A Neural Integrity Monitor Electromyography Endotracheal Tube Causes More Severe Postoperative Sore Throat Than a Standard Endotracheal Tube in Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed at figuring out the different effects of a neural integrity monitor electromyography endotracheal tube (NIM-EMG-ETT) and a standard endotracheal tube (ETT) on postoperative sore throat (POST). METHODS: This prospective cohort study enrolled 143 patients scheduled to undergo general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Patients were allocated into three groups: Group A, non-thyroid surgery with a standard ETT; Group B, thyroid surgery with a standard ETT; Group C, thyroid surgery with a NIM-EMG-ETT. The incidence, the severity and visual analog scale (VAS) of POST were recorded. The incidence and the severity of POST were tested by χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. And VAS of POST was tested by Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The incidences of POST in Group B and Group C were significantly higher than that of Group A at all the time points after extubation (P < 0.001). The incidences of POST in Group C was significantly higher than that in Group B at 8 h, 24 h and 48 h after extubation (89.4% vs. 68.8%, P = 0.014, relative risk (RR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.61; 89.4% vs. 58.3%, P = 0.001, RR 1.53, 95% CI 1.18-1.98; 76.6% vs. 45.8%, P = 0.002, RR 1.67, 95% CI 1.18-2.36). Moreover, there was a significant higher VAS of POST and more serious POST with Group C than with Group B. CONCLUSIONS: A NIM-EMG-ETT may induce higher incidence of POST and more serious POST than a standard ETT. TRAIL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trail Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx , ChiCTR2200058896, 2022-4-18).

Synthetic flavokawain analog (E)-1-(2'-hydroxy-4',6'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(3-methoxy-4-(3-morpholinopropoxy)phenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (FK-morph) effectively regresses endometriotic implants in rats.

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory gynecological disorder that is pathologically defined as the growth of endometrial glands and stroma outside of the uterine cavity. It is estimated that more than 15% of women of reproductive age are affected by endometriosis. Immunological and inflammatory responses, anti-apoptotic effects and angiogenesis processes have been reported to be involved in endometriosis. Surgery and pharmacotherapy are applied in the treatment of this disease. Frustratingly, a high recurrence rate and/or side effects are observed during and after the treatments. In our previous study, we designed and synthesized serial analogs of naturally occurring flavokawain chalcones. Among these molecules, FK-morph exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activity and showed therapeutic potential in vitro and in vivo. In the current study, we demonstrate the beneficial effects of FK-morph on a surgically induced endometriosis rat model. After treatment with FK-morph, the volumes and adhesion scores of implants in rats were effectively reduced and the levels of inflammatory cytokines and related chemokines in peritoneal fluid and blood were significantly downregulated. FK-morph also mediated cell apoptosis of endometriosis foci. In addition, the angiogenesis process was attenuated by decreasing the expression of VEGF. Meanwhile, the underlying mechanism was further explored. FK-morph effectively reduced the expression of Akt, p-Akt, PI3K, p-PI3K and NF-κB in endometriosis lesions. Overall, the results revealed the efficacy of FK-morph against endometriosis by reducing the levels of inflammatory factors, accelerating apoptosis and attenuating angiogenesis, which may be associated with blocking the activation of the PI3K/Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Utilizing the Hippo pathway as a therapeutic target for combating endocrine-resistant breast cancer.

Drug resistance is always a great obstacle in any endocrine therapy of breast cancer. Although the combination of endocrine therapy and targeted therapy has been shown to significantly improve prognosis, refractory endocrine resistance is still common. Dysregulation of the Hippo pathway is often related to the occurrence and the development of many tumors. Targeted therapies of this pathway have played important roles in the study of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Targeting the Hippo pathway in combination with chemotherapy or other targeted therapies has been shown to significantly improve specific antitumor effects and reduce cancer antidrug resistance. Further exploration has shown that the Hippo pathway is closely related to endocrine resistance, and it plays a "co-correlation point" role in numerous pathways involving endocrine resistance, including related pathways in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Agents and miRNAs targeting the components of the Hippo pathway are expected to significantly enhance the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to endocrine therapy. This review initially explains the possible mechanism of the Hippo pathway in combating endocrine resistance, and it concludes by recommending endocrine therapy in combination with therapies targeting the Hippo pathway in the study of endocrine-resistant breast cancers.