Altered static and dynamic functional network connectivity in individuals with subthreshold depression: a large-scale resting-state fMRI study.

Dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) is an expansion of static FNC (sFNC) that reflects connectivity variations among brain networks. This study aimed to investigate changes in sFNC and dFNC strength and temporal properties in individuals with subthreshold depression (StD). Forty-two individuals with subthreshold depression and 38 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study.

Differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by ultrasonography combined with multiphase enhanced computed tomography.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are primary liver cancers with different therapeutic methods and prognoses. This study aims to investigate the ultrasonography and enhanced computed tomography (CT) features of these cancers and improve the early diagnosis rate. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and imaging data of 319 patients diagnosed with HCC and 124 patients diagnosed with ICC, confirmed by pathology.

Protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rats through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B signaling pathway inhibition.

Background: Intestinal inflammation is a common digestive tract disease, which is usually treated with hormone medicines. Hormone medicines are effective to some extent, but long-term use of them may bring about many complications.

Aim: To explore the protective effects of panax notoginseng saponin (PNS) against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced intestinal inflammatory injury through phosphoinositide-3-kinase protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway inhibition in rats.

Synergistic protection of astragalus polysaccharides and matrine against ulcerative colitis and associated lung injury in rats.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a main form of inflammatory bowel disease. Due to complicated etiology and a high rate of recurrence, it is quite essential to elucidate the underlying mechanism of and search for effective therapeutic methods for UC.

Aim: To investigate the effects of astragalus polysaccharides (APS) combined with matrine on UC and associated lung injury.

Carboxymethylated chitosan protects Schwann cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis by inhibiting oxidative stress and mitochondria dependent pathway.

Carboxymethylated chitosan (CMCS) has many beneficial effects, including anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic actions. However, the mechanisms by which CMCS protect against oxidative stress induced damage to Schwann cells (SCs) remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which CMCS protects SCs against hydrogen peroxide (HO) induced damage.

Extraesophageal saline enhances endoscopic ultrasonography to differentiate esophagus and adjacent organs.

Aim: To distinguish between the esophagus and adjacent organs using extraesophageal saline injection (ESI) in a canine model.

Methods: ESI was performed through the esophagus under the guidance of linear-array endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Approximately 15 mL of methylene blue saline (0.

Prenatal nicotinic exposure suppresses fetal adrenal steroidogenesis via steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) deacetylation.

This study aimed to investigate the suppressive effect of nicotine on fetal adrenal steroidogenesis and to explore the potential role of epigenetic modification of steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) transcriptional activity in this process. Nicotine was intragastrically administered to pregnant rats and NCI-H295A cells were treated with nicotine or trichostatin A (TSA). The pathomorphology of fetal adrenals, steroid hormone levels, the expression of SF-1 and its target genes, and histone deacetylase (HDAC) mRNA were analyzed.

Superficial esophageal lesions detected by endoscopic ultrasound enhanced with submucosal edema.

Aim: To determine if there is consistency between endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) findings and pathological results for detecting lesions of different depth in the esophageal mucosa.

Methods: A canine (Beagle) model was established in which lesions of different depths were created in the esophageal mucosa by thermal burning. Seventy-two hours later, these lesions and adjacent tissue in the esophagus were examined by EUS.

[Application of factor analysis to evaluate deformation behaviors of frequently-used tablet excipients].

The present work is to investigate the correlation between physical properties and deformation behaviors of tablet excipients, and rank them according to their plastic performances during compaction. The excipients selected were compacted using Korsch XP1 after measuring their physical properties where the compression parameters for evaluating deformation behaviors were Heckle equation, compression work and elastic stretch in die. The correlations between compaction descriptors and physical parameters were analyzed by canonical correlation analysis, and factor analysis was simultaneously employed to synthetically assess deformation behaviors for all our samples.

[Characteristics of particulate matter pollution in coke oven plant].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of particulate matter pollution in coke oven plant, so as to provide scientific data for establishing occupational exposure limits for coke oven emissions.

Methods: Concentrations of CO, SO₂, BSM, BTEX (concentrations of benzene, toluene and xylene were determined in this study), PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, 16 selected PAHs in PM₁₀ and PM₂.

[Effects of smoking on the concentrations of urinary 10 metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coke oven workers].

Objective: To explore the effects of smoking on urinary 10 metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the coke oven workers.

Methods: Occupational health examination was performed on 1401 coke oven workers in one coking plant, their urine were collected respectively. The concentrations of the ten monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

[Using the stable HSPA1A promoter-driven luciferase reporter HepG2 cells to assess the overall toxicity of coke oven emissions].

