The clinical study of ultrasound-guided intra-hysteromyoma injection of ethyl alcohol absolute combined with HIFU in the treatment of uterine fibroids

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the energy deposition in the target area of high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) with ultrasound-guided intra-hysteromyoma injection of ethyl alcohol absolute Methods Eighty patients with hysteromyomas were randomly divided into two groups: group HIFU(group H) and group HIFU combined with ultrasound-guided intra-hysteromyoma injectionn of ethyl alcohol absolute(group E + H). Patients in group E + H received an ultrasound-guided injection of absolute ethyl alcohol 1 h before HIFU treatment. The irradiation time, irradiation dose, energy efficiency factor(radiation energy required for ablation of a myoma per unit of volume), grey variation, pain score, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. An independent sample t-test was used with a twotailed P-value of < 0.05.Results The irradiation time, irradiation dose, and energy efficiency factor were significantly lower in group E + H than those in group H(P < 0.05). The hysteromyomas of patients in group E+H appeared as dominantly hyperechoic masses, and those of patients in group H appeared as hyperechoic tissue(nonmass). The incidence of adverse reactions and pain score were higher in group H than those in group E + H(P < 0.05).Conclusion Ultrasound-guided intra-hysteromyoma injection of ethyl alcohol absolute can enhance the energy deposition of HIFU in the uterine fibroids, improve the treatment efficiency, shorten the treatment time, reduce the treatment dose, and reduce the pain and complications for the patients.

The clinical efficacy of percutaneous ethanol-lipiodol injection(PEI)combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU)for small hepatocellularcarcinoma in special or high-risk locations

Objective The objective of this study was to explore the short-term effects and postoperative complications of ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol-lipiodol injection(PEI)combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU)for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma in a special or high-risk location.Methods Forty patients with small liver cancer in a special or high-risk location were randomly divided into two groups:20 patients were treated with PEI combined with HIFU(P+H group),and 20 patients were treated with HIFU alone(H group).There were no significant differences in average age,liver function,tumor location,tumor number,or tumor size between the two groups(P>0.05).Results Significant differences were observed in ablation parameters between the two groups(P<0.05).Under the same power,ablation rates of the P+H group were significantly higher than those in the H group,and postoperative complications in the P+H group were significantly lower than those in the H group(P<0.05).Conclusion The combination of PEI and HIFU has better clinical value than HIFU alone for small-cell liver cancer in special or high-risk locations.

Umbilical blood flow ultrasound characteristics of perioperative fetal intrauterine hypoxia and their relationship with maternal and fetal oxidative stress injury

Objective:To study the relationship between umbilical blood flow ultrasound characteristics of perioperative fetal intrauterine hypoxia and maternal as well as fetal oxidative stress injury.Methods: 108 puerperae giving birth in our hospital between May 2014 and October 2016 were selected and divided into normal pregnancy group with neonatal Apgar score >7 points and intrauterine hypoxia group with neonatal Apgar score≤7 points, color Doppler diasonograph was used to determine umbilical blood flow ultrasound parameters, umbilical cord blood was collected to determine the levels of oxidative stress products, and the placenta was collected to determine the levels of oxidative stress products and related apoptosis molecules.Results: During 24–30 weeks, 31–36 weeks and 37–41 weeks of pregnancy, umbilical blood flow resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) and diastolic velocity/systolic velocity (S/D) of intrauterine hypoxia group were significantly higher than those of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05);malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), 8-isoprostanes (8-iso), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP-70) levels in umbilical cord blood of intrauterine hypoxia group were significantly higher than those of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05), MDA, oxLDL, 8-ios, HSP-70, Fas, FasL and Bax levels in placenta tissue were significantly higher than those of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05), and Bcl-2 and XIAP levels were significantly lower than those of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05);RI, PI and S/D were positively correlated with MDA, oxLDL, 8-ios and HSP-70 levels in umbilical cord blood and placenta tissue, positively correlated with Fas, FasL and Bax levels in placenta tissue, and negatively correlated with Bcl-2 and XIAP levels in placental tissue.Conclusions:The increased umbilical blood flow resistance and decreased flow volume of fetal intrauterine hypoxia are closely related to maternal, fetal and placental oxidative stress injury.

