Objective To evaluate X-ray,CT and MRI findings of soft tissue infections in AIDS. Methods Three cases of soft tissue infections with AIDS were retrospectively analyzed by comparing the imaging findings with pathological results.All patients were performed MRI,X-ray was in 1 case,CT was in 1 case.Results Cellulitis was in 1 case:MRI showed extended thickening of subcutaneous tissues, ill-defined hypointense areas on T_1WI and hyperintensity on T_2WI,and reticular pattern on GRE. Necrotizing fasciitis was in 1 case:MRI showed obvious thickening of subcutaneous tissues and deep fasciae, abnormally increased signal intensity on T_1 and T_2WI.Fluid collections were within muscles and muscles interval on fat-suppressed T2 WI.Tuberculosis was in 1 case:CT demonstrated multiple low density areas in the subcutaneous tissues and clear peripheral rim enhancement.MRI appeared hypointense on T_1WI and hyperintensity on T_2WI,and peripheral rim enhancement following gadolinium injection.Conclusion Infections of soft tissue are common complication in patients with AIDS,radiology is important in early diagnosis and treatment planning in this population.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the toxicity of Radix Aristolochiae and Radix Inulae, and to supply the toxicity experimental data that Radix Inulae supersedes Radix Aristolochiae in clinic.

METHODA long dose of Radix Aristolochice and Radix Inulae was given intragastrically to rats for six months, then drug withdrawal for a month. The hematology and biochemical indicators were measured, and the pathologic changes of kidney, liver, stomach and urinary bladder were examined.

RESULTThe rats of Radix Aristolochice showed serious toxic responses of renal tubule atrophy and necrosis, meanwhile, the levels of BUN, Cr and NAG were increased obviously. Hepatonecrosis, renal tubular necrosis, gastric carcinoma and bladder carcinoma were discovered with pathologic assaying. But the rats of Radix Inulae did not.

CONCLUSIONRadix Aristolochiae could damage kidney and liver, and cause gastric carcinoma and bladder carcinoma by intensive toxicity. Radix Inulae could take the place of Radix Aristolochiae to use in clinic.

Acetylglucosaminidase ; urine ; Animals ; Aristolochia ; chemistry ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; toxicity ; Female ; Inula ; chemistry ; Kidney Tubules ; drug effects ; pathology ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Necrosis ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach ; drug effects ; pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; Urinary Bladder ; drug effects ; pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; chemically induced

OBJECTIVETo evaluate an enzymatic method for determining serum beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-HB) with the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) projects, and to discuss its clinical values in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

METHODSThe precision, accuracy, specificity, linearity and interference of the enzymatic method were analyzed. This method was used to determine serum beta-HB in 60 cases of normals, 50 cases of diabetes, and 34 cases of DKA by autochemistry analyzer.

RESULTSEnzymatic beta-HB assay was precise (within-run CV, day-to-day CV, and total CV < 5%). The linearity studies showed the method was linear up to 4 mmol/L. Recovery rate was 98.5%-104.1%. Hemolysis (Hemoglobin up to 18.2 g/L), icteric samples with total bilirubin up to 224 mumol/L, and lipemia up to triglyceride concentration of 2.28 mmol/L did not interfere with the beta-HB results in this method. Serum beta-HB levels were significantly elevated in DKA patients compared with DM patients and controls (P < 0.01). Positive rate of serum beta-HB in DKA patients was significantly higher than that of urinary ketone (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSEnzymatic method is convenient and reliable, allows full automation, and is rapid enough to be used for both routine and urgent determinations of serum beta-HB. It can be used in diagnosing and monitoring treatment of DKA.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid ; blood ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Autoanalysis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; blood ; Diabetic Ketoacidosis ; blood ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDIntraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) has been increasingly used as a guiding tool during neurosurgical procedures. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential application of intraoperative ultrasound assisted surgery in the resection of small, deep-seated, or ill-defined lesions.

METHODSEighty-six consecutive patients with small, deep-seated, or ill-defined intracerebral lesions were studied prospectively. An improved intraoperative imaging technique and surgical setup were practiced during the surgery. IOUS was performed in three orthogonal imaging planes (horizontal, coronal and sagittal).

