Objective To analyze the stability and accuracy of the equipment for three-dimensional ultrasound-based image-guided radiation therapy (3DUS-IGRT) in daily practice, and to provide a basis for clinical application of radiotherapy for soft tissue tumors.Methods A specific calibration phantom was used for continuous calibration and quality control of the 3DUS-IGRT equipment in a year.The method for daily quality control of ultrasound-guided equipment was explored, and its stability and accuracy were monitored.Results The phantom position errors in both Sim and Guide stations of the 3DUS-IGRT equipment were within 1 mm.Conclusions The 3DUS-IGRT equipment has a stable performance with the support of a complete set of stringent and accurate calibration and quality control, which provides a new image-guided method for precise radiotherapy for soft tissue tumors.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of thermal electroacupuncture therapy in treating lumbodorsal myofascitis. Method Sixty-two patients with lumbodorsal myofascitis were randomized into a treatment group of 30 cases and a control group of 32 cases. The treatment group was intervened by thermal electroacupuncture therapy, while the control group was by orally taking Meloxicam tablets. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was observed before and after treatment, and the clinical efficacies were compared.Result The total effective rate was 100.0% in the treatment group versus 78.1% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The VAS scores were significantly changed after treatment in both groups (P<0.05). After treatment, the VAS score in the treatment group was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion Thermal electroacupuncture therapy is an effective approach in treating lumbodorsal myofascitis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression on apoptosis of thymocyte in burn rats, and to explore the relationship between NO and pathological lesion of the thymus gland in burn rats.

METHODSFifty-six male Wistar rats were enrolled in the study and randomized into control( C, n = 8,without treatment) , burn ( B, n = 24) , and S-methylisothiourea( SMT, n = 24) groups. Equal amount of isotonic saline solution and SMT(7. 5 mg/kg) were respectively intravenously infused into the rats in B and SMT groups after being inflicted with 30% TBSA full-thickness burns. The weight of thymus gland in each group were weighed, and thymocyte apoptosis and iNOS expression were determined with TUNEL method and immunohistochemistry, respectively at 6,24,72 postburn hours( PBH) , with 8 rats at each time-point. The number of apoptotic cells and the density of iNOS positive cells in thymus was measured by stereological method.

RESULTSThe weight of thymus in B group at 24 and 72 PBH [ (153+/- 14) , (91+/-22) mg] were obviously heavier than those in C group, but much lighter than those in SMT group ( P < 0.01). A few apoptotic cells and iNOS positive cells were observed in cortex and medulla of thymus in C group, while they were observed in B group at 6 PBH, and the number of cells began to increase at 24 PBH, distributing in medulla,parenchyma, the boundary of cortex, and medulla under capsule. The iNOS positive cells in B group at 24 PBH were distributed around the interlobular septum. A large number of cortical cells with brown staining were observed in B group at 72 PBH, and the number of iNOS positive cells also increased, with scattered distribution and clear cell boundary. Fewer positive cells with uneven distribution, no iNOS positive cells, and few apoptotic foci were observed in SMT group after burns. The density of apoptotic cells in B group at 24 and 72 PBH was (2. 428 +/-0. 728) x 10(-5)/microm(3) and (5. 586 +/- 1.233) x 10(-5)/microm(3), respectively, which was obviously higher than that in C and SMT group. The density of iNOS positive cells in B group was increased in a time-dependent manner( P <0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe apoptotic rate of thymocyte in severely burn rats increases early after burns. The up-regulation of iNOS expression in thymus can promote apoptosis of thymocytes, while SMT can partially ameliorate this phenomenon.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Burns ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Isothiuronium ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Male ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; metabolism ; Organ Size ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Thymus Gland ; cytology ; metabolism

Objective: To investigate the intervention effect of electroacupuncture on post-withdrawal anxiety and depression of those with heroin dependence. Method: One hundred and twenty heroin dependence cases were randomly allocated into 4 groups, including acupuncture group 1 using Jiaji (Ex-B 2) points and Shenshu (BL 23), acupuncture group 2 using points in the four limbs, simulation and control groups. Then the SAS and SDS changes were observed before the treatment and 4th, 8th and 10th week after. Result: At the 4th, 8th and 10th week, the SAS and SDS scores in acupuncture group 1 and 2 showed significant differences with the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). There were significant differences between SAS changes in acupuncture group 1 and 2 but there was no significant difference in SDS changes. Conclusion:Electroacupuncture can improve the post-withdrawal anxiety and depression in heroin addicts.Jiaji (Ex-B 2) points showed significantly better effects in improving anxiety than points in four limbs but no significant difference in improving depression.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect on the extract of total flavonoids of Chrysanthemum indicum (TFC) on adjuvant arthritis synovial cells.

METHODSD rats were divided randomly into six groups including normal, model, TFC (84, 168, 336 mg x kg(-1)) and control drug Tripterygium glycosides (30 mg x kg(-1)) groups. Adjuvant arthritis rat model was induced by a single intradermal injection of 0.1 mL of the complete Freund's adjuvant into the right hind feet pads of the SD rats. The proliferation of synoviocyte was measured by MT; The apoptosis rates of synovial cells were evaluated using TUNEL and FCM analysis.

RESULTTFC resulted in a dose-dependent way in inhibiting the proliferation of synovial and inducing the apoptosis of synovium and synoviocytes in vivo.

CONCLUSIONTFC can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in synovial cells, and exert therapeutical effect on rheumatoid arthritis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Arthritis, Experimental ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Chrysanthemum ; chemistry ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; Flavonoids ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Synovial Membrane ; cytology ; drug effects

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and possible mechanisms of remote intracranial hematoma (RIH) in patients with intracranial aneurysm after interventional embolization.Methods:Six patients with RIH from a series of 58 consecutive patients with intracranial aneurysm, admitted to and performed interventional embolization in our hospital from January 2016 and December 2018, were chosen in our study. Their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively and compared with those without RIH at the same period.Results:In these 6 patients, 4 had history of hypertension, 5 had aneurysm located in the internal carotid artery, 5 were treated with stents combined with postoperative routine anticoagulation treatment. The remote intracranial hematoma occurred within 7 d of interventional embolization, and the hematoma was located in the cerebral hemisphere on the same side of the aneurysm; 4 patients underwent intracranial hematoma puncture catheter drainage; 1 patient was treated conservatively, and one was treated by craniotomy. After treatment, 1 patient recovered (modified Rankin scale [mRS] score of 1), 1 patient had poor prognosis (mRS scores of 5) and discharged automatically, and the rest 4 patients (mRS scores of 3-5) left some degrees of neurological dysfunction. As compared with 52 patients without RIH, 6 patients with RIH had significantly higher percentages of patients used stents and postoperatively used anticoagulation, and higher percentages of patients with poor clinical outcomes at discharge ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Stent-assisted coil embolization in patients with internal carotid artery aneurysm combined with hypertension should be highly vigilant about the possibility of RIH.

OBJECTIVETo study the proliferation and apoptosis in carbon tetrachloride induced rat liver fibrosis.

METHODSWistar rats were injected subcutaneously with 40% CCl4-olive oil twice weekly for 12 weeks. Liver tissues were obtained at the end of 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks for histological examination, hydroxyproline (Hyp) assay and proteomic analysis. After two dimension electrophoresis (2-DE), the silver stained gels were analyzed with PDQUEST 2-DE. More than 30 differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS.

RESULTSThe degree of collagen deposition and hydroxyproline content of the fibrotic livers increased continuously during the 12 weeks of CCl4 administration, peaked at the end of week 12 (P < 0.05) and declined significantly at week 16 (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in two parameters at each time point between the control and the model group. Meanwhile, dramatic change of hepatic proteome in the model group rats was also seen. Differentially expressed proteins identified by MALDI-TOF-MS were categorized as proliferation-related proteins/enzymes (proliferating cell nuclear antigen p120, p40 and cyclin F ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 7 UBC7), and apoptosis-related proteins, mainly caspase-12 which was absent in the control rats.

CONCLUSIONProliferation and apoptosis related proteins are expressed dynamically in different stages of rat liver fibrosis induced by CCl4.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning ; Caspase 12 ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; Hydroxyproline ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Male ; Proteins ; metabolism ; Proteome ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo investigate the regulative mechanism of the diterpene phenol extract of Rosmarinus Officinalis (DERO) on the imbalance of collagen metabolism of the lung tissue in pulmonary fibrosis rats.

METHODSFifty healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the normal saline group (NS), the bleomycin-induced lung injury group (BLM), the low dose DERO group (at the daily dose of 50 mg/kg), the moderate dose DERO group (at the daily dose of 100 mg/kg), and the high dose DERO group (at the daily dose of 200 mg/kg), 10 in each group (abbreviated as DERO 1, 2, 3, respectively). The pulmonary fibrosis rat model was prepared by disposable intratracheal instillation of bleomycin. DERO was administered by gastrogavage as intervention during the repairing process of lung injury. On the morning of the 29th day, the rats' lung tissue was extracted. The karyocyte number, collagen protein, type I collagen (collagen I) and transforming growth factor-beta type II receptor (TGFbetaR II), Smad4 mRNA expressions were semi-quantitatively determined using tissue microarray, HE staining, collagen fiber dyeing, immunohistochemical assay, and in situ hybridization. Using real-time fluorescent quantification RT-PCR, the mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) were detected.

RESULTSCompared with the NS group, the collagen deposition of the lung tissue was obvious and the inflammatory infiltration was more severe in the BLM group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the aforesaid 4 indices between the DERO1 group and the BLM group (P > 0.05). The collagen deposition and the inflammatory infiltration were obviously alleviated in the DERO2 and DERO3 groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the NS group, the mRNA expressions of collagen-I, TGF-beta1 R II, Smad4, and TGF-beta1 were obviously up-regulated in the BLM group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the BLM group, the aforesaid four indices were not statistically changed in the DERO1 group (P > 0.05). But the mRNA expressions of collagen-I, TGF-beta1 R II, Smad4, and TGF-beta1 were obviously downregulated in the DERO2 and DERO3 groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). But the down-regulation of Smad4 expression was not obvious in the DERO2 and the DERO3 groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the DERO1 group, the mRNA expressions of collagen-I, TGF-beta1, R II, TGFbeta1 were all obviously lower in the DERO2 and the DERO3 groups (P < 0.05). But there was no statistical difference in the aforesaid 4 indices between the DERO2 group and the DERO3 group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSDERO could regulate imbalanced collagen metabolism of pulmonary fibrosis. It could inhibit excessive deposition of collagen fibers, especially excessive deposition of collagen- I. Its mechanisms might be realized by inhibiting up-regulation of TGF-beta1 and TGFbetaR II mRNA expressions, thus interfering the activation of TGF-beta-Smad signaling pathway on target genes, especially on type I procollagen target gene.

Animals ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Diterpenes ; pharmacology ; Female ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Rosmarinus ; chemistry ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Objective To study the infection status and the molecular characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from diarrheal patients in Shenzhen, in 2007 to 2008 and to provide evidence for the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Methods More than 80 fecal specimens from four sentinel surveillance hospitals were collected and cultured each month. A total of 361 isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were sero-typed and examined by real-time PCR for the presence of two major virulence genes, tdh and trh. Of 361 strains, 60 O3: K6 strains isolated from six suspected outbreaks in August, 2007 and in September, 2008 were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results 4384 stool samples were detected in four sentinel surveillance hospitals and with 361 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated that belonged to 28 serotypes. Serotype O3:K6, O4:K8 and O1:KUT accounted for 67.90%, 7.50% and 6.10%, respectively. Of 361 strains, 337 strains belonged to tdh + trh- , 11 strains were tdh-trh- and 13 strains were tdh + trh +. The most prevalent serotype which caused diarrheal diseases was tdh + trh-in Shenzhen. The 60 isolates were discriminated into twenty different PFGE patterns, which belonged to three clones. Among the 60 isolates, most of the PFGE patterns of isolates from the suspected outbreak locations were identical and some strains isolated from different year were different. Conclusion Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates in Shenzhen were dominated by O3:K6 strains. Most of these isolates carried tdh gene and few carried trh gene. Meanwhile, the identical patterns of isolates from 6 suspected outbreaks locations demonstrated that Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks occurred in July 2007 and in September 2008 in Shenzhen. However, the dominated strains' PFGE patterns were different each year, indicating that the sources of Vibrio parahaemolyticus had a multiplex nature and the multiplex sources such as water, sea food and pickled products should be integrated monitored. Laboratory based surveillance of diarrheal diseases could contribute in establishing early warning system for the better prevention and control of diarrheal diseases.

BACKGROUNDStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) remains as an important microbial pathogen resulting in community and nosocomial acquired infections with significant morbidity and mortality. Few reports for S. aureus in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have been documented. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs in China.

METHODSA multicenter study of the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs was conducted in 21 hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and twelve other provinces from November 2007 to February 2009. All the collected S. aureus strains were classified as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), mecA gene, virulence genes Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) and γ-hemolysin (hlg), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, agr type, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST).

RESULTSTotally, nine methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 29 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated after culture from a total of 2829 sputums or bronchoalveolar lavages. The majority of MRSA strains (22/29) had a MIC value of ≥ 512 µg/ml for cefoxitin. The mecA gene acting as the conservative gene was carried by all MRSA strains. PVL genes were detected in only one S. aureus strain (2.63%, 1/38). The hlg gene was detected in almost the all S. aureus (100% in MSSA and 96.56% in MRSA strains). About 75.86% of MRSA strains carried SCCmec III. Agr type 1 was predominant (78.95%) among the identified three agr types (agr types 1, 2, and 3). Totally, ten sequence type (ST) of S. aureus strains were detected. A new sequence type (ST1445) was found besides confirming ST239 as the major sequence type (60.53%). A dendrogram generated from our own MLST database showed all the bootstrap values ≤ 50%.

CONCLUSIONOur preliminary epidemiology data show SCCmec III, ST239 and agr type 1 of S. aureus as the predominant strains in LRTIs in Mainland of China.

Alleles ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; pathogenicity