Proteinaceous Microsphere-Based Water-in-Oil Pickering Emulsions for Preservation of Chlorella Cells.

Microalgae are highly regarded as ideal materials for the creation of liquid biofuels and have substantial potential for growth and utilization. However, traditional storage and culture methods for microalgae are plagued by challenges such as uncontrolled growth, bacterial contamination, and self-shading among algae. These issues severely impede the photosynthetic process and the efficient extraction of biomass energy. This study tackles these problems by utilizing magnetic hydrophobic protein particles to stabilize water-in-oil Pickering emulsions. This allows for the micro-compartment storage and magnetic transfer of algae. Additionally, the successful encapsulation of Chlorella cells in high-internal-phase water-in-oil Pickering emulsions effectively mitigates the settling problem of Chlorella cells in the liquid phase, thereby enabling the potential use of Pickering emulsions for the confined cultivation of microalgae.

Apoptotic body-inspired nanotherapeutics efficiently attenuate osteoarthritis by targeting BRD4-regulated synovial macrophage polarization.

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is the most well-studied BET protein that is important for the innate immune response. We recently revealed that targeting BRD4 triggers apoptosis in tumor-associated macrophages, but its role in synovial macrophages and joint inflammation is largely unknown. Herein, we demonstrated that BRD4 was highly expressed in the iNOS-positive M1 macrophages in the human and mouse osteoarthritis (OA) synovium, and conditional knockout of BRD4 in the myeloid lineage using Lyz2-cre; BRD4flox/flox mice significantly abolished anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT)-induced M1 macrophage accumulation and synovial inflammation. Accordingly, we successfully constructed apoptotic body-inspired phosphatidylserine-containing nanoliposomes (PSLs) loaded with the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 to regulate inflammatory macrophages. JQ1-loaded PSLs (JQ1@PSLs) exhibited a higher cellular uptake by macrophages than fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) in vitro and in vivo, as well as the reduction in proinflammatory M1 macrophage polarization. Intra-articular injections of JQ1@PSLs showed prolonged retention within the joint, and remarkably reduced synovial inflammation and joint pain via suppressing M1 polarization accompanied by reduced TRPA1 expression by targeted inhibition of BRD4 in the macrophages, thus attenuating cartilage degradation during OA development. The results show that BRD4-inhibiting JQ1@PSLs can targeted-modulate macrophage polarization, which opens a new avenue for efficient OA therapy via a "Trojan horse".

Effect of cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without acute kidney injury assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the possible causes of changes in cardiac function and investigate the feasibility of clinical assessment of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with or without acute kidney injury (AKI) assessed using a non-invasive impedance cardiography (ICG, Bioz. Cardio Dynamics, USA) to identify independent risk factors. METHODS: Patients admitted to the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China, between May 1, 2019, and February 15, 2022, were included in this study. A total of 51 patients with gastrointestinal cancer (31 men and 20 women, mean age 61.1 ± 10.9 years) with or without AKI were evaluated for ICG. A total of 19 patients underwent ultrasound cardiography (UCG) and ICG evaluations. RESULT: There was a significant positive correlation between cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume (SV), left cardiac work index (LCWI), and ejection fraction (EF) measured using UCG and ICG. The relationship was observed between COICG and COUCG (r = 0.707, P = 0.001), CIICG and CIUCG (r = 0.718, P = 0.001), SVICG and SVUCG (r = 0.837, P < 0.001), and LCWIICG and EFUCG (r = 0.540, P = 0.017). Cardiac function parameters measured using ICG were statistically different between patients with gastrointestinal cancer with or without AKI (P ≤ 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that AKI independently affects cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: UCG and ICG methods are significantly associated with cardiac function in patients with or without AKI, and patients with gastrointestinal cancer with AKI are worse than those without AKI. AKI is an independent risk factor for cardiac function in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Alveolar ridge preservation in post-extraction sockets using concentrated growth factors: a split-mouth, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Aim: The aim of this clinical trial was to assess the impact of autologous concentrated growth factor (CGF) as a socket-filling material and its ridge preservation properties following the lower third molar extraction. Materials and methods: A total of 60 sides of 30 participants who had completely symmetrical bilateral impacted lower third molars were enrolled. The primary outcome variables of the study were bone height and width, bone density, and socket surface area in the coronal section. Cone beam computed tomography images were obtained immediately after surgery and three months after surgery as a temporal measure. Follow-up data were compared to the baseline using paired and unpaired t-tests. Results: CGF sites had higher values in height and width when compared to control sites (Buccal wall 32.9 ± 3.5 vs 29.4 ± 4.3 mm, Lingual wall 25.4 ± 3.5 vs 23.1 ± 4 mm, and Alveolar bone width 21.07 ± 1.55vs19.53 ± 1.90 mm, respectively). Bone density showed significantly higher values in CGF sites than in control sites (Coronal half 200 ± 127.3 vs -84.1 ± 121.3 and Apical half 406.5 ± 103 vs 64.2 ± 158.6, respectively). There was a significant difference between both sites in the reduction of the periodontal pockets. Conclusion: CGF application following surgical extraction provides an easy, low-cost, and efficient option for alveolar ridge preservation. Thus, the use of CGF by dentists during dental extractions may be encouraged, particularly when alveolar ridge preservation is required. Clinical trial registration: TCTR identification, TCTR20221028003.

An early microvascular training program of dental intern students and junior residents: a comparative prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical instructional strategies and the climate in which teaching and learning take place have a significant impact on the quality of dental education. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of early microsurgery training on the skills of dental intern students who are planning to join an oral and maxillofacial surgical field (DIS) as compared with junior residents within an oral and maxillofacial surgery department who had no microsurgery experience (JR). METHODS: A total of 100 trainees, 70 were DIS, while the other 30 were JR. The average age was 23.87 ± 2.05 years for DIS group and 31.05 ± 3.06 for JR group. All trainees attended a microsurgical course (theoretical and practical parts) for seven days within a Microvascular Laboratory for Research and Education of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. Two blinded examiners had assessed the performance of trainees independently using a specific scoring system. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the effect of microsurgery training between DIS and JR groups. The significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: The DIS group had showed higher attendance rate than JR group (p < 0.01), with a lower absence score in DIS than JR groups (0.33 ± 0.58 vs. 2.47 ± 1.36). The total score of the theoretical test was significantly different between both groups (p < 0.01). In this context, the DIS group had revealed higher total score than JR group (15.06 ± 1.92 vs. 12.73 ± 2.49). In term of tissue preservation, there was a significant difference between both groups, with the DIS had better performance score than JR (1.49 ± 0.51 vs. 0.93 ± 0.59). Further, the practical exam score was significantly higher in DIS group than JR group (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Overall, the performance of dental intern students was favourably compared with junior residents in most aspects. Therefore, it is promising and essential for dental colleges to add a microsurgery course to the curriculum of dental intern students who plan to specialize in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Mena as a key enhancer factor of EMT to promote metastasis of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mammalian-enabled (Mena) on tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) metastasis and its mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunochemistry was performed to investigate the Mena and tumor-related markers expression, and its clinicopathological characteristics in 46 TSCC specimens. TSCC cell SCC9 and Cal27 untransfected or stable transfected with Mena overexpression and small interfering RNA were used to determine the role of Mena in cell proliferation, cell migration, invasion and metastasis, and EMT-related markers in vitro, and the effect of Mena on TSCC growth and metastasis through tumor-bearing and tumor metastasis immunodeficient mice models in vivo. RESULTS: Immunochemistry showed that the expression of Mena was significantly correlated with lymphatic metastasis and TNM stage, E-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP2. Mena did not affect cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo. However, it promoted cell migration and invasion in vitro, and TSCC metastasis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Mena expression is associated with lymphatic metastasis and tumor stage and promotes TSCC invasion and metastasis by inducing the EMT process. Thus, Mena may be a biomarker for prognosis and targeted therapy in TSCC patients.

High-frequency plasma exchange therapy for immunocompromised, type I crescentic glomerulonephritis complicated with IgA nephropathy: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease has been reported to coexist with other immune-mediated glomerular disorders, including antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody positive glomerulonephritis and membranous glomerulopathy. It is well known that anti-GBM disease often manifests as type I crescentic glomerulonephritis on renal biopsy. However, concurrent cases of both type I crescentic glomerulonephritis and IgA nephropathy are rare. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report the case of a 40-years-old woman with microscopic hematuria, mild proteinuria and an immunocompromised status. Laboratory data revealed serum creatinine showed progressive progress, suddenly rising from the normal range to 316.2µmol/L within 4 months. The CD4 lymphocyte count was 0.274 × 109/L (reference value 0.35-1.82 × 109/L). The anti-GBM antibody titer was 192.4 IU/mL (reference range: <20 RU/mL). DIAGNOSES: Renal biopsy was performed after admission. The pathological diagnosis was type I crescentic glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, and clinical anti-GBM disease. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was seriously ill on admission and progressed rapidly. Combined with poor immune function, we immediately initiated high-frequency plasma exchange (PE). In addition, to avoid rebound of antibody levels, PE was performed for 5 times. Follow-up treatment was combined with standard-dose corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide. OUTCOMES: The patient was followed up for 1 year. On the last visit, her serum creatinine decreased to 103.5µmol/L, anti-GBM antibody remained negative, and proteinuria and hematuria disappeared. LESSONS: This case illustrates that when crescentic nephritis or anti-GBM disease is combined with other immune diseases, especially when the immune function is extremely low, if the application of high-dose steroid shocks may induce fatal infections, to some extent high frequency PE has certain advantages.

Modified Nuss procedure for the treatment of pectus excavatum: Experience of 259 patients.

BACKGROUND: Pectus excavatum is not rare in China. Many treatments for this disease have proved to have many shortcomings. Nuss procedure has been a ground-breaking technology, but it also has some disadvantages. Hence, this study was conducted to review our experience in the use of modified Nuss procedure in our hospital. METHODS: Data from 259 patients suffered from pectus excavatum between August 2020 and August 2021 who were treated with modified Nuss procedure was analyzed retrospectively. RESULT: Age was from 3 to 37 years. The average was 15.54 years. The male was 213 cases and the female was 46 cases. The time patients or their family members found pectus excavatum varied. 10 cases had been repaired previously when patients were admitted in our hospital. The clinical symptoms also varied. Each case had an improvement in Haller index. The average of the postoperative hospitalization was 3.97 days. Most cases were inserted 1 bar. Complication rate was also very low. All patients or their parents or their guardians were satisfied with the appearance of the chest wall after operation. There was no death in the whole observation period. CONCLUSION: From our experience, this modified Nuss procedure have obtained optimistic outcomes with more minimal invasion and low complication rate. This surgical method may be applied to many other hospitals in the future.

Primary unilateral incomplete cleft lip repair by a modified rotational advancement technique.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe a modified technique for primary unilateral incomplete cleft lip repair together with postoperative outcomes assessment. STUDY DESIGN: A Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Photos of 64 consecutive patients with nonsyndromic primary unilateral incomplete cleft lip were reviewed. Of the 64 participants for the study sample, 32 patients had received Millard rotational advancement technique (RA), while the other 32 had modified rotational advancement technique (MRA) with preserving the nasal sill intact. It was conducted at a university-affiliated tertiary hospital between 2013 and 2021. MAIN MEASURES: The lip measures were represented by lip height and width, vermillion height, midline-philtrum angle, and angle of Cupid's bow peaks. The nasal measures involved columella length and angle, nostril height and width, and ala width. Both descriptive and comparative data analyses were calculated. RESULTS: Symmetrical lip height, lip width, philtrum angle, Cupid's bow, as well columellar length, and alar width were obtained following the MRA technique. No significant difference was found between the MRA and RA groups concerning the preoperative lip height, Cupid's bow angle, columellar length and angle. However, the postoperative lip height, width and columellar length were greater in MRA group than RA group (P= .001, 0.004 and 0.002, respectively). On the other hand, the MRA group had significantly smaller columellar and Cupid's bow peaks angles than RA group (0.53±0.36 vs 1.21±0.91 and 1.34±1.84 vs 3.14 ± 2.97, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The MRA technique has obtained satisfactory lip and nasal outcomes in terms of lip height, lip width, philtrum angle, Cupid's bow, columellar length, and alar width while keeping the nasal sill intact.

Effect of concentrated growth factor (CGF) on postoperative sequel of completely impacted lower third molar extraction: a randomized controlled clinical study.

BACKGROUND: The surgical extraction of impacted third molars is one of the most common procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery, which associated with several postoperative complications. The aim of this clinical trial was to estimate the implication of concentrated growth factor (CGF) on postoperative sequelae after the completely impacted lower third molar extraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 74 sides of 37 participants who had completely bilateral impacted lower third molars were enrolled in this split-mouth, randomized single­blind, clinical trial. Surgical extraction was undertaken on both sides of the mandible. Randomization was achieved by opaque, sealed envelopes. The postoperative outcomes including wound healing, swelling and pain were clinically assessed at different-time intervals(1st, 3rd and 7th days). A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The wound healing index was significantly better in the test sides (P = 0.001). Regarding the facial swelling, the test sides had significantly less values than the control sides, particularly on the 1st (1.01 ± .57 vs. 1.55 ± .56) and 3rd days (1.42 ± 0.8 vs. 2.63 ± 1.2) postoperatively. Nonetheless, the swelling was disappeared within the 7th day in both sides. The pain scores of visual analog scale were no a statistically significant difference between both sides on the 1st day, meanwhile, the pain scores were significantly lower in the test sides compared with the control sides, especially on the 3rd (P = 0.001) and 7th days (P < 0.001) postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The application of CGF following the surgical extraction of lower third molar has accelerated the healing of soft tissues as well as reduced postoperative sequelae such as swelling and pain. Therefore, the CGF could be promoted among clinicians during the lower third molar surgical extraction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered with the TCTR identification number TCTR20210325002 on 25/03/2021 at Thai Clinical Trials Register-Medical Research Foundation of Thailand (MRF). Also it was ethically approved from the institutional ethics committee at the Hospital of Stomatology, Xian Jiaotong University, Xian, China (No: 032), and has been conducted in accordance to the guidelines of the declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study.

Pyruvate Upregulates Hepatic FGF21 Expression by Activating PDE and Inhibiting cAMP-Epac-CREB Signaling Pathway.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) functions as a polypeptide hormone to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, and its expression is regulated by cellular metabolic stress. Pyruvate is an important intermediate metabolite that acts as a key hub for cellular fuel metabolism. However, the effect of pyruvate on hepatic FGF21 expression and secretion remains unknown. Herein, we examined the gene expression and protein levels of FGF21 in human hepatoma HepG2 cells and mouse AML12 hepatocytes in vitro, as well as in mice in vivo. In HepG2 and AML12 cells, pyruvate at concentrations above 0.1 mM significantly increased FGF21 expression and secretion. The increase in cellular cAMP levels by adenylyl cyclase activation, phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibition and 8-Bromo-cAMP administration significantly restrained pyruvate-stimulated FGF21 expression. Pyruvate significantly increased PDE activities, reduced cAMP levels and decreased CREB phosphorylation. The inhibition of exchange protein directed activated by cAMP (Epac) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) upregulated FGF21 expression, upon which pyruvate no longer increased FGF21 expression. The increase in plasma pyruvate levels in mice induced by the intraperitoneal injection of pyruvate significantly increased FGF21 gene expression and PDE activity with a reduction in cAMP levels and CREB phosphorylation in the mouse liver compared with the control. In conclusion, pyruvate activates PDEs to reduce cAMP and then inhibits the cAMP-Epac-CREB signaling pathway to upregulate FGF21 expression in hepatocytes.

The self-assembled zein hydrolysate-curcumin nanocomplex: improvement on the stability and sustainable release of curcumin.

BACKGROUND: The bioavailability of curcumin (Cur) is generally limited by its poor stability. However, it is beneficial to improve the stability of Cur by using self-assembled zein hydrolysate (ZH) as delivery carrier. This paper aimed to explore the formation mechanism of zein hydrolysate-curcumin nanocomplexes as a function of critical micelle concentration (CMC). RESULTS: In this work, The CMC of ZH (0.535 mg mL-1 ) was obtained by the pyrene fluorescent probe method. ZH-Cur nanocomplexes undergo hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, and the fluorescence quenching effect was concentration dependent with the process of static quenching. Moreover, the differences of colloidal properties on ZH and ZH-Cur nanocomplexes were systematically compared by dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy near CMC. ZH presented irregular spherical shapes and would aggregate to form micelles at the CMC and above. The tight micellar structure promoted more uniform size distribution (double peaks reduced) and higher potentials (over -30 mV) within 10 days. In addition, the nanocomplexes demonstrated an obvious core-shell structure. Within 10 days of storage, the particle size distributions were uniform and the potentials increased significantly, indicating that the micellar nanostructure made the Cur stably embedded in the hydrophobic core of ZH. Finally, ZH-Cur nanocomplexes effectively improved the water solubility and encapsulation rate (over 70%) of Cur. Moreover, over 90% of Cur was released steadily within 91 h. CONCLUSION: This work provided a theoretical basis for the application of amphiphilic peptide micellar nanostructure as novel food-grade nanocarriers to transport hydrophobic bioactive substances. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

CDH3 is associated with poor prognosis by promoting the malignancy and chemoresistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: CDH3 is recognized as an oncogene in various malignancies. Here, we aim to explore the association of CDH3 expression and prognostic implication in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: Bioinformatics was used to analyze differentially expressed genes in the TCGA database. The OSCC tissues of 136 cases were used for immunohistochemistry. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to analyze the relationship between prognostic factors, CDH3 expression and patient survival. Kaplan-Meier analysis was adopted to calculate survival rates. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to detect the expression levels of CDH3 in oral squamous cell lines. The cell viability and colony formation abilities were examined by CCK-8 and colony formation assays, respectively. Wound healing assay was performed to examine the invasion ability of cells. RESULTS: CDH3 is up-regulated in oral squamous cell carcinoma and related to bad prognosis. Knock-down of CDH3 limited cell viability, colony formation ability, migration, invasion and chemoresistance of OSCC cells. CONCLUSION: CDH3 is associated with a poor prognosis through promoting migration, invasion and chemoresistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Overexpression of Mena is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma via EMT.

Background: Mena, a cytoskeletal regulatory protein, is involved in actin-based regulation of cell motility and adhesion, and contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the role of Mena in oral squamous cell carcinoma remains unclear. This is the first research focusing on the prognostic value of Mena in OSCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between Mena expression and clinicopathological significance, as well as prognostic value in OSCC. Methods: Mena gene expression profiles of OSCC and normal tissues were collected from Oncomine, TCGA, and GEO databases. Biological function was analyzed through GO, KEGG and GSEA enrichment. Further, the expression level of Mena and tumor-related markers in 151 OSCC specimens was examined by IHC staining based on tissue microarray. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the prognostic performance of Mena in OSCC. Result: Mena was generally upregulation in various malignancies, especially OSCC. The functional analyses indicated that Mena was involved in the assembly and regulation of actin, cell movement, and EMT. IHC staining revealed that high expression of Mena in OSCC was correlated with Lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage, E-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP-2, but insignificantly Ki67. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that elevated expression of Mena was significantly associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival of OSCC patients. Conclusion: Mena could be a novel biomarker for predicting the prognosis of OSCC patients, which supports a theoretical basis for developing molecular target therapy.

Low Molecular Weight Heparin Improves the Inflammatory State of Acute Sinusitis Rats Through Inhibiting the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Introduction: Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), a natural sulfated glycosaminoglycan with an affinity for proangiogenic factors, is produced by chemical or enzymatic depolymerization of unfractionated heparin (UFH). Known for its anticoagulant effects, LMWH has recently been reported to have a strong anti-inflammatory effect on colitis, myocarditis, and airway inflammation. However, as a newly-developed drug, its anti-inflammatory mechanism in upper respiratory tract inflammation has not been well-studied. Methods: SD rats were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was established by building an acute nasal sinusitis model with expansion sponges mixed with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Then the experimental group rats were subcutaneously injected with different concentrations of LMWH. After seven consecutive days of injection, some rats were sacrificed, and blood and nasal mucosa samples were taken to determine their inflammation status. The remaining acute sinusitis rats were randomly selected for a week of nasal irrigation with normal saline or saline mixed with different concentrations of LMWH. One week later, rats were sacrificed, and samples of blood and nasal mucosa were taken to determine the inflammation status. Results: Rat nasal mucosa in the model group had obvious inflammation. The degree of nasal mucosa inflammation damage in the experimental group was lower than in the experimental control group, proving that LMWH has a protective effect on the nasal mucosa and that the effect correlates with dosage. Irrigation of the nose with saline mixed with LMWH can improve the anti-inflammatory effect. Protein related to the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway was activated in the acute sinusitis rat model, and LMWH can significantly inhibit its expression. Conclusion: This is the first report of the anti-inflammatory effect of LMWH in acute upper respiratory tract inflammation, together with an explanation of its anti-inflammatory mechanism. The findings contribute a theoretical basis for its potential anti-tumor effect.

Ethyl pyruvate ameliorate inflammatory response of sinonasal mucosa by inhibiting HMGB1 in rats with acute rhinosinusitis.

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has been known to involve in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to establish animal model of acute rhinosinusitis (ARS), and determine whether ethyl pyruvate (EP) attenuate inflammatory response of sinonasal mucosa by inhibiting HMGB1 in ARS animals. Thirty-six Sprague Dawley (SD) rat were used as follows: six normal controls without intervention (group 1); thirty rats were used for establishment of ARS rats model by nasal insertion of Merocel sponge, and model rats without any treatments (group 2), treated with nasal drops of sterile saline (group 3), 10 µl EP (group 4), and 20 µl EP (group 5), twice a day for 5 days, respectively. Bacterial culture was done regularly and the main bacterial strains were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. HMGB1 expression in sinonasal mucosa was detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Serum levels of HMGB1, IL-6, and TNF-α were determined by ELISA. Data from 29 of 36 rats that had completed research were analyzed. Bacterial colony formation unit (CFU) of nasal secretion was significantly higher in each group of ARS rats compared with controls (p < 0.001). ARS rats treated with EP had only slightly decreased CFU, but significantly attenuated inflammatory response of sinonasal mucosa and decreased HMGB1 expression compared to those treated with saline alone (p < 0.001). Serum levels of HMGB1, IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly higher in ARS rats compared to controls, and decreased by EP treatments (p < 0.001). Nasal sponge packing led to acute inflammatory response of nasal sinus in rats, and increased the expression of HMGB1, IL-6, and TNF-α. Nasal drops with EP could attenuate the inflammation of sinonasal mucosa through inhibiting the expression of HMGB1, IL-6 and TNF-α in ARS rats.

A new classification of descending necrotizing mediastinitis and surgical strategies.

BACKGROUND: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is an inflammation occurring in the oropharynx and descending to the deep cervical space and mediastinum, which is a serious infectious disease. The investigation of a new classification system and treatment methods for DNM is still necessary. METHODS: A total of 139 patients with DNM caused by odontogenic or pharyngeal infection were retrospectively analyzed in last 20 years in the Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The patients were divided into the traditional treatment Group T (Group T: 43 patients) and the new classification Group N (Group N: 96 patients). A new DNM classification was developed based on the progression of mediastinal infection as follows: type Ia: infection in the anterosuperior mediastinum; type I: infection in the anterior mediastinum; type II: infection in the posterior mediastinum; and type III: infection of the whole mediastinum. RESULTS: There were 49, 8, 10, and 29 patients classified as type Ia, I, II, and III, respectively in the Group N. The type Ia DNM patients were managed with transcervical mediastinal drainage, and the patients with types I and II DNM underwent open (thoracoscopic) surgery, 1 patient within types I died. The 29 patients with type III were managed with unilateral or bilateral open (thoracoscopic) surgery, among them, 8 patients died. The mortality rate for patients with type III DNM was 27.6%. The overall mortality rate in Group N was 9.4%. The mortality rate for patients in the Group T was 25.6%. The mortality rate of Group N was significantly lower than that of Group T (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We have carried out a new clinical classification of DNM, and selected the appropriate treatment method according to the classification, and achieved a better effect than the traditional treatment method.

Effect of intravenous application of nicorandil on area of myocardial infarction in patients with STEMI during the perioperative stage of PCI.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of nicorandil in improving the area of myocardial infarction in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) admitted to our hospital between December 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 were selected and randomly allocated to the experimental group (group A, n = 60) and the control group (group B, n = 60). In the experimental group, an infusion of nicorandil was given intravenously before the first balloon dilation or 1 minute before the stent placement, and with the completion of the infusion, nicorandil maintenance infusion was given. In the control group, only balloon dilation and stent placement were undertaken. RESULTS: The postoperative peak levels of myoglobin, creatine kinase isoform and hypersensitive troponin T were significantly lower in group A than in group B (p < 0.05). Moreover, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on the 180th day post operation was substantially greater in group A than in group B (p < 0.01), and the area of myocardial infarction was significantly smaller in patients in group A than those in group B on the 180th day post operation (p < 0.01). In terms of the safety, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of slow flow/no reflow, malignant arrhythmias, and hypotension within 24 hours post operation between the two groups (p > 0.05), and no major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) occurred in either group during the postoperative follow-up period of 180 days (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intravenous administration of nicorandil in patients with STEMI during the perioperative percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) period was effective in reducing the area of myocardial infarction and myocardial injury without increasing the incidence of malignant arrhythmias, hypotension, or composite cardiovascular events during the drug administration period.

Chondroitin sulfate modified and adriamycin preloaded hybrid nanoparticles for tumor-targeted chemotherapy of lung cancer.

Promising cancer treatment requires the assistant of drug delivery systems (DDS) with the aim to increase the accumulation of drugs in tumor tissue. Herein, a hybrid DDS was successfully developed to integrate chondroitin sulfate (CS) and calcium carbonate (CC) in to one system. Anticancer drug adriamycin (Adr) was preloaded into CC nanoparticles to obtain Adr-loaded CC nanoparticles (CC/Adr). The resulted CS-CC/Adr nanoparticles as a biocompatible DDS was able to specifically target cancer cells to enhance the chemotherapy of lung cancer due to the surface modification of CS. Intracellular uptake as well as in vivo imaging results revealed the obtained CS-CC/Adr nanoparticles (size of ~100 nm) showed CS mediated tumor specific accumulation into A549 and LLC cells than unmodified CC/Adr, in which the CD44 receptor might be involved, which finally resulted in stronger anticancer capability than Adr or CC/Adr. As a result, CS-CC/Adr nanoparticles could be further extended to clinical administration in our future works.

GPR120 Regulates Pancreatic Polypeptide Secretion From Male Mouse Islets via PLC-Mediated Calcium Mobilization.

The free fatty acid receptor G protein-coupled receptor 120 (GPR120) is expressed in pancreatic islets, but its specific cell distribution and function have not been fully established. In this study, a GPR120-IRES-EGFP knockin (KI) mouse was generated to identify GPR120-expressing cells with enhanced green fluorescence proteins (EGFP). EGFP-positive cells collected from KI mouse islets by flow cytometry had a significantly higher expression of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) evidenced by reverse transcriptase (RT)-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Single-cell RT-PCR and immunocytochemical double staining also demonstrated the coexpression of GPR120 with PP in mouse islets. The GPR120-specific agonist TUG-891 significantly increased plasma PP levels in mice. TUG-891 significantly increased PP levels in islet medium in vitro, which was markedly attenuated by GPR120 small interfering RNA treatment. TUG-891-stimulated PP secretion in islets was fully blocked by pretreatment with YM-254890 (a Gq protein inhibitor), U73122 (a phospholipase C inhibitor), or thapsigargin (an inducer of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ depletion), respectively. TUG-891 triggered the increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) in PP cells, which was also eliminated by YM-254890, U73122, or thapsigargin. GPR120 gene expression was significantly reduced in islets of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. TUG-891-stimulated PP secretion was also significantly diminished in vivo and in vitro in HFD-induced obese mice compared with that in normal-chow diet control mice. In summary, this study demonstrated that GPR120 is expressed in mouse islet PP cells and GPR120 activation stimulated PP secretion via the Gq/PLC-Ca2+ signaling pathway in normal-chow diet mice but with diminished effects in HFD-induced obese mice.