Background:
Dexmedetomidine is considered an adjunct to local anaesthesia (LA) to prolong peripheral nerve block time. However, the results from a previous meta-analysis were not sufficient to ...support its use in paravertebral block (PVB). Therefore, we performed an updated meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine combined with LA in PVB.
Methods:
We performed an electronic database search from the date of establishment to April 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the combination of dexmedetomidine and LA compared with LA alone for PVB in adult patients were included. Postoperative pain scores, analgesic consumption, and adverse reactions were analyzed.
Results:
We identified 12 trials (701 patients) and found that the application of dexmedetomidine as a PVB adjunct reduced the postoperative pain severity of patients 12 and 24 h after surgery compared to a control group. Expressed as mean difference (MD) (95% CI), the results were −1.03 (−1.18, −0.88) (
p
< 0.00001, I
2
= 79%) for 12 h and −1.08 (−1.24, −0.92) (
p
< 0.00001, I
2
= 72%) for 24 h. Dexmedetomidine prolonged the duration of analgesia by at least 173.27 min (115.61, 230.93) (
p
< 0.00001, I
2
= 81%) and reduced postoperative oral morphine consumption by 18.01 mg (−22.10, 13.92) (
p
< 0.00001, I
2
= 19%). We also found no statistically significant differences in hemodynamic complications between the two groups. According to the GRADE system, we found that the level of evidence for postoperative pain scores at 12 and 24 h was rated as moderate.
Conclusion:
Our study shows that dexmedetomidine as an adjunct to LA improves the postoperative pain severity of patients after surgery and prolongs the duration of analgesia in PVB without increasing the incidence of adverse effects.
Validamycin has been widely used as a specific competitive inhibitor of trehalase. In our previous research, validamycin significantly inhibited trehalase activity and chitin synthesis in Diaphorina ...citri, resulting in abnormal phenotypes. However, the mechanism of validamycin's action on D. citri remains unclear. Here, using a comparative transcriptome analysis, 464 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in D. citri were identified after validamycin treatment. A Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed that these DEGs were mainly involved in “small molecule process”, “structural molecule activity” and “transition metal ion binding”. DEGs involved in chitin metabolism, cuticle synthesis and insecticide detoxification were validated by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The RNA interference of D. citri chitinase‐like protein ENO3 and D. citri cuticle protein 7 genes significantly affected D. citri molting. Moreover, the recombinant chitinase‐like protein ENO3 exhibited a chitin‐binding property, and an antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis. This study provides a first insight into the molecular changes in D. citri after exposure to validamycin and identifies two effective RNA interference targets for D. citri control.
Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that validamycin exposure significantly repressed the expression of genes representing chitin‐ and cuticle synthesis, leading to decreased chitin and cuticle content in Diaphorina citri.
Coinfection caused by various genotypes of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a new disease situation. We previously reported the coexistence of PEDV strains containing different ORF3 ...genotypes in China. In this study, the PEDV strains 17GXCZ-1ORF3d and 17GXCZ-1ORF3c were isolated and plaque-purified from the same piglet, which had a natural large deletion at the 172-554 bp position of the ORF3 gene or possessed a complete ORF3 gene, respectively. Meanwhile, 17GXCZ-1ORF3d had >99% nt identity with 17GXCZ-1ORF3c in the 5'UTR, ORF1a/1b, S, E, M, N and 3'UTR regions but only demonstrated low nucleotide identities (80.5%) in the ORF3 gene. To elucidate the pathogenicity, 7-day-old piglets were infected. Piglets infected with these two PEDV strains exhibited severe clinical signs and shed the virus at the highest level within 96 hpi. Compared with the piglets inoculated with the 17GXCZ-1ORF3c strain, the piglets inoculated with the 17GXCZ-1ORF3d strain had higher mortality rates (75% vs. 50%), an earlier onset of clinical signs with a significantly higher diarrhea score, lower VH:CD ratios and a higher percentage of PEDV-positive enterocytes. This study is the first to report PEDV coinfections with different ORF3 genotypes, and a PEDV strain with a large deletion in the ORF3 gene might have the advantage of a potential genetic marker, which would be useful during vaccine development.
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common female reproductive tract cancer and its incidence has been continuously increasing in recent years. The underlying mechanisms of EC tumorigenesis remain ...unclear, and efficient target therapies are lacking, for both of which feasible endometrial cancer animal models are essential but currently limited. Here, an organoid and genome editing‐based strategy to generate primary, orthotopic, and driver‐defined ECs in mice is reported. These models faithfully recapitulate the molecular and pathohistological characteristics of human diseases. The authors names these models and similar models for other cancers as organoid‐initiated precision cancer models (OPCMs). Importantly, this approach can conveniently introduce any driver mutation or a combination of driver mutations. Using these models,it is shown that the mutations in Pik3ca and Pik3r1 cooperate with Pten loss to promote endometrial adenocarcinoma in mice. In contrast, the Kras G12D mutati led to endometrial squamous cell carcinoma. Then, tumor organoids are derived from these mouse EC models and performed high‐throughput drug screening and validation. The results reveal distinct vulnerabilities of ECs with different mutations. Taken together, this study develops a multiplexing approach to model EC in mice and demonstrates its value for understanding the pathology of and exploring the potential treatments for this malignancy.
This study reports an organoid and genome editing‐based strategy to generate primary, orthotopic, and driver‐defined EC models in mice. These models are named as organoid‐initiated precision cancer models (OPCMs). These EC models facilitate the functional studies of patients‐associated genetic alterations in tumorigenesis and provide precision models for preclinical drug testing.
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is one of the major enteric pathogens, causing severe enteric disease, resulting in enormous economic losses. The ORF3 gene encodes an accessory protein which ...is related to the infectivity and virulence of PEDV. In this study, 33 PEDV positive field samples were collected from Guangxi, from 2017 to 2019, and the genetic diversity of ORF3 was investigated. Thirty-eight strains of ORF3 were obtained, and these were composed of five strains of ORF3 named Guangxi naturally truncated strains that were 293 bp in length, with continuous deletions from 172 to 554 bp. The Guangxi naturally truncated strains encoded a truncated protein of 89 amino acids, which had clustered into a new group referred to as Group 3, and these might be involved in the variations of virulence. Three genotypes (G1-1 subgroup, G1-3 subgroup, and Group 3) existed simultaneously in Guangxi based on the genetic and evolutionary analysis of the ORF3 gene. The sequence information in the current study will hopefully facilitate the establishment of a diagnostic method that can differentiate the PEDV field stains. Continued surveillance will be useful for monitoring PEDV transmission. Differentiation of the ORF3 genes in PEDV field strains can help us to choose an appropriate PEDV vaccine candidate in the future and prevent outbreaks of PED more effectively.
A graphite electrode was activated using recurrent electrochemical galvanic pulses. After activation, the original smooth surface was changed into an obviously porous, rough surface with ...microcrystalline flake structures with a larger number of O-containing functional groups. The material had a high capacitance and a satisfactory high-rate performance. The superior volumetric capacitance in active layer was ca. 428
F
cm
−3. Eighty-eight percentage of the capacitance remained after the discharge current increased from 2
mA (1.71
F
cm
−2) to 100
mA (1.50
F
cm
−2) in 2.3
M H
2SO
4.
Pain and cigarette smoking are very common in heroin-dependent patients (HDPs) receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and both have substantial negative effects on HDPs' physical and mental ...health. Nevertheless, very few studies have assessed the relationship between the two in HDPs. This study examined the association between pain intensity and smoking in Chinese methadone-maintained HDPs. A total of 603 HDPs were consecutively recruited from three MMT clinics in Wuhan, China, and administered with a socio-demographic and drug use questionnaire, a smoking questionnaire concerning average number of cigarettes smoked daily and Heaviness of Smoking Index, and Zung's Self-rating Depression Scale. We used a five-point Verbal Rating Scale to rate the intensity of pain. To determine whether pain's associations with smoking and nicotine dependence were independent, an analysis of covariance was adopted to control for the potential confounding effects of socio-demographic variables, drug use characteristics, and depressive symptoms. Net of potential confounders, in methadone-maintained HDPs, pain intensity was significantly higher in smoker than non-smokers (F = 11.836,
= 0.002) but the pain intensity did not differ significantly across patients with various levels of cigarette consumption (F = 1.992,
= 0.137), while the pain intensity significantly differed across patients with different levels of nicotine dependence (F = 3.252,
= 0.013). Pain is significantly associated with smoking in HDPs receiving MMT, this phenomenon may be explained by the association between nicotine dependence and pain.
Aerobic composting experiments were conducted using lincomycin mycelia wastes (dreg) and manure (T), using sewage sludge with manure as a control (CK). High performance liquid phase methods and high ...throughput sequencing were used to determine the concentration of lincomycin residue and to characterize the microbial community. The results showed that lincomycin was reduced significantly, with the concentration decreasing from 1800 mg·kg
to 483 mg·kg
, accounting for 73% degradation. In addition, the bacterial community abundance and diversity indices were all lower than that of sludge-manure at the mesophilic and thermophilic phases, because of the high concentration of lincomycin residue in lincomycin mycelia dreg. By contrast, the fungal community abundance and diversity indices showed the reverse, due to the high content of organic matter and nitrogen in lincomycin mycelia dreg. Therefore, the microbial communities were greatly different between T and CK treatment with the domain genera of
,
,
,
,
,
and
in
Objective
To observe the clinical efficacy of mind-refreshing and balance-restoring needling method combined with Frenkel exercises in treating ataxia after cerebral stroke.
Methods
The recruited 120 ...patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group, with 60 cases in each group. The control group was intervened by mind-refreshing and balance-restoring needling method, while the observation group was given additional lower-limb Frenkel exercises. Before and after treatment and at the follow-up, the ataxic lower-limb function was scored using Berg balance scale (BBS) and international cooperative ataxia rating scale (ICARS), and Barthel index (BI) was adopted to score the activities of daily living (ADL).
Results
After treatment, the markedly effective rate was 70.2% and the total effective rate was 96.5% in the observation group, versus 39.7% and 87.9% in the control group, and the differences in the markedly effective rate and the total effective rate were statistically significant (
P
<0.01,
P
<0.05). The intra-group comparisons showed that the BBS, ICARS and BI scores after treatment and at the follow-up were significantly different from those before treatment in both groups (all
P
<0.01). There were significant differences in the BBS score between the two groups after treatment and at the follow-up (
P
<0.05,
P
<0.01); the between-group differences in the ICARS and BI scores were statistically insignificant after treatment (both
P>
0.05), while the between-group differences in the ICARS and BI scores were statistically significant at the follow-up (both
P
<0.05). The interaction effects between the scoring time of BBS and BI and the group factor were statistically significant (
P
<0.01,
P
<0.05).
Conclusion
Mind-refreshing and balance-restoring needling can effectively improve the lower-limb ataxic symptoms and ADL after stroke; when combined with Fenkel exercises, this needling method can produce more significant efficacy.
The study is aimed to research the relationship between the seedling grade of Codonopsis pilosula and yield and quality of medicinal materials, so as to provide basis for establishing seedling ...standard. Thirty seedlings of C. pilosula were collected from the main production areas in Gansu province, such as Weiyuan, Minxian, Zhangxian, Dangchang and Longxi, root length and diameter and weight of all the samples were measured. According to the clustering results, seedlings were divided into 3 levels, and field experiments were conducted with three levels seedling, yield and quality were tested in laboratory. Results have showed that emergence of grades 1 was faster than that of grades 2 and 3. Yield of grades 1 was significantly higher than that of grades 2 and 3 (P<0.05). Propargyl glycoside content of grades 1 was the highest, and significantly higher than that of grades 3. Polysaccharide content of grades 3 was the highest and significantly higher than that of grades 1 and 2 (P<0.05). So considering yield, quality and investment cost of C. pilosula, planting seedlings of C. pilosula should select that root length>15.6 cm, root diameter>2.7 mm, root weight>0.56 g.
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