Crossbreeding Effect of Chalcogenation and Iodination on Benzene Additives Enables Optimized Morphology and 19.68% Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells.

Volatile solid additives have attracted increasing attention in optimizing the morphology and improving the performance of currently dominated non-fullerene acceptor-based organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the underlying principles governing the rational design of volatile solid additives remain elusive. Herein, a series of efficient volatile solid additives are successfully developed by the crossbreeding effect of chalcogenation and iodination for optimizing the morphology and improving the photovoltaic performances of OSCs. Five benzene derivatives of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (DOB), 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene (OIB), 1-iodo-4-methylthiobenzene (SIB), 1,4-dimethylthiobenzene (DSB) and 1,4-diiodobenzene (DIB) are systematically studied, where the widely used DIB is used as the reference. The effect of chalcogenation and iodination on the overall property is comprehensively investigated, which indicates that the versatile functional groups provided various types of noncovalent interactions with the host materials for modulating the morphology. Among them, SIB with the combination of sulphuration and iodination enabled more appropriate interactions with the host blend, giving rise to a highly ordered molecular packing and more favorable morphology. As a result, the binary OSCs based on PM6:L8-BO and PBTz-F:L8-BO as well as the ternary OSCs based on PBTz-F:PM6:L8-BO achieved impressive high PCEs of 18.87%, 18.81% and 19.68%, respectively, which are among the highest values for OSCs.

Patient preferences and willingness to pay for central venous access devices in breast cancer: A multicenter discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND: Despite being a significant management decision in clinical or nursing practice, there is limited understanding of the preferences regarding risks, benefits, costs, and other attributes of patients with breast cancer when selecting peripherally inserted central catheters or totally implanted ports. The objective of this study is to investigate the preferences of patients with breast cancer who require chemotherapy when selecting an optimal central venous access device. METHODS: Data on patients' preferences for central venous access devices were collected using a face-to-face discrete choice experiment from the oncology departments of three public hospitals in China representing the eastern (Zhejiang province), central (Henan province), and western (Sichuan province) regions. The study used six attributes to describe the preferences of breast cancer patients for central venous access devices, including out-of-pocket cost, limitations in activities of daily living, catheter maintenance frequency, risk of catheter-related thrombosis, risk of catheter-related infection, and size of incision. Data were analyzed using a conditional logit model and mixed logit model. The marginal willingness to pay (mWTP) was calculated by assessing the ratio of the preference for other attributes to the preference for out-of-pocket cost. RESULTS: A total of 573 respondents completed the survey. The discrete choice experiment results showed that respondents strongly preferred a central venous access device with a catheter maintenance frequency of one time a month (vs four times a month, ß = 1.188, p < 0.001), the lower risk of catheter-related thrombosis (2 % vs 10 %, ß = 1.068; p < 0.001) and lower risk of catheter-related infection (2 % vs 8 % risk: ß = 0.824; p < 0.001). Respondents were willing to pay CNY ¥11,968.1 (US$1776.5) for a central venous access device with a catheter maintenance frequency of one time a month rather than four times a month, ¥10,753.6 (US$1596.2) for a central venous access device with 2 % thrombosis risk over one with 10 %, and ¥8302.0 (US$1232.3) for a central venous access device with 2 % infection risk over one with 8 %. Respondents with longer travel time to the hospital, younger than 50 years old, and with urban employee basic medical insurance were willing to pay more for an improvement in the attributes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that patients with breast cancer were mainly concerned with the out-of-pocket cost, catheter maintenance frequency, risk of catheter-related thrombosis and risk of catheter-related infection when choosing a central venous access device for the delivery of chemotherapy. In clinical or nursing practice, when making central venous access device recommendation for young patients and those who live far from hospitals, totally implanted ports may be a preferable choice.

Contribution of trehalose to ethanol stress tolerance of Wickerhamomyces anomalus.

BACKGROUND: The ascomycetous heterothallic yeast Wickerhamomyces anomalus (WA) has received considerable attention and has been widely reported in the winemaking industry for its distinctive physiological traits and metabolic attributes. An increased concentration of ethanol during ethanol fermentation, however, causes ethanol stress (ES) on the yeast cells. Trehalose has been implicated in improving survival under various stress conditions in microorganisms. Herein, we determined the effects of trehalose supplementation on the survival, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), cellular morphology, and oxidative stress tolerance of WA in response to ES. RESULTS: The results indicated that trehalose improved the survival and anomalous surface and ultrastructural morphology of WA. Additionally, trehalose improved redox homeostasis by reducing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inducing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. In addition, DEGs affected by the application of trehalose were enriched in these categories including in gene expression, protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and cell cycle pathways. Additionally, trehalose increased the content of intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) and adenosine triphosphate. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal the protective role of trehalose in ES mitigation and strengthen the possible uses of WA in the wine fermentation sector.

Effect of multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) on survival outcomes of lung cancer patients: Experiences from China.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) on the survival outcomes of Chinese lung cancer patients. METHODS: Data from a Chinese tertiary cancer hospital of lung cancer patients were collected and divided into two groups (MDT+/-) according to whether the patients had received an MDT. The survival analysis was performed after propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Before PSM, more patients in the MDT+ group had documented information on clinical characteristics and showed more unfavorable clinical characteristics than patients in the MDT- group. After PSM, there was no imbalance in the first-line treatment strategies between the two groups. When the patients were analyzed separately, for patients in the MDT- group, age at diagnosis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, stage, smoking history, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene status were all significant factors for survival (p < 0.05). For patients in the MDT+ group, only age at diagnosis, stage, and comorbidities were significant factors for survival (p < 0.05). Moreover, age at diagnosis, ECOG score, stage, EGFR gene status, and MDT were all significant factors for survival for all patients (p < 0.001). The results indicate that MDT was a significant prognostic factor independent of clinical characteristics (HR: 2.095, 95% CI: 1.568-2.800, p < 0.001), with a significantly improved median survival (58.0 vs. 29.0 months, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Based on PSM, MDT itself did have a real favorable prognostic significance for Chinese lung cancer patients in the study.

Two-step model of paleohexaploidy, ancestral genome reshuffling and plasticity of heat shock response in Asteraceae.

An ancient hexaploidization event in the most but not all Asteraceae plants, may have been responsible for shaping the genomes of many horticultural, ornamental, and medicinal plants that promoting the prosperity of the largest angiosperm family on the earth. However, the duplication process of this hexaploidy, as well as the genomic and phenotypic diversity of extant Asteraceae plants caused by paleogenome reorganization, are still poorly understood. We analyzed 11 genomes from 10 genera in Asteraceae, and redated the Asteraceae common hexaploidization (ACH) event ~70.7-78.6 million years ago (Mya) and the Asteroideae specific tetraploidization (AST) event ~41.6-46.2 Mya. Moreover, we identified the genomic homologies generated from the ACH, AST and speciation events, and constructed a multiple genome alignment framework for Asteraceae. Subsequently, we revealed biased fractionations between the paleopolyploidization produced subgenomes, suggesting the ACH and AST both are allopolyplodization events. Interestingly, the paleochromosome reshuffling traces provided clear evidence for the two-step duplications of ACH event in Asteraceae. Furthermore, we reconstructed ancestral Asteraceae karyotype (AAK) that has 9 paleochromosomes, and revealed a highly flexible reshuffling of Asteraceae paleogenome. Of specific significance, we explored the genetic diversity of Heat Shock Transcription Factors (Hsfs) associated with recursive whole-genome polyploidizations, gene duplications, and paleogenome reshuffling, and revealed that the expansion of Hsfs gene families enable heat shock plasticity during the genome evolution of Asteraceae. Our study provides insights on polyploidy and paleogenome remodeling for the successful establishment of Asteraceae, and is helpful for further communication and exploration of the diversification of plant families and phenotypes.

Effect analysis of neural network robot system in music relaxation training to alleviate adverse reactions of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

Music therapy is a common method to relieve anxiety and pain in cancer patients after surgery in recent years, but due to the lack of technical and algorithmic support, this therapy is not particularly stable and the therapeutic effect is not good. In this study, a neural network robotic system based on breast cancer patients was designed to analyze the effect of music relaxation training on alleviating adverse reactions after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Firstly, this paper introduces the necessity of neural network robot system research under the background of music therapy, and then summarizes the positive effect of music relaxation therapy on alleviating adverse reactions after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, finally, uses neural network robot system to construct music therapy system. The experimental results show that the new music therapy proposed in this study has a good effect in alleviating the adverse reactions of breast cancer patients after chemotherapy, and the cure rate is increased by 7.84%. The research results of this paper provide reference for the next development of neural network robot system in the medical field.

