Inguinal hernia following the use of fluid anti-adhesive agents in laparoscopic surgery: a literature review and case report.

Introduction and importance: Inguinal hernia is a rare complication in females occurring due to the use of common anti-adhesion agents, such as ADEPT. Some complications have been reported to date; however, there are no reported cases of ADEPT-induced inguinal hernia. Case presentation: A 39-year-old woman underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for a right ovarian endometrioma, using ADEPT as an anti-adhesion agent. Subsequently, she developed an inguinal hernia diagnosed using pelvic computed tomography. The inguinal mass gradually decreased in size and disappeared four months after, without intervention. Clinical discussion: While rare complications have been reported, no cases of inguinal hernias induced by anti-adhesion agents have been reported to date. To minimize the risk of this complication, avoiding excessive intra-abdominal pressure to prevent possible peritoneal fluid migration through small orifices into low-pressure areas is advised. Additionally, applying external pressure over the superficial/deep inguinal rings until CO2 is completely removed from the abdominal cavity might be helpful. Conclusion: Inguinal hernia is a rare anti-adhesion solution complication in females. Minimizing the risk involves avoiding excessive intra-abdominal pressure and applying external pressure over the superficial/deep inguinal rings.

Complete genome sequence of Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiaticum WF_GM2021, a plant pathogen associated with soybean witches' broom disease in Taiwan.

The complete genome sequence of Candidatus Phytoplasma australasiaticum strain WF_GM2021, which consists of one 633,005-bp circular chromosome, is presented in this work. This uncultivated plant-pathogenic bacterium is associated with soybean (Glycine max) witches' broom disease in Wufeng District, Taichung City, Taiwan.

Complete genome sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni" PR2021, an uncultivated bacterium associated with poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima).

The complete genome sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni" strain PR2021, which consists of one 705,138 bp circular chromosome and one 4,757 bp circular plasmid, is presented in this work. This bacterium is associated with poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) cultivar "Princettia Pink."

Complete Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia" TB2022, a Plant Pathogen Associated with Sweet Potato Little Leaf Disease in China.

The complete genome sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia" TB2022, which consists of one 670,073-bp circular chromosome, is presented in this work. This bacterium is associated with sweet potato little leaf disease in Fujian Province, China.

Complete Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris" QS2022, a Plant Pathogen Associated with Lettuce Chlorotic Leaf Rot Disease in China.

The complete genome sequence of "Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris" QS2022, which consists of one 834,303-bp circular chromosome, is presented in this work. This bacterium is associated with lettuce chlorotic leaf rot disease in Fujian Province, China.

Research progress on the effect of hyperthermia on vascular endothelial growth factor in tumor microenvironment / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in promoting tumor vascular growth and changing vascular wall permeability. With the in-depth study of tumor hyperthermia and tumor microenvironment, more and more studies have shown that hyperthermia exerts multiple regulatory effects on VEGF in tumor microenvironment. Combined with current research progress in China and abroad, this article reviews the effect of hyperthermia on VEGF and its related cells and factors in tumor microenvironment, aiming to provide new ideas for the clinical application of tumor hyperthermia combined with immune or targeted therapy.

Effect of hyperthermia on biological behavior of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue by regulating ferroptosis pathway / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the regulation and possible mechanism of hyperthermia (HT) on the ferroptosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue cell line CAL-27.Methods:Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of Fer-1, an inhibitor of ferroptosis, was detected by CCK-8 assay and used for subsequent experiments. CAL-27 cells were divided into the HT, control, Fer-1 and HT+ Fer-1 groups according to experimental design. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and iron ion concentration were determined by corresponding detection kits. The p53 and TfR1 mRNA levels were detected by real-time reverse transcription PCR. Cell migration was detected by cell scratch test and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results:HT significantly up-regulated the ROS levels ( P<0.01) and iron ion concentration ( P<0.001), and significantly increased the expression levels of p53 and TfR1 mRNA (both P<0.01). The cell migration ability was decreased ( P<0.001), whereas cell apoptosis rate was increased by HT ( P<0.01). In the HT+Fer-1 group, the ROS levels ( P<0.001), iron ion concentration ( P<0.001), expression levels of p53 and TfR1 mRNA (both P<0.01) were significantly down-regulated, the cell migration ability was recovered ( P<0.01), and cell apoptosis rate was decreased ( P<0.01) compared with those in the HT group, respectively. Conclusions:HT may induce the ferroptosis of CAL-27 cell line, inhibit cell migration ability and promote cell apoptosis by activating the p53/TfR1 pathway.

