Unexpected mutations occurred in CRISPR/Cas9 edited Drosophila analyzed by deeply whole genomic sequencing.

CRISPR/Cas9 possesses the most promising prospects as a gene-editing tool in post-genomic researches. It becomes an epoch-marking technique for the features of speed and convenience of genomic modification. However, it is still unclear whether CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing can cause irreversible damage to the genome. In this study, we successfully knocked out the WHITE gene in Drosophila, which governs eye color, utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Subsequently, we conducted high-throughput sequencing to assess the impact of this editing process on the stability of the entire genomic profile. The results revealed the presence of numerous unexpected mutations in the Drosophila genome, including 630 SNVs (Single Nucleotide Variants), 525 Indels (Insertion and Deletion) and 425 MSIs (microsatellite instability). Although the KO (knockout) specifically occurred on chromosome X, the majority of mutations were observed on chromosome 3, indicating that this effect is genome-wide and associated with the spatial structure between chromosomes, rather than being solely limited to the location of the KO gene. It is worth noting that most of the mutations occurred in the intergenic and intron regions, without exerting any significant on the function or healthy of the animal. In addition, the mutations downstream of the knockout gene well beyond the upstream. This study has found that gene editing can lead to unexpected mutations in the genome, but most of these mutations are harmless. This research has deepened our understanding of CRISPR/Cas9 and broadened its application prospects.

Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine on coronavirus disease 2019 in 92 patients: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antipyretic effect of early treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 369 patients from January 26th, 2020 to April 15th, 2020, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Among 92 eligible cases, 45 cases were identified as treatment group Ⅰ ( 45) and 47 cases were identified as treatment group Ⅱ. Patients in the treatment group Ⅰ were treated with TCM herbal decoction within 5 d after admission. Patients in the treatment group Ⅱ were treated with TCM herbal decoction after the 6th admission day. The onset time of antipyretic effect, the antipyretic time, the time of negative oropharyngeal swab nucleic acid conversion, and the changes of cell count in blood routine test were compared. RESULTS: The treatment group I showed shorter average antipyretic duration (4 7 d; <0.05), and shorter average time for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid test results to turn negative (7 11 d; <0.05) than the treatment group II. For patients ( 54) with body temperature>38 ℃, patients in the treatment group I had shorter median onset time of antipyretic effect than those in the treatment group II (3 4 d; <0.05). The absolute lymphocyte (LYMPH) count and absolute eosinophil (EOS) count on the 3rd day after admission and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio on the 6th day after admission of patients in the treatment group I were notably different from those in the treatment group II at the same time point (0.05). Based on Spearman's rank correlation analysis, the change of body temperature on the 3rd day after admission was positively correlated with the increase of EOS count and the increase of EOS count and LYMPH counts on the 6th day after admission (0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Early TCM intervention within 5 d after hospital admission shortened the onset time of antipyretic effect and fever duration of COVID-19 patients, reduced the time required for PCR test results to turn negative. Moreover, early TCM intervention also improved the results of inflammatory markers for COVID-19 patients. LYMPH and EOS counts can be used as indicators of TCM antipyretic effect.

The lip gene contributes to the virulence of Aeromonas veronii strain TH0426.

Aeromonas veronii (A. veronii) is a pathogen that can infect aquatic organisms and mammals and has caused irrecoverable economic losses to the aquaculture industry. The results of an epidemiological investigation showed that the number of cases of A. veronii have increased gradually in recent years, and its drug resistance and virulence has shown an upward trend. In this study, we constructed an A. veronii mutant strain Δlip, by homologous recombination and studied its function. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the biofilm formation ability between the Δlip and the wild-type strain, but the toxicity of the Δlip to EPC cells and its ability to adhere to EPC cells were significantly reduced. The LD50 value of the Δlip to zebrafish was 7.40-fold higher than that of the wild-type strain. In addition, after 24 h and 72 h, the bacterial loads of the Δlip in the organs of crucian carp were significantly lower than those in the wild-type strain. In conclusion, the mutant strain Δlip led to a decrease in the adhesion and virulence of the wild-type strain, which lays a foundation to further understand lip gene function and the pathogenic mechanism of A. veronii.

Mid-infrared photon sensing using InGaN/GaN nanodisks via intersubband absorption.

Intersubband (intraband) transitions allow absorption of photons in the infrared spectral regime, which is essential for IR-photodetector and optical communication applications. Among various technologies, nanodisks embedded in nanowires offer a unique opportunity to be utilized in intraband devices due to the ease of tuning the fundamental parameters such as strain distribution, band energy, and confinement of the active region. Here, we show the transverse electric polarized intraband absorption using InGaN/GaN nanodisks cladded by AlGaN. Fourier transform infrared reflection (FTIR) measurement confirms absorption of normal incident in-plane transverse electric polarized photons in the mid-IR regime (wavelength of ~ 15 µm) at room temperature. The momentum matrix of the nanodisk energy states indicates electron transition from the ground state s into the px or py orbital-like excited states. Furthermore, the absorption characteristics depending on the indium composition and nanowire diameter exhibits tunability of the intraband absorption spectra within the nanodisks. We believe nanodisks embedded nanowires is a promising technology for achieving tunable detection of photons in the IR spectrum.

Hyper-accuracy three-dimensional reconstruction as a tool for better planning of retroperitoneal liposarcoma resection: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Well-differentiated liposarcoma is the second most common pathologic type of retroperitoneal sarcoma. It is characterized by a huge mass, but multiple organ invasions are common. Surgery is the only treatment option for potential cure. Hyper-accuracy three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction is widely used in robotic partly nephrectomy owing to its ability to visualize overlapping anatomy. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old man was admitted for progressive abdominal distension over the preceding 2 mo. Computed tomography revealed a 32 cm × 21 cm × 12 cm lipomatous mass. Hyper-accuracy 3D reconstruction was performed because of the complex relationship between the mass and nearby tissue. The patient underwent surgical resection, and the tumor did not recur for over 16 mo. CONCLUSION: Hyper-accuracy 3D reconstruction is useful for operative planning owing to its intuitiveness and precise determination of anatomical structures in both tumors and nearby tissues.

Global optimization for light concentrators of a Geiger-mode cosmic-ray Cherenkov calorimeter.

Light concentrators are crucial devices for photon-counting instruments, the optical characteristics of which affect the photoelectric response for the sensors. The designs that only aim to the light transmission have been proved far from optimum for the Geiger-mode calorimeters due to the significant influence from the angle-dependent reflectance, versatile light trajectories, and saturation of fired avalanche photodiodes (APDs). In this paper, we took into account these coupling effects, presented a novel approach to solve the problems in global optimization for light concentrators in combination with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). In addition, a new probability method is studied and used to restore the photon counting for precise reconstruction of cosmic-ray air showers. The Monte-Carlo experiment verified that the new system design features a high accurate energy scaling for cosmic-ray measurement. The results also indicate that the precision is able to be improved by at least one order in magnitude.

Construction and immune efficacy of recombinant Lactobacillus casei expressing OmpAI of Aeromonas veronii C5-I as molecular adjuvant.

Despite advancements in diagnosis and control, Aeromonas infections are considered the leading cause of economic aquaculture loss. In this study, to enhance DNA vaccine efficacy against Aeromonas infections, a fused DNA fragment (1504 bp) of the OmpAI gene from Aeromonas veronii (A. veronii) combined with the C5-I gene from the common carp was generated with splicing by overlapping PCR (SOE-PCR) and expressed in Lactobacillus casei strain CC16. Protein C5-I served as a molecular adjuvant for the antigen OmpAI. Two types of fusion antigens were developed (anchored and secretory). Generally, anchored-type antigens are more effective in inducing immune responses in fish than secretory antigens. Western blot analysis showed that the bands of both antigens were present at 58 kDa. After oral immunization, both DNA vaccines enhanced the serum levels of AKP, ACP, SOD and LZM in immunized carp; the genes IL-10, IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the heart, liver, spleen, head kidney, and intestinal tract were upregulated; and a stronger phagocytic response was triggered in immunized fish. In addition, common carp administered the fused antigens were more protected from Aeromonas challenge (60-73.3% protection). Recombinant Lactobacillus bacteria expressing the fused protein showed a greater propensity for colonization in the intestinal tract in immunized fish than in controls. Here, we provide a promising approach to improve DNA vaccine immunogenicity for protecting common carp from A. veronii infections.

[Study on the mechanisms underlying overwintering of Culex pipiens pallens using iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the difference of protein expression between the post-overwintering stage and the diapauses preparation stage in Culex pipiens pallens, so as to reveal the mechanisms underlying the overwintering diapause of Cx. pipienspallens. METHODS: A quantitative proteomic analysis was performed in Cx. pipiens pallens before and after overwintering diapause by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) labeling. RESULTS: A total of 244 differentially expressed proteins were identified in Cx. pipiens pallens before and after overwintering diapause, including 126 up-regulated proteins and 118 down-regulated proteins. iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that these differentially expressed proteins were linked to function and energy production and conversion, lipid metabolism, remodeling of cytoskeleton, carbohydrate metabolism, protein transport, molecular chaperones, stress tolerance and metabolic enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to identify the overwintering diapause-related proteins in Cx. pipiens pallens using proteomics tools, which reveals KEGG pathways and GO terms associated with the overwintering diapauses of Cx. pipiens pallens. Our findings provide additional understandings pertaining to the mechanisms underlying the overwintering diapauses of Cx. pipiens pallens.

[Seasonal fluctuations of mosquitoes and application of two surveillance tools in Taibai Lake area of Jining City].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the seasonal fluctuations of mosquitoes in Taibai Lake area of Jining City, and evaluate the application effects of two mosquito trapping tools (Gongfu Xiaoshuai mosquito lamp and WJ-C mosquito sampler), so as to provide references for the effective surveillance, prevention and control of local mosquito vectors. METHODS: The overnight capture of mosquitoes with a man-bait net trap, Gongfu Xiaoshuai mosquito lamp, and WJ-C mosquito sampler was performed to collect mosquitoes. The species of adult mosquitoes and seasonal fluctuations were investigated and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 10 914 mosquitoes belonging to 13 species, 5 genera were collected with the overnight capture of mosquitoes with the man-bait net trap, and Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. pipiens palllen and Mansonia uniformis were the dominant species, accounting for 77.41% of the total. The proportion of Coquillettidia ochracea increased significantly. All the adult mosquitoes appeared in June, and reached the density peak in July and August. Both of the two surveillance tools showed relatively sensitive capture performance against mosquitoes. The trapping results of WJ-C mosquito sampler were basically the same as the man-bait trapping method, however, the amount of Mansonia uniformis and Coquillettidia ochracea collected by Gongfu Xiaoshuai mosquito lamp was significantly lower than that of the man-bait trapping method. CONCLUSIONS: The mosquito species are varied in Taibai Lake area of Jining City. Therefore, monitoring should be strengthened. In addition, the two mosquito trapping tools are sensitive, but they have both advantages and disadvantages, thus we should better pay attention to the consistency of monitoring methods in use.

[Overwintering surveillance of Culex pipiens pallens in Shandong Province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the ecological habits of Culex pipiens pallens in Shandong Province in winter. METHODS: From December 2015 to January 2016, the overwintering conditions of Cx. pipiens pallens were investigated in Shandong Province. RESULTS: In Shandong Province, in rural districts, the overwintering places of Cx. pipiens pallens were basements, wells and caves; and in urban areas, they were air raid shelters, holes of city walls, sewers and flower cellars. CONCLUSIONS: In Shandong Province, the overwintering places of Cx. pipiens pallens are mainly basements and holes, which are under high temperature and humidity, and away from light. Its larvae cannot overwinter.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of 3-arylidene azetidin-2-ones as potential antifungal agents against Alternaria solani Sorauer.

A new concise and facile method was explored to synthesize a collection of new 3-arylidene azetidin-2-ones, which could be regarded as the derivatives of the hybrid scaffold of bioactive natural cinnamamide and heterocycle azetidi-2-one. The structures of the synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H, 13C NMR, and MS; and their antifungal activity were evaluated against Alternaria solani Sorauer. These antifungal data were subjected to a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis using Codessa software on the basis of the results from B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) quantum calculations. The best regressive model revealed that potentially more active compounds should have low dipole moments and QC-min (minimal net atomic charge for a C atom), and high QO-max (maximal net atomic charge for an O atom) and QN-min (minimal net atomic charge for an N atom). The most potent compound 7k could lead to intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species, dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and an autophagy-like cell death process in A. solani Sorauer. Taken together, these results laid the foundation for further design of improved crop-protection agents based on this hybrid scaffold.

