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Background: Minimally invasive esophagectomy is the first-line approach for esophageal cancer; however, there has recently been a paradigm shift toward robotic esophagectomy (RE). We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent RE compared with those of patients who underwent conventional minimally invasive thoracoscopic esophagectomy (TE) for locally advanced cT3 or cT4 esophageal cancer using a propensity-matched analysis., Methods: Overall, 342 patients with locally advanced cT3 or cT4 esophageal cancer underwent transthoracic esophagectomy with total mediastinal lymph node dissection between 2018 and 2022. The propensity-matched analysis was performed to assign the patients to either RE or TE by covariates of histological type, tumor location, and clinical N factor., Results: Overall, 87 patients were recruited in each of the RE and TE groups according to the propensity-matched analysis. The total complication rate and the rates of the three major complications (recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, anastomotic leakage, and pneumonia) were not significantly different between the RE and TE groups. However, the peak C-reactive protein concentration on postoperative day 3, rate of surgical site infection, and intensive care unit length of stay after surgery were significantly shorter in the RE group than in the TE group. No significant differences were observed in the harvested total and mediastinal lymph nodes. The total operation time was significantly longer in the RE group, while the thoracic operation time was shorter in the RE group than in the TE group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the recurrence rate of oncological outcomes after surgery., Conclusion: RE may facilitate early recovery after esophagectomy with total mediastinal lymph node dissection and has the same technical feasibility and oncological outcomes as TE., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Surgery for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is characterized by a poor prognosis and high complication rate, resulting in a heavy symptom burden and poor health-related quality of life (QOL). We evaluated longitudinal patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to analyze the correlations between symptoms and QOL and their changing characteristics during postoperative rehabilitation., Methods: We investigated patients with ESCC who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital between April 2019 and December 2019. Longitudinal data of the clinical characteristics and PROs were collected. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL questionnaires were used to assess symptoms and QOL and compare the trajectories of PROs during the investigation., Results: A total of 244 patients with ESCC were enrolled in this study. Regarding QOL, role and emotional functions returned to baseline at 1 month after surgery, and cognitive and social functions returned to baseline at 3 months after surgery. However, physical function and global QOL did not return to baseline at 1 year after surgery. At 7 days and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery, the main symptoms of the patients were negatively correlated with physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social functions and the overall health status (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Patients with ESCC experience reduced health-related QOL and persisting symptoms after minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy, but a recovery trend was observed within 1 month. The long-term QOL after esophagectomy is acceptable., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor ( GPER ) 1 mediates non-genomic oestrogen-related signalling and plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth and programmed cell death through multiple downstream pathways. Despite the increasing interest in the role of GPER1 in cancer development, no pan-cancer analysis has been available for GPER1 ., Methods: In this study we performed a comprehensive analysis of the role of GPER1 in pan-cancer via Human Protein Atlas (HPA), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), University of California, Santa Cruz Xena (UCSC XENA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), MethSurv, The University of Alabama at Birmingham CANcer data analysis Portal (UALCAN), cBioPortal, STRING and TISIDB detabases, followed by enrichment analysis using R software., Results: GPER1 was widely expressed in tissues and organs and differed in expression from normal tissue in a variety of cancers. In diagnostic assessment, it's Area Under the Curve (AUC) surpassed 0.9 in nine cancer types. Survival analysis showed that GPER1 was correlated with the prognosis of 11 cancer types. Moreover, GPER1 expression was associated with immune infiltration in multiple cancers., Conclusions: In summary, GPER1 has good diagnostic or prognostic value across various malignancies. Together with its extensive correlation with immune components, the aforementioned results suggests that GPER1 shows promise in tumour diagnosis and prognosis, providing new ideas for precise and personalised anti-tumour strategies.

