[Efficacy of stellate ganglion block in perioperative period of patients with chronic sinusitis and hypertension].

Objective: To observe the perioperative efficacy of stellate ganglion block (SGB) in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in chronic sinusitis patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 60 patients with chronic sinusitis complicated with hypertension who were scheduled to undergo FESS in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from April 2018 to December 2019 were selected and divided into SGB group and control group by random number table method. SGB were performed at 24 hours before surgery and induction of general anesthesia alternately, while the control group was not treated. During the operation, controlled hypotension were performed in both groups. Hemodynamic parameters such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at 24 hours before surgery(T(0)), before anesthesia induction (T(1)), at the beginning of surgery (T(2)), at the end of surgery (T(3)), and at 24 hours after surgery(T(4)).Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured at T(0), T(1), T(3) and T(4). The dosage of anesthesia and other drugs, operative time, bleeding amount and extubation time were recorded, while the quality of the operative field was evaluated. VAS scores were assessed at 1, 6 and 24 hours after surgery. Results: In the SGB group, SBP, DBP and MAP in T(1), T(2), T(3), T(4) and HR in T(1), T(4) were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with T(0), SBP, DBP, MAP and HR in T(1), T(2), T(3), T(4) all decreased in SGB group (all P<0.05); In the control group, SBP, DBP and MAP only decreased in T(2) and T(3), and HR fluctuated significantly (P<0.05). In the SGB group, plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations at T(1), T(3) and T(4) were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with T(0), plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations in the SGB group fluctuated in positive and negative phases, while those in the control group increased (P<0.05). The pain scores in SGB group at 6 and 24 hours after surgery were 1.3±0.7 and 2.6±0.9, which were lower than 1.7±0.7 and 3.1±0.9 in the control group (t=-2.290, -2.050, all P<0.05). Conclusion: SGB may effectively improve hemodynamics, maintain homeostasis, reduce anesthesia and surgical complications in patients with chronic sinusitis and hypertension in perioperative period.

[Expression and significance of Nek2B and ß-catenin in triple negative breast cancer].

Objective: To investigate the expression and significance of Nek2B and ß-catenin expression in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) at molecule levels. Methods: By using the methods of bioinformatics [GEO2R online tool, gene ontology (GO) function analysis, KEGG biological pathway enrichment analysis], the differentially expressed genes were screened from TNBC microarray data.Expression levels of Nek2B and ß-catenin TNBC cell lines were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR.From January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2012, eighty cases of TNBC were collected from the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. The expression of Nek2B in TNBC tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry and tissue microarray, and the relationship between Nek2B and clinical pathological characteristics of TNBC was analyzed. Results: Through bioinformatics analysis of the cDNA chip sets of 2 TNBC tumors(GSE38959,GSE27447), 998 differentially expressed genes were obtained in the initial screening, and 13 differentially expressed genes were revealed after intersection. The results of biological pathway analysis showed that the common differential expression genes were closely related to Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, among which Nek2 expression showed the greatest difference and was associated with poor prognosis. Expression intensity of Nek2B and repeated ß-catenin in the same TNBC cell line was consistent.The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the high expression of Nek2B was related to the high histological stage (G3;84.3% vs.37.9%, P<0.001), lymph node metastasis group (76.7% vs.54.1%, P=0.032), high Ki-67 positive index group (78.6% vs.52.6%, P=0.007) and ß-catenin positive expression group (72.5% vs.27.3%, P=0.018). Conclusions: The high level of Nek2B expression is related to a poor prognosis in TNBC patients. In TNBC tissues and cells, the expression of Nek2B is correlated with ß-catenin, suggesting that Nek2B may affect the occurrence and development of TNBC by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin patients signaling pathway.

[Analysis of risk factors associated central venous catheter-related thrombosis in patients undergoing abdominal operation].

