Hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumors: The importance of preoperative diagnosis.

Accurate preoperative diagnosis is highly important for the treatment of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) because PEComas are mainly benign tumors and may not require surgical intervention. By analyzing the causes, properties and clinical manifestations of PEComas, we summarize the challenges and solutions in the diagnosis of PEComas.

DLAT is a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma: a comprehensive study based on public databases.

Cuproptosis is a new mechanism of cell death that differs from previously identified regulatory cell death mechanisms. Cuproptosis induction holds promise as a new tumour treatment. Therefore, we investigated the value of cuproptosis-related genes in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The cuproptosis-related gene Dihydrolipoamide S-Acetyltransferase (DLAT) were significantly upregulated in liver cancer tissues. High levels of DLAT were an independent prognostic factor for shorter overallsurvival (OS) time. DLAT and its related genes were mainly involved in cell metabolism, tumor progression and immune regulation. DLAT was significantly associated with the level of immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints in HCC. HCC with high DLAT expression was predicted to be more sensitive to sorafenib treatment. The risk prognostic signature established based on DLAT and its related genes had a good prognostic value. The cuproptosis-related gene DLAT is a promising independent prognostic marker and therapeutic target in HCC. The new prognostic signature can effectively predict the prognosis of HCC patients.

PIWIL1 interacting RNA piR-017724 inhibits proliferation, invasion, and migration, and inhibits the development of HCC by silencing PLIN3.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers. Worldwide, liver cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. Recent studies have found that PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) participate in the occurrence and development of various tumors and are closely related to the growth, invasion, metastasis and prognosis of malignant tumors. Studies on the role and functional mechanism of piRNAs in HCC development and progression are limited. Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of piR-017724 in both HCC tissues and cells. Based on the clinical data of HCC patients, the clinical and prognostic value of piR-017724 was further analyzed. Then, targeted silencing and overexpressing of piR-017724 in HCC cells was further used to examine the biological functions of piR-017724. In addition, the downstream target protein of piR-017724 was predicted and validated through high-throughput sequencing and public databases. Results: The piR-017724 was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues and cells, and the downregulation of piR-017724 was associated with tumor stage and poor prognosis in HCC. The piR-017724 inhibitor promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells, while the piR-017724 mimic had the opposite effect. However, the piR-017724 did not affect apoptosis of HCC cells. High-throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR confirmed a reciprocal relationship between piR-017724 and PLIN3. Therefore, we speculate that piR-017724 may inhibit the development and progression of HCC by affecting the downstream protein PLIN3. Conclusions: Our study shows that piR-017724, which is lowly expressed in HCC, inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells and may affect the development of hepatocellular liver cancer through PLIN3, which provides new insights into the clinical application of piR-017724 in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Expression and function of myelin expression factor 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumours in the world and has a high mortality rate. However, the pathogenesis of HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential biomarkers of HCC. METHODS: ONCOMINE, HCCDB and THE HUMAN PROTEIN ATLAS were used to identify myelin expression factor 2 (MYEF2) as a potential biomarker for HCC. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to further validate and analyse the value of MYEF2. Kaplan-Meier Plotter was used for the prognostic analysis. The COX regression model and Kaplan-Meier method were used to investigate the clinical value of MYEF2 in the prognosis of HCC by reviewing the survival status of patients. Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expressions of the MYEF2 mRNA and protein in HCC tissues and cell lines. qPCR and Western blotting were used to validate the efficiency of MYEF2 knockout and overexpression in HCC cells. The invasion and migration abilities regulated by MYEF2 were detected by performing transwell and wound healing assays. RESULTS: MYEF2 is significantly upregulated in HCC and is mainly located in the nucleus of HCC cells. MYEF2 expression is significantly associated with the tumour stage, histological grade and TNM stage. High MYEF2 expression is an independent prognostic factor for patients with HCC. Functionally, elevated MYEF2 facilitated cell migration and invasion in vitro. In contrast, decreased MYEF2 inhibited cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: MYEF2 may be a novel biomarker with potential diagnosis and prognosis values and as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Microarray Profile of Circular RNAs Identifies hsa_circ_0001583 as A New Circular RNA Biomarker for Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer, which is currently the leading cause of cancer death. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in cancer, however, circRNAs serving as vital index in BC for guiding treatment have not yet been identified. The aim of our study is to explore a novel kind of potential biomarker for BC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, the samples used for assays were two groups of breast tumor tissue obtained from four BC patients, including four pairs of tumor tissues and adjacent nontumor samples. The circRNA expression profiles were detected via microarray and validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The differentially expressed circRNAs in tested samples were screened and analyzed by using human circRNA microarray. After analysis, considering a fold gene expression change of ≥2.0 and P<0.05, results suggested that 256 circRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 277 circRNAs were significantly down-regulated. Besides, the results of the real-time quantitative PCR assay showed that the expression of hsa_circ_0001583 was significantly up-regulated in BC groups (P<0.05) by real-time quantitative PCR. Therefore, we thought hsa_circ_0001583 might serve as a novel kind of biomarker for BC. CONCLUSION: Hsa_circ_0001583 showed significant up-regulation in BC patients with paired adjacent tissues. Many cancer immune pathways were related to has_circ_0001583, including autoimmune thyroid disease, chemokine and T-cell receptor signaling pathways.

Near-field radiative heat transfer in multilayered graphene system considering equilibrium temperature distribution.

In the present work, the near-field radiative heat transfer of a multilayered graphene system is investigated within the framework of the many-body theory. For the first time, the temperature distribution corresponding to the steady state of the system is investigated. Unique temperature steps are observed near both boundaries of the system, especially in the strong near-field regime. By utilizing the effective radiative thermal conductance, the thermal freedom of heat flux in different regions of the system is analyzed quantitatively, and the cause of various temperature distributions is explained accordingly. To characterize the heat transfer ability of the whole system, we evaluate the system with two heat transfer coefficients (HTC), transient heat transfer coefficient (THTC), and steady heat transfer coefficient (SHTC). A unique many-body enhancement is observed, which causes a red-shift of resonance peak corresponding to graphene surface plasmon polaritons. Furthermore, a three-body enhancement of SHTC emerges thanks to the relay effect and the complexity of the system. The regime of heat transport can be tuned by changing the chemical potentials of graphene and undergoes a transition from diffusive to quasi-ballistic transport in the strong near-field regime.

IOUS and CE-IOUS during hepatic resection for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in liver cirrhosis1.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively evaluate the role of intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) and contrast-enhanced IOUS (CE-IOUS) for the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing hepatic resection (HR). METHODS: Twenty-one consecutive patients who had undergone HR for HCC were included in this study. The patients were subject to preoperative imaging modalities including preoperative ultrasonography (Pre-US) and preoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (Pre-CEUS). All the patients then underwent intraoperative ultrasonography (IOUS) and contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography (CE-IOUS) during surgery. The visualization of primary HCC and additional lesions of all patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-one HCCs were detected during Pre-US and the remaining six lesions (28.6%) were detected during IOUS and CE-IOUS. Thus the treatment plan was changed in 28.6% of patients. Twenty-one HCCs (diameter, 0.6-3.0 cm; mean±SD, 1.98±0.85 cm) were measured on Pre-US and remeasured on IOUS (diameter, 0.9-3.3 cm; mean±SD, 2.19±0.84 cm) (p < 0.001). The 6 additional lesions consisted of three moderately differentiated HCCs, one cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and two high-grade dysplastic nodules (DNs). The mean maximal diameter of the 6 additional lesions was 0.83 cm (range: 0.6-1.1 cm). The malignancy associated features such as capsule interruption, echo heterogeneity, hypo-echoic rim, and a nodule in nodule pattern were more often depicted on IOUS than on Pre-US (all p < 0.01). On CEUS, 19 (90.5%) of 21 HCCs were hyper-enhanced in the arterial phase and washed out from the portal phase to the late phase; the remaining two (9.5%) were hypoenhanced. On CE-IOUS, tumor vasculatures were classified as four patterns: 11 (52.4%) exhibited netlike pattern, 7 (33.3%) annular pattern, 2 (9.5%) mixed pattern, and 1 (4.8%) radial pattern. 3 mHCCs and 2 DNs of six additional nodules had similar greyscale imagining features on IOUS, but they showed different enhancement patterns on CE-IOUS. The ICC showed slightly heterogeneous enhancement during the arterial phase and hypo-enhancement during the portal phase. CONCLUSIONS: IOUS detects more lesions and the treatment plan is changed in 28.6% of patients. HCCs were larger on IOUS than on Pre-US. The typical imaging features of HCCs were better depicted on IOUS in comparison with Pre-US. CE-IOUS can catch the details of microcirculation perfusion of HCCs more sensitively than CEUS. Both IOUS and CE-IOUS were able to provide more decision information during surgery.

Mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 protects cortical neurons from excitotoxicity: a mechanistic pathway.

Mitochondrial division inhibitor 1 (Mdivi-1) is a selective cell-permeable inhibitor of dynamin-related protein-1 (Drp1) and mitochondrial division. To investigate the effect of Mdivi-1 on cells treated with glutamate, cerebral cortex neurons isolated from neonatal rats were treated with 10 mM glutamate for 24 hours. Normal cultured cells and dimethyl sulfoxide-cultured cells were considered as controls. Apoptotic cells were detected by flow cytometry. Changes in mitochondrial morphology were examined by electron microscopy. Drp1, Bax, and caspase-3 expression was evaluated by western blot assays and immunocytochemistry. Mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using the JC-1 probe. Twenty-four hours after 10 mM glutamate treatment, Drp1, Bax and caspase-3 expression was upregulated, Drp1 and Bax were translocated to mitochondria, mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased and the rate of apoptosis was increased. These effects were inhibited by treatment with 50 µM Mdivi-1 for 2 hours. This finding indicates that Mdivi-1 is a candidate neuroprotective drug that can potentially mitigate against neuronal injury caused by glutamate-induced excitotoxicity.

Liver Dysfunction during Pregnancy and Its Association of With Preterm Birth in China: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Liver dysfunction is common in pregnancy but its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB) remains unclear. METHODS: A prospective cohort of HBV-infected or uninfected pregnant women attending antenatal care was recruited at Nantong Maternal and Child Health Hospital between January 1, 2012, and June 30, 2016. Liver function tests (LFTs) were monitored through pregnancy. The primary outcomes were PTB and very PTB (delivery prior 37 and 32weeks' gestation respectively). Poisson regression was used to estimate adjusted risk ratios (RR) for women with HBV infection and LFT abnormalities. RESULTS: Among 36,755 pregnant women (1,113 HBV carriers and 35,642 non-HBV subjects), 3,519 (9.57%) had abnormal LFTs. The commonest cause for liver dysfunction during pregnancy was non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD, 51.3%). Abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and two folds upper limit of normal total bilirubin (RR and 95%CI: 2.73, 1.30-5.76; 2.24, 1.35-3.31; 2.01, 1.22-3.31 respectively), rather than HBsAg positivity, were identified as independent risk factors for preterm birth. Besides, GGT abnormality was associated with increased risk of very PTB. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that surveillance of LFTs among pregnant women should be warranted, given the increased risk of PTB.

Clinical course and perinatal transmission of chronic hepatitis B during pregnancy: A real-world prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical course and perinatal transmission of chronic hepatitis B during pregnancy in a real life setting. METHODS: A total of 221 singleton pregnant women with detectable HBV-DNA levels (≥103 copies/mL) were enrolled during January 2011 to June 2015. Forty-three high viraemic patients (≥106 copies/mL) received telbivudine in the 2nd or 3rd trimester according to their intention, while 89 high viraemic and 79 low viraemic (≥103 and <106 copies/mL) patients were the control cohorts. Primary endpoint was the pregnancy outcomes and secondary endpoint the perinatal transmission including intrauterine infection, immunoprophylaxis failure and occult infection. RESULTS: In all, 209 patients completed pregnancy with 209 infants, while 2 in telbivudine-treated cohort had unexplained late stillbirths. Twenty-nine (70.7%) of telbivudine-treated patients and 3 (3.4%) of untreated high viraemic controls achieved undetectable HBV-DNA levels prior delivery. At 7 months postpartum, immunoprophylaxis failure was significantly lower (2.4%) in telbivudine-treated cohort, compared with 16.9% and 10.1% in untreated high and low viraemic cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Low viraemic patients may also need antiviral therapy since they bear moderate risk for perinatal transmission of HBV. However, more multicenter, large-scale studies are required before antepartum antiviral therapy is routinely recommended in patients with detectable viral loads.

