global brain structures and functions has occurred in patients with CHHL.

EFFECTS OF EXENDIN-4 ON ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS-MEDIATED INSULIN RESISTANCE IN 3T3-L1 ADIPOCYTES

Objective

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is suspected as an important factor in the initiation of insulin resistance.

Aim

To explore the effects of exendin-4 (Ex-4) on the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-mediated insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In our study, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were pre-treated with ERS inhibitors tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), Ex-4 and an ERS inducer tunicamycin (TM) then induced insulin resistance. Glucose consumption of the adipocytes was measured. Western blots determined the protein levels of ERS markers and insulin signaling pathway.

Results

TM treatment reduced insulin-stimulated glucose consumption by 19.7% in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. This repression was blunted by 24h pre-treatment with TUDCA or Ex-4. Ex-4 augmented insulin-stimulated glucose consumption in adipocytes by 14.9%. Western blotting showed that TM treatment significantly increased the ER stress markers including p-IRE, p-JNK, p-PERK, p-eIF2a and ATF6 expression, whereas 24h pre-treatment of adipocytes with TUDCA or Ex-4 alleviated the ER stress. Ex-4 alleviates ERS-induced insulin resistance by upregulating the expression of phosphorylated Akt.

Conclusion

ERs mediates insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and exendin-4 significantly improves this insulin resistance.

[Comparative analysis of sleep monitoring between young and middle-aged and elderly OSA patients]

Objective:The aim of this study is to compare the night sleep hypoxia degree and sleep structure of young and middle-aged and elderly patients with OSA, so that PSG has more important application value.Method:A total of 438 patients diagnosed with OSA from February 2017 to January 2019 were selected,including 119 patients in the youth group with an average age of (28.5±5.1）years,and 319 patients in the middle and elderly group with an average age of (45.8±2.7)years.The results recorded by PSG in the two groups were retrospectively analyzed. Result:①The AHI, ODI, OAI, MAI and ASaO₂of OSA patients in the junior group were significantly higher than those in the middle-aged and elderly group, while CAI was not statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.419).②The NREM stage Ⅰ (61.1±4.3)% in the junior group was significantly higher than that in the junior group (53.3±3.4)%.NREM stage Ⅱ (33.2±2.3)% and NREM stage Ⅲ+Ⅳ (4.3±1.3)% in the junior group were higher than those in the middle-aged group (29.2±3.9)% and stage Ⅲ+Ⅳ (2.6±0.9)%, while the percentage of REM stage and microarousal index were not statistically significant between the two groups.③Young OSA patients were associated with hypertension and 47.0% middle-aged and elderly patients were associated with hypertension.There was no statistical difference between the two groups in whether hypertension was associated with hypertension or not.Conclusion:The NREM phase is particularly susceptible to age, and age affects slow wave sleep. The sleep structure of middle-aged and older people demonstrates their sleep characteristics: reduced total sleep time,slow wave sleep,low sleep efficiency,and delayed sleep. The young people's nighttime hypoxia is more serious. AHI,ODI,OAI,MAI,ASaO₂ and other indicators are significantly higher than the middle-aged and elderly people, but the sleep structure 2 groups are similar, indicating that young people have strong sleep physiological compensation and Adjustment ability.

[Study on the correlation between meteorological factors and allergic rhinitis in outpatients in Yangzhou]

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of allergic rhinitis in Yangzhou area and its correlation with meteorological factors. Method:The characteristics of 17 491 cases of AR were analyzed in Yangzhou from 2015 to 2017. Meteorological environmental parameters, including mean temperature, air pressure, wind speed, humidity and AQI index, were monitored at the same period. The relationship between the onset characteristics of AR patients and meteorological factors was also analyzed. Result:The number of patients with allergic rhinitis in 2015, 2016 and 2017 were 6 167, 5 620 and 5 704. The total difference of the number of patients in 3 years was not statistically significant (P＞0.05). Each year the number of patients reached the peak in October, April, the lowest in February, and less than the other seasons in the summer (P<0.05). The number of visits per year reached peak in October, the lowest in February, and significantly less in summer than in other seasons (P<0.05). The number of children under the age of 12 is relatively small, and the number of patients aged 20 to 40 is the largest. In different age groups, the number of male patients was higher than that of women. There was a positive correlation between the average temperature and AQI index of the average allergic rhinitis patients(r=0.635, P=0.027; r=0.587, P=0.045), and the average temperature and average humidity of the patients with average allergic rhinitis were negatively correlated with regional average humidity and average wind speed(r=-0.193, P=0.045; r=-0.862, P=0.000). Conclusion:The incidence of allergic rhinitis in Yangzhou area has obvious age regularity and seasonality, and there may be some correlation between meteorological factors(especially AQI index) and the incidence of allergic rhinitis in patients.

