[Research progress of medication treatment of pediatric noninfectious uveitis]

Pediatric uveitis accounts for 5% to 10% of all uveitis, most of which are noninfectious. Most cases have an insidious onset and are accompanied by many complications, which may lead to poor prognosis and intractable treatment. At present, traditional drugs that are commonly employed to treat pediatric noninfectious uveitis include local and systemic corticosteroids, methotrexate and other immunosuppressants. In recent years, the application of various biological agents has provided new means for the treatment of this kind of disease. This article reviews the progress of medication treatment of pediatric noninfectious uveitis.

Applicability of Oculomotor Tests for Predicting Central Vestibular Disorder Using Principal Component Analysis

The videonystagmography oculomotor test battery is considered useful method for diagnosing vertigo. However, its role in diagnosing central vestibular disorder has not been clarified due to variations in interpretation. Patients (n = 103) with vertigo or dizziness symptoms undergoing the oculomotor tests and brain MRI within 1 month were analyzed. Two otology specialists retrospectively interpreted the oculomotor tests, and three neurology and neuroradiology specialists determined whether central lesions were present on brain MRI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors contributing to discordant interpretation between oculomotor tests and brain MRI. Oculomotor tests predicting central lesions were assessed using principal component analysis. The intra- and inter-rater reliability in oculomotor test interpretation was moderate to good. Age > 60 years and multiple comorbidities were significant predictors of a discordant interpretation between MRI and oculomotor tests. Positive neurological symptoms and a higher oculomotor index (according to saccade (vertical axis), smooth pursuit (horizontal axis), and gaze-evoked nystagmus (horizontal/vertical axes) tests) significantly predicted central vestibular disorder in vertigo patients. Caution is required when interpreting the results of the oculomotor test battery for diagnosis of central lesions in older patients, as well as in those with multiple comorbidities.

Feasibility of High-Resolution Computed Tomography Imaging for Obtaining Ear Impressions for Hearing Aid Fitting

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the feasibility of obtaining ear impressions for hearing aids by using 3-dimensional high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) images.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series.

SETTING

One referral tertiary center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Hearing-impaired adults who were fitted with 1 or 2 behind-the-ear hearing aid(s) and had undergone temporal bone HRCT for various ear pathologies were enrolled in this study. Earmolds were fabricated from the impressions obtained using the conventional ear canal silicone injection technique and the HRCT reconstructed technique. Outer ear canal resonance frequencies and amplitude in open ears and those measured with silicon and HRCT reconstructed earmolds were determined through real-ear gain measurements, including real-ear unaided gain (REUG) and real-ear occluded gain (REOG), for comparison.

RESULTS

A total of 50 HRCT reconstructed earmolds were compared with 50 conventional silicon injection earmolds. The average value of open ear canal resonance amplitude (REUG) for each ear was 0.41 to 16.76 dB. No statistically significant difference in resonance amplitude (REOG) was observed between silicon and reconstructed earmolds (paired t test, P > .05). The mean insertion loss (REOG-REUG) at all frequencies also did not differ significantly between the two earmolds (paired t test, P > .05).

CONCLUSION

According to our real-ear measurements, acoustic characteristics of the HRCT reconstructed earmolds were compatible with those of the silicone injection earmolds. Despite concerns about increased cost and radiation exposure, the HRCT reconstructed technique is a clinically useful and applicable method and can reduce potential safety complications for difficult cases.

[FABP5 promotes cell growth, invasion and metastasis in cervical cancer]

Objective: To investigate the functions of FABP5 in the carcinogenesis and development of cervical cancer. Methods: The expression of FABP5 was detected in several cervical cancer cell lines (C33A, Siha, Caski, HeLa and HCC94), 206 cases of cervical cancer tissues with stage Ⅰa2-Ⅱa2 and 40 cases of normal cervical tissues by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Then, the cells were infected with lentivirus-mediated siRNA-targeting FABP5. CCK-8 cell proliferation, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays were used to investigate the effects of FABP5 on in vitro cell proliferation, migration and invasion. And in vivo xenograft model and lung metastasis model were used to observe the transplanted tumor growth and metastasis in female athymic nude mice. Furthermore, the total protein and RNA were extracted from the primary xenografts to determine the expression levels of FABP5, metalloproteinase-2 and metalloproteinase-9 using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results: FABP5 expression was found to be significantly unregulated in cervical cancer tissues than that in normal cervical tissues (P<0.05). Compared with the Siha-NC group and uninfected group, the expression of FABP5 mRNA and protein in Siha-FABP5-RNAi group was significantly inhibited along with the decrease of cell proliferation, colony formation, wound healing and invasion ability. The clone formation rates of Siha cells in uninfected group, Siha-NC group and Siha-FABP5-RNAi group were (84.6±4.5)%, (84.6±5.1)% and (21.2±2.6)%, respectively. Moreover, the transwell assay showed that invasive cells in three groups were (72.8±4.7)/HPF, (72.6±3.3)/HPF and (21.4±2.3)/HPF, respectively. All of the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Furthermore, FABP5 silencing significantly reduced tumor growth and lung metastases in nude mice in vivo (P<0.001). The subcutaneously xenografted volume in uninfected group, Siha-NC group and Siha-FABP5-RNAi group was (921.4±63.0) mm(3,) (1 021.4±56.0) mm(3) and (139.6±36.0) mm(3,) respectively. The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the relative expression levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA were 1.00±0.10 and 1.00±0.10, 1.00±0.10 and 1.00±0.10 as well as 0.34±0.13 and 0.38±0.17 in xenografted tumor tissues of uninfected group, Siha-NC group and Siha-FABP5-RNAi group, respectively. MMP-2 and MMP-9 was significantly downregulated after FABP5 inhibition(P<0.05). Additionally, the protein expression trend of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in three groups was consistent with the mRNA levels. Conclusion: FABP5 might promote the carcinogenesis and metastasis of cervical cancer via up-regulating MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Impact of carotid artery stenting on plasma interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the impact of carotid artery stenting (CAS) on plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

METHODS

The levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α were measured in 61 patients before CAS, 1 h, 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months after the stenting.

RESULTS

The levels of CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α increased immediately after CAS (P<0.05 or <0.01). The levels of CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in patients receiving two stents for multiple lesions or single diffusive lesions was also high than in patients receiving one stent for a single lesion (P<0.05 or <0.01). The levels of CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with restenosis (14/61, or 23%) were higher than in those without restenosis (P<0.05 or <0.01).

CONCLUSION

CAS was associated with a significant increase in plasma CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α. The levels of these inflammatory factors in patients with post-CAS restenosis were higher than in those without restenosis.

Gain affected by the interior shape of the ear canal

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated the correlation of gain distribution and the interior shape of the human external ear canal.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study of gain measurement at the first bend and second bend.

SETTING

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

There were 15 ears in patients aged between 20 and 30 years (8 men/7 women) with normal hearing and middle ears. Stimulus frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz were based on the standard clinical hearing test. Measurements closer to the tympanic membrane and the positions at the first and second bends were confirmed by using otoscope. Real ear measurement to analyze the canal resonance in human external ears was adopted.

RESULTS

This study found that gain at stimulus frequencies of 4000 Hz was affected by the interior shape of the ear canal (P < .005), particularly at the first and second bends, whereas gain was only affected by the length of the ear canal for stimulus frequencies of 2000 Hz (P < .005).

CONCLUSION

This study found that gain was affected not only by the length of the external auditory canal (EAC) but also by the interior shape of the EAC significantly. The findings of this study may have potential clinical applications in canalplasty and congenital aural atresia surgery and may be used to guide surgeries that attempt to reshape the ear canal to achieve more desirable hearing outcomes.

First-principles study: size-dependent optical properties for semiconducting silicon carbide nanotubes

Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the effect of tube size on optical properties of the zigzag, armchair, and chiral SiC nanotubes. The results indicate that the optical spectra of SiC nanotubes are dependent on the diameter and chirality, and that optical anisotropy is observed for different light polarizations. For a given chirality of SiCNTs, redshifts or blueshifts of the peaks in the dielectric function and energy loss function with increasing tube diameter are possible due to the competition between the size effect and pi orbitals overlapping, and the shifts become smaller as the tube diameter increases. The unusual optical properties of semiconducting SiC nanotubes present an opportunity for applications in electro-optical devices.

