A scalable and reproducible preparation for the antitumor protein TLC, a human-derived telomerase inhibitor.

Telomerase, which is overexpressed in approximately 90% of liver cancer cells, is an ideal target for anti-liver cancer therapy. LPTS, a putative liver tumor suppressor, is the only human-derived protein that can bind telomerase directly and inhibit the extension of telomere activity. Our previous studies demonstrated that TAT-LPTS-LC (TLC), a recombinant protein fused by the C-terminal 133-328 fragment of LPTS and TAT peptides, could be delivered into cells to inhibit telomerase-positive hepatoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo with very low toxicity. In the present study, E. coli strains which expressed TLC in abundance were screened and cultured in a laboratory bioreactor. A reproducible protein separation process was built, and this process was suitable for industrial amplification. The yields of TLC protein were up to 184 mg in one batch with a purity of approximately 95%. The purified TLC protein had a similar inhibitory effect on telomerase activity in vitro compared with those purified by Ni-affinity chromatography. Furthermore, TLC protein could be delivered into the cell nucleus to increase the doubling time of the cell and suppress cell growth in telomerase-positive liver cancer cell lines. Cell growth inhibition was negatively correlated with telomere length, suggesting that TLC is a highly targeted telomerase-telomere anticancer agent. These results will contribute to future preclinical studies of the TLC protein.

A novel delivery nanobiotechnology: engineered miR-181b exosomes improved osteointegration by regulating macrophage polarization.

BACKGROUND: Many patients suffer from implant loosening after the implantation of titanium alloy caused by immune response to the foreign bodies and this could inhibit the following osteogenesis, which could possibly give rise to aseptic loosening and poor osteointegration while there is currently no appropriate solution in clinical practice. Exosome (Exo) carrying miRNA has been proven to be a suitable nanocarrier for solving this problem. In this study, we explored whether exosomes overexpressing miR-181b (Exo-181b) could exert beneficial effect on promoting M2 macrophage polarization, thus inhibiting inflammation as well as promoting osteogenesis and elaborated the underlying mechanism in vitro. Furthermore, we aimed to find whether Exo-181b could enhance osteointegration. RESULTS: In vitro, we firstly verified that Exo-181b significantly enhanced M2 polarization and inhibited inflammation by suppressing PRKCD and activating p-AKT. Then, in vivo, we verified that Exo-181b enhanced M2 polarization, reduced the inflammatory response and enhanced osteointegration. Also, we verified that the enhanced M2 polarization could indirectly promote the migration and osteogenic differentiation by secreting VEGF and BMP-2 in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Exo-181b could suppress inflammatory response by promoting M2 polarization via activating PRKCD/AKT signaling pathway, which further promoting osteogenesis in vitro and promote osteointegration in vivo.

Highly Active PdO/Mn3 O4 /CeO2 Nanocomposites Supported on One Dimensional Halloysite Nanotubes for Photoassisted Thermal Catalytic Methane Combustion.

In this work, we have successfully triggered the aqueous auto-redox reactions between reductive Ce(OH)3 and oxidative MnO4 - /Pd2+ ions to form PdO/Mn3 O4 /CeO2 (PMC) nanocomposites. PMC could spontaneously self-assemble into compact encapsulation on the surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to form the final one dimensional HNTs supported PMCs (HPMC). It is identified that there exists strong synergistic effects among the components of PdO, Mn3 O4 , and CeO2 , and hence HPMC could show excellent performance on photoassisted thermal catalytic CH4 combustion that its light-off temperature was sharply reduced to be 180 °C under visible light irradiation. Based on detailed studies, it is found that the catalytic reaction process well follows the classic MVK mechanism, and adsorption/activation of O2 into active oxygen species (O*) should be the rate-determining step for CH4 conversion.

miR-21-3p regulates AGE/RAGE signalling and improves diabetic atherosclerosis.

To explore the effects of miR-21-3p on diabetic atherosclerosis. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we also detected the levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation endproducts RAGE (sRAGE) in the cellular supernatant of vascular endothelial cells after transfecting them with adenovirus vector having miR-21-3p mimic or inhibitor. We found decrease in the expression levels of miR-21-3p in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) induced by high-concentration glucose. We also observed that the introduction of miR-21-3p mimic significantly increased the expression of ADAM10 in the VECs. Similarly, significantly higher levels of sRAGE were found in the cultured supernatant after administration of miR-21-3p mimic in human vein endothelial cells. The production of reactive oxygen species and expression of inflammatory cytokines in VECs induced by LPS and high-concentration glucose were significantly decreased after administration of miR-21-3p. in vivo studies revealed that intravenous injection of miR-21-3p at regular intervals would reduce the area of atherosclerotic lesion and elevate the serum levels of sRAGE in atherosclerotic diabetic mice. miR-21-3p may be beneficial in diabetic atherosclerosis by promoting the cleaved form of sRAGE and inhibition of RAGE/NADPH oxidase signalling depending on the increased expression of ADAM10. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: We identified a novel microRNA, miR-21-3p, which is characteristically at elevated levels in serum derived from diabetic patients and responsible for target degradation of ADAM10 mRNA. Further, we show that miR-21-3p aggravates the atherosclerotic lesion via dysfunction of the ectodomain shedding of molecular binding RAGE in the diabetic atherosclerotic mice.

Hydrogen polarity of interfacial water regulates heterogeneous ice nucleation.

Using all-atomic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we show that the structure of interfacial water (IW) induced by substrates characterizes the ability of a substrate to nucleate ice. We probe the shape and structure of ice nuclei and the corresponding supercooling temperatures to measure the ability of IW with various hydrogen polarities for ice nucleation, and find that the hydrogen polarization of IW even with the ice-like oxygen lattice increases the contact angle of the ice nucleus on IW, thus lifting the free energy barrier of heterogeneous ice nucleation. The results show that not only the oxygen lattice order but the hydrogen disorder of IW on substrates are required to effectively facilitate the freezing of top water.

Investigation of the Incidence of Perioperative Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with Below-Knee Deep Vein Thrombosis after Lower Extremity Fracture and Evaluation of Retrievable Inferior Vena Cava Filter Deployment in These Patients.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of the study were to investigate and compare the incidence of perioperative pulmonary embolism (PE) in trauma patients with below-knee deep vein thrombosis (BKDVT) and above-knee DVT (AKDVT) who need major orthopedic surgery and evaluate the usage of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in these cases with BKDVT. METHODS: Between January 2003 and December 2017, patients with pelvic and/or lower extremity fracture diagnosed with DVT by duplex ultrasound were eligible for the study. A reduced-dose anticoagulation therapy was administered in patients without absolute contraindication to anticoagulation therapy during the perioperative period. Patients who did not undergo filter insertion with BKDVT were classified as the BKDVT group, and cases with thrombosis involving the popliteal or more proximal veins were classified as the AKDVT group; the incidence of PE was analyzed. Among patients with BKDVT, cases with or without filter deployment were placed in the filter group and control group, respectively, to evaluate the value of IVC filter in these patients. RESULTS: A total of 3295 patients with pelvic and/or lower extremity fracture were diagnosed as having DVT, among which, 2070 cases did not undergo filter insertion. The incidence of PE in the BKDVT group and AKDVT group was 2.08% (24/1154) and 3.17% (29/916), respectively. A total of 366 patients with BKDVT underwent filter placement and no PE occurred. The incidence of PE in the filter group was lower than the control group. In patients without filter placement, the cases received anticoagulation therapy and those who did not, the incidence of PE was 2.21% and 1.94%, respectively, and there was no difference between the two subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in incidence of PE between the AKDVT and BKDVT groups. Reduced-dose anticoagulation therapy does not affect the rates of PE in trauma patients with BKDVT who require ongoing orthopedics operations. For these patients, placement of the retrievable filter may be considered.

Protecting the Lithium Metal Anode for a Safe Flexible Lithium-Air Battery in Ambient Air.

The flexible Li-air battery (FLAB) with ultrahigh energy density is a hopeful candidate for flexible energy storage devices. However, most current FLAB operate in a pure oxygen atmosphere, which is limited by safety and corrosion issues from the metallic lithium anode and has thus greatly impeded the application of FLAB. Now, inspired by the protection effect of the umbrella, a stable hydrophobic composite polymer electrolyte (SHCPE) film with high flexibility, hydrophobicity, and stability was fabricated to protect the lithium anode. The SHCPE mitigated lithium corrosion and improved the capacity, rate performance, and cycle life (from 24 cycles to 95 cycles) of a battery in the ambient air. Based on the protection of SHCPE and the catalysis of MnOOH, the prepared pouch-type FLAB displayed high flexibility, stable performances, long cycling life (180 cycles), and excellent safety; the battery can bear soaking in water, high temperature, and nail penetration.

An Illumination-Assisted Flexible Self-Powered Energy System Based on a Li-O2 Battery.

The flexible Li-O2 battery is suitable to satisfy the requirements of a self-powered energy system, thanks to environmental friendliness, low cost, and high theoretical energy density. Herein, a flexible porous bifunctional electrode with both electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activity was synthesized and introduced as a cathode to assemble a high-performance Li-O2 battery that achieved an overpotential of 0.19 V by charging with the aid of solar energy. As a proof-of-concept application, a flexible Li-O2 battery was constructed and integrated with a solar cell via a scalable encapsulate method to fabricate a flexible self-powered energy system with excellent flexibility and mechanical stability. Moreover, by exploring the evolution of the electrode morphology and discharge products (Li2 O2 ), the charging process of the Li-O2 battery powered by solar energy and solar cell was demonstrated.

Guided Self-Propelled Leaping of Droplets on a Micro-Anisotropic Superhydrophobic Surface.

By introducing anisotropic micropatterns on a superhydrophobic surface, we demonstrate that water microdroplets can coalesce and leap over the surface spontaneously along a prescribed direction. This controlled behavior is attributed to anisotropic liquid-solid adhesion. An analysis relating the preferential leaping probability to the geometrical parameters of the system is presented with consistent experimental results. Surfaces with this rare quality demonstrate many unique characteristics, such as self-powered, and relatively long-distance transport of microdroplets by "relay" coalescence-induced leaping.

[A single-center retrospective study on the intraluminal implantation of inferior vena cava filter for the lower extremity trauma patients with deep venous thrombosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) in prevention of peri-operative pulmonary embolism (PE) in lower limb bone fracture patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: From January 2003 to December 2012, 2 248 cases of lower limb and pelvic fractures with DVT were retrospectively analyzed. Before the procedure of IVCF implantation began, January 2003 to December 2007, there were 1 052 cases of acute trauma patients with DVT were classified as the group of early none-IVCF. The IVCF implantation was began since January 2008. From that time to December 2012, 712 cases of bone fractures with DVT received filter implantation, which were classified as IVCF group. The other 484 patients who had not undergone filter deployment were divided as group of late none-IVCF. The baseline conditions of the three groups were significantly different in addition to the ages between group of early none-IVCF and IVCF group. The incidences of PE and mortality of PE in each group were recorded and analyzed by χ(2) test. RESULTS: There were totally 31 cases of symptomatic PE, among which 12 cases died. Totally 712 filters were deployed successfully without any major complications. The incidences of symptomatic PE were 0.14% (1/712), 2.19% (23/1 052) and 1.45% (7/484) in IVCF group, group of early none-IVCF and group of late none-IVCF, respectively. The mortality of PE were 0 (0/712), 0.86% (9/1 052) and 0.62% (3/484) in these groups. The incidence of symptomatic PE in IVCF group was significantly different from that in the group of early and late none-IVCF (χ(2) = 11.762, P = 0.001; χ(2) = 7.395, P = 0.007, respectively). The mortality of IVCF group was also significantly lower compared with the other two groups (χ(2) = 6.122, P = 0.013; χ(2) = 4.424, P = 0.035, respectively). CONCLUSION: IVCF implantation effectively prevents symptomatic and fatal PE of patients of lower limb and pelvic fractures with DVT in the peri-operative period.

[Combined use of occluder plus bare stent in the treatment of aortic dissection with tear at the area of visceral branches].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the novel method of combinedly use of occluder and bare stent in the treatment of aortic dissection with distal tear at visceral branches. METHODS: From April 2010 to September 2012, 6 patients (5 male and 1 female patients, aged from 29 to 62 years, mean 47.2 years) were diagnosed as Stanford type B aortic dissection that been revealed by CT angiography. The main tears were sealed with stent-grafts firstly, and then the tears at the visceral branch area were evaluated that impossible to close spontaneously. Atrium septal defect occluder and ventricular septal defect were implanted at the tears with the anterior disc in false lumen, while the posterior disc in the true lumen. After that, the bare stents were implanted in the true lumen to pull the occluders on the aortic wall. RESULTS: Among the 6 procedures, occluders were successfully implanted in 5 cases, and 1 failed anchoring at the tear, and the alternative method of coils embolization was applicated. After all the procedures, the immediate aortogrophy revealed that the false lumen disappeared in the 5 cases that occluders were used, and the visceral branches were all patent. No paraplegia, lesion of visceral organs or other complications occurred. All the cases were followed at least 5 months. There was one endoleak due to a non-sealed tear at the descending aorta, one new-occurred small tear in the descending aorta but with no communication to the false lumen. CONCLUSIONS: The combinedly use of occluder and bare stent in the treatment of aortic dissection with tears at the visceral branch area is a sum of two simple technique plus each other. It is easily to master. The lesions at the aortic that ordinary stent-grafting incapable to seal are successfully solved then. The huge trauma of open or hybrid procedures are avoided.

[Assessment of hepatic reserve function of cirrhosis liver using dynamic SPECT (99m)Tc-galactosyl human serum albumin scintigraphy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic SPECT (99m)Tc-galactosyl human serum albumin (GSA) scintigraphy on the assessment of reserve function of cirrhosis liver. METHODS: From January 2010 to December 2011, 55 patients with cirrhosis liver were enrolled in this study. The case numbers of male and female were 43 and 12 respectively and the age was (51 ± 9) years (ranging from 35 to 69 years). After routine biochemistry test, CT scan and (99m)Tc-GSA dynamic SPECT scan were performed in turn using a juxtaposed SPECT/CT system. Then the morphologic volume of liver parenchyma (MLV), functional liver volume (FLV) and the hepatic cell absorption rate constant (GSA-K) were calculated. The correlations between GSA-K and routine biochemistry test, Child-Pugh score, indocyanine green clearance rate (ICG-K) were analyzed. The patients were further divided into 3 groups according to whether there was occlusion or stenosis in the main branch of left portal vein (group 1, n = 5), right portal vein (group 2, n = 13) or not (group 3, n = 37) and the regional hepatic functions index of the 3 groups were compared. RESULTS: The value of FLV of the whole, left and right liver was (594 ± 152) ml, (244 ± 119) ml and (356 ± 171) ml, respectively. There were correlations between GSA-K and total bilirubin, prothrombintime, Child-Pugh score and ICG-K (r = -0.730--0.298, P < 0.05). The FLV and MLV ratios of involved hemiliver to uninvolved hemiliver were 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.30 ± 0.14 in group 1, 0.57 ± 0.43 and 1.08 ± 0.63 in group 2, 0.71 ± 0.30 and 0.71 ± 0.48 in group 3. The difference in MLV-FLV ratio was signifcant between group 1 and group 3, between group 2 and group 3 (P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic SPCECT (99m)Tc-GSA scintigraphy can not only assess the whole liver function of cirrhosis liver effectively, but also evaluate the variation of regional liver function accurately.

[Application of inferior vena cava filters in prevention of peri-operative pulmonary embolism in patients with bone fracture combined with deep venous thrombosis: a report of 572 cases].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the application of inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) in prevention of peri-operative pulmonary embolism in patients with bone fracture combined with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: From July 2007 to April 2011, 572 cases of bone fractures consequent with DVT that confirmed by Duplex were deployed IVCF to avoid fatal pulmonary embolism in the para-operative period. There were 318 male and 254 female patients with a mean age of (51±23) years (ranging from 16 to 94 years). RESULTS: All the operations of deployment of the IVCFs were successfully. There were 174 permanent and 399 temporary IVCFs deployed. In all 399 temporary filters, 389 filters were taken out successfully. The mean station time in the IVC of the temporary filters was 22.8 days (7 to 60 days), among which, 118 were found of captured thrombus. After the follow-up of mean 16 months (3 to 40 months) of 566 patients, no pulmonary embolism occurred, but symptomatic DVT were revealed in 15 patients, and the conditions were improved after anticoagulation treatment. No serious complication of post thrombotic syndrome occurred. CONCLUSION: IVCF deployment can prevent the trauma patients with deep vein thrombosis of fatal pulmonary embolism in the peri-operative period, which may also offer a safe condition to the orthopedic operations.

In Situ Fabrication of Porous Cox P Hierarchical Nanostructures on Carbon Fiber Cloth with Exceptional Performance for Sodium Storage.

Superior high-rate performance and ultralong cycling life have been constantly pursued for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this work, a facile strategy is employed to successfully synthesize porous Cox P hierarchical nanostructures supported on a flexible carbon fiber cloth (Cox P@CFC), constructing a robust architecture of ordered nanoarrays. Via such a unique design, porous and bare structures can thoroughly expose the electroactive surfaces to the electrolyte, which is favorable for ultrafast sodium-ion storage. In addition, the CFC provides an interconnected 3D conductive network to ensure firm electrical connection of the electrode materials. Besides the inherent flexibility of the CFC, the integration of the hierarchical structures of Cox P with the CFC, as well as the strong synergistic effect between them, effectively help to buffer the mechanical stress caused by repeated sodiation/desodiation, thereby guaranteeing the structural integrity of the overall electrode. Consequently, Cox P@CFC as an anode shows a record-high capacity of 279 mAh g-1 at 5.0 A g-1 with almost no capacity attenuation after 9000 cycles.

Can multimodality imaging using 18F-FDG/18F-FLT PET/CT benefit the diagnosis and management of patients with pulmonary lesions?

PURPOSE: Dual-tracer, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose and (18)F-fluorodeoxythymidine ((18)F-FDG/(18)F-FLT), dual-modality (positron emission tomography and computed tomography, PET/CT) imaging was used in a clinical trial on differentiation of pulmonary nodules. The aims of this trial were to investigate if multimodality imaging is of advantage and to what extent it could benefit the patients in real clinical settings. METHODS: Seventy-three subjects in whom it was difficult to establish the diagnosis and determine management of their pulmonary lesions were prospectively enrolled in this clinical trial. All subjects underwent (18)F-FDG and (18)F-FLT PET/CT imaging sequentially. The images were interpreted with different strategies as either individual or combined modalities. The pathological or clinical evidence during a follow-up period of more than 22 months served as the standard of truth. The diagnostic performance of each interpretation and their impact on clinical decision making was investigated. RESULTS: (18)F-FLT/(18)F-FDG PET/CT was proven to be of clinical value in improving the diagnostic confidence in 28 lung tumours, 18 tuberculoses and 27 other benign lesions. The ratio between maximum standardized uptake values of (18)F-FLT and (18)F-FDG was found to be of great potential in separating the three subgroups of patients. The advantage could only be obtained with the full use of the multimodality interpretation. Multimodality imaging induced substantial change in clinical management in 31.5% of the study subjects and partial change in another 12.3%. CONCLUSION: Multimodality imaging using (18)F-FDG/(18)F-FLT PET/CT provided the best diagnostic efficacy and the opportunity for better management in this group of clinically challenging patients with pulmonary lesions.

Layer-by-Layer Electrodeposition of FTO/TiO2 /Cux O/CeO2 (1 < x < 2) Photocatalysts with High Peroxidase-Like Activity by Greatly Enhanced Singlet Oxygen Generation.

Inorganic nanomaterials have attracted much attention as enzyme mimics because of simple and stable spatial conformation of those artificially synthesized nanocatalysts. Cu2 O, as an important kind of narrow band gap semiconductor, is identified as effective as visible-light-driven photocatalysts, which can catalyze decomposition of H2 O2 into reactive oxygen species. Moreover, after forming Cux O/CeO2 hybrids, the strongly coupled interface between the two components will further improve their catalytic performance. In this paper, the authors try to construct FTO/TiO2 /Cux O/CeO2 (1 < x < 2) nanohybrids with such a kind of active interface via a layer-by-layer electrodeposition strategy by aid of the following surface etching process. It is found that FTO/TiO2 /Cux O/CeO2 exhibits good peroxidase mimic activity in the dark but much better performance under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) during catalytic oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine substrates in the presence of H2 O2 . Detailed characterizations disclose that the construction of TiO2 /Cu2 O pn-heterojunctions do effectively accelerate separation of photogenerated carriers, and the formation of a highly active Cux O/CeO2 interface is synergistically favorable for selectively generating singlet oxygen to boost the catalytic performance of FTO/TiO2 /Cux O/CeO2 .

The value of 99mTc-labeled galactosyl human serum albumin single-photon emission computerized tomography/computed tomography on regional liver function assessment and posthepatectomy failure prediction in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the value of Tc-labeled galactosyl human serum albumin (Tc-GSA) with single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in the preoperative assessment of regional liver function and prediction of posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) in patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (hCCA). METHODS: Patients with hCCA who underwent Tc-GSA SPECT/computed tomography (CT) before hepatectomy were included. The liver functional parameters of functional liver density (FLD) and predictive residual index (PRI) were calculated based on Tc-GSA SPECT/CT. PHLF was defined according to the International Study Group of Liver Surgery criteria. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the risk factors for PHLF. The prediction of PHLF was calculated using receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: A total of 34 patients were included, 23 of whom underwent preoperative biliary drainage. FLD was significantly higher in patients with drained lobes than that in patients with undrained lobes (0.615 ± 0.190 versus 0.500 ± 0.211, P < 0.05). Sixteen patients suffered PHLF. The ratio of future remnant to total morphological liver volume, future remnant FLD, and PRI differed significantly in patients with and without PHLF according to univariate analysis. PRI was identified as the only independent factor for prediction of PHLF according to multivariate analysis. With a PRI of 0.78, it was possible to predict PHLF with a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 93%. CONCLUSIONS: Tc-GSA SPECT/CT can accurately assess regional liver function and is better able to predict PHLF than conventional methods in patients with hCCA.

Glomerular filtration rate measured by 99mTc-DTPA Gates method is not significantly affected by the premature or delayed initiation of image acquisition.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to examine the effect of non-synchronization of the radiotracer injection and image acquisition on estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by the Gates' method. METHODS: A total of 218 volunteers were selected as the research subjects. Two-sample method (GFRdt) and 99mTc-DTPA dynamic renal imaging (GFRGates) were used for determination of the GFR. We took GFRdt as the reference method, and then took the peak time of blood perfusion phase as the new time origin to ensure that all patients were unified on the time-radioactivity count rate curve. We moved the radioactivity curve on 9 time points to simulate premature (+20/+15/+10/+5 seconds), synchronous (0 seconds), and delayed (-20/-15/-10/-5 seconds) image acquisition in relation to the completion of tracer injection; we then acquired 9 GFRGates. The correlation and consistency of GFRGates and GFRdt were analyzed. Variance analysis compared the differences between different GFRGates. RESULTS: All 9 GFRGates had good correlation with GFRdt. GFRdt and GFRGates derived from -5, -10 and -15 s had the best correlation (r=0.827, P<0.01). The consistency between GFRGates derived from +20 s and GFRdt was the worst, and GFRGates derived from -15 s and GFRdt was the best. There were no significant differences between the 9 GFRGates. CONCLUSIONS: Non-synchronization of the radiotracer injection and image acquisition has no significant effect on the estimates of the GFRGates if the premature or delayed time between image acquisition and tracer injection is not more than 20 seconds.

Establish new formulas for the calculation of renal and isthmus depth in horseshoe kidney.

This study was performed to develop a new formula to estimate the renal and isthmus depth in horseshoe kidney, and to compare the new formula with previously published formulas.Renal depth, isthmus depth, vertebral thickness, and total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys were measured by CT in 124 adults. Their sex, age, height (H, cm), and weight (W, kg) were recorded. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was conducted. The 124 cases were divided into 2 random groups, of which the first group was used to derive a regressive formula and the second group was used to verify the formula and compare the formula with previously published formulas.Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the important variables in estimating the depth of each kidney were the body weight (W, kg) and the total thickness (T, cm) of the body at the level of the kidneys. The important variables in estimating the depth of isthmus soft tissue and vertebral thickness were W, T, and age, W. The new formula was the following: right renal depth (cm) = 0.273 × T + 0.043 × W + 1.086 (r = 0.82, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.500, W = 0.367), left renal depth (cm) = 0.245 × T + 0.041 × W + 0.676 (r = 0.83, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.520, W = 0.353); isthmus depth (cm) = soft tissue depth + vertebral thickness, soft tissue depth (cm) = 0.144 × T + 0.044 × W + 0.536 (r = 0.58, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: T = 0.272, W = 0.335), vertebral thickness (cm) = 0.012 × age + 0.018 × W + 3.683 (r = 0.53, P < .05; standardized regressive coefficient: age = 0.326, W = 0.438). It is much better than the literatures.The new renal depth estimation formula in horseshoe kidney that we derived by using multiple stepwise linear regression has greatly outperformed other 6 previously published formulas. Isthmus depth estimation formula can also get accurate results. Our new formula provides a more reliable and accurate renal and isthmus depth estimation and contributes to improving the methods used to estimate renal function from radionuclide renography in horseshoe kidney.

Heparan sulfate inhibits inflammation and improves wound healing by downregulating the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Heparan sulfate (HS) attenuates the inflammatory response and improves diabetic wound healing in rats. However, the specific mechanisms by which HS suppresses inflammation are not clear. Given that NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) is a major receptor involved in innate immune regulation, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the effects of HS on NLRP3 and proinflammatory cytokines in diabetic wounds. METHODS: Full-thickness wounds were created on the back of diabetic rats. The experimental group received HS treatment (1 mg/kg, i.m., on Days 0 and 7), whereas the control group received vehicle (0.1% dimethylsulfoxide in 0.9% NaCl). Expression of NLRP3 and its downstream effector molecules, namely cleaved interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), proteinase inhibitor 9, and caspase-12, in the wound tissues was examined. RESULTS: Treatment with HS accelerated wound healing in diabetic rats. Rats treated with HS exhibited decreased activation of cleaved IL-1ß, IL-18, and TNF-α, as well as decreased expression of NLRP3 and ASC. In addition, HS increased levels of proteinase inhibitor 9 and caspase-12. CONCLUSIONS: Heparan sulfate inhibits inflammation and improves wound healing by downregulating the NLRP3 inflammasome and cleaved IL-1ß during the wound healing process in diabetic rats.