[Analysis of the recurrence related factors of sinonasal inverted papilloma]

Objective:To evaluate the influence risk factors of recurrence and the methods for reducing recurrence of sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP). Method:Clinical data of 34 patients with SNIP were analyzed retrospectively. All of them were unilateral onset. The diagnosis was confirmed pathologically and the range of lesions was determined by endoscopic and imaging examination; clinical classification according to Krouse classification method; All operations were performed under nasal endoscope, of which 20 cases were operated by simple nasal endoscope, and 14 cases were operated by endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess approach. The patients were followed up for 12-36 months. The curative effects were observed and the prognostic factors of the patients were analyzed. Result:Thirty-four cases of SNIP patients with postoperative recurrence rate was 17.65% (6/34); simple nasal endoscopic surgery in 20 cases, the recurrence rate was 25.00%(5/20); endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess approach in 14 cases, the recurrence rate was 7.14%(1/14), the difference was statistically insignificant (χ²=1.807, P>0.05). Four cases in stage Ⅰ had no recurrence；20 cases in stage Ⅱ, the recurrence rate was 15.0%(3/20); 9 cases in stage Ⅲ, the recurrence rate was 33.3%(3/9); 1 case in stage Ⅳ had no recurrence, the recurrence rate of the patients with different stages were statistically insignificant (χ²=2.692, P>0.05). Conclusion:Simple endoscopic resection of the tumor and endoscopic anterior lacrimal recess surgery are effective methods for the treatment of SNIP. The nasal surgery history and tumor origin are the risk factors for recurrence. The operation completely tumorresection,detailed preoperative examination and postoperative regular endoscopic examination are the keys to preventing recurrence.

[Two cases of piriform pit carcinoma were repaired with thyroid lobe]

Two cases with piriform fossa cancer underwent larynx lateral wall repair surgery. Case 1: The patient was admitted to the hospital because of pharyngeal discomfort with swallowing pain for 2 months Electronic laryngoscopy revealed neoplasm in the left piriform fossa. Space occupying lesion in left piriform fossa and paranasal space was found in MRI scan. The pathological diagnosis of this patient was squamous cell squamous cell carcinoma (T2N1M0). Case 2: The patient was admitted to the hospital because of blood in the sputum for more than 1 year. The electronic laryngoscope suggested neoplasm in the pharyngeal space and left vocal cord paralysis.Soft tissue thickening of the oropharynx and hypopharyngeal right wall was found in MRI scan. The pathological diagnosis of this patient was squamous cell carcinoma (T1N2M0).

[Hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome]

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS) is a clinical and critical disease to health, which the accuratly pathogenesis is not very explicit. The mainstream research suggested that dysfunction of upper airway dilator muscles is one of the hazard factors. Genioglossus innervated by the hypoglossal nerve plays crucial roles. It could expand volume of pharyngeal cavity, and increase airflow rate when stimulate it.With the development of anatomy and physiology, hypoglossal nerve stimulation(HGNS) entered into clinical trials, and had made tremendous progress since 2001. Most of clinical trials show that, it could dramatically improve the smooth general peculiarity of the upper respiratory tract in patients with OSAHS in the sleeping state.

[Prognostic factors of patients with T2N0M0 upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a single-center retrospective study of 235 patients]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impacts of the prognostic factors of T2N0M0 upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) for Chinese patients.

