Programmable stopped-flow injection analysis: A comparative study on the effects of adenosine and its aptamer on respiratory burst of salivary and circulatory neutrophils.

Neutrophils play a pivotal role in innate immunity by releasing ROS through respiratory bursts to neutralize various pathogenic factors. However, excessive ROS release can cause tissue damage. Adenosine is an endogenous anti-inflammatory molecule inhibiting respiratory burst to protect the host. Adenosine aptamers with antibody-like properties and good stability are expected to act as adenosine antagonists with functional modulation capability. This study compares the effects of adenosine and its aptamer on the respiratory bursts of salivary polymorphonuclear leukocytes and circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes using a programmable stopped-flow injection approach, ensuring rapid and efficient analysis while maintaining the neutrophils' viability. The results show that primed salivary polymorphonuclear leukocytes exhibit specificities that differ from circulating polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Adenosine aptamer can function as an inhibitory antagonist that distinguishes between physiologically controlled and excessive priming of neutrophils, showing potential application prospects in immunotherapy.

MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy for drug-resistant lesional epilepsy: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: To describe and report the efficacy and safety of MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. METHODS: A retrospective review of all MRgLITT procedures in our hospital was performed. All procedures were performed using a surgical laser ablation system. Demographic and outcome data were compiled and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 19 patients underwent MRgLITT procedures from June 2021 to November 2021. The average age at surgery was 18.1 years (3-61.4 years). The average length of hospitalization post-surgery was 4.95 days (4-7 days). Surgical substrates included 8 patients with hypothalamic hamartomas, 5 with medial temporal lobe epilepsy, 3 with deep focal cortical dysplasia, 1 with tuberous sclerosis, 1 with a cavernous malformation, and 1 with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who underwent anterior corpus callosotomy. Complications occurred in three patients. After an average follow-up of 1 year, 6 patients were seizure-free (Engel I, 31.6%), 1 had significant seizure control (Engel II, 5.3%), 7 had seizure control (Engel III, 36.8%), and 5 had no improvement in their seizures (Engel IV, 26.3%). Fisher's exact tests did not reveal statistical significance for the association between Engel class outcome and epileptic disease. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that MRgLITT, as a method for treating drug-resistant epilepsy, is minimally invasive, safe, and efficient and that it can reduce the incidence of surgery-related complications.

Effect comparison of neuroendoscopy versus microsurgery in the treatment of lateral ventricular tumors.

Purpose: We sought to reveal the clinical characteristics of lateral ventricle tumors and to evaluate the superior surgical procedure available. Methods: There involved a total of of 49 adult patients harboring lateral ventricle tumors in neurosurgery department of our hospital from January 2016 to March 2022. The patients enrolled were retrospectively analyzed, so are their clinical manifestations, pathological characteristics and surgical strategies. The patients were allocated into neuroendoscope group (11 cases) and microsurgery group (38 cases) according to the operation method. The two groups underwent a detailed evaluation of operation effectiveness and safety profile (operation time, intraoperative bleeding, surgical resection rate, postoperative complications) and economic indicators (postoperative hospital stay, hospital costs). Results: The neuroendoscope group demonstrated a markedly shorter operation time than the microsurgery group (p<0.05), with the amount of bleeding significantly less than the microsurgery group (p<0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the resection rate and postoperative complications between the two groups (p>0.05). Significant difference was found in the economic indicators (postoperative hospital stay and hospital costs) of the patients in the neuroendoscope group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Surgery intervention is regarded as the core treatment option for lateral ventricle tumors. Both microsurgery and neuroendoscopy are effective with safety profile. In the selected lateral ventricle tumor surgery, the application of neuroendoscopic surgery showed promising results, in terms of less intraoperative bleeding, and shorter operation time, postoperative hospital stays, and hospital costs. The selection of surgical approach and methods for lateral ventricle tumors is principally depended on the experience of neurosurgeon concerning the surgical approach and related neuroanatomy.

Effects of hydrogen sulfide on the growth and physiological characteristics of Miscanthus sacchariflorus seedlings under cadmium stress.

As a gas signal molecule, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can participate in many physiological and biochemical processes such as seed germination and photosynthesis regulation. In order to explore the regulatory effect of H2S on the growth of Miscanthus sacchariflorus under Cd stress and to provide sufficient theoretical basis for the complex action of H2S and energy plants to remediate soil pollution. In this experiment, the effects of different concentrations of H2S (10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 400, 500 µmol·L-1 (µM)) pretreatment on the growth index, lipid peroxidation degree, chlorophyll (Chl) content, osmoregulation substance content, antioxidant enzyme activity and non-enzymatic antioxidant content of M. sacchariflorus under Cd stress (50 µM) were studied. The results showed that under Cd stress, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content in the body of M. sacchariflorus was unbalanced, and the growth were severely inhibited, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly decreased, and the content of osmoregulation substance, ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) significantly increased. With the increase of H2S concentration, its effect on resisting Cd stress can be shown as "low concentration promotes, high concentration inhibits". When the concentration of H2S ≤ 300 µM, although there was no significant difference in Cd content compared with Cd treatment alone, it can regulate the activities of peroxidase (POD), SOD, glutathione reductase (GR) and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), increase the content of osmoregulation substances, oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and the transformation rate of AsA and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) to reduce the oxidative damage and improve the growth and photosynthetic indicators of plants; when the concentration of H2S ≥ 400 µM, Cd content in the ground and root decreased significantly, but the transport factor increased significantly, the growth status of M. sacchariflorus were more severely inhibited by the combined stress of H2S and Cd. In this experiment, it was found that the concentration of H2S pretreatment ≤ 300 µM could regulate the growth of M. sacchariflorus under Cd stress to normal level, and when the treatment concentration was 50 µM, the effect was the best. It will provide a new idea for the treatment of contaminated soil by energy plants.

Postoperative venous thromboembolism after surgery for stage IA non-small-cell lung cancer: A single-center, prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common postoperative complication of lung cancer, but the incidence and risk stratification of postoperative VTE in stage IA non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains unclear, therefore we conducted a single-center prospective study. METHODS: A total of 314 consecutive patients hospitalized for lung cancer surgery and diagnosed with stage IA NSCLC from January 2017 to July 2021 were included. The patients were divided into the VTE group and the non-VTE group according to whether VTE occurred after the operation. The patient's age, operation time, D-dimer (D-D) value, tumor pathology, and Caprini score were recorded. The different items were compared and included in logistic regression analysis to obtain independent risk factors, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of VTE was 7.3%. Significant differences in age, operation time, preoperative and postoperative day 1 D-D value, neuron-specific enolase value, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, maximum ventilation, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity, and pathological diameter were noted between the two groups. Age (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.056-1.216) and postoperative day 1 D-D value (95% CI 1.125-1.767) were independent risk factors. The incidence of VTE in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups with Caprini scores was 0%, 7.3%, and 11.5%, respectively. The AUC of the Caprini score was 0.704 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of postoperative VTE in patients with stage IA NSCLC was 7.3%. Age and postoperative day 1 D-D value were independent risk factors for VTE. The Caprini score has a certain value in the diagnosis of postoperative VTE of stage IA NSCLC.

Application of laparoscopic ultrasound in retroperitoneal radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma with Type II inferior vena cava tumor thrombectomy.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the application value of laparoscopic ultrasound (LU) in retroperitoneal radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma with Type II inferior vena cava tumor thrombectomy (RRN-RCC-TII-IVCTT). Methods: The clinical data (operative time, length of tumor thrombus, tumor length, intraoperative bleeding, clinical stage, histological type, residual tumor tissue, and postoperative follow-up) of 6 patients who underwent LU-guided RRN-RCC-TII-IVCTT were retrospectively analyzed, and the intraoperative experience of LU was also summarized. Results: All 6 patients recovered well with liver and kidney functions returning to normal, and no tumor recurrence, metastasis, or vena cava tumor thrombus. Conclusions: LU-guided RRN-RCC-TII-IVCTT is a feasible treatment option, which locates the tumor accurately by retroperitoneal approach and provides the additional benefit of reduced intraoperative bleeding and shortened operative time, also achieving the much sought-after goal of precision.

New application of multimodal ultrasound imaging for identification of myofascial trigger points in the trapezius muscle.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to quantify the characteristics of trapezius myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) using shear wave elastography (SWE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and explore the application value of the new ultrasound techniques in identifying MTrPs. METHODS: Forty patients participated in this study. MTrPs in the trapezius muscle were determined by palpation, and SWE and CEUS were used to quantify the focal and adjacent areas. The elastic modulus values and CEUS parameters between the focal area of MTrPs and adjacent areas were evaluated and compared. Pathological biopsy was performed according to the above two methods, and the pathological tissues were observed by Masson staining, immunohistochemistry and electron microscope. RESULTS: The elastic modulus values were significantly higher for the focal area of MTrPs compared to those for adjacent areas (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in MTrP parameters, including peak intensity, mean transit time, and area between the focal and adjacent areas (P<0.05). Masson staining showed that there were inflammatory cell infiltration dominated by lymphocytes in the vascular wall. Electron microscopy showed a large number of fibroblast proliferation, lamellar collagen proliferation and lysosomal deposition; immunohistochemical results: the expression of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD68+, mhc-1+, dys+, CD8 was more than that of CD20 (F=4.385, P=0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of SWE and CEUS provides a new detection approach for quantitative identification of MTrPs in the trapezius muscle, which has high application value and is a method worthy of wider use in clinical practice.

Restoration of antegrade ejaculation after transurethral bladder neck injection of Deflux for retrograde ejaculation: a case report of natural conception.

Retrograde ejaculation contributes to male infertility. Pharmacotherapy has a limited role in retrograde ejaculation. Deflux, a viscous substance, consists of two components: dextranomer microspheres and stabilized hyaluronic acid for the treatment of children with vesicoureteral reflux. According to the published articles, the authors described the first case achieved not only restoration of antegrade ejaculation but also followed conception of the spouse after transurethral bladder neck injection of Deflux. A 30-year-old male kept infertile after 3 years of marriage. The patient reported that he could not ejaculate in an antegrade direction after puberty when he reached sexual climax. There was no semen expulsed from the urethral meatus. Medicine prescribed by a local hospital didn't restore normal ejaculation. Four embryos fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection developed well until transplantation, but none survived. The local reproductive center confirmed that his spouse preserved full capacity of fertility. He was diagnosed as retrograde ejaculation by real-time monitoring of transrectal ultrasound. He received transurethral bladder neck injection of Deflux. One month later, the patient restored antegrade ejaculation and the spouse of the patient conceived. During 18 months of follow-up, no related complications of the surgery have been observed. Transurethral bladder neck injection of Deflux can be considered as an alternative treatment method for retrograde ejaculation, and natural conception is possible thereafter.

Prevalence of deep venous thrombosis in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is always associated with a high incidence and mortality. Because of the presence of some concomitant risk factors such as immobilization, bronchial superinfection, patients who are admitted for acute exacerbations of COPD are generally considered to be at moderate risk for the development of venous thromboembolism. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and the clinical manifestations of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. METHODS: From March 2007 to March 2009, 520 consecutive patients were included in this study. On admission, color Doppler ultrasound of lower extremities in all cases was performed for diagnosing DVT. Patients with DVT were compared with those without DVT from such aspects as demographics, symptoms, physical signs and risk factors. RESULTS: Among the 520 patients, DVT was found in 46 cases (9.7%). In patients with DVT, the duration of hospitalization was longer (P = 0.01), and the mechanical ventilation requirement increased (P < 0.001). Other indicators for patients with more possibility of DVT were immobility exceeding 3 days (P < 0.001); pneumonia as concomitance (P = 0.01); respiratory failure type II (P = 0.013); current smoking (P = 0.001). Lower extremity pain was more common in DVT cases in comparison to those without DVT (34.8% vs. 15.2%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The acute exacerbation of COPD patients, who were immobilized for over 3 days, complicated by pneumonia and had respiratory failure type II, had a higher risk of DVT. In addition, DVT detection awareness should be increased in cases that had a lower extremity pain.