BACKGROUND: In recent years, ultrasound microbubble gene transfer system has been applied for gene transfection in many parts of the body, but it has been seldom reported to be used for gene transfection in bone parts. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficiency and feasibility of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction applied for transfection of enhanced green fluorescent protein plasmid into the femoral head of rabbits.METHODS: Japanese big-ear rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: bare transfection, pre-irradiation + bare transfection, ultrasound transfection, pre-irradiation+ultrasound transfection, and repeatable transfection. In the first two groups, ultrasound-targeted gene transfection and irradiation was not used, but in the latter three groups, ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction was used to transfect enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid into the femoral head of rabbits. At 1 week after transfection, EGFP expression in femoral head was observed under the fluorescence microscope. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: EGFP expression appeared in the ultrasound transfection, pre-irradiation + ultrasound transfection and repeatable transfection. The transfection efficiency of EGFP plasmid was significantly higher in the repeatable transfection group than in the other groups (P < 0.01). Obvious injury loci were not observed in the soft tissue and bone tissue slices of ultrasonic irradiation parts in the ultrasound transfection, pre-irradiation + ultrasound transfection and repeatable transfection groups. These results confirm that ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction is a safe and effective method to transfect EGFP plasmid into the femoral head of rabbits.

Objective To assess the aMAP risk in prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in outpatients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods A total of 709 patients with chronic HBV infection were recruited for calculation of the aMAP scores and then stratified for HCC risk statistically. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. Results Among these 709 patients, 22.4% had complicated with alcoholic liver disease, 11.8% with diabetes mellitus. 18.6% with fatty liver, 19.0% with liver cirrhosis, and 9.7% with liver cancer. Among all patients, 71.2% received oral antiviral medicine. Moreover, the highest aMAP score was 75.2 and the low, medium and high HCC risks were 70.0%, 23.1%, and 6.9% respectively in these patients. The proportion of patients with high HCC risk was higher among those with alcohol liver disease, diabetes mellitus, and liver cirrhosis than those without these complications (9.4% vs 6.2%; 11.9% vs 6.2%; and 19.3% vs 4.0%). The mean annual change in aMAP score was 0.93±2.05 in patients without antiviral treatment that was higher than -1.15±1.72 in patients with antiviral treatment ( t =39.36; P < 0.001). In addition, the proportion of these patients with high HCC risk three years before HCC diagnosis was 38.4%, 26.7%, and 33.3% respectively. The median of aMAP score was more than 50 three years before diagnosis liver cancer, data of which indicated that this change was earlier than that of AFP. Conclusion aMAP is a simple convenient marker for screening early HCC in outpatient with chronic HBV infection and complications, especially in those patients with alcohol liver disease, diabetes, and cirrhosis. Oral antiviral therapy could reduce aMAP in patients with chronic HBV infection.