Analgesia and stress attenuation of ultrasound-guided modified pectoral nerve block type-II with different volumes of 0.3% ropivacaine in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer: A prospective parallel randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: A previous randomized clinical trial concluded that an optimal concentration of 0.3% ropivacaine could provide satisfactory analgesia for breast cancer patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy. We wondered if a smaller volume (30 ml vs. 40 ml) of 0.3% ropivacaine could still provide adequate analgesia in an ultrasound-guided PECS II block in modified radical mastectomy. METHODS: We performed a prospective parallel randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial. Eligible patients were assigned to either the P30 or P40 group (30 or 40 ml of 0.3% ropivacaine, respectively). The skin area of hypoesthesia, anaesthetic plane determined with ultrasound, pain visual analogue scale (VAS), anaesthetic dosages, and complications were recorded. Serum levels of interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6 were measured postoperatively. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 40 patients completed the trials, with 20 patients in each group. Although the skin area of hypoesthesia and the anaesthetic planes were significantly larger in the P40 group compared with the P30 group (p < 0.05), the VAS, analgesic and opioid doses, serum cytokine levels, anaesthetic toxicity, and complications had no significant differences between the two groups. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Compared with 40 ml, 30 ml of 0.3% ropivacaine could provide adequate analgesia and reduce surgical stress in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer.

Sediment Records of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) from the Anhui Province Section of Yangtze River, China.

This study investigated the temporal changes of PBDEs in the sediment cores from the Anhui Province section of Yangtze River (YR), China. The dramatic increase of ∑Br3-Br9-BDEs and BDE-209 concentrations in cores in the period of ca. 1990-2008 was consistent with the booming of regional and national production and consumption of household appliances and electronics. Following declines in BDE-209 and ∑Br3-Br9-BDEs concentrations can be associated with the deceasing use of legacy commercial PBDE mixtures in recent years. Compared with the different regions around the world, sediments in the YR were moderately polluted by PBDEs. The levels and the detection rates of BDE-209 were highest among the detected PBDEs single congener. The composition analysis indicated that Deca-BDE, Octa-BDE, and Penta-BDE were the dominant forms in the YR. The increasing trends of both BDE-209 and ∑Br3-Br9-BDEs in the YR during 1990s and 2000s largely reflected the time periods for transferring PBDE sources from the developed countries to China. TOC and finer particles were strongly correlated with distributions of PBDEs in sediments.

Immunopotentiator thymosin alpha-1 attenuates inflammatory pain by modulating the Wnt3a/ß-catenin pathway in spinal cord.

The mechanism of inflammatory pain involves the central nervous system (CNS) and the immune system. It is reported that immunopotentiator thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) can reduce inflammation, protect neurons and strengthen the immune function. However, the roles of Tα1 in inflammatory pain still remain unclear. In this study, we found Tα1 can attenuate the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced mechanical allodynia and heat hyperalgesia. Meanwhile, it reduced the upregulation of CFA-induced inflammatory mediators (interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and brain-derived neurotrophic factor). In addition, we found the Wnt3a/ß-catenin pathway was activated in spinal cord after the injection of CFA, paralleling with pain hypersensitivity. However, Tα1 reversed this status. In summary, Tα1 could attenuate inflammatory pain by modulating the Wnt3a/ß-catenin pathway. It might be related to the downregulation of inflammatory mediators.

Preparation and properties of long chain branched high-density polyethylene based on nano-SiO2 grafted glycidyl methacrylate.

A compounded nanoparticle with multiple double bonds (C[double bond, length as m-dash]C) was prepared by grafting glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto the surface of nano-SiO2. Then gel-free long chain branched polyethylene (LCBPE) was prepared by melt branching reaction in a Haake torque rheometer in the presence of initiator peroxide and GMA grafted nano-SiO2 (SiO2-g-GMA). The sampling time corresponded to the summit of the reaction peak in the torque curve. Fourier transform infrared results indicated that SiO2-g-GMA had been grafted onto the HDPE backbone via radical reaction. The reaction mechanism and the topological structure of the PE products are also discussed. Rheological results showed that the relaxation time and molecular weight distribution of modified PE were increased owing to the introduction of LCB structure, and the more SiO2-g-GMA was added, the more apparent variation could be observed. Compared with linear HDPE, both the melt strength and mechanical properties of LCBPE were improved obviously. From the differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy results, smaller crystal size and lower growth rate were observed compared with linear HDPE, which are ascribed to the nucleation and restriction of long branching chains in the system. Well distributed nano-SiO2 without any agglomeration in the PE matrix was observed in the scanning electron microscope images when the SiO2-g-GMA content was less than 3 phr.

Star Shaped Long Chain Branched Poly (lactic acid) Prepared by Melt Transesterification with Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate and Nano-ZnO.

Long chain branched poly (lactic acid) (LCBPLA) was prepared via transesterification between high molecular weight poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and low molar mass monomer trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) during melt blending in the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) as a transesterification accelerant in a torque rheometer. Compared with the traditional processing methods, this novel way is high-efficiency, environmentally friendly, and gel-free. The results revealed that chain restructuring reactions occurred and TMPTA was grafted onto the PLA backbone. The topological structures of LCBPLA were verified and investigated in detail. It was found that the concentration of the accelerants and the sampling occasion had very important roles in the occurrence of branching structures. When the nano-ZnO dosage was 0.4 phr and PLA was sampled at the time corresponding to the reaction peak in the torque curve, PLA exhibited a star-shaped topological structure with a high branching degree which could obviously affect the melt strength, extrusion foaming performances, and crystallization behaviors. Compared with pristine PLA, LCBPLA showed a higher melt strength, smaller cell diameter, and slower crystallization speed owing to the synergistic effects of nano-ZnO and the long chain branches introduced by the transesterification reaction in the system. However, severe degradation of the LCBPLAs would take place under a mixing time that was too long and lots of short linear chains generated due to the excessive transesterification reaction, with a sharp decline in melt strength.