Intraoperative photodynamic therapy for tracheal mass in non-small cell lung cancer:A case report

BACKGROUND Tracheal neoplasms represent less than 0.1%of all malignancies and have no established treatment guidelines.Surgical resection with reconstruction is the primary treatment.This study demonstrates successful treatment of concurrent lung and tracheal tumors using surgical excision and intraoperative photodynamic therapy(PDT),highlighting the effectiveness and safety of this approach.CASE SUMMARY A 74-year-old male with a history of smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was diagnosed with tracheal squamous cell carcinoma and right lower lobe adenocarcinoma.A multidisciplinary team created a treatment plan involving tumor resection and PDT.The tracheal tumor was removed through a tracheal incision and this was followed by intraluminal PDT.The trachea was repaired and a right lower lobectomy was performed.The patient received a second PDT treatment postoperatively and was discharged 10 d after the tracheal surgery,without complications.He then underwent platinum-based chemotherapy for lymphovascular invasion of lung cancer.Three-month postoperative bronchoscopy revealed normal tracheal mucosa with a scar at the resection site and no evidence of tumor recurrence in the trachea or lung.CONCLUSION Our case of concurrent tracheal and lung cancers was successfully treated with surgical excision and intraoperative PDT which proved safe and effective in this patient.

Decellularized sciatic nerve matrix as a biodegradable conduit for peripheral nerve regeneration

The use of autologous nerve grafts remains the gold standard for treating nerve defects, but current nerve repair techniques are limited by donor tissue availability and morbidity associated with tissue loss. Recently, the use of conduits in nerve injury repair, made possible by tissue engineering, has shown therapeutic potential. We manufactured a biodegradable, collagen-based nerve conduit containing decellularized sciatic nerve matrix and compared this with a silicone conduit for peripheral nerve regeneration using a rat model. The collagen-based conduit contains nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and laminin, as demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the collagen-based conduit had an outer wall to prevent scar tissue infiltration and a porous inner structure to allow axonal growth. Rats that were implanted with the collagen-based conduit to bridge a sciatic nerve defect experienced significantly improved motor and sensory nerve functions and greatly enhanced nerve regeneration compared with rats in the sham control group and the silicone conduit group. Our results suggest that the biodegradable collagen-based nerve conduit is more effective for peripheral nerve regeneration than the silicone conduit.

Hwangryunhaedok-tang induces the depolarization of pacemaker potentials through 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 receptors in cultured murine small intestine interstitial cells of Cajal

AIM To investigate the effects of a water extract of Hwangryunhaedok-tang(HHTE) on the pacemaker potentials of mouse interstitial cells of Cajal(ICCs).METHODS We dissociated ICCs from small intestines and cultured. ICCs were immunologically identified using an antic-kit antibody. We used the whole-cell patch-clamp configuration to record the pacemaker potentials generated by cultured ICCs under the current clamp mode(I = 0). All experiments were performed at 30 ℃-32 ℃RESULTS HHTE dose-dependently depolarized ICC pacemaker potentials. Pretreatment with a 5-HT_3 receptor anta-gonist(Y25130) or a 5-HT_4 receptor antagonist(RS39604) blocked HHTE-induced pacemaker potential depolarizations, whereas pretreatment with a 5-HT7 receptor antagonist(SB269970) did not. Intracellular GDPβS inhibited HHTE-induced pacemaker potential depolarization and pretreatment with a Ca^(2+)-free solution or thapsigargin abolished the pacemaker potentials. In the presence of a Ca^(2+)-free solution or thapsigargin, HHTE did not depolarize ICC pacemaker potentials. In addition, HHTE-induced pacemaker potential depolarization was unaffected by a PKC inhibitor(calphostin C) or a Rho kinase inhibitor(Y27632). Of the four ingredients of HHT, Coptidis Rhizoma and Gardeniae Fructus more effectively inhibited pacemaker potential depolarization.CONCLUSION These results suggest that HHTE dose-dependently depolarizes ICC pacemaker potentials through 5-HT_3 and 5-HT_4 receptors via external and internal Ca^(2+) regulation and via G protein-, PKC-and Rho kinase-independent pathways.

Effects of Hwangryunhaedok-tang on gastrointestinal motility function in mice

AIM To investigate the effects of Hwangryunhaedok-tang(HHT) on gastrointestinal(GI) motility in mice.METHODS The effects of a boiling water extract of HHT(HHTE) on GI motility were investigated by calculating percent intestinal transit rates(ITR%) and gastric emptying(GE) values using Evans Blue and phenol red, respectively, in normal mice and in mice with experimentally induced GI motility dysfunction(GMD). In addition, the effects of the four components of HHT, that is, Gardeniae Fructus(GF), Scutellariae Radix(SR), Coptidis Rhizoma(CR), and Phellodendri Cortex(PC), on GI motility were also investigated.RESULTS In normal ICR mice, ITR% and GE values were significantly and dose-dependently increased by the intragastric administration of HHTE(0.1-1 g/kg). The ITR% values of GMD mice were significantly lower than those of normal mice, and these reductions were significantly and dose-dependently inhibited by HHTE(0.1-1 g/kg). Additionally, GF, CR, and PC dosedependently increased ITR% and GE values in normal and GMD mice.CONCLUSION These results suggest that HHT is a novel candidate for the development of a gastroprokinetic agent for the GI tract.

New Diarylheptanoid from the Barks of Alnus japonica Steudel

A new diarylheptanoid glycoside, 1,7-bis-（3,4-dihydroxyphenyl）-5-hydroxyheptane- 3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside （1）, together with nine known diarylheptanoids （2-10） were isolated from the fresh bark of Alnus japonica which is a species of the genus Alnus species, growing throughout Korea.

Sprayable nanomicelle hydrogels and inflammatory bowel disease patient cell chips for development of intestinal lesion-specific therapy

All-in-one treatments represent a paradigm shift in future medicine.For example,inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is mainly diagnosed by endoscopy,which could be applied for not only on-site monitoring but also the intestinal lesion-targeted spray of injectable hydrogels.Furthermore,molecular conjugation to the hydrogels would program both lesion-specific adhesion and drug-free therapy.This study validated this concept of all-in-one treatment by first utilizing a well-known injectable hydrogel that underwent efficient solution-to-gel transition and nanomicelle formation as a translatable component.These properties enabled spraying of the hydrogel onto the intestinal walls during endoscopy.Next,peptide conjugation to the hydrogel guided endoscopic monitoring of IBD progress upon adhesive gelation with subsequent moisturization of inflammatory lesions,specifically by nanomicelles.The peptide was designed to mimic the major component that mediates intestinal interaction with Bacillus subtilis flagellin during IBD initiation.Hence,the peptide-guided efficient adhesion of the hydrogel nanomicelles onto Toll-like receptor 5(TLR5)as the main target of flagellin binding and Notch-1.The peptide binding potently suppressed inflammatory signaling without drug loading,where TLR5 and Notch-1 operated collaboratively through downstream actions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha.The results were produced using a human colorectal cell line,clinical IBD patient cells,gut-on-a-chip,a mouse IBD model,and pig experiments to validate the translational utility.

Caulerpa okamurae extract attenuates inflammatory interaction,regulates glucose metabolism and increases insulin sensitivity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and RAW 264.7 macrophages

Objective: To examine whether Caulerpa okamurae ethanolic extract(COE) could inhibit obesitymediated inflammation, improve glucose metabolism and increase insulin sensitivity, using in vitro cell models of RAW 264.7 macrophages and 3 T3-L1 adipocytes.Methods: We cocultured 3 T3-L1 adipocytes in direct contact with lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and induced insulin resistance in 3 T3-L1 adipocytes with tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a) in the presence or absence of 250 mg/m L of COE. We investigated various markers of inflammation, glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity in these models using Griess reagent to measure nitric oxide(NO) production, 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) amino]-2-deoxyglucose to measure glucose uptake, Western blot analysis to quantify protein expression and reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction to evaluate m RNA expression.Results: We found that COE(250 mg/m L) significantly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 macrophages by downregulating NO production, nitric oxide synthase 2 expression and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-j B. COE also showed similar anti-inflammatory activity in coculture, along with decreased TNF-a, interleukin-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein m RNA expression. In addition, COE also improved glucose uptake in coculture by upregulating glucose transporter-4(GLUT-4) and adiponectin and reducing serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1(IRS1). In the TNF-a-induced insulin resistance model of 3 T3-L1 adipocytes, COE significantly improved both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, accompanied by phosphorylation of IRS1 at tyrosine 632, phospho-50 adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase a and glycogen synthase kinase-3 b(Ser9) as well as upregulation of GLUT-4.Conclusion: Together, these findings suggest that COE has potential to treat or prevent obesity-induced metabolic disorders.

Slip-enhanced Reverse Electrodialytic Power Generation in Ion-selective Nanochannels

Power generation by reverse electrodialysis in ion-selective nanochannels is numerically investigated. Especially,in the present study, the influence of hydrodynamic slip at the surface of nanochannels is investigated. The current-potential characteristics of the nanochannels are calculated by solving several governing equations:Nernst-Planck equation for the ionic concentrations, the Poisson equation for the electric potential, and the Navier-Stokes equation for the diffusioosmotic flow. Hydrodynamic slip is applied as the boundary condition at the surface of nanochannels. As the slip length increases, the diffusioosmotic flow velocity and electrical conductance of ions increase because the friction at the surface of nanochannels decreases. It is shown that the power generation is enhanced by 44% with a moderate 100nm slip length by using a nanochannel with 10nm height.