Effects of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor on Opsonin Receptor Expression and Neutrophil Antibacterial Activity in a Mouse Model of Severe Acute Pancreatitis.

The antimicrobial function of neutrophils, which is dependent on opsonin receptors, deteriorates in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) putatively enhanced levels of the opsonin receptors CD11b and CD32/16 in healthy human subjects, and provided protection against infection in animal models of SAP. A statistically convincing study of the effect of G-CSF on CD32/16 expression in an SAP model is lacking. We used a mouse model of SAP to investigate the association between G-CSF administration and CD32/16 levels on neutrophils and bacterial translocation. G-CSF or saline was subcutaneously injected into SAP-induced mice. The pancreases were histologically examined, and leukocytes were stained to count neutrophils. The expression of CD11b and CD32/16 on neutrophils was measured by flow cytometry, and bacterial translocation was observed by bacterial culture. The numbers of CD11b and CD32/16-positive neutrophils were significantly elevated in the SAP mice treated with G-CSF, and the mean fluorescence intensities of these receptors on neutrophils were significantly elevated. Bacterial translocations to cavity organs were suppressed from 17% to 6% by G-CSF treatment. Our results indicated that the number of neutrophils significantly increased with increasing expression of CD11b and CD32/16 and their mean fluorescence intensities (MFIs). This inhibited bacterial translocation to other organs. These results are in accord with other studies in SAP dogs and SAP mice. Our findings suggest that G-CSF was effective in protecting against bacterial infection in SAP mice.

Natural α-methylenelactam analogues: Design, synthesis and evaluation of α-alkenyl-γ and δ-lactams as potential antifungal agents against Colletotrichum orbiculare.

In our continued efforts to improve the potential utility of the α-methylene-γ-lactone scaffold, 62 new and 59 known natural α-methylenelactam analogues including α-methylene-γ-lactams, α-arylidene-γ and δ-lactams, and 3-arylideneindolin-2-ones were synthesized as the bioisosteric analogues of the α-methylenelactone scaffold. The results of antifungal and cytotoxic activity indicated that among these derivatives compound (E)-1-(2, 6-dichlorobenzyl)-3-(2-fluorobenzylidene) pyrrolidin-2-one (Py51) possessed good selectivity with the highest antifungal activity against Colletotrichum orbiculare with IC50 = 10.4 µM but less cytotoxic activity with IC50 = 141.2 µM (against HepG2 cell line) and 161.2 µM (against human hepatic L02 cell line). Ultrastructural change studies performed by transmission electron microscope showed that Py51 could cause important cell morphological changes in C. orbiculare, such as plasma membrane detached from cell wall, cell wall thickening, mitochondria disruption, a dramatic increase in vacuolation, and eventually a complete loss in the integrity of organelles. Significantly, mitochondria appeared one of the primary targets, as confirmed by their remarkably aberrant morphological changes. Analysis of structure-activity relationships revealed that incorporation of the aryl group into the α-exo-methylene and the N-benzyl substitution increased the activity. Meanwhile, the α-arylidene-γ-lactams have superiority in selectivity over the 3-arylideneindolin-2-ones. Based on the results, the N-benzyl substituted α-(2-fluorophenyl)-γ-lactam was identified as the most promising natural-based scaffold for further discovering and developing improved crop-protection agents.

[Analysis of population genetic diversity of mosquitoes from Shandong Province based on mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene fragment].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics of gene sequence of mtDNA-COⅠ of Culex pipiens pallens from different geographical regions in Shandong Province and different resistant strains from the lab and five common mosquito species, and analyze the genetic diversity of these mosquitoes. METHODS: Adult mosquitoes were collected from Jinan, Jining, Qingdao cities and other places in Shandong Province. The sensitive, dichlorvos-resistant, pyrethroid-resistant and propoxur-resistant strains were reared in the lab. Five species of mosquito (Cx. pipiens pallens, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Anopheles sinensis, Aedes albopictus, and Armigeres subalbatus) were collected from Jining City and identified in the lab. mtDNA-COⅠwas specifically amplified by PCR and sequenced. The gene sequences were compared and analyzed by the biological information systems, and the phylogenetic tree was constructed. RESULTS: The amplified mtDNA-COⅠfragments of Cx. pipiens pallens from eight different cities and four different resistant strains were 528 bp in length, with 67.4% A+T contents and two mutation sites. The nucleotide sequence homology among the different geographic strains was 99.95% and the gene sequences of the four resistant strains were the same, showing a high homogeny. The amplified mtDNA-COⅠfragments of the five species of mosquitoes were 528 bp with 408 conserved sites, 120 variable sites, 42 parsimony informative sites and 78 singleton sites. The A+T contents were between 65.7% and 68.0%. The nucleotide sequence homology among the different mosquito species was between 86.17% and 92.05%, and the molecular identification was consistent with the traditional morphological identification. The molecular phylogenetic study showed that the different species were clustered at their own branch at the species and genus levels, while genera Armigeres was distantly related to the others. CONCLUSIONS: mtDNA-COⅠcould not serve as the molecular marker to analyze the population genetic variation and phylogenesis of Cx. pipiens pallens from different geographical regions and different resistant strains, but it has species and genus specificities, which could be used for the identification of the mosquito species and genus.

Influence of Orbital Implant Length and Diameter on Stress Distribution: A Finite Element Analysis.

PURPOSE: A mathematical simulation of stress distribution around orbital implants was used to determine which length and diameter of implants would be best to dissipate stress. METHODS: An integrated system for computed tomography data was utilized to create a 3-dimensional model of craniofacial structures. The model simulated implants placed in the 7, 11, and 12 o'clock positions of the orbital rim. A load of 2 N was applied to the model along the long axis of the implant (model 1) and an angle of 45° with the long axis of the implant (model 2). A model simulating an implant with a diameter of 3.75 mm and lengths of 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mm was developed to investigate the influence of the length factor. The influence of different diameters was modeled using implants with a length of 6 mm and diameters of 3.0, 3.75, 4.2, 5.0, and 6.0 mm. Values of von Mises equivalent stress at the implant-bone interface were computed using the finite element analysis for all variations. RESULTS: The elements exposed to the maximum stress were located around the root of the orbital implant in model 1 or between the neck and the first thread of the orbital implant in model 2. An increase in the orbital implant diameter led to a decrease in the maximum von Mises equivalent stress values. In model 1, the reductions were 45.2% (diameter of 3.0-3.75 mm), 25.3% (diameter of 3.75-4.2 mm), 17.2% (diameter of 4.2-5.0 mm), and 5.4% (diameter of 5.0-6.0 mm). In model 2, the reductions of the maximum stress values were 51.9%, 35.4%, 19.7%, and 8.1% respectively. However, the influence of orbital implant length was not as pronounced as that of diameter. In model 1, the reductions were 28.8% (length of 3-4 mm), 19.2% (length of 4-6 mm), 9.6% (length of 6-8 mm), and 4.3% (length of 8-10 mm). In model 2, the reductions of the maximum stress values were 35.5%, 21.1%, 10.9%, and 5.4% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in the implant diameter decreased the maximum von Mises equivalent stress around the orbital implant more than an increase in the implant length. From a biomechanical perspective, the optimum choice was an orbital implant with no less than 4.2 mm diameter allowed by the anatomy.

Exendin-4 Enhances Motor Function Recovery via Promotion of Autophagy and Inhibition of Neuronal Apoptosis After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats.

Autophagy occurs prior to apoptosis and plays an important role in cell death regulation during spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aimed to determine the effects and potential mechanism of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist extendin-4 (Ex-4) in SCI. Seventy-two male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham, SCI, 2.5 µg Ex-4, and 10 µg Ex-4 groups. To induce SCI, a 10-g iron rod was dropped from a 20-mm height to the spinal cord surface. Ex-4 was administered via intraperitoneal injection immediately after surgery. Motor function evaluation with the Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale indicated significantly increased scores (p < 0.01) in the Ex-4-treated groups, especially 10 µg, which demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of Ex-4 after SCI. The light chain 3-II (LC3-II) and Beclin 1 protein expression determined via western blot and the number of autophagy-positive neurons via immunofluorescence double labeling were increased by Ex-4, which supports promotion of autophagy (p < 0.01). The caspase-3 protein level and neuronal apoptosis via transferase UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)/NeuN/DAPI double labeling were significantly reduced in the Ex-4-treated groups, which indicates anti-apoptotic effects (p < 0.01). Finally, histological assessment via Nissl staining demonstrated the Ex-4 groups exhibited a significantly greater number of surviving neurons and less cavity (p < 0.01). To our knowledge, this is the first study to indicate that Ex-4 significantly enhances motor function in rats after SCI, and these effects are associated with the promotion of autophagy and inhibition of apoptosis.

[Investigation on overwintering mosquitoes in Taibaihu District, Jining City].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the species, density and distribution of the overwintering adult mosquitoes in Taibaihu District, Jining City. METHODS: The overwintering adult mosquitoes were monitored by visual observation in Taibaihu District, Jining City from December 2015 to March 2016. The mosquitoes were collected and dissected to observe the body fat accumulation and ovarian development situation. RESULTS: Totally 1 677 mosquitoes were captured and all of them were Culex pipiens pallens. The highest positive rate of overwintering mosquitoes was in sweet potato cellars and greenhouses, with the positive rates of mosquitoes of 98.25% (56/57) and 81.36% (48/59) respectively. The accumulation of the fat body in the female mosquitoes plummeted from late February, and disappeared in middle March. CONCLUSIONS: The adults of Culex pipiens pallens can over-winter in Taibaihu District, Jining City, and locate in sweet potato cellars and greenhouses mainly. The control work of adult mosquitoes should be strengthened in the overwintering period.

Prophylactic effect of somatostatin in preventing Post-ERCP pancreatitis: an updated meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Somatostatin is regarded as a prophylactic agent on post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP), but studies are still controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and the Science Citation Index, were searched to retrieve relevant trials. In addition, meeting abstracts and the reference lists of retrieved articles were reviewed for further relevant studies. RESULTS: Eleven randomized controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling a total of 2869 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. After data were pooled from somatostatin trials, PEP occurred in 8.36% of controls versus 5.62% of the treated group, with a slight significance [relative risk (RR) =0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.98, P = 0.04]. The funnel plot showed no asymmetry with a negative slope (P = 0.108). The meta-analysis produced negative results for short-term infusion of somatostatin (RR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.93-2.12, P = 0.11), whereas a bolus or long-term injection of the drug proved effective (RR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.13-0.47,P < 0.0001; RR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.27-0.71,P = 0.0008). Postprocedure hyperamylasemia and pain was also observed in the meta-analysis, the pooled RR was significant for reduced risk of postprocedure hyperamylasemia (RR = 0.72, 95%CI 0.63 to 0.81,P < 0.00001), but not for the pain (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.08,P= 0.10). CONCLUSION: The current meta-analysis on the prophylactic use of somatostatin in patients undergoing ERCP documents a lack of benefit when given as short-term infusion, but showed an advantage of a single bolus or long-term injection. The beneficial effect of somatostatin, in reducing the incidence of postprocedural hyperamylasemia seems of marginal clinical significance. However, more new confirmatory data are needed to settle residual doubts.

Innovative magnetic rings for circumferential mucosectomy: preliminary research.

PURPOSE: To improve the procedures used to treat prolapse and hemorrhoids, novel magnetic rings were invented to use in circumferential mucosectomies to avoid the disadvantages of stapling techniques. METHODS: Thirty adult pigs were randomly divided into three groups: Group A (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with novel magnetic rings; Group B (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with conventional magnetic rings and Group C (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with a stapling technique. RESULTS: All pigs underwent the operation successfully, and the mean length of the procedure was similar among the three groups (p > 0.05). There was no bleeding in Group A or Group B, while there was a mean blood loss of 78.32 ± 26.03 ml in Group C (p < 0.01). Three cases of anastomotic stenosis were found in Group C (3/10); two cases were found in Group B (2/10) and no anastomotic stenosis was found in Group A (0/10). The difference between groups A and C was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The cost for the magnetic rings in groups A and B was noticeably lower than that of the stapling techniques in Group C (20.12 ± 3.35 vs. 15.76 ± 2.92 vs. 550.16 ± 29.71 US dollars, p < 0.001). The magnetic rings in groups A and B were spontaneously discharged from the body with the necrotic tissues within 1-2 weeks (8.20 ± 2.73 vs. 9.31 ± 3.62 days, p > 0.05), avoiding the permanent implantation of staples in Group C. The anastomosis site in Group A showed a smoother and more rapid healing process than that in Group B or C. CONCLUSIONS: The innovative magnetic rings we developed for circumferential mucosectomies provide a simple and novel surgical procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids.