Objective To observe the sequence of fat deposit and its relationship with insulin resistance in SD rats fed by high fat diet.Methods Normal 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into normal chow (NC,n=40)and high fat diet(HF,n=40)groups.Triglyceride(TG)in serum,liver and muscle were measured;glucose infusion rate(GIR)and the mRNA level of genes related to lipid metabolism in liver and muscle were determined in different stages.GIR was detected by eugiyeemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp for evaluating the insulin sensitivity.Gene expression was determined by real-time PCR.Results(1)As compared with NC group,serum TG was not increased after high fat feeding for4 and 8 weeks,it began to increase after 12 weeks [0.52(0.15-1.00) mmol/L vs O.31(0.09-0.53)retool/L, P0.05)in skeletal muscle.After 8 weeks,the expression of ACC1 in liver in HF group was increased by 20.6%,CPT-1 was decreased by 27.1%(P

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the Arg389Gly polymorphism of the beta(1)-AR gene and chronic heart failure (CHF) and to evaluate the effect of this polymorphism on clinical response to beta-adrenoceptor blockade (bisoprolol) in patients with CHF.

METHODSOne hundred and ten patients with stable CHF receiving basic therapy for heart failure were included. Before initiation and 3 months after the maximal tolerated dose of bisoprolol was reached, all indices (including BP, HR, LAD, LVEDD, LVESD, LVEF, BNP level, 6 min walk distance) were measured and compared with the Arg389Gly genotypes, which identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We also determined the Arg389Gly genotypes in 100 healthy control subjects, and compared the distribution of Arg389Gly genotypes with that in CHF.

RESULTSNo difference was observed between the two groups in any of the three genotypes (CC, CG and GG). The prevalences of the three genotypes in normal subjects and patients with CHF were Arg389Arg 0.53 vs. 0.51, Arg389Gly 0.40 vs. 0.40, Gly38Gly 0.07 vs. 0.09, respectively. After 3 months of bisoprolol usage, a significant improvement in LVEF was observed in CC group, which increased from (36.7 +/- 8.63)% to (44.1 +/- 9.53)%, CG group, from (35.76 +/- 8.39)% to (42.90 +/- 9.41)%, but not GG group, from (36.00 +/- 5.66)% to (37.33 +/- 5.64)%. The improvement in BNP was also observed in CC [from (502.93 +/- 160.80) ng/L to (325.26 +/- 135.63) ng/L], CG [from (525.76 +/- 157.66) ng/L to (331.79 +/- 133.97) ng/L], but not GG [from (505.33 +/- 125.07) ng/L to (429.67 +/- 182.39) ng/L]. Arg389-homozygous patients showed a substantially greater improvement in LVEF and BNP, compared with Gly389-homozygous patients (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThere was no difference in the prevalence of the three genotypes between healthy and CHF subjects. The Gly389 polymorphism of the beta(1)-AR gene was not associated with an increased risk of CHF. The Arg389 variant of the beta(1)-AR gene was associated with a greater response to bisoprolol than that of the Gly389 variant in patients with CHF.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bisoprolol ; therapeutic use ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; drug therapy ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-1 ; genetics

Objective:To build a systemic and automatic importing scheme for importing CT images and structures into the treatment planning systems (TPSs) of Eclipse and Monaco.Methods:Based on two TPSs of Eclipse and Monaco, the files of CT images and structures were automatically transported from OAR auto-delineation system to the importing directory of these two TPSs using batch script in Windows system. Following the standard importing procedures of these two TPSs, the automatically importing script of CT images and structures were developed using the application of UiBot. Finally, the CT images and structures were imported into these two TPSs opportunely.Results:By comparing the importing time using script and manual methods, the script not only achieved auto-importing CT images and structures into TPSs, but also yielded almost the same efficiency to manual method. The number of imaging layers in most patients was between 130 and 180, and the average manual and automatic importing time within this interval was 76 s and 75 s.Conclusions:Automatic scripts can be developed by using the automation function of UiBot combined with the actual problems of radiotherapy and repeated workflow. The efficiency of radiotherapy work can be significantly improved. Manual and time costs can be saved. It provides a novel alternative for the automation of radiotherapy procedures.

Hepatobiliary cystadenomas are rare cystic neoplasms that often occur in middle aged women. The exact etiology of these tumors is unknown. Diagnosis is often delayed in these cases. However, misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment may result in unfavorable outcome. We report a case of hepatobiliary cystadenoma with pleural effusion. We also review the literature and discuss the current diagnostic and treatment modalities.
Bile Duct Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; pathology ; Cystadenoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pleural Effusion ; diagnosis ; pathology

Hepatobiliary cystadenomas are rare cystic neoplasms that often occur in middle aged women.The exact etiology of these tumors is unknown.Diagnosis is often delayed in these cases.However,misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment may result in unfavorable outcome.We report a case of hepatobiliary cystadenoma with pleural effusion.We also review the literature and discuss the current diagnostic and treatment modalities.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of beta cell lipoapoptosis after long term high-fat feeding in rats, and to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress, gene expression and beta cell lipoapoptosis.

METHODSForty-one SD male rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: high-fat diet group (HF group) and control group (NC group). At the end of 28 weeks, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutamylcysteinylglycine (GSH) in plasma and pancreatic tissue,the early-phase insulin secretion in beta cells, the beta cell apoptosis (TUNEL technology) and the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene expression in islets were measured.

RESULTThe concentrations of MDA both in plasma and pancreatic tissue were higher in HF group than those in NC group.In contrast, The contents of GSH both in plasma and pancreatic tissue were lower in HF group. Insulin secretion response to glucose load was significantly decreased in HF group (3.0 fold Compared with 5.7 fold, P<0.01). Blood glucose levels at 3 min, 5 min and 10 min during IVGTT were significantly higher in HF group than those in NC group (P<0.05). The frequency of beta cell apoptosis was increased by 40.0% in HF group (P<0.01). The gene expression of UCP2 in islets was increased by 22.4% in HF group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe frequency of beta cell apoptosis in high-fat feeding rats is affected by oxidative stress, which results in increasing UCP2 gene expression.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Dietary Fats ; administration & dosage ; Insulin-Secreting Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Ion Channels ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; physiology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Uncoupling Protein 2

BACKGROUNDCurrently it is unclear whether lipid accumulation occurs in a particular sequence and its relationship with whole body insulin resistance (IR). This study aimed to answer this question.

METHODSMale Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed on a normal or a high-fat diet for 20 weeks. Serum triglycerides (TG), serum free fatty acids (FFA), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and liver and skeletal muscle TG were measured. The glucose infusion rate (GIR) and mRNA levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) in the liver and skeletal muscle were determined at different stages.

RESULTSCompared with rats fed on the normal diet, serum FFA was not significantly increased in rats fed on the high-fat diet until 20 weeks. In contrast, liver TG was significantly increased by the high-fat diet by four weeks (20-fold; P < 0.01), and remained elevated until the end of the study. However, skeletal muscle TG was not significantly increased by the high-fat diet until 20 weeks (10.6-fold; P < 0.01), and neither was the FPG. The GIR was significantly reduced (1.6-fold; P < 0.01) by the high-fat diet after 8 weeks. The mRNA levels of ACC gradually increased over time and CPT-1 decreased over time, in both the liver and skeletal muscle in rats fed the high-fat diet.

CONCLUSIONSLipid accumulation in the liver occurs earlier than lipid accumulation in the skeletal muscle. Fatty liver may be one of the early markers of whole body IR. Changes in the gene expression levels of ACC and CPT-1 may have important roles in the process of IR development.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase ; genetics ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase ; genetics ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; blood ; Fatty Liver ; etiology ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to assess the clinical significance of intrahepatic hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) (+) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

METHODS200 CHB patients were prospectively studied using fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR), combined PCR with fluorescence probe hybridization technique, to determine serum HBV DNA. Serum HBeAg was measured quantitatively. Liver biopsies were performed and immunohistochemistry stained liver slides were examined in all the cases. Correlation analyses were performed.

RESULTSBased on the HBV DNA levels, the patients were divided into 5 groups: group A (<3 log10 copies/ml) n=20, group B (>or=3 log10 copies/ml-<5 log10 copies/ml) n=13, group C (>or=5 log10 copies/ml-<6 log10 copies/ml) n=24, group D (>or=6 log10 copies/ml-<8 log10 copies/ml) n=116, and group E (>or=8 log10 copies/ml) n=27, and 87.5% of the CHB patients were intrahepatic HBcAg (+). The rate of HBcAg (+) was 55.0% (11/20) in group A, 53.8% (7/13) in group B, 75.0% (19/24) in group C, 96.6% (112/116) in group D, and 100% (27/27) in group E. A strong correlation was found between the rate of HBcAg (+) and the level of serum HBV DNA (r=0.80). This type of association also appeared between serum HBV DNA levels and HBeAg (+) (r=0.47). Of 20 CHB patients who were serum HBV DNA negative, 25% (5) were HBeAg (+), and 55% (11) were HBcAg (+), whereas 15 patients were both HBV DNA (-) and HBeAg (-), and 46.7% (7) were HBcAg (+).

CONCLUSIONSIntrahepatic HBcAg (+) in CHB patients might be more reliable in reflecting HBV replication. Determination of HBcAg (+) may have clinical significance for evaluating the efficacy of antiviral therapy and for predicting the therapeutic responses to different antiviral agents.

Adult ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; analysis ; Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; physiology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; virology ; Humans ; Liver ; virology ; Male ; Virus Replication ; Young Adult

Objective:To propose an automatic planning method of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for esophageal cancer based on dose volume histogram prediction and beam angle optimization in Raystation treatment planning system.Methods:50 IMRT plans of esophageal cancer were selected as the training set to establish a dose prediction model for organs at risk. Another 20 testing plans were optimized in Raystation using RuiPlan and manual method, and the beam angle optimization and dose volume histogram prediction functions of RuiPlan were used for automatic planning. Dosimetric differences and planning efficiency between two methods were statistically compared with paired t-test. Results:There were no significant dosimetric differences in the conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI) of PTV, V 5Gy of both lungs and D max of the spinal cord between automatic and manual plans (all P>0.05). Compared with those in the manual plans, the V 20Gy and D mean of the left and right lungs generated from automatic plans were reduced by 1.1%, 0.37 Gy and 1.2%, 0.38 Gy (all P<0.05), and the V 30Gy, V 40Gy and D mean of the heart in automatic plans were significantly decreased by 5.1%, 3.0% and 1.41 Gy, respectively (all P<0.05). The labor time, computer working time, and monitor unit (MU) number of automatic plans were significantly decreased by 65.8%, 14.1%, and 17.2%, respectively (all P<0.05). Conclusion:RuiPlan automatic planning scripts can improve the efficiency of esophageal cancer planning by dose prediction and beam angle optimization, providing an alternative for esophageal cancer radiotherapy planning.

Objective:To develop a verification platform based on Monte Carlo (MC) for independent dose verification of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans.Methods:The head model including collimator of Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator was constructed by using EGSnrc/BEAMnrc, and the independent dose verification platform for the patients’ VMAT plans was built based on the head model and an in-house code. The percent depth dose (PDD) curves and off-axis ratios for different field sizes, the dose distribution of two irregular fields and three VMAT plans of the head and neck, chest, and pelvis were simulated using the platform. The simulated results of the PDD curves and the off-axis ratios of different field sizes were compared with the blue water measurement results. The difference between the irregular fields and the actual ArcCHECK measurements was also investigated. Besides, the differences among the MC simulated dose, TPS calculated dose and the ArcCHECK measured dose were analyzed by several methods, such as γ analysis and dose-volume histogram to verify whether the platform could be independently employed for dose verification.Results:The MC simulated results of PDD curves and off-axis ratios from 4 cm×4 cm to 40 cm×40 cm were in good agreement with the measured results. And the γ passing rates between the MC simulation and the ArcCHECK measurement for the irregular fields were above 98.1% and 99.1% for 3%/2 mm and 3%/3 mm, respectively. For VMAT plans of three patients, the γ results between the MC simulated dose and ArcCHECK measured dose were better than 93.8% and 95.9% under the criteria of 3%/2 mm and 3%/3 mm respectively. At the same time, the γ passing rates of nasopharyngeal, lung, and rectal cancers were 95.2%, 98.6% and 98.9% based on 3D γ analysis using TPS calculated dose and MC simulated dose under the criteria of 3%/3 mm; the passing rates of these three were 90.3%, 95.1% and 96.7% for 3%/2 mm, respectively.Conclusions:The simulation results of the MC-based verification platform developed in this study show a good agreement with the actual measurement results, and the simulation results are closer to the real dose distribution using the patients’ data. The preliminary results demonstrate that the platform can be used for accurate independent dose verification of VMAT plans.