Aim: To study the effects of Clostridium difficile toxin A on the cytotoxity and apoptosis of human hep-atoma cell line SMMC-7721. Methods: Clone inhibiting experiment and MTT calorimetric assay were used to assay SMMC-7721 proliferation. Morphological changes relevant to the apoptosis and the DNA damage were analyzed by transmission electron microscope and single cell gel assay. The number of apoptosis cells and the expression of Bcl-2 and p53 protein were detected by the flow cytometry. Results: 0. 018- 4. 690 mg/L toxin A significantly decreased the colony information of SMMC-7721 cells, and greatly inhibited SMMC-7721 proliferation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Morphological changes related to apoptosis were evident under transmission electron microscope and DNA damage was detected by single cell gel assay when SMMC-7721 cultured with 4. 690 mg/L toxin A for 48 h. Toxin A 0. 0734. 690 mg/L induced apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells from 6. 8% to 41. 8%. In addition, Toxin A 0. 293-4. 690 mg/L significant decreased Bcl-2 protein expression and increased p53 protein expression in SMMC-7721. Conclusion: These results showed that clostridium difficile toxin A had a significantly cytotoxicity in human SMMC-7721 which was attributed to toxin A induced apoptosis.

In recent years, the discovery of thousands of long non-coding RNAs ( lncRNAs) has certainly changed human′s view of the complexity of mammalian genomes and transcriptome, as they play an important role in the regulation of transcription, post-transcription as well as epigenetic level, widely involved in various physiological process and diseases.Here this review summarized the lncRNAs associated with cancers, discussed the established methods used to detect and quantify lncRNAs, and evaluated the clinical application of lncRNAs as biomarker.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Nasopharynx ; pathology ; Young Adult

Objective To design and develop a treatment unit selecting system in aim of enhancing work efficiency and safety,adjusting treatment unit workload,improving quality of medical care.Methods Various treatment techniques,immobilization devices and setup verification devices were modeled in software.Workload of treatment units were extract from the Record and Verify System.These two types of information were then combined with the unit's workload capability to calculate the optimal radiotherapy apparatus for tumor patient.Results The system had finished selecting radiotherapy apparatusv for more than 5 000 patients since its taking place of the old patient selecting methods.Maximum variation of daily treatment duration between treatment units had decreased from 4-5 hours (mean 4.22 hours) to 1-2 hours (mean 1.84 hours) since the system have been put into operation.Workload and device configuration of various units could be controlled by easily editing of the system configuration file.Conclusions The system developed not only accomplish patient selecting in an optimal and safe way,but also provide a way of easily control the treatment unit workload.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical manifestation and surgical outcome of spinal osteoblastoma.

METHODSFrom June 2006 to July 2010, 11 patients with spinal osteoblastoma treated surgically were analyzed retrospectively. There were 7 males and 4 females with an average age of 23.5 years (range, 16 - 34 years). The tumors were located at C(5) in 3, C(6) in 4, C(7) in 2, C(6) ~ T(1) in 1 and T(11) in 1. Based on WBB classification, 9 were 1 - 3 or 10 - 12 and 2 were 4 - 9 and 1 - 3. All the operations had been performed with en-bloc resection. The posterior approach was used for 9 patients, and combined posterior and anterior approach was used for 2 patients. Reconstruction using instrumentation and fusion was performed using spinal instrumentation in 8 patients. To evaluate the change of pain before and after the operation by visual analogue scales (VAS), and to assess functional status of the spine by McCormick scale. Imaging test was used to review the stability and recurrence rate of spine cord, and the confluence of graft bones.

RESULTSAll cases were followed up for 12 - 64 months (average, 28.4 months). The average surgical time was 130.5 minutes (range, 90 - 210 minutes), with the average intraoperative blood loss of 560 ml (range, 300 - 1000 ml). During the follow-up period, the VAS grade reduced from 6.3 ± 1.1 to 2.5 ± 1.0 (t = 8.48, P < 0.05). There were 8 patients had neurological function improved and 3 remained no change which was evaluated by McCormick scale for spinal function status at final follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSSpinal osteoblastoma has its own specific radiographic feature. There are some recurrence in simple curettage of tumor lesion. The thoroughly en-bloc resection of tumor or spondylectomy, bone fusion and strong in ter fixation are the key points for successful surgical treatment.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoblastoma ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Pain Measurement ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To study the clinical feature,treatment,and prognosis of the cytomegalovirus (CMV)pneumonia patients treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.Mlethod The patients received immunosuppressor against kidney disease in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from June 1999 to December 2006.CMV antigen of leucocyte in the peripheral blood and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of these patients were detected with immunocytochemical methods,and 21 patients were found suffering from CMV pneumonia.The 21 patients were introvenously injected with ganciclovir 5～10 mg/(kg?d),and the immunosuppressive agent treatment suspended.Their clinical feature and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results The 21 patients received corticosteroids before CMV pneumonia contracted,of them,13 patients had been intensively treated with Methyllprednisolone with mean total dose(3.2?0.6)g.Of them,15 had been treated with cyclophosphamide with mean total dose(3.8?1.3)g.The median time from the beginning of using immunosuppressor to the onset of CMV pneumonia was 25(13～92)days.All patients had fever,cough, shortness of breath and X-ray showed interstitial pneumonia,of them,19 patients developed hypoxemia,and 11 patients' CMV antigen was positive in the leucocyte from bronchial lavage fluid.The result showed 9 patients survived and 12 died.The average duration of treatment with ganciclovir was(26.2?6.3)days. CMV pneumonia is a serious complication in patients who were treated with immunosuppressor against kidney disease.The mortality is high.Ganciclovir is a medicine of choice to treat CMV pneumonia.

OBJECTIVETo explore the traumatic mechanism and the effectiveness of conservative and operative therapy for intra-articular fracture of calcaneus.

METHODSForty-eight patients (52 feet) with intra-articular fractures were divided into two groups named as conservative group and operative group. There were 30 patients in the conservative group, including 26 males and 4 females, ranging in age from 2 to 73 years, with an average of (49.2 +/- 8.5) years. The patients in conservative group were treated with manual reduction, external fixation and functional exercise at early time. Among 18 patients in the operative group, 14 patients were male and 4 patients were female, ranging in age from 26 to 66 years,with an average of (50.1 +/- 19.3) years. The patients in the operative group were treated with open reduction and internal fixation. The height and width of calcaneus, Böhler and Gissane angles were measured before and after treatment. The assessment in the function of ankle joints was scored according to AOFAS scoring system.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 8 to 18 months,with a mean of 12 months. The time of weight-bearing ranged from 3 to 6 months, averaged 4 months. The fractures were fused completely on average of 12 months. The height and width of calcaneus, Böhler and Gissane angles had no statistically significance between two groups. According to AOFAS criteria,in the conservative group, 18 patients reached an excellent result, 6 good, 5 poor and 1 bad; in operative group, 4 patients reached an excellent result, 7 good, 6 poor and 1 bad. The therapeutic effect of conservative group was better than that of operative group.

CONCLUSIONOperative therapy in intra-articular fracture of calcaneus with steel plate can directly perceive the restoration (or roughly restoration sometimes) of the anatomical shapes of calcaneus, while conservative therapy has advantages such as restoration of the anatomical shapes of calcaneus, early functional practice, early healing, and avoiding operational complications as well.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Calcaneus ; injuries ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; methods ; Humans ; Intra-Articular Fractures ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective:To evaluate the functional outcome and the complication rate after open reduction and internal fixation of proximal humeral fractures with a "time-angle measurement" reduction evaluation technique,to assess the acceptance of the fracture reduction and to estimate the result of the surgery.Methods:Forty-six patients [mean age:(66.2 ± 14.9) years] with an acute proximal humeral fracture were managed with open reduction and internal fixation with this reduction evaluation technique from January 2012 to December 2013.According to the Neer classification,there were 6 two-part fractures,25 three-part fractures and 15 four-part fractures.The functional outcome was evaluated for each patient using the Constant-Murley score;radiographic evaluation was also conducted and complications were recorded.The postoperative shoulder function recovery and imaging findings were followed up to evaluate the guiding significance of this reduction evaluation technique in the clinical treatment of this kind of fracture.Results:In the study,46 patients had been followed up for 13-36 months,and the average follow-up time was (23.5 ± 7.3) months.All the patients achieved fracture healing 3 months after operation.The average head-shaft angle was (124 ± 3.5) degrees.According to the Constant scoring system,29 patients (63％) had excellent,14 patients (30％) had good,and 3 patients (7％) had poor results.The most common complications were pain (7/65) and restricted movement of the shoulder (5/ 46).There were no cases of screw penetration,necrosis of humeral head,deep tissue infection,nonunion of fracture and axillary nerve injury after operation.Conclusion:For appropriate cases of displaced proxinal humeral fractures,surgical treatment with application of "time-angle measurement" reduction evaluation technique that was introduced in the present study can lead to a good functional outcome,and the technique of reduction assessment should be regarded as a reasonable reference standard in the treatment of displaced proximal humerus fracture.

Objective: To investigate constitutional and phys ical stamina status in soldiers with different adaption periods in Tibetan areas . Methods: Two hundred and eithty-two male soldiers from a barr acks at an elevation of 3 600 m were divided into 2 groups: the veteran group ( n=143) in Tibet for 1.45±0.22 year, and the recruit group (n=139) in Ti bet for 0.33±0.00 years. The test items included body weight, cirumference, st a nding long jump, chin-up, 100 m dash and 3 000 m jogging, all were evaluated ac cording to the national military standard, which were Comprehensive Evaluation o f Health in Troops, and Examination and Evaluation of the Physical Stamina of So ldiers. Results: The physical stamina indexes of both the vetera ns and the recruits were up to the national military norm on the whole, ranking as moderate. The veteran group showed no significant difference in standing long jump and 100 m dash,（P<0.05), but obvious lower level in chin-up and 3 00 0 m jogging（P<0.01）, compared with the national military norm. The recr ui t group showed significant lower level in chin-up, 100 m dash, 3 000 m jogging as compared with the national military norm（P<0.01）, and also significant lower level in chin-up and 3 000 m jogging （P<0.05 or P<0.01) as compa red with the veteran group. Conclusion: The physical stamina of both the veterans and the recruits meet the basic national military requirements , ranking as moderate. The soldiers who have been in service for over 1 year hav e better explosive force, but they need more tolerance and aerobic exercises. Th e newly recruited need more exercise to raise tolerance to the hypoxic environme nt in plateau areas so as to shorten the adaption time to high altitude.

BACKGROUND:As the regulators of cytokines, suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) play an important role in the inflammation reaction. Some studies found that SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 were involved in the pathogenesis of some inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease. But the expressions of SOCS in coronary heart disease have not yet been reported. This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 in the myocardium of patients with sudden cardiac death (SCD).METHODS:Myocardial autopsy specimens were collected from 24 patients at the Forensic Medicine Department of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China between 2005 and 2006. Of them, 9 patients had autopsy findings consistent with coronary atherosclerosis (non-myocardial infarction) leading to SCD (non-MI group), 7 died of acute myocardial infaction (MI group), and 8 died from traffic accidents and trauma (control group). The expressions of SOCS-1 mRNA and SOCS-3 mRNA in the myocardium of the non-MI, MI and control groups were detected using RT-PCR. The levels of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 proteins were detected using immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 13.0 software and the data were analyzed by ANOVA.RESULTS:The expressions of SOCS-1 mRNA and SOCS-3 mRNA in the non-MI and MI groups were significantly higher than those in the control group[(0.788±0.101), (0.741±0.111) vs. (0.436±0.044), (P<0.01); (0.841±0.092), (0.776±0.070) vs. (0.454±0.076), (P<0.01)] respectively. The antibody-positive cells of SOCS-1 protein in the myocardium of the non-MI and MI groups were significantly higher than those in the myocardium of the control group[(320.00±48.48), (347.14±70.88) vs. (42.50±10.35), (P<0.01)] respectively. The antibody-positive cells of SOCS-3 protein in the myocardium of the non-MI and MI groups were significantly higher than those in the myocardium of the control group[(381.11±59.25) vs. (40.00±10.69), (P<0.01)] and[(332.86±111.91) vs. (40.00±10.69), (P=0.001)].CONCLUSION:The expressions of SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 in the myocardium of patients with SCD from coronary heart disease are significantly increased and contribute to the pathogenesis of SCD.