Wearable laser Doppler flowmetry for non-invasive assessment of diabetic foot microcirculation: methodological considerations and clinical implications.

Significance: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global health concern with significant implications for vascular health. The current evaluation methods cannot achieve effective, portable, and quantitative evaluation of foot microcirculation. Aim: We aim to use a wearable device laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) to evaluate the foot microcirculation of T2DM patients at rest. Approach: Eleven T2DM patients and twelve healthy subjects participated in this study. The wearable LDF was used to measure the blood flows (BFs) for regions of the first metatarsal head (M1), fifth metatarsal head (M5), heel, and dorsal foot. Typical wavelet analysis was used to decompose the five individual control mechanisms: endothelial, neurogenic, myogenic, respiratory, and heart components. The mean BF and sample entropy (SE) were calculated, and the differences between diabetic patients and healthy adults and among the four regions were compared. Results: Diabetic patients showed significantly reduced mean BF in the neurogenic (p=0.044) and heart (p=0.001) components at the M1 and M5 regions (p=0.025) compared with healthy adults. Diabetic patients had significantly lower SE in the neurogenic (p=0.049) and myogenic (p=0.032) components at the M1 region, as well as in the endothelial (p<0.001) component at the M5 region and in the myogenic component at the dorsal foot (p=0.007), compared with healthy adults. The SE in the myogenic component at the dorsal foot was lower than at the M5 region (p=0.050) and heel area (p=0.041). Similarly, the SE in the heart component at the dorsal foot was lower than at the M5 region (p=0.017) and heel area (p=0.028) in diabetic patients. Conclusions: This study indicated the potential of using the novel wearable LDF device for tracking vascular complications and implementing targeted interventions in T2DM patients.

The Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of EBUS-TBNA for Intrathoracic Metastasis in Previously Treated Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The present study assessed the diagnostic and prognostic significance of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) for suspected intrathoracic metastasis after HNC treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 75 patients with a prior history of head and neck cancer treatment who underwent EBUS-TBNA for suspected intrathoracic metastases between March 2012 and December 2021. RESULTS: A total of 126 targeted lesions, including 107 mediastinal/hilar lymph nodes and 19 intrapulmonary/mediastinal masses, were sampled. The metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) cases detected by EBUS-TBNA consisted of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (n = 24), oropharyngeal carcinoma (n = 3), hypopharynx carcinoma (n = 6), laryngeal carcinoma (n = 6), and oral cavity carcinoma (n = 6). Cases with negative EBUS-TBNA results consisted of tuberculosis (n = 9), sarcoidosis (n = 3), anthracosis (n = 9), and reactive lymphadenitis (n = 9). Six false-negative cases were found among the 75 patients with suspected intrathoracic metastases. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of the EBUS-TBNA procedure for metastatic HNC were 88.2, 100.0, 100.0, 80, and 92.0%, respectively. The diagnosis of HNC intrathoracic metastasis by EBUS-TBNA correlated with an adverse prognosis in terms of overall survival (OS) (P = .008). The log-rank univariate analysis and Cox regression multivariate analysis results indicated that the detection of metastatic HNC through EBUS-TBNA was a significant independent prognostic factor for patients with HNC who had received prior treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive procedure for assessing suspected intrathoracic metastasis in HNC patients after treatment. The intrathoracic metastasis detected by EBUS-TBNA has crucial prognostic significance in previously treated HNC patients.

[Effect of Calcified Lymph Nodes on Thoracoscopic Lobectomy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients with Lung Cancer].

Objective To observe the effect of calcified lymph nodes on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with lung cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the COPD patients with lung cancer who underwent VATS lobectomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from May 2014 to May 2018.The patients were assigned into a calcified lymph node group and a control group according to the presence or absence of calcified lymph nodes in CT,and the size,morphology,and calcification degree of the lymph nodes were recorded.The operation duration,intraoperative blood loss,chest tube retention time,hospitalization days,and overall complication rate were compared between the two groups. Results The 30 patients in the calcified lymph node group included 17 patients with one calcified lymph node and 13 patients with two or more calcified lymph nodes,and a total of 65 calcified lymph nodes were recorded.The calcified lymph nodes with the size ≤5 mm were the most common (53.8%),and complete calcification was the most common form (55.4%) in lymph node calcification.The mean operation duration had no significant difference between the calcified lymph node group and the control group (t=-1.357,P=0.180).The intraoperative blood loss (t=-2.646,P=0.010),chest tube retention time (t=-2.302,P=0.025),and hospitalization days (t=-2.274,P=0.027) in the calcified lymph node group were higher than those in the control group. Conclusion Calcified lymph nodes increase the difficulty and risk of VATS lobectomy in the COPD patients with lung cancer.The findings of this study are conducive to predicting the perioperative process of VATS lobectomy.

Comparison of material properties of heel pad between adults with and without type 2 diabetes history: An in-vivo investigation during gait.

Objective: This study was aimed to compare the material properties of heel pad between diabetes patients and healthy adults, and investigate the impact of compressive loading history and length of diabetes course on the material properties of heel pad. Methods: The dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) and dynamic foot-ground contact pressure-test plate were used for measuring the material properties, including primary thickness, peak strain, peak stress, stiffness, viscous modulus and energy dissipation ratio (EDR), both at time zero and following continuous loading. Material properties between healthy adults and DM patients were compared both at time zero and following continuous weight bearing. After then, comparison between time-zero material properties and properties following continuous loading was performed to identify the loading history-dependent biomechanical behaviour of heel pad. Subgroup-based sensitivity analysis was then conducted to investigate the diabetes course (<10 years vs. ≥10 years) on the material properties of heel pad. Results: Ten type II DM subjects (20 legs), aged from 59 to 73 (average: 67.8 ± 4.9), and 10 age-matched healthy adults (20 legs), aged from 59 to 72 (average: 64.4 ± 3.4), were enrolled. Diabetes history was demonstrated to be associated with significantly lower primary thickness (t=3.18, p=0.003**), higher peak strain (t=2.41, p=0.021*), lower stiffness (w=283, p=0.024*) and lower viscous modulus (w=331, p<0.001***) at time zero, and significantly lower primary thickness (t=3.30, p=0.002**), higher peak strain (w=120, p=0.031*) and lower viscous modulus (t=3.42, p=0.002**) following continuous loading. The continuous loading was found to be associated with significantly lower primary thickness (paired-w=204, p<0.001***) and viscous modulus (paired-t=5.45, p<0.001***) in healthy adults, and significantly lower primary thickness (paired-w=206, p<0.001***) and viscous modulus (paired-t=7.47, p<0.001***) in diabetes group. No any significant difference was found when conducting the subgroup analysis based on length of diabetes course (<10 years vs. ≥10 years), but the regression analysis showed that the length of diabetes history was positively associated with the peak strain, at time zero (r=0.506, p<0.050) and following continuous loading (r=0.584, p<0.010). Conclusions: Diabetes patients were found to be associated with decreased primary thickness and viscous modulus, and increased peak strain, which may contribute to the vulnerability of heel pad to injury and ulceration. Pre-compression history-dependent behaviour is observable in soft tissue of heel pad, with lowered primary thickness and viscous modulus.

[Risk Factor Analysis of Abdominal Aortic Enlargement after Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair Using Two-Stent Graft Implantation for Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection].

Objective: To explore the risk factors of abdominal aortic enlargement (AAE) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair using two-stent graft implantation (TEVAR-TSI) for Stanford type B aortic dissection. Methods: The clinical and imaging data of patients who underwent TEVAR-TSI for Stanford type B aortic dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2013 through September 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. CT angiography (CTA) scans were performed before the procedure. Follow-up CTA scans were scheduled and performed in 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure and annually thereafter. The primary outcome was AAE. The risk factors of AAE after TEVAR-TSI were selected and survival analysis and multivariate logistic regression were conducted accordingly. Results: A total of 146 patients were regularly followed up at our hospital, with the median followup time of the entire cohort being 48 months (ranging from 12 to 84 months). During the followup period after TEVAR-TSI, the incidence of AAE was 19.9% (29/146). A total of 29 patients developed AAE (the AAE group), while 117 patients did not develop AAE (the non-AAE group). There were a total of 27 deaths, including 13 in the non-AAE group versus 14 in the AAE group. Distal aortic reoperation was performed on 10 patients, including 4 in the non-AAE group versus 6 in the AAE group. The cumulative long-term survival and freedom from distal aortic reoperation of the non-AAE group were both significantly better those of the AAE group ( P<0.05). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that independent risk factors of AAE after TEVAR-TSI included the following, partial thrombosis of the false lumen (odds ratio [ OR]=4.090, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.539-10.867, P=0.005), the longer cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear above the level of the lowest renal arteries ( OR=1.290, 95% CI: 1.164-1.429, P=0.000), and shorter cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear below the level of the lowest renal arteries ( OR=0.487, 95% CI: 0.270-0.878, P=0.017). Conclusion: The prognosis of patients who developed AAE after TEVAR-TSI was not good. During followup visits, as precautions against the development of AAE, close attention should be paid to partial thrombosis of the false lumen, cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear above the level of the lowest renal arteries, and cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear below the level of the lowest renal arteries.

A novel technique of endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided transnasopharyngeal needle aspiration in the diagnosis of submucosal recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma after chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after chemoradiotherapy is common, but submucosal recurrence of NPC is rare. The final pathological results determine the optimal therapeutic schedule for treatment of NPC recurrence, but tissue retrieval from submucosal lesions is usually difficult. The present study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel approach of endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided transnasopharyngeal needle aspiration (ENUS-TNNA) for submucosal neoplasms in patients with suspected NPC recurrence. METHODS: Between March 2017 and June 2021, 11 post-chemoradiotherapy patients with suspected magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of submucosal recurrence of NPC underwent ENUS-TNNA. The safety and effectiveness of using ENUS-TNNA to sample submucosal neoplasms were evaluated. RESULTS: Needle aspiration biopsies were performed without any incidences in all cases. Out of the 11 patients, nine were diagnosed with submucosal recurrence of NPC via histopathological or cytological evaluations. Of the two puncture-negative cases, one patient had atypical imaging findings and clinical manifestations and was therefore followed-up using MRI. After follow-up for 3 years, this patient was still considered to be cancer-free due to the shrinking diameters of the submucosal lesions. For the other puncture-negative patient, submucosal biopsy samples were obtained using a surgical method. Pathological examination of these biopsies revealed that an angiosarcoma had developed after radiotherapy. There were no severe complications that occurred during the ENUS-TNNA procedure. CONCLUSION: ENUS-TNNA is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive approach to obtain tissue samples from the submucosal region of the nasopharynx for patients with suspected NPC recurrence.

[The Characteristics of Aortic Remodeling after Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair using Two-stent Graft Implantation for Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of aortic remodeling after thoracic endovascular aortic repair using two-stent graft implantation (TEVAR-TSI) for Stanford B aortic dissection. METHODS: The clinical and imaging data of 128 patients who underwent TEVAR-TSI for Stanford B aortic dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2013 through May 2019 were retrospectively collected. CT images were obtained before (T 0) TEVAR-TSI and, 1 week (T 1), 3 months (T 2), 6 months (T 3), 1 year (T 4) after TEVAR-TSI. The maximum diameter of the true lumen and false lumen in the short axis view was accessed at five levels: L 1: the level of primary tear entry, L 2: the level of the bronchial bifurcation, L 3: the level of the distal of the first stent-graft, L 4: the level of the celiac trunk, L 5: the level of the lowest renal arteries. The false lumen thrombosis in the thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta were assessed at different times, the false lumen and true lumen changes in diameter were evaluated between the preoperative and postoperative CT scan. RESULTS: The stented segment of the descending thoracic aorta was evaluated (L 1-L 3): The true lumen diameter showed an increasing trend and the false lumen diameter showed an decreasing trend at levels L 1, L 2, and L 3, the change of true lumen diameter was positively correlated with the follow-up time ( r=0.721, 0.827, 0.893, P<0.05), and the change rate of true lumen diameter was positively correlated with the follow-up time ( r=0.763, 0.818, 0.902, P<0.05), and the change of false lumen diameter was negatively correlated with the follow-up time ( r=-0.750, -0.927, -0.934, P<0.05), and the change rate of false lumen diameter was negatively correlated with the follow-up time (-0.774, -0.935, -0.952, P<0.05). When the unstented segment of the abdominal aorta was evaluated (L 4-L 5), the average true lumen diameter at the level of celiac trunk increased significantly at 1 year by 13.7% ( P=0.007), however, the average false lumen diameter did not change over time ( P=0.406). The average true lumen diameter and false lumen diameter at the level of the lowest renal arteries increased over time as well, the average true lumen increased by 10.1%, and the average false lumen increased by 13.6% ( P=0.048, 0.017). Besides, the complete false lumen thrombosis rate of the stented segment of the descending thoracic aorta was higher than that of the unstented segment of the abdominal aorta.e complete false lumen thrombosis rate of the stented segment of the descending thoracic aorta was higher than that of the unstented segment of the abdominal aorta. CONCLUSION: After receiving TEVAR-TSI, Stanford type B aortic dissection patients had high thrombosis absorption rate in the thoracic aortic segment covered by stent, and the aortic remodeling was more ideal. The aortic remodeling effect in the abdominal aortic segment not covered was not ideal, and the inner diameter of the abdominal aorta tended to increase. Therefore, close follow-up monitoring should be conducted.

Clinical application of endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided transnasopharyngeal needle aspiration in the diagnosis of submucosal nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Submucosal nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare type, which is usually difficult to obtain tissue samples. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of a new technique of endonasopharyngeal ultrasound-guided transnasopharyngeal needle aspiration (ENUS-TNNA) for submucosal NPC. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Between March 2018 and September 2019, 11 patients with submucosal nasopharyngeal neoplasms detected with previously computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging underwent ENUS-TNNA. All patients had cytological evaluation by smears and tissue evaluation of aspiration specimens. Mean and rate. RESULTS: There were seven males and four females, with ages ranging from 33 to 77 years. Needle puncture biopsies were successfully performed in all cases, and sufficient tissue sample for histopathological examination was obtained from each of the 11 patients. Of the 11 patients, nine of these patients were diagnosed using ENUS-TNNA without on-site cytology assistance, false negative in two cases. The sensitivity of the ENUS-TNNA technique in diagnosing submucosal NPC was 81.82%. In the absence of any major complications, the procedure was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: ENUS-TNNA is a safe and effective method to provide a pathological diagnosis of submucosal growth type of nasopharyngeal neoplasms, which has a great clinical value.

[Evaluation and cumulative characteristics of heavy metals in soil-Uncaria rhynchophylla system of different functional areas].

Soil and Uncaria rhynchophylla in different functional areas were selected for the study,the content of heavy metals such as As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Hg in soil and U. rhynchophylla was discussed, the characteristics of their accumulation in the U.rhynchophylla was analyzed, the contamination levels of heavy metals in soil in different functional areas was evaluated. The results showed that content of Cu, As, Pb and Cr in soil was being cropland>woodland>wasteland, content of Cd was being woodland>cropland>wasteland, content of Hg was being cropland>woodland>wasteland. According to quality standard of soil environment, soil Cd in woodland, cropland and wasteland all exceeded the state-level standards, soil Cd in woodland exceeded the secondary standard, soil Hg in cropland and wasteland all exceeded the state-level standards. According to technical conditions of green food producing area, soil Cd in woodland exceeded the limit value of standard. According to Green Trade Standards of Importing Exporting Medicinal Plants Preparations,the content of heavy metals of U.rhynchophylla in cropland,woodland and wasteland were correspond to the specification. From the single factor pollution index, the soil in woodland was polluted by Cd. From the comprehensive pollution index, the soils in different functional areas were not contaminated by heavy metals. The enrichment coefficient of heavy metals such as As, Cu, Cr, and Pb in hook of U.rhynchophylla was being wasteland>woodland>cropland, the enrichment coefficient of Cu in hook of U. rhynchophylla in wasteland was more than 1. Except Cu, the enrichment coefficient of other heavy metals was low.

[Soil moisture estimation model based on multiple vegetation index].

