Use of 532 nm Potassium Titanyl Phosphate Laser on Vocal Fold Scars Under Topical Anesthesia: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy of 532 nm potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser under topical anesthesia in patients with vocal fold scars. METHODS: A series of 18 patients with vocal fold scars of varying degrees were treated. The KTP laser was used under local anesthesia in the outpatient clinic. It was set to deliver 6 W of power using a continuous output mode. Close-to-contact mode was used for laser irradiation, and contact mode was used for ablation and excision of the lesions. Some of the patients received laser scar ablation on both vocal folds; the scarred vocal fold on one side and the hypertrophic vocal fold on the other. Parameters include glottic closure, amplitude, and mucosal wave pattern were measured using laryngeal stroboscopic examination. Aerodynamic and voice evaluations were carried out using maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, Voice Handicap Index questionnaire (VHI-30), and GRBAS scale. RESULTS: In total, 21 surgeries were performed on 18 patients. Glottic closure, amplitude, and mucosal wave pattern showed improvement 2 months postoperatively (P < .05). There was significant improvement in the postoperative scores for VHI-30, VHI-emotional sub-scale, VHI-physical sub-scale, and GRBAS (P < .05). There was no significant difference in the MPT and VHI-functional sub-scale before and after the operation (P > .05). Re-adhesion of the anterior commissure was observed in 2 patients with Type III scars. CONCLUSION: The 532 nm KTP laser is an effective tool for the treatment of vocal fold scars. Further research is required to determine if serial laser applications could improve outcomes for this challenging condition. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Quyu Shengxin Decoction Alleviates DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Suppressing RIP1/RIP3/NLRP3 Signalling.

PURPOSE: To study the therapeutic effect of Quyu (QY) Shengxin (SX) decoction (QYSXD) in mice with dextran sulfate sodium- (DSS-) induced ulcerative colitis and to investigate the effects of QYSXD on the regulation of the receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1)/receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3)/nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain protein 3 (NLRP3) signaling pathway. METHOD: Thirty-six mice were randomly divided into the following 6 groups: the experimental group (QYSX group), the model group (DSS group), the positive control group (5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) group), the control group, the first component group (QY group), and the second component group (SX group). Each group included 6 mice. Ulcerative colitis (UC) was induced in the mice by providing 3.5% DSS in drinking water. The mice were weighed every day to evaluate the disease activity index (DAI). After 7 days, the mice were sacrificed, and colonic tissues were obtained for colon length measurement. The morphological changes in the colon and the pathological scores of the mice in each group were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels of RIP1, RIP3, dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), NLRP3, cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1), interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-18 in the colon tissues of the mice in each group were detected and compared by real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of RIP1, RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1ß, and IL-8 in the colonic mucosa were detected by ELISA. Western blotting was used to compare the protein expression of Drp1, caspase-1, mitochondrial fission protein 1 (FIS1), and mitophagy-associated protein light chain 3a/b (LC3a/b) among groups. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the colonic mucosal cells were compared by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Compared with those in the DSS group, the mice with DSS-induced colitis in the QYSX group exhibited clearly higher body weights (P < 0.05) and DAI scores (P < 0.05). The colon lengths of the mice in the QYSX group were longer than those in the DSS group (P < 0.05), and the pathological score of the QYSX group was lower than that of the DSS group (P < 0.05). The RIP1, RIP3, Drp1, IL-1ß, IL-18, and caspase-1 mRNA levels in the QYSX, 5-ASA, SX, and QY groups were significantly lower than those in the DSS group (P < 0.05), but there were no differences between the QYSX group and the 5-ASA group. The levels of RIP1, RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1ß, and IL-18 in the QYSX group were lower than those in the DSS group (P < 0.01). The levels of Drp1, caspase-1, FIS1, and LC3a/b in the QYSX group and the 5-ASA group were lower than those in the DSS group (P < 0.05). The levels of ROS in the colonic mucosal cells in the QYSX, 5-ASA, and QY groups were lower than those in the DSS group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: QYSXD has certain therapeutic effects on DSS-induced colitis in mice and may be as effective as 5-ASA. QY and SX decoctions also have certain effects on colitis; however, these decoctions are not as beneficial as QYSXD. QYSXD may ameliorate colitis by inhibiting the expression of RIP1/RIP3/NLRP3 pathway-related proteins and reversing mitochondrial dysfunction to control inflammation.

Research on Ratio of Dosage of Drugs in Traditional Chinese Prescriptions by Data Mining.

Maximizing the effectiveness of prescriptions and minimizing adverse effects of drugs is a key component of the health care of patients. In the practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is important to provide clinicians a reference for dosing of prescribed drugs. The traditional Cheng-Church biclustering algorithm (CC) is optimized and the data of TCM prescription dose is analyzed by using the optimization algorithm. Based on an analysis of 212 prescriptions related to TCM treatment of kidney diseases, the study generated 87 prescription dose quantum matrices and each sub-matrix represents the referential value of the doses of drugs in different recipes. The optimized CC algorithm can effectively eliminate the interference of zero in the original dose matrix of TCM prescriptions and avoid zero appearing in output sub-matrix. This results in the ability to effectively analyze the reference value of drugs in different prescriptions related to kidney diseases, so as to provide valuable reference for clinicians to use drugs rationally.

[Effect of Yangxue Qingnao Granule on the Expression of CD11b in CA1 Region of Hippocampus of Vascular Dementia Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Yangxue Qingnao Granule (YQG) on the expression of CD11b in CA1 region of hippocampus of vascular dementia rats, and to explore its regulation on microglias. METHODS: Totally 144 SD rats were randomly divided into the sham-operation group, the vascular dementia model group (model), and the YQG treated group (treated). The vascular dementia rat model was prepared by modified Pulsinelli's four-vessel occlusion. Rats in the sham-operation group and the model group were administered with normal saline -(at the daily dose of 10 mL/kg) by gastrogavage, while those in the treated group were administered with YQG (0.32 g/mL, at the daily dose of 10 mL/kg) by gastrogavage. All administration was performed once per day for 8 successive weeks. The expression of CD11b in CA1 region of hippocampus of vascular dementia rats was detected at week 1, 2, 4, and 8, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the sham-operation group, the expression of CD11b in CA1 region of hippocampus of vascular dementia rats were significantly enhanced in the model group at each time point (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of CD11b in CA1 region of hippocampus of vascular dementia rats significantly decreased in the treated group at each time point (P < 0.01), especially at week 2. CONCLUSION: Obvious activation and proliferation of microglias could be seen in CA1 region of hippocampus of vascular dementia rats, and YQG could inhibit activation and proliferation of microglias.

Closed reduction for arytenoid dislocation under local anesthesia.

CONCLUSION: Closed reduction under local anesthesia continues to be an effective and well-tolerated method for treating arytenoid dislocation. Bilateral arytenoid dislocation is an uncommon occurrence, and the principles of management are the same as for unilateral dislocation. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the treatment outcomes of closed reduction for arytenoid dislocation under local anesthesia and to conduct an exhaustive review of the literature on bilateral arytenoid dislocation. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with arytenoid dislocation were treated with closed reduction under local anesthesia. Arytenoid motion, GRBAS (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain), maximum phonation time (MPT), self-assessed Voice Handicap Index (VHI), and acoustic voice analysis were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Following closed reduction, 33 patients were divided into a 'satisfied' group (n = 26) and a 'dissatisfied' group (n = 7). In the 'satisfied' group, G, R, B, A, MPT, VHI, jitter%, shimmer%, normalized noise energy (NNE), and noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR) were significantly improved compared with measurements taken before closed reduction (p < 0.05). The results for F0 and S score were not significantly different. In the 'dissatisfied' group, VHI, MPT, F0, and shimmer% were not significantly different 1 month after reduction. However, statistically significant change was observed in jitter% and NHR.