Effects of rope skipping exercise on physical, cardiovascular fitness and exercise tolerance in adolescent students with moderate intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) who live a sedentary lifestyle may lead to an increased risk of chronic cardiovascular disease in adulthood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 8-week progressive rope skipping training on physical, cardiovascular fitness and exercise tolerance of high school students with moderate ID. METHODS: Thirty-four senior high school with ID (aged 15-18 years old) were randomised into experimental group received progressive skipping rope exercise (RS, n = 17) and control group no rope skipping exercise intervention group (CON, n = 17). The RS group were received progressive rope skipping exercise for 50 min each time, three times a week, for 8 weeks. The control group was not allowed to participate in intervention activities during the study period. The physical fitness, body composition, arterial stiffness index (ASI) and blood pressure were measured before and after the 8-week intervention. RESULTS: After the 8-week progressive skipping rope exercise intervention, the participants from the RS group increased in the 3-min step test, sit-up test, grip strength and sit and reach test, when compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). The RS group exhibited lower the area under curve of heart rate (HR) during post-exercise recovery (P < 0.05). The participants in the RS group showed significant decreases in systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and HR when compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). Change SBP has moderate positive correlation with change ASI. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this experiment suggest that progressive rope skipping exercise might improve physical fitness and promote cardiovascular health, as well as enhance exercise tolerance for adolescent students with moderate ID.

[Development of an asthenopia survey questionnaire for general surveys].

Objective: To design a visual fatigue questionnaire that can be used for population surveys. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that involved three stages of subjects' recruitment. In the first stage, by convenience sampling, 150 individuals who complained of visual fatigue were selected at public places in Wenzhou City in May 2016. The 19-Item Asthenopia Survey Questionnaire (ASQ-19) was used to conduct the survey, and the questionnaire was adjusted. In the second stage, 200 outpatient participants were recruited from Wenzhou Medical University Affiliated Eye and Optometry Hospital from June 2016 to May 2017 and were divided into a visual fatigue group and a control group based on clinical diagnosis. The adjusted visual fatigue questionnaire was used for validation. In the third stage, 64 outpatient participants who met the inclusion criteria were continuously recruited from the Wenzhou Medical University Affiliated Eye and Optometry Hospital in July 2022. They were tested using the adjusted visual fatigue questionnaire and retested one week later. During the questionnaire adjustment stage, factor analysis and feedback were used to adjust the scoring method and items of the ASQ-19 questionnaire. The adjusted questionnaire was then analyzed for reliability, validity, accuracy, and subject acceptance during the validation and retest stages. Results: A total of 403 participants were included, and 456 questionnaires were distributed. Eventually, 432 valid questionnaires were collected from 379 participants, resulting in a valid response rate of 94.7%. During the questionnaire adjustment phase, there were 140 valid questionnaires from 140 participants consisting of 56 males and 84 females with an average age of (35.2±12.4) years. In the questionnaire validation phase, there were 186 valid questionnaires from 186 participants. Sixty-two participants had visual fatigue and 124 were controls. During the questionnaire retesting phase, 53 participants yielded 106 valid questionnaires. The group consisted of 20 males and 33 females with an average age of (22.8±4.9) years. After factor analysis, the symptom severity graded as none, mild, moderate, severe, and very severe was scored as 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 points, respectively. The total score was 44, and the final questionnaire consisted of 11 items (numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 17, 18, and 19). The 11-Item Asthenopia Survey Questionnaire (ASQ-11) had a Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.89, a split-half reliability of 0.82, and a test-retest Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.90 (P<0.001). The structural validity was 51.26%, and the discriminative validity was a t-value of 9.19 (P<0.001). On average, it took (2.82±0.43) minutes for participants to complete the questionnaire. The receiver operating characteristic curve had a cutoff value of 8.5, with a sensitivity of 74.19% and a specificity of 80.65%. Conclusion: The ASQ-11, with fewer items and a shorter completion time, is easy for participants to use and is suitable for screening or self-assessment of visual fatigue in the general population. Additionally, it is convenient for clinical and epidemiological studies related to visual fatigue.

Research on PEP-3 psychological education evaluation system for disabled children and autistic children in minority areas.

OBJECTIVE: Rehabilitation of disabled children with autism has become a challenge for current rehabilitation centres. This study conducted psychological investigations on disabled children and analysed the symptoms and characteristics of autism in these children to develop more reasonable rehabilitation treatment plans that would help the children receive psychological counselling and effective rehabilitation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study investigated 107 disabled children from the Disabled Rehabilitation Research Centre of the South China Minority Autonomous Region. Using the PEP-3 scale as a research tool, a questionnaire was developed to investigate and collect data on the mental health of disabled children. The survey was conducted from 2017 to 2021, and 107 children's mental health data were collected in the form of questionnaires based on PEP-3 evaluation indicators. After cleaning the data, the questionnaire data were screened and processed. Descriptive statistical and correlation analysis tools were used for model analysis to understand the overall data distribution and the potential relationships among various data variables. RESULTS: The results of correlation analysis showed that cognition, language expression, language understanding, emotion, and social interaction in the subtest of developmental behaviour were the main indicators of the degree of autism in children. These indicators had a strong and significant correlation with the comprehensive score. Moreover, these indicators had a significant correlation with the individual self-care and adaptive behaviours reported by the children's caregivers. Small muscles, big muscles, and imitation (vision and movement) indicators had a significant correlation with problematic behaviours and physical fitness, and language and cognitive indicators also had a strong correlation with emotion and social interaction. CONCLUSIONS: Emphasis should be placed on the improvement of the language and cognitive abilities of disabled children with autism, and corresponding rehabilitation plans, and training can be formulated according to children with different degrees of illness to get a better rehabilitation outcome. Further, identification of key indicators of autism will be of help in aiding the development of rehabilitation treatment for disabled children with autism and formulation of long-term rehabilitation plans.

The extracellular vesicular pseudogene LGMNP1 induces M2-like macrophage polarization by upregulating LGMN and serves as a novel promising predictive biomarker for ovarian endometriosis recurrence.

STUDY QUESTION: How does ectopic endometrial stromal cell (Ecto-ESC)-derived extracellular vesicular Legumain pseudogene 1 (EV-LGMNP1), a newly identified pseudogene of Legumain (LGMN), contribute to M2-phenotype macrophage polarization, and does it predict recurrence in patients with ovarian endometriosis (EMs)? SUMMARY ANSWER: EV-LGMNP1, which is abundant in Ecto-ESCs and serum from ovarian EMs, can direct macrophages towards an M2 phenotype by upregulating LGMN expression and is a promising biomarker for predicting ovarian EMs recurrence. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can mediate cell-to-cell crosstalk to promote disease progression via cargo molecule transport. Recently, LGMNP1, a newly identified pseudogene of LGMN, has been reported to promote cancer progression by upregulating LGMN. LGMN is a well-studied protein that can induce M2-like polarization. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: An in vitro study was conducted with Ecto-ESCs isolated from ectopic endometrial samples, collected from two patients with ovarian EMs (diagnosed by laparoscopy and histological analysis). A clinical retrospective cohort study of 52 ovarian EMs patients and 21 controls with available preoperative serum samples was carried out (2013-2017). The follow-up period ended either at the time of recurrence or on 31 December 2018. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Ecto-ESC-derived EVs (EV/Ecto-ESCs) were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy and western blotting. EV internalization by THP-1 cells, which are the most widely used primary human macrophages model, was detected by fluorescence labelling. After EV treatment, THP-1 cell polarization was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot analyses of CD86 (M1-related marker) and CD206 (M2-related marker). LGMNP1 mRNA expression level in EVs from both primary ectopic endometrioc stromal cells and serum was examined using qRT-PCR. Additionally, the expression of LGMN, the downstream target gene of LGMNP1, in THP-1 cells was evaluated using qRT-PCR and western blotting. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to evaluate the independent predictive factors of EMs recurrence-free survival. A novel nomogram model based on serum EV-LGMNP1 was then formulated to predict EMs recurrence. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: In vitro assays demonstrated that EV/Ecto-ESCs drove macrophages towards an M2-like phenotype. Moreover, LGMNP1 contributed to EV/Ecto-ESC-induced M2 macrophage polarization by upregulating LGMN mRNA expression levels. Clinically, serum EV-LGMNP1 was more highly expressed in recurrent EMs patients than in controls and EMs patients without recurrence. Survival analysis and our novel nomogram reconfirmed that serum EV-LGMNP1 was a novel promising and meaningful non-invasive biomarker for predicting EMs recurrence. LARGE SCALE DATA: N/A. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: In vitro experiments were only performed on samples from two patients with ovarian endometriosis, and a larger sample size is needed. ESCs isolated from the eutopic endometrium of EMs and non-EMs patients should be studied in the future. Additionally, in vitro experiments should be performed using endometrial epithelium cells and further in vivo experiments, such as using mice endometriotic models to investigate whether EV/Ecto could induce M2 macrophage polarization, should be conducted. Moreover, multicentre, large-sample data are needed to validate our predictive nomogram model. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our study provides novel insights into the mechanism of M2 polarization involved in ovarian EMs progression mediated by an 'EV-shuttled pseudogene LGMNP1' mode. In addition, serum EV-LGMNP1 may serve as a novel non-invasive biomarker for predicting recurrence, providing a new therapeutic target for ovarian EMs. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This project was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81971361), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai Science and Technology (19ZR1406900), the Shanghai 'Rising Stars of Medical Talent' Youth Development Program (AB83030002019004), the Clinical Research Plan of SHDC (SHDC2020CR4087), the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission (202040498), the Research and Innovation Project of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2019-01-07-00-07-E00050) and the Clinical Research Plan of SHDC (SHDC2020CR1045B). There are no competing interests to declare.

