PTEN inhibitor bisperoxovanadium protects against noise-induced hearing loss.

Studies have shown that phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) participates in the regulation of cochlear hair cell survival. Bisperoxovanadium protects against neurodegeneration by inhibiting PTEN expression. However, whether bisperoxovanadium can protect against noise-induced hearing loss and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we established a mouse model of noise-induced hearing loss by exposure to 105 dB sound for 2 hours. We found that PTEN expression was increased in the organ of Corti, including outer hair cells, inner hair cells, and lateral wall tissues. Intraperitoneal administration of bisperoxovanadium decreased the auditory threshold and the loss of cochlear hair cells and inner hair cell ribbons. In addition, noise exposure decreased p-PI3K and p-Akt levels. Bisperoxovanadium preconditioning or PTEN knockdown upregulated the activity of PI3K-Akt. Bisperoxovanadium also prevented H2O2-induced hair cell death by reducing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation in cochlear explants. These findings suggest that bisperoxovanadium reduces noise-induced hearing injury and reduces cochlear hair cell loss.

Development and evaluation of a three-step automatic planning technique for lung SBRT based on performance examination of advanced settings in Pinnacle's auto-planning module.

The benefits of Pinnacle's auto-planning module on clinical practice have been well documented. However, little is known regarding the efficiency of its Advanced Settings and the practicality of incorporating this module into Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), which is why this research was conducted. To characterize the impact of Advanced Settings on plan quality, a total of 25 previously delivered postoperative cervical cases were re-planned and evaluated. Then a three-step automatic planning technique was developed and tested on ten lung SBRT cases based on the investigation. The differences between plans with fine-tuned Advanced Settings and the default were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a significance threshold of 5%. The same statistical analysis was implemented to examine the quality variations in manual and automatic SBRT planning. When the Tuning Balance, Dose Fall-Off Margin, and Hot-Spot Maximum Goal were set to 100%, 1 cm, and 250%, respectively, better organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing was reached, but target quality was compromised. The OAR dose reduction and target homogeneity deterioration showed a strong correlation. The three-step methodology improved high dose spillage while saving time, with statistically significant reductions of 66.7% in V105% of non-PTV and 58.1% in planning time to the human-driven strategy. Except for urgent requirements for sparing OARs or processing SBRT plans, keeping the default is appropriate for Advanced Settings. The three-step methodology automatically searches for the available solution with purposeful Advanced Settings adjustments, demonstrating its ability to produce high-quality plans in less time. For the inexperienced or under-resourced clinics, our procedure can be introduced as a robust and handy strategy in SBRT, notably for expedited quality planning.

[Reconstruction of wrist joint by transplanting fibular head pedicled with lateral inferior genicular artery].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a new operative method to reconstruct wrist joint for treating the defect of the distal radius after excision of tumor. METHODS: From October 1999 to December 2001, 3 cases of giant cell tumor in the distal radius were resected and the wrist joint was reconstructed by transplanting the fibular head pedicled with the lateral inferior genicular artery. RESULTS: After followed up for 6 to 18 months, all patients achieved the bony healing within 4 months without tumor relapse and had good function of the wrist joint. CONCLUSION: This operation is simple and reliable. The fibular head can be cut according to the tumor size of the radius.