[Understanding of the lower mediastinal lymph node dissection in the adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction through abdomino-transhiatal approach].

In recent years, the incidence of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) keeps increasing. Siewert type II and type III AEG invades at 2-4 cm in the lower esophagus, and it has a higher rate of lower mediastinal lymph node metastasis. Lower mediastinal lymph node clearing through the abdomino-transhiatal (TH) approach is preferred, which can be accomplished by entering the lower mediastinum through the hiatus and mobilize the esophagus upward and the surrounding lymph and connective tissue for approximately 6.5 cm. Using the infracardiac bursa (IBC) as an anatomical landmark improves the safety and operability of the thorough dissection of the lower mediastinum. Total resection of the mesenterium at the esophagogastric junction can entirely dissect the lower mediastinal lymph nodes, which conforms to the safety principles in oncology.

VEGF gene silencing by cytomegalovirus promoter driven shRNA expression vector results in vascular development defects in zebrafish.

Zebrafish has been generally considered as an excellent model in case of drug screening, disease model establishment, and vertebrate embryonic development study. In this work, the ability of human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter (CMV promoter)-driven short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector to induce shRNA against VEGF gene in zebrafish was tested, and its effect on vascular development was assed, too. Using RT-qPCR, blood vessel staining, and in situ hybridization, we confirmed certain transcriptional activity and down regulation of gene expression by the vector. In situ hybridization analysis indicated selective inhibition of NRP1 expression in the VEGF gene loss of function model, which might imply in turn that VEGF could not only activate endothelial cells directly but also could contribute to stimulating angiogenesis in vivo by a mechanism that involved up-regulation of its cognate receptor expression in zebrafish. This contributed to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development. The system improved the success rate in making inducible knockdown and widened the possibilities for better therapeutic targets in zebrafish.

[Efficacy of albendazole immunoliposome against echinococcosis granulosus in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of albendazole immunoliposome (IL-Alb) against Echinococcus granulosus. METHODS: Mice infected with protoscolices of E. granulosus were divided into five groups. Four groups were treated with albendazole (Alb), albendazole liposome (L-Alb), albendazole sulfoxide liposome (L-Albso), and IL-Alb respectively at a dosage of 100 mg (Alb)/(kg.d) x 5 d for 3 courses. The fifth group was established as control. The major criteria for evaluating the effects included a reduction rate of E. granulosus tissue wet weight, histopathological examination of the cysts by both light microscopy and electron-microscopy, and the content of albendazole-sulfoxide in cysts detected by HPLC. RESULTS: The efficacy of albendazole immunoliposome was significantly higher than that of albendazole liposome, and much higher than that of albendazole. The reduction rates of cyst tissue weight of IL-Alb group, L-Alb group and Alb group were 91.5%, 80.3%, 61.2% respectively as compared to control group; the concentration of Albso in cyst tissue of the above groups were 5.15 micrograms/g, 2.18 micrograms/g, 0.76 microgram/g respectively (P < 0.01). The histopathological damages of cysts were also found most severely in the group of IL-Alb. CONCLUSION: Immunoliposome as a targeting carrier may significantly strengthen the therapeutic effect of albendazole on echinococcosis granulosus.