[Clinical efficacy of single/double 125I-seed strands combined with biliary stents in the treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of single/double 125I-seed strands combined with biliary stents in the treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice. Methods: Totally 67 cases of patients with malignant obstructive jaundice who received single/double125I-seed strands combined with biliary stents implantation from September 2018 to December 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 36 patients received single 125I-seed strands combined with biliary stents (single strand group) and 31 patients received double 125I-seed strands combined with biliary stents(double strands group). The technical success rate, clinical success rate, complications, biochemical and tumor indexes at 8 weeks after operation [total bilirubin (TB), direct bilirubin (DB), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9)], stent patency time (SP), median progression-free survival time (mPFS) and median survival time (mOS) were analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in technical success rate (100% vs 100%), clinical success rate (97.2% vs 96.8%) and major complications (5.6% vs 6.5%) between single strand group and double strands group. There were significant differences in TB, DB, ALT, AST and CA19-9 indicators between the two groups before and 8 weeks after operation (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the difference value of preoperative and postoperative 8-week indicators between the two groups (all P>0.05).The SP and mPFS of double-stranded stents were longer than those of single-stranded stents.[8.6 months (95%CI:6.9-10.4) vs 6.2 months (95%CI:5.8-6.6), 3.2 months (95%CI:3.0-3.4) vs 3.0 months (95%CI:2.9-3.1), all P<0.05]. The mOS of single and double strands groups was 11.2 months (95%CI:8.3-14.1) and 13.4 months (95%CI:9.9-16.9) respectively, with no statistical difference (P=0.137). Conclusion: Compared with single 125I-seed strands, double 125I-seed strands can prolong biliary SP and mPFS, but the long-term survival index still needs further observation.

Erosion potential of the Yangtze Delta under sediment starvation and climate change.

Deltas are widely threatened by sediment starvation and climate change. Erosion potential is an important indicator of delta vulnerability. Here, we investigate the erosion potential of the Yangtze Delta. We found that over the past half century the Yangtze's sediment discharge has decreased by 80% due to the construction of >50,000 dams and soil conservation, whereas the wind speed and wave height in the delta region have increased by 5-7%, and the sea level has risen at a rate of 3 mm/yr. According to hydrodynamic measurements and analyses of seabed sediments, the period when bed shear stress due to combined current-wave action under normal weather conditions exceeds the critical bed shear stress for erosion (τ cr ) accounts for 63% of the total observed period on average and can reach 100% during peak storms. This explains why net erosion has occurred in some areas of the subaqueous delta. We also found that the increase with depth of τ cr is very gradual in the uppermost several metres of the depositional sequence. We therefore expect that the Yangtze subaqueous delta will experience continuous erosion under sediment starvation and climate change in the next decades of this century or even a few centuries.

Decline of Yangtze River water and sediment discharge: Impact from natural and anthropogenic changes.

The increasing impact of both climatic change and human activities on global river systems necessitates an increasing need to identify and quantify the various drivers and their impacts on fluvial water and sediment discharge. Here we show that mean Yangtze River water discharge of the first decade after the closing of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) (2003-2012) was 67 km(3)/yr (7%) lower than that of the previous 50 years (1950-2002), and 126 km(3)/yr less compared to the relatively wet period of pre-TGD decade (1993-2002). Most (60-70%) of the decline can be attributed to decreased precipitation, the remainder resulting from construction of reservoirs, improved water-soil conservation and increased water consumption. Mean sediment flux decreased by 71% between 1950-1968 and the post-TGD decade, about half of which occurred prior to the pre-TGD decade. Approximately 30% of the total decline and 65% of the decline since 2003 can be attributed to the TGD, 5% and 14% of these declines to precipitation change, and the remaining to other dams and soil conservation within the drainage basin. These findings highlight the degree to which changes in riverine water and sediment discharge can be related with multiple environmental and anthropogenic factors.

Post weaning social isolation influences spatial cognition, prefrontal cortical synaptic plasticity and hippocampal potassium ion channels in Wistar rats.

Post weaning isolation-reared rats show deficits in learning and memory, which are also seen in many psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. The present study utilized behavioral and electrophysiological tests to further characterize cognitive disorders in this rat model, and to explore possible neurobiological mechanisms associated with them. Isolation rearing was performed in male Wistar rats from weaning for 8 weeks. Spatial memory and reversal learning were assessed using Morris water maze (MWM); synaptic plasticity was assessed by recording long-term potentiation (LTP) from thalamus to prefrontal cortex; and potassium ion channel currents were tested using the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of different groups in hippocampal slices by patch clamp. The results of MWM showed that isolation-reared rats performed worse in probe trials and memory retention tests. The LTP tests showed that the prefrontal cortical postsynaptic potential slopes were significantly lower in isolated rats than group housed ones. The patch clamp recording showed that the amplitudes of hippocampal voltage-dependent transient outward K(+) currents (I(A)) were enhanced, and the steady inactivation curve of I(A) was shifted towards positive potential by CSF of isolated rats. These data suggested that isolation rearing can impair the spatial cognition of rats, with the possible mechanisms of affecting prefrontal cortical synaptic plasticity and hippocampal potassium ion channel currents.

[Selective ventral rhizotomy for the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the influence of selective ventral rhizotomy on the function of lower extremity and to investigate its effect in the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy. METHODS: Ten domestic dogs were used in this study. Under anesthesia, the lumbar spinal canal was reached through posterior approach. The ventral rami consisted of left L5, L6 and L7 spinal nerves was separated. The electromyographic changes of each branch of the rami was examined by electrical stimulation. 60 percents of the L6 ventral nerve root which was the major innervation of the gastrocnemius muscle in dogs, and 30 percents of the other two rami were culted off. The muscle tone, the coordinated movement and balanced capacity of the dogs were observed. After one month, the electrophysiological changes of the biceps femoris, semitendinous, gastrocnemius and anterior tibial muscles were examined and compared with that of the identical muscles of the contralateral limbs. RESULTS: Selective ventral rhizotomy was well correspondent to the innervated muscles. After operation, the coordinated movement and balanced capacity were good, but the muscle tone of the corresponding muscle was lowered. This technique was applied on 3 patients with satisfactory short-term results. CONCLUSION: For the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy, it is worth trying the selective ventral rhizotomy.