An improved wound dressing with a long-term drug diffusion-efficacy has been developed by UV-radiation technique. It involves incorporation of ciprofloxacin (CIP), at the concentration of 0.5-2.0% (w/v), into a water mixture of 2-hydroxymethacrylate (HEMA) monomer, benzoin isobutyl ether (BIE) initiator and different content of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) cross-linker. Increasing the concentration of EGDMA would reduce the releasing ratio of CIP from pHEMA. T1/2 is increased from 2.64 to 45.67 h when the EGDMA is added from 1 to 8%. In the ranges of 0< or = F < or = 0.6, the n value of 1%CIP-pHEMA membranes is increased from 0.48 to 0.81. It indicates that the mechanism of drug release falls between the Fickian and Case II diffusion model. The antibacterial activity of the drug impregnated into the membrane was evaluated by in vitro drug kinetic agar plate method. Higher concentration of EGDMA, up to 8% of the cross-linker, extends the drug release. Comparison with the drug-soaked membranes, the newly synthesized 1% CIP-pHEMA membrane (cross-linked with 4% EGDMA) sustains the release of the entrapped drug and maintains the antibacterial activity up to 12 days.

Virtual monochromatic images at high-energy levels have a well-concordant effect of removing metal artifacts, and 120 keV monochromatic images provided an accurate CT number and good subjective score.

In this study, we used a novel knowledge-based IMR which remarkably reduced the image noise. We compared the quality of the images obtained when the tube voltage was reduced to 80 kVp and that of those obtained according to the clinical routine protocols to determine whether ultra-low-dose imaging plus IMR is feasible in CCTA scans. We found that a low dose protocol combined with 80 kVp and reduced CM for CCTA can reduce both radiation dose and CM dose with improved image quality by the use of IMR in non-obese patients.

Mitochondrial disease was a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of diseases, thus the diagnosis was very difficult to clinicians. Our objective was to analyze clinical and genetic characteristics of children with mitochondrial disease in China. We tested 141 candidate patients who have been suspected of mitochondrial disorders by using targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS), and summarized the clinical and genetic data of gene confirmed cases from Neurology Department, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2012 to January 2015. In our study, 40 cases of gene confirmed mitochondrial disease including eight kinds of mitochondrial disease, among which Leigh syndrome was identified to be the most common type, followed by mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). The age-of-onset varies among mitochondrial disease, but early onset was common. All of 40 cases were gene confirmed, among which 25 cases (62.5%) with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation, and 15 cases (37.5%) with nuclear DNA (nDNA) mutation. M.3243A>G (n=7) accounts for a large proportion of mtDNA mutation. The nDNA mutations include SURF1 (n=7), PDHA1 (n=2), and NDUFV1, NDUFAF6, SUCLA2, SUCLG1, RRM2B, and C12orf65, respectively.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide due to its high degree of malignancy, high incidence, and low survival rate. However, the underlying mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis remain unclear. Long non coding RNA (lncRNA) has been shown as a novel type of RNA. lncRNA by acting as ceRNA can participate in various biological processes of HCC cells, such as tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and drug resistance by regulating downstream target gene expression and cancer-related signaling pathways. Meanwhile, lncRNA can predict the efficacy of treatment strategies for HCC and serve as a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. Therefore, lncRNA serving as ceRNA may become a vital candidate biomarker for clinical diagnosis and treatment. In this review, the epidemiology of HCC, including morbidity, mortality, regional distribution, risk factors, and current treatment advances, was briefly discussed, and some biological functions of lncRNA in HCC were summarized with emphasis on the molecular mechanism and clinical application of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory network in HCC. This paper can contribute to the better understanding of the mechanism of the influence of lncRNA-mediated ceRNA networks (ceRNETs) on HCC and provide directions and strategies for future studies.