Tumor-derived exosomal microRNA-7-5p enhanced by verbascoside inhibits biological behaviors of glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo.

Verbascoside (VB), a glycosylated phenylpropane compound, has been widely used in traditional medicine showing anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects in many diseases. The current study aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the inhibitor effect of VB on glioblastoma (GBM). We isolated and identified the tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) secreted by GBM cells before and after treatment with VB, after which, we detected expression of microRNA (miR)-7-5p in cells and TEXs by qRT-PCR. Loss- and gain-function assays were conducted to determine the role of miR-7-5p in GBM cells with the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and microtubule formation of GBM cells detected. A subcutaneous tumor model and tumor metastasis model of nude mice were established to validate the in vitro findings. We found that VB promoted the expression of miR-7-5p in GBM and transferred miR-7-5p to recipient GBM cells by exosomal delivery. Consequently, miR-7-5p downregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression to inactivate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, causing inhibition in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and microtubule formation of GBM cells in vitro, as well as decline in tumor formation and metastasis in vivo. Overall, VB can promote the expression of miR-7-5p in GBM cells and transfer miR-7-5p via exosomes, thereby inhibiting the occurrence of GBM.

Image-localized body surface marking for the intraoperative localization of pulmonary ground-glass nodules.

BACKGROUND: The method of locating pulmonary nodules before operation plays a crucial role in the surgery of pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs). However, the methodologies surrounding intraoperative localization remains limited, with the majority procedures requiring specific additional equipment. We report a new approach in locating pulmonary GGNs by image-localized body surface marking intraoperative (IBMI) localization. METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of 76 patients with pulmonary GGNs was performed. All patients underwent IBMI localization between January 2018 and March 2019. Twenty-six patients underwent CT-guided hook wire localization before IBMI localization during surgery. IBMI localization was undertaken directly without pre-treatment in the remaining patients. The efficacy and complications of this approach were analyzed and compared with other pre- or intraoperative localization methods in the current literature. RESULTS: The intraoperative localizations were performed successfully in 72 of all 76 patients pulmonary GGNs within a mean duration of 5.3±1.8 (range, 2.0 to 9.6) minutes. The GGNs in four cases were found to have a significant deviation (>1.5 cm) from the positioning points. All GGNs were successfully resected. Except for five cases of active chest wall bleeding (6.5%), no other intra- or postoperative complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The IBMI localization approach is a safe and short-duration procedure with high success rates and fewer complications. We used it for the first time for intraoperative localization of peripheral GGNs with excellent results.

Thermoresponsive Chitosan/DOPA-Based Hydrogel as an Injectable Therapy Approach for Tissue-Adhesion and Hemostasis.

Chitosan (CS) hydrogels are widely used in wound hemostatic agents due to their superior biocompatibility, biodegradability, and hemostatic effect. However, most of them fail to achieve great hemostatic effect because of poor adhesion to bleeding tissues. Also, the conventional implantation surgery of hemostatic hydrogels to internal bleeding wounds may cause secondary trauma to the human body. In this work, catechol-hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBCS-C) has been designed and prepared by grafting hydroxybutyl groups and catechol groups to the CS backbones. The multifunctional HBCS-C hydrogels are fabricated with the properties of thermosensitivity, injectability, tissue-adhesion, biodegradation, biocompatibility, and wound hemostasis. They exhibit excellent liquid-gel transition at different temperatures, through the changes of hydrophilic-hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonds generating from hydroxybutyl groups. By the multiple interactions between catechol groups/amino groups and tissues, the biocompatible hydrogels can strongly adhere on the surface of tissue. To further study, the bleeding rat-liver models are made to evaluate the hemostatic effects. After injecting the hydrogel precursor solution into the rat body, the hydrogels are not only formed in situ within 30 s but are also firmly adhered to the bleeding tissues which shows effective hemostasis. The injectability and tissue-adhesion improvement in this study gives a new insight into hemostatic agents, and the multifunctional hydrogels have a great potential in the biomedical application.

Clinical effects of tanshinone IIA sodium sulfonate combined with trimetazidine and levocarnitine in the treatment of AVMC and its effects on serum TNF-α, IL-18 and IL-35.

Clinical effects of tanshinone IIA sodium sulfonate combined with trimetazidine and levocarnitine in the treatment of acute viral myocarditis (AVMC) were investigated. Eighty-six patients with AVMC treated in Dongying City People's Hospital from August 2016 to July 2017 were selected and randomly divided into control group (n=43) and observation group (n=43). Patients in control group were treated with tanshinone IIA sodium sulfonate, while those in observation group were treated with trimetazidine and levocarnitine. The curative effect and improvement in clinical symptoms were compared between the two groups of patients, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in patients after treatment. Besides, the changes in levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-35 were detected via ELISA. The total effective rate of treatment in observation group was significantly higher than that in control group (p<0.05). The improvement in clinical symptoms in observation group was significantly superior to that in control group (p<0.05). After treatment, levels of H-FABP, CK-MB and cTnI in observation group were obviously lower than those in control group (p<0.05). At 3, 5 and 7 days after treatment, the levels of TNF-α and IL-18 in both groups of patients were decreased compared with those before treatment, but the level of IL-35 was increased compared with that before treatment, and changes in observation group were more significant than those in control group (p<0.05). Tanshinone IIA sodium sulfonate combined with trimetazidine and levocarnitine has definite curative effects in the treatment of patients with AVMC, which can alleviate myocardial injury with higher safety, and effectively mitigate the inflammatory response in patients, so it is of great clinical significance.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios may aid in identifying patients with non-small cell lung cancer and predicting Tumor-Node-Metastasis stages.

The present study aimed to identify a high-risk population with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to predict TNM stages using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). This retrospective study included preoperative data of 171 patients and 105 controls. Compared with healthy controls, patients with NSCLC had higher levels of NLR and PLR (NLR, 2.719±0.183 vs. 1.813±0.079, P<0.01; PLR, 135.800±4.778 vs. 112.000±5.651, P<0.01, respectively). The associations between Tumor-Node-Metastasis stages and the aforementioned parameters were detected (both P<0.01). NLR and PLR improved the rate of early diagnosis of NSCLC, particularly for stages III and IV with a higher area under curve value (0.752 and 0.759, respectively) compared with stage I and II NSCLC. In addition, PLR with a T stage-dependent increase may be a potential and independent predictive marker for T stage (P<0.05); the NLR exhibited an N stage-dependent increase (except for stage N3) and was identified as a marker for N stage (P<0.0001). It was subsequently concluded that NLR and PLR are useful biomarkers in the early diagnosis of NSCLC; that these two parameters were capable of indicating advanced stages, III and IV; and that PLR and NLR were independent predictors for T and N stages, respectively.

Subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy versus traditional video-assisted thoracic surgery thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: A case control study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis. Methods The clinical data of the 85 patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis in Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University between January 2014 and July 2016 were studied. Subxiphoid approach video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (SXVT) and through traditional unilateral approach video-assisted thymectomy (TVAT) were compared. The clinical outcomes of SXVT and TVAT were compared. Results There was no surgical death and no statistical difference between the two groups in drainage time, postoperative volume of drainage, postoperative hospital stay and bleeding volume during operation (P>0.05). However, the acute chest pain after surgery, as well as the postoperative chest pain, and operative time were less in the the SXVT group than that in the TVAT group (P<0.05). Conclusion SXVT for myasthenia gravis is safe and executable. It can alleviate intercostal neuralgia and abnormal chest wall feeling. And it should be considered in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.

The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae can enhance arsenic tolerance in Medicago truncatula by increasing plant phosphorus status and restricting arsenate uptake.

A pot experiment examined the biomass and As uptake of Medicago truncatula colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae in low-P soil experimentally contaminated with different levels of arsenate. The biomass of G. mosseae external mycelium was unaffected by the highest addition level of As studied (200 mg kg(-1)) but shoot and root biomass declined in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, indicating that the AM fungus was more tolerant than M. truncatula to arsenate. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased shoot and root dry weights by enhancing host plant P nutrition and lowering shoot and root As concentrations compared with uninoculated plants. The AM fungus may have been highly tolerant to As and conferred enhanced tolerance to arsenate on the host plant by enhancing P nutrition and restricting root As uptake.