Objective To explore the methods, safety and efficacy of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) and pericardial devascularization. Methods Five patients underwent LS and pericardial devascularization from January to June 2003. Results All the operations were completed under laparoscope and no hand-assisted procedure was required. The operating time was 3.0～4.0 hours (mean, 3.5 hours) and the intraoperative blood loss was 250～450 ml (mean, 350 ml). No surgical complications occurred. Conclusions Laparoscopic splenectomy with pericardial devascularization is a feasible, effective, safe and minimally invasive procedure for patients with normal-sized to medium-enlarged spleen.

Objective To explore the application and efficacy of laparoscopic radical operation for rectal cancer after preoperative short-time radiotherapy.Methods The clinical data of 108 patients with Dukes B and C rectal cancer were analyzed retrospectively.Thirty-five patients underwent laparoscopic radical operation after preoperative short-time radiotherapy,meanwhile 30 patients underwent laparoscopic radical operation,and 43 patients underwent open operation,both later groups without preoperative radiotherapy.Results There were not significant differences in preoperative general condition,tumor size and stage,pathological type,site of operation,and mode of operation between the 3 groups.But there was a higher rate of radical resection and sphincter preservation in the laparoscopic operation plus radiotherapy group than in the other groups(P

OBJECTIVETo detect the CDH1 gene methylation of suspension cells in intraoperative abdominal lavage fluid from colorectal cancer patients, and to examine its association with clinicopathology and prognosis.

METHODSReal-time methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (qMSP) was used to investigate the methylation status of the CDH1 gene promoter 5'-CpG islands from intraoperative abdominal lavage fluid in 102 patients with colorectal cancer. The associations between methylation of CDH1 genes and clinicopathologic features and prognosis were investigated.

RESULTSAmong the 102 colorectal cancer patients, aberrant methylation of CDH1 gene was detected in 47 patients. Significant associations were found between CDH1 methylation status and tumor size, growth pattern, differentiation, distant metastasis, and clinical staging (all P<0.05). The median progression-free survival was 25.98 months for CDH1 methylation group and 41.36 months for non-methylated group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Cox model analysis revealed that CDH1 methylation status in intraoperative peritoneal lavage fluid was an independent factor associated with postoperative survival in colorectal cancer patients (50.23% vs. 86.51%, P=0.001).

CONCLUSIONSColorectal cancer patients with aberrant methylation of 5'-CpG of CDH1 gene promoter of suspension cells in abdominal lavage have higher malignancy, more metastasis and worse prognosis.

Abdomen ; pathology ; Aged ; Cadherins ; genetics ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; CpG Islands ; DNA Methylation ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Therapeutic Irrigation

Arabidopsis AtPRMT10 is a plant-specific type I protein arginine methyltransferase that can asymmetrically dimethylate arginine 3 of histone H4 with auto-methylation activity. Mutations of AtPRMT10 derepress FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) expression resulting in a late-flowering phenotype. Here, to further investigate the biochemical characteristics of AtPRMT10, we analyzed a series of mutated forms of the AtPRMT10 protein. We demonstrate that the conserved "VLD" residues and "double-E loop" are essential for enzymatic activity of AtPRMT10. In addition, we show that Arg54 and Cys259 of AtPRMT10, two residues unreported in animals, are also important for its enzymatic activity. We find that Arg13 of AtPRMT10 is the auto-methylation site. However, substitution of Arg13 to Lys13 does not affect its enzymatic activity. In vivo complementation assays reveal that plants expressing AtPRMT10 with VLD-AAA, E143Q or E152Q mutations retain high levels of FLC expression and fail to rescue the late-flowering phenotype of atprmt10 plants. Taken together, we conclude that the methyltransferase activity of AtPRMT10 is essential for repressing FLC expression and promoting flowering in Arabidopsis.
Arabidopsis ; enzymology ; Arabidopsis Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Enzyme Activation ; Flowers ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Genetic Loci ; genetics ; MADS Domain Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Methyltransferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Time Factors

Animals ; Binding Sites ; Cochlea ; Homeodomain Proteins/chemistry* ; Mice ; Transcription Factors ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/chemistry*