Improving neurological outcome for acute basilar artery occlusion with sufficient recanalization after thrombectomy by intraarterial tenecteplase (INSIST-IT): Rationale and design.

BACKGROUND: The potential benefit of intraarterial tenecteplase in acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) patients with successful reperfusion following endovascular treatment (EVT) has not been studied. AIMS: To explore the efficacy and safety of intraarterial tenecteplase in acute BAO patients with successful reperfusion after EVT. SAMPLE SIZE ESTIMATES: A maximum of 228 patients are required to test the superiority hypothesis with 80% power according to a two-side 0.05 level of significance, stratified by center. DESIGN: We will conduct a prospective, randomized, adaptive-enrichment, open-label, blinded-end point, multicenter trial. Eligible BAO patients with successful recanalization after EVT [modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 2b-3] will be randomly assigned into the experimental and control group with a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will receive intraarterial tenecteplase (0.2-0.3 mg/min for 20-30 min), while patients in the control group will receive routine treatment according to the usual practice of each center. Patients in both groups will receive standard guideline-based medical treatment. OUTCOME: The primary efficacy endpoint is a favorable functional outcome, defined as the modified Rankin Scale 0-3 at 90 days after randomization. The primary safety endpoint is symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage, defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score increase ⩾4 caused by intracranial hemorrhage within 48 h after randomization. Subgroup analysis of the primary outcome will be performed by age, gender, baseline NIHSS score, baseline pc-ASPECTS, intravenous thrombolysis, time from estimated symptom onset to treatment, mTICI, blood glucose, and stroke etiology. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study will provide evidence of whether adjunct use of intraarterial tenecteplase after successful reperfusion with EVT is associated with better outcomes for acute BAO patients.

Rescue thrombolysis for medium vessel occlusion (RESCUE-TNK): Rationale and design of a phase 2 randomized trial.

Background: The best reperfusion strategy for medium-sized vessel occlusion (MeVO) is not well established. Given the proven treatment effect of intra-arterial thrombolysis in patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO), we hypothesized that intra-arterial tenecteplase (TNK) could increase the recanalization rate of MeVO and thus improve clinical outcome. Aims: To explore the safety and efficacy of intra-arterial TNK in patients with MeVO. Sample size estimates: A maximum of 80 patients are required to test the superiority hypothesis, using power = 80% and α = 0.025 to conduct the one-sided test. Design: Rescue treatment for mEdium veSsel oCclUsion by intra-artErial TNK (RESCUE-TNK) is a pilot, randomized, open-label, blinded end point, and multicenter trial. Eligible patients including primary MeVO as detected by the first DSA examination or secondary MeVO after endovascular treatment (EVT) for LVO will be assigned into the experimental group and control group as a ratio of 1:1. The experimental group will be treated with intra-arterial TNK (0.2-0.3 mg/min, for 20-30 min) via a microcatheter placed proximal to the site of occlusion, and the control group will be treated with routine therapy. Both groups of patients will be given standard stroke care based on the guidelines. Outcome: The primary efficacy end point is successful recanalization of MeVO, defined as the expanded treatment in cerebral ischemia (eTICI) score 2b67-3 after the procedure, while the primary safety end point is symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score increase ≥4 caused by intracranial hemorrhage within 24 (-6/+24) hours after randomization. Conclusion: The results of RESCUE-TNK will provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of intra-arterial TNK in the recanalization of patients with MeVO.

Hepatocyte apoptosis fragment product cytokeratin-18 M30 level and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis risk diagnosis: an international registry study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Liver biopsy for the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is limited by its inherent invasiveness and possible sampling errors. Some studies have shown that cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) concentrations may be useful in diagnosing NASH, but results across studies have been inconsistent. We aimed to identify the utility of CK-18 M30 concentrations as an alternative to liver biopsy for non-invasive identification of NASH.@*METHODS@#Individual data were collected from 14 registry centers on patients with biopsy-proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and in all patients, circulating CK-18 M30 levels were measured. Individuals with a NAFLD activity score (NAS) ≥5 with a score of ≥1 for each of steatosis, ballooning, and lobular inflammation were diagnosed as having definite NASH; individuals with a NAS ≤2 and no fibrosis were diagnosed as having non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL).@*RESULTS@#A total of 2571 participants were screened, and 1008 (153 with NAFL and 855 with NASH) were finally enrolled. Median CK-18 M30 levels were higher in patients with NASH than in those with NAFL (mean difference 177 U/L; standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.87 [0.69-1.04]). There was an interaction between CK-18 M30 levels and serum alanine aminotransferase, body mass index (BMI), and hypertension ( P  < 0.001, P  = 0.026 and P  = 0.049, respectively). CK-18 M30 levels were positively associated with histological NAS in most centers. The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) for NASH was 0.750 (95% confidence intervals: 0.714-0.787), and CK-18 M30 at Youden's index maximum was 275.7 U/L. Both sensitivity (55% [52%-59%]) and positive predictive value (59%) were not ideal.@*CONCLUSION@#This large multicenter registry study shows that CK-18 M30 measurement in isolation is of limited value for non-invasively diagnosing NASH.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Kentrochrysalis streckeri (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) and phylogenetic analysis.

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of Kentrochrysalis streckeri (Staudinger, 1880). The complete mitogenome sequence of K. streckeri is circular, 15,253 bp in size and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a control region (CR). Nucleotide composition was A + T biased, and all the PCGs exhibited a positive AT-skew, which was reflected in the nucleotide composition, codon, and amino acid usage. Most PCGs start with ATG or ATT and stop with TAA. However, COX1 gene starts with CGA and three genes (COX1, COX2, NAD5) use the incomplete stop codon T. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the relationship (K. streckeri+((Manduca sexta+Sphinx morio)+(Psilogramma increta+(Psilogramma menephron+Notonagemia analis scribae)))).

Treatment of Psoriasis Vulgaris with Medicated Thread Moxibustion of Zhuang Medicine: A Multicenter Randomized, Parallel Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the efficacy and safety of Zhuang medicine medicated thread moxibustion (ZMTM) on psoriasis vulgaris.@*METHODS@#A multicenter, randomized, parallel controlled clinical trial was designed. A total of 241 outpatients with psoriasis vulgaris were randomly divided into a control group (120 cases) and a treatment group (121 cases) using a central block randomization from June 2015 to May 2018. The control group was treated with Western medicines alone including pidotimod dispersible tablets, vitamin B compound tablets, and compound cod liver oil-zinc oxide ointment. The treatment group was treated with ZMTM every 2 days combined with Western medicines. The two groups received continuous intervention for 30 days. The primary outcome was Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), and the secondary outcomes included Itch Rating Scale, Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), as well as PASI response rate. Meanwhile, adverse events were evaluated during the whole clinical trial. Follow-up was carried out 30 days after treatment.@*RESULTS@#There were 5 cases of shedding in this trial. In intention-to-treat analysis, 236 cases were included and each group contained 118 cases. On the 30th and 60th days, PASI scores of patients in each group were significantly lower than that at baseline (P<0.01) and the PASI score reduction of the treatment group was greater than that of the control group (P<0.01). Itch Rating Scale, DLQI, and HAMA scale were decreased in both groups after treatment, and the treatment group showed a better therapeutic effect (P<0.01). The response rates of PASI 50 and 75 were significantly higher than those in the control group [81.4% (96/118), 43.2% (51/118) vs. 41.5% (49/118), 11.0% (13/118), respectively, P<0.05]. During follow-up, the improvements in scores of PASI, Itch Rating Scale, DLQI, and HAMA of the treatment group were significantly greater than those of the control group (P<0.01). The response rates of PASI 50 and 75 in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group, respectively (both P<0.05). No obvious adverse reaction was found in either group.@*CONCLUSION@#ZMTM combined with Western medicines showed a better therapeutic effect in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris without obvious adverse reaction. (Trial Registration No. ChiCTR-IOR-16008159).