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted including 235 patients who were diagnosed with T2N0M0 UTUC in our hospital and received radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) or partial ureterectomy during January 2000 and December 2013. The 3 and 5-year cancer-specific survival rates and bladder recurrence-free survival rates of all the patients were valued using Kaplan-Meier method, and the survival curves with statistical significance between the two were compared using the Log-rank test. Variables with significant differences in the univariate analysis were subjected to the multivariate analysis by Cox regression model.

RESULTS

A total of 235 patients were included in this study, including 95 (40.4%) male patients and 140 (59.6%) female patients. The mean age was 66.73±10.49 years.The median follow-up time was 53 (rang: 3-142) months, and during the follow-up, 74 (31.5%) patients died of UTUC after a median of 35 months,and 96 (40.9%) patients developed intravesical recurrence after a median of 19.5 months. The 3 and 5-year cancer-specific survival rates of all the patients were 89.1% and 85.9%, respectively; the bladder recurrence-free survival rates were 85.5% and 80.2%, respectively. The independent prognostic factors of cancer-specific mortality were tumor age elder than 55 years (HR=3.138, 95%CI: 1.348-7.306, P=0.008) and diameter larger than 5 cm (HR=3.320, 95%CI: 1.882-5.857, P<0.001). The independent prognostic factors of bladder recurrence-free survival were ureter tumor (HR=1.757, 95%CI: 1.159-2.664, P=0.008) and lower tumor grade (HR=1.760, 95% CI: 1.151-2.692, P=0.009).

CONCLUSION

T2N0M0 UTUC has a better cancer-specific survival. The intravesical recurrence was equivalent to non-muscle invasive UTUC but earlier. The tumor diameter larger than 5 cm and the patient age elder than 55 years were independently associated with cancer-specific mortality; the primary tumor located in ureter and lower tumor grade were more likely to develop intravesical recurrence.

Early diagnosis and outcome prediction of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy with color Doppler ultrasound

PURPOSE

To describe the ultrasound presentation of the brain and cerebral hemodynamics in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) by comparison with control subjects.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

During June 2012 to April 2013, full term neonates who had clinical evidence of HIE were enrolled. Healthy newborns without HIE were used as a control group. Cerebral parenchyma, size of lateral ventricles and hemodynamic parameters of cerebral arteries were studied using two-dimensional duplex and color Doppler ultrasound. Neonates with moderate and severe HIE were followed-up with ultrasound for at least 3 months.

RESULTS

A total of 158 consecutive neonates (82 boys and 76 girls), including 54 with mild HIE, 60 with moderate HIE and 44 with severe HIE were included. One hundred and twenty healthy newborns were randomly selected as a control group. Abnormal ultrasound findings of brain parenchyma were found in 25/54 (46.3%) neonates with mild HIE whereas they were found in 58/60 (96.7%) neonates with moderate HIE and 44/44 (100%) neonates with severe HIE. Almost all neonates with severe HIE had decreased cerebral artery blood flow velocity and increased resistance index of cerebral arteries. Of the 104 neonates with moderate or severe HIE, follow-up ultrasound examination revealed cystic parenchymal lesions in 12/104 (11.5%), progressive ventricular dilatation and brain atrophy in 12/104 (11.5%), mild ventricular dilatation in 15/104 (14.4%) and leukoencephalomalacia in 2/104 (1.9%) neonates.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound features such as the size of lateral ventricles, altered brain parenchymal echogenicity and cerebral blood flow parameters are useful for the early diagnosis of HIE and help predict outcome.

[A case of nasopharyngeal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumorafter radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma]

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor（IMT）is composed of the cable shape myofibroblastic cells which constitute soft tissue tumors.IMT is mostly encountered in the lung, its occurrence in the head and neck is relatively rare. Herein, we reported 1 case of IMT after radiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)in the nasopharynx.The clinical symptoms and nasal pharynx imaging findings of IMT are similar to the NPC.Thus,the pathological and immunohistochemistrical examinations maybe helpful to make a correct diagnosis.

