Changes in the human vocal tract due to aging and the acoustic correlates of speech production: a pilot study.

This investigation used a derivation of acoustic reflection (AR) technology to make cross-sectional measurements of changes due to aging in the oral and pharyngeal lumina of male and female speakers. The purpose of the study was to establish preliminary normative data for such changes and to obtain acoustic measurements of changes due to aging in the formant frequencies of selected spoken vowels and their long-term average spectra (LTAS) analysis. Thirty-eight young men and women and 38 elderly men and women were involved in the study. The oral and pharyngeal lumina of the participants were measured with AR technology, and their formant frequencies were analyzed using the Kay Elemetrics Computerized Speech Lab. The findings have delineated specific and similar patterns of aging changes in human vocal tract configurations in speakers of both genders. Namely, the oral cavity length and volume of elderly speakers increased significantly compared to their young cohorts. The total vocal tract volume of elderly speakers also showed a significant increment, whereas the total vocal tract length of elderly speakers did not differ significantly from their young cohorts. Elderly speakers of both genders also showed similar patterns of acoustic changes of speech production, that is, consistent lowering of formant frequencies (especially F1) across selected vowel productions. Although new research models are still needed to succinctly account for the speech acoustic changes of the elderly, especially for their specific patterns of human vocal tract dimensional changes, this study has innovatively applied the noninvasive and cost-effective AR technology to monitor age-related human oral and pharyngeal lumina changes that have direct consequences for speech production.     

The adverse effect of treatment prolongation in cervical cancer by high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The potential risk of prolongation of treatment time in cervical cancer has been reported for many low-dose rate (LDR) studies, with an estimated loss of local control ranging from 0.3 to 1.6% per day of treatment prolongation. Since the treatment schedule for fractionated high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDRICB) is not directly comparable with that for low-dose rate studies, this report aims to evaluate the adverse effect of treatment prolongation specifically for cervical cancer treated with HDRICB. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From September 1992 to December 1997, 257 patients diagnosed with uterine cervical cancer (35 Ib, 26 IIa, 122 IIb, 10 IIIa, 57 IIIb, 7 IVa), who underwent external radiotherapy combined with between two and four courses of HDRICB and a minimum of 3 years of follow-up (median 57 months), were analyzed. Treatment consisted of irradiation of the whole pelvis with 44-45 Gy consisting of 22-25 fractions by 5 weeks, with the dose boosted to 54-58 Gy (with central shielding) for patients diagnosed as FIGO stage IIb-IVa bilateral parametrial disease. HDRICB was performed using an Ir-192 remote afterloading technique at 1-week intervals. The standard prescribed dose for each course of HDRICB was 7.2 Gy to point A for three insertions (before July 1995), or 6.0 Gy to point A for four insertions (after July 1995). Total prescribed point A doses (external beam radiotherapy+HDRICB) ranged from 58 to 71.6 Gy (median, 65.6 Gy) for stage IB-IIA, while analogous dosage for larger lesions (stage IIb-IVa) ranged from 59 to 75.6 Gy (median, 65.6 Gy). Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses were used to test the effect of treatment time on pelvic control rate (PCR) and cause-specific survival (CSS) at 5 years. RESULTS: Median treatment time was 63 days. For all stages of disease, the 5-year CSS and PCR were significantly different comparing treatment times of less than and greater than or equal to 63 days [83% and 65% (P=0.004], 93% and 83% (P=0.02), respectively]. These associations were also significant for stage Ib/IIa [97% and 79% (P=0.01), and 100% and 87% (P=0.02), respectively), but not for stage IIb [75% and 72% (P=0.79), and 93% and 87% (P=0.83), respectively] or stage III [66% and 49% (P=0.2), and 83% and 72% (P=0.21), respectively]. Multivariate analysis identified three prognostic factors for CSS, stage (P<0.001), tumor response to external RT (P=0.001), and overall treatment time (OTT; P=0.006). Prognostic factors for pelvic failure were stage (P<0.001), tumor response to external RT (P=0.001), and OTT (P=0.03). Prolongation of treatment time resulted in a daily decrease in pelvic control rate of 0.67% overall, and 0.43% for stage Ib-IIa, 0.57% for stage IIb, and 0.73% for stage III patients. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the data from the current study demonstrates that the adverse effect of treatment prolongation was observed later in the treatment course for the high-dose rate (HDR) series compared to the LDR analog, however, treatment-time prolongation still negatively influenced the cause-specific survival and pelvic control rate for both dosage groups.     

保罗样激酶基因沉默体外抑制胶质瘤细胞侵袭与生长

目的观察保罗样激酶1基因(plk1)沉默对胶质瘤细胞株-H4体外生长的抑制作用,探讨plk1基因作为胶质瘤治疗靶点的可行性。方法化学合成小片断干扰RNA(siRNA)抑制plk1基因的表达,Western blot检测plk1蛋白质的表达变化,流式细胞仪检测H4细胞周期分布及凋亡程度的变化,体外侵袭实验检测H4细胞侵袭能力的变化,MTT法检测H4细胞增殖速度的变化。结果经siRNA作用48h后,plk1蛋白质水平明显降低;较多的H4细胞聚集于G2/M期附近(P<0.05);细胞凋亡明显上升(P<0.05);细胞体外侵袭能力下降(P<0.05);增殖速度明显缓于对照组(P< 0.05)。结论靶向plk1的siRNA可在体外抑制胶质瘤细胞H4的侵袭与增殖,plk1有可能成为新的潜在胶质瘤治疗靶点。     

Clinical Significance of an Early Protocol Biopsy in Living-Donor Renal Transplantation: Ten-Year Experience at a Single Center

We report here our 10-year experience of a biopsy performed at day 14 after transplantation in 304 patients with stable graft function. The factors that may have influenced subclinical rejection were analyzed according to histology. The incidence of subclinical rejection was 13.2%. Addition of mycophenolate mofetile (MMF) as a primary immunosuppressant significantly decreased the incidence of subclinical rejection compared with patients without such treatment (odds ratio, 0.23; p < 0.05). On the other hand, HLA-DR antigen mismatch (odds ratio, 2.39) and unrelated donor (odds ratio, 2.10) were also significantly associated with decreased subclinical rejection (p < 0.05). The incidence of acute rejection in patients with normal findings was lower than in those with borderline changes or subclinical rejection (0.23 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.48 +/- 0.07 and 0.60 +/- 0.11, respectively; p < 0.05). The graft survival rates in patients with subclinical rejection were lower than in patients with normal or borderline changes at 1 (88.4% vs. 97.9% and 99.1%; p < 0.05), 5 (77.8% vs. 96.2% and 95.9%; p < 0.05) and 10 (62.3% vs. 96.2% and 93.7%; p < 0.05) years. Thus, a protocol biopsy performed on day 14 after transplantation is useful for predicting graft survival. Triple therapy including MMF, related donor and HLA-DR antigen match are important factors for reducing subclinical rejection in living-donor renal transplantation.     

亚低温对大鼠短暂性脑缺血迟发性神经元死亡的影响

目的 观察亚低温（33℃）对大鼠短暂性脑缺血后神经元的保护作用。方法 32只DS大鼠分为假手术组、常温缺血组和即刻亚低温组，采用尼氏体亚甲蓝特殊染色观察存活神经元、原位细胞凋亡检测法（TUNEL染色）检测及电镜观察脑缺血后大鼠CA1区神经元凋亡情况。结果 与假手术组相比，常温缺血组海马CA1区存活的锥体细胞数目减少（P＜0．01）；与常温缺血组相比，亚低温缺血组海马CA1区存活的锥体细胞数目明显增多（P＜0．01）。亚低温缺血组大鼠海马CA1区TUNEL染色阳性细胞数目明显少于常温缺血组（P＜0．01）。结论 脑缺血后迟发性神经元死亡很可能通过凋亡途径，亚低温对缺血后神经元的保护作用与减少神经元凋亡有关。     

间隙连接蛋白家族新成员Cx36

Cx36是哺乳动物间隙连接蛋白(connexin,Cx)家族γ亚类的第一个成员,它参与形成间隙连接,介导相邻细胞间的物质和信息的直接交换。间隙连接是神经系统构成电突触的结构基础,参与调控神经冲动信息的传递和复杂神经网络的整合,而Cx36是唯一一个在神经系统中优先表达的Cx,因此成为电生理研究领域的热点。就Cx36的发现过程、结构和定位进行了总结,并着重介绍它在神经系统中的功能和调节机制。     

The study of diethylstilbestrol toxic effect in the mouse sertoli cell line by comparison of miRNA and mRNA expression

It is important to acknowledge the harmful effects of environmental chemicals in human’s lives. The toxic effects of Diethylstilbestrol (DES), one of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have been documented in many studies. As expected, DES affect male gendal hormone as well as female’s; therefore, epigenetic study should be considered. In this study, microarray technology was used to study harmful effects on the level of genomics, and here, two types of microarray chips- the Agilent mouse genome 4 × 44 K array for gene expression profiling and the Agilent mouse miRNA v13 for miRNA expression profiling-was used to study the relation between gene and miRNA expression profiles. As a result, we identified 4 miRNAs (miR 203, 350, 421, and 466i) that were similarly expressed at 3 hrs and 24 hrs of DES treat times. Twenty one genes matched between predicted target for 4 miRNAs and 118 genes expressed similarly. These genes have functions related to cell differentiation and cell cycle. Therefore, DES affects cellular function and induces toxicity in TM4 cells. In future studies, it is necessary to find more related functions and mechanisms of DES in the system.