[Feasibility analysis of the application of programmed process endoscopic lateral neck dissection via chest-breast approach in papillary thyroid carcinoma surgery].

Objective: To explore the feasibility of endoscopic lymph node dissection(LND) with programmed breast approach for the treatment of papillary thyroid cancer. Methods: A case series study. The clinical data of 39 patients with papillary thyroid cancer who underwent endoscopic LND treatment with programmed breast approach in Shenzhen People's Hospital from January to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 10 males and 29 females, aged (35.95±10.17) years. LND time, total surgical time, intraoperative bleeding volume, postoperative drainage volume, postoperative hospital stay and postoperative complications were analyzed. Results: Among 39 patients, there were 18 cases of unilateral thyroid cancer, 21 cases of bilateral thyroid cancer, 35 cases of unilateral LND, and 4 cases of bilateral LND. The maximum diameter of thyroid cancer lesions was (1.48±0.69) cm, and the maximum diameter of lymph node metastases was (1.63±0.58)cm. The operative time of unilateral neck dissection was (124.11±19.92) min (102-170 min), and the total operative time was (226.42±55.68) min (110-390 min). The number of lymph nodes cleaned was (32.40±10.44)(12-54), the number of metastasis and detection was 207/1 393. The postoperative drainage volume was (174.64±82.33) ml(41-350 ml). There were no neck hematomas, no skin burns or no shrugging disorders in the postoperative period. There were 7 cases of numbness and discomfort in neck skin sensation, which gradually relieved after half a year. Postoperative discharge time (4.77±1.94) d(3-15 d). Conclusion: It is safe and feasible to treat papillary thyroid cancer with endoscopic LND with programmed breast approach, which can improve surgical efficiency and clinical application value.

[Expression and distribution of calprotectin in healthy and inflamed periodontal tissues].

OBJECTIVE: Calprotectin, the heterdimer of S100A8 and S100A9, is the major cytoplasmic protein of neutrophils, which is also expressed or induced in gingival epithelial cells, activated mononuclear macrophages and vascular endothelial cells. Calprotectin is intimately associated with the initiation and progression of periodontitis, but the in vivo expression patterns of calprotectin in healthy and inflamed periodontal tissue are not fully understood. To observe the expression, distribution and cellular localization of calprotectin in the samples of healthy periodontal tissues and experimental periodontitis tissues of Beagles and to explore their relationship with periodontal inflammation and possible effect. METHODS: Experimental periodontitis model was established by ligation around the mandibular second molar of the Beagle dogs, while the contralateral teeth were healthy controls. Induction duration was 12 weeks, before the dogs were executed. Tissue specimens were demineralized and serial sections were made conventionally. The in vivo expression of calprotectin in the healthy and inflamed periodontal tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. The in vitro expression of calprotectin in human primary gingival fibroblasts (GFs) and periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were detected by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that calprotectin was expressed in gingival epithelial cells and infiltrated neutrophils in the healthy periodontium within the gingival epithelium, S100A8/A9 was most strongly expressed in the junctional epithelium, followed by surface epithelium, and least expressed in the sulcular epithelium. The S100A8/A9 expression levels were sharply defined at the junction between the junctional epithelium and the sulcular epithelium. In periodontal inflammatory lesions, the expression level of calprotectin in sulcular epithelium and junctional epithelium was up-regulated than that in the healthy gingival epithelium. Calprotectin was inducibly expressed in fibroblast-like cells in gingival connective tissue and periodontal ligament tissue, microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) and bone marrow fibroblasts under inflammatory conditions. Additionally, the expression of calprotectin in primary human GFs and PDL cells was confirmed by immunnocytochemistry staining. CONCLUSION: Constitutively expressed in neutrophils and gingival epithelial cells, and calprotectin might maintain the homeostasis and integrity of periodontium. Inflammation-induced expression of calprotectin in GFs, PDL cells, microvascular ECs and bone marrow fibroblasts might process anti-microbial function and promote leukocytes transmigration to defend the host against the microorganisms.