Minichromosome maintenance complex component 7 has an important role in the invasion of papillary urothelial neoplasia

The aims of the present study were to investigate the expression of minichromosome maintenance complex component 7 (MCM7) and determine its association with tumor proliferation and invasion in pathological tumor (pT)a and pT1 papillary urothelial neoplasia. The MCM7, MCM3 and Ki67 proteins were detected in 154 cases of urothelial neoplasia using immunohistochemical analysis. The expression of MCM7 significantly increased (P<0.001) as the pathological stage and grade progressed between inverted papilloma, papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP), pTa tumor and pT1 tumor. However, no statistically significant difference in MCM7 staining was observed between low-grade pTa tumors and PUNLMP (P=0.2294). In contrast to MCM7, MCM3 was highly expressed in all stages of urothelial neoplasia, with no statistically significant differences observed between the tumor types (P=0.2993, 0.3885 and 0.8489 for pTa tumors, PUNLMP and inverted papiloma, respectively). Furthermore, MCM7 expression was elevated with increased tumor grade and was positively correlated with Ki67 expression (r_s =0.9106, P<0.001). However, MCM3 expression was not correlated with MCM7 or Ki67 expression (r_s =0.0734, P=0.3657 and r_s =0.0638, P=0.4318, respectively). In conclusion, MCM7 overexpression may simultaneously promote tumor proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, it may be a reliable marker for the pathological differential diagnosis of pTa and pT1 papillary urothelial neoplasms; therefore, MCM7 expression may be used to predict tumor prognosis and behavior.

Broadband photonic microwave phase shifter based on controlling two RF modulation sidebands via a Fourier-domain optical processor

An all-optical photonic microwave phase shifter that can realize a continuous 360° phase shift over a wide frequency range is presented. It is based on the new concept of controlling the amplitude and phase of the two RF modulation sidebands via a Fourier-domain optical processor. The operating frequency range of the phase shifter is largely increased compared to the previously reported Fourier-domain optical processor based phase shifter that uses only one RF modulation sideband. This is due to the extension of the lower RF operating frequency by designing the amplitude and phase of one of the RF modulation sidebands while the other sideband is designed to realize the required RF signal phase shift. The two-sideband amplitude-and-phase-control based photonic microwave phase shifter has a simple structure as it only requires a single laser source, a phase modulator, a Fourier-domain optical processor and a single photodetector. Investigation on the bandwidth limitation problem in the conventional Fourier-domain optical processor based phase shifter is presented. Comparisons between the measured phase shifter output RF amplitude and phase responses with theory, which show excellent agreement, are also presented for the first time. Experimental results demonstrate the full -180° to + 180° phase shift with little RF signal amplitude variation of less than 3 dB and with a phase deviation of less than 4° over a 7.5 GHz to 26.5 GHz frequency range, and the phase shifter exhibits a long term stable performance.

Mode-multiplexed transmission over conventional graded-index multimode fibers

We present experimental results for combined mode-multiplexed and wavelength multiplexed transmission over conventional graded-index multimode fibers. We use mode-selective photonic lanterns as mode couplers to precisely excite a subset of the modes of the multimode fiber and additionally to compensate for the differential group delay between the excited modes. Spatial mode filters are added to suppress undesired higher order modes. We transmit 30-Gbaud QPSK signals over 60 WDM channels, 3 spatial modes, and 2 polarizations, reaching a distance of 310 km based on a 44.3 km long span. We also report about transmission experiments over 6 spatial modes for a 17-km single-span experiment. The results indicate that multimode fibers support scalable mode-division multiplexing approaches, where modes can be added over time if desired. Also the results indicate that mode-multiplexed transmission distance over 300 km are possible in conventional multimode fibers.

Impact of early adolescent psychiatric and personality disorder on long-term physical health: a 20-year longitudinal follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Evidence regarding the long-term separate and combined impact of adolescent psychiatric disorder and personality disorder (PD) on physical health is absent.

METHOD

A total of 736 people randomly selected in childhood were contacted for home or telephone interviews four times over 20 years. DSM Axis I disorders and Axis II PDs were assessed at mean age 13.7 years in 1983 and physical health was assessed in 1985-1986, 1991-1994 and 2001-2004.