Protective effects of thiamine on Wickerhamomyces anomalus against ethanol stress.

Wickerhamomyces anomalus (W. anomalus) is widely reported in the brewing industry and has positive effects on the aromatic profiles of wines because of its unique physiological characteristics and metabolic features. However, the accumulation of ethanol during fermentation inhibits the growth of W. anomalus. Thiamine is involved in the response against various abiotic stresses in microorganisms. Therefore, we used transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to study the effect of thiamine on ethanol-stressed W. anomalus. The results indicate that thiamine could alleviate the inhibitory effect of ethanol stress on the survival of W. anomalus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) caused by the thiamine intervention were identified as oxidative phosphorylation through integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. In addition, ethanol treatment decreased the content of intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), while thiamine partially alleviated this phenomenon. The present comprehensive transcriptional overview and metabolomic analysis provide insights about the mechanisms of thiamine protection on W. anomalus under ethanol stress and promote the potential applications of W. anomalus in the fermentation industry.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment in Chinese patients with metastatic NSCLC.

INTRODUCTION: Because of its low immunogenicity and associated risk of toxicity, sugemalimab is expected to reshape the first-line treatment landscape for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in China. However, it remains unclear whether the use of expensive sugemalimab is cost-effective in this population. METHODS: A Markov model was constructed based on the GEMSTONE-302 study to assess the efficacy of sugemalimab in combination with chemotherapy for first-line treatment of metastatic NSCLC. Efficacy and safety data were entered, with costs and utility values derived from the literature, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were estimated, and univariate sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. We also considered cost-effectiveness in two different treatment regimen scenarios after disease progression. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy, patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with sugemalimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy saw an increase of 0.56 life-years (LYs) and 0.41 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and patients with squamous NSCLC resulted in an ICER per QALY of $45,280.02. Patients with nonsquamous metastatic NSCLC resulted in an ICER of $45,294.15 per QALY. Univariate sensitivity analysis showed that disease-free survival utility had the greatest impact on the results. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) showed that when the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for QALYs was $27,354/QALY, sugemalimab, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, was more cost-effective than the placebo. CONCLUSION: From a Chinese health care system perspective, first-line treatment of squamous or nonsquamous metastatic NSCLC with sugemalimab plus platinum-based chemotherapy may have cost-effectiveness compared with placebo plus platinum-based chemotherapy at a WTP threshold of $27,354/QALY.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of adjuvant therapy with atezolizumab in Chinese patients with stage IB-IIIA resectable NSCLC after adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: Atezolizumab was first shown to significantly improve progression-free survival (PFS) after platinum-based chemotherapy in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the IMpower010 Phase 3 trial. However, the cost-effectiveness and potential economic impact of atezolizumab treatment in Chinese patients are unknown. Methods: Markov models were constructed based on follow-up data from the IMpower010 trial and assessed separately in the programmed cell death receptor ligand-1 (PD-L1) tumor cells (TC) ≥ 1% stage II - IIIA group, all stage II - IIIA groups, and the intention-to-treat (ITT) group (stage IB-IIIA). Efficacy and safety data were obtained from the IMpower010 trial, and costs and utility values were derived from the literature and local surveys to estimate their incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) compared with willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds in scenarios implementing patient assistance programs (PAP) or drug price negotiations. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) were performed to investigate the stability of the model results. Results: Compared with best supportive care (BSC), atezolizumab produced an additional 0.45 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), 0.04 QALYs, and -0.0028 QALYs in the PD-L1 TC ≥ 1% stage II - IIIA group, all stage II - IIIA groups, and the ITT group, and the ICERs were 108,825.37/QALY, 1,028,538.22/QALY, and -14,381,171.55/QALY, respectively. The ICERs all exceeded the WTP threshold of $27,354 per QALY (three times the per capita gross domestic product of China in 2022), and univariate sensitivity analysis showed that the price of atezolizumab played a crucial role in the model results. PSA showed that the probability of cost-effectiveness of atezolizumab in the PD-L1 TC ≥ 1% stage II - IIIA group, all stage II - IIIA groups, and the ITT group increased with the increasing WTP threshold. Conclusion: From the perspective of China's health care system, in the PD-L1 TC ≥ 1% stage II - IIIA group, all stage II - IIIA groups, and the ITT group, the use of atezolizumab in the adjuvant treatment of patients with early-stage NSCLC after platinum-based chemotherapy is unlikely to be cost-effective. The implementation of PAP or price reduction negotiations for atezolizumab might be among the most effective measures to improve its cost-effectiveness.