Evaluation method for compatibility of compounds in fluorescence resonance energy transfer model to screen β-secretase inhibitors / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To develop a method to evaluate the compatibility of compounds in the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) model for β-secretase (BACE1) inhibitor screening.METHODS Two commercially available BACE1 inhibitor screening systems based on FRET were selected to evaluate the BACE1 inhibitory activities of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and Compound 1 according to the supplier's protocol.The inhibitory rates and slopes of the catalytic curves of the inhibitors were calculated.The effect of inhibitors on the fluorescence intensity of the systems were quantitatively calculated and the comparatively evaluated.RESULTS EGCG,a reported non-competitive inhibitor of BACE1,directly induced the reduction of fluorescence intensity of one of the systems.The slope of the line with the addition of EGCG (10.8±2.6) conformed to that of the line of EGCG inhibition (10.2±3.4),which indicated that EGCG was a pseudo-positive inhibitor of BACE1.Compound 1 had little effect on the fluorescence intensity of the systems,so the inhibitory activity of Compound 1 was confirmed.The compounds which showed inhibitory activity in preliminary screening should be checked in the blank control without BACE1 to calibrate the effect of compound on the system fluorescence intensity.The applicability of the tested compounds in the screening system could thus be evaluated to prevent pseudo-positive results.CONCLUSION This fluorescence calibration method with compound control can be universally used for assays based on FRET theory to evaluate the applicability of tested BACE1 inhibitors.

Death pattern and cause analysis in mice after establishment of the liver alveolar hydatid model / 中国人兽共患病学报

We studied the death pattern and the main causes of death after artificial liver inoculation with alveolar hydatid model,and explored the risk factors and prevention of major complications resulting from death after modeling.The 50 healthy Kunming mice were inoculated with open-staring liver puncture and the physiological changes of the mice were observed dy-namically within 1 5 days after operation.The time and amount of death were recorded,and the causes of death and related fac-tors were analyzed emphatically.On the 1 5 day after surgery,1 9 died;1 died in the ninth day,and the remaining 1 8 died with-in 7 days of the operation.The postoperative death rate began to rise in the second day,and gradually decreased to 1 after the peak of the 4 th and 5 th days.The main causes of death of the mice after inoculation were closely related to the complications of surgical methods,anaesthesia,infection,antigenicity of vesicle,and liver injury.Effective prevention of these complications is the key to improve the survival rate.

Experimental study of lentiviral vector-mediated bFGF gene transfection on rabbit BMSCs / 天津医药

Objective To observe the effect of lentiviral vector-mediated basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene transfection on the biological characteristics of rabbit bone marrow stromal cells(BMSCs)under in vitro culture conditions. Methods BMSCs were obtained by density gradient centrifugation and adherence screening. The bFGF gene was transfected into BMSCs by lentiviral vector and divided into bFGF transfection group,empty virus group and untransfected group according to the transfection conditions.After transfection,the morphology,expressions of bFGF mRNA and protein, cell proliferation,cell cycle and alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity were observed in three groups of cells. Results High density BMSCs were successfully obtained by density gradient centrifugation and adherence screening.After transfection of BMSCs with bFGF gene, the cell morphology showed no significant changes, while the expressions of bFGF mRNA and protein were significantly increased, the cell proliferation curve shifted upward, the proportion of proliferating cells increased,and the activity of ALP was significantly enhanced.There were significant differences between three groups(P<0.05).Conclusion The rabbit bFGF gene is successfully introduced into the BMSCs cultured in vitro by lentiviral vector, and the target gene is stably expressed.The expression of bFGF can promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

