Objective To investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in hepatocelluar carcinoma cell lines. Methods RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry were use d to investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in 6 hepatocellular carcino ma cell lines. Result COX-2 mRNA expression was detected in five of six cell lines, and all six cell lines w ere positive for COX-2 protein expression. Conclusion COX-2 is expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cell li nes, providing basis for the chemoprevention of hepatocelluar carcinoma.

A 56-year-old man with 1-year history of palpitation, heat intolerance and sweating, was diagnosed as thyrotropin (TSH) -secreting pituitary adenoma based on the symptoms of hypermetabolism, enlarged thyroid gland, inappropriately increased serum TSH concomitantly elevated plasma thyroid hormones and a pituitary tumor demonstrated on magnetic resonance imaging. Long-acting octreotide formulation was administered at a dose of 20 mg intramuscularly. Tumor volume shrinkage and improvement of thyroid function was achieved after a single drug injection; and the thyroid function returned to normal in 28 days. It is suggested that long-acting octreotide formulation might be used as a routine therapeutic approach prior to pituitary surgery, which may enhance the effectiveness of surgery and postoperative recovery.

Objective To investigate the impact of high plasma LDL-C level with or without metabolic syndrome(MS) on the incidence of stroke in Chinese adults. Methods Totally 42 626 subjects (25 -75 years old) from Chinese National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2002 were stratified four groups based on plasma LDL-C level: < 2. 00 mmol/L group, 2. 00 -2. 50 mmol/L group, 2. 51 -3.31 mmol/L group, and ≥ 3.32 mmol/L group. The prevalence of MS (with 2005 International Diabetes Federation criteria) and stroke and the risk factors of stroke were compared among the four groups. Results ( 1 ) The prevalence of MS and stroke increased with rising of LDL-C level. The prevalence of MS in LDL-C≥3. 32 mmol/L group increased 2. 5 times (7, 9% vs 20. 1% ) as compared with that in LDL-C < 2. 00 mmol/L group and the prevalence of stroke increased 4. 2 times(0. 5% vs 2. 1% ), all P <0. 01. (2) In subjects with similar LDL-C level, the prevalence of stroke was significantly higher in a subgroup with MS than that without (P <0. 01 ). (3) After adjustment for age, sex and smoking, logistic regression analysis showed that both LDL-C level and MS were positively associated with the development of stroke; the odds ratio (OR) was 2. 35 and 3. 15 ( P < 0. 0001 ), respectively. (4) Compared with the subgroup of LDL-C < 2. 00 mmol/L without MS, OR for stroke in the subgroups of LDL-C 2. 00 -2. 50 mmol/L, 2. 51 -3. 31 mmol/L, and ≥ 3. 32 mmol / L without MS was 1.03, 1. 89, and 2.08, whereas the OR for stroke in the subgroups with MS and similar level of LDL-C was 4. 38, 5.23 and 6. 15 ; this indicated that the risk of stroke in subjects with MS increased by 3 - 4 times compared with subjects without ( P < 0. 0001 ). Conclusion Both high LDL-C level and MS are independent risk factors of stroke, but the risk of stroke will be further increased in the presence of high LDL-C level plus MS. It is suggested that combined intervention therapy of LDL-C and MS will play an important role in the prevention of stroke.

Objective To clarify which component plays a pivotal role in metabolic syndrome (MS) which is associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 15564 participants (aged≥25 years old) with high risk for type 2 diabetes in the 1994 National Diabetes Mellitus Surveywere included in this analysis. MS was diagnosed according to the 1999 WHO criteria, and insulin resistance (IR) was defined as being above the 75th percentile of HOMA-IR of the population aged 25-74 years with normal glucose tolerance. Multiple logistic stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the contribution of each component to MS. Results The unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalences of MS in this population was 64.35% and 59.00%, respectively. Age, sex, systolic blood pressure(SBP), diastolic blood pressure(DBP), waist to hip ratio (WHR)/waist circumference and body mass index(BMI), but not IR, plasma glucose level, and plasma triglyceride level, were independently associated with MS, with predicted concordance of 93.8%. The combination of WHR, BMI, SBP, and DBP accounted for 90.2% of the variance of MS, and if BMI was deleted, the remaining three items accounted for 86.1% of the variance. An increment of 0.05 in WHR, or 5 cm in waist circumference, or 10 mm Hg in SBP, or 5 mm Hg in DBP, or 5 kg/m 2in BMI would elevate the risk for MS by 3.35 times, 1.87 times, 1.52 times, 1.46 times, or 1.34 times, respectively. Conclusion The combination of WHR/waist circumference and blood pressure can be used as a simplepredictor for MS in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the possibility and utility of metformin alone or in combination with fosinopril to reduce blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension.Met hods A total of 140 cases of non-diabetic essential hypertension with hyperinsulinemia were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups: a group of 68 treated with metformin 500 mg tid and a group of 72 treated with fosinopril 10 mg qd.The duration of the treatment was 8 weeks.Combination therapy with the two drugs was used after 4 weeks of treatment if needed.If the target goals of systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 140 mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa) and /or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <90 mm Hg were not attained 4 weeks, combination therapy with two drugs was used in either group in the next 4 weeks.The changes of blood pressure and insulin sensitivity of the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Results (1) After 4 weeks of treatment, SBP in metformin group and fosinopril group decreased by ( 13.0 ± 1.2) mm Hg and (15.4 ± 1.4) mm Hg, and DBP decreased by (9.0 ± 1.0) mm Hg and ( 10.4 ± 1.1 ) mm Hg respectively.After 8 weeks of treatment, SBP in metformin group and fosinopril group decreased by (17.8 ± 1.5) mm Hg and (20.9 ± 1.5) mm Hg, and DBP decreased by (13.2 ±0.9) mm Hg and (15.3 ± 1.1) mm Hg respectively.There was no significant difference in the decline of blood pressure between the two groups (P >0.05).The rates of combination therapy were both 54% in the two groups.(2) Fasting insulin as well as 30 min and 120 min insulin levels after oral glucose tolerance test and insulin area under the curve in the metformin group were significantly reduced after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment as compared with those of baseline(P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 ) .In the fosinopril group, however, they decreased only after 8 weeks treatment (P < 0.05).The insulin action index in the metformin group was higher than that in the fosinopril group after 4 weeks of treatment (P <0.05) ,but there was no significant difference between the two groups after 8 weeks of treatment (P > 0.05).Conclusion Metformin and fosinopril have similar antihypertensive effect and a good synergy in essential hypertension with hyperinsulinemia.

BACKGROUND:Flexible intramedulary nailing and external fixation for pediatric femoral shaft fractures are two common methods in the clinic. It remains controversial which fixation methods are better. OBJECTIVE:To systematicaly evaluate the therapeutic effects of flexible intramedulary nailing and external fixation for pediatric femoral shaft fractures. METHODS: A computer-based search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane library for literatures on clinical controled trials of flexible intramedulary nailing and external fixation for pediatric femoral shaft fractures published before November 25, 2014. Literature language was not limited. The age of subjects was from 3 to 15 years. Modified Jadad was utilized to assess methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was carried out using Stata 12.0 software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Six papers involving 237 patients were included. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with external fixation, a low incidence of overal complications [relative risk (RR)=0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19-0.46;P < 0.001] and pin-hole infection (RR=0.286, 95%CI: 0.13-0.61;P= 0.001), but a high risk of needle tail irritation (RR=1.86, 95%CI: 1.35-2.56;P < 0.001) were found folowing flexible intramedulary nailing. No significant differences in other complications were found between the two groups. These results confirm that compared with external fixation, elastic intramedulary nail has fewer complications and faster fracture healing. Elastic intramedulary nail is recommended for single pediatric femoral shaft fractures. However, external fixation is a better option for high energy injury of lower limbs, multiple trauma or severely soft tissue injury.

Objective To examine the sleep status and relevant psychosocial factors in patients with colorectal cancer before surgery and improve their sleep quality. Methods A cross?sectional survey method was used. Participants were 107 cases of patients with colorectal cancer from the Department of Anorectal Surgery in The First Hospital ,which is affiliated with China Medical University. The Athens insomnia scale(AIS),Ham?ilton depression scale(HAMD),Hamilton anxiety scale(HAMA),perceived social support scale(PSSS),self?esteem scale(SES),medical cop?ing questionnaire(MCMQ),memorial University of Newfoundland scale of happiness(MUNSH),Eysenck personality questionnaire(EPQ),and Wong?Baker face scale were used to assess preoperative sleep in patients with colorectal cancer and related psychosocial factors. Results Among the 107 cases,there were 24 cases of insomnia,with an insomnia incidence of 22.43%. No statistical differences were found in demographic charac?teristics and clinical characteristics(P>0.05). According to the degree of insomnia,there were significant differences between groups(P<0.05) for depression,anxiety,social support,avoidance,yield,happiness,and EPQ?N. Before the surgery,the degree of depression,anxiety,and EPQ?P had a significant positive effect on the degree of insomnia (P< 0.05). Conclusion The degree of insomnia before surgery in patients with colorectal cancer is closely associated with depression,anxiety,coping styles,social support,and personality characteristics.

Objective:To determine whether insulin resistance is associated with all-cause mortality in subjects without diabetes.Methods:A total of 505 participants without diabetes, 198 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 307 with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), were recruited from the Daqing Diabetes Study. The participants were followed up for 30 years. They were stratified into three groups (tertiles) according to baseline homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) levels, as the HOMA-IR 0, the HOMA-IR 1 and the HOMA-IR 2 groups, to assess the predictive effect of insulin resistance on risk of all-cause mortality.Results:During the 30-year follow-up, 52, 56 and 78 participants died across the three HOMA-IR groups, respectively. The corresponding mortality per 1 000 person-years (95 %CI) were 12.12 (9.56-15.01), 13.10 (10.46-16.03) and 19.91 (16.73-23.15), respectively. Participants in the HOMA-IR 2 group had a significantly higher risk of death than those in the HOMA-IR 0 group after adjustment of age, sex and smoking status ( HR=1.97,95 %CI 1.38-2.81, P<0.001). Cox analyses showed that a one standard deviation increase in HOMA-IR was associated with a 22% increase in the mortality after adjustment of potential confounders ( HR=1.22, 95 %CI 1.08-1.39, P=0.002). Conclusions:Insulin resistance is associated with increased risk of all-cause death in Chinese people without diabetes, suggesting that improving insulin resistance could be beneficial for people without diabetic in reducing risk of long-term all-cause mortality.