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The main etiological mechanism for Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is deep chondrocyte necrosis induced by environmental risk factors (ERFs). The scholars have conducted several epidemiological, cellular, and animal model studies on ERFs. Gradually, four etiological hypotheses have been formed, including water of organic poisoning hypothesis represented by fulvic acid (FA), biogeochemical hypothesis represented by selenium (Se) deficiency, food mycotoxin poisoning hypothesis represented by T-2 toxin poisoning and compound etiology theory hypothesis. The animal models of KBD have been replicated based on the previous etiological hypotheses. The different species of animals (monkey, rat, dog, pig, chicken, and rabbit) were treated with different ERFs interventions, and the clinical manifestations and pathological changes of articular cartilages were observed. The animals in the experimental group were fed with endemic water, endemic grain, low nutrition, thallium sulfate, FA, Se, T-2 toxin, and iodine. The dose of thallium sulfate was 1154 μg/d; the doses range of FA were 5, 50, 150, 200, and 211 mg/kg; the doses range of Se were 0.00035, 0.00175, 0.005, 0.02, 0.031, 0.1, 0.15, 0.314, 0.5, and 10 mg/kg; the doses range of T-2 toxin were 40, 100, 200, 600, 1000, 1500, 3000, 6000, and 9000 ng/g; and the doses range of iodine were 0.04, 0.18, and 0.4-0.5 μg/g. The sample size ranged from 9 to 230 depending on the interventions and grouping; the follow-up duration ranged from 1 week to 18 months. Moreover, the methods and comparisons of different animal models of KBD had been summarized to provide a useful basis for studying the pathogenesis of KBD. In conclusion, the rhesus monkeys administrated endemic water and grain were susceptible animals to replicate KBD. The rats treated with T-2 toxin combined with Se/nutrition deficiency could be a suitable and widely used animal model. more...

Purpose: Unlike advances in the genomics-driven precision treatment of cutaneous melanomas, the current poor understanding of the molecular basis of mucosal melanomas (MM) has hindered such progress for MM patients. Thus, we sought to characterize the genomic landscape of MM to identify genomic alterations with prognostic and/or therapeutic implications. Experimental Design: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 65 MM samples, including 63 paired tumor blood samples and 2 matched lymph node metastases, with a further droplet digital PCR–based validation study of an independent MM cohort (n = 80). Guided by these molecular insights, the FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib was tested in an MM patient-derived xenograft (PDX) trial. Results: Besides the identification of well-recognized driver mutations of BRAF (3.1%), RAS family (6.2%), NF1 (7.8%), and KIT (23.1%) in MMs, our study also found that (i) mutations and amplifications in the transmembrane nucleoporin gene POM121 (30.8%) defined a patient subgroup with higher tumor proliferation rates; (ii) enrichment of structural variations between chromosomes 5 and 12 defined a patient subgroup with significantly worse clinical outcomes; (iii) over 50% of the MM patients harbored recurrent focal amplification of several oncogenes (CDK4, MDM2, and AGAP2) at 12q13-15, and this co-occurred significantly with amplification of TERT at 5p15, which was verified in the validation cohort; (iv) the PDX trial demonstrated robust antitumor effects of palbociclib in MMs harboring CDK4 amplification. Conclusions: Our largest-to-date cohort WGS analysis of MMs defines the genomic landscape of this deadly cancer at unprecedented resolution and identifies genomic aberrations that could facilitate the delivery of precision cancer treatments. See related commentary by Shoushtari, p. 3473 more...

It is unclear whether G protein-coupled receptor 61 (GPR61) affecting body weight, plays a role in the association between birth weight and weather. This study aimed to assess the effects of prenatal weather and GPR61 on birth weight.A total of 567 mother-newborn pairs were recruited in Houzhai Center Hospital during 2011-2012. We detected the maternal and neonatalA positive association was observed between maternal and neonatalOur findings revealed the significant associations among prenatal weather more...

Cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R) regulates the neuro-inflammatory and neurodegenerative damages of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and of multiple sclerosis (MS). The mechanism by which CB1R inhibition exerts inflammatory effects is still unclear. Here, we explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms of CB1R in the treatment of EAE by using a specific and selective CB1R antagonist SR141716A. Our study demonstrated that SR141716A accelerated the clinical onset and development of EAE, accompanied by body weight loss. SR141716A significantly up-regulated the expression of toll like receptor-4 (TLR-4) and nuclear factor-kappaB/p65 (NF-κB/p65) on microglia/macrophages of EAE mice as well as levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and chemokines (MCP-1, CX3CL1), accompanied by the shifts of cytokines from Th2 (IL-4, IL-10) to Th1 (IFN-γ)/Th17 (IL-17) in the spinal cords of EAE mice. Similar changes happened on splenic mononuclear cells (MNCs) except chemokine CX3CL1. Consistently, SR141716A promoted BV-2 microglia to release inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) while inhibited the production of IL-10 and chemokines (MCP-1, CX3CL1). Furthermore, when splenic CD4+ T cells co-cultured with SR141716A-administered BV-2 microglia, the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were decreased while production of IL-17 and IFN-γ increased significantly. Our research indicated that inhibition of CB1R induced M1 phenotype-Th17 axis changed of microglia/macrophages through TLR-4 and NF-κB/p65 which accelerated the onset and development of EAE. Therefore, CB1R may be a promising target for the treatment of MS/EAE, but its complexity remains to be carefully considered and studied in further clinical application. more...

The study was designed to explore an effective method to control early scar after maxillofacial trauma and improve the satisfaction of clinical treatment.Fifty skin lesions after maxillofacial trauma were divided into the experimental group and control group. Patients in the experimental group were treated with pulsed dye laser when taking out stitches, 15, 30 and 60 days later. Digital microscope photos were taken and lesion area was measured before and 3 months after laser irradiation. Adverse effects were recorded during and after each treatment as well. All patients were asked to rate their satisfaction at 3-month of follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 software package.The efficiency of the experimental group was 74% and 37 lesions were cured or significantly improved, while the efficiency rate was 22% in the control group. Area reduction of maxillofacial lesions before and after treatment between the two groups was significantly different (P＜0.05). Patients in the experimental group were highly satisfied with the final outcomes. No severe adverse events were observed.Pulsed dye laser is safe and effective in inhibiting early scar following maxillofacial trauma. more...

Cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB

Data aggregation is the important method to reduce data traffic and lower energy expenditure in wireless sensor networks (WSN). This paper analyzes the characteristics of data sampled by nodes, and gives the method to decide spatial correlation between neighboring nodes and the criteria to classify and decide data in WSN. On the basis of this, this paper proposes a spatial correlation based data aggregation algorithm for WSN, SCBD. SCBD classifies and decides data according to data criteria and spatial correlation among nodes in normal nodes and cluster heads at the same time, and then aggregates different types of data. The results show that SCBD outperforms RAA in terms of energy consumption, rate of data detection and quality of data aggregation. more...

Considering the requirements of energy saving and data aggregation, and the characteristics of spatial-correlation and temporal-correlation in wireless sensor networks (WSN), this paper proposes a spatial-temporal correlation based novel clustering algorithm, STCBCA. In cluster formation phase, STCBCA clusters nodes in the network according to the spatial correlation between nodes and cluster heads. In data gathering phase, STCBCA clusters data sampled by nodes via the criterion of data cluster, and then sends them to the cluster heads. Our results show that STCBCA can reduce data traffic, prolong network lifetime and improve quality of data aggregation against the clustering algorithm DCAM. more...

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of fluoride exposure and ERα gene polymorphisms on reproductive hormone concentrations of women in accordance with endemic fluorosis residence.A cross sectional study was conducted in Tongxu county, Henan Province, China. A total of 679 women were recruited using cluster sampling and each subject provided fasting blood and an associated urine sample. We measured the concentrations of serum gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol and urinary fluoride.In the defluoridation project group (DFPG), serum GnRH was lower in women carrying C/C genotype compared to in those carrying C/T and T/T genotypes of ERα gene rs3798577 (p0.05). In the endemic fluorosis group (EFG), serum GnRH was lower in women carrying Pp genotype compared to in those carrying PP and pp genotypes of ERα PvuII (p0.05). Serum GnRH in women from EFG who carried Pp, pp, Xx and xx genotypes in ERα gene PvuII and XbaI was lower than in those in the control group (CG) who carried same genotypes (p0.05). Furthermore, serum GnRH in women from EFG was significantly lower than in those in CG, regardless of whether the women were carrying C/C, C/T or T/T genotypes of ERα rs3798577 (p0.05). Serum estradiol concentrations in EFG were significantly lower than in CG when the women were carrying the Pp, Xx and T/T genotypes in ERα gene (p0.05).Interaction of ERα gene and fluoride exposure may influence women's serum reproductive hormone concentrations.背景与目的：探讨氟暴露及ERα 基因多态性对氟病区女性生殖激素浓度的影 响。方法与研究设计：按照饮用水中氟浓度分为氟病区组、改水组和对照组。 采用整群抽样的方法选择中国通许县居住的679 名成年女性为研究对象，采集 研究对象空腹静脉血及晨尿样本， 并测量血清促性腺激素释放激素 （gonadotropin releasing hormone, GnRH）、卵泡刺激素、促黄体生成素、雌二 醇和尿氟浓度。结果：改水组携带ERα rs3798577 C/C 基因型女性血清GnRH 浓 度低于携带C/T 和T/T 基因型女性（p0.05）。氟病区组携带ERα PvuII Pp 基 因型女性血清GnRH 浓度低于携带PP 和pp 基因型女性（p0.05）。携带ERα PvuII Pp、pp 和ERα XbaI Xx、xx 基因型的女性血清GnRH 浓度低于对照区携 带相同基因型的女性（p0.05）。此外，无论其携带的ERα rs3798577 基因型是 C/C 、C/T 或T/T ， 氟病区组女性血清GnRH 浓素均低于对照区女性 （p0.05）。携带ERα PvuII Pp, ERα XbaI Xx 和ERα rs3798577 T/T 基因型的氟 病区女性血清雌二醇浓度低于携带相同基因型的对照区女性（p0.05）。结 论：ERα 基因和氟暴露的交互作用可能影响女性血清生殖激素的浓度。. more...

We aimed to investigate the regulation and contribution of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and sFlt-1(1-3) to human monocytic THP-1 migration.Ad-sFlt-1/FLAG, a recombinant adenovirus carrying the human sFlt-1(1-3) (the first three extracellular domains of FLT-1, the hVEGF receptor-1) gene, was constructed. L929 cells were infected with Ad-sFlt-1/FLAG and the expression of sFlt-1 was detected by immunofluorescent assay and ELISA. Corning(®) Transwell(®) Filter Inserts containing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes with pore sizes of 3 μm were used as an experimental model to simulate THP-1 migration. Five VEGF concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 ng/ml), four concentrations of sFlt-1(1-3)/FLAG expression supernatants (0.1, 1, 10 and 100 ng/ml), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1, 10 ng/ml) were used to test the ability of THP-1 cells to migrate through PET membranes.The sFlt-1(1-3) gene was successfully recombined into Ad-sFlt-1/FLAG. sFlt-1(1-3) was expressed in L929 cells transfected with Ad-sFlt-1/FLAG. THP-1 cell migration increased with increasing concentrations of VEGF, while cell migration decreased with increasing concentrations of sFlt1(1-3)/FLAG. sFlt1(1-3)/FLAG had no effect on MCP-1-induced cell migration.This study demonstrated that VEGF is able to elicit a migratory response in THP-1 cells, and that sFlt-1(1-3) is an effective inhibitor of THP-1 migration towards VEGF. more...

Vascular anomalies are among the most common congenital and neonatal dysmorphogenesis, which are separated into hemangiomas and vascular malformations. They can occur in various areas throughout the body, with 60% being located in the head and neck. The true mechanism of pathogenesis of vascular anomalies is still unclear. Various treatment methods have been reported, and there are still controversies over the selection of different treatment modalities. Based on the clinical and basic research and current literature, the Chinese Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Vascular Anomalies formulated a treatment guideline for hemangiomas and vascular malformations of the head and neck, which will be modified and updated periodically based on new medical evidence and research. more...

Previous studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression is up-regulated in both multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for MS, and may exacerbate the disease. However, it remains unknown whether anti-VEGF modalities could serve as a potential treatment for such central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune diseases. We constructed a recombinant adenoviral vector carrying FLAG-tagged sFlt-1(1-3) (the first three extracellular domains of Flt-1, the hVEGF receptor-1). Intramuscular transfection of the recombinant adenoviral vector suppressed VEGF-induced inflammatory cell infiltration in matrigel plugs. When given intracerebrally to EAE rats, recombinant sFlt-1(1-3) adenoviral vector significantly reduced disease severity compared to untreated rats. sFlt-1(1-3) gene transfer blocked VEGF and greatly reduced the number of cells that express VEGF and ED1-positive cells in CNS in EAE rats. This study demonstrates that sFlt-1(1-3) gene transfer into the brain ameliorates the severity of EAE by inhibiting monocyte recruitment in the CNS of dark Agouti rats. more...

Soluble egg antigen (SEA) is strongly antigenic and inherently induces Th2-biased immune responses. In this study, we tested whether SEA from Schistosoma japonicum is able to prevent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by MOG(35-55) peptide, an established animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Intraperitoneal administration with SEA before EAE induction and in the preclinical phase after EAE induction successfully ameliorated the severity and progression of EAE on mice compared with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) controls, while no protective effect was shown when SEA immunization began after disease onset. This effect was associated with reduced interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) production and/or increased interleukin 4 (IL-4) production in spleen and central nervous system (CNS) even at the chronic stage. Similarly, we observed reduced inflammation and demyelination in spinal cords of SEA pretreated EAE mice compared with controls. Our data indicate that immunization with SEA from S. japonicum induces a preestablished Th2-biased microenvironment that provides preventive immune-modulating effects on EAE progression. This study may have important implications for its promising therapeutic use in MS and other autoimmune diseases. more...

The effects of fluoride exposure on the functions of reproductive and endocrine systems have attracted widespread attention in academic circle nowadays. However, it is unclear whether the gene-environment interaction may modify the secretion and activity of hypothalamus-pituitary- ovarian (HPO) axis hormones. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the influence of fluoride exposure and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene polymorphism on reproductive hormones in Chinese women. A cross sectional study was conducted in seven villages of Henan Province, China during 2010-2011. A total of 679 women aged 18-48 years were recruited through cluster sampling and divided into three groups, i.e. endemic fluorosis group (EFG), defluoridation project group (DFPG), and control group (CG) based on the local fluoride concentration in drinking water. The serum levels of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and estradiol (E2) were determined respectively and the FSHR polymorphism was detected by real time PCR assay. The results provided the preliminary evidence indicating the gene-environment interaction on HPO axis hormones in women. more...

To analyze and evaluate the MR diffusion-weighted imaging (MR-DWI) features of head and neck hemangioma and venous malformation in children.We retrospectively observed 10 head and neck hemangiomas and 40 head and neck venous malformations in children, which underwent both conventional MR imaging and MR-DWI. In the MR-DW images, the apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC) mean value was taken from b=500 s/mm² and 1000 s/mm², The data was analyzed using SPSS13.0 software package for t test.The mean ADC obtained from b value of 500 s/mm² was (1.227±0.324)x10⁻³mm²/s in hemangioma and (1.851±0.364)x10⁻³mm²/s in venous malformation, and from b value of 1000 s/mm² was (0.728±0.256)x10⁻³mm²/s in hemangioma and (1.200±0.228)x10⁻³mm²/s in vein malformation. There was significant difference between both lesions (P0.01).There are different features in MR-DWI between head and neck hemangioma and venous malformation in children, which may be helpful for radiological differential diagnosis. more...

To evaluate the security and efficacy of surgical procedure combined with Nd:YAG laser in the management of orbital venous malformation.A total of 17 successive patients with orbital venous malformation were treated with surgical excision in conjunction with Nd:YAG laser from July 2003 to June 2005. General anesthesia was performed in all patients. Appropriate approach was used according to the location and size of the lesion as well as its relation with adjacent tissues. Surgical procedure and laser coagulation were performed alternatively. Intermittent or continuous photocoagulation aimed at minor and deep lesions or large and superficial lesions was administrated, respectively, when indicated. Laser power of these two procedures was set at 60 to 90 J/cm2 or less than 100 J/cm2, respectively. Cold saline solution was used to cool the targeted region immediately after photocoagulation in case of damage to surrounding normal tissues.Seventeen patients were followed-up for 12 to 26 months. Notable lesion regression was found in 15 cases and fair reduction of the lesion in 2 cases. Vision acuity decrease did not occur and vision acuity increase was found in 2 patients. Exophthalmos was completely corrected, enophthalmos was found in 4 patients, the movement of the eyeballs was markedly improved. Complications consisted of superior oblique muscle paralysis (1 case) and ptosis (1 case). Relapse or aggravation of residual lesion was not found during the whole follow-up period.Surgical procedure combined with Nd:YAG laser is a safe and effective procedure in managing patients with orbital venous malformation. Laser treatment can decrease the hemorrhage during operation, make the surgical procedure easier, reduce the risk of operation and improve the results of surgical treatment. more...

Hemangiomas are the most common neoplasm of infancy and childhood, about 40% to 60% of them involve the head and neck region. In recent years, many studies had been carried out on the natural course of hemangiomas, an algorithm for intervention versus observation was proposed, and effective safe treatment plan is devised. Close observation is indictable for hemangiomas which are remaining stable in size or in the involutive phase or post- involutive phase. For large hemangiomas, multiple hemangiomas, life-threatening hemangiomas and problematic hemangiomas with complications such as ulceration, infection, bleeding, dysfunction, etc, systematic drug therapy (Cortico steroids, interferon alpha-2a or 2b ) should be considered. Growing hemangioma can be treated effectively by systematic drug therapy, sclerotherapy, laser therapy or combined therapy. Topical application of imiquimoid and intratumoral injection of steroids or pinyangmycin can be used in selected patients with rapidly growing hemangioma. Surgery is no longer the first choice of treatment for hemangiomas, which is only reserved for correction of large residuals postinvolution. more...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between age, gender and thickening and nodules in port wine stains(PWS) patients.The gender and age of 193 cases with port wine stains were compared between those with flat, those with thickening, those with thickening and nodules, in 0-19, 20-year age group. SAS6012 software package was used for Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis test.There were 165 cases with flat (85.49%), 10 cases with thickening (5.18%), 18 cases with thickening and nodules (9.33%). Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated significant difference between 2 age groups(P0.01).There was an increase incidence of thickening, and thickening and nodule formation in 0-19, 20-year age group(P0.01), but there was no gender difference between thickening and nodules.The data were analyzed by SAS6.12 Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis test.The incidence of thickening and nodule formation in PWS increase with age. more...

Hemangioma is the most commonly benign tumor of soft tissue tumors in infants. Most of them locate in the oral and maxillofacial region. The imaging examinations mainly contain ultrasonography, X-ray plain film, CT, MRI and X-ray angiography. In this article, the current situation of application with all imaging examinations used in diagnosis of hemangioma is reviewed. more...

