Feasibility of Organ Transportation by a Drone: An Experimental Study Using a Rat Model.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the successful delivery of organs for transplantation using drones was reported. We investigated the influence of transportation by drones on the quality of liver grafts using a rat model. METHODS: Livers of 12 rats (8 and 32 weeks old) were divided into 2 groups of six. Livers were split into 2 parts and allocated to the drone or control groups (both n = 12). The drone experiment was conducted between islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The distance between the islands was 12 km. Livers of the drone group were transported by a multicopter at a speed of 30 km-40 km/h over 60 m above sea level. Transported liver quality was analyzed by histology, and biochemistry data were compared between groups. RESULTS: Cold ischemia time did not differ between groups (902 min and 909 min, respectively). There were no differences in macroscopic findings regarding coloration and damage between groups. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in preservation fluid were graft weight-corrected and compared, and no significant differences were found between groups: AST/g (4.61 vs 4.81 IU/L), ALT/g (2.78 vs 2.92 IU/L), and ALP/g (39.1 vs 37.0 IU/L). Immunochemical staining showed no significant difference between groups for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick and labeling staining (141 vs 113 cells), CD163 (818 vs 870 cells), and TNF-α (1.25 vs 1.41 scores). CONCLUSIONS: The simulation experiment of organ transport for transplantation by drones was successfully conducted. There were no differences in the quality of livers transported by drones or other means. Further studies including large-animal experiments could lead to future clinical applications.

Mibefradil reduces hepatic glucose output in HepG2 cells via Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-dependent Akt/forkhead box O1signaling.

The effects and underlying mechanisms of mibefradil on gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis were investigated using insulin-resistant HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and a mouse model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). HepG2 cells were divided into one of four groups: control, palmitate (PA)-induced insulin-resistance (0.25 mM), low-concentration mibefradil (0.025 µM), or high-concentration mibefradil (0.05 µM). Glycogen synthesis and glucose consumption were evaluated in these HepG2 cells, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting techniques were used to detect expression of forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glucose 6-phosphatase (G6Pase). Intracellular calcium concentrations were determined using Fluo-4 AM, and phosphorylation levels of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), protein kinase B (Akt) and FoxO1were detected by western blotting. Immunofluorescence was used for the localization and quantification of FoxO1.In vitro results were verified using a mouse model of T2DM. In HepG2 cells and mouse liver tissues, mibefradil decreased PA-induced cytoplasmic calcium levels and CaMKII phosphorylation, but increased the phosphorylation of Akt and FoxO1, thereby contributing to the cytoplasmic localization of FoxO1. Additionally, mibefradil alleviated PA-induced glucose output and insulin resistance through increased glucose consumption and glycogen synthesis, while decreasing the expression of key gluconeogenesis enzymes, including PEPCK and G6Pase. Mibefradil may help to control blood sugar levels by reducing glucose output and insulin resistance, and the mechanism of action may involve the Ca2+-CaMKII-dependent Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

Development and validation of a prognostic model for survival in peritoneal dialysis patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective:To develop and validate a nomogram for predicting the 1-and 3-year survival rates of patients receiving peritoneal dialysis.Methods:Patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis for the first time in Zhujiang hospital from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017 were enrolled. The patients from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017 were enrolled in a training dataset. Baseline clinical data were collected and the primary endpoint was all-cause death. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze risk factors affecting the survival rates. Nomograms were generated using the R rms package. The Harrell' concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration curve were used to verify the performance of the model. Patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2013 were then selected to validate the external predictive accuracy of the prediction models.Results:The prediction cohort enrolled 457 patients, with a median follow-up time of 27.67(18.37, 39.22) months, and 64 patients (14.00%) died during follow-up. The 1-and 3-year cumulative survival rates were 96.4% and 83.0%. Multivariate analysis showed that aging (every 1 year old increase, HR=1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.09, P<0.001), stroke ( HR=3.63, 95% CI 1.93-6.85, P<0.001), higher cholesterol (every 1 mmol/L increase, HR=1.51, 95% CI 1.20-1.89, P<0.001), higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (every 1 increase, HR=1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.20, P=0.001), and lower albumin ( HR=0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.95, P=0.001) were independent risk factors affecting the survival rates of PD patients. The C-index of the prediction cohort and the validation cohort were 0.815(95% CI 0.765-0.865) and 0.804(95% CI 0.744-0.864, respectively). Both internally and externally verified calibration curves showed that the predicted results were close to the actual survival rates. Conclusion:Based on age, blood total cholesterol level, stroke history, and NLR, the prognosis prediction model of peritoneal dialysis patients established with nomogram can help predict the 1-year and 3-year survival rates of peritoneal dialysis patients.

Comparison of oral and gastrointestinal opportunistic pathogen contamination between tooth mugs placed up-ward and downward / 实用口腔医学杂志

The oral and gastrointestinal opportunistic pathogen contamination was compared between tooth mugs placed upward and down-ward(n=9)for 1 4 days.Selective cultivation of the pathogens was uesd to measure the extent of contamination.The colony forming units (CFU)of colibacillus in group up and group down were 4.25 ±0.71 and 2.84 ±1 .40(P=0.046),S.mutans 89 ±0.31 and 2.84 ±1 .40 (P<0.001 ),Candida 2.28 ±1 .36 and 2.53 ±1 .92(P=0.002),fungus 2.44 ±0.99 and 0,respecitvely.Thus,tooth mug placed open-ing down is superior for health.

Ingredients of Shuanghuanglian injection powder permeation through placental barrier of rat in pregnancy / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Use HPLC to study the permeation of ingredients of Shuanghuanglian injection powder (SHL) through placental barriers of rats at different stages of pregnancy.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The pregnant rats were administered SHL for 5 d through caudalis vena at different stages of pregnancy. Plasma and embryonic tissues were obtained 12 h after the final administration of SHL. The componds in biological specimen were identified by HPLC.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Baicalin, luteolin and wogonoside were the main compounds in plasma. Wogonoside retained in first trimester embryonic tissues, and baicalin retained in the embryonic tissues of different pregnant stages.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Baicalin is the main compound of SHL through placental barriers of rats. Embryotoxicity of baicalin should be considered as the key point to evaluate the safety of SHL.</p>