[Two cases of acute chlorfenapyr poisoning and literature review].

In recent years, chlorfenapyr poisoning has gradually increased in clinical practice, but the case fatality rate remains high. At present, the research on its poisoning mechanism and clinical characteristics is limited, and there is no effective treatment. In order to summarize the clinical characteristics of chlorfenapyr poisoning, in order to guide the clinical treatment, this article reported 2 cases of acute chlorfenayr poisoning and 21 cases of literature review, and summarized the clinical characteristics of chlorfenapyr poisoning.Most of the symptoms of gastrointestinal symptoms, profuse sweating, high fever, and changes in consciousness after chlorfenapyr poisoning, and delayed exacerbations are common, which can involve multiple organ systems such as the central nervous system, providing a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[A case of intramuscular injection of methomyl poisoning].

Methomyl is a carbamate insecticide widely used in pesticides. Most of the poisoning methods are through digestive tract, respiratory tract and skin contact. At present, there is no report of poisoning caused by intramuscular injection. A case of poisoning caused by intramuscular injection of methomyl was analyzed retrospectively. About 4 minutes later, cholinergic crisis and central inhibition occurred. Venovenous-Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) and atropine were given quickly. Finally, the patient was successfully rescued and had a good prognosis. After intramuscular injection of methomyl, cholinergic crisis can occur rapidly, and the onset rate is significantly faster than that of digestive tract, respiratory tract and skin contact.

Dual Ion Species Plasma Expansion from Isotopically Layered Cryogenic Targets.

A dual ion species plasma expansion scheme from a novel target structure is introduced, in which a nanometer-thick layer of pure deuterium exists as a buffer species at the target-vacuum interface of a hydrogen plasma. Modeling shows that by controlling the deuterium layer thickness, a composite H^{+}/D^{+} ion beam can be produced by target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA), with an adjustable ratio of ion densities, as high energy proton acceleration is suppressed by the acceleration of a spectrally peaked deuteron beam. Particle in cell modeling shows that a (4.3±0.7) MeV per nucleon deuteron beam is accelerated, in a directional cone of half angle 9°. Experimentally, this was investigated using state of the art cryogenic targetry and a spectrally peaked deuteron beam of (3.4±0.7) MeV per nucleon was measured in a cone of half angle 7°-9°, while maintaining a significant TNSA proton component.

Characterization of bacteriophage HN48 and its protective effects in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus against Streptococcus agalactiae infections.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a causative agent responsible for massive mortalities of tilapia that has led to catastrophic losses to tilapia culture globally. Bacteriophages represent a new class of antimicrobials against bacteria. In this study, we characterized the bacteriophage HN48, which formed small and round-transparent plaques on a double-layer plate. With a hexagonal head and a long tail, this phage may belong to the Caudovirales according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. HN48 was found to have a relatively wide and highly specific host range, to be sensitive to high temperature (60-80°C) and low pH (3-5), and to be relatively stable at alkaline pH (8-10). Intraperitoneal injection with HN48 had no adverse effects on tilapia and effectively inactivated the bacteria in the kidney. Fish that received phage therapy had 60% ± 3.3% survival rates and a delayed mean death time of about 3 days when compared to the control group. To the best of knowledge, this is the first study of tilapia streptococcal phage. Overall, the results indicated that phage HN48 could prevent tilapia from experimental S. agalactiae infection, suggesting it has the potential to control this disease.

[Clinical value of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with blood supply from right adrenal artery].

Objective: To study the clinical value of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with blood supply from right adrenal artery. Methods: An imaging and clinical data of HCC patients with blood supply from right adrenal artery were collected from 2012 to 2016 after TACE treatment in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and the safety and therapeutic efficacy of complete embolization therapy was analyzed retrospectively. Results: Twenty hepatocellular carcinoma patients with blood supply from right adrenal artery had received 23 times treatment. All lesions had invaded and protruded from the exogenous development of liver capsule. There were 14 cases with lesions > 5 cm in diameter. Right adrenal artery was found to be involved in the blood supply of three cases of hepatocellular carcinoma during TACE treatment for the first time. In addition, the remaining 17 cases had also received TACE treatment for the second to sixth time. The superior, middle, and inferior adrenal arteries were involved in 13, 3, and 9 cases, respectively. Twenty-four right adrenal arteries (96.0%) superselectively cannulated were successfully embolized without any serious complications. The standard method for evaluating the efficacy of liver cancer in 20 solid tumors follow-up cases showed that three cases were completely relieved, nine cases were partially relieved, two cases were stable, and six cases were progressive. The effective rate of embolization with blood supply from right adrenal artery lesions was 60.0%, and the control rate of lesion development was 70.0%. Conclusion: The right adrenal artery is mainly located in the S5-S7 segments of the liver. TACE features are obvious to ascertain its safety and effectiveness in the treatment of right adrenal artery tumors.

wblA, a pleiotropic regulatory gene modulating morphogenesis and daptomycin production in Streptomyces roseosporus.

AIMS: The wblA gene, encoding a homologue of the WhiB family protein, was identified in the sequenced genome of daptomycin producer Streptomyces roseosporus. To explore the function of wblA, we construct wblA disruption strains, complemented strains and overexpression strains to test whether it can affect the production of secondary metabolites and morphogenesis. METHODS AND RESULTS: We constructed disruption strains by homologous recombination in S. roseosporus. The disruption mutant of wblA could block aerial mycelium sporulation and enhance the production of daptomycin by 51%. In contrast, overexpression of wblA resulted in significantly decreased the yield of daptomycin. In agreement with it, the transcription of key daptomycin regulatory genes atrA, dptR2 and dptR3 and structural gene dptE remarkably increased in the wblA disruption mutant. CONCLUSIONS: wblA plays a key role in control of daptomycin biosynthesis and is essential for sporulation. The disruption of wblA could accumulate the transcription level of some key genes involving in daptomycin biosynthesis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Daptomycin is an important antibiotic with potent activity against a variety of Gram-positive pathogens. This study demonstrates that valuable improvement in the yield of daptomycin can be achieved through modulating the expression of wblA transcription regulator.

[Clinical value of p16/Ki-67 immunocytochemical dual staining in cervical cancer screening].

Objective: to investigate the clinical value of p16/Ki-67 immunocytochemical dual staining (abbreviated as p16/Ki-67 dual staining) in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer screening. Methods: From July to November 2015, a total of 980 women attending cervical cancer screening and receiving high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) test and thinprep cytologic test (TCT) were included in the study. p16/Ki-67 immunocytochemical dual staining was performed on residual cytologic specimens and compared with histopathology results. Results: The expression risks of p16/Ki-67 in HPV16/18 group and another HR-HPV group were higher than HPV negative group, with an odds ratio of 10.64 (95%CI: 5.66~20.02) and 5.40 (95%CI: 3.62~8.04), respectively. The positive rate of p16/Ki-67 increased with the grade of TCT and histologic diagnosis, and was higher in both CIN2 and CIN3 groups than normal group (P<0.05). The sensitivity of p16/Ki-67 to detect CIN2+ and CIN3+ lesions was 89.3% and 94.1%, respectively, and the specificity was 69.3% and 66.8%, respectively. The sensitivity of TCT to detect CIN2+ and CIN3+ lesions was 60.7% and 64.7%, respectively, and the specificity was 49.3% and 49.1%, respectively. Conclusions: Compared with TCT, p16/Ki-67 dual staining has higher sensitivity and specificity. It can identify high-grade cervical lesions and guide the classification of CIN. p16/Ki-67 dual staining in conjunction with HPV test may be considered as an efficient method for cervical cancer screening.