[Effect of initial periodontal therapy on blood parameters related to erythrocyte and platelet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the blood parameters related to erythrocyte and platelet between baseline and 3 months after initial periodontal therapy in patients with both type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis (DM-P). METHODS: According to the International Symposium on Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions in 1999 and the diagnostic criteria of type 2 diabetes mellitus proposed by the World Health Organization in 1999, 35 patients with DM-P were recruited. All the participants received initial periodontal therapy, including oral hygiene instruction, scaling, and root planning provided by one senior periodontist. Original diet, exercise, and medication for blood glucose control were unchanged for all the participants. At baseline and 3 months after initial periodontal therapy, the clinical periodontal parameters, including probing depth (PD), bleeding index (BI) and clinical attachment loss (CAL); erythrocyte-related indexes, including red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), RBC volume distribution width (RDW); platelet-related indexes, including platelet (PLT) count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletocrit (PCT) were measured and compared. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, the periodontal parameters, including PD [(3.370±0.601) mm vs. (2.729±0.431) mm], BI [2.160 (1.550~3.410) vs. 1.420 (1.000~2.970)] and CAL [(3.307±1.577) mm vs. (2.990±1.587) mm], were significantly reduced (P < 0.001) three months after the initial periodontal therapy; the erythrocyte-related indexes, including RBC count [(4.727±0.392)×1012/L vs. (4.825±0.394)×1012/L, P=0.010], HGB [(145.886±11.792) g/L vs. (149.200±12.979) g/L, P=0.007] and HCT [43.40% (37.50%~48.50%) vs. 43.80% (38.50%~53.20%), P=0.003], were significantly increased three months after the initial periodontal therapy; PLT count [(216.714±61.900)×109/L vs. (205.886±62.051)×109/L, P=0.016] was significantly reduced 3 months after the initial periodontal therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The initial periodontal therapy can significantly improve blood parameters related to RBC and PLT, which might decrease the risk of vascular complications in DM-P patients.

DNA Barcode Technology and Its Application Prospects in Forensic Medicine.

ABSTRACT: Traditional species identification has gone through five stages -- morphology, cytology, biochemistry, immunology and molecular biology. At present, the use of DNA technology for species identification has become a research hotspot. In the use of DNA for species identification, the presentation and application of DNA barcode is of epoch-making significance. With the successful application of new technology in species identification, forensic species identification has also made corresponding development, and is expected to play an important role in forensic related fields. This paper briefly describes the general situation and principles of DNA barcode technology as well as its advantages and limitations when applied to biological classification, and discusses the future significance and feasibility of DNA barcode technology in forensic applications, in order to provide new ideas for future forensic identification.

Combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a common complication of diabetes, has a high morbidity, and currently there is no effective therapy. To investigate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese medicine in combination with Western medicine, 88 patients with early DPN who were admitted to Binzhou City Center Hospital, Shandong, China, between November 2015 and November 2016, were selected as the research subjects and were randomly divided into a control group and an observation. Patients in the control group were treated by conventional Western medicine, while patients in the observation group were treated by traditional Chinese medicine in addition to conventional Western medicine. The clinical effect was compared between the two groups. The results demonstrated that the overall effective rate of the observation group was much higher than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.05). The vibration perception threshold (VPT) of nervus peroneus communis, nervus suralis and posterior tibial nerve of the two groups significantly declined after treatment (P less than 0.05), however, the decreae in the observation group was more obvious (P less than 0.05). The improvement of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc) and blood glucose of the observation group was superior to that of the control group, and the difference had statistical significance (P less than 0.05). In conclusion, traditional Chinese medicine in combination with Western medicine has a remarkable effect in the treatment of DPN and can effectively relieve vital signs and clinical symptoms of patients and significantly improve nerve conduction velocity. The therapy is worth clinical application and promotion.

[Study on the changes of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist in pinopodes].

