Objective:To analyze the therapeutical effect of Irbesartan for coronary atherosclerosis mice ( ApoE-/-) and its possible mechanisms. Methods: A total of 16 male ApoE-/- mice were randomly divided into control group and Treatment group [Irbesartan,50 mg/(kg·d),4 weeks]. HE,immunofluorescence,Western blot and ELISA were performed to analyze the effect of Irbesartan on ApoE-/- and the changes of related signaling pathways. Results: Compared with control group,the treatment group had lower atheroma macular areas and inflammatory cytokines in blood vessel (P<0. 05). Treatment group had lower levels of leptin,but higher levels of PPAR-γ and adiponectin in perivascular adipose tissues ( PVAT ) than these of control group, the difference were statistically significant ( P<0. 05 ) . Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis shown that Irbesartan treatment significantly depressed the expression of p-p65 and p-IKK in PVAT when compared with these of control group (P<0. 05). Conclusion:Irbesartan has significantly therapeutic effect on ApoE-/-mice,the possible mechanisms including anti-inflammatory effects in PVAT,improved the adipose tissue function and regulated the PPAR-γ-NF-κB signaling pathways.

Objective:To analyze the craniofacial morphology characeristics of patients with peg-shaped upper lateral incisors. Methods:1 13 patients,aged 12 ~28 years,with peg-shaped upper lateral incisors were included,lateral cephalograms were taken and analyzed cephalometrically.Data were statistically analysed.Results:The sagittal facial patterns were skeletal Class Ⅰ(40.71%),skeletal Class Ⅱ(9.73%)and skeletal Class Ⅲ(49.56%).The vertical skeletal patterns were average vertical type (41.59%),high vertical type(18.58%)and low vertical type(39.82%).SNA,ANB,Ptm-A(mm),U1-SN,L1-NB,UL-EP were smaller(P<0.05)and SNB,PP-GoGn,SN-MP,Y axis,U1-L1,U1-NA,L1-MP and Z angles were increased(P<0.05).Conclu-sion:Patients with peg-shaped upper lateral incisors show Class Ⅲ skeletal pattern with maxillary retrognathia and mandibular prog-nathism.

Objective To investigate the phenotypes and expression of activated T-cell membrane molecules on lymphocytes in the peripheral blood(PB) of children with aplastic anemia (AA) and find out its clinical significance.Methods The lymphocytes from PB of the 115 AA patients were analyzed by flow cytometry and compared with normal group.Results The expression of CD8+ increased and the expression of CD4+ decreased. The ratio of CD4/CD8 cells decreased ,and was more significant in the patients with serious AA(SAA). The expression of HLA-DR and ??T-cell also increased, and was more significant in SAA patients. The expression of CD3+ was not significantly changed.Conclusions There is significant immune abnormal in AA patients and more important in SAA patients. The immunosuppressant is useful in clinical treatment.

Osteonecrosis is the most common disorder in femoral head and scaphoid. However, avascular necrosis (AVN) in metacarpal head is a rare disease. In the present study, a 14-year-old male patient complained of right-hand pain with a limited range of motion for one month. Physical examination showed that the active flexion was 70° and the extension was limited to 30° of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. The grip strength decreased to 60% of the contralateral hand. X-rays demonstrated flattening and sclerotic changes in the long finger and ring finger of metacarpal head. CT scanning indicated cystic, osteochondral defects and sclerotic changes in metacarpal head. Imaging examination further confirmed the diagnosis of AVN in the long metacarpal finger and ring finger. After conservative treatments including splint immobilization, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physiotherapy, the local pain symptoms of the MCP joint gradually disappeared. The range of motion of MCP joint returned to normal with the grip strength score as 105% of the contralateral hand. MRI confirmed excellent remodeling and regeneration in the metacarpal head at two years later. The clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatments of AVN of metacarpal head were reviewed. Although radiograph examination is commonly used, early-stage osteonecrosis of the metacarpal head should be confirmed by MRI. Given the rarity of this disorder, there is no consensus on the treatments. Metacarpal necrosis is the more common disorder in adolescent patients with a history of trauma. Considering the potential of bone remodeling, juveniles with metacarpal head necrosis could recover by conservative treatments.

Objective To investigate the incidence, clinical symptoms, correlative risk factors and prognosis of dysautonomia in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Methods A total of 142patients with severe traumatic brain injury treated from January 2008 to March 2010 were retrospectively surveyed to compare the clinical features of dysautonomia group and control group. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for dysautonomia. At 6 months post-trauma, the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) was used to measure the outcome. Results Of all the patients, 94 patients survived and were followed up. There were 16 patients ( 17% ) diagnosed as dysautonomia depended on clinical symptoms,with statistical difference in aspects of GCS, coma duration, ICU time and average length of stay (ALOS)(P < 0.05). The patients with dysautonomia tended to have poorer outcome ( P < 0.05 ) and showed a positive association with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) ( OR = 11. 25, CI 7.65-16.54 ). Conclusion Dysautonomia has high incidence and is usually severe in patients with severe traumatic brain injury,when DAI may contribute to its occurrence and result in poor prognosis.

Objective: To investigate the killing activity of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells after incubation with autologous tumor cell lysate-pulsed dendritic cells (Ag-DC) and to evaluate the immune functions of patients, the clinical efficacy and side effect of Ag-DC in combination with CIK on hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 24 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and cultured with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 to produce dendritic cells (DCs). The DCs were pulsed with autologous tumor cell lysate. T lymphocytes from PBMC were cultured with interferon-Y (IFN-γ), IL-2, CD3-moAb, and IL-1α to prepare CIK. The killing effect of CIK on SMMC-7721 was investigated after CIK was incubated with Ag-DC. After immunotherapy with Ag-DC and CIK, immunolog-ic and clinical responses of the 24 patients were evaluated. Results: The killing effect of CIK was remarkably improved after CIK was incubated with Ag-DC. The immunotherapy with DC and CIK alleviated symptoms and improved the immune functions of the patients. Except for transient fever and chill, no remarkable adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Ag-DC in combination with CIK shows short-term efficacy on hepatocellular carcinoma through inducing specific anti-tumor immunity and can be an effective adjuvant therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To review the clinical characteristics of paraganglioma of the urinary bladder with 5 cases reprt.Methods The clinical data of 5 patients (2 males and 3 females,age 23-68 years)with paraganglioma of the urinary bladder were reported.Two cases were diagnosed by ultrasonography during health examination,1 case was found by hematuria,1 had difficulty of voiding,and 1 presented with palpitation,chest discomfort while urination.Two cases were clinical diagnosed as bladder paraganglioma,1case urachal carcinoma,and 2 cases bladder tumor.Cystoscopy showed a protruding tumor within the bladder or bladder had compressed changes.One case of tumor located in the triangle,1 in the posterior wall,1in the top,2 in the anterior wall.Three cases of biopsy were negative.Three cases of preoperative endocrine examinations showed norepinephrine significantly higher.Results Laparoscopic partial cystectomy was performed in 3 cases,open partial cystectomy in 1 case,and transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) in 1 case.One case had the complication of stress cardiomyopathy during TURBT,3 cases found intraoperative hypertensive crisis.The bleeding volume was 20-800 ml (average 126 ml),and I case received blood transfusion.During the follow-up period for 3-48 months,the blood pressure was normal,and no recurrence was found.Conclusions Bladder paraganglioma is uncommon and easily misdiagnosed.For the patients with bladder tumor,accompanied by changes in blood pressure,palpitations during urination should be highly suspicious of bladder paraganglioma.Partial cystectomy is the main treatment method.

This study examined the effects of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3PUFA) on the expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and some related inflammatory factors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with early-stage severe multiple trauma. Thirty-two patients who were admitted to the Department of Traumatic Surgery, Tongji Hospital (Wuhan, China) between May 2010 and November 2010, and diagnosed as having severe multiple trauma with a injury severity score (ISS) no less than 16, were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups at random (n=16 in each): ω-3PUFA group and control group in which routine parenteral nutrition supplemented with ω-3PUFA or not was administered to the patients in two groups for consecutive 7 days. Peripheral blood from these patients was collected within 2 h of admission (day 0), and 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after the nutritional support. PBMCs were isolated and used for detection of the mRNA and protein expression of TLR2 and TLR4 by using real-time PCR and flow cytometry respectively, the levels of NF-κB by quantum dots-based immunofluorescence assay, the levels of TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6 and COX-2 by ELISA, respectively. The results showed that the mRNA and protein expression of TLR2 and TLR4 in PBMCs was significantly lower in ω-3PUFA group than in control group 5 and 7 days after nutrition support (both P<0.05). The levels of TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6 and COX-2 were found to be substantially decreased in PBMCs in ω-3PUFA group as compared with control group at 5th and 7th day (P<0.05 for all). It was concluded that ω-3PUFA can remarkably decrease the expression of TLR2, TLR4 and some related inflammatory factors in NF-κB signaling pathway in PBMCs of patients with severe multiple trauma, which suggests that ω-3PUFA may suppress the excessive inflammatory response meditated by the TLRs/NF-κB signaling pathway.

BACKGROUNDTo study the effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 E6/E7 and TPA (12-O-tetradecanog-1-phorbol-13-acetate) on malignant transformation of human embryo oral tissue.

METHODSRecombinant plasmid with HPV 16 E6/E7 was constructed and transfected into human embryo oral tissue. The oral tissue with HPV 16 E6/E7 gene or without the gene was inoculated into the hypophloeodal of right shoulder in scid mice, respectively. The study was conducted in four groups: the first group was the oral tissue transfected plasmid with HPV 16 E6/E7 plus TPA, which were inoculated into 8 scid mice; the second group was only oral tissue transfected with plasmid with HPV 16 E6/E7 into 6 scid mice; the third group was normal oral tissue plus TPA inoculated into 6 scid mice, and the final group was only normal oral tissue inoculated into 5 scid mice. Three days after inoculation, TPA was injected at the left shoulder of the mice once a week. Twelve weeks after inoculation, tumor was found in 7 scid mice from the first group. HPV 16 E6/E7 gene in tumor tissues was analyzed by PCR.

RESULTSThe rate of tumor formation was 7/8 in the first group; no tumor was found in the other groups. Pathological diagnosis of the tumor was fibrohistiocytoma. HPV 16 E6/E7 gene was detected by PCR in tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONWith the cooperating action of TPA, human oral tissue containing HPV 16 E6/E7 gene could cause malignant transformation in scid mice.

Animals ; Carcinogens ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma ; pathology ; virology ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, SCID ; Mouth Neoplasms ; pathology ; virology ; Oncogene Proteins, Viral ; genetics ; metabolism ; Papillomavirus E7 Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Papillomavirus Infections ; pathology ; virology ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; pharmacology

BACKGROUNDThe coagulation function in carcinoma patients is abnormal, but in renal cell carcinoma the extent and relationships of coagulation function remain unclear. This study retrospectively investigated the relationships between coagulation function, clinical stage and metastasis in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

METHODSA total of 350 consecutive patients admitted to our Urology Department from 2004 to 2010 were diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma by histopathologic examination and were included in this study. A total of 231 cases of renal benign tumors were considered as the control group. Fibrinogen, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time and international normalized ratio were evaluated in all subjects. Tumor size, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis were evaluated using radiologic imaging, intraoperative findings, and histological studies.

RESULTSThe preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels of patients with renal cell carcinoma ((383.9 ± 146.7) mg/dl) were significantly higher than those of the control group ((316.7 ± 62.0) mg/dl) (P < 0.01). We divided the renal cell carcinoma group into stages Ia, Ib, II, III, and IV. The fibrinogen values were (315.6 ± 64.6) mg/dl, (358.3 ± 91.1) mg/dl, (465.6 ± 164.7) mg/dl, (500.0 ± 202.1) mg/dl, and (585.8 ± 179.7) mg/dl, respectively. There were no significant differences in fibrinogen values between stage Ia and control groups. However, results of other stages showed significant differences when compared to control group values (P < 0.01). Using the cutoff value of 440 mg/dl, which defines hyperfibrinogenemia, plasma fibrinogen levels had a positive predictive value of 39.8% and a negative predictive value of 93.3% for predicting distant metastasis, with a sensitivity of 64.7% and specificity of 83.3%.

CONCLUSIONSPreoperative plasma fibrinogen levels are elevated in patients with renal cell carcinoma with distant metastasis or lymph node metastasis. Potential metastasis is more likely if the tumor size larger than 4 cm. Increased preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels, especially hyperfibrinogenemia, may be an indicator of metastasis.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Coagulation ; physiology ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; metabolism ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; physiopathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies ; Thromboplastin ; metabolism