RESULTS

Comparisons were made between 506 adolescents without Axis I disorder or PD and adolescents with Axis I disorder or PD or both. Adolescents with an Axis I disorder (n=150) had significantly higher odds of pain and physical illness and poorer physical health. Adolescents with a PD (n=149) had higher odds of pain and physical illness and poorer physical health and a more rapid decline in physical health. In addition, the 81 participants with an Axis I disorder without co-morbid PD had poorer physical health, but this effect did not reach statistical significance, whereas the 80 participants with a PD but no Axis I disorder reported significantly more pain and more rapid decline in physical health. However, the 69 participants with co-morbid Axis I disorder and PD had the highest rates of pain and physical illness and the worst physical health.

CONCLUSIONS

Co-morbid PD accounted for many of the associations of adolescent Axis I disorder with physical health over the ensuing two decades. Co-morbid adolescent Axis I disorder and PD represent a particularly high risk for physical health.

Study on the fluorescence properties of a new intramolecular charge transfer compound 1,5-diphenyl-3-(N-ethylcarbazole-3-yl)-2-pyrazoline

The fluorescence properties of a newly synthesized compound, 1,5-diphenyl-3-(N-ethylcarbazole-3-yl)-2-pyrazoline (DEP) have been studied. On excitation at 352 nm, the fluorescence spectrum exhibits a large red shift with an increase in the polarity of solvents. The intensity of the band is different in different solvents as well. The change in the dipole moment in various solvents at room temperature has been characterized by the absorption and steady state fluorescence techniques and calculated based on the Lippert-Mataga equation. DEP has an increase of dipole moment of 2.83 D units on excitation to the lowest singlet state. It is concluded that photo-induced charge transfer from N (1) to C (3) actually exists in the excited state of the pyrazoline moiety. Its fluorescence property is relative to viscosity and temperature of solvents. The phi(f) of DEP in neutral medium or basic medium is higher than acidic medium. In addition, when the concentration of DEP is higher than 10(-3) M, its fluorescence is quenched by the collision of each molecule. The red shift of the maximum emission of DEP attributes to the formation of aggregates and the conjugate system is strengthened.

Effect of one-step 100% ethanol fixation and modified manual microdissection on high-quality RNA recovery from esophageal carcinoma specimen

This paper attempts to determine an optimal fixation protocol for stabilizing RNA during microdissection so as to obtain high-quality RNA from specific cell populations procured from esophageal carcinoma specimens, and to develop a manual microdissection that can facilitate the procurement. The special features of our protocol include one-step dehydration of tissue sections in 100% ethanol immediately after cryosectioning, a self-made T-shape plate (T plate) and "exclusion microdissection" procedure. The quality of RNA isolated from dissected cells was analyzed by neutral agarose gel electrophoresis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect genes of different abundance levels. One-step 100% ethanol fixation of cryosections effectively stabilized RNA integrity for agelong period of time while maintaining histological morphology comparable to that using the conventional procedure, indicating that it is a valid protocol for preservation of RNA in microdissected samples. In conjunction with the application of the T plate and 'exclusion microdissection' procedure, which efficiently simplifies manual microdissection procedure, allowing maximal procurement of target cells from complex primary tissues, full use of every single specimen for maximal procurement of target cells from the sections was allowed. The RNA isolated from 5 different stage-specific cell populations of an esophageal carcinoma specimen was of high quality and sufficient in quantity for various downstream molecular analyses. Our method is suitable for a wide spectrum of expression analysis in diverse clinical settings.

[Study on apoptosis of fibroblasts from abnormal scars in media containing low level of serum and interleukin 1 beta]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of low serum and interleukin 1 beta on inducing apoptosis of fibroblasts from abnormal scars and normal skins.

METHODS

6 samples from keloid, hypertrophic scar and normal skin were collected respectively. Apoptosis of different fibroblasts in media containing low level of serum and interleukin 1 beta were studied by detecting Bax and Bcl-2 protein expressions and specific DNA ladder by means of cell culture, immunohistochemistry and agrose electrophoresis.

RESULTS

1. In low level of serum, hardly occurs apoptosis of fibroblasts from keloids in correspondence with no changes of the radio of Bax/Bcl-2 proteins, and apoptosis of fibroblasts from normal skins occurs in correspondence with increasing of the radio of Bax/Bcl-2 proteins, whereas, slightly occurs apoptosis of fibroblasts from hypertrophic scars in correspondence with no change of the radio of Bax/Bcl-2 proteins. 2. In media containing interleukin 1 beta apoptosis of all three kinds of fibroblasts occurs, whereas, apoptosis of fibroblasts from keloids and hypertrophic scars takes place more seriously than that from normal skins in correspondence with increasing of the Bax/Bcl-2 radio of fibroblasts from keloids, decreasing of the Bax/Bcl-2 radio of ones from normal skins and no change of the Bax/Bcl-2 radio of ones from hypertrophic scars.

CONCLUSION

Characters of different fibroblasts are different.

Evidence that the death receptor DR4 is a DNA damage-inducible, p53-regulated gene

DR4 (TRAIL-R1), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is a cell surface receptor that triggers the apoptotic machinery upon binding to its ligand tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Although three other TRAIL receptors DR5, DcR1, and DcR2 are induced by DNA damage and are regulated by the wild-type p53 tumor suppressor, it was not known whether these factors also affect DR4 expression. In this study, we found that DR4 expression is also enhanced by DNA damage whether induced by ionizing radiation or by chemotherapeutic agents. The induction was observed predominantly in cells containing wild-type p53 and was similar to the regulation patterns of DR5 and Fas, two other members of the family which are known to be regulated by p53. Transfection of HPV 16 E6 gene into cells with wild-type p53, which decreased the level of p53 protein, resulted in suppression of DR4 induction by DNA-damaging agents. Conversely, introduction of exogenous wild-type p53 through adenovirus infection has led to upregulation of endogenous DR4 in cells with mutant p53. Moreover, the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D abolished DNA-damaging agent-induced DR4 expression. Thus, DR4 appears to be a DNA damage-inducible, p53-regulated gene.

[Study on type I and type III procollagen mRNA and in situ collagen proteins expressions in hypertrophic scars after intralesional Kenalog treatment]

OBJECTIVE

This is to investigate the mechanism of effects of Kenalog on type I and III collagen syntheses and degradation in hypertrophic scars.

METHODS

Intralesional injection of Kenalog was performed on 6 patients with hypertrophic scars. On the 3rd day and 7th day after the treatment, 6 samples from the 6 patients each were collected and type I and III collagen proteins and in situ procollagen mRNA expressions were studied by means of immunohistochemistry and molecular biology.

RESULTS

On the 7th day after intralesional injection of Kenalog, type I collagen proteins reduced (P < 0.05) and type III collagen proteins did not reduced significantly (P > 0.05). On the 3rd day after intralesional injection of Kenalog, both type I and type III procollagen mRNA expressions were significantly inhibited and on the 7th day both procollagen mRNA expressions decreased further.

CONCLUSIONS

Intralesional Kenalog may inhibit type I procollagen mRNA expression more than type III. Gene expressive intensions of type I and III procollagen were higher in hypertrophic scars than in normal skin.

Biochemical and genetic interactions between Drosophila caspases and the proapoptotic genes rpr, hid, and grim

In Drosophila melanogaster, the induction of apoptosis requires three closely linked genes, reaper (rpr), head involution defective (hid), and grim. The products of these genes induce apoptosis by activating a caspase pathway. Two very similar Drosophila caspases, DCP-1 and drICE, have been previously identified. We now show that DCP-1 has a substrate specificity that is remarkably similar to those of human caspase 3 and Caenorhabditis elegans CED-3, suggesting that DCP-1 is a death effector caspase. drICE and DCP-1 have similar yet different enzymatic specificities. Although expression of either in cultured cells induces apoptosis, neither protein was able to induce DNA fragmentation in Drosophila SL2 cells. Ectopic expression of a truncated form of dcp-1 (DeltaN-dcp-1) in the developing Drosophila retina under an eye-specific promoter resulted in a small and rough eye phenotype, whereas expression of the full-length dcp-1 (fl-dcp-1) had little effect. On the other hand, expression of either full-length drICE (fl-drICE) or truncated drICE (DeltaN-drICE) in the retina showed no obvious eye phenotype. Although active DCP-1 protein cleaves full-length DCP-1 and full-length drICE in vitro, GMR-DeltaN-dcp-1 did not enhance the eye phenotype of GMR-fl-dcp-1 or GMR-fl-drICE flies. Significantly, GMR-rpr and GMR-grim, but not GMR-hid, dramatically enhanced the eye phenotype of GMR-fl-dcp-1 flies. These results indicate that Reaper and Grim, but not HID, can activate DCP-1 in vivo.

[Study on in situ expression of type I and III procollagen mRNAs in different parts of keloid and normal skin]

OBJECTIVE

Based on the histomorphologic differences of three parts of keloid, i.e., invasive, proliferative and senile regions, the study was carried out to explore the differences of expression of type I and type III procollagen mRNAs in the three different parts of keloid and normal skin.

METHOD

Four samples of keloid from four patients and two samples of normal skin were collected. The expression of pro alpha 1 (I) and pro alpha 1 (III) procollagen mRNAs in keloid and normal skin was investigated by in situ hybridization techniques.

RESULT

Both type I and III procollagen mRNAs levels increased in keloid, especially type I, resulting in elevated ratios of type I to III procollagen mRNA. In keloid, expressive intention of type I and type III procollagen mRNAs was higher in the papillary layer than in the reticular layer. Also the expressive intention of type I and type III in keloid was higher in invasive and proliferative regions than in the senile region. However, expressive intention of type I and type III procollagen mRNAs in the invasive region of keloid was similar to that in the proliferative region.

CONCLUSION

The differences of expression of type I and type III procollagen mRNAs in different pathological regions of keloid and normal skin is one cause of forming different pathological regions in keloid.

[Treatment of thoracolumbar tuberculosis complicated with paraplegia]

OBJECTIVE

To explore characteristics of thoracolumbar tuberculosis complicated with paraplegia, relationship between efficacy and approach of operation, and to discuss indication and applicability of conservative treatment.

METHOD

Forty-eight cases with thoracolumbar tuberculosis complicated with paraplegia were classified into two groups. Thirty-two cases in the operational group were treated with extrapleural, extraperitoneal approach and transpleural, extraperitoneal approach. Sixteen cases in the nonoperational group were treated conservatively.

RESULT

The recovered cases in the operational and the nonoperational groups respectively accounted for 75% and 88%.

CONCLUSION

Thoracolumbar tuberculosis complicated with paraplegia can be cured by either operative or conservative treatment, and the efficacy of operation directly related with operational approach.

[The study of mutation in exon 17 of insulin receptor gene in essential hypertensive pedigrees]

Using the molecular scanning technique of single-stranded conformational polymorphism, we examined the exon 17 of the insulin receptor (INSR) gene in 44 subjects of 6 essential hypertensive pedigrees and 2 normotensive pedigrees. In addition the serum levels of glucose and insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); blood lipid, and plasma angiotension II and angiotensinogen were done on these pedigrees. Upon direct sequence analysis, 5 individuals were found a single nucleotide substitution at the codon 1058 (CAC-->CAT), which didn't change the amino acid sequence. Among the five individuals 4 of them were from the families with history of hypertension, only one was from normotensive pedigree. Compared with those without the mutation, the individuals with the mutation had a lower ratio of fasting blood glucose to fasting serum insulin level (P < 0.01) and an elevated plasma Ang II concentration. (There was no significant difference, P > 0.05, probably due to the mutant cases which we studied were small). Thus, we conjectured that the mutation in codon 1,058 of the INSR gene might be related with the insulin resistance in hypertensive patients and subjects with the positive hypertensive history.

