Objective: To study the effects of static tensile strai n on the secretion of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2) of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PLFs). Methods: Human PLFs were treated by tensile strain values of 0%,8%,12%,16% and 20% for 24, 48 and 72 h respecti vely with a self-devised loading apparatus in vitro. All samples were rando mly allocated into 15 groups and there were 3 in each group. After treatment cu lture media of the samples were collected and the content of PGE 2 in each medi um sample was determined using RIA ELISA. The data analysis was carried out with SPSS using Dunnett test. Results: In group of 0% the sec retion of PGE 2 by PLFs per day had no relation with loading time; E 2 secre tion increased with the increace of loading time and with the tensile strain va lue in the group of 8%,12% and 16%(P

ObjectiveTo explore the value of 64-slice CT perfusion imaging(CTPI) in the early diagnosis of radiation-induced lung injury ( RILI ).MethodsForty-eight patients with upper esophageal cancer resection underwent CTPI before and after radiotherapy,and the TNF-α and TGF-β1 were measured from patient's peripheral blood.Serum cytokine,conventional CT appearances and CTPI parameters (rrBF,rrBV,rrPS) in patients with RILI (Group A) and non-RILI (Group B) were compared and analyzed.A randomized block design t-test was used for comparison of serum cytokines and perfusion values between the two groups.The Chi-square ( x2 ) test was used for comparison of detection rate between conventional CT and CTPI.ResultsRILI occurred in 18 of 48 cases ( 18/48,Group A).In Group A,TNF-α and TGF-β1 preand pos-radiation were (36.1 ± 15.0),(30.4 ±t 14.9) ng/L and (17.5 ±9.8),(14.3 ±7.6) μg/L,respectively,and there were no statistically significant differences (t =1.14,1.I0,P =0.264,0.279).At half-dose time point of radiation,there were no significant differences for TNF-α and TGF-β1 pre- and posradiation [ ( 30.4 ± 14.9),( 28.9 ± 14.7 ) ng/L and ( 14.3 ± 7.6),( 14.4 ± 6.0 ) μg/L,respectively ]between Group A and B ( t =0.33,1.23 ; P =0.746,0.227).The rrBF,rrBV and rrPS of post-radiation from Group A were significantly higher than those of pre-radiation ( t =5.67,5.97,6.11,P =0.000,0.000,0.000),the rrBF and rrBV of post-irradiation from Group B were significantly higher than those of pre-irradiation (t =6.52,7.84,P =0.000,0.000).There was no significant difference for rrPS in Group B pre- and post-radiation (t =1.36,P =0.178 ).There were significant differences for all perfusion values detected from radiation lung fields between Group A and B ( t =2.32,2.18,6.04,P =0.025,0.034,0.000).Taking rrPS =1.28 as a threshold value on ROC,the sensitivity and specificity of CTPI for diagnosis of RILI were 77.8％,93.3％,respectively,which were much higher than those ( 11.1％,90.0％,respectively) of conventional CT (x2=13.61,P=0.000).ConclusionCTPI parameters may reflect the hemodynamic changes of post-radiation lung and have potential values for the early diagnosis of RILI.

Objective To evaluate the value of the 7-joint ultrasound score (US7) in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with Chinese and western medicine.Methods A total of 160 RA patients were divided into 2 groups based on different methods of treatment,including Yi Shen Qing Luo (YSQL) group and western medicine group.The patients were examined by grey scale ultrasound (GSUS) and power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) with US7 at baseline and after 3 and 6 months later.There were 7 related joints and 5 single factors for scoring in US7 system.The joints included the wrist joints,the second/third metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP Ⅱ/Ⅲ),the second/third proximal interphalangeal joints (PIP Ⅱ / Ⅲ) and the second/fifth metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP Ⅱ/Ⅴ).And the factors included synovitis of GSUS,synovitis of PDUS,myotenositis/tenosynovitis of GSUS,myotenositis/tenosynovitis of PDUS and bone erosion (ES).Meanwhile,the laboratory index included C-reactive protein (C-RP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were examined.And the clinical indexes as disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) were evaluated.Results The statistical differences of synovitis of GSUS,synovitis of PDUS,myotenositis/tenosynovitis of GSUS and myotenositis/tenosynovitis of PDUS scores in US7 system were found in both 2 groups at baseline,3 months and 6 months after treatment (all P＜0.01).There was no statistical difference of ES before and after treatment in all cases (P＞0.05).The factors of US7 were positively correlated with DAS28,C-RP and ESR in different extent.Condusion US7 is a viable tool for examining patients with RA.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase ( p38 MAPK) in the lung injury induced by mechanical ventilation.Methods Fifteen healthy 80 day-old pigs weighing (22.5　? 1.5)kg were randomly divided into three groups according to the tidal volume(VT) and PEEP of mechanical ventilation: group A (VT = 16ml?kg-1, PEEP = 0) ; group B (VT = 6 ml?kg-1, PEEP= 16cm H2O) and group C(VT = 16ml?kg-1, PEEP = 8cm H2O). The animals were mechanically ventilated for 3h, then sacrificed by exsanguination. Right lower lobe was immediately removed for identification of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 ( ICAM-1 ) expression using immunohistological technique, determination of phosphorylated p38 MAPK content using Western Blot and microscopic examination. Results There was significant histological changes in the lung tissue in group A and B, but no significant histological changes were found in group C. The expression of ICAM-1 was positive in the lung in group A and B but negative in group C. The level of phosphorylated p38 MAPK among the 3 groups. Conclusion Acute lung injury can be induced by mechanical ventilation with high tidal volume or low tidal volume plus high PEEP, p38 MAPK may mediate the inflammatory response-induced lung injury.

Objective To explore metformin improves hyperinsulinemia in obese children, glucose metabolism, serum lipid derived hormone levels. Methods 40 cases of healthy children were selected and included in the control group, 40 cases of mild, moderate and severe obese children in the obese group, moderately obese group, obese group given category; metformin in obese children orally for 3 months, then in each group of body mass index (BMI), the learning situation of adipose derived hormones, blood glucose levels were detected and compared. Results Compared the condition of blood glucose metabolism and body weight obviously, obesity group and control group before treatment there are very significant differences after treatment, the obese group appeared to be improved, indicates that the difference is obvious(P<0.05). Compare the hormone levels of serum leptin and adiponectin are visible in before the treatment and health examination Significant differences after the treatment showed some improvement, but the resistin in the treatment had no obvious improvement. Conclusion The application of metformin improves hyperinsulinemia in obese children with sugar metabolism, visible analysis of serum adipose derived hormones, the patients with improvement of glucose metabolism has a positive effect, while improving the serum hormone level, reduce patient weight (BMI), so it is worthy of clinical use.

Objective To study the hemodynamic changes and pathologic foundation of rabbit models of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) via 64-slice CT pulmonary perfusion imaging ( CTPI),in order to seek the correlation between the alterations of the hemodynamic parameters and pathophysiology.Methods Seventy-two healthy New Zealand rabbits were randomly classified into two groups:test group ( n =36),received 25 Gy with single fraction irradiation in a whole unilateral lung; control group ( n =36),received sham-irradiation.Each group was divided into 12 subgroups respectively according to post- and pseudo-irradiation time points (1,6,12,24,48,72 h and 1,2,4,8,16,24 w).Each rabbit underwent HRCT and CTPI at every pre- and post-radiation time point.All rabbits were sacrificed,and morphology of specimens was observed using light- and electron microscope. The changing regularity of HRCT,CTPI parameters and pathology were analyzed and compared with each other in order to find the correlation among them.The CTPI parameters of the test and control groups were compared using t test.The CTPI parameters and pathological values were analyzed using linear correlation with two variables,the detection rates of RILI by CTPI and HRCT was compared using Chi-square test.Results ( 1 ) The changes of CTPI parameters from control group after irradiation was relatively stable,but in test group those parameters including rBF,rBV and rPS,at pre- and post-irradiation time points (0,72 h and 2 w),were respectively 1.01 ± 0.09,1.86 ± 0.20,1.43 ±0.12,1.03 ±0.08,1.63 ±0.19,1.56±0.14,0.96±0.12,1.54 ±0.17 and 1.83 ±0.24.The corresponding parameters before and after irradiation were significantly different ( t =2.90-6.37,P ＞ 0.05).(2)In test group,capillary endothelial cells,basement membrane and alveolar epithelial cells,as the main injury targets,showed certain alterations in pathology.There was a significant correlation between the changes of CTPI parameters ( rBF and rBV) and pathophysiology in control group ( r =0.74,0.83,P ＜0.05 ),with the dependent relationship between rPS and the amounts of RBC outside the capillary and the destruction of basement membrane( r =0.87,0.88,P ＜ 0.01 ).(3)The detection rate of RILI with CTPI (72.2％,26/36) was obviously higher than that with HRCT( 16.7％,6/36,x2 =4.37,P =0.036).Conclusions CTPI parameters is capable of revealing the rule of hemodynamic process and reflecting the pathophysiologic state of different stages of RILI.By the time of detecting RILI,the detection rate of CTPI is clearly superior to that of HRCT,which yields potential value in predicting RILL

Objective To investigate the clinical value of multi-slice CT angiography (MSCTA) of lower limbs in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) using the test-bolus technique.Methods Forty-four patients with PAOD were enrolled consecutively in the study.In group I, 18 subjects underwent CTA by bolus triggering method and in group 2, 26 subjects underwent CTA by test-bolus technique.During scanning procedure in group 2 subjects, the bolus transit time to aorta ( TAO ), popliteal arteries (Tpop ) and aorto-popliteal bolus transit time (T,) were calculated through dynamic acquisition at their respective level and the delay time were immediately set as TAO and scan time as double Tt.Two independent senior attending physicians with training experience in interpreting CTA determined the quality of each arterial segment visualization based on 5 parameters (1.visible farthest branch, 2.clarity of vessels border, 3.presence of venous contamination, 4.grading of stenosis, 5.CT value at 4 arterial segments).Inter-observer agreement on imaging quality between readers was evaluated using Cohen's k statistic by calculating K values.X2 test and t test were used to compare the quality of images in both groups.Results In group 2 patients,a larger individual variation in transit time of the contrast to reach aorta was obserued [ TAO = ( 17.1 ± 2.6) s with a range of 12.0—22.0 s ] and aorto-popliteal transit time [ Tt = ( 14.8 ± 5.5 ) s with a range of 8.0—24.0 s ].CTA of group 2 patients demonstrated bettor quality over group I patients' CTA, especifieally in the infra-pop|iteal and foot area arteries. There was an excellent inter-observer agreement for group 2 patients ( K ＞ 0.80 ) whereas in group 1 agreement in infra-popliteal segments for venous contamination ( K value 0.60 ) and stenosis degree ( K value 0.50 ) were not satisfactory enough.Group 1 patients were reported to have more severe stonosis in infra-popliteal and foot arteries( X2 = 30.55 and22.41,P＜0.01).Conclusion There was a wide interindividual variation in transit time for contrast medium to reach aorta and pollteal artery. Adaptive method by using two low-dose test bolus injection determined interindividual variation in delay time and scan time and thus above parameters was able to produce better quality images than using bolus triggering technique in below knee and foot region arteries.

Objective To explore the CT and pathological features of renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML). Methods Clinical data and CT images from ten cases with EAML proved by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analyzed. All cases were performed with plain and contrast enhanced CT scans. Results CT features: higher pre-contrasted density than kidney, bulging from kidney,absent of fat, markedly heterogeneous enhancement ( quick wash-in and slow wash-out), big size without lobular sign, complete capsule with clear margin and mild necrostic area. Pathological features: diffuse sheets of epithelioid cells were found under microscopy with immunohistochemistrical findings including positivity for HMB-45 and negativity for EMA. Conclusion Some specific CT features, which is correlated well with the pathological findings, provide helpful information in the primary diagnosis of EAML.

Objective To establish the rabbit model of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) for the study of CT perfusion. Methods Forty-eight New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups, 36 rabbits in test group were administered with 25 Gy of single fractionated irradiation in the whole unilateral lung, and the other 12 rabbits in control group were sham-irradiated. All rabbits were sacrificed at 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 h, and 1,2, 4, 8, 16, 24 week after irradiation respectively, then six specimens were extracted from upper, middle and lower fields of bilateral lungs, respectively. The pathological changes were observed with light and electron microscopies. The expression of TNF-α and TGF-β1 in local lung tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results In test group, RILI occurred at early stage,characterized by acute inflammatory reaction, and featured by the progressing fibrosis at later stage. The expression of TNF-α and TGF-β1 1 and 72 h post-irradiation were statistically different between test and control groups (t = 3.04-14. 95,P ＜ 0. 05 ). Thickness of alveolar wall, density of pulmonary interstitium 12 h of post-irradiation, amount of fibroblast and fibrocyte from interstitium 24 h post-irradiation were statistically different between two groups ( t = 4.44-39. 78, P＜ 0.05 ), and correlated with the time postirradiation (r = 0. 821, 0. 872, 0. 682). There was statistical differences among the relative amount of collagen fibers at time points post-irradiation in test group ( F = 100.31, P ＜0.05), while no difference in control group ( F= 1.00, P ＜ 0.05 ). The relative amount of collagen fibers was statistically different between two groups 72 h post-irradiation (t = 3.07-45.18, P＜0.05 ), and correlated with the time postirradiation (r = 0.993 ). Conclusions Stable and reliable rabbit model of RILI could be established through single fractionated irradiation in whole unilateral lung with 25 Gy of high-energy X-rays, which may simulate the occurrence and development of evolution of RILI.

Objective To explore the pathological and imaging features of epithelioid angiomyolipoma(EAML). Methods A 47-year-old man presented with dull pain in left upper abdomen for 1 year admitted to hospital.Accompanied with several enlarged lymph nodes,a mass with the largest diameter of 28 cm in the left kidney was inhomogeneously enhanced on CT.The left kidney and the mass were radically resected with regional lymph node dissection after general anaesthesia. Results During the operation,a well-circumscribed,encapsulated mass with several paraaortic lymph nodes was found on the upper-middle left kidney.The gross cut surface showed fleshy texture with regions of necrosis.Microscopically and immunohistochemistrically,diffuse sheets of epithelioid cells were found with positivity for HMB-45 and negativity for EMA.CT features included higher pre-contrasted density,absent fat,enhanced mode of quick wash-in and slow wash-out.There was neither metastasis nor recurrence during the 1 year follow-up. Conclusion EAML with malignant potency is a rare tumor of mesenchymal tissue presenting with some specific radiopathological features and a good prognosis.