Objective To evaluate MR findings and clinical features in patients with spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH). Methods Eight patients (5 men, 3 women; aged 16-50 years ) with SSEH underwent MR imaging during 1994-2001, including 7 cases without history of trauma or coagulation disorders and 1 case with history of hypertension. MR imaging was performed from 4 hours to 3 days after the onset of symptoms in all 8 patients with surgical and pathologic diagnosis. Results The hematomas were in lateral posterior or posterior epidural space, including 3 cases in cervical vertebra, 2 cases in thoracic vertebra, 2 cases in cervical and thoracic junction region, and 1 case in thoracic and lumbar part. The MRI confirmed an encapsulated hematoma caused by arteriovenous malformation in 1 case and two hematomas associated with disc herniation. The signal intensity of the hematoma varied with the hematoma age, but T 1-weighted images reflected its typical signal changes. Sagittal and coronal T 1- weighted images revealed isointense (7 cases) and slight high-intense (1 case) signal; Sagittal and axial T 2-weighted images revealed mixed-intensity (6 cases) and mixed high-intensity (2 cases). Conclusion MR imaging has an important value on localization, identification, and differential diagnosis of the lesion, therefore, it is the most helpful diagnostic tool for this condition.

Objective To compare the effects and complications of lumboperitoneal shunt ( LP ) and ventriculoperitoneal shunt ( VP ) in the treatment of post?traumatic hydrocephalus. Methods Eighty patients with post?traumatic hydrocephalus treated in the neurosurgery department of Zhangjiagang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2014 to March 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into two groups,40 patients treated with LP were assigned into the LP group and 40 patients undergone VP treatment were seen as the VP group. All patients were followed up for 1 year to investigate and compare the symptom improvement rate,neurological deficit score and the incidence of complication of the two groups. Results The total effective rate of hydrocephalus disappearance in the LP group was 41. 50% ( 37/40) and 87. 50%( 35/40) in the VP group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (χ2=0. 556,P=0. 456);the neurological deficit scores before treatment in the LP group and VP group were (28. 35±8. 64) points and (29. 13±7. 98) points,there was no significant difference between the two groups (t=0. 419,P=0. 676) . The difference in the scores of neurological deficit after treatment in the LP and VP group was not statistically significant ( (19. 32±5. 34) points vs. (21. 62±4. 86) points,t=1. 480,P=0. 143),the average scores of neurological deficits in the two groups were significantly better than those before treatment ( t=5. 623, 5. 084,P<0. 001 ) . There was no significant difference in the average score of improvement of urinary incontinence between the two groups before and after treatment ( t=0. 376,1. 265,P>0. 05) ,the average score of urinary incontinence improvement after treatment in both groups were better than those before treatment ( t=4. 891,5. 370,P<0. 001) . In the LP group,the incidence of bleeding,infection,shunt related complications and shunt abnormality were all 2. 50% ( 1/40 ) , the overall complication rate was 10. 00%, the incidence of bleeding,infection,shunt related complications and shunt abnormality in the VP group were 7. 50% (3/40), 10% ( 4/40 ) , 5% ( 2/40 ) 10%, ( 4/40 ) , the overall complication rate was 32. 50%, there was significant difference between the two groups (χ2=6. 050,P=0. 014) . Conclusion LP and VP have significant curative effect on the treatment of post?traumatic hydrocephalus,but the overall incidence of LP complication after 1 year is significantly lower than that of VP,and is worth popularizing widely in clinical practice

Carcinoma, Papillary ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the molecular action mechanism of active constituents desoxyrhaponticin (DES) and human serum albumin (HSA).

METHODUnder the simulated physiological condition, computer analog technology, fluorescent spectrometry and ultraviolet spectrum were combined to study the binding mechanism between drug and protein.

RESULTMolecular modeling was adopted to establish the binding model between DES and HSA, suggesting that the interaction force maintaining drug and protein is mainly the hydrophobic interaction with a hydrogen-bond interaction. The results from spectroscopy indicated that the interaction between DES and HSA is a dynamic binding process with a high intensity. The value of the binding distance (r) between DES and HSA was low, which demonstrate the occurrence of energy transfer. DES made an impact on HSA' structural domain microcell conformation, which resulted in hydrophobic changes in binding areas. According to the fluorescent phase diagram technical analysis, the changes in the DES-HSA reaction conformational pattern showed a "two-state" model. According to the obtained thermodynamic parameters for the DES-HSA interaction, the interactional force between DES and HSA was mainly a hydrophobic interaction. The fluorescence polarization proved that a non-covalent compound was generated during the interaction between DES and HSA.

CONCLUSIONThe spectrum experiment showed consistent results with the computer analog technology, which could provided certain reference for studies on the interaction between DES and HSA.

