Twenty specimens of normal colorectal mucosa,juxtacancerous mucosa,and cancerous mucosa were studied with scanning electron microscopy,optical microscopy and histochemical method.It was found that the superficial crypts of normal colorectal mucosa were evenly distributed,orderly arranged,and covered with both absorptive cells and gobler cells;those of juxtacancerous mucosa were usually deformed in various degrees and their goblet cells were increased in number and in size;and the shape of the superficial cells of colorectal carcinoma was dependent on the histologic type of the carcinoma in certain extent.The general features were disordered arrangement and the decrease in number of the cellular microvilli,which indicated the malignant nature of the lesion.It is believed that scanning electron microscope is a useful tool in the diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of serum interleukin (IL)-6,IL-8,tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-C RP), total immunoglobulin (Ig) and complement C levels in children with mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Methods Sixty-one cases of children with MPP (observation group) and 60 healthy children (control group) were selected. The serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) method; the serum TNF-α level was tested by γ radioimmunoassay (RIA) counter; the serum hs-CRP, total Ig and complement C levels were tested by rate nephelometry method. Results The serum IL-6 concentration was (109.31 ±54.72) ng/L, IL-8 concentration was (128.19 ±65.87) ng/L, hs-CRP concentration was (34.13 ± 19.21) mg/L, total Ig concentration was (12.62 ± 5.51) g/L and complement C concentration was (2.98 ± 0.97) g/L in the observation group, and they were higher than those in the control group [(67.23 ±32.18) ng/L, (31.78 ±8.91) ng/L, (1.62 ±1.34) g/L, (6.71 ±3.65) g/L, (1.46 ±0.45) g/L]. The differences were significant (P ＜ 0.05 or ＜ 0.01). The serum TNF- t level between two groups had no significant difference (P＞ 0.05). Conclusions The serum cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, hs-CRP, total Ig and complement C play an important role in MPP. It has important significance to detect the serum cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, hs-CRP, total Ig and complement C levels in children with MPP.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between p73 gene and the development and progression of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODSThe levels of p73 transcripts in 61 ALL cell lines and 53 childhood ALL patients were assayed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and their relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed. Besides, the methylation status of p73 exon 1 was analysed by restriction-enzyme related PCR, methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite genomic sequencing in the 61 ALL cell lines.

RESULTSOf the 61 ALL cell lines, 42 showed expression of p73 mRNA, with a negative rate of 31.1%, and of the 53 primary childhood ALL samples, 39 showed expression of p73 mRNA, with a negative rate of 26.4%. Loss of p73 expression was significantly associated with the reduced disease free survival and overall survival of the patients. 39.3% (24/61) of the ALL cell lines showed hypermethylation of p73 exon 1, while normal lymphocytes and most cell lines expressed p73 mRNA were not hypermethylated.

CONCLUSIONThere was a higher negative expression rate of p73 mRNA in childhood ALL. The main mechanism of the loss expression would be the hypermethylation of p73 gene. p73 gene inactivation might play an important role in the pathogenesis of ALL. Examination of p73 mRNA might have clinical significance in predicting prognosis of childhood ALL.

Adolescent ; Cell Line ; classification ; cytology ; metabolism ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA Methylation ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gene Silencing ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; mortality ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Protein p73 ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins