Resistant Dextrin Protects Rats Against Streptozotocin Induced Gestational Diabetes Mellitus via Alteration of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Objective

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder that occurs in 3-5% of pregnancies. The inflammatory response is essential to the development of GDM. Resistant dextrin is a natural fiber and exhibits an antidiabetic effect against diabetes. We investigate resistant dextrin's preventive role and underlying mechanism against STZ-induced GDM.

Material and method

Female Wistar rats were utilized, and GDM was induced in pregnant rats using STZ. The levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), resistin, serum-c-peptide, free fatty acid, antioxidant, hepatic glycogen, lipid, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and inflammatory parameters were estimated. mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) was estimated. We also estimated the histopathology of pancreatic and liver tissue.

Result

Body weight, plasma insulin, fetal body weight, and blood glucose levels were all considerably (P < .001) improved by resistant dextrin, while placental weight and blood sugar levels were also decreased. Resistant dextrin significantly (P < .001) suppressed the levels of HbA1c, resistin, serum-c-peptide, and hepatic glycogen and improved the free fatty acid (FFA) level. Resistant dextrin significantly (P < .001) altered the level of adiponectin, leptin, intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1), and visfatin; antioxidant parameters such as malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione S-transferase GST, inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon- γ (INF-γ), interleukin-10 (IL-10); apoptosis parameters include Bcl-2, caspase-3, and Bax, respectively. Resistant dextrin significantly (P < .001) suppressed the mRNA expression of NF-κB, MyD88, NLRP3, and TLR4. Resistant dextrin altered the histopathological changes in the pancreas and hepatic tissue.

Discussion and Conclusion

In short, resistant dextrin demonstrated a protective effect against STZ-induced GDM by modulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

[Analysis of clinical data of necrotizing fasciitis secondary to intestinal fistulas and screening the mortality risk factors]

Objective: To analyze the clinical data and to screen the mortality risk factors of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) secondary to intestinal fistulas (NFsIF). Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study. The data of all NFsIF cases who met the inclusion criteria and were admitted into Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University (hereinafter referred to as our unit) from January 2000 to October 2023, and in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Medical Journal Network databases from its establishment to October 2023 were retrieved and screened. Based on clinical outcomes, the cases were divided into survival group (47 males and 24 females) and death group (16 males and 7 females), and the mortality rate was calculated. Clinical data of patients in the two groups including age, underlying diseases (most related to NF), symptom duration before presentation, white blood cell count, causes of NF, signs of peritonitis, scope of NF involvement, and intestinal management and wound management measures were compared and analyzed to screen the risk factors of death in 94 patients with NFsIF. Results: A total of 94 valid cases were collected, including 90 patients reported in the literature and 4 patients admitted to our unit, with the mortality rate of patients being 24.5% (23/94). Univariate analysis showed that there were no statistically significant differences in age, underlying diseases, symptom duration before presentation, white blood cell count, causes of NF, signs of peritonitis, scope of NF involvement between patients in the two groups (P>0.05); there were statistically significant differences in intestinal treatment and wound treatment between the two groups (with χ2 values of 17.97 and 8.33, respectively, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that both intestinal treatment measures and wound treatments measures were independent risk factors for death in 94 NFsIF patients, among which first-stage colostomy+late-stage reconstruction and negative presssure therapy had higher protective effects (with odds ratios of 0.05 and 0.27, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.01-0.33 and 0.08-0.88, respectively, P<0.05). Conclusions: The mortality risk of patients with NFsIF is high. Based on comprehensive treatments, active intestinal and wound treatment may be the key to avoid death, with first-stage colostomy+late-stage reconstruction and negative pressure therapy having higher protective effects.

Protective effect of soy isolate protein against streptozotocin induced gestational diabetes mellitus via TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious complication of pregnancy that is characterized by high blood sugar levels that occur due to insulin resistance and dysfunction in glucose metabolism during pregnancy. It usually develops in the second or third trimester of pregnancy and affects about 7 % of all pregnancies worldwide. In this experimental study, we scrutinized the GDM protective effect of soy isolate protein against streptozotocin (STZ) induced GDM in rats and explore the underlying mechanism.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used in this experimental study. A 55 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) was administered to induce diabetes in female rats, followed by oral administration of soy isolate protein for 18 days. Body weight, glucose levels, and insulin were measured at different time intervals (0, 9, and 18 days). Lipid profiles, antioxidant levels, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis parameters, and mRNA expression were also assessed. Pancreatic and liver tissues were collected for histopathological examination during the experimental study.

RESULTS

Soy isolate protein significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the glucose level and enhanced the insulin level and body weight. Soy isolate protein remarkably decreased the placental weight and increased the fetal weight. Soy isolate protein significantly (P < 0.001) decreased the HbA1c, hepatic glycogen, serum C-peptide and increased the level of free fatty acid. Soy isolate protein significantly (P < 0.001) altered the level of lipid, antioxidant and inflammatory cytokines. Soy isolate protein significantly (P < 0.001) improved the level of adiponectin, visfatin and suppressed the level of leptin and ICAM-1. Soy isolate protein significantly (P < 0.001) altered the mRNA expression and also restored the alteration of histopathology.

CONCLUSION

Based on the result, soy isolate protein exhibited the GDM protective effect against the STZ induced GDM in rats via alteration of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Early adjunctive diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound-related quantitative parameter and its relationship with micro-perfusion of nontraumatic necrosis of femoral head

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to explore the early diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-related quantitative parameter and its relationship with the micro-perfusion of nontraumatic necrosis of the femoral head.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

According to the random and double-blind method, the patients with non-traumatic femoral head necrosis diagnosed and treated in our hospital from July 2019 to January 2022 were selected as the subjects (the research group). According to the staging of the International Society of Bone Circulation for Femoral Head Necrosis, 89 patients with stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ A were included (39 patients with stage Ⅱ and 50 patients with stage Ⅲ A). 25 patients who conducted physical examination in our hospital during the same time were taken as the control group. Quantitative parameters of CEUS were analyzed. The content of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) were evaluated. The relationship among the quantitative parameters of CEUS, the expression of VEGF and BMP-2 in serum and the patient's condition, and the value for assisting the early diagnosis of nontraumatic femoral head necrosis were analyzed.

RESULTS

The body mass, body mass index (BMI), blood lipid, and cholesterol levels were much higher in the research group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The research group had a markedly higher slope of ascending branch (AS), strength enhancement index (EI), and VEGF and obviously lower decay slope (DS), mean transit time (MTT), and time to peak (TTP) than the control group (p < 0.05). In the research group, compared to stage Ⅱ, the levels of AS, EI, and VEGF in stage Ⅲ A patients were memorably higher, and the levels of DS, MTT, TTP and BMP-2 were dramatically lower (p < 0.05). Pearson's correlation test showed that AS, EI, and VEGF were positively correlated with the patients' condition, while DS, MTT, TTP and BMP-2 were negatively correlated with the patients' condition (p < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the diagnostic area under the curve (AUC) of quantitative parameters of CEUS was 0.961, with sensitivity and specificity of 88.0% and 97.4%, respectively. The AUC of the combined detection of VEGF and BMP-2 was 0.945 with sensitivity and specificity of 82.3% and 87.5%, respectively, and the combined detection had a high diagnostic value (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The quantitative parameters of CEUS were of great value in the early diagnosis of nontraumatic necrosis of the femoral head with microvascular perfusion and the patients' condition, and provided a reference for the clinical treatment of non-traumatic necrosis of the femoral head. These parameters were expected to be useful indicators for judging the efficacy before and after treatment.

[Research advances of adipose stem cell matrix gel in promoting wound healing]

In recent years, with the problem of aging population in China being prominant, the number of patients with chronic wounds such as diabetic foot, pressure ulcer, and vascular ulcer is increasing. Those diseases seriously affect the life quality of patients and increase the economy and care burden of the patients' family, which have been one of the most urgent clinical problems. Many researches have confirmed that adipose stem cells can effectively promote wound healing, while exogenous protease is needed, and there are ethical and many other problems, which limit the clinical application of adipose stem cells. Adipose stem cell matrix gel is a gel-like mixture of biologically active extracellular matrix and stromal vascular fragment obtained from adipose tissue by the principle of fluid whirlpool and flocculation precipitation. It contains rich adipose stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, and macrophages, etc. The preparation method of adipose stem cell matrix gel is simple and the preparation time is short, which is convenient for clinical application. Many studies at home and abroad showed that adipose stem cell matrix gel can effectively promote wound healing by regulating inflammatory reaction, promoting microvascular reconstruction and collagen synthesis. Therefore, this paper summarized the preparation of adipose stem cell matrix gel, the mechanism and problems of the matrix gel in promoting wound repair, in order to provide new methods and ideas for the treatment of chronic refractory wounds in clinic.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Evaluation of the Spatial Relationship between Brain Arteriovenous Malformations and the Corticospinal Tract to Predict Postsurgical Motor Defects

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Preoperative evaluation of brain AVMs is crucial for the selection of surgical candidates. Our goal was to use artificial intelligence to predict postsurgical motor defects in patients with brain AVMs involving motor-related areas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighty-three patients who underwent microsurgical resection of brain AVMs involving motor-related areas were retrospectively reviewed. Four artificial intelligence-based indicators were calculated with artificial intelligence on TOF-MRA and DTI, including FN5mm/50mm (the proportion of fiber numbers within 5-50mm from the lesion border), FN10mm/50mm (the same but within 10-50mm), FP5mm/50mm (the proportion of fiber voxel points within 5-50mm from the lesion border), and FP10mm/50mm (the same but within 10-50mm). The association between the variables and long-term postsurgical motor defects was analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression with the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to select the optimal features to develop the machine learning model to predict postsurgical motor defects. The area under the curve was calculated to evaluate the predictive performance.

RESULTS

In patients with and without postsurgical motor defects, the mean FN5mm/50mm, FN10mm/50mm, FP5mm/50mm, and FP10mm/50mm were 0.24 (SD, 0.24) and 0.03 (SD, 0.06), 0.37 (SD, 0.27) and 0.06 (SD, 0.08), 0.06 (SD, 0.10) and 0.01 (SD, 0.02), and 0.10 (SD, 0.12) and 0.02 (SD, 0.05), respectively. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses identified FN10mm/50mm as an independent risk factor for long-term postsurgical motor defects (P = .002). FN10mm/50mm achieved a mean area under the curve of 0.86 (SD, 0.08). The mean area under the curve of the machine learning model consisting of FN10mm/50mm, diffuseness, and the Spetzler-Martin score was 0.88 (SD, 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

The artificial intelligence-based indicator, FN10mm/50mm, can reflect the lesion-fiber spatial relationship and act as a dominant predictor for postsurgical motor defects in patients with brain AVMs involving motor-related areas.

[A prospective randomized controlled study of the application effect of hydrogel dressings on deep partial-thickness burn wounds after dermabrasion and tangential excision]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of applying hydrogel dressings in deep partial-thickness burn wounds after dermabrasion and tangential excision. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. From November 2015 to August 2019, 168 patients with deep partial-thickness burns hospitalized in Zibo Sixth People's Hospital met the inclusion criteria. According to the random number table, the patients were divided into hydrogel dressing+vaseline gauze group (84 cases, 67 males and 17 females) and vaseline gauze only group (84 cases, 65 males and 19 females) who were aged (31±16) and (35±17) years, respectively, and were given corresponding treatment after dermabrasion and tangential excision. The dressings were changed every 3-5 days. Autologous skin grafting was performed with split-thickness or medium-thickness skin grafts taken from trunk or thigh if the wounds failed to heal over 21 days or the wounds were less than 21 days but located in the joints, which might affect the functional activities at later stage. After operation, the general condition of the wounds was observed continuously and dynamically till the wounds were healed. The degree of dressing adhesion was evaluated during the first 4 dressing changes after operation, and the degree of pain was evaluated using Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The wound healing rate on post operation day (POD) 3, 6, and 15 was calculated. The positive proportion of bacterial culture of wound exudates/cleanout fluid on admission and at dressing change on POD 3, 6, and 15 was calculated. The number of dressing changes were recorded, the rate of skin grafting operation was calculated, and the time of complete wound healing was recorded. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) was used in 6 months of follow-up to evaluate the hyperplasia of scar. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for repeated measurement, independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher's exact probability test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: During the observation period after operation, the wound was moist with less exudates and the wound healed much faster in patients of hydrogel dressing+vaseline gauze group, with the inner dressing being easier to remove with mild pain, while the wounds showed more exudates and slower healing in patients of vaseline gauze only group with the obvious adhesions of inner dressing, stronger pain, and bleeding in the wounds. Compared with those in vaseline gauze only group, the degree of dressing adhesion and pain NRS score of patients in hydrogel dressing+vaseline gauze group decreased significantly during the first 4 dressing changes after operation (χ²=52.625, Z=-10.854, P<0.01), the wound healing rate increased significantly at dressing change on POD 3, 6, and 15 (t=10.347, 41.150, 167.627, P<0.01), the positive proportion of wound exudates/cleanout fluid bacterial culture did not change significantly on admission or at dressing change on POD 3 (P>0.05) but decreased significantly at dressing change on POD 6 and 15 (χ²=15.616, 15.226, P<0.01), the dressing change times was significantly reduced (t=-11.986, P<0.01), and the rate of skin grafting operation was significantly decreased (χ²=35.850, P<0.01). The complete wound healing time of patients in hydrogel dressing+vaseline gauze group was (17.6±2.8) d, significantly shorter than (27.1±3.0) d in vaseline gauze only group (t=-21.288, P<0.01). During the follow-up of 6 months, the VSS score of scar hyperplasia of patients in hydrogel dressing+vaseline gauze group was significantly lower than that in vaseline gauze only group (Z=-11.287, P<0.01). Conclusions: Compared with the use of vaseline gauze only, the application of vaseline gauze coated with hydrogel dressing in deep partial-thickness burn wounds after dermabrasion and tangential excision is more effective in moisturizing, significantly reducing the degree of dressing adhesion and patients' pain during dressing change, increasing wound healing rate, decreasing wound infection rate and the rate of skin grafting operation, and reducing the number of dressing changes. It shortens the time for complete wound healing, and effectively relieves scar hyperplasia.

[Exploration on the construction of analysis indicators system for antibiotic resistance monitoring]

Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a severe and fast-growing public health challenge with rapid globalization, especially in China. Although some monitoring systems were established in different fields, fragmentation of information failed to show the overall trend and spread of AR. It is necessary to establish a national monitoring system to reveal the occurrence, development, and spread of AR. The new AR monitoring system needs an updated analysis indicators system. We intend to recommend a new analysis indicators system for AR was constructed and applied to AR data monitoring and analysis for humans, animals, the environment, and foods. After investigating and analyzing the 5 Chinese major AR monitoring systems and literature, we have formulated 15 AR monitoring analysis indicators and initially established an evaluation system for the country's new AR monitoring system.

