Changes of syndromes and therapeutic feature of the patients with steroid-dependent asthma(SDA)during steroid withdrawal were investigated.It was held that the patient presented pathological changes from deficiency of Yin and hyperactivity of evil fire before steroid withdrawal to deficiency of Yin and Yang during steroid withdrawal to deficiency of kidney-Yang after steroid withdrawal,with the syndrome of stasis of phlegm and blood throughout the whole process.Therefore,a new scheme for weaning the steroid with the TCM three-step sequential therapy was established according to the changes of syndromes,i,e., nourishing Yin and blood,clearing away excessive heat and eliminating stasis of phlegm and blood before steroid withdrawal; nourishing Yin and blood,inhibiting pathogenic wind,replenishing Qi and Yang,activating blood circulation,resolving phlegm and lowering the adverse rise of Qi to relieve asthma during steroid withdrawal;warming kidney-Yang and adjusting Qi and blood,and regulating functional activity of Qi after steroid withdrawal.Because the three-steep sequential therapy was designed based on the dynamic change of SDA during steroid withdrawal,it conformed with the whole clinical process of the occurrence,development and changes of SDA than any other single way,and reflected the essential characteristics of the pathological changes.

Objective To improve the establishment of severe acute pancreatitis model in rat. Methods 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into experiment or shame operation group(n=18,each). Severe acute pancreatitis was induced by injection of 4% sodium taurocholate through puncturing common bile duct with a fine needle, puncture hole was closed by medical sealant glue. Ascites volume and blood amylase were measured at 3, 6 and 12 hours after injection. Gross and histological changes of pancreas were evaluated by a scoring system. Results Pancreatic changes in the experiment group was hemorrhagic and necrosis.The ascites volume(8.52±1.05)ml,serum amylase activity(5247.17±547.07)u/L, gross and histological scores(13.6±3.92) in experiment group was significantly higher than ascites volume(1.21±0.32)ml,serum amylase activity(1289.5±176.67)u/L, gross and histological scores((0.83±0.58) in shame operation group at every time point(P<0.05). Conclusions Combined injection through common bile duct and medical sealant glue in the experiment can minimize the trauma and simplize the procedure. This method produces a reliable model with high success rate and it is an ideal severe acute pancreatitis animal model.

Objective To explore the effects of glutamine (Gln) on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6),and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).Methods 54 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups ( n =18 for each group):Gln treatment group ( Gln),SAP model group (SAP),and negative control group (NC).SAP was induced by injection of 4％ sodium taurocholate through common bile duct with a fine needle and the puncture hole in the bile duct was closed by medical sealant glue.Sham operation was performed in the rats of NC group.Rats in Gln group received Gln injection and rats in SAP group and NC group received normal saline instead of Gln.Ascites volume and blood amylase were measured at 3,6 and 12 hours after injection and plasma cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Gross and histological changes of pancreas were evaluated by a scoring system.Results The ascites volume,serum amylase level,gross and histological scores,TNF-α level,and IL-6 level were significantly higher in SAP group than in NC group at each time point(P＜0.05).IL-10 level was significantly higher in SAP group than in NC group at 3 hour point(P＜0.05).The ascites volume,serum amylase level,and gross and histological scores were significantly lower in Gln group than in SAP group at the time point of 3 hour and 6 hour after injection( P ＜ 0.05 ).Level of TNF-α and IL-6 was significantly lower in Gln group than in SAP group at each time point( P ＜0.05 ).IL-10 level was lower in Gln group than in SAP group at 3 hour point( P ＜0.05 ).Conclusion Gln is effective in SAP treatment by decreasing the serum level of proinflammatory cytokine and ameliorating the pathological damage of pancreatic tissues in rats.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a multifunctional growth factor,which is widely expressed in most ocular tissues including cornea,retina and sclera.It may regulate the growth and proliferation of various ocular cells with the interaction of epidermal growth factor receptor in vitro or in vivo.This article reviews the role of EGF in pathological and physiological processes of ocular diseases,including corneal injury,retinal proliferative diseases,myopia,pterygium,glaucoma,cataract,and eye tumors.

