非小细胞肺癌Twist表达与EMT相关性分析

目的：探讨非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC）组织转录因子Twist的表达及其与上皮一间质转化（epithelial mesenchymal transition,EMT）的相关性。方法：选取2010—02—2011-11山东省肿瘤医院62例NSCLC患者肺癌组织和20例癌旁组织标本,采用免疫组织化学PV两步法检测Twist、EMT表型分子E-cadherin和Vimentin蛋白表达,并分析其与患者临床病理因素的相关性。结果：NSCLC组织Twist阳性表达率为64．5％（40／62）,癌旁组织为5．0％（1／20）,X2=21．426,P〈0．001;癌组织E—cadherin阳性表达率为54．8％（34／62）,癌旁组织为100．0％（20／20）X2=13．716,P〈0．001;癌组织Vimentin阳性表达率为51．6％（32／62）,癌旁组织为10．0％（2／20）,X2=8．697,P=0．003。Twist表达增加与NSCLC分化程度（X2=6．282,P=0．043）、淋巴结转移（X2=11．806,P=0．001）和临床分期（X2=6．277,P=0．017）有关。Spearman相关分析显示,Twist与E-cadherin表达呈负相关,r=-0．470,P〈0．001;与Vimentin表达呈正相关,r=0．429,P=0．001。结论：Twist高表达与肺癌发生发展、转移和EMT有关,Twist检测有助于肺癌评估恶性程度及预后。     

A survey of zeb1, twist and claudin 1 and 4 expression during placental development and disease

We investigated zeb1, twist and claudins 1 and 4 in normal and diseased placental tissues. Eighty cases of placental tissues from all three trimesters and from different diseases were studied immunohistochemically to determine the expression of zeb1, twist and claudins 1 and 4. Zeb1 was more strongly expressed in endothelial and mesenchymal cells of the villous structures during the last two trimesters, suggesting that it plays a role in the development of placental blood vessels. In contrast, twist was more strongly expressed in the trophoblastic cells during these trimesters. The endothelial and stromal expression of zeb1 and the epithelial expression of twist were disturbed in those placentas with chromosomal aberrations. Claudin 4 was strongly expressed in trophoblastic cells during all trimesters. Its expression was especially strong in molar disease, suggesting that it could participate in trophoblastic aggregation and disturbed attachment of trophoblastic cells in the expanded villi. Claudin 4 expression was also increased in the placentas of diabetic mothers and in toxaemia. Claudin 1 did not show any specific disease associations. The study implicates that twist and zeb1 are involved in placental maturation, whereas claudin 4 appears to be connected with placental diseases such as diabetes, toxaemia or molar disease.     

Chronic Effect of Right Ventricular Pacing on Left Ventricular Rotational Synchrony in Patients with Complete Atrioventricular Block

Background: Chronic effect of right ventricular (RV) pacing on left ventricular (LV) rotational synchrony is unknown. The aim of this study is to assess chronic effect of RV pacing on LV rotational synchrony using two‐dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking imaging. Methods and Results: Thirty‐one patients who underwent dual‐chamber pacemaker implantation for complete atrioventricular block, and age‐ and sex‐matched 10 healthy controls were assessed. We divided our patients into RV apical (RVA, n = 16) and RV outflow tract (RVOT, n = 15) pacing groups. We compared echocardiographic parameters such as LV rotational synchrony between pacing groups and healthy control. We defined Q to peak rotation interval as the interval from the beginning of the Q‐wave to the peak apical counter‐clockwise or peak basal clockwise rotation. We calculated apical–basal rotation delay by subtracting basal Q to peak rotation interval from apical one as the representative of rotational synchronization. Apical–basal rotation delay of RVA pacing was significantly longer than that of healthy control (100 ± 110 vs. ?6 ± 15 ms, P = 0.002), while there was no statistically significant difference between RVOT pacing and healthy control (?3 ± 99 vs. ?6 ± 15 ms, P = 0.919). Conclusions: LV rotation during RVOT pacing is synchronous at 15 months after pacemaker implantation, while RVA pacing provokes LV rotational dyssynchrony by inducing delayed apical rotation at 7 years after pacemaker implantation in patients with complete atrioventricular block. (Echocardiography 2011;28:69‐75)     

Assessment of Cardiac Twist in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Using Velocity Vector Imaging

Objectives: Velocity vector imaging (VVI) is a novel echocardiography technique to assess myocardial motion in two dimensions. In this study, we used VVI to assess left ventricular twist (LVtwist) in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients. Methods: Twenty DCM patients and 31 normal subjects were evaluated. Echocardiographic images of the long and short axis were processed by VVI software to measure peak rotation angle (ProtA), peak rotation rate (ProtR) in systole. In addition, peak untwisting velocity (Pun‐twV) and untwisting rate (unTwR) were measured in diastole. LVtwist was defined as the net difference between the apical and basal angle of rotation, left ventricular torsion (LVtor) was calculated as LVtwist divided by left ventricular diastolic longitudinal length. Results: The pattern of LVtwist was normal (apex counterclockwise, base clockwise) in 16 DCM patients but abnormal in four. LVtwist and LVtor were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in DCM compared with normals. In addition, ProtA, ProtR, Pun‐twV, and unTwR were all decreased at the basal and apical levels in DCM compared with normals (P < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between ejection fraction and LVtwist in the DCM patients (r = 0.489, P < 0.05). Conclusions: Cardiac twist is impaired in DCM and this impairment is linked to global dysfunction. VVI is a new noninvasive technology that can be used to assess cardiac twist. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY 2010;27:400‐405)     

Connector Effect in Electroluminescent Properties of Poly(p‐phenylene vinylene) Derivatives Containing Triazole Chromophores

Summary: We report the thermal, optical, electrochemical and electroluminescent properties of four polymers P1 – P4 consisting of hole‐transporting [1,4‐bis(hexyloxy)‐2,5‐distyrylbenzene;DSB] and electron‐transporting [4‐(4‐(hexyloxy)phenyl)‐3,5‐diphenyl‐4H‐1,2,4‐triazole; TAZ] fluorophores linked by four kinds of connectors: (1) ether spacers, (2) single bonds, (3) 1,4‐phenylenes, and (4) 1,4‐divinylbenzenes. These polymers are soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform, N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and CH₂Cl₂CH₂Cl₂ and exhibit good thermal stability with decomposition temperatures higher than 340 °C. Compounds M1 – M3 containing a TAZ or DSB core were employed as a model to study the optical properties of the polymers. The photoluminescence (PL) spectral maxima of P1 – P4 in CHCl₃ were spread over a wide range, from 453 nm to 501 nm, depending upon the chemical structures of the connectors. In the film state, the PL maxima shifted bathochromically from 464nm to 538 nm, which can be attributed to the formation of excimers. From the optimized semiempirical modified neglect of diatomic overlap (MNDO) calculations, the adjacent benzene rings between DSB and TAZ chromophores in P2 and P3 twist about 81–89° which is significantly different from P4 (circa 0°). The effect of the twisted connector architectures on optical and electrochemical properties for P1 – P4 is discussed. The electroluminescences of P1 – P4 and corresponding Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (C.I.E.) coordinates are also depicted to indicate that incorporating different connectors to these polymers changed their color from blue, to green, to the yellow region.

The C.I.E. 1931 diagram of lights emitted from the PLED devices (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ P1 – P4 /Al).     

Development of a real-time three-dimensional spinal motion measurement system for clinical practice

This paper presents an inertial based sensing system for real-time three-dimensional measurement of human spinal motion, in a portable and non-invasive manner. Applications of the proposed system range from diagnosis of spine injury to postural monitoring, on-field as well as in the lab setting. The system is comprised of three inertial measurement sensors, respectively attached and calibrated to the head, torso and hips, based on the subject’s anatomical planes. Sensor output is transformed into meaningful clinical parameters of rotation (twist), flexion-extension and lateral bending of each body segment, with respect to calibrated global reference space. Modeling the spine as a compound flexible pole model allows dynamic measurement of three-dimensional spine motion, which can be animated and monitored in real-time using our interactive GUI. The accuracy of the proposed sensing system has been verified with subject trials using a VICON optical motion measurement system. Experimental results indicate an error of less than 3.1° in segment orientation tracking.     

Unilateral occurrence of a chondroepitrochlearis muscle

An abnormal muscle slip was encountered during routine dissection studies of a male cadaver. According to its origin, attachment and innervation, the abnormal slip was identified a chondroepitrochlearis muscle. Arterial and nervous supply were from the lateral thoracic artery and the medial pectoral nerve, respectively. Furthermore, no axillary arch muscle was observed. In addition, an abnormality in the attachment of the pectoralis major muscle was observed.