Cohort profile: design and methods of the Chinese colorectal, breast, lung, liver, and stomach cancer screening trial(C-BLAST)

Given the rapid changes in social structure(urbanization),economic structure(industrialization),and demographic structure(population aging)in China,cancer has become a major public health problem1.Extensive evidence has indicated that screening can decrease cancer mortality,particularly among high-risk groups,and several representative national and regional cancer screening programs have been launched in China to cope with the increasing burden of cancer.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Solanum procumbens on a low dose complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model

Objective:To investigate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Solanum procumbens on complete Freund’s adjuvantinduced arthritis rat models.Methods:We isolated and identified five compounds in the ethanolsoluble Solanum procumbens extract(SP)with anti-inflammatory effects,including ursolic acid,β-sitosterol,hexadecanoic acid,cisvaccenic acid,and vanillic acid.Additionally,we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of SP on rheumatoid arthritis symptoms,including paw volumes,local temperatures,withdrawal latency,and mechanical withdrawal threshold at the hind paw and white blood cell(WBC)number from complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis rat models.Results:We have successfully established a complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model at a low dose(1 mg/mL).SP extract significantly reduced paw volumes(P<0.05),prolonged withdrawal latencies(P<0.05),decreased local temperature,and increased the mechanical withdrawal threshold(P<0.05),but only SP extract at the dose of 300 mg/kg significantly decreased WBC numbers.Conclusions:SP extract could be a potential medication candidate with anti-inflammatory effects for arthritis,but it requires further investigation into the mechanism of the SP and its effectiveness on other models as well as clinical trials.

Long non-coding RNA-AK138945 regulates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via the miR-1-GRP94 signaling pathway

Objective:Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(MIRI)is one of the leading causes of death from cardiovascular disease in humans,especially in individuals exposed to cold environments.Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)regulate MIRI through multiple mechanisms.This study explored the regulatory effect of lncRNA-AK138945 on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and its mechanism.Methods:In vivo,8-to 12-weeks-old C57BL/6 male mice underwent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 50 minutes followed by reperfusion for 48 hours.In vitro,the primary cultured neonatal mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes(NMVCs)were treated with 100μmol/L hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)).The knockdown of lncRNA-AK138945 was evaluated to detect cardiomyocyte apoptosis,and a glucose-regulated,endoplasmic reticulum stress-related protein 94(GRP94)inhibitor was used to detect myocardial injury.Results:We found that the expression level of lncRNA-AK138945 was reduced in MIRI mouse heart tissue and H2O2-treated cardiomyocytes.Moreover,the proportion of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes increased after lncRNA-AK138945 was silenced.The expression level of Bcl2 protein was decreased,and the expression level of Bad,Caspase 9 and Caspase 3 protein was increased.Our further study found that miR-1a-3p is a direct target of lncRNA-AK138945,after lncRNA-AK138945 was silenced in cardiomyocytes,the expression level of miR-1a-3p was increased while the expression level of its downstream protein GRP94 was decreased.Interestingly,treatment with a GRP94 inhibitor(PU-WS13)intensified H2O2-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.After overexpression of FOXO3,the expression levels of lncRNA-AK138945 and GRP94 were increased,while the expression levels of miR-1a-3p were decreased.Conclusion:LncRNA-AK138945 inhibits GRP94 expression by regulating miR-1a-3p,leading to cardiomyocyte apoptosis.The transcription factor Forkhead Box Protein O3(FOXO3)participates in cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress through up-regulation of lncRNA-AK138945.

Morphological Features of Complex Congenital Cardiovascular Anomalies in Fetuses:as Evaluated by Cast Models

Accurate prenatal diagnosis of complex congenital cardiovascular anomalies, vascular ones in particular, is still challenging. A fetal cardiovascular cast model can provide a copy of the cardiac chambers and great vessels with normal or pathological structures. This study was aimed to demonstrate three-dimensional anatomy of complex congenital cardiovascular anomalies in fetuses by means of corrosion casting. Twenty fetuses with prenatal-ultrasound-diagnosed complex cardiovascular anomalies were enrolled in this study（19 to 35 gestational weeks）. Fetal cardiovascular cast models were made by a corrosion casting technique. The specimens were injected with casting material via the umbilical vein, and then immersed in strong acid after casting fluid was solidified, to disclose the geometries of cardiovascular cavities. Nineteen cast models were successfully made from 20 specimens. The casts distinctly showed the morphological malformations and spatial relationship between cardiac chambers and great vessels. One hundred and eleven abnormalities were revealed by casting in the 19 specimens, including 34 abnormalities located in the cardiac chambers（3, 4 and 27 anomalies in the atria, atrioventricular valves and ventricles, respectively）, and 77 in the great vessels（28, 20, 24 and 5 anomalies in the aorta and its branches, the pulmonary artery, the ductus arteriosus and the major veins, respectively）. Corrosion casting can display three-dimensional anatomy of fetal complex cardiovascular anomalies. This improves our understanding of related pathomorphology and prenatal diagnosis.

Relationship between body mass index and short-term postoperative prognosis in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND Obesity is a state in which excess heat is converted into excess fat,which accumulates in the body and may cause damage to multiple organs of the circulatory,endocrine,and digestive systems.Studies have shown that the accumulation of abdominal fat and mesenteric fat hypertrophy in patients with obesity makes laparoscopic surgery highly difficult,which is not conducive to operation and affects patient prognosis.However,there is still controversy regarding these conclusions.AIM To explore the relationship between body mass index(BMI)and short-term prognosis after surgery for colorectal cancer.METHODS PubMed,Embase,Ovid,Web of Science,CNKI,and China Biology Medicine Disc databases were searched to obtain relevant articles on this topic.After the articles were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the risk of literature bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale,the prognostic indicators were combined and analyzed.RESULTS A total of 16 articles were included for quantitative analysis,and 15588 patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery were included in the study,including 3775 patients with obesity and 11813 patients without obesity.Among them,12 articles used BMI≥30 kg/m^(2)and 4 articles used BMI≥25 kg/m^(2)for the definition of obesity.Four patients underwent robotic colorectal surgery,whereas 12 underwent conventional laparoscopic colorectal resection.The quality of the literature was good.Meta-combined analysis showed that the overall complication rate of patients with obesity after surgery was higher than that of patients without obesity[OR=1.35,95%CI:1.23-1.48,Z=6.25,P<0.0001].The incidence of anastomotic leak after surgery in patients with obesity was not significantly different from that in patients without obesity[OR=0.99,95%CI:0.70-1.41),Z=-0.06,P=0.956].The incidence of surgical site infection(SSI)after surgery in patients with obesity was higher than that in patients without obesity[OR=1.43,95%CI:1.16-1.78,Z=3.31,P<0.001].The incidence of reoperation in patients with obesity after surgery was higher than that in patients without obesity;however,the difference was not statistically significant[OR=1.15,95%CI:0.92-1.45,Z=1.23,P=0.23];Patients with obesity had lower mortality after surgery than patients without obesity;however,the difference was not statistically significant[OR=0.61,95%CI:0.35-1.06,Z=-1.75,P=0.08].Subgroup analysis revealed that the geographical location of the institute was one of the sources of heterogeneity.Robot-assisted surgery was not significantly different from traditional laparoscopic resection in terms of the incidence of complications.CONCLUSION Obesity increases the overall complication and SSI rates of patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery but has no influence on the incidence of anastomotic leak,reoperation rate,and short-term mortality rate.

Early hemodynamics after tibial transverse transport in patients with nonarterial stenosis and arterial stenosis diabetic foot

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of peripheral arteriopathy in the diabetic foot is complicated by diabetes and its advanced complications.It has been found that diabetic foot can be categorized into arterial stenosis and non-arterial stenosis,both of which have significant differences in hemodynamic characteristics.AIM To evaluate the early hemodynamic changes in diabetic foot patients with nonarterial stenosis and arterial stenosis treated by tibial transverse transport(TTT)using high-frequency color Doppler ultrasonography(HFCDU)and a laser Doppler flowmeter.METHODS Twenty-five patients with Wagner grades 3-5 diabetic foot ulcers were treated with TTT,and the wound healing time and rate were recorded.Patients were grouped according to the results of preoperative lower-extremity ultrasonography.Cases with≥50%stenosis in any of the femoral,popliteal,posterior tibial,anterior tibial,and peroneal arteries of the affected limb were classified as the arterial stenosis group(n=16);otherwise,they were classified as the nonarterial stenosis group(n=9).Before and one month after surgery,HFCDU was used to evaluate the degree of lower limb artery lesions and hemodynamic changes in patients.The degree of femoral-popliteal atherosclerotic stenosis,the degree of vascular stenosis and occlusion of the lower-knee outflow tract,and the degree of medial arterial calcification were scored;the three scores were added together to obtain the total score of lower extremity arteriopathy.PeriScanPIM3,a laser Doppler flowmeter system,was used to detect alterations in plantar microcirculation before and 1 mo after surgery.Wound healing and hemodynamic indices were compared between the two groups.RESULTS The wound healing time of the diabetic foot was significantly shorter in the nonarterial stenosis group than in the arterial stenosis group(47.8±13 vs 85.8±26,P<0.05),and the wound healing rate of both groups was 100%.The preoperative total lower extremity arteriopathy scores were lower in the nonarterial stenosis group than those in the arterial stenosis group(18.89±8.87 vs 24.63±3.52,P<0.05).The nonarterial stenosis group showed higher preoperative popliteal artery(POA)blood flow than the arterial stenosis group(204.89±80.76 cc/min vs 76.75±48.49 cc/min,P<0.05).Compared with the baseline(before surgery),the postoperative POA blood flow of the affected limb in the nonarterial stenosis group decreased one month after surgery(134.11±47.84 cc/min vs 204.89±80.76 cc/min,P<0.05),while that in the arterial stenosis group increased(98.44±30.73 cc/min vs 61.69±21.70 cc/min,P<0.05).Although the POA blood flow in the arterial stenosis group was obviously improved one month after surgery,it was still lower than that in the nonarterial stenosis group(98.44±30.73 cc/min vs 134.11±47.84 cc/min,P<0.05).The nonarterial stenosis group had higher preoperative plantar microcirculation than the arterial stenosis group(56.1±9.2 vs 33.2±7.5,P<0.05);compared with the baseline,the plantar microcirculation in the arterial stenosis group was significantly improved one month after surgery(51.9±7.2,P<0.05),while that in the nonarterial stenosis group was reduced(35.9±7.2,P<0.05).CONCLUSION Based on preoperative HFCDU findings,diabetic foot patients can be divided into two categories:Those with nonarterial stenosis and those with arterial stenosis,with obvious differences in hemodynamic changes in the early postoperative period between them.In the early stage after TTT,the blood flow volume and velocity and the plantar microcirculation perfusion of the affected limb of the diabetic foot with nonarterial stenosis decreased compared with the baseline,while those of the diabetic foot with arterial stenosis improved significantly compared with the baseline,although both had smoothly healed diabetic foot ulcers.

Adaptive speckle reduction of ultrasound images based on maximum likelihood estimation

A method has been developed in this paper to gain effective speckle reduction in medical ultrasound images. To exploit full knowledge of the speckle distribution, here maximum likelihood was used to estimate speckle parameters corresponding to its statistical mode. Then the results were incorporated into the nonlinear anisotropic diffusion to achieve adaptive speckle reduction. Verified with simulated and ultrasound images, we show that this algorithm is capable of enhancing features of clinical interest and reduces speckle noise more efficiently than just applying classical filters. To avoid edge contribution, changes of contrast-to-noise ratio of different regions are also compared to investigate the performance of this approach.

Three core techniques in surgery of neuroepithelial tumors in eloquent areas： awake anaesthesia, intraoperative direct electrical stimulation and ultrasonography

Background The goal of surgery in the treatment of intrinsic cerebral tumors is to resect the maximum tumor volume,and to spare the eloquent areas. However, it is difficult to discover the eloquent areas intraoperatively due to individual anatomo-functional variability both for sensori-motor and language functions. Consequently, the surgery of intrinsic cerebral tumors frequently results in poor extent of resection or permanent postoperative deficits, or both, and remains a difficult problem for neurosurgeons.Methods From January 2003 to January 2010, 112 patients with neuroepithelial tumors in/close to the eloquent areas were operated on under awake anesthesia with the intraoperative direct electrical stimulation for functional mapping of the eloquent areas. The extent of the tumors was verified by intraoperative ultrasonography. The maximal resection of the tumors and minimal damage of the eloquent areas were the surgical goal of all patients.Results Totally 356 cortical sites in 99 patients were detected for motor response by intraoperative direct electrical stimulation, 50 sites in 16 patients for sensory, 72 sites in 48 patients for language. Sixty-six patients （58.9%） achieved total resection, 34 （30.4%） subtotal and 12 （10.7%） partial. Fifty-eight patients （51.8%） had no postoperative deficit, while 37 patients （33.0%） had transitory postoperative paralysis, 26 patients （23.2%） with transitory postoperative language disturbance and 3 patients （2.7%） with permanent neurological deficits. No patient complained of pain recollection following operation.Conclusions Awake anesthesia, intraoperative direct electrical stimulation and ultrasonography are three core techniques for the resection of intrinsic cerebral tumors near the eloquent areas. This new concept allows an improvement in the quality of surgery for neuroepithelial tumors in/adjacent to eloquent areas.

Generation of in situ CRISPR-mediated primary and metastatic cancer from monkey liver

Non-human primates(NHPs)represent the most valuable animals for drug discovery.However,the current main challenge remains that the NHP has not yet been used to develop an efficient translational medicine platform simulating human diseases,such as cancer.This study gen erated an in situ gen e-editi ng approach to in duce efficie nt loss-of-function mutations of Pten and p53 genes for rapid modeling primary and metastatic liver tumors using the CRISPR/Cas9 in the adult cyno molgus mon key.Un der ultraso und guida nee,the CRISPR/Cas9 was injected into the cyno molgus mon key liver through the in trahepatic portal vein.The results showed that the ultraso un d-guided CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in in dels of the Pten and p53 genes in seve n out of eight monkeys.The best mutation efficiencies for Pten and p53 were up to 74.71%and 74.68%,respectively.Furthermore,the morbidity of primary and exte nsively metastatic(lung,splee n,lymph nodes)hepatoma in CRISPR-treated mon keys was 87.5%.The ultraso un d-guided CRISPR system could have great potential to successfully pursue the desired target genes,thereby reducing possible side effects associated with hitting no n-specific off-target genes,and sign ifica ntly in creasing more efficie ncy as well as higher specificity of in situ gene editi ng in vivo,which holds promise as a powerful,yet feasible tool,to edit disease genes to build corresp on ding huma n disease models in adult NHPs and to greatly accelerate the discovery of new drugs and save economic costs.

lncRNA cytoskeleton regulator RNA(CYTOR):Diverse functions in metabolism,inflammation and tumorigenesis,and potential applications in precision oncology

Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)are a novel class of non-coding RNA(ncRNA),that have been studied extensively in the field of tumor research in recent years.In the case of tumor-associated lncRNAs,lncRNA cytoskeleton regulator RNA(CYTOR)displays extensive functions in tumorigenesis,including invasion,metastasis,malignant proliferation,glycolysis,and inflammatory response.Moreover,the dysregulation of CYTOR is closely related to clinicopathological characteristics,such as tumor stage,lymph node metastasis and infiltration,and poor prognosis of tumor patients.In this review,we provide a novel strategy to summarize the biological functions and clinical value of CYTOR in tumors through an overview of the literature combined with gene set enrichment analysis.A deeper understanding of the role of CYTOR in tumorigenesis may provide new diagnostic,prognostic and therapeutic markers for human tumors.