Objective To explore the combined detection of serum osteopontin(OPN),gastric cancer associ-ated antigen(MG7 -Ag)and tissue polypeptide specific antigen(TPS)for the clinical value of diagnosis of gastric cancer.Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent test(ELISA)was used to detect serum levels of OPN,MG7 -Ag and TPS of 60 cases of gastric cancer patients,gastric benign lesion group 20 cases were randomly selected at the same time,the group of 24 cases of precancerous lesions and 40 healthy people were also selected as control study.Results Gastric cancer group′s serum levels of OPN,MG7 -Ag and TPS were significantly higher than those of gastric benign lesions,the precancerous lesion group and healthy control group(F =50.993,62.50,41.396,all P <0.01 ).The single detection sensitivity were 71.7%,80.0% and 67.3% respectively,three joint detection sensitivity was 91.7%.Conclusion Combined detection of serum OPN,MG7 -Ag and TPS can improve the sensitivity of diagnosis of gastric cancer,and has higher diagnosis significance in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Objective To reconstruct tissue-engineered uterine patch similar to native endometrium and myotrium. Methods The purified rabbit uterine smooth muscle cells and stromal cells were mixed with liquid type Ⅰ collagen, and laid on mold respectively. Then the collagen-embedded cells were combined to create a cell complex, epithelial cells were inoculated on top of the complex, histological and immunohistochemical staining, and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the engineered uterine tissue. Results The engineered uterine tissues (EUTs) were reconstructed with isolated and cultured uterine smooth muscle cells, stromal cells and epithelial cells. After cultured for 14 days, histological and immunohistochemical analyses showed that the smooth muscle cells and stromal cells in the EUTs distributed evenly in the two layers and the majority of the cells, with elongated nuclei, stretched along the stretching direction. The morphology of EUTs resembled that of the native uterine tissue. In scanning electron microscopy, some epithelial cells protruded pinopodes. The surface of epithelial cells was covered abundantly with microvilli and some cells were ciliated. Conclusion Uterine smooth muscle cells and stromal cells were mixed with Liquid type Ⅰcollagen respectively, and epithelial cells were inoculated on top of the complex for generation of EUTs similar to the native uterine tissue.

Objective To evaluate cerebrospinal fluid adenosine deaminase(CSF-ADA)activity in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis(TMB), and to observe its dynamic changes. Methods A total of 160 patients were included and were divided into two groups: 76 cases of TBM and 84 cases of non-TBM.Among the cases of non-TBM, there were 36 cases of bacterial meningitis, 30 cases of viral meningitis and 18 cases of cryptocoocal meningitis. All the patients were measured with their CSF-ADA activity by Enzymecoupled assay(Trinder method)and 47 patients of TBM were measured again after 2 weeks' and 6 weeks'antitubercular therapy. Results were expressed as(-x)± s. Mann-Whitney U test and paired-samples t test were used. Results CSF-ADA activity in TBM group was(12.9 ±6.4)U/L, while that in the non-TBM group was(6.0 ± 4.1)U/L, the difference was of statistical significance(U = 7.860, P ＜ 0.05). With the cutoff value of 9 U/L, the sensitivity and specificity to differentiate TBM from non-TBM was 84.21% and 83. 33%, respectively. CSF-ADA activity decreased in TBM patients after antitubercular treatment.Conclusions CSF-ADA activity can be an effective laboratory marker for early differential diagnosis of TMB with the cut-off value of 9 U/L. Dynamic changes of CSF-ADA activity may be a indicator for the effect of antitubercular treatment.

Objective:To study the anti-inflammatory effect of immune milk. Method:Twenty four strains of pathogenic bacteria (including 12 strains of pathogenic E.coli, 8 strains of Salmonella, 3 strains of Shigella and 1 strain of Yersinia enterocolitica) originated from human intestinal tract were selected as antigens, and dairy cows were immunized. Results:Vaccination could not increase the concentration of IgG in the immune milk, but significantly highten the specificity of milk antibodies. The antibody titers against 24 pathogenic bacteria in immune milk was 128, 64 folds of control regular milk. Conclusion:Feeding of immune milk could inhibit edema of rat footpad induced by carrageenin and formaldehyde and the formation of acestoma of mice caused by cotton embedded hypophloedally. Meanwhile, the PGE2 level in inflammatory footpad of rat fed with immune milk was remarkably lower than that of rat fed with regular milk. These results indicate that immune milk has anti-inflammatory property.

Objective To study the effect of endoscopic treatment for acute appendicitis (AA)without perforation or gangrene.Methods A total of 94 patients with AA were randomly divided into operation group (n =45 ) to receive appendectomy,control group (n =15 ) to accept conventional medicine of metronidazole and Cefoxitin and colonoscopy group (n =34) to undergo conventional medicine plus endoscopic treatment.The time for alleviation of abdominal pain,duration and mean cost of the hospitalization,and the recurrence rate in one year were compared.Results Compared to operation group,colonoscopy group was superior in the duration [ (2.77 ± 0.27) d vs.(6.65 ± 1.68) d ] and mean cost of hospitalization [ ( 1011.35 ± 22.12) yuan vs.(4023.37 ± 32.02 ) yuan ] ( P ＜ 0.05 and P ＜ 0.01,respectively).There were no significant differences in the time for alleviation of abdominal pain or the recurrence rate in one year between 2 groups.Colonoscopy group was superior to control group in all the indices (P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion Endoscopic treatment for AA without perforation and gangrene is effective and safe,which can be considered as the first-line treatment.

Objective To evaluate the long-term effect of hepatic arterial embolization with pingyangmycin-lipiodol emulsion (PLE) in patients with cavernous hemangiomas of the liver (CHL)and its influence factors.Methods One hundred and fifty-six hemangiomas that were diagnosed by imaging examinations or confirmed pathologically by surgery in 105 patients with integral follow-up data were analyzed retrospectively in this paper.All hemangiomas were divided into 4 groups according to their size (the largest size of hemangioma)by the authors as follows; A group(≤3 cm, n=25); B group(>3 cm and<5 cm, n =32) ;C group(≥5 cm and<10 cm, n=58); and D group(> 10 cm, n=41) .According to the number of abnormal sinusoids filled with the contrast medium in the angiography, 156 hemangiomas of this series were further classified as three types: abundant type (n=90) ; sparse type (n=9) and the middle type (n=57) .Hepatic arterial embolization with PLE was performed in the 105 patients with total 135 procedures (including single procedure in 75 patients, twice procedures in 30 patients).All of the 105 patients were followed up 3 to 8 years(mean 4 years) using US, CT or MRI or DSA.The criteria for the evaluation of curative effect were classified as best, good, recovery and no change in this series, and the sum of best and good effects were defined as the total effective rate.Then, the total effective rate of single procedure between the A, B groups and C, D groups; and the total effective rate of single procedure and twice procedures in the D groups, were compared statistically by X~2 test respectively.And the influence factors, included of the variant size of hemangiomas, abundant or sparse of abnormal sinusoids and the number of treatment procedures, were also analyzed and evaluated respectively.Results The total effective rate of the 156 hemangiomas in 105 patients was 92.95% (145/156).After single procedure of hepatic arterial embolization with PLE, the total effective rate of A and B groups were 100% (57/57), that of C and D groups were 85.86% (85/99), and the difference reach significant (X ~2=8.8553, P<0.01).In the D group, the total effective rate in group with twice procedures (100.00%,30/30) was significant higher (X~2 =5.2642,P<0.05) than those of group with single procedure (72.73%,8/11).Of this series, during the period of following-up, no recurrent or severe complications were observed.Conclusions A best long-term curative effect (complete cure) is usually obtained in the small hemangiomas with abundant abnormal sinusoids, and a satisfactory long-term curative effect can also be achieved in the larger or multiple hemangiomas, particularly in those hemangiomas with abundant abnormal sinusoids by using the repeat procedures of hepatic arterial embolization with PLE.

Objective To explore the expressions of Sry-related high mobility group box 9(SOX9)and gastrokine-1(GKN1) in gastric cancer tissues and their relationships with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients.Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of SOX9 and GKN1 in 70 cases of gastric cancer tissues and corresponding paracancerous tissues including 27 cases of intestinal metaplasia and 43 cases of normal gastric mucosa. The relationships of SOX9 and GKN1 expressions with clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed in gastric cancer tissues.Results The high expression rates of SOX9 in gastric cancer tissues,intestinal metaplasia,and normal gastric mucosa were 92.9%(65/70),77.8%(21/27),and 55.8%(24/43),respectively(=21.722,<0.001). Positive nuclear and cytoplasmic staining was observed. The high nuclear expression rate of SOX9 in gastric cancer tissues was 67.1%,which was significantly higher than those of intestinal metaplasia(37.0%,=0.007)and normal gastric mucosa(23.3%,<0.001). The high cytoplasmic expression rate of GKN1 in normal gastric mucosa was 76.7%,which was significantly higher than those of intestinal metaplasia(44.4%,=0.006)and gastric cancer tissues(37.1%,<0.001). Univariate analysis demonstrated that the nuclear expression of SOX9 in gastric cancer was associated with the degree of tissue differentiation(=0.007),while the cytoplasmic expression of GKN1 was associated with both the degree of tissue differentiation(=0.002)and whether the pathological type was a signet-ring cell carcinoma(=0.009). Furthermore,the nuclear expression of SOX9 was negatively correlated with the expression of GKN1 in gastric cancer(=15.424,<0.001). The 5-year survival rates of patients with high or low nuclear expression of SOX9 were 33.8% and 67.5%,respectively(=0.016).The 5-year survival rates of patients with high or low expression of GKN1 were 60.0% and 35.6%,respectively(=0.044). Further research indicated that 5-year survival rate of patients with high nuclear expression of SOX9 and low expression of GKN1 was 28.8%. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that TNM stage(stage Ⅱ:=7.435,95%:1.313-42.096,=0.023;stage Ⅲ:=12.214,95%:2.677-55.721,=0.001)and nuclear expression level of SOX9(=3.297,95%:1.199-9.065,=0.021)were independent risk factors for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Conclusions Changes in the expressions of SOX9 and GKN1 may be associated with the malignant biological behavior of gastric cancer. SOX9 may be a potential prognostic factor. The combined detection of SOX9 and GKN1 expression and the further study of their molecular mechanism may provide new clues for early diagnosis,targeted therapy,and prognostic prediction of gastric cancer.
Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Peptide Hormones ; genetics ; Prognosis ; SOX9 Transcription Factor ; genetics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion combined with conventional acupuncture for episodic cluster headache (CH). METHODS: One hundred and eighty patients with episodic CH were randomly divided into a combined group (60 cases, 3 cases dropped off)，an acupuncture group (60 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a sphenopalatine ganglion group (60 cases, 2 cases dropped off and 1 case was removed). The patients in the acupuncture group were treated with conventional acupuncture at Touwei (ST 8), Yintang (GV 24⁺), Yangbai (GB 14), Hegu (LI 4), etc., once a day, 6 times a week. The patients in the sphenopalatine ganglion group were treated with acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion, once every other day, 3 times a week. On the basis of the conventional acupuncture, the combined group was treated with acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion once every other day. Two weeks were taken as a course of treatment, and 3 courses of treatment were required in the 3 groups. The score of visual analogue scale (VAS), the number of headache attacks per week, the duration of each headache attack and the score of migraine-specific quality of life questionnaire version 2.1 (MSQ) were observed before and after treatment and in follow-up of 3 months after treatment. The clinical efficacy of each group was compared. RESULTS: After treatment and in follow-up, the VAS score of headache, the number of headache attacks per week, the duration of each headache attack, and each various scores and the total score of MSQ of each group were lower than those before treatment (P<0.01). Except that the number of headache attacks per week in the combined group was lower than the sphenopalatine ganglion group (P<0.01), other indexes in the combined group were lower than the other two groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). The total effective rate in the combined group was 93.0% (53/57), which was higher than 75.9% (44/58) in the acupuncture group and 73.7% (42/57) in the sphenopalatine ganglion group（P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion combined with conventional acupuncture could reduce the degree of pain in patients with episodic CH, reduce the number and duration of headache attacks, and improve the quality of life of patients. It is more effective than simple conventional acupuncture or acupuncture at sphenopalatine ganglion alone.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Cluster Headache/therapy* ; Headache/therapy* ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Treatment Outcome

Adult ; Brain ; drug effects ; pathology ; Caffeine ; adverse effects ; Fathers ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nuclear Family

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) mediated gene silencing of β-catenin on the biological characteristics of esophageal carcinoma cells, and to provide theoretical and experimental evidence for the gene therapy of esophageal carcinoma through target inhibition of β-catenin gene.

METHODSSingle strand DNA was synthesized according to the hairpin RNA sequence, and then subcloned into eukaryotic expression vector pGenesil-3 to construct a shRNA-expression pDNAs driven by human U6 promoter of β-catenin (pGen-3-CTNNB1). One additional construct of random siRNA (pGen-3-con) without homologous to any human genes was constructed in a similar fashion as control.Positive clones were identified and verified by restriction cleavage and DNA sequencing analyses. pGen-3-CTNNB1 and pGen-3-con were then transfected into esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca-109 with liposome, respectively. Positive colonies were selected with G418. Expression of β-catenin protein and mRNA in the transfected and nontransfected Eca-109 cells were examined by Western blotting, immunofluorescence and RT-PCR, respectively. Xenograft tumor model was used to compare the tumorigenesis of three different cells.Expressions of β-catenin in all tumor tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry staining. The invasive abilities of three different cells were examined with transwell invasion filter and Matrigel.

RESULTSβ-catenin expression levels were found markedly decreased in Eca-109 cells transfected with pGen-3-CTNNB1. In vivo, transfection with β-catenin shRNA greatly impeded the tumor growth, pGen-3-con (1.18 ± 0.13) g, Eca-109 (1.38 ± 0.21) g, pGen-3-CTNNB1 (0.42 ± 0.09) g, P < 0.05. Immunohistochemistry staining showed a significantly decreased expression of β-catenin in β-catenin shRNA transfected cells than in random shRNA transfected and nontransfected cells (P < 0.05). The infiltration abilities of esophageal carcinoma cells were significantly suppressed, pGen-3-con (81 ± 5)/HPF, Eca-109 (77 ± 6)/HPF, pGen-3-CTNNB1 (41 ± 4)/HPF, P < 0.01; along with significantly decreased migration abilities, pGen-3-con (73 ± 5)/HPF, Eca-109 (69 ± 5)/HPF, pGen-3-CTNNB1 (38 ± 4)/HPF (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere are abnormal expression of β-catenin and activation of Wnt signaling pathway in human esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca-109. RNA interference targeting β-catenin gene suppresses the growth of xenograft tumorigenesis in nude mouse and the invasiveness and metastatic capability of esophageal carcinoma cells.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Silencing ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Plasmids ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Signal Transduction ; Transfection ; Tumor Burden ; Wnt Proteins ; metabolism ; beta Catenin ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology