Elucidation of common molecular diagnostic biomarkers between chronic periodontitis and Parkinson's disease via bioinformatics analyses.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parkinson's disease (PD) and chronic periodontitis (CP) are both inflammatory diseases; a correlation between the two diseases has been reported, but the underlying mechanisms of this association have not been investigated. We investigated the common molecular mechanisms between PD and CP and the role of immune cells in the pathogenesis of them using bioinformatics analyses to elucidate the association between the two diseases. METHODS: We obtained gene expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database: GSE10334, GSE16134, and GSE23586 for CP gingival samples and GSE20146 for PD brain samples. Subsequently, we conducted an enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses. Moreover, all DEGs were analysed for protein-transcription factor interactions and protein-immune cell co-expression. We constructed protein-transcription factor, protein-protein interaction (PPI), and protein-immune cell co-expression networks using the Cytoscape software. Moreover, we identified the hub genes and investigated them for potential diagnostic value. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: We identified 99 DEGs in the three CP datasets, 520 DEGs in the PD dataset and found five common DEGs in the CP and PD datasets, namely CXCR4, CXCL8, CD19, RPTN, and SLC16A9. These common DEGs identified in our study may have a potential impact on disease pathogenesis through the involvement of CXCR4-CXCL8-CD19 protein-complexes in dendritic cells. Therefore, CD19, LCP2, CXCR4, and LYN could be used as target molecules for the clinical diagnosis of both diseases.

Regulation of Hormone-Related Genes in Ericerus pela (Hemiptera: Coccidae) for Dimorphic Metamorphosis.

Insect hormones regulate metamorphosis including that leading to sexual dimorphism. Using RNA-Seq, we discovered that the second-instar male larva (SM) of the white wax insect, Ericerus pela, have 5,968 and 8,620 differentially expressed transcripts compared with the second-instar female larva (SF) and the first-instar male larva (FM), respectively. The expression levels of genes involved in the apoptosis of old tissues and the reconstruction of new ones in the SM significantly enhanced, while the SF mainly has enhanced expression levels of anabolic genes such as chitin. We predicted that the second-instar larvae are the developmental origin of sexual dimorphic metamorphosis. Meanwhile, in the juvenile hormone (JH) metabolic pathway, CYP15A1 and JH esterase (JHE) are differentially expressed; and in the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) metabolic pathway, CYP307A1, CYP314A1, and CYP18A1 are differentially expressed. In the SM, the expression levels of CYP307A1 and CYP314A1 are significantly increased, whereas the expression level of CYP18A1 is significantly decreased; in the SF, the expression levels of the above genes are opposite to that of the SM. Expression trends of RNA-seq is consistent with the expression level of qRT-PCR, and seven of them are highly correlated (R ≥ 0.610) and four are moderately correlated (0.588 ≥ R ≥ 0.542).

Application of a traction metal clip with a fishhook-like device in wound sutures after endoscopic resection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic wound suturing is an important factor that affects the ability to remove large and full-thickness lesions during endoscopic resection. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a traction metal clip with a fishhook-like device on wound sutures after endoscopic resection. METHODS: From July 2020 to April 2021, patients who met the enrollment criteria were treated with a fishhook-like device during the operation to suture the postoperative wound (group A). Patients with similar conditions and similar size wounds who were treated with a "purse-string suture" to suture the wounds were retrospectively analyzed as the control group (group B). Difference in the suture rate, adverse events, time required for suturing, and number of metal clips were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The time required for suturing was 7.72±0.51 minutes in group A and 11.50±0.91 minutes in group B. This difference was statistically significant (F=13.071, p=0.001). The number of metal clamps used in group A averaged 8.1 pieces/case, and the number of metal clamps used in group B averaged 7.3 pieces/case. This difference was not statistically significant (F=0.971, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The traction metal clip with the fishhook-like device is ingeniously designed and easy to operate. It has a good suture effect on the wound after endoscopic submucosal dissection and effectively prevents postoperative adverse events.

Feasibility Study of the Low-Cost Motion Tracking System for Assessing Endoscope Holding Skills.

BACKGROUND: The ability to hold an endoscope is an important skill for surgeons and assistants performing endoscopic neurosurgery. Motion tracking can provide an objective assessment for surgical skills and may aid in endoscopic neurosurgery. We developed a cost-effective system to study the feasibility of objectively distinguishing performance levels for operating an endoscope. METHODS: The study was divided into 2 parts. First, a video motion tracking analysis tool was built based on a printed mark and free software (Kinovea 0.8.15). Second, the tool was used to distinguish the holding endoscope performance of the robotic arm by experts (surgeon, n = 3) and novice users (residents, n = 6) under both 0' and 30' endoscopes. RESULTS: Through the printed mark and free software, we successfully built a system for video motion tracking. The data analysis showed that for both 0' and 30' endoscopes, the experts had a shorter total distance and depth, smaller average speed and maximum acceleration, and a fewer number of extreme accelerations than their novice counterparts. Compared with experts and residents, the fixed arm had better results. CONCLUSIONS: The simple low-cost video motion tracking system can provide an objective assessment of an endoscope holding skill, which allows for discrimination between an expert and a novice, and can be used by clinical neurosurgeons to select a qualified assistant.

