Objective To compare real -time tissue elastography (RTE)and ultrasound in the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)with cervical lymph node (LN)metastasis.Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on the clinical data of 72 patients with PTC.Eighty -four LNs of them were performed with ultrasound-guided fine -needle aspiration biopsy.Patients were divided into two groups:with cervical lymph node metastasis group and without cervical lymph node metastasis group.All patients were reviewed their B -mode ultrasonography (BUS)on cervical lymph node and RTE on thyroid.RTE elasticity indices (EI)of mean (Emean),minimum (Emin),maximum (Emax)and the ratio of Emean in LNs and surrounding muscle (Emean -m)were measured at the thyroids.The performances of RTE and BUS in predicting of PTC with LN metastasis were compared and ana-lyzed.Results The sensitivity and specificity of BUS on diagnosis of the cervical lymph nodes metastasis were 84.0% and 90.0%.The RTE Emea,Emax,Emin and SI in meta -static LNs were significantly higher than those in benign LNs(P =0.001,0.002,0.001,0.007).The RTE results of PTC patients with lymph node metastasis was ana-lyzed by ROC curve.The largest area was Emin.AUC was 0.918,the critical value was 0.240.AUC of SI was 0.896, AUC of Emean was 0.718,AUC of Emax was 0.670.The sensitivity and specificity were 94.0% and 99.4%,respec-tively.Conclusion Co -operation of RTE and BUS was more accurate than simple BUS in diagnosis of PTC with lymph node metastasis.SI and Emin has a high diagnostic value.

Objective To investigate the protective effects of Th2 cytokine (hIL-4, hIL-10, hIL-13) on the bovine aortic endothelial cells(BAECs) stimulated by tumor necrosis factor alpher(TNF-?). Methods BAECs were activated by TNF-?(4ng/ml), and a varied dose of Th2 cytokine(2, 5, 10, 20 and 40ng/ml) was used to incubate BAECs for 2h before stimulation with TNF-?, and then co-incubate for 6h or 18h. The expression of cellular adhesive molecules on BAECs was examined by the cellular enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (Cell-ELISA), and BAECs viability was determined by MTT method. Results BAECs pre-treated with Th2 cytokine could down-regulate the expression of E-selectin and ICAM-1 induced by TNF-? in a dose-dependent manner(P

Objective To assess the clinical significance of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in the evaluation of left ventricular myocardial function in breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy.Methods A total of 51 breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy were recruited and 31 female healthy volunteers as the controls.Conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI derived parameters [including global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global area strain (GAS)] were measured before and at 3 and 6 anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic cycles.The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was constructed to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity of 3ID-STI derived parameters for the prediction of future cardiotoxicity.Results In comparison with the controls and baseline cases,GLS and GAS deteriorated significantly (P ＜ 0.05 for both).No statistical difference in GCS and conventional parameters showed before and after the initiation of chemotherapy (P ＜0.05,respectively).The ROC curves showed that GAS as the best 3D-STI predictor of patients who develop cardiotoxicity during the follow-up.The area under ROC(AUC) of GAS was 0.894,and its optimal cut-off value was-28.4％,with a specificity of 88.0％ and a sensitivity of 82.9％.AUC of GLS was 0.802,and its optimal cut-off value was-14.3％,with a specificity of 62.0％ and a sensitivity of 85.4％.Conclusions Early decreases in GAS and GLS based on 3D-STI may allow the prediction of subsequent cardiotoxic development accurately in breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Objective To investigate the effects of human interlukin-13 (hIL-13) on the expression of E- selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) on bovine aortic endothelial cells(BAECs) stimulated by tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-?), and to provide experimental basis for hIL-13 inducing immunity endure and relieving the repulsion reaction of xenograft. Methods BAECs were co-cultured with different concentrations of hIL-13 for 2 h and followed by co-cultured with 4 ng/ml TNF-? for 6 h or 18 h. The expressions of E-selectin and ICAM-1 on BAECs were detected by Cell-ELISA. The effect of hIL-13 on activity of BAECs was detected by MTT colorimetry.Results BAECs pretreateded with hIL-13 could inhibit the expression of E-selectin and ICAM-1 induced by TNF-?, and showed a does-dependent manner from 5 ng/ml to 20 ng/ml of hIL-13 (P

BACKGROUND: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system existed in bone tissue. Recent studies on antihypertensive drugs found that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor type antihypertensive drug was possibly effective for osteoporosis. Perindopril is one of the commonly used antihypertensive drugs. Whether perindopril affected bone metabolism or could be used in anti-osteoporosis has not been reported.
OBJECTIVE: To observe effects of perindopril on bone metabolism in a rat model of osteoporosis induced by retinoic acid.
METHODS: Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups, with ten in each group. In the model group and each perindopril groups, rats were intragastricaly administered retinoic acid solution 80 mg/kg per day. After successful model establishment, rats in different perindopril groups were intragastrical y administered perindopril 2, 4 and 8 mg/kg per day, once a day, for 42 consecutive days. In the normal control and model groups, rats were given an equal volume of distil ed water. Serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, bone mass and bone mineral density were detected in each group. Expression of bone specific alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase mRNA in bone tissue was determined.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the model group, after treatment with perindopril, serum calcium and phosphorus levels were increased, alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly decreased, bone mass and bone mineral density were obviously increased in rats with retinoic acid-induced osteoporosis. Expression of bone specific alkaline phosphatase mRNA was higher in the perindopril 8 mg/kg group than in the perindopril 2 and 4 mg/kg groups and model group. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase mRNA expression was higher in the perindopril 8 mg/kg group than in the model group. These results indicated that perindopril could improve partial bone metabolic biochemical markers in osteoporosis rats, promoted bone formation by up-regulating bone specific alkaline phosphatase mRNA expression, and had a certain preventive effect on retinoic acid-induced osteoporosis.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of high frequency echocardiography on mice with doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and find out the most valuable monitoring indexes for early doxorubicin-induced myocardial damage.Methods Forty mice were divided into doxorubicin-injection group (ADM group) and control group randomly.Twenty mice in each group were injected with doxorubicin and saline at the same dose for 5 weeks continuously.The parameters of cardic function of ADM group and contol group were observed by high-frequency echocardiography after infection.Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) tested by euzymelinked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and pathological findings were used as the golden standard.Results ①The left ventricular long axis view and the apical four chamber view could be displayed clearly by transthoracic high-frequency echocardiography.②After 5 weeks intervention,weight,heart rate,left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF),left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS),E/A,E wave deceleration time(EDT) and other parameters showed marked difference between ADM group and control group(P ＜0.05).③The decrease of diastolic function was earlier than systolic function in ADM group.④LVEF and E/A presented good negative linear correlation to BNP(r =-0.622,P ＜0.05; r =-0.593,P ＜0.01).EDT showed positive linear correlation to BNP(r =0.501,P ＜0.05).Conclusions Cardic function of mice with doxorubicin-induced myocardial damage could be early evaluated accurately by high-frequency echocardiography,which contained good relativity with BNP.

Objective To investigate the left ventricular (LV) performance in patients with essential hypertension(EH) by global performance index (GPI) based on three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI).Methods A total of 164 EH patients were enrolled and divided into four subgroups according to LV configuration:LV normal group (LVN,n =67),concentric cardiac remodeling group (CCR,n =49),concentric cardiac hypertrophy group (CCH,n =28) and eccentric cardiac hypertrophy group (ECH,n =20).Thirty age and sex matched healthy volunteers were enrolled as controls.3D-STI was performed to assess LV 3D global strain and LV torsion,then LV systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI) and global performance index (GPI) were calculated.Global strain parameters were investigated among the groups,and correlations with GPI were studied.Results GPI,global longitudinal strain(GLS),global area strain(GAS),global radial strain(GRS) and global 3D strain(G3DS) in EH groups were respectively lower than those in the normal controls,and there were statistical differences among the respective parameters (P ＜0.05,respectively).SDI in group CCH and ECH were significantly higher than that in normal controls (P ＜ 0.05,respectively).In multivariate stepwise regression analysis,GAS was the most influential to GPI.Conclusions GPI based on 3D-STI may accurately reflect LV performance in patients with EH,and has potential applications in clinical practice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficiency of autologous transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells for treatment of patients with diabetic lower limb ischemia.MethodsEighteen patients of type 2 diabetes with diabetic lower limb ischemia (30 legs) were treated by autologous transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells.ResultsThe limb pain, cool feeling and numbness feeling improved significantly after PBSC transplantation,the improvement rate were 96.7％, 100.0％ and 95.8％ respectively.Intermittent claudication was also relieved significantly, total remission rate was 76.9％.The ABI and TcPO2 of patients increased significantly at 3 months after transplantation.After the transplantation ABI raised from 0.60 ± 0.11 to 0.71 ±0.12(t =-6.882, P ＜ 0.01) .93.3％ of patients' TcPO2 raised in different degrees.The foot infections were well controlled.Ulcer or toes gangrene got better or healed.No obvious complications or adverse reaction were observed after the transplantation.ConclusionAutologous transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells shows to be a simple, safe and effective method in treating patients with diabetic lower limb ischemia.

Objective To evaluate the value of high-frequency ultrasound in diagnosing the early reduced function of mice and to make sure the impact of aldosterone in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction.Methods Twenty aldosterone silence mice were selected as the experimental group and 20 healthy wild-type mice as the control.Animal models of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were established by the method of the left anterior descending artery ligation.Cardiac function was measured by highfrequency echocardiography before and 2 weeks,4 weeks,6 weeks after AMI.Produce biopsy and Masson staining in both the experimental and the control groups were made post 6 weeks after AMI.Results ①Left ventricular long axis view and various short-axis views of mice could be clearly displayed by high-frequency echocardiography,and accurate measurements of the cardiac function could be obtained.② Compared with that in the control,left ventricular ejection fraction progressed more gradually in the experimental group than the control group (35.81 ± 2.88 vs 29.10 ± 4.50 at 6 weeks after AMI,P ＜0.05).Conclusions Blocked aldosterone may play a positive effect in reducing the myocardial injury.

Objective To explore the effect of functional electrical stimulation combined with treadmill training and botulinum toxin type A injection on foot-drop and strephenopodia among stroke survivors.Methods Sixty-seven stroke survivors with foot-drop and strephenopodia were randomly divided into an electrical stimulation group (n=23),a conventional treatment group (n =22) and a combined treatment group (n =22).All 3 groups received a 400 U injection of BTX-A and electrical stimulation.After 24 hours,the patients in the conventional treatment group received conventional treatment including a brain protection agent,limb function exercises,gait training,balance training and training in the activities of daily living.The patients in the combined treatment group received that conventional treatment,plus functional electrical stimulation and weight loss training on a treadmill.The patients in the electrical stimulation group received functional electrical stimulation treatment supplementing the conventional treatment.Therapeutic effects were evaluated before and after six weeks of treatment using integral electromyography (iEMS) of the anterior tibial muscle and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle,the co-contraction ratio (CR) during ankle dorsiflexion,the modified Ashworth Scale (MAS),the Berg balance scale (BBS),a functional walking score (FAC),and the active range of motion (AROM) of the ankle in dorsiflexion and eversion.Results After the treatment,significant improvement was observed in all three groups in the average iEMS value of the anterior tibial muscle and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle,the CR in ankle dorsiflexion,and in their MAS,BBS,FAC and AROM results.There was no significant difference among the three groups after treatment in their average iEMS values at the lateral head of the gastrocnemius.The average values of the other indicators were,however,significantly better in the combined treatment group than in the other 2 groups.Conclusion Functional electrical stimulation combined with treadmill training and botulinum toxin type A injection can significantly improve foot-drop,strephenopodia and the walking function of stroke survivors.This combined treatment deserves popularization and application in clinical practice.