Objective To compare the applicability of the 7th and 6th editions of the UICC-AJCC esophageal cancer TNM staging systems for adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (EGJ).Methods During June 2007 through December 2010,199 patients with EGJ adenocarcinoma(Siewert type Ⅱ) underwent R0-intent resection in our hospital.Their clinicopatholigical and survival data were retrospectively analyzed with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models.They were restaged according to the 7th and 6th UICC/AJCC TNM staging systems for esophageal cancer,respectively.Then the Akaike information criterion(AIC) was used for measuring goodness of fit of both staging systems.Results Among 199 patients,there were 162 males and 37 females.Univariate analysis indicated that age(P =0.009),surgical approach(P =0.002),cell differentiation (P =0.030),preoperative co-morbidity (P =0.026),depth of tumor invasion (P ＜ 0.000) and number of metastatic lymph nodes(P ＜ 0.000) were significant influencing factors on overall survival.Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the independent prognostic factors for EGJ adenocarcinoma were age,T stage,N stage and preoperative co-morbidity according to the 6th edition of esophageal cancer TNM staging system,and only T stage,N stage and preoperative co-morbidity according to the 7th edition of esophageal cancer TNM staging system.The AIC value was 961.4 for the 7th edition of esophageal cancer staging system and 972.4 for the 6th edition.Conclusion The 7th edition of UICC/AJCC esophageal cancer TNM classification is su perior to its 6th edition of esophageal cancer staging system for EGJ adenocarcinoma.

To study the chemical constituents of Artemisia lactiflora. The compounds were isolated by column chromatography with silica gel, C18 reverse-phase silica gel, semi-preparative HPLC, and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis. Twelve compounds were isolated from alcohol extracts of A. lactiflora and identified as 7-hydroxycoumarin (1), 7-methoxycoumarin (2), balanophonin (3), aurantiamide (4), aurantiamide acetate (5), isovitexin (6), kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-rutinoside (7), rutin (8), caffeic acid ethyl ester (9), quercetin (10), methyl 3, 5-di-O-caffeoyl quinate (11) and methyl 3, 4-di-O-caffeoyl quinate (12), respectively. Compounds 3-12 were obtained from this plant for the first time.
Artemisia ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Characteristics of collapsed tibial plateau fracture determines that the joint surface must remain anatomical reduction,line of force in tibial must exist and internal fixation must be strong. However, while renewing articular surface smoothness, surgeons have a lot of problems in dealing with bone defect under the joint surface. Current materials used for bone defect treatment include three categories: autologous bone, allograft bone and bone substitutes. Some scholars think that autologous bone grafts have a number of drawbacks, such as increasing trauma, prolonged operation time, the limited source, bone area bleeding,continuous pain, local infection and anesthesia,but most scholars believe that the autologous cancellous bone graft is still the golden standard. Allograft bone has the ability of bone conduction, but the existence of immune responses, the possibility of a virus infection, and the limited source of the allograft cannot meet the clinical demands. Likewise, bone substitutes have the problem that osteogenesis does not match with degradation in rates. Clinical doctors can meet the demand of the patient's bone graft according to patient's own situation and economic conditions.
Bone Substitutes ; Bone Transplantation ; Humans ; Tibial Fractures ; surgery

We investigated the baseline brain activity level in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) by am plitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) based on resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). We examined 13 patients in the MDD group and 14 healthy volunteers in the control group by resting-state fMRI on GE Signa 3.0T. We calculated and compared the ALFF values of the two groups. In the MDD group, ALFF values in the right medial prefrontal were higher than those in control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). ALFF values in the left parietal in the MDD group were lower than those in control group with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). This resting-state fMRI study suggested that the alteration brain activity in the right medial prefrontal and left parietal ALFF contributed to the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of MDD patients.
Brain ; physiopathology ; Brain Mapping ; Case-Control Studies ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective To investigate the differences on lymphatic vessel density (LVD) among esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC),esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and normal esophageal tissues,and analyze the clinical significance.Methods Twenty samples of EAC,24 samples of ESCC and 20 cases of normal esophageal tissues were obtained at the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from January 2004 to January 2011.D2-40 was used for immunostaining of lymphatic vessels in EAC,and antibodies of D2-40 and Ki-67 were used together to detect proliferation of lymphatic vessels.The differences in the LVD among EAC,ESCC and normal esophageal tissues were analyzed.All data were analyzed using the analysis of variance or t test.Results D2-40 staining could identify the lymphatic vessels,and antibodies of D2-40 and Ki-67 could detect the proliferation of lymphatic vessels.The LVD of EAC,ESCC and normal esophageal tissues were (3.3 ± 1.7)/0.17 mm2,(4.6 ± 1.2)/0.17 mm2 and (3.8 ± 1.2)/0.17 mm2,respectively,with significant differences (F =5.44,P ＜0.05).The LVD of EAC was significantly lower than that of ESCC (t =3.074,P ＜ 0.05),while there was no significant difference in the LVD between the EAC and normal esophageal tissues (t =-1.022,P ＞ 0.05).There were significant differences in the LVD between the ESCC and normal esophageal tissues (t =2.395,P ＜ 0.05).There were significant differences in the LVD between EAC patients with deglutition discomfort and those with pain (t =3.092,P ＜ 0.05).There were significant differences in the LVD between EAC patients with course ＜6 months and those with course≥6 months (t =3.092,P ＜ 0.05).No statistical difference in clinicopathological parameters including gender,age,site of lesion,tumor diameter,pathological morphology,T stage,N stage,G stage,TNM clinical stage and lymph node metastasis were detected (t ＝ 1.130,1.020,F =0.082,t =0.799,F =0.692,t =0.694,1.820,0.353,0.969,0.969,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The LVD of EAC is lower than that of ESCC,but is similar to that of normal esophageal tissues.The LVD of EAC is correlated with the symptoms and course of patients.

In previous study, glutaric acid (GA) induced apoptosis of primary striatal neuron in vitro. In order to investigate the neurotoxic effects of GA on neonatal rat corpus striatum and the possible mechanism, 34 male pups were randomly assigned to NS group, low dose GA (LGA, 5 μmol GA/g body weight) group and high dose GA (HGA, 10 μmol GA/g body weight) group. These pups were subcutaneously administered with three injections from postnatal day 3 to 22 at 7:30 am, 15:00 pm and 22:30 pm and killed 12 h after the last injection. Microscopic pathology in corpus striatum was evaluated by HE staining. The apoptotic cells were identified by TUNEL staining. The transcript levels of caspase-3, 8, 9, Bax, Bcl-2 were detected by using real-time PCR and the protein levels of procaspase-3 and the active fraction were evaluated by Western blotting. In LGA and HGA groups, ventricle collapse, cortical atrophy by a macroscope and interstitial edema, vacuolations, widened perivascular space of bilateral striatum by a microscope were observed. TUNEL assay revealed that the apoptotic cells were increased in LGA and HGA groups. The transcript of caspase-3 was up-regulated to 2.5 fold, accompanied by the up-regulation of caspase-9, Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2. The protein levels of procaspase-3 and the active fraction were up-regulated in LGA and HGA groups. The rat model for GA I showed mitochondrial apoptotic pathway may be involved in the GA-induced striatal lesion. Further studies should be taken to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Aim To investigate the promoting apoptosis effect of artesunate( ART) on human colon cancer Lovo cells and its mechanisms. Methods MTT assay was performed to determine the anti-proliferative effect of artesunate. Flow cytometry assay and electron micros-copy( EM) were used to evaluate the apoptotic effect of artesunate. Luciferase reporter assay was introduced to measure the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Western blot was used to detect the pathway-related protein levels of β-catenin, GSK-3β,c-Myc and apop-tosis-related protein level of casepase-3 . Results Compared with the control group, the inhibitory rate of cell proliferation at 72 h and 320 μmol·L-1 ART was (78. 99 ± 1. 95 )% ( F =898. 301, P =0. 000 ); the cell apoptotic rate at 24 h and 160 μmol · L-1 ART was(19. 00 ± 0. 05)% and morphological signs of cell apoptosis were found by EM;the transcriptional activi-ty of TCF4/LEF at 24 h and 160 μmol·L-1 ART was (0. 36 ± 0. 30)%(F =470. 954,P <0. 01); the ex-pressions of caspase-3 and GSK-3β were significantly increased, whileβ-catenin and c-Myc were significant-ly decreased when treated with different concentrations of ART for 48 h ( P <0. 01 ) . Conclusion ART may significantly inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of Lovo cells probably by inactivating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Aim To investigate the effect of artesunate on the invasion of human colon cancer Lovo cells and the possible mechanisms. Methods After Lovo cells were treated with different doses of artesunate(20,80, 160 μmol·L - 1 ), the soft agar colony formation test was adopted to observe the anchorage-independent pro-liferation of Lovo cells. Transwell assay was used to determine the effect of artesunate on the invasion abili-ty of Lovo cells. And the protein expressions of HMGB1 and MMP-2 were investigated by western blot. Results Artesunate could significantly inhibit both proliferation and invasion ability of Lovo cells in a dose-dependent manner(P < 0. 01). The experimental group treated with artesunate significantly down-regula-ted the protein expressions of HMGB1 and MMP-2 compared with control group(P < 0. 05). Conclusion Artesunate could inhibit the invasion of human colon cancer Lovo cells by down-regulating HMGB1 and MMP-2 expressions.