The application of 3D printing-assisted microcatheter shaping in the embolization of intracranial aneurysms / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To discuss the feasibility of using 3D printing-assisted precise microcatheter shaping technology in the embolization of intracranial aneurysms.Methods From November 2015 to April 2016,a total of 13 patients with intracranial aneurysm were treated with interventional embolization therapy.During the performance of the procedure,3D printing-assisted precise microcatheter shaping technology was employed.The accuracy of microcatheter position and the stability of the microcatheter were used to evaluate the shaping effect.Results During the performance of interventional embolization,the microcatheter was precisely placed to the right site in all 13 patients with intracranial aneurysm,the catheter tip position remained stable and the aneurysm was densely obstructed.In ten patients,no complications such as rupture of aneurysm occurred,and postoperative recovery was fine.One patient,whose Hunt-Hess classification was grade V,died after the treatment.One patient developed rupture of aneurysm during the procedure,which was considered to occur probably during the anesthesia induction process.One patient developed bleeding due to re-rupture of the aneurysm before the procedure.Conclusion With the help of 3D printing-assisted precise microcatheter shaping technology,the precisely shaped microcatheter can be smoothly inserted to,and can keep stable in,the right site,which is helpful for successfully accomplishing the operation and effectively reducing the occurrence of procedure-related complications.

PrepFiler Express BTATM Lysis Buffer Combined with Silicon Microbeads for Rapid DNA Extraction from Bone / 法医学杂志

Objective To establish a convenient and rapid method for extracting DNA from bone.Methods Fifteen long bone samples were washed and sterilized.The skeletal fragments were obtained by electric drill,and lysed by PrepFiler Express BTATM lysis buffer.DNA was then manually extracted by silicon microbeads for further analysis.Results STR genotyping was successfully obtained in 14 out of the 15 samples,and the detection rate was 93.33％.Conclusion The method for DNA extraction from bone established in present study is convenient,quick,effective,and with a strong applicability,which is worth spreading and applying.

Parametric imaging of contrast-enhanced ultrasound of uterine fibroids with different T2WI signal intensity / 中国介入影像与治疗学

Objective To investigate the value of parametric imaging of CEUS in uterine fibroids with different signal intensity on T2WI by high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU),and dynamic vascular pattern (DVP).Methods Totally 16 patients with single uterine fibroids were divided into high intensity group (n=6),isointensity group (n=4) and low intensity group (n=6) according the signal intensity on T2WI before HIFU treatment.CEUS were performed on each patient.SonoLive CAP software was used to analyze the CEUS images and DVP parametric images were reconstructed.Results The maximum intensity,rising time,time to peak and mean transit time were (235.40± 35.46)％,(22.80± 3.16)s,(25.09±2.44)s,(125.78 ± 27.63)s in high intensity group,(71.97± 2.43) ％,(24.85±3.22)s,(32.81±3.92)s,(66.52±3.48)s in isointensity group and (16.17±2.83) ％,(25.42±2.66)s,(32.82±3.76)s,(64.27±3.33)s in low intensity group.There were statistically significant differences among three groups (all P＜0.05).DVP curve was divided into two types:non-washout in high intensity group and cystic type in low intensity group.Conclusion CEUS and DVP imaging can directly quantitively display the difference of blood perfusion among the uterine fibroids with different signal intensity on T2WI which can provide important information for HIFU treatment in uterine fibroids.

Analysis on influence factors of asymptomatic cholecystolithiasis prognosis / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To study the prognosis of patients with asymptomatic gallstones and explore prognostic factors.Methods The clinical data of 227 patients with asymptomatic gallstones in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from December 2013 to March 2016 were collected.All patients were followed with questionnaire,finally 192 cases were had been enrolled,of which 57 cases with clinical symptoms were symptom group and 135 cases with no clinical symptons were asymptomatic group.The prognostic factors were analyzed by un-ivariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant difference in the num-ber of stones,stone size,diabetes,high fat diet and body mass index between the two groups(P <0.05).The Logistic regression analysis showed that multiple stones,stone diameter ≥1 cm,diabetes were the major risk factors for prognosis in asymptomatic gallstones.Conclusion Multiple gallbladder stones,stone diameter ≥1 cm,diabetes,high fat diet and obesity may be the major prognostic factors for patients with a-symptomatic gallstones.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and microvessel density in gerbil model with inoculated hepatic alveolar echinococcsis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD,CD34) in inoculated hepatic alveolar echinococcsis gerbil model and explore the clinical significance.Methods Sixty healthy gerbils were randomly divided into model group,control group and sham operation group.Each gerbil in both model and control groups had liver vaccination with 0.1 ml immature alveolar echinococcus protoscolex suspension or 0.1 ml phosphate buffered saline by open abdominal surgery,respectively,and the sham operation group only had abdominal surgical procedures.Gerbils were put to death on the 120th day post operation,extracted the eyeball and drawn the blood.The alveolar hydatid tissue,surrounding and distal liver tissue were removed from the model group,and normal liver tissue was collected from the other two groups.The VEGF and MVD-CD34 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry staining,Western Blot,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa).Results Liver alveolar echinococcsis tissue was only observed in model group.The VEGF expression was observed as yellow or brown yellow granules located in the cytoplasma.The VEGF score and VEGF/β-actin ratio in the different parts were 5.13 ± 1.81 and 1.12 ± 0.05,4.20 ± 1.52 and 0.91 ± 0.02,2.46 ± 1.06 and 0.28 ±0.02,2.20 ±0.77 and 0.30 ±0.02,2.13 ± 1.72 and 0.25 ±0.01,respectively.The VEGF expression in different histological sites showed a gradient change,and bubble hydatid tissues had the highest VEGF expression (P ＜ 0.05).CD34 was expressed in alveolar hydatid tissue and surrounding liver tissue in model group and the CD34 positive cells was stained brown,while CD34 was mainly located in the cell membrane of endothelial cells.The CD34 scores and the CD34/β-actin ratio in the different parts were 5.06 ± 2.46 and 0.66 ±0.01,2.43 ± 1.26 and 0.58 ±0.02,and the other tissues did not have CD34 expression.The alveolar hydatid tissue had higher CD34 expression than any other tissues (P ＜ 0.05).The respective serum VEGF and CD34 level in each group was (106.17 ± 14.17)pg/ml,(38.13 ± 21.36)pg/ml,(42.88 ±17.25) pg/ml,and (1.47 ± 0.28) ng/ml;(0.82 ± 0.12) ng/ml,(0.72 ± 0.16) ng/ml,both are higher in model group than those in the other groups with statistical significance (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Angiogenesis is detected in gerbil alveolar hydatid tissues,which might be involved in the infiltrating growth of alveococcus.

Submucosal injection solution for endoscopic resection in gastrointestinal tract: a traditional and network meta-analysis.

Objective. To explore and define the current optimal submucosal injection solution used in ESD and EMR for gastrointestinal tract neoplasms in terms of clinical outcomes and other aspects. Methods. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and clinical trials register center were searched with terms of "endoscopic resection" and "submucosal injection solution" to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Both direct comparison using traditional meta-analysis method and indirect comparison using network meta-analysis method were performed. Results. A total of 11 RCTs with 1152 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that, compared with normal saline, other submucosal injection solutions induced a significant increase in terms of en bloc resection rate (I (2) = 0%, OR = 2.11, 95% CI (1.36, 3.26), and P = 0.008) and complete resection rate (I (2) = 0%, OR = 2.14, 95% CI (1.41, 3.24), and P = 0.0003); and there was no significant difference in the incidence of total complications (I (2) = 0%, OR = 0.87, 95% CI (0.59, 1.29), and P = 0.49). Conclusions. Other newly developed submucosal injection solutions significantly increased en bloc resection rate and complete resection rate and decreased bleeding rate and finical cost of endoscopic resection in gastrointestinal tract, while current evidence did not find the difference between them, which need to be explored by further studies.

Innovative magnetic rings for circumferential mucosectomy: preliminary research.

PURPOSE: To improve the procedures used to treat prolapse and hemorrhoids, novel magnetic rings were invented to use in circumferential mucosectomies to avoid the disadvantages of stapling techniques. METHODS: Thirty adult pigs were randomly divided into three groups: Group A (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with novel magnetic rings; Group B (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with conventional magnetic rings and Group C (n = 10), which underwent circumferential mucosectomy with a stapling technique. RESULTS: All pigs underwent the operation successfully, and the mean length of the procedure was similar among the three groups (p > 0.05). There was no bleeding in Group A or Group B, while there was a mean blood loss of 78.32 ± 26.03 ml in Group C (p < 0.01). Three cases of anastomotic stenosis were found in Group C (3/10); two cases were found in Group B (2/10) and no anastomotic stenosis was found in Group A (0/10). The difference between groups A and C was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The cost for the magnetic rings in groups A and B was noticeably lower than that of the stapling techniques in Group C (20.12 ± 3.35 vs. 15.76 ± 2.92 vs. 550.16 ± 29.71 US dollars, p < 0.001). The magnetic rings in groups A and B were spontaneously discharged from the body with the necrotic tissues within 1-2 weeks (8.20 ± 2.73 vs. 9.31 ± 3.62 days, p > 0.05), avoiding the permanent implantation of staples in Group C. The anastomosis site in Group A showed a smoother and more rapid healing process than that in Group B or C. CONCLUSIONS: The innovative magnetic rings we developed for circumferential mucosectomies provide a simple and novel surgical procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids.

Evaluation of endovascular covered-stent implantation in treating Stanford type B aortic dissection / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the short-term and mid-to-long-term clinical effectiveness of endovascular isolation technique with covered-stent in treating Stanford type B aortic dissection. Methods A total of 183 patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection, who were admitted to authors’ hospital during the period from January 2005 to December 2013 to receive endovascular isolation treatment with covered-stent under general anaethesia, were enrolled in this study. The clinical data, including post-operative symptoms, complications, retention time in ICU, hospitalization days, 30-day mortality, etc. were retrospectively analyzed. After discharged from hospital, the patients were followed up to check the situation, position and shape of the stent, the diameter of dissection false lumen, the internal leakage, etc. The survival rate and the quality of life were determined. Results Endovascular isolation procedure with covered-stent was successfully accomplished in all the 183 cases. The retention time in ICU was (3.08 ± 1.93) days, the mean hospitalization time was (3.08 ± 1.93) days, and the 30-day mortality was 1.09%. After discharged from hospital, the patients were followed up regularly, and no collapse or displacement of stent was observed, and the stent remained in its normal shape. No recurrence of dissection, rupture or reversal tear was observed. No long existing internal leakage could be detected. During the follow-up period 4 patients died, among them three died from cerebral infarction and one died of natural death. The 5-year survival rate was 97.82% and the patient’s quality of life did not become apparently worse. Conclusion For the treatment of Stanford type B aortic dissection, endovascular isolation therapy with covered-stent has excellent short-term effect and stable mid-to-long-term result.

[Four-week simulated weightlessness increases the expression of atrial natriuretic peptide in the myocardium].

One of the major circulatory changes that occur in human during space flight and simulated weightlessness is a cerebral redistribution of body fluids, which is accompanied by an increase of blood volume in the upper body. Therefore, atrial myocardium should increase the secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), but the researches lack common conclusion until now. The present study was to investigate the expression level of ANP in simulated weightlessness rats, and to confirm the changes of ANP by observing the associated proteins of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs). The tail-suspended rat model was used to simulate weightlessness. Western blots were carried out to examine the expression levels of ANP and SNARE proteins in atrial and left ventricular myocardium. The results showed that ANP expression in atrial myocardium showed an increase in 4-week tail-suspended rats (SUS) compared with that in the synchronous control rats (CON). We only detected a trace amount of ANP in the left ventricular myocardium of the CON, but found an enhanced expression of ANP in left ventricular myocardium of the SUS. Expression of VAMP-1/2 (vesicle associated SNARE) increased significantly in both atrial and left ventricular myocardium in the SUS compared with that in the CON. There was no difference of the expression of syntaxin-4 (target compartment associated SNARE) between the CON and SUS, but the expression of SNAP-23 showed an increase in atrial myocardium of the SUS compared with that in the CON. Synip and Munc-18c as regulators of SNAREs did not show significant difference between the CON and SUS. These results suggest that the expression of ANP shows an increase in atrial and left ventricular myocardium of 4-week tail-suspended rats. Enhanced expression of VAMP-1/2 associated with ANP vesicles confirms the increased expression of ANP in atrial and left ventricular myocardium.

Four-week simulated weightlessness increases the expression of atrial natriuretic peptide in the myocardium / 生理学报

One of the major circulatory changes that occur in human during space flight and simulated weightlessness is a cerebral redistribution of body fluids, which is accompanied by an increase of blood volume in the upper body. Therefore, atrial myocardium should increase the secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), but the researches lack common conclusion until now. The present study was to investigate the expression level of ANP in simulated weightlessness rats, and to confirm the changes of ANP by observing the associated proteins of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs). The tail-suspended rat model was used to simulate weightlessness. Western blots were carried out to examine the expression levels of ANP and SNARE proteins in atrial and left ventricular myocardium. The results showed that ANP expression in atrial myocardium showed an increase in 4-week tail-suspended rats (SUS) compared with that in the synchronous control rats (CON). We only detected a trace amount of ANP in the left ventricular myocardium of the CON, but found an enhanced expression of ANP in left ventricular myocardium of the SUS. Expression of VAMP-1/2 (vesicle associated SNARE) increased significantly in both atrial and left ventricular myocardium in the SUS compared with that in the CON. There was no difference of the expression of syntaxin-4 (target compartment associated SNARE) between the CON and SUS, but the expression of SNAP-23 showed an increase in atrial myocardium of the SUS compared with that in the CON. Synip and Munc-18c as regulators of SNAREs did not show significant difference between the CON and SUS. These results suggest that the expression of ANP shows an increase in atrial and left ventricular myocardium of 4-week tail-suspended rats. Enhanced expression of VAMP-1/2 associated with ANP vesicles confirms the increased expression of ANP in atrial and left ventricular myocardium.

Molecular dynamics simulations and MM/GBSA methods to investigate binding mechanisms of aminomethylpyrimidine inhibitors with DPP-IV.

The aminomethylpyrimidines were investigated as a novel class of DPP-IV inhibitors. In this Letter, the binding mechanisms of how slight change of substitution or position influences the binding affinity of five representative analogs was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation, free energy calculations and energy decomposition analysis. The conserved hydrogen bonds with Glu205 and Glu206 slightly favor the inhibitor binding; the van der Waals interactions, especially the two key contacts with Tyr547 and Tyr666, dominate in the binding free energy and play a crucial role on distinguishing the high active inhibitors from the low ones.

Multi-factor analysis of radiation-induced esophagitis in three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the clinical and physical factors that might give rise to radiation-induced esophagitis in three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>To collect the clinical and physical records and follow-up information of 106 NSCLC patients without undergoing surgery in our hospital. χ(2) test, linear tendency test and analysis of variance were employed to analyze the relationship between occurrence of radiation-induced esophagitis and clinical and physical treatment. Logistic analysis was also used for multivariate analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 47 cases of radiation-induced esophagitis, 31 cases were of grade I, 11 of grade II, 5 of grade III, and with a total occurrence rate of 44.3% (47/106). Radiation-induced esophagitis was correlated with Karnofsky scores, radiation sensitization and tumor location (χ(2) = 11.30, 8.45, 7.67, P < 0.05). Radiation-induced esophagitis was correlated with the length of irradiated esophagus and average dose of irradiated esophagus (F = 20.82, 83.08, P < 0.001). With the increase of the irradiated volume percentage from V20, V30, V40 up to V50, the occurrence rate of radiation-induced esophagitis was also increased, almost with a linear trend (P < 0.05). Application of all the above factors to logistic model indicated that radiation sensitization,length of irradiated esophagus, average dose and V50 were all statistically significant foactors in the occurrence of radiation-induced esophagitis (OR = 0.321, 2.850, 7.307 and 8.558, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Radiation sensitization,length of irradiated esophagus, average dose of irradiated esophagus and V50 are independent factors in the occurrence of radiation-induced esophagitis. V50 is of greater importance in the judgement of occurrence of radiation-induced esophagitis.</p>