Background: There is a significant role for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in the development of cancer. Nevertheless, the role of PPARs-related genes in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear., Methods: The open-accessed data used for analysis were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, which was analyzed using the R software., Results: In our study, we comprehensively investigated the PPAR target genes in OC, including their biological role. Meanwhile, a prognosis signature consisting of eight PPAR target genes was established, including apolipoprotein A-V, UDP glucuronosyltransferase 2 family, polypeptide B4, TSC22 domain family, member 1, growth hormone inducible transmembrane protein, renin, dedicator of cytokinesis 4, enoyl CoA hydratase 1, peroxisomal (ECH1), and angiopoietin-like 4, which showed a good prediction efficiency. A nomogram was constructed by combining the clinical feature and risk score. Immune infiltration and biological enrichment analysis were applied to investigate the difference between high- and low-risk patients. Immunotherapy analysis indicated that low-risk patients might respond better to immunotherapy. Drug sensitivity analysis indicated that high-risk patients might respond better to bleomycin, nilotinib, pazopanib, pyrimethamine, and vinorelbine, yet worse to cisplatin and gefitinib. Furthermore, the gene ECH1 was selected for further analysis., Conclusions: Our study identified a prognosis signature that could effectively indicates patients survival. Meanwhile, our study can provide the direction for future studies focused on the PPARs in OC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Xiao-Fei Leng et al.)

Tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) has been used commercially as a plasticizer and a flame retardant, which has been reported to cause multiple toxicities in humans and other animals. However, the effect of TOCP on female reproductive system is still unclear. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the reproductive toxicity of TOCP in female avian and investigate its molecular mechanism. In the current study, 50 adult hens were given a single oral dose of TOCP (750 mg/kg). Egg laid by the hens were harvested and counted. Egg quality is assessed by determining the shell strength and thickness. Samples of ovary, shell gland, and serum were collected on day 0, 2, 7, and 21 after the administration. The morphological and pathological changes in tissues were examined. Cell death, follicular development, and steroidogenesis were determined to assess the toxicity of TOCP on laying hens. The results showed that egg production, egg weight, and eggshell strength significantly decreased after TOCP exposure. The calcium levels in serum and eggshell decreased and the expression levels of the eggshell formation-related genes calbindin-D28k (CaBP-D28k) and carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2) were downregulated. The inhibitory effects of TOCP on follicular development and steroidogenesis were observed with changes in the levels of the related proteins such as forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2/3 (Smad2/3). Cell death was identified, which might lead to follicular development disorder. Taken together, TOCP reduced the quantity and quality of the eggs laid by the hens through disrupting follicular development, steroidogenesis, and shell gland function., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study the clinical effect of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSⅡ) versus multiple daily injection (MDI) on blood glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 91 children with T1DM who were treated with CSⅡ for more than 1 year and 75 children with T1DM who were treated with MDI. The two groups were compared in terms of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and the recurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) to evaluate the difference in the efficacy during the 3-year follow-up. A survey was conducted for the children in the CSⅡ group and their family members to investigate the degree of satisfaction with insulin pump., Results: There was no significant difference in age, sex, and course of diabetes between the CSⅡ and MDI groups at disease onset and in the first year, the second year, and the third year of follow-up ( P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the HbA1C level between the two groups at disease onset ( P > 0.05), but in the first year of follow-up, the CSⅡ group had a significantly lower HbA1C level than the MDI group ( P =0.04). There was no significant difference in the HbA1C level between the two groups in the second year and the third year of follow-up ( P > 0.05). The CSⅡ group had a higher proportion of children with HbA1C < 7.5% than the MDI group in the first year, the second year, and the third year of follow-up ( P > 0.05). Within the 3 years of follow-up, 2 children in the CSⅡ group and 8 in the MDI group experienced the recurrence of DKA. In the third year of follow-up, there was no significant difference in blood pressure and blood lipids between the CSⅡ and MDI groups ( P > 0.05). Most children and their family members (87%) were satisfied with CSⅡ treatment., Conclusions: Children with T1DM treated with CSⅡ have a better control of blood glucose than those treated with MDI, and children and their family members are satisfied with CSⅡ treatment. Therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, especially in East Asia. ESCC accounts for more than 90% of esophageal cancer. Currently, neoadjuvant therapy in combination with surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment. However, the overall survival rate of patients with locally advanced ESCC is not satisfactory even when treated following the standard treatment guidelines. With neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy, or emerging immunotherapy, continuous exploration of efficacy in relation to ESCC is expected to improve overall survival further. Here, we review and summarize current evidence for efficacy of preoperative therapy for locally advanced ESCC., (© 2020 New York Academy of Sciences.)

Background: To evaluate the performance of transvaginal sonoelastography (TVSE) for differential diagnosis between malignant and benign cervical lesions using a meta-analysis., Methods: An independent literature search was conducted on the English medical database, including PubMed, Embase and Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and OVID. The diagnostic accuracy of TVSE was compared with that of histopathology, which is the gold reference standard for diagnosis. The accuracy of TVSE was assessed by calculating the pooled sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the curve (AUC). The imaging mechanisms, assessment methods, and QUADAS scores were assessed with a meta-regression analysis. A Deeks funnel plot was performed for evaluating publication bias., Results: Six eligible studies reported a total sample of 615 cervical lesions (415 cancers, 200 benign lesions). TVSE showed a pooled diagnostic odds ratio of 21.42 (95% CI 13.65-33.61), sensitivity of 0.87 (95% CI 0.84-0.90), specificity of 0.79 (95% CI 0.72-0.84), and an AUC of 0.892 (Q* = 0.822). The results of the meta-regression analysis showed that the imaging mechanism (P = .253), the assessment method (P = .279), or QUADAS score (P = .205) did not affect the study heterogeneity., Conclusion: TVSE has a relatively high and satisfactory value for differential diagnosis between malignant and benign cervical lesions. The diagnostic performance of strain elastography and shear wave elastography were similar and good. However, to accommodate heterogeneity and publication bias, high-quality studies are required to further comparative effectiveness analyses to verify the efficacy of ultrasound detection., (© 2020 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Esophageal cancer surgery originated in the early 20(th) century. However, the true meaning of trans-thoracic esophagectomy and digestive tract reconstruction began in the 1930s. Almost at the same time, Japan and Western countries began the surgical exploration of esophageal cancer. Based on the pathological type of esophageal cancer in Asia, squamous cell carcinoma is the majority, and its biological characteristics and treatment strategies are different from those of European and American patients. After more than eighty years of development, the surgical treatment of esophageal cancer in Japan has been developed from the initial attempt, deep cultivation practice to the pursuit of excellence, and explored a set of more advanced surgical techniques and diagnostic strategies, which is unique in the world. On the basis of the establishment of the Japanese Society of Esophagus, Japanese scholars have developed and irregularly updated the Japanese Classification of Esophageal Cancer and published the professional academic journal Esophagus . The Japanese Clinical Oncology Group organized a number of phase Ⅲ clinical studies on esophageal cancer, providing strong evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal squamous carcinoma. Focused on the origin, development, current situation and future of esophageal cancer surgery in Japan, this paper summarized the development of esophageal cancer surgery in Japan through literature review, interviews with senior experts and Hot topics of esophageal cancer surgery-questionnaire survey of Japanese experts .

Perineural invasion (PNI) in early-stage cervical cancer, is associated with multiple high-risk factors and represents a poor outcome in the patients. For nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy (NSRH) to become a standard and widely used treatment for cervical cancer, we need to define its oncological safety, and to establish standardized surgical procedures and indications of NSRH. Here, we review the definition and mechanisms, and clinical significance of PNI in cervical cancer, and discuss the indications of NSRH. PNI should be regarded as one of the main pathological features of cervical cancer and a factor affecting prognosis. A deeper understanding of PNI in cervical cancer, hopefully, will provide clear indications of NSRH., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Esophageal cancer is considered a serious malignancy with respect to its prognosis and mortality rate. Cervical lymph node status is one of the keys to determining prognosis and treatment methods. However, published data vary regarding the accuracy of ultrasound in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of ultrasound for detecting cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal cancer., Methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify studies related to cervical lymph node metastasis, and 22 studies comprising 3,513 patients met our inclusion criteria. We used a bivariate meta-analysis following a random effects model to summarize the data. We also explored reasons for statistical heterogeneity using meta-regression, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses. Publication bias was assessed with a Deeks funnel plot., Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.97 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-0.98], and the pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 121.00 (95% CI: 47.57-307.79). With cut-off values of 5 mm and >5 mm for cervical lymph node size, the sensitivities and specificities (95% confidence interval) for ultrasound detection of cervical lymph node metastasis were 84% (67-93%) and 93% (90-95%); and 94% (76-98%) and 98% (89-100%), respectively., Conclusions: We show for the first time the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for predicting cervical lymph node-positive metastasis in esophageal cancer. Our analysis shows that ultrasonography may be an effective and reliable approach to detect cervical lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer. However, to accommodate heterogeneity, high-quality studies are needed to further verify the efficacy of ultrasound detection., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

In order to decrease the incidence of flap necrosis after reconstructive surgeries, new approaches are required. In the present study, a model of venous congested flaps in rats was established to test the heat shock protein (HSP) 90α, 'F-5', protein as an intervention therapy to alleviate ischemia-reperfusion injury. A recombinant plasmid pET15b-F-5 carrying the HSP90α gene was constructed and the induced protein was purified from bacterial cell cultures. The rats in the study were divided into three different intervention groups: group A rats were treated with normal saline prior to flap establishment, group B rats were treated with HSP90α, 'F-5', protein prior to flap establishment, and group C rats were treated with the same 'F-5' protein after the surgical procedure. Additionally, the reperfusion time-points, ischemia for 6 or 8 h (5 rats each), were established in each group. After set periods of time, the flaps were observed for skin appearance, blood flow, survival rate and histological changes including neovascularization and re-epithelialization. The results showed that the flaps in the rats pre-treated with 'F-5' protein performed better than the flaps of rats in the other two groups: the blood flow was higher, flap survival rate was increased, inflammatory cell infiltration was decreased and angiogenesis increased, and new skin structure was better completed by the end of the experiment. The parameters examind were improved for all the groups when the ischemia time was 6 h instead of 8 h. In conclusion, HSP90α intervention prior to flap establishment was shown to be beneficial in the model of ischemia-reperfusion injury in venous-congested flaps.

Objective: To establish a method of fingerprint position, sample transfer and fingerprint DNA extraction in contact samples., Methods: Sixty-six cases were visualized by 502 glue fingerprint fumigation. Two methods, ordinary wipe and acetone wipe, were used to transfer cast-off cells of fingerprints from testing samples, respectively. DNA was extracted and purified by ultramicro magnetic bead kit. The data was resolved on genetic analysis after amplification., Results: In 33 samples, 30 samples got better STR analysis by acetone wipe method. The peak range was 1,000-4,000 RFU and peak shapes were equable. It was hard to get ideal STR typing by ordinary wipe method., Conclusion: The samples are visualized by 502 glue fingerprint fumigation and the case-off cells are transferred by acetone wipe method. The method shows better STR analysis result, which might be a better method for forensic science practice.

Purpose: For penetrating thoracic trauma, there is no consensus on whether operative exploration or conservative treatment is better. In this study, we compared the clinical effect of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy on the patients with penetrating thoracic trauma., Methods: From January 2000 to December 2010, 123 patients with penetrating thoracic trauma were treated in Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University. Based on the inclusion criteria, 80 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned into VATS and thoracotomy group., Results: The operation time, amount of bleeding and drainage in VATS group were all lower than traditional operation (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The results indicate that VATS has the merits of shorter operation time, non-blind area, exact surgical path and less bleeding comparing with traditional operation.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic value of excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1), BCL2-associated athanogene (BAG-1), the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1) and class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received platinum- based adjuvant chemotherapy., Methods: Messenger RNA expressions of these genes were examined in 85 tumor tissues and 34 adjacent tissue samples using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The expressions of these five genes were analyzed in relation to chemotherapy and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Seventy-four patients were enrolled into chemotherapy., Results: Patients with ERCC1 or BAG-1 negative expression had a significantly longer PFS (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001) and OS (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001) than those with positive expression. Patients with negative ERCC1 and BAG-1 expression benefited more from platinum regimen (P = 0.001 and P = 0.002). Patients with BRCA1 negative expression might have a longer OS (P = 0.052), but not PFS (P = 0.088) than those with BRCA1 positive expression. A significant relationship was observed between the mRNA expression of ERCC1 and BAG-1 (P = 0.042). In multivariate analysis, ERCC1 and BAG-1 were significantly favorable factors for PFS (P = 0.018 and P = 0.017) and OS (P = 0.027 and P = 0.022)., Conclusions: ERCC1 and BAG-1 are determinants of survival after surgical treatment of NSCLC, and its mRNA expression in tumor tissues could be used to predict the prognosis of NSCLC treated by platinum.

Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare tumor especially presents malignant features. Such symptoms of hemoptysis and dyspnea were rarely seen and take 5% and 4% respectively in malignant SFTP. A 26-year-old Chinese man, presenting with hemoptysis in the emergency room, was hospitalized because of dyspnea. The X-ray examination revealed a tumor in the right chest cavity. The patient refused treatment, and the tumor grew rapidly, which complicated the symptoms of the patient. En-bloc excision of tumor plus the involved lung was performed. There was at least a 5000-ml mixture of blood and tumor tissue in the right chest cavity because of continuous bleeding, leading to a tumor capsule split. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry identified the tumor as malignant SFTP, but CD34 was negative. In this case, the tumor grew rapidly and aggressively in two months, indicating that close follow-up and active treatment are needed.

Objective: To investigate the role of lymphatics in bacterial translocation from intestine of rats with burn., Methods: Escherichia coli (E. coli) labeled with chloromethylbenzamidodialkylcarbocyanine (CM-DIL) were prepared. Sixty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into scald group and sham injury group according to the envelope method, with 30 rats in each group. Rats in both groups were gavaged with 0.5 mL fluid containing CM-DIL-labeled E. coli. Rats in scald group were inflicted with 30% TBSA deep partial-thickness scald (verified by pathological section) and resuscitated with fluid. Rats in sham injury group were sham injured by bathing in 25 degrees C water for 10 s (verified by pathological section) and also received with fluid infusion. Mesenteric lymph node (MLN), liver, mesenteric lymph fluid (MLF), and liver vein blood (LVB) were harvested at post injury hour (PIH) 2, 24, and 72. Bacteria translocation was detected with fluorescent tracing technique and bacteria culture. The endotoxin content in above-mentioned four kinds of specimens was quantitatively determined with chromogenic substrate limulus amebocyte lysate. The carrying capacity of endotoxin in MLF and LVB was calculated. Data were processed with t test or one-way analysis of variance., Results: (1) Living bacteria were in short-stick form, and they were seen moving in single or in doubles or triples in sample fluid. Dead bacteria were in irregular aggregates. Labeled bacteria in small amount were detected in sham injury group, their number peaked at PIH 24. A large amount of labeled bacteria were detected in scald group at PIH 2, which peaked at PIH 24 and decreased at PIH 72. The largest amount of labeled bacteria were found in MLN in scald group as compared to those in the other samples, and the number peaked at PIH 24 [(5872 +/- 1976) x 10(3) CFU/g], which was obviously higher than that [(216 +/- 110) x 10(3) CFU/g, t = 30.129, P = 0.000] in sham injury group. The number of bacteria decreased at PIH 72, but it was still significantly different from that in sham injury group ( t = 4.323, P = 0.000). The number of bacteria in LVB was the smallest. (2) 29 (24.2%) samples out of the 120 samples in sham injury group were positive for bacteria. 72 (60.0%) samples out of the 120 samples in scald group were positive for bacteria. No alive bacterium was detected at any time point in LVB sample in both group; the other three samples were detected with alive bacteria since PIH 2. There were more alive bacteria detected in MLN and liver as compared with the other two kinds of samples in scald group. The amount of bacteria in MLN, liver, and MLF in scald group were higher than those in sham injury group (with t value respectively 4.353, 4.354, 4.965, P values all equal to 0.000). (3) The endotoxin level in each kind of sample at each time point was obviously higher in scald group than that in sham injury group, and it peaked at PIH 2 in liver and MLF. The difference of endotoxin level among 4 kinds of samples in scald group at PIH 2 was statistically significant ( F = 258.47, P = 0.000), and the endotoxin level was higher in liver, MLN, and MLF. They were obviously higher than those in sham injury group (with t value respectively 43.378, 43.123, 22.423, P values all equal to 0.000). The endotoxin level in MLF was 9 times of that in LVB. (4) The carrying capacity of endotoxin in LVB and MLF at each time point in scald group was higher than that in sham injury group., Conclusions: CM-DIL marked bacteria can reflect the microbial translocation condition. The lymphatic route is an important pathway for bacteria translocation.

The aim of this study was to determine the lymphatic invasion route of bacteria and endotoxin of burn wounds infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and moreover, the effect of P. aeruginosa infection of the burn wound on the draining lymph node and lymph fluid. Male Wistar rats were subjected to unilateral hind limb burn+wound infected by P. aeruginosa (infection limbs group) and contralateral hind limb burn alone (burn limbs group). On hours 6, 24 and 72 after infection, rats were killed, the common iliac lymph nodes (CILN) was collected for the culture of P. aeruginosa. Lymph fluid in the efferent lymph trunk of CILN was collected for the measurement of endotoxin by the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate test. Lymph fluid tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The CD4+/CD8+ T cells ratio of CILN was subjected to flow cytometry analysis. The results showed bacteria invasion incidence, endotoxin and TNF-alpha concentrations were significantly higher in the infection limb group when compared to the burn limb group (P<0.01). The CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio was significantly lower on post-burn wound infection hours 72 (P<0.05). This study provides evidence that bacteria and endotoxin of burn wound infected by P. aeruginosa invade draining lymph node and lymph fluid. P. aeruginosa infection of the burn wound can increase TNF-alpha level of the draining lymph fluid and decrease CD4+/CD8+ T cells ratio of the draining lymph node.

To explore the changes of the endogenous phosphorylation of brainstem mitochondrial and synaptosomal proteins in adult hens dosed with tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) following the development of organophosphate-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). Verapamil (7mg/(kgday), i.m.) was given for 4 days. A dose of TOCP (750mg/kg, p.o.) was administrated in second day after verapamil. Phosphorylation of the proteins from brainstem mitochondria and synaptosomes was assayed in vitro by using [γ-(32)P]ATP as phosphate donor. Radiolabeled proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and visualized by autoradiography. The results showed that TOCP administration enhanced the phosphorylation of the cell organelle proteins (mitochondria: 60, 55, 45, and 20kDa; synaptosomes: 65, 60, and 20kDa), while verapamil abolished the enhancement induced by TOCP. Additionally, the reaction for the phosphorylation is catalyzed by the calcium/calmodulin protein kinase. Therefore, TOCP can enhance the phosphorylation of the brainstem mitochondrial and synaptosomal proteins from the hens with OPIDN; however, protection from the enhancement of the phosphorylation should be involved in the mechanisms of the amelioration of TOCP-induced delayed neurotoxicity by verapamil., (Copyright © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its receptor on apoptosis in thymus during early post-burn stage in rat with severe burns., Methods: Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham scald group (SS, n = 10) and burn group (n = 40). The apoptosis in thymus in rats was detected with annexin V/FITC-PI double staining at 4, 12, 24, 48 post-burn hours (PBH). The expression of TRAIL death receptor DR5, DR4 and its decoy receptor DcR1, DcR2 in thymus were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot at above time-points., Results: Compared with that in SS group (6.7 +/- 0.8)%, the apoptosis in the thymus in burn group started to increase at 4 PBH [(17.1 +/- 0.4)%], peaked at 12 PBH [(25.2 +/- 1.1)%], and it was still evidently higher than that in SS group at 48 PBH (P < 0.05). There was no obvious difference in the apoptosis rate in rats in burn group among all the time-points. The expression of DR5 in burn group at each time-points was significantly higher than those in SS group, while that of DcR2 shown an opposite tendency (P < 0.05). The expression of DR4, DcR1 was similar in both groups., Conclusion: The marked increase in apoptosis rate in rat thymus at early post-burn stage, and the significant change in the expression of DR5 and DcR2 show that TRAIL pathway may participate in apoptosis.

Carbamate esters are widely used as pesticides and can cause neurotoxicity in humans and animals; the exact mechanism is still unclear. In the present investigation, the effects of carbamates at sublethal concentration on neurite outgrowth and cytoskeleton as well as activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and neuropathy target esterase (NTE) in differentiating human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells were studied. The results showed that 50 microM of either aldicarb or carbaryl significantly decreased neurite length in the retinoic acid-induced differentiation of the neuroblastoma cells, compared to cells treated with vehicle. Western blot analyses revealed that neither carbamate had significant effects on the levels of actin, or total neurofilament high molecular proteins (NF-H). However, increased NF-H phosphorylation was observed following carbamate treatment. These changes may represent a useful in vitro marker of carbamate neurotoxicity within a simple model of neuronal cell differentiation. Furthermore, activity of AChE, but not NTE, was significantly inhibited by aldicarb and carbaryl in differentiating cells, which suggested that cytoskeletal protein changes induced by carbamate esters in differentiating cells was associated with inhibition of AChE but not NTE.

Objective: To detect the expression of TRAIL receptors in fibroblasts of hypertrophic scar in the proliferative stage and explore its significance., Methods: 30 samples of hypertrophic scar were taken from 30 burn cases in the proliferative stage. 30 samples of normal skin were taken as the control. The expressions of TRAIL receptors in the fibroblasts of hypertrophic burn scar and the normal skin were assayed by semiquantitative RT-PCR and flowcytometry., Results: The expression level of DR5 in the fibroblasts of hypertrophic burn scar is much lower than the control (P < 0.05); the expression level of DcR1 in the fibroblasts of hypertrophic burn scar is much higher than the control (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The down-regulated DR5 expression and elevated DcR1 expressions in the fibroblasts of hypertrophic burn scar may attribute to the apoptosis change induced by TRAIL and explain the apoptosis differences between the fibroblasts of hypertrophic scar and normal skin to a certain extent.

Objective: To study the dynamic changes in the lymphokines and the changes in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in the lymph during shock stage of rats with major burns., Methods: Forty-two male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into burn resuscitation group (A, n = 18), burn non-resuscitation (B, n = 18) and the control (C, n = 6) groups. The TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the lymph were determined with radioimmunoassay at 6, 24, 48 postburn hours (PBH). The lymphokines in the mesenteric lymphatic vessels was observed at 6, 24 and 48 PBH with inverted microscopy and digital image processing, and the contraction frequency of the lymphatic was calculated. The lymph was collected by cannulation of the chylous cistern, and its speed of flow was calculated., Results: The lymphatic contents of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in both A and B groups began to increase at 6PBH, reaching the peak values at 24 PBH (TNF-alpha in A and B groups were 1.61 +/- 0.27 ug/L and 1.86 +/- 0.34 ug/L, respectively; IL-6 in A and B groups were 398 +/- 67 ng/L and 572 +/- 97 ng/L, respectively), and they were significantly higher than those in C group at each time points (P < 0.01), meanwhile there was also obvious difference in them between A and B groups (P < 0.01). The lymphatic contents of IL-8 in A and B groups began to increase at 24 PBH, and continued to increase till 48PBH (540.29 +/- 0.32 ng/L in A group, 863.48 +/- 105.16 ng/L in B group), which were evidently higher than those in C group (P < 0.01). There was significant difference in IL-8 contents between A and B groups (P < 0.01). The contraction frequency of the mesenteric lymphatic vessels in A and B groups were decreased, especially so at 24 PBH (P < 0.01). The speed of lymphatic flow in A and B groups was increased at each time points (P < 0.01). The central chylous vessels in the villi of the small intestine were extremely dilated as seen under microscope., Conclusion: After burn injury, the lymphatic vessels dilated, with its motility decreased and speed of flow increased, and the contents of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8 in lymph were increased during the shock stage of burn rats. Fluid resuscitation could improve the lymph circulation.

The activities of calcium-activated ATPase (Ca2+-ATPase) and calcium magnesium-activated ATPase (Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase) in the shell gland, and concentrations of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and progesterone in serum were monitored, respectively, from hens orally dosed with tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) (750 mg/kg). Treated birds were monitored daily for laying and development of delayed neurotoxicity, and activities of Ca2+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase were measured at 7 and 10 days after dosing. TOCP-treated birds manifested motor deficit by 7-9 days postdosing, while hens administered vehicle exhibited no signs of delayed neurotoxicity. Ca2+-ATPase and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase activities of shell glands from TOCP-dosed hens were not significantly affected (P > 0.05). The serum E2 concentration was significantly reduced in TOCP-treated hens (P < 0.01); however, progesterone levels were unaffected.