Analyzing the clinical significance of postoperative methotrexate in the management of early abdominal pregnancy: analysis of 10 cases

Objectives: To assess the clinical value and treatment outcomes of postoperative methotrexate (MTX) therapy in the management of early abdominal pregnancy.  Material and methods: We retrospectively analyzed ten (10) cases of early abdominal pregnancy at our hospital between 7th August, 2006 and 20th April, 2017.  Results: Out of the ten (10) cases identified, six (6) patients and four (4) patients underwent surgery (laparotomy or laparoscopy) only and surgery (laparotomy or laparoscopy) plus IM 50 mg/m2 methotrexate (MTX) within 24 hours of surgery respectively. The gestation age and serum β-HcG levels were significantly lower (p < 0.05, 6.0 ± 1.82 and 8073.2 ± 9561.0) in the surgery plus MTX group in comparison to (7.33 ± 3.61 and 15625 ± 21275.2) for the surgery only group. Ultrasound imaging findings reported extra uterine pregnancy in all cases and diagnostic surgery was necessary to locate precise site of implantation to plan further treatment. Days of hospitalization were shorter in the surgery + MTX group than in the surgery only group (3.00 ± 0.816 versus 5.66 ± 2.80).  Conclusions: Earliness in diagnosis coupled with the appropriate (methotrexate) MTX regime could help prevent unwanted complications that could arise from delayed or misdiagnosis

Research on the impact of fiscal environmental protection expenditure on agricultural carbon emissions

China’s agricultural and rural greenhouse gas emissions account for about 15% of its total emissions. Studying how to reduce China’s agricultural carbon emissions (ACEs) is of great strategic significance. Based on the panel data of 31 provinces (cities) in China from 2007 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the impact of fiscal environmental protection expenditure (FEPE) on ACEs. The results reveal that: FEPE has significant negative impacts on ACEs; FEPE has a heterogeneous impact on ACEs in different regions, which shows that it has a significant impact on the eastern and central regions and provinces with relatively “high” carbon emissions, while it has no significant impact on the western regions and provinces with relatively “low” carbon emissions; Further the results of mechanism analysis show that the impact of FEPE on ACEs is mainly manifested in its inhibiting effect on agricultural diesel, fertilizer and film use of carbon emissions. In light of these findings, it is imperative for the government to ensure steady and substantial investments in environmental protection. Moreover, implementing region-specific measures is essential to effectively curbing ACEs. The findings of this study offer invaluable insights that can guide the formulation of policies aimed at effectively reducing ACEs

Quantitative determination, by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, of aromatase mRNA in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast

BACKGROUND: Estrogen is a mitogenic factor that is implicated in the genesis and progression of breast cancer via its binding to estrogen receptor (ER)-α. Synthesis of estrogen in situ is believed to be catalyzed mainly by aromatase. Previous studies comparing the relative contributions from tumor cells and stromal cells to local estrogen synthesis, as assessed by immunohistochemical analysis, were quite controversial and no consistent relationship was found between the presence of aromatase and any clinicopathologic factor. In addition, previous studies into aromatase gene expression and clinicopathologic factors are limited. METHODS: We assessed the level of expression of aromatase mRNA, using quantitative real-time RT-PCR, in 162 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. Associations between aromatase expression and different clinicopathologic factors were sought. RESULTS: It was found that aromatase mRNA was expressed at significantly higher levels in patients older than 50 years, in those without axillary lymph node involvement, in those with tumor size less than 2 cm, and in ER-α positive tumors. However, no relationship was found between aromatase mRNA expression and any other clinicopathologic factor, including histologic grade and progesterone receptor status. Patients with high levels of expression of aromatase mRNA tended to have a better prognosis than did those patients with low expression. CONCLUSION: These findings imply that ER-α and aromatase may be coexpressed in endocrine responsive patients. They may also indicate that aromatase expression could be a marker of endocrine responsiveness, and it may have prognostic implications for breast cancer progression

Investigations into the effects of scaffold microstructure on slow-release system with bioactive factors for bone repair

In recent years, bone tissue engineering (BTE) has played an essential role in the repair of bone tissue defects. Although bioactive factors as one component of BTE have great potential to effectively promote cell differentiation and bone regeneration, they are usually not used alone due to their short effective half-lives, high concentrations, etc. The release rate of bioactive factors could be controlled by loading them into scaffolds, and the scaffold microstructure has been shown to significantly influence release rates of bioactive factors. Therefore, this review attempted to investigate how the scaffold microstructure affected the release rate of bioactive factors, in which the variables included pore size, pore shape and porosity. The loading nature and the releasing mechanism of bioactive factors were also summarized. The main conclusions were achieved as follows: i) The pore shapes in the scaffold may have had no apparent effect on the release of bioactive factors but significantly affected mechanical properties of the scaffolds; ii) The pore size of about 400 μm in the scaffold may be more conducive to controlling the release of bioactive factors to promote bone formation; iii) The porosity of scaffolds may be positively correlated with the release rate, and the porosity of 70%–80% may be better to control the release rate. This review indicates that a slow-release system with proper scaffold microstructure control could be a tremendous inspiration for developing new treatment strategies for bone disease. It is anticipated to eventually be developed into clinical applications to tackle treatment-related issues effectively