Novel Cost-Effective Tubular Port Based on Glove and Syringe for Endoscopic Surgery of Intracerebral Hematomas.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hematomas (ICH) is a common disease in the developing countries, and minimally invasive transportal resection of ICH is a widely accepted surgical technique. Many port systems are available, but most are disposable and expensive. We present a safe and cost-effective glove-syringe substitute for endoscopic hematoma evacuation, suitable for developing countries such as China. METHODS: A port substitute of different sizes and lengths was constructed using sterile gloves and syringes, commonly found in a surgical environment. RESULTS: We successfully performed endoscopic hematoma removal in 7 patients including 1 cerebellar hemorrhage case and the remaining 6 supratentorial basal ganglia cases (1 patient taking oral aspirin). Bipolar electrocoagulation was used to control bleeding from the ruptured blood vessels. There were no postsurgical complications. CONCLUSIONS: The glove-syringe port is a convenient, safe, and cost-effective tubular port system for endoscopic surgery of ICH. Such ports can be used as substitutes when commercial sleeves are unavailable, especially in rural areas and developing countries.

Antioxidant properties of isolated isorhamnetin from the sea buckthorn marc.

In the present study, the process of separation and purification of isohamnetin from marc of sea buckthorn was obtained. The antioxidant properties of the pure isolated isorhamnetin were evaluated by the scavenging of the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), iron (III) to iron (II)-reducing, and iron-chelating assays. High purity isorhamnetin (92.1%) was obtained and the results of antioxidant assays showed that isorhamnetin performed significantly compared with ascorbic acid and BHT, and the linear correlations were good in these assays. In conclusion, isorhamnetin may have potential as a natural antioxidant to alternate synthetic substances as food additive with its antioxidant activity.

Therapeutic effects of endoscopic mucosal resection on the recovery and prognosis of early gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: To study the clinical effect of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) in the treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC), and to evaluate the recovery and prognosis, so as to provide references for clinical selection of treatment methods. METHODS: 120 patients with EGC were selected and randomly divided into the EMR group and the radical surgery group. Before surgery and 3 days after surgery, the levels of traumatic response-related indexes in serum [adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol (Cor), gastrin (GAS) and motilin (MTL)] were assessed. Before surgery, 3 months and 1 year after surgery, the expression levels of tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9), CA125 and CA724] were assessed. Before surgery and 3 days and 3 months after surgery, the immune function indexes [cluster of differentiation (CD)25+, CD28+ and inducible costimulator (ICOS)] were measured. Moreover, the clinical effect of surgery and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the two groups, and patients were followed up for at least 2 years to evaluate their prognosis. RESULTS: The clinical cure rate of tumor resection was comparable in both groups, and the incidence rate of complications in the EMR group was significantly lower than that in the radical surgery group (p<0.05). The levels of tumor markers were significantly increased compared with those before surgery in both groups (p<0.05), but without significant differences between the two groups. Three days after surgery in the radical surgery group, ACTH and Cor were increased, while GAS and MTL were decreased, and the levels of immune indexes declined (p<0.05). In the EMR group, the above indexes had no significant differences compared with those before surgery. Three days after surgery, the survival and recurrence rate in the EMR group and the radical surgery group were 95.0% vs. 98.3% and 5.0% vs. 3.3%, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The treatment of EGC with EMR has comparable clinical effect and prognosis to the traditional radical surgery, which causes less damage to the body and gastrointestinal function and less inhibition on the immune function, so it is worthy of clinical application.

[Expressions of IL-13 and IL-13Rα2 in eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and clinical implications].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expressions of interleukin (IL) 13 and its receptor IL-13Rα2 in eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP) and non-ECRSwNP and their clinicopathological implications. METHODS: A total of 60 consecutive patients with CRSwNP who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) were divided into two groups of ECRSwNP (n = 27) and non-ECRSwNP (n = 33) based on tissue eosinophil count (more than five cells per high power field) with postoperative pathological examination. Before ESS,the severities of symptoms, nasal polyps, and sinonasal diseases on CT were scored, peripheral blood eosinophil count and percentage, and total serum. IgE level were measured. IL-13 and IL-13Rα2 expressions in polyp tissues were examined with immunohistochemistry. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: There was no significant differences between ECRSwNP and non-ECRSwNP groups in the mean symptom scores (t = 0.102, P > 0.05), but ECRSwNP, compared to non- ECRSwNP, demonstrated a higher incidence of bilateral polyps (χ2 = 15.879, P < 0.01), a higher mean score of nasal polyps (3.6 ± 1.1 vs 2.1 ± 0.8, t = 4.009, P < 0.01) or diseases on CT (t = 4.428, P < 0.01). And also a significant difference existed between two groups in mean blood eosinophil count (t = 3.148, P < 0.01) or percentage (t =3.038, P < 0.01), but no significant difference in total serum levels of IgE (t = 0.659, P > 0.05). There was a closed correlation between tissue eosinophil count and blood eosinophil count (r = 0.683, P < 0.01) or percentage (r = 0.631, P < 0.01) in ECRSwNP, but not in non-ECRSwNP. The expressions of both IL-13 and IL-13Rα2 increased significantly in ECRSwNP compared to non-ECRSwNP ( scores 8.1 ± 1.6 vs. 5.4 ± 1.6; 8.8 ± 1.4 vs. 4.8 ± 1.6, t value was 4.749, 8.010, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: IL-13 and IL-13Rα2 are associated closely with pathogenesis o ECRSwNP. Subtyping CRSwNP and studying underly mechanism can be helpful to make treatment strategy for CRSwNP.