Animals ; Cardiac Electrophysiology ; Heart Atria ; innervation ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Vagus Nerve ; physiology

To evaluate the significance of plasma ACTH (pACTH), serum cortisol (SC) and urinary free cortisol UFC as well as low or high dose dexamethasone suppression test in Cushing syndrome, the levels of hormones were evaluated in 136 cases of Cushing syndrome. It was found that the levels of SC and UFC were elevated in almost all the 121 patients with Cushing syndrome. The mean levels of pACTH were higher in 86 patients with Cushing disease and lower in 36 cases with adrenocortical tumor or ACTH independent nodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (AINAH) than those in normal subjects. The ACTH levels might be in normal range in many patients with Cushing syndrome, but they were higher in patients with Cushing disease and lower in the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH than those of the high limit at ACTH0am in normal subjects. It was a common feature that the diurnal rhythm of hormone secretion disappeared and the hormone levels were not suppressed by low dose dexamethasone suppression test in the patients with Cushing syndrome. In more than 90% of the patients with adrenocortical tumor or AINAH the levels of SC and UFC were not suppressed by high dose dexamethasone. In 12 of clinically cured patients with Cushing disease the levels of pACTH8am, SC8am and UFC were normal or even low. The pACTH levels were low in two patients with iatrogenic Cushing syndrome. The results suggested that examinations of SC, UFC and low dose dexamethasone suppression test were very important in the diagnosis of Cushing syndrome. The pACTH level was a key parameter to distinguish Cushing disease from adrenocortical tumor or AINAH.

? AlM: To examine choroidal thickness and its relationship with axial length and spherical equivalent by spectral domain optical coherence tomography ( SD -OCT ) in patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization ( mCNV) .
?METHODS: We prospectively recruited 30 cases of mCNV in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from October 2010 to December 2014. SD-OCT was used to measure choroidal thickness subfoveally and at 1. 5mm superiorly, inferiorly, nasally and temporally ( SFCT, SCT1. 5mm , lCT1. 5mm , NCT1. 5mm , TCT1. 5mm ) . Paired t- test was conducted to assess the difference of spherical equivalent, axial length and choroidal thickness between mCNV group and controls. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between spherical equivalent, axial length, choroidal thickness and mCNV.
?RESULTS: The difference of spherical equivalent and axial length between mCNV group and controls was not significant (P>0. 05). lnferior was decreased in mCNV group compared with controls (140. 85±33. 46μm vs 168. 95±45. 36μm). The difference was significant (P=0. 008). Logistic regression demonstrated that decreased choroidal thickness ( lCT1. 5mm ) at inferior location was associated with mCNV (OR=2. 12;95%CI 1. 35~3. 28;P=0. 02).
?CONCLUSlON: The decrease of lCT1. 5MM may be one of the risk factors of mCNV.

Acute Disease ; Child ; Cytokines ; blood ; Humans ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; blood ; immunology

The endoscopic findings of 884 cases of colonic polyps with different pathological types were retrospectively analyzed.Among all cases,there were 418 cases of tubular adenoma (47.3％ ),92 cases of fluff tubular adenoma ( 10.4％ ),334 cases of inflammatory polyps ( 37.8％ ) and 40 cases of hyperplastic polyps (4.5％ ).There were significant differences in age,location,polyp surface morphology and Yamada grouping among colonic polyps with different pathological types (P ＜0.05).The average age of fluff tubular adenoma group [ (64 ± 12)y] was the highest among all patients; and the average diameter of polyps was the largest [ ( 1.38 ± 1.09 ) cm ],lobulated and mulbenry,polyps were the most common forms; and the majority of fluff tubular adenoma was Yamada type Ⅲ or Ⅳ.The results indicate that fluff tubular adenoma was associated with higher age,larger polyp size,surface morphology and Yamada grouping (P ＜0.05).

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of volume embolization ratio(VER) in evaluating the embolization efficacy of aneurysms.MethodsFifty-three patients who received intracranial aneurysm embolization surgery were all treated with detachable coils endovascular embolization,While fifty-seven intracranial aneurysms were treated.The VER was calculated and the relationships between the VER values and the size,the neck,embolization degree of intracranial aneurysm were analyzed.ResultsThe VER of small,medium,large,and giant aneurysms were (40.8 ± 26.5 )％,( 18.6 ± 16.1 )％,(2.3 ± 2.1 )％,(0.4 ±0.1 )％,respectively,which had statistical significance (F =7.091,P ＜ 0.01 ).The VER of wide-necked and narrow-necked aneurysms were (27.5 ± 23.1 )％,(29.4 ± 26.6)％,which had no statistical significance(P ＞0.05 ).The VER of complete embolization,neck residual and partial embolization were (41.8 ± 29.3 )％,(31.4 ± 21.2)％,( 12.3 ± 15.1 )％,respectively,which had statistical differences (F =7.970,P ＜ 0.01 ).ConclusionsThe VER is an objective index to evaluate the embolization degree of aneurysms.It has certain prediction significance for the efficacy judgement of embolization of aneurysms.

Objective Clinical strains of Shigella dysenteriae isolated from eastern parts of India in 1988, 1995 and 2002 were examined for the presence of class 1, 2 and 3 integrons which closely related with drug resistance and the distribution of resistance gene cassette in order to clarify the influence of integron system on drug resistance of Shigella dysenteriae. Methods Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was tested by the disk agar diffusion method. Class 1, 2 and 3 integron genes (intI) were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 16 clinical strains with drug resistance.The variable regions of gene cassette of positive strains were sequenced. Results All 16 isolates were resistant to at least 4 agents including β-lactams, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, sulfonamides,chloramphenicols and quinolones. Class 1 integron gene was detected in 13 strains and all isolates carried class 2 integron which indicated that strains with two integron structures were detected simultaneously and class 3 integron was not detected. Class 1 integron inserted gene cassette was mainly blaara30 -aadA 1 family, conferring resistance to β-lactamase, spectinomycin and streptomycins isolates carried class 2 integron were mainly dfrAl-satl genes cassettes conferring resistance to methoxybenzyl aminopyrimidine and streptothricin, while dfrA\-sat\-aadA\ genes were present only in 4 isolates. Conclusions These data indicate that class 2 integrons are widespread in Shigella dysenteriae strains, and closely associated with multidrug resistance of Shigella.

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical effects of forearm cutaneous neurovascular flaps to be used on repairing remote wound.Methods17 cases of soft tissue defect of head and facial region and upper extremity were repaired with forearm cutaneous neurovascular flaps.Results The flaps of 16 cases were entirely survived, partial necrosis appeared in 1 case and healed after changing dressing.Following up for 3 to 6 months, the quality and shape of all the flaps and function recovery of all patients were satisfied.ConclusionsWith adequate blood supply, the survival rate of forearm cutaneous neurovascular flaps is high and the procedure to repair remote wound is easy, and it is one of best ways to repair the soft tissue defect in head and facial region and upper extremity with forearm cutaneous neurovascular flaps.

APOBEC3 is a class of cytidine deaminase, which is considered as a new member of the innate immune system, and APOBEC3G belongs to this family. The research about APOBEC3G is a new direction of innate immune defense mechanism against virus. APOBEC3G has the restrictive activity on many viral replications, which deaminates dC to dU in the viral genome and then induces extensive hypermutation. APOBEC3G can also interrupt viral replication at several phases such as reverse transcription, replication, nucleocapsid and so on by non-deamination mechanisms. However, virus can encode viral proteins to counteract the restriction activity of APOBEC3G. Elucidation of the antagonistic interaction between APOBEC3G and the virus will be contributed to development of new antiviral drugs in the future.
APOBEC-3G Deaminase ; Animals ; Cytidine Deaminase ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA Replication ; Deamination ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; physiology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Paramyxoviridae ; genetics ; physiology ; Retroviridae ; physiology ; Virus Replication ; vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the semen quality of cancer patients and search for a better way of sperm cryopreservation for them.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the quality of the semen from 43 cancer patients under cryopreservation in the Sperm Bank of Zhejiang Province, and compared the semen parameters between the cancer patients and 248 normal donors as well as between the testicular cancer cases (n=22) and non-testicular cancer cases (n=21).

RESULTSThe cancer patients exhibited significantly lower semen quality than the normal donors as in sperm concentration (60.90 x 10(6)/ml vs 74.27 x 10(6)/ml), progressive motility (41.07% vs 51.79%), and recovery rate (49.98% vs 57.33%) (all P <0.05). Furthermore, the progressive sperm motility and sperm recovery rate after freezing were significantly decreased in the testicular cancer cases (15.68% and 42.81%) than in the non-testicular cancer cases (28.36% and 57.53%) (both P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONSemen quality declines in cancer patients, and therefore early sperm cryopreservation is essential for them. Due to the poor sperm motility and recovery rate of testicular cancer patients after freezing, further investigation is required on the improvement of sperm cryopreservation methods.

Adult ; Cryopreservation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Semen Preservation ; methods ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Testicular Neoplasms