AIM: To investigate the biocolonization of poly 2-hydroxyethy methacrylate (PHEMA) sponge with cornea tissue and evaluate the therapeutic effects of modified porous poly 2-hydroxyethy methacrylate-Polymethyl met-hacrylate (PHEMA-PMMA) Keratoprostheses (KPro) on rabbit and monkey corneas. METHODS:The KPro were made using two-stage polymerization combined with mechanical cutting. The experiment was divided into two groups. In the control group, ten normal rabbit eyes received lamellar implanta-tion of PHEMA sponges. The sponges were obtained 2 weeks, 1,2,3 and 4 months after operation. The cell proliferation and neovascularization inside the sponges were observed using light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunohistochemistry. In the experimental group, the porous PHEMA-PMMA KPros were inserted into the lamellar pockets of eight rabbit corneas and two monkey corneas (stage I operation). The healing process was investigated by slit-lamp microscopy. The anterior lamellar cornea tissues were removed 3 months after surgery, exposing the under-neath transparent core (stage II operation). The operated eyes were then followed up for 3-6 months.light microscope, fibroblasts started to grow into the cornea 2 weeks after operation; lots of cells, accompanied with new blood vessels, invaded into the cornea 2-3 months after surgery. Invading cells of sponge, as well as keratocytes, were positive for vimentin. Under the electron microscope, the invading cells looked healthy and were surrounded by extracellular matrix and collagen. In 8 rabbit eyes which received KPro implantation, anterior lamellar cornea melting happened in two eyes after the stage II operation. The remaining 6 corneas retained their central cores during observation after the stage II operation.Two monkey operated eyes were found no complication thoughout the whole follow-up.cornea. The modified PHEMA-PMMA KPros have obtained a relatively stable results after implantation into animal corneas.

OBJECTIVETo study the fracture resistance and the failure pattern of horn-shaped root canal orifice restored by different materials.

METHODSFifteen human maxillary central incisors were selected. After schedule root canal therapy, the residual dental roots with horn-shape root canal orifice were prepared. The specimens were assigned to three groups randomly. A group was rehabilitated by casting metal post-core crown. B group was rehabilitated by prefabricated fiber post and composite core crown. C group was rehabilitated by shapeable fiber-reinforced composite resin post and core crown. Loads were applied on the samples at 130 degree to the long axis of the root and measured with universal testing machine. The failing patterns were recorded.

RESULTSThere were no difference in fracture resistance among three groups (P>0.05). But the failing patterns were different. A group manifested root fracture and separation between cement and root dentin. B group mainly manifested separation between cement and post. C group manifested separation between cement and root dentin.

CONCLUSIONFor restoration of residual dental root with horn-shaped orifice, fiber composite post-core crown has advantages in residual root protection and once more restoration.

Composite Resins ; Crowns ; Dental Pulp Cavity ; Dental Stress Analysis ; Dentin ; Humans ; Incisor ; Post and Core Technique ; Root Canal Therapy ; Tooth Fractures ; Tooth Root ; Tooth, Nonvital

Cancer is a group of various diseases, all of which involve unregulated cell growth. Many currently used chemotherapeutic drugs are derived from botanicals. Thus, searching botanical sources for novel oncology medications, including identifying the lead compounds and their derivatives for chemoprevention, is an essential step in advancing cancer therapeutics. This article mainly focuses on the data from our previous American ginseng anti-colon cancer studies. In addition to the potential role of American ginseng on cancer, the herb as an adjuvant for cancer treatment is presented, including describing the attenuation of adverse events induced by chemotherapeutic agents and increasing of quality of cancer patient life. Since heat-treated American ginseng and ginsenoside gut microbiome metabolites showed significant increases in cancer chemopreventive effects, active constituents of the steamed herb and their gut metabolites should be clearly identified, and the structure-activity relationship should be further explored. Data obtained from herbal medicine studies and clinical trials will help develop useful anticancer agents.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Ginsenosides ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Panax ; chemistry ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Structure-Activity Relationship

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of locking plate external fixator in treating middle and distal tibial fractures.

METHODSFrom January 2010 to January 2013,18 patients suffered from middle and distal tibial fractures were treated by locking plate external fixator,including 11 males and 7 females, with an average age of 53.5 (ranged from 13 to 80) years old,the course of disease ranged from 2 h to 3 d. According to AO classification, 4 cases were type A,11 cases were type B and 3 were type C. Among them,6 patients were open fracture, including 2 cases with type I, 3 cases with type II and 1 case with type III, according to Gustilo classification), 12 patients were close fracture. Operation time, postoperative complications were observed, and Johner-Wruhs scoring were used to evaluate clinical outcomes.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 6 to 15 (meaned 11) months. Two cases occurred skin necrosis (1 case occurred bone exposure), 2 cases occurred delayed union (all were open fracture), and 1 case occurred nail infection. No screw loosening or broken occurred. According to Johner-Wruhs scoring, 10 cases obtained excellent result,6 cases good,and 2 cases fine.

CONCLUSIONLocking plate external fixator for the treatment of middle and distal tibial fractures, which has advantages of lessen damage, shorter operative time, less complications and rapid functional recovery, is one of good choice.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Plates ; utilization ; External Fixators ; utilization ; Female ; Fracture Fixation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tibial Fractures ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the damage caused by high intensity ultrasound(HIU)on tumor micro- vessels.Methods Rabbit models of the VX_2 tumor were set up.The target hepatic carcinomas were treated with HIU,and the results were observed using hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,vascular endothelial cell biotinylated-ulex europaeus agglutininiⅠ(UEAI)immunohistochemical staining,tumor micro-vessel counts,and electron microscopy. Results Histological examination through HE staining indicated that HIU induced carcinoma vascularities with whole tumor tissue coagulative necrosis.The UEAI immunohistochemical staining of the target lesions treated by HIU was ne- gative,and complete tumor micro-vessel uhrastructure damage was observed under the electron microscope.Conclu- sion HIU can damage tumor micro-vessels thoroughly,in such way that it may inhibit tumor growth and metastasis.

BACKGROUNDEpidermic studies have suggested a pathophysiological link between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and atherosclerosis (AS); for which carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) has been considered as an early marker. The pathogenesis by which OSAHS can induce AS has not been elucidated. This study was conducted to investigate the association among plasma interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels, carotid IMT and the severity of OSAHS.

METHODSBased on the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) during sleep monitored by polysomnography, 52 male patients with OSAHS were recruited as the OSAHS group which was further divided into mild OSAHS (n = 16), moderate OSAHS (n = 18), and severe OSAHS (n = 18) subgroups. Eighteen healthy subjects were selected as the control group. Of all OSAHS patients, 20 with moderate-to-severe OSAHS underwent continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for 90 days. HDL5000 color Doppler ultrasonography was used to measure carotid IMT. Plasma IL-18 levels were measured by ELISA.

RESULTSCompared with the plasma IL-18 levels in the control group ((250.27 +/- 76.48) pg/ml), there was a significant increase in the mild OSAHS subgroup ((352.08 +/- 76.32) pg/ml), the moderate subgroup ((600.17 +/- 83.91) pg/ml), and the severe OSAHS subgroup ((9797.64 +/- 109.83) pg/ml) (all P < 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant difference in plasma IL-18 levels among the three OSAHS subgroups (P < 0.01). Carotid IMT was significantly greater in the severe OSAHS subgroup than in the mild OSAHS subgroup (P < 0.01). Before CPAP treatment, plasma IL-18 levels were positively correlated with carotid IMT (r = 0.486, P < 0.001) and with AHI (r = 0.865, P < 0.001). On day 90 of CPAP treatment, plasma IL-18 levels were significantly declined but carotid IMT was not changed significantly.

CONCLUSIONSIn untreated OSAHS patients carotid IMT and plasma IL-18 were positively correlated and were significantly higher than in normal controls; the elevation of plasma IL-18 levels was correlated with the severity of OSAHS. Inflammatory response associated with OSAHS may be related to the development of AS. By improving AHI, miniSaO(2), and reducing plasma IL-18 levels, CPAP treatment may slow down or prevent the development of AS in OSAHS patients.

Adult ; Carotid Arteries ; pathology ; Electrocardiography ; Electroencephalography ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; blood ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Tunica Intima ; pathology

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; cytology ; enzymology ; Isoenzymes ; analysis ; Mice ; Neurons ; enzymology ; Protein Kinase C ; analysis ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

Objective To compare diagnostic value of ~(18)F-fluoredeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT with contrast-enhanced CT in detecting primary hepatic carcinoma and postoperative recurrence.Methods Twenty-five cases of primary hepatic carcinoma or postoperative recurrent tumor underwent whole-body ~(18)F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT within one week's interval.They were retrospectively reviewed and the difierences between these two modalities were investigated.Results Of these 25 cases,there were 13 cases with primary hepatocellular carcinoma.1 case with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and 11 cases with postoperative recurrence.The sensitivity of 18 F-FDG PET/CT and contrast-enhanced CT in diagnosing primary hepatic carcinoma was 78.6%(11/14) and 92.9%(13/14),and sensitivity in diagnosing postoperative recurrent was 100.0%(11/11) and 63.6%(7/11) respectively.Conclusion Contrast-enhanced CT may have a slight advantage over PET/CT in detecting primary hepatic carcinoma,but ~(18)F-FDG PET/CT combined with contrast-enhanced CT has even greater accuracy.Meanwhile,~(18)F-FDG PET/CT has better diagnostic accuracy in detection of postoperative recurrent tumor.

Objective:To investigate the effect of sesamin on mast cell activation and its inflammatory mediator release,as well as its possible mechanisms of action.Methods:HCM-1 cells were activation by stimulation with 10 μg/ml anti-DNP IgE for 6 h and challenge with 100 ng/ml DNP-HAS for 10 min.Sesamin was administration at the concentration of 25,50 and 100 μg/L prior to DNP-HAS challenge,subsequently the effect of sesamin on mast cell degranulation was investigated by light microscope,and histamine release and expression of cytokines such as TNF-α IL-6,IL-1β,IL-8 of mast cells after sesamin treatment were investigated by ELISA.Western blot was used to determine the effect of sesamin on FcεRI downstream signaling including Lyn,Syk and PKCα activation,and IκBα phosphorylation and NF-κB activation.Results:DNP-HAS significantly increased mast cell degranulation,histamine release and those cytokines expression,enhanced Lyn,Syk,PKCα,IκBα phosphorylation and NF-κB activation(P<0.05). Sesamin(50,100 μg/L) significantly decreased mast cell degranulation,histamine release and cytokines expression (TNF-α,IL-4,IL-1β,and IL-8),reduced activity of Lyn,Syk,kinases and PKCα and IκBα phosphorylation,and inhibited NF-κB activation(P<0.05).Conclusion: Sesamin suppresses mast cell activation and inflammatory mediators release through inhibition of PKCα/NF-κB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship of clinical features, therapeutic measures, laboratory findings, the origin of tumor cells as well as prognosis in Chinese patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

METHODSOne hundred and six patients with DLBCL were retrospectively assayed and followed up, the international prognostic index (IPI) score, Ann Arbor staging, ECOG score, the origin of tumor cells and different therapeutic methods were analyzed.

RESULTSAccording to the IPI, there were 61 cases (57.5%) with low-intermediate risk and 45 (42.5%) with intermediate-high risk. According to Ann Arbor staging, there were 8 phase I cases (7.5%), 16 phase II (15.0%), 54 phase III (51.0%) and 28 phase IV (26.5%). Twenty-five cases (23.6%) were accompanied with bone marrow invasion, 16 of them were diagnosed as lymphosarcoma cell leukemia; 38 cases with ECOG score ≥ 2; 67 cases (63.2%) had an increased LDH level; 59 cases (55.7%) had B symptom. The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 71.7%, the complete remission (CR) rate was 59.4% (63 cases), the partial remission (PR) rate was 12.3% (13 cases), the stable disease rate was 2.8% (3 cases) and the death rate was 27.4% (29 cases). The 4-year survival rate was 72.6%. Univariate analysis indicated that eight factors were related with prognosis (P < 0.05), including IPI score, Ann Arbor staging, ECOG score, the origin of tumor cells, LDH level, bone marrow invasion, different therapeutic methods and whether or not CR. Multivariate analysis showed that the origin of non-germinal center (HR = 4.24, P = 0.001), bone marrow invasion (HR = 2.08, P = 0.012), whether or not CR (HR = 2.72, P = 0.006) and therapy modality (HR = 2.58, P = 0.009) were significant factors for prognosis.

CONCLUSIONThe bone marrow invasion and the origin of tumor cells are independent risk factors for prognosis. The rituximab combined with chemotherapy can significantly improve the therapeutic effect of the DLBCL, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the best choice for treating patients with DLBCL.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult