OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of endoscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of sialolithiasis.

METHODSDiagnostic and interventional sialoendoscopic procedures were performed in 52 patients with sialolithiasis (43 submandibular glands and 9 parotid glands).

RESULTSOf the 34 sialoliths in the anterior and/or posterior part of the Wharton's duct, 24 were removed with basket retrieval; 2 removed with open surgery and basket retrieval, and 8 removed with open surgery under the guidance of endoscopy. Eight sialoliths in the hilum of the Wharton's duct were treated with open surgery. Of the 9 stone cases in the Stensen's duct, 3 was removed with basket retrieval, 3 was removed after opening-up of the ostium, 1 was treated with basket capturing and open surgery. The obstructive symptoms were improved in these cases during 1-24 months' follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSSialoendoscopy is a minimal invasive and efficacious technique for the diagnosis and treatment of sialolithiasis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Lithiasis ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Salivary Calculi ; surgery ; Submandibular Gland ; Submandibular Gland Diseases ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effects of sialoendoscopically-assisted sialolithectomy for the sialolithiasis in the hilum of the submandibular glands.

METHODSBetween December 2005 and March 2011, treated 80 cases of radiography-verified sialiolithiasis in the hilum of the submandibular glands, The patients included 42 males and 38 females aged from 13 to 68 years. All these patients underwent sialoendoscopic observation and sialoendoscopically-assisted sialolithectomy and were followed up periodically for 3 - 6 months after operation. The success rate of stone removal, postoperative complications and clinical effects were analysed.

RESULTSThe stones were completely removed in 71 cases, and almost completely removed in 5 cases, with a successful rate of 95% (76/80). Among 76 successful cases, 8 were treated by basket entrapment, 59 by intraoral open surgery and 9 by both of these two techniques. Within 3 - 6 months' follow-up, 1 case suffered temporary lingual nerve parenthesis and two suffered ranula formation.

CONCLUSIONSSialoendoscopically-assisted sialolithectomy is a safe and effective gland-preservation technique for the patients with the hilum of the submandibular glands.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery ; adverse effects ; Ranula ; etiology ; Salivary Duct Calculi ; surgery ; Salivary Ducts ; pathology ; Submandibular Gland ; surgery ; Young Adult

The only difference of primary structure between single-chain prourokinase (pro-UK or scu-PA) and two-chain urokinase (UK or tcu-PA) is the cleavage of a single peptide bond (Lys158-Ile159) and transform scu-PA into its active two-chain form. A 13-peptide (Thr-Leu-Arg-Pro-Arg-Phe-Lys-Ile-Ile-Gly-Gly-Glu-Cys), which spans the cleavage peptide bond, was synthesized and linked to KLH (Keyhole limpet hemocyanin). The Balb/c mice were immunized by the conjugated protein with proper adjuvant. According to the Kohler and Milstein's methods, a hybridoma cell line G7 secreting monoclonal antibody specific for scu-PA was obtained. The anti-scu-PA McAb, purified from the supernatant of porous microcarrier hybridoma cell culture, was conjugated to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B to prepare an immuno-affinity chromatography column. The u-PA was purified only by this affinity column from the supernatant of cultivating the u-PA-producing recombinant CHO cell, the u-PA recovery ratio is 90.4%, the purification factor was about 50, with the specific activity of 1.2 x 10(5) IU/mg, the scu-PA ratio in the u-PA product was 96.3%. Compared to immuno-affinity chromatography, the 3-step process for purifying u-PA (cation-exchange column, gel filtration column and benzamidine affinity column) has a u-PA recovery ratio of about 65%, with a specific activity of 1.0 x 10(5) IU/mg, and an scu-PA ratio of about 90%. These results showed that immuno-affinity chromatography is simple to recover u-PA and effective to separate scu-PA from tcu-PA.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; immunology ; isolation & purification

BACKGROUNDThere is no validated blood biomarker available for glioma management. Invasive growth is the key feature of glioma. We assessed the clinical usefulness of plasma tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1), which has less molecular weight than metalloproteinases, as a potential blood biomarker for glioma.

METHODSA total of 285 patients and 59 normal subjects were studied. Plasma concentration of TIMP-1 was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma TIMP-1 was compared between normal and glioma patients, between patients with different pathological grades, and between patients with different prognoses. Longitudinal changes in plasma TIMP-1 during treatment were also evaluated. Plasma matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 level was also assayed and its clinical usefulness was compared with that of TIMP-1.

RESULTSPlasma TIMP-1 and MMP-9 were both increased in glioma patients compared with normal controls (TIMP-1: P < 0.001; MMP-9: P = 0.007). Plasma TIMP-1 increases with increased tumor grade. In Grade IV gliomas, plasma TIMP-1 significantly increased after "successful removal" of the tumor (paired samples t-test, before operation vs. during chemotherapy without recurrence, t = -2.131, P = 0.038), but did not change significantly at the time of tumor recurrence (during chemotherapy without recurrence vs. after tumor recurrence, t = -0.652, P = 0.632). High plasma TIMP-1 level correlated with better survival in Grade IV glioma patients (hazard ratio: 0.550, 95% CI: 0.101-1.000, P = 0.036). In Grade IV gliomas, patients with higher plasma TIMP-1 had significantly longer survival time than those with lower plasma TIMP-1 level (25.23 vs. 18.95 months, log-rank P = 0.045). Plasma MMP-9 did not show significant association with either the pathological grade or the prognosis of glioma patients.

CONCLUSIONSPlasma TIMP-1 is associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of glioma patients. It appears to have better usefulness for guiding clinical decision making than plasma MMP-9. Further studies in an expanded patient population are needed to better define its clinical usefulness.

Adult ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Glioma ; blood ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; blood

Objective To compare the histologic grade between biopsy and postoperative specimen in bladder urothelial carcinoma,and approach the state and the reasons of underestimate the histologic grade preoperative.Methods We retrospectively 82 cases of urothelial carcinoma at the Third Affiliated Hospi- tal of the Sun Yat-Sen University.For all the cases in this study,the histologic grade,using the 1998 World Health Organization and International Society of Urological Pathologists(WHO/ISUP)classification,was i- dentical when the biopsy specimen and postoperative specimen were compared.Results In this study,35 cases,28 cases and 19 cases were G_1、G_2、G_3 by biopsy preoperative,respectively;while 22 cases,32 cases、28 cases were G_1、G_2、G_3 postoperative,respectively.There were 24 cases(29.3%)underestimate the histo- logic grade by biopsy preoperative in the 82 cases,while 4 cases(4.9%)overestimate preoperative.The state of underestimate the histologic grade is correlated with the location of biopsy,tissue dose and the conser- vation of pathology judgment.Conclusions There were 24 cases(29.3%)underestimate the histologic grade by biopsy preoperative.We should pay more attention to this state of underestimate the histologic grade preoperative in the treatment of bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Lianhua Qingwen preparation （LHQW） is a Chinese traditional patent medicine approved by China Food and Drug Administration （CFDA）， and divided into two dosage forms， namely capsules and granules. Based on TCM theory， its therapeutic functions are contagion-clearing， detoxification， antipyretic， and lung-ventilating regulation， with influenza as its indication. In this paper， its pharmacological activities were reviewed. LHQW had a significant anti-virus effect characterized by a broad-spectrum pattern. It was reported that it not only possessed definitely suppressive effect on a series of influenza viruses， respiratory syncytial virus， coxsackie， enterovirus， herpes simplex virus，but also displayed a significant inhibitory effect on both the new corona pneumonia virus （SARS-CoV-2） and SARS coronavirus （SARS-CoV）. Studies showed that LHQW has obvious anti-inflammatory effects on a variety of inflammation models. It can significantly increase the delayed hypersensitivity of immunocompromised mice （caused by hydrocortisone） against 2， 4-dinitrofluorobenzene， and improve their cellular immune function. It can improve the phagocytosis function of peritoneal macrophages， the serum hemolysin antibody level and the humoral immune function of mice with a low immune function， with a immunomodulatory effect. In addition， LHQW has therapeutic effects on the symptoms induced by respiratory tract infections， such as fever， cough and phlegm， so as to block the vicious circle of multiple pathological links of the disease， and bring the advantages of multi-target， multi-link and multi-approach overall treatment of TCM into play.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia in neonates.

METHODSA total of 70 neonates who were admitted to 17 hospitals in Foshan, China from January 2011 to December 2014 were enrolled as case group, and another 70 neonates who were hospitalized during the same period and had no anal atresia or other severe deformities were enrolled as control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia.