RESULTSHistopathological diagnoses of these 86 cases included cavernomas, metastases, hemangioblastomas, gliomas, and radiation necrosis. Forty-seven of the 86 lesions (54.7%) were small and deep-seated, 34/86 (39.5%) were ill-defined, and 5/86 (5.8%) were small, deep-seated, and ill-defined. Sonograms in the horizontal plane were obtained in all 86 cases. Sonograms in the sagittal plane and in the coronal plane were obtained only in 52 cases and in 46 cases, respectively, due to technical limitation. In 13 cases, sonograms in all three orthogonal planes were available. All lesions were successfully identified and localized by IOUS. Total resection was performed in 67 lesions (77.9%) and partial resection was performed in 19 lesions (22.1%).

CONCLUSIONSWe propose IOUS to be performed in three orthogonal planes when surgery is planned for small, deep-seated, or ill-defined brain lesions. By applying this simple, improved technique, surgeons can perform resection of these lesions precisely.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Echoencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Intraoperative Period ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; methods ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the toxicity of Radix Aristolochiae supplied experimental evidence of rational use of drug in clinic.

METHODAfter treatment with small dose Radix Aristolochiae, Guanxin Suhe Wan (with Radix Aristolochiae) and Guanxin Suhe Wan (without Radix Aristolochiae) in different group for a long- term, respectively, the biochemical indicator of PT, ALT, AST, ALB, ALP, Crea and BUN were detected, and the kidney, liver, stomach and urinary bladder were examined by pathologic assaying.

RESULTIn Radix Aristolochiae group and Guanxin Suhe Wan (with Radix Aristolochiae) group, all of biochemical indicator were changed significantly, and hepatonecrosis, renal tubular necrosis, gastric carcinoma and bladder carcinoma were discovered.

CONCLUSIONRadix Aristolochiae and Guanxin Suhe Wan (with Radix Aristolochiae) can damage kidney and liver, and cause gastric carcinoma and bladder carcinoma by intensive toxicity.

Animals ; Aristolochia ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; toxicity ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; Urinary Bladder ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; chemically induced

OBJECTIVETo test whether the tumor vessel density (TVD) from the enhanced spiral CT can preoperatively predict nodal status and distant metastasis of colorectal cancer.

METHODSForty cases of colorectal cancer patients who received surgical treatment were included in this study. The three dimensional tumor vessels were reconstructed by an enhanced CT 64-slice spiral CT and its AW4.4 image processing platform. The TVD was measured by the 1000 high-resolution color graphics pathological analysis system. The TVD level was compared between different tumor size, classification, and TNM stage. The postoperative pathological staging was taken as golden standard.

RESULTSThe sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for direct prediction of lymph node metastasis by the enhanced CT 64-slice spiral CT was 74.1%(20/27), 53.8%(7/13) and 67.5%(27/40) respectively. The TVD from the reconstructed three dimensional tumor vessels in the group with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that without metastasis(0.070±0.046 vs. 0.037±0.013, P<0.05). The TVD in the distant metastasis group was significantly higher than that without distant metastasis (0.130±0.032 vs. 0.049±0.030, P<0.01). No difference of TVD was found between different tumor size, invasion depth, and differentiation type.

CONCLUSIONTVD level from the reconstructed three dimensional tumor vessels can indicate lymph node and distant metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Tomography, Spiral Computed

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of series of Muskone (the muskone includes Slender Dutchmanspipe Root, Inula Root and neither kind of Common Aucklandia Root) on the heart hemodynamics and myocardial consumption of oxygen in experimental dogs, and to explain its pharmacological action on cardiovascular system.

METHODArterial blood pressure, coronary blood flow, resistance in coronary artery, total peripheral resistance, work of left artrium and oxygen consumption index of the cardiac muscles were observed in anaesthetic dogs.

RESULTThe series of Muskone decreased arterial blood pressure significantly, dilated coronary artery and peripheral arteries significantly, increased coronary blood flow, decreased resistance in coronary artery, improved the work of left artrium, the oxygen availability of cardiac muscles and the complaisance of arteries in cardiac muscles.

Animals ; Aristolochia ; chemistry ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Coronary Circulation ; drug effects ; Cycloparaffins ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Dogs ; Drug Combinations ; Female ; Heart ; drug effects ; physiology ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Inula ; chemistry ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Oxygen Consumption ; drug effects ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Vascular Resistance ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo observe the duration of enterovirus-71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A 16 (CoxA16) viral shedding in stool samples of children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) infected with EV71 and CoxA16 and to explore the relationship between the duration of intestinal virus shedding and the severity of illness of children with HFMD.

METHODTotally 113 laboratory-confirmed cases of children with HFMD infected with EV71 and CoxA16 were followed up. The stool samples were collected with the interval of 4 to7 days and the viral nucleic acids were detected by fluorescent PCR until the stool viral nucleic acids of infected children turned to be negative. The cases in EV71 group were further divided into "ordinary EV71 group" and "severe EV71 group" according to the severity of the illness. The positive rates of viral nucleic acid and the differences of distribution among different groups were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis during the follow-up period.

RESULTThe 113 cases of infected children were grouped as follows: 65 cases of EV71 positive children, 44 cases of CoxA16 positive children, 4 cases of EV71/CoxA16 mixed infection. The median duration of the stool viral nucleic acids turning to negative was 26 (18.25-32.50) days in EV71 group and 27 (14.50-33.75) days in CoxA16 group (Z = 1.51, P > 0.05). At 1, 4, 6 and 10 weeks, the positive rates of stool viral nucleic acid of children with HFMD in EV71 group were 100%, 48.1%, 17.2% and 0 respectively. At 1, 4 and 6 weeks, the positive rates of stool viral nucleic acid of children with HFMD in CoxA16 group were 95.5%, 53.8% and 0 respectively (χ(2) = 0.18, P > 0.05). At 1, 4 and 6 weeks, the positive rates of stool viral nucleic acid of children with HFMD in ordinary EV71 group were 100%, 23.5% and 0 respectively, while at 1, 4, 6 and 10 weeks, the positive rates of stool viral nucleic acid of children with HFMD in severe EV71 group were 100%, 62.4%, 26.0% and 0 respectively (χ(2) = 5.689, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe duration of enterovirus shedding in stool samples of children with HFMD lasted for a long period. The maximum duration of EV71 and CoxA16 in stool of children with HFMD was 10 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively. The duration of intestinal virus shedding of children with HFMD infected with EV71 was related with the severity of the illness.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Enterovirus A, Human ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Feces ; virology ; Female ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; virology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Nucleic Acids ; isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Virus Shedding

OBJECTIVETo explore the signal transduction mechanisms of apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells in diabetic rats with fluctuant high blood glucose.

METHODSHealthy SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal control group (A), stable high blood glucose group (B) and fluctuant high blood glucose group (C). Diabetic rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg), and the fluctuant high blood glucose animal model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of ordinary insulin and glucose at different time point every day. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the content of malonaldehyde (MDA) in renal tissue homogenate were detected with colorimetry. The protein expression of Nox4 and JNK were examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL).

RESULTSAfter 12 experimental weeks, significantly increased cell apoptosis, up-regulation of Nox4 and P-JNK expression in renal tubular epithelial cells were observed in B and C groups compared with those in A group. The MDA content increased and SOD activity decreased in renal tissue in B and C groups. Above effects were more obviously shown in C group.

CONCLUSIONFluctuant high blood glucose induced more apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cell than stable high blood glucose in diabetic kidney, which might be related to the activation of JNK signal transduction pathway.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; metabolism ; pathology ; Epithelial Cells ; metabolism ; Kidney Tubules ; cytology ; MAP Kinase Kinase 4 ; metabolism ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; NADPH Oxidase 4 ; NADPH Oxidases ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo analyze and evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus and low-dose steroids in the treatment of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome in children.

METHODTwenty-one children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome enrolled from October 2008 to July 2010 into this retrospective longitudinal study received oral tacrolimus treatment, 0.1 to 0.15 mg/kg per day and once every 12 hours, and prednisone 0.2 to 0.75 mg/kg per day simultaneously. During the treatment, the plasma concentration of tacrolimus, urine volume, urine, serum creatinine and liver function were regularly monitored.

RESULTAfter 1 to 3 months treatment, 14 cases showed complete remission and 7 cases had partial remission. Sixteen patients received renal biopsy, of whom 6 revealed minimal change nephropathy with complete remission in 3 cases, 3 cases had partial remission;4 cases revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with 2 complete remission and 2 partial remission; other 5 children with IgM nephropathy and 1 mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis achieved complete remission. Within treatment period, 6 patients presented transient adverse reactions, without altering the principle treatment strategy, but only taking the symptomatic treatment. During follow-up, 1 case was lost to follow-up and the remaining 20 cases were followed up from 2 months to 21 months. In 4 patients the disease relapsed within 1st-year follow-up, while at 2nd-year follow-up, 4 cases had (6 times) recurrence.

CONCLUSIONTacrolimus showed a reliable effect in children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Less adverse reactions were seen, and most of them could be tolerated. Nevertheless, the patients had a higher relapse rate after 1 to 2 years treatment. Therefore, the long-term effects of tacrolimus for steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome remains to be further evaluated.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Prednisone ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Tacrolimus ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome