At present,radiofrequency ablation (RFA),as a minimally-invasive and effective therapeutic means,is widely employed for the treatment of hepatic tumors.This technique is especially suitable for the patients with liver tumor who are unwilling to accept surgery or who cannot undergo surgery.In the past 20 years,great development and progress have been achieved in RFA technology.As a main therapeutic tool,the property of the radiofrequency electrode needle has great influence on the curative effect.This paper aims to make a comprehensive summary about the radiofrequency electrode needles that are currently used in clinical practice or are still in the research and development stage,focusing on the following special radiofrequency electrode needles,including multiple-point expandable electrode needle,perfusion electrode needle,internal cooling electrode needle and bipolar electrode needle.The properties and distinguishing features of these radiofrequency electrode needles will be discussed,and their advantages and disadvantages will be compared.In order to improve the curative effect of RFA for hepatic tumors,further research is suggested.

ObjectiveTo explore the influence of 3C bolus wizard on postprandial glucose levels in diabetic patients. MethodFifty-eight patients with type 2 diabetes in our hospital were monitored with continuous glucose monitoring system(CGMS), continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion(CSII)and CareLink(3C for short)for 6 days.The function of “3C” bolus wizard was applied during treatment and all the patients were given dietary nursing and health education.The glucose level was observed.ResultThe level of P2hBG of the 58 patients was between 6.4~10.7mmol/L in 3~6 days.ConclusionsBolus wizard plays an important role in “3C” treatment.It can make the postprandial glucose of patients satisfactorily controlled in a short time only to avoid insulin hypoglycemia because of large doses of insulin.At the same time,health education on patients can achieve remarkable results as well.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi resources in rhizosphere of Chaenomeles speciosa in Xuancheng, Anhui province.

METHODRoots were stained with acid fuchsin and then mounted and observed under a microscope; Spores were extracted from the rhizosphere soil using wet-sieving method.

RESULTC. speciosa could be colonized and formed typical arbuscular mycorrhizas with AM fingi. 18 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were identified, belonging to four genera, 11 species of Glomus, 3 species of Acaulospora, 3 species of Scutellospora and 1 species of Entrophospora. Glomus were the dominant AM fungi in the rhizosphere.

CONCLUSIONThe resources of AM fungi in rhiszophere of C. speciosa were very abundant. Fungi from Glomus were possible the dominant AMF in the rhizosphere.

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a transcriptional regulator that binds to a complex DNA motif in various orientations and plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression, chromatin restructuring, and developmental processes. Mutations in the CTCF are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we report the first Korean case with a de novo heterozygous variant in the CTCF (c.1025G>A; p.Arg342His). She showed global developmental delay, failure to thrive, and dysmorphic face, which are phenotypes consistent with previous reports in the autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder 21 (MIM 615502). She also showed clinical features not previously reported, such as antral web and tracheobronchomalacia.Our case follows suit and expands understanding of this rare disorder by reporting common features and, on the other hand, unreported concomitant congenital anomalies.

Immobilization of unilateral (right) lambdoid suture was produced in 9-day-old rabbits to determine its effect on subsequent craniofacial growth. The suture was immobilized by the topical application of methyl-2-cyanoacrylate adhesive, subsequent growth effects on the cranial vault, cranial base and facial skeleton were assessed by serial radiographic cephalometry. The statistically significant result(p < 0.05) were: 1. The growth of immobilized lambdoid suture was decreased accompanying compensatory growth at coronal suture bilaterally. 2. The length of anterior and posterior cranial base was increased. 3. Anterior midfacial height was increased. 4. Lower midfacial angle (angular relationship of cranial base to lower midface) was decreased. With the view of above findings, it is clear that restricted growth was seen at unilateral lambdoid suture accompanying compensatory growth at coronal suture and resulted in altered cranial base and facial growth.
Adhesives ; Cephalometry ; Craniosynostoses* ; Immobilization ; Rabbits* ; Skeleton ; Skull Base ; Sutures

Gingival recession could result in root exposure, dental hypersensitivity and poor aesthetics. It has been demonstrated that varieties of root coverage procedures can significantly improve gingival recession in short-term (≤6 months), of which coronally advanced flap combined with connective tissue graft is the gold standard technique for treatment of gingival recession. It could obtain the optimally complete root coverage and maintain long-term stability (≥2 years). However, clinical knowledge about the long-term effectiveness of the other alternative graft materials remain very limited. Based on the existing clinical evidence, this article reviews coronally advanced flap, coronally advanced flap combined with connective tissue graft or alternative graft materials, with particular attention to the long-term stability of them, in order to provide reference for the design of further clinical trials and the plan of clinical treatments.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and evaluate the effect and safety of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in Sichuan province.Methods:A retrospective study. From January 2013 to January 2022, 156 patients (306 eyes) with ROP who received intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy for the first time in the Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University were selected. According to the type of anti-VEGF drugs, the children were divided into intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (IVR) group and intravitreal injection of conbercept (IVC) group; IVC group was divided into hospital group and referral group according to the different paths of patients. After treatment, the patients were followed up until the disease degenerated (vascular degeneration or complete retinal vascularization) or were hospitalized again for at least 6 months. If the disease recurred or progressed, the patients were re-admitted to the hospital and received anti-VEGF drug treatment, laser treatment or surgical treatment according to the severity of the disease. Clinical data of these children was collected, including general clinical characteristics: gender, gestational age at birth (GA), birth weight (BW), history of oxygen inhalation; pathological condition: ROP stage, zone, whether there were plus lesions; treatment: treatment time, postmenstrual gestational age at the time of the first anti-VEGF drug treatment; prognosis: re-treat or not, time of re-treatment, mode of re-treatment; adverse events: corneal edema, lens opacity, endophthalmitis, retinal injury, and treatment-related systemic adverse reactions. The measurement data between groups were compared by t test, and the count data were compared by χ2 test or rank sum test. Results:Of the 306 eyes of 156 children with ROP, 74 were male (47.44%, 74/156) and 82 were female (52.56%, 82/156). Each included child had a history of oxygen inhalation at birth. The GA was (28.43±2.19) (23.86-36.57) weeks, BW was (1 129±335) (510-2 600) g, and the postmenstrual gestational age was (39.80±3.04) (31.71-49.71) weeks at the time of the first anti-VEGF drug treatment. All patients were diagnosed as type 1 ROP, including 26 eyes (8.50%, 26/306) of aggressive ROP (A-ROP), 39 eyes (12.74%, 39/306) of zone Ⅰ lesions, and 241 eyes (78.76%, 241/306) of zone Ⅱ lesions. The children were treated with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs within 72 hours after diagnosis. Among them, 134 eyes (43.79%, 134/306) of 68 patients were treated with IVR, and 172 eyes (56.21%, 172/306) of 88 patients were treated with IVC. In IVC group, 67 eyes of 34 patients (38.95%, 67/172) were in the hospital group and 105 eyes of 54 patients (61.05%, 105/172) were in the referral group. 279 eyes (91.18%, 279/306) were improved after one treatment, 15 eyes (4.90%, 15/306) were improved after two treatments, and 12 eyes (3.92%, 12/306) were improved after three treatments. The one-time cure rate of IVR group was lower than that of IVC group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=1.665, P=0.197). In different ROP categories, IVC showed better therapeutic effect in A-ROP, and its one-time cure rate was higher than that in IVR group, with statistically significant difference ( χ2=7.797, P<0.05). In the hospital group of IVC group, the GA, BW and the postmenstrual gestational age at first time of anti-VEGF drug treatment were lower than those in the referral group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=-2.485, -2.940, -3.796; P<0.05). The one-time cure rate of the hospital group and the referral group were 94.94%, 92.38%, respectively. The one-time cure rate of the hospital group was slightly higher than that of the referral group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=0.171, P=0.679). In this study, there were no ocular and systemic adverse reactions related to drug or intravitreal injection in children after treatment. Conclusions:Compared with the characteristics of ROP in developed countries, the GA, BW and postmenstrual gestational age of the children in Sichuan province are higher. Both IVR and IVC can treat ROP safely and effectively. There is no significant difference between the two drugs in the overall one-time cure effect of ROP, but IVC performed better in the treatment of A-ROP in this study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Clostridium difficile is an important cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients. C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is usually diagnosed following a stool test for C. difficile cytotoxin or stool culture for the presence of toxigenic C. difficile. However, the reported sensitivities of these tests are variable. Sigmoidoscopy may be an effective diagnostic method in patients with a false-negative stool test for cytotoxin. This study examined the role of flexible sigmoidoscopy in the diagnosis of CDAD. METHODS: Among the patients who had diarrhea and were examined with sigmoidoscopy in Eulji University Hospital between January 2005 and July 2008, 102 patients suspected of having antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) based on their clinical symptoms were enrolled. Of the 102 patients, 74 were diagnosed with CDAD based on C. difficile cytotoxin or sigmoidoscopic findings of pseudomembranous colitis. The medical records of these 74 patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 74 patients, sigmoidoscopic findings revealed a pseudomembrane in 63 patients (85.1%) and colitis in nine (12.2%), while two patients (2.7%) appeared normal. Of the 63 patients with pseudomembranous colitis at sigmoidoscopy, the stool C. difficile cytotoxin assay was negative in 27 (42.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Flexible sigmoidoscopy was highly sensitive in pseudomembranous colitis and is useful in diagnosing patients with a delayed or negative stool test for C. difficile cytotoxin. Therefore, we recommend flexible sigmoidoscopy in patients suspected of having C. difficile-associated diarrhea for the diagnosis of CDAD.
Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Colitis ; Diarrhea ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Sigmoidoscopy

Dieulafoy's lesion is rare cause of massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Dieulafoy's lesion is understood to represent a tiny submucosal defect with fibrinoid necrosis at its base, overlying a large, tortous, thick-walled artery in the muscularis mucosa. Although the original descriptions and early reports were of lesions in the proximal stomach, similar lesions have subsequently been reported in the esophagus, duodenum, jejunum, colon and rectum. Rectal Dieulafoy's lesion is rare but it is one of the causes of massive hematochezia. We report two cases of rectal Dieulafoy's lesion that was successfully treated with endoscopic hemostasis by clipping in the elderly patients.
Aged* ; Arteries ; Colon ; Duodenum ; Esophagus ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage* ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; Humans ; Jejunum ; Mucous Membrane ; Necrosis ; Rectum ; Stomach

PURPOSE: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on uncultured amniotic fluid cells offers the opportunity for rapid screening of aneuploidies and has become an integral part of the current practice in many clinical cytogenetics laboratories. Here, we retrospectively analyzed the results of interphase FISH in 943 amniotic fluid samples and assessed the efficiency of FISH for rapid detection of aneuploidies. METHODS: Interphase FISH for chromosome 13, 18, and 21 was performed in 943 consecutive amniotic fluid samples for rapid diagnosis of aneuploidies referred from 2004 to 2006. Karyotypes from standard cytogenetic analysis were compared to the FISH results. RESULTS: A total of 45 chromosomal rearrangements (4.8%) were found after conventional cytogenetic analysis of the 943 amniotic fluid. After exclusion of known familiar chromosomal rearrangements and inversions (2.1%, 20/943), 2.7% (25/943) were found to have chromosomal abnormalities. Of this group, 0.7% (6/943) were chromosomal abnormalities not detectable by FISH and 2.0% (19/943) were numerical abnormalities detectable by FISH. All 14 cases of Down syndrome (Classic type, 13 cases; Robertsonian type, 1 case) and 5 cases of trisomy 18 were diagnosed and detected by FISH and there were no false-positive or -negative results (specificity and sensitivity=100%). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that FISH can provide a rapid and sensitive clinical method for prenatal identification of chromosome aneuploidies. However, careful genetic counseling is essential to explain the limitations of FISH, including the inability to detect all chromosomal abnormalities and the possibilities of uninformative or false-negative results in some cases.
Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 13 ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Fluorescence ; Genetic Counseling ; In Situ Hybridization ; Interphase ; Karyotype ; Mass Screening ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Trisomy