产前超声诊断胎儿右房异构一例

本文报道产前超声诊断胎儿右房异构一例。孕妇孕24周产前超声检查发现胎儿左位心合并复杂心血管畸形(右心室双出口、房室间隔缺损、肺动脉发育不良、双侧上腔静脉、心下型完全型肺静脉异位引流)、胃泡位于腹腔右侧、中位肝、可疑无脾、腹主动脉与下腔静脉位于脊柱左侧、双侧支气管呈右侧支气管对称形态,综合考虑右房异构可能。引产后经尸体解剖证实脾脏发育不良、右房异构。右房异构常合并复杂心血管畸形,因此产前超声发现复杂心血管畸形时,应警惕右房异构的可能。右房异构病死率极高,产前诊断具有重要意义。     

Sodium butyrate prevents radiation-induced cognitive impairment by restoring pCREB/BDNF expression

Sodium butyrate is a histone deacetylase inhibitor that affects various types of brain damages. To investigate the effects of sodium butyrate on hippocampal dysfunction that occurs after whole-brain irradiation in animal models and the effect of sodium butyrate on radiation exposure-induced cognitive impairments,adult C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally treated with 0.6 g/kg sodium butyrate before exposure to 10 Gy cranial irradiation. Cognitive impairment in adult C57BL/6 mice was evaluated via an object recognition test 30 days after irradiation. We also detected the expression levels of neurogenic cell markers(doublecortin)and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein/brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Radiation-exposed mice had decreased cognitive function and hippocampal doublecortin and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein/brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. Sodium butyrate pretreatment reversed these changes. These findings suggest that sodium butyrate can improve radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction through inhibiting the decrease in hippocampal phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein/brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. The study procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Korea Institute of Radiological Medical Sciences(approval No. KIRAMS16-0002) on December 30, 2016.     

Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to THP-1 macrophages: interactions with saturated or unsaturated free fatty acids

In a biological microenvironment, free fatty acids (FFA) as ubiquitous biological molecules might interact with nanoparticles (NPs) and consequently change the toxicological responses. However, whether the chemical structures of FFA could influence their interactions with NPs remain unknown. This study investigated the interactions between ZnO NPs and saturated or unsaturated FFA (complexed to BSA), namely stearic acid (SA, C18:0), oleic acid (OA, C18:1), and α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3). It was shown that BSA, SA, OA, and ALA increased the atomic force microscope (AFM) heights as well the polydispersity index (PDI) of ZnO NPs. BSA modestly protected THP-1 macrophages from ZnO NP exposure, whereas OA and ALA led to relatively less cyto-protective effects of BSA. Moreover, only co-exposure to ZnO NPs and SA significantly promoted the release of interleukin-8. BSA, SA, OA, and ALA equally changed intracellular ROS and Zn ions associated with ZnO exposure, but co-exposure to ZnO NPs and OA/ALA particularly activated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis genes. In combination, these results showed that FFA could influence the colloidal aspects and toxicological signaling pathway of ZnO NPs, which is dependent on the number of unsaturated bonds of FFA.     

Quantitative chemical exchange saturation transfer (qCEST) MRI – omega plot analysis of RF‐spillover‐corrected inverse CEST ratio asymmetry for simultaneous determination of labile proton ratio and exchange rate

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI is sensitive to labile proton concentration and exchange rate, thus allowing measurement of dilute CEST agent and microenvironmental properties. However, CEST measurement depends not only on the CEST agent properties but also on the experimental conditions. Quantitative CEST (qCEST) analysis has been proposed to address the limitation of the commonly used simplistic CEST‐weighted calculation. Recent research has shown that the concomitant direct RF saturation (spillover) effect can be corrected using an inverse CEST ratio calculation. We postulated that a simplified qCEST analysis is feasible with omega plot analysis of the inverse CEST asymmetry calculation. Specifically, simulations showed that the numerically derived labile proton ratio and exchange rate were in good agreement with input values. In addition, the qCEST analysis was confirmed experimentally in a phantom with concurrent variation in CEST agent concentration and pH. Also, we demonstrated that the derived labile proton ratio increased linearly with creatine concentration (P < 0.01) while the pH‐dependent exchange rate followed a dominantly base‐catalyzed exchange relationship (P < 0.01). In summary, our study verified that a simplified qCEST analysis can simultaneously determine labile proton ratio and exchange rate in a relatively complex in vitro CEST system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cell on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in a rat model by modulating Th17/Treg cell balance

Abstract

The autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is a disease wherein lymphocytes mediate the autoimmune damage and destruction of the thyroid gland. There are currently no effective means of treating HT, with the primary strategies of thyroid hormone therapy, surgery, or immunomodulatory therapy being associated with serious risks and side effects. There is thus a clear and urgent need to identify novel treatments for HT. In this study, we utilize female SD rats induced HT to evaluated the ability of transplanted MSCs to regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. The results showed that Rats in the HT model group exhibited increased thyroid autoantibody levels consistent with successful model development, whereas these levels were lower in rats treated with MSCs. There were also fewer thyroid lesions and less lymphoid infiltration of the thyroid in MSC-treated rats relative to HT model rats, as well as fewer Th17 cells and more Treg cells – an observation consistent with the cytokine analyses. All of these showed that MSCs can regulate Th17/Treg interactions in a rat Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) model system. It suggested that transplanted MSCs could be a potential immunotherapy strategy for the treatment of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.     

腹腔镜"蘑菇状"剜除术治疗外生性肾血管平滑肌脂肪瘤的临床应用

目的对比研究腹腔镜下外生性肾血管平滑肌脂肪瘤"蘑菇状"剜除与标准肾部分切除术的安全性及有效性，为肾血管平滑肌脂肪瘤腹腔镜下"蘑菇状"剜除术术式的建立提供临床依据。 方法选取海南医学院第二附属医院与解放军总医院2018年1月至2019年5月期间，接受腹腔镜手术的肾血管平滑肌脂肪瘤患者53例，其中25例沿肿瘤假包膜行"蘑菇状"剜除术(A组)、28例行肾部分切除术(B组)。比较两组手术患者的肾动脉阻断时间、手术时间、术中出血量、术后24 h血红蛋白、术后eGFR(estimated glomerular filtration rate,估计肾小球率过滤)的变化、术后住院时间和术后肿瘤复发率。 结果53例手术无术中转开放，无死亡病例。肾动脉阻断时间：A组(11.9±2.2)min、B组(21.5±6.5) min(P<0.001)。手术时间：A组(87.9±24.8)min、B组(114.3±38.9) min(P<0.001)。术中出血量：A组20 ml(20～40)ml、B组50 ml(50～100)ml(P<0.001)。术后24 h血红蛋白变化：A组(7.4±4.3) g/L、B组(12.4±8.8) g/L(P＝0.013)。术后24 h eGFR变化：A组(6.2±7.2 )ml(min·1.73 m²)，B组(12.7±12.8)ml(min·1.73 m²)(P＝0.027)。术后6个月eGFR变化：A组(1.5±3.7)ml(min·1.73 m²)、B组(6.5±5.6)ml(min·1.73 m²)(P<0.001)。术后住院时间：A组4.0 d(3～4)d、B组4.5 d(3～6)d(P＝0.023)。术后随访两组术后肿瘤均无复发。 结论采用腹腔镜"蘑菇状"剜除术治疗外生性肾血管平滑肌脂肪瘤在肾动脉阻断时间、术中出血量、术后24 h血红蛋白、术后eGFR变化、术后住院时间等方面均优于传统肾部分切除术，两组术后肿瘤均无复发；该方法安全、有效，适于临床推广。     

Exploration of D022-Type Al3TM(TM = Sc,Ti, V,Zr, Nb,Hf, Ta): Elastic Anisotropy,Electronic Structures,Work Function and Experimental Design

The structural properties, elastic anisotropy, electronic structures and work function of D0₂₂-type Al₃TM (TM = Sc, Ti, V, Y, Zr, Nb, La, Hf, Ta) are studied using the first-principles calculations. The results indicate that the obtained formation enthalpy and cohesive energy of these compounds are in accordance with the other calculated values. It is found that the Al₃Zr is the most thermodynamic stable compound. The mechanical property indexes, such as elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and Vickers hardness are systematically explored. Moreover, the calculated universal anisotropic index, percent anisotropy and shear anisotropic factors of D0₂₂-type Al₃TM are analyzed carefully. It demonstrates that the shear modulus anisotropy of Al₃La is the strongest, while that of Al₃Ta is the weakest. In particular, the density of states at Fermi level is not zero, suggesting that these phases have metal properties and electrical conductivity. More importantly, the mechanisms of correlation between hardness and Young’s modulus are further explained by the work function. Finally, the experimental design proves that D0₂₂-Al₃Ta has an excellent strengthening effect.