A Grading System for Assessing the Status of the Sphincter of Oddi During Intraoperative Choledochoscopy: A Surgeon's Perspective.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to establish a simple and practical grading system for evaluating the status of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) during intraoperative choledochoscopy. This system helps identify relevant variables that influence the status of the SO and provides recommendations for preventing stone recurrence. METHODS: Ninety-three patients were selected retrospectively from a total of 316 patients diagnosed with choledocholithiasis between July 2020 and June 2023. All patients underwent common bile duct (CBD) exploration surgery and intraoperative choledochoscopy. The status of the SO was assessed during choledochoscopy. According to the severity of the condition, the patients were categorized into 4 groups. Data from each group, grades 1, 2, 3, 4, was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The number of patients in grade 1 was significantly lower than that of the other 3 groups. Except for grade 1, patients in grade 4 exhibited significant differences compared with the other 2 groups in terms of the diameter of the CBD, size of stones, presence of pneumobilia, and history of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of sex, age, liver function, number of stones, history of gastrectomy, cholecystectomy, or CBD exploration. CONCLUSIONS: The grading system helps us classify different sphincter functions and better understand the formation of choledocholithiasis by subdividing the status of the SO. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) treatment can easily result in the loss of SO function, which increases the risk of stone recurrence.

Comparative proteomes change and possible role in different pathways of microRNA-21a-5p in a mouse model of spinal cord injury.

Our previous study found that microRNA-21a-5p (miR-21a-5p) knockdown could improve the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury in a mouse model, but the precise molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, a modified Allen's weight drop was used to establish a mouse model of spinal cord injury. A proteomics approach was used to understand the role of differential protein expression with miR-21a-5p knockdown, using a mouse model of spinal cord injury without gene knockout as a negative control group. We found that after introducing miR-21a-5p knockdown, proteins that played an essential role in the regulation of inflammatory processes, cell protection against oxidative stress, cell redox homeostasis, and cell maintenance were upregulated compared with the negative control group. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis identified enriched pathways in both groups, such as the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, which is relevant to Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiac muscle contraction. We also found that miR-21a-5p could be a potential biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as miR-21a-5p becomes deregulated in this pathway. These results indicate successful detection of some important proteins that play potential roles in spinal cord injury. Elucidating the relationship between these proteins and the recovery of spinal cord injury will provide a reference for future research of spinal cord injury biomarkers. All experimental procedures and protocols were approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Shandong University of China on March 5, 2014.

Neuroprotective mechanisms of rutin for spinal cord injury through anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation and inhibition of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase pathway.

Rutin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-tumor and immune regulatory effects. However, the neuroprotective effects of rutin in spinal cord injury are unknown. The p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway is the most important member of the MAPK family that controls inflammation. We assumed that the mechanism of rutin in the repair of spinal cord injury is associated with the inhibition of p38 MAPK pathway. Allen's method was used to establish a rat model of spinal cord injury. The rat model was intraperitoneally injected with rutin (30 mg/kg) for 3 days. After treatment with rutin, Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor function scores increased. Water content, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, and interleukin 6 levels, p38 MAPK protein expression and caspase-3 and -9 activities in T8-9 spinal cord decreased. Oxidative stress related markers superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase levels increased in peripheral blood. Rutin exerts neuroprotective effect through anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis and inhibition of p38 MAPK pathway.

A series of 3D lanthanide frameworks constructed from aromatic multi-carboxylate ligand: structural diversity, luminescence and magnetic properties.

Reactions of lanthanide(III) nitrates with multi-donor carboxylate ligand in the presence of oxalate anion afforded four new lanthanide coordination polymers with three dimensional (3D) frameworks, namely, {[Ln2(DPPA)2(µ2-C2O4)(H2O)2]·2H2O}n (Ln = Nd (1), Sm (2)) and [Ln2(HDPPA)2(DPPA)2]n (Ln = Tb (3), Yb (4)), (H3DPPA = 3-(4-hydroxyl pyridinium-1-yl) phthalic acid and H2C2O4 = oxalic acid). Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural and isomorphous, featuring oxalate pillared binodal (4,5)-connected porous 3D framework with intersected 1D channels, in which the coordinated and lattice waters are accommodated. The complexes 3 and 4 are also isostructural, but featuring a (4,6)-connected 3D network based on a rectangular window composed of {Ln(HDPPA)}(+) extended anion chains, further interlinked by DPPA. The Tb(III) analogue exhibits intense characteristic green photoluminescence employing DPPA as an antenna. While Sm(III) compound 2 mainly involves ligand-to-ligand charge transfer. Variable-temperature susceptibility analyses of complexes 1 (Nd), 2 (Sm) and 3 (Tb) revealed that depopulation of the Stark levels together with weak antiferromagnetic interactions between the lanthanide ions lead to a continuous decrease in χ(M)T when the samples are cooled from 300 to 2 K.

A series of Zn-4f heterometallic coordination polymers and a zinc complex containing a flexible mixed donor dicarboxylate ligand.

A new zinc compound, together with a corresponding series of Zn-4f heterometallic coordination polymers, namely, [Zn(H2PBDA)(PBDA)]n (1), {[Ln2(PBDA)2·2H2O] [Zn2(PBDA)2Cl2]}n [H2PBDA = 3-(pyridin-3-yl-oxy) benzene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, and Ln = Pr(2), Nd(3), Eu(4), Gd(5), Dy(6), Ho(7), Er(8)] have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized systematically. Polymers 2-8 feature two-dimensional (2D) 4,4 networks, containing the original 1D heterometallic double stranded chains composed of [Ln2Zn2(PBDA)2] entities. The extensive hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions were observed to stabilize the extended architectures. The luminescence emission spectra of the polymers vary depending on the lanthanide(III) ion present. Informative magnetic susceptibility measurements show that the same carboxylate bridging fashion of the PBDA ligand results in the different magnetic properties occurring within the heterometallic coordination polymers. In addition, polymer 6 exhibits an interesting slow magnetic relaxation behavior at lower temperatures.

Chiral phosphine-squaramides as enantioselective catalysts for the intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction.

Novel squaramides containing tertiary phosphine were developed as chiral bifunctional organic catalysts to promote the asymmetric intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of ω-formyl-enones. The adducts were obtained in high yields with good-to-excellent enantioselectivity (up to 93% ee).