Objective To find an efficient and practical reconstruction algorithm for the fluorescence molecular tomography basing on total leastsquares rule as well as the normalized conjugate gradient method.Methods The finite element method was used to get the weighting matrix from the forward diffusion model.For the inverse reconstruction problem,the total least-squares rule was employed.The normalized conjugate gradient method was applied to find the fluorochrome information in the objective area.Results The simulation experiments showed that images reconstructed by the total least-squares rule were more accurate than those reconstructed by the least-squares rule under the same circumstances when noise existed.The presented algorithm could also give consistent results when the initial guesses varied in a wide range.Conclusion The algorithm presented in this paper offers a practical and efficient reconstruction for the fluorescence molecular tomography.

Objective To study the expression of NF-κB and COX-2 protein in renal cell carcinoma, and to investigate the clinical value of it in the occurrence, progression and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma as well as the prognosis of patients. Methods 48 cases of renal cell carcinoma tissues and 5 cases of normal renal tissues were detected by using immunohistochemical method, and following up the patients who were included in the study. Then we analyzed the relationship between NF-κB and COX-2 protein level and clinic pathological parameters as well as the prognosis of patients. Resalts The expression of NF-κB and COX-2 protein were increasing in renal cell carcinoma, the protein levels were significantly different compared with that in normal renal tissues(P <0.05). There were significantly positive correlation between the expression of NF-κB protein and the clinic stages of renal cell earcinoma(P <0.05), but no correlation between the expression of COX-2 protein and them(P >0.05). There were significantly negative correlation between the expression of COX-2 protein and the pathological grades of renal cell careinoma(P <0.05), but no correlation between the expression of NF-κB protein and them (P>O.05). The survival rate of these patients whose expression of NF-κB protein were positive was significantly lower than those of negative expression of NF-κB protein(P <0.05), and there was opposite result for COX-2, but not significanfly(P >0.05). The expression of NF-κB and COX-2 protein in renal cell carcinoma had no significant correlation (P >0.05). Conclusion There may be relationship between the expression of NF-κB and COX-2 protein and the occurrence, progression of renal cell carcinoma, the expression of NF-κB may also have association with metastasis of renal cell carcinoma as well as the prognosis of patients. Detecting the expression of NF-κB and COX-2 protein may be useful in early diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma as well as prognosis evaluation of patients.

Objective To summarize the value of early mechanical ventilation plus continuous vacuum suction in treatment of serious pulmonary contusion.Methods Forty-eight cases of severe pulmonary contusion were assigned to mechanical ventilation plus continuous vacuum suction (observation group,n =20) and mechanical ventilation plus discontinuous vacuum suction (control group,n =28)according to the random number table.Modes of mechanical ventilation were synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV),pressure support ventilation (PSV),and positive and expiratory pressure (PEEP).Changes in blood gas analysis,mechanical ventilation time,and associated complications were compared between groups.Results At ventilation time of 6 and 24 hours,PaO2 in observation group was (100.36 ± 5.90) mmHg and (105.34 ± 7.40) mmHg respectively,with significant differences from (75.36 ± 8.95) mmHg and (76.36 ± 8.35) mmHg in control group (P ＜ 0.01).At ventilation time of 24 hours,PaO2/FiO2 was (283.50 ± 15.20) mmHg in observation group and (201.50 ± 10.20) mmHg in control group (P ＜0.01).Mechanical ventilation time and PEEP at ventilation time of 48 hours in observation group was (3.2 ± 1.1) days and (4.5 ± 2.3) cmH2 O,with significant differences from (6.5 ± 2.8) days and (8.5 ± 2.5) cmH2O in control group (P ＜ 0.01).Associated complications of the two groups revealed no significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Early mechanical ventilation with sustained vacuum suction is effective to keep airway clear,improve oxygenation index,decrease PEEP level,and control the duration of mechanical ventilation,but may not lower the risks of ventilator-associated pneumonia and pulmonary atelectasis.

Objective To explore high concentrations of urea-induced human brain microvascular endothelial cell line( HBMECs) to produce inflammatory cytokines and possible mechanism .Methods HBMECs were incubated in high concentrations of urea or mannitol ( as osmotic control ) for 3,6,12 and 24 hours.Expression of TNF-αand iNOS was observed by immunofluorescence .Western blot analysis was employed to assess the protein expressions of TNF-α, iNOS, COX-2, NF-κB/P65 and p-P65.NO concentration was determined by a commercial NO assay kit . Results Immunofluorescence showed high positive immunostaining of TNF-αand iNOS after incubation in high concentration of urea stimulued as compared with control group .The protein expressions of TNF-α, COX-2 and p-P65 were significantly increased at 3 and 6 hours after high urea treatment (P<0.01), and iNOS was continued to increase from 3 to 24 hours ( P<0.01 ) .Moreover , NO content was increased at 3 hours after high urea treatment ( P<0.05 ) .Conclusions High concentration of urea can induce HBMECs to produce inflammatory cytokines .

Background and purpose:The association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate how MS correlates with the prevalence and malignancy of RCC.Methods:This study enrolled 398 RCC patients (350 clear cell RCC patients, 5 XP11.2 transloca-tion RCC patients, 16 papillary RCC patients and 27 chromophobe RCC patients), 160 normal persons, and 32 benign renal tumor patients. The metabolic status of the patients was assessed, and the link between MS and the prevalence or malignancy of RCC was calculated.Results:Clear cell RCC patients had signiifcantly higher rates of hypertension, higher body mass index (BMI) and longer waist circumference. Forty-eight percent clear cell RCC patients had MS, while the number was 33% for papillary RCC, 26% for chromophobe RCC, 0% for XP11.2, 17% for AML, and 25%for normal people. MS patients had signiifcant higher rates of having clear cell RCC than no-MS patients, however this kind of difference was not seen in other types of RCC. Clear cell RCC patients with higher Furhman grade had lower rates of MS.Conclusion:Patients with MS are more likely to develop clear cell RCC. Patients with high Furhman grade tumors have low MS rates, indicating that high grade tumor may have other originating mechanisms other than metabolic disorders.

Background and purpose:Papillary renal cell carcinomas (PRCC) is relatively infrequent, and there are few related researches in China. This study aimed to summarize the clinical and pathological features of PRCC, and evaluate prognostic factors for patients treated with surgery.Methods:A total of 64 patients who under-went surgery for PRCC were retrospectively assessed. PRCC tissue slides from each patient were reviewed for type (ⅠorⅡ), grade, TNM stage, coagulative tumor necrosis and microvascular invasion. We estimated overall survival using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analysis was done according to the Cox proportional hazards model of factors statistically signiifcant on univariate analysis. Results:The incidence rate of ENE was 6.04%in RCC, the median age was 55 (range 22 to 78) years. The comparison of the 22 (534.4%) typeⅠPRCCs and 42 (65.6%) typeⅡPRCCs revealed that typeⅡtumors were associated with a greater stage and grade more often. The median follow-up was 46 months (range 19 to 133). Of the 64 patients, 14 died, (4.5%) with typeⅠand 13 (31.0%) with typeⅡtumors (P=0.018). The overall survival rate was 85.7%in typeⅠtumors and 55.8%in typeⅡtumors, respectively. Univariate analysis identiifed symptoms at presentation, tumor type, TNM stage and grade as prognostic factors. On multivariate analysis only metastatic RCC remained associated with decreased overall survival (HR:14.78, P=0.004). Conclusion:The per-centage of PRCC is lower and typeⅡPRCC is relatively common compared with foreign data. Metastasis at diagnosis is an independent predictive parameter of overall survival in Chinese patients with PRCC.

To develop a method of evaluating bone mass with CT numbers (Hounsfield unit, HU), volumetric mean of CT numbers (HUm) was defined to describe bone mass for the study of bone loss caused by microgravity. Ten femurs in the tail-suspended rats experiment were scanned by CT scanner. And the RUm of the intact, proximal, middle and distal femurs were obtained from these CT data. Then regressive analysis was performed between HUm and bone mineral density (BMD) measured by DXA in those regions. When HU threshold is equal to 400, the correlation between BMD and HUm of the intact femur is the best in all cases (R = 0.887, P <0.001), and the correlation between BMD and HUm of the proximal femur (R = 0.833, P <0.01) is better than those of the middle femur (R=0.683, P<0.05) and distal femur (R = 0.744, P<0.05). Volumetric mean of CT numbers has a good linear relationship with BMD; it can accurately describe bone mass and can be used to evaluate the results of the tail-suspended rats experiment.
Animals ; Bone Density ; Femur ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Rats ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

The role of PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide), a peptidergic transmitter, in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis is not yet clear. This experiment was conducted to examine the action of exogenous PACAP on rat pancreas and on the course of experimental acute pancreatitis. The results showed that 5-30 microg/kg of PACAP slightly raised the serum amylase level, induced pancreatic edema (23.88% +/- 2.532%-25.86% +/- 1.974% of experiment groups versus 29.21% +/- 5.657% of control group), inflammatory cell infiltration, vacuolization of acinar cells, and occasionally fatty and parenchymal necroses. 15-30 microg/kg of PACAP aggravated cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis; the pancreatic edema became more marked (13.45% +/- 2.045%-17.66% +/- 4.652% of expreiment groups versus 21.83% +/- 3.013% of cerulein group, P<0.05), the serum amylase level became higher; and ascites, pancreatic bleeding, fatty and parenchymal necroses, and extensive vacuolization of acinar cells appeared. For sodium taurocholate-induced pancreatitis, 5-10 microg/kg of PACAP mildly attenuated the pancreatic edema, reduced the serum amylase level (1986.91 +/- 710.97-2944.33 +/- 1182.47 IU/L vs 3690.87 +/- 2277.99 IU/L, P<0.05), whereas it caused multifocal hemorrhage and prominent necrosis in pancreas. Except the cerulein-induced pancreatitis groups, other groups were found to have reduced pancreatic functional capillary density (FCD); when pancreatic edema was taken into consideration and calibrated FCD was introduced (FCD weighted against pancreatic wet/dry ratio), all groups revealed increases in pancreatic functional capillaries when compared with normal control. In conclusion, PACAP is proinflammatory in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, PACAP plus cerulein can induce acute hemorrhagic/necrotizing pancreatitis, and the action of PACAP on cerulein-induced panceatitis may differ from that on sodium taurocholate-induced one. In this experiment, pancreatic FCD was underestimated due to pancreatic edema.
Amylases ; blood ; Animals ; Capillaries ; pathology ; Ceruletide ; Disease Models, Animal ; Male ; Pancreas ; blood supply ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; chemically induced ; enzymology ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Cholangiocarcinoma is a primary malignant tumor derived from the epithelium of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts, and vasculogenic mimicry induced by hypoxia and lack of nutrition is a key factor for malignant proliferation, recurrence, and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma. Previous studies have shown that autophagy maintains cell nutrition metabolism under the condition of a lack of nutrition, and preliminary experiments have confirmed that autophagy was associated with VM in cholangiocarcinoma and there was high expression of PAT4 in cholangiocarcinoma cells; on the basis of these studies, it is pointed out that in cholangiocarcinoma, protective autophagy regulates VM formation by maintaining intracellular metabolic balance and cellular homeostasis. As a nutrient sensor in tumor microenvironment, PAT4 mediates protective autophagy via the PI3K-Akt-mTORC1 signaling pathway to regulate VM formation. Histological, cellular molecular, and in vivo experiments have confirmed that autophagy regulates VM formation by maintaining cell metabolism, stem cell features, and extracellular matrix remodeling, which helps to investigate the signal mechanism for PAT4 mediating autophagy to regulate VM. It is suggested that autophagy is the source of energy and nutrition in cholangiocarcinoma cells under the condition of a lack of nutrition, and PAT4 is the trigger point for autophagy in regulating VM formation. These findings provide new thoughts for the metabolism of cholangiocarcinoma cells and lay a theoretical foundation for antiangiogenic drugs combined with autophagy inhibitors in the treatment of highly aggressive tumors.

Objective To explore the relationship between the expression of Toll like receptor 4(TLR4)and Janus protein tyrosine kinase 3(JAK3)genes and the imbalance of helper T cell 17(Th17)/regulatory T cells(Treg)in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)of patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods A total of 101 AS patients were selected as the AS group.According to the AS Disease Activity Index(BASDAI)score,patients were divided into the AS stable phase(ASS)group(＜4 points,42 cases)and the AS active phase(ASA)group(≥4 points,59 cases).Additionally,50 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examinations at our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group(health group).Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was used to determine the mRNA expression of TLR4 and JAK3 in PBMCs,and the proportion of serum Th17 and Treg was measured and Th17/Treg levels were calculated.Results The levels of TLR4 mRNA and JAK3 mRNA in PBMCs of peripheral blood were higher in the AS group than those in the health group(P＜0.05).The levels of Th17,proportion and Th17/Treg in peripheral blood were higher in the AS group than those of the health group(P＜0.05).Higher levels of TLR4 mRNA,JAK3 mRNA,Th17,and Th17/Treg were risk factors for AS,while higher level of Treg was protective factors for AS.TLR4 mRNA and JAK3 mRNA in AS patients were positively correlated with Th17 ratio and Th17/Treg ratio,and negatively correlated with Treg ratio(P＜0.05).Conclusion TLR4 and JAK3 genes are highly expressed and Th17/Treg is unbalanced in PBMC of AS patients.The high expression of TLR4 and JAK3 genes is closely related to Th17/Treg imbalance in AS patients.