Background and Aim
Endoscopic examinations carry a potential risk of cross‐infection, and the traditional reprocessing method is time consuming. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of a novel ...disposable sheathed gastroscope system in clinical practice in comparison with the conventional gastroscope.
Methods
There were two phases in the study. In phase 1, 20 patients with hepatitis B were randomized into two groups: the sheathed group was examined with the novel disposable sheathed gastroscope (n = 10) and the conventional group with the conventional gastroscope (n = 10). Microbiologic tests were performed on each endoscope afterwards. In the second phase, 1120 patients were randomized again into the same two groups with 568 and 552 patients in the sheathed group and the conventional group, respectively. The time duration of the endoscopic procedure and reprocessing were measured. The pathology detection rate of endoscopic examinations, the patients' subjective feelings, and problems occurred during procedures were also recorded.
Results
The total instrument turn‐around time in the phase 2 sheathed group (9.9 ± 1.3 min) was significantly shorter than the conventional group (39.0 ± 1.4 min, P = 0.000). The mean procedural time was slightly longer in the sheathed group than in the conventional group (4.9 ± 1.4 vs 4.1 ± 1.3 min, P = 0.000). However, the duration of endoscopic reprocessing was much shorter (4.9 ± 0.2 vs 35 ± 0.2 min, P = 0.000). No significant differences were observed in patient discomfort, optical clarity, or pathology detection rate. There were no complications in either group, and no microbial contamination was detected in phase 1 of the study.
Conclusions
Compared with the conventional gastroscope, the novel disposable sheathed gastroendoscope is safe and more efficient in clinical practice.
AIM:To study the characteristics of APC(adenomatous polyposis coli)gene germline mutation in Chinese patients with familial adenomatous polyposis(FAP).METHODS:APC gene from 14 FAP families was ...amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and underwent direct sequencing to determine the micromutation type.For the samples without micromutation,the large fragment deletion of APC gene was examined by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification(MLPA).RESULTS:There were gene micromutations in 9 families with a...
Sorafenib was first approved as the standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite providing an advantage in terms of patient survival, sorafenib has shown poor clinical ...efficacy and severe side effects after long-term treatment. Thus, combination treatment is a potential way to increase the effectiveness and reduce the dose-limiting toxicity of sorafenib. Extracts of the seeds of Annona montana have shown synergistic antitumor activity with sorafenib, and seven annonaceous acetogenins, including three new acetogenins, muricin P (2), muricin Q (3), and muricin R (4), were isolated from the extracts by bioguided fractionation and showed synergy with sorafenib. The structures of these compounds were determined using spectroscopic and chemical methods. Annonacin (1) and muricin P (2), which reduced intracellular ATP levels and promoted apoptosis, exhibited synergistic cytotoxicity with sorafenib in vitro. In vivo, annonacin (1) displayed synergistic antitumor activity by promoting tumor cell apoptosis. Moreover, the potential mechanism of annonacin (1) was predicted by transcriptomic analysis, which suggested that SLC33A1 is a potential target in HCC. Annonacin (1) might be a novel candidate for combination therapy with sorafenib against advanced HCC.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a common chronic disease, and the loss of bone density and bone strength after menopause are its main symptoms. Effective treatments for PMOP are still ...uncertain, but Chinese medicine has some advantages in slowing down bone loss. Shengu granules are often used clinically to treat PMOP. It has been shown to be an effective prescription for the treatment of PMOP, and there is evidence that gut flora may play an important role. However, whether Shengu granules attenuate PMOP by modulating gut flora and related mechanisms remains unclear.
In this study, we mainly examined the bone strength of the femur, the structure of the intestinal microbiota, SCFAs in the feces and the level of FOXP3 cells in the colon. To further learn about the inflammation response, the condition of the mucosa and the level of cytokines in the serum also included in the testing. In addition, to get the information of the protein expression, the protein expression of OPG and RANKL in the femur and the protein expression of ZO-1 and Occludin in the colon were taken into account.
The osteoporosis was significantly improved in the SG group compared with the OVX group, and the diversity of intestinal flora, the secretion level of SCFAs and the expression level of FOXP3 were significantly increased compared with the OVX group. In terms of inflammatory indicators, the intestinal inflammation scores of the SG group was significantly lower than those in the OVX group. Additionally, the serum expression levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in the SG group were significantly increased compared with the OVX group, and the expression levels of IL-17 and TNF-α were significantly decreased compared with the OVX group. In terms of protein expression, the expression levels of ZO-1, Occluding and OPG were significantly increased in the SG group compared with the OVX group, and the expression level of RANKL was significantly decreased compared with the OVX group.
Shengu granules treatment can improve the imbalance of intestinal flora, increase the secretion of SCFAs and the expression of FOXP3, which reduces the inflammatory response and repairs the intestinal barrier, as well as regulates the expression of OPG/RANKL signaling axis. Overall, Shengu granules ameliorate ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis by the gut-bone-immune axis.
NaMgH3 perovskite hydride and NaMgH3–carbon nanomaterials (NH-CM) composites were prepared via the reactive ball-milling method. To investigate the catalytic effect of CM on the dehydriding kinetic ...properties of NaMgH3 hydride, multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) were used as catalytic additives. It was found that dehydriding temperatures and activation energies (ΔE1 and ΔE2) for two dehydrogenation steps of NaMgH3 hydride can be greatly reduced with a 5 wt. % CM addition. The NH–2.5M–2.5G composite presents better dehydriding kinetics, a lower dehydriding temperature, and a higher hydrogen-desorbed amount (3.64 wt. %, 638 K). ΔE1 and ΔE2 can be reduced by about 67 kJ/mol and 30 kJ/mol, respectively. The results suggest that the combination of MWCNTs and GO is a better catalyst as compared to MWCNTs or GO alone.
The sensitivity of lung cancer to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been found to be associated with mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR. ...However, not all mutations are sensitive to gefitinib. While CpG island methylation in the promoter region of the EGFR gene and transcriptional silencing are common in solid tumors, the role of the EGFR gene promoter methylation in affecting resistance to TKIs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. In this study, we examined the correlation between EGFR gene promoter methylation and the therapeutic effect of gefitinib in NSCLC cells. Three NSCLC cell lines with different EGFR mutation statuses and levels of sensitivity to EGFR-TKIs were used in this study: H1650 (del E746-A750), H1299 (wild-type EGFR) and PC-9 (del E746-A750). Cells were treated with gefitinib or 5-aza-2′-deoxy cytidine (5-aza-CdR), a methylation inhibitor, alone or in combination. Subsequently, the methylation status of the EGFR gene promoter was examined by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Cell survival and apoptosis assays were performed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry. In addition, western blot analysis and quantitative real-time PCR were used to examine the expression levels of EGFR protein and mRNA. Our study showed that the promoter region of the EGFR gene in PC-9 cells was unmethylated, and that the cells were sensitive to gefitinib. By contrast, the promoter region of the EGFR gene in the H1650 and H1299 cells was methylated, and the cells were resistant to gefitinib. Of note, the combination treatment with 5-aza-CdR and gefitinib further enhanced the growth inhibitory effects and led to the induction of apoptosis, while a significant reduction in the expression of EGFR protein and mRNA was observed in the H1650 and H1299 cells. These results suggest that blockade of DNA methylation may enhance the antitumor effects of EGFR-TKIs and gefitinib in NSCLC cells. Thus, EGFR gene promoter methylation may be a potential mechanism for acquired resistance to gefitinib.
•This is the first report of the determination of avicularin level in rat plasma using an UPLC–MS/MS method.•Sample preparation was accomplished with a simple one-step precipitation of plasma protein ...by acetonitrile–methanol (9:1, v/v).•Only 1.6min was needed for an analytical run.•The method meets the requirement of high sample throughput in bioanalysis.
A rapid, sensitive and selective ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination and pharmacokinetic investigation of avicularin in rat plasma. Sample preparation was accomplished through a simple one-step deproteinization procedure with 0.2mL of acetonitrile–methanol (9:1, v/v) to a 0.1mL plasma sample. Plasma samples were separated by UPLC on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile–0.1% formic acid in water with gradient elution. The total run time was 1.60min and the elution of avicularin was at 1.20min. The detection was performed on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in the multiple reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode using the respective transitions m/z 434.1→301.3 for avicularin and m/z 237.2→194.3 for carbamazepine (IS), respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 10–3000ng/mL with a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 10ng/mL. Mean recovery of avicularin in plasma was in the range of 84.2–89.5%. Intra-day and inter-day precision were both <12%. This method was successfully applied in pharmacokinetic study after intravenous administration of 5.0mg/kg avicularin in rats.
Purpose:
To report a novel common-iliac-artery skirt technology (CST) in treating challenge iliac artery aneurysms.
Methods:
When required healthy landing zone of common iliac artery (CIA) is not ...available, CST is a strategy to exclude the internal iliac artery (IIA) and prevent IIA reflux without need of embolization. Patients who received endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) in our center from 2014 to 2020 were retrospectively screened, and patients treated with CST or with IIA embolization (IIAE) were enrolled.
Results:
After retrospective screen of 524 EVAR patients, 39 CST patients, 26 IIAE patients, and 7 CST + IIAE patients were enrolled in this study. CST group suggested to have more aged, hyperlipemia, and smoking patients than IIAE group. Two groups had comparable maximal diameter of abdominal aorta (AA), CIA, EIA, but larger diameter of IIA (CST 19.82 ± 2.281 vs. IIAE 27.82 ± 3.401,
p
= 0.048), and CIA bifurcation (CST 25.01 ± 1.316 vs. IIAE 29.76 ± 2.775,
p
= 0.087) was found in IIAE group. Anatomy of 79.5% of CST patients and 92.3% of IIAE patients (
p
= 0.293) was not suitable for potential use of iliac branch device. CST group had significant shorter surgery time (CST 97.42 ± 3.891 vs. IIAE 141.0 ± 8.010,
p
< 0.001), shorter hospital stay (CST 15.35 ± 0.873 vs. IIAE 19.32 ± 1.067,
p
= 0.009), lower in-hospital CST 0% (0/39) vs. IIAE 11.5% (3/26),
p
= 0.059 and 1-year follow-up stent related MAEs CST 6.7% (2/30) vs. IIAE 28.6% (6/21),
p
= 0.052, but comparable mortality and stent related MAEs for all-cohort follow-up analysis comparing to IIAE group. In our study, a lower in-hospital buttock claudication (BC) rate for CST (CST 20.5% vs. IIAE 46.2%,
p
= 0.053) and a comparable erectile dysfunction (ED) rate (CST 10.3% vs. IIAE 23.1%,
p
= 0.352) were found between CST and IIAE groups. After 1 year, both groups had about one third relief of BC symptoms CST 33.3% (4/12) vs. IIAE 30.7% (4/13),
p
= 1.000. Subgroup analysis of 14 patents concomitant with IIA aneurysm in CST group and the 7 CST + IIAE patients were carried out, and no difference was found in mortality, stent MAEs, sac dilation, or reintervention rate. Last, illustration of seven typical CST cases was presented.
Conclusion:
In selected cases, the CST is a safe, feasible-and-effective choose in treating challenge iliac artery aneurysms and preventing IIA endoleak.
Three different heteroaromatic ring derivatives (coagents) were used to adjust the melt radical reaction of polypropylene (PP). From the results of high temperature 1H NMR and high-temperature ...size-exclusion chromatography (HT-SEC), all the coagents could quickly convert the tertiary PP macroradicals into resonance stabilized macroradicals and effectively restrain the β-scission of PP macroradicals. Long chain branched structures, without significant bimodal distribution of molecular weight, could be introduced into coagents-functionalized PP samples. Effect of chemical structures of heteroaromatic rings and electron-attracting groups on the molecular structures and melt properties of modified PP samples was studied. The possible reactions of coagents-functionalized PP samples in different theoretical molar ratio of coagent to alkoxy radical were also proposed according to the results of 1H NMR, torque curves, rheological measurements and HT-SEC coupled with laser light scattering detector.
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