Nitrogen and titanium-codoped porous carbon nanocomposites derived from metal-organic framework as cathode to address polysulfides shuttle effects by Ti-assisted N-inhibiting strategy

To address the problem of shutting effect of Li-S batteries, we used Ti-based MOF as precursor to obtain a conductive matrix with dual inhibitors. The target material, namely NTiPC, shown remarkable discharge capacity with 1178 mA h g^-1, and maintained at 732 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles. The results indicated the N- and Ti-active sites synergistic acted with conductive framework can facilitate binding reaction between matrix and polysulfides.

[Regional disparities in trends of global gastric cancer incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019]

Objective: To depict gastric cancer burden trends globally and analyze geographical and socioeconomic disparities among different countries and territories. Methods: We extracted the data from Global Burden of Disease 2019 Database. We conducted the Joinpoint regression and calculated the average annual percent change (AAPC) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for age-standardized gastric cancer incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019. Linear regression was performed to measure the association of sociodemographic index (SDI) with each country's gastric cancer incidence and mortality AAPC. We applied the age-period-cohort analysis to assess the cohort effect on gastric cancer incidence and mortality. Results: The AAPCs for gastric cancer age-standardized incidence and mortality rates from 1990 to 2019 were -1.27% (95% CI: -1.43%, -1.11%) and -1.87% (95% CI: -2.01%, -1.72%), respectively. SDI levels were negatively associated with AAPCs, which means that countries with higher SDI had higher AAPC (P<0.001). The decrease of gastric cancer burden in countries with low or medium SDI levels was slower than that globally. The age-period-cohort analysis indicated that countries with higher SDI levels had more apparent decline in birth cohort effects from 1900 to 1999. Conclusions: Countries with different socioeconomic levels have various decreasing rates for gastric cancer incidence and deaths. Countries with higher SDI levels have higher declining rates for gastric cancer burden.

[A comparative analysis of the distribution of the high-risk population of upper gastrointestinal cancer and endoscopic screening compliance in two urban areas and two rural areas in China]

Objective: To analyze and compare the distribution of the high-risk population of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) cancer and the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening in urban China and rural China. Methods: From 2015 to 2017, an epidemiological survey was conducted on residents aged 40-69 in two rural areas (Luoshan county of Henan province, Sheyang county of Jiangsu province) and two urban areas (Changsha city of Hunan province, Harbin city of Heilongjiang province). As a result, high-risk individuals were recommended for endoscopic screening. Chi-square χ(2) test was used to compare the high-risk rate of UGI cancer between urban and rural residents. In addition, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors influencing the compliance rate of endoscopic screening. Results: A total of 48, 310 residents aged 40-69 were enrolled in this study, including 22 870 (47.34%) residents from rural areas and 25 440 (52.66%) residents from urban areas. A total of 23 532 individuals were assessed with a high risk of UGI cancer, with an overall risk rate of 48.71%. A higher proportion of participants with high risk was observed in rural China (56.17%, 12 845/22 870) than in urban China (42.01%, 10 687/25 440). A total of 10 971 high-risk individuals with UGI cancer participated in endoscopic screening, with an overall compliance rate of 46.62% (10 971/23 532), 45.15% (5 799/12 845) in rural China, and 48.40% (5 172/10 687) in urban China. In rural population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those of females, aged 50-69 years, primary school education or above, high income, a family history of UGI cancer, history of gastric and duodenal ulcer, history of reflux esophagitis, and history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Among the urban population, the compliance rate of endoscopic screening was higher in those aged 40-49 years, uneducated, low income, family history of UGI cancer, history of reflux esophagitis, history of superficial gastritis, but lower in smokers (P<0.05). Conclusions: The proportion of participants with high risk of UGI cancer in rural areas is higher than that of urban areas. The compliance rates of endoscopic screening in urban and rural areas are low, and influencing factors of endoscopic screening exhibit some differences in rural China and urban China.

