Efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation combined with general anesthesia for sedation and postoperative analgesia in minimally invasive lung cancer surgery: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia is a key component of an enhanced recovery pathway after surgery that aims to improve postoperative recovery. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) is assumed to alleviate pain and anxiety and to modify the autonomic nervous system. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of TEAS for sedation and postoperative analgesia in lung cancer patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary resection. METHODS: A total of 80 patients were randomized into two groups: the TEAS group and the sham TEAS combined with general anesthesia group. Postoperative pain levels at six, 24, 48 hours, and one month after surgery were measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Bispectral index (BIS) score during the TEAS prior to anesthetic induction, Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation (OAAS) score, sufentanil consumption during postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA), number of total and effective attempts of PCIA pump use, and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting were recorded and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Patients in the TEAS group had significantly lower VAS scores at six, 24, and 48 hours after surgery (P < 0.01); lower BIS scores at 10, 20, and 30 minutes before induction (P < 0.01); lower levels of postoperative sufentanil consumption; lower number of PCIA attempts and effective rates (P < 0.01); lower incidences of nausea at 0, six, 24, and 48 hours; and lower incidence of vomiting at 24 hours after surgery (P < 0.05). The postoperative OAAS scores were similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: TEAS could be a feasible approach for sedation and postoperative analgesia in thoracoscopic pulmonary resection.

The effect of fucoidan on intestinal flora and intestinal barrier function in rats with breast cancer.

Recent research studies have shown that the intestinal flora are related to the occurrence and progress of breast cancer. This study investigates the effect of fucoidan on intestinal flora and intestinal barrier function in rats with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast cancers. Sixty female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the control group, the model group, and the F1 and F2 groups, which were fed fucoidan at concentrations of 200 and 400 mg per kg bw (body weight), respectively. Intestinal histopathological analysis was performed and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing was used to provide an overview of the intestinal flora composition. The contents of d-lactic acid (d-LA), diamine oxidase (DAO) and endotoxin in plasma were detected by ELISA. Expression levels of the tight junction (TJ) proteins, phosphorylated p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 were measured using western blotting. Our results suggested that the intestinal wall of the model group was damaged. However, after fucoidan intervention, the villi were gradually restored. ELISA showed that the levels of plasma endotoxin, d-LA and DAO decreased in the F1 and F2 groups compared to those in the model group. Fucoidan treatment also increased the expressions of ZO-1, occludin, claudin-1 and claudin-8. Furthermore, the expression levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 were upregulated in fucoidan treatment groups. The results of 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing indicated that fucoidan increased the diversity of the intestinal microbiota and induced changes in microbial composition, with the increased Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes phylum ratio. In conclusion, the supplement of fucoidan could improve the fecal microbiota composition and repair the intestinal barrier function. The study suggested the use of fucoidan as an intestinal flora modulator for potential prevention of breast cancer.

Calcium Intake and the Risk of Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Several epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between calcium intake and the risk of ovarian cancer. However, the results of these studies remain controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to explore the association between calcium intake and the risk of ovarian cancer. Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science were searched for eligible publications up to April 2017. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random-effects model. Small-study effect was estimated using Egger's test and the funnel plot. Among 15 epidemiological studies involving 493,415 participants and 7453 cases eligible for this meta-analysis, 13 studies were about dietary calcium intake, 4 studies about dairy calcium intake and 7 studies about dietary plus supplemental calcium intake. When comparing the highest with the lowest intake, the pooled RRs of ovarian cancer were 0.80 (95% CI 0.72-0.89) for dietary calcium, 0.80 (95% CI 0.66-0.98) for dairy calcium and 0.90 (95% CI 0.65-1.24) for dietary plus supplemental calcium, respectively. Dietary calcium was significantly associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer among cohort studies (RR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.99) and among case-control studies (RR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89). In subgroup analysis by ovarian cancer subtypes, we found a statistically significant association between the dietary calcium (RR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.69-0.88) and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). This meta-analysis indicated that increased calcium intake might be inversely associated with the risk of ovarian cancer; this still needs to be confirmed by larger prospective cohort studies.

Dual phase cone-beam computed tomography in detecting <3 cm hepatocellular carcinomas during transarterial chemoembolization.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of dual phase cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in detecting small (<3 cm in diameter) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors during transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive patients with unresectable small HCCs in whom TACE was performed were retrospectively evaluated. Contrast CT or contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in all patients within 1 month prior to the procedure. Dual phase CBCT was performed prior to TACE and lipiodol-CBCT was performed after treatment. The sensitivity of dual phase CBCT in detecting small HCCs was compared to hepatic angiography, contrast enhanced CT and MRI. RESULTS: Seventy HCC tumors with sizes of P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Dual phase CBCT is significantly more sensitive than hepatic angiography, contrast enhanced CT, and MRI in detecting smaller than 3 cm HCC tumors and can be a helpful modality in making accurate planning for treatment of HCC.

Application of the nuclear factor-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate for the treatment of endometriosis: an in vitro study.

This study demonstrated that pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a potent nuclear factor-κB inhibitor, showed stronger inhibitory effects on nuclear factor-κB activation in endometriotic stromal cells than in normal endometrial stromal cells as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and Western blot analysis. Pretreatment of endometriotic stromal cells with PDTC attenuated tumor necrosis factor-α-induced expressions of CD44s, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and vascular endothelial growth factor whereas reversed tumor necrosis factor-α-reduced expressions of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 revealed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, suggesting that PDTC may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment of endometriosis.