A Pilot First-in-Human Study of Embrace,a Polyethylene Glycol-Based Liquid Embolic Agent,in the Embolization of Malignant and Benign Hypervascular Tumors

PurposeTo investigate the safety and efficacy of an aqueous polyethylene glycol-based liquid embolic agent, Embrace Hydrogel Embolic System (HES), in the treatment of benign and malignant hypervascular tumors.Materials and MethodsA prospective, single-arm, multicenter study included 8 patients, 5 males and 3 females, with a median age of 58.5 years (30–85 years), who underwent embolization in 8 tumors between October 2019 and May 2020. Technical success was defined as successful delivery of HES to the index vessel, with disappearance of >90% of the targeted vascular enhancement or, for portal vein embolization, occlusion of the portal branches to the liver segments for future resection. The volume of HES administered, ease of use (5 point Likert scale), administration time, and adverse events (AEs) were recorded. Evaluation was performed at 7, 30, and 90 days via clinical assessment and blood testing, and follow-up imaging was performed at 30 days.ResultsEight patients were enrolled, and 10 embolizations were performed in 8 lesions. Tumors included hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 4), renal angiomyolipoma (n = 3), and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 1). Technical success was 100%, and the average ease of use was 3.3 ± 1.0 SD. The HES delivery time was 1–28 minutes (median, 16.5 minutes), and the HES volume injected was 0.4–4.0 mL (median, 1.3 mL). All patients reached 30-day follow-up with imaging, and 6 patients reached 90-day follow-up. There were 3 serious AEs in 2 patients that were unrelated to the embolic agent.ConclusionHES resulted in a 100% embolization technical success rate. The product ease of use was acceptable, and no target vessel recanalization was noted on follow-up imaging at 30 days.     

Polyethylene in knee arthroplasty: A review

Polyethylene (PE) has been used extensively in knee arthroplasty since the mid 20th century. Progress in material manufacturing and processing has led to newer polyethylenes over last few decades with different material properties. It has been established that PE wear in knee arthroplasty causes particle induced osteolysis which is the main reason for late failure and requires revision surgery. Although there are various causes of wear, the properties of PE have long been a matter of investigation as a contributory factor. The advent of newer highly cross linked PE has been shown to improve wear rates in hip arthroplasty but the benefits have not been shown to be of the same degree in knee arthroplasty. The laboratory and clinical studies so far are limited and slightly conflicting in their conclusions. The risks of using highly cross linked PE in knee arthroplasty include tibial post fracture, disruption of locking mechanism, liner fracture which can lead to increased wear and osteolysis. The current evidence suggests that highly cross linked polyethylenes should be used with caution and only considered in younger active patients. The results of a recently completed randomized trial to compare the conventional with high molecular weight PE in knee arthroplasty are awaited.     

EBUS-TBNA超声内镜对纵隔肿大淋巴结良恶性的鉴别诊断价值

目的:分析超声内镜引导下经支气管针吸活检(endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration，EBUS-TBNA)术中肿大纵隔淋巴结的超声图像特点，探讨EBUS-TBNA超声内镜对纵隔淋巴结良恶性的鉴别诊断价值，以期提高EBUS-TBNA对纵隔淋巴结恶性病变的活检率。方法:回顾性分析2014年10月至2018年11月行EBUS-TBNA患者的超声内镜图像。我们使用以下EBUS超声内镜特征来预测淋巴结的良恶:回声，长轴长度，短轴长度，纵横比，形态，边界，淋巴门有无，淋巴结内血流信号分级。将超声检查结果与最终病理结果或临床随访结果进行比较。采用SPSS 20.0软件进行统计学分析，采用logistic回归分析评价肿大淋巴结EBUS-TBNA超声内镜下的特征与良恶性的相关性，以 P<0.05 为标准判定差异有统计学意义。结果:对130例纵隔淋巴结肿大患者的227个淋巴结进行回顾性分析，67.4%的肿大淋巴结被证实为恶性转移。Logistic回归分析显示回声、长轴及短轴的长度、正常淋巴门结构的消失是诊断恶性淋巴结的独立预测因素。结论:纵隔恶性淋巴结具有一定的超声特征，可以通过这些超声特征提高EBUS-TBNA对纵隔恶性淋巴结的检出率。     

Understanding the Influence of Nanocarrier-Mediated Brain Delivery on Therapeutic Performance Through Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling

This study aimed at evaluating how encapsulation in a regular nanocarrier (NC) (providing extended circulation time) or in a brain-targeting NC (providing prolonged circulation time and increased brain uptake) may influence the therapeutic index compared with the unformulated drug and to explore the key parameters affecting therapeutic performance using a model-based approach. Pharmacokinetic (PK) models were built with chosen PK parameters. For a scenario where central effect depends on area under the unbound brain concentration curve and peripheral toxicity relates to peak unbound plasma concentration, dose-effect and drug-side effect curves were constructed, and the therapeutic index was evaluated. Regular NC improved the therapeutic index compared with the unformulated drug due to reduced peripheral toxicity, while brain-targeting NC enhanced the therapeutic index by lowering peripheral toxicity and increasing central effect. Decreasing drug release rate or systemic clearance of NC with drug still encapsulated could increase the therapeutic index. Also, a drug with shorter half-life would therapeutically benefit more from a NC encapsulation. This work provides insights into how a NC for brain delivery should be optimized to maximize the therapeutic performance and is helpful to predict if and to what extent a drug with certain PK properties would obtain therapeutic benefit from nanoencapsulation.     

Cosolvency of Dimethyl Isosorbide for Steroid Solubility

Dimethyl isosorbide (DMI), which is currently under investigation for its potential use as a pharmaceutical vehicle and drug permeation enhancer, is a water-miscible liquid with relatively low viscosity. The solubilization behavior of DMI as a cosolvent for nonpolar drugs was characterized via dielectric constant measurements of binary solvent systems containing DMI and either water, propylene glycol (PG), or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Evidence from the dielectric constant profiles and NMR studies suggest that DMI undergoes complexation with water and PG, but not with PEG, through hydrogen bonding interactions. The solvent complexation exhibited a major effect on the solubilities of prednisone, dexamethasone, and prednisolone in the mixed solvent systems. Maximum solubility of each drug was found to occur near a DMI/water or DMI/PG concentration ratio of 1:2. In the DMI–PEG mixed system, while there is no apparent interaction between DMI and PEG molecules, the solubility of prednisone was found to increase with decreasing dielectric constant.     

针刺夹脊穴治疗痉挛型脑瘫的临床研究

目的:观察针刺夹脊穴治疗痉挛型脑瘫的临床疗效。方法:将62例痉挛型脑瘫患者随机分成两组,治疗组采用针刺夹脊穴,对照组采用假针刺,每日针刺1次,10次为1个疗程,共治疗6个疗程,所有病例均配合常规的康复治疗。同时以修订的Ashworth量表(MAS)、粗大运动功能量表(GMFM)、儿童功能独立检查(WeeFIM)作观察指标,观察评定两组的治疗结果。结果:治疗后两组MAS评分均明显降低(P<0.01),且治疗组MAS评分明显低于对照组(P<0.05);治疗后两组患者的GMFM评分、WeeFIM评分均明显提高(P<0.01),且治疗组GMFM评分、WeeFIM评分明显高于对照组(P<0.01,P<0.05)。治疗组总有效率为84.4%,对照组总有效率为63.3%,两组比较差异具有显著性意义(P<0.05)。结论:针刺夹脊穴治疗痉挛型脑瘫患者的临床疗效确切。     

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in human stage I lung adenocarcinoma and tumor-adjacent tissues with two-dimension gel electrophoresis profiling

Objective： The aim of this study was to establish reproducible two-dimensional electrophoretic assay used for profiling and identification of differentially expressed proteins in human stage I lung adenocarcinoma and paired normal tumor-adjacent tissue. Methods： The proteins from 12 human stage I lung adenocarcinoma tissues and normal tumor-adjacent tissues were separated using isoelectric focusing electrophoresis （the first dimension） and the subsequent homogeneous SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE） （the second dimension）. The differentially expressed proteins were determined with PDQuest image analysis software, and identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS） and database searching. Results： The well-reproducible 2-DE gel patterns of human stage I lung adenocarcinoma and normal tumor-adjacent tissues were profiled and 26 differentially expressed proteins uncovered. Nine of these 26 protein spots were cut out from the preparation gels and determined with MALDI-TOF-MS. Searching against the protein database, four candidate proteins were identified. They were 60S acidic ribosomal protein P2, Cathepsin B1, Apolipoprotein A-I precursor, and La 4.1 protein. Conclusion： In this study, high reproducible 2-DE gel protein images of human stage I lung adenocarcinoma and paired normal tumor-adjacent tissues were achieved successfully, and 4 differentially expressed proteins were revealed. These data will be helpful for screen of early biomarker and study of molecular mechanisms of human lung adenocarcinoma.     

加减大黄廑虫丸抑制血管生成的实验研究

目的探讨加减大黄廑虫丸对血管生成的抑制作用。方法鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜（CAM）法检测加减大黄磨虫丸对血管生成的影响；采用MTS比色法观察不同浓度的加减大黄磨虫丸对血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）诱导的ECV-504细胞增殖的影响；Tran—swell小室检测不同浓度的加减大黄廑虫丸对ECV-304细胞移行的影响；Matrigel实验检测不同浓度的加减大黄磨虫丸对ECV-304细胞内皮管腔形成的影响。结果加减大黄磨虫丸中、低浓度组能够抑制鸡胚CAM血管生成；MTS比色法显示，0．05—0．20g/ml浓度的加减大黄鹰虫丸对VEGF诱导的ECV-304细胞增殖具有抑制作用，而更低和更高浓度的加减大黄廑虫丸则无抑制作用。Transwell小室实验显示，加减大黄廑虫丸浓度为0、12．5、25．0和50．0mg/ml时ECV-504细胞移行数分别为208．67±17．16、132．67±16．50、78．33±13．50和18．67±6．66；Matrigel实验显示，加减大黄磨虫丸浓度为0、12．5、25．0和50．0mg/ml时ECV-304细胞内皮管腔形成数分别为25．67±1．53、22．33±1．53、16．33±2．52和2．33±1．53，可见抑制细胞移行和管腔形成的作用随浓度增大而增强。结论加减大黄廑虫丸具有明显抑制血管生成的作用。     

无国界医生在救援中备灾的重要性

无国界医生致力于应对天灾和战祸所引起的人道医疗危机。灾后实时爆发的人道医疗危机包括急性的外科创伤问题和基础医疗系统的破坏导致疫症发生。本文介绍了无国界医生的救援经验以及专业的备灾体系。     

银杏叶提取物对白介素-1β损伤关节软骨细胞一氧化氮体系的影响

目的:观察银杏叶提取物对白介素-1β损伤的关节软骨细胞的作用及对细胞内一氧化氮体系的影响。方法:在无菌环境下消化得到3月龄雌性新西兰白兔膝关节软骨细胞,实验用细胞为第2代软骨细胞。软骨细胞与IL-1β(5μg/L)、IL-1β(5μg/L)+地塞米松(10-7、10-6、10-5mmol/L)、IL-1β(5μg/L)+银杏叶提取物(40mg、80mg、160mg/L)共同孵育,分别在72h后MTT法检测软骨细胞的增殖受到的影响;24h后测定受损伤软骨细胞培养液中的NOi、NOS,逆转录扩增(RT-PCR)检测iNOSmRNA。结果:MTT法显示IL-1β对软骨细胞的增殖有明显的抑制作用;地塞米松同银杏叶提取物均有对抗IL-1β的效应;地塞米松和EGb均能显著减少iNOSmRNAi、NOS、NO的生成(P<0.01);EGb761的这种效应有剂量依赖性。结论:银杏叶提取物通过抑制软骨细胞内的NO生成以保护IL-1β损伤的膝关节软骨细胞。