Effects of Rosa roxburghii Tratt Must on the Growth, Nutrient Composition, and Antioxidant Activity of Pleurotus ostreatus Mycelia.

Rosa roxburghii Tratt, a Rosaceae plant endemic to China, produces fruit with high nutritional and medicinal value. The effects of R. roxburghii must on the growth, nutrient composition, and antioxidant activity of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia was investigated. We measured the mycelial growth rate, proximate composition, amino acid and crude polysaccharide content, and the antioxidant activity of the crude polysaccharides of P. ostreatus mycelia cultivated under different concentrations of R. roxburghii must (2%, 4%, and 8%, v/v). Low concentrations of R. roxburghii must (2% and 4%) promoted mycelial growth, while a high concentration (8%) inhibited mycelial growth. Low concentrations of R. roxburghii must had no significant effects on the soluble substances, fat, ash, and crude fiber in P. ostreatus mycelia, but significantly increased the crude protein and total amino acid contents (p < 0.05). The addition of R. roxburghii must at low concentrations significantly increased the crude polysaccharide content in mycelia (p < 0.05) but had no impact on the scavenging of hydroxyl radicals and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Therefore, R. roxburghii must at low concentration can be used as a substrate for P. ostreatus cultivation to increase the protein and polysaccharide contents in mycelia.

CADM1 enhances intestinal barrier function in a rat model of mild inflammatory bowel disease by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling pathway.

Cell adhesion molecule 1 (CADM1) is frequently silenced in lung, prostate, liver, stomach, pancreatic and breast carcinomas and other forms of human carcinomas. However, it is unclear regarding the role of CADM1 in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D) that is the most common gastrointestinal diagnosis and may contribute to impaired intestinal barrier function. The aim of the present study is to explore the potential mechanism of CADM1 in regulating intestinal barrier function in IBS-D. A rat model with IBS-D induced by the combination method of mother-infant separation, acetic acid and restraint stress was initially established. The defecation frequency, faecal water content (FWC), total intestinal permeability, sIgA, endotoxin, D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase (DAO) were then measured. Next, positive expression of CADM1 protein was detected in distal colonic tissue of rats by immunohistochemistry. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in distal colonic mucosa, CADM1, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), STAT3, p-JAK1, p-STAT3, Claudin-1and Claudin-2 were evaluated using ELISA, RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. IBS-D rats exhibited low CADM1 expression and activated STAT3 signaling pathway. Overexpression of CADM1 in rats was shown to increase Claudin-1 expression, while decreasing expression of STAT3, Claudin-2, TNF-α and IL-6. In addition, silencing of CADM1 or inhibition of the STAT3 signaling pathway was demonstrated to improve the intestinal barrier function. Our study provides evidence that CADM1 can potentially improve intestinal barrier function in rats with IBS-D by inhibiting the STAT3 signaling pathway.

miR-149 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of human colonic carcinoma cells by targeting FZD5.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of miR-149 on the cell proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and its potential molecular mechanism. METHODS: miR-149 expression patterns were detected in human CRC cell lines by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (Q-PCR). Online prediction software and luciferase reporter assay were performed to screen the functional targets of miR-149. CRC cells were transfected with miR-149 mimics or siRNAs of FZD5 and then divided into NC group (negative control), miR-149 mimics group (cells transfected with miR-149 mimics) and miR-149 mimics + SiFZD5 group (cells transfected by miR-149 mimics and SiFZD5). Moreover, the effects of miR-149 on the proliferation and apoptosis of CRC cells were also analyzed by MTT and flow cytometry assay. In addition, the expression of Wnt/ß-catenin signal pathways related factors were shown by western blot analysis. RESULTS: Q-PCR results demonstrated that the expression of miR-149 was significantly lower in SW480 than that in the FHC cell line. Frizzled class receptor 5 (FZD5) was identified as a functional target of miR-149 through a series of experiments including Q-PCR, western blot analysis, and luciferase assay. Cellular functional experiments demonstrated that the cell viability and proliferation were greatly inhibited after miR-149 overexpression in SW480 cells. Furthermore, the proportion of apoptotic cells increased significantly after introducing miR-149 into SW480 cells. Furthermore, Wnt/ß-catenin signal pathway was activated because of the lower expression of ß-catenin and cyclinD1 in miR-149 mimics group. However, reducing FZD5 expression restored the expression of ß-catenin and cyclin D. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that miR-149 may function as a tumor suppressor in CRC cells lines by targeting FZD5. miR-149/FZD5 may become a new therapeutic target for CRC.

Importance and safety of autologous sperm cryopreservation for fertility preservation in young male patients with cancer.

With development of tumor treatment, survival time of patients with cancer is significantly prolonged. Therefore, the current emphasis is not only the survival, but also the quality of life, especially, it is crucial for young male cancer patients who are unmarried and maintaining fertility. However, the awareness of fertility preservation for these patients is currently insufficient.To give physician and cancer patients more clear understanding of the importance and safety of sperm cryopreservation, so that achieve patient fertility benefits.First, the knowledge level and attitudes about fertility preservation were investigated by surveying 332 cancer patients and 103 medical staff with questionnaires. Second, 30 male cancer patients (experimental group) and 30 normal donors (control group) were selected and their sperm samples were cryopreserved. The sperm quality was compared between cancer patients and normal donors, before and after antitumor treatment in the cancer patients, and before and after sperm cryopreservation in both groups.In the questionnaire survey, we found that there were 70% to 80% of medical staffs and cancer patients lacked knowledge of fertility preservation, and 27.7% of patients worried that tumor and sperm cryopreservation might affect their offspring. In the sperm preservative experiment, we found that sperm quality in cancer patients was further damaged after radiotherapy/chemotherapy in addition to tumor itself had a negative effect. However, sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragments were not affected by sperm cryopreservation although there were significant differences in sperm quality before and after sperm preservation in both groups.Radiotherapy/chemotherapy would further damage sperm quality of young male cancer patients. Medical staff should be aware of importance of sperm cryopreservation for fertility preservation for these patients. It is also necessary that medical staff should inform the patient about the safety of sperm freezing and guide the patient to participate in sperm cryopreservation.

The clinical features and related factors of PICC-related upper extremity asymptomatic venous thrombosis in cancer patients: A prospective study.

Peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) is the main venous access for cancer patients when they receive chemotherapy and nutritional support, but PICC-related venous thrombosis has become one of the most common and serious complications. It is very important to further explore the relationship among these features, so that prevent and treat the PICC-related thrombosis.To investigate the clinical features and the related factors of PICC-related upper extremity asymptomatic venous thrombosis in cancer patients, and to provide theoretical basis for the prevention of venous thrombosis.A total of 127 tumor patients with PICC catheterization were selected. Thrombus was detected by color Doppler ultrasound at different times: before catheterization and 24 hours after catheterization, and every week. The study was terminated at the time of thrombosis, and patients who did not develop thrombus were terminated after 6 weeks of follow-up. The clinical characteristics and influencing factors of asymptomatic thrombosis such as vessel diameter, blood flow velocity, thrombosis time, location, and the thrombosis stages were recorded.The incidence of PICC-related upper limbs asymptomatic thrombosis was 48.82% (62/127), and the median time was 3 days. The incidence within 24-hour was 37.1% and within 1 week was 85.49%. A total of 81 venous thrombosis were found in 62 patients with asymptomatic thrombosis, there were 19 (23.5%) venous thrombosis in the deep veins while 62 (76.5%) in the superficial veins. Furthermore, thrombosis stages can be divided into 3 levels: stage I accounted for 51.85% (42/81), stage II accounted for 37.04% (30/81), and stage III accounted for 11.11% (9/81). The group trajectory analysis indicated the 3 changes of blood flow velocity during the follow-up period: downward trend, upward trend, and steady fluctuations. Survival analysis indicated that the cohort with downward trend have the high risk of thrombosis (67.90% vs 19.00% vs 45.10%). Cox proportional hazards model suggested that the patient's Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score (hazard ratio [HR] 2.791, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.76) and blood flow velocity (HR 0.250, 95% CI 2.01-3.87) was the risk of PICC-related asymptomatic thrombosis.PICC catheterization can affect blood flow and asymptomatic thrombosis can occur at an early stage. Patient's upper limb activities should be guided to promoting blood circulation, thus effectively preventing thrombosis. Asymptomatic thrombosis can also be detected by color Doppler ultrasound system, within a recommended time of 1 week after catheterization.

