Objective To discuss the value and experience of the percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP)in the treatment of vertebral body compression fracture(VCF)in aged osteoperosis.Methods PVP was performed in 44 cases with VCF including 28 with single vertebral compressed fracture,12 with double compressed fracture and four with triple compressed fracture,with 67 vertebrae,for clinical and radiologieal evaluation.Results The mean follow-up was 15 months(4-23 months).There could be seen immediate relief of pain in 40 cases,out-of-bed activities at operation day in 19 and out-of-bed activ- ities at second day after operation in 25.Postoperative X-ray showed uniformly distributed bone cement in the vertebral,without leakage.Conclusion PVP is a recommendable method for VCF,for it has ad- vantages of pain relief,vertebrae stabilization,minimal invasion and minor complications.

AIMStudy on the relationship between the degraded spinal cord injuries and the changes of the motor evoked potentials (MEP) to prove the diagnosis and prognosis value of MEP.

METHODSAfter injury at T8-T9 cord using modified Allen's weight-drop method, 27 male SD rats were divided randomly into control group (n = 5), group A (50 gcf, n = 8), group B (70 gcf, n = 8) and group C (100 gcf, n = 6). MEPs elicited by monopolar transcortical stimulation were recorded continuously before injury, just after injury, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours and 6 hours after injury. The rate of the size of the bleeding or necrosis area to the total cord was also calculated.

RESULTSMEP had no significant change in the control group. The amplitude of MEP's early components in group A or group B decreased or even obliterated after SCI, and then partially recovered, while the late components were lost without any recovery signals. All animals in group C showed no MEP waves excepting 2 rats had recovery signals. The size of the cord injuries area increased according to the dropping force and was correlated significantly with the amplitude of the largest peaks of scMEP 1 hour after SCI (r = -0.821).

CONCLUSIONThe scMEP changes after SCI are correlated with the injury forces and the pathological changes in the cord, which indicates that scMEP can be used as an objective index for the cord functional monitoring.

Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; Evoked Potentials, Motor ; physiology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; pathology ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVEDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) usually occurs prior to 3 years old. The value of serum creatine kinase changes with clinical progression and age in patients with DMD. This study aimed to investigate the regularity in the changes of serum creatine kinase activities in children with DMD.

METHODSPeripheral blood samples were obtained from 40 children with DMD (ranged from 3-14 years). Serum creatine kinase levels were assayed by kinetic UV test.

RESULTSSerum creatine kinase level in the 40 DMD patients (ranged from 2 595- 45 495 U/L) was remarkably higher than the reference value (35-174 U/L). The highest serum creatine kinase level (average: 27750-31173 U/L) was found in 3-5 years old patients. Afterwards, serum creatine kinase level decreased with clinical progression and age, with a yearly average rate of decline was 8.7%.

CONCLUSIONSSerum creatine kinase level reaches a peak between 3 and 5 years old and then reduces with increasing age in children with DMD. The characteristic changes of serum creatine kinase are suspected to reflect the rate of muscle decay.

Adolescent ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Creatine Kinase ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; blood ; drug therapy ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the splice variants of the calpain 3 gene existing in human skeletal muscle tissue and white blood cells, and to explore the feasibility of gene diagnosis using CAPN3 mRNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes.

METHODSTotal RNA was extracted from peripheral blood and skeletal muscle tissue in healthy individuals. CAPN3 cDNAs were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. CAPN3 cDNAs from peripheral leukocytes were compared with sequences obtained from skeletal muscle tissue.

RESULTSRT-PCR and DNA sequencing showed that the CAPN3 cDNAs comprised 24 exons in human skeletal muscle tissue, while the number of exons was 23 in white blood cells. Exon 15 was spliced out in human white blood cells.

CONCLUSIONSplice variants exist in human skeletal muscle tissue and white blood cells. Gene diagnosis may omit the mutations of exon 15 using mRNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes. These findings suggest that mutation analysis of the CAPN3 cDNA should use skeletal muscle tissue as materials instead of peripheral blood.

Calpain ; genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Exons ; genetics ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; metabolism ; Muscle Proteins ; genetics ; Muscle, Skeletal ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo analyze the diagnosis and surgical treatment results of angio-Behçet syndrome.

METHODSThe clinical data of pre-operation diagnosis, surgical treatment methods and prospective efficacy of 26 patients who were diagnosed as Behçet syndrome between January 2003 and April 2011 was analyzed retrospectively. There were 23 male and 3 female patients, aging from 20 to 76 years with a mean of (37 ± 6) years. Among them, 3 patients showed the clinical symptoms as arterial stenosis or occlusion, 9 patients had aneurysm, 13 patients had phlebitis or phlebothrombosis. One patient had both aneurysm and venous thrombosis. Totally 11 patients had experienced 22 cases surgical treatment including interventional therapy for 8 cases, open operation for 13 cases and hybrid operation for 1 case.

RESULTSTwenty-two patients (84.6%) were followed up from 3 months to 96 months after various surgical treatment methods. The average follow-up periond was 39.3 months. Totally, perioperative mortality was 1/11 after surgical treatment. Healing rates were 7/8 and 8/13, recurrence rates were 5/8 and 7/8 in patients with interventional therapy compared with that of experiencing open surgery respectively.

CONCLUSIONSBehçet syndrome patients combined with various vascular lesions should be thought of angio-Behçet syndrome. Choosing correct surgical treatment according to patient's condition and timing of pathological changes are the keys of gaining satisfactory results.

Adult ; Aged ; Behcet Syndrome ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo screen the proteins interacting with FXR1P for functional investigation of FXR1P.

METHODSThe yeast strain AH109 transformed with the recombinant expression vector pGBKT7/FXR1 was mated with the yeast strain Y187 pretransformed with human fetal brain cDNA library. The positive clones were screened and identified by sequence analysis.

RESULTSThe recombinant expression vector pGBKT7/FXR1 was constructed successfully. Five proteins binding to FXR1P were screened from human fetal brain cDNA library using the yeast two-hybrid system, including CMAS, FTH1, GOLGA4, HSD17B1 and CSH1.

CONCLUSIONSThese results provide new clues for investigating the biological functions of FXR1P and the pathogenesis of Fragile X syndrome.

Autoantigens ; genetics ; metabolism ; Estradiol Dehydrogenases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Ferritins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Library ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs ; genetics ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

OBJECTIVETo investigate etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of liver abscess after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

METHODSOf 274 recipients of OLT from January 1993 to June 2003 in our transplant center, liver abscess were identified in 6 recipients (2.2%). The clinical presentation included fever, shiver, abdominal pain, jaundice, hepatic dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, anemia, leukocytosis and neutrophilia. They were diagnosed mainly according to the clinical presentation and Ultrasonography or CT scan. The treatments included aspiration and drainage of abscess, removing bile sludge, antibiotics and supportive therapy.

RESULTSOf 6 patients, 2 were cured, 3 refused liver retransplantation and 2 died of serious systemic infection. The cure rate was 33.3%.

CONCLUSIONSthe etiology of liver abscess after OLT is complicated. The predisposing factors might be included hepatic artery thrombosis or stenosis, MP pulse therapy, cholangitis and biliary interventional therapy. Its prognosis seemed disappointing. Strong prophylactic measures should be recommended to reduce the liver abscess after OLT.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Abscess ; diagnosis ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Liver Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged

This study was aimed to analyze the β-globin gene sequence and single nucleotide polymorphisms of the β-globin gene in β-thalassaemia patients from Shenzhen area, and to explore linkage relationships between β-globin gene mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes in 125 β-thalassaemia patients from Shenzhen population. β-globin gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the β-globin gene were determined by DNA sequencing. The results indicated 10 types of mutation and 12 single nucleotide polymorphism loci were found in the β-globin gene of 114 β-thalassaemia patients. Linkage disequilibrium between mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms was found in 6 loci including 6 haplotypes among these single nucleotide polymorphism loci in the β-globin gene. It is concluded that a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms is found in the β-globin gene, where an average of one single nucleotide polymorphism every 230 bp there is. Linkage disequilibrium occurs between β-thalassaemia mutations and some haplotypes in single nucleotide polymorphism loci. This study may be helpful to gene diagnosis for β-thalassaemia patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; DNA ; genetics ; Female ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Young Adult ; beta-Globins ; genetics ; beta-Thalassemia ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the common reasons, prophylaxis and treatment of operation-correlated complications in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

METHODSSix hundred and forty-seven patients who underwent OLT from Apr 1993 to Dec 2004 were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThere were totally 39 cases (6.0%, 39/647) of vascular complications including 23 cases (3.6%) of hepatic artery complications, 6 cases (0.9%) of portal vein complications and 10 cases (1.5%) of vena cava complications. All vena cava complications were occurred in the patients of non-cavaplasty. The success rate of stent placement in treatment of hepatic artery stenosis was 2/2; for patients with hepatic artery thrombosis, the success rate of retransplantation was 4/6, that of revasculation and balloon dilation were 3/7 and 2/7 respectively. Stent placement can treat both anastomotic strictures and venae cavae stricture with the cure rate of 3/3 and 10/10 respectively. There were 34 cases of biliary complications, in which 27 cases were in patients with T tube, and 7 cases in without T tube. The incidence of biliary leak and biliary infection was significantly different between these two groups.

CONCLUSIONSThe modified piggyback (cavaplasty) technique could prevent the incidence of venae cavae complications effectively. Stent placement is an effective way to treat vascular stenosis. And retransplantation should be performed in early hepatic artery thrombosis. It is important to protect the blood supply of biliary system, and choledochostomy without T tube is the first choice for biliary reconstruction.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Portal Vein ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Retrospective Studies ; Vascular Diseases ; etiology ; prevention & control

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of domestic recombinant human interleukin-11 (rhIL-11) in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia.

METHODSA randomized, self-crossover and placebo-controlled trial was conducted, with rhIL-11 and placebo classified randomly as drug A and drug B. Patients were randomly assigned to group AB or group BA. 25 microg/kg body weight of drug A or drug B was administered subcutaneously once daily starting 24 hours after chemotherapy and continued for 7 to 14 days or until the platelet count reached > or = 300 x 10(9)/L.

RESULTS118 patients were evaluable in the efficacy study. When compared with the placebo treated cycle, the results showed that rhIL-11 was able to significantly increase the platelet count at the nadir and d21 after chemotherapy, with a increase of 60.7% and 86.1% (both P < 0.001). The mean duration of thrombocytopenia (< 100 x 10(9)/L) in rhIL-11 treated cycle was 1.0 +/- 2.0 days as compared to 6.9 +/- 5.3 days in placebo treated cycle. The side effects were ache (24.6%), swelling (16.1%) and knurl (11.9%) at the injection site, hyperaemia of conjunctiva (16.1%), edema (8.5%), palpitation (6.8%) and fatigue (5.1%).

CONCLUSIONrhIL-11, possessing significant thrompoietic activity, significantly increases the likelihood of avoiding chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia and shorten the duration of thrombocytopenia. Its side effects are mild and manageable.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; Cross-Over Studies ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Interleukin-11 ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Thrombocytopenia ; prevention & control