Effect of hyperthermia combined with paclitaxel on proliferation, apoptosis and cycle of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line CAL-27 / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of hyperthermia combined with paclitaxel on the proliferation, apoptosis and cycle of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line CAL-27, and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods:The working concentration of paclitaxel was determined by CCK-8 assay, and the cultured CAL-27 cells were divided into the control, paclitaxel, 42℃ hyperthermia and combined treatment groups. The ability of cell proliferation was detected by colony formation assay, and the cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The expression levels of AKT, p-AKT, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in each group were measured by Western blot.Results:Compared with the control group, the proliferation was significantly inhibited and the apoptosis of CAL-27 cells was significantly promoted in the combined treatment, hyperthermia and paclitaxel groups (all P<0.05), and the anti-proliferation and apoptosis-promoting effect in the combined treatment group was significantly better than those in the hyperthermia and paclitaxel groups (all P<0.05). Western blot showed that hyperthermia combined with paclitaxel could significantly up-regulate the expression level of Bax protein and significantly down-regulate the expression levels of P-AKT and Bcl-2 in CAL-27 cells (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Hyperthermia combined with paclitaxel can play a synergistic role in inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma CAL-27 cells. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of AKT activation and the activation of Bax/Bcl-2 apoptosis signaling pathway.

Effect of early comprehensive interventions on physical growth and nervedevelopment among premature infants / 预防医学

Objective@#To examine the effect of early comprehensive interventions on the physical growth and nerve development among premature infants, so as to provide insights into the follow-up management of premature infants after discharge from hospital.@*Methods@#A total of 130 premature infants delivered in Shaoxing Municipal Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were selected and divided into high- and low-risk groups according to gestational age and birth weight, while 306 full-term normal infants in the same hospital during the study period served as controls. All premature infants were given early comprehensive interventions until age of 12 months, including nutritional support and parental guidance of children's feeding and development, and all normal infants received periodical health checkup according to the basic public health service program. All infants received periodical measurements of height, weight and head circumference, and the 12-month intellectual and motor development ability was measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development revised in Chinese cities was used to assess. Infants' physical growth, mental development index (MDI) and motor development index (PDI) were compared among groups.@*Results@#There were 130 premature infants with gestational ages of 28 to 36 weeks and birth weight of 1 200 to 3 440 g, including 79 male infants, and there were 80 infants in the low-risk group and 50 infants in the high-risk group. The full-term infants had a gestational age of 37 to 42 weeks, and birth weights of 2 500 to 4 000 g, including 162 male infants. There were significant differences in height (Wald χ2=28.664, P<0.001) and head circumference growth (Wald χ2=19.312, P=0.013) among the three groups as revealed by the generalized estimating equation; however, no significant differences were seen in the 12-month weight (F=0.639, P=0.528), height (F=1.051, P=0.350) or head circumference (F=0.318, P=0.728) among the three groups. The percentages of abnormal MDI were 2.00%, 0 and 1.31% among the high-risk premature infants, low-risk premature infants and full-term infants at ages of 12 months (χ2=1.319, P=0.517), while the percentages of abnormal PDI were 20.00%, 7.50% and 5.56% among the three groups at ages of 12 months (χ2=12.818, P=0.002).@*Conclusions@#Following implementation of early comprehensive interventions, the premature infants have favorable physical growth and comparable MDI with full-term infants; however, a high percentage of abnormal PDI is seen in high-risk premature infants. An improvement in the motor development among high-risk premature infants is recommended to be emphasized during the management of premature infants.

[A Review of High-altitude Hypoxia Adaptation and Hypoxic Solid Tumor].

Historically, the Cambrian explosion was a major life evolution event caused by changes of natural environmental oxygen concentration. The use of oxygen was part of the basic survival instinct of higher life, which evolved a complex regulation system in response to variant levels of oxygen concentration. Hypoxia is one of the typical environmental characteristics in plateau areas. After long-term natural selection in hypoxic conditions, numerous species living in plateau areas have evolved unique mechanisms adapted to hypoxia. Recent studies have found that there are some similarities in adaptation to hypoxia between the animals in highland and different types of human solid tumor cells. Herein, we will summarize recent findings about the hypoxia adaptation evolution in high-altitude animals and the characteristics of hypoxic solid tumors, especially the reactive oxygen species responses in hypoxic solid tumors. We believe that deciphering the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in hypoxia adaptation in highland will facilitate the identification of new genes or biomarkers critical for research on hypoxic solid tumors in the future.

Research progress on biological mechanism of tumor hyperthermia / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

In recent years, tumor hyperthermia has become a hot research topic as an adjuvant therapy to traditional tumor therapy. Hyperthermia can directly induce tumor cell necrosis or apoptosis, or inhibit tumor progression by destroying tumor blood vessels. Meantime, it can also activate the response of immune cells and cytokines in the immune system of the host, thereby regulating the immune state of tumor microenvironment. Multiple combined effects influence the tumor progression. A thorough understanding of the biological mechanism of hyperthermia is beneficial to the development of novel therapeutic methods. In this paper, the biological mechanism of hyperthermia in killing tumors was mainly reviewed.

Effect of hyperthermia on immune cells and immune-related cytokines in tumor immune microenvironment / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

With the in-depth study of tumor hyperthermia and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), the role of hyperthermia in TIME has captivated increasing attention from scholars in recent years. Based upon recent research progress at home and abroad, the effect and mechanism of hyperthermia on several major immune cells and immune-related cytokines in the TIME were reviewed in this article. Comprehensive and deep understanding of the regulation of hyperthermia on the TIME could provide new ideas and methods for tumor treatment.

Anti-NMDAR encephalitis with ovarian teratomas: Review of the literature and two case reports.

OBJECTIVE: Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with ovarian teratomas. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients typically present with prominent psychiatric symptoms, seizures, and involuntary movements; further, they rapidly progress to unresponsiveness with central hypoventilation and dysautonomia. CASE REPORT: This paper presents two anti-NMDAR encephalitis cases with ovarian teratomas and reviews 13 anti-NMDAR encephalitis clinical case reports in Taiwan, of which six involved ovarian tumors, five being mature teratomas. Patients presented with acute onset of psychiatric symptoms and subsequently developed coma within a few days. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis usually occurs in young women and is often associated with ovarian tumors, specifically teratomas. Ovarian cystectomy or oophorectomy was performed, which markedly improved cognitive function. CONCLUSION: Paraneoplastic neurological conditions associated with ovarian teratomas represent a fascinating disease process. Identifying the gynecological cause of a neurological condition, particularly in young women, followed by prompt treatment can remarkably improve clinical conditions and, thus, be lifesaving.

DRD2 and ANKK1 genes associate with late-onset heroin dependence in men.

Objectives: Dopamine plays an important role in reward system of heroin dependence (HD), and dopaminergic D2 receptor (DRD2) gene is a candidate for the aetiology of HD. Ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) gene is proximal to DRD2 and may influence its expression. We explored whether DRD2 and ANKK1 associate with occurrence of HD, and whether the genetic variants influence personality traits in male patients with HD.Methods:DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms were analysed in 950 unrelated Han Chinese male participants (601 HD patients and 349 healthy controls). All participants were screened using the same assessment tools and all patients met the diagnostic criteria of HD. Personality traits were assessed in 274 patients and 142 controls using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.Results: According to the allele, genotype and haplotype frequency analysis, we observed an association between HD and several DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms (rs1800497, rs1800498, rs1079597 and rs4648319); this was most notable in the late-onset HD subgroup. However, these DRD2/ANKK1 polymorphisms did not associate with specific personality traits in HD patients and controls.Conclusions:DRD2/ANKK1 may play an important role in occurrence of late-onset HD, but does not mediate the relationship between personality traits and HD in Han Chinese male population.

OPRD1 gene affects disease vulnerability and environmental stress in patients with heroin dependence in Han Chinese.

Exposure to stress not only increases the vulnerability to heroin dependence (HD) but also provokes relapse. The etiology of HD and the role of life stress remain unclear, but prior studies suggested that both genetic and environmental factors are important. Opioid related genes, including OPRM1, OPRD1, OPRK1, and POMC, are obvious candidates for HD. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore whether the genetic polymorphisms of the candidates could affect vulnerability to HD and response to life stress in patients with HD. Ten polymorphisms of the opioid related genes were analyzed in 801 patients and 530 controls. The Life Event Questionnaire was used to assess the perspective and response to life stress in the past year. The genotype distribution and allelic frequency analyses showed that the minor C allele of rs2234918 in OPRD1 is over-represented in the HD group (P = .006 and P = .002, respectively). This finding was further confirmed by logistic regression analysis, showing that C allele carriers have a 1.42 times greater risk for HD compared to T/T homozygotes. A subgroup of 421 patients and 135 controls were eligible for life stress assessment. Patients with HD have a higher occurrence of negative events (No), negative events score (Ns), and average negative event score (Na) than those of controls (all P < .001), but there was no difference regarding positive recent events between the two groups. Gene-stress assessment in the HD group showed that T/T homozygotes of OPRD1 rs2236857 have more severe stress than C allele carriers (Ns, P = .004 and Na, P = .047). Our results indicate that the OPRD1 gene may not only play a role in the pathogenesis of HD but also affect the response to life stress among patients with HD in our Han Chinese population. Patients with the risk genotype may need additional psychosocial intervention for relapse prevention.

Benzodiazepine-Associated Carcinogenesis: Focus on Lorazepam-Associated Cancer Biomarker Changes in Overweight Individuals.

OBJECTIVE: Cellular, animal, and human epidemiological studies suggested that benzodiazepines increase the risk of cancer and cancer mortality. Obesity is also clearly linked to carcinogenesis. However, no human studies have examined benzodiazepine-associated carcinogenesis as assessed by changes in cancer biomarkers. METHODS: A total of 19 patients were recruited, and received a 6-week treatment of 0.5 mg lorazepam. The measured cancer biomarkers were angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2), soluble CD40 ligand, epidermal growth factor, endoglin, soluble Fas ligand (sFASL), heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), insulin-like growth factor binding protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-18, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PLGF), placental growth factor, transforming growth factor (TGF)-α, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, urokinase-type plasminogen (uPA), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D. RESULTS: Six cancer biomarkers were significantly increased in all patients as a whole. The subgroup analysis revealed a distinct pattern of change. Overweight patients showed a significant increase in 11 cancer biomarkers, including ANG-2, sFASL, HB-EGF, IL-8, PLGF, TGF-α, TNF-α, uPA, VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D. However, normal-weight patients did not show any changes in cancer biomarkers. CONCLUSION: Adiposity may have primed the carcinogenic potential, leading to lorazepam-associated carcinogenesis in overweight patients. Epidemiological studies addressing this issue should consider the potential modulator contributing to benzodiazepine-associated carcinogenesis.

Differential effect of the DRD3 genotype on inflammatory cytokine responses during abstinence in amphetamine-dependent women.

Amphetamine exposure impacts on innate and adaptive immunity and DRD3 may modulate the effect of amphetamine on the immune response. We assessed the immune-cytokine markers in 72 female patients with amphetamine dependence (AD) at baseline and after 4-week drug abstinence and in 51 healthy women. Multiplex magnetic bead assay was used to measure the plasma cytokine expression level simultaneously in all participants and DRD3 rs6280 polymorphism was genotyped in patients. We demonstrated an increase of the T helper 1 (Th1) cytokines (IL-2), Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10) and other cytokines (IL-1ß) in the entire AD cohort. A similar cytokine pattern, along with a significantly decreased IL-8 and IL-10 levels was observed after 4-week abstinence. Among AD patients with DRD3 rs6280 TT genotype, the cytokine expression profile was consistent with total AD cohort at baseline and revealed a significant down-regulated plasma level of the Th1, Th2, and other cytokines except for IL-6 after 4-week abstinence. In AD group with DRD3 rs6280 C allele carrier, we found IL-2 level was significantly higher than healthy controls at baseline and remained higher, accompanied with a borderline increase in IL-4, IL-6 and IL-1ß levels after 4-week abstinence. Our results suggest that chronic use of amphetamine increased both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in AD patients, indicating the immune imbalance that may persist for 4 weeks or more. Besides, DRD3 rs6280 TT genotype may be associated with favorable recovery in general inflammatory cytokines during period of abstinence.

Novelty seeking mediates the effect of DRD3 variation on onset age of amphetamine dependence in Han Chinese population.

The dopamine receptor D3 (DRD3) gene, one of the candidate genes for amphetamine dependence (AD), is involved in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, implicated as the underlying mechanism of addiction. Our case-control study aimed to investigate whether the DRD3 gene is associated with the susceptibility to AD and specific personality traits in AD patients. A total of 1060 unrelated Han Chinese subjects (559 AD patients and 501 controls) were screened using the same assessment tool and genotyped for eight DRD3 polymorphisms. All patients met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for AD, and personality traits of 539 were assessed using a Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Furthermore, AD individuals were divided into four clinical subgroups based on gender and psychosis status, to reduce the clinical heterogeneity. We found that the ATA haplotype combination for SNPs rs324029, rs6280, and rs9825563, respectively, was significantly associated with total AD patients (p = 0.0003 after 10,000 permutations). Similar results were observed in the both male and non-psychosis subgroup but not in other subgroups. In addition, DRD3 rs9825563 may influence onset age of drug use, partially mediated by novelty seeking in the non-psychosis AD group. In conclusion, DRD3 is a potential genetic factor in the susceptibility to AD and is associated with onset age of drug use through interaction with novelty seeking in a specific patient group in the Han Chinese population.

Differences in immunomodulatory properties between venlafaxine and paroxetine in patients with major depressive disorder.

Inflammatory processes play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of depression, and identifying the specific cytokines targeted by different antidepressants is important for personalized treatment. The aims of this study were to examine whether venlafaxine and paroxetine cause different immunomodulatory effects when used to treat patients with major depression and to clarify the relationships between plasma cytokine levels and the therapeutic effectiveness of these drugs. A total of 91 Han Chinese patients with major depression completed the 8-week paroxetine or venlafaxine treatment and 90 healthy controls were recruited. A multiplex assay was used to measure cytokines levels in patients with major depression before and after an 8-week venlafaxine and paroxetine treatment. Cytokine levels were measured in healthy controls at the baseline. The 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess the changes in psychopathological symptoms from the baseline to the end point in each patient. Venlafaxine treatment caused greater decreases in the levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-1ß, and IL-8 than did paroxetine. Paroxetine treatment increased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-6 and decreased Th2 cytokine levels. After paroxetine treatment, IL-6 levels increased more in the non-remitter group than in the remitter group. In the remitter group, IL-4 and IL-5 levels decreased to values seen in the healthy controls. After venlafaxine treatment in both the remitter and non-remitter groups, IL-1ß levels decreased to values seen in the healthy controls. Our results suggest that venlafaxine and paroxetine have different immunomodulatory properties and that venlafaxine has greater anti-inflammatory effects than paroxetine.