Estimating soil moisture conveniently and exactly is a hot issues in water resource monitoring among agriculture and forestry. Estimating soil moisture based on vegetation index has been recognized and applied widely. 8 vegetation indexes were figured out based on the hyper-spectral data measured by portable spectrometer. The higher correlation indexes among 8 vegetation indexes and surface vegetation temperature were selected by Gray Relative Analysis method (GRA). Then, these selected indexes were analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression to establish soil moisture estimation model based on multiple vegetation indexes, and the model accuracy was evaluated. The accuracy evaluation indicated that the fitting was satisfied and the significance was 0.000 (P < 0.001). High correlation was turned out between estimated and measured soil moisture with R2 reached 0.636 1 and RMSE 2.149 9. This method introduced multiple vegetation indexes into soil water content estimating over micro scale by non-contact measuring method using portable spectrometer. The exact estimation could be an appropriate replacement for remote sensing inversion and direct measurement. The model could estimate soil moisture quickly and accurately, and provide theory and technology reference for water resource management in agriculture and forestry.

[Analysis of characteristics of acute poisoning caused by various poisons in Guangxi, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of acute poisonings caused by various poisons in Guangxi, China. METHODS: A retrospective investigation was performed in 5859 cases of acute poisonings who were admitted to 63 hospitals in 11 cities, as well as 531 types of poisons involved. The poisons were categorized into 6 groups; each group of cases was stratified by the rural or urban settings, frequency of poisoning, and cause of poisoning to analyze the numbers of cases and constituent ratios. RESULTS: Most types of poisons (68.74%) belonged to drugs (217 types) and pesticides (148 types). Most cases of poisonings (61.63%) were caused by pesticides (n = 2547) and chemicals (n = 1064). Pesticides, poisons of plant origins, and poisons of animal origins were responsible for most of the cases in rural settings; 88.46%, 79.10%, and 66.74% of the cases of these poison categories happened in rural settings. Chemicals, drugs, and other poisons were responsible for most of the cases in urban settings; 70.20%, 61.74%, and 63.73% of the cases of these poison categories happened in urban settings. The numbers of cases in 5-year-poisoning groups were the highest in all categories of poisons, accounting for 85.24%, 88.57%, 55.16%, 70.79%, 68.36%, and 66.44%of cases of respective categories. Most cases of poisonings by chemicals, poisons of animal origin, and other poisons were accident-related (86.24%, 72.66%, and 46.71%of the poison categories). Most cases of poisonings by pesticides and drugs were suicide-related (59.39% and 33.52% of the poison categories). Most cases by poisons of plant origin were caused by accidental ingestion (70.36% of the poison category). CONCLUSION: Most of the acute poisonings in Guangxi area are caused by pesticides and chemicals; the most common causes of poisoning are accidents, accidental ingestion, and suicide. There are significant differences in the causes of acute poisonings between the urban and rural settings.

[Analysis of the characteristics of toxins in 6005 cases of acute poisoning in Guangxi].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the toxin characteristics of toxins in patients of acute poisoning in the Guangxi area. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. The data of acute poisoning cases and the causative toxins collected from 63 hospitals of Guangxi, including 36 city hospitals, 12 county hospitals, and 15 township health centers from January 2005 to December 2009 were collected. The data were descriptively analyzed and classified by year. RESULTS: A total of 6005 cases with acute poisoning induced by 532 kinds of poisons were enrolled. The 532 kinds of toxin were classified by high-occurrence (producing poisoning for 5 continuous years), low-occurrence (leading to poisoning for 2-4 continuous years) and newly occurred categories (leading to poisoning only in 1 year). The numbers of poisons of these 3 categories accounted for 10.15% (54 kinds), 29.70% (158 kinds), 60.15% (320 kinds) of total number of poisons, respectively. There were 4688 (78.07%), 780 (12.99%), and 537 (8.94%) cases for each category respectively. And the poisoning cases of each toxin involved from 8 to 837, 2 to 25, and 1 to 69 cases respectively. 77.78% (42/54) of high-occurrence poisons affect more than 20 cases, and 89.87% (142/158), 98.75% (316/320) of low-occurrence and new-occurrence poisons involved less than 10 cases. In the dynamic analyses for 5 years, frequency of toxin caused by high-occurrence, low-occurrence and newly occurred poisons in 5 years were 5 times, 2.6 times, and 1 time, respectively. The number of poisons caused by the high-occurrence toxin each year were same, but the average-annual growth rates of poison numbers caused by the low-occurrence and new-occurrence poisons each year were 17.61% and 20.10%. The average-annual growth rates of poisoning cases caused by the 3 categories of poisons were 14.08%, 16.53%, 31.96%, and the average-annual growth rates of poisoning cases caused by each categories were 10.28%, 1.13%, 11.45%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the high-occurrence category, the poison species was least, the poisoning cases were most, the variety of the affected cases by each poison was largest, and the case involved by each toxin was increased by year. But in the newly occurred category, the poison constituent ratio was largest, but the poisoning population was the least, the disparity of each poison was least, and the toxin increased and the population affected each year were elevated. The characteristics of low-occurrence poison were between high-occurrence poison and newly occurred poison.

[Minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma: clinical analysis of 160 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility, safety and clinical application value of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). METHODS: Clinical data of 160 patients undergoing minimally invasive approach in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University between February 2008 and December 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 140 males and 20 females with a mean age of 59.6 years. Approaches to esophagectomy were thoracoscopic and laparoscopic esophagectomy (n=139), thoracoscopic and mediastinoscopic esophagectomy (n=3), laparoscopic-assisted Ivor Lewis resection (n=15), thoraco-laparoscopic Ivor Lewis resection (n=3). The mean operative time was 364 (range 230-780) min and the mean blood loss was 286.2 (range 20 to 4000) ml. The tumor free resection margins (R0) were completely in 152 cases (95.0%). The mean lymph node harvested was 19.4 (range 6-39). There were 11 (6.9%) cases converted to open operation including 9 thoracotomy and 2 laparotomy. The intraoperative complication rate was 11.3% (18/160). The average length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 22.1(range 0 to 430) h and the average length of postoperative hospital stay was 13.1 (range 7-93 d). Postoperative complication occurred in 34.4% of patients. The 30-day mortality was 1.2% (2/160) and the overall mortality was 2.5% (4/160). CONCLUSION: MIE is technically feasible and safe for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma, which provides good or even better outcomes than open approach.

Bis(1H-benzimidazole-κN)bis-[2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetato-κO,O']manganese(II) monohydrate.

In the title compound, [Mn(C(12)H(9)O(2))(2)(C(7)H(6)N(2))(2)]·H(2)O, the Mn(II) ion is located on a twofold rotation axis and six-coordinated, displaying a distorted MnN(2)O(4) octa-hedral geometry. The crystal packing is stabilized by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which give rise to a one-dimensional structure along [001], and π-π inter-actions between the imidazole rings and between the benzene rings of the 2-(naphthalen-1-yl)acetate ligands [centroid-centroid distances = 3.761 (3) and 3.728 (4) Å]. The contribution of the electron density associated with the disordered water molecules was not considerd in the final structure model.

Identification of testosterone-/androgen receptor-regulated genes in mouse Sertoli cells.

Androgen and androgen receptor (AR) play important roles in male spermatogenesis and fertility, yet detailed androgen/AR signals in Sertoli cells remain unclear. To identify AR target genes in Sertoli cells, we analyzed the gene expression profiles of testis between mice lacking AR in Sertoli cells (S-AR(-/y)) and their littermate wild-type (WT) mice. Digital gene expression analysis identified 2276 genes downregulated and 2865 genes upregulated in the S-AR(-/y) mice testis compared to WT ones. To further nail down the difference within Sertoli cells, we first constructed Sertoli cell line TM4 with stably transfected AR (named as TM4/AR) and found androgens failed to transactivate AR in Sertoli TM4 and TM4/AR cells. Interestingly, additional transient transfection of AR-cDNA resulted in significant androgen responsiveness with TM4/AR cells showing 10 times more androgen sensitivity than TM4 cells. In the condition where maximal androgen response was demonstrated, we then analyzed gene expression and found the expression levels of 2313 genes were changed more than twofold by transient transfection of AR-cDNA in the presence of testosterone. Among these genes, 603 androgen-/AR-regulated genes, including 164 upregulated and 439 downregulated, were found in both S-AR(-/y) mice testis and TM4/AR cells. Using informatics analysis, the gene ontology was applied to analyze these androgen-/AR-regulated genes to predict the potential roles of androgen/AR in the process of spermatogenesis. Together, using gene analysis in both S-AR(-/y) mice testis and TM4/AR cells may help us to better understand the androgen/AR signals in Sertoli cells and their influences in spermatogenesis.

[Design of dynamic simulation system for carbon cycle in forest ecosystem].

Modeling techniques are indispensable for the researches on the carbon cycle of forest ecosystem. In this paper, a new general simulation system FORCASS (FORest CArbon Simulation System) was designed and developed under Simulink environment, with the objectives of modeling the carbon cycle dynamics of forest ecosystems. A comprehensive analysis on the framework, design solution, and development process showed that the FORCASS was feasible. This simulation system had the characteristics of 1) it divided the carbon storage in forest ecosystem into four compartments, i.e., vegetation, litter, soil, and animal, and took into account the carbon flows between the compartments, possessing high mechanism and easily to be comprehended, 2) it was a process-based system, taking the Richards growth function of vegetation component biomass carbon storage as the input to solve difference equations, and was easily to export the outputs such as net primary productivity (NPP) and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) at different stand ages, and 3) it had the explicit expansibility because it was developed based on a general framework for carbon cycle patterns.

[Intervention effect of taurine on neurotoxicity of manganese in rat's prefrontal cortex].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanisms of taurine (Tau) preventive effect on neurotoxicity induced by manganese (Mn) in rat's prefrontal cortex. METHODS: SD rats were divided into four groups after one week of observation: normal control:the group animals received daily intraperitoneal (ip.) injections of sterile saline for 3 months; Mn treated group (Mn): rats received ip. injection of MnCl(2).4H(2)O once a day for 3 months; Tau preventive group (Mn + Tau): The Mn level of this group were the same as Mn's, the Tau level 200 mg/kg, three times per week, for 3 months; Tau treated group (Mn-->Tau): After received the daily injection of Mn as Mn group for 3 months, the rats received Tau three times per week for 3 months. The dose of Mn and Tau were the same as above. The experiment lasted 6 months. RESULTS: (1) Mn induced apoptosis of neurons in rat's prefrontal cortex. The ratio of apoptosis of neurons in the Mn treated group [(20.0 +/- 4.3)%] was higher than that of the control group [(1.8 +/- 2.1)%] (P < 0.05) and the ratio of apoptosis in Tau preventive group (Mn + Tau) was lower than that of the Mn treated group (P < 0.05). (2) The production of MDA in Mn treated group was higher than the control group (P < 0.05) and the activity of SOD was lower than that in the control group. In Tau preventive group (Mn + Tau), Tau increased the activity of SOD and decreased the production of the MDA, with the significant difference level compared to the Mn treated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Mn induces apoptosis in rat's prefrontal cortex neurons. The main mechanisms of Tau preventing cytotoxicity against Mn is the reduction of the oxidative stress in prefrontal cortex neurons.

[The experimental study of garlicin in treating Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the therapeutic effect of garlicin on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) of immunosuppressed rats. METHODS: The Wistar rats were injected intramuscularly continually with dexamethasone for eight weeks to establish the rat model of PCP. The rats were treated with garlicin, meanwhile control groups without treatment and with SMZ-TMP treatment were established respectively in PCP model. The efficacy was evaluated based on the lung weight, lung/body weight ratio and mean cyst number per 100 fields in lung print smear. RESULTS: The mean lung weight of the rats in garlicin is 1.73 +/- 0.17, lung/body weight ratio is 0.84 +/- 0.12, they are obvious lower than 2.31 +/- 0.35 and 1.25 +/- 0.35 of control (P <0.01). The numbers of cysts in lung print smear is reduced 62.9% compared with control. The results is similar to that with SMZ-TMP. CONCLUSION: Garlicin shows an obvious therapeutic effect on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in rats with an efficacy similar to that with SMZ-TMP.