Objective To observe the main biological characteristics and chondrogenesis potency of bone marrow -derived stromal cells(MSCs) after cytokinesinduction or gene modification in vitro. Methods MSCs from an adult New Zealand white rabbit were isolated and cultivated, and then MSCs were divided into the common medium group(Group A, 15%FBS in DMEM), the induced group by cytokines (Group B), the transfected group(Group C)with adenovirus-hepatocyte growth factor transgene (adHGF). The medium of group B consisted of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1,10 ng/ml), basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF,25 ng/ml) addexamethasone (DEX,10-7mol/L) with 15%FBS in DMEM. Cartilage slices wereobtained from femoral condyles and patellar grove in the same rabbit. The minced cartilage was digested in Ⅱ collagenase (3 mg/ml) to obtain chondrocytes(Group D). The change of cell appearance, proliferation capacity, glycosaminoglycans(GAG), immunohistochemical staining for type Ⅰ, Ⅱ collagen were observed during the 5th passage MSCs and MSCs after induction or gene modification. Expression of mRNA for type Ⅰ and Ⅱ collagen was detected by RT-PCR. Results Primary MSCs proliferated as shortspindle shape, while the 5th MSCs showed longspindle shape. Positive stain of type Ⅰ collagen could be found in groups A, B and C, while positivestain of type Ⅱ collagen was shown in groups B and D. The content of GAG in group B was higher than that in group A, but there was no significant difference between them（Pgt;0.05）, and there was significant difference between groups A and D（Plt;0.05）. No significant difference was noted in groups A,B and C on proliferation by MTT（Pgt;0.05）,except that of at the fourth day after transfection between groups A and C（Plt;0.05）. RT-PCR demonstrated that MSCs always had higher levelsof mRNA type Ⅰ collagen in groups A, B and C. The expression of mRNA type Ⅱ collagen was identified in groups B and D, and only low levels of mRNA type Ⅱ collagen in group C. Conclusion The above results indicate MSCs have a natural tendency of osteogenic differentiation in vitro culture, and also demonstrate the chondrogenic potency with the technique of cytokines induction or gene modification after passage. MSCs can be transfected efficiently being seed cells in tissue engineered bone or cartilage to accept target genes such as adHGF, and have a higher levels of expression in vitro, which lasted 4 weeks at least.
ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of the residence of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) on surgical characteristics in the current version Database from Colorectal Cancer (DACCA). MethodsAccording to the established screening conditions, the patients with CRC were collected from the updated version of DACCA on January 23, 2023. The analysis indicators enrolled in this study included: the grouping indicator was residence, the surgical characteristic indicators included the surgical timing, surgical nature, expanded resection, intersphincteric resection (ISR) type, patient’s willingness of preserving the anus, and whether preserving the anus. The patients were categorized into three groups based on the residence: inside Chengdu City, outside Chengdu City within Sichuan Province, and outside Sichuan Province. The surgical characteristic indicators of patients with CRC from different residences were comparatively analyzed. ResultsA total of 6 832 analyzable data rows were enrolled. The results of statistical analysis revealed the following findings: there were no statistical differences in the surgery timing and surgery nature among the patients with colon cancer or rectal cancer from the different residences (Surgery timing: H=1.665, P=0.435; H=4.153, P=0.125. Surgery nature: χ2=1.586, P=0.453; χ2=0.990, P=0.610); For the patients with rectal cancer from the different residences, the distributions of the ISR type (H=0.514, P=0.773), patients’ willingness of preserving the anus (χ2=1.437, P=0.487), and whether preserving the anus (χ2=5.513, P=0.064) had no statistical differences. In addition, although there was no statistical difference in the distribution of expanded resection or not among the patients with rectal cancer in different residences (χ2=2.363, P=0.307), it was found that there was statistical difference in the distribution of enlarged resection or not among the patients with colon cancer in different residences (χ2=17.324, P＜0.001). ConclusionsFrom the data analysis in DACCA, there are not statistical differences in surgical characteristic indicators such as surgical timing, surgical nature, ISR type, patients’ willingness of preserving the anus, and whether preserving the anus among patients with colon or rectal cancer from different residences. However, the proportion of underwent expanded surgery in the colon cancer patients who from outside Sichuan Province as compared with inside Sichuan Province is relatively higher, this suggests that surgical difficulty is more difficult for the patients from outside Sichuan Province.
ObjectiveTo elucidate the clinical and pathological features and review the progress of diagnosis and treatment in patients with brain metastasis (BM) from colorectal cancer (CRC), so as to provide a reference for the whole process management for patients with BM from CRC in China.MethodThe latest research results and previous literatures about patients with BM from CRC were reviewed.ResultsThe prognosis of BM from CRC was poor, its molecular pathological mechanism was complex and diverse, and some risk factors associated with the occurrence of BM had been identified. Typical imaging features of BM from CRC were helpful to the diagnosis of patients. At present, radiotherapy was still the main treatment. Bevacizumab treatment or immunotherapy combined with radiotherapy was expected to improve the survival of BM from CRC.ConclusionScientific and standardized prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are beneficial to reduce incidence of BM from CRC and improve survival.
ObjectiveTo summarize and analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with acute diffuse lung changes and respiratory failure.MethodsThe clinical data of patients in the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Dazhou Central Hospital between January 2016 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected, whose main clinical manifestation was acute respiratory distress syndrome with acute onset (<3 weeks) and main imaging manifestation was diffuse changes in both lungs. The clinical characteristics of patients were summarized, and the causes of the disease were explored.ResultsA total of 65 patients with acute diffuse lung changes and respiratory failure were enrolled, including 42 males (64.6%) and 23 females (35.4%). The average age was (57.1±18.4) years, the average time from onset to treatment was (7.5±5.9) d, and the average length of stay in the intensive care unit was (8.9±4.1) d. A total of 23 cases died, with a case-fatality rate of 35.4%. Among the 65 patients, there were 50 case (76.9%) of infectious diseases, including 36 cases of bacterial infections (including 4 cases of tuberculosis), 8 cases of viral infections (all were H1N1 infections), and 6 cases of fungal infections (including 1 case of pneumocystis infection); and there were 15 cases (23.1%) of non-infectious diseases, including 4 cases of acute left heart failure, 2 cases of interstitial pneumonia, 2 cases of vasculitis, 1 case of myositis dermatomyositis, 1 case of aspiration pneumonia, 1 case of acute pulmonary embolism, 1 case of acute drug lung injury, 1 case of neurogenic pulmonary edema, 1 case of drowning, and 1 case of unknown origin.ConclusionsInfectious diseases are the main cause of acute diffuse lung changes and respiratory failure, while among non-infectious diseases, acute heart failure and immune system diseases are common causes.
Objective To investigate the imaging characteristics of cervical kyphosis and spinal cord compression in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) with cervical kyphosis and the influence on effectiveness. Methods The clinical data of 36 patients with single-segment CSM with cervical kyphosis who were admitted between January 2020 and December 2022 and met the selection criteria were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the positional relationship between the kyphosis focal on cervical spine X-ray film and the spinal cord compression point on MRI: the same group (group A, 20 cases, both points were in the same position), the adjacent group (group B, 10 cases, both points were located adjacent to each other), and the separated group (group C, 6 cases, both points were located >1 vertebra away from each other). There was no significant difference between groups (P>0.05) in baseline data such as gender, age, body mass index, lesion segment, disease duration, and preoperative C2-7 angle, C2-7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-7 SVA), C7 slope (C7S), kyphotic Cobb angle, fusion segment height, and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score. The patients underwent single-segment anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF). The occurrence of postoperative complications was recorded; preoperatively and at last follow-up, the patients’ neurological function was evaluated using the JOA score, and the sagittal parameters (C2-7 angle, C2-7 SVA, C7S, kyphotic Cobb angle, and height of the fused segments) were measured on cervical spine X-ray films and MRI and the correction rate of the cervical kyphosis was calculated; the correlation between changes in cervical sagittal parameters before and after operation and the JOA score improvement rate was analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis. Results In 36 patients, only 1 case of dysphagia occurred in group A, and the dysphagia symptoms disappeared at 3 days after operation, and the remaining patients had no surgery-related complications during the hospitalization. All patients were followed up 12-42 months, with a mean of 20.1 months; the difference in follow-up time between the groups was not significant (P>0.05). At last follow-up, all the imaging indicators and JOA scores of patients in the 3 groups were significantly improved when compared with preoperative ones (P<0.05). The correction rate of cervical kyphosis in group A was significantly better than that in group C, and the improvement rate of JOA score was significantly better than that in groups B and C, all showing significant differences (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the other groups (P>0.05). The correlation analysis showed that the improvement rate of JOA score was negatively correlated with C2-7 angle and kyphotic Cobb angle at last follow-up (r=−0.424, P=0.010; r=−0.573, P<0.001), and positively correlated with the C7S and correction rate of cervical kyphosis at last follow-up (r=0.336, P=0.045; r=0.587, P<0.001), and no correlation with the remaining indicators (P>0.05). Conclusion There are three main positional relationships between the cervical kyphosis focal and the spinal cord compression point on imaging, and they have different impacts on the effectiveness and sagittal parameters after ACDF, and those with the same position cervical kyphosis focal and spinal cord compression point have the best improvement in effectiveness and sagittal parameters.
