[Transurethral resection of the prostate versus transurethral columnar balloon dilatation of the prostate in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and transurethral columnar balloon dilatation of the prostate (TUCBDP) in the treatment of BPH. METHODS: This study included 218 BPH patients treated in Qinhuangdao Workers' Hospital from July 2021 to November 2022, 109 by TURP and the other 109 by TUCBDP. We followed up the patients for 12 months, observed their postoperative recovery, complications, serum pain, inflammatory index, cytokine level, urodynamic index, symptom improvement and quality of life (QOL) and compared the data obtained between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: At 12 months after surgery, the total effectiveness rate was significantly higher in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group (93.58% vs 84.40%, P< 0.05), and the postoperative recovery was better in the former than in the latter (P< 0.05). Compared with the baseline, the levels of serum prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), substance P, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were remarkably increased in both of the groups on the first day after surgery (P< 0.05), more significantly in the TURP than in the TUCBDP group (P< 0.05), while the levels of serum PSA and E2 decreased and the T level elevated in all the patients at 3 months postoperatively (P< 0.05), more significantly in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group (P< 0.05). Before and at 3 and 12 months after operation, the postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) and NIH-CPSI, IPSS and QOL scores showed a decreasing trend, while the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) and maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) exhibited an increasing trend in both of the two groups, even more significantly in the TUCBDP than in the TURP group (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: TUCBDP is advantageous over TURP in promoting postoperative recovery, improving QOL, reducing postoperative pain, inflammation and complications, regulating the levels of serum cytokines, and improving urodynamics and clinical symptoms in BPH patients. However, with the extension of postoperative time, the two strategies are basically comparable in improving the urodynamics, symptoms and QOL of the patients.

Case report: Simultaneous resections of pulmonary segment and an esophageal leiomyoma during spontaneous ventilation video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Spontaneous ventilation video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (SV-VATS) has rapidly developed in recent years. The application scope is still being continuously explored. We describe a case in which a 40-year-old woman with mixed ground-glass opacity (GGO) and an esophageal leiomyoma successfully underwent simultaneous segmentectomy and leiomyoma resection through spontaneous ventilation video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The perioperative course was uneventful. Postoperative pathology revealed minimally invasive adenocarcinoma and esophageal leiomyoma.

Exploring the displacement characteristics of Garden III femoral neck fractures and the reliability, validity, and value of the anteroposterior Garden Index in assessing displacement severity.

BACKGROUND: Femoral neck fractures represent a significant public health concern, particularly in the elderly population. A thorough understanding and assessment of these fractures are deemed essential for optimal treatment and management. Displacement characteristics of Garden III femoral neck fractures were explored in this study, and the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the anteroposterior Garden Index in evaluating displacement severity were investigated. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with Garden III femoral neck fractures were included in this study. The anteroposterior Garden Index was computed from X-ray images by three experienced orthopedic doctors. Additionally, the contact area of the fracture endpoint and displacement of the femoral neck were evaluated using 128-slice 3D CT scans. Inter-observer and retest reliability of the Garden Index measurements were assessed, along with its correlation with CT measurements. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 110 patients with Garden III femoral neck fractures were analyzed, showcasing an almost equal gender distribution and an age range spanning from 20 to 88 years. An average Garden Index of 135° (± 16°) was observed. The intra-observer repeatability of the Garden Index was found to exceed 90%. A significant positive correlation was identified between the Garden Index and the contact surface area of the fracture endpoint (r = 0.82, P < 0.001), while a significant negative correlation was noted with the upward displacement of the femoral neck (r = - 0.79, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The anteroposterior Garden Index has been demonstrated to have promising potential as a reliable and valid tool for assessing the displacement severity of Garden III femoral neck fractures. Nonetheless, further research is needed to elucidate its relationship with other fracture characteristics and to enhance its criterion and construct validity.

The association between three-dimensional measurement of posterior tilt angle in impacted femoral neck fractures and osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

BACKGROUND: Hollow screw internal fixation is commonly used in clinical treatment of impacted femoral neck fractures. Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between the preoperative posterior tilt angle of the femoral head and failure of internal fixation, but there are fewer studies related to the occurrence of postoperative femoral head necrosis and the posterior tilt angle. METHODS: To examine the relationship between three-dimensional posterior tilt angle measurements in affected femoral neck fractures and postoperative osteonecrosis of the femoral head and related risk variables. We retrospectively examined 130 Yantaishan Hospital patients with affected femoral neck fractures from 2019 to 2022. Three-dimensional reconstruction technology assessed the posterior tilt angle of the femoral head and separated patients into necrosis and non-necrosis groups based on postoperative femoral head necrosis. Univariate analysis compared clinical data between groups, and multivariate logistic regression analyzed risk variables for femoral head necrosis. Postoperative femoral head necrosis was predicted by posterior tilt angle using Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Out of 130 patients who were followed up for 16-68 months postoperatively, 20 developed femoral head necrosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the posterior tilt angle and reduction quality level C were risk factors for the occurrence of femoral head necrosis. The ROC curve analysis showed that the three-dimensional measurement of the posterior tilt angle had predictive value for postoperative femoral head necrosis, with a cut-off value of 20.6°. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that, for patients with impacted femoral neck fractures, the posterior tilt angle and reduction quality level C are risk factors for femoral head necrosis following closed reduction and internal fixation surgery. Fracture patients with a posterior tilt angle ≥ 20.6°are more likely to experience postoperative femoral head necrosis.

A torus source and its application for non-primary radiation evaluation.

Objective. Non-primary radiation doses to normal tissues from proton therapy may be associated with an increased risk of secondary malignancies, particularly in long-term survivors. Thus, a systematic method to evaluate if the dose level of non-primary radiation meets the IEC standard requirements is needed.Approach. Different from the traditional photon radiation therapy system, proton therapy systems are composed of several subsystems in a thick bunker. These subsystems are all possible sources of non-primary radiation threatening the patient. As a case study, 7 sources in the P-Cure synchrotron-based proton therapy system are modeled in Monte Carlo (MC) code: tandem injector, injection, synchrotron ring, extraction, beam transport line, scanning nozzle and concrete reflection/scattering. To accurately evaluate the synchrotron beam loss and non-primary dose, a new model called the torus source model is developed. Its parametric equations define the position and direction of the off-orbit particle bombardment on the torus pipe shell in the Cartesian coordinate system. Non-primary doses are finally calculated by several FLUKA simulations.Main results. The ratios of summarized non-primary doses from different sources to the planned dose of 2 Gy are all much smaller than the IEC requirements in both the 15-50 cm and 50-200 cm regions. Thus, the P-Cure synchrotron-based proton therapy system is clean and patient-friendly, and there is no need an inner shielding concrete between the accelerator and patient.Significance. Non-primary radiation dose level is a very important indicator to evaluate the quality of a PT system. This manuscript provides a feasible MC procedure for synchrotron-based proton therapy with new beam loss model. Which could help people figure out precisely whether this level complies with the IEC standard before the system put into clinical treatment. What' more, the torus source model could be widely used for bending magnets in gantries and synchrotrons to evaluate non-primary doses or other radiation doses.

Fusobacterium Nucleatum Is a Risk Factor for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence has indicated that there is a correlation between Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) abundance and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Furthermore, tumor metastasis plays a decisive role in the prognosis of CRC patients. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the abundance of F. nucleatum in CRC tissues affects the tumor metastasis. METHODS: In the present study, F. nucleatum DNA obtained from 141 resected CRC samples was quantified by qPCR to determine whether there were differences in F. nucleatum abundance between groups with and without CRC metastasis. RESULTS: The results revealed that F. nucleatum was more abundant in CRC patients with metastasis, and CRC tissues enriched with F. nucleatum had a higher risk of lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that F. nucleatum in CRC tissues could be used as an indicator for CRC metastasis, to some extent. Furthermore, the in vitro experiments (electron microscopy, and migration and invasion trials) revealed that F. nucleatum was a highly invasive bacterial strain, and could significantly enhance the invasion and migration capacity of SW480 and SW620 cells. In addition, a meta-analysis comprehensively indicated a slight correlation between F. nucleatum abundance and advanced CRC stage (RR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.00-1.37, P=0.04, random effect). CONCLUSION: There is a correlation between F. nucleatum abundance and CRC metastasis, and F. nucleatum may serve as a metastasis biomarker for CRC patients.