POM-based metal organic frameworks with a woven fabric structure for lithium storage

A novel POMOFs with fabric structure possesses high lithium storage capacity, and its long life cycle performance is further enhanced by CNTs.

[Research advances in the relationship of dietary factors and prostate cancer risk]

Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy in men worldwide. An increasing trend for prostate cancer incidence was observed in China. Enormous studies have been conducted to investigate the association between dietary factors and prostate cancer, however conflicted results were obtained. Red meat, processed meat, and dairy products consumption were reported to be associated with the increased prostate cancer risk, while tomatoes, soybeans and green tea might reduce the risk of prostate cancer occurance. However, no consensus could be reached without strong evidence. Furthermore, further studies are needed to investigate the association between vitamin and mineral supplements and prostate cancer risk. Some studies reported that men with higher dietary inflammatory index scores increased prostate cancer risk. There may be a long susceptible period when dietary factors affect prostate cancer risk, which poses challenges for collecting exposure and the follow-up. Measure bias and detection bias are the main reasons which impair the authenticity of studies on the relationship of dietary factors and prostate cancer risk. Researchers should apply various methods to measure participants' dietary consumption levels and ascertain essential outcomes, such as prostate cancer death. This article reviews updated epidemiological evidences on the association of dietary factors and prostate cancer, aims to benefit future nutritional epidemiology studies focus on the prostate cancer prevention.

[Quality assessment of global prostate cancer screening guidelines]

Objective: To systematically review the quality of clinical practice guidelines for prostate cancer screening to serve as a reference for developing prostate cancer screening guidelines in China. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, and SinoMed with the term "prostate cancer" "prostate carcinoma" "prostate tumor" "screening" "early detection" "guideline" "recommendation" as keywords. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE) Ⅱ instrument and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare (RIGHT) were used for critical appraisal. Results: A total of thirteen guidelines were included in this review. Evaluated by the AGREE Ⅱ instrument, ten were considered as A level. Two guidelines scored B level, and one was considered C level. Lowest mean domain scores were for stakeholder involvement (52.1%) and applicability (34.0%). Using the RIGHT checklist, we found that the low reporting quality of the thirteen guidelines could be attributable to incomplete disclosure of evidence (64.6%), funding, declaration and management of interest (44.2%), or other information (46.2%). Conclusions: No guidelines for prostate cancer screening was developed in China. The methodological quality of the guidelines in prostate cancer screening was good, which set a tone for the development of Chinese guidelines. However, all guidelines showed poor reporting quality.

Relationship between ncRNAs and gastric cancer: meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to investigate the action and mechanism of cordyceps polysaccharide on rat acute liver failure (ALF).

METHODS

Sixty rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal group, model group, and cordyceps polysaccharide groups with high, middle and low doses (20, 10 and 5 mg/ml). Apoptosis was detected through TUNEL method. Protein expressions of caspase 1, IL-18, IL-10, VEGF, and SDF-1α in liver tissue are detected by Western Blot. PCNA and sIRPα1 contents were measured by PCR method. Rat ALF is modeled with a D-galactosamine induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

RESULTS

The results after modelling showed tissue HE staining wiith typical manifestation of acute liver injury. Compared with the medicated group, serum ALT and AST, as well as hepatocyte apoptosis are significantly higher in the liver failure group, in a time-dependent way. This suggests that medication can effectively inhibit the expression of caspase 1, IL-18, and IL-10, while simultaneously increasing the expression of VEGF and SDF-1α, as well as of PCNA and sIRPα1. Cordyceps polysaccharide can alleviate the immune inflammatory response in acute liver failure, and may be specifically homing to the damaged liver, thus promoting the secretion of VEGF, proliferation of hepatocyte, regeneration of liver vessels, and repair of liver tissues.

CONCLUSION

Medication can reduce the IL-10 level, regulate the equilibrium of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, and decrease the level of caspase 1 and IL-18 (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 18).