[The influence and mechanisms of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) on invasion and metastasis of colon cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate the effect and molecular mechanisms of LSD1 on proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer. Methods: The influence of down-regulated LSD1 expression on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of colon cancer cells were detected by transwell invasion assay, cell proliferation assay and apoptosis assay, respectively. Results: Three independent siRNAs targeting LSD1 (siRNA-1554, siRNA-705, and siRNA-1973) were transfected to SW620 cells to detect gene-silencing efficiency, and the result showed that the knockdown effect of siRNA-705 were better than the other two siRNAs at both mRNA and protein levels. Using siRNA-705 and pargyline (2.5 mmol/L), we performed transwell invasion assay, cell proliferation assay and apoptosis assay in SW620 cell lines, and found the significant suppression of invasion and growth. Cell apoptosis were induced by siRNA and pargyline (P<0.05). Interestingly, up-regulation of E-cadherin and down-regulation of N-cadherin were observed after treated with siRNA-705 and pargyline for 72 hours. Conclusion: Inhibition of LSD1 could impair proliferation and invasiveness, and induce apoptosis of colon cancer cells in vitro. It leads to up-regulation of E-cadherin and down-regulation of N-cadherin. All of above may play important roles in invasion and metastasis of colon cancer.

Mechanism of age-related changes of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in senile osteoporosis.

This study was carried out to explore the age-related changes of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) in mice as well as the influence of autophagy on the age-related changes of BMMSCs. BMMSCs aging-associated protein acetylation P53, P21 and P16 expressions in young and senile mice, protein expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were detected and compared; the expression of BMMSCs autophagy associated gene, autophagy related protein molecule and LC3 molecule were detected; the influence of differently concentrated rapamycin and 3-MA on BMMSCs autophagy level was observed to select effective concentrations; the influence of rapamycin and 3-MA on BMMSCs cell cycle-related gene expression, apoptosis related gene expression and ROS level were discussed. Results revealed that the senile BMMSCs group had higher acetylation P53, P21 and P16 expression and fluorescence intensity than the young group, but its TERT expression, Beclin1 and LC3 gene expression and fluorescence intensity were lower than the young group. Both rapamycin and 3-MA inhibited CyclinD1 (CCND1) and CyclinD2 (CCND2) expression. Rapamycin promoted the expression of apoptosis-related genes Caspase3 and Caspase8 in the senile group, while 3-MA inhibited them in both the young and senile groups. It can therefore be concluded that senile BMMSCs have multiple age-related changes, performing as decrease of osteogenic capability and multiplication capacity, increase of acetylation P53, P21 and P16 protein expression, apoptosis and ROS level as well as decrease of telomerase activity. Furthermore, the autophagy level in senile BMMSCs reduced compared with young cells; autophagy activation can decrease ROS level and autophagy suppression improves ROS level; and autophagy regulation affects cell cycle and apoptosis.

[Immunoreactivity of chimeric proteins carrying poliovirus epitopes on the VP6 of rotavirus as a vector].

Rotavirus and poliovirus continue to present significant risks and burden of disease to children in developing countries. Developing a combined vaccine may effectively prevent both illnesses and may be advantageous in terms of maximizing compliance and vaccine coverage at the same visit. Recently, we sought to generate a vaccine vector by incorporating multiple epitopes into the rotavirus group antigenic protein, VP6. In the present study, a foreign epitope presenting a system using VP6 as a vector was created with six sites on the outer surface of the vector that could be used for insertion of foreign epitopes, and three VP6-based PV1 epitope chimeric proteins were constructed. The chimeric proteins were confirmed by immunoblot, immunofluorescence assay, and injected into guinea pigs to analyze the epitope-specific humoral response. Results showed that these chimeric proteins reacted with anti-VP6F and -PV1 antibodies, and elicited antibodies against both proteins in guinea pigs. Antibodies against the chimeric proteins carrying PV1 epitopes neutralized rotavirus Wa and PV1 infection in vitro. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the use of VP6-based vectors as multiple-epitope delivery vehicles and the epitopes displayed in this form could be considered for development of epitope-based vaccines against rotavirus and poliovirus.

Influence of pelvic postural angle change on acetabulum implantation in total hip arthroplasty.

The current study investigated the relationship between the implantation angle of the acetabular component and the change in the pelvic postural angle during hip arthroplasty surgery. One pelvis with a left lower limb prosthesis was used. Total hip arthroplasty on the left pelvis was simulated with the help of a computer-assisted navigation system. The pelvis revolved around the horizontal, longitudinal and sagittal axes at different angles, and the anteversion and abduction of the acetabular component were measured. The changing angle of the pelvis rotating around the horizontal and longitudinal axes greatly influenced acetabular component anteversion. The changing angle of the pelvis rotating around the sagittal axis had a relatively great influence on the acetabular component abduction angle. The change in the postural angle of the pelvis had a great influence on the installation angle of the acetabular component. It is important to standardize posture prior to the operation.

[Preliminary results of femtosecond laser-assisted Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty for bullous keratopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the preliminary results of femtosecond laser-assisted Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (FS-DSEK) for the treatment of bullous keratopathy. METHODS: In the nonrandomized, prospective, consecutive case series, 7 eyes with bullous keratopathy induced by cataract surgery received FS-DSEK surgery between September and December 2013. Standard Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty procedure was performed. The Descemet membrane and abnormal endothelial layer were stripped from the central recipient posterior surface in a diameter of 7.75 mm. The graft was fixed to the edge of recipient cornea with one single stitch. The donor lenticule was produced by Intralase 150 femtosecond laser with a diameter of 7.75 mm. The adherence of donor lenticule to the recipient posterior stroma and postoperative donor lenticule dislocation were monitored in the early stage after surgery. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, refraction, endothelial cell density and thickness of grafts were measured preoperatively, and at 1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after FS-DSEK. RESULTS: Two eyes had graft dislocation, with a gap between the graft and recipent posterior stroma at 2 days after surgery. The grafts were repositioned after bubbles were added into the anterior chamber. All grafts were well adherent to the recipent posterior stromal surface at 1 week postoperatively. One graft failed at 3 months postoperatively, and penetrating keratoplasty was performed. At 12 months, the best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was 0.04 to 0.7, the mean endothelial cell density was (1 698.0±251.8) cells/mm(2), and the mean thickness of grafts was (124.2 ± 11.4) µm. CONCLUSION: Femtosecond laser-assisted Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty was effective in treating bullous keratopathy. Stitching the graft to the recipent cornea can prevent postoperative graft dislocation effectively.

Bursts of Terahertz Radiation from Large-Scale Plasmas Irradiated by Relativistic Picosecond Laser Pulses.

Powerful terahertz (THz) radiation is observed from large-scale underdense preplasmas in front of a solid target irradiated obliquely with picosecond relativistic intense laser pulses. The radiation covers an extremely broad spectrum with about 70% of its energy located in the high frequency regime over 10 THz. The pulse energy of the radiation is found to be above 100 µJ per steradian in the laser specular direction at an optimal preplasma scale length around 40-50 µm. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that the radiation is mainly produced by linear mode conversion from electron plasma waves, which are excited successively via stimulated Raman scattering instability and self-modulated laser wakefields during the laser propagation in the preplasma. This radiation can be used not only as a powerful source for applications, but also as a unique diagnostic of parametric instabilities of laser propagation in plasmas.

Inferior alveolar nerve function recovers after decompression of large mandibular cystic lesions.

OBJECTIVE: The treatment of large mandibular cystic lesions (diameter > 35 mm) is controversial. Few studies determine the inferior alveolar nerve function after decompression which is one of the major options for treating such lesions. We aim to investigate the recovery of inferior alveolar nerve function after decompression. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with large mandibular cystic lesions, diagnosed as keratocystic odontogenic tumor, ameloblastoma, or dentigerous cyst, were included. Inferior alveolar nerve function was observed by monitoring the pulp vitality of involved teeth (n = 64) with electric pulp test before decompression and 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months after decompression, respectively. RESULTS: The pulp vitality of the involved teeth was significantly decreased before decompression. Recovery of pulp vitality could be observed after decompression, indicating the recovery of inferior alveolar nerve function. A majority (96.9%) of the vital pulp was preserved in the involved teeth after decompression. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery of inferior alveolar nerve function was remarkable in patients with large mandibular cystic lesions after decompression, indicated by the recovery of pulp vitality of involved teeth. When decompression is preferred, conservative therapy rather than root canal therapy is recommended for the teeth with root tip exposed in the cystic lesions and without pulposis.

Obatoclax induces Beclin 1- and ATG5-dependent apoptosis and autophagy in adenoid cystic carcinoma cells.

OBJECTIVES: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is one of the most common salivary gland cancers. The prognosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma is poor for its high frequency of distant metastases and insensitivity to chemotherapy or molecular therapies. This study investigated the effect of Obatoclax on adenoid cystic carcinoma cells and its cytotoxic mechanism. METHODS: Western blot, transmission electron microscopy, and pEGFP-LC3 plasmids transfection were carried out to detect autophagy in ACC cells treated with Obatoclax. 3-MA and RNA interference against Beclin 1 and ATG5 were used to inhibit autophagy. Then we used Western blot and Hochest 33342 staining for apoptosis assessment. Finally, cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. RESULTS: We found that Obatoclax induced cytoprotective autophagy which depended on ATG5 and partly on Beclin 1 in adenoid cystic carcinoma cells. Furthermore, pharmacologically inhibiting Obatoclax-induced autophagy promoted apoptosis. Downregulation of Beclin 1 or ATG5 attenuated the cytotoxicity of Obatoclax by suppressing both autophagy and apoptosis. Finally, when apoptosis was pharmacologically inhibited, autophagic cell death was initiated in adenoid cystic carcinoma cells treated with Obatoclax. CONCLUSION: In summary, Beclin 1 and ATG5 play important roles in regulating both Obatoclax-induced autophagy and apoptosis in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Expression of TNF-α, VEGF, and MMP-3 mRNAs in synovial tissues and their roles in fibroblast-mediated osteogenesis in ankylosing spondylitis.

The aim of this study was to explore the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), vessel endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in synovial tissues in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and to analyze the functions of these proteins in the differentiation of AS synovial tissue fibroblasts into osteoblasts (OB) and osteoclasts. Synovial tissue samples from 22 AS patients and 22 normal individuals were collected. In situ hybridization was utilized to detect TNF-α, VEGF, and MMP-3 transcripts. After counting numbers of positive cells, Spearman analysis was used to determine the correlation between transcriptional levels of the three mRNAs and the AS disease activity index (BASDAI) and the C-response protein (CRP) levels. With the addition of TNF-α, VEGF, or both factors into cultured normal synovial fibroblasts, osteocalcin (bone gla protein, BGP) secretion levels were compared. We found that expression of TNF-α, VEGF, and MMP-3 was identified exclusively in the disease group. mRNA levels were significantly positively correlated with BASDAI (r = 0.42, 0.38, and 0.47, respectively; P < 0.05) and CRP (r = 0.44, 0.34, and 0.47 respectively; P < 0.05) scores. The secretion level of BGP in normal synovial fibroblasts increased progressively with increasing concentrations of VEGF or TNF-α (P < 0.01 compared to levels before treatment). Furthermore, co-incubation using both VEGF and TNF-α significantly elevated BGP levels compared to the single addition of VEGF or TNF-α (P < 0.01). These results suggest TNF-α, VEGF, and MMP-3 might directly participate in the differentiation of fibroblasts into OBs.

Host genetic susceptibility to oral cancer: evidence from meta-analyses and pooled analyses.

BACKGROUND: A large number of meta-analyses and pooled analyses have been published on the topic of the genetic variants for oral cancer, and many positive results have been identified; however, there might be some false-positive results. The aim of this study was to identify the 'true positive' (noteworthy) results using the method of false-positive report probability (FPRP). METHODS: The PubMed database, Embase database, CNKI database, and Wanfang database were searched to retrieve the meta-analyses, pooled analyses, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which addressed the associations between genetic polymorphisms and the risk of oral cancer. The significant associations were further analyzed using the method of FPRP. RESULTS: A total of 14 variants were identified from meta-analyses and pooled analyses, which concern the associations between oral cancer and genetic variants. Among these 14 variants, 9 variants were reported to be significantly associated with the risk of oral cancer (CYP1A1-MspI, CYP2E1-RsaI/PstI, MTHFR-C677T, p73-G4C14-to-A4T14, XRCC1-Arg194Trp, CYP1A1-Ile462Val, GSTM1-±, and NAT2 slow vs rapid). After assessing the results of FPRP, none of the nine statistically significant associations were noteworthy (true positive). In addition, no noteworthy results were identified from GWAS. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this study found no noteworthy associations between variants and the risk of oral cancer. Further candidate genes associations studies should be performed to explore the etiology of oral cancer.

The 'D-M-C' strategy for conventional ameloblastoma of the mandible: a retrospective study.

The purpose of this multicentre study was to evaluate the efficacy of the 'dredging-marsupialization-curettage' (D-M-C) strategy in the treatment of conventional intraosseous ameloblastoma of the mandible. A total of 31 patients from three institutions, who had a pathological diagnosis of conventional ameloblastoma of the mandible, were treated with the D-M-C strategy. The surgical protocol comprised a dredging and marsupialization (D-M) step, with additional D-M steps as required. The patients then underwent curettage (C) once an obvious effect of the D-M step had been achieved during follow-up. Eight patients were followed up for ≥36 months but <60 months, while 23 were followed up for ≥60 months. Nineteen of the 23 patients followed up for ≥60 months were disease-free at the last follow-up, with no evidence of recurrence. The D-M step is effective for reducing the tumour size and preserving vital structures. The D-M-C surgical strategy may be a feasible treatment option for conventional ameloblastoma of the mandible.

Probiotics/prebiotics/synbiotics and human neuropsychiatric outcomes: an umbrella review.

The neuropsychiatric effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been gaining attention since the rise of microbial-gut-brain axis research. Nevertheless, some of the findings are inconsistent, and few studies have analysed the similarities and differences in the neuropsychiatric effects of the three comprehensively. To reveal the respective neuropsychiatric effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics and synthesise the similarities and differences among the three effects, 47 meta-analyses with 12 types of neuropsychiatric results were integrated under an umbrella review. Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics intake might all be associated with improvements in some neuropsychiatric outcomes, including neuropsychological test outcomes (probiotic and prebiotic), hepatic encephalopathy outcomes (probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic), instant memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease (probiotic), depressive symptoms (probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic), mood states and psychiatric distress (probiotic), overall mental health (probiotic), neurological function (probiotic), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentration (probiotic and synbiotic), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (probiotic). All three are similar in that the intake of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics might be associated with improvements in hepatic encephalopathy outcomes and depressive symptoms, both probiotic and synbiotic intake might be associated with elevated BDNF concentrations, and both probiotic and prebiotic intake might be associated with improved neuropsychological test results. The difference between the three is that the neuropsychiatric effects of probiotics might be more widespread and be reflected in the fact that probiotic intake might also be associated with improvements in mood states and psychiatric distress, overall mental health, neurological function, Alzheimer's disease patients' instant memory, and PSQI score. Probiotics might be the best and most promising option for improving neuropsychiatric outcomes. In the future, in addition to requiring more high-quality meta-analyses, further preclinical studies are needed to explore specific relevant mechanisms and determine true causal relationships.