Metastasis of lung cancer?

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a multi-system, idiopathic, inflammatory disorder that affects the lungs in over 90% of patients. The incidence of bone lesions in sarcoidosis is only 1-13%. CASE REPORT: This study describes a 60-year-old woman with a previous history of thyroid cancer, and a more recent diagnosis of lung cancer with suspicious metastatic lesions, which were confirmed to be sarcoidosis. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that pulmonary neoplasms and pulmonary sarcoidosis can coexist and be easily confused. When lung cancer is accompanied by symmetric hilar lymph node enlargement and multiple lung nodules, sarcoidosis should be considered in addition to metastasis, and a biopsy should be performed for confirmation.

Gold nanorods-based FRET assay for ultrasensitive detection of DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase activity.

A fluorescence method for the detection of DNA methylation and the assay of methyltransferase activity is proposed using gold nanorods as a fluorescence quencher on the basis of fluorescence resonance energy transfer. It is demonstrated that this method is capable of detecting methyltransferase with a detection limit of 0.25 U mL(-1), which might make this method a good candidate for monitoring DNA methylation in the future.

The protective effects of 6-CySeCD with GPx activity against UVB-induced injury in HaCaT cells.

BACKGROUND: The generation of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by UVB irradiation could induce cell apoptosis and change the cell cycle. 6A,6A'-dicyclohexylamine-6B,6B'-diselenide-bis-ß-cyclodextrin (6-CySeCD) is a novel glutathione peroxidase (GPx; EC 1.11.1.9) mimic. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-oxidative effects of 6-CySeCD in cultured immortalised human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT). METHODS: HaCaT cells were treated with 30 mJ/cm(2) UVB to establish a damage model. The cultured HaCaT cells were randomly assigned to the control, UVB and treatment groups. The treatment group was incubated with 20 µmol/L of GPx mimics before UVB irradiation. Cell viability was detected by (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, the level of lipid peroxidation was determined by the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA), DNA fragmentation was observed using agarose gel electrophoresis and the levels of intracellular ROS and cell cycle progression were measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The levels of cytotoxicity, intracellular ROS, lipid peroxidation and oxidative DNA damage significantly increased after UVB irradiation in the HaCaT cells. UVB irradiation caused pre-G1 -phase arrest in HaCaT cells and significantly reduced the number of HaCaT cells in the S phase. The GPx mimics 6-CySeCD and 2-phenyl-l,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one (ebselen) significantly blocked UVB-induced apoptosis and changed the cell cycle of the HaCaT cells. The blocked effect of pretreatment 6-CySeCD in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells was better than that of pretreatment with ebselen. CONCLUSION: 6-CySeCD can relieve the damage induced by UVB irradiation in HaCaT cells.

A simple and label-free electrochemical biosensor for DNA detection based on the super-sandwich assay.

The focus of this work was on designing a label-free DNA biosensor based on a super-sandwich assay using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique. For this purpose, we designed a signal-up configuration whose linker probes could hybridize with two regions of the target DNA. In this configuration, the presented target DNA would effectively decrease the electron transfer, which would improve the sensitivity of the sensor. Ultimately, we employed gel electrophoresis to further confirm the formation of the proposed super-sandwich structure.

A PW12/Ag functionalized mesoporous silica-coated magnetic Fe3O4 core-shell composite as an efficient and recyclable photocatalyst.

The novel composite, Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-PW12/Ag, was successfully prepared by in situ loading Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the surface of grafted phosphotungstate (denoted as PW12) Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2via a photoreduction deposition method. PW12 not only acts as a reducing agent and stabilizer for Ag NPs but also as a bridge to link Ag NPs and the SiO2 shell in the loading process. Its activity toward the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) and photoreduction of Cr2O72- anions was evaluated. Experimental results showed that Fe3O4@SiO2@mSiO2-PW12/Ag with 5.3 wt% Ag loading and 18.65 wt% of PW12 exhibits the highest photocatalytic efficacy, and complete degradation of MO and 91.2% photoreduction of Cr(vi) were realized under simulated sunlight for 75 min, respectively. The enhanced catalytic activities of the composite are due to its high specific surface area, the synergistic effect among the components and the formation of a heterojunction of PW12/Ag. The possible enhanced photocatalytic mechanism is proposed. The catalyst is durable and can be easily recovered using a magnet for recycling without a significant loss of catalytic activity.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of bicyclo[3.3.0] octane derivatives as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

A series of novel bicyclo[3.3.0]octane derivatives have been synthesized and found to be dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. Compounds 10a and 10b demonstrate good efficacies in oral glucose tolerance tests.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of azobicyclo[3.3.0] octane derivatives as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

A series of novel azobicyclo[3.3.0]octane derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. The effort resulted in the discovery of inhibitor 2a, which exhibited excellent efficacies in an oral glucose tolerance test. Introduction of methyl group (2j) could prolong the inhibition of serum DPP-4 activity.

Bufalin Induces Glioma Cell Death by Apoptosis or Necroptosis.

INTRODUCTION: Bufalin is a component of Chinese traditional medicine, Chansu, which is reported to induce cell death among various kinds of tumors. Apoptosis evasion is a common problem of cancer treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The proliferation of U-87 and U-373 treated by bufalin combined with or without apoptosis inhibitor was detected by MTT assay. The protein levels related to apoptosis and necroptosis were measured by Western blotting. Immunoprecipitation (IP) was applied for monitoring the formation of necrosome. The gene knockdown by CRISPR/Cas9 was applied to determine the roles of the proteins in apoptosis and necroptosis. RESULTS: In this study, we found that bufalin could induce apoptosis or necroptosis when U-87 and U-373 escaped from apoptosis. Bufalin triggered cell death by upregulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α, TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIPK1). Antagonizing cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (cIAP1) and cIAP2 were also contributory. Caspase-8 activation led to apoptosis. When caspase-8 was functionally lost, necrosome consisted of RIPK1, receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) formed and necroptosis happened. The knockdown of above genes or the drug treatment confirmed the mechanism of bufalin-induced cell death. Cytotoxicity of bufalin to caspase-8 knockdown cell lines made control cell lines more sensitive to bufalin in their mixture. DISCUSSION: The cytotoxicity of bufalin to U-87 and U-373 was by inducing apoptosis or necroptosis when they were sensitive to apoptosis or not. The results indicated that seeking for treatments that could induce apoptosis and necroptosis was a good solution for the tumor evasion of apoptosis.

ROS-augmented and tumor-microenvironment responsive biodegradable nanoplatform for enhancing chemo-sonodynamic therapy.

Nanocarrier for augmenting the efficacy of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by tumor microenvironment (TME) has become an emerging strategy for cancer treatment. Herein, a smart biodegradable drug delivery nanoplatform with mitochondrial-targeted ability, pH-responsive drug release and enzyme-like catalytic function is designed. This efficient ROS-generating platform uses ultrasound with deeper penetration capability as excitation source for combined chemotherapy and sonodynamic therapy (SDT) of tumor. In vitro experiments show that the nanoplatform can co-load Ce6 and DOX and be degraded in slight acid environment, and the DOX release rate is 63.91 ± 1.67%. In vivo experiments show that the nanoplatform has extremely biosafety and can be enriched in tumor site and excluded from body after 24 h. More significantly, after combined treatment, the tumors are eliminated and the mice still survive healthily without recurrence after 60 d. This is because not only it can achieve mitochondrial targeting and use platinum particle to increase oxygen content in TME to enhance the effect of SDT, but also it can use weak acidic TME to accelerate drug release to achieve the combination of chemotherapy and SDT. The probe provides a new strategy for designing ROS-based nanoplatform for the treatment of malignant tumor.

A trifunctional enzyme with glutathione S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) play crucial roles in balancing the production and decomposition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living organisms. These enzymes act cooperatively and synergistically to scavenge ROS, as not one of them can singlehandedly clear all forms of ROS. In order to imitate the synergy of the enzymes, we designed and generated a recombinant protein, which comprises of a Schistosoma japonicum GST (SjGST) and a bifunctional 35-mer peptide with SOD and GPX activities. The engineered protein demonstrated SOD, GPX and GST activities simultaneously. This trifunctional enzyme with SOD, GPX and GST activities is expected to be the best ROS scavenger.

Clinical application of preferential manual bronchoplasty in single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic upper lobectomy: A retrospective analysis in a single center / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To explore the safety and feasibility of preferential manual bronchoplasty in single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) upper lobectomy. Methods    The clinical data of 457 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent single-port VATS lobectomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Peking University First Hospital from March 2020 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a preferential manual bronchoplasty group and a traditional single-port VATS lobectomy group with a 1 : 1 propensity score matching for further research. Results     A total of 204 patients were matched, and there were 102 patients in each group. There were 50 males and 52 females aged 62.2±10.1 years in the preferential bronchoplasty group, and 49 males and 53 females aged 61.2±10.7 years in the traditional single-port VATS group. The preferential bronchoplasty group had shorter surgical time (154.4±37.0 min vs. 221.2±68.9 min, P<0.01), less bleeding (66.5±116.9 mL vs. 288.6±754.5 mL, P=0.02), more lymph node dissection (19.8±7.5 vs. 15.2±4.7, P<0.01), and a lower conversion rate to multi-port or open surgery (2.3% vs. 13.8%, P=0.04) in left upper lobe resection. In the right upper lobe resection surgery, there was no statistical difference in postoperative results between two groups. There was no perioperative death or occurrence of bronchopleural fistula in both groups. Conclusion    Compared with traditional single-port VATS upper lobectomy, preferential bronchoplasty has similar safety and feasibility. In addition, priority bronchoplasty in left upper lobectomy has the advantages of shorter surgical time, less bleeding, more lymph node dissection, and lower conversion rate to multi-port or open surgery.

Treatment Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients with Brucellosis: Case Series in Heilongjiang and Systematic Review of Literature / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#Clinical characteristics and outcome in COVID-19 with brucellosis patients has not been well demonstrated, we tried to analyze clinical outcome in local and literature COVID-19 cases with brucellosis before and after recovery.@*METHODS@#We retrospectively collected hospitalization data of comorbid patients and prospectively followed up after discharge in Heilongjiang Infectious Disease Hospital from January 15, 2020 to April 29, 2022. Demographics, epidemiological, clinical symptoms, radiological and laboratory data, treatment medicines and outcomes, and follow up were analyzed, and findings of a systematic review were demonstrated.@*RESULTS@#A total of four COVID-19 with brucellosis patients were included. One patient had active brucellosis before covid and 3 patients had nonactive brucellosis before brucellosis. The median age was 54.5 years, and all were males (100.0%). Two cases (50.0%) were moderate, and one was mild and asymptomatic, respectively. Three cases (75.0%) had at least one comorbidity (brucellosis excluded). All 4 patients were found in COVID-19 nucleic acid screening. Case C and D had only headache and fever on admission, respectively. Four cases were treated with Traditional Chinese medicine, western medicines for three cases, no adverse reaction occurred during hospitalization. All patients were cured and discharged. Moreover, one case (25.0%) had still active brucellosis without re-positive COVID-19, and other three cases (75.0%) have no symptoms of discomfort except one case fell fatigue and anxious during the follow-up period after recovery. Conducting the literature review, two similar cases have been reported in two case reports, and were both recovered, whereas, no data of follow up after recovery.@*CONCLUSION@#These cases indicate that COVID-19 patients with brucellosis had favorable outcome before and after recovery. More clinical studies should be conducted to confirm our findings.

[Establishment of neuritis migration model induced by Slit 2N and silk fibroin mixture in the rat hippocampal neurons in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To explore a simply feasible and affordable method to establish neuritis migration model induced by Slit 2N and silk fibroin mixture in the rat hippocampal neurons in vitro. METHODS: Neurons were derived from SD rat hippocampal tissues and cultured with a special cell culture-plate in vitro. The cultured neurons were divided into four groups, named as control group, pure silk fibroin, pure Slit 2N and Slit 2N mixture with silk fibroin (mixture group), and 50 different neurons were randomly selected in each group. Moreover, we photographed and recorded the soma coordinate and added the silk fibroin, Slit 2N and mixture to each neurite with a distance of 100 µm, except control group. Record again after 30 min. Property and positive rate of cells were identified by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Neurites of the pure Slit 2N group and the mixture group became shorter, and there was no significant change in the pure silk fibroin and control groups. The results showed that the average duration and length difference before and after changed were in descending order of mixture group, Slit 2N group, silk fibroin group (P<0.05), and the silk fibroin and control groups were no significant change (P>0.05). The positive rate of MAP-2 in four groups was more than 90%. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant effects of Silk fibroin on induced by Slit 2N in rat hippocampal neuron migration. It had an effect on reducing Slit 2N diffusion rate and extending its working time. It provides an advantageous construction method in vitro on based 3D directed neural repair for the treatment of central nervous system diseases.

[The clinical characteristics of acute severe high-altitude diseases in indigenous Tibetans].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and clinical characteristics of acute severe high-altitude diseases in indigenous Tibetans. METHODS: The medical records of indigenous Tibetan patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), who were treated in this hospital from June of 1956 to June of 2005, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 3 184 cases of high-altitude disease were recorded in this period. Twenty four patients (0.75%, 24/3 184), 21 with HAPE and 3 with HACE, were indigenous Tibetans. Risk factors or precipitating factors were found in all the 24 cases, including getting into even higher altitude, exertion, cold, and alcohol drinking. From clinical symptoms, physical signs and laboratory examinations, it was found that 9 cases were complicated with multi-organ dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Indigenous Tibetans who travel between the plateau and the plain or to even higher altitude can suffer from hypoxic injury, even acute severe high-altitude disease, which may be complicated by multi-organ dysfunction.

[A discussion on the biological evaluation method for nanosilver antibiotic devices for gynecological external use].

Nanosilver antibiotic devices for gynecological external use are the third-class products of medical devices, whose biological safety and efficiency should be strictly controlled. But there is not yet the national standard or industry standard for the products to control the production process, so their testing method of biological evaluation mainly refers to GB/T16886 "The Guide to Implementation of Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices". To control the biological safety effectively, it's necessary to work out the testing items and methods of the biological evaluation for such products.

Efficacy analysis of T?nnis triple osteotomy for developmental dysplasia of the hip in older children / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To explore the outcomes of T?nnis triple osteotomy for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in older children.Methods:Clinical data of 21 children (22 hips, 12 left and 10 right hips) treated by T?nnis triple osteotomy from October 2016 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 8 males and 13 females with a mean age of operation at 13.5 (8.6-16.8) years.Based on the T?nnis classification, all the cases were in Grade Ⅰ.Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical software.Results:All recruited patients were followed up for 1.5-3.5 years.Compared with preoperative values and those at the last follow-up visit, the mean Sharp acetabular angle of the affected side recovered from 53.5°±5.2° to 40.8°±2.3°.The mean center-edge angle increased from 10.5°±2.9° to 35.4°±5.6°.The mean acetabular roof angle decreased from 38.6°±2.8° to 6.7°±1.3°.The mean acetabular head index enhanced from (54.3±5.2)% to (86.2±2.7)%.The differences between the preoperative and postoperative values were statistically significant ( t=24.3, 17.6, 50.1, 27.5; all P<0.05). According to the Harris classification, there were 17, 3 and 2 hips achieved excellent, good and fair outcomes at the last follow-up visit, respectively, with the percentage of excellent and good outcomes up to 90.9%(20/22 hips). Accor-ding to the Severin radiographic classification, 8, 12 and 2 hips were in grade Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively, with the percentage of excellent and good hips at 90.9%(20/22 hips). At the last follow-up visit, the bone healing of iliac and pubic bones was well, and the nonunion of ischial bones were reported in 3 cases (13.6%). Conclusion:The outcome of the T?nnis triple osteotomy is satisfactory for DDH in older children.

Evaluation of curettage and bone grafting combined with locking compression pediatric hip plate in the treatment of tumor-like lesions of femoral neck in children / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To analyze the curative effect of locking compression pediatric hip plate (LCH-PHP) in the treatment tumor-like lesions of femoral neck in children.Methods:From January 2012 to June 2019, 45 children with Erol type Ⅱ-Ⅳ tumor-like lesions of femoral neck were retrospectively analyzed, involving 32 males and 13 females, aged 2-14 years.Among them, 27 cases were simple bone cyst, 15 cases were fibrous dysplasia, 3 cases were Langerhans histiocytosis, and 17 cases were accompanied with pathological fracture.Patients without pathological fracture were divided into 2 groups according to different surgical methods: lesion removal and bone grafting+ LCH-PHP preventive fixation group (group A) and lesion removal and bone grafting group (group B). Patients with pathological fracture were divided into 2 groups according to the different surgical methods: lesion removal and bone grafting+ LCH-PHP fixation and reduction group (group C) and lesion removal and bone grafting group (group D). The loss of femoral neck-stem angle, healing time and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scores were compared between group A and group B. Changes of femoral neck-stem angle were compared between group C and group D at postoperative 1 day and the last follow-up.Results:Forty-five patients were followed up for an average of 2.6 (1-4) years.The loss of femoral neck-stem angle in group A and group B were (0.50 ± 0.45)°, and (2.26 ± 1.64)°, which was significantly different ( t=-3.193, P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the healing condition, healing time and MSTS scores at the last follow-up between group A and group B(all P>0.05). In group C, the ipsilateral femoral neck-stem angle at the postoperative 1 day and the last follow-up were (133.67±4.53)°and (133.00±4.32)°, respectively, which was comparable ( P>0.05). In group D, the ipsilateral femoral neck-stem angle at the postoperative 1 day and the last follow-up were (133.36±7.82)°and (130.63±8.24)°, respectively, which was significantly different ( t=7.11, P<0.05). Conclusions:LCH-PHP fixation can effectively maintain the femoral neck-stem angle and prevent the occurrence of pathological fracture children with Erol Ⅱ-Ⅳ tumor-like lesions of femoral neck.

Co-culture of oligodendrocytes and neurons can be used to assess drugs for axon regeneration in the central nervous system.

We present a novel in vitro model in which to investigate the efficacy of experimental drugs for the promotion of axon regeneration in the central nervous system. We co-cultured rat hippocampal neurons and cerebral cortical oligodendrocytes, and tested the co-culture system using a Nogo-66 receptor antagonist peptide (NEP1-40), which promotes axonal growth. Primary cultured oligodendrocytes suppressed axonal growth in the rat hippocampus, but NEP1-40 stimulated axonal growth in the co-culture system. Our results confirm the validity of the neuron-oligodendrocyte co-culture system as an assay for the evaluation of drugs for axon regeneration in the central nervous system.

Clinical effect analysis of retrograde elastic stable intramedullary nailing in distal humerus metaphysis-diaphyseal junction fractures in children / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To assess the clinical effect of retrograde elastic stable intramedullary nailing(ESIN) in distal humerus metaphysis-diaphyseal junction fractures in children.Methods:A total of 14 cases of children with distal humerus metaphysis-diaphyseal junction fractures treated by retrograde ESIN in Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 9 males and 5 females, aged 3.0-13.2 years old(median: 6.4 years old). Nine cases had fractures on the left side and 5 cases on the right side.Two prebent ESINs were inserted into the proximal humerus metaphysis through the humerus marrow cavity from medial and lateral sides of the distal humerus respectively after the closed/open reduction of fractures.After surgery, the shoulder abductor stent or long arm plaster was used for fixation post-operatively.X - ray examination was performed at regular post-operative follow-up.The stability of internal fixation was analyzed by measuring the Baumann angle and checking whether humeral anterior lines passed through capitulum humeri in lateral radiographs immediately after the surgery and at the last follow-up.Meanwhile, efficacy was evaluated according to Flynn functional evaluation criteria.Results:All the 14 patients in this group were followed up for 10-27 months after the operation, with an average of 18.4 months.The Baumann angle was within the normal range at both the end of the operation and the last follow-up, and no significant difference was observed.Lateral radiographs showed humeral anterior lines passed through the capitulum humeri.According to Flynn functional scores, there were 13 excellent cases and 1 good case.No wound infection, intramedullary nailing displacement, Volkmann contracture, cubital varus deformity, or iatrogenic nerve injury occurred in any of the children.Conclusion:Retrograde ESIN technique is a safe and reliable treatment for children with distal humerus metaphysis-diaphyseal junction fractures.

The progress in mechanism of selenoprotein biosynthesis.

As the twenty-first amino acid, selenocysteine can be co-translationally incorporated into the polypeptide chain at UGA codon in the coding region of selenoprotein mRNA. The incorporation of selenocysteine needs a cis-acting element SECIS and four gene products: SelA, SelB, SelC and SelD. The position of SECIS in the mRNA of prokaryote and its structural features are greatly different from that of eukaryote. The researchers have made exploration in selenoprotein engineering by virtue of the mechanism of selenocysteine incorporation in Escherichia coli.