Coronary heart disease is the second leading cause of death worldwide. As a preventable and treatable chronic disease, early screening is of great importance for disease control. However, previous screening tools relied on physician assistance, thus cannot be used on a large scale. Many facial features have been reported to be associated with coronary heart disease and may be useful for screening. However, these facial features have limitations such as fewer types, irregular definitions and poor repeatability of manual judgment, so they can not be routinely applied in clinical practice. With the development of artificial intelligence, it is possible to integrate facial features to predict diseases. A recent study published in the European Heart Journal showed that coronary heart disease can be predicted using artificial intelligence based on facial photos. Although this work still has some limitations, this novel technology will be promise for improving disease screening and diagnosis in the future.
ObjectiveTo explore the clinical and pathological characteristics of lung carcinoma in young adults, and improve the early diagnosis and treatment. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 129 patients with lung carcinoma aged from 18 to 35 years old who came to West China Hospital of Siduan University from January 1st 2008 to December 31st 2014.Also we collected 32 young adults with lung benign mass to make the comparison of the clinical and pathological characteristics with the patients. ResultsIn the 129 patients with lung carcinoma, there were 72 females and 57 males.Adenocarcinoma (88/129) was the most common type of pathology, while others included small cell carcinoma (18/129), squamous cell carcinoma (13/129), and other types of carcinoma (10/129).Among patients with lung carcinoma, 41(31.8%) complained of refractory dry cough and another 40(31.0%) presented coughing and expectoration.Twenty-nine patients (22.5%) were misdiagnosed in their first visits.In young adults with lung carcinoma, 55.8% were at the Ⅳ stage with metastasis at the first-time diagnosis.Comparing with patients with benign lung mass, patients with lung carcinoma presented significantly more dry cough (P=0.011), chest distress (P=0.007) and weight loss (P=0.007);while fever was found more patients with lung benign mass (P=0.040).The differences in cough, expectoration, and emptysis between the two groups were not significant (P > 0.05). ConclusionsLung carcinoma in young adults often has atypical clinical presentations.Therefore, it is more commonly misdiagnosed.
Ultrasonic microfluidic technology is a technique that couples high-frequency ultrasonic excitation to microfluidic chips. To improve the issues of poor disturbance effects with flexible tip structures and the susceptibility of bubbles to thermal deformation, we propose an enhanced ultrasonic microchannel structure that couples flexible tips with bubbles aiming to improve the disturbance effects and the stability duration. Firstly, we used finite element analysis to simulate the flow field distribution characteristics of the flexible tip, the bubble, and the coupling structure and obtained the steady-state distribution characteristics of the velocity field. Next, we fabricated ultrasonic microfluidic chips based on these three structures, employing 2.8 μm polystyrene microspheres as tracers to analyze the disturbance characteristics of the flow field. Additionally, we analyzed the bubble size and growth rate within the adhering bubbles and coupling structures. Finally, we verified the applicability of the coupling structure for biological samples using human red blood cells (RBCs). Experimental results indicated that, compared to the flexible tip and adhering bubble structures, the flow field disturbance range of the coupling structure increased by 439.53% and 133.48%, respectively; the bubble growth rate reduced from 14.4% to 3.3%. The enhanced ultrasonic microfluidic structure proposed in this study shows great potential for widespread applications in micro-scale flow field disturbance and particle manipulation.
Objective To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of proximal gastric cancer (PGC). MethodsThe clinical course and pathologic feature of 118 PGC patients were analyzed, and compared with those of 310 distal gastric cancer (DGC) patients. ResultsThe incidence of PGC was lower than DGC, the percentage of Ⅲ,Ⅳ stages and undifferentiated type in the PGC group were significantly higher than in DGC. For the surgical procedure, patients in the PGC had significantly higher percentages of total gastrectomy and other organ resection than in DGC. The percentage of patients with positive margin and lymph node metastasis in PGC was also significantly higher than in DGC. Esophageal invasion and lymph node metastasis were much more in PGC. The 5year survival of patients with PGC was significantly lower than that with DGC. No significant differences were found between the two groups with respect to the mortality rates and complications. Conclusion The relatively poor prognosis associated with PGC is mainly from advanced cases and esophageal invasion. Early detection and treatment is the most important strategy to improve the survival of patients with PGC.
Melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) not only retain the inherent characteristics of melanin (metal ion chelation, photothermal conversion property, etc.), but also can exhibit more excellent properties, such as high dispersion stability, good biocompatibility and biodegradability, etc. Furthermore, these performances can be enhanced to target the specific sites and treat diseases by the surface modification or combination with functional substance. In this paper, the characteristics, preparation methods and applications of MNPs were reviewed. It provides a reference for further development of application for MNPs, and theoretical basis for practice in biology, medicine and so on.