Background Researches showed that multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) is able to assess the retinal function in the eyes with acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada ( VKH ) syndrome. But the mfERG characteristics of convalescence stage of VKH are still below clear. Objective Present study was to compare and follow up the variation process of visual acuity and mfERG in acute and recovery stages of VKH syndrome. Methods This was a clinic-based retrospective study. Visual acuity, mfERG and fundus fluorescence angiography ( FFA ) were recorded from 35 eyes of 18 acute VKH cases. The period of follow-up in recovery stage lasted about 18 months with the repetitive recording results for 4 times. Results In this study, the visual acuity range in acute stage VKH was 0. 01 to 1.0, and 91.4% (32/35 eyes) was below 0.6. Compared with normal control group, the visual acuity was significantly decreased (P＜0.01). The response densities (amplitudes) of N1 ,P1 waves of the first-order kernel were significantly lowed in all the 6 rings,and the implicit times of 1-4 rings of both waves were significantly prolonged in acute VKH eyes(P＜0. 05). The abnormalities of retinal function showed a regional difference at the posterior pole retina with the dominant change in the first ring,showing a cutting off78% in the P1 amplitude. The abnormal degree of mfERG was more serious as the the increase of retinal eccentricity. In 2 months of convalescence after glucocorticosteroids therapy,the range of visual acuity were 0. 1-1.2 ,and the amplitudes of N1, P1 of 1-2 rings were greatly elevated in comparison with acute on-set (P＜0. 05 ). However, there was still a remarkable difference in the amplitudes of from 1 through 6 rings,comparing with normal. The response density of P1 wave from whole recording region was only 44% of normal. Though the visual acuity was stable during the follow-up duration, a decreasing tendency in N1 and P1 amplitudes were seen. The implicit times of both wave shortened only in 1-3 rings in recovery stages of VKH (P＜0.05). Conclusion VKH syndrome cause serious damage of posterior retinal function.Macular region is the site with greater retinal functional lesion and restore before and after medication. This hardly recovery of retinal function can last over one and half year,even satisfied visual acuity is stable after proper treatment.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of bushen tiaochong recipe (BSTCR) on rats' ovarian granulosa cell (GC) proliferation, steroidogenesis and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA expression using serum pharmacological method.

METHODSRats' GCs were incubated with 10% blank serum (as negative control group), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-containing serum (S-FSH, as positive control group), or BSTCR (in different dosages) containing serum (S-BSTCR, as the BSTCR groups) for 48 h. 3H-TdR incorporation was then performed; DNA was measured to analyze the distribution of GCs in the cell cycle and their proliferation index (PI) using a flow cytometer; estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) content in the culture fluid were examined by radioimmunoassay; and levels of FSHR and IGF-1 mRNA expression in GCs were measured by real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTSA dose-dependent increase of 3H-TdR incorporation in GC was shown in the BSTCR groups. Cells in G0/G1 phase had markedly less, while those in S phase had a significantly higher increase in the BSTCR groups compared with the negative control group. A high value of PI was also shown in the BSTCR groups, especially in the high dose group where the influence of cell proliferation was stronger than that in the positive control group. The levels of E2 and P in the BSTCR groups of all dosages were significantly higher than those in the negative control group, and did not show any significant difference compared with those in the positive control group. Levels of FSHR and IGF-1 mRNA expression in the BSTCR groups increased in a dose-dependent manner at levels higher than those in the negative control group.

CONCLUSIONS-BSTCR can obviously stimulate the proliferation and steroidogenesis of ovarian GCs. It is speculated that BSTCR could play a regulatory action on ovarian function through two different pathways of endocrine and autocrine by promoting FSHR and IGF-1 mRNA expression.

Animals ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; DNA ; biosynthesis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Granulosa Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; genetics ; metabolism ; Progesterone ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, FSH ; genetics ; metabolism ; Steroids ; biosynthesis ; Tritium