Objective To explore the value of virtual touch tissue quantification(VTQ) in diagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MECa) of parotid gland.Methods The sonographic and VTQ findings of 36 patients with MECa of parotid gland proved by pathology were analyzed retrospectively.The patients were divided into 3 groups according to pathology.50 normal subjects were choesn as control group.Results There were significant differences of shear wave velocity (SWV) between MECa groups and control group as well as among MECa groups (all P ＜0.01).Conclusions VTQ provides quantitative information about tissue stiffness which is useful for the diagnosis of MECa of parotid gland.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic action and molecular mechanisms of Oxalis comiculata L. extracts on rats with alcoholic liver disease. Methods Forty-two male Sprague Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into normal control group(n=10),model group(n=8),moderate dose oxalis group(n=8),high dose oxalis group(n=8)and prednisone group(n=8). The model of rat with alcoholic liver disease was established by liquor gavage;after 12 weeks,moderate dose oxalis group,high dose oxalis group and prednisone group were given the total extract of oxalis 3.5 g?kg-1?d-1,7 g?kg-1?d-1 or prednisolone acetate 0.9 mg?kg-1?d-1,respectively,the remaining two groups were given the same amount of normal saline by gavage daily for 6 weeks. Levels of indexes of liver function,superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),antidiuretic hormone(ADH)and aldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH)in rats were detected. The pathological changes of liver tissues in rats were observed under light microscope;tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) expression level was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Results Compared with the normal control group, the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT),alkaline phosphatase(AKP),γ-glutamyl transferase(GGT),MDA were increased significantly,while the levels of SOD,ADH and ALDH were obviously reduced in model group. Compared with the model group,AST,ALT,AKP,GGT and MDA contents were decreased significantly,while the levels of SOD, ADH and ALDH were markedly increased in the drug groups,and the changes of levels of AST,ALT,AKP,GGT, SOD,ADH in high dose oxalis group were the most obvious〔AST(U/L):117.38±22.75 vs. 201.62±17.95,ALT (U/L):33.51±11.64 vs. 59.14±9.52,AKP(U/L):95.19±24.85 vs. 169.39±37.21,GGT(U/L):46.54±14.55 vs. 89.37±12.49,SOD(U/mg):137.03±12.03 vs. 80.64±13.45,ADH(U/L):3.48±0.71 vs. 2.05±0.91,P<0.05 or P<0.01〕,and the most significant changes of MDA and ALDH were in oxalis moderate dose group〔MDA (mmol/mg):2.05±0.64 vs. 3.17±0.61,ALDH(U/L):7.59±1.95 vs. 5.71±1.33,both P<0.05〕. In normal control group,no obvious lesion was seen in the rat liver tissues. In the model group,fatty degeneration of liver cells with formation of bullae was found,while in the moderate and high dose oxalis groups,cells with macrovesicular steatosis were significantly decreased. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of TNF-α in the cytoplasm and part of cell membrane of macrophage was significantly decreased in liver tissues in oxalis moderate and high dose groups. Conclusion These results show that the Oxalis comiculata L. extracts possess certain therapeutic effect on alcoholic liver disease.

Objective To synthesize 99Tcm-TP5-3 and evaluate its biodistribution and kinetics as a molecular probe for the detection of apoptosis,and evaluate tumor apoptosis after a single dose of paclitaxel chemotherapy in MDA-MB-231 breast tumor model.Methods TP5-3 was labeled with 99Tcm directly,and analyzed with HPLC.The radioactivity in tissues was measured and expressed as ％ID/g and T/NT (tumor/muscle).The mice bearing MDA-MB-231 breast tumor were divided into two groups:the treatment group which was given a single dose of paclitaxel (40 mg· kg-1,via tail vein),and the control group which was injected with the same volume of normal saline.After therapy,99Tcm-TP5-3 was injected via tail vein in both groups (100 μ1 for each mouse).MicroSPECT/CT was performed at 3 h postinjection.Radioactivity in different tissues was determined after imaging.Apoptotic cells were measured with flow cytometry.The morphological changes of the apoptotic cells were observed by light microscopies.One-way analysis of variance,two-sample t test and linear correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.Results The radiolabeling efficiency was ＞ 95％ and the radiochemical purity of 99Tcm-TP5-3 was (96.0± 1.5)％ at room temperature for 4 h.The predominant uptake was found in the kidneys at 30 min postinjection ((8.48± 1.07) ％ID/g),with rapid tracer clearance from the circulation.By comparison with activity at 5 min postinjection ((13.74± 4.21) ％ID/g),85％ of the initial activity reduced in blood at 4 h ((2.07±0.35) ％ID/g; F=11.310,P＜ 0.05).99Tcm-TP5-3 was mainly accumulated in the kidneys,liver and stomach,and excreted via the kidneys.T/NT in the treated group was 4.21±0.06,which was significantly higher than that of the control group (1.57±0.67; t =12.820,P＜0.05).The radioactivity of tumor tissue in the treatment group was much higher than that in the control group (4.82±0.54) ％ID/g vs (1.44±0.38) ％ID/g,t=0.679,P＜0.05).The tumor uptake of 99Tcm-TP5-3 in the treatment group positively correlated well with the apoptotic cells (r =0.985,P＜0.05).Histopathology further confirmed that a large number of apoptosis had occurred in the tumor after paclitaxel treatment.Conclusion 99Tcm-TP5-3 appears to have potential to be a useful molecular probe for imaging tumor cell apoptosis.

Aim To explore the effects of mangiferin on tissue factor(TF) expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) and the underlying mechanisms.Methods HUVECs were isolated and primarily cultured in vitro.After the treatment with mangiferin and oxidized low density lipoprotein(oxLDL), TF expression was determined in HUVECs with real-time PCR and Western blot.Results oxLDLinduced the mRNA and protein expression and pro-thrombotic activity of TF in HUVECs.However, the inductive effects of oxLDL were blocked significantly by mangiferin.Furthermore, mangiferin modified TF expression and activity in a dose-dependent manner.Mangiferin was demonstrated to enhance the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPARγ).In contrast, GW9662, an antagonist of PPARγ, reversed at least partially the suppressive effects of mangiferin on TF.Conclusion Through activating PPARγ, mangiferin suppresses the expression of TF serving pro-thrombotic functions in endothelial cells.