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Background: Sphenoid sinus mucocele (SSM) represents a relatively rare disease among pediatric population as compared to adults, with a 1% to 3% incidence of all paranasal sinus mucoceles. Since the initial symptoms varied often, SSM caused blindness was scarcely seen. Case Presentation: Here we described an unusual case of small, isolated SSM causing acute visual loss in a 9-year-old girl. The patient first consulted an ophthalmologist for her right blindness. A diagnosis of SSM was suspected indicated by an orbital MRI scan. Thereafter the patient was referred to our department and an endoscopic sphenoidotomy and optic nerve decompression was performed. Surprisingly, her vision was relieved immediately after surgery, followed by dramatic improvement during the postoperative 20-month follow-up period. Conclusion: To our knowledge, a better understanding of SSM in pediatrics is essential for clinicians, including neurologists, ophthalmologists, and otolaryngologists to make early diagnoses and correct treatment by MRI and CT scan. Prompt surgical intervention of endoscopic transnasal sphenoidectomy is a quite safe, effective, and minimally invasive method for patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Complete resection of malignant gliomas is often challenging. Our previous study indicated that intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (ICEUS) could aid in the detection of residual tumor remnants and the total removal of brain lesions. This study aimed to investigate the survival rates of patients undergoing resection with or without the use of ICEUS and to assess the impact of ICEUS on the prognosis of patients with malignant glioma., Methods: A total of 64 patients diagnosed with malignant glioma (WHO grade HI and IV) who underwent surgery between 2012 and 2018 were included. Among them, 29 patients received ICEUS. The effects of ICEUS on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients were evaluated. A quantitative analysis was performed to compare ICEUS parameters between gliomas and the surrounding tissues., Results: The ICEUS group showed better survival rates both in OS and PFS than the control group. The univariate analysis revealed that age, pathology and ICEUS were significant prognostic factors for PFS, with only age being a significant prognostic factor for OS. In multivariate analysis, age and ICEUS were significant prognostic factors for both OS and PFS. The quantitative analysis showed that the intensity and transit time of microbubbles reaching the tumors were significantly different from those of microbubbles reaching the surrounding tissue., Conclusion: ICEUS facilitates the identification of residual tumors. Age and ICEUS are prognostic factors for malignant glioma surgery, and use of ICEUS offers a better prognosis for patients with malignant glioma., (© 2024. Huazhong University of Science and Technology.)

The latest research findings on bidirectional regulation of neuro-immunity through traditional neural circuits shed new light on the theoretical basis of the role of vidian neurectomy (VN). This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of VN, including the history of VN, the principle of neuroimmuno-interaction, the applied anatomy of VN as well as the methods of transnasal endoscopic surgery. Additionally, we introduce the concept of the nose-brain axis, which was proposed based on the advancement in the area of neuro-immune interactions.

Visual illusions provide valuable insights into the brain's interpretation of the world given sensory inputs. However, the precise manner in which brain activity translates into illusory experiences remains largely unknown. Here, we leverage a brain decoding technique combined with deep neural network (DNN) representations to reconstruct illusory percepts as images from brain activity. The reconstruction model was trained on natural images to establish a link between brain activity and perceptual features and then tested on two types of illusions: illusory lines and neon color spreading. Reconstructions revealed lines and colors consistent with illusory experiences, which varied across the source visual cortical areas. This framework offers a way to materialize subjective experiences, shedding light on the brain's internal representations of the world.

The development of facile, reliable, and accurate assays for pathogenic bacteria is critical to environmental pollution surveillance, traceability analysis, prevention, and control. Here, we proposed a rolling circle amplification (RCA) strategy-driven visual photothermal smartphone-based biosensor for achieving highly sensitive monitoring of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) in environmental media. In this design, E. coli could specifically bind with its recognition aptamer for initiating the RCA process on a magnetic bead (MB). Owing to the cleaving of UV irradiation toward photoresponsive DNA on MB, the RCA products were released to further hybridize with near-infrared excited Cu x S-modified DNA probes. As a result, the photothermal signal was enhanced by RCA, while the background was decreased by UV irradiation and magnetic separation. The correspondingly generated photothermal signals were unambiguously recorded on a smartphone, allowing for an E. coli assay with a low detection limit of 1.8 CFU/mL among the broad linear range from 5.0 to 5.0 × 10 5 CFU/mL. Significantly, this proposed biosensor has been successfully applied to monitor the fouling levels of E. coli in spring water samples with acceptable results. This study holds great prospects by integrating a RCA-driven photothermal amplification strategy into a smartphone to develop accurate, reliable, and efficient analytical platforms against pathogenic bacteria pollutions for safeguarding environmental health.

Background: Chronic jet lag (CJL)-induced circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is positively correlated with an increased risk of allergic diseases. However, little is known about the mechanism involved in allergic rhinitis (AR)., Methods: Aberrant light/dark cycles-induced CRD mice were randomly divided into negative control (NC) group, AR group, CRD+NC group, and CRD+AR group (n = 8/group). After ovalbumin (OVA) challenge, nasal symptom scores were recorded. The expression of Occludin and ZO-1 in both nasal mucosa and lung tissues was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining. The level of OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) and T-helper (Th)-related cytokines in the plasma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the proportion of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cell (Treg) in splenocytes was evaluated by flow cytometry., Results: The nasal symptom score in the CRD+AR group was significantly higher than those in the AR group with respect to eosinophil infiltration, mast cell degranulation, and goblet cell hyperplasia. The expression of ZO-1 and Occludin in the nasal mucosa and lung tissues in the CRD+AR group were significantly lower than those in the AR group. Furthermore, Th2 and Th17 cell counts from splenocytes and OVA-sIgE, interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-6, IL-13, and IL-17A levels in plasma were significantly increased in the CRD+AR group than in the AR group, whereas Th1 and Treg cell count and interferon γ (IFN-γ) level were significantly decreased in the CRD+AR group., Conclusion: CRD experimentally mimicked CJL in human activities, could exacerbate local and systemic allergic reactions in AR mice, partially through decreasing Occludin and ZO-1 level in the respiratory mucosa and increasing Th2-like immune response in splenocytes., (© 2021 The Authors. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and American Rhinologic Society.)

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms exhibit prominent 24-hour variations associated with the biological clock. Although endogenous glucocorticoids synchronize circadian oscillator in the nasal mucosa, the precise mechanism of AR remains unclear. Therefore, using a mouse model, we investigated the association between circadian-clock genes and AR symptoms at various time-points., Methods: Based on the rhythmic secretion of corticosterone levels, we chose 2 time-points, ZT4 (10:00 AM) and ZT16 (10:00 PM), to observe dynamic changes of nasal symptoms, immunologic responses, and circadian-clock gene period (Per) expressions., Results: In the AR group, nasal symptom scores at ZT4 were significantly higher than at ZT16, with a greater increase in eosinophils, mast cells, and total immunoglobulin E levels at ZT4. The scores had a negative correlation with fluctuation of corticosterone levels. T-helper 1 (Th1) cell counts and interferon-γ levels decreased significantly at ZT4 compared with ZT16 in the AR group, whereas Th2 cells; Th17 cells; and interleukin (IL)-4, -13, and -17A levels increased significantly at ZT4 compared with ZT16. Furthermore, Per2 gene expression levels were attenuated at ZT4 and elevated at ZT16, but correlated negatively with Th2 and Th17 responses associated with Gata3 and Rorγt expression levels that were enhanced at ZT4 and reduced at ZT16 in the AR group., Conclusion: Our results suggest that the Per2 gene may influence diurnal variations of AR symptom severity, partially through its possible anti-inflammatory effect on the circadian regulation of GATA3 and RORγt levels in immune cells. This further demonstrates the neural-immune-endocrinal mechanism of circadian rhythm in AR and sheds new light on chronotherapeutic approaches to AR., (© 2020 The Authors. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and American Rhinologic Society.)

Soil microorganisms would reproduce rapidly and migrate directionally under the applied electric field. In this study, tetradecane-degrading bacteria were added at different locations in soil, and 1 V·cm -1 unidirectional DC electric field was applied to investigate the migration, distribution, and degradation characteristics of target bacteria in soil. The results showed that microorga-nisms migrated to the cathode and anode by electrodialysis and electrophoresis, respectively. The number of microorganisms migrated by electrodialysis was 3.5 times of that by electrophoresis. The application of electric field could make the soil environment spatially heterogeneous to affect the growth of microorganisms. The average number of soil microorganisms under electric field was 1.16×10 8 CFU·g -1 (6 days), which was 2.3 times of that without electric field. S 2 to S 4 were the efficient growth areas of microorganisms, with the average number after 30-day electric treatment being 2.8-3.5 times of that on the anode and cathode, and 2.1 times of that in the control. There was a significant positive correlation between the tetradecane degradation rate and the number of microorganisms (r=0.895, P＜0.05). The optimal tetradecane degradation region was near the cathode (S 4 ), where its degradation rate reached 94.6%. Based on these results, a model modified by environmental factors was established to simulate the spatial distribution of microorganisms under the combined effect of electrokinetic stimulation and transportation. According to the model, the number distribution of microorganisms could be deduced when exogenous bacteria were added in a fixed section. The results provide a theoretical basis for the efficient import of exogenous functional bacteria in electrokinetic-bioremediation of organic contaminated soil.

In situ detection of the expression level of cell-surface receptors has become a hotspot study in recent years. We propose in this manuscript a novel strategy for sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) on human skeletal muscle cells (HSMCs). Graphene hydrogel (GH) was selected to fabricate a permeable electrode with the purpose of overcoming the steric hindrance of cells on electrode, which leads to errors in the detection of cell-surface receptors. GLUT4 was labeled with carbon dots (CDs), which generate ECL emission at the interface between GH and cells, so about half the amount of GLUT4 expressed at the cell surface could be determined, which provided an accurate GLUT4 expression quantification. The prepared cytosensor exhibited good analytical performance for HSMC cells, ranging from 500 to 1.0 × 10 6 cells·mL -1 , with a detection limit of 200 cells·mL -1 . The average amount of GLUT4 per HSMC cell was calculated to be 1.88 × 10 5 . Furthermore, GLUT4 on HSMC surface had a 2.3-fold increase under the action of insulin. This strategy is capable of evaluating the receptors on the cell surface, which may push the application of ECL for disease diagnosis.

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of different concentrations of saline irrigation in adjuncative treatment of allergic rhinitis by Meta-analysis. Method: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the studies using random controlled trials were retrieved from the Pubmed, Web of science, The Cochrane Library, Embase et al. The Mata-analysis was performed by using RevMan 5.3 software. Result: In total, 1 457 patients were enrolled in 14 randomized controlled trials, including 739 in the isotonic saline group, 350 in the hypertonic saline group,Times New Roman 368 without saline irragation. The results of Meta-analysis showed that the VAS score of saline irrigation group was lower than no saline irrigation group［95% CI (-1.57, -0.15), P =0.02］, the nasal RQLQ score was lower［95% CI (-3.93, -0.43), P =0.01］, and the effective rate was higher［95% CI (1.15, 1.45), P <0.01］; The score of nasal symptoms and signs in hypertonic saline group was lower than that in normal saline group［95% CI (-1.68, -0.63),  P <0.01］, and the effective rate was higher［95% CI (1.19, 1.47),  P <0.01］. There were significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion: The efficacy of saline irrigation as an adjunctive treatment in allergic rhinitis is significant. The effect of hypertonic saline irrigation was better than that of isotonic saline., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To study the effect of dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis on the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (AR) by the mouse model of decreased endogenous glucocorticoid (GC) after adrenalectomy, and further explore the mechanism of neural-endocrine regulation. Methods: According to literatures, adrenalectomized (ADX) mice and AR model were established. Eighty mice were randomly divided into four groups ( n =20 per group) including control group, AR group of normal mice (AR group), AR group of bilateral ADX (bilateral ADX/AR group) and AR group of unilateral ADX (unilateral ADX/AR group). In order to assess the model of ADX, adrenal gland tissue was assayed by HE staining and the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (CORT) concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The behavioral observation, OVA-sIgE assessments and count of eosinophils/mast cells by the HE/Toluidine Blue staining of nasal septum mucosa tissue were performed to evaluate the AR model. The expression of peripheral blood CD4(+) IL4(+) T cells (Th2 cells) and CD4(+) IFN-γ(+) T cells (Th1 cells), splenocytes of CD4(+) CD25(+) Treg cells (Treg cells) were measured by flow cytometry to study the influence of endogenous GC on immunological indexes in different groups of mice. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: The concentrations of OVA-sIgE in control group, AR group, bilateral ADX/AR group and unilateral ADX/AR group mice were (28.86±3.62) ng/ml, (76.27±16.47) ng/ml, (48.37±8.89) ng/ml, (49.86±7.19) ng/ml, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between control group and AR group ( t =7.09, P <0.05), AR group and bilateral ADX/AR group ( t =4.81, P <0.05), AR group and unilateral ADX/AR group ( t =5.21, P <0.05). The level of Th2 cells in different four groups were (0.71±0.24)%, (7.03±1.95)%, (2.44±2.06)%, (3.20±1.21)%, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between control group and AR group ( t =-2.93, P <0.05), AR group and bilateral ADX/AR group ( t =-4.67, P <0.05), AR group and unilateral ADX/AR group ( t =-3.61, P <0.05). The expression of Th2 in bilateral ADX/AR group is lower than that in unilateral ADX/AR group without significant difference ( t =4.39, P >0.05). Meanwhile, the level of Th1 cells in different four groups was (0.58±0.76)%, (0.57±0.59)%, (0.72±0.34)%, (1.03±0.32)%, respectively, with no significant difference among these groups. The proportion of Treg cells was (11.10±2.18)%, (4.10±1.07)%, (7.15±0.92)%, (4.58±1.05)%, respectively, with significant difference between control and other groups ( t value was -7.171, -8.273, -8.360, respectively, all P <0.05). Compared with AR group, Treg cells increased significantly in bilateral ADX/AR group ( t =-2.607, P <0.05). In addition, lower expression of eosinophil and mast cell were detected in the local nasal tissue of bilateral ADX/AR group, and mast cell degranulation wasn't be observed. Conclusion: Unilateral or bilateral ADX leads to HPA axis dysfunction and endogenous GC deprivation, possibly regulating the mechanism of AR through Th1/Th2 immune bias and Tregs cell' activity.

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach in treating allergic rhinitis. Method: The clinical data of 80 patients with moderate-severe allergic rhinitis who underwent unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach were reviewed retrospectively. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to assess total symptom scores and nasal symptoms including nasal itching, nasal sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion. The paired T test was used to compare the scores between surgical side and control side. Twenty-four patients with 3 years of follow-up were assessed by analysis of variance with comparison of means between multiple groups. Further comparison between any two means was performed by LSD- t test. Result: A total of 80 patients were followed up for one year, with 51 patients for two years and 24 patients for three years. Among 24 patients, total symptom scores and nasal symptoms (nasal itching, nasal sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion) at pre-operation, 1 year,2 year and 3 year after operation were compared between surgical side and control side. There was no significant difference by the paired T test( P >0.05),but there was statically significant by analysis of variance( P <0.05) .The analysis of LSD- t test showed significant differences between pre-operative time point and each of the three time points after operation ( P <0.05). Conclusion :The unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach is an safe and effective technique in the management of moderate severe allergic rhinitis,and unilateral surgery could relieve bilateral nasal symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore an improved trans-nasal endoscopic surgical approach for vidian neurectomy. Method: Ninety-one patients with nasal hyperreactive disease were collected, including 49 cases of allergic rhinitis and 42 cases of non allergic rhinitis. All sufferers enrolled in the study have treated with medicine, but the symptoms were not effectively controlled. Preoperative CT localization of the vidian canal was performed in each candidate. During the surgery a"Three-step" surgical approach were followed under endoscopic guidance in accordance with the operation procedures. Briefly, such a three-step procedure consists of the following, that is, a transnasal endoscopic sphenoidectomy through sphenoethmoidal recess as step one, with enlargement of the sinus ostium along the junction of the anterior wall and the floor of the sinus until the exposure of the vidian nerve canal toward the lateral wall of the sinus as step two. The last step was further exposure of the vidian nerve going through the canal and electric cautery preventing bleeding from the neurovascular bundle in the canal. Result: All patients were completed successfully with 100% preoperative CT location of the vidian canal in the CT scan and 100% intraoperative accurate exposure of the canal and therefore the cut of the vidian nerve. Conclusion: "Three-step" endoscopic resection of the vidian neurectomy is easy to master and repetitive with less injury., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin-4 (IL-4) stimulation on the expression of FcεRⅠα and NK-1R on mature mast cells(MC) cultured and differentiated from mouse bone marrow stem cells, and then to study if these MC also respond to substance P (SP) both in FcεRⅠα and NK-1R dependent manners. Methods: Bone marrow cells were aseptically flushed from BALB/c mouse femurs into complete RPMI 1640, followed by culture with stem cell factor (SCF 100 μg/L), IL-3 (15 μg/L) and IL-4 (0, 10, 15, 20 and 25 μg/L, respectively). The culture medium was changed once a week. The morphological changes of culture cells were observed under inverted microscope. After 4 weeks culture, the cells were collected and appraised by toluidine blue staining and flow cytometry. The expressions of surface CD117, FcεRⅠα and NK-1R on these cells were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot. Bone marrow MC were activated with SP (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 mg/L, respectively) for 30 min. The histamine released into the supernatant and stored in the protoplasm was quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The percentage of histamine release was calculated as a percent of total histamine content. Results: When different concentrations of IL-4 (0, 10, 15, 20, 25 μg/L)were added into RPMI 1640, the positive rates of CD117 on MC surface were expressed as (94.8±1.3)%, (95.7±2.5)%, (94.1±1.3)%, (96.6±1.0)%, and (96.6±1.1)%, respectively, and there was no significant difference among these groups ( F =8.51, P >0.05). The positive rates of FcεRⅠα were expressed as (81.5±2.6)%, (84.2±1.8)%, (91.8±2.0)%, (91.6±1.6)%, and (93.0±2.6)%, respectively, and there was statistically increasing among these groups ( F =15.76, P <0.05). Then MC were activated by SP (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 10 mg/L), histamine from 20 μg/L IL-4 group were released (20.08±1.50)%, (32.76±2.99)%, (42.90±3.36)%、(50.21±1.29)%, (56.10±3.60)%, as similar as from 0 μg/L IL-4 were (19.37±2.02), (19.50±1.50), (21.77±1.91), (32.00±2.50), (33.56±1.25), there was significantly different when compared with each other (all P <0.05). Bone marrow MC were shown to have the highest expression of FcεRⅠα and NK-1R in culture of 20 μg/L IL-4 by the detection of Western blot, meanwhile these MC could be activated to degranulate by a lower concentration of SP (0.01 mg/L), with the release rate of histamine from MC showing a positive correlation with SP concentrations. On the other hand, MC with high expression of FcεRⅠα and little expression of NK-1R cultured with 0 μg/L IL-4, could also be activated by a much higher concentration of SP (1.0 mg/L). Conclusions: Bone marrow mast cells were shown to be successfully differentiated and to express NK-1R and FcεRⅠα upon co-culture with SCF and IL-3 or SCF, IL-3 and IL-4.When IL-4 was added into RPMI 1640, bone marrow MC could highly produce FcεRⅠα and NK-1R, thus building a better model of MC degranulation regulated by SP. And SP-controlled MC degranulation may be mediated through both FcεRⅠα (immunologically) and NK-1R (non-IgE mediated or non-immunologically) pathway.

This paper assessed the coastal environmental quality along the Beibu Gulf using a statistical approach, multi-biomarker pollution index (MPI). Samples of clam (Paphia undulata) and sediment were collected at nine sites from the intertidal zone of Beibu Gulf in April 2011. Nine biomarkers of response were measured both in gill and digestive gland in Paphia undulata, and twelve kinds of contaminants were measured in different sediment samples. According to the Pearson' s correlation coefficients between biomarker responses in Paphia undulata and contaminant levels in sediments, five biomarkers either in gill for oxidized glutathione (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST) or in digestive gland for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were selected for MPI calculation. For each biomarker at each site, a response index was allocated, and the MPI value of this site was calculated as the sum of the response index of the five biomarkers. The results of the calculation (MPI values from 18 to 39) showed significant differences among sampling sites. The environmental quality of all sites ranged from class 1 (clean) to class 3 (lightly contaminated), and no site fell into class 4 (contaminated) or class 5 (heavily contaminated), indicating a good environmental quality in the intertidal zone of Beibu Gulf. However, the environmental quality at some sites (S1, S3, 54 and S7) fell into class 3 (lightly contaminated), indicating mild interference from human activities has occurred.

Biomarkers are applied worldwide in marine environmental assessment due to their "early warning" function to chemical pollutants. Several integrative index approaches such as multi-marker pollution index (MPI), integrated biomarker response (IBR), bioeffect assessment index (BAI), biomarker response index (BRI), and health assessment index (HIS), have been developed based on biomarkers. By transforming the complex alterations of biomarkers into a single class or value, these approaches have been so far the useful tools for assessing the environmental quality. This review summarized the establishment of evaluation indicator system, the calculation of integrative index, the grading of pollution status, and the practical applications of each approach, and discussed the existing problems in marine environmental assessment based on biomarker index. Some improving suggestions were also proposed.

Src family kinases (SFKs), in particular c-Src and c-Yes, are nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinases that mediate integrin signaling at focal adhesion complex at the cell-extracellular matrix interface to regulate cell adhesion, cell cycle progression, cell survival, proliferation and differentiation, most notably in cancer cells during tumorigenesis and metastasis. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that these two proto-oncogenes are integrated components of the stem cell niche and the cell-cell actin-based anchoring junction known as ectoplasmic specialization (ES) at the: (1) Sertoli cell-spermatid interface known as apical ES and (2) Sertoli-Sertoli cell interface known as basal ES which together with tight junctions (TJ), gap junctions and desmosomes constitute the blood-testis barrier (BTB). At the stem cell niche, these SFKs regulate spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) renewal to maintain the proper population of SSC/spermatogonia for spermatogenesis. At the apical ES and the BTB, c-Src and c-Yes confer cell adhesion either by maintaining the proper phosphorylation status of integral membrane proteins at the site which in turn regulates protein-protein interactions between integral membrane proteins and their adaptors, or by facilitating androgen action on spermatogenesis via a nongenomic pathway which also modulates cell adhesion in the seminiferous epithelium. Herein, we critically evaluate recent findings in the field regarding the roles of these two unlikely partners of spermatogenesis. We also propose a hypothetical model on the mechanistic functions of c-Src and c-Yes in spermatogenesis so that functional experiments can be designed in future studies.

Background: This randomized phase III study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from gastric cancer., Methods: Sixty-eight gastric PC patients were randomized into CRS alone (n = 34) or CRS + HIPEC (n = 34) receiving cisplatin 120 mg and mitomycin C 30 mg each in 6000 ml of normal saline at 43 ± 0.5°C for 60-90 min. The primary end point was overall survival, and the secondary end points were safety profiles., Results: Major clinicopathological characteristics were balanced between the 2 groups. The PC index was 2-36 (median 15) in the CRS + HIPEC and 3-23 (median 15) in the CRS groups (P = 0.489). The completeness of CRS score (CC 0-1) was 58.8% (20 of 34) in the CRS and 58.8% (20 of 34) in the CRS + HIPEC groups (P = 1.000). At a median follow-up of 32 months (7.5-83.5 months), death occurred in 33 of 34 (97.1%) cases in the CRS group and 29 of 34 (85.3%) cases of the CRS + HIPEC group. The median survival was 6.5 months (95% confidence interval 4.8-8.2 months) in CRS and 11.0 months (95% confidence interval 10.0-11.9 months) in the CRS + HIPEC groups (P = 0.046). Four patients (11.7%) in the CRS group and 5 (14.7%) patients in the CRS + HIPEC group developed serious adverse events (P = 0.839). Multivariate analysis found CRS + HIPEC, synchronous PC, CC 0-1, systemic chemotherapy ≥ 6 cycles, and no serious adverse events were independent predictors for better survival., Conclusions: For synchronous gastric PC, CRS + HIPEC with mitomycin C 30 mg and cisplatin 120 mg may improve survival with acceptable morbidity.

Background/aims: Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of death in China. Although surgery based comprehensive treatment is the best approach to improve survival, postoperative recurrence is a major problem. This study was aimed to find out the relationship of cancer recurrence with major clinico-pathological factors, with special attention focused on time of recurrence., Methodology: Data of 59 recurrences after surgery among 286 GC patients were systemically collected and analyzed. Time of recurrence, the relationship between clinical stages and time of recurrence, and between number of adjuvant chemotherapy cycles and time of recurrence were evaluated., Results: 76.3% (45/59) recurrence happened within 1 year after surgery. Median time to recurrence was 7 months. Most recurrences were locoregional recurrence (57.6%). The differences in time of recurrence among stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV were statistically not significant (p > 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis Test). There were significant differences among different adjuvant chemotherapy cycles for time to recurrence (p = 0.014, Kruskal-Wallis Test)., Conclusion: Close monitoring and active followup of patients with GC should be conducted over the first 2 years after operation. Adjuvant chemotherapy could prolong recurrence-free survival.

Tumor hypoxia figures heavily in malignant progression by altering the intracellular glucose metabolism and inducing angiogenic factor production, thus, selecting and expanding more aggressive cancer cell clones. Little is known, however, regarding hypoxia-induced antigenic changes in cancers. We investigated the expression of N-glycolyl sialic acid (NeuGc)-G(M2), a cancer-associated ganglioside containing non-human sialic acid, NeuGc, in human cancers. Cancer tissues prepared from patients with colon cancers frequently expressed NeuGc-G(M2), whereas it was virtually absent in nonmalignant colonic epithelia. Studies on cultured cancer cells indicated that the non-human sialic acid was incorporated from culture medium. Hypoxic culture markedly induced mRNA for a sialic acid transporter, sialin, and this accompanied enhanced incorporation of NeuGc as well as N-acetyl sialic acid. Transfection of cells with sialin gene conferred accelerated sialic acid transport and induced cell surface expression of NeuGc-G(M2). We propose that the preferential expression of NeuGc-G(M2) in cancers is closely associated with tumor hypoxia. Hypoxic culture of tumor cells induces expression of the sialic acid transporter, and enhances the incorporation of non-human sialic acid from the external milieu. A consequence of this is the acquisition of cancer-associated cell surface gangliosides, typically G(M2), containing non-human sialic acid (NeuGc), which is not endogenously synthesized through CMP-N-acetyl sialic acid hydroxylase because humans lack the gene for the synthetic enzyme. As hypoxia is associated with diminished response to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, NeuGc-G(M2) is a potential therapeutic target for hypoxic cancer cells.

Aim: To clarify the clinicopathologic significance of COX-2 expression in human colorectal cancer., Methods: A total of 128 surgically resected colorectal cancer specimens were immunohistochemically analyzed with the use of anti-COX-2, anti-VEGF and anti-MMP-2 antibodies. The relationship between the cyclooxygenase-2 expression in primary lesions of colorectal cancer and clinicopathologic parameters was evaluated by chi-square test., Results: Among 128 cases of colorectal cancer, 87 (67.9%) were positive for cyclooxygenase-2. The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 was significantly correlated with the depth of invasion, stage of disease, and metastasis (lymph node and liver). Patients in T3-T4, stages III-IV and with metastasis had much higher expression of cyclooxygenase-2 than ones in T1-T2, stages I-II and without metastasis (P<0.05). Among 45 cases of colorectal cancer with lymph node metastasis, the COX-2- positive rate was 86.7% (39/45) for primary lesions and diffuse cytoplasmic staining for COX-2 protein was detected in cancer cells in 100% of metastatic lesions of the lymph nodes. VEGF expression was detected in 49 tumors (38.3%), and VEGF expression was closely correlated with COX-2 expression. The positive expression rate of VEGF (81.6%) in the cyclooxygenase-2-positive group was higher than that in the cyclooxygenase-2- negative group (18.4%, P<0.05). MMP-2 expression was detected in 88 tumors (68.8%), and MMP-2 expression was closely correlated with COX-2 expression. The positive expression rate of MMP-2 (79.6%) in the positive COX-2 group was higher than that in the negative COX-2 group (20.4%, P<0.05)., Conclusion: Cyclooxygenase-2 may be associated with tumor progression by modulating the angiogenesis and cancer cell motility and invasive potential in colorectal cancer and it can be used as a possible biomarker.

The concentrations of Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn in the human hair of dependence drug addicts and healthy contrast were determined by ICP-AES. The RSD of the method was 1.3%-4.9%, and recovery was 89%-129%. Correlation of the trace elements was analyzed by SPSS software. The contents of Zn and Ca in the hair of dependence drug addicts were lower, while those of Pb, Fe and Mg were higher than healthy contrasts. The result provided a foundation for improving immune function of dependence drug addicts and enhancing the effect of giving up taking addictive drugs.

Background & Objective: It remains controversial whether lymph node micrometastasis has impact on staging and prognosis of colorectal cancer. This study was to compare the sensitivity of reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in detecting lymph node micrometastasis of colorectal cancer with pathological morphology and immunohistochemistry, and assess the impact of lymph node micrometastasis on clinical staging and prognosis of colorectal cancer., Methods: Lymph nodes from 56 cases of colorectal cancer radical resection specimens were studied by RT-PCR to detect the expression of cytokeratin 20 (CK20) mRNA, and compared with routine pathology detection using hematoxylin and eosine (HE) staining, and immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibody specifically against CK20. The patients had been followed up for 5 years., Results: A total of 432 lymph nodes in 56 patients were analysed by pathological morphology, immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR, the detected positive lymph node numbers were 247 (57.2%), 269 (62.3%), and 316 (73.1%), respectively. The difference in metastatic lymph node numbers was significant between pathological morphology and RT-PCR method (P< 0.05). Five-year disease- free survival rates of PN0,PN1, and PN2 stages detected by RT-PCR method were 100%, 61.9%, and 55.6%, respectively, significantly higher than those obtained by pathological morphology method, which were 80.0%, 60.0%, and 50.0%, respectively (P< 0.05)., Conclusions: Detecting lymph node micrometastasis of colorectal cancer with RT-PCR method is more sensitive than pathological morphology. RT-PCR method could define the TNM stage and make accurate prognosis for patients with colorectal cancer.

Numerous approaches and materials have been explored for preparation of immobilization enzymes because they have considerable advantages over enzyme in bulk solution. Among present enzyme carriers inorganic materials have lower cost and more stability than organic materials. But the present inorganic materials contain less active sites and have to undergo some complicated processes before binding enzyme. So it is necessary to explore a new kind of inorganic enzyme carrier. Papain, a well characterized thiol protease kinetically and structurally, is a suitable model to compare the efficiency of various immobilization procedures. SiO2 particles containing amine groups were synthesized by synchronous hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPS) in W/O Microemulsion of Triton X-100/cyclohexane/ammonium hydroxide system. The obtained particles have a diameter range from 0.3 microm to 0.5 microm, and their average size is 0.37 microm and can be controlled by adjusting water to surfactant molar ratio and water to TEOS and AEAPS molar ratio. Compared with traditional porous silica beads, these particles contain much more amine groups and their amine group content can be easily changed in the process of synthesis. Papain was immobilized on the particles which were treated by glutaraldehyde with covalent method. The optimum immobilization conditions of enzyme were as follows: enzyme load was 15 mg/g carrier, pH was 6.5. The pH and temperature optima were 6.5 and 70 degrees C for immobilized enzyme. All above indicate this kind of particle can be a good enzyme immobilization carrier.

Objective: To establish a RP-HPLC method for the determination of epimedin C and icariin in Herba Epimedii., Method: Chromatographic conditions: Hypersil BDS-C18 column, acetonitrice and water containing 0.05% phosphoric acid as gradient eluents, G1315A photodiode array detector at 272 nm., Result: The average recovery rate of epimedin C was 99.7%, RSD 1.5% (n = 9), icariin 102.5%, RSD 1.1% (n=9)., Conclusion: The method is reliable, stable and well repeatable. It provides the useful information for quality evaluation.

Aim: Cyclooxygenase-2 is involved in a variety of important cellular functions, including cell growth and differentiation, cancer cell motility and invasion, angiogenesis and immune function. However, the role of cyclooxygenase-2 as an angiogenic factor in colorectal cancer tissue is still unclear. We investigated the relationship between cyclooxygenase-2 and angiogenesis by analyzing the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in colorectal cancer tissue, as well as its association with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvascular density (MVD)., Methods: The expression of cyclooxygenase-2, VEGF, as well as MVD was detected in 128 cases of colorectal cancer by immunohistochemical staining. The relationship between the cyclooxygenase-2 and VEGF expression and MVD was evaluated. Our objective was to determine the effect of cyclooxygenase-2 on the angiogenesis of colorectal cancer tissue., Results: Among 128 cases of colorectal cancer, 87 were positive for cyclooxygenase-2 (67.9 %), and 49 for VEGF (38.3 %), respectively. The microvessel counts ranged from 23 to 142, with a mean of 51.7 (standard deviation, 19.8). The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 was correlated significantly with the depth of invasion, stage of disease, metastasis (lymph node and liver), VEGF expression and MVD. Patients in T3-T4, stage III-IV and with metastasis had much higher expression of cyclooxygenase-2 than patients in T1-T2, stage I-II and without metastasis (P<0.05). The positive expression rate of VEGF (81.6 %) in the cyclooxygenase-2 positive group was higher than that in the cyclooxygenase-2 negative group (18.4 %, P<0.05). Also, the microvessel count (56+/-16) in cyclooxygenase-2 positive group was significantly higher than that in cyclooxygenase-2 negative group (43+/-12, P<0.05). The microvessel count in tumors with positive cyclooxygenase-2 and VEGF was the highest (60+/-18, 41-142, P<0.05), whereas that in tumors with negative cyclooxygenase-2 and VEGF was the lowest (39+/-16, 23-68, P<0.05)., Conclusion: Cyclooxygenase-2 may be associated with tumor progression by madulating the angiogenesis in colorectal cancer tissue and used as a possible biomarker.

Conditions for determination of multi-trace elements simultaneously in lychee fruit by ICP-AES. Al, Ba, Cr, Mg, Mn, Sr, Mo, Pb, Se, Zn, Fe, Cu and Ca in different parts and different growth periods of lychee fruit in Dongguan area were determined, relative standard deviation of the method is between 1.3%-4.9%, and recovery is between 89%-124%, analytical results were satisfactory. And compared the concentration and distribution of those trace elements with those in other areas. We find that the concentration of Mo in lychee fruit sample we determine is much lower, which implies that we can improve the production and quality of lychee by applying Mo to the tree. Some elements essential to human such as Zn, Fe, Mg and Ca are high in lychee fruit, implied that nutritive value of this fruit breed is higher.

Objective: To study the scientific evidence of the traditional preparation of Dachengqi: "Boiling Aurantii Immaturus and Magnoliae Officinalis first, and then adding Rhei to decoct together. Discarding the dregs, adding Natrii Sulfas into the decoction and drinking the upper solution when the Natrii Sulfas has dissolved completely"., Method: The concentrations of free and combined anthraquinonoids(emodin, rhein, chrysophanol, physcion) in different decoctions were determined with HPLC method respectively., Result: When Natrii Sulfas, Aurantii Immaturus and Magnolias Officinalis are decocted with Rhei in different schemes, the concentrations of anthraquinonoids were changed regularly., Conclusion: The scientific evidence of traditional preparation method greatly increased the concentrations of the active components in Dachengqi.