Objective To investigate the clinical application of CT perfusion imaging in assessing the hemodynamic changes in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (<5 cm) before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Methods Twelve patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in this study. CT perfusion imaging of the liver was performed 1 - 2 days before and 3 - 4 weeks after TACE. By using the perfusion parameters the hemodynamics of the preoperative and postoperative tumor tissue, the hemodynamics of the preoperative tumor tissue and the normal tissue, and the hemodynamics of the postoperative active tumor tissue and the normal tissue were determined , and the results were compared between each other. Results Before TACE, the blood flow (BF), hepatic arterial fraction (HAF), hepatic arterial perfusion (HAP) and permeability of surface (PS) in the tumor tissue were significantly higher than those in the normal tissue (P < 0.01), while after TACE all the perfusion parameters except blood volume (BV) were significantly decreased in the tumor tissue (P < 0.01). After TACE, BF, PS, HAF and HAP in the activity tumor tissue were increased more than those in the normal tissue (P < 0.05). Conclusion CT perfusion imaging is of great clinical value in diagnosing < 5 cm hepatocellular carcinoma , in evaluating the hemodynamic changes after TACE and in demonstrating the activity of the residual tumor tissue.

In view of the effective traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of clinical depression, the mechanism is not clear, this study attempts to research the cause of depression in a complex situation to lay the foundation for the next step of TCM curative effect evaluation. Based on the brain wave of 120 depression patients and 40 ordinary person, the change regulation of acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, depression neurotransmitters and excited neurotransmitters in the whole and various encephalic regions' multi-neurotransmitters of depression patients-serotonin are analysed by search of encephalo-telex (SET) system, which lays the foundation for the diagnosis of depression. The result showed that: contrased with the normal person group, the mean value of the six neurotransmitters in depression patients group are: (1) in the whole encephalic region of depression patients group the dopamine fall (P < 0.05), and in the double centralregions, right temporal region and right parietal region distinct fall (P < 0.01); (2) in the right temporal region of depression patients group the serotonin rise (P < 0.05); (3) in the right central region, left parietal region of depression patients group the acetylcholine fall (P < 0.05), left rear temporal region fall obviously (P < 0.01). The correlation research between antagonizing pairs of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters: (1) the three antagonizing pairs of neurotransmitters-serotonin and dopamine, acetylcholine and norepinephrine, depression neurotransmitters and excited neurotransmitters, in ordinary person group and depression patients group are characterizeed by middle or strong negative correlation. Serotonin and dopamine, which are characterized by weak negative correlation in the right rear temporal region of ordinary person group, are characterized by strong negative correlation in the other encephalic regions and the whole encephalic (ordinary person group except the right rear temporal region: the range of [r] is [0.82, 0.92], P < 0.01)/(depression patients group:the range of [r] is [0.88, 0.94], P < 0.01); acetylcholine and norepinephrine, in the whole and various encephalic region are characterized by middle negative correlation(ordinary person group:the range of [r] is [0.39, 0.76], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)/(depression patients group: the range of [Ir] is [0.56, 0.64], P < 0.01); depression neurotransmitters and excited neurotransmitters are characterized by middle strong negative correlation (ordinary person group: the range of [r] is [0.57, 0.80], P < 0.01)/(depression patients group: the range of [r] is [0.68, 0.78], P < 0.01). (2) The two neurotransmitters which are not antagonizing pairs of neurotransmitters, serotonin and excited neurotransmitters, or acetylcholine and depression neurotra-nsmitters, or dopamine and depression neurotransmitters in the various encephalic regions are characterized by weak negative correlation. Serotonin and excited neurotransmitters are characterizeed by weak negative correlation (ordinary person group: in the right central region, left parietal region, double front temporal regions, right rear temporal region, the range of [r] is [0.25, 0.50], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)/(depression patients group: in the whole encephalic regions, double parietal regions, double occipital regions, right front temporal region, left central region, left frontal region, the range of [r] is [0.18, 0.37], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05); acetylcholine and depression, neurotransmitters are characterized by weak negative correlation (ordinary person group: in the double frontal regions, left parietal region, left front temporal region, right rear temporal region, the range of [r] is [0.31, 0.46], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)/(depression patients group: in double rear temporal regions, right front temporal region, double occipital regions, left central region, the range of [r] is [0.20, 0.32] , P < 0.01 or P < 0.05); do-pamine and depression neurotransmitters are characterized by weak middle negative correlation (ordinary person group: in left parietal region, right central region, left frontal region, left occipital region, double front temporal regions, the range of [r] is [0.33, 0.68], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)/(depression