Objective To study telomere dynamics in bone marrow from patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) by flow cytometry and FISH (FLOW FISH) Methods By FLOW FISH , we detected telomere lengths of leukocytes in bone marrow from 43 leukemia patients and 48 healthy donors The mean fluorescence intensity of cells (Q FISH) was detected by flow cytometer Results Compared with the age matched normal range (0 066?0 015), 38 of 43 patients had shortened telomere length (0 047?0 019), and the remaining patients (3 MDS and 2 chromic phase CML) had normal telomere lengths (0 069?0 007 vs 0 060?0 008) Although no significant difference in telomere lengths could be demonstrated in 8 leukemia patients at diagnosis and follow up, a trend toward telomere shortening was observed in CLL patients with 0 052 vs 0 048 in which telomere tended to shorten as the disease went on In contrast, longer telomeres were found in AML patients after induction chemotherapy (0 056) compared with those found in diagnostic specimens (0 043) In the healthy donors, the telomere length turned to be shorter with increase of age ( r =0 67), whereas in leukemia and MDS patients, the telomere length had no correlation with age ( r =0 14) Conclusion The telomere lengths from most patients with leukemia and MDS were shorter than that of healthy donors The telomere dynamics is associated with prognosis and therapy of disease

Objective To evaluate magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in identifying Mirizzi syndrome and surgical modality Methods According to MRCP identification open laparotomy was adopted for those 7 case with gallbladder enlargemeng incarcerated stones close to the hilum and long segment obstruction of the common bile duct.Other 16 type Ⅰ Mirizzi syndrome cases without these characteristics underwent LC.Results Among 23 patients in MRCP group 22 cases were successfully operated on based on preoperatively planned surgical procedures.Only one was converted to open surgery because of the variation of gallbladder artery.While in 23 cases without undergoing preoperative MRCP examination,7 out of 12 cases assigned to LC were converted to open cholecystectomy (OC),11cases were done by OC.The Preoperative accurate diagnosis rate was 82.6％ (19/23) in MRCP patients with type Mirizzi Ⅰ syndrome.The success rate of preassigned surgical approach was 95.7％ (22 / 23).While in non-MRCP group,the conversion rate was 58.3％ (7/12),the average length of stay were significantly prolonged.Conclusions Preoperative MRCP examination helps accurately establish the diagrosis of type Ⅰ Mirizzi syndrome,precisely plan appropriate surgical approaches.

PURPOSE: An older female predominance has been reported among chronic cough patients in Western countries, which is considered to be associated with a higher cough sensitivity in females. However, the characteristics of Chinese chronic cough patients remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the age and sex distribution as well as their relationship with cough reflex sensitivity to capsaicin in Chinese chronic cough patients. METHODS: We analyzed the demographic features of 1,882 consecutive chronic cough patients who attended our cough clinic in Guangzhou, China. Cough sensitivity to capsaicin, which was defined as the lowest concentration of capsaicin causing 5 coughs or more (C5), was measured in 539 of the 1,882 patients and 68 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 43.0 ± 13.7 years and patients aged <50 years accounted for more than two-thirds of the study population. Around 87% of the patients were never-smokers. The proportion of females (51.5%) was almost equal to that of males (48.5%). The pattern of the age and sex distribution was consistently reflected within most common causes of chronic cough, while a female predominance was shown in patients with cough-variant asthma and patients aged ≥50 years. Female patients had higher cough sensitivity to capsaicin than male patients (log C5: 1.58 ± 0.84 vs. 2.04 ± 0.84 μmol/L, P = 0.001), and patients aged ≥50 years had higher cough sensitivity to capsaicin than patients aged <50 years. CONCLUSIONS: In China, patients with chronic cough have a roughly equal sex distribution and a middle-aged predominance, irrespective of a higher cough sensitivity to capsaicin in females and older patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02591550
Age Distribution ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Asthma ; Capsaicin ; China ; Cough ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Male ; Reflex ; Sex Distribution