Objective To explore the related risk factors of central lymph node metastasis ( CLNM) of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma ( PTMC) and the application value of central lymph node dissection ( CLND) . Methods Totally 251 patients who were confirmed as PTMC by pathological biopsy were selected as the research object, and they were divided into the metastasis group (n=42) and the non-metastasis group (n=209) according to the status of lymph node metastasis. The general datum of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed, and the indexes with significant differences after univariate analysis were analyzed by non-conditional Logistic regression analysis. Treated the patients with lymph node metastasis through CLND, and the occurrence rate and recurrence rate of related complications were recorded during the 1 to 3 years of follow-up. Results The comparison of the location of the tumor, complicated adenoma, Hashimoto’ s thyroiditis, nodular goiter, and hyperthyroidism between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0. 05). In the metastasis group, the rate of patients aged less than 45 years old and the percentage of male patients were both significantly higher than the non-metastasis group, and the difference was of statistical significance (P<0. 05). There were 25 cases (59. 5%) whose tumor diameter were 5~10 mm, 12 cases (28. 6%) with multiple lesions, and 22 cases (52. 4%) breaking through the envelope in the metastasis group, which were significantly higher than 70 cases (33. 5%), 23 cases (11. 0%) and 67 cases (32. 1%) in the non-metastasis group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0. 05). In the metastasis group after operation, there was 1 cases (2. 3%) of hoarseness, 6 cases (14. 3%) of local numbness, 1 case (2. 3%) of nerve invasion, and 2 cases (4. 8%) of vascular invasion, and there was no choking cough report. During the period of 1 to 3 years of follow-up, there were only 2 cases of recurrence and the recurrence rate was 4. 8%. Conclusion Central lymph node metastasis mostly occurs in the male patients with PTMC who are less than 45 years old. And the main characteristics are diameter of tumor over 5 mm, multifocal lesions, with envelope penetration symptom and so on. In clinic, patients who meet the above-mentioned condition should be taken as the primary concern and given related prevention measures to reduce the occurrence risk of central lymph node metastasis. To treat patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma through central lymph node dissection can receive good curative effect and effectively improve the prog-nosis quality, and it is worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To evaluate the ability of ultra-high-b-value diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in diagnosis of the prostate cancer (PCa) at 1.5T MR.Methods 12 patients with PCa and 17 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) proved by histopathology underwent MRI and DWI examinations (b=400, 800,1 400 s/mm2).The signal intensity and visual degree of region of interest (ROI) in all DWI with different b values were respectively measured.The signal intensity and visual degree of ROI between high-b-value DWI and ultra-high-b-value DWI were compared,respectively.Results The difference of signal intensity of PCa between high-b-value DWI and ultra-high-b-value DWI was statistically significant (χ2=220.957,P=0.000<0.05).The signal intensity of PCa was getting brighter in DWI with higher b value.The difference of visual degree between these two groups was also statistically significant (χ2=11.378,P=0.003<0.05).The difference among PCa, BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone was statistically significant in ultra-high-b-value DWI (χ2=25.913, P=0.000<0.05).The brightness of PCa in ultra-high-b-value DWI mainly was bright or grey-bright (71.4%), while the brightness of BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone were mainly dark or grey-dark (BPH 63.0%, normal prostate peripheral zone 73.3%).The difference of visual degree among PCa, BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone was statistically significant difference as well (Z=-6.908,-6.110,P=0.000<0.017).The diagnostic efficiency of the signal intensity and visual degree were highest with b=1 400 s/mm2.Conclusion DWI with ultra-high-b-value can improve the display rate of the PCa at 1.5T MR, making easier the detection and diagnosis of PCa.

Potato cultivar Atlantic is widely grown for potato chips in the world. However, this economically important potato cultivar exhibits very poor yields and traits under severe environmental stress. To develop an efficient plant transformation system that could be used to produce large scale transgenic potato plants with enhanced tolerance to environmental stress and therefore would be beneficial for potato processing industry, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of internodal stem explants using both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) genes under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible SWPA2 promoter was performed. Comparing to leaf explants, stem internodal explants were less liable to damage during manipulation, more amenable to in vitro conditions. The addition of silver thiosulfate to the selection medium considerably promoted the shoot induction from explant-derived callus. Seven to nine shoots per stem explant were obtained. By combining the best treatments, this system yielded shoot induction frequency of 94.2% and transformation frequency of 80% of internodal stem explants. Stable integration of the transgenes was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analyses. In conclusion, short duration (7～8 weeks), high efficiency and easy process make this system well suited for wider commercial applications of transgenic Atlantic potato plants.

In plants, oxidative stress is one of the major causes of damage as a result of various environmental stresses and it is primarily due to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species. To develop transgenic potato plants with enhanced tolerance to environmental stress, transgenic potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Atlantic) expressing the Cu/ZnSOD and APX genes in chloroplasts were generated under the control of the oxidative stress-inducible promoter. To investigate oxidative stress tolerance, transgenic plants were evaluated at the level of leaf discs and plantlets after methyl viologen (MV) and salt treatment. Leaf discs from transgenic potato plants showed 13% less membrane damage compared to non-transgenic (NT) plants suffering 10 μmol/L MV treatment of 48 h, and showed 1.6-fold higher chlorophyll contents than those of NT plants at 1.0mol/L NaCl treatment (31% vs. 19%). In addition, transgenic potato plants maintained higher rooting rates (75%) during 100mmol/L NaCl treatment than those (12%) from NT plants. Moreover, the tolerance to salt stress in transgenic plants was consistent to increased transcript levels and higher activities of SOD and APX compared to NT plants. These results suggest that expression of Cu/ZnSOD and APX in chloroplasts could be used in plants to enhance the tolerance to environmental stresses.

Moderate drought stress has been found to promote the accumulation of active ingredients in Glycyrrhiza uralensis root and hence improve the medicinal quality. In this study, the transcriptomes of 6-month-old moderate drought stressed and control G. uralensis root (the relative water content in soil was 40%-45% and 70%-75%, respectively) were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2000. A total of 80,490 490 and 82 588 278 clean reads, 94,828 and 305,100 unigenes with N50 sequence of 1,007 and 1,125 nt were obtained in drought treated and control transcriptome, respectively. Differentially expressed genes analysis revealed that the genes of some cell wall enzymes such as β-xylosidase, legumain and GDP-L-fucose synthase were down-regulated indicating that moderate drought stress might inhibit the primary cell wall degradation and programmed cell death in root cells. The genes of some key enzymes involved in terpenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis were up-regulated by moderate drought stress might be the reason for the enhancement for the active ingredients accumulation in G. uralensis root. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of auxin, ethylene and cytokinins by moderate drought stress might enhance the root formation and cell proliferation. The promotion of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid by moderate drought stress might enhance the drought stress tolerance in G. uralensis. The inhibition of the biosynthesis and signal transduction of gibberellin and brassinolide by moderate drought stress might retard the shoot growth in G. uralensis.
Droughts ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; genetics ; Plant Roots ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Stress, Physiological ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for rapid identification of micro-constituents in monoammonium glycyrrhizinate by high-pressure solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

METHODHPLC preparative chromatograph was adopted for determining the optimal method for high-pressure solid phase extraction under optimal conditions. 5C18-MS-II column (20.0 mm x 20.0 mm) was used as the extraction column, with 35% acetonitrile-acetic acid solution (pH 2. 20) as eluent at the speed of 16 mL x min(-1). The sample size was 0.5 mL, and the extraction cycle was 4.5 min. Then, extract liquid was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) after being concentrated by 100 times.

RESULTUnder the optimal condition of high-pressure solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 10 components were rapidly identified from monoammonium glycyrrhizinate raw materials. Among them, the chemical structures of six micro-constituents were identified as 3-O-[beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-30-0-beta-D-apiopyranosylglycyrrhetic/3-O- [P-D-glucuronopyranosyl-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-30-O-beta-D-arabinopyranosylglycyrrhetic, glycyrrhizic saponin F3, 22-hydroxyglycyrrhizin/18alpha-glycyrrhizic saponin G2, 3-O-[beta-D-rhamnopyranosyl]-24-hydroxyglycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizic saponin J2, and glycyrrhizic saponin B2 by MS(n) spectra analysis and reference to literatures. Four main chemical components were identified as glycyrrhizic saponin G2, 18beta-glycyrrhizic acid, uralglycyrrhizic saponin B and 18alpha-glycyrrhizic acid by liquid chromatography, MS(n) and ultraviolet spectra information and comparison with reference substances.

CONCLUSIONThe method can be used to identify chemical constituents in monoammonium glycyrrhizinate quickly and effectively, without any reference substance, which provides basis for quality control and safe application of monoammonium glycyrrhizinate-related products.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Glycyrrhiza ; chemistry ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Molecular Structure ; Solid Phase Extraction ; methods

OBJECTIVETo know about content of iodine in foods sold in Tianjing markets presently, and the iodine nutrition conditions in college students. It was also aimed to probe the functions of the iodized salt complement with the dietary iodine intake, and whether the urine iodine could reflect dietary iodine intake.

METHODS278 food samples in markets were collected by a randomly stratified sampling method, while the arsenic-cerium catalytic contact method was used to determine the content in food. The dietary information of students for seven days was recorded, and the urine iodine was determined through the arsenic-cerium catalytic spectrophotometry.

RESULTSThe determination of 47 kinds and 278 food samples indicated that the content of iodine within animal foods (7.8 microg/100 g - 30.8 microg/100 g) was higher than that within plant foods (1.8 microg/100 g - 16.1 microg/100 g). The investigation also showed that students who regarded vegetarian food as principle accounted for 70. 19%. The amount of dietary iodine intake among those students, based on the dietary survey, was (111.67 +/- 53.18) microg/d, while supplementary iodine from iodized salt was about (230.27 +/- 45.55) microg/d. Therefore, the total iodine provided from diet would be (341.95 +/- 89.58) microg/d. Modified by urine creatinine, the median of urine iodine was 271.28 microg/gCr, and the urine iodine and dietary iodine intake was found positively related (r(s) = 0.463, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSRegarding the vegetarian food as the principle, most of students investigated are not rich. The dietary iodine intake is lower than RDA (150 microg), but it can be obtained the iodized salt by 230. 27 microg, which is the possible supplement to the shortage from foods.

China ; Diet Surveys ; Humans ; Iodine ; Nutritional Status ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary ; Students

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of San-huang-sheng-fu oil on wounds of full-thickness scald in rabbits.

METHODSFull-thickness scald wounds with area of 6 cm(2) were reproduced on both sides of the back in 9 experimental rabbits by water vapor. These rabbits were divided into sesame oil (S1), San-huang-sheng-fu oil (S2), and mupirocin ointment (M) groups according to the random number table, with 3 rabbits (6 wounds) in each group. Two wounds of each rabbit in the three groups were respectively treated with sesame oil, San-huang-sheng-fu oil, and mupirocin ointment, in a dose of 0.15 mL/cm(2), 2-3 times per day. The general condition of wounds was observed on post scald day (PSD) 1, 11, 22, and 45. The wound healing time was recorded. The wound healing rate was calculated on PSD 5, 11, 15, and 22. All the rabbits were sacrificed on PSD 45, and wound tissues were subjected to histomorphological study with HE staining. The protein expressions of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were observed with immunofluorescence staining for the other part of wound tissues. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance or LSD-t test.

RESULTS(1) The wound healing quality of rabbits in S2 group was better than that in the other two groups. (2) The wound healing time of rabbits in S2 group [(11.2 ± 2.3) d] was significantly shorter than that in S1 group [(21.2 ± 3.1) d, t = 2.591, P < 0.05]. (3) The wound healing rate of rabbit in each group was increased gradually on PSD 5-22. The wound healing rates of rabbits in S2 group on PSD 5-22 were significantly higher than those in S1 group (with t values from 3.920 to 8.605, P values all below 0.05). (4) Histomorphological observation showed that the structure of wound tissues in S2 group was in much better integrity than that in the other two groups, including regenerated hair follicles in the corium layer and regularly arranged collagen fibers. The protein expressions of TGF-β1, bFGF, and VEGF in S2 group were all higher than those in the other two groups.

CONCLUSIONSSan-huang-sheng-fu oil can up-regulate the protein expressions of TGF-β1, bFGF, and VEGF, induce vascular regeneration, promote wound healing, and shorten wound healing time.

Animals ; Burns ; drug therapy ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; metabolism ; Mupirocin ; therapeutic use ; Rabbits ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Wound Healing ; drug effects

INTRODUCTIONThe aim of this study was to analyse the thickness of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) of pulmonary tuberculosis patients on ethambutol and isoniazid.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a prospective cohort study where patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis requiring chemotherapy, including ethambutol and isoniazid, were imaged using scanning laser polarimetry. Their mean baseline RNFL thickness and various scanning laser polarimetry parameters of both eyes were measured 2 weeks after the commencement of chemotherapy. The measurements were repeated at 3 months and 6 months after treatment. The various parameters of the baseline and the follow-up measurements were compared using paired sample t-test with Bonferroni correction.

RESULTSTwenty-four patients (16 males and 8 females; mean age, 51.0 +/- 17.6 years) were recruited. There was no statistically significant difference between the baseline and the follow-up measurements in RNFL thickness and all other scanning laser polarimetry parameters.

CONCLUSIONIn this cohort of subjects, there was no subclinical change in RNFL thickness detected by scanning laser polarimetry in pulmonary tuberculosis patients on chemotherapy, including ethambutol and isoniazid, after 6 months of treatment.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antitubercular Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological ; Ethambutol ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Lasers ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Retinal Diseases ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; drug therapy

Objectives To address whether menopause affects outcome of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) by comparing the safety and long-term outcome of a single-procedure in pre-and post-menopausal women. Methods A total of 743 female patients who underwent a single CA procedure of drug-refractory AF were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in clinical presentation and outcomes of CA for AF between the pre-menopausal women (PreM group, 94 patients, 12.7%) and the post-menopausal women (PostM group, 649 patients, 87.3%) were assessed. Results The patients in the PreM group were younger (P<0.001) and less likely to have hypertension (P<0.001) and diabetes (P=0.005) than those in the PostM group. The two groups were similar with regards to the proportion of concomitant mitral valve regurgitation coronary artery disease, left atrium dimensions, and left ventricular ejection fraction. The overall rate of complica-tions related to AF ablation was similar in both groups (P=0.385). After 43 (16-108) months of follow-up, the success rate of ablation was 54.3%in the PreM group and 54.2%in the PostM group (P=0.842). The overall freedom from atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence was simi-lar in both groups. Menopause was not found to be an independent predictive factor of the recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia. Conclusions The long-term outcomes of single-procedure CA for AF are similar in pre-and post-menopausal women. Results indicated that CA of AF appears to be as safe and effective in pre-menopausal women as in post-menopausal women.