[Summary of the 2019 Academic Annual Meeting of the Society of Burn Surgery of Chinese Medical Doctor Association]

The 2019 Academic Annual Meeting of the Society of Burn Surgery of Chinese Medical Doctor Association, sponsored by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, was successfully held in Jinan, Shandong Province from May 22th to 24th. More than 300 representatives of burn department attended the meeting. With the theme of " Standardization and Innovation" , the conference focused on academician lectures and invited reports, thematic reports, thematic discussions, and discussion of difficult and complex cases in view of the current situation and challenges of burn specialty in China, and closely combined with the actual clinical needs. In order to reserve the reserve force, the Youth Committee of the Society of Burn Surgery of Chinese Medical Doctor Association was established.

[Retrospect on 60 years' history and prospect of Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University]

The Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University is the leading team in Shandong province. It is integrated with clinical treatment, scientific research, teaching, personnel training, and medical service for social crisis, which undertakes the tasks of giving lessons and offering chances for noviciate and internship of burns and plastic surgery in College of Medicine of Shandong University. It is not only the training unit affiliated to College of Medicine of Shandong University for master students and doctoral students major in burns and plastic surgery, but also the national training base for specialists of burns and plastic surgery. It is the national key clinical subject of burn surgery. Over the past 60 years, with the concerted efforts of several generations, it has made significant contributions to the development and innovation of burns and plastic surgery in Shandong province and the whole China.

Removal of regulatory T cells prevents secondary chronic infection but increases the mortality of subsequent sub-acute infection in sepsis mice

The immunosuppression following initial septic insult impairs resistance to secondary infection. Modulation of lymphocytes population may help to develop an effective therapeutic strategy. In this study, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia was employed as the initial septic insult. 24 hours later, mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture to induce chronic or sub-acute peritonitis. Potential usefulness of T regs deletion antibody (anti-CD25) in improving LPS-induced immunosuppression and the survival of subsequent different infections were evaluated. LPS injection induced lymphocyte loss and led to decreased IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ, and weakened bacteria clearance upon chronic peritonitis at 24 h post-LPS, whereas reconstitution with lymphocytes reversed these changes. LPS-induced T regs expansion contributed to T and NK cells decrease in number and activity during sepsis. Depletion of T regs using anti-CD25 antibodies partly prevented lymphocyte loss and increased the responses of T and NK cells to subsequent stimulation, resulting in significantly increased bacterial clearance and survival in a 2-hit model of chronic peritonitis, but which significantly increased early mortality upon subsequently sub-acute infection. Yet, using lower dosage of anti-CD25 antibodies to moderate down-regulate T regs levels could partly improve bacterial clearance and survival in either chronic or sub-acute infection. These results demonstrate that using anti-CD25 antibodies to deplete T regs can ameliorate immunosuppression through increasing T cells and NK cells responses in sepsis, which is beneficial for preventing subsequently chronic infection, but will probably bring some deleterious effects for subsequent sub-acute infection.

Propranolol inhibits the proliferation, migration and tube formation of hemangioma cells through HIF-1α dependent mechanisms

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of propranolol on the regression of hemangiomas. Propranolol-treated hemangioma tissues were collected and the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was examined. We also established HIF-1α overexpression and knockdown hemangioma cells, and determined the effects of HIF-1α on the hemangioma cells proliferation, apoptosis, migration and tube formation. Significantly increased HIF-1α level was found in the hemangioma tissues compared to that in normal vascular tissues, whereas propranolol treatment decreased the HIF-1α level in hemangioma tissues in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, propranolol treatment significantly decreased cell proliferation, migration and tube formation as well as promoted cell apoptosis in HIF-1α overexpression and knockdown hemangioma cells. Propranolol suppressed the cells proliferation, migration and tube formation of hemangioma cells through HIF-1α dependent mechanisms. HIF-1α could serve as a novel target in the treatment of hemangiomas.

[Human selenium-containing single-chain variable fragment with glutathione peroxidase activity protects NIH3T3 fibroblast against oxidative damage]

Ultraviolet B (UVB medium wave, 280-315 nm) induces cellular oxidative damage and apoptosis by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Glutathione peroxidase functions as an antioxidant by catalyzing the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, the more important member of reactive oxygen species. A human selenium-containing single-chain variable fragment (se-scFv-B3) with glutathione peroxidase activity of 1288 U/μmol was generated and investigated for its antioxidant effects in UVB-induced oxidative damage model. In particular, cell viability, lipid peroxidation extent, cell apoptosis, the change of mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activity and the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species were assayed. Human se-scFv-B3 protects NIH3T3 cells against ultraviolet B-induced oxidative damage and subsequent apoptosis by prevention of lipid peroxidation, inhibition of the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential as well as the suppression of the caspase-3 activity and the level of intracellular ROS. It seems that antioxidant effects of human se-scFv-B3 are mainly associated with its capability to scavenge reactive oxygen species, which is similar to that of the natural glutathione peroxidase.