Modeling of configurations and third-order nonlinear optical properties of C36 and C34X2 (X=B,N)

Using the ab initio method, the geometrical structures of C(36) and the X (B,N)-doped isomers C(34)X(2) have been optimized. On the basis of the optimized structures, then, the third-order nonlinear optical polarizabilities gamma in the different optical processes of the third-harmonic generation, electric-field induced second-harmonic generation and degenerate four-wave mixing, and two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections delta are calculated by using TDB3LYP method coupled with the sum-over-states method. The calculated results show that the one-photon allowed excitation process dominate the two-photon excitation process for C(36)-D(6h), whereas the two-photon allowed excitation process dominate the one-photon excitation process for C(36)-D(2d) and C(34)X(2) (B,N). It is found that the largest resonant TPA peaks of dopant fullerenes have a blueshift and the TPA cross sections have an enhancement compared with those of the parent fullerenes of isomers C(36)-D(6h) and C(36)-D(2d).

Comparative therapeutic efficacy of teicoplanin and vancomycin in normal and in neutropenic mice infected with Staphylococcus haemolyticus

This study describes the evaluation of a murine bacteraemia model for assessing antibiotic efficacy in normal and neutropenic mice infected with coagulase-negative staphylococci. In one such evaluation, it was found that there was no significant (P greater than 0.05) difference in the ability of teicoplanin or vancomycin to protect normal or neutropenic CD-1 mice, lethally-infected with Staphylococcus haemolyticus. However, about a four-fold increase of either antibiotic was needed to protect the immunocompromised animals.

Probucol enhances cholesterol transport in cultured rat hepatocytes

Probucol has been investigated extensively in vivo and ex vivo. However, little information is available on direct treatment of cultured cells. Treatment of cultured hepatocytes by 1 to 10 microM probucol for 16 to 20 hours had no apparent deleterious effect on the cell, and in fact decreased lactic dehydrogenase leakage. Also, total cellular cholesterol was increased, cholesterol synthesis was decreased, and cholesterol esterification was increased. The increase in cellular cholesterol was not the result of increased lipoprotein uptake but appeared to be the result of an interaction between cell and lipoprotein in which the cell became enriched and the lipoprotein depleted in cholesterol. This type of change in lipoprotein composition after treatment is also observed clinically.

Effect of the antiviral compound MDL 20,610 on some aspects of murine immune function

At physiologically relevant concentrations an antiviral compound should not perturb the host's ability to mount an immune response against the infecting virus or some other opportunistic pathogen. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunomodulatory activity of the antiviral compound MDL 20,610 using murine models. When tested in vitro at the limit of aqueous solubility (6 microM), MDL 20,610 has no significant effect on neutrophil function as assessed by cell migration against FMLP and LTB4 gradients, myeloperoxidase secretion or 0.-2 production. In addition, 6 microM MDL 20,610 has no significant effect on macrophage function as determined by 0.-2 production, Ia and Mac-1 antigen expression and expression of Fc gamma receptors. Finally, MDL 20,610 does not significantly affect in vivo (1-100 mg/kg/day) NK cell activity or DTH to oxazolone; but treatment of mice with 50 or 100 mg MDL 20,610/kg/day significantly (P less than 0.01) enhances SRBC IgM antibody synthesis. These data indicate that MDL 20,610 is relatively devoid of immunomodulatory activity.

Mutations that create new promoters suppress the sigma 54 dependence of glnA transcription in Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli rpoN mutants lack sigma 54 and are therefore unable to initiate the transcription of glnA at glnAp2, which is required for the production of a high intracellular concentration of glutamine synthetase. We have found that the dependence on sigma 54 can be overcome by mutations that have apparently created a new sigma 70-dependent promoter. The position -35 RNA polymerase contact site of this new promoter overlaps glnAp2. The initiation of transcription at the new promoter is inhibited by sigma 54-RNA polymerase even in the absence of nitrogen regulator I-phosphate, the activator required for the initiation of transcription at glnAp2. The results suggest that in cells growing with an excess of nitrogen and therefore lacking nitrogen regulator I-phosphate, sigma 54-RNA polymerase is bound at glnAp2.