Objective: To study the changes of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) in pinopodes during luteal phase and to explore the possible mechanism of GnRH-a in luteal phase support of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Methods: Totally 40 primary infertility women who were treated with ART due to male factors were enrolled, according to the order of the group they were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. On the 7th day after ovulation, the experimental group received a subcutaneous injection of 0.1 mg of GnRH-a, while the control group received a subcutaneous injection of placebo only (0.9% saline 2 ml), 3 days later they came to the clinic again. Serum estradiol and progesterone levels were measured before and after treatment in each group. Pinopodes were collected for electron microscopic examination. Levels of ER and PR were detected by western blot. Results: (1) There was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the estrogen level before and after the treatment (all P>0.05). The level of progesterone in the experimental group after treatment [(66.8±14.9) nmol/L] was significantly higher than that before treatment(P<0.05); also significantly higher than the same period of the control group (P<0.05). (2) There was no significant difference in the expression of ER protein in the experimental group before and after treatment (P>0.05). The expression of PR in the experimental group after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment (P<0.05); also lower than the same period of the control group (P<0.05). (3) Expression amount of pinopodes in the experimental group after treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment [65% (13/20) versus 25% (5/20), P<0.05], and the development trend was more mature [the percentage of maturation:75% (15/20) versus 35% (7/20), P<0.05]. Expression amount of pinopodes after treatment and the percentage of maturation in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the same period of control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: GnRH-a in luteal phase support may play a role through the corpus luteum, which may promote the secretion of progesterone, downregulation of PR expression, promote the growth of pinopodes, and improve the endometrial receptivity.

Models of logistic regression analysis, support vector machine, and back-propagation neural network based on serum tumor markers in colorectal cancer diagnosis.

We evaluated the application of three machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression, support vector machine and back-propagation neural network, for diagnosing congenital heart disease and colorectal cancer. By inspecting related serum tumor marker levels in colorectal cancer patients and healthy subjects, early diagnosis models for colorectal cancer were built using three machine learning algorithms to assess their corresponding diagnostic values. Except for serum alpha-fetoprotein, the levels of 11 other serum markers of patients in the colorectal cancer group were higher than those in the benign colorectal cancer group (P < 0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis indicted that individual detection of serum carcinoembryonic antigens, CA199, CA242, CA125, and CA153 and their combined detection was effective for diagnosing colorectal cancer. Combined detection had a better diagnostic effect with a sensitivity of 94.2% and specificity of 97.7%; combining serum carcinoembryonic antigens, CA199, CA242, CA125, and CA153, with the support vector machine diagnosis model and back-propagation, a neural network diagnosis model was built with diagnostic accuracies of 82 and 75%, sensitivities of 85 and 80%, and specificities of 80 and 70%, respectively. Colorectal cancer diagnosis models based on the three machine learning algorithms showed high diagnostic value and can help obtain evidence for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Expression and clinical significance of tumor markers in ovarian mature cystic teratoma.

BACKGROUND: CA19-9, CA125, AFP, CEA, and CA153 are common cancer biomarkers. This study aimed to detect the expression and assess clinical significance of these biomarkers in ovarian mature cystic teratomas (OMCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 312 resected patients with ovarian mature cystic teratoma referred to the third Hospital of Suzhou University from January 2008 to February 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. Levels of serum CA19-9, CA125, CA153, AFP, and CEA were detected. RESULTS: Levels of serum CA19-9, CA125, AFP, and CEA were detected in all patients, but the level of serum CA153 was detected in 36 patients. The positive expression of these biomarkers above is 45.83%, 6.09%, 0.00%, 0.64%, and 2.78%, respectively. Ovarian tumor diameter in CA19-9 and CA 125 elevation is larger than that in negative group. The levels of serum CA19-9 and CA125 in multilocular ovarian tumor patients is higher than that in unilocular ovarian tumor patients. The level of serum CA19-9 in bilateral ovarian tumor patients is higher than that in unilateral patients. The level of CA19-9 in patients three months after operation decreased significantly compared with that before operation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that elevated CA 19-9 is probably the most reliable marker among many tumor markers in the OMCT. It is valuable for diagnosis and recurrence of OMCT.

[The correlations of single photon emission computed tomography joints scan and bone metabolic markers in active rheumatoid arthritis].

Objective: To explore the correlation between quantitative value of joint bone scan by single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) and serum bone metabolic markers in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis(RA). Method: Clinical data of 60 newly diagnosed RA patients were retrospectively collected in Department of Rheumatology and Immunology from May 2013 to December 2014, including 28 cases with medical history less than 6 months and 32 from 6 months to 2 years. Serum C-terminal telopeptide of type Ⅰ collgen(CTX-Ⅰ)and N-terminal propeptide of type Ⅰ collagen(PINP)were tested by chemiluminesence. SPECT whole body bone and target joint scan before treatment was done. Thirty-nine healthy subjects as control group received ultrasound, electrocardiogram, X-ray, and whole body bone imaging examination. Quantitative values of joint imaging were calculated for the statistical analysis. Result: Demographic data between RA group and control group were comparable (P>0.05), including sample, sex, age and BMI. The joint SPECT value, CTX-Ⅰ and PINP levels were all significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.01), which were 6.48±1.98 versus 3.73±1.16; (0.66±0.37) mg/L versus (0.58±0.21) mg/L; (46.35±28.15) mg/L versus (30.47±13.75) mg/L respectively. Joint SPECT values had positive correlations with serum CTX-Ⅰ levels in all RA patients, as well as PINP in patients with disease duration 6mon-2years. And the according correlation coefficients were 0.513, 0.495, 0.402(P<0.05). But SPECT value had no correlation with CTX-Ⅰ (P=0.081) in patients with disease duration less than 6 mon.The correlation coefficient was 0.336. Conclusion: SPECT imaging quantitative values were positively correlated with serum bone metabolic parameters. Thus SPECT imaging alone or combined with bone markers are helpful in diagnosing active RA.

Immunomodulatory and clinical effects of the "tiaomian III decoction" in patients with blood blocking antibody deficiency and recurrent spontaneous abortion.

We studied the immunomodulatory and clinical effects of the empirical formula "tiaomian III decoction" on maternal blood blocking antibody deficiency and recurrent spontaneous abortion. Sixty-one patients with blocking antibody deficiency were divided in the experimental group (N = 31), who took tiaomian III decoction, and the control group (N = 30), who received active immunotherapy with paternal lymphocytes; both treatments lasted 3 months. Blocking antibodies, anti-idiotypic antibodies, interleukin, T-lymphocyte subsets, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) were tested. After treatment, the positive conversion rate reached 87.1 and 86.7% in the experimental and control groups, respectively. After treatment, CD4 levels decreased while CD8 levels increased in both groups. The CD4/CD8 ratio was higher than normal and increased significantly from pre-treatment (P < 0.05). IL-10 and M-CSF levels increased significantly in both groups (P < 0.05). The 1-year conception rates of the experimental and control groups were 58.1 and 46.7%, respectively (P < 0.05). The results show the tiaomian III decoction can increase the positive conversion rate of maternal blocking antibodies and promote the production of IL-10 and M-CSF. Thus, it strengthens the maternal body's protection of the fetus and maintenance of conception. The higher conception rate of the experimental group demonstrates the positive clinic efficacy of the tiaomian III decoction on maternal blood blocking antibody deficiency and recurrent spontaneous abortion.

Construction and characterization of a bacterial artificial chromosome library for the allotetraploid Gossypium tomentosum.

Gossypium tomentosum is a wild allotetraploid species with the (AD)5 genome. It is characterized by many useful traits including finer fiber fineness, drought tolerance, and Fusarium and Verticillium resistance. We constructed the first bacterial artificial chromosome library for Gossypium tomentosum. With high quality and broad coverage, this library includes 200,832 clones, with an average insert size of about 122 kb and fewer than 3% empty clones. Our library is approximately 10-fold the size of the (AD)5-genome (2400 Mb) and provides a 99.7% probability of isolating genes of interest or their sequences. Seven of eight simple sequence repeats markers that are located on five different chromosomes and linked with resistance to Verticillium wilt could amplify the 50 superpools and obtained one to five hits. This high capacity library will be an important genomic resource for classifying and analyzing the evolution of allotetraploid cotton species as well as for isolating disease-resistance and drought-tolerance genes.

A microwave scattering spectral method to detect the nanomechanical vibrations embedded in a superconducting qubit.

Nanomechanical resonators (NMRs), as the quantum mechanical sensing probers, have played the important roles for various high-precision quantum measurements. Differing from the previous emission spectral probes (i.e., the NMR modified the atomic emission), in this paper we propose an alternative approach, i.e., by probing the scattering spectra of the quantum mechanical prober coupled to the driving microwaves, to characterize the physical features of the NMR embedded in a rf-SQUID based superconducting qubit. It is shown that, from the observed specifical frequency points in the spectra, i.e., either the dips or the peaks, the vibrational features (i.e., they are classical vibration or quantum mechanical one) and the physical parameters (typically such as the vibrational frequency and displacements) of the NMR can be determined effectively. The proposal is feasible with the current technique and should be useful to design the desired NMRs for various quantum metrological applications.

[Effect of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid protein on allergic rhinitis induced by ovalbumin in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cyst fluid protein (HCFP) on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) in mice. METHODS: Twenty-four BALB/c mice at ages of 8 to 10 weeks, each weighing approximately 20 g, were randomly divided into four groups, including groups A (blank control group), B (blank intervention group), C (AR model group) and D (AR+HCFP intervention group), with 6 mice in each group. On days 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12, mice in groups A, B, C and D were injected with 200 µL sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS), 200 µL sterile PBS containing 20 µg HCFP, 200 µL sterile PBS containing 50 µg OVA and 5 mg Al(OH)3 gel, and 200 µL sterile PBS containing 50 µg OVA, 5 mg Al(OH)3 gel and 20 µg HCFP, respectively. On days 14 to 20, mice in groups A, B, C and D were administered with 40 µL sterile PBS, 40 µL sterile PBS containing 20 µg HCFP, 40 µL sterile PBS containing 2 mg OVA and 40 µL sterile PBS containing 2 mg OVA and 20 µL HCFP by nasal drop, respectively. Mouse behavioral changes were observed and behavioral scores were estimated. The serum levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-10, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and OVA-specific IgE antibody (OVA-sIgE) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the pathological changes of mouse nasal mucosa were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. RESULTS: The mean behavioral score was significantly greater in Group C (6.83 ± 0.50) than in groups A (1.17 ± 0.52) and B (1.33 ± 0.52) (P < 0.05), while a lower mean behavioral score was estimated in Group D (3.50 ± 0.50) than in Group C (P < 0.05). There were significant differences among the groups in terms of serum IFN-γ (F = 4.08, P < 0.05), IL-4 (F = 275.90, P < 0.05), IL-5 (F = 96.82, P < 0.05), IL-10 (F = 77.67, P < 0.05), TGF-ß (F = 9.98, P < 0.05) and OVA-sIgE levels (F = 44.69, P < 0.05). The serum IFN-γ level was significantly lower in Group C than in groups A, B and C (P < 0.05), and the serum levels of IL-4, IL-5 and OVA-sIgE were significantly higher in Group C than in groups A, B and C (P < 0.05), while the serum IL-10 and TGF-ß levels were significantly greater in Group D than in Group C (P < 0.05). Microscopy showed apparent loss of nasal mucosa cilia, increased number and enlargement of goblet cells, interstitial edema and submucous vascular dilation in Group C, while the pathological changes of nasal mucosa were alleviated in Group D relative to Group C. CONCLUSIONS: E. granulosus HCFP has a protective activity against OVA-induced allergic rhinitis in mice.

[Analysis of components of proteins from Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the components of proteins from Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid using the shotgun method, and to identify the active components with potential regulatory effects for immune dysregulation diseases. METHODS: The E. granulosus cyst fluid was collected aseptically from the hepatic cysts of patients with cystic echinococcosis, and characterized by liquid chromatography (LC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) following digestion with trypsin. The protein data were searched using the software MaxQuant version 1.6.1.0 and the cellular components, molecular functions, and biological processes of the identified proteins were analyzed using the Gene Ontology (GO) method. RESULTS: The E. granulosus cyst fluid separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) had a relative molecular mass of 25 to 70 kDa. LS-MS/MS analysis identified 37 proteins, including 32 known proteins and 5 unknown proteins. At least 4 proteins were preliminarily found to exhibit potential regulatory effects for immune dysregulation diseases, including antigen B, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), thioredoxin peroxidase (TPX) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH). GO enrichment analysis showed that the identified proteins had 149 molecular functions and were involved in 341 biological processes. CONCLUSIONS: E. granulosus cyst fluid has a variety of protein components, and four known proteins are preliminarily identified to be associated with immune dysregulation diseases.

Ventilatory chemoresponsiveness, narcolepsy-cataplexy and human leukocyte antigen DQB1*0602 status.

We hypothesised that hypocretin (orexin) plays a role in the determination of ventilatory chemosensitivity. 130 patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (mean ± SD age 20 ± 10 yrs, 69% male) and 117 controls (22 ± 6.9 yrs, 62% male) were recruited and tested for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1*0602 status, hyperoxia hypercapnic (change in minute ventilation (δV'(E))/carbon dioxide tension (δP(CO(2))) L·min(-1)·mmHg(-1)) and hypoxic (δV'(E) /change in arterial oxygen saturation measured by probe oximetry (δS(p,O(2))) L·min(-1) per %S(p,O(2))) responsiveness, and by spirometry. Hypocretin deficiency was determined either by measures of cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 (37 patients) or by positive HLA-DQB1*0602 status. All patients and 49% of controls underwent polysomnography and multiple sleep latency testing. Despite similar spirometric values, patients had a higher apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) (2.8 ± 5.4 versus 0.8 ± 1.6 h(-1); p = 0.03) and lower minimal oxygen saturation during sleep (87% ± 7 versus 91 ± 4%; p = 0.0002), independent of age, sex and body mass index. Patients had depressed hypoxic responsiveness (0.13 ± 0.09 versus 0.19 ± 0.13 L·min(-1) per %S(p,O(2)); p<0.0001), independent of AHI, but hypercapnic responsiveness did not differ. Examined by HLA status, positive (26 out of 117) controls had lower hypoxic but similar hypercapnic responsiveness than those marker-negative (0.13 ± 0.08 versus 0.20 ± 0.14 L·min(-1) per %S(p,O(2)); p<0.0001). Thus, a lower hypoxic responsiveness in the narcolepsy-cataplexy group is a result of DQB1*0602 status rather than the clinical features of disease.

Preliminary observations on the antifatigue effects of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) seed polysaccharides.

The antifatigue effects of the hot-water extract of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) seeds were studied in mice. Longan seed polysaccharides were administered at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg and antifatigue activity was evaluated using a swimming test, along with the determination of serum urea nitrogen, hepatic glycogen and blood lactic acid content. The results show that longan seed polysaccharides, in doses ranging from 50 to 100 mg/kg, extended swimming time, increased hepatic glycogen (p < 0.01, n = 10), reduced blood urea nitrogen (p < 0.01, n = 10) and decreased blood lactic acid (p < 0.01, n = 10) in the mice. Therefore longan seed polysaccharides may have potential as an antifatigue agent.

[S100A8/A9 and periodontal inflammatory diseases].

Calprotectin S100A8/A9, a heterodimer composed of S100A8 and S100A9, is the main component of cytoplasmic proteins in neutrophils. It plays multiple roles in the immuno-inflammatory reactions intracellularly and extracellularly. Recent studies find that S100A8/A9 is closely related with the initiation and progression of periodontal inflammatory diseases. S100A8/A9 is expected to be a new biomarker for diagnosing periodontal inflammatory diseases, monitoring inflammatory activities in patients with periodontitis, evaluating the outcome of periodontal treatments and predicting the susceptibility of individual patient to periodontitis. In this literature review, we summarize the clinical research progress on the relation between S100A8/A9 and periodontal inflammatory diseases.

[Preliminary study on the expression and distribution of S100A8 and S100A9 in healthy and experimental periodontitis tissues].

Objective: To investigate the systemic expression profile of S100A8 and S100A9 in healthy and inflamed periodontal tissues. Methods: Experimental periodontitis models were established by ligations around the mandibular second molars of six beagle dogs for 12 weeks (ligation group). The mandibular second molars on the opposite side were kept clean (healthy control group). The expressions of S100A8 and S100A9 in healthy and inflamed periodontal tissues of six beagle dogs were examined by immunohistochemistry. The expressions of S100A8 and S100A9 in primary human gingival fibroblasts (hGF) from 3 subjects and human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLC) from 3 other subjects were detected by immunocytochemistry. Results: After the ligation for 12 weeks, the mean probing depth of ligation group [(3.86±0.14) mm] was significantly higher than that of healthy control group [(2.11±0.28) mm] (P<0.01). Results of immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that S100A8 and S100A9 could be expressed in gingival epithelial cells and might infiltrated neutrophils in the healthy periodontium. Except for the gingival epithelial cells and neutrophils, both proteins were induced and expressed in gingival fibroblasts, periodontal ligament cells, microvascular endothelial cells and bone marrow fibroblasts under inflammatory conditions. The distribution of S100A8 and S100A9 differed in the healthy oral gingival epithelium (OGE), which becomes consistent in inflamed OGE. Additionally, the expressions of S100A8 and S100A9 were confirmed in primary hGF and hPDLC. Conclusions: Periodontal inflammation might enlarge the expression scope of S100A8 and S100A9 and enrich multiple cells with expressions of S100A8 and S100A9.