Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Renal Function in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Valve Surgery Under Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of dexmedetomidine on postoperative renal function was investigated in patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. SETTING: University teaching, grade A tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 70 patients scheduled to undergo cardiac valve replacement or valvuloplasty under CPB were eligible and randomly divided into groups D (n = 35) and C (n = 35) between January 2020 and March 2021. INTERVENTIONS: Patients in group D were administered 0.6 µg/kg/h of dexmedetomidine intravenously from 10 minutes before anesthesia induction to 6 hours after surgery; normal saline was used instead of dexmedetomidine in group C. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI). Acute kidney injury was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (2012). It was 22.86% and 48.57% in groups D and C, respectively (p = 0.025). The secondary outcomes were intraoperative hemodynamics and various indices in serum. Ten minutes before CPB (T1), 10 minutes after CPB (T2), and 30 minutes after CPB (T3), mean arterial pressure in group D was lower than that in group C, with statistical significance (74.94 ± 8.52 v 81.89 ± 13.66 mmHg, p=0.013; 62.83 ± 11.27 v 71.86 ± 7.89 mmHg, p < 0.001; 72.26 ± 8.75 v 78.57 ± 8.83 mmHg, p = 0.004). At T1, the heart rate in group D was significantly lower than in group C (80.89 ± 14.04 v 95.54 ± 12.53 bpm, p=0.022). The tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and cystatin C levels in group D were lower than those in group C after the surgery (T4) and 24 hours after surgery (T5), with statistical significance. The duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive-care-unit stay time, and hospital stay time in group D were significantly shorter than in group C. The incidences of tachycardia, hypertension, nausea, and vomiting in group D were similar to those in group C. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine may be considered as a way to reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative AKI in patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass.

Radiomics signature for prediction of long-term survival and recurrence patterns in patients with gastric cancer after radical gastrectomy: A multicenter study.

Background: This study aimed to develop and validate a radiomics score to predict the long-term survival and patterns of recurrence of gastric cancer (GC). Methods: A total of 513 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for GC after curative resection between 2008 and 2016 at two institutions were analyzed. A radiomics score was generated using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model on 327 patients and was validated in 186 patients. A nomogram consisting of the radiomics score and clinicopathological factors was created and compared with the tumor-lymph node-metastasis (TNM) staging system. Model performance was assessed using calibration, discrimination, and clinical usefulness. Results: The radiomics score was established based on five selected features. A higher score was significantly associated with poorer recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates, both in the training and validation cohorts (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the radiomics score was an independent prognostic factor for both RFS and OS (P < 0.05). A nomogram incorporating the radiomics score had a significantly better prognostic value than the TNM system alone. Moreover, a high score was significantly associated with an increased risk of distant recurrence, a medium score was significantly associated with an increased risk of peritoneal recurrence, and a low score was significantly associated with an increased risk of locoregional recurrence, in the entire cohort (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The newly proposed radiomics score may be a powerful predictor of long-term outcomes and recurrence patterns of GC. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Hand-assisted laparoscopic resection versus total laparoscopic gastric surgery for primary gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs): an analysis from a high-volume institution.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic resection of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is technically feasible and associated with favorable outcomes. We compared the clinical efficacy of hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HLS) and total laparoscopic surgery (TLS) for gastric GISTs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 69 consecutive patients diagnosed with a gastric GIST in a tertiary referral teaching hospital from December 2016 to December 2020. Surgical outcomes were compared between two groups. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients (TLS group: n = 36; HLS group: n = 17) were included. The mean age was 56.9 and 58.1 years in the TLS and HLS groups, respectively. The maximum tumor margin was significantly shorter in the HLS group than in the TLS group (2.3 ± 0.9. vs. 3.0 ± 0.8 cm; P = 0.004). The operative time of the HLS group was significantly shorter than that of the TLS group (70.6 ± 19.1 min vs. 134.4 ± 53.7 min; P < 0.001). The HLS group had less intraoperative blood loss, a shorter time to first flatus, and a shorter time to fluid diet than the TLS group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the groups in the incidence or severity of complications within 30 days after surgery. Recurrence or metastasis occurred in four cases (HLS group; n = 1; TLS group; n = 3). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that compared with TLS, HLS for gastric GISTs has the advantages of simpler operation, shorter operative time, and faster postoperative recovery.

Downregulation of lncRNA SNHG16 inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in cerebral atherosclerosis by targeting the miR-30c-5p/SDC2 axis.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the basic lesion underlying the occurrence and development of cerebrovascular diseases. Abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a crucial role in AS. We aimed to explore the role of SNHG16 in AS and the molecular mechanism of VSMC involvement in the regulation of AS. The expression levels of SNHG16, miR-30c-5p and SDC2 were detected by qRT-PCR. CCK-8, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to assess ox-LDL-induced VSMC proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to detect SDC2 and MEK/ERK pathway-related protein levels. A dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the binding of SNHG16 with miR-30c-5p and miR-30c-5p with SDC2. SNHG16 and SDC2 expression was upregulated in patients with AS and ox-LDL-induced VSMCs, while miR-30c-5p was downregulated. Ox-LDL-induced VSMC proliferation and migration were increased, and the MEK/ERK signalling pathway was activated. MiR-30c-5p was targeted to SNHG16 and SDC2. Downregulating SNHG16 or upregulating miR-30c-5p inhibited ox-LDL-induced VSMC proliferation and migration and inhibited MEK/ERK signalling pathway activation. In contrast, downregulating miR-30c-5p or upregulating SDC2 reversed the effects of downregulating SNHG16 or upregulating miR-30c-5p. Furthermore, downregulating SDC2 inhibited ox-LDL-induced proliferation and migration of VSMCs and inhibited activation of the MEK/ERK signalling pathway, while upregulating lncRNA SNHG16 reversed the effects of downregulating SDC2. Downregulation of SNHG16 inhibited VSMC proliferation and migration in AS by targeting the miR-30c-5p/SDC2 axis. This study provides a possible therapeutic approach to AS.

LZAP promotes the proliferation and invasiveness of cervical carcinoma cells by targeting AKT and EMT.

Objective: To explore the relationship and mechanism of LZAP in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer and to provide a new target and intervention method for the treatment of cervical cancer. Methods: Data mining and analysis of LZAP expression levels were performed using several online databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A cervical cancer cell line that stably overexpresses LZAP was established, and the effect of LZAP overexpression on cell proliferation, invasion, migration and tumor formation in vivo as well as its mechanism were explored. Results: Our study shows that the expression of LZAP is upregulated in cervical cancer. The overexpression of LZAP can significantly promote the proliferation, colony formation, and invasion and migration abilities of cervical cancer cells. The tumorigenesis test in nude mice showed that overexpression of LZAP could promote the tumorigenicity of cervical cancer cells in vivo. LZAP could also promote the phosphorylation of AKT at position 473 and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conclusion: The expression of LAZP is increased in cervical cancer, which can enhance the invasion, metastasis, and EMT in cervical cancer cells by promoting AKT phosphorylation.

Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Ion (HCN) Channels Regulate PC12 Cell Differentiation Toward Sympathetic Neuron.

Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (HCN channels) are widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous systems and organs, while their functions are not well elucidated especially in the sympathetic nerve. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of HCN channel isoforms in the differentiation of sympathetic neurons using PC12 cell as a model. PC12 cells derived from rat pheochromocytoma were cultured and induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) (25 ng/ml) to differentiate to sympathetic neuron-like cells. Sympathetic directional differentiation of PC12 cells were evaluated by expressions of growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) (a growth cone marker), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) (a sympathetic neuron marker) and neurite outgrowth. Results show that the HCN channel isoforms (HCN1-4) were all expressed in PC12 cells; blocking HCN channels with ivabradine suppressed NGF-induced GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth; silencing the expression of HCN2 and HCN4 using silenced using small interfering RNAs (siRNA), rather than HCN1 and HCN3, restrained GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth, while overexpression of HCN2 and HCN4 channels with gene transfer promoted GAP-43 expression and neurite outgrowth. Patch clamp experiments show that PC12 cells exhibited resting potentials (RP) of about -65 to -70 mV, and also presented inward HCN channel currents and outward (K+) currents, but no inward voltage-gated Na+ current was induced; NGF did not significantly affect the RP but promoted the establishment of excitability as indicated by the increased ability to depolarize and repolarize in the evoked suspicious action potentials (AP). We conclude that HCN2 and HCN4 channel isoforms, but not HCN1 and HCN3, promote the differentiation of PC12 cells toward sympathetic neurons. NGF potentiates the establishment of excitability during PC12 cell differentiation.

Prognostic significance of solitary lymph node metastasis in patients with stages IA2 to IIA cervical carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the prognostic significance of and risk factors for solitary lymph node metastasis (SLNM) of patients with cervical carcinoma. Methods Clinical data from patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IA2 to IIA cervical carcinoma who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy between January 2003 and December 2010 were analysed retrospectively. Histopathological analysis was used to identify SLNM. Long-term survival and risk factors associated with SLNM were analysed. Results The study enrolled 302 patients with cervical cancer: 48 with SLNM (SLNM group) and 254 patients with no lymph node metastases (nLNM group). FIGO stage, tumour grade, depth of tumour invasion, uterine body involvement, parametrial involvement and lymphovascular invasion differed significantly between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis revealed that FIGO stage, depth of tumour invasion and lymphovascular invasion were independent factors associated with SLNM. The 5-year survival rates of the SLNM and nLNM groups were 54.2% and 87.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified SLNM as an independent factor affecting survival. Conclusions The occurrence of just one solitary lymph node metastasis significantly worsened the prognosis in patients with cervical carcinoma compared with patients without lymph node metastases.