Effects of RNA silencing of matrix metalloproteinase-2 on the growth of esophageal carcinoma cells in vivo

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in China. Previous studies reported that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have important roles in the progression and invasion of numerous types of solid tumors. Among the MMPs, MMP-2 has been closely associated with tumor growth and invasion. In the present study, a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) lentiviral expression vector targeting the MMP-2 gene was constructed in order to observe the inhibitory effect of MMP-2 gene silencing on the growth of the KYSE150 esophageal carcinoma cell line in vivo. Three small hairpin RNA sequences targeting MMP-2 were designed and cloned into lentiviral vectors. Following transfection of the lentiviral vectors into KTSE150 cells, MMP-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, and the growth rate of cells was analyzed by MTT assays. Subsequently, tumor growth was assessed in nude mice. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference effectively inhibited the expression of MMP-2 mRNA and protein in KYSE150 esophageal carcinoma cells, and suppressed the growth of esophageal carcinoma cells in vivo. The results of the present study suggested that lentivirus-mediated gene therapy targeting MMP-2 may be an attractive strategy for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma and justifies the performance of further studies on the application of lentivirus vectors to cancer gene therapy.

Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers and the population genetic structure of the half-fin anchovy, Setipinna taty

Microsatellite markers for the half-fin anchovy Setipinna taty were developed from the enriched (CA)15 genomic library, and they were used for the population genetic studies of the half-fin anchovy from Chinese coastal areas. Samples were collected from five localities of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. Eleven simple sequence repeat markers were used to assess genetic differentiation in 30 individuals at each locality. As a result, 59 alleles were recorded over all loci with an average of 5.36 alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.27 to 0.73 and 0.50 to 0.89, respectively. Analysis of molecular variation indicated that the variation within individuals was high (70.68%), while variations of individuals within and among populations were low (22.47 and 6.85%). The phylogenetic tree showed that these populations could be divided into two clusters: populations of the East China Sea, which came from Ninghai, Xiangshan and Zhoushan, and populations of the Yellow Sea, which were from Yantai and Weihai. It revealed that significant geographic structure existed in this species. All of the results indicated that high genetic diversity existed in the half-fin anchovy from different geographic populations. This conclusion was consistent with the classification based on morphological and physiological characteristics.

High Serum CEA and CYFRA21-1 Levels after a Two-Cycle Adjuvant Chemotherapy for NSCLC: Possible Poor Prognostic Factors

Objective

The aim of this study was to test whether carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA21-1) can be used as a prognostic factor for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC patients.

Methods

A total of 169 patients underwent at least two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The serum levels of CEA and CYFRA21-1 were recorded after the second cycle of chemotherapy, and the patient follow-up was conducted. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were used as the primary endpoint and the secondary endpoint, respectively.

Results

The high levels of CEA and CYFRA21-1 after two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy were poor prognostic factors for OS, with risk ratios (RR) of 2.003 and 1.702, respectively. A high CEA level was a poor prognostic factor (RR 1.152) for DFS. The median survival time (MST) of the high CEA level group was 26 months, whereas that of the normal group was 61 months (P<0.0001). The median DFS time of the high CEA group and the normal group was 34 and 53 months, respectively (P<0.0001). The MST of the high CYFRA21-1 group and the normal group was 43 and 56 months, respectively (P<0.0001).

Conclusions

The high serum levels of CEA or CYFRA21-1 after two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy are poor prognostic factors for NSCLC patients.

Rapid isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain (Portunidae)

Scylla paramamosain is a widespread and commercially important species of coastal marine crab. We identified 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci from a genome library constructed with 5'-anchored PCR method. Thirty-two S. paramamosain from the East China Sea were used to analyze the characteristics of these loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 8, with a mean of 5.923. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.500 to 0.875 and from 0.500 to 0.859, respectively. Eleven of the 13 loci were highly polymorphic (polymorphic information content >0.5). All of the 13 novel loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction (P < 0.0038). There was no null allele, stuttering errors or evidence of allelic dropout in any of the loci analyzed by MICRO-CHECKER. According to pairwise tests, no significant linkage disequilibrium was found among the 13 loci (P < 0.0038, adjusted value). These novel developed microsatellites will be useful for studies of genetic variation, population structure, conservation genetics, and molecular-assisted selective breeding of S. paramamosain.