Long-Term Oral Toxicity and Anti-osteoporotic Effect of Sintered Dicalcium Pyrophosphate in Rat Model of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis.

Sintered dicalcium pyrophosphate (SDCP), a synthetic pyrophosphate analog, has shown potential for the management of osteoporosis. The long-term oral toxicity and anti-osteoporotic effect of SDCP in a postmenopausal osteoporosis rat model were evaluated in this study. SDCP was orally administered to bilateral ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats at a dose of 0.75 mg/kg daily for 24 weeks following by 2 weeks of observation. There were no abnormal findings in clinical signs of toxicity, food consumption, body weight, blood examination, necropsy, and histological inspection attributable to the ingestion of SDCP. The serum level of type I collagen fragments, a bone resorption marker, decreased in SDCP-treated rats, and the bone formation markers alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and osteopontin significantly decreased. These findings indicate that the bone turnover rate decreased in SDCP-treated animals. Relative to OVX rats, the increase in serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b level represents an increase in bony tissues in the SDCP-treated rats. Histological examinations of distal femoral metaphyses further revealed that the ingestion of SDCP improved the trabecular bone architecture and decreased bone porosity. Analysis of limb bone ashes showed a significant increase in bone mineral content. Our results show that SDCP inhibits bone resorption to restore bone mass in OVX rats without deleterious effects, and therefore that SDCP has potential in the management of osteoporosis.

Effect of polymer additives on heat transport and large-scale circulation in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

The present paper presents direct numerical simulations of Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC) in an enclosed cell filled with the polymer solution in order to investigate the viscoelastic effect on the characteristics of heat transport and large-scale circulation (LSC) of RBC. To overcome the difficulties in numerically solving a high Weissenberg number (Wi) problem of viscoelastic fluid flow with strong elastic effect, the log-conformation reformulation method was implemented. Numerical results showed that the addition of polymers reduced the heat flux and the amount of heat transfer reduction (HTR) behaves nonmonotonically, which firstly increases but then decreases with Wi. The maximum HTR reaches around 8.7% at the critical Wi. The nonmonotonic behavior of HTR as a function of Wi was then corroborated with the modifications of the period of LSC and turbulent energy as well as viscous boundary layer thickness. Finally, a standard turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget analysis was done for the whole domain, the boundary layer region, and the bulk region. It showed that the role change of elastic stress contributions to TKE is mainly responsible for this nonmonotonic behavior of HTR.

Antibiotic penetration into rabbit nucleus pulposus with discitis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the penetration into nucleus pulposus (NP) of cephazolin and clindamycin in a discitis model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty New Zealand white rabbits were inoculated with 103 Staphylococcus aureus at lumbar disc space. The rabbits with discitis confirmed by MRI 10 days after inoculation were divided into two groups. One was given cephazolin by intravenous (IV) at 80 mg/kg/day at 1.5 h interval for 5 half-lives; the other was given clindamycin by IV at 30 mg/kg/day at 2.5-h interval for 5 half-lives. Thirty minutes after completion of the last dose, NP and serum were sent to measure antibiotic concentration. RESULTS: Two rabbits died during inoculation. After 10 days, 18 rabbits were confirmed discitis in the inoculated levels. The cephazolin and clindamycin can diffuse throughout the infected, sham-infected and normal NP. The serum concentration of cephazolin and clindamycin was 251.3 ± 40.5 and 21.6 ± 4.71 mg/l, respectively. The cephazolin concentration in infected NP (1.93 ± 0.84 mg/l) was higher than that in sham-infected (1.73 ± 0.61 mg/l) and normal NP (1.68 ± 0.65 mg/l), but the difference showed no statistically significant (P > 0.05). The cephazolin penetration into NP averaged 0.68-0.77 % of serum level. The clindamycin concentration in infected NP (4.32 ± 1.54 mg/l) was higher than that in sham-infected NP (2.63 ± 1.26 mg/l) and normal NP (2.59 ± 1.01 mg/l) (P < 0.05). The penetration into NP averaged 11.9-20 % of serum level. There was no significance difference between sham-infected and normal NP in clindamycin and cephazolin concentration (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates cephazolin and clindamycin can penetrate the infected and normal NP. The antibiotics charge influences the delivery. Furthermore, infection condition selectively promotes antibiotic distribution within NP.

Intrathecal miR-96 inhibits Nav1.3 expression and alleviates neuropathic pain in rat following chronic construction injury.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to their cognate target mRNAs. Emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs are critical regulators of neuronal functions. The expression pattern of miRNAs in the peripheral nervous system after peripheral nerve injury suggest that miRNAs may have important and yet unknown roles in the mechanisms of pain. Thus, we examined the role of miR-96 in neuropathic pain using a rat model of the condition chronic constriction sciatic nerve injury (CCI). We found that miR-96 alleviated neuropathic pain. The level of miR-96 was decreased within the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglion (DRG) after peripheral nerve injury but the Nav1.3 level was increased. Specifically, Intrathecal administration of miR-96 suppressed the expression of Nav1.3 induced by CCI. Further examination revealed that miR-96 inhibited the Nav1.3 mRNA expression in the embryonic DRG neurons in vitro. Our findings suggest that miR-96 participate in the regulation of neuropathic pain through inhibiting the expression of Nav1.3 in the DRG of CCI rats.

[The study of the protective effect and its mechanism of Edaravone to neurons with hydrogen peroxide stimulated].

OBJECTIVES: To prove the protective effect of Edaravone to neurons and to study the particular mechanism. METHODS: Neurons were collected from 18-day fetal rat brains and a culture of almost pure neurons was obtained after 14-day culture, then the cells were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: control group, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-treated group, and Edaravone-treated group. In H2O2-treated group, 300 µmol/L H2O2 was added to the medium, followed by returning to the normal culture for the presupposition of time. In Edaravone-treated group, 500 µmol/L Edaravone was prophylactically added to the medium for 30 minutes before the insult. Morphology of mitochondria was visualized by transmission electron microscopy. The rate of apoptotic cells was detected by flow cytometry analysis. The relationships between the proteins and the key proteins expressions were observed by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. RESULTS: Compared to the Edaravone-treated group, mitochondria in H2O2-treated group displayed more vesicular matrix compartments at the same time. Percentage of apoptotic cells in H2O2-treated group after 0.5, 2, 6 and 12 h were 14.40% ± 1.23%, 45.50% ± 2.81%, 56.40% ± 3.53%, 62.50% ± 4.23%, which were higher than control group (F = 274.8, P < 0.01). Edaravone-treated group were 0.90% ± 0.07%, 1.10% ± 0.08%, 3.50% ± 1.90%, 12.60% ± 1.10%, which were lower than H2O2-treated group (F = 362.7, P < 0.01). After H2O2 stimulation for 0.5 h in H2O2-treated group, the levels of p-JNK (Thr183/Tyr185) and cytochrome c in cytosol and BAX in heavy membrane were increased significantly at 0.5 h, reaching a peak at 12 h after stimulation, In addition, the expressions of p-BAD, BAX, BAD and 14-3-3 of cytoplasm decreased, however, these changes were inhibited in the Edaravone-treated group. CONCLUSIONS: As a free radical scavenger, the Edaravone could protect neurons by inhibiting the activity of JNK, the disassociation of BAD from 14-3-3 and the translocation of BAX from the cytosol to mitochondria.

Single-stage posterior debridement and single-level instrumented fusion for spontaneous infectious spondylodiscitis of the lumbar spine.

Spontaneous infectious spondylodiscitis (SIS) is an uncommon condition. The purpose of this retrospective study of 10 adult patients (6 males and 4 females, average age 52 years), all with lumbar SIS and epidural abscess, was to analyze the efficacy of single-stage posterior debridement plus single-level interbody grafting with autologous bone, and transpedicular screw-rod instrumentation. The mean follow-up period was 43 months, with a minimum of 30 months. The back pain was relieved within 3 to 8 days after surgery. Neurologic deficits, present in 5 cases, all improved. Solid fusion was achieved at 6 months in all 10 cases. The mean VAS for pain improved from 7.5 to 1.6, the mean Oswestry Disability Index from 57.8% to 8.1%. The mean physical component of SF-36 (PCS) improved from 32.4% to 54.7%, the mean mental component of SF-36 (MCS) improved from 33.8% to 57.2%. All these changes were significant (p < 0.001). No recurrence of infection was noted. The outcome was quite satisfactory in terms of fusion rate and quality of life.

[The clinical features and surgical treatment strategies of cervical kyphosis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and the surgical treatment strategy of cervical kyphosis. METHODS: From March 2006 to October 2009, 31 cases of cervical kyphosis were treated. According to the clinical features and imaging findings, different treatment methods were used. There were 9 patients in operation group, including 4 male and 5 female patients, aged from 17 to 72 years (average age of 35 years). Among them, 5 cases were idiopathic kyphosis and 4 cases were caused by laminectomy or other reasons. There were 22 patients in conservative treatment group, including 11 male and 11 female patients, aged from 14 to 40 years (average age of 29 years), who were all idiopathic cervical kyphosis. Before and 1 week after operation, clinical assessment were taken for the patients in operation group using Spinal Cord Injuries Classification Standard of American Spinal Injury Association (AISA). During the periodic review, the anteroposterior, normal sagittal films of cervical spine were taken. At 1 week and every 6 months after operation, MRI films were also taken. These films were studied to evaluate the effects of the operations. In the conservative group, assessment of treatment results by studying anteroposterior and normal lateral views of cervical spine were were taken every month. The clinical characteristics and the surgical treatment strategies of these patients were analyzed. RESULTS: In operation group, 9 cases were followed up for 6 to 18 months, all patients did not failed in internal fixation and fusion. AISA neurological score and neurological function significantly improved. Three days after operation the average Cobb angle was -1.29 ° (preoperative 54.24 °). In conservative group, the average Cobb angle was -5.41 ° (before treatment 11.20 °) 4 months after the treatment. The symptoms of neck shoulder and back pain disappeared, and all patients were followed up for 3 to 24 months, with no recurrence of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In the early period of cervical kyphosis, adopt postural therapy, plaster braces to correct an imbalance in cervical spine biomechanics can prevent deformity development. According to patients' clinical characteristics, choosing individual treatment programs can correct the severe cervical kyphosis and achieve good outcome.

[A new method to optimize the performance of JPEG2000-based PACS images' storage, transmission and display].

In connection with the efficiency problem of narrow-band PACS medical images transmission and display and following the DICOM 3.0 standard and JPEG2000 code stream properties of progressing transmission and free access, this paper presents a new parallel processing method of the images transmission and display. This method raises the performance of images' transmission, storage and display, and has been evaluated in the clinical medical diagnosis information system.

A new approach to inhibiting astrocytic IP3-induced intracellular calcium increase in an astrocyte-neuron co-culture system.

Astrocytes exhibit dynamic Ca2+ mobilization, such as Ca2+ wave and Ca2+ oscillation, via an inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate-induced Ca2+ release (IICR)-dependent mechanism. The physiological functions of astrocytic Ca2+ mobilization, however, are poorly understood. To investigate this issue, we created a plasmid encoding an enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate absorbent protein and expressed it in cultured astrocytes. Expression of this protein inhibited both IICR and the Ca2+ wave in cultured astrocytes. By combining this method to the single cell electroporation technique, we were able to inhibit IICR specifically in astrocytes in an astrocyte-neuron co-culture system. Our approach provides a useful tool for direct examination of the physiological role of astrocytic Ca2+ signaling on neuronal function.