Regulation of synapse structure and function by the Drosophila tumor suppressor gene dlg

Mutations of the tumor suppressor gene discs-large (dlg) lead to postsynaptic structural defects. Here, we report that mutations in dlg also result in larger synaptic currents at fly neuromuscular junctions. By selectively targeting DLG protein to either muscles or motorneurons using Gal-4 enhancer trap lines, we were able to rescue substantially the reduced postsynaptic structure in mutants. Rescue of the physiological defect was accomplished by presynaptic, but not postsynaptic targeting, consistent with our finding that miniature excitatory junctional currents were not changed in dlg mutants. These results suggest that DLG functions in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and postsynaptic structure. We propose that DLG is an integral part of a mechanism by which changes in both neurotransmitter release and synapse structure are accomplished during development and plasticity.

The Drosophila tumor suppressor gene, dlg, is involved in structural plasticity at a glutamatergic synapse

BACKGROUND

Synaptic contacts between neurons and their targets are dynamic entities that can change depending on developmental and functional states of the pre- and postsynaptic cell. However, the molecular factors involved in this plasticity have remained largely unknown. We have demonstrated previously that the Drosophila tumor suppressor gene, discs-large (dlg), is expressed at neuromuscular synapses, and is required for normal synapse structure. A family of dlg homologues is also expressed at mammalian synapses, where they interact with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor and ion channels. Here, we provide the first demonstration of the involvement of dlg in structural synaptic plasticity during postsynaptic target growth.

RESULTS

We used a temperature-sensitive dlg allele to demonstrate that there are two stages, late embryogenesis and larval stages, at which dlg is necessary for normal formation of synapses. These stages are coincident with dynamic DLG expression at presynaptic sites in the late embryo, and at postsynaptic regions in the larva. Ultrastructural and confocal analyses reveal that Drosophila neuromuscular junctions undergo a dramatic expansion of the postsynaptic apparatus, which is paralleled by target muscle growth. We show that this process of postsynaptic expansion is partially blocked in dlg mutants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate that dlg is required during synapse maturation. We show that dlg is involved in the determination of postsynaptic size during target muscle growth. Because motoneuron targets in the larva are continuously growing, synaptic contacts are structurally plastic, undergoing continuous expansion. We conclude that dlg plays an important role in this form of structural synaptic plasticity.

[Secretion of endothelin-1 by cultured human normal adrenal cells]

Endothelin (ET) is a vasoactive peptide produced by some other types of cells in addition to endothelial cells. The authors investigated into the possibility of ET-1 secretion by cultured human normal adrenal cells. Human normal adrenal cells were prepared by 2% collagenase digestion for 1.5 hours and cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% FCS. Angiotensin I (10(-9)-10(-7) mol/L) was added to the experimental groups on the 7-9th days of cultivation. Mediums were collected after 24 hours and the levels of aldosterone, cortisol and ET-1 in the mediums were measured by RIA. Other than aldosterone and cortisol, ET-1 was detected in the cultured mediums of human normal adrenal cells. And the secretion of ET-1 was stimulated by angiotesin I. Therefore, it is proposed that ET-1 may play a role by autocrine or paracrine in the human normal adrenal gland.

[Surveillance of fetal growth and fetal cerebellar transverse diameter by ultrasonographic measurement]

Measured fetal transverse cerebellar diameters were obtained by ultrasonography in 325 women during 20-42 weeks of gestation. A nomogram for transverse cerebellar diameter with respect to gestational age was generated. Curvilinear relationship was found between the transverse cerebellar diameter and the gestational age (R = 0.99624, P less than 0.0005). Fetal transverse cerebellar diameter, biparietal diameter, head circumference, abdominal diameter, abdominal circumference and femur length were measured by ultrasound in 39 women not more than one week before delivery. Correlation coefficients between the birth weights and these parameters were studied. It was found that the correlation between the transverse cerebellar diameter and the birth weight was the highest. The function of the transverse cerebellar diameter in the evaluation of fetal growth and development is better than any other parameter. The transverse cerebellar diameters of 20 IUGR cases were obtained. It was indicated that the growth of the transverse cerebellar diameter slowed down in primary symmetric IUGR, and was unaffected in secondary asymmetric IUGR. Thus it has clinical diagnostic value in symmetric IUGR. When combined with the abdominal circumference, the fetal cerebellar transverse diameter may help to differentiate the types of growth-retarded fetuses.