Ras inhibitor farnesylthiosalicylic acid conjugated with IR783 dye exhibits improved tumor-targeting and altered anti-breast cancer mechanisms in mice.

Ras has long been viewed as a promising target for cancer therapy. Farnesylthiosalicylic acid (FTS), as the only Ras inhibitor has ever entered phase II clinical trials, has yielded disappointing results due to its strong hydrophobicity, poor tumor-targeting capacity, and low therapeutic efficiency. Thus, enhancing hydrophilicity and tumor-targeting capacity of FTS for improving its therapeutic efficacy is of great significance. In this study we conjugated FTS with a cancer-targeting small molecule dye IR783 and characterized the anticancer properties of the conjugate FTS-IR783. We showed that IR783 conjugation greatly improved the hydrophilicity, tumor-targeting and therapeutic potential of FTS. After a single oral administration in Balb/c mice, the relative bioavailability of FTS-IR783 was increased by 90.7% compared with FTS. We demonstrated that organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) and endocytosis synergistically drove the uptake of the FTS-IR783 conjugate in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, resulting in superior tumor-targeting ability of the conjugate both in vitro and in vivo. We further revealed that FTS-IR783 conjugate could bind with and directly activate AMPK rather than affecting Ras, and subsequently regulate the TSC2/mTOR signaling pathway, thus achieving 2-10-fold increased anti-cancer therapeutic efficacy against 6 human breast cancer cell lines compared to FTS both in vivo and in vitro. Overall, our data highlights a promising approach for the modification of the anti-tumor drug FTS using IR783 and makes it possible to return FTS back to the clinic with a better efficacy.

A 30-Year, Single-Center Experience of Unilateral Adrenalectomy for Primary Bilateral Macronodular Adrenal Hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the short- and long-term outcomes of unilateral adrenalectomy (UA) in patients with primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 124 patients with PBMAH who underwent UA. RESULTS: One hundred sixteen patients were available for follow-up (median, 28.5 months). Cushingoid features remitted in 43 of 65 patients (70.8%) with overt Cushing syndrome (CS). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus improved in 79 of 96 (82.3%) and 29 of 42 patients (69.0%), respectively. Glucocorticoid insufficiency developed in 7 of 116 patients (6.0%) after the surgery, and it resolved in all the patients during follow-up. The mean 24-hour urinary free cortisol level decreased gradually from 456.02 ± 422.33 mg/24 h at baseline to 84.47 ± 70.06 mg/24 h within 3 months and then increased progressively in some patients. Sixty-four of the 116 patients (55.2%) had biochemical recurrence and 43 patients (67.2%) underwent contralateral adrenalectomy. The median time interval between the second operation and the first UA was 24 months. Patients with overt CS had a larger surgical-side or contralateral adrenal volume than patients without overt CS. Patients with a contralateral adrenal volume of >33.54 mL or with a preoperative urinary free cortisol level of >216.08 mg/24 h were more likely to have recurrence. CONCLUSION: The efficiency of UA is transient for the majority of patients, and the indications should be strictly limited to those with subclinical or milder CS. Patients who undergo successful UA still require close life-time follow-up for the recurrence of hypercortisolism.

Drill-and-prechop technique: modification of the drill-and-crack technique for mature cataracts.

BACKGROUND: There are some techniques for disassembly of hard nuclear. It is challenging in hard cataract surgery through microincision. The classic chop or prechop techniques often do not succeed,resulting in incomplete nuclear segmentation. The authors describe a new chop technique for removing hard nucleus cataracts in coaxial microincisional cataract surgery. METHODS: We create a deep hole (drill) in the central nucleus with the phaco tip and divide the nucleus (prechop) with the Nagahara chopper and the modified capsulorhexis forceps inside the hole. The chopper and the modified capsulorhexis forceps are spread apart laterally after they approach at the center of the nucleus, to create a complete fracture across the entire nucleus. Since January 2022, we have completed 27 eyes of 25 patients with hard nucleus cataract using this technique. RESULTS: Complete segmentation of the hard nuclear into two hemispheres was implemented with this drill and prechop technique in all cases. The effective phaco time and ultrasound energy decreased. No intraoperative complication such as iris injury, anterior capsule tears, zonulysis, or posterior capsule rupture with vitreous loss occurred during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This technique simplifies the previous prechop techniques especially for hard nucleus in microincisional cataract surgery. The technique is efficient, safe and simple.

Consequences of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrate Consumption in Septal Deviation Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Septoplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Multiple reports have demonstrated the benefits of preoperative oral carbohydrates (CHO) in patients receiving open abdominal, thoracic, and orthopedic surgeries. However, thus far, no reports have investigated the benefits of CHO in patients undergoing nasal endoscopic surgery. Our goal was to evaluate the outcome of preoperative oral of administration of CHO in septal deviation patients, undergoing endoscopic septoplasty, under general anesthesia. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study from a prospectively collected database. METHODS: Consecutive 400 septal deviation patients, undergoing endoscopic septoplasty, were randomly assigned to receive CHO or plain water (80 CHO cohort vs. 320 control cohort) before general anesthesia. The primary outcome was the risk of acute postoperative hypertension (APH). The secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS), hospitalization cost, sleep time the day before surgery, fluid infusion volume on surgical day, as well the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and aspiration. FINDINGS: Patients in the CHO cohort experienced a lower risk of both diastolic blood pressure (DBP)-based APH (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.96; P = 0.0375) and total APH (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.92; P = 0.0258), lower LOS, lower hospitalization cost, longer sleep time and less fluid infusion volume after adjusting for gender, age, BMI, preoperative blood pressure and pulse. Besides, data showed no significant differences in the incidence of (P = 0.4173) and aspiration (P > 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative CHO administration can reduce APH risk in patients undergoing endoscopic septoplasty under general anesthesia. Besides, preoperative CHO administration can improve other clinical outcomes, such as, LOS, hospitalization cost, sleep time, and fluid infusion volume. Moreover, CHO safety was confirmed in our study. In the future, additional investigation is necessary to confirm our results.

Sum of High-Risk Gene Mutation (SHGM): A Novel Attempt to Assist Differential Diagnosis for Adrenocortical Carcinoma with Benign Adenoma, Based on Detection of Mutations of Nine Target Genes.

There has been no research on applying gene detection to differential diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). We attempted to explore a novel auxiliary method for differential diagnosis between ACC with benign adrenocortical adenoma (ACA), based on mutations of target genes in tissues. Nine genes were chosen as target genes, including TP53, CTNNB1, ARMC5, PRKAR1A, ZNRF3, RB1, APC, MEN1, and RPL22. Exons sequencing of target genes were performed in 98 cases of tissue samples by FastTarget technology, including 41 ACC tissues, 32 ACA tissues, and 25 normal adrenal gland tissues. Significant mutations were detected and identified, and the clinical information was collected, for further comparative analysis and application to assist differential diagnosis of ACC. We identified 132 significant gene mutations and 227 significant mutation sites in 37 ACC tissues, much more than ACA and normal adrenal gland tissues. Mutation rates of 6 genes in ACC tissues were obviously higher than ACA tissues, including ZNRF3, ARMC5, TP53, APC, RB1, and PRKAR1A, regarded as high-risk genes. The sum of mutated high-risk genes detected in each sample was denominated sum of high-risk gene mutation (SHGM), and the rates of SHGM > 0 and SHGM > 1 in ACC tissues were 73.0% and 62.2%, respectively, both obviously higher than those in ACA tissues, with significant statistic differences. Especially for 8 cases of ACC with diameter < 5 cm, SHGM > 0 and SHGM > 1 were found in 6 samples (75%) and 4 samples (50%), respectively. However, no relevance was found between SHGM and clinical characteristics of ACC. We identified 6 high-risk genes in ACC tissues, with significantly higher mutation rates than ACA or normal adrenal gland tissues. The sum of mutated high-risk genes detected in ACC tissues was denominated SHGM, which was potential to assist the differential diagnosis of ACC with ACA, especially for the small-size ACC.

Scleral concave pool trabeculectomy combined phacoemulsification in primary open-angle glaucoma with cataract.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the safety and efficacy of scleral concave pool trabeculectomy (SCPT) combined phacoemulsification for eyes with coexisting cataract and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: This was a retrospective, controlled, interventional pilot case series. Thirty patients (30 eyes) were diagnosed with coexisting cataract and POAG between May 2015 and April 2018. Fourteen eyes underwent SCPT combined phacoemulsification were set as the study group, and 16 eyes received conventional phacotrabeculectomy were set as the control group. All patients were followed up for at least 6 months. The preoperative to postoperative changes in IOP, glaucoma medication requirements, BCVA, blebs functions, and adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: The groups were matched for baseline age, BCVA, IOP and types of IOP-lowering medications (all P > 0.05). At 6-month visit, there were no significant difference between control and study group in the improvement of BCVA (0.22 ± 0.24 versus 0.18 ± 0.26, P = 0.718), reduction of IOP (- 11.21 ± 8.61 mmHg versus - 9.19 ± 9.18 mmHg, P = 0.540) and the number of eyes that needed IOP-lowering medications (2 versus 3, P = 0.743). At the last visit, the rate of forming functioning blebs was significantly different between the study and control groups, (92.9% versus 68.7% respectively, P = 0.007). In the study group, 5 eyes developed hypotony, and 1 eye showed limited choroidal detachment, whereas in the control group 1 eye developed malignant glaucoma. All adverse events were successfully managed. CONCLUSION: The SCPT combined phacoemulsification seems to be a safe and effective alternative to conventional phacotrabeculectomy for patients with POAG and visually significant cataract in the short-term.

Lovastatin derivative dehydrolovastatin ameliorates ulcerative colitis in mice by suppressing NF-κB and inflammatory cytokine expression.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with intestinal immune imbalance and inflammatory response. Because dehydrolovastatin (DLVT), a derivative of lovastatin, has been recently shown to inhibit inflammation and relieve immune arthritis induced by chemical stimuli, we studied its effect and possible mechanism on UC induced by dextran sulfate sodium. The BALB/c mice were classified into six groups: normal control group, model group, DLVT high dose group, DLVT low dose group, salazosulfapyridine (SASP) group and lovastatin (LVT) group. The disease activity indices of UC and pathological changes were investigated. The myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in colon tissue and inflammatory factors such as IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, and TNF-α in the serum were analyzed by ELISA, while the expression of NF-κB p65 protein in colon tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot. DLVT relieved the disease activity indices and pathological damage of the UC mice. Furthermore, DLVT significantly decreased MPO activity and improved the imbalance of inflammatory cytokines through inhibiting the expression of NF-κB p65. Meanwhile, the positive drug of SASP has a similar effect to DLVT, but the effect of DLVT in both decreasing IL-17, TNF-α, and increasing IL-10 was significantly stronger than that of SASP. These results suggest that DLVT may ameliorates the symptoms of UC.

Inhibition of MicroRNA-9 Improves Fracture Healing by Modulating the Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7 Pathway.

We evaluated the effect of microRNA (miR)-9 inhibition on fracture healing in a rat model of femoral fracture. The rats were divided into sham, negative control and miR-9 inhibitor groups. The miR-9 inhibitor group received 30 pmol/mL inhibitor intrathecally for 8 consecutive weeks following surgery-induced femoral fracture. The effect of miR-9 inhibition on fracture healing was estimated by determining the bone mineral density (BMD) and by performing X-ray analysis of the fractured bone. The serum levels of markers of bone formation were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to assess the effect of miR-9 inhibition on fracture healing. The BMD at the fracture site was significantly higher in the miR-9 inhibitor group than in the negative control group. Inhibition of miR-9 blocked the fracture gap and resulted in new callus formation at the fracture site. The serum levels of osteocalcin and bone GLA protein were increased and that of alkaline phosphatase was decreased by inhibition of miR-9 compared to levels in the negative control. However, inhibition of miR-9 significantly increased the mRNA levels of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) in the bone tissue at the fracture site compared to the negative control group; this result was confirmed by western blotting. In conclusion, -miR-9 inhibition enhanced fracture healing by modulating the BMP-7/Runx2 signalling pathway in a rat model of femoral fracture.

Tunable light absorbance by exciting the plasmonic gap mode for refractive index sensing.

The tunable and narrowband optical response from the surface plasmon resonances usually requires periodic metal nanostructures; however, it is usually expensive and challenging to construct such macroscale and defect-free devices. Herein, we make it possible to obtain a characteristic and sharp absorbance via exciting the plasmonic gap mode, which can be obtained in a large-area sample prepared with relatively low cost. The resonant wavelength can be tuned via changing the bottom-facet area of the top structured metal or the spacer thickness. Furthermore, we design the hexagonal arrangement gold microholes atop the gold continuous film with a spacer, which possesses a sharp reflectance dip from the intense plasmonic gap mode. Numerical calculations show that the resonant wavelength is linearly changed with the varying environmental refractive index (RI). The sensitivity is up to ∼1287 nm per RI unit, and the figure of merit for an RI sensor is over 300.

Clonality analysis of multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma by using genetic profiles.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common adult thyroid malignancy and often presents with multiple anatomically distinct foci within the thyroid, known as multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma (MPTC). The widespread application of the next-generation sequencing technologies in cancer genomics research provides novel insights into determining the clonal relationship between multiple tumours within the same thyroid gland. For eight MPTC patients, we performed whole-exome sequencing and targeted region sequencing to identify the non-synonymous point mutations and gene rearrangements of distinct and spatially separated tumour foci. Among these eight MPTCs, completely discordant mutational spectra were observed in the distinct cancerous nodules of patients MPTC1 and 5, suggesting that these nodules originated from independent precursors. In another three cases (MPTC2, 6, and 8), the distinct MPTC foci of these patients had no other shared mutations except BRAF V600E, also indicating likely independent origins. Two patients (MPTC3 and 4) shared almost identical mutational spectra amongst their separate tumour nodules, suggesting a common clonal origin. MPTC patient 7 had seven cancer foci, of which two foci shared 66.7% of mutations, while the remaining cancer foci displayed no common non-synonymous mutations, indicating that MPTC7 has multiple independent origins accompanied by intraglandular disease dissemination. In this study, we found that 75% of MPTC cases arose as independent tumours, which supports the field cancerization hypothesis describing multiple malignant lesions. MPTC may also arise from intrathyroidal metastases from a single malignant clone, as well as multiple independent origins accompanied by intrathyroidal metastasis.

Associations Between TGFA/TGFB3/MSX1 Gene Polymorphisms and Congenital Non-Syndromic Hearing Impairment in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate whether the TGFA/TGFB3/MSX1 gene polymorphisms and haplotypes lead to individual differences between congenital non-syndromic hearing impairment (NSHI) patients and normal people in a Chinese population and to analyze the risk factors for NSHI. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between December 2010 and September 2014, 343 congenital NSHI patients were recruited as cases, and 272 healthy subjects were recruited as controls. Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) was used to identify genotypes, SHEsis software was used to conduct gene linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analyses, and regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for congenital NSHI. RESULTS The distribution of genotype frequencies and allele frequencies of TGFA rs3771494, TGFB3 rs3917201 and rs2268626, and MSX1 rs3821949 and rs62636562 were significantly different between the case and the control groups (all P<0.05). TGFA/TGFB3/MSX1 gene rs3771494, rs1058213, rs3917201, rs2268626, rs3821949, and rs62636562 haplotype analysis showed that haplotype CCGTAC and TTACGT might be protective factors (both P<0.001), while TTGCGC might be a risk factor for the normal population (P<0.001). The other risk factors include paternal smoking, advanced maternal age, maternal sickness history, maternal contact with pesticides or similar drugs, maternal abortion history, maternal medication history, maternal passive smoking history during pregnancy, rs3771494 CT, rs2268626 CC and TC, and rs3821949 GG and AG genotypes were risk factors (all P<0.05), while maternal vitamin supplements during pregnancy, rs3917201 GA, rs62636562 TT and CT genotypes were protective factors for congenital NSHI (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS rs3771494, rs3917201, rs2268626, rs3821949 and rs62636562 might be associated with congenital NSHI.

Patchy nanoparticles self-assembled from linear triblock copolymers under spherical confinement: a simulated annealing study.

The self-assembly of linear ABC triblock copolymers confined in spherical nanopores is studied using a simulated annealing technique. Morphological phase diagrams as a function of the pore diameter, the selectivity of the pore-wall to the terminal blocks, and the copolymer composition are constructed. A variety of patchy nanoparticles and multiple morphological transitions are identified. Janus nanoparticles, which can be regarded as particles with one patch, are observed inside small nanopores. With increasing the pore diameter, the number of patches on a nanoparticle surface increases from one to two, four, five, six, and seven. The size of each patch increases periodically. The number of patches also increases with increasing the wall selectivity. The distribution of the patches on the surface of a given particle is highly symmetric. The interior structures of the patchy nanoparticles and the morphological transition are investigated by calculating the bridging fraction, the mean square end-to-end distance and the average contact number between different components. A series of entropy-driven morphological transitions is predicted. Furthermore, it is found that the overall patchy morphology is largely controlled by the volume fraction of the middle B-block, while the internal structure is largely controlled by the volume fraction ratio of the two terminal blocks. Our study demonstrates that the size of nanopores, the pore-wall selectivity, and the copolymer composition could be utilized as effective means to tune the structure and properties of the anisotropic nanoparticles.

Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry method based two-step precursor ion scanning for the structural elucidation of flavonoids.

Plant flavonoids are very important secondary metabolites for insect and virus control of their host plant and are potent nutrients for humans. To be able to understand the bioavailability and functions of plant flavonoids, it is necessary to reveal their exact chemical structures. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry is a powerful approach for structural elucidation of metabolites. In this report, a two-step precursor ion scanning based liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the structural elucidation of plant flavonoids. The established method consists of the two-step precursor ions scanning for possible flavonoids extraction, MS(2) fragment spectra acquisition and comparison with an online database, liquid chromatography retention rules correction, and commercial standards verification. The developed method was used for the structure elucidation of flavonoids in flowers and leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and 17 flavonoids were identified in the tobacco variety Yunyan 97. Nine of the 17 identified flavonoids were considered to be found in tobacco flowers or/and leaves for the first time based on the available references. This method was proved to be very effective and can be used for the identification of flavonoids in other plants.

Single image super-resolution with denoising diffusion GANS.

Single image super-resolution (SISR) refers to the reconstruction from the corresponding low-resolution (LR) image input to a high-resolution (HR) image. However, since a single low-resolution image corresponds to multiple high-resolution images, this is an ill-posed problem. In recent years, generative model-based SISR methods have outperformed conventional SISR methods in performance. However, the SISR methods based on GAN, VAE, and Flow have the problems of unstable training, low sampling quality, and expensive computational cost. These models also struggle to achieve the trifecta of diverse, high-quality, and fast sampling. In particular, denoising diffusion probabilistic models have shown impressive variety and high quality of samples, but their expensive sampling cost prevents them from being well applied in the real world. In this paper, we investigate the fundamental reason for the slow sampling speed of the SISR method based on the diffusion model lies in the Gaussian assumption used in the previous diffusion model, which is only applicable for small step sizes. We propose a new Single Image Super-Resolution with Denoising Diffusion GANS (SRDDGAN) to achieve large-step denoising, sample diversity, and training stability. Our approach combines denoising diffusion models with GANs to generate images conditionally, using a multimodal conditional GAN to model each denoising step. SRDDGAN outperforms existing diffusion model-based methods regarding PSNR and perceptual quality metrics, while the added latent variable Z solution explores the diversity of likely HR spatial domain. Notably, the SRDDGAN model infers nearly 11 times faster than diffusion-based SR3, making it a more practical solution for real-world applications.

Long-term partial response in a patient with liver metastasis of primary adrenocortical carcinoma with adjuvant mitotane plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and microwave ablation: a case report.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, heterogeneous, and aggressive malignancy with a generally poor prognosis. Surgical resection is the optimal treatment plan. After surgery, both mitotane treatment or the etoposide-doxorubicin-cisplatin (EDP) protocol plus mitotane chemotherapy have a certain effect, but there is still an extremely high possibility of recurrence and metastasis. The liver is one of the most common metastatic targets. Therefore, techniques such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and microwave ablation (MWA) for liver tumors can be attempted in a specific group of patients. We present the case of a 44-year-old female patient with primary ACC, who was diagnosed with liver metastasis 6 years after resection. During mitotane treatment, we performed four courses of TACE and two MWA procedures in accordance with her clinical condition. The patient has maintained the partial response status and has currently returned to normal life to date. This case illustrates the value of the practical application of mitotane plus TACE and MWA treatment.

Laparoscopic resection of a paraganglioma behind the retrohepatic segment of the inferior vena cava: a case report and literature review.

Background: Due to the location of paragangliomas (PGLs) behind the retrohepatic segment of inferior vena cava (IVC), it is difficult to expose and resect the tumor. Case presentation: A tumor measuring 50×45×62cm behind the retrohepatic portion of IVC was found in a 51-year-old female with hypertention and diabetes mellitus. Although the test for catecholamines revealed no signs of disease, the enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, somatostatin receptor imaging and iodine-131-labeled metaiiodo-benzylguanidine (131I-MIBG) imaging revealed that the tumor was PGL. A three-dimensional printing was performed to visualize the tumor. The laparoscpic surgery for the PGL behind the retrohepatic segment of IVC was performed and the tumor was resected completely without causing any tissues injury. The pathologic diagnosis was PGL and the patient was able to recover well. Conclusions: This case demonstrates that laparoscopic surgery may be helpful in tumor accessibility, and could be used in the appropriate cases to remove PGLs that are located behind the retrohepatic segment of the IVC.

Enhanced electron field emission from carbon nanotubes irradiated by energetic C ions.

The field emission performance and structure of the vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube arrays irradiated by energetic C ion with average energy of 40 keV have been investigated. During energetic C ion irradiation, the curves of emission current density versus the applied field of samples shift firstly to low applied fields when the irradiation doses are less than 9.6 x 10(16) cm(-2), and further increase of dose makes the curves reversing to a high applied field, which shows that high dose irradiation in carbon nanotube arrays makes their field emission performance worse. After energetic ion irradiation with a dose of 9.6 x 1016 cm(-2), the turn-on electric field and the threshold electric field of samples decreased from 0.80 and 1.13 V/microm to 0.67 and 0.98 V/microm respectively. Structural analysis of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy indicates that the amorphous carbon nanowire/carbon nanotube hetero nano-structures have been fabricated in the C ion irradiated carbon nanotubes. The enhancement of electron field emission is due to the formation of amorphous carbon nanowires at the tip of carbon nanotube arrays, which is an electron emitting material with low work function.

Structures and field emission properties of silicon nanowire arrays implanted with energetic carbon ion beam.

Structures and field emission properties of silicon nanowire arrays (SiNWAs), which were fabricated by using of electroless-chemical etching method and post-implanted by the energetic carbon ion beam with an average energy of 20 keV at various doses, have been investigated. Structural analysis of SEM and XPS shows that SiC compound had been formed at the top of SiNWAs, and Si-C/Si composite nanostructure had been obtained. Compared to as-grown SiNWAs, the C ion implanted SiNWAs have better field emission characteristics. The turn-on field and the applied field at 100 microA/cm2 are reduced from 5.01 V/microm and 5.93 V/microm for as-grown SiNWAs to 4.45 V/microm and 5.40 V/microm for SiNWAs implanted at the dose of 1 x 10(16) cm(-2), respectively. However, large implanting amounts made serious structural damages at the top of nanowires, and impaired the field emission characteristics. The influence of energetic C ion implantation on the structures and field emission properties of SiNWAs has been discussed.

[Expression of SDHB, EPAS1 and MIB-1 in Zuckerkandl paragangliomas].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of succinate dehydrogenase B (SDHB) mutation and EPAS1 overexpression in Zuckerkandl paragangliomas (PGL) and examine their correlations with malignant infiltration and metastasis. METHODS: From March 2008 to July 2011, the clinical profiles of 16 Zuckerkandl PGL patients were analyzed retrospectively. For increased diagnostic specificity, a complex immunohistochemical panel of tissue microarray was performed for SDHB, EPAS1 and MIB-1. Positive expression identified as a granular cytoplasmic staining. Greater than or equal to 50% as strongly positive (+++), 1% to 10% as weakly positive (+). RESULTS: Tissue microarray immunohistochemical staining showed SDHB immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm, whereas EPAS1 and MIB-1 in the nuclear of tumor cells. Positive expression of EPAS1 in which 13 cases of Zuckerkandl PGL. And high expression strongly associated with malignancy. SDHB mutation of 7 cases are all EPAS1 positive staining. Non-gene mutation 9 cases tumor specimens, 6 cases were EPAS1 positive expression (P < 0.05). CgA positive expression in 11 cases benign Zuckerkandl PGL, strongly positive in 4 malignant cases (4/4). MIB-1 below 1% in 12 cases of benign Zuckerkandl PGL. And in 4 malignant cases, MIB-1 was about 3%. Malignant neoplasms had significantly higher EPAS1, CgA and MIB-1 expression compared to benign counterparts (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The SDHB mutation causes the EPAS1 over expression in PGL and correlation with higher positive expression of CgA and MIB-1. It may be one of the mechanisms of malignant invasiveness and metastasis in PGL.

An alternative method for personalized tourniquet pressure in total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized and controlled study.

Tourniquet use always carries potential risks, which can range from mild transient functional impairments of thigh pain, skin blisters to severe permanent dysfunction of limb paralysis, nerve injuries or compartment syndrome. The ideal method for minimizing intraoperative tourniquet pressure (TP) for reducing postoperative complications remains controversial. In this prospective, randomized and controlled study, we reinvestigated an estimation formula for TP based on thigh circumferences and systolic blood pressure (SBP) with two traditional methods for TP determination in total knee arthroplasty (TKA): SBP plus 100 mmHg and a fixed value of 300 mmHg. TP values and postoperative thigh pain scores were compared among three groups. The intraoperative TP value of the formula-calculated group was lower than that of the traditional groups (14.7 mmHg, P = 0.3475 and 94.7 mmHg, P < 0.0001, respectively), while no differences of hemostatic effect at the surgical fields and wound complications were detected among groups. The thigh pain scores at the tourniquet site decreased gradually over time and the estimation group had the lowest scores at each timepoint after surgery. Estimation method for TP was easy and rapid, without relying on specific equipment. It could provide a practical low TP and comparable hemostatic effect in TKA using an inflating tourniquet.