[Clinical analysis of 226 cases of deviated nose with deviated nasal septum treated by endoscopic assisted functional rhinoplasty].

Objective: To explore the method and effect of endoscopic assisted functional rhinoplasty for patients with deviated nose and deviated nasal septum, which achieve correction of nasal morphology and ventilation dysfunction. Methods: The clinical data of 226 patients with deviated nose and deviated nasal septum from June 2009 to February 2022 who were treated by endoscopic assisted functional rhinoplasty in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were analyzed retrospectively. There were 174 males and 52 females, with the age ranging from 7 to 67 years old. The effect was evaluated by subjective and objective evaluation methods. SPSS 27.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: All patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months, 174 cases were cured (174/226, 76.99%), 52 cases were effective (52/226, 23.01%), and the total effective rate was 100% (226/226). The difference between preoperative and postoperative facial appearance deviation was statistically significant ((6.84±2.25)mm vs (1.82±1.05)mm, t=38.94, P<0.001), and the nasal ventilation function of all patients was improved. Conclusions: Endoscopic assisted functional rhinoplasty for the patients with deviated nose combined with deviated nasal septum has the advantages of clear surgical field, fewer complications, and good result. It can achieve the purpose of simultaneous correction of nasal and ventilation dysfunction, which is recommended for popularizing in clinical application.

Inhibitory effects of herbal decoction Ojeoksan on proliferation and migration in vascular smooth muscle cells.

The proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. The principal objective of this study was to determine the effects of Ojeoksan (OJS) on human aortic smooth muscle cell (HASMC) proliferation induced by tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-aα). Thymidine incorporation after TNF-α treatment was increased and this effect was inhibited significantly by OJS treatment. HASMC proliferation and migration by kinetic live cell imaging were also reduced by treatment with OJS. TNF-α induced the expression of cyclins/cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and reduced the expression of p21waf1/cip1/p27kip1. However, OJS also attenuated the expression of TNF-α-induced cell-cycle regulatory proteins. The results of Western blot analysis demonstrated that the TNF-α treated HASMC secreted gelatinases, probably including MMP-2/-9, which may be involved in the invasion and migration of HASMC. Additionally, OJS suppressed the mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 (MMP-2/-9) in a dose-dependent manner. OJS inhibited the production of TNF-α-induced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the formation of DCF-sensitive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further, OJS suppressed the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B-α (IκB-α) of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) under TNF-α conditions. Our results demonstrate that OJS exerts inhibitory effects on TNF-α-induced HASMC proliferation and migration, suggesting the involvement of the inhibition of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions, and the downregulation of ROS/NF-κB signaling. Thus, herbal decoction OJS may be a possible therapeutic approach to the inhibition of cardiovascular disease including atherosclerosis.

[Clinical features of traumatic optic neuropathy in 265 cases].

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and the pathogenetic law of traumatic optic neuropathy through epidemiologic study. Methods: 265 cases (275 eyes) with TON treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from April 1999 to August 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Multiple Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate potential prognostic factors on visual acuity. Results: TON occured mostly in young (194/265, 73.21%) man (235/265, 88.68%), the majority of patients came from villages and towns (209/265, 78.87%). Traffic accident (197/265, 74.34%) remained the main etiology, with strike (36/265, 13.58%) and fall (17/265, 6.42%) as the common etiology. Most patients had head injuries. The effective rate of vision improvement was 53.45%(147/275). Multiple logistic regression analyses identified that initial visual acuity with light perception or better vision, optic canal fracture and orbital wall fracture were visual acuity key factors of TON (χ(2) value was 24.674, 19.755, 9.175, respectively, all P<0.01), initial visual acuity with light perception or better vision was the protective factor on visual acuity recovery (OR=5.008, P<0.001), the presence of optic canal fracture and orbital wall fracture were the risk factors on visual acuity recovery (OR value was 0.110, 0.329, respectively, all P<0.01). Conclusions: Ton occurs mostly in young man because of traffic accident. Visual impairment of TON is severe. The suitable preventive measures should be carried out according to its epidemiological features.

Rumex acetosa L. induces vasorelaxation in rat aorta via activation of PI3-kinase/Akt- AND Ca(2+)-eNOS-NO signaling in endothelial cells.

Rumex acetosa L. (RA) (Polygonaceae) is an important traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) commonly used in clinic for a long history in China and the aerial parts of RA has a wide variety of pharmacological actions such as diuretic, anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidative, and anti-cancer effects. However, the mechanisms involved are to be defined. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the vasorelaxant effect and define the mechanism of action of the ethanol extract of Rumex acetosa L. (ERA) in rat aorta. ERA was examined for its vascular relaxant effect in isolated phenylephrine-precontracted rat thoracic aorta and its acute effects on arterial blood pressure. In addition, the roles of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-nitric oxide (NO) signaling in the ERA-induced effects were tested in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The phosphorylation levels of Akt and eNOS were assessed by Western blot analysis in the cultured HUVECs. ERA induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. The ERA-induced vasorelaxation was abolished by L-NAME (an NOS inhibitor) or ODQ (a sGC inhibitor), but not by indomethacin. Inhibition of PI3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway markedly reduced the ERA-induced vasorelaxation. In HUVECs, ERA increased NO formation in a dose-dependent manner, which was inhibited by L-NAME and by removing extracellular Ca(2+). In addition, ERA promoted phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS, which was prevented by wortmannin and LY294002, indicating that ERA induces eNOS phosphorylation through the PI3-kinase/Akt pathway. Further, in anesthetized rats, intravenously administered ERA decreased arterial blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner through an activation of the NOS-NO system. In summary, the ERA- induced vasorelaxation was dependent on endothelial integrity and NO production, and was mediated by activation of both the endothelial PI3-kinase/Akt- and Ca(2+)-eNOS-NO signaling and muscular NO-sGC-cGMP signaling.

Down-regulation of microRNA-205 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence indicates that MicroRNAs, a class of small RNA molecules, play crucial roles in tumorigenesis, through affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis and metastasis. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of miR-205 on gastric cancer cell proliferation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of miR-205 was examined in the gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. BrdU incorporation assay was used to measure the cell proliferation. Western blot was performed to determine the protein expression. RESULTS: miR-205 is significantly down-regulated in gastric cancer tissues, compared with adjacent normal tissues. Besides, miR-205 expression is associated with clinical and pathological characteristics of patients. In vitro studies further found that inhibition of miR-205 significantly promoted gastric cancer cell proliferation via cell-cycle progression. Further analyses indicated that miR-205 was able to repress oncoprotein Yin Yang 1 expression, through targeting its 3'-untranlated region. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that down-regulation of miR-205 may represent an important mechanism for the development of gastric cancer.

Molecular characteristics and cloning of two pepper genes AN2 and UPA20.

The complete coding sequences (CDSs) of "Yunnan Purple Pepper No.1" (Capsicum annuum L.) AN2 and UPA20 genes were amplified using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on the basis of the conserved sequence information of some Solanaceae plants and known highly homologous pepper expressed sequence tags. The nucleotide sequence analysis of these 2 genes revealed that pepper AN2 gene encoded a protein of 263 amino acids that has high homology with the AN2-like protein of 4 species: tobacco, tomato, potato, and petunia. The UPA20 gene encoded a protein of 341 amino acids that has high homology with the proteins of 3 species: tobacco, petunia, and tomato. The tissue expression analysis indicated that the pepper AN2 gene was overexpressed in the pericarp and placenta; moderately in stems, flowers, and seeds; and weakly in the roots, leaves, and pericarp. The pepper UPA20 gene was overexpressed in the flowers and seeds; moderately expressed in the roots and stems; and weakly expressed in the leaves and placenta. Our findings might form the basis for further research on these 2 pepper genes.

Plasma resistin, associated with single nucleotide polymorphism -420, is correlated with C-reactive protein in Chinese Han patients with spontaneous basal ganglia hemorrhage.

We examined a possible relationship -420C>G SNP of the resistin gene with plasma resistin and C-reactive protein concentrations in intracerebral hemorrhage. Three hundred and forty-four Chinese Han patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and 344 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included in our study. Plasma resistin and C-reactive concentrations were measured and SNP -420C>G was genotyped. The genotype frequencies in controls and patients were not significantly different (P = 0.672). Plasma resistin and C-reactive protein levels were significantly different between the SNP -420C>G genotypes, even after adjustment for age, gender and body mass index. The common homozygote (C-C) had the lowest resistin and C-reactive protein plasma concentrations; the plasma resistin and C-reactive protein concentrations in the heterozygote (C-G) and the rare allele homozygote (G-G) did not differ significantly. Plasma resistin levels were significantly associated with plasma C-reactive protein level. We conclude that SNP -420C>G of the resistin gene could be involved in the inflammatory component of intracerebral hemorrhage through enhanced production of resistin.

Molecular cloning, sequence characterization of a novel pepper gene NADP-ICDH and its effect on cytoplasmic male sterility.

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH) is an important enzyme involved in energy metabolism. The complete coding sequence of the pepper (Capsicum annuum) NADP-ICDH gene was amplified using a reverse transcriptase PCR based on the conserved sequence information of the tomato and other Solanaceae plants and known highly homologous pepper ESTs. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the pepper NADP-ICDH gene encodes a protein of 415 amino acids that has high homology with the proteins of seven species, Solanum tuberosum (100%), Citrus limon (98%), Daucus carota (98%), Nicotiana tabacum (98%), Vitis vinifera (99%), Arabidopsis thaliana (97%), and Oryza sativa (98%). Tissue expression analysis demonstrated that the pepper NADP-ICDH gene is over expressed in flower, pericarp and seed, moderately in placenta, weakly in stem and leaf, hardly expressed in root. At the abortion stages, activities and expression levels of NADP-ICDH in anthers of a sterile line were strongly reduced, while those in an F(1) hybrid remained normal. Activities and expression levels of NADP-ICDH were too low to maintain balanced energy metabolism in the sterile line, which indicated that stable transcripts of NADP-ICDH are necessary to maintain energy metabolism at a normal level. When the restorer gene was transferred to the cytoplasmic male sterile line, activities and expression level of NADP-ICDH were regulated by the restorer gene and became stable. The restorer gene likely plays an important role in keeping the balance of the energy metabolism within normal levels during microspore development.

Comparative proteomic analysis of beta-catenin-mediated malignant progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

beta-catenin has emerged as a key regulator of Wnt signaling pathway, which plays an important role in the development and progression of various cancers. Its accumulation in nucleus of the esophagus squamous epithelium might be the crucial step for the carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). To detect the proteins correlated with beta-catenin function, we used the established cell lines of pGen-3-con (Eca109 cells transfected by control vector) and pGen-3-CTNNB1 (Eca109 cells transfected by beta-catenin siRNA) as cell models for further analysis. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis technology was performed to separate the proteins of pGen-3-con and pGen-3-CTNNB1 cell lines, respectively. The differential protein spots were analyzed by software analysis, subjected to in-gel digestion, and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Consequently, 13 differentially expressed proteins between the two cell lines were identified, of which 14-3-3sigma, prohibitin, and nm23-H1 were further verified by western blotting and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Then, the tissue microarray and immunohistochemical analysis were employed to research their relationship in ESCC and their corresponding normal mucosa tissues. The upregulation of prohibitin or the downregulation of 14-3-3sigma and nm23-H1 proteins was significantly associated with the proliferation, invasion depth, and lymph node metastasis of ESCC. There were statistically significant correlations between the expression of beta-catenin and the three proteins. The results presented here might provide potential protein markers to elucidate the mechanism of beta-catenin-mediated biologic characteristics for ESCC.

[Alterations of transforming growth factor beta 1 and p27kip1 mRNAs in gastric mucosa carcinogenesis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) and p27kip1 in gastric mucosa carcinogenesis. METHODS: RT-PCR was used to detect TGF beta 1 and p27kip1 mRNAs in normal gastric mucosa, simple hyperplasia, dysplasia and gastric carcinoma tissues respectively. RESULTS: There were expressions of TGF beta 1 and p27kip1 mRNAs in normal gastric mucosa, simple hyperplasia, dysplasia and gastric carcinoma tissues, the expressive levels of TGF beta 1 and p27kip1 mRNAs decreased gradually among the four groups. The expressive level of TGF beta 1 and p27kip1 mRNAs in gastric carcinoma group were significantly lower than those in other three groups(P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that TGF beta 1 and p27kip1 may play an important role in the development and carcinogenesis of gastric carcinoma. Semi-quantification PCR technique is effective for detecting mRNA expressive level in tissues.

Short intussusception valves prevent reflux after jejunal interposition bilioduodenal anastomosis.

Short whole circumference and semi-circumference intussusception valves were created in interposition cholecysto-jejunal-duodenal conduits in pigs to determine which method best prevented gastrointestinal reflux into the biliary tract. Following intravenous injection of 99 mTc-HIDA the time interval for its excretion from the liver and appearance in the duodenum was not different in either whole or semi-circumference valve animals or in controls without valves. After intragastric administration of 99 mTc-DTPA the relative radioactivity of gallbladder contents (reflux) in the cohort without valves was significantly higher than in both cohorts with valves. Animals with semi-circumferential valves in turn had significantly higher levels of nuclide than those with whole circumference valves. Reflux was observed grossly in 100% of animals without valves, in 20% of those with semi-circumference valves, and in no animals with whole circumference valves. This study indicates that both whole and semi-circumference intussusception valves placed in jejunal biliary conduits allow unimpeded flow of bile into the gastrointestinal tract. Whole circumference valves are more effective for prevention of reflux than semi-circumferential valves.