[Long term follow-up evaluation of combined surgery for congenital tibial pseudarthrosis in children]

Objective: To explore the long-term effect of combined surgery for the treatment of congenital tibial pseudarthrosis in children. Methods: The clinical data of 44 children with congenital tibial pseudarthrosis who underwent combined surgery (tibial pseudarthrosis tissue resection, intramedullary rod fixation, Ilizarov external fixator fixation, wrapped autologous iliac bone graft) from August 2007 to October 2011 at the Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Hunan Children's Hospital were collected retrospectively. There were 33 males and 11 females. The age at the time of surgery was (3.7±2.2)years (range:0.6 to 12.4 years), including 25 cases under 3 years old and 19 cases above 3 years old.Among them, 37 cases were complicated with neurofibromatosis type 1.The operation status, postoperative complications and follow-up results were recorded. Results: The follow-up time after surgery was (10.9±0.7)years (range:10 to 11 years).Thirty-nine out of 44 patients (88.6%) achieved initial healing of tibial pseudarthrosis, with an average healing time of (4.3±1.1)months (range:3 to 10months).In the last follow-up, 36 cases (81.8%) had unequal tibial length, 20 cases (45.4%) had refractures, 18 cases (40.9%) had ankle valgus, 9 cases (20.4%) had proximal tibial valgus, and 11 cases (25.0%) had high arched feet.Nine cases (20.4%) developed distal tibial epiphyseal plate bridging.17 cases (38.6%) had abnormal tibial mechanical axis.Seven cases (15.9%) developed needle infection, and one case (2.3%) developed tibial osteomyelitis. 21 patients (47.7%) had excessive growth of the affected femur.Five patients (11.3%) had ankle stiffness, and 34 patients (77.2%) had intramedullary rod displacement that was not in the center of the tibial medullary cavity.Among them, 8 cases (18.1%) protruded the tibial bone cortex and underwent intramedullary rod removal.18 children have reached skeletal maturity, while 26 children have not been followed up until skeletal maturity. Conclusion: Combined surgery for the treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia in children has a high initial healing rate, but complications such as unequal tibia length, refracture, and ankle valgus occur during long-term follow-up, requiring multiple surgical treatments.

[Risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage with 125I seeds for the treatment of brain tumors]

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage after implanting 125-iodine seeds for brain tumors. Methods: A total of 234 patients with intracranial tumors receiving treatment of 125-iodine seeds from March, 2013 to November, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into bleeding group and non-bleeding group according to whether postoperative intracranial hemorrhage was reported. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed by logistic regression to determine the independent risk factors of intracranial hemorrhage. Result: A total of 22 cases (9.4%) reported postoperative intracranial hemorrhage in 234 patients treated with 125-iodine seeds. Univariate analysis showed that the type of tumor and the history of anti-angiogenic drug within one month were possible risk factors (P<0.1). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that anti-angiogenic drug within one month was the independent risk factor for intracranial hemorrhage (P<0.05). Conclusions: The application of anti-angiogenic drugs within one month is the independent risk factor of intracranial hemorrhage with 125-iodine seeds for the treatment of brain tumors.

[Identification, molecular structure and expression characteristics of Torso like gene in Anopheles dirus]

OBJECTIVE

To characterize Torso-like (tsl) gene and investigate its expression characteristics in Anopheles dirus, so as to provide a theoretical basis for subsequent functional studies of the tsl gene.

METHODS

According to the coding sequences of Drosophila melanogaster and An. gambiae tsl genes, the complete genome of An. dirus was retrieved and the An. dirus tsl gene was characterized. Specific primers were designed and the target gene was amplified using PCR and reverse-transcription PCR assays. The physicochemical properties, signal peptide, transmembrane structure, secondary structure and tertiary structure of the encoded protein TSL were analyzed using bioinformatics tools, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed. In addition, the specific expression of the tls gene was detected in various tissues of An. dirus using a quantitative real-time PCR assay.

RESULTS

The An. dirus tsl gene was 16 751 bp in length with a CDS region of 1 134 bp, encoding 377 amino acids, and the encoded TSL protein was a stably hydrophilic protein. The TSL protein was predicted to be a secretory protein that was located in extra-membrane regions containing signal peptides. The secondary structure of the TSL protein contained α-helix (51.72%), extended strand (12.20%), β-bridge (4.78%) and random coil (31.30%) in the secondary structure, and a 3D homology model was generated using 5cj9.1.A as a template. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close genetic relationship in the TSL protein between An. dirus and An. farauti. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR assay detected the tsl gene expression in the head, chest, abdomen and foot of An. dirus, with the highest expression in the head and low expression in the foot.

CONCLUSIONS

The tsl gene is characterized in An. dirus at a genomic level, and the prediction of the TSL protein structure and the elucidation of the tissue-specific tsl gene expression in An. dirus provide a basis for the further studies on the gene functions.

[Comparison between photodynamic therapy and interventional esophageal stent implantation in dysphagia caused by advanced esophageal cancer]

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and esophageal stent implantation in improving dysphagia caused by malignant obstruction of middle and advanced esophageal cancer. Methods: A total of 45 patients treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University and Qingdao Huangdao District Central Hospital from January 2017 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, of which 34 cases were males and 11 cases were females, 29 cases with the age beyond 60 years old, 41 cases were squamous carcinoma, 4 were adenocarcinoma. PDT was applied to 20 patients and 25 patients received esophageal carotid stenting implantation. There was no significant difference in gender, age, pathological type, location and stage between the two groups. Before treatment, 3 days, 1 month and 3 months after treatment, dysphagia was compared according to Stooler grading criteria, and also the time that patients experienced dysphagia again post treatment. Results: There were no statistical differences between the two groups in dysphagia grade change in 3 days, 1 month and 3 months after treatment (all P>0.05), The stent groups showed advantages towards the PDT group 3 days after treatment in patients with Stooler grading 0 (40%(10/25) vs 0(0/20), P<0.05). No significant differences were found between two groups with Stooler grading 0 (P>0.05) in 1 month and 3 months after treatment. Obstruction symptoms occurred earlier in the stent group compared with the PDT group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Esophageal stent can relieve the symptoms of dysphagia immediately after the implantation, while photodynamic therapy can also prolong the time of esophageal re-obstruction in addition to the immediate effect, with proved safety and efficacy in the treatment of middle and advanced esophageal cancer.

A fragmentation study of the Rhodamine 610 cation using visible-laser desorption ionization

The fragmentation of a potential visible matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization: Rhodamine 610 was studied under 532 nm visible irradiation, as a function of anion counter ion. It was found that at a fixed fluence, the chloride salt produced fewer fragments than those formed with ClO(4)(-) or BF(4)(-). Evidence presented suggests that the degree of fragmentation is inversely proportional to the strength of the contact ion pair in the solid state; that is, more energy is deposited into the radical cation which can lead to fragmentation when less energy is required to separate the ion pair. Similar results were found for salts of Rhodamine 6G.

Controlling large-scale film morphology by phase manipulation in interference lithography

An experimental arrangement is described where a Babinet-Soleil compensator is inserted into the path of one of the three beams used for noncoplanar beam interference lithography. This birefringent element can change the phase of the beam so that either a positive two-dimensional pattern or an inverselike structure is generated in a photoresist without disturbing the mechanical geometry of the setup. Simulations are presented that confirm the validity of this approach. Large defect-free sample areas (>1 cm(2)) with submicrometer periodic patterns were obtained by expanding the laser beams used in the lithography experiment.