Clinical study on single-port endoscopic resection via a gasless transaxillary approach in the treatment of breast fibroadenoma in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Breast fibroadenoma is the most common benign breast tumour. This study aimed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of endoscopic-assisted resection via a gas-less transaxillary single-port approach for breast fibroadenoma in adolescent patients, compared with a traditional approach. METHODS: The clinical data of 83 patients with breast fibroadenoma treated in our hospital from October 2019 to October 2021 were collected for retrospective analysis. These patients were divided into an endoscopic-assisted surgery (ES) group (n = 39) and a traditional open surgery (OS) group (n = 44) according to the surgical approach. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, postoperative complications, and patient satisfaction were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The surgical cost was (5.1 ± 0.6) thousand Yuan [(0.7 ± 0.1) thousand US dollars] in the ES group and (3.5 ± 2.7) thousand Yuan [(0.5 ± 0.4) thousand US dollars] in the OS group, showing a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, or the rate of postoperative complications between the two groups. Stratified analysis revealed that the ES group had a significantly shorter operative time [(57.00 ± 10.26) min vs. (78.27 ± 7.63)] (p < 0.001), a smaller incision length [(3.73 ± 0.34) cm vs. (4.42 ± 0.44) cm] (p < 0.001), and a lower complication incidence rate (11.1% vs. 63.6) (p = 0.011) than the OS group in the cases with a nodule number ≥ 3. The satisfaction score using the BREAST-Q scale indicated that psychosocial well-being and patient satisfaction with the breast in the ES group were significantly superior to those in the OS group [(91.18 ± 3.12) points vs. (87.00 ± 4.45) points and (91.03 ± 6.80) points vs. (84.45 ± 6.06) points, respectively] (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: ES is a safe and effective method for the treatment of fibroadenoma. In patients with multiple fibroadenomas (≥ 3 tumours), ES has a shorter operative time and fewer postoperative complications. ES demonstrates a significant, prominent advantage in cosmetic appearance. However, it should be noted that ES is associated with higher costs than OS.

Topological polarization singular lasing with highly efficient radiation channel.

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) in photonic crystals describe the originally leaky Bloch modes that can become bounded when their radiation fields carry topological polarization singularities. However, topological polarization singularities do not carry energy to far field, which limits radiation efficiencies of BICs for light emitting applications. Here, we demonstrate a topological polarization singular laser which has a topological polarization singular channel in the second Brillouin zone and a paired linearly polarized radiation channel in the first Brillouin zone. The presence of the singular channel enables the lasing mode with a higher quality factor than other modes for single mode lasing. In the meanwhile, the presence of the radiation channel secures the lasing mode with high radiation efficiency. The demonstrated topological polarization singular laser operates at room temperature with an external quantum efficiency exceeding 24%. Our work presents a new paradigm in eigenmode engineering for mode selection, exotic field manipulation and lasing.

Toxic Effects and Mechanisms of Silver and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Zebrafish Embryos in Aquatic Ecosystems.

The global application of engineered nanomaterials and nanoparticles (ENPs) in commercial products, industry, and medical fields has raised some concerns about their safety. These nanoparticles may gain access into rivers and marine environments through industrial or household wastewater discharge and thereby affect the ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on zebrafish embryos in aquatic environments. We aimed to characterize the AgNP and ZnONP aggregates in natural waters, such as lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, and to determine whether they are toxic to developing zebrafish embryos. Different toxic effects and mechanisms were investigated by measuring the survival rate, hatching rate, body length, reactive oxidative stress (ROS) level, apoptosis, and autophagy. Spiking AgNPs or ZnONPs into natural water samples led to significant acute toxicity to zebrafish embryos, whereas the level of acute toxicity was relatively low when compared to Milli-Q (MQ) water, indicating the interaction and transformation of AgNPs or ZnONPs with complex components in a water environment that led to reduced toxicity. ZnONPs, but not AgNPs, triggered a significant delay of embryo hatching. Zebrafish embryos exposed to filtered natural water spiked with AgNPs or ZnONPs exhibited increased ROS levels, apoptosis, and lysosomal activity, an indicator of autophagy. Since autophagy is considered as an early indicator of ENP interactions with cells and has been recognized as an important mechanism of ENP-induced toxicity, developing a transgenic zebrafish system to detect ENP-induced autophagy may be an ideal strategy for predicting possible ecotoxicity that can be applied in the future for the risk assessment of ENPs.

Circular RNA DHX33 promotes malignant behavior in ccRCC by targeting miR-489-3p/MEK1 axis.

