Increasing radiofrequency ablation volumes with the use of internally cooled electrodes and injected hydrochloric acid in ex vivo bovine livers

Purpose: We used an impedance-controlled generator with an internally cooled electrode to perform radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in ex vivo bovine livers, with a single injection of either 38.5% sodium chloride (NaCl) or 10% hydrochloric acid (HCl), to determine the relative effects of these two solutions on tissue impedance, temperature and ablation volume.

Materials and methods: We performed 10 ablations each with injections of NaCl (NaCl-RFA), HCl (HCl-RFA) or nothing (RFA-alone), with a power setting of 200 W for 15?minutes. We recorded tissue impedance before and after injection. We logged temperatures obtained from thermocouple probes positioned 5, 10, 15 and 20?mm from the internally cooled RF electrode. After ablation, we measured ablation zone longitudinal and transverse diameters, and we calculated a spherical ratio (SR) for each ablation.

Results: Mean post-injection impedance of 30.3 (standard deviation [SD] 2.5) ohms for HCl was significantly lower than that of 55.4 (SD 3.5) ohms for NaCl (p?<?.001). Mean maximum temperatures recorded at each respective distance from the RFA electrode were all highest for HCl-RFA and lowest for RFA-alone (p?<?.001). Mean longitudinal and transverse diameters after HCl-RFA (5.50 [SD 0.25] cm and 5.28 [SD 0.22] cm, respectively) were significantly larger than those after NaCl-RFA (4.24 [SD 0.35] cm and 3.55 [SD 0.43] cm, respectively) and after RFA-alone (3.60 [SD 0.10] cm and 2.70 [SD 0.13] cm, respectively) (p?<?.001). Mean SR after HCl-RFA (0.93, SD 0.02) was significantly higher than mean SR after NaCl-RFA (0.76, SD 0.06) and RFA-alone (0.72, SD 0.04) (p?<?.001).

Conclusion: Monopolar, impedance-controlled RFA, with an internally cooled electrode and a single 10% HCl injection may allow larger tumors to be treated, potentially resulting in improved patient outcomes.     

Efficient drug discovery by rational lead hybridization based on crystallographic overlay

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Efficacy of low‐level laser therapy in the treatment of TMDs: a meta‐analysis of 14 randomised controlled trials

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). We searched electronic databases and references lists of relevant articles, retrieved all of the published randomised controlled trials in regard to these issues and then performed a meta‐analysis. Fourteen highly qualified RCTs reporting on a total of 454 patients, which evaluated the effectiveness of LLLT for patients suffering from TMDs were retrieved. The results indicated that LLLT was not better than placebo in reducing chronic TMD pain (weighted mean difference = ?19·39; 95% confidence interval = ?40·80–2·03; P < 0·00001; I² = 99%). However, the LLLT provided significant better functional outcomes in terms of maximum active vertical opening (MAVO) (weighted mean difference = 4·18; 95% confidence interval = 0·73–7·63; P = 0·006; I² = 73%), maximum passive vertical opening (MPVO) (weighted mean difference = 6·73; 95% confidence interval = 01·34–12·13; P = 0·06; I² = 73%), protrusion excursion (PE) (weighted mean difference = 1·81; 95% confidence interval = 0·79–2·83; P = 0·59; I² = 0%) and right lateral excursion (RLE) (weighted mean difference = 2·86; 95% confidence interval = 1·27–4·45; P = 0·01; I² = 73%). The results of our meta‐analysis have provided the best evidence on the efficacy of LLLT in the treatment of TMDs. This study indicates that using LLLT has limited efficacy in reducing pain in patients with TMDs. However, LLLT can significantly improve the functional outcomes of patients with TMDs.     

Use of a microvascular coupler device for end-to-side venous anastomosis in oral and maxillofacial reconstruction

The aim of this study was to compare the use of a microvascular coupler device (MCD) for end-to-side venous anastomosis (ETS group) and phleboplasties combined with MCD for end-to-end venous anastomosis (ETE group) in free tissue transfer for oral and maxillofacial reconstruction, with regard to the anastomosis time and occurrence of postoperative vascular crisis. The ETS group included 22 patients and the ETE group included 40 patients. Patient demographic data, anastomotic time, coupler size, microvascular complications, and flap survival rates were collected and analyzed. In the ETS group, the most suitable donor vessel size was greater than 2 mm, varying from 2 mm to 4 mm. The average anastomosis time was 3.35 ± 0.89 min in the ETS group and 7.80 ± 2.93 min in the ETE group; the difference between the groups was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in complications or outcomes between the two groups. The ETS venous anastomosis with MCD technique is a better choice for anastomosis when the donor vessel size is greater than 2 mm. In those cases with mismatched veins, ETS venous anastomosis with MCD could significantly reduce the anastomosis time compared to ETE venous anastomosis with MCD after phleboplasties.     

Earlier renal fibrosis aggravates acute kidney injury induced by ischemia reperfusion in mice

Objective To investigate the influence of earlier renal fibrosis on ischemia and reperfusion induced acute kidney injury. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice at eight to twelve weeks old age were divided into 4 groups randomly: (1)Sham (n=3); (2)Unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO, n=6): UUO for 3 days (UUO3d, n=3) and UUO for 5 days (UUO5d, n=3)；(3)Ischemia and reperfusion (IR, n=7): bilateral kidney ischemia for 40 minutes followed by 24 hours of reperfusion; (4)UUO for 3 days plus IR (UUO3d+IR, n=6): bilateral kidney ischemia after UUO 2 days for 40 minutes followed by 24 hours of reperfusion, and the real time for UUO was 3 days. Pathologic analysis for acute or chronic injury was performed on paraffin embedded kidney sections with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) or Masson staining. Apoptosis was detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC) and Western blotting with anti-caspase-3 antibody, and proliferation was observed by IHC with anti-ki67 antibody. Results On kidney sections with HE or Masson staining, it showed that the chronic kidney lesions and fibrosis got more severe as time of UUO prolonged from 3 days to 5 days; the area of matrix deposition increased in UUO5d and UUO3d mice significantly compared to Sham mice (P＜0.05) and was smaller in UUO3d mice compared with UUO5d mice obviously (P＜0.05). Acute kidney injury could be observed in UUO3d+IR mice, such as massive inflammatory cells infiltration, tubules dilation, brush border disappearance, tubular epithelial cells vacuolar degeneration, necrosis, casting formation, coexisting with chronic lesions: thinner cortex, broadened interstitial space, and increased blue stained matrix. Acute kidney injury score in UUO3d+IR mice was higher than that in IR mice significantly (P＜0.05), and serum creatinine level increased significantly in UUO3d+IR mice compared to Sham mice (P＜0.05). Caspase-3 expression increased and ki67 positive tubular cells decreased in UUO3d+IR mice than those in IR mice obviously (P＜0.05). Conclusion Earlier renal fibrosis aggravates acute kidney injury induced by ischemia reperfusion in mice through increasing apoptosis and decreasing proliferation of tubular epithelial cells.     

扶正利胆汤对贲门癌术后胆囊收缩障碍的临床疗效观察

目的 研究扶正利胆汤对贲门癌术后胆囊收缩障碍的临床治疗作用及其机制探讨.方法 选择120例贲门癌术后患者,随机分为试验组60例和对照组60例;试验组患者,在术后第10天开始口服扶正利胆汤,连服20天;对照组患者,在术后第10天口服等体积的水,连服20天;在实验治疗期间,对上述两组患者均进行常规抗炎、补液等治疗.所有患者分别于术前3天、术后30天对胆囊进行超声波指标测定,测定条件是空腹、服用脂餐0.5小时后、服用脂餐1小时后,应用超声波测定胆囊最大纵切面积、长径、短径,计算胆囊超声容积、排空率指标,并在术前3天、术后30天测定空腹血清胆囊收缩素浓度.比较两组患者手术前后胆囊的容积、排空、排空率及空腹血清胆囊收缩素浓度.结果 1）两组患者手术前后胆囊收缩功能比较：对照组患者术后胆囊容积较术前明显增大（P＜0.05）,治疗组患者术后胆囊容积较术前没有显著性改变;术前治疗组和对照组患者胆囊容积无显著差别（P＞0.05）;术后试验组胆囊容积比对照组患者的胆囊容积明显缩小,两组比较具有显著性差异（P＜0.05）.2）两组患者手术前后空腹血清胆囊收缩素（CCK）浓度比较：术前两组CCK浓度无明显差别（P＞0.05）;术后对照组患者CCK浓度较术前明显下降（P＜0.05）,治疗组患者术后CCK浓度较术前无明显改变（P＞0.05）,术后试验组患者较对照组血清CCK浓度明显升高,两组比较有显著性差异（P＜0.05）.结论 贲门癌术后出现胆囊排空障碍,术后胆囊容积与术前相比明显增大.扶正利胆汤可以提高血清CCK浓度,改善术后胆囊容积,对于贲门癌术后的胆囊收缩障碍有一定的治疗作用.