Degradable Organically-Derivatized Polyoxometalate with Enhanced Activity against Glioblastoma Cell Line

High efficacy and low toxicity are critical for cancer treatment. Polyoxometalates (POMs) have been reported as potential candidates for cancer therapy. On accounts of the slow clearance of POMs, leading to long-term toxicity, the clinical application of POMs in cancer treatment is restricted. To address this problem, a degradable organoimido derivative of hexamolybdate is developed by modifying it with a cleavable organic group, leading to its degradation. Of note, this derivative exhibits favourable pharmacodynamics towards human malignant glioma cell (U251), the ability to penetrate across blood brain barrier and low toxicity towards rat pheochromocytoma cell (PC12). This line of research develops an effective POM-based agent for glioblastoma inhibition and will pave a new way to construct degradable anticancer agents for clinical cancer therapy.

Cabazitaxel-induced autophagy via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway contributes to A549 cell death

Cabazitaxel has been used to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer since its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2010. However, whether cabazitaxel may inhibit the proliferation of other tissue‑derived cancer cells, and its underlying mechanism, remains unknown. In the present study, the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cancer cell line was exposed to cabazitaxel, in order to investigate its cytotoxic effect and determine the underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that cabazitaxel was able to induce autophagy in A549 cells, as evidenced by the formation of autophagosomes, upregulated LC3‑II expression and increased LC3 puncta. Cabazitaxel‑induced autophagy had a cytotoxic effect on A549 cells, as evidenced by the induction of cell death and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, which was independent of the apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, transfection with Beclin1 small interfering RNA and treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3‑methyladenine protected cells from cabazitaxel‑induced cell death, thus confirming that cabazitaxel‑induced autophagy contributed to A549 cell death. In addition, cabazitaxel targeted the phosphoinositide 3‑kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway to induce autophagy, as indicated by reduced phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that cabazitaxel exerts a cytotoxic effect on A549 cells by acting on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to promote autophagic cell death. This result supports the potential use of cabazitaxel as a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of lung cancer.

High-pitch spiral CT with 3D reformation: an alternative choice for imaging vascular anomalies with affluent blood flow in the head and neck of infants and children

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility of high-pitch spiral CT in imaging vascular anomalies (VAs) with affluent blood flow in the head and neck of infants and children.

METHODS

For patients with suspected VAs and affluent blood flow pre-detected by ultrasound, CT was performed with high-pitch mode, individualized low-dose scan protocol and three-dimensional (3D) reformation. A five-point scale was used for image quality evaluation. Diagnostic accuracy was calculated with clinical diagnosis with/without pathological results as the reference standard. Radiation exposure and single-phase scan time were recorded. Treatment strategies were formulated based on CT images and results and were monitored through follow-up results.

RESULTS

20 lesions were identified in 15 patients (median age of 11 months). The mean score of image quality was 4.13 ± 0.74. 7 patients (7/15, 46.67%) were diagnosed with haemangiomas, 6 patients (6/15, 40%) were diagnosed with venous malformations and 2 patients (2/15, 13.33%) were diagnosed with arteriovenous malformations. The average effective radiation doses of a single phase and of the total procedure were 0.27 ± 0.08 and 0.86 ± 0.21 mSv. The average scanning time of a single phase was 0.46 ± 0.09 s. After treatment, 13 patients (13/15, 86.67%) achieved excellent results, and 2 patients (2/15, 13.33%) showed good results in follow-up visits.

CONCLUSION

High-pitch spiral CT with an individualized low-dose scan protocol and 3D reformation is an effective modality for imaging VAs with affluent blood flow in the head and neck of infants and children when vascular details are needed and ultrasound and MRI could not provide the complete information.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

This study proposes an alternative modality for imaging VAs with affluent blood flow.

Association study of UGT1A9 promoter polymorphisms with DILI based on systematically regional variation screen in Chinese population

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is caused by unpredictable adverse drug reaction due mainly to the accumulation of hepatotoxic compounds in the liver resulting in significant damage. Drug-metabolizing enzymes have been prime targets for molecular studies relevant to DILI. The gene UGT1A9 mainly expresses in the liver and has an important role in drug metabolism. The Han Chinese has a very long and complex demographic history, and the population stratification arising from the interplay of different geographic areas may influence the polymorphism pattern. We selected 260 healthy subjects in three different geographic areas (including Xian, Shanghai and Liuzhou) for systemic screening and analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of UGT1A9. Eight SNPs were identified and no regional disparity exists among the three populations. Based on these results, 213 DILI patients from all over the Chinese mainland were further recruited to investigate possible association between UGT1A9 and DILI. We observed statistically significant associations between SNP rs2741045 and DILI at both allele and genotype levels (allele: P=0.032; genotype: P=0.029; after Bonferroni correction). Also, multivariate interaction analysis discovered the interaction between rs2741045 and age associated with DILI significantly. This is the first such screening study to investigate the association between UGT1A9 promoter polymorphisms and DILI in the Chinese population and it could provide the basis for further study of DILI mechanisms.

Detection of common deafness mutation by maternal plasma cell-free DNA

OBJECTIVES

The aim is to investigate the use of the ligase detection reaction (LDR) microarray to examine the difference of the single nucleotide between the pregnant woman and the fetus by cell-free DNA in the maternal plasma in congenital deafness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The proband and the couples' venous blood samples and the amniotic fluid/ chorionic villi collected from seven deafness families for prenatal diagnosis were analyzed. The cell-free DNA from maternal plasma was examined to determine if they carried the mutations of GJB2 235delC.

RESULTS

Three samples were found to carry the mutation of GJB2 235delC. It is in agreement with the sequencing results. The affected fetuses were suggested to take invasive procedure for confirmation.

CONCLUSIONS

The chip may be a potential method to screen for congenital deafness based on maternal plasma DNA.

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus infection induces cell cycle arrest at S and G2/M phases via p53-dependent pathway

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TGEV induced cell cycle arrest at S and G2/M phase in PK-15 and ST cells.

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p53 might play key roles in mediation of TGEV-induced cell cycle arrest.

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The host cells staying at S or G2/M phase is beneficial for TGEV replication.

p53 signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of cell cycle. Our previous studies have demonstrated that TGEV infection induces the activation of p53 signaling pathway. In this study we investigated the effects of TGEV infection on the cell cycle of host cells and the roles of p53 activation in this process. The results showed that TGEV infection induced cell cycle arrest at S and G2/M phases in both asynchronous and synchronized PK-15 and ST cells, while UV-inactivated TGEV lost the ability of induction of cell cycle arrest. TGEV infection promoted p21 accumulation, down-regulated cell cycle-regulatory proteins cyclins B1, cdc2, cdk2 and PCNA. Further studies showed that inhibition of p53 signaling could attenuate the TGEV-induced S- and G2/M-phase arrest by reversing the expression of p21 and corresponding cyclin/cdk. In addition, TGEV infection of the cells synchronized in various stages of cell cycle showed that viral genomic RNA and subgenomic RNA, and virus titer were higher in the cells released from S-phase- or G2/M phase-synchronized cells than that in the cells released from the G0/G1 phase-synchronized or asynchronous cells after 18 h p.i. Taken together, our data suggested that TGEV infection induced S and G2/M phase arrest in host cells, which might provide a favorable condition for viral replication.

Experimental investigation on drag effect of sprinkler spray to adjacent horizontal natural smoke venting

Discharge rate of a horizontal adjacent smoke vent under sprinkler spray is experimentally investigated. Temperature of smoke layer and velocity of smoke venting were measured, under different sprinkler operating pressures and smoke venting areas. CO concentration at the smoke vent center and velocity of vent flow with fresh air outside were recorded in tests under different smoke venting conditions. Experimental results have shown that efficiency of smoke venting is controlled by a combination of smoke buoyancy and drag force of sprinkler spray. Only when buoyancy is greater than drag force the smoke could be extracted by venting. Velocity of smoke venting has shown to decrease as the operating pressure increases. Smoke venting logging, which represents the failure of smoke venting, was experimentally found from certain operating pressure called initial logging pressure. The CO concentration was found to increase after sprinkler was operated as the smoke is constrained in the spray region with horizontal momentum decreased. Negative pressure difference is caused at the vent when there is smoke venting logging, which might practically bring the exterior fresh air into the fire building. Additionally, experiments results have shown that the venting area has little influence on smoke flow under smoke venting logging.

Experimental study on burning rates of square/rectangular gasoline and methanol pool fires under longitudinal air flow in a wind tunnel

Square pool fires with length of 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 cm and rectangular pool fires with dimensions of 10 cm x 20 cm and 10 cm x 40 cm were burned in a wind tunnel, under a longitudinal air flow ranged from 0 to 3m/s with incremental change of about 0.5m/s. Methanol and gasoline were burned and compared, with results indicated that their burning rates showed different response to the longitudinal air flow. With the increase of the longitudinal air flow speed, the burning rates of methanol pool fires, except the 5 cm square one, first decreased and then increased, but those of the 5 cm methanol square one and the gasoline pool fires increased monotonously. The burning rate of smaller square pool fires increased more significantly than that of the larger ones, as well as the enlargement of their flame attachment length along the ground. The burning rate of a rectangular pool fire with longer rim parallel to the longitudinal flow increased faster, but the flame attachment length seemed to increase more gradually, with the increase of the longitudinal air flow speed than that perpendicular to.

Large eddy simulation of fire-induced buoyancy driven plume dispersion in an urban street canyon under perpendicular wind flow

The dispersion of fire-induced buoyancy driven plume in and above an idealized street canyon of 18 m (width) x 18 m (height) x 40 m (length) with a wind flow perpendicular to its axis was investigated by Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Former studies, such as that by Oka [T.R. Oke, Street design and urban canopy layer climate, Energy Build. 11 (1988) 103-113], Gayev and Savory [Y.A. Gayev, E. Savory, Influence of street obstructions on flow processes within street canyons. J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. 82 (1999) 89-103], Xie et al. [S. Xie, Y. Zhang, L. Qi, X. Tang, Spatial distribution of traffic-related pollutant concentrations in street canyons. Atmos. Environ. 37 (2003) 3213-3224], Baker et al. [J. Baker, H. L. Walker, X. M. Cai, A study of the dispersion and transport of reactive pollutants in and above street canyons--a large eddy simulation, Atmos. Environ. 38 (2004) 6883-6892] and Baik et al. [J.-J. Baik, Y.-S. Kang, J.-J. Kim, Modeling reactive pollutant dispersion in an urban street canyon, Atmos. Environ. 41 (2007) 934-949], focus on the flow pattern and pollutant dispersion in the street canyon with no buoyancy effect. Results showed that with the increase of the wind flow velocity, the dispersion pattern of a buoyant plume fell into four regimes. When the wind flow velocity increased up to a certain critical level, the buoyancy driven upward rising plume was re-entrained back into the street canyon. This is a dangerous situation as the harmful fire smoke will accumulate to pollute the environment and thus threaten the safety of the people in the street canyon. This critical re-entrainment wind velocity, as an important parameter to be concerned, was further revealed to increase asymptotically with the heat/buoyancy release rate of the fire.

Confinement of fire-induced smoke and carbon monoxide transportation by air curtain in channels

Experimental and numerical studies were performed in this paper to study the possibility of utilizing air curtain for confinement of fire-induced smoke and carbon monoxide transportation along channels. Bench scale experiments were preliminarily performed in a 3.6 m long model channel. Complementary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was carried out by Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) for an 88 m long full scale channel, in order to see the longitudinal carbon monoxide concentration distribution along the real channel with air curtain discharged. Results showed that both the smoke and CO gases released by the fire were well confined to almost remain in the near fire region of the channel at one side of the air curtain. The gas temperature and CO concentration in the protection zone at the other side reduced significantly by an exponential trend with the increase of discharge velocity of the air curtain. These indicated that the air curtain can be an effective measure for confining the transportation of smoke and carbon monoxide species in long channel fires.

Critical wind velocity for arresting upwind gas and smoke dispersion induced by near-wall fire in a road tunnel

In case of a tunnel fire, toxic gas and smoke particles released are the most fatal contaminations. It is important to supply fresh air from the upwind side to provide a clean and safe environment upstream from the fire source for people evacuation. Thus, the critical longitudinal wind velocity for arresting fire induced upwind gas and smoke dispersion is a key criteria for tunnel safety design. Former studies and thus, the models built for estimating the critical wind velocity are all arbitrarily assuming that the fire takes place at the centre of the tunnel. However, in many real cases in road tunnels, the fire originates near the sidewall. The critical velocity of a near-wall fire should be different with that of a free-standing central fire due to their different plume entrainment process. Theoretical analysis and CFD simulation were performed in this paper to estimate the critical velocity for the fire near the sidewall. Results showed that when fire originates near the sidewall, it needs larger critical velocity to arrest the upwind gas and smoke dispersion than when fire at the centre. The ratio of critical velocity of a near-wall fire to that of a central fire was ideally estimated to be 1.26 by theoretical analysis. Results by CFD modelling showed that the ratio decreased with the increase of the fire size till near to unity. The ratio by CFD modelling was about 1.18 for a 500kW small fire, being near to and a bit lower than the theoretically estimated value of 1.26. However, the former models, including those of Thomas (1958, 1968), Dangizer and Kenndey (1982), Oka and Atkinson (1995), Wu and Barker (2000) and Kunsch (1999, 2002), underestimated the critical velocity needed for a fire near the tunnel sidewall.

Modelling non-systemic pesticide residues in fruits with initial deposit variability and weather effects

A flexible and generic model was developed to predict the decline of residues of a non-systemic pesticide for both single and multi-spray situations as well as for different tree canopy zones. The model predicts not only the average residue levels, but also the confidence interval of the residues through either a deterministic or a stochastic approach. This generic model includes several key aspects of residue fates in the environment: initial deposit, physical loss and growth dilution. The model considers a tree canopy in three distinct zones for which initial deposition of pesticides may differ. In addition to predicting the average residue within each zone, it also estimates the 95 and 99% confidence intervals of residues on individual fruit within each zone. For the purpose of evaluation, this model was parameterized specifically for captan, one of the most important non-systemic fungicides used to control disease in horticultural crops. The observed average initial deposit for each zone was used in the evaluation. The overall correlation between predicted average residues and those observed on apple fruit in two applications was 0.93. Confidence intervals were also predicted accurately.

Modeling fire-induced smoke spread and carbon monoxide transportation in a long channel: Fire Dynamics Simulator comparisons with measured data

Smoke and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, are the most fatal factors in fires. This paper models fire-induced smoke spread and carbon monoxide transportation in an 88m long channel by Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) with large eddy simulation (LES). FDS is now a well-founded fire dynamics computational fluid dynamic (CFD) program, which was developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Two full scale experiments with fire sizes of 0.75 and 1.6MW were conducted in this channel to validate the program. The spread of the fire-induced smoke flow together with the smoke temperature distribution along the channel, and the carbon monoxide concentration at an assigned position were measured. The FDS simulation results were compared with experimental data with fairly good agreement demonstrated. The validation work is then extended to numerically study the carbon monoxide concentration distribution, both vertically and longitudinally, in this long channel. Results showed that carbon monoxide concentration increase linearly with the height above the floor and decreases exponentially with the distance away from the fire source.

Real-life applications of the MULVADO software package for processing DOSY NMR data

MULVADO is a newly developed software package for DOSY NMR data processing, based on multivariate curve resolution (MCR), one of the principal multivariate methods for processing DOSY data. This paper will evaluate this software package by using real-life data of materials used in the printing industry: two data sets from the same ink sample but of different quality. Also a sample of an organic photoconductor and a toner sample are analysed. Compared with the routine DOSY output from monoexponential fitting, one of the single channel algorithms in the commercial Bruker software, MULVADO provides several advantages. The key advantage of MCR is that it overcomes the fluctuation problem (non-consistent diffusion coefficient of the same component). The combination of non-linear regression (NLR) and MCR can yield more accurate resolution of a complex mixture. In addition, the data pre-processing techniques in MULVADO minimise the negative effects of experimental artefacts on the results of the data. In this paper, the challenges for analysing polymer samples and other more complex samples will also be discussed.

Diagnostic analysis of experimental artefacts in DOSY NMR data by covariance matrix of the residuals

Multivariate curve resolution (MCR) has been applied to separate pure spectra and pure decay profiles of DOSY NMR data. Given good initial guesses of the pure decay profiles, and combined with the nonlinear least square regression (NLR), MCR can result in good separation of the pure components. Nevertheless, due to the presence of artefacts in experimental data, validation of a MCR model is still necessary. In this paper, the covariance matrix of the residuals (CMR), obtained by postmultiplying the residual matrix with its transpose, is proposed to evaluate the quality of the results of an experimental data set. Plots of the rows of this matrix give a general impression of the covariance in the frequency domain of the residual matrix. Different patterns in the plot indicate possible causes of experimental imperfections. This new criterion can be used as diagnosis in order to improve experimental settings as well as suggest appropriate preprocessing of DOSY NMR data.

Improved DOSY NMR data processing by data enhancement and combination of multivariate curve resolution with non-linear least square fitting

The quality of DOSY NMR data can be improved by careful pre-processing techniques. Baseline drift, peak shift, and phase shift commonly exist in real-world DOSY NMR data. These phenomena seriously hinder the data analysis and should be removed as much as possible. In this paper, a series of preprocessing operations are proposed so that the subsequent multivariate curve resolution can yield optimal results. First, the baseline is corrected according to a method by Golotvin and Williams. Next, frequency and phase shift are removed by a new combination of reference deconvolution (FIDDLE), and a method presented by Witjes et al. that can correct several spectra simultaneously. The corrected data are analysed by the combination of multivariate curve resolution with non-linear least square regression (MCR-NLR). The MCR-NLR method turns out to be more robust and leads to better resolution of the pure components than classic MCR.

Chronic cortical visual impairment in children: aetiology, prognosis, and associated neurological deficits

BACKGROUND/AIMS

To evaluate prevalence, aetiology, prognosis, and associated neurological and ophthalmological problems in children with cortical visual impairment (CVI).

METHODS

The records of 7200 outpatients seen in the paediatric ophthalmology practice over the past 15 years were reviewed in order to compile data concerning CVI. In addition, the authors devised and applied a system for grading visual recovery in order to assess prognosis.

RESULTS

CVI occurred in 2.4% of all patients examined. The four most common causes of CVI were perinatal hypoxia (22%), cerebral vascular accident (14%), meningitis (12%), and acquired hypoxia (10%). Most children with CVI had associated neurological abnormalities. The most common were seizures (53%), cerebral palsy (26%) hemiparesis (12%), and hypotonia (5%). Associated ophthalmological problems were esotropia (19%), exotropia (18%), optic nerve atrophy (16%), ocular motor apraxia (15%), nystagmus (11%), and retinal disease (3%). On average, CVI patients improved by two levels as measured by the authors' scale.

CONCLUSION

The majority of children with CVI showed at least some recovery. In this group of children, CVI is often accompanied by additional ophthalmological problems and is nearly always associated with other, serious neurological abnormalities.

[A rational treatment of stage I epithelial ovarian cancer]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the incidence of lymph node metastasis and the role of lymphadenectomy in stage I epithelial ovarian cancer.

METHODS

Forty patients with stage I epithelial ovarian cancer treated from 1985 to 1990, were divided into two groups and retrospectively analyzed. First group of 20 patients were treated by routine surgery and cis-platinum based chemotherapy. Second group of 20 patients were treated by routine surgery and cis-platinum based chemotherapy plus retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy, and on the basis of with normal ovary and uterus preserved in the younger stage I a patients. A comparison was made between the five-year survival rates of the two groups.

RESULTS

Four patients in the second group were found to have retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis and should be staged as II c postoperatively. In three of the four patients aortic lymph node metastasis were diagnosed. The chances of metastasis to the pelvic and to the aortic lymph nodes were nearly equal. There is a significant difference in the 5-year survival rates between the two groups (85% vs 100%, P < 0.05). Ten patients with their ovaries and uteri preserved are living and well.

CONCLUSION

It is suggested that to obtain accurate FIGO staging and to improve survival and its quality, retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy should be performed in all patients with stage I eipthelial ovarian cancer, and younger patients with stage I a cancer may preserve their gestational functions if desired.