Can you feel the force just right? Tactile force feedback for training of minimally invasive surgery-evaluation of vibration feedback for adequate force application.

BACKGROUND: Tissue handling is a crucial skill for surgeons and is challenging to learn. The aim of this study was to develop laparoscopic instruments with different integrated tactile vibration feedback by varying different tactile modalities and assess its effect on tissue handling skills. METHODS: Standard laparoscopic instruments were equipped with a vibration effector, which was controlled by a microcomputer attached to a force sensor platform. One of three different vibration feedbacks (F1: double vibration > 2 N; F2: increasing vibration relative to force; F3: one vibration > 1.5 N and double vibration > 2 N) was applied to the instruments. In this multicenter crossover trial, surgical novices and expert surgeons performed two laparoscopic tasks (Peg transfer, laparoscopic suture, and knot) each with all the three vibration feedback modalities and once without any feedback, in a randomized order. The primary endpoint was force exertion. RESULTS: A total of 57 subjects (15 surgeons, 42 surgical novices) were included in the trial. In the Peg transfer task, there were no differences between the tactile feedback modalities in terms of force application. However, in subgroup analysis, the use of F2 resulted in a significantly lower mean-force application (p-value = 0.02) among the student group. In the laparoscopic suture and knot task, all participants exerted significantly lower mean and peak forces using F2 (p-value < 0.01). These findings remained significant after subgroup analysis for both, the student and surgeon groups individually. The condition without tactile feedback led to the highest mean and peak force exertion compared to the three other feedback modalities. CONCLUSION: Continuous tactile vibration feedback decreases the mean and peak force applied during laparoscopic training tasks. This effect is more pronounced in demanding tasks such as laparoscopic suturing and knot tying and might be more beneficial for students. Laparoscopic tasks without feedback lead to increased force application.

Propensity to trust shapes perceptions of comforting touch between trustworthy human and robot partners.

Touching a friend to comfort or be comforted is a common prosocial behaviour, firmly based in mutual trust. Emphasising the interactive nature of trust and touch, we suggest that vulnerability, reciprocity and individual differences shape trust and perceptions of touch. We further investigate whether these elements also apply to companion robots. Participants (n = 152) were exposed to four comics depicting human-human or human-robot exchanges. Across conditions, one character was sad, the other initiated touch to comfort them, and the touchee reciprocated the touch. Participants first rated trustworthiness of a certain character (human or robot in a vulnerable or comforting role), then evaluated the two touch phases (initiation and reciprocity) in terms of interaction realism, touch appropriateness and pleasantness, affective state (valence and arousal) attributed to the characters. Results support an interactive account of trust and touch, with humans being equally trustworthy when comforting or showing vulnerability, and reciprocity of touch buffering sadness. Although these phenomena seem unique to humans, propensity to trust technology reduces the gap between how humans and robots are perceived. Two distinct trust systems emerge: one for human interactions and another for social technologies, both necessitating trust as a fundamental prerequisite for meaningful physical contact.

Surgeon Experience Is the Most Important Predictor of Case Failure Rate for Anterior Odontoid Screw Fixation: A Large Database Study.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database analysis. OBJECTIVE: Determine risk factors and failure rate of anterior odontoid screw fixation surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior odontoid screw fixation (AOSF) stabilizes type II dens fractures while preserving cervical motion. Despite having potential advantages, AOSF's failure rate and factors contributing to failure remain unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified AOSF patients in the national claims database Pearldiver using CPT code 22318. Failure was defined as the requirement of supplementary posterior fusion surgery in the C1-C2 or occiput-C2 region after the AOSF. We considered potential predictors of failure including age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), surgeon experience, history of osteoporosis, obesity, and tobacco use. Univariate comparison analysis and logistic regression were conducted to identify factors associated with the need for additional posterior surgery. RESULTS: For 2008 identified cases of AOSF, 249 cases (12.4%) required additional posterior fusion. Seventy-one of the 249 cases (28.5%) underwent revision surgery on the same day as the AOSF. Over 86% of revisions (215 cases) occurred within 200 days of the initial procedure. Posterior fusion rates are inversely correlated with surgeon experience, with the most experienced surgeons having a rate of 10.0%, followed by 11.5% for moderately experienced surgeons, and 15.0% for the least experienced surgeons. When comparing moderate and inexperienced surgeons to experienced surgeons, the odds ratios for posterior fusion were 1.18 (P>0.05) and 1.61 (P<0.006), respectively. Logistic regression revealed that both lesser experience (odds ratio=1.50) and osteoporosis (odds ratio=1.44) were the only factors significantly associated with failure (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate a correlation between AOSF success and surgeon experience. While currently published results suggest higher success rates, most of this data originates from experienced surgeons and specialized centers, therefore, they may not accurately reflect the failure rate encountered in a more general practice setting. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

A thermal deformation optimization method for cryogenically cooled silicon crystal monochromators under high heat load.

A method to optimize the thermal deformation of an indirectly cryo-cooled silicon crystal monochromator exposed to intense X-rays at a low-emittance diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation source is presented. The thermal-induced slope error of the monochromator crystal has been studied as a function of heat transfer efficiency, crystal temperature distribution and beam footprint size. A partial cooling method is proposed, which flattens the crystal surface profile within the beam footprint by modifying the cooling contact area to optimize the crystal peak temperature. The optimal temperature varies with different photon energies, which is investigated, and a proper cooling strategy is obtained to fulfil the thermal distortion requirements over the entire photon energy range. At an absorbed power up to 300 W with a maximum power density of 44.8 W mm-2 normal incidence beam from an in-vacuum undulator, the crystal thermal distortion does not exceed 0.3 µrad at 8.33 keV. This method will provide references for the monochromator design on diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser light sources.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation is the main treatment for cholestatic liver disease and some metabolic liver diseases in children. However, no accurate prediction model to determine the survival probability of grafts prior to surgery exists. This study aimed to develop an effective prognostic model for allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 2032 patients who underwent pediatric liver transplantation between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2020. A nomogram was developed using Cox regression and validated based on bootstrap sampling. Predictive and discriminatory accuracies were determined using the concordance index and visualized using calibration curves; net benefits were calculated for model comparison. An online Shiny application was developed for easy access to the model. RESULTS: Multivariable analysis demonstrated that preoperative diagnosis, recipient age, body weight, graft type, preoperative total bilirubin, interleukin-1ß, portal venous blood flow direction, spleen thickness, and the presence of heart disease and cholangitis were independent factors for survival, all of which were selected in the nomogram. Calibration of the nomogram indicated that the 1-, 3-, and 5-year predicted survival rates agreed with the actual survival rate. The concordance indices for graft survival at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.776, 0.757, and 0.753, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease and Child-Pugh scoring systems. The allograft dysfunction risk of a recipient could be easily predicted using the following URL: https://aspelt.shinyapps.io/ASPELT/ / CONCLUSION: The allograft survival after pediatric liver transplantation (ASPELT) score model can effectively predict the graft survival rate after liver transplantation in children, providing a simple and convenient evaluation method for clinicians and patients.

Detection of neoplastic-immune hybrid cells with metastatic properties in uveal melanoma.

Background: Uveal melanoma is the most common non-cutaneous melanoma and is an intraocular malignancy affecting nearly 7,000 individuals per year worldwide. Of these, approximately 50% will progress to metastatic disease for which there are currently no effective therapies. Despite advances in molecular profiling and metastatic stratification of uveal melanoma tumors, little is known regarding their underlying biology of metastasis. Our group has identified a disseminated neoplastic cell population characterized by co-expression of immune and melanoma proteins, circulating hybrid cells (hybrids), in patients with uveal melanoma. Compared to circulating tumor cells, which lack expression of immune proteins, hybrids are detected at an increased prevalence in peripheral blood and can be used as a non-invasive biomarker to predict metastatic progression. Methods: To ascertain mechanisms underlying enhanced hybrid cell dissemination we identified hybrid cells within primary uveal melanoma tumors using single cell RNA sequencing and evaluated their gene expression and predicted ligand-receptor interactions in relation to other melanoma and immune cells within the primary tumor. We then verified expression of upregulated hybrid pathways within patient-matched tumor and peripheral blood hybrids using cyclic immunofluorescence and quantified their protein expression relative to other non-hybrid tumor and disseminated tumor cells. Results: Among the top upregulated genes and pathways in hybrid cells were those involved in enhanced cell motility and cytoskeletal rearrangement, immune evasion, and altered cellular metabolism. In patient-matched tumor and peripheral blood, we verified gene expression by examining concordant protein expression for each pathway category: TMSB10 (cell motility), CD74 (immune evasion) and GPX1 (metabolism). Both TMSB10 and GPX1 were expressed on significantly higher numbers of disseminated hybrid cells compared to circulating tumor cells, and CD74 and GPX1 were expressed on more disseminated hybrids than tumor-resident hybrids. Lastly, we identified that hybrid cells express ligand-receptor signaling pathways implicated in promoting metastasis including GAS6-AXL, CXCL12-CXCR4, LGALS9-P4HB and IGF1-IGFR1. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of TMSB10, GPX1 and CD74 for successful hybrid cell dissemination and survival in circulation. Our results contribute to the understanding of uveal melanoma tumor progression and interactions between tumor cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment that may promote metastasis.

Analysis of uveal melanoma scRNA sequencing data identifies neoplastic-immune hybrid cells that exhibit metastatic potential.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common non-cutaneous melanoma and is an intraocular malignancy that affects nearly 7,000 individuals per year worldwide. Of these, nearly 50% will progress to metastatic disease for which there are currently no effective therapies. Despite advances in the molecular profiling and metastatic stratification of class 1 and 2 UM tumors, little is known regarding the underlying biology of UM metastasis. Our group has identified a disseminated tumor cell population characterized by co-expression of immune and melanoma proteins, (circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), in patients with UM. Compared to circulating tumor cells, CHCs are detected at an increased prevalence in peripheral blood and can be used as a non-invasive biomarker to predict metastatic progression. To identify mechanisms underlying enhanced hybrid cell dissemination we sought to identify hybrid cells within a primary UM single cell RNA-seq dataset. Using rigorous doublet discrimination approaches, we identified UM hybrids and evaluated their gene expression, predicted ligand-receptor status, and cell-cell communication state in relation to other melanoma and immune cells within the primary tumor. We identified several genes and pathways upregulated in hybrid cells, including those involved in enhancing cell motility and cytoskeleton rearrangement, evading immune detection, and altering cellular metabolism. In addition, we identified that hybrid cells express ligand-receptor signaling pathways implicated in promoting cancer metastasis including IGF1-IGFR1, GAS6-AXL, LGALS9-P4HB, APP-CD74 and CXCL12-CXCR4. These results contribute to our understanding of tumor progression and interactions between tumor cells and immune cells in the UM microenvironment that may promote metastasis.

Comparative effectiveness of multiple different treatment regimens for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are closely related and mutually contribute to the disease's development. There are many treatment options available to patients. We provide a comprehensive overview of the evidence on the treatment effects of several potential interventions for NAFLD with T2DM. METHODS: This systematic review and network meta-analysis included searches of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to June 30, 2023, for randomised controlled trials of treatment of NAFLD with T2DM. We performed Bayesian network meta-analyses to summarise effect estimates of comparisons between interventions. We applied the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) frameworks to rate all comparative outcomes' certainty in effect estimates, categorise interventions, and present the findings. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022342373. RESULTS: Four thousand three hundred and sixty-nine records were retrieved from the database and other methods, of which 24 records were eligible for studies enrolling 1589 participants. Eight clinical indicators and 14 interventions were finally in focus. Referring to the lower surface under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRA) and the league matrix table, exenatide and liraglutide, which are also glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), showed excellent potential to reduce liver fat content, control glycemia, reduce body weight, and improve liver function and insulin resistance. Exenatide was more effective in reducing glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (mean difference (MD) 0.32, 95%CI 0.12 to 0.52), lowering BMI (MD 0.81, 95%CI 0.18 to 1.45), and lowering alanine transaminase (ALT) (MD 10.96, 95%CI 5.27 to 16.66) compared to liraglutide. However, this evidence was assessed as low certainty. Omega-3 was the only intervention that did not have a tendency to lower HbA1c, with standard-treatment (STA-TRE) as reference (MD - 0.17, 95%CI - 0.42 to 0.07). Glimepiride is the only intervention that causes an increase in ALT levels, with standard-treatment (STA-TRE) as reference (MD - 11.72, 95%CI - 17.82 to - 5.57). Based on the available evidence, the treatment effects of pioglitazone, dapagliflozin, and liraglutide have a high degree of confidence. CONCLUSIONS: The high confidence mandates the confident application of these findings as guides for clinical practice. Dapagliflozin and pioglitazone are used for glycaemic control in patients with NAFLD combined with T2DM, and liraglutide is used for weight loss therapy in patients with abdominal obesity. The available evidence does not demonstrate the credibility of the effectiveness of other interventions in reducing liver fat content, visceral fat area, ALT, and insulin resistance. Future studies should focus on the clinical application of GLP-1Ras and the long-term prognosis of patients.

Kidney invasion occurred 2 years following liver transplantation for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The organ most commonly invaded in echinococcosis is the liver; the lungs, brain, kidneys, heart, and spleen are rarely invaded, and multi-organ involvement in echinococcosis is even rarer. No studies have reported renal invasion after liver transplantation for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We report here a case of renal invasion 2 years after allogeneic liver transplantation in a 53-year-old female patient with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis combined with lung metastases. At the time of the first consultation, the lesion had been found to involve the second hepatic hilum combined with lung metastases, but the patient requested conservative treatment, and the lesion was not controlled by taking albendazole for 3 years. After discussion in the treatment group, it was decided to use allogeneic liver transplantation and lung segmental resection for surgical treatment, after which the patient was put on long-term oral immunosuppression. She was hospitalized 2 years later for low back pain and diagnosed with renal alveolar echinococcosis. Due to significant compression and left-sided renal insufficiency, the final option was to remove the diseased kidney. It is worth mentioning that signs of unexplained urinary tract infection were present throughout the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that extra attention should be paid to the presence of cryptogenic lesions in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis who already have definite metastatic lesions. Immunosuppressive drugs after liver transplantation in patients with hepatic echinococcosis may cause occult lesions to develop into active ones. In clinical practice, particular attention should be paid to patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis with long-term concomitant signs of unexplained urinary tract infections, which may be a precursor clinical feature of cryptogenic renal alveolar echinococcosis.

Non-intubated deep paralysis: a new anaesthesia strategy for vocal cord polypectomy.

BACKGROUND: Vocal cord polyp is common otorhinolaryngological disease, traditionally treated by vocal cord polypectomy under a supporting laryngoscope with general anaesthesia. Although it is safe and controllable, it would cause some anaesthesia complications. Moreover, the complex process of general anaesthesia may significantly reduce surgical efficiency. Avoiding these problems remains an important issue. METHODS: All patients were subjected to the standard non-intubated deep paralysis (NIDP) protocol consisting of four phases. An emergency plan was launched when NIDP cannot be implemented successfully. Patient characteristics, blood gas and monitoring data were collected during NIDP. Data concerning satisfaction, complications and duration of anaesthesia and recovery were collected to assess its effectiveness. RESULT: Among 20 enrolled patients, the success rate of NIDP was 95%. Only one patient failed in completing NIDP. Blood gas analysis revealed that the partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide was maintained at safe levels. Monitoring during NIDP revealed fluctuations in mean arterial pressure between 110 and 70 mmHg, and the heart rate was stable at 60-100 beats per minute. The duration of anaesthesia and postoperative recovery were 13.0 ± 2.84 and 5.47 ± 1.97 min, respectively. All patients and surgeons were satisfied with NIDP, and no complications were detected before discharge. CONCLUSION: NIDP can be safely applied to patients and can replace general anaesthesia in vocal cord polypectomy. It can significantly reduce the duration of anaesthesia and postoperative recovery. No anaesthesia complications occurred without intubation, and patients and surgeons were satisfied with NIDP. TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: This single-centre, prospective study was registered on clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04247412) on 30th July 2020.

Association of different central venous pressure levels with outcome of living-donor liver transplantation in children under 12 years.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric liver transplantation is an important modality for treating biliary atresia. The overall survival (OS) rate of pediatric liver transplantation has significantly improved compared with that of 20 years ago, but it is still unsatisfactory. The anesthesia strategy of maintaining low central venous pressure (CVP) has shown a positive effect on prognosis in adult liver transplantation. However, this relationship remains unclear in pediatric liver transplantation. Thus, this study was conducted to review the data of pediatric living-donor liver transplantation to analyze the associations of different CVP levels with the prognosis of recipients. METHODS: This was a retrospective study and the patients were divided into two groups according to CVP levels after abdominal closure: low CVP (LCVP) (≤ 10 cmH2O, n = 470) and high CVP (HCVP) (> 10 cmH2O, n = 242). The primary outcome measured in the study was the overall survival rate. The secondary outcomes included the duration of mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU), length of stay in the ICU, and postoperative stay in the hospital. Patient demographic and perioperative data were collected and compared between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to determine the associations of different CVP levels with the survival rate. RESULTS: In the study, 712 patients, including 470 in the LCVP group and 242 in the HCVP group, were enrolled. After propensity score matching, 212 pairs remained in the group. The LCVP group showed a higher overall survival rate than the HCVP group in the Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox regression analyses (P = 0.018), and the HCVP group had a hazard ratio of 2.445 (95% confidence interval, 1.163-5.140). CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that a low-CVP level at the end of surgery is associated with improved overall survival and a shorter length of hospital stay.

Screening of Antiviral Components of Yinhuapinggan Granule and Protective Effects of Yinhuapinggan Granule on MDCK Cells with Influenza A/H1N1 Virus.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine Yinhuapinggan granule (YHPG) has been used for treating upper respiratory tract infection like influenza, cough, and viral pneumonia. However, its active ingredients that really exert the main efficacy have not been well elucidated. This study is aimed at screening its antiviral components and investigating the potential therapeutic mechanisms of YHPG against the influenza A/PR8/34 (H1N1) virus in Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK). METHODS: MDCK cells were infected with the influenza virus and then treated with ribavirin, YHPG, and main active ingredients in YHPG. Based on the maximum nontoxic concentration (TC0), half-maximal toxic concentration (TC50), half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), and therapeutic index (TI), interferon-ß (IFN-ß) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the gene expression of TLR7, MyD88, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), c-Jun amino terminal kinase (JNK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK), and p65 nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (p65 NF-κB) was quantified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The results indicated that the components of YHPG, such as ephedrine hydrochloride, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, chlorogenic acid, and emodin, had significant antiviral effects. High and medium doses of YHPG effectively reduced the cytopathic effect (CPE) and significantly decreased IFN-ß and IL-6 levels in the supernatant. Simultaneously, the transcript levels of TLR7, MyD88, TRAF6, JNK, p38 MAPK, and p65 NF-κB decreased in infected MDCK cells. Moreover, a certain dose-dependent relationship among different groups of YHPG was observed. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that YHPG and the components of YHPG had a significant inhibitory function on the proliferation of the H1N1 virus. The mechanism might be associated with suppressing the activation of the TLR7/MyD88 signaling pathway, a decrease in the mRNA expression of key target genes, and inhibition of IFN-ß and IL-6 secretion.

Preoperative Chronic Pain as a Risk Factor for Early Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Elderly Patients Undergoing Hip Joint Replacement Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Although major joint replacement surgery has a high overall success rate, postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after anesthesia and surgery, increasing morbidity and mortality. Identifying POCD risk factors would be helpful to prevent and decrease the occurrence of POCD. We hypothesized that preoperative chronic pain increases the risk of POCD. Methods: A single-center, observational, prospective cohort study was conducted from January 2018 to March 2020. All consecutive elderly patients (>65 years) who underwent elective total hip arthroplasty or hemiarthroplasty with general anesthesia by the same surgeon were enrolled. The patients underwent neuropsychological testing preoperatively and at 7 days and 2 months after surgery. To determine POCD, a nonsurgical control group was recruited from the general community. Results: Of the 141 patients who finished the neuropsychological testing 7 days after surgery, 61 (43.2%) had preoperative chronic pain. Of the 61 patients, 17 (27.9%) developed POCD; of the 79 patients with no chronic pain, 10 (12.7%) had developed POCD by 7 days after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified preoperative chronic pain as a risk factor of POCD assessed 7 days after surgery (odds ratio 6.527; P = 0.009). There was no significant difference in the POCD incidence 2 months after surgery between patients with and without preoperative chronic pain. Conclusion: Preoperative chronic pain was a risk factor of developing POCD within 7 days after surgery in elderly patients following hip joint replacement surgery. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT03393676].

Pediatric living donor liver transplantation decade progress in Shanghai: Characteristics and risks factors of mortality.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has become the gold standard for patients with end-stage liver disease. With improvements in organ preservation, immunosuppression, surgical and anesthesia techniques, the survival rates and long-term outcomes of patients after LDLT have significantly improved worldwide. However, data on anesthetic management and postoperative survival rate of pediatric LDLT in China are rare. AIM: To review the status of pediatric LDLT in Shanghai and investigate the factors related to anesthetic management and survival rate in pediatric LDLT. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study to investigate the status of pediatric LDLT in Shanghai by reviewing 544 records of patients who underwent pediatric LDLT since the first operation on October 21, 2006 until August 10, 2016 at Renji Hospital and Huashan Hospital. RESULTS: The 30-d, 90-d, 1-year, and 2-year survival rates were 95.22%, 93.38%, 91.36%, and 89.34%, respectively. The 2-year patient survival rate after January 1, 2011 significantly improved compared with the previous period (74.47% vs 90.74%; hazard ratio: 2.92; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.16-14.14; P = 0.0004). Median duration of mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) was 18 h [interquartile range (IQR), 15.25-20.25], median ICU length of stay was 6 d (IQR: 4.80-9.00), and median postoperative length of stay was 24 d (IQR: 18.00-34.00). Forty-seven (8.60%) of 544 patients did not receive red blood cell transfusion during the operation. CONCLUSION: Pediatric end-stage liver disease (PELD) score, anesthesia duration, operation duration, intraoperative blood loss, and ICU length of stay were independent predictive factors of in-hospital patient survival. Pediatric end-stage liver disease score, operation duration, and ICU length of stay were independent predictive factors of 1-year and 3-year patient survival.

Puerarin Attenuates Diabetic Nephropathy by Promoting Autophagy in Podocytes.

Puerarin, an active compound of radix puerariae, is a major compound used in Chinese herbal medicines to treat patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). In the previous studies, we showed that puerarin exerts renoprotective effects in Streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice through activation of Sirt1 and anti-oxidative effects. Here, we further investigated the underlying mechanism mediating the renal protective effects of puerarin in DN. We studied the effects and mechanism of puerarin in STZ-induced diabetic mice and in cultured immortalized mouse podocytes treated with high glucose. We confirmed that puerarin ameliorated urinary albumin creatinine ratio and kidney injury in STZ-induced DN mice. We found that expression of heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX-1) and Sirt1 was suppressed in diabetic glomeruli but restored by puerarin treatment at both mRNA and protein levels. Additionally, we found that puerarin induced autophagy in the kidney of DN mice. In conditionally immortalized mouse podocytes, puerarin inhibited HG-induced apoptosis and restored the mRNA and protein levels of HMOX-1 and Sirt1. Interestingly, we showed that puerarin decreased liver kinase B1 (LKB1) acetylation, thereby promoting adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase-dependent autophagy. Knockdown of HMOX-1 and Sirt1 expression or treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine abolished the protective effects of puerarin in HG-treated podocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that puerarin protects podocytes from diabetes-induced injury through HMOX1 and Sirt1-mediated upregulation of autophagy, a novel mechanism explaining its renal protective effects in DN.

[Immunologic mechanisms of Yinhua Pinggan granule and San-ao decoction against influenza virus in vivo].

This paper aimed to investigate the effect of Yinhua Pinggan granule and San-ao decoction on the immunologic mechanisms of influenza viral pneumonia mice in vivo, in order to study the activity of the combined administration of different formulas on influenza A/H1N1 virus. The model of pneumonia was established in mice through nasal dropping influenza virus, and then divided randomly into five groups: normal control group, influenza virus model group, oseltamivir control group, Yinhua Pinggan granule group, and San-ao decoction group. The animals were put to death at the 5th day after gavage administration with the corresponding drugs. The contents in mice serum of TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ were respectively measured by ELISA. The mRNA expressions of TLR3/7, MyD88, JNK, p38MAPK and NF-κB p65 in lung tissues were respectively detected by RT-PCR. The protein expressions of JNK, p38MAPK and NF-κB p65 in lung tissues were determined by immunohistochemical analysis, respectively. According to the results, Yinhua Pinggan granule and San-ao decoction could significantly decrease the levels of TNF-α and IL-6, increase the level of IFN-γ in mice serum of lung tissues, significantly reduce the gene expressions of TLR3/7, MyD88, JNK, p38MAPK and NF-κB p65 in influenza virus-infected mice lung tissues, and significantly reduce the protein expressions of JNK, p38MAPK and NF-κB p65 in lung tissues. Furthermore, the regulatory effect of Yinhua Pinggan granule was superior to that of San-ao decoction. In conclusion, Yinhua Pingan granule and San-ao decoction have the therapeutic effect on pneumonia mice infected by H1N1 virus in vivo. The anti-influenza mechanisms of Yinhua Pinggan granule and San-ao decoction may be the results of interactions by regulating the immunologic function of influenza virus-infected mice and TLR3/7 signaling pathway with multiple links of the gene and protein expressions. Moreover, the combined administration of warm-natured and cold-natured Yinhua Pinggan granule with the effects of detoxification and exhalation has a better effect than the single administration of warm-natured San-ao decoction.

[Study on the application of empirical mode decomposition to noninvasive hemoglobin measurement by NIRS].

To increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of human near infrared (NIR) spectra, so as to improve the stability and precision of calibration model, the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method was applied. Eighty-one fingertip absorption curves were collected, with the corresponding clinical examination results obtained immediately. By means of outliers detection and removal, finally 78 samples were determined as the research objects. A three-layer back-propagation artificial neutron network (BP-ANN) model was established and worked for prediction. The results turned out that, through EMD method, the prediction correlation coefficient increased greatly from 0.74 to 0.87. RMSEP was reduced from 12.85 to 8.08 g x L(-1). Other indexes were also obviously improved. The overall results sufficiently demonstrate that it is feasible to use EMD method forhigh SNR pulse wave signals, thus improving the performance of noninvasive hemoglobin calibration models. The application of EMD method can help promote the development of noninvasive hemoglobin monitoring technology.

A novel method for informative frame selection in wireless capsule endoscopy video.

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has been validated to be an important tool in the evaluation of gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Compared with traditional endoscope technologies, its non-invasiveness property meets with great favor of patients. However, from physician's point of view, WCE video suffers from low resolution, limited illumination, irregular movement, more importantly, imbalanced rate of abnormality which brings a lot of challenges for diagnosis. These challenges motivate us to devise an approach to guide the physicians to focus on the informative frames which could be convenient for review of the content of the GI tract. This paper presents a novel approach for automatic selection of the WCE video frames with lumen and coherent motility. We adopt lumen detection based on mean shift to provide robust and reliable selection of lumen. Together with the evaluation of coherent motility, we can provide a full and fast approach to select the informative frames for diagnosis. The experiments on real date are presented to show the performance of our proposed method.

3D reconstruction of wireless capsule endoscopy images.

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has been gradually applied for inspecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, WCE can only provide monocular view. Moreover, only a small part of GI wall is visible frame by frame due to the limited illumination and irregular motion of the capsule endoscope. The perception of entire GI structure could be hard even for the experienced endoscopists. A realistic friendly three dimension view is needed to help the physicians to get a better perception of the GI tract. In this paper, we present a method to reconstruct the three dimension surface of the intestinal wall by applying the SIFT feature detector and descriptor to a sequence of WCE images. Epipolar geometry is employed to further constrain the matching feature points in order to obtain a more accurate 3D view. The experiments on real data are presented to show the performance of our proposed method.