EphB3-targeted regulation of miR-149 in the migration and invasion of human colonic carcinoma HCT116 and SW620 cells.

microRNAs play key roles during various crucial cell processes such as proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Also, microRNAs have been shown to possess oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions in human cancers. Here, we describe the regulation and function of miR-149 in colorectal cancer cell lines. miR-149 expression patterns were detected in human colorectal cell lines and tissue samples, and then focused on its role in regulation of cell growth, migration, invasion, and its target gene identification. Furthermore, the function of the target gene of miR-149 was analyzed in vitro and in vivo. miR-149 expression was downregulated in human colorectal cancer HCT116 and SW620 cell lines compared to the normal colon epithelial NCM460 cell line using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction methods. Further studies indicated that introduction of miR-149 was able to suppress cell migration and invasion. Then, EphB3 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-149 in colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, experiments in vitro showed that knockdown expression of EphB3 could suppress cell proliferation and invasion, and ectopic expression of EphB3 restored the phenotypes of CRC cell lines transfected with miR149. In addition, silencing of EphB3 significantly affected cycle progression distribution and increased apoptosis in CRC cell lines. Finally, in vivo results demonstrated that knockdown of EphB3 by siRNA inhibited tumor growth. In conclusion,the important role of miR-149 in colorectal cancer progression suggesting that miR-149 may serve as a therapeutic target for colorectal cancer treatment.

Adenotonsillectomy outcomes regarding bone age and osteocalcin in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of adenotonsillectomy (AT) on bone development, quality of life and polysomnography evaluation in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). METHODS: Preoperative and postoperative (6 months) physical examination, PSG, bone age (BA) and osteocalcin (OC) evaluation were performed on the selected OSA children (n=92) and the healthy children (n=87). The OSA children were also scored based on the OSA 18-item questionnaire. A two-year follow-up was conducted to evaluate BA and OC changes. RESULTS: After AT, 81 (88.04%) OSA children recovered completely, eight (8.70%) achieved remarkable improvements, and three (3.26%) achieved moderate improvements. In the OSA children, postoperative OSA 18-item score and the scores of the five domains were significantly higher than preoperative ones. Compared with the preoperative, body mass index (BMI), weight for age Z-sores, height for age Z-sores, weight for height Z-sores and BMI Z-score in the OSA group 6 months after the operation were significantly increased, but no significant difference was detected between the OSA and the control group. The changes of BA and chronological age in the OSA group were significantly different from those in the control group. Two years after AT, BA between the two groups was no longer significantly different. Preoperative serum OC in the OSA group was lower than that in the control group, but increased to normal levels 6 months after AT. Correlation analysis showed serum OC levels were negatively correlated with apnea hyponea index, obstructive apnea index, arousal index, and lowest oxygen saturation. CONCLUSIONS: After AT, bone growth and development in children with OSA recovered gradually, and the serum OC levels decreased to the normal level. Therefore, preventive measures and positive treatments should be applied to minimize the negative effects of OSA in children.

[Impacts of acupuncture on blood pressure and hematoma in patients of cerebral hemorrhage at the early stage].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage at the early stage. METHODS: Fifty-four cases of small-amount cerebral hemorrhage were randomized into an acupuncture group and a conventional treatment group, 27 cases in each one. In the conventional treatment group, special care, oxygen therapy, nerve nutrition and symptomatic support were applied. In necessary, dehydrant and hypotensive drugs were prescribed for antihypertension, or surgery was given. In the acupuncture group, on the basis of the treatment as the control group, acupuncture was applied at Quchi (LI 11), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3). Acupuncture was given at the admission, 4 h, 6 h and 12 h after disease onset respectively. Blood pressure was monitored in the whole procedure. 6 h and 24 h after disease onset, the cranial CT was re-examined. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), hematoma volume and neurological deficit score were compared at different time points between the two groups. RESULTS: (1) Blood pressure: from the admission to 12 h after disease onset, SBP, DBP and MAP were increased apparently in the conventional treatment group and increased slightly in the acupuncture group. The differences in SBP [(164.3 +/- 21.6) mmHg vs (158.6 +/- 21.5) mmHg] and MAP [(113.4 +/- 4.9) mmHg vs (106.7 +/- 6.1) mmHg] were significant between the two groups (both P < 0.05). From 12 h to 24 h after disease onset, compared with the conventional treatment group, SBP and MAP were decreased apparently in the acupuncture group [(147.3 +/- 21.6) mmHg vs (158.4 +/- 23.5) mmHg, (97.2 +/- 5.3) mmHg vs (106.6 +/- 5.1) mmHg, both P < 0.05)]. (2) Hematoma volume: from the admission to 6 h after disease onset, the volume was increased by (4.15 +/- 0.73) mL in the convertional treatment group and (2.67 +/- 0.33) mL in the acupuncture group, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P < 0.05). From the admission to 24 h after disease onset, it was increased by (5.57 +/- 1.26) mL in the convertional treatment group and (3.14 +/- 1.18) mL in the acupuncture group, indicating the significant difference in comparison (P < 0.05). (3) Neurological deficit score: the score was increasing gradually in first 3 days after disease onset in the two groups. The score (38.39 +/- 6.84) in the acupuncture group on the first day was different significantly as compared with that (42.37 +/- 7.46) in the conventional treatment group (P < 0.05). On the 10th days, the score (24.68 +/- 5.42) in the acupuncture group was different significantly from that (29.74 +/- 7.36) in the convertional treatment group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is no peak of blood pressure rising, and the continuous hemorrhagic volume is less in 24 h and neurological deficit score is improved in the acupuncture group. Acupuncture brings the positive significance in the treatment of cerebral hemorrhage at the early stage.

[Clinical study of gasless abdominal-wall lifting laparoscopic myomectomy with 5 mm laparoscope].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility, advantages and clinical value of gasless abdominal-wall lifting laparoscopic myomectomy with 5 mm laparoscope and 2 abdominal holes (1.5-hole-gasless-laparoscopic myomectomy). METHODS: A total of 90 cases of uterine fibroids were randomly divided into 2 groups. Lifting gasless group (n = 46) underwent gasless abdominal-wall lifting laparoscopic myomectomy with 5 mm laparoscope and 2 abdominal holes, and pneumoperitoneum group (n = 44) pneumoperitoneum laparoscopic myomectomy. The operative duration, blood loss volume, average time of single-myoma-removal, intestinal function recovery and hospital stay of both groups were compared. RESULTS: The operative duration, blood loss volume and average time of single-myoma-removal of lifting gasless group were respectively significantly less than those of pneumoperitoneum group (P < 0.01) . The postoperative intestinal function recovery and postoperative hospital stay had no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Three cases of pneumoperitoneum group were converted successfully into myomectomy with traditional 3-hole gasless abdominal wall lifting laparoscopy because of large fibroids in uterine isthmus. A total of 12 newly discovered myomas, not pre-detected ultrasonically, were removed in 10 cases of lifting gasless group. CONCLUSION: 1.5-hole-gasless-laparoscopic myomectomy, like traditional gasless laparoscopy, may avoid the complications of laparoscopic CO2 pneumoperitoneum. The smaller laparoscope-hole and sole operating hole make this maneuver a safe, easy and mini-invasive procedure. It is more suitable for clinical application and popularity in primary care.