Humans ; Models, Molecular ; Protein Binding ; Protein Conformation ; Serum Albumin ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Spectrometry, Fluorescence ; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet ; Stilbenes ; metabolism ; Thermodynamics

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; administration & dosage ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone ; administration & dosage ; Nanotechnology ; Research

High-performance liquid chromatographic coupled with variable wavelength detection (HPLC-VWD) has been developed for simultaneous determination of 5 analytes including ellagic acid, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-rutinoside, tiliroside and kaempferol, and high-performance liquid chromatographic with an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) has been established to determine goshonoside-F5 in extract of Rubi Fructus. Chromatographic separations were carried out on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5.0 microm). All calibration curves of reference standards revealed good linearity (R2 > 0.999 5) within the concentration ranges tested. The method limits of detection ranged 0.297-90.144 ng and the method limits ofquantitation ranged 0.990-300.480 ng, respectively. Recoveries of 6 analytes were from 97.11% to 101.7%, with RSD less than 2.1%. The result shows that amounts of the 6 analytes in the samples from 16 localities were found to be different. The higher latitude of growing environment, the more ellagic acid in herb. The content of total flavonoids in sample from east localities were higher than that in middle and west localities, and the content of goshonoside-F5 in Bozhou, Anhui province was higher than others. This method was found to be simple, accurate, sensitive with good repeatability. Those results might serve as a sound foundation for further study, quality control and application of Rubi Fructus.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Ellagic Acid ; analysis ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; Geography ; Rosaceae ; chemistry

The performance evaluation is an effective method to guide the public hospitals behavior and pro-mote their sustainable development.The introduction of disease severity could make the performance evaluation sys-tem more scientific and reasonable, and encourage the hospitals to improve their technical skills and services ability. Based on the Shanghai diagnosis related groups system, a case-mix index ( CMI) was introduced and a severity score of disease was developed after the relative weight ( RW) adjustment to evaluate different types of disease severity in hospitals.The results have shown that CMI effectively reflects the patients'disease severity and the intensity of treat-ment in those hospitals taken into consideration.Therefore, the scientific indicators should be selected and the evalu-ation system should be improved thereby establishing an effective monitoring and dynamic adjustment mechanism and further developing the diagnosis related group application.

Objective To assess the value of MSCT in the follow-up of patients with small hepatocelluar carcinoma(sHCC) treated with RFA. Methods Twenty-eight patients with sHCC underwent MSCT scanning 1, 3 and 6 months after RFA. Results One month after RFA, 25 tumors were completely necrotized, among which 19 presented no enhancement on dual-phase contrast CT scans and 6 showed thin ring-shaped enhancement on artery-phase contrast. Three cases with residual tumor manifested as nodular enhancement in margin of lesion. Three and 6 months after RFA, all 25 tumors, which were completely necrotized, became small and presented no enhancement. New tumors were found in the liver in 2 cases six months after RFA. Conclusion RFA is an effective therapeutic method for sHCC, and MSCT dual-phase enhanced scanning is a good way for evaluating the curative effect and follow-up.

A 2,4 -dichlorophenol degrading Pseudomonas strain GI241-1 was isolated from a soil sample. The dienelactone hydrolase gene, designated as dcpD which encodes dienelactone hydrolase involved in transforming cis-2-chloro-dienelactone into 2-chloromaleylacetic acid, was cloned from this bacterium strain. The gene cloning strategy was to construct genomic library after location of its neighbouring gene by Southem blot and to screen the aim transformant by dot blotting. Sequencing results showed that length of dcpD is 702bp. The sequence of dcpD and the deduced amino acid are different from the relative sequences registered in the GenBank.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of multiple stents placement in the management of hilar cholangiocarcinoma,especially in the complex cases of which the hepatic ducts are invaded.Methods Forty-five consecutive patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma were treated with percutaneous transhepatic placement of two or three self-expandable metallic endoprostheses.The cause of hilar obstructions in these patients were all cholangiocarcinoma,including Bismuth classification type Ⅱ(n 12 ),Ⅲa(n 17),Ⅲb(n 10),and Ⅳ(n 6).Two or 3 stents were placed in the configuration of T,Y or X over the strictures.Results Stent placement with 2 or 3 endoprostheses was successful in all patients.All patients showed significant decrease in serum bilirubin level.The mortality rate within 30 days of stent placement was 2.2%(1/45).The mean survival and stent patency times were 215.3 d(26— 516 d)and 181.5 d(26—473 d),respectively.Conclusion Deploying of multiple metallic stents is an effective method to treat complex hilar cholangiocarcinoma,especially for the cases of which hepatic ducts are invaded:the henatic ducts should be drained as much as nossible.