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Summary: Hyperangulated videolaryngoscopes are known to increase the success rate of tracheal intubation in the setting of difficult airway management when used with a stylet or bougie. However, there is controversy over which adjunct is more useful. This randomised study aimed to compare first attempt tracheal intubation success rate between a stylet and bougie when using a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope. We recruited patients aged > 20 years who were scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia and required tracheal intubation. We only included patients with factors predicting difficult tracheal intubation based on pre‐anaesthesia airway evaluation. Tracheal intubation was attempted using a Glidescope® with either a stylet or bougie as an adjunct according to group assignment. Primary outcome was the success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt, and secondary outcomes were success of second and third attempts; tracheal intubation time; and occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia or hoarseness. A total of 166 patients were included. The success rate of the first tracheal intubation attempt was significantly higher in patients allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (81/83 (98%) vs. 73/83 (88%), respectively; p = 0.032). The number of patients who needed two attempts was significantly lower in those allocated to the bougie group compared with those allocated to the stylet group (1/83 (1%) vs. 9/83 (11%), respectively; p = 0.018). Each group had one patient (1%) where tracheal intubation was achieved after a third attempt. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of sore throat, dysphagia and hoarseness between the two groups. When difficult tracheal intubation is anticipated and a hyperangulated videolaryngoscope is used, the success rate of the first attempt is higher when a bougie is used compared with a stylet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nitrides, deposited by capacitively coupled plasma (CCP)-type plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), are generally applied to today's nanoscale semiconductor devices, and are currently being investigated in terms of their potential applications in the context of flexible displays, etc. During the PEALD process, 13.56 MHz rf power is generally employed for the generation of reactive gas plasma. In this study, the effects of a higher plasma generation frequency of 162 MHz on both plasma and silicon nitride film characteristics are investigated for the purpose of silicon nitride PEALD, using bis(diethylamino)silane (BDEAS) as the silicon precursor, and N2 plasma as the reactant gas. The PEALD silicon nitride film deposited using the 162 MHz CCP exhibited improved film characteristics, such as reduced surface roughness, a lower carbon percentage, a higher N/Si ratio, a lower wet etch rate in a diluted HF solution, lower leakage current, and higher electric breakdown field, and more uniform step coverage of the silicon nitride film deposited in a high aspect ratio trench, as compared to silicon nitride PEALD using 13.56 MHz CCP. These improved PEALD silicon nitride film characteristics are believed to be related to the higher ion density, higher reactive gas dissociation, and lower ion bombardment energy to the substrate observed in N2 plasma with a 162 MHz CCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The charged particles emitted during laser ablation off a brass target are detected using a metal probe in air. A special phenomenon is found in the recorded signals: following a giant electromagnetic peak observed immediately after the emission of the pulsed laser, a minor peak occurs whose polarity merely depends on the distance between the probe and the laser focal spot on the target. Under the condition of our experiment, the overturn point is 1.47 mm, i.e., the minor peak remains negative when the probe distance is less than 1.47 mm; it becomes positive while the probe is set at a distance beyond 1.47 mm. A hypothesis is proposed to explain the overturn that takes the flight behavior of the charged particles both in plasma and propagating shock wave into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer. A recent study reported that lncRNA HNF1A-AS1 (HNF1A-AS1) was upregulated in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and served as a tumor promoter. However, the clinical significance of HNF1A-AS1 in the prognosis of patients with UCB was poorly understood. This work was designed to investigate the relationship between HNF1A-AS1 expression level and the prognosis of UCB. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Relative expression levels of HNF1A-AS1 in UCB tissues were determined by qRT-PCR. Then, the associations between HNF1A-AS1 expression and clinical pathological parameters were further evaluated. Survival and Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were performed to determine the correlation between HNF1A-AS1 expression levels and prognosis in the patients. RESULTS: Data showed that the majority of UCB tissues showed higher HNF1A-AS1 levels than the corresponding normal tissues controls (p < 0.01). Statistical assay revealed that high HNF1A-AS1 expression was significantly correlated with histological grade (p = 0.008), tumor stage T (p = 0.003) and lymph nodes metastasis (p = 0.007). In addition, the overall survival time of patients with high HNF1A-AS1 expression was significantly shorter compared to those with low HNF1A-AS1 expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis confirmed that relative HNF1A-AS1 expression was an independent predictor of overall survival in patients with UCB. CONCLUSIONS: HNF1A-AS1 expression was upregulated in UCB, and it may be a useful prognostic biomarker for patients with UCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), including leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val), play key roles in protein metabolism. This study was conducted to investigate whether the dietary ratio of BCAA influences the growth performance and serum amino acid pool of the growing pigs. A total of 40 crossbred pigs (Large White x Landrace; 9.85 ± 0.35 kg) were chosen and fed one of the five isocaloric diets varying in Leu:Ile:Val. The positive control diet contained 20% crude protein (CP) with a Leu:Ile:Val ratio of 1:0.51:0.63 according to the recommendation; for the other diets, the CP level was reduced to 17%, and the Leu:Ile:Val ratios were 1:1:1, 1:0.75:0.75, 1:0.51:0.63, and 1:0.25:0.25, respectively. The total BCAA amount was equal in all treatments, and the content of Leu, Ile, and Val was altered according to the setting ratios. No significant difference was observed in the growth performance between the pigs fed 20% CP and 17% CP diets supplemented with BCAA (P > 0.05). However, different Leu:Ile:Val ratios could affect the final weight (P < 0.05), average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.05), and feed:gain ratio (P = 0.06) of the pigs fed 17% CP diet. The final weight and ADG of the pigs in the 1:0.75:0.75 (17% CP), 1:0.51:0.63 (17% CP), and 1:0.51:0.63 (20% CP) groups were higher than those in the 1:0.25:0.25 (17% CP) group. The feed:gain ratio of the pigs fed the 1:0.75:0.75 (17% CP) diet was lower than that of those fed the 1:1:1 (17% CP) diet. There was no difference in the average feed intake among the treatments. Moreover, the diets supplemented with varied BCAA ratios influenced certain serum amino acid concentrations (P < 0.05), including Ile, Val, cysteine, and α-amino-adipic acid. These results indicated that a low CP diet (17%) supplemented with BCAA could keep up with the growth performance of growing pigs receiving adequate dietary protein (20%). The optimal Leu:Ile:Val within the range from 1:0.25:0.25 to 1:0.75:0.75 could improve the growth performance and serum amino acid profile of growing pigs fed the low CP diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the electrical effect of laser plasma induced on a metal target is studied. Based on the basic features of the laser plasma of fewer charges and rapid expansion, combining with the mechanism of interaction between the metal target and the plasma, an equivalent current source model of the electrical effect of the laser plasma is established founded on the time characteristics of the laser affect process and the laser plasma expansion process. Finally, a form of mathematical function which can well describe the evolution of target electric potential signal is given. The involved results indicate that the theoretical model matches well with experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize clinical features and our experience of the diagnosis and treatment of laryngocele. Methods: Clinical data of 11 laryngocele patients in department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 2012 to December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, including 9 men and 2 women, aged from 12 to 75 years, with median age of 56 years. Electronic laryngoscope was performed in 10 of all patients, laryngeal CT in 10 and cervical color ultrasound in 5 before operation.All the operations were performed under general anesthesia, and the external cervical approach was used for external and combined laryngocele. The internal laryngocele was resected by low temperature plasma through transoral endoscopy. Patients were followed up regularly after operation to evaluate the effect. Clinical feature, types of lesions, imaging findings, surgical approaches and follow-up results were analyzed through descriptive statistical method. Results: Eleven laryngocele patients were divided into mixed type ( n =6), internal type ( n =4) and external type ( n =1).Nine patients presented with hoarseness or dysphonia, 7 with cervical mass and 1 with airway obstruction. Surgical resections were done through external cervical approach ( n =7)or transoral endoscopic approach ( n =4). All the operations were successful and no complication occurred. All cases were followed up from 17 to 110 months. No recurrence was encountered. Conclusions: Laryngocele is a rare lesion with atypical clinical presentation. Preoperative imaging including CT scan and electronic laryngoscope is essential to evaluate the location, and extent of the lesion, and to make the surgical plan.Complete surgical excision is required. Surgical resection is the only effective method for the treatment of laryngocele.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features, treatments and prognosis of laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma (LNEC). Methods: We conducted the retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 12 patients with LNEC admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2014 to December 2021, including 9 males and 3 females, aged 50-77 years. There were 4 cases of typical carcinoid tumour (highly differentiated), 5 cases of atypical carcinoid tumour (moderately differentiated) and 3 cases of neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma (hypofractionated). The clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of LNEC were analysed. Results: The clinical manifestations of LNEC varied according to the tumour type but did not correlate with the pathological types. The supraglottic type was characterized by sore throat, foreign body sensation in the pharynx, coughing, obstructive sensation when eating and choking on water. The treatments were determined according to the pathological types, lesion location and invasion scope. Of 12 patients 4 underwent horizontal partial laryngectomy plus elective lymphatic dissection plus postoperative radiotherapy/chemotherapy, 4 underwent vertical partial laryngectomy (3 of them with cervical lymphatic dissection), 3 underwent supported laryngoscopic plasma laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer, and 1 abandoned for treatment. With the follow-up of 8 -78 months, 5 patients were alive, 1 died from chemotherapy reactions, 3 died from other diseases, 1 died from lung metastasis, 1 died from lung infection and 1 was lost to follow-up. Conclusion: LNEC is clinically rare, the clinical manifestations are less specificity, diagnosis relies on pathological and immunohistochemical examinations, and treatment modalities and prognoses are closely related to the pathological subtypes of LNEC.

Aims: The gut microbiota is believed to play important roles in the health of pregnant mammals, including their nutrient metabolism, immune programming and metabolic regulation. However, until recently, the shifts in gut microbiota composition and faecal and blood metabolic activity during different stages of pregnancy had not been investigated., Methods and Results: We investigated the shifts in backfat thickness, plasma and faecal metabolites and gut microbiota on days 30, 60, 90 and 110 of pregnancy and on day 21 after parturition (weaning) in sows. The backfat thickness of sows did not significantly differ among the different stages of pregnancy. The plasma concentrations of lipid metabolites, including triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and calcium were reduced (P < 0·05) during pregnancy. In addition, the concentration of these metabolites, except TG, reached their maximum at the time of weaning. We also found that Tenericutes, Fibrobacteres and Cyanobacteria varied significantly according to the stages of pregnancy in sows (P < 0·05). Most of the genera, such as Clostridiales, Desulfovibrio, Mogibacteriaceae and Prevotella, increased (P < 0·05) with the progression of pregnancy and decreased (P < 0·05) at weaning. The alpha diversity values (i.e., Shannon diversity and observed species) of sow gut microbiota increased (P < 0·05) from pregnancy to weaning. Pregnancy stages also significantly influenced (P < 0·05) the community structure (beta diversity) of gut microbiota. The progression of pregnancy was associated with changes in lipid metabolism and several carbohydrate-degradation bacteria (i.e., Prevotella, Succinivibrio, Bacteroides and Parabacteroides)., Conclusions: Although causal links between the measured parameters remain hypothetical, these findings suggest that the increased diversity and concentration of beneficial gut microbes are associated with the metabolism of pregnant sows., Significance and Impact of the Study: Manipulation of the sow gut microbiota composition may potentially influence metabolism and health during pregnancy., (© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Applied Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Rhabditis axei is a free-living nematode, which can occasionally invade into humans through drinking and contacting wastewater. It is usually parasitic in the digestive and urinary systems, causing the disease of rhabditelliasis axei. This paper reports a case of R. axei infection found in the urine routine examination.

Objective: To investigate the anatomy and application of endoscopic transpterygoid intervention in lesions of lateral recess of sphenoid sinus(LRSS). Method: Four hospitalized patients with lesions of LRSS were studied. The clinical presentations included spontaneous cerebrospinal fuild(CSF) leakage in 2 cases, meningoencephaolece complicated CSF leakage in 1 case and chronic invasive fungal sphenoid sinusitis invading the base of the middle fossa in 1 case. Endoscopic transpterygoid intervention and repairment of skull base defects were performed under general anesthesia. Result: he operations were successfu1 in all patients. One patient suffered from postoperative palatal hypesthesia and all the symptoms mentioned above relieved gradually 6 months after operation. No recurrence was found during the follow-up ranging from 6 to 45 months(mean follow-up period,22.75 months). Conclusion: Endoscopic transpterygoid intervention in lesions of LRSS is a minimally invasive and safe surgical approach., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To investigate the surgical technique and curative effect of transnasal endoscopic anterior lacrimal approach for the treatment of sacral wall fractures. Method: Retrospective clinical analysis of 5 patients with inferior orbital walls fracture treated by expanding prelacrimal recess-maxillary ainus under nasal endoscope was studied, and the surgical method and its efficacy were annalyzed. Result: After 1 year of follow-up,4 patients' diplopia symptom disappeared, and 1 patient's diplopia symptom was significantly relieved compared with preoperation, the range of eye movement was normal and enophthalmos were totally corrected. Conclusion: Expanding prelacrimal recess-maxillary ainus approach for the treatment of the inferior orbital walls fracture is an effective surgical method.It has the characteristics of less trauma,no incision on the face, clear visual field and wide space of operation, which is worthy of clinical promotion., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach in treating allergic rhinitis. Method: The clinical data of 80 patients with moderate-severe allergic rhinitis who underwent unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach were reviewed retrospectively. Visual analogue scale(VAS) was used to assess total symptom scores and nasal symptoms including nasal itching, nasal sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion. The paired T test was used to compare the scores between surgical side and control side. Twenty-four patients with 3 years of follow-up were assessed by analysis of variance with comparison of means between multiple groups. Further comparison between any two means was performed by LSD- t test. Result: A total of 80 patients were followed up for one year, with 51 patients for two years and 24 patients for three years. Among 24 patients, total symptom scores and nasal symptoms (nasal itching, nasal sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion) at pre-operation, 1 year,2 year and 3 year after operation were compared between surgical side and control side. There was no significant difference by the paired T test( P >0.05),but there was statically significant by analysis of variance( P <0.05) .The analysis of LSD- t test showed significant differences between pre-operative time point and each of the three time points after operation ( P <0.05). Conclusion :The unilateral vidian neurectomy following endoscopic trans-sphenoethmoidal recess approach is an safe and effective technique in the management of moderate severe allergic rhinitis,and unilateral surgery could relieve bilateral nasal symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore an improved trans-nasal endoscopic surgical approach for vidian neurectomy. Method: Ninety-one patients with nasal hyperreactive disease were collected, including 49 cases of allergic rhinitis and 42 cases of non allergic rhinitis. All sufferers enrolled in the study have treated with medicine, but the symptoms were not effectively controlled. Preoperative CT localization of the vidian canal was performed in each candidate. During the surgery a"Three-step" surgical approach were followed under endoscopic guidance in accordance with the operation procedures. Briefly, such a three-step procedure consists of the following, that is, a transnasal endoscopic sphenoidectomy through sphenoethmoidal recess as step one, with enlargement of the sinus ostium along the junction of the anterior wall and the floor of the sinus until the exposure of the vidian nerve canal toward the lateral wall of the sinus as step two. The last step was further exposure of the vidian nerve going through the canal and electric cautery preventing bleeding from the neurovascular bundle in the canal. Result: All patients were completed successfully with 100% preoperative CT location of the vidian canal in the CT scan and 100% intraoperative accurate exposure of the canal and therefore the cut of the vidian nerve. Conclusion: "Three-step" endoscopic resection of the vidian neurectomy is easy to master and repetitive with less injury., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

To study the suppression effect of light rare earth elements (RE) on proliferation of two cancer cell lines. Two cancer cell lines PAMC82 and K562 were used to examine their colony-forming ability in soft agar, microtubule structure, calmodulin levels and regulation of some gene expressions by Northern blot analysis with and without treatment by RE. The results showed that on soft agar culture the colony-forming ability of human gastric cancer cell line PAMC82 treated by RE chloride decreased and the PAMC82 cell microtubule abnormal structure became normal. The calmodulin (CaM) levels decreased in human leukemia cells (K562) treated with cerium chloride and neodymium chloride. The Northern blot analysis revealed marked up-regulation of p53, p16(MTS1), p21 (WAF1) gene expressions in PAMC82 cells treated with lanthanum chloride and cerium chloride, as compared to control PAMC82 cells. The light rare earth elements studied have certain suppression effects on proliferation of cancer cells. This effect might be related to the decrease of calmodulin and up-regulation of some gene expressions in cancer cells.

The use of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-ODN) remains a viable method to downregulate selected gene function. However, limitations to the antisense approach remain, such as (1) difficulties in delivery of the AS-ODN into target tissues, (2) instability of AS-ODN in vivo, (3) uncertanties about the precise mode of action, and (4) toxic effects in animal and human studies. To circumvent some of these difficulties, we designed a vector set that directs the in vivo production of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) of a desired target sequence with limited extraneous vector nucleotide sequences. One plasmid was designed to express Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) reverse transcriptase (RT). Another expression plasmid contains the MoMuLV primer binding site at the 3'-end of its RNA transcript so that an ssDNA would be synthesized by RT when both plasmids are cotransfected into cells. To test this expression system, we constructed a plasmid set, pssXA/pssXB that produces ssRNA-cleaving DNA 10-23 enzyme (Santoro, S.W., and Joyce, G.F. [1997]. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 37, 13330-13342). The DNA enzyme sequence was placed between two oligonucleotide arms that are complementary and able to specifically target C-raf kinase mRNA. These plasmids were transfected into the A549 lung carcinoma cell line. Reduced C-raf mRNA levels by up to 34%-36%, as determined by Northern blot analysis, were observed in the transfected cells. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using this novel ssDNA expression system to generate any sequence of interest in vivo for antisense, RNA-cleavage DNA enzyme, or triplex-forming strategies.

Studies on the toxicity and safety of a mixture of rare earth metal nitrates (Ce, La, Nd, Pr, and Sm) used in agricultural operations are reported. In mice, rats, and guinea pigs, the oral LD50 ranged from 1397 to 1876 mg/kg; absorption in the gastrointestinal tract was low. The accumulation coefficient was greater than 5. In rabbits, a topical application of a suspension of 500 mg/ml produced mild irritation of the skin and eye mucosa. Subchronic and chronic toxicity studies were done at different dose levels in monkeys (100 mg/kg) and rats (200 and 1800 mg/kg); biochemical and histopathological examination of tissues showed no abnormal or specific pathological changes. In chronic feeding studies with rats, the incidence of tumors and malignant tumors in test groups was lower than that in the control. Rat fetuses did not show any teratogenicity when the dams were orally fed up to 330 mg/kg of this nitrate mixture. Ames mutagenicity tests were negative at a 50 mg/kg level. The results indicate that an oral dose of 60 mg/kg should be considered as a no-effect level with an ADI of 0.6 mg/kg and that the level of rare earth nitrates used in Chinese agriculture is within acceptable risk or safety limits.