Objective To evaluate the value of ultrasonic quantitative method in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods Ultrasonography was performed in 186 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsies. Fifteen indices including liver capsule thickness and fourteen texture parameters of gray level co-occurrence matrix were extracted from standard sonograms and compared with fibrosis stages by histopathology. The status of liver fibrosis was divided into five stages from S0 to S4 by histopathology based on the disease severity. ANOVA and Spearman correlation analysis were applied to analyze the differences and relationships between these indices and pathological stage, respectively. Then discriminant analysis models were established based on the indices for quantitative diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Results Among the fifteen indices, including liver capsule thickness, only the variance (F=0. 55, r=0. 06; both P＞0. 05), sum average (F=0.61, both r=0.05 ; P＞0.05), sum entropy (F=1.68, r=0.09; both P≥0.05) and entropy (F=1.39,r=0.12; both P＞0.05) were not significantly associated with the stages and not manifested linear correlation. Using biopsy results as gold standard, the correct rank rate of discriminant analysis model analysis in the patients staged from S0 to S4 were 80. 0%, 64. 9%, 61.3%, 74. 1% and 80.6 %, respectively. There were 73.1% of cross-validated cases who were accurately classified by the model analysis. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in patients with stage ≥ 1 were 97. 6%,80.0% and 91.9%, respectively; those in patients with stage≥2 were 92.1%, 89.7% and 90.9%,respectively; those in patients with stage≥3 were 94.8%, 96.1% and 95.7%; and those in patients with stage 4 were 80. 6%, 97.4 % and 94.6%, respectively. When considered S0 as no fibrosis, S1 as mild fibrosis, S2 and S3 as moderate to severe fibrosis and S4 as early cirrhosis, the consistence rates between discriminant analysis model and biopsy result were 81.7%, 78. 4%, 56. 9% and 90.3%,respectively. There were 74.7% of cross-validated cases who were correctly classified. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the models for determining the fibrosis severity in patients≥mild fibrosis were 97.6%, 81.7% and 92.5%, respectively; those in patients ≥ moderate to severe fibrosis were 83. 1%, 94.8% and 89.2%, respectively; those in patients with early cirrhosis were 90.3%, 93.5% and 93.0%, respectively. Conclusion As a novel and noninvasive method, ultrasonic texture analysis could quantitatively determine liver fibrosis in CHB patients and is worthy of further investigation.

Objective To understand the prevalence of Capillaria hepatica in rodents from Wuhan section of the Yangtze River marshland. Methods Rodents were trapped in Jiang an section of Wuhan marshland of the Yangtze River. The livers of the rodents were examined for pathological changes by unaided eyes and the liver tissues were examined for the eggs of C. hepati-ca by a microscope. Results According to the natural conditions the investigation was carried out in 6 survey areas. Each sur-vey area was placed with 60 mousetraps and all 360 mousetraps were recovered. A total of 31 rodents rodent density 8.61%were captured and examined including 24 Apodemus agrarius 3 Rattus norvegicus 4 Sorex caecutiens and C. hepatica eggs were found in 1 R. norvegicus 1/3 and not found in A. agrarius and S. caecutiens. Conclusion This study has documented a prevalence of C. hepatica in rodents from Wuhan section of the Yangtze River marshland where is a natural epidemic focus of ca-pillariasis hepatica.

BACKGROUND:Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) had 3 kinds of receptors in vitro. Some researches had showed that LPA1, LPA2 and LPA3 receptors distributed widely in mouse cerebral cortex, nephritic external medulla layer and internal medulla layer, spermary, thymus, heart, lung, stomach, spleen, whereas less in liver, small intestine and skeletal muscles. Whether there are various LPA receptors in mouse VSMC membrane deserves further study.OBJECTIVE: To observe the mRNA expression of LPA receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC).DESIGN: Observational comparative experiment.SETTING: Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology.MATERIALS: A total of 24 C57BL/6 mice aged 7-8 weeks, of either sex, with the body mass of approximately (25±3) g,were purchased from the Animal Department of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Trizol was purchased from America Invitrogen; dNTP Mix, Rnasin were obtained from TaKaRa; M-MLV reverse transcriptase and buffer system were from Promega; Taq DNA-polymerase and buffer system were from Biostar.Oligo(dT)18 primer were from Sangon, Shanghai. Primer sequences were designed referring to literature and nucleotide sequence database and synthesized by Sangon, Shanghai.METHODS: The experiment was conducted at the Comprehensive Laboratory, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology between August 2005 and January 2006. Mice were anaesthetized by abdominal cavity with 20 g/L ketamine (5 mL/kg). Thoracic aorta was obtained sterilely, and VSMC was cultured with adherence method. The 4th-6th passage cells were used in the trial. Cell purity was over 95%. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to determine the mRNA expression of LPA receptors gene in mouse VSMC.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Detection of mRNA expression of LPA receptors in mouse VSMC and comparison of receptor types.RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the expressions of LPA1 receptors and LPA2 receptors (P ＞ 0.05). Compared with LPA1 receptors and LPA2 receptors (0.79±0.05,0.82±0.06), the LPA3 receptor expression was lower (0.53±0.05, q =23.78,26.53, P＜ 0.01 ).CONCLUSION: There are 3 kinds of LPA receptors in VSMC, and their molecular masses are 600 bp, 463 bp and 899 bp,respectively. There are no differences for the expressions between LPA1 receptors and LPA2 receptors, while the LPA3 receptor expression is less.

Objective To investigate the clinical,laboratory,and neuroimaging characteristics of neuroacanthocytosis.Methods Eight patients with neuroacanthocytosis were retrospectively analysed.Acanthocytes were tested by peripheral blood smear,wet preparation with saline dilution,and scanning electron microscope.Results Two male and 6 female patients were included.The age at onset was between 10 and 35 years,with a mean age at onset of 22 years.Four patients firstly presented with oral-facial-lingual dystonia,3 patients firstly presented with involuntary movements of the distal limbs and experienced the oral facial dystonia during the course of disease,and 1 patient primary presented with a parkinsonian syndrome.Four patients had generalized tonic-clonic seizures were reported in 4 patients,and 4 patients had cognitive impairment.Hypotonia and hyporeflexia were reported in 6 patients.The peripheral blood smear revealed the presence of acanthocytes in 7 patients,in addition,wet preparation with saline dilution and scanning electron microscope revealed the presence of acanthocytes in the remaining one.All patients showed slightly elevated serum creatine kinase.Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed variable atrophy of the bilateral caudate nuclei and putamen,with or without a rim of increased T2-intensity in 6 patients,but the films of 2 patients were read as normal.Electromyography and nerve conduction velocity were examined in 4 patients.The results indicated axonal damage in 2 patients,and were normal in the other 2 patients.Acanthocytosis was confirmed by peripheral blood smear in 7 cases,by wet preparation with saline dilution in 8 cases and by scanning electron microscope in 2 cases.Conclusions Neuroacanthocytosis is a progress neurodegenerative disorder mainly affected the basal ganglia. The clinical characteristics include oral facial dystonia,limbs chorea,cognitive impairment,and seizures. Brain MRI showed variable atrophy of the bilateral caudate nuclei and putamen.The peripheral blood smear,wet preparation with saline dilution,and scanning electron microscope methods of peripheral blood examination are critical in the diagnosis of neuroacanthocytosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the roles of mouse erythroid differentiation and denucleation factor (MEDDF), a novel factor cloned in our laboratory recently, in erythroid terminal differentiation.

METHODSMouse erythroleukemia (MEL) cells were transfected with eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA-MEDDF. Then we investigated the changes on characteristics of cell growth by analyzing cells growth rate, mitotic index and colony-forming rate in semi-solid medium. The expressions of c-myc and beta-globin genes were analysed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.

RESULTSMEL cells transfected with pcDNA-MEDDF showed significant lower growth rate, mitotic index, and colony-forming rate in semi-solid medium (P<0.01). The percentage of benzidine-positive cells was 32.8% after transfection. The expression of beta-globin in cells transfected with pcDNA-MEDDF was 3.43 times higher than that of control (MEL transfected with blank vector, pcDNA3.1), and the expression of c-myc decreased by 66.3%.

CONCLUSIONSMEDDF can induce differentiation of MEL cell and suppress its malignancy.

Activins ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Friend murine leukemia virus ; Globins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Inhibin-beta Subunits ; genetics ; pharmacology ; Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mice ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured