Objective To review the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic veno-occlusive disease(HVOD)induced by sedum aizoon in HBsAg positive patients. Methods Clinical data of 35 HBsAg positive cases who took sedum aizoon decoction and developed HVOD were collected, the clinical manifestation, imaging examination, histological examination of liver puncture biopsy, and the outcomes of patients were reviewed. Results Hepatomegaly, liver dysfunction, abdominal effusion and map-like density changes in liver CT scan were observed in 35 patients. Liver biopsy wag performed in 17 patients. In histopathological examination, the swelling and point-like necrosis of liver cells, expansion and congestion of sinus, endothelial swelling, wall thickening, incomplete lumen occlusion of small liver vascular were observed. Map-like density changes in liver CT scan were found in all 17 patients who were diagnosed by histological examination. Fifteen patients presented small amount of ascites within 4 weeks of onset, 13 of whom recovered or improved after treated with low-molecular weight heparin and albumin; while among the remaining 20 patients. only half of them were benefited from the same treatments. Conclusion HVOD can be diagnosed by liver CT scan instead of histological examination; treatment of patients in early stage may improve the outcome.

The scholars at home and abroad pay great attention to the studies of specificities of acupoints, but the studies were superficial and non-systemic because of lacking to application of modern sciences and technology. There are not persuasive conclusive achievements for the specificities of acupoints and the key factors influencing the effect of acupuncture. The study of the specificities of acupoints should be concentrate on the diseases for which acupuncture and moxibustion are effective. And multiple modern sciences and techniques should be adopted to resolve the key problems about biological and physical characteristics, pathological response, effects and law of compatibility of acupoints usually selected for the diseases, and then to create the model of the theory about the specificities of acupoints and to richen and develop the theory of the specificity of acupoints.
Acupuncture Points ; Humans ; Research

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of mild moxibustion on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) visceral hyperalgesiamodel rats and its regulatory effect on P2X3 receptors in the spinal cord, anterior cingutate cortex (ACC) and thalamic ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL). Methods: Thirty 8-day-old newborn rats were randomly divided into a normal group (n=6) and a modeling group (n=24) according to the completely random number table method. Rats in the normal group were bred routinely, and those in the modeling group were subjected to preparing IBS chronic visceral hyperalgesia model using colorectal distention (CRD) in stimulation method. Rats successfully modelled were re-divided into a model group, a mild moxibustion group, a P2X3 receptor antagonist group, and a normal saline group according to the completely random number table method with 6 rats in each group. Rats in each group received corresponding interventions from the 37-day old, once a day for 7 consecutive days. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays were used to detect P2X3 protein expressions in the spinal cord, ACC and VPL of rats. Results: Under different intensities of CRD stimulation, the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores of the model group were significantly increased versus the normal group (all P<0.05); the AWR scores of the mild moxibustion group and the P2X3 receptor antagonist group were significantly reduced versus the model group (all P<0.01). The P2X3 protein expressions in rat spinal cord, ACC and VPL tissues of the model group were significantly increased versus the normal group (all P<0.01); the P2X3 protein expressions in rat spinal cord, ACC and VPL tissues of the mild moxibustion group and the P2X3 receptor antagonist group were significantly reduced versus the model group (all P<0.01). Conclusion: Mild moxibustion can inhibit the P2X3 receptor expressions in the spinal cord, ACC, and VPL tissues of IBS visceral hyperalgesia model rats, which may be the mechanism of mild moxibustion in relieving the central sensitization of rats with IBS visceral hyperalgesia.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the technique and the clinical efficacy of Retroperitoneoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty in children.

METHODSRetroperitoneoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty was performed on 17 patients of pediatric ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction, age ranging from 3 - 10 years. All patients had radiographic evidence of obstruction with signs, symptoms or deterioration of renal function.

RESULTSAll of the 17 operations were performed successfully, and no serious complications occurred during and after the operations. Average operating time was 4.3 hours, which decreased with surgeon experience. Average blood loss was 38 ml, mean postoperative stay was 4.6 d. Only one case had postoperative urine leakage. With a mean follow-up of 14 months, all patients were free of obstruction on follow-up radiographic imaging.

CONCLUSIONSRetroperitoneoscopic dismembered pyeloplasty is a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure for treatment of UPJ obstruction in children, and it can be used as an alternative to open surgery.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Pelvis ; surgery ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Retroperitoneal Space ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Ureteral Obstruction ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures ; methods

OBJECTIVETo find the best treatment of penile strangulation and to analyze the sexual psychological factors of the patients.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the experiences in removing foreign objects around the penis in 21 patients aged 19 - 61 years with the strangulation time varying from 10 hours to 4 days. The objects were mostly made of metal or plastics.

RESULTSAll the objects were successfully removed, 5 of them with the help of lubricant, 4 by aspirating the corpus cavernosum, 8 by shipping with pliers, 2 with the diamond-tipped dental drill, and the other 2, which virtually defied cutting, by aspirating the corpus cavernosum following degloving surgery.

CONCLUSIONIn removing foreign objects around the penis, simpler methods should be given precedence over more complex ones, and for those that virtually defy cutting, the best option is degloving surgery with particular attention to the survival of the penile skin flap.

Adult ; Foreign Bodies ; psychology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penis ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the influence of T lymphocyte activation on HIV-1 susceptibility of Han Chinese.

METHODSIn 2008, 37 HIV-1 highly exposed persistently seronegative individuals (ESNs) and 101 healthy controls were screened from Shenzhen. Flow cytometer was used to assay the expression difference of HIV-1 infection related co-receptor, the difference between the two groups were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U statistics methods.

RESULTST cell HLA-DR(+) CD4 T cells and HLA-DR(+) expression of ESNs (12.64 (5.94 - 21.90), 21.12 (10.74 - 30.21)) were all significantly lower than that of healthy controls (22.52 (7.91 - 58.60), 32.28 (14.72 - 67.82)) (P values all < 0.05). T cell CD45RA-RO(+), CCR5(+)CD4 expression of ESNs (58.68 (49.06 - 72.44), 21.93 (15.84 - 25.89)) were all significantly higher than that of healthy controls (53.17 (42.63 - 63.21), 16.14 (11.94 - 21.98)) (P values all < 0.05). T cell CXCR4(+)CD4 T cells expression of ESNs (93.67 (92.17 - 94.96)) was significantly lower than that of healthy controls (95.16 (92.99 - 96.77)) (P values all < 0.05). Healthy controls and ESNs could be divided into low expression group and high expression group according to HLA-DR(+)CD8 T cells bimodal distribution. A total of 89.2% (33/37) ESNs fell into HLA-DR + CD8 low expression group, and 58.4% (59/101) of the healthy controls located in low expression group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTo Han Chinese, the low activation status of T lymphocyte has significant correlation with HIV-1 low susceptibility.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; immunology ; pathology ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology ; Case-Control Studies ; Disease Susceptibility ; Female ; HIV-1 ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Male ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDIt has been widely demonstrated that endothelial progenitor cells are involved in several diseases and that they have therapeutic implications. In order to define the altered pulmonary vascular homeostasis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we sought to observe the level and functions of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

METHODSThe total study population included 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 20 control subjects. The number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CD34(+)/CD133(+)/VEGFR-2(+) cells) was counted by flow cytometry. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells were also cultured in vitro and characterized by uptake of DiIacLDL, combining with UEA-I, and expression of von Willebrand factor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Adhesion, proliferation, production of nitric oxide, and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and phosphorylated-endothelial nitric oxide synthase were detected to determine functions of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

RESULTSThe number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group was lower than in the control group: (0.54 ± 0.16)% vs. (1.15 ± 0.57)%, P < 0.05. About 80% of adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured in vitro were double labeled with Dil-acLDL and UEA-1. The 92% and 91% of them were positive for von Willebrand factor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, respectively. Compared with the control, there were significantly fewer adhering endothelial progenitor cells in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: 18.7 ± 4.8/field vs. 45.0 ± 5.9/field, P < 0.05. The proliferation assay showed that the proliferative capacity of circulating endothelial progenitor cells from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients was significantly impaired: 0.135 ± 0.038 vs. 0.224 ± 0.042, P < 0.05. Furthermore, nitric oxide synthase (112.06 ± 10.00 vs. 135.41 ± 5.38, P < 0.05), phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein expression (88.89 ± 4.98 vs. 117.98 ± 16.49, P < 0.05) and nitric oxide production ((25.11 ± 5.27) µmol/L vs. (37.72 ± 7.10) µmol/L, P < 0.05) were remarkably lower in endothelial cells from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group than the control.

CONCLUSIONCirculating endothelial progenitor cells were decreased and functionally impaired in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AC133 Antigen ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptides ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stem Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression and function of miR-218 in gastric cancer.

METHODSmiR-218 levels were evaluated in 20 non-cardia gastric cancer tissues using TaqMan stem-loop real-time PCR analysis. Pre-miR-218 and anti-miR-218 inhibitor were used to change the miR-218 expression level and examine its effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle and cell invasion.

RESULTSComparing with the corresponding normal tissues, miR-218 expression was significantly reduced in the gastric cancer tissue (P < 0.01). Forced expression of miR-218 increased apoptosis in AGS cells. The proportion of apoptosis cells induced by transfection of pre-miR-218 was greater than that induced by control (21.6% vs. 10.4%, P = 0.032). Pre-miR-218 resulted in a significantly decreased cell growth activity (P < 0.01) and cell invasion (P < 0.05) of AGS cells compared with that of the control.

CONCLUSIONmiR-218 expression is reduced in gastric cancer. miR-218 may function as a tumor suppressor in gastric carcinoma.

Apoptosis ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Transfection

Animals ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Collagen Type II ; metabolism ; Collagen Type III ; metabolism ; Female ; Kinetin ; pharmacology ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic cryoablation (LCA) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

METHODSBetween April 2005 and March 2009, 47 patients were treated with minimally invasive nephron sparing surgery (LPN or LCA) for RCC. The LCA group included 18 selected primary RCC cases (14 men and 4 women, mean age 63 years). There were 6 tumors located in the left, 11 located in the right and 1 located bilaterally. The maximum diameter of tumors was 1.5 - 5.0 cm (mean: 2.9 cm). The LPN group included 29 renal tumors patients (19 men and 10 women, mean age 61 years). The maximum diameter of tumors in this group was 2.0 - 4.5 cm (mean: 2.8 cm). Changes of hemoglobin (Hb), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum creatinine (SCr) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) after operations were compared between LCA group and LPN group. The operative time, average intra-operative bleeding volume, postoperative hospital stay and incidence of postoperative complications of the 2 groups were analyzed and compared.

RESULTSThe 2 surgical procedures were both successful. There was no significant change of Hb, ESR, SCr and GFR after operations in LCA group and LPN group (P > 0.05). The operative time was (94 ± 29) min and (146 ± 45) min in LCA group and LPN group, respectively. The average estimated blood loss was (37 ± 20) ml and (274 ± 69) ml. The postoperative hospital stay was (4 ± 2) d and (10 ± 2) d. These differences between the 2 groups were significant (P < 0.01). No laparoscopic operative complications were noted in LCA group. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1, 3, and 6 months identified the punched-out, nonenhancing, spontaneously resorbing, renal cryolesion. LCA group had completed a minimum follow-up of 6 months (mean 16, range 6 to 21 months). No evidence of local or port-site recurrence was found, and no patient developed metastatic disease. 3 - 36 months' (mean 20 months) follow-up showed no recurrence of tumors or metastatic disease in LPN group.

CONCLUSIONSLCA for RCC is an accurate and effective intervention with a relatively low incidence of complications, and is superior to LPN in operative time, intraoperative bleeding volume and postoperative recovery.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; surgery ; Cryosurgery ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; surgery ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome