一些青蒿素衍生物的抗日本血吸虫作用

青蒿素有明显的抗疟作用,对动物血吸虫病亦有一定疗效。为寻找疗效更高的青蒿素衍生物,中国科学院上海药物研究所合成室对青蒿素进行了一系列的结构改造。我们选择了该所合成的部分青蒿素衍生物进行了抗血吸虫筛选试验,以探讨其构效关系。 实验方法     

Computed Tomography Findings Associated with Treatment Failure after Antibiotic Therapy for Acute Appendicitis

ObjectiveTo identify the CT findings associated with treatment failure after antibiotic therapy for acute appendicitis.Materials and MethodsAltogether, 198 patients who received antibiotic therapy for appendicitis were identified by searching the hospital''s surgery database. Selection criteria for antibiotic therapy were uncomplicated appendicitis with an appendiceal diameter equal to or less than 11 mm. The 86 patients included in the study were divided into a treatment success group and a treatment failure group. Treatment failure was defined as a resistance to antibiotic therapy or recurrent appendicitis during a 1-year follow-up period. Two radiologists independently evaluated the following CT findings: appendix–location, involved extent, maximal diameter, thickness, wall enhancement, focal wall defect, periappendiceal fat infiltration, and so on. For the quantitative analysis, two readers independently measured the CT values at the least attenuated wall of the appendix by drawing a round region of interest on the enhanced CT (HU_post) and non-enhanced CT (HU_pre). The degree of appendiceal wall enhancement (HU_sub) was calculated as the subtracted value between HU_post and HU_pre. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the CT findings associated with treatment failure.ResultsSixty-four of 86 (74.4%) patients were successfully treated with antibiotic therapy, with treatment failure occurring in the remaining 22 (25.5%). The treatment failure group showed a higher frequency of hypoenhancement of the appendiceal wall than the success group (31.8% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.005). Upon quantitative analysis, both HU_post (46.7 ± 21.3 HU vs. 58.9 ± 22.0 HU; p = 0.027) and HU_sub (26.9 ± 17.3 HU vs. 35.4 ± 16.6 HU; p = 0.042) values were significantly lower in the treatment failure group than in the success group.ConclusionHypoenhancement of the appendiceal wall was significantly associated with treatment failure after antibiotic therapy for acute appendicitis.     

Nanovesicles engineered from ES cells for enhanced cell proliferation

Extracellular vesicles (Exosomes and microvesicles) have drawn wide attentions in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, since they are considered to shuttle biological signals intercellularly. However, further research on exosomes is limited by their rarity and heterogeneity even after lengthy isolation processes. In particular, these limitations are challenging in therapeutic applications. To meet these demands, cell-derived nanovesicles that mimic exosomes were generated by extruding living embryonic stem cells through micro-filters. These nanovesicles have an enclosed lipid bilayer and contain cellular contents. The present study investigated the ability of these nanovesicles to improve proliferation by treating primary murine skin fibroblasts with the nanovesicles. The treated skin fibroblasts showed higher expression levels of mRNA, VEGF-α, protein levels of TGF-β collagen I, PCNA, and Ki-67, as well as enhanced cell proliferation rate and number, compared to non-treated cells. The results indicate that treatment with the nanovesicles could potentially contribute to recovery or wound healing process of tissues.     

Cone-Beam CT-Guided Percutaneous Transthoracic Needle Lung Biopsy of Juxtaphrenic Lesions: Diagnostic Accuracy and Complications

ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic accuracy and complications of cone-beam CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB) of juxtaphrenic lesions and identify the risk factors for diagnostic failure and complications.Materials and MethodsIn total, 336 PTNB procedures for lung lesions (mean size ± standard deviation [SD], 4.3 ± 2.3 cm) abutting the diaphragm in 326 patients (189 male and 137 female; mean age ± SD, 65.2 ± 11.4 years) performed between January 2010 and December 2014 were included. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the PTNB procedures for the diagnosis of malignancy were measured based on the intention-to-diagnose principle. The risk factors for diagnostic failures and complications were evaluated using logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 92.7% (293/316), 91.3% (219/240), 91.4% (74/81), 96.9% (219/226), and 77.9% (74/95), respectively. There were 23 diagnostic failures (7.3%), and lesion sizes ≤ 2 cm (p = 0.045) were the only significant risk factors for diagnostic failure. Complications occurred in 98 cases (29.2%), including 89 cases of pneumothorax (26.5%) and 7 cases of hemoptysis (2.1%). The multivariable analysis showed that old age (> 65 years) (p = 0.002), lesion size of ≤ 2 cm (p = 0.003), emphysema (p = 0.006), and distance from the pleura to the target lesion (> 2 cm) (p = 0.010) were significant risk factors for complications.ConclusionThe diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam CT-guided PTNB of juxtaphrenic lesions for malignancy was fairly high, and the target lesion size was the only significant predictor of diagnostic failure. Complications of cone-beam CT-guided PTNB of juxtaphrenic lesions occurred at a reasonable rate.