ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of combined therapy of mild hypothermia and hibernation to treat severe brain injury. Methods24 patients with severe brain injury were randomly divided into combined therapy group and normothermia group. Glasgow Coma Scale scores of all the patients were in the range of 3 to 8. No later than 10 hours after their injury, hypothermia patients were given half dosage of No.1 hibernation cocktail and had been cooled by cooling blankets to 32℃-34℃ (rectal temperature) for 5 days, then to 35℃ for 24 hours, and slowly increased to their normal level. 3 days and 7 days after their admission, intracranial pressure,creatine phosphate kinase,partial pressure of arterial O2 and CO2, platelet and Na+,K+ were measured.7 days after their admission, Glasgow Outcome Scale scores of each patient and mortality of each group were measured. ResultsThe mortality of combined therapy group(25.0%) was significantly lower than that of normothermia group (66.6%,P<0.05). The decreased values of intracranial pressure, creatine phosphate kinase and platelet number of combined therapy group were all significantly higher than that of normothermia group respectively (P<0.05). There were no significant difference in mean artery pressure, blood electrolyte, and partial pressure of arterial O2 and CO2 between these two groups(P>0.05). ConclusionThe combined therapy of mild hypothermia and hibernation can effectively reduce the mortality of patients with severe brain injury as it is much easier, less invasive and with less complications.

Heterotopic brain tissue is defined as displaced neuroglial tissue that has no connection with the central nervous system. As there is no communication with underlying structures, serious anomalies rarely occur. A 6-year-old Korean male presented an erythematous, non tender nodule measuring 1.5X1.5X0.5cm on right parietal scalp since birth. The lesion was covered with thickened alopetic skin. There was no neurologic defect. The mass was not connected with intracranial structures on a magnetic resonance imaging.
Brain* ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Parturition ; Rabeprazole ; Scalp* ; Skin

Jellyfish dermatitis was characterized by purpuric papules or tiny vesicles arranged linearly with a color ranging from pink to red to brown. A 24-year-old woman presented with multiple whiplash-like erythematous lesions of 5-hours duration on both legs after contact with a jellyfish at a Korean seashore.
Female ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the outcomes of T3a prostate cancer with unfavorable prognostic factors treated with permanent interstitial brachytherapy combined with external radiotherapy and hormone therapy.

METHODSFrom January 2003 to December 2008, 38 patients classified as T3a prostate cancer with unfavorable prognostic factors were treated with trimodality therapy (brachytherapy + external radiotherapy + hormone therapy). The prescription dose of brachytherapy and external radiotherapy were 110 Gy and 45 Gy, respectively. The duration of hormone therapy was 2-3 years. The endpoints of this study included biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Log-rank test was used to identify the prognostic predictors for univariate analysis.

RESULTSThe median follow-up was 71 months. The serum pre-treatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level ranged from 10.0 to 99.8 ng/ml (mean 56.3 ng/ml), the Gleason score ranged from 5 to 9 (median 8), and the percentage of positive biopsy cores ranged from 10% to 100% (mean 65%). The 5-year BFFS, DMFS, CSS, and OS rates were 44%, 69%, 82%, and 76%, respectively. All biochemical failures occurred within 40 months. The percentage of positive biopsy cores was significantly correlated with BFFS, DMFS, and OS (all P=0.000), and the Gleason score with DMFS (P=0.000) and OS (P=0.001).

CONCLUSIONST3a prostate cancer with unfavorable prognostic factors presents not so optimistic outcome. Hormone therapy should be applied to prolong the biochemical progression-free or metastasis-free survival. The percentage of positive biopsy cores and the Gleason score are significant prognostic factors.

Androgen Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Brachytherapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; agonists ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Grading ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To study the macrophage colony-stimulating factor(M-CSF)expression levels of serum and synovial fluids from patients with spondyloarthropathy(SPA)and its contribution to the pathogen- esis of SpA.Methods Eleven SpA synovial tissue samples were compared to those from peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)of 10 normal subjects using a 1176 gene array.M-CSF was detected in both serum samples and synovial fluids by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Two groups of AS subjects were tested.The first group consisted of 41 ankylosing spondylitis(AS)patients who had not been treated with bio- logics.The second group consisted of 13 subjects whose serum samples were collected before and 14 weeks af- ter initiation of infliximab.These were compared to serum samples from 28 normal subjects,and synovial fluid samples from 15 SpA patients.Results Expression of M-CSF could be detected in both serum samples and synovial fluids.The concentration of M-CSF in the group of 41 AS patients not treated with biologics correlated with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index(BASDAI)values(r=0.41,P=0.004).Treatment of infliximab in AS patients led to a significant decrease in the values of BASDAI(P=0.000 07),but no signif- icant change in the serum M-CSF values.Conclusion M-CSF is a promising candidate for research on the mechanisms of SpA and its signaling on pathway in SpA is different from tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-?,and it may provide new basis for developing new anti-biologics for SpA.

Objectlve To investigate the inhibition of Coxsackievirus B3(CVB3)infection in cardiac myocytes cultured by small interfering RNA(siRNA)-mediated RNA interference and to evaluate the feasibility of siRNA as the prophylaxis and therapy for CVB3 infection.Methods Cardiac myocytes were prepared in vitro and infected with CVB3,and transfected with siRNA by lipofectamin and electroporation.The numbers of beating cardiac myocytes were counted under the microscope.Neutral red staining was used to evaluate the mortality of cardiac myocytes.Antiviral activities of these siRNAs were estimated by observing cytopathic effect(CPE),plaque reduction assay,Western blot assay and RT-PCR.Results siRNA-3753,which aimed at sequence in 2B section of CVB3 genome,displayed a stronger inhibition of CVB3 infection through screening in HeLa cells,siRNA-3753,chosen to transfect cultured neonatal mice cardiac myocytes,Wag observed to keep a good states of growing and beating at 24 h after CVB3 infection.Whereas the cytopathic signature of controlled cells became stopping beating,round and finally the cell fell off the culture plate.The results showed that siRNA-3753 could protect cells significantly,98.1%inhibition of CVB3 replication with electroporation transfection and 78.2%inhibition of CVB3 with liposome transfection.Transfection efficiencies were 56.0 3%and 9.0%by electroporation and lipofectamin,respectively.Conclusion siRNA,which aims at sequence in 2B section of CVB3 genome,can inhibit CVB3 infection in cultured cardiac myocytes.

Carbon nanotubes/Au nanoparticles ( CNT/AuNP ) composite film was fabricated on glassy carbon electrode ( GCE) by first dropping CNTs on the electrode surface and then electrodeposition of AuNPs by multi-potential step. The antibody of microcystin-( leucine-arginine ) ( anti-MCLR ) was immobilized on the modified electrode surface through adsorption on AuNPs. Subsequently, bovine serum albumin ( BSA) was used to block the non-specific adsorption to obtain the immunosensor for MCLR assay. The immunosensor could effectively capture MCLR by the specific immunoreaction between the electrode surface-confined antibody and MCLR, followed by the attachment of the anti-MCLR HRP-labeled to form a sandwich-type system. The analysis of MCLR was performed based on the catalytic reaction of HRP toward the oxidation of hydroquinone ( QH2 ) by H2 O2 . Under the optimal experimental conditions, the peak current response increased linearly with the concentration of MCLR in the range of 0 . 50-12 μg/L with a detection limit of 0. 30 μg/L (S/N=3). The developed immunosensor was used to determine MCLR in real water samples, and the recoveries of standard addition experiments were in the range of 93 . 0%-108 . 5%, with the relative standard deviation of 3 . 8%-5 . 0%.

OBJECTIVEIn order to get the method for improving the salt resistance of Lycium ruthenium seeds and seedlings under NaCl stress, the seed germination and physiological characteristics of L. ruthenium seedlings was studied.

METHODSeveral physiological indexes of L. ruthenium seeds under NaCl stress, such as the germination rate (Gr), germination vigor (Gv), germination index (Gi), vigor index (Vi), and relative salt damage rate were measured. Other indexes of the seedlings like relative water contents (RWC) , chlorophyll contents, soluble protein contents, electrolyte leakage, the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), and peroxidase (POD) were also measured.

RESULTNaCl at lower concentration could promote the seed germination but inhibit the seed germination at higher concentration. After the treatment by CaCl2 at the different concentrations, all germination indexes were increased. With the increase of salt concentration, the relative water contents and the contents of chlorophyll were decreased, the content of MDA and electrolyte leakage were increased. The change trend of POD activity showed the first increase and then decrease with the increase of salt concentration, which was similar to that of the soluble protein. After the treatment by CaCl2, relative water contents, chlorophyll and POD activities were decreased more slowly, and also electrolyte leakage and MDA contents increased slowly.

CONCLUSIONThe CaCl2 could significantly alleviate the damages to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium under NaCl stress, and promote the salt resistance to the seeds and seedlings of L. ruthenium.

Calcium ; pharmacology ; Germination ; drug effects ; Lycium ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Seedlings ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Seeds ; drug effects ; metabolism ; physiology ; Sodium Chloride ; metabolism

Cystic basal cell carcinoma is an uncommon histologic variant of basal cell carcinoma. Degeneration of tumor cells causes cystic space, in which mucin is secreted from the adjacent tumor cells. We report a case of cystic basal cell carcinoma with prominent cystic formation occurring in a 52-year old women on the right cheek.
Female ; Humans

Lichen striatus is a self limited, papulosquamous disorder with a linear distribution. The linearity has been shown to correspond in many cases to the pattern of Blaschkos lines. Lichen striatus can usually be identified by clinical features and histology. However, the histologic features are diverse and some are nonspecific. We present the rare case of lichen striatus which shows multinucleated giant cells in upper dermis with microscopy.
Dermis ; Giant Cells* ; Lichens* ; Microscopy ; Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous