Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma ; Pharyngeal Neoplasms

Objective:Our aim is to investigate the relationship of VEGF-C,VEGF-D and lymph node metastasis in pancreatic cancer,and to elucidate the role and significance of the cancerous peripheral lymphatic tissue.Methods: The expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D was assayed by means of immunohistochemistry in 30 pancreatic carcinomas.Results:The positive rates of VEGF-C、VEGF-D were 73% (22/30)、57% (17/30) respectively in pancreatic cancer.The expression of VEGF-C、 VEGF-D in cancerous invasive edge was significantly higher than that in the center of cancerous tissues.There was no correlation between the expression of VEGF-C、VEGF-Dand the site,differentiation,histology types.Ⅲ~Ⅳ stages of pancreatic cancer showed strong expressions of VEGF-C、VEGF-D than that Ⅰ~Ⅱ stages of pancreatic cancer.The positive lymph node in positive VEGF-C and VEGF-D group were higher than that in the negative group.Conclusion:VEGF-C and VEGF-D induced lymphangiogenisis in pancreatic cancer,promoted the tumor cell lymph metastasis.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of lateral supramalleolar artery descending branch antidromic flap for the repair of soft tissue defects in the foot and ankle.

METHODSFrom May 2009 to October 2013,12 patients with soft tissue defects combined with tendon and bone exposure in the foot and ankle were treated by lateral supramalleolar artery descending branch antidromic flap for the repair of soft tissue defects in the foot and ankle, including 9 males and 3 females with an average age of 37.5 years old ranging from 19 to 58 years. Ten cases had the soft tissue defects in the dorsum of foot and 2 in the ankle. The defect area of soft tissue was from 11 cm x 9 cm to 8 cm x 5 cm.

RESULTSTwelve patients were follow-up for 3 to 12 months (averaged 7.3 months). The flaps of 9 cases were survived,the flaps edges of the other 3 cases were necrosis,and healed after dressing change. The flaps were slightly swelling without ulcer occurrence.

CONCLUSIONLateral supramalleolar artery descending branch antidromic flap can repairing the damage by one-stage operation with advantage of dissection easy,rich blood supply without sacrifice of major artery.

Adult ; Ankle ; blood supply ; surgery ; Arteries ; surgery ; Female ; Foot ; blood supply ; surgery ; Foot Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Surgical Flaps ; Young Adult

Aim To monitor the whole blood trough concentration of cyclosporine A (CsA) in renaltransplant recipients reciving triple therapy with mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine andprednisone and to establish an optimal therapeutic window of CsA. Methods Sampleswere measured by specific fluorescence polarization immunoassay. According to the timeafter operation and different therapy plan, the whole blood trough concentration of CsA ineach group was compared with that in control group.Results The optimal therapeuticwindow of CsA with MMF plan was 150~300 ?g? L-1 (less than one month after op-eration), 120~260?g?L-1 (1~

OBJECTIVETo determine the efficacy of the plant-derived bioflavonoid, quercetin, for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by using a rat model, and to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying its therapeutic effects.

METHODSOne-hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into the normal control group (normal group), untreated NAFLD model control group (model group), 75 mg/kg/day quercetin treatment group (low-dose group), and 300 mg/kg/day quercetin treatment group (high-dose group). The NAFLD rat model was established by providing four weeks of a high-fat diet; the normal group received normal rat chow diet. The quercetin treatments were administered for eight weeks after model establishment and control groups received simultaneous gavages of isotonic saline, with continuation of the respective diets. At the end of the eight weeks (experimental week 12), the rats were sacrificed for liver and serum collection. Intergroup differences in liver index, fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), interleukin (IL)-18, IL-10, malondialdehyde (MDA), and histopathological features were assessed by independent samples t-test (normal vs. model), one-way ANOVA (model vs. treatments), and least significant difference t-test (pairwise comparisons); correlations were assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the model group showed significantly higher liver index (t=-2.327), FBG (t=-3.482), TG (t=-0.302), and serum IL-18 (t=-2.704) (all P less than 0.05), but significantly lower IL-10 (t=2.622, P less than 0.05); the MDA level was also higher in the model group, but the difference was not significant (t=-1.083, P less than 0.05). Livers from the model group showed obvious histological features of inflammation (lymphocyte and neutrophil infiltration) and steatosis (cytoplasmic lipid droplets). Inflammation was positively correlated with IL-18 (P less than 0.05), but negatively correlated with IL-10 (P less than 0.05), while steatosis was negatively correlated with IL-10 (P less than 0.05). Compared to the model group, quercetin treatment (both low- and high-dose) led to significant decreases in the liver index, FBG and IL-18 (all, P less than 0.01), and significant increase in IL-10 (P less than 0.05); however, the changes in liver index, FBG and IL-10 were not significantly different between the low- and high-dose treatment groups, but the high-dose of quercetin did induce a significantly greater decrease in IL-18 than the low-dose (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONNAFLD rats have higher serum levels of IL-18 but lower levels of IL-10 than their healthy counterparts, and these differential cytokine expressions may be related to liver inflammation and steatosis. Quercetin treatment may help to delay the progression of NAFLD, possibly by adjusting the balance of inflammatory cytokines.

Animals ; Fatty Liver ; blood ; drug therapy ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Male ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Quercetin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of quercetin on serum levels of resistin and interleukin (IL)-18 and incidence of insulin resistance (IR) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a rat model.

METHODSNAFLD was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by administering a high-fat diet for four weeks. The model rats were then treated with quercetin (oral gavage administration; low dose group: 75 mg/kg/day, high dose group: 300 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks. Untreated model rats served as controls. Serum levels of resistin, triglyceride (TG), IL-18, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by standard biochemical assays before and after the quercetin administration. In addition, the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated and pathological changes in liver were observed by histological analysis.

RESULTSCompared to the untreated model rats, the quercetin treated model rats showed significantly lower serum resistin (5.98 vs. 2.70), serum IL-18 (10.93 vs. 8.21), FPG (7.45 vs. 4.99), FINS (12.69 vs. 8.59), and HOMA-IR (4.22 vs. 1.87) (all P less than 0.01). Compared to the untreated model group, the high dose group showed significantly lower TG (t = 4.70) and MDA (t = 5.14) (both P less than 0.01). Serum levels of resistin and IL-18, and levels of TG, FPG and FINS were found to be positively correlated with HOMA-IR and the degree of liver disease (r more than 0, all P less than 0.05). The degree of degeneration was decreased in accordance with the dosages of quercetin, as compared to the untreated model group (U = 4.41 and 2.19, both P less than 0.05), and the pathological degree was less extensive in the high dose group than in the low dose group (U = 2.44, P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSIONQuercetin treatment reduces levels of inflammatory cytokines and improves lipid peroxidation and IR in NAFLD rats, and its beneficial effects appear to increase with higher dosage.

Animals ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-18 ; blood ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Quercetin ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Resistin

OBJECTIVETo study the diagnosis and treatment of pheochromocytoma in urinary bladder.

METHODSSix cases of bladder pheochromocytoma were studied. Four cases showed hypertension, 3 of which were paroxysmal hypertension during urination. Catecholamine (CA) was increased in a case, and vanillymandelic acid (VMA) was increased in 2 cases. Bladder submucosal mass was detected by B-ultrasound in 5 cases (5/5), computerized tomography (CT) in 3 cases (3/3), cystoscopy in 5 cases (5/6). Four cases took alpha-receptor blocker for 2 weeks, 1 case took beta-receptor blocker to decrease heart rate. All patients were treated with surgical operation including 4 partial cystectomies, 2 excavations.

RESULTSThree cases had manifestations including headache, excessive perspiration and hypertension during cystoscopy. Four cases were confirmed before operation. Two cases showed hypertension during operation. All patients were pathologically diagnosed as pheochromocytoma postoperatively. In five cases followed up, blood pressure returned to normal. No patient had relapse and malignancy.

CONCLUSIONSTypical hypertension during urination comprised the main symptoms. We should highly suspect bladder pheochromocytoma if a submucosal mass was discovered with B-ultrasound, CT, (131)I-MIBG (methyliodobenzylguanidine) and cystoscopy. The determination of CA in urine is valuable for qualitative diagnosis. The preoperative management of controlling blood pressure and expansion of the blood volume are very important. Surgical operation is a good method for effective treatment. Postoperative long-time followed up is necessary.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pheochromocytoma ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; surgery

Two plasmid constructs, pcE2 and pcE3, containing 3' fragment of open reading frame 2 (ORF2,1163 bp) of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and full-length ORF3 (369 bp), were injected into bilateral tibialis of Swiss mice respectively，for three times (0, 2nd and 4th weeks) and observed the HEV IgG by ELISA. HEV IgG was induced after the injection of pcE2 or pcE3 or both, and the percentage of seraconversion was 100% after two weeks of the third injection. Compared with injection of either construct, the antibody titers were higher in the group with combined injection of two constructs.

OBJECTIVETo construct a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus expressing the ORF2 (112-660aa) antigen of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and evaluate its immunization effect in BALB/c mice by mucosal inoculation.

METHODSThe HEV ORF2 gene encoding for 112-660aa was amplified from plasmid pUC-HEV and inserted into the transfer vector pTrack-CMV. The recombinant plasmid and adenoviral backbone plasmid pAdEasy-1 were co-transformed into E. coli strain BJ5183. Taking the advantage of the high efficient homologous recombination machinery presented in bacteria, the recombinant adenovirus backbone plasmid was generated in BJ5183, and then was transfected into 293 cells. Recombinant Adenoviruses were propagated in 293 cells with high titers. 8-week-old BALB/c mice were inoculated intraperitoneally and intranasally with 10(7) pfu recombinant adenovirus each on weeks 0, 3, 5, 7, 10.

RESULTSBoth groups of mice induced humoral IgG immune response with the highest titers 1:1,000 and 1:10,000 each. Only the group inoculated intranasally could induce mucosal IgA immune response.

CONCLUSIONSThe adenoviral recombinant can stimulate specific humoral and mucosal immune response in mice and is potentially to be used as a candidate vaccine for the treatment of HEV infection.

Adenoviruses, Human ; genetics ; Animals ; Hepatitis Antigens ; genetics ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin A ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin G ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nasal Mucosa ; immunology ; Peritoneum ; immunology ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Viral Hepatitis Vaccines ; Viral Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology

OBJECTIVE: To compare the influence of traditional Chinese compound recipes (TCCRs) with different efficacy on body weight, tumor weight and immune function in H22 cancer-bearing mice. METHODS: H(22) cancer-bearing mice were chosen to observe the effects of TCCRs with different efficacy on tumor growth inhibition and detect the proliferation function of T lymphocytes, the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, the changes of T lymphocytes and the content of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)and interleukin-4 (IL-4). RESULTS: Tumor weight of H(22) cancer-bearing mice in Yidu Gongdu Recipe (YDGDR, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine using poison as an antidote for poison)-treated group was obviously lighter than that in the other TCCR-treated groups and the tumor inhibition rate in YDGDR-treated group was 65.76% (P<0.01). The tumor inhibition rates in other TCCR-treated groups were ranged from 10.1% to 17.1% . Body weight of mice in YDGDR-treated group was obviously decreased and depilation was observed at the same time. Pelage of mice in Fuzheng Peiben Recipe (FZPBR, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine for supporting the healthy energy)-treated group grew well, and behavior of the mice was active. Stimulation index (SI) of T lymphocyte transformation in YDGDR-treated group was obviously increased (SI=4.34, P<0.01), which showed the proliferation function of T lymphocyte was very strong. The SI of T lymphocyte transformation in the other groups was less than three, which showed the proliferation function of T lymphocytes was not significant. Compared with normal saline (NS)-treated group, percentages of NK cells in Qinre Jiedu Recipe (QRJDR, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine for clearing away heat and toxic substances)-treated, Huxue Huayu Recipe (HXHYR, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine for activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis)-treated and YDGDR-treated groups were obviously increased and 5.05, 4.07 and 5.17 times more than the NS-treated group, respectively (P<0.01). The activity of NK cells wasn't increased in the FZPBR-treated and HXHYR-treated groups. The production of IFN-gamma induced by T cells in YDGDR-treated group was obviously raised (P<0.05), and the production of IL-4 induced by T cells in QRJDR-treated, HXHYR-treated, Huatan Sanjie Recipe (a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine for eliminating phlegm and resolving masses)-treated and YDGDR-treated groups was also raised obviously (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: YDGDR has a good effect of inhibiting tumor growth and can reinforce cellular and humoral immune function in tumor-bearing mice. FZPBR can strengthen the body.