RESULTSThe univariate analysis revealed that the age of mothers, presence of oral administration of folic acid, infection during early pregnancy, and polyhydramnios, and sex of neonates showed significant differences between the case and control groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infection during early pregnancy (OR=18.776) and male neonates (OR=9.304) were risk factors for congenital anal atresia, and oral administration of folic acid during early pregnancy was the protective factor (OR=0.086).

CONCLUSIONSInfection during early pregnancy is the risk factor for congenital anal atresia, and male neonates are more likely to develop congenital anal atresia than female neonates. Supplementation of folic acid during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of congenital anal atresia.

Anus, Imperforate ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the potential risk factors of human infecting with Streptococcus suis.

METHODS1: M matched case-control study was conducted. 29 human cases of Streptococcus suis infection in the early phase were included in the case group, Patients' family members, neighbors and peoples who had worked together with patients to handle deceased or sick pigs in the last week were recruited as matched controls. There were 147 controls in total. Both cases and controls received questionnaire investigation including the ways to contact sick/dead pigs. Conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze matching data.

RESULTSAccording to the results of multivariate analysis, slaughtering (OR = 11.978, 95% CI: 3.355-42.756), carcasses cutting and processing (OR = 3.008, 95% CI: 1.022-8.849) sick/dead pigs were associated with cases related to human Streptococcus suis infection. The attributable risk proportion were 91.65% and 66.76% respectively. The other types of exposures to sick/ dead pigs, including feeding, selling, burying and eating, were not associated with the human Streptococcus suis infection in our study population.

CONCLUSIONSlaughtering, carcasses cutting and processing sick/dead pigs were important risky behavior for humans to be infected by Streptococcus suis.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; etiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo describe the clinical and epidemiological features of dead cases with human Streptococcus suis infections, and to find the target population for preventing death and the related indicators.

METHODSEpidemiological investigation on human Streptococcus suis infections was implemented used unified questionnaires. Analysis on dead cases and survival cases (as contrast) was done.

RESULTSThe population with highest fatality rate was in 40-49 age group. 97.37% of dead cases had toxic shock syndrome. The mean interval from onset to admission was 0.76 days, and the mean course was 2.11 days. The progression among dead cases was faster than that among survival cases. Chief clinical manifestations of dead cases that are more frequent than survival cases are purpura (73.68%), diarrhea (50.0%), dyspnea (21.05%), conjunctival congestion (34.21%), etc. Renal impairment and liver involvement in dead cases were more significant than that in survival cases. No significant difference between mean incubation period, exposure rates of main risk factors in dead cases and in survival cases was found.

CONCLUSIONPreventing toxic shock syndrome might reduce the fatality rate. The target population for preventing death is aged > or = 40. Liver function and renal function testing might be indicators for monitoring the progression of human Streptococcus suis infections.

Adult ; Aged ; China ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Streptococcal Infections ; blood ; microbiology ; mortality ; pathology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo discuss the clinical effects of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for acute and chronic osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF).

METHODSFrom June 2006 to October 2011,42 senior patients with OVCF were treated with PKP. There were 5 males and 37 females,ranging in age from 60 to 86 years old with an average of (73.3+/-7.5) years old. The patients were divided into two groups (acute group and chronic group) according to the course,MRI and whether or not undergoing systematically conservative. VAS and ADL scoring systems were used to evaluate the pain and daily activities. X-ray was used to evaluate the vertebral height restoration rate and the kyphosis correction rate.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 10 to 64 months with an average of 17 months. At 1 week and 6 months after operation in two groups, VAS and ADL scores decreased significantly (P<0.05) ;VAS and ADL scores at 6 months after operation were higher than at 1 week after operation (P>0.05). But the improvement rates of the pain and daily activities of acute group were better than that of chronic group (P<0.05). At 1 week after operation,the restoration rate of anterior and middle vertebral height,the kyphotic correction rate in acute group were better than that of chronic group (P<0.05). CONCLUCSION: Using PKP to treat both acute and chronic osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures can get good effects,but acute patients can obtain better effects than chronic patients,it has obviously advantages of relieving pain,correcting kyphotic angle,recovering vertebral height.

Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; surgery ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; surgery ; Spinal Fractures ; surgery ; Visual Analog Scale