Objective: Using the stable HSPA1A (HSP70-1) promoter-driven luciferase reporter HepG2 cells (HepG2/HSPA1A cells) to assess the overall toxicity of coke oven emissions.

Methods: The stable HepG2/HSPA1A cells were treated with different concentrations of coke oven emissions (COEs) collected from the top, side, and bottom of a coke oven battery for 24 h. After the treatments, luciferase activity, cell viability, malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, Olive tail moment, and micronuclei frequency were determined, respectively.

Medical thoracoscopy and gastroscopy for the treatment of intrathoracic anastomotic leakage following esophagectomy.

Intrathoracic anastomotic leakage following esophagectomy is extremely difficult to manage appropriately. The outcomes of conservative management strategies are often disappointing, particularly in patients who develop adhesions of the pleural cavity and multiloculated empyema. This study describes a novel approach using combined thoracoscopy and gastroscopy in two cases.

[Characterization of flowability of pharmaceutical powders based on multivariate analysis method].

The main methods of characterizing the flowability of pharmaceutical powders include repose angle method, HR method, Carr's index method, Jenike flow function method, fractal dimension method, and mass flow rate method, etc. Regarding powders with different flowabilities as the research subject, comprehensive features of pharmaceutical materials were investigated and characterized. The multivariate analysis method was employed to evaluate and analyze flowability values of the tested pharmaceutical materials.

[Analysis of learning process of video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal carcinoma].

Objective: To evaluate the learning process of video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE).

Methods: One hundred consecutive patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma were treated by a same team of surgeons, and were divided into 3 groups in chronological order. The former two groups both consisted of 25 patients with thoracoscopy plus laparotomy.

[The increase of micronuclei frequencies of peripheral blood lymphocyte in plywood workers exposed accumulatively to formaldehyde].

Objective: To investigate the effects of occupational exposure to formaldehyde on the micronuclei frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes of workers.

Methods: Two hundred thirty six plywood workers were divided into 3 exposure groups (low, middle and high) according to internal exposure biomarker (formaldehyde human serum albumin conjugate, FA-HSA), which was detected by ELISA. The concentrations of formaldehyde (FA) in air of two workshops were measure using the high performance liquid chromatography.

[A new retrievable nitinol alloy stents for treatment of refractory benign esophageal strictures].

Objective: To explore long-term effect of the treatment of refractory benign esophageal strictures with a novel retrievable fully covered stent made of nitinol alloy.

Methods: From November 2009 to May 2011, the stents were placed in 8 patients with refractory benign esophageal strictures in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy and barium swallow examinations were performed respectively on the 1st, 7th, 30th, 60th day after implantations of the stents and 1,2,3,6 months or even longer after removal of the stents in order to assess the long-term effect on the improvement of dysphagia and the development of complications.

Indole-3-carbinol enhances the resolution of rat liver fibrosis and stimulates hepatic stellate cell apoptosis by blocking the inhibitor of κB kinase α/inhibitor of κB-α/nuclear factor-κB pathway.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play a pivotal role in liver fibrosis, and the clearance of activated HSC by apoptosis is associated with the resolution of liver fibrosis. The development of strategies that promote this process in a selective way is therefore important. We evaluated the effects of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a nutritional component derived from vegetables from the Brassica family, on liver fibrosis and HSC apoptosis.

[Regional lymph nodes targetting with enrichment of polyphase liposome].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of regional lymph nodes targetting with enrichment of radioactive 99mTc-polyphase liposome of 5-fluorouracil (99mTc-FL, FL).

Methods: 18 rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups, 6 rabbits per group. All rabbits were injected hypodermally with of 99mTc-FL in the right and left big toe webs, 18.

[Study on the chiral separation of securinine by high-performance capillary electrophoresis and its stereoselective metabolism in rat].

Aim: To establish a high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) chiral separation method for d-securinine and l-securinine, and use this method to investigate the stereoselective metabolism process of d- and l-securinine in Wistar rats.

Methods: The electrophoretic condition and parameters were investigated and the optimized conditions were as following: the electrophoretic medium was 40 mmol.L-1 Tris-H3PO4 buffer (pH adjusted to 6.

[The metabolic transformation of (-)-securinine].

Aim: To study the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of (-)-securinine.

Methods: The metabolic transformation of (-)-securinine was studied by using phenobarbital-induced rat liver microsomal incubate containing the NADPH-generating system in vitro and the constitution of the system was optimized. A reversed phase HPLC method was established to analyze the parent drug and its metabolites.