Learning curve for minimally invasive oesophagectomy of oesophageal cancer and survival analysis.

PURPOSE: Minimally invasive oesophagectomy is a technically demanding procedure, and the learning curve for this procedure should be explored. A survival analysis should also be performed. METHODS: A total of 214 consecutive patients who underwent minimally invasive oesophagectomy were retrospectively reviewed. To evaluate the development of thoracoscopic-laparoscopic oesophagectomy and compare mature minimally invasive oesophagectomy and open oesophagectomy, we comprehensively studied the clinical and surgical parameters. The cumulative sum (CUSUM) plot was used to evaluate the learning curve for systemic lymphadenectomy. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to explore the clinical factors affecting survival. RESULTS: The bleeding volume, operation time, and postoperative mortality within 3 months significantly decreased after 20 patients. The rise point for node dissection was visually determined to occur at patient 57 in the CUSUM plots. Patients who underwent mature thoracoscopic-laparoscopic oesophagectomy had better surgical data and short-term benefits than patients who underwent an open procedure. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that the maximum diameter of the tumour cross-sectional area and the number of positive nodes significantly influenced survival. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that thoracoscopic-laparoscopic oesophagectomy has short-term benefits. There was no evidence that it was associated with a significantly better prognosis for patients with oesophageal cancer. ClinicalTrials Gov ID: NCT04217239; January 2, 2020 retrospectively registered.

Roles of exosomes in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that mediate intercellular communication. They contain different molecules, such as DNA, RNA, lipid, and protein, playing essential roles in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Exosomes derived from CRC are implicated in tumorigenesis, chemotherapy resistance, and metastasis. Besides, they can enhance CRC progression by increasing tumor cell proliferation, reducing apoptosis mechanistically through altering particular essential regulatory genes, or controlling several signaling pathways. Therefore, exosomes derived from CRC are essential biomarkers and can be used in the diagnosis. Indeed, it is crucial to understand the role of exosomes in CRC, which is necessary to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for early detection and treatment. In the present review, we discuss the roles of exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

[Responses of photosynthesis and P/Fe traits to P application in soybean under stress of low Fe.] / é“èƒè¿«ä¸‹å¤§è±†å ‰åˆå’Œç£·/é“æ€§çŠ¶å¯¹ç£·ç´ çš„å“åº”.

We examined the effects of phosphorus (P) levels on photosynthetic and P/Fe traits of soybean under the stress of low Fe and their genotypic differences, to provide a theoretical basis for rational application of P and Fe fertilizer. Six P-efficient and six P-inefficient soybean varieties screened in the early stage were used as experimental materials. Four treatments of P:Fe ratio were set, including 0:30, 30:30, 150:30 and 300:30 (µmol·L-1). We measured chlorophyll fluorescence traits and P-Fe utilization efficiency in soybean. A stepwise regression equation was established with seed weight per plant. Pathway analysis was performed, with the response of P-efficient and P-inefficient soybean genotypes to different P:Fe treatments being comprehensively evaluated by factor scores. The results showed significant main and interactive effects of genotype and P:Fe on the relative electron transfer rate of photosystem Ⅱ (ETR) at beginning of flowering stage (R1), the proportion of the energy absorbed by photosystem Ⅱ dissipated into heat (NPQ) at R1 stage, and proportion of energy absorbed by photosystem Ⅱ devoted to the photochemical reaction (qL) at R1 stage. Results of canonical correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between P utilization efficiency of seed at full maturity stage (R8) and photosynthetic rate at R1 stage of P-efficient genotypes. Seed Fe utilization efficiency of P-inefficient genotypes at R8 stage was positively correlated with NPQ at R1 stage, but negatively correlated with qL at R1 stage. The actual photochemical efficiency of PSⅡ (ΦPSⅡ) at R1 stage was negatively correlated with P-efficient genotypes, but positively correlated with P-inefficient genotypes, which indicated that ΦPSⅡ at R1 stage was an important indicator for identifying soybean genotypes with different P efficiency under stress of low Fe. The comprehensive performance of P-efficient soybean genotypes decreased first and then increased with P level, while P-inefficient soybean genotypes increased first and then decreased. The inflection point of both genotypes appeared in P:Fe of 30:30. Thus, P:Fe ratio of 30:30 could be used as a threshold to identify soybean genotypes with different P efficiency under stress of low Fe. In conclusion, P fertilizer application should be equal to or greater than 1:1 (P:Fe) when planting P-efficient soybean genotypes in low Fe area, while P fertilizer application should not exceed 1:1 (P:Fe) when planting P-inefficient soybean genotypes.

MicroRNA-144 Suppresses Prostate Cancer Growth and Metastasis by Targeting EZH2.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor with a high incidence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be important post-transcriptional regulators during tumorigenesis. This study aimed to explore the effect of miR-144 on PCa proliferation and apoptosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of miR-144 and EZH2 were examined in clinical PCa tissues. PCa cell line LNCAP and DU-145 was employed and transfected with miR-144 mimics or inhibitors. The correlation between miR-144 and EZH2 was verified by luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability, apoptosis and migratory capacity were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry assay and wound healing assay. The protein level of EZH2, E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin and vimentin were analyzed by western blotting. RESULTS: miR-144 was found to be negatively correlated to the expression of EZH2 in PCa tissues. Further studies identified EZH2 as a direct target of miR-144. Moreover, overexpression of miR-144 downregulated expression of EZH2, reduced cell viability and promoted cell apoptosis, while knockdown of miR-144 led to an inverse result. miR-144 also suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition level of PCa cells. CONCLUSION: Our study indicated that miR-144 negatively regulate the expression of EZH2 in clinical specimens and in vitro. miR-144 can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in PCa cells. Therefore, miR-144 has the potential to be used as a biomarker for predicting the progression of PCa.

Combination of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy-guided microwave ablation and thoracoscopic resection: An alternative for treatment of multiple pulmonary nodules.

Here, we describe a novel method using microwave ablation (MWA) guided by electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for simultaneous treatment of multiple high-risk pulmonary nodules in a 47-year-old woman. After the ENB registration process, the operator delivered the locatable electromagnetic probe to the target in the right upper lobe following the navigational route. MWA was performed after an antenna was passed into the lesion through the working channel. The wedge resection of the left upper lobe and lower lobe and the lingual segment resection were performed by VATS. The pathological diagnoses was adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) of the right upper lobe lesion, AIS of the left upper lobe, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma of the left lower lobe lesion and chronic inflammation of the lingular segment. MWA guided by ENB combined with VATS is an alternative treatment strategy to deal with multiple pulmonary nodules at the same stage of the operation.

A new surgical procedure for synchronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma: Case report: three cases reports.

RATIONALE: The stomach is always used to reconstruct the upper digestive tract for esophageal cancer operation. However, problems arise when the esophageal cancer and gastric cancer present at the same time. No medical literature mentioned about this surgical procedure till now. PATIENT CONCERNS: Majority of the patients had the sensation of obstruction when swallowing because of the esophageal tumor. Gastric adenocarcinoma was found when gastroscopy was performed. DIAGNOSIS: Synchronous esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma were confirmed by biopsy pathology. INTERVENTIONS: We describe the new technique as: distal gastrectomy preserving the gastroepiploic vessels, Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy and thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis esophagectomy with chest anastomosis. OUTCOMES: Three patients accepted the surgery and recovered well without any complications. The patients did not undergo any postoperative adjuvant therapy and was doing well without any recurrence till date (23 months, 12 months, 6 months separately). LESSONS: This procedure was less invasive and easier to perform for synchronous early-stage gastric cardiac cancer and middle or lower third thoracic esophageal cancer. We recommend the indication as: esophageal tumor was located at least 27 cm away from the incisor teeth (for R0 resection during chest anastomosis, be sure no superior mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis were found preoperation), gastric tumor was located in the distal portion of the gastric tube and evaluated for clinical stage IA.

Curcumin induces apoptosis and inhibits angiogenesis in murine malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare form of cancer that is associated with asbestos exposure. Unfortunately, current therapies have limited efficacy. Previous studies have indicated that curcumin exerts antiproliferative and antitumor effects, and has low toxicity. The present study aimed to evaluate the anticancer effects of curcumin on the RN5 MPM cell line. The inhibitory effects of curcumin on cell viability were determined using the sulforhodamine B assay. In addition, cell cycle progression was analyzed by propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry, and curcumin­induced apoptosis was measured by Annexin V/PI double staining. The translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) was assessed by western blotting and immunofluorescence, and the expression levels of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT serine/threonine kinase (Akt)­mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway proteins and mitochondria-associated proteins were evaluated by western blotting. In vivo antitumor effects were evaluated in a subcutaneous murine model. Briefly, tumors were harvested from the mice, and immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate cell proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. The results indicated that curcumin inhibited RN5 cell viability and induced apoptotic cell death. In addition the findings suggested that curcumin-induced cell apoptosis occurred via the mitochondrial pathway, and caspase­independent and AIF-dependent pathways. Further analysis revealed that curcumin may act as a PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway inhibitor by downregulating PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase. Furthermore, curcumin inhibited tumor angiogenesis in vivo. In conclusion, curcumin may be potent enough to be developed as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of MPM.

Effect of spleen tyrosine kinase on nonsmall cell lung cancer.

AIM OF STUDY: To investigate the anti.tumor effect of spleen tyrosine kinase. (Syk) on the human nonsmall cell lung cancer cells in vitro and its mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we constructed a eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1D/V5-His-TOPO/Syk and transfected it into human nonsmall cell lung cancer cells A549. Then, we not only analyzed the expression of Syk in transfected cells and its invasion but also the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). RESULTS: The results showed that overexpressed Syk significantly inhibited A549 cell invasive ability by decreasing the expression of MMP-9. CONCLUSION: The overexpressed Syk plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis, and a negative role in human nonsmall cell lung cancer cells.

Antidiabetic Effects of Tea.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic endocrine disease resulted from insulin secretory defect or insulin resistance and it is a leading cause of death around the world. The care of DM patients consumes a huge budget due to the high frequency of consultations and long hospitalizations, making DM a serious threat to both human health and global economies. Tea contains abundant polyphenols and caffeine which showed antidiabetic activity, so the development of antidiabetic medications from tea and its extracts is increasingly receiving attention. However, the results claiming an association between tea consumption and reduced DM risk are inconsistent. The advances in the epidemiologic evidence and the underlying antidiabetic mechanisms of tea are reviewed in this paper. The inconsistent results and the possible causes behind them are also discussed.

Involvement of syk and VEGF-C in invasion of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lung cancer has become one of the most dangerous malignant tumors in the world nowadays, whose pathogenesis is complex involving multi-genes and multi-elements. This study aims to investigate the values of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) in lymphangiogenesis and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pcDNA3.1-VEGF-C and pLNCX-syk were constructed and transfected into A549 cells. After cells with stable expression were sorted, the level of VEGF-C was tested by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry and the mRNA of syk was tested by RT-PCR. The cell invasion assay was investigated by transwell chamber in vitro. Restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis demonstrated successful construction of the pcDNA3.1-VEGF-C. RESULTS: RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed higher expression of VEGF-C in VEGFC-construct-transfected A549 cells than that in controls (P < 0.05). Successful construction of the pLNCX-syk was demonstrated by restriction enzyme electrophoresis and sequencing. RT-PCR revealed Syk expression higher in syk-construct-transfected cells than in controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a potential link between the upregulation of Syk and VEGF-C expression and lung adenocarcinoma.

Development Pattern on Lymph Node Resection in Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy and 2-year Survival Analysis.

Background Thoracoscopic-laparoscopic procedures have been used more in the operations of esophagus cancer; in most times we call it minimally invasive esophagectomy, which is becoming mature. However, the efficacy of minimally invasive esophagectomy is still unclear, especially about the dissection of lymph nodes and survival. Methods A retrospective review was performed. The development process of minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer was divided into three stages: the first stage 20, the second stage 37, the third stage 50. Result Total 107 patients underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy between July 2010 and May 2015. The number of lymph node resected during the three stages increased significantly, with a mean of 12.65, 15.91, and 20.16 nodes, respectively (p = 0.0075). The number of lymph nodes dissection greater than or equal to 12 or 18 increased significantly (p = 0.000). The patients from the first and the second stages had the similar 2-year survival rate (p = 0.8618). There is no significant difference in the 2-year disease-free survival rate (p = 0.606). Conclusion Surgeons accumulate experience on lymphadenectomy during minimally invasive esophagectomy as time goes by, and experience on 50 to 60 cases is essential and necessary to accomplish an apparent progress.

Predicting anatomical landmarks and bone morphology of the femur using local region matching.

PURPOSE: Anatomical landmarks and bony features are frequently used in biomechanical and surgical applications. The purpose of this study was to develop a local region matching-based anatomical landmark prediction method. METHODS: A reference femur model with anatomical landmarks and a surface division map was prepared. Initial registration between the reference femur model and a target femur model was performed in three-dimensional Cartesian space, and closest point pairs were determined by the initial surface correspondence. The models were mapped to unit spheres through spherical parameterization. Spherical registration using the closest point pairs in the spherical parametric space enabled the application of a division map from the reference model to the target model. The reference and target models were divided into local regions defined in the division map, and the corresponding regions were again registered in Cartesian space. Anatomical landmarks in the local regions were identified in the target model. RESULTS: The accuracy of the proposed method was tested for anatomical landmarks marked by a clinician on 35 femoral models. The effectiveness of local region matching was demonstrated by automatic measurements of the femoral neck-shaft angle. The average prediction error for all eight anatomical landmarks of the femur was 2.74 (±1.78) mm. The average of the predicted neck-shaft angle for our Korean subjects was 126.41° (±4.92°), which was comparable to previous studies in Japanese and Chinese populations. CONCLUSION: Anatomical landmarks and features could be accurately predicted using the proposed local region matching method. This method offers robustness and accuracy in determining anatomical bony landmarks and bone morphology for clinical and biomechanical applications.

Application of a bioengineered composite neotrachea in a dog model.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of extensive tracheal lesions remains a major challenge because of lack of an ideal airway substitute that is well vascularized, rigid, and autologous. We describe a novel surgical technique of tracheal reconstruction using a combination of a polypropylene mesh material and anterior cervical myocutaneous flap in a dog model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 3.5-4 cm length of cervical trachea was resected in 16 dogs and replaced with a myocutaneous cervical neck flap wrapped around the plain polypropylene tube (group 1, n = 7) or wrapped around a composite of polypropylene tube with an implanted Z-type metallic-covered stent (group 2, n = 9). The cervical tracheal defect was repaired with the previously mentioned substitute that was directly sutured to the remaining tracheal ends. Dogs were followed up using bronchoscopy and x-rays and euthanized at predetermined times for histologic examination. RESULTS: In group 1, four dogs died within 2 wk from respiratory failure with varying degrees of airway collapse and difficulties in expectoration. In group 2, eight dogs survived, whereas one died of anastomotic dehiscence 1 wk after surgery. Necropsy and histologic examination of the anastomotic sites revealed good healing tissue. Pathologic examination also revealed excellent healing of the squamous epithelium of the neotrachea and the columnar epithelium of the native tracheal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: The tissue compatibility of the polypropylene mesh material and anterior cervical myocutaneous skin flap makes this a promising therapeutic substitute for treatment of patients with extensive tracheal lesions.

Effect of Smac and Taxol on non-small-cell lung cancer.

A series of structurally unique second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smacs) that act as antagonists of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) directly have been discovered. They play crucial roles in mitochondrial apoptosis pathways and promote chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. In this study, we constructed a eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1/Smac and transfected it into A549 human lung cancer cells. Then we analyzed the cell invasive and cloning ability, as well as cell apoptosis induced by Taxol. The results showed that over-expressed Smac significantly inhibited A549 cell invasive and cloning ability and promoted apoptosis following Taxol treatment. This finding provides a potential approach for the biological therapy of lung cancer.