RADIOMICS BASED ON TWO-DIMENSIONAL AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND FOR EXTRATHYROIDAL EXTENSION FEATURE PREDICTION IN PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA.

Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiomics features of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) in predicting extrathyroidal extension (ETE) status in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Patients and Methods: 2D and 3D thyroid ultrasound images of 72 PTC patients confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were assigned to ETE and non-ETE. The regions of interest (ROIs) were obtained manually. From these images, a larger number of radiomic features were automatically extracted. Lastly, the diagnostic abilities of the radiomics models and a radiologist were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. We extracted 1693 texture features firstly. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiologist was 0.65. For 2D US, the mean AUC of the three classifiers separately were: 0.744 for logistic regression (LR), 0.694 for multilayer perceptron (MLP), 0.733 for support vector machines (SVM). For 3D US they were 0.876 for LR, 0.825 for MLP, 0.867 for SVM. The diagnostic efficiency of the radiomics was better than radiologist. The LR model had favorable discriminate performance with higher area under the curve. Conclusion: Radiomics based on US image had the potential to preoperatively predict ETE. Radiomics based on 3D US images presented more advantages over radiomics based on 2D US images and radiologist.

[Clinical observation of surgical resection combined radiofrequency in patients with CNLC â ¡a~â ¢a stage multiple hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the effects of four therapeutic methods in the comprehensive treatment of China liver cancer staging (CNLC)Ⅱa~Ⅲa stage multiple hepatocellular carcinoma. Method: A retrospective study was conducted to collect clinical data of patients with multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (CNLC stage Ⅱa-Ⅲa), who received transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE group, 73 cases), radiofrequency ablation (RFA group, 70 cases), TACE combined RFA (TACE combined RFA group, 69 cases) and surgical resection combined RFA (surgical resection combined RFA group, 57 cases) in the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 11, 2010 to January 31, 2017. The general data of age, gender, primary tumor, and laboratory examination were collected. The differences in overall survival rates and the survival rates among stratified subgrouping with different clinical factors between the four groups of patients were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression model analyzed the prognostic factors. Result: A total of 269 patients were enrolled and there were 194 males and 59 females with a median age of 58 years ranging from 23 to 84. The TACE group's 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates were 43.5%, 10.2%, and 0, respectively. The RFA group were 46.3%, 17.7%, and 0, respectively. The TACE combined RFA group were 56.8%, 21.5%, and 2.3%, respectively. The surgical resection combined RFA group was 76.5%, 38.7%, and 3.8%, respectively. The surgical resection combined RFA group has the best outcome(P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that surgery combined RFA, tumor diameter<5 cm, no vascular invasion, preoperative AFP≤400 µg/L and TB<34 µmol/L are protective factors to improve the survival prognosis of patients with CNLCⅡa~Ⅲa stage multiple hepatocellular carcinoma(HR=0.784,0.718,0.633,0.846,0.617;all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that surgery combined RFA, tumor diameter<5 cm, preoperative AFP≤400 µg/L were independent risk prognostic factors for CNLCⅡa-Ⅲa stage multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (HR=0.702,0.743,0.647;all P<0.05). Conclusions: Surgical resection combined RFA is an effective method for the treatment of stage Ⅱa-Ⅲa hepatocellular carcinoma. Surgical resection combined RFA has more advantages in treatment patients with complicated hepatocellular carcinoma whose diameter<5 cm, tumor number<3, and preoperative AFP≤400 µg/L. Surgical resection combined RFA, tumor diameter<5 cm, preoperative AFP≤400 µg/L are independent influencing factors for the survival prognosis of patients with complicated hepatocellular carcinoma.

[A new valid and reliable questionnaire of asthenopia: development and evaluation].

Objective: To design a valid and reliable questionnaire to determine various causes of asthenopia for use by clinicians and researchers. Methods: The items to be included in the first version questionnaire were selected based on its definition and literature review. The second version was improved from patients interviews and the Delphi method. In this phase, 17 experts, 97 patients [47 males, 50 females, age (34.42±14.62) years old] with asthenopia and 20 controls [9 males, 11 females, age (33.50±7.31) years old] were involved to generated item list. In the Validation phase, we conducted two round interview through 275 asthenopia patients [97 males,186 females,age (34.42±14.62) years old] and 49 controls [17 males,32 females,age (35.79±8.88) years old]for item reduction and questionnaire validity and reliability assessment. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to reduce items and derive the subscale that each item belongs to. Internal consistency was calculated for all resulting subscales, using Cronbach's α coefficient, spilt-half reliability and repeatability. The repeatability of the questionnaire was measured by Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Our initial questionnaire contained 52 symptoms and 2 self-evaluation questions. After the item reduction and assessment, 19 items were selected and classified into three domains through factor analysis. Cronbach α for the three subscales of this version was between 0.79 and 0.85, while for the complete questionnaire it was 0.90, with a spilt-half reliability of 0.80. Factor analysis showed the three components had eigenvalues>3 and these explained 54.3% of the variance. Conclusions: The 19-item asthenopia questionnaire has acceptable psychometric properties, making it a valid and reliable tool for ophthalmologists and optometrists to evaluate asthenopia as well as to seek causes. It has the potential to be used in clinical trials and outcome research. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57:284-291).

Effect of appetite-conditioned reflex stimulation on early enteral nutrition tolerance after surgery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to discuss the effects of appetite-conditioned reflex stimulation on the early enteral nutrition (EEN) tolerance, complications, and postoperative hospital stay in patients who underwent surgery. METHODS: Seventy patients who underwent laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer surgery in our hospital between February and December 2017 were randomly divided into a stimulated appetite group (experimental group, including visual stimulation, nasal stimulation, taste stimulation and hearing stimulation) and a control group (n = 35). Both groups received EEN. EEN tolerance, complications, and postoperative hospital stay were then compared between the groups. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients, including 34 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group, completed the relevant experiment. The experimental group had significantly lower incidence rates of nausea, vomiting, bloating, use of prokinetic drugs, and gastric tube replacement (P < 0.05), and shorter tolerable regular eating time (5.0 ± 1.0 d vs 6.4 ± 1.9 d, P < 0.05) and postoperative hospital stay (7.0 ± 2.0 d vs 8.0 ± 1.8 d, P < 0.05) than the control group. No significant difference in complication rate was detected (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Appetite-conditioned reflex stimulation can improve EEN tolerance, decrease the risk of complications, and shorten ordinary diet recovery time and hospital stay.

[Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases in Fujian Province from 2014 to 2018].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases in Fujian Province from 2014 to 2018, so as to provide scientific basis for the development of the control strategy for imported malaria. METHODS: The epidemiological data of malaria cases in Fujian Province from 2014 to 2018 were retrieved from the Notifiable Disease Reporting System and Parasitic Disease Information Reporting System of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the classification, origin of infections, temporal distribution, spatial distribution, population distribution, reporting institutions and diagnosis were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 540 overseas imported malaria cases were reported in Fujian Province from 2014 to 2018, and all cases were laboratory-confirmed, including 398 cases with falciparum malaria, 88 cases with vivax malaria, 38 cases with ovale malaria, 14 cases with malariae malaria and 2 cases with mixed infections. There were 90.56% (489/540) of the imported malaria cases with infections in 27 African countries, 5.92% (32/540) with infections in 5 Asian countries and 3.52% (19/540) with infections in one Oceania country. There was no significant seasonal distribution of the cases, and the imported malaria cases were predominantly detected in Fuzhou City (80.00%, 432/540) and at ages of 20 to 49 years (81.48%, 440/540). Initial diagnosis was predominantly at the city-level medical institutions, and 77.96% (421/540) were diagnosed as malaria at the initial diagnosis institutions. The median duration from onset to initial diagnosis was 2 days and 70.19% (379/540) were diagnosed within 3 days of onset. The interval between initial diagnosis and definitive diagnosis was 0 day, with 85.37% (461/540) definitively diagnosed within 3 days of initial diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Overseas imported malaria is a continuous problem challenging the malaria elimination programme of Fujian Province. Improving the healthcare-seeking awareness and the diagnostic capability of healthcare workers, and intensifying the monitoring and management of malaria among overseas labors are strongly recommended.

[Clinical effect of X-N advancement flap in repairing pressure ulcer on the buttock or back].

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of X-N advancement flap in repairing pressure ulcer on the buttock or back. Methods: From June 2018 to June 2019, 20 patients with grade Ⅳ pressure ulcers on the buttock or back were hospitalized and treated in the Department of Traumatology, Burns and Plastic Surgery of Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, including 15 males and 5 females, aged 48-89 years. The area of the patient's wound was 8 cm×5 cm-15 cm×12 cm after debridement, and all were repaired with the X-N advancement flap designed by the author. The flap was designed according to the direction of skin relaxation on both sides of the wound, and the skin was incised in X-shape and sutured in N-shape. The width and advancement distance of the flap were recorded, and the ratio of the advancement distance to the width of the flap was calculated. The flap survival, complication, and follow-up were observed and recorded. Results: The width of the flap was (5.9±1.2) cm, the advancement distance of the flap was (10.3±2.5) cm, and the ratio of the advancement distance to the width of the flap was 1.8±0.4. All the flaps survived, and none of the flaps had blood flow disorder. Local dehiscence occurred in the flap of one patient 1 week after surgery, which was healed after laying on the floating bed, strengthened care, and wound dressing change. The flap of one patient developed infection 5 days after surgery, which was healed after partial suture removal, smooth drainage, and replacement with sensitive antibiotics. The wounds of the remaining 18 patients were all cured. After 3 months of follow-up, the flaps survived well with good elasticity and texture. Conclusions: The X-N advancement flap can make the skin and soft tissue move forward effectively. It is simple and effective to repair pressure ulcers on the back or buttock of patients with this flap, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

[Survey on the quadrivalent influenza vaccine intention and related factors of health care workers in the Pearl River Delta region from 2015 to 2017].

Objective: To analyze the quadrivalent influenza vaccine intention of 718 health care workers (HCWs) in the Pearl River Delta region from 2015 to 2017. Method: In May 2018, 718 HCWs from the department related to the diagnosis and treatment of influenza in 17 hospitals (6 tertiary hospitals, 5 secondary hospitals and 6 primary hospitals) from Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Zhuhai and Dongguan were selected by using stratified sampling method. Questionnaire survey and face-to-face interview were used to collect the information of influenza vaccination, the intention of the quadrivalent influenza vaccine, the acceptance of free and required vaccination policies, and recommendations for increasing influenza vaccination intentions from 2015 to 2017. The multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze factors associated with the vaccination intention. Results: A total of 718 HCWs were surveyed and 147 of them were interviewed face to face. Among them, the vaccination rate of primary hospitals [17.39%(40/230)] was higher than that of other hospitals (χ(2)=15.80, P<0.05). If the vaccine could be free, 84.82% (609/718) of HCWs would like to be vaccinated. The multivariate logistic regression showed that the factors, HCWs who were aged ≥50 years (OR=3.44, 95%CI:1.43-8.28), worked in department of prevention and health care (OR=2.35, 95%CI:1.16-4.75), learned about the quadrivalent influenza vaccine (OR=2.94, 95%CI:2.08-4.18), knowed that HCWs are priority (OR=2.33, 95%CI:1.56-3.48), and had a history of trivalent influenza vaccination from 2015 to 2017 (OR=4.70, 95%CI:3.08-7.15), were associated with the vaccination intention. Conclusion: HCWs in the Pearl River Delta region had weak inclination of getting quadrivalent influenza vaccine. HCWs who were age (≥50 years old), worked in department of prevention and health care, learned about the quadrivalent influenza vaccine, knowed that HCWs are priority, and had a history of trivalent influenza vaccination from 2015 to 2017 were factors positively associated with the vaccination intention.

Azelastine nasal spray inhibiting sympathetic function on human nasal mucosa in patients with allergy rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Azelastine hydrochloride (azelastine) nasal spray is a histamine receptor-1 (H1) antagonist often used in treating allergic rhinitis to relieve its symptoms. However, the effects of azelastine to influence decongestion on human nasal mucosa in patients with allergic rhinitis are not yet fully explored and merit further exploration. The effects of azelastine on the vasocontractile responses generated by smooth muscles in the vascular structures of human nasal mucosa were investigated directly in vitro. METHODS: We examined the effectiveness of azelastine on isolated human nasal mucosa by testing: 1) the effect on mucosa resting tension; 2) the effect on mucosal contraction caused by 10-6 M methoxamine as a sympathetic mimetic; 3) the effect of the drugs on electrically induced mucosal contractions. RESULTS: The results indicated that addition of methoxamine to the incubation medium caused the nasal mucosa to contract in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of azelastine at doses of 10â€"6 M or above elicited a significant dilation response to 10â€"6 M methoxamine-induced mucosal contraction. Azelastine could inhibit electrical field stimulation-induced spike mucosal contraction. Moreover, increase in concentration of azelastine had minimal effect on basal tension of nasal mucosa. CONCLUSIONS: The technique in our study is simple and reproducible. Azelastine could inhibit both EFS and methoxamine-induced nasal mucosal contractions in vitro. This study highlights that although azelastine nasal spray is often used in treating allergic rhinitis to improve symptoms, nasal obstruction may be not relieved immediately due to the anti-sympathetic effect of azelastine.

Expression of Mucin 1 in salivary gland tumors and its correlation with clinicopathological factors.

This study aimed to detect the expression of Mucin 1 (MUC1) in acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) of salivary gland and to explore the relationship between MUC1 and clinicopathological factors of AciCC of salivary gland. Patients with salivary gland tumors who were treated at our hospital were enrolled in this study. The pathological sections collected from all subjects were classified by histological examinations. In addition, 40 cases of primary salivary gland AciCC tissues were selected and classified into experimental group, whereas 40 cases of normal salivary gland (NSG) tissues were selected and classified into control group. MUC1 positive cells in both experimental and control groups were detected by immunohistochemistry assays, while all clinical data were analyzed statistically. The results showed that MUC1 was only expressed in the ductal epithelium of NSG and distributed at the apical side of the cell membrane. In primary salivary gland AciCC tissues, scattered expressions of MUC1 were found both on the cell membrane and in the cytoplasm of tumor cells, and sometimes even in the cell nuclei, thus completely eliminating the polarized distribution of MUC1 expressions. The percentage of MUC1 positive cells in experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the expression of MUC1 in salivary gland AciCC was correlated with gender, age, histological type, lesion location, cervical lymph node metastasis, local recurrence, and distant metastasis. In conclusion, MUC1 is related to the occurrence and development of salivary gland AciCC. Therefore, MUC1 may be used as a novel tumor marker in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of salivary gland AciCC.

Effects of sumatriptan nasal spray (Imigran) on human nasal mucosa.

OBJECTIVES: Sumatriptan (Imigran) is a potent and highly selective 5-HT1 receptor agonist often used in treating acute migraine. Intranasal sumatriptan is well absorbed and is generally effective in relieving headache. However, the effects of Imigran on human nasal mucosa have rarely been well explored, to verify the effect of Imigran, which act on human nasal mucosa directly in vitro. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We examined the effectiveness of Imigran on human nasal mucosa by testing: (i) effect on human nasal mucosa resting tension; (ii) effect on contraction caused by 10-6  mol/L methoxamine as a sympathetic mimetic; and (iii) effect of the drugs on electrically induced on human nasal mucosa contractions. RESULTS: The results indicated that addition of methoxamine to the incubation medium caused the nasal mucosa to contract in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of Imigran at doses of 10-4  mol/L elicited a significant relaxation response to 10-6  mol/L methoxamine-induced contraction. Imigran could not inhibit electrical field stimulation-induced spike contraction. It also had a minimal effect on the basal tension of nasal mucosa as the concentration increased. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated that high concentrations of Imigran had a significant spasmolytic effect by antagonising α-adreoceptors and nasal obstruction could not be released in the patient combined with acute migraine and stuffy nose by concomitant α-adrenergic agonist nasal spray plus Imigran nasal spray.