Mounting evidence indicates that circular RNAs modulate the initiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, their specific roles in the malignancy of ccRCC is understudied. Here, we present a novel circular RNA, circDHX33, that is up-regulated in ccRCC cell lines and tissues. Upregulated circDHX33 in ccRCC patients significantly correlates with advanced TNM stage and metastasis. Suppressing circDHX33 expression inhibits the proliferation and invasion of cultured cells, and suppresses tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we show that circDHX33 promotes ccRCC progression by sponging miR-489-3p and modulating MEK1 expression. In conclusion, our findings suggest that circDHX33 plays a role in promoting ccRCC via the miR-489-3p/MEK1 axis and may serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ccRCC patients.

Apparent diffusion coefficient-based histogram analysis differentiates histological subtypes of periampullary adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: For periampullary adenocarcinoma, the histological subtype is a better prognostic predictor than the site of tumor origin. Intestinal-type periampullary adenocarcinoma (IPAC) is reported to have a better prognosis than the pan-creatobiliary-type periampullary adenocarcinoma (PPAC). However, the classification of histological subtypes is difficult to determine before surgery. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis is a noninvasive, non-enhanced method with high reproducibility that could help differentiate the two subtypes. AIM: To investigate whether volumetric ADC histogram analysis is helpful for distinguishing IPAC from PPAC. METHODS: Between January 2015 and October 2018, 476 consecutive patients who were suspected of having a periampullary tumor and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were reviewed in this retrospective study. Only patients who underwent MRI at 3.0 T with different diffusion-weighted images (b-values = 800 and 1000 s/mm2) and who were confirmed with a periampullary adenocarcinoma were further analyzed. Then, the mean, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles of ADC values and ADCmin, ADCmax, kurtosis, skewness, and entropy were obtained from the volumetric histogram analysis. Comparisons were made by an independent Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Multiple-class receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine and compare the diagnostic value of each significant parameter. RESULTS: In total, 40 patients with histopathologically confirmed IPAC (n = 17) or PPAC (n = 23) were enrolled. The mean, 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles and ADCmax derived from ADC1000 were significantly lower in the PPAC group than in the IPAC group (P < 0.05). However, values derived from ADC800 showed no significant difference between the two groups. The 75th percentile of ADC1000 values achieved the highest area under the curve (AUC) for differentiating IPAC from PPAC (AUC = 0.781; sensitivity, 91%; specificity, 59%; cut-off value, 1.50 × 10-3 mm2/s). CONCLUSION: Volumetric ADC histogram analysis at a b-value of 1000 s/mm2 might be helpful for differentiating the histological subtypes of periampullary adenocarcinoma before surgery.

Characteristics of clinical studies of summer acupoint herbal patching: a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Summer acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) has been widely used in China for thousands of years. This bibliometric analysis aims to provide a comprehensive review of the characteristics of clinical studies on SAHP for any condition. METHODS: We included clinical studies such as randomized clinical trials (RCTs), controlled clinical studies (CCTs), case series (CSs), case reports (CRs), and cross-sectional studies on SAHP for any condition. Six databases were searched from date of inception to March 2015. Bibliometric information and study details such as study type, characteristics of participants, details of the intervention and comparison, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 937 clinical studies were identified and which were published between 1977 and 2015. This included 404 RCTs, 52 CCTs, 458 CSs, 19 CRs and 4 cross-sectional studies and involved 232,138 participants aged 2 to 90 years from two countries. Almost all studies were from China (936, 99.89%). The five conditions most commonly treated by SAHP were asthma (401, 42.80%), chronic bronchitis (146, 15.58%), allergic rhinitis (117, 12.49%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (73, 7.79%), and recurrent respiratory tract infection (42, 4.48%). Among 502 controlled studies, the majority compared SAHP alone with different controls (16 categories, 275 comparisons). The most commonly used controls were western medicine, placebo, traditional Chinese medicine, no treatment and non-pharmaceutical traditional Chinese therapies. Composite outcome measures were the most frequently reported outcome (512, 69.19%). CONCLUSION: A substantial amount of research on SAHP has been published in China and which predominantly focuses on respiratory conditions. The findings from this study can be used to inform further research by highlighting areas of greatest impact for SAHP.

Fabrication and photoresponse of ZnO nanowires/CuO coaxial heterojunction.

The fabrication and properties of n-ZnO nanowires/p-CuO coaxial heterojunction (CH) with a photoresist (PR) blocking layer are reported. In our study, c-plane wurtzite ZnO nanowires were grown by aqueous chemical method, and monoclinic CuO (111) was then coated on the ZnO nanowires by electrochemical deposition to form CH. To improve the device performance, a PR layer was inserted between the ZnO buffer layer and the CuO film to serve as a blocking layer to block the leakage current. Structural investigations of the CH indicate that the sample has good crystalline quality. It was found that our refined structure possesses a better rectifying ratio and smaller reverse leakage current. As there is a large on/off ratio between light on and off and the major light response is centered at around 424 nm, the experimental results suggest that the PR-inserted ZnO/CuO CH can be used as a good narrow-band blue light detector.

Nitrogen-doped graphene sheets grown by chemical vapor deposition: synthesis and influence of nitrogen impurities on carrier transport.

A significant advance toward achieving practical applications of graphene as a two-dimensional material in nanoelectronics would be provided by successful synthesis of both n-type and p-type doped graphene. However, reliable doping and a thorough understanding of carrier transport in the presence of charged impurities governed by ionized donors or acceptors in the graphene lattice are still lacking. Here we report experimental realization of few-layer nitrogen-doped (N-doped) graphene sheets by chemical vapor deposition of organic molecule 1,3,5-triazine on Cu metal catalyst. When reducing the growth temperature, the atomic percentage of nitrogen doping is raised from 2.1% to 5.6%. With increasing doping concentration, N-doped graphene sheet exhibits a crossover from p-type to n-type behavior accompanied by a strong enhancement of electron-hole transport asymmetry, manifesting the influence of incorporated nitrogen impurities. In addition, by analyzing the data of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical measurements, we show that pyridinic and pyrrolic N impurities play an important role in determining the transport behavior of carriers in our N-doped graphene sheets.

Growth and characterization of ZnO/ZnTe core/shell nanowire arrays on transparent conducting oxide glass substrates.

We report the growth and characterization of ZnO/ZnTe core/shell nanowire arrays on indium tin oxide. Coating of the ZnTe layer on well-aligned vertical ZnO nanowires has been demonstrated by scanning electron microscope, tunneling electron microscope, X-ray diffraction pattern, photoluminescence, and transmission studies. The ZnO/ZnTe core/shell nanowire arrays were then used as the active layer and carrier transport medium to fabricate a photovoltaic device. The enhanced photocurrent and faster response observed in ZnO/ZnTe, together with the quenching of the UV emission in the PL spectra, indicate that carrier separation in this structure plays an important role in determining their optical response. The results also indicate that core/shell structures can be made into useful photovoltaic devices.

Association of Ala589Ser polymorphism of WNK4 gene with essential hypertension in a high-risk Chinese population.

Recent studies on the association between particular single nucleotide polymorphisms of serine-threonine kinase with no lysine (K) 4 gene (WNK4) and essential hypertension have yielded controversial results. Here, frequencies of Ala589Ser polymorphism within exon 8 of the WNK4 gene were assessed among 259 unrelated ethnic Chinese patients with essential hypertension and 235 strictly matched normotensive controls. All subjects were derived from a relatively isolated population identified in the Kerqin desert region in Zhangwu county of Liaoning, northeastern China, which features a dry climate and the people having a high dietary salt intake, in addition to a significantly higher prevalence (approximately 35%) of essential hypertension. Genotypes were verified with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and confirmed by direct sequencing. Expression pattern and regulatory mechanisms of the WNK4 gene were also explored using Northern blotting and in vitro hormone stimulation assays. Strong associations between the Ala589Ser polymorphism and both raised systolic and diastolic blood pressures were identified. In addition to the kidneys, WNK4 gene expression was also found in many other organs. Several cis-acting elements had been discovered in the promoter region of the gene. As revealed by preliminary experiment, various hormones can down-regulate the expression of WNK4, among which glucocorticoid hormone seems to act in a dose-dependent manner. The WNK4 gene probably plays an important role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. As a missense mutation, the Ala589Ser polymorphism may bring changes to the enzyme's function(s), resulting in increased susceptibility to the disease.

[Polymorphisms of D17S1878 and D17S932 on the Chromosome 17 and risk of essential hypertension.].

OBJECTIVES: To identify the possible relationship between polymorphisms of D17S1878 and D17S932 on the Chromosome 17 and risk of essential hypertension (EH). METHODS: The polymorphisms of D17S1878 and D17S932 were genotyped using Genetic Analyzer in 325 subjects from 67 Chinese families with EH in Liaoning province. The polymorphisms of D17S1878 and D17S932 sites were genotyped using Genetic Analyzer and GeneScan Software; PHASE2.1 Software was used in hyplotype analysis and affected sib pair analysis was used in linkage analysis. RESULTS: 61 hyplotypes were found in the study population with 272 hypertensive and 53 normotensive subjects and the frequency of haplotype H1 [(CA)(18)/(CA)(11)] in the hypertensive (15.4%) was significantly higher than that in the normotensive (6.3%, P < 0.05). Affected sib pair analysis could be applied in 180 subjects, the t values of the D17S1878 and D17S932 were 1.88 and 3.95, respectively (both P < 0.05) suggesting that the transitivity and consistency of the D17S1878 and D17S932 in sib pairs from the pedigrees were higher than expected (25%). CONCLUSION: The polymorphisms of D17S1878 and D17S932 were possibly linked with predisposing genes of essential hypertension.

[Research on the expression of cancer associated gene in the intracranial tumors].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the function significance and application value of cancer associated gene (CAGE) in the pathogenesis of intracranial tumors. METHODS: Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of CAGE gene in 17 normal tissues, 35 meningioma cases and 63 glioma cases. RESULTS: The CAGE gene was expressing in none of the normal tissues except testis, but in 4 meningioma (11.3%) and 57 glioma cases(90.5%). The expression of CAGE gene showed significant difference between the meningioma and glioma (P<0.001). The amount of CAGE mRNA was 0.5 +/- 0.11, 0.86 +/- 0.23, 1.85 +/- 0.37 or 2.7 +/- 0.46 times of the internal control one in glioma grade I, II, or IV respectively. The expression of CAGE gene increased with the pathological grade(r=0.82). CONCLUSION: The CAGE plays important role in the pathogenesis of glioma, and may act as the tumor specific antigen for glioma.

[Linkage analysis of the polymorphism at D17S1878 site with essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the linkage of the polymorphism at D17S1878 site with susceptible gene of essential hypertension. METHODS: Forty-five pedigrees from the high prevalence region of the hypertension were collected. The polymorphism of D17S1878 site was genotyped with genetic analyzer and gene-scan software. Discordant sib pair analysis and affected sib pair analysis were used in linkage analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the age, male, alcohol-consuming, over-salt intake, average systolic pressure, average diastolic pressure, waist-to-hip-ratio, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and low density lipoprotein between the hypertensive sib and the normotensive sib (P < 0.05). There were eleven alleles at D17S1878 site, and the allele frequency was significantly different between the hypertensive and normotensive sibs (P < 0.05). Forty-three pedigrees were analyzed with affected sib pair analysis (t = 3.05, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The polymorphism of D17S1878 may be linked with susceptible genes of essential hypertension.

[Correlation analysis and identification of G421C in regulatory region of CYP4F2 gene with essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between G421C polymorphism in the regulatory region of CYP4F2 gene and essential hypertension and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Totally 196 hypertensive patients (hypertension group) and 219 normotensive subjects (control group) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The promoter activity with different alleles was evaluated by reporter assay. A Myb responsive element was identified using gel retardation assay. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in distribution of genotype and allele frequency of G421C between hypertension group and control group (P < 0.05), and homozygous GG genotype was independently associated with hypertension after adjustment for age, gender, body mass index, and other risk factors (odds ratios 1.87, 95% CI 1.11-3.13, P < 0.05). 421G reporter construct showed decreased promoter activity compared with 421C reporter construct. 421G existed in Myb responsive element, whereas 421C damaged this motif. CONCLUSION: G421C polymorphism in the regulatory region of CYP4F2 gene is correlated with essential hypertension. 421G allele inhibits transcription by binding affinity of Myb responsive element.

[Correlation analysis between WNK4 gene and essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate association of mutation in WNK4 gene with essential hypertension and to analyze the expression of WNK4 gene. METHODS: cSNP in WNK4 gene in a small samples was detected by sequencing, then PCR-RFLP was performed in 98 patients with essential hypertension and 95 control subjects. The expression profile of WNK4 gene was tested by RT-PCR. RESULTS: A cSNP was detected in WNK4 gene exon7 G1662A, and there were significant differences in the distribution of allele frequency of G1662A between essential hypertension group and control group. WNK4 gene were expressed in the tissues of kidney, brain, lung, heart, spleen and intestine of fetus. CONCLUSION: WNK4 gene is well correlated with essential hypertension.