Background Plasma membrane calcium ATPase 3 (PMCA3) participates in the regulation of Ca2+ level in lens epithelial cells (LECs),which may be associated with the pathogenesis of cataract.It has been proved that ultraviolet B (UVB) is one of causing-factors of cataract.However,the effect of UVB on the expression of PMCA3 in LECs is unclear.Objective This study was to investigate the effects of UVB irradiation on the expression of PMCA3 in human LECs B-3.Methods HLE B-3 cells were cultured and passaged.The cells were exposed to 0,5,10 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB for 0,20,40,80 s,respectively and further cultured for 24,48 and 72 hours.MTT assay was used to detect the cell proliferation rate.JC-1 staining was used to detect the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential (△ψm) in the cells.The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by DCFH-DA staining,and cell apoptosis was evaluated using annexin V-FITC/PI staining.In addition,the intracellular calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration in the cells was assayed with Fluo-3/AM staining.The expression levels of PMCA3 mRNA and PMCA protein in the HLE B-3 cells were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot,respectively.Results The survival rates of the cells were significantly reduced with the increase of irradiated intensity of UVB and the lapse of time (Fgroup =72.411,P =0.000 ; Ftime =36.588,P =0.000),and the survival rates of the cells in the 10 mJ · s/cm2 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB for 24 hours were (75.3 ± 2.2) ％ and (48.7 ±4.5) ％,respectively,which were significantly lower than those in the 0 mJ · s/cm2 UVB group ([100.0±0.0] ％) (P=0.001,0.000).The survival rates of the cells in the 5,10,20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB for 48 hours were (84.9± 1.2) ％,(69.3±17.4)％ and (32.8±4.5)％,showing significant declines in comparison with the 0 mJ · s/cm2 UVB group ([100.0±0.0] ％) (P =0.047,0.000,0.000).In 72 hours following 5,10,20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB irradiation,the survival rates of the cells were (55.1 ± 3.0) ％,(42.1 ± 1.9) ％ and (26.1 ±4.7) ％,respectively,with significant differences in comparison with the 0 mJ · s/cm2 UVB group ([100.0 ± 0.0] ％) (P =0.000,0.000,0.000).JC-1staining exhibited the intracellular red fluorescence in the normal cells group.However,in the 5 mJ · s/cm2 UVB group,weak green fluorescence was seen,and the green fluorescence was enhanced in the 10 mJ · s/cm2 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB groups.After irradiated by 5,10 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB,the ROS levels in the cells increased from 0.4％ to 35.8％,51.9％ and 76.7％,respectively.The apoptosis and necrosis rate of the cells was 2.0％ in the 0 mJ · s/cm2 UVB and 4.2％,7.6％,15.1％ in the 5,10,20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB groups,respectively.The Ca2+ level raised by (1.2±0.1) and (1.3±0.1) folds in the 10 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB groups more than that in the 0 mJ · s/cm2 group (P =0.039,0.004).The expression levels of PMCA3 mRNA in the cells were significantly reduced (P=0.001,0.004,0.000),and the expression levels of the PMCA protein were declined in the 5,10 and 20 mJ · s/cm2 UVB groups compared with the 0 mJ · s/cm2 UVB group (P=0.000,0.000,0.001).Conclusions UVB irradiation causes cataract probably through downregulating the expression of PMCA3 in human LECs and inducing apoptosis of LECs in a dose-and time-dependent manner.

To investigate p120 catenin mRNA expression in Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) cell lines (U937, Raji, Jurkat and Molt4) and normal lymphocytes and explore the relationship between p120 catenin and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, total RNA sample was extracted by using TRIzol and reversely transcripted into cDNA. Polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect mRNA expression of p120 catenin in NHL cell lines U937, Raji, Jurkat and Molt4. Normal lymphocytes were used as control. It was found expressions of p120 catenin 1A and 3A mRNA were high in above-mentioned NHL cell lines, but neither p120 catenin 1A nor 3A was found in normal lymphocytes as shown by RT-PCR. It is concluded that both P120ctn1A and P120ctn3A mRNA transcripts were found in all NHL cell lines U937, Raji, Jurkat and Molt4 but they don't exist in normal lymphocytes, suggesting p120ctn possibly is of importance in diagnosis and therapy of lymphoma.
Catenins/genetics ; Cell Adhesion Molecules/*genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Jurkat Cells ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/genetics ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin/pathology ; Phosphoproteins/*genetics ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/*metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Markers, Biological/genetics ; U937 Cells