Development of microsatellite markers for the small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis (Sciaenidae) by cross-species amplification

The small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis) is a highly valued fish for human consumption found in the Western Pacific that was considered endangered until recently because of overfishing. We selected microsatellite markers for this species from markers developed for Miichthys miiuy, also of the family Sciaenidae. Among 43 markers polymorphic for M. miiuy, 11 were found to be polymorphic for L. polyactis. Characterization of these 11 loci was made based on 30 L. polyactis individuals collected by trawling in the Zhoushan Fishing Ground, Zhejiang Province, China. Total genomic DNA was isolated from fin clips. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 10, with a mean of 5.82, while the effective number of alleles ranged from 1.64 to 10.00, with a mean of 3.22. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.17 to 0.72 and from 0.39 to 0.81, respectively. Significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was found at four loci, after applying Bonferroni's correction. There was no significant association between any of the pairs of microsatellite loci, hence allelic variation at these loci was considered independent. These 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci will be useful for genetic diversity analysis and molecular-assisted breeding for L. polyactis.

Genetic diversity of Setipinna taty (Engraulidae) populations from the China Sea based on mitochondrial DNA control region sequences

The genetic diversity of Setipinna taty, which is commercially fished in the China Sea, was studied based on mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. PCR was used to amplify the control region fragment in 100 individuals of S. taty collected from Weihai (WH), Yantai (YT), Zhoushan (ZS), Xiangshan (XS), and Ninghai (NH) in China. A control region fragment of 656 bp was successfully sequenced in these 100 individuals. The A+T content of this S. taty control region was 71.7%; 172 variable sites and 62 haplotypes were found. Nucleotide diversity in the WH, YT, ZS, XS, and NH groups was 0.0228, 0.0247, 0.0441, 0.0126, and 0.0238, respectively. The haplotype diversity was 0.984, 0.911, 0.989, 0.926, and 0.979, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 97.95% of genetic variation was within populations, and only 2.05% among populations. The neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree obtained based on genetic distance showed that no significant genealogical structure exists throughout this range of S. taty. These results indicate no apparent geographical differentiation in the comparison of Yellow Sea and East China Sea populations of S. taty. Within the control region, we identified an extended termination-associated sequence domain, a central conserved sequence block domain and a conserved sequence block domain; insertions of short tandem repeat sequence segments were found at the 5' end of the control region.

Effects of RNAi-mediated matrix metalloproteinase-2 gene silencing on the invasiveness and adhesion of esophageal carcinoma cells, KYSE150

BACKGROUND

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the main malignancies in China. Previous studies indicated that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in the process of tumor invasion and metastasis in several types of solid tumors. Among all of the MMPs, MMP-2 is one of the MMPs closely associated with tumor invasion. In this study, we suppressed MMP-2 expression with RNA interference and then observed inhibitory effects on the invasion and migration of the esophageal carcinoma cell line KYSE150.

METHODS

Three target sequences were selected and siRNA against MMP-2 mRNA were synthesized. After being transfected by the transfection complexes, the MMP-2 expression of KYSE150 cells, which overexpresses MMP-2, were examined by Western blot analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cell migration and invasion were measured with migration assay and Boyden chamber assays, respectively.

RESULTS

RNAi against MMP-2 successfully inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of MMP-2 in the esophageal carcinoma cell line KYSE150. MMP-2 knockdown inhibited the invasion and migration of esophageal carcinoma cell line KYSE150.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested that the RNAi approach towards MMP-2 may be a potentially effective therapeutic method for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers for the lizardfish known as the Bombay duck, Harpadon nehereus (Synodontidae)

The Bombay duck, or bummalo (Harpadon nehereus), is a lizardfish native to the Arabian sea, but also common in the China sea. It is normally dried and salted before consumption and export. To provide molecular information on this economically important fish species, we developed and characterized microsatellite markers. Ninety positive clones from the (CA)(15)-enriched genomic library were sequenced; 62 sequences contained sufficient repeat motifs (di-, tri- and tetra-nucleotide). Twenty-eight primer pairs were designed and 21 were successfully amplified; five loci were polymorphic, but with a low number of alleles (three or four). The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.3500 to 0.8421 and from 0.5244 to 0.6244, respectively. All of the five polymorphic loci were at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (adjusted), while linkage disequilibrium between Hane-97 and Hane-175 (P< 0.05, adjusted P value = 0.01) was significant. The low degree of polymorphism of microsatellite markers may be due to the large size of the repeat motifs. These markers will be useful for genetic diversity analysis of H. nehereus.

Use of serum circulating CCNB2 in cancer surveillance

Cyclin B2 (CCNB2), a member of the cyclin protein family, has been found to be up-regulated in human cancers. To evaluate the potential use of circulating CCNB2 in serum in cancer surveillance, we examined relative expression levels of serum circulating CCNB2 mRNA in 103 cancer patients, 19 normal controls, and 40 benign disease patients using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We found that the relative expression level of circulating CCNB2 mRNA in cancer patients was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than that in normal controls and benign diseases group. Circulating CCNB2 mRNA level was significantly (p<0.001) correlated with cancer stage and metastasis status. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 and 0.83 (p<0.05) in identifying cancer patients' metastasis status in lung and digestive tract cancer, respectively. Moreover, we observed that expression levels of circulating CCNB2 mRNA in cancer patients significantly decreased (p=0.0084) after their therapeutic treatments. These data suggest that detection of serum circulating CCNB2 mRNA may have potential clinical applications in screening and monitoring of metastasis and therapeutic treatments.

Use of serum circulating CCNB2 in cancer surveillance

Cyclin B2 (CCNB2), a member of the cyclin protein family, has been found to be up-regulated in human cancers. To evaluate the potential use of circulating CCNB2 in serum in cancer surveillance, we examined relative expression levels of serum circulating CCNB2 mRNA in 103 cancer patients, 19 normal controls, and 40 benign disease patients using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We found that the relative expression level of circulating CCNB2 mRNA in cancer patients was significantly higher (p<0.0001) than that in normal controls and benign diseases group. Circulating CCNB2 mRNA level was significantly (p<0.001) correlated with cancer stage and metastasis status. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 and 0.83 (p<0.05) in identifying cancer patients' metastasis status in lung and digestive tract cancer, respectively. Moreover, we observed that expression levels of circulating CCNB2 mRNA in cancer patients significantly decreased (p=0.0084) after their therapeutic treatments. These data suggest that detection of serum circulating CCNB2 mRNA may have potential clinical applications in screening and monitoring of metastasis and therapeutic treatments.

Phytohemagglutinin improves efficiency of electrofusing mammary gland epithelial cells into oocytes in goats

The objective was to investigate the effect of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) on the fusion of mammary gland epithelial (MGE) cells into enucleated oocytes in goats. The toxicity of PHA was evaluated by testing its effect on the development of parthenogenetic caprine oocytes. The effective dose and duration of PHA treatment (100 microg/mL, 20 min incubation) was selected and used to compare fusion efficiency and embryo development following nuclear transfer. Two electrofusion protocols, chamber fusion (CF) and pressurized microelectrode fusion (pMEF), were also compared, when couplets were treated with and without PHA (100 microg/mL, 20 min). Fusion rate of couplets increased from 52.8 to 74.0% for the CF protocol (P<0.05), but was not significantly different for the pMEF protocol (72.7% vs. 78.1%) after PHA treatment. There were no significant differences between treated group and control in rates of subsequent cleavage or blastocyst development. Following transfer of the cloned blastocysts derived from the PHA-treated group and the control group into synchronized recipients, pregnancy rates (Day 30) were not significantly different between treated group and control (28.6% vs. 25.0%). However, all recipients aborted within 120d, microsatellite DNA analyses confirmed that the aborted fetuses were genetically identical to the donor goat. In conclusion, the fusion rate of caprine MGE cell couplets was improved by pre-incubating couplets in medium containing 100 microg/mL PHA prior to electrical pulsing, and embryos derived from PHA treatment established early pregnancies.

[A three-year follow-up study of hepatitis C virus infected individuals from Beixie village, Gu-an county, Hebel province, China]

A total number of 42 anti-HCV positive individuals from Beixie village, Gu-an county, was followed for three years to study the dynamic change of alanine aminotransminase (ALT), anti-HCV titers as well as HCV RNA in serum. Research results showed that 18.1% to 26.2% of the individuals exhibited a rise in ALT values while the positive rate of HCV RNA was 80%. The yearly negative seroconversion rate of anti-HCV was only 0.95%. The geometric mean titer (GMT) of anti-HCV was around 160 and showed no significant difference between the paired serum samples collected in 1991 and in 1994. There were no statistical associations between the GMT value of anti-HCV and ALT level as well as HCV RNA in serum.

Principal component analysis. A factor analytical technique for the determination of interobserver variation in histomorphologic tumor grading

The insufficient interobserver reproducibility limits the practical use of histomorphological tumor grading in daily routine pathology. In this study, the reasons for the quite low rates of agreement between different observers have been investigated by the application of a factor analytical technique, i.e. principal component analysis with varimax rotation, on a tumor grading system. Grading results from 44 cases of G1 and G2 giant cell tumors of the bone (GCT), graded by three different observers according to the five criteria of Jaffe, were taken as an example. It could be proven that the single criteria were used in an observer-specific way. Two criteria, for example, which are scored highly correlated by one observer, may be used independently by another. The resulting observer-specific different recognition patterns may provide an explanation for their quite different grading results, which were identical in only 48.6% to 54.1% (mean: 50.9%) of the cases. No correlation of GCT grading with recurrence was found in 31 cases which had been treated by intralesional surgery.

[The association of HincII/low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with diabetes mellitus and its lipid phenotype with PCR gene amplification]

The association of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene HincII RFLP with diabetes mellitus and its lipid metabolism was studied in 196 Chinese with PCR gene amplification. 16 IDDM and 75 NIDDM were included. The most common genotype and allele frequencies of NIDDM were H2H2 (0.78) and H2 (0.89) respectively, and no significant differences were found in comparison with the normal control. The NIDDM with low LDL level (< 1.3 mmol/L) had less H2H2 type and H2 frequencies. Allele 1 (H1) was possibly related to the higher level of serum cholesterol, but allele 2 (H2) was quite the reverse. The phenotype of lipid metabolism was partially determined by the genotype. LDL, tc and tg level of NIDDM were significantly higher than the normal control (P < 0.001, 0.001, 0.05 respectively), indicating that NIDDM was accompanied by disturbance of lipid metabolism.

Quantitative pathological study of aggressiveness of giant cell tumor of bone

Clinical behavior of giant cell tumor of bone (GCT) may vary remarkably from latent to very aggressive. Quantitative pathological methods were used to evaluate the aggressiveness of GCT. Fifteen cytometric parameters were measured and computed on routine sections of 40 GCTs which had been treated with curettage. The surgery factor (with or without additional procedures like bone cement packing or freezing after the curettage) was also taken into account and computed. Nineteen of the 40 GCTs were cured and 21 recurred. While no single one from the 15 parameters measured showed significant differences between the cured and recurrent groups according to the Mann-Whitney's U test or Student's t test, a 4-variable function was established with a stepwise discriminant analysis which could correctly identify 70.8% of the predicted cases as cured or recurrent (jackknife procedure). The function also suggested that in addition to the surgery factor, which no doubt had close relation with the prognosis, the most important risk factor in histological parameters was SA40, i.e. the percent of cells with nucleus larger than 40 square microns. Single cells extracted from paraffin-embedded blocks of 38 GCTs were analyzed by DNA-image cytometry. The 2c deviation index (2cDI) showed wide heterogeneity ranging from those consistent with benign tumors to those with apparent malignant ones, which may account for its diversity in clinical behaviour. Sixteen of the 38 cases had been treated with curettage, 8 of them were cured and followed up for at least 3 years and the remaining 8 recurred. The significant difference of 2cDI between the two groups suggested that these DNA parameters are useful in evaluating the aggressiveness of GCT for the selection of an adequate treatment. Quantitative approaches appeared to be more objective and more sensitive in evaluating the aggressiveness and predicting the prognosis of GCT than the subjective grading system used before.

Radiological diagnosis of aspirated foreign bodies in children: review of 343 cases

In our series of 400 Chinese children with foreign body aspiration (FBA), 343 cases were evaluated by fluoroscopy and/or plain chest X-rays before endoscopic removal of the foreign bodies. The majority of the foreign bodies (FBs) were organic (378/400, 94.5 per cent). The results showed that mainstem bronchial foreign bodies were diagnosed correctly in 68 per cent of cases compared with 65 per cent correct diagnoses with segmental bronchial foreign bodies, but only 22 per cent correct diagnoses with tracheal, and 0 per cent correct diagnosis in those with laryngeal foreign bodies. Eighty per cent (32/40) of the children with laryngotracheal FBs had normal X-ray findings, whereas 67.7 per cent (205/303) of the children with bronchial FBs had abnormal chest X-ray findings. The most common positive radiological signs in the children with tracheobronchial FBs were obstructive emphysema (131/213, 62 per cent) and mediastinal shift (117/213, 55 per cent). The incidence of major complications was related not only to the size of the foreign body and its location but also the duration since aspiration. The most common types of bronchial obstructions by airway FBs are discussed.

Anti-shock effects of synthetic effective compositions of fructus aurantii immaturus. Experimental study and clinical observation

Satisfactory results have been obtained in treating infective shock with injection of natural Fructus Aurantii immaturus (nat-FAI). The results of animal experiments and clinical observations on the anti-shock effects of the synthetic effective compositions of Fructus Aurantii immaturus (syn-FAI) are reported. The cardiac output increased from 0.53 to 0.87 L/min (P less than 0.01), and the cardiac index increased from 0.99 to 1.63 L/m2/min (P less than 0.01) in the endotoxic shock dogs after the treatment with syn-FAI. At the same time the blood stream in bulbar conjunctiva became accelerated and the dilated microvessels began to get smaller in most dogs. Of fifty children with infective shock treated with syn-FAI, forty-eight showed curative effects, with a total effective rate of 96%. The anti-shock effective compositions in FAI have been proved to be synephrine and N-methyltyrosamine. Moreover, syn-FAI has shown a more stable property, less side-effects and better clinical results than nat-FAI.

Tissue cryopreservation and rewarming study on giant cell tumor of bone

An attempt has been made of cryopreservation of tissue fragments from 6 GCTB surgical specimens. They have been kept in 10% DMSO or 15% glycerol medium and stored in liquid nitrogen for periods up to 180 days. Tumor cellular components survive the process of slow freezing and rapid thawing as cellular growth is successful in subsequent culture. Though certain reversible ultrastructural changes have been detected, no apparent distinction could be found in microscopic morphology, motility, growth behavior and LDH isozyme pattern between cultured cells of the cryopreserved fragments and those of the fresh ones. Electron microscopy shows that DMSO exceeds glycerol in protecting the ultrastructure of the cells. Slow cooling and rapid thawing is recommended because ice-crystals form in the intercellular space, which causes only light damage to the cells.