Protective effect of ligustrazine on oxidative stress and apoptosis following testicular torsion in rats.

Testicular torsion is a common urologic emergency and one of the causes of infertility in males. It has been reported that ligustrazine may decrease oxidative stress and reduce ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of ligustrazine in ischemia-reperfusion injury after testicular torsion-detorsion. First, 40 rats were randomly and equally divided into TMP (Ligustrazine) group, the Testicular torsion (T/D) group, the Sham (Sham operation) group, and Control group. The left testis of rats in the TMP and T/D group was rotated for 2 h. The TMP group was intraperitoneally injected with ligustrazine solution and the T/D and the Sham groups were injected with normal saline. The left testes of four groups were obtained for assay on the 4th day after the operation. Average level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT) were higher in Sham and Control groups than T/D group and TMP group. Conversely, average level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was lower in Sham and Control groups than T/D group and TMP group. In contrast with the T/D group, SOD, GPX, and CAT enzymatic activities increased, whereas MDA and ROS content decreased in the TMP group (P < 0.05). Microscopic observation showed that the testicular tissue of the Sham and Control groups were basically normal. The TMP and T/D groups had significant testicular tissue damage, whereas the TMP group had less damage and apoptosis than the T/D group. The apoptotic index of germ cells in the TMP group (13.05 ± 4.41) was lower than the T/D group (30.23 ± 11.31) (P < 0.05) and higher (P < 0.05) than the Sham group (0.56 ± 0.29). So we found that Ligustrazine lowered ischemia-reperfusion injury after testicular torsion-detorsion by decreasing the reactive oxygen species and suppressing apoptosis.

Assessment of a 3D printed simulator of a lateral ventricular puncture in interns' surgical training.

PURPOSE: In this study, a simulator for training lateral ventricular puncture (LVP) was developed using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, and its function of improving the skills of LVP in young interns was evaluated. METHODS: A virtual 3D craniocerebral simulator of a 51-year-old female patient with hydrocephalus was reconstructed with 3D printing technology. The anatomical and practical validity were assessed by all interns on a 13-item Likert scale. The usefulness of this simulator was evaluated once a week by two neurosurgeons, based on the performance of the interns, using the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) scale. RESULTS: The Likert scale showed that all participants agreed with the overall appearance of the simulator. Also, the authenticity of the skull was the best, followed by the lateral ventricles, analog generation system of intraventricular pressure, cerebrum, and the scalp. This simulator could help the participants' learning about the anatomy of the lateral ventricle, effective training, and repeating the steps of LVP. During training, the interns' ratio of success in LVP elevated gradually. At each evaluation stage, all mean performance scores for each measure based on the OSATS scale were higher than the previous. CONCLUSIONS: The 3D printed simulator for LVP training provided both anatomical and practical validity, and enabled young doctors to master the LVP procedures and skills.

Effect of baicalin on hippocampal damage in kainic acid-induced epileptic mice.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of baicalin on the expression of miR-497 and its target B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in the hippocampus of kainic acid (KA)-induced epileptic mice. To establish status epilepticus (SE), 0.1 µg/5 µl KA was injected into the lateral cerebral ventricle in mice, which then received an intraperitoneal injection of baicalin (100 mg/kg) after 1 and 8 h. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the pathological changes in morphology and neuronal apoptosis was determined by terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling staining. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 proteins in the hippocampus, while reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify hippocampal miR-497 expression. The results showed that baicalin significantly attenuated neuronal damage and apoptosis in the hippocampus 72 h after SE. In addition, baicalin decreased SE-induced expression of miR-497 and cleaved caspase-3 protein, while upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 protein. In conclusion, the present results suggest that baicalin possesses potent antiapoptotic properties and attenuates hippocampal injury in mice after SE, which may be associated with the downregulation of miR-497 and cleaved caspase-3 and the upregulation of Bcl-2.

Secondary headache due to aspergillus sellar abscess simulating a pituitary neoplasm: case report and review of literature.

Fungal sellar abscess is rare. A 42-year-old man was admitted with 2-month headache characterized by right peri-orbital pain. An intrasellar mass was found to be simulated a pituitary neoplasm after magnetic resonance imaging examination, and operated on via an endoscopic trans-sphenoidal approach. Milk-like pus and a mass of ash black mixed and necrotic material were found and removed. Histopathology revealed numerous aspergillus hyphae. Itraconazole was given on a dosage of 200 mg twice a day orally for 6 weeks. No recurrence was observed during follow-up. Complete surgical resection through endoscopic trans-sphenoidal approach combined with systemic anti-fungal therapy, should be considered as the optimal treatment.