patients group: in the whole region and other various regions except the left frontal region, right central region, the range of Irl is [0.21, 0.34], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Dopamine and acetylcholine or norepinephrine and serotonin are characterized by weak positive correlation in all encephalic regions. Dopamine and acetylcholine are characterized by weak positive correlation (ordinary person group: in left frontal region, right parietal region, left front temporal region and left rear temporal region, the range of [r] is [0.37, 0.46], P < 0.01)/(depression patients group: in the whole region and the orther various regions except the double central regions, the range of [r] is [0.23, 0.5], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05); norepinephrine and serotonin are characterized by weak positive correlation (ordinary person group: in double front temporal regions, double rear temporal regions, right frontal region and left parietal region, the range of [r] is [0.34, 0.48], P < 0.01 or P < 0.05)/(depression patients group: in the whole and various regions, the range of [r] is [0.18, 0.42], P < 0.01). The main differences between the depression patients group and ordinary person group are: (1) In the whole regin, left frontal region and right central region of depression patients group, the six neurotransmitters all fall normally (P < 0.05). (2) The percent of dopamine falling or including dopamine falling, or including dopamine falling and serotonin rising in depression patients group increases. The percent of dopamine falling or including dopamine falling in the whole region, right frontal region, right central region increases (P < 0.01), such as dopamine decreasing, serotonin increasing dopamine decreasing, serotonin increasing acetylcholine decreasing dopamine decreasing, dopamine decreasing norepinephrine increasing depression neurotransmitters decreasing, serotonin increasing acetylcholine decreasing dopamine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing and so on. (3) The percent of acetylcholine falling, or including acetylcholine falling, or including acetylcholine falling and neurotransmitters (beta)-receptor)rising in depression patients group increases. The percent of acetylcholine falling, or including acetylcholine falling in the right temporal region, double central regions increases (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), such as acetylcholine decreasing, acetylcholine decreasing neurotransmitters increaseng, acetylcholine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing depression neurotransmitters decreasing, serotonin increasing acetylcholine decreasing dopamine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing and so on. It's showed in research that depression patients' brain are characterized by multi-neurotransmitters abnormal, the synchronous change of multi-neurotransmitters has some certain regularities, which are not the simple linear relation. It's conformed that the three antagonizing pairs, neurotransmitters-serotonin and dopamine, acetylcholine and norepinephrine, depression eurotransmitters and excited neurotransmitters of ordinary person group and depression patients group, are both characterized by strong antagonizing relation, that the two neurotransmitters which are not antagonizing pairs of neurotransmitters are characterized by weak positive correlation or negative correlation, prompt maybe has the indirect causal relationship. And the change of six neurotransmitters in depression patients' various encephalic regions is rather complex. It's conformed preliminarily that the right frontal region and right central region are characterized by dopamine decreasing, acetylcholine decreasing, serotonin increasing dopamine decreasing, serotonin increasing acetylcholine decreasing dopamine decreasing, dopamine decreasing norepinephrine increasing excited neurotransmitters decreasing, serotonin increasing acetylcholine decreasing dopamine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing, acetylchoine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing, acetylcholine decreasing neurotransmitters increasing excited neurotransmitters decreasing and so on. Contrasted with the ordinary person group, the depression patients group have the notable difference.
Acetylcholine ; metabolism ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Depression ; metabolism ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; metabolism ; Norepinephrine ; metabolism ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the effect of prehospital 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and transtelephonic notification on door-to-balloon time in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods Four hundred and two patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI from January 2006 to December 2007 in Beijng Anzhen Hospital were analyzed. They were divided into 3 groups: 137 patients without prehospital ECG (group A), 176 patients with prehospital ECG (group B) and 89 patients with prehospital ECG and early transtelephonie notification (group C). Door-to-balloon time and in-hospital mortality were compared among the groups. Results There were no significant differences in age, sex, past medical history and infarcted area among three groups. Compared with group A, patients in group B and group C had much shorter door-to-balloon time (96 minutes and 86 minutes vs. 113 minntes in group A, all P<0. 01). No difference was found in in-hospital mortality among three groups (2. 9% vs. 2.3% vs. 2. 2%, P> 0. 05). Conclusions Prehospital ECG and early transtelephonic notification can significantly shorten door-to-balloon time in patients with STEMI. Coordinated system including prehospital ECG and transtelephonie notification is proved to be feasible and effective.

Objective To evaluate the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on the expression of hypothalamic nerve growth factor precursor (proNGF) and the influence of hypothalamic proNGF on the sympathetic output of paraventrucular nucleus. Methods Forty-two male SD rats, aged 3-4 months, weighing 350-500 g, were divided into control group, CPB group and ischemia reperfusion (IR) group. At the end of CPB for 110 min, hypothalamus and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were taken to measure the levels of proNGF mRNA and hypothalamic proNGF protein. Mini pipe was put into bilateral paraventrucular nucleus (PVN) and human recombination proNGF protein was injected into PVN for 7 d before the local field potentials (LFP) of RVLM was recoreded. Human recombination proNGF protein was administrated into lateral ventricle, the prior-administration-LFP of PVN and post-administration-LFP were recorded and compared. At the end of the experiment, hypothalamus was taken to measure the levels of glutamate and gammer amino butyric acid (GABA). Results Hypothalamic proNGF protein in CPB group and IR group was higher than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.05); NGF mRNA of hypothalamus and DRG in CPB and IR group were higher than those of control group (P ＜ 0.05). In PVN and RVLM, after the administration of proNGF protein, the power of delta band significantly decreased and other bands increased (P ＜ 0.05). The hypothalamic GABA level decreased (P ＜ 0.05) with no change of hypothalamic glutamate after proNGF was injected into lateral ventricle. Conclusion CPB increases the expression of proNGF in the hypothalamus contributing to the changes of hypothalamic sympathetic output.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of 'Tong Du Yun Pi' (Governor Vessel-unblocking and spleen-promoting) manipulation in treating infantile diarrhea in autumn. Methods: Eighty-four kids were divided into a control group and an observation group using the random number table method, with 42 cases in each group. The control group was intervened by oral administration of montmorillonite powder, and the observation group was given additional 'Tong Du Yun Pi' pediatric massage (tuina) treatment. After treatment, the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms scores, symptom improvement time, clinical efficacy and immune function indicators were compared between the two groups. Results: After treatment, the total effective rate was 95.2％ in the observation group versus 76.2％ in the control group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05); each item score in TCM symptoms was notably lower in the observation group than in the control group (all P<0.05); among the effective cases, the times to restore normal defecation, relieve abdominal bloating, arrest vomiting, and bring down the fever were markedly shorter in the observation group than in the control group, and the between-group differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05); the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ were significantly higher and CD8+ was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: In the treatment of infantile diarrhea in autumn, based on oral administration of montmorillonite powder, 'Tong Du Yun Pi' manipulation can notably improve diarrheal symptoms, shorten disease duration, and strengthen the immunity of kids, producing more significant efficacy than oral administration of montmorillonite powder.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore the relationship between surgical methods, hemorrhage position, hemorrhage volume, surgical timing and treatment outcome of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH). METHODS: A total of 1310 patients, who had been admitted to six hospitals from January 2004 to January 2008, were divided into six groups according to different surgical methods: craniotomy through bone flap (group A), craniotomy through a small bone window (group B), stereotactic drilling drainage (group C1 and group C2), neuron-endoscopy operation (group D) and external ventricular drainage (group E) in consideration of hemorrhage position, hemorrhage volume and clinical practice. A retrospective analysis was made of surgical timing and curative effect of the surgical methods. RESULTS: The effectiveness rate of the methods was 74.12％ for 1310 patients after one-month follow-up. In this series, the disability rate was 44.82％ 3–6 months after the operation. Among the 1310 patients, 241 (18.40％) patients died after the operation. If hematoma volume was >80 mL and the operation was performed within 3 hours, the mortality rate of group A was significantly lower than that of groups B, C, D, and E (P<0.05). If hematoma volume was 50–80 mL and the operation was performed within 6–12 hours, the mortality rate of groups B and D was lower than that of groups A, C and E (P<0.05). If hematoma volume was 20–50 mL and the operation was performed within 6–24 hours, the mortality rate of group C was lower than that of groups A, B and D (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Craniotomy through a bone flap is suitable for patients with a large hematoma and hernia of the brain. Stereotactic drilling drainage is suggested for patients with hematoma volume less than 80 mL. The curative effect of HICH individualized treatment would be improved via the suitable selection of operation time and surgical method according to the position and volume of hemorrhage.

Larp4b is a member of the LARP family, which can interact with RNA and generally stimulate the translation of mRNA. Abnormal expression of Larp4b can be found in leukemia patients in our previous study. This study was purposed to detect the relative expression of Larp4b mRNA in different subpopulations of mouse hematopoietic cells, to construct lentivirus vector containing shLarp4b targeting mouse gene Larp4b and to explore its effects on mouse Lin(-) cells infected with shLarp4b by lentivirus. SF-LV-shLarP4b-EGFP and control vectors were constructed and two-plasmid lentivirus packing system was used to transfect 293T cells. After 48 h and 72 h, lentivirus SF-LV-shLarp4b-EGFP was harvested and was used to infect Lin(-) cells. After 48 h, EGFP(+) cells was sorted by flow cytometry (FCM). Meanwhile, semi-quantitative real time-PCR, AnnexinV-PE/7-AAD staining, PI staining and colony forming cell assay (CFC) were performed to determine the expression of Larp4b and its effect on the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells. The results showed that Larp4b was highly expressed in myeloid cells. SF-LV-shLarp4b-EGFP was successfully constructed according to the restriction endonuclease digestion assay. RT-PCR confirmed that Larp4b was efficiently knockdown in mouse Lin(-) cells. The low expression of Larp4b did not affect the colony forming number, the apoptosis and cell cycle of Lin(-) cells. It is concluded that knockdown of Larp4b in mouse Lin(-) cells do not contribute to the colony forming ability and the growth of Lin(-) cells in vitro. This useful knockdown system will be used to study in vivo Larp4b in future.
Animals ; Autoantigens ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Genetic Vectors ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Mice ; Plasmids ; Ribonucleoproteins ; metabolism ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDA phase III trial involving docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer was shown to have superior efficacy compared to cisplatin and fluorouracil alone, but with a high rate of hematologic toxicity. To reduce toxicity while maintaining the efficacy of DCF, we reduced the doses of docetaxel (D) and cis-platinum (CDDP), and administered 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) via a continuous intravenous (CIV) infusion.

METHODSChemotherapy-naive patients with gastric adenocarcinomas received D (60 mg/m(2) 1 hour on day 1), CDDP (30 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 2), and 5-FU (1500 mg×m(-2)×24 h(-1) CIV on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the response rate.

RESULTSFourteen patients were enrolled. Based on the efficacy evaluation following at least 2 cycles of treatment, there was 7.1% complete remission (CR), 71% partial remission (PR), 14% stable disease (NC/SD), and 7.1% progressive disease (PD). The median survival time was 13 months. Nine patients (64%) had grade III-IV neutropenia, and 4 patients (29%) had grade IV neutropenia, among whom 1 had grade IV neutropenia with grade III nausea and vomiting.

CONCLUSIONThe modified DCF regimen is highly active and has a favorable toxicity profile in Chinese patients with gastric cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Taxoids ; administration & dosage

mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) is the center for cellular activities. It controls many cell activities via inhibiting apoptosis and promoting cell growth. Rheb can activate mTOR signaling pathway and participate in genesis and development of multiple cancers. This study was purposed to explore the underlying role of Rheb in human myeloid leukemia by using the myeloid leukemia cell lines. Two myeloid leukemia cell lines HL-60 and K562 overexpressing Rheb were established with retrovirus containing Rheb. The mRNA and protein expressions of Rheb were determined by Real-Time PCR and Western blot respectively. Cell proliferation rate was examined by CCK-8 assay and apoptosis rate was analyzed using Annexin V and 7-AAD double-staining. The results showed that Rheb was overexpressed in both HL-60 and K562 cell lines. The Rheb overexpression cell lines were successfully established. It is found that overexpression of Rheb could promote cell growth. Furthermore, the overexpression of Rheb could accelerate cells entering into G2/M phase (P < 0.01), while did not affect the apoptosis. It is concluded that Rheb overexpression promotes myeloid leukemia cell proliferation through accelerating cell cycle progression.
Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Neuropeptides ; metabolism ; Ras Homolog Enriched in Brain Protein ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVETo determine the applicability of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for rapid detection of aneuploidies in prenatal diagnosis.

METHODSA total of 561 prenatal samples were analyzed in parallel by MLPA and traditional karyotyping. Another 20 clinical samples with known common chromosome abnormalities were also determined by MLPA to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of MLPA. The results obtained from MLPA were compared with that from traditional karyotyping.

RESULTSThe results were available within 48 h. A total of 38 aneuploidies were identified by MLPA, including 20 cases of trisomy 21, 10 cases of trisomy 18, 1 case of trisomy 13, 4 cases of Turner syndrome, 1 case of Klinefelter syndrome, 1 case of 47, XYY trisomy and 1 case of 48,XYY, +18. MLPA was able to detect all the expected aneuploidies with 100% accuracy. The results obtained from MLPA agreed with traditional karyotyping. Among 561 prenatal samples, the results of 550 samples were concordant with those of karyotyping, and the coincidence rate of MLPA was 98.04%.

CONCLUSIONMLPA is a rapid, simple and reliable method for detection of the most common chromosome aneuploidies in prenatal diagnosis. MLPA is a valuable tool in prenatal clinical practice.

Adult ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosome Disorders ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Young Adult