[A method of lung puncture path planning based on multi-level constraint].

Percutaneous pulmonary puncture guided by computed tomography (CT) is one of the most effective tools for obtaining lung tissue and diagnosing lung cancer. Path planning is an important procedure to avoid puncture complications and reduce patient pain and puncture mortality. In this work, a path planning method for lung puncture is proposed based on multi-level constraints.

Extraction of pulmonary Trachea by dynamic tubular edge contour algorithm.

Background: One of the difficulties and hot topics in the field of computer vision and image processing is extraction of the high-level pulmonary trachea from patients' lung CT images. Current, common bronchial extraction methods are limited by the phenomenon of bronchial loss and leakage, and cannot extract the higher-level pulmonary trachea, which does not meet the requirements of guiding lung puncture procedures.

Methods: Based on the characteristic "tubular structure" (ring or semi-closed ring) of the pulmonary trachea in CT images, an algorithm based on dynamic tubular edge contour is proposed.

PODNL1 promotes cell proliferation and migration in glioma via regulating Akt/mTOR pathway.

Emerging studies have determined that the small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family can aggravate tumor progression. However, the biological function of podocan-like protein 1 (PODNL1), a novel member of the SLRP family, has not been investigated. Therefore, our study focused on the function and regulatory mechanism of PODNL1 in glioma.

Metabolomic analysis of lung cancer patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterized by intermittent exacerbations and clinical subphenotypes like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, poses a significant risk of lung cancer (LC) development. Metabolomic studies of COPD are scarce, and those of LC patients with COPD subphenotypes have not been investigated. To study metabolite profile alteration in LC patients with different COPD subphenotypes, lung paracancer tissue from 10 LC (CON) patients, 10 LC patients with emphysema (E), and 9 LC patients with chronic bronchitis (CB) were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Metformin Induces Autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR Signaling Pathway in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

Background: Metformin may exert the anticancer effect on multiple types of cancers and some potential mechanisms have been suggested. Our study was designed to determine the effect of metformin on the cell autophagy and autophagic flux via the AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.

Methods: MHCC97H and HepG2 cell lines were cultured and treated without and with metformin at various concentrations (2, 5, 10 and 20 mM) for 48 h.

Increased Level of Systolic Blood Pressure in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: More than 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) also have hypertension. Moreover, hypertension has been regarded as one paraneoplastic phenomenon of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our study was designed to determine the relationship between blood pressure and DM in HCC patients.

Multidetector computed tomography angiography prior to bronchial artery embolization helps detect culprit ectopic bronchial arteries and non-bronchial systemic arteries originating from subclavian and internal mammary arteries and improve hemoptysis-free early survival rate in patients with hemoptysis.

Objectives: To compare the average number of culprit arteries per patient, clinical success rate, and hemoptysis-free survival rate between hemoptysis patients with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography prior to bronchial artery embolization (BAE) and those without preprocedural MDCT angiography METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board with waiver of patient informed consent. From September 2012 to March 2017, 157 consecutive hemoptysis patients had been undergoing BAE. Among them, 106 patients received preprocedural MDCT angiography (MDCT group), while 51 patients did not receive preprocedural MDCT angiography (control group).

17-Hydroxy-jolkinolide A inhibits osteoclast differentiation through suppressing the activation of NF-κB and MAPKs.

Osteoclasts (OC) are bone-specific multinucleated giant cells (MNCs) derived from the monocyte/macrophage hematopoietic lineage cells. Inhibiting osteoclast formation is considered as an effective therapeutic approach for the treatment of the pathological bone loss. In this study, we investigated effects of 17-hydroxy-jolkinolide A (HJA), an ent-abietane diterpenoid isolated from the dried root of Euphorbia fischeriana, on osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL.

WNT/β-catenin signaling regulates cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation via the PPARδ/p38 pathway.

The mechanisms of WNT/β-catenin signaling involved in airway inflammation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unknown, although recent observations have suggested an important contribution of the pathway in pulmonary parenchymal tissue repair and airway epithelium differentiation. We investigated the role of WNT/β-catenin signaling in cigarette smoke (CS)-related airway inflammation using patient lung tissues, human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBECs), and mouse models. Reduced activity of WNT/β-catenin signaling was observed in the airway epithelium of smokers with or without COPD.

Protective effect of Jolkinolide B on LPS-induced mouse acute lung injury.

Jolkinolide B (JB), an ent-abietane diterpenoid, isolated from the dried root of Euphorbia fischeriana, has been reported to have potent anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the effects of JB on acute lung injury (ALI) and underlying molecular mechanisms have not been investigated. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of JB on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI.

Effects of simulated microgravity by RCCS on the biological features of Candida albicans.

During the spaceflight, a wide variety of microorganisms may be carried to the outer space by astronauts and aviation component. The yeast Candida albicans is an important opportunistic pathogen responsible for a variety of cutaneous and systemic human infections in human body, and the yeast cell itself could be affected by various stressful environmental factors including the weightless environment. We evaluated the effects of simulated microgravity on biological features of Candida albicans using the rotary cell culture system (RCCS).

Pancreatic metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a case report with review of the literature.

In this article we give a case report on a PTC patient with pancreatic metastasis. In this case, the patient was admitted to our hospital for recurrence of PTC and occupying pancreatic lesions. We considered that the pancreatic neoplasm may be pancreatic metastasis of PTC but there is no previous experience about therapeutic approaches to this type of metastases.

Increased serum ox-LDL levels correlated with lung function, inflammation, and oxidative stress in COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with abnormal inflammation and high oxidative stress. Studies suggest that oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) is involved in diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. However, no data on the possible relationship between COPD and ox-LDL are available.

Mismatch repair gene mutation analysis and colonoscopy surveillance in Chinese Lynch syndrome families.

Background: Lynch syndrome (or HNPCC) is a colorectal cancer syndrome caused by germline mutations in either one of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH6 or hPMS2. Mutations in hMLH1 and hMSH2 are most prevalent. Here we aimed to determine the cancer risk of MMR gene mutation carriers and, in addition, the efficacy of colonoscopy surveillance in Chinese Lynch syndrome family members with and without MMR gene mutations.

Blocking of thromboxane A₂ receptor attenuates airway mucus hyperproduction induced by cigarette smoke.

Cigarette smoking is one of the risk factors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, we investigated the effects of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) receptor antagonists on airway mucus production induced by cigarette smoke. Rats were exposed to cigarette smoke 1h/day, 6 days/week for 4 weeks.

Enhanced expression of human β-defensin 2 in peripheral lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2) has antimicrobial activity and may play a role in airway mucosal defense, but studies have not yet examined its expression in lung tissue of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here we investigated hBD-2 levels in lung tissues of COPD patients and analyzed their correlations with IL-8, IL-1β, cigarette smoking and lung function in order to see whether the protein may be involved in pathogenesis of the disease. Peripheral lung tissue specimens were obtained from 51 patients who underwent lung resection for peripheral lung cancer: healthy non-smokers (n=8), healthy current smokers (n=7), non-smokers with COPD (n=11), and current smokers with COPD (n=25).

[Analysis of drug-resistant multi-loci mutation of P area of HBV genome in 32 patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: In order to deeply understand the effects of nucleoside analogues to HBV DNA polymerase area, which initiate a state of drug resistance due to HBV genome mutation.

Methods: Using PCR product direct sequencing method to test the gene sequence of P area of HBV genome of the patients who taking nucleoside analogues and showing signs of virologic breakthrough.

Results: More resistance mutations can be find in HBV DNA polymerase area, which causing clinically cross drug resistance and multiple resistance.

[Efficacy and safety of lamivudine plus adefovir combination therapy and entecavir monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B patients].

To compare the efficacy and safety of Lamivudine (LAM) plus Adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) combination therapy and Entecavir (ETV) monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B patients. 120 patients with chronic hepatitis B managed in a single-centre clinical practice (median 96 weeks) were split into 2 cohorts, one was treated with de-novo combination Lamivudine (100 mg/day) plus Adefovir (10 mg/day) (LAM+ADV), the other with Entecavir (0.5 mg/day) monotherapy.

Effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms 869 T/C and 915 G/C in the exon 1 locus of transforming growth factor-beta1 gene on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease susceptibility in Chinese.

Background: The main risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is cigarette smoking. However, only 10% - 20% of chronic heavy smokers develop systematic COPD. We hypothesized that the inheritance of gene polymorphisms could influence the development of COPD, which was investigated by studying two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in exon 1 of the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) gene.

[Level of serum and liver tissue TGF-beta1 in patients with liver fibrosis due to chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To detect the level of serum and liver tissue TGF-beta1 in patients with chronic hepatitis B, to study their relation to liver fibrosis and gain the evidence for diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

Methods: The liver fibrosis grades (S0-S4) of 131 cases with chronic HBV infection were diagnosed after liver biopsy. Serum TGF-beta1 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the semiquantitative analysis was applied after detecting the expression of TGF-beta1 in liver tissue with immunohistochemistry.

[Inhibition of proliferation, adhesion and invasion ability of human lung carcinoma cell A549 by tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme (TACE)].

We constructed prokaryotic expression vectors for different domains of TACE gene and expressed the fusion proteins, so as to explore their effects on the proliferation, adhesion and invasion potential of tumor cells in vitro. The total RNA was isolated from THP1 cell. TACE cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and subcloned into pMD18-T vector to construct pMD-18T-TACE vector.

Opposite patterns of hemisphere dominance for early auditory processing of lexical tones and consonants.

In tonal languages such as Mandarin Chinese, a lexical tone carries semantic information and is preferentially processed in the left brain hemisphere of native speakers as revealed by the functional MRI or positron emission tomography studies, which likely measure the temporally aggregated neural events including those at an attentive stage of auditory processing. Here, we demonstrate that early auditory processing of a lexical tone at a preattentive stage is actually lateralized to the right hemisphere. We frequently presented to native Mandarin Chinese speakers a meaningful auditory word with a consonant-vowel structure and infrequently varied either its lexical tone or initial consonant using an odd-ball paradigm to create a contrast resulting in a change in word meaning.

Lack of association between mannose-binding lectin gene polymorphisms and juvenile idiopathic arthritis in a Han population from the Hubei province of China.

Many studies have reported that polymorphisms of the mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene are associated with autoimmune disease. Here, we investigate the relationship between MBL gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in a Han-nationality population from the Hubei province of China. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to investigate polymorphisms of codons 54 and 57 in exon 1 of the MBL gene in 93 patients with JIA and 48 control children.