Oxidative stress is a common culprit of several conditions associated with male fertility. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) promote impairment of sperm quality mainly by decreasing ...motility and increasing the levels of DNA oxidation. Oxidative stress is a common feature of environmental pollutants, chemotherapy and other chemicals, smoke, toxins, radiation, and diseases that can have negative effects on fertility. Peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are antioxidant enzymes associated with the protection of mammalian spermatozoa against oxidative stress and the regulation of sperm viability and capacitation. In the present study, we aimed to determine the long-term effects of oxidative stress in the testis, epididymis and spermatozoa using the rat model. Adult male rats were treated with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) or saline (control group), and reproductive organs and spermatozoa were collected at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after the end of treatment. We determined sperm DNA oxidation and motility, and levels of lipid peroxidation and protein expression of antioxidant enzymes in epididymis and testis. We observed that cauda epididymal spermatozoa displayed low motility and high DNA oxidation levels at all times. Lipid peroxidation was higher in caput and cauda epididymis of treated rats at 3 and 6 weeks but was similar to control levels at 9 weeks. PRDX6 was upregulated in the epididymis due to t-BHP; PRDX1 and catalase, although not significant, followed similar trend of increase. Testis of treated rats did not show signs of oxidative stress nor upregulation of antioxidant enzymes. We concluded that t-BHP-dependent oxidative stress promoted long-term changes in the epididymis and maturing spermatozoa that result in the impairment of sperm quality.
Synaptopodin (SP), an actin-associated protein found in telencephalic neurons, affects activity-dependant synaptic plasticity and dynamic changes of dendritic spines. While being required for ...long-term depression (LTD) mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR-LTD), little is known about its role in other forms of LTD induced by low frequency stimulation (LFS-LTD) or spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). Using electrophysiology in ex vivo hippocampal slices from SP-deficient mice (SPKO), we show that absence of SP is associated with a deficit of LTD at Sc-CA1 synapses induced by LFS-LTD and STDP. As LTD is known to require AMPA- receptors internalization and IP3-receptors calcium signaling, we tested by western blotting and immunochemistry if there were changes in their expression which we found to be reduced. While we were not able to induce LTD, long-term potentiation (LTP), albeit diminished in SPKO, can be recovered by using a stronger stimulation protocol. In SPKO we found no differences in NMDAR, which are the primary site of calcium signalling to induce LTP. Our study shows, for the first time, the key role of the requirement of SP to allow induction of activity-dependant LTD at Sc-CA1 synapses.
Purpose: Chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) is one of the adverse outcomes after surgery, especially in thoracotomy. However, the prevalence of CPSP in elderly adults (greater than or equal to65 ...years), is still limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to establish and validate the prediction model of CPSP in those patients after thoracic surgery, including thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Patients and Methods: This retrospective, observational single-center cohort study was conducted in Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, which randomly and consecutively collected 577 elderly patients who underwent thoracic surgery between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020. According to the Akaike information criterion, the prediction model was built based on all the data and was validated by calibration with 500 bootstrap samples. Results: The mean age of participants was 69.09+ or -3.80 years old, and 63.1% were male. The prevalence of CPSP was 26.9%. Age more than 75 years, BMI, blood loss, longer length of hospital stays, and higher pre-operative neutrophil count were associated with CPSP. Except for these factors, we incorporated history of drinking to build up the prediction model. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the prediction models were 0.66 (95% CI, 0.61-0.71) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.59-0.69) in the observational and validation cohorts, respectively. And the calibration curve of the predictive model showed a good fit between the predicted risk of CPSP and observed outcomes in elderly patients. Conclusion: The present developed model may help clinicians to find high-risk elderly patients with CPSP after thoracic surgery and take corresponding measures in advance to reduce the incidence of CPSP and improve their life quality. Keywords: chronic post-surgical pain, the elderly, thoracic surgery, prediction model, nomogram
In this letter, the indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) had been applied to the photoelectrode for reducing dark reaction. According to the experimental results, the IGZO film formed an energy barrier ...to retard the recombination between photogenerated electron in active layer and hole (I 3 - ) in electrolyte. It contributes an enhancement of electron lifetime, decrease in dark reaction, and improvement in the short-circuit current density (J SC ). Consequently, the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cell is enhanced from 3.34% to 5.47%. This enhancement has the potential to expand an electron device of photocatalyst.
In esophageal squamous carcinoma, lymphadenectomy along the left recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is recommended owing to its highly metastatic potential. However, this procedure is difficult due to ...limited working space in the left upper mediastinum, and increases postoperative complications.
To present a novel method for lymphadenectomy along the left RLN during thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the semi-prone position.
The fundamental concept of this novel method is to exfoliate a bilateral pedicled nerve flap, which is a two-dimensional membrane, which includes the left RLN, lymph nodes (LNs) along the left RLN, and tracheoesophageal vessels, by suspending the esophagus to the dorsal side and pushing the trachea to the ventral side (named "bilateral exposure method"). Then, the hollow-out method is performed to transform the two-dimensional membrane to a three-dimensional structure, in which the left RLN and tracheoesophageal vessels are easily distinguished and preserved during lymphadenectomy along the left RLN. This novel method was retrospectively evaluated in 116 consecutive patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma from August 2016 to February 2018.
There were 58 patients in each group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of age, gender, postoperative pneumonia, anastomotic fistula, and postoperative hospitalization. However, the number of dissected LNs along the left RLN in this novel method was significantly higher than that in the conventional method (4.17 ± 0.359
2.93 ± 0.463,
= 0.0447). Moreover, the operative time and the rate of postoperative hoarseness in the novel method were significantly lower than those in the conventional method (306.0 ± 6.774
335.2 ± 7.750,
= 0.0054; 4/58
12/58,
= 0.0312).
This novel method for lymphadenectomy along the left RLN during thoracoscopic esophagectomy in the semi-prone position is much safer and more effective.
Aging of the population and prolonged life expectancy have significantly increased the number of elderly patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, potential ...benefits, especially long-term oncologic outcomes of hepatectomy for elderly patients with HCC remain unclear.
Patients treated with curative-intent hepatectomy for HCC in 8 Chinese hospitals were enrolled. Patients were divided into the elderly (≥70 years old) and younger (<70 years old) groups. Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and time-to-recurrence (TTR) were compared. Risk factors of CSS and TTR were evaluated by univariable and multivariable competing-risk regression analyses.
Of 2134 patients, 259 (12.1%) and 1875 (87.9%) were elderly and younger aged, respectively. Postoperative 30-day and 90-day mortality was comparable among elderly and younger patients. Compared with younger patients, the elderly had a worse 5-year OS (49.4% vs. 55.3%, P = 0.032), yet a better 5-year CCS (74.5% vs. 61.0%, P = 0.005) and a lower 5-year TTR (33.7% vs. 44.9%, P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariable analyses identified that elder age was independently associated with more favorable CSS (HR 0.74, 95%CI 0.58–0.90, P = 0.011) and TTR (0.69, 0.53–0.88, P < 0.001) but was not associated with OS (P = 0.136).
Age by itself is not a contraindication to surgery, and selected elderly patients with HCC can benefit from hepatectomy. Compared with younger patients, elderly patients have noninferior oncologic outcomes following hepatectomy for HCC.
Microglia interact with neurons to facilitate synapse plasticity; however, signal(s) contributing to microglia activation for synapse elimination in pathology are not fully understood. Here, using in ...vitro organotypic hippocampal slice cultures and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in genetically engineered mice in vivo, we report that at 24 hours after ischemia, microglia release brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to downregulate glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses within the peri-infarct area. Analysis of the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) in vitro shows that proBDNF and mBDNF downregulate glutamatergic dendritic spines and gephyrin scaffold stability through p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75
) and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) receptors, respectively. After MCAO, we report that in the peri-infarct area and in the corresponding contralateral hemisphere, similar neuroplasticity occurs through microglia activation and gephyrin phosphorylation at serine-268 and serine-270 in vivo. Targeted deletion of the
gene in microglia or
S268A/S270A (phospho-null) point mutations protects against ischemic brain damage, neuroinflammation, and synapse downregulation after MCAO.
In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) colloid was deposited on the fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate by a spin coating method and blade coating method. The characteristics of indium gallium zinc ...oxide (IGZO) are uniform porous structure, lower reverse recombination, high optical transparency, and good mobility. Composite of an IGZO/TiO 2 film was fabricated by sputtering IGZO on the TiO 2 film to form a photoelectrode. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has high electrocatalysis activity and excellent electron conduction. Besides, the rGO can be applied to the counter electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The IGZO/TiO 2 photoelectrode with a platinum (Pt) counter electrode exhibited optimal photovoltaic conversion efficiency ( η ), and η increased 21% compared with a pure TiO 2 photoelectrode. η of the IGZO/TiO 2 photoelectrode and rGO/Pt counter electrode exhibited optimal efficiency, which was comparable with a TiO 2 photoelectrode with the Pt counter electrode under the same condition. In our research, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to analyze the interface resistance between internal components, which could confirm recombination of electrons and electrical conductivity. The rGO/Pt counter electrode demonstrated low resistance between electrolyte and counter electrode, whose resistance was similar to the pure Pt counter electrode.
Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for the treatment of acute respiratory ...failure (ARF) in emergency departments (EDs). Method. We comprehensively searched 3 databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) for articles published from database inception to 12 July 2019. This study included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were conducted in EDs and compared HFNC therapy with COT or NIV. The primary outcome was the intubation rate. The secondary outcomes were the mortality rate, intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate, ED discharge rate, need for escalation, length of ED stay, length of hospital stay, and patient dyspnea and comfort scores. Result. Five RCTs (n = 775) were included. There was a decreasing trend regarding the application of HFNC therapy and the intubation rate, but the difference was not statistically significant (RR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.26–1.09; p=0.08; I2 = 0%). We found that compared with patients who underwent COT, those who underwent HFNC therapy had a reduced need for escalation (RR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22–0.78; p=0.006; I2 = 0%), reduced dyspnea scores (MD −0.82, 95% CI −1.45 to −0.18), and improved comfort (SMD −0.76 SD, 95% CI −1.01 to −0.51). Compared with the COT group, the HFNC therapy group had a similar mortality rate (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.79–1.99; p=0.34; I2 = 0%), ICU admission rate (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.58–2.12; p=0.76; I2 = 0%), ED discharge rate (RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.63–1.72; p=0.87; I2 = 0%), length of ED stay (MD 1.66, 95% CI −0.95 to 4.27), and hospital stay (MD 0.9, 95% CI −2.06 to 3.87). Conclusion. Administering HFNC therapy in ARF patients in EDs might decrease the intubation rate compared with COT. In addition, it can decrease the need for escalation, decrease the patient’s dyspnea level, and increase the patient’s comfort level compared with COT.
Ginsenosides Rg1,Rb1,R1,Rd,and Re are major constituents of Panax notoginseng,a famous traditional Chinese medicinal herb,which has both stimulative and inhibitory effects on the central nervous ...system （CNS）.The monoamine hypothesis proposes that depression is a result of the depletion of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）,norepinephrine （NE） and dopamine （DA） in addition to the activation of monoamine oxidase in the CNS.The purpose of this study was to determine whether P.notoginseng Saponin （PNS） has an antidepressant activity.We investigated the antidepressant-like activities of Rg1,Rb1,R1,Rd,and Re in mice,using two animal models of depression.In addition,we analyzed the neurochemicals by the chronic unpredictable mild stress test.Our results showed that Rb 1,Rd,and Re treatment at 10 mg kg^-1 significantly reduced the duration of immobility in both the tail suspension and forced swimming tests.Rb1,Rd,and Re increases in 5HT and NE levels at 10 mg kg^-1 in both the frontal cortex and hippocampus.Dopamine levels increased in the hippocampus and the striatum.Moreover,5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid （5-HIAA） levels were found increased in the hippocampus.These findings suggest that the antidepressant effects of Rb1,Rd,and Re may be related to the increase in 5-HT and NE in the CNS,and through the alterations in the synthesis or metabolism of dopamine.
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