Clinical efficacy and mechanism study of mid-frequency anti-snoring device in treating moderate obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome(OSAHS)is primarily caused by airway obstruction due to narrowing and blockage in the nasal and nasopha-ryngeal,oropharyngeal,soft palate,and tongue base areas.The mid-frequency anti-snoring device is a new technology based on sublingual nerve stimulation.Its principle is to improve the degree of oropharyngeal airway stenosis in OSAHS patients under mid-frequency wave stimulation.Nevertheless,there is a lack of clinical application and imaging evidence.METHODS We selected 50 patients diagnosed with moderate OSAHS in our hospital between July 2022 and August 2023.They underwent a 4-wk treatment regimen involving the mid-frequency anti-snoring device during nighttime sleep.Following the treatment,we monitored and assessed the sleep apnea quality of life index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores.Additionally,we performed computed tomo-graphy scans of the oropharynx in the awake state,during snoring,and while using the mid-frequency anti-snoring device.Cross-sectional area measurements in different states were taken at the narrowest airway point in the soft palate posterior and retrolingual areas.RESULTS Compared to pretreatment measurements,patients exhibited a significant reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index,the percentage of time with oxygen saturation below 90%,snoring frequency,and the duration of the most prolonged apnea event.The lowest oxygen saturation showed a notable increase,and both sleep apnea quality of life index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores improved.Oropharyngeal computed tomography scans revealed that in OSAHS patients cross-sectional areas of the oropharyngeal airway in the soft palate posterior area and retrolingual area decreased during snoring compared to the awake state.Conversely,during mid-frequency anti-snoring device treatment,these areas increased compared to snoring.CONCLUSION The mid-frequency anti-snoring device demonstrates the potential to enhance various sleep parameters in patients with moderate OSAHS,thereby improving their quality of life and reducing daytime sleepiness.These therapeutic effects are attributed to the device’s ability to ameliorate the narrowing of the oropharynx in OSAHS patients.

Value of negative pressure sealing drainage on wound healing of Gustilo IIIB and IIIC open fractures

BACKGROUND Gustilo III fractures have a high incidence and are difficult to treat.Patients often experience difficulty in wound healing.Negative pressure drainage technology can help shorten wound healing time and has positive value in improving patient prognosis.AIM To explore the clinical value of the negative pressure sealing drainage technique in wound healing of Gustilo IIIB and IIIC open fractures.METHODS Eighty patients with Gustilo IIIB and IIIC open fractures with skin and soft tissue injuries who were treated in the Second People’s Hospital of Dalian from March 2019 to December 2021 were selected as the research subjects.They were divided into a study group(n=40,healed with negative pressure closed drainage)and a control group(n=40,healed with conventional dressing changes)according to the variation in the healing they received.The efficacy of the clinical interventions,the variations in the regression indicators(time to wound healing,time to fracture healing,time to hospitalization),and the conversion and healing of bacterial wounds were compared 1-3 mo after the intervention.RESULTS The total effective rate of patients among the study group was 95.00%(38/40),which was notably higher than 75.00%(30/40)among the control group(P<0.05).The wound healing time,fracture healing time,and hospital stay of the patients in the study group was shorter than the control group(P<0.05).After the intervention,the negative bacterial culture at the wound site rate and wound healing rate of the patients among the study group increased compared to the control group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Negative pressure sealing and drainage technology has a good therapeutic effect on patients with Gustilo IIIB and IIIC open fracture wounds with skin and soft tissue injury.It can notably enhance the wound healing rate and the negative rate of bacteria on the wound surface and help to speed up the recovery process of patients.

Effects of preparation parameters on growth and properties of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) film

The Ga_(2)O_(3) films are deposited on the Si and quartz substrates by magnetron sputtering, and annealing. The effects of preparation parameters(such as argon–oxygen flow ratio, sputtering power, sputtering time and annealing temperature)on the growth and properties(e.g., surface morphology, crystal structure, optical and electrical properties of the films) are studied by x-ray diffractometer(XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM), and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer(UV-Vis). The results show that the thickness, crystallization quality and surface roughness of the β-Ga_(2)O_(3) film are influenced by those parameters. All β-Ga_(2)O_(3) films show good optical properties. Moreover, the value of bandgap increases with the enlarge of the percentage of oxygen increasing, and decreases with the increase of sputtering power and annealing temperature, indicating that the bandgap is related to the quality of the film and affected by the number of oxygen vacancy defects. The I–V curves show that the Ohmic behavior between metal and β-Ga_(2)O_(3) films is obtained at 900℃. Those results will be helpful for the further research of β-Ga_(2)O_(3) photoelectric semiconductor.

列线图模型预测2.0~3.0cm高CT值肾结石老年患者微创经皮肾镜取石术后全身炎症反应综合征的风险

目的建立预测2.0~3.0 cm高CT值肾结石老年患者微创经皮肾镜取石术(MPCNL)后发生全身炎症反应综合征(SIRS)风险的列线图模型。方法选取2018年1月-2020年1月于该院就诊的CT值>1200 Hu的肾结石老年患者336例,根据MPCNL术后是否发生SIRS,分为SIRS组(76例)和非SIRS组(260例)。比较两组患者临床资料,行单因素和多因素Logistic回归分析,获得MPCNL术后发生SIRS的独立危险因素,并建立列线图预测模型,采用受试者操作特征曲线(ROC曲线)判定该模型的预测价值。结果两组患者性别、年龄、结石位置、结石类型、糖尿病史、术前尿培养阳性、患侧泌尿系统手术史、术中肾盂高压、结石表面积、手术时间和术后2 h中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比值(NLR)等临床指标比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),经单因素分析,上述因素为潜在危险因素(P<0.05)。进一步进行多元Logistic回归分析,结果发现:女性、鹿角结石或肾盏多发结石、糖尿病史、术前尿培养阳性、手术时间、术后2 h NLR是2.0~3.0 cm高CT值肾结石老年患者MPCNL术后发生SIRS的独立危险因素(P<0.05)。列线图模型预测术后发生SIRS风险的ROC曲线下面积(AUC)为0.860(95%CI:0.809~0.911),敏感度84.21%,特异度83.08%。结论女性、鹿角结石或肾盏多发结石、糖尿病史、术前尿培养阳性、手术时间、术后2 h NLR是2.0~3.0 cm高CT值肾结石老年患者MPCNL术后发生SIRS的独立危险因素,列线图模型可以应用于术后SIRS发生风险的预测。

Individualized Chemotherapy in Advanced NSCLC Patients Based on mRNA Levels of BRCA1 and RRM1

Objective： Experimental evidence suggests that the overexpression of breast cancer-specific tumor suppressor protein 1 （BRCA1） gene enhances sensitivity to docetaxel and resistance to cisplatin and ribonucleotide reductase M1 （RRM1） gene overexpression enhances resistance to gemcitabine. To further examine the effect of BRCA1 and RRM1 mRNA levels on outcome in advanced non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）, we performed this non-randomized phase II clinical trial which tested the hypothesis that customized therapy would confer improved outcome over non-customized therapy. Methods： RNA was isolated from fresh tumor tissue. Patients received chemotherapy regimen based on their BRCA1 and RRM1 mRNA levels： both low-cisplatin plus gemcitabine （GP）; both high-vinorelbine plus cisplatin （NP）; BRCA1 low and RRM1 high-cisplatin plus docetaxel （TP）; BRCA1 high and RRM1 low-vinorelbine plus gemcitabine （GN）. Results： From Dec 2005 to Nov 2008, 94 metastatic and locally advanced NSCLC patients from our institute were enrolled in this study. The median age was 58 years old. Among them, 21 patients received GP, 30 patients received TP and 43 patients received NP chemotherapy. GP group had a higher response rate, and longer median time to progression （TTP） and median overall survival （OS） time than the other 2 groups. The response rates in the GP, TP and NP groups were 42.9%, 36.7% and 27.9%, respectively （P=0.568）. The median TTP was 5.6, 5.0, 4.8 months （P=0.975）, respectively, and the median OS time was 12.5, 11.0, 9.7 months （P=0.808）, respectively. Conclusion： Chemotherapy customized according to BRCA1 and RRM1 expression levels is associated with higher response rate and longer TTP and OS time in the GP group. This suggests that BRCA1 and RRM1 mRNA levels could be used as biomarkers in individual therapy in NSCLC.

氧化苦参碱改善病毒性心肌炎小鼠心室重构的作用研究

目的观察氧化苦参碱对病毒性心肌炎所致心力衰竭小鼠心室重构、心肌能量代谢的影响。方法将50只雄性BALB/c小鼠随机分为对照组、模型组(腹腔无菌注射0.1 ml 1×10^(-9) TCID50柯萨奇B3病毒),以及低、中、高剂量组(在模型组基础上分别皮下注射氧化苦参碱13、26和52 mg/kg)。连续给药14 d后,采用高频超声心动图检测各组小鼠心功能;HE染色、透射电镜观察左心室肌超微结构;TUNEL法检测各组小鼠左心室心肌细胞凋亡情况;ELISA法检测左室心肌细胞游离脂肪酸(FFA)、三磷酸腺苷(ATP)、腺苷酸(AMP)、乳酸(LAC)、Ⅰ型胶原蛋白(ColⅠ)、Ⅲ型胶原蛋白(ColⅢ)含量,Wsetern blotting检测各组小鼠左室心肌细胞葡萄糖调节蛋白78(GRP78)、C/EBP环磷酸腺苷反应元件结合转录因子同源蛋白(CHOP)、骨膜蛋白、钙联蛋白的表达。结果模型组较对照组左室舒张末期内径扩大,左室射血分数和左室短轴缩短率减小(P <0.05);左室心肌细胞核排列紊乱、线粒体空泡化、肌丝断裂,出现大量病毒,心肌细胞凋亡数量增多(P <0.05);FFA、LAC、ColⅠ、ColⅢ、GRP78、CHOP、骨膜蛋白表达升高(P <0.05);ATP/AMP比值及钙联蛋白表达降低(P<0.05)。低、中、高剂量组较模型组左心室心肌细胞病理变化及左室重构指标改善(P <0.05);FFA、LAC、ColⅠ、ColⅢ、GRP78、CHOP、骨膜蛋白表达降低(P <0.05);ATP/AMP比值及钙联蛋白表达升高(P<0.05)。结论氧化苦参碱可通过保护线粒体,改善心肌能量代谢,减少心肌细胞凋亡,逆转心室重构,起到改善病毒性心肌炎小鼠心力衰竭的作用。

Safety and efficacy of frequency-domain optical coherence tomography in evaluating and treating intermediate coronary lesions

AIM To establish whether frequency-domain optical coherence tomography(FD-OCT) is safe and effective in the evaluation and treatment of angiographicallyintermediate coronary lesions(ICL) METHODS Sixty-four patients with 2-dimensional quantitativecoronary angiography(2D-QCA) demonstrating ICL were included. OCT imaging was performed. According to predetermined OCT criteria, patients were assigned to either of 2 groups: OCT-guided percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) or OCT-guided optimal medical therapy(OMT). The primary efficacy endpoint was to demonstrate the superiority and higher accuracy of FD-OCT compared to 2D-QCA in evaluating stenosis severity in patients with ICL. The primary safety endpoint was the incidence of 30-d major adverse cardiac events(MACE). Secondary endpoints included MACE at 12 mo and other clinical events.RESULTS Analysis of the primary efficacy endpoint demonstrates that 2D-QCA overestimates the stenosis severity of ICL in both the OCT-guided PCI and OMT groups, proving FD-OCT to be superior to and more precise than 2D-QCA in treating this subset of lesions. The primary safety endpoint was fully met with the incidence of 30-d MACE being nil in both the OCT-guided PCI and OCTguided OMT groups. Incidences of secondary endpoints were found to be low in both arms, the only exception being the relatively high incidence of recurrent episodes of angina which was, however, very similar in the 2 groups.CONCLUSION FD-OCT is safe and effective in the evaluation and treatment of ICL. Larger studies are needed to firmly establish the efficacy and safety of FD-OCT in treating ICL across all coronary artery disease population subgroups.

Significant benefits of osimertinib in treating acquired resistance to first-generation EGFR-TKIs in lung squamous cell cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Lung squamous cell cancer(LSCC)rarely harbors epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutations,even much rarer for acquired T790M mutation.Although clinical trials of AURA series illustrated that non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)with EGFR T790M mutation can benefit from osimertinib,only five LSCC patients were enrolled in total;moreover,the efficacy for LSCC was not shown in the results.Therefore,the response of LSCC to osimertinib is still unclear to date.CASE SUMMARY We report an LSCC case with T790M-related acquired resistance after treatments with first-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR-TKIs)and benefited from osimertinib significantly.A 63-year-old Chinese man was diagnosed with stage IV(cT2N2M1b)LSCC harboring an EGFR exon 19-deletion mutation.Following disease progression after gefitinib and multi-line chemotherapy,rebiopsy was conducted.Molecular testing of EGFR by amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction detected the exon 19-deletion without T790M mutation.Therefore,the patient was given erlotinib,but progression developed only 3 mo later.Then the frozen re-biopsy tissue was tested by next-generation sequencing(NGS),which detected an EGFR T790M mutation.However,he was very weak with symptoms of dysphagia and cachexia.Fortunately,osimertinib was started,leading to alleviation from the symptoms.Four months later,normal deglutition was restored and partial response was achieved.Finally,the patient achieved an overall survival time period of 29 mo.CONCLUSION Our findings highlight that EGFR T790M mutation may also be an important acquired drug resistance mechanism for LSCC and offer direct evidence of the efficacy of osimertinib in LSCC with T790M mutation.NGS and better preservation conditions may contribute to higher sensitivity of EGFR T790M detection.

Effect of strain on exciton dynamics in monolayer WS2

The exciton dynamics in a WS2 monolayer with strain are studied by transient absorption measurements.We measure the differential transmission signal from monolayer WS2 as a function of the probe wavelength at different levels of strain applied to the sample.The differential transmission spectrum has a positive maximum value at about 614 nm and shows no significant strain dependence.By time-resolving the differential transmission signal,we find that the strain has a minimal effect on the exciton formation process.However,the exciton lifetime is significantly reduced by strain.These results provide useful information for applications of WS2 in flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices where strain is inevitable.

Anti-oxidation characteristics of Cr-coating on surface of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb alloy by plasma surface metallurgy technique

TiAl-based alloys have received extensive attention recently due to their excellent properties. However, the weak oxidation resistance at temperatures higher than 800℃ can limit their further high-temperature structural applications.To improve the oxidation resistance of a high-Nb-content γ-TiAl alloy(Ti-45 Al-8.5 Nb, in units of at.%), a chromium(Cr)coating is prepared by using the plasma surface alloying technique, separately, at 800℃ and 1000℃. The x-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns reveal that an oxide surface layer consisting of Cr2O3, Al2O3, and TiO2 is produced on the Cr-coated Nb containing γ-TiAl substrates during the initial oxidation. However, the Cr2O3 is dominated in the oxide surface layer after being isothermally oxidized for 300 h. The oxidation kinetic curves are composed of a parabolic law stage(≤ 90 h) and a biquadratic law stage(≥ 90 h), fit by weight–gain curves. Due to diffusion in the fabrication process and oxidation process,the Cr-coated specimens have an adhesion force after being isothermally oxidized, specifically 69 N for a specimen after oxidation for 300 h. These results demonstrate that the Cr coating enhances the oxidation resistance and adhesion of a Ti-45 Al-8.5 Nb alloy, which may provide a new feasible scheme for designing oxidation protection layers.

Facile and controllable synthesis of molybdenum disulfide quantum dots for highly sensitive and selective sensing of copper ions

Molybdenum disulfide quantum dots（MoS2QDs） were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using sodium molybdate and cysteine as molybdenum and sulfur sources, respectively. The optimal hydrothermal time was studied. Furthermore, the as synthesized water-soluble MoS2QDs were used as a fluorescence probe for the sensitive and selective detection of copper ions. The fluorescence of the MoS2QDs was quenched after the addition of copper ions; the reason may be that the transfer of the excited electron from QDs to copper ions leads to the reduction of the radiative recombination.The fluorescence quenching of MoS2QDs is linearly dependent on the copper ions concentration ranging from 0.1 μM to600 μM, the limit of detection is 0.098 μM, which is much lower than that of existing methods. Moreover, the MoS2QDs show highly selectivity towards the detection of copper ions.

Chemical vapor deposition growth of crystal monolayer SnS2 with NaCl-assistant

As an important member of the two-dimensional layers of metal dichalcogenides family, the two-dimensional(2 D)group IV metal chalcogenides(GIVMCs) have been attracting intensive attention. However, the growth of monolayer tin disulfide(SnS2) remains a great challenge contrasted to transition metal dichalcogenides, which have been studied quite maturely. Till date, there have been scant reports on the growth of large-scale and large-size monolayer SnS2. Here, we successfully synthesized monolayer SnS2 crystal on SiO2/Si substrates via NaCl-assisted CVD and the edge can be as long as 80 μm. Optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy(AFM), and energydispersion x-ray(EDX) were performed respectively to investigate the morphology, crystallographic structure, and optical property of the 2 D SnS2 nanosheets. In addition, we discussed the growing mechanism of the NaCl-assisted CVD method.

Protective effects of Ginseng mixture on myocardial fibrosis in rats

Objective:To explore the protective effects of ginseng mixture on myocardial fibrosis(MF)in rats.Methods:A total of 60 Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group without modeling operation,and another 4 groups using subcutaneous injections of isopropyl adrenaline for 10 d to set up the MF model:model group with saline lavage treatment after modeling,captopril group with captopril lavage,ginseng mixture group A and group B with low and high dose mixture treatment respectively.After treatment for 14 d,abdominal aorta and myocardial tissue were extracted to observe the pathological morphological changes and heart weight index in each group.Results:The left ventricular weight and heart heavy index of captopril group and group B were significantly lower than that of model group and group A(P<0.05);Model group and group A showed a higher hydroxyproline(Hyp)content in myocardial tissue than the control group and lower catalase(CAT)activity than Gontrol group(P<0.05);captopril group and group B showed a lower Hyp content and higher CAT activity compared with group A and model group(P<0.05),a significantly lower level of serum glutathione peroxidase(GSH-PX)and CAT and a higher level of serum creatine kinase,lactate dehydrogenase and H_2O_2 in model group and group A were observed compared with the control group(P<0.05).A higher level of GSH-PX and CAT and a lower level of creatine kinase,lactate dehydrogenase and H_2O_2 in captopril group and group B were observed compared with group A and model group(P<0.05);and histopathological examination showed that in captopril group and group B,secretion of collagen fiber was significantly inhibited and myocardial injury was significantly lighter than that of model group.Conclusions:Ginseng mixture plays a protective effect on myocardium by inhibiting antioxidant process of MF.

Tensile and compressive behavior of Ti-based bulk metallic glass composites

This article focuses on the tensile and compressive characteristics of a Ti-based bulk metallic glass composite （BMGC）. It is found that the yield stress, maximum strength, and fracture strain are 1380 MPa, 1516 MPa, and 4.3% for uniaxial tension, but 1580 MPa, 4010 MPa, and 29% for uniaxial compression, respectively. The composite displays a linear ＂work hardening＂ capacity under compression; however, the ＂work softening＂ behavior is observed in the true engineering stress-strain curve upon tensile loading. The fracture surfaces of specimens also exhibit dissimilar properties under the different loadings.

In situ growth of different numbers of gold nanoparticles on MoS_2 with enhanced electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction

Producing hydrogen through a hydrogen evolution reaction（HER） by splitting water at the suitable overpotential is a great alternative to solving the problems of environmental pollution and the energy crisis. Molybdenum sulfide（MoS2）has attracted extensive attention as one of the most promising catalytic materials for HER. In this work, we design a facile method to in situ grow gold nanoparticles（Au NPs） on MoS2. Different numbers of Au NPs with MoS2 are used to find the best catalytic activity. Due to the larger active surface area and higher conductivity of the Au–MoS2 composites, all the Au–MoS2 composites exhibit more enhanced HER electroactivity than pure MoS2. In brief, the new material architecture exhibits optimized HER activity with a low onset overpotential of 0.12 V, low Tafel slope of 0.163 V·dec^（-1）, and an excellent stability in acidic solution.

Neoadjuvant Combination Chemotherapy with Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin and Vinorelbine for Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE In China, vinorelbine plus an anthracycline is a common neoadjuvant regimen for locally-advanced breast cancer （LABC）. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin （PLD） is an alternate anthracycline formulation with a more favorable safety profile compared with conventional anthracyclines. METHODS In this open-label trial, 61 women with LABC received up to 6 cycles of PLD 30 mg/m2 on Day 1 and vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 on Days 1 and 8 every 21 days. Hormone receptor and/or HER2 status was not routinely available. RESULTS The overall clinical response rate （primary efficacy endpoint） was 80% （95% CI： 68%-89%）. Two patients achieved a pathological complete response （3%）, with 75% having their tumor down-staged, and 89% proceeding to tumor resection. The most frequent nonhematologic adverse events were stomatitis, fever, rash, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, with none considered serious. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 10% and 2% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION PLD plus vinorelbine demonstrated comparable efficacy to conventional anthracyclines plus vinorelbine in the neoadjuvant treatment of LABC, but may offer safety advantages.

Postoperative radiotherapy for thymus salivary gland carcinoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Salivary gland cancer is a rare disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the salivary glands.It mostly occurs in the glands that have secretion functions,such as the parotid gland,sublingual gland and submandibular gland.This is very rare when it occurs in other nonsecreting glands.Here,we report one case of salivary gland carcinoma occurring in the thymus and discuss related diagnoses and treatment progress.CASE SUMMARY One 33-year-old middle-aged man presented with a thymus mass without any clinical symptoms when he underwent regular physical examination.Later,the patient was admitted to the hospital for further examination.Computed tomography(CT)showed that there was a mass of 3 cm×2.8 cm×1.5 cm in the thymus area.The patient had no symptom of discomfort or tumor-related medical history before.After completing the preoperative examinations,it was confirmed that the patient had indications for surgery.The surgeon performed a transthoracoscope"thymectomy+pleural mucostomy"for him.During the operation,the tumor tissue was quickly frozen,and the symptomatic section showed a malignant tumor.The final pathological result suggested thymus salivary gland carcinoma-mucoepidermoid carcinoma(MEC).In the second month after surgery,we performed local area radiotherapy for the patient,with a total radiation dose of 50.4 Gy/28Fx.After 12 mo of surgery,the patient underwent positron emission tomography-CT examination,which indicated that there was no sign of tumor recurrence or metastasis.After 16 mo of operation,CT scan re-examination showed that there was no sign of tumor recurrence or metastasis.As of the time of publication,the patient was followed up for one and a half years.He had no sign of tumor recurrence and continued to survive.CONCLUSION The incidence of MEC in the thymus is low,and its diagnosis needs to be combined with clinical features and imaging methods.Histopathological analysis plays a key role in the diagnosis of the disease.Patients with early-stage disease have a good prognosis and long survival period.In contrast,patients with advanced-stage disease have a poor prognosis and short survival period.Combining radiotherapy and chemotherapy in inoperable patients may prolong survival.

Functional analysis of a miRNA‐like small RNA derived from Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus

Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus(BmCPV)is a major pathogen of the economic insect silkworm,Bombyx mori.Virus‐encoded microRNAs(miRNAs)have been proven to play important roles in host–pathogen interactions.In this study we identified a BmCPV‐derived miRNA‐like 21 nt small RNA,BmCPV‐miR‐1,from the small RNA deep sequencing of BmCPV‐infected silkworm larvae by stem‐loop quantitative real‐time PCR(qPCR)and investigated its functions with qPCR and lentiviral expression systems.Bombyx mori inhibitor of apoptosis protein(BmIAP)gene was predicted by both target prediction software miRanda and Targetscan to be one of its target genes with a binding site for BmCPV‐miR‐1 at the 5′untranslated region.It was found that the expression of BmCPV‐miR‐1 and its target gene BmIAP were both up‐regulated in BmCPV‐infected larvae.At the same time,it was confirmed that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could up‐regulate the expression of BmIAP gene in HEK293T cells with lentiviral expression systems and in BmN cells by transfecting mimics.Furthermore,BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate the expression level of BmIAP gene in midgut and fat body in the silkworm.In the midgut of BmCPV‐infected larvae,BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could be further up‐regulated and inhibitors could lower the virus‐mediated expression of BmIAP gene.With the viral genomic RNA segments S1 and S10 as indicators,BmCPV‐miR‐1 mimics could up‐regulate and inhibitors down‐regulate their replication in the infected silkworm.These results implied that BmCPV‐miR‐1 could inhibit cell apoptosis in the infected silkworm through up‐regulating BmIAP expression,providing the virus with a better cell circumstance for its replication.

Intra-operative molecular diagnosis of sentinel lymph node and prediction of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients

To the Editor:Sentinel lymph node biopsy has become a universal procedure performed in node-negative breast cancer patients.The accurate intra-operative assessment of the sentinel lymph node(SLN)is prominent in enabling axillary lymph node dissection(ALND)synchronously performed during the breast surgery,in case of the morbidity,inconvenience,and extra cost resulting from a second operation.One-step nucleic acid amplification(OSNA)assay(Sysmex,Kobe,Japan)is a moderately sensitive molecular technique combining node tissue homogenization and subsequent reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification of cytokeratin-19(CK-19)mRNA in a single reaction.The assay could accurately discern nodal metastases of over 0.2 mm intraoperatively.

Radial Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound-guided Lung Biopsy for Histopathological Diagnosis of Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia

INTRODUCTIONCryptogenic organizing pneumonia （COP） is a distinct type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia with a response rate of 65 85% on corticosteroid therapy. The difficulty of COP diagnosis is that the clinical features and the radiological findings are nonspecific. The pathological hallmark of organizing pneumonia （OP） needs to be confirmed. It can also occur in a variety of other interstitial pneumonia, infectious diseases, vasculitis, and so on. To increase the pathological reliability, larger and more tissue samples are required. According to the current classification of interstitial lung disease and guidelines, the surgical lung biopsy is recommended and is considered to be the best way of obtaining a representative lung specimen However, the invasive diagnostic procedures require general anesthesia and also increase the morbidity and mortality risks; therefore, only few patients undergo such biopsy. Thus, safer and more acceptable methods for identifying COP are urgently needed.