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of catheter-related right jugular venous thrombosis in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Methods: A total of 125 patients (18-90 years, ASA Ⅰ-Ⅲ) scheduled for abdominal surgery underwent right internal jugular in our study. Ultrasound-guided central venous catheterization were carried out before surgery and Doppler ultrasound examination were conducted daily postoperatively until the catheter was removed. The patients were divided into thrombosis positive or negative group based on the Doppler ultrasound examinations. General clinical data of all patients including name, gender, age, BMI, preoperative Caprini score, bleeding, duration of operation and anesthesia, were also collected. D-dimer test was performed on the third postoperative day. Results: Of the 125 patients, 16(12.8%) were found to have catheter-related right internal jugular vein thrombosis. There were 16 cases (9 males and 7 females) in the thrombosis positive group, with an average age of (73±7) years old, body mass index (22.8±2.9) kg/m(2), and preoperative Caprini score (6.1±1.4).In the thrombosis negative group,among whom 72 were men and 37 were women. The average age of these patients was (66±11) years old, BMI was (22.6±2.9)kg/m(2), and preoperative Caprini score was (5.9±1.3).There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding age, gender, BMI, preoperative Caprini score (P>0.05).The average operating time, anesthesia time, bleeding amount and D-dimer level on the third postoperative day were (189±46) min, (211±59) min, (288±96) ml,(3.4±1.6) mg/L in thethrombosis positive group, and (139±39) min, (171±46) min, (175±114) ml,(2.0±0.9) mg/L in the thrombosis negative group, respectively. Duration of surgery, bleeding amount and D-dimer level on the third postoperative day significantly affected the occurrence of catheter-related right internal jugular venous thrombosis (U=10.768, 359.000, 390.000, P<0.05), but no statistically significant differences in anesthesia time between the two groups.Logistic regression analysis screened out duration of surgery, bleeding amount and D-dimer level on the third postoperative day as risk factors for catheter-related right jugular venous thrombosis(OR=10.037, 1.011, 3.274, P<0.05). Conclusion: The high incidence of catheter-related right jugular venous thrombosis in patients undergoing abdominal surgery is closely related to intraoperative blood loss, operation time, D-dimer level on the third postoperative day and other factors.

Breeding of new Rehmannia glutinosa variety.

Huaidi 81, a new variety of Rehmannia glutinosa with excellent comprehensive characters, was screened by space mutation of hybrid seeds of 85-5 and Beijing No.1. The fresh weight, index composition, resistance, chlorophyll, anthocyanin and photosynthetic characteristics of Huaidi 81 and the main cultivars were determined. The results showed that: the per plant fresh weight of Rehmannia ranked in the order as follows: Huaidi 81 > 85-5 > Golden Nine >Huaifeng >Qinhuai>Beijing No.3, there was extremely significant difference between Huaidi 81 and others. The catalpol content ranked in the following order: Beijing No.3 (1.601%)> Qinhuai (1.588%)> Huaidi 81 (1.314%)> Golden Nine > 85-5 (1.073%)> Huaifeng (0.924%). There was no significant difference between Huaidi 81 and Golden Nine, but extremely significant difference between was found in Huaidi 81 and other varieties; The acteoside content ranked in the following following order: Huaidi 81 (0.096%) > Qin Huai (0.069%) >85-5 (0.047%) > Beijing No.3 (0.035%) > Huaifeng (0.023%) > Golden Nine (0.022%). There was significant difference between Huaidi 81 and other varieties. Huaidi 81 showed high resistance to Septoris digitalis Pass and middle resistance against leaf ring rot, which indicated that Huaidi 81 had good resistance to leaf diseases. Huaidi 81 with highest chlorophyll content and moderate anthocyanin content showed the highest photosynthetic rate. All these results indicated that the new variety Huaidi 81 with best comprehensive properties was suitable for popularizing as a new Rehmannia glutinosa variety.

The prognostic relevance of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and PCNA/VEGF expression in patients with Wilms' tumour.

BACKGROUND: Wilms' tumour is the most frequent renal tumour in children. Based on the SIOP strategy, children with Wilms' tumour may benefit from preoperative chemotherapy, but few publications address the effect of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on patients with Wilms' tumours. The aims of this study were to investigate the prognostic relevance of preoperative TACE followed by tumour resection, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in patients with Wilms' tumours. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two therapeutic strategies including tumour resection only and TACE, followed by tumour resection were conducted in a cohort of 44 patients with Wilms' tumours. Clinical and follow-up data was analysed. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to explore PCNA and VEGF expression in the Wilms' tumour. RESULTS: Two years tumour-free survival of the patients in the TACE group was significantly higher than that of the patients in the control group (P < 0.001) and recurrence and cases of death within one year in the TACE group was markedly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001). Fifty-five percent of patients in the control group were PCNA-positive vs. 4.17% of patients in the TACE group (P < 0.001). Fifty percent of patients in the control group were VEGF-positive vs. 29.17% of patients in the TACE group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with Wilms' tumours benefited from preoperative TACE treatment. PCNA expression was significantly lower in patients in the TACE group than those in the control group. There was no significant difference on VEGF expression between the patients in TACE and control groups.

neurogenin2 elicits the genesis of retinal neurons from cultures of nonneural cells.

neurogenin2 (ngn2) encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor and plays an important role in neurogenesis from migratory neural crest cells. Its role in retinal development is poorly understood. We observed that in the developing chick retina, ngn2 was expressed in a subpopulation of proliferating progenitor cells. Ectopic expression of ngn2 in nonneural, retinal pigment epithelial cell culture triggered de novo generation of cells that expressed neural-specific markers and exhibited neuronal morphologies. Further molecular and morphological analyses showed that the main products of the induced neurogenesis were cells resembling young photoreceptor cells and cells resembling retinal ganglion cells. The generation of multiple cell types suggests that ngn2 induces various retinal pathways. Thus, unlike in the peripheral nervous system where ngn2 specifies one type of sensory neuron, ngn2 in the retina is likely involved in a common step leading to different cellular pathways. Our finding that ngn2 can instruct nonneural retinal pigment epithelial cells to differentiate toward retinal neurons demonstrates one possible way to induce de novo retinal neurogenesis.

[Determination of micro-elements in natural spirulina using FAAS].

The analytic results show that the spirulina powder have a plenty of microelements(K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn). Compared with that of rice, wheat flour, maize and soybean, the content of K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe and Zn of it is respectively as from 4 to 10 times, from 10 to 80 times, from 25 to 70 times, from 3 to 15 times, from 4 to 36 times and from 4 to 24 times as theirs. The content of microelements of it compared with vegetable is much higher. The spirulina has a certain inhibition from cancer, high blood pressure, sugar diabetes and hasten body to absorb Se and Mo, and is of benefit to cardiac muscle. The experimental result indicated that spirulina was good health care food with value of nourish and medicinal.

Can superoxide dismutase prevent postburn dermal ischemia?

Decreasing progressive dermal ischemia after burning could theoretically limit the amount of skin necrosis. It is controversial whether the use of free radical scavengers could prevent the progressive dermal ischemia of the postburn stasis zone. We evaluated the effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) on preventing postburn dermal ischemia in animal models by the India ink perfusion and skin transparent preparation techniques. The closely clipped backs of guinea-pigs were bathed in 75 degrees C water for 10 s. Within 5 min postburn, SOD-treated groups were administered SOD (10,000 u/kg) intra-peritoneally every 6 h. All animals were perfused with 70 per cent India ink via cervical artery cannula by 16 kPa constant pressure at 0, 8, 16, 24 h postburn, and the skin transparent preparations were made, while the level of malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) in skin tissue was assessed. The results showed that with prolongation of postburn time, the rate of filling of India ink in skin capillary plexuses decreased gradually (p < 0.01). MDA increased continuously, which was related to postburn dermal ischemia (r = 0.689, p < 0.01). Though the level of MDA decreased in SOD-treated groups, the India ink filling rates showed no significant difference between controls and experimental groups (p > 0.05). The results were also confirmed by observation of skin transparent preparations and TEM. This study suggests that superoxide dismutase fails to prevent progressive dermal ischemia after burning.

Reversed-phase ion-pair high performance liquid chromatographic determination of Co(III)-, Ni(II)-, V(V)- and Fe(III)-2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-5-(3-sulforpropyl)aminophenol chelates.

The separation and determination of Co(III), Ni(II), V(V) and Fe(III) chelates with 2-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-5-(3-sulfopropyl)aminophenol (BTASPAP) by reversed-phase ion-pair HPLC was investigated. In the presence of the oxidant potassium iodate, BTASPAP reacts with Co(III), Ni(II), V(V) and Fe(III) to form stable, negatively charged, water-soluble chelates. The chelates were separated on a C(18) siloxane bonded phase and eluted within 7 min with acetonitrile-acetate-water (36:1:63 v/v) containing 0.2 mol 1(-1) acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer (pH 3.0) and 1.0 mmol 1(-1) tetrabutylammonium bromide. The detection limits of Co(III), Ni(II), V(V) and Fe(III) at 565 nm are 0.3, 0.8, 0.3 and 1.0 ng (signal-to-noise ratio = 2), respectively. The method was applied to the determination of Co, Ni, V and Fe in four samples of standard alloys.

[Cytologic diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma by transrectal prostatic aspiration biopsy].

Since October 1982, 500 cases of transrectal fine needle aspiration biopsy have been done. Among them, 486 cases (97.2%) got prostate epithelium enough for diagnosis but 14 cases (2.8%) failed. The cytologic results showed prostatic cancer in 100 cases (20.5%), bladder cancer with metastasis to prostate in 7 cases (1.4%), suspicious cancer in 4 cases (0.82%), hyperplasia of prostate 251 cases (51.64%), normal prostate 104 cases (21.3%), tuberculosis one case (0.2%), lithiasis one case (0.2%), purulent prostatitis 4 cases (0.82%), granulomatous prostatitis 6 cases (1.23%), and insufficient epithelium for diagnosis in 8 cases (1.64%). In this series, there were one false positive and two false negative by Franzen's technique. Among 41 cases received further treatment, 35 prostate specimen were available for regular pathological study. The consistent rate between pathological and cytologic diagnosis was 85.4%. In a word, transrectal prostatic aspiration is an outstanding safe and practical method for the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

[Immunohistochemical detection of prostate carcinoma].

Both prostate specific acid phosphatase (PAP) and prostate specific anti-body (PSA) were used as the specific markers for detecting prostate cancer and its metastasis, and this was considered as the most efficient technique for detecting metastatic lesions associated with an occult carcinoma in the prostate. Altogether 44 cases were studied, including 23 cases of prostatic carcinoma, 3 cases of metastatic tumors and 18 cases of benign hypertrophy of prostate (including 4 cases with local carcinoma). Analysis of 27 cases revealed that PSA seemed more sensitive than PAP, as 17 cases of prostatic carcinoma showed positive reaction with PSA, while among them, only 3 showed negative reaction with PAP. Most of the well differentiated glandular type prostatic carcinoma showed strong positive reaction. However, the poorly differentiated solid carcinoma only showed mild positive reaction. All of the controls as well as bladder and kidney cancers showed negative reaction with either PAP or PSA.

[Prostatic carcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors--a case report].

This paper reports a rare primary prostatic adenocarcinoid tumor confirmed by electron microscopy as well as immunohistochemical method including prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase. Electron microscopy showed the presence of neuroendocrine granules in the cytoplasm of some tumor cells and the latter method ruled out the possibility of secondary tumor from other organs. It is noted that prostatic adenocarcinoid tumor is one of the diffuse neuroendocrine system tumors. Although the histogenesis of these tumors is not entirely clear, it is believed to be of multiple origins, and may transform through metaplasia into neoplasm.

[Establishment of human glioma cell line--nude mice solid tumor model NHG-1 and its characteristics].

Establishment and its characteristics of a nude mice solid tumor model NHG-1 from human glioma cell line are reported. 5-8 week old NC nude mice of both sexes and SHG-44 cell line used in this experiment were from our laboratory. The initial successful transplantation rate was 7/11 (64%) and that of 30 passages in the subsequent 4 years was 100%. After subcutaneous inoculation, growth curve showed a latent period in week 1-2, slow growing period in week 3-4, rapid growing period in week 5-6 and a final plateau period in week 7. The doubling time was 7 days and cell cycle time was 2.5 days. The cells in G1, S and G2M phases comprised 56%, 27% and 17%, respectively. The survival time of the host was 54 +/- 15 days. The tumor tissues showed a tendency towards invading the surrounding soft tissues. By morphological observation with light and electron microscopes, LDH isozyme assay, PAP immuno-histochemistry labelling GFAP and chromosome analysis, it is confirmed that the transplantable tumor possesses the characteristics of human malignant glioma. The estrogen receptor in the transplantable tumors demonstrated by cytochemical assay indicates that the glioma carcinogenesis is related to endocrine factor of the host. The therapeutic effects of anticancer drugs, such as ACNU, BCNU and 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid from the royal jelly on NHG-1 model are evaluated.