Hemangiomas are common benign vascular tumors of infancy characterized by a proliferative growth phase followed by very slow inevitable regression (involutive phase) between one to ten years of age, about 60% to 70% of the lesions are found in the head and neck region. There are many treatment modalities reported in the literature for head and neck hemangiomas, including wait and see policy, drug therapy, sclerotherapy (steroids, bleomycin), cryotherapy, isotope radiotherapy, laser therapy, and surgical therapy. There still exist many controversies over the optimal treatment options for individual patient. Based on our clinical experience on 250 cases and literature review, a rational treatment regime for head and neck hemangioma was proposed in this study: (1) As it is not possible to predict, whether a hemangioma will remain small and unproblematic or grow into a very large lesion, early therapy is the only way out of this dilemma. A white or pink macule, a port-wine stain-like lesion initially appearing in the children can be effectively and easily removed by laser, thus preventing a growth in the size in the early stage. (2) The term of "wait and see" should be substituted by "close observation", and this approach should only be reserved for hemangiomas which are without visible growth or in the involutive phase. (3) Systematic drug therapy (steroids, interferon alpha-2a ) should be considered for large hemangioma, multiple hemangiomas, life-threatening hemangiomas and hemangiomas with complications such as ulceration, infection, bleeding, dysfunction, etc. Congestive heart failure, consumptive coagulopathy, and thrombocytopenia are also urgent indications for the institution of corticoid therapy. (4) Growing hemangioma can be treated effectively by systematic drug therapy, sclerotherapy, laser therapy or combined therapy. The argon laser (514 nm in wavelength, 0.5 mm in depth) is useful in the treatment of superficial telangiectasias and small, flat cutaneous hemangiomas. Flashlamp-pumped pulsed-dye laser (FPDL, 585 nm or 595 nm in wavelength, 1.0-2.0 mm in depth) can be used in patients with cutaneous and flat hemangiomas at the sites of potential functional impairment. Nd: YAG laser (1064 nm in wavelength) with continuous ice cube cooling is useful for subcutaneous or mixed hemangiomas, and often requires repeated treatments. For larger and deeper hemangiomas up to a depth of 2.0 cm, percutaneous interstitial Nd:YAG laser treatment may be preferred, because it may decrease possible cutaneous skin damage and more effectively reduce bulky, deep lesion. (5) Topical application of imiquimoid and intratumoral injection of steroids or bleomycin can be used in selected patients with rapidly growing hemangioma. (6) The indication for a primary operation is rare and limited to large hemangiomas in the eyelid or hemangiomas on the scalp. Surgical correction of large residuals, especially before formal education begins, to prevent considerable psychosocial impairment is still a well established procedure. The aim of treatment is to counter the proliferative growth, reduce the volume of hemangioma, and initialize the process of regression. Cryotherapy or isotope radiotherapy is nowadays seldom used for the treatment of hemangiomas, due to the high incidence of scarring, pigmentation, or depigmentation. A successful treatment of hemangiomas should be individualized and based on the size of the tumor, the localization, and the therapies available. more...

In vivo confocal scanning laser microscopy is being widely established as a time-saving, non-invasive, investigative methods in the study of body surfaces. Skin can be observed in its native state in vivo without the fixing, sectioning and staining that is necessary for routine histology. It is a new technology that can provide detailed images of tissue architecture and cellular morphology of living tissue. This paper reviews the fundamentals of in vivo confocal imaging and its clinical applications. more...

To try to find the best method of laser therapy for the management of venous malformation and hemangioma in oral and maxillofacial regions.From June, 1999 to July, 2002, 2 481 cases of venous malformations and hemangiomas were treated by several kinds lasers in our department. The lesions included port-wine stains, venous malformations, telangiectasia and hemangioma. The lasers used were continuous wave CO(2), Nd:YAG and Krypton lasers, pulsed dye laser and ultra-pulsed CO(2) lasers. The treatment modalities were direct irradiation, irradiation after surgical flap raising and photodynamic therapy.Follow up between 2 - 5 years revealed the treatment results as follows: excellent is 79.24%, good is 14.31% and poor is 6.45%.Laser therapy is one of the best method to treat venous malformations and hemangiomas. The key point is to apply different lasers properly. more...

This study is carried to explore the surgical manipulation and complications of Nd:YAG laser coagulation for venous malformations in parotid gland region.The study included 84 cases of venous malformations in the parotid gland region, who underwent laser therapy after surgical approach three years ago. The results were evaluated by CT or MRI. Postoperative facial nerve function and intraoperative bleeding were analyzed.Five cases had temporary facial nerve paralysis, which recovered spontaneously two months postoperatively. One case developed permanent nerve paralysis, which accounted for 1.19% in this group. The mean amount of blood loss was 200 ml. Four cases received blood transfusion.Careful surgical dissection and correct laser irradiation is the key to successful treatment, which could preserve facial nerve from injury and decrease bleeding. more...

Base cell carcinoma is a common skin malignancy involved in the facial area. Present surgical removal, cryosurgery and laser evaporation are the effective modalities. Following the development of laser technology, we used fine focused carbon dioxide laser surgery to treat basal cell carcinoma of the maxillofacial region.Six cases of base cell carcinoma were included in this study. Tumors were removed by CO2 laser scalpel under local anesthesia. Intra-operative laser biopsy and post-operative follow up was carried out.six cases had radical result with a follow up of two years post-operatively with satisfactory contour.Laser scalpel excision can get radical result for basal cell carcinoma with advantages of safety, simple and less bleeding. It is recommended to be used. more...

Background Oral mucosal melanoma (OMM) is a clinically rare disease with poor prognosis. Various treatment methods have been investigated with the aim of improving the prognosis. This study aimed to analyze the data of a single institution in the management of OMM. Methods A total of 78 consecutive OMM patients were included in this retrospective study. The intraoral lesion was treated either by cryotherapy, surgery or both; the neck was treated by neck dissection or observation; post-operative chemotherapy with dimethyl triazeno imidazole carboxamide and cisplatin was performed in some patients. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for statistical analysis. Results Among the 78 patients, there were 50 males and 28 females with an average age of 53.8 years (ranging from 27 to 85 years). The most common sites of OMM were the hard palate and gingiva. The main cause of death in OMM was distant metastasis. No significant difference was found between the intraoral/cervical lesion recurrence/post-operative distant metastasis and the intraoral lesion site/biopsy method/treatment method. The metastasis rate of cervical lymph node was high in the OMM patients, even in the patients with clinically negative necks. Cervical lesion recurrence was correlated with N stage and intraoral lesion recurrence. The survival period was longer in the patients with T3 staging, clinical stage III disease, with post-operative chemotherapy and without post-operative distant metastasis when compared to those patients with T4a staging, clinical stage IV disease, without post-operative chemotherapy and with post-operative distant metastasis. Conclusions Radical surgery including wide intraoral resection and neck dissection is recommended for OMM patients. Post-operative chemotherapy may also be beneficial for both primary and recurrent OMM patients. more...

Ngb (neuroglobin) is a newly discovered hexaco-ordinate globin that is expressed in vertebrate brain and peripheral nervous systems. Expression of Ngb increases in response to oxygen deprivation and protects neurons from hypoxia in vitro and in vivo. However, the lack of its transduction ability into cells resulted in limited neuroprotection. To educe its neuroprotection under hypoxia, a cell-permeable Ngb fusion protein was generated. A rat brain Ngb gene was cloned and fused with a gene fragment encoding the nine-amino-acid TAT PTD (transactivator-of-transcription protein-transduction domain; RKKRRQRRR) of HIV-1 in a prokaryotic expression vector to generate a genetic in-frame N-terminal hexahistidine-tagged) TAT PTD-Ngb fusion protein. It was expressed in soluble form in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)plysS and purified with Ni(2+)-affinity chromatography. The results showed that the purified fusion protein TAT PTD-Ngb can enter into the primary cultured cortical neurons in a dose-dependent manner when added exogenously to the culture media and can be detected in cells within 48 h. The cell viability under hypoxia was increased and apoptosis induced by hypoxia was decreased after TAT PTD-Ngb was transduced into cortical neurons. The results provide a clue for the research of Ngb and suggest that transduction of TAT PTD-Ngb may be one of the ways for the therapy of CNS (central nervous system) diseases, especially cerebrovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. more...