Objective To evaluate the complementary value of 11C-choline (CHO) PET/CT to 18F-FDG PET/CT in the staging of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and diagnosis of HCC.Methods From December 2007 to January 2010,15 patients with locally advanced NPC and 76 patients with HCC were prospectively enrolled into this study.The research was approved by the ethics committee,and all patients signed informed consents.Whole body 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed on all patients and regional 11C-CHO PET/CT was conducted in 43 patients (15 with NPC,28 with HCC).A lesion with increased uptake of either 11 C-CHO or 18F-FDG was considered positive.SUVmax,tumor/brain (T/B) ratio and tumor/liver (T/L) ratio were calculated for semi-quantitative analysis.Two-sample t test,x2 test,Fisher exact test and linear correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results (1) The lesion SUVmax of 18 F-FDG was higher compared to 11C-CHO (12.81 ± 5.00 vs 6.84 ± 2.76 ; t =6.416,P ＜0.01) in NPC patients.However,11C-CHO PET/CT had a much higher T/B ratio than 18F-FDG (18.62 ±7.95 vs 1.38 ±0.59 ; t =8.801,P ＜ 0.01).Significant correlation was found between the 2 tracers with regard to NPC lesion uptake (r =0.712,P ＜0.01).Compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT,11C-CHO PET/CT had better delineation of intracranial invasion in 50.0％ of patients (12/12 vs 6/12; x2 =8.000,P ＜0.05),skull base invasion in 4/14 patients and orbital invasion in 3/3 patients.(2) 18F-FDG PET/CT showed positive findings in 63.1％ (48/76) of HCC patients.In 28 HCC patients with negative findings on 18F-FDG PET/CT,11 C-CHO PET/CT was positive in 71.4％ (20/28) of patients.The dual-tracer PET/CT improved the diagnostic sensitivity (89.5％,68/76) of HCC compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT (63.1％,48/76) alone (x2 =14.559,P ＜0.01).11C-CHO PET/CT was more sensitive than 18F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of well differentiated HCC (6/9 vs 35.7％ (5/14) ; P =0.214).For the detection of moderately differentiated HCC,the sensitivity of 11C-CHO and 18F-FDG PET/CT was similar to each other (6/7vs 72.0％ (18/25),P =0.648).11C-CHO PET/CT was more sensitive than 18F-FDG for the detection of HCC lesions ＜5.0 cm (72.7％ (16/22) vs 42.1％ (16/38) ; x2 =5.249,P ＜0.05),especially for lesions ＜ 2.0 cm (5/7 vs 0/7; P =0.021).Conclusions 11 C-CHO PET/CT could improve the accuracy in T staging of NPC.It might also play a complementary role for 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the detection of HCC.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of dual phase 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of recurrent and metastatic bladder cancer after surgery. Methods The imaging data from 84 patients underwent the dual phase 18F-FDG PET/CT after surgery with known histories of bladder cancer were analyzed. Among the 84 patients, 16 had symptoms of recurrence, 24 had symptoms of metastasis and 44 didn′t have any symptom. The median interval time between the primary tumor resection and the PET/CT scan was 11.5 months (0.5 ~ 240 months). According to the PET/CT imaging procedures, all patients underwent whole body PET/CT scan at 60 minutes after IV injection of 18F-FDG. Additional delayed pelvic PET/CT images were acquired after forced diuresis by using oral 40 mg furosemide. The 18F-FDG PET/CT findings were compared with histopathologic examination results and (or) the clinical follow-up. All patients were followed up for more than six months. Results Results of detecting recurrence and metastasis of bladder cancer showed that the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the dual phase FDG PET/CT imaging protocol were 91.7%(22/24), 95.0%(57/60), 94.0%(79/84), 88.0%(22/25), 96.6%(57/59) and 90.0%(27/30), 96.3%(52/54), 94.0%(79/84), 93.1%(27/29), 94.5%(52/55), respectively. Conclusion Dual phase FDG PET/CT can be used to detect the recurrence and metastasis with high accuracy, contributing to the restaging and follow-up in bladder cancer after surgery.

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the survival and prognosis of patients with stage Ⅲ～ Ⅳgastric cancers.Methods A total of 156 cases of Ⅲ ～ Ⅳ gastric cancer was studied retrospectively from September 1,2006 to December 31,2012.Kaplan-Meier analysis,Log-rank univariate analysis,Cox proportional hazards model analysis were used to analyze survival and prognostic factors.Results Twelve cases were lost,to the end of the follow-up,22 cases were alive.The median survival time was 29.3 months.1-year,3-year,and 5-year overall survival rates were 83.3％,37.8％,and 21.2％,respectively.Univariate analysis showed that tumor size,tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging,curative resection,hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy (HIPEC),and postoperative chemotherapy were correlated with prognosis (P ＜0.05 for all).Multivariate analysis showed that TNM staging,curative resection,HIPEC,and postoperative chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors (P ＜ 0.01 for all).Conclusions TNM staging,curative resection,hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy are the independent factors affecting the prognosis of stage Ⅲ～ Ⅳ gastric cancer after resection.Hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy can improve their survival.

The detection rate of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is significantly increased with the widespread application of chest computed tomography (CT) scans. Therefore, there is rising demand and expectation for more accurate diagnostic tests to characterize SPN. The different diagnostic methods currently used in clinical practice have their advantages and disadvantages. This article reviews the literature pertaining to SNP diagnosis and treatment strategy and above mentioned concerns according to Fleischner society, American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) screening guideline.