Objective To explore clinical significance of constriction of fetal ductus arteriosus diagnosed by echocardiography.Methods Seventy-one cases with constriction of fetal ductus arteriosus (DA) and one fetus with premature closure of DA were detected by fetal echocardiography among 2380 singleton fetuses.The echocardiographic characteristics and clinical outcomes were reviewed and analyzed.Results Of 71 cases with constriction of fetal DA,58 cases were found with right heart enlargement,12 cases with tricuspid regurgitation,8 cases with arrhythmia and 1 case with pericardial effusion.The echocardiographic characteristics showed narrowed diameter of DA,dilatation of pulmonary artery and descending aorta was also noted,DA was markedly curved.The peak systolic velocity(PSV) and enddiastolic velocity(EDV) in the ductus arteriosus measured by pulsed Doppler echocardiography increased (PSV≥ 180 cm/s,EDV≥35 cm/s).All cases were confirmed normal by neonate echocardiography.Conclusions Prenatal echocardiography plays important role in diagnosis of constriction of fetal DA.Early diagnosis and intimate follow-up can direct clinician to offer suitable consultation for parents and management for fetuses.

AIM:To determine the biological feature of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in acute promye-locytic leukemia ( APL) patients before and after treatment , and to analyze the relationship between CECs and the clinical characteristics .METHODS: The CECs were sorted from peripheral blood by magnetic-activated cell sorting and then counted by 3-color flow cytometry.The cells were identified by immunofluorescence staining for the expression of CD 146, CD31, CD144, VEGFR-2, CD45 and CD133.The CECs were cultured in vitro, and the tube formation and colony-forming rate were determined .RESULTS:Increased quantity of CECs was observed in CD 34 positive group and group with WBC >10 ×109/L (P<0.05).The quantity of CECs had a significant difference among low risk , medium risk and high risk groups (P<0.05).The positive rate of CD133 and quantity of CECs significantly reduced in 32 APL patients when they gain complete remission after treatment (P<0.05).The amount of tube formation and colony-forming rate were significant-ly reduced after treatment (P<0.05).The ratio of CECs quantity from APL patients after treatment to that before treatment had a negative correlation with arsenic concentration in urine on day 7 during As2O3 treatment (P<0.05).CONCLU-SION:Accurately counting CECs may be helpful for evaluating prognosis and designing treatment strategy .