Coagulation and fibrinolytic markers offer utility when distinguishing between benign and malignant gallbladder tumors: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The metabolic or proliferative abnormalities that are characteristic of tumor cells can lead to abnormal fibrinolysis or coagulation system activity, with certain tumors exhibiting hypercoagulability or existing in a fibrinolytic state. However, the utility of biomarkers of coagulation and fibrinolysis when seeking to differentiate between benign gallbladder disease and malignant gallbladder tumors remains uncertain. METHODS: This study included a total of 81 patients with benign gallbladder polyps and 94 patients with malignant gallbladder tumors. Pre-biopsy or pretreatment levels of PT, APTT, FIB, D-dimer, FDP, PLT, PIC, TAT, TM, and t-PAIC from these patients were compared using Mann-Whitney tests. The baseline data of the patients were analyzed using chi-square tests, and the diagnostic utility of these biomarkers in distinguishing between benign and malignant gallbladder lesions was evaluated using ROC curves, and Spearman correlation analysis was employed to assess the correlation between these indicators and tumor parameters. RESULTS: The average age of malignant gallbladder tumor group was higher than benign gallbladder polyp group. And the base line analysis showed that there was a statistic difference in age, history of smoking, drinking, biliary tract disease, BMI of over weight between these two groups. In patients with malignant gallbladder tumors, FIB, D-dimer, FDP, PIC, TAT, TM, and t-PAIC levels were significantly elevated relative to those in patients affected by benign gallbladder polyp. The AUC for FIB, D-dimer, and FDP was 0.8469, 0.6514, 0.5950, while for PIC, TAT, TM, t-PAIC and four biomarker combined diagnosed was 0.8455, 0.6554, 0.7130, 0.6806, and 0.8859. Among these, TM was associated with the vascular invasion of tumor patients; TAT and t-PAIC were associated with neural invasion; D-dimer and FDP were related to the maximum tumor diameter; and FDP had a certain correlation with the tumor stage. CONCLUSIONS: In gallbladder tumor patients, conventional coagulation metrics like FIB, D-dimer, and FDP, as well as newer thrombotic indicators such as PIC, TAT, TM, and t-PAIC, were obviously increased. Correlations with tumor parameters suggested their potential as biomarkers to distinguish benign from malignant gallbladder growths.

Research Progress on the Structural Modification of Magnolol and Honokiol and the Biological Activities of Their Derivatives.

Magnolol and Honokiol are the primary active components that have been identified and extracted from Magnolia officinalis, and several investigations have demonstrated that they have significant pharmacological effects. Despite their therapeutic benefits for a wide range of illnesses, research on and the implementation of these compounds have been hindered by their poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Researchers are continually using chemical methods to alter their structures to make them more effective in treating and preventing diseases. Researchers are also continuously developing derivative drugs with high efficacy and few adverse effects. This article summarizes and analyzes derivatives with significant biological activities reported in recent research obtained by structural modification. The modification sites have mainly focused on the phenolic hydroxy groups, benzene rings, and diene bonds. Changes to the allyl bisphenol structure will result in unexpected benefits, including high activity, low toxicity, and good bioavailability. Furthermore, alongside earlier experimental research in our laboratory, the structure-activity relationships of magnolol and honokiol were preliminarily summarized, providing experimental evidence for improving their development and utilization.

Immunogenicity and efficacy of serogroup A and D bacterins against Pasteurella multocida in mice.

Introduction: Pasteurella multocida is a widespread respiratory pathogen in pigs, causing swine pneumonia and atrophic rhinitis, and the capsular serogroups A and D are the main epidemic serogroups in infected animals. This study investigated the protective effects of serogroup A and D bacterins against current circulating P. multocida strains, to better understand the immunity generated by bacterins. Method: 13 serogroup A (seven A: L3 and six A: L6 strains) and 13 serogroup D (all D: L6 strains) P. multocida strains were isolated, and used as inactivated whole cell antigen to prepare P. multocida bacterins. Mice were immunized with these bacterins at 21-day interval and intraperitoneally challenged with the homologous and heterologous P. multocida strains, respectively. The antibody titer levels and immunization protective efficacy of vaccines were evaluated. Results: All of the bacterins tested induced high titer levels of immunoglobulin G antibodies against the parental bacterial antigen in mice. Vaccination with the six A: L6 bacterins provided no protection against the parent strain, but some strains did provide heterologous protection against A: L3 strains. Vaccination with the seven A: L3 bacterins provided 50%-100% protection against the parent strain, but none gave heterologous protection against the A:L6 strains. Immunization with the thirteen D: L6 bacterins offered 60%-100% protection against the parent strain, and almost all D: L6 strains gave cross-protection. Discussion: This study found that the cross-protectivity of serogroup A strains was poor, while serogroup D strains was effective, which provided some insights for P. multocida vaccine development.

Hypoxia-induced miR-9 expression promotes ovarian cancer progression via activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR/GSK3ß signaling pathway.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors affecting women's life and health. Since OC has a poor prognosis due to extensive metastasis, there is a need to explore a new mechanism of OC metastasis. microRNAs (miRs) are single-stranded, non-coding RNAs. miR-9 has been reported to promote cancer and may provide a new strategy for OC diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the function and underlying mechanism of miR-9 in OC. RT-qPCR was used to assess miR-9 expression levels. Transwell assays were used to determine the number of migrating and invading OC cells. The protein expression levels of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/GSK3ß signaling pathway were examined using western blotting. The results informed that, when compared to normal ovarian tissues, miR-9 was remarkably expressed in OC tissues, and hypoxia might lead to overexpression of miR-9-5p while inhibiting miR-9 notably suppressed the migrating and invading cell numbers in OC cells. In vivo, miR-9-5p knockdown inhibited tumor growth in a subcutaneous nude mice model of SKOV3 cells. Our findings suggest that miR-9 could be an underlying oncogene in OC, opening up new avenues for OC diagnosis and treatment of OC by targeting miR-9.

[Identification of metabolites of Yiqi Baoyuan Prescription in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces after oral administration].

This study was designed to determine the metabolites of Yiqi Baoyuan Prescription(YQBYP) in rats. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-TOF-MS) and mass defect filter(MDF) were employed to analyze the metabolites of YQBYP in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces. Chromatographic separation was conducted on Acquity UPLC BEH C_(18) column(2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.7 µm) under gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution(A)-acetonitrile(B), and the column temperature was 30 ℃. Electrospray ion(ESI) source was used under positive and negative ion modes, with capillary voltage of 3.0 kV and mass scanning range of m/z 100-1 000. In this experiment, 9 prototype components and 36 metabolites were identified in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces samples. The results showed that the main metabolic pathways of YQBYP in rats involved methylation, demethylation, oxidation, and other phase Ⅰ reactions as well as glucuronidation, sulfation, and other phase Ⅱ reactions. This study provided scientific basis for clarifying the therapeutic material basis of YQBYP and product development.

Treatment of condylar osteophyte in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis with muscle balance occlusal splint and long-term follow-up: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Condylar osteophytes, a remodeling form of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA), mainly manifest as marginal angular outgrowths of the condyle. Previous researchers have advocated surgical removal of condylar osteophytes. Reports on the effect of occlusal splint on TMJ OA patients' joints have mostly focused on treatment with this splint, which can reduce the absorption of the affected condyle and promote repair and regeneration. However, the effect of the splint on the dissolution of condylar osteophytes has not yet been reported. CASE SUMMARY: A 68-year-old female patient suffered from occlusal discomfort with left facial pain for 2 years. Cone beam computed tomography showed a rare osteophyte on top of her left condyle. She was finally diagnosed with TMJ OA. The patient refused surgical treatment and received conservative treatment with a muscle balance occlusal splint. The pain experienced by the patient on the left side of her face was relieved, and her chewing ability recovered after treatment. The osteophyte dissolved, and the condylar cortex remained stable during long-term follow-up observations. CONCLUSION: The muscle balance occlusal splint could be a noninvasive means of treating condylar osteophytes in TMJ OA patients.

Yes-associated protein promotes endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition of endothelial cells in choroidal neovascularization fibrosis.

AIM: To reveal whether and how Yes-associated protein (YAP) promotes the occurrence of subretinal fibrosis in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) was used in primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to induce hypoxia in vitro. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice weighing 19-25 g were used for a choroidal neovascularization (CNV) model induced by laser photocoagulation in vivo. Expression levels of YAP, phosphorylated YAP, mesenchymal markers [α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, and Snail], and endothelial cell markers (CD31 and zonula occludens 1) were measured by Western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Small molecules YC-1 (Lificiguat, a specific inhibitor of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α), CA3 (CIL56, an inhibitor of YAP), and XMU-MP-1 (an inhibitor of Hippo kinase MST1/2, which activates YAP) were used to explore the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: CoCl2 increased expression of mesenchymal markers, decreased expression of endothelial cell markers, and enhanced the ability of primary HUVECs to proliferate and migrate. YC-1 suppressed hypoxia-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). Moreover, hypoxia promoted total expression, inhibited phosphorylation, and enhanced the transcriptional activity of YAP. XMU-MP-1 enhanced hypoxia-induced EndMT, whereas CA3 elicited the opposite effect. Expression of YAP, α-SMA, and vimentin were upregulated in the laser-induced CNV model. However, silencing of YAP by vitreous injection of small interfering RNA targeting YAP could reverse these changes. CONCLUSION: The findings reveal a critical role of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/YAP signaling axis in EndMT and provide a new therapeutic target for treatment of subretinal fibrosis in AMD.

Silencing of YAP attenuates pericyte-myofibroblast transition and subretinal fibrosis in experimental model of choroidal neovascularization.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main reason of irreversible vision loss in the elderly. The subretinal fibrosis subsequent to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is an important feature in the late stage of wet AMD and is considered to be one reason for incomplete response to anti-VEGF drugs. Recent studies have shown that pericyte-myofibroblast transition (PMT) is an important pathological process involving fibrotic diseases of various organs. However, the specific role and mechanism of PMT in the subretinal fibrosis of CNV have not been clarified. It has been clear that the Hippo pathway along with its downstream effector Yes-associated protein (YAP) plays an important role in both epithelial and endothelial myofibroblast development. Therefore, we speculate whether YAP participates in PMT of pericytes and promotes fibrosis of CNV. In this study, experimental CNV was induced by laser photocoagulation in C57BL/6J (B6) mice, and aberrant YAP overexpression was detected in the retinal pigment epithelial/choroid/sclera tissues of the laser-injured eyes. YAP knockdown reduced the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of human retinal microvascular pericytes in vitro. It also reduced subretinal fibrosis of laser-induced CNV in vivo. Moreover, by proteomics-based analysis of pericyte conditioned medium (PC-CM) and bioinformatic analyses, we identified that the crosstalk between Hippo/YAP and MAPK/Erk was involved in expression of filamin A in hypoxic pericytes. These findings suggest that Hippo/YAP and MAPK/Erk are linked together to mediate pericyte proliferation, migration as well as differentiation, which may embody potential implications for treatment in diseases related to CNV.

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB promotes proliferation and migration of retinal microvascular pericytes by up-regulating the expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor types 4.

Stromal cell-derived growth factor (SDF)-1α acts as a ligand to C-X-C chemokine receptors 4 (CXCR4) and 7 (CXCR7), which are involved in the formation of choroidal neovascularization. Previous studies have demonstrated crosstalk between the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB/PDGF receptor (PDGFR)-ß and SDF-1α/CXCR4 axes during tumor neovascularization by increasing the recruitment of pericytes. However, the effects of interactions between these two signaling pathways in retinal microvascular pericytes remain poorly understood. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR were used to measure CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression in PDGF-BB-treated pericytes, whilst Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell migration assays were used to investigate cell viability and migration following PDGF-BB pretreatment on SDF-1α-treated pericytes. Exogenous PDGF-BB enhanced CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression through PDGFR-ß in a dose- and time-dependent manners. In addition, PDGF-BB increased cell viability and migration in SDF-1α-treated pericytes, which were inhibited by AMD3100 and niclosamide, inhibitors for CXCR4 and STAT3 respectively. Crosstalk between PDGF-BB/PDGFR-ß and SDF-1α/CXCR4/CXCR7 were involved in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. PDGF-BB treatment enhanced CXCR4, CXCR7 and PDGFR-ßexpression, which may be associated with the phosphorylation of STAT3. siRNA-PDGFR-ß transfection reduced CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression in pericytes. Therefore, PDGF-BB directly targets PDGFR-ß and serves an important role in regulating CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression, ultimately affecting viability and migration in SDF-1α-treated pericytes. Therefore, targeting CXCR4/CXCR7 may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for fundus diseases.

Ocular Biometric Characteristics of Chinese with History of Acute Angle Closure.

PURPOSE: To investigate the biometric characteristics of Chinese patients with a history of acute angle closure (AAC). METHODS: In this clinic-based, retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study, biometric parameters of eyes were acquired from a general population of Chinese adults. The crowding value (defined as lens thickness (LT); central corneal thickness (CCT); anterior chamber depth (ACD)/axial length (AL)) was calculated for each patient. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for AAC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and biometric variables were compared to compile a risk assessment for AAC. RESULT: This study included 1500 healthy subjects (2624 eyes, mean age of 66.54 ± 15.82 years) and 107 subjects with AAC (202 eyes, mean age of 70.01 ± 11.05 years). Eyes with AAC had thicker lens (P ≤ 0.001), shallower anterior chamber depth (P ≤ 0.001), and shorter axial length (P ≤ 0.001) than healthy eyes. Logistic regression analysis and ROC curve analysis indicated that a crowding value above 0.13 was a significant (P < 0.05) risk factor for the development of AAC. CONCLUSIONS: Biometric parameters were significantly different between the eyes from the AAC group to the normal group. Ocular crowding value might be a new noncontact screening method to assess the risk of AAC in adults.

Lipidomics study of plasma phospholipid metabolism in early type 2 diabetes rats with ancient prescription Huang-Qi-San intervention by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS and correlation coefficient.

Potential impact of lipid research has been increasingly realized both in disease treatment and prevention. An effective metabolomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) along with multivariate statistic analysis has been applied for investigating the dynamic change of plasma phospholipids compositions in early type 2 diabetic rats after the treatment of an ancient prescription of Chinese Medicine Huang-Qi-San. The exported UPLC/Q-TOF-MS data of plasma samples were subjected to SIMCA-P and processed by bioMark, mixOmics, Rcomdr packages with R software. A clear score plots of plasma sample groups, including normal control group (NC), model group (MC), positive medicine control group (Flu) and Huang-Qi-San group (HQS), were achieved by principal-components analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Biomarkers were screened out using student T test, principal component regression (PCR), partial least-squares regression (PLS) and important variable method (variable influence on projection, VIP). Structures of metabolites were identified and metabolic pathways were deduced by correlation coefficient. The relationship between compounds was explained by the correlation coefficient diagram, and the metabolic differences between similar compounds were illustrated. Based on KEGG database, the biological significances of identified biomarkers were described. The correlation coefficient was firstly applied to identify the structure and deduce the metabolic pathways of phospholipids metabolites, and the study provided a new methodological cue for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of metabolites in the process of regulating Huang-Qi-San for treating early type 2 diabetes.

Comparison between Subjective Sensations during First and Second Phacoemulsification Eye Surgeries in Patients with Bilateral Cataract.

Purpose. To evaluate and compare the subjective sensations reported by patients during first and second cataract extractions. Methods. Consecutive patients undergoing bilateral sequential cataract extraction using phacoemulsification were recruited. Following cataract surgery, patients completed questionnaires designed to evaluate subjective sensations, including anxiety, eye bulges, pain, and light sensitivity. Changes in painful sensations experienced by patients between the two surgeries were also recorded. Comparisons were also performed for each subjective sensation between different age groups (<50, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and >79 years). Results. A total of 127 patients were included in the final evaluation. Statistical comparison of the results showed that there were significant differences in perception of anxiety, eye bulges, and pain scores between the first and second cataract surgeries (P < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference for light sensitivity scores between the two surgeries (P = 0.555). The differences in anxiety, perception of eye bulges, pain, and light sensitivity scores between both the surgeries showed no correlation with age (P > 0.05 for all). Conclusions. Our research confirms the common observation that patients with bilateral cataracts often report more ocular discomfort during the second surgery. There are, therefore, additional factors that should be considered upon treating patients with bilateral cataracts, and the provision of preoperative counseling could play an important role in providing adequate patient care.

Changes in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare changes in retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHODS: The Cochrane Library, Medline, and Embase were screened using our key words. Results were carefully reviewed to ensure that the included studies met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and the quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. All included studies categorized patients with OSAHS into 3 groups (mild, moderate, and severe), and measured average and 4-quadrant (temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior) RNFL thickness. All studies included a healthy control group. The weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for the continuous outcomes. RESULTS: Ten case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis, consisting of a total of 811 OSAHS group and 868 healthy eyes. A meta-analysis of the data showed that the average RNFL thicknesses in the mild, moderate, and severe OSAHS groups were significantly decreased compared to healthy controls. Additionally, RNFL thickness was significantly reduced in all but the temporal quadrant in the moderate and severe OSAHS groups when compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, we suggest that peripapillary RNFL thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography could be a useful tool to monitor and assess the severity of OSAHS in patients. Further studies are required in order to differentiate these RNFL changes from glaucomatous changes. This has not been properly examined in any of the studies we were able to identify.

Differential effects of myelin basic protein-activated Th1 and Th2 cells on the local immune microenvironment of injured spinal cord.

Myelin basic protein (MBP) activated T cells (MBP-T) play an important role in the damage and repair process of the central nervous system (CNS). However, whether these cells play a beneficial or detrimental role is still a matter of debate. Although some studies showed that MBP-T cells are mainly helper T (Th) cells, their subtypes are still not very clear. One possible explanation for MBP-T immunization leading to conflicting results may be the different subtypes of T cells are responsible for distinct effects. In this study, the Th1 and Th2 type MBP-T cells (MBP-Th1 and -Th2) were polarized in vitro, and their effects on the local immune microenvironment and tissue repair of spinal cord injury (SCI) after adoptive immunization were investigated. In MBP-Th1 cell transferred rats, the high levels of pro-inflammatory cells (Th1 cells and M1 macrophages) and cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, -ß, IL-1ß) were detected in the injured spinal cord; however, the anti-inflammatory cells (Th2 cells, regulatory T cells, and M2 macrophages) and cytokines (IL-4, -10, and -13) were found in MBP-Th2 cell transferred animals. MBP-Th2 cell transfer resulted in decreased lesion volume, increased myelination of axons, and preservation of neurons. This was accompanied by significant locomotor improvement. These results indicate that MBP-Th2 adoptive transfer has beneficial effects on the injured spinal cord, in which the increased number of Th2 cells may alter the local microenvironment from one primarily populated by Th1 and M1 cells to another dominated by Th2, Treg, and M2 cells and is conducive for SCI repair.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Changes in Migraine: A Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies.

BACKGROUND: The neurovascular dysfunction appears to be related to the development of migraines and it could be possible that hypoperfusion might also involve other areas besides brain, including the retina. Numerous studies have analyzed the ability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness abnormalities and changes in migraine, but the results have not always been consistent. Therefore, we carried out a meta-analysis to evaluate the RNFL thickness measured with OCT in migraine. METHODS: Case-control studies were selected through an electronic search of the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, PUBMED and EMBASE. For the continuous outcomes, we calculated the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The statistical analysis was performed by RevMan 5.0 software. RESULTS: Six case-control studies were included in the present meta-analysis, containing a total of 432 eyes in migraine patients and 288 eyes in healthy controls. The results of our study showed that there was a significant reduction in average RNFL thickness in patients with migraine compared to healthy controls (WMD = -3.67, 95% CI: -6.84 to -0.49, p = 0.02). Additionally, differences of RNFL thickness in superior quadrant (WMD = -9.23, 95% CI: -15.63 to -2.82, p = 0.005), inferior quadrant (WMD = -3.47, 95% CI: -6.73 to -0.22, p = 0.04), nasal quadrant (WMD = -3.86, 95% CI: -7.10 to -0.61, p = 0.02) and temporal quadrant (WMD = -3.10, 95% CI: -5.05 to -1.15, p = 0.002) were all significant between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis found that RNFL thickness in the migraine patients was thinner than that in the healthy control group. Given the limited sample size, further investigations are needed to validate these findings.

[Rapid analysis of glycerophospholipids in RAW264.7 macrophage with UHPLC-QTOF/MS].

An ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometric method was developed for rapid analysis of glycerophospholipids in RAW264.7 macrophage. The modified Bligh-Dyer was applied to extract glycerophospholipids from RAW264.7 macrophage. The target compounds, detected by mass spectrometry in ESI(+) and ESI(-) mode, were separated by gradient elution with mobile phase (A) water(containing 10 mmol·L(-1) ammonium acetate and 0.25% acetic acid) and (B) acetonitrile/isopropanol (1 : 1) (containing 10 mmol·L(-1) ammonium acetate and 0.25% acetic acid). A total of 82 glycerophospholipids including 57 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 21 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), three phosphatidylglycerols (PGs) and one phosphatidylinositol (PI) were deduced. The UHPLC-QTOF/MS method is rapid, simple and credible for targeting analysis of glycerophospholipids of RAW264.7 macrophage.

[UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis of phospholipids metabolite profiling in plasma of type 2 diabetes mellitus rat].

This study reported the analysis of plasma phospholipid metabolism of the rats and the pathological biomarkers between the type 2 diabetes model control group (MC) and the normal control group (NC). SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: NC and MC. To investigate state of plasma metabolite profiling in normal body, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model group using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS which was used as analysis tool in this research. The compounds were identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS based on MS/MS fragment ions information, element composition in MassLynx 4.1 and the Lipid Maps database. The sign of two groups of samples in specific markers for screening was through a software package in R software (BioMark software). The results show that the pathological markers were mainly phosphatidylcholine (PC) and triglycerides (TG); the 2-acyl PC in the MC group was less more obviously than that in the NC group; high carbon number and high degree of unsaturation of the TG was reduced under the condition of type 2 diabetes. In the state of type 2 diabetes, metabolic changes occurred in rat plasma phospholipids obviously, which had a close relationship with the occurrence and development of T2DM.

A prospective study on postoperative discomfort after 20-gauge pars plana vitrectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate postoperative pain and other irritation symptoms after 20-gauge (20G) pars plana vitrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 110 consecutive patients were enrolled in our studies, and 87 patients who underwent the conventional 20G pars plana vitrectomy were included in the final analysis. All vitrectomies were performed using the same surgical technique by the same surgeon. Patients were examined before surgery and 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 1 month, and 2 months postoperatively. The main outcome measures include patient age and sex, intraocular pressure (IOP), ocular pain, pain score, pain medication use, and other irritation symptoms comprising itching, foreign body sensation, burning, photophobia, and dryness. The pain was evaluated using the Numerical Rating Scale scored from 0 to 10. RESULTS: Postoperative pain was relatively common during the first day after surgery, as it was reported by 43 (49.4%) patients. Then, the prevalence gradually decreased to eleven (12.6%) patients at 2 months. Most patients reported mild or moderate pain, with a pain score of 1-5, but only four patients were given analgesics for ocular pain. A postoperative rise of IOP was noted in 25 patients at day 1. Most of these patients with high IOP reported moderate pain. Other ocular irritation symptoms were varied after surgery. There was still one-quarter of patients that had foreign body sensation and dryness symptoms at month 2 after surgery. CONCLUSION: Mild and moderate ocular pain were relatively common after 20G vitrectomy, which is more often associated with elevated IOP. Other irritation symptoms were also presented after surgery and could affect the life quality of patients. Therefore, the discomforts after 20G pars plana vitrectomy should be of concern, and timely management should be provided as part of routine postoperative care.

Lipopolysaccharide Promotes Choroidal Neovascularization by Up-Regulation of CXCR4 and CXCR7 Expression in Choroid Endothelial Cell.

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) has been confirmed to participate in the formation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) via its two receptors: CXC chemokine receptors 4 (CXCR4) and CXCR7. Previous studies have indicated that the activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) might elevate CXCR4 and/or CXCR7 expression in tumor cells, enhancing the response to SDF-1 to promote invasion and cell dissemination. However, the impact of LPS on the CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression in endothelial cells and subsequent pathological angiogenesis formation remains to be elucidated. The present study shows that LPS enhanced the CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression via activation of the TLR4 pathway in choroid-retinal endothelial (RF/6A) cells. In addition, the transcriptional regulation of CXCR4 and CXCR7 by LPS was found to be mediated by phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) 1/2 and activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways, which were blocked by ERK- or NF-κB-specific inhibitors. Furthermore, the increased CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression resulted in increased SDF-1-induced RF/6A cells proliferation, migration and tube formation. In vivo, LPS-treated rat had significantly higher mRNA levels of CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression and lager laser-induced CNV area than vehicle-treated rat. SDF-1 blockade with a neutralizing antibody attenuated the progression of CNV in LPS-treated rat after a single intravitreal injection. Altogether, these results demonstrated that LPS might influence CNV formation by enhancing CXCR7 and CXCR7 expression in endothelial cells, possibly providing a new perspective for the treatment of CNV-associated diseases.

[Jinlong capsule combined with chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC: a Meta-analysis].

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect and safety of Jinlong capsule combined with chemotherapy or radio-therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLS) using Meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang databases were all searched without language restriction, and searching time was from January 1990 to July 2015. All eligible published studies were included in this study for quality assessment and data extraction. All the data were analyzed using Revman 5.3. A total of ten studies including 736 subjects (370 in Jinlong capsule plus chemoradiotherapy and 366 in chemoradiotherapy only) were finally included in this Meta-analysis. The result of Meta analysis showed that compared with pure chemoradiotherapy group, Jinlong capsule combined with chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC could improve the patients' curative effect (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.29-2.43, P < 0.05), clinical benefit rate (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.22-2.91, P < 0.05), life quality improvement rate (OR = 2. 56, 95% CI: 1.61-4.05, P < 0.05), and decrease leucopenia incidence rate (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0. 22-0.56, P < 0.05) and gastrointestinal reaction rate (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.40-1.11, P < 0.05). The pooled results showed that Jinlong capsule combined with chemoradiotherapy for NSCLC could improve the curative effect and life quality, and decrease the adverse reaction of patients.