Objective To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection in immune tolerant phase.Methods Ninety-eight chronic HBV carriers in immune tolerant phase were enrolled in this study.The age,gender,serum HBV DNA level,hepatic inflammatory activity and fibrosis,hepatic HBsAg and HBcAg expressions were analyzed.The grade of inflammatory activity and stage of fibrosis were also compared in patients with different levels of serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT).Data analysis was done by chi-square test. Results In 98 patients,83(84.7%)were＜30 years old and 15(15.3%)were≥30.Patients whose mother was HBsAg positive were 48.0%.High levels of serum HBV DNA were found in all patients, with 78.5% were＞1×107 copy/mL.Only 5 cases(5.1%)were G0 of the inflammatory grade;whereas,64 cases(65.3%)were G1,29(29.6%)were G2.There were 56 patients(57.1%)had no significant liver fibrosis;and 23 cases(23.5%)were S1,14(14.3%)were S2,5(5.1%)were S3;none of patients had cirrhosis.The HBsAg and HBcAg in liver tissues were positive in 79(80.6%)and 80(81.6%)cases,respectively.The fibrosis stages of patients with higher ALT levels were significantly greater than patients with lower ALT levels(X2=8.112 3,P=0.043 7).Conclusions Most of patients with chronic HBV infection in immune tolerant phase present mild inflammation in liver,some of them have already developed fibrosis.Therefore,liver pathology is recommended for these patients to help understand the patients' conditions and make correct therapeutic decisions.

Objective To investigate the improve effects of environmental enrichment on maternal behavior in the adult female rats thatexperienced early-life stress,and to explore the molecular biological mechanism.Methods The newborn Wistar rats were divided into two groups randomly,the early life stress group and the control group.Pups from the former were separated from their mothers once per day for 4 hours from PND 2-21 (day of birth was considered PND =0),and suffered vicious stimulus during the daily 4 hours maternal separation from PND 8-21.On PND 22(weaning),pups from the early life stress group were divided into two groups:12 female pups were reared singly,refered to as isolated-rearing group; another 12 were placed in a big cage that was filled with all sorts of rodents toys,refered to as enriched-rearing group; control female pups were placed in groups of 4 per cage.Mating with male rats when female pups reached PND66,then being placed in cages singly when they were detected pregnant.Maternal behavior was evaluated on the second and sixth day after delivery,and the hypothalamic OTR mRNA levels were examined by RT-PCR.Results The results of maternal behavior observation showed that the total time of retrieve and the latency of licking were significantly longer in isolated-rearing rats compared with the normal and the enriched-rearing rats (P ＜ 0.01) ; total time of licking in enriched-rearing rats was longer than the normal and the isolated-rearing rats(P＜0.01) on the sixth day after delivery;and the score of the nest building was obviously lower in isolated-rearing rats,especially on the sixth day after delivery(P ＜ 0.01).Hypothalamic OTR mRNA levels in the isolated-rearing rats showed strongly decreased compared with the normal rats(P＜0.01),but which close to normal levels in enriched-rearing rats.Conclusion Early life stress can damage some components of maternal behavior,such as retrieval,licking,nest building,but it has no obvious effect on crouching behavior; it also decreases the hypothalamic OTR mRNA levels of the adult female rats; as a kind of early environmental intervention,groups-rearing could make hypothalamic OTR mRNA levels of the female rats that subjected to early life stress restore to normal,and thus reverse the disruptions of stress in maternal behavior.

Three long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6), are the most biologically active polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body. They are important in developing and maintaining the brain function, and in preventing and treating many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer. Although mammals can biosynthesize these long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, the efficiency is very low and dietary intake is needed to meet the requirement. In this study, a multiple-genes expression vector carrying mammalian A6/A5 fatty acid desaturases and multiple-genes expression vector carrying mammalian Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid desaturases and Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid elongases coding genes was used to transfect HEK293T cells, then the overexpression of the target genes was detected. GC-MS analysis shows that the biosynthesis efficiency and level of DHA, EPA and ARA were significantly increased in cells transfected with the multiple-genes expression vector. Particularly, DHA level in these cells was 2.5 times higher than in the control cells. This study indicates mammal possess a certain mechanism for suppression of high level of biosynthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the overexpression of Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid desaturases and Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid elongases broke this suppression mechanism so that the level of DHA, EPA and ARA was significantly increased. This study also provides a basis for potential applications of this gene construct in transgenic animal to produce high level of these long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Acetyltransferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Arachidonic Acid ; biosynthesis ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; biosynthesis ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; biosynthesis ; Fatty Acid Desaturases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fatty Acid Synthases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; biosynthesis ; Genetic Vectors ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Transfection

In this paper, we address the preparation of the EPC and HEPC sterically stabilized doxorubicin liposomes and report the data collected from further studies on pharmacokinetics in blood for choosing a better carrier in delivering the drugs. The pharmacokinetics of EPC and HEPC sterically stabilized liposomes (EPC-SSL, and HEPC-SSL) in Wistar rats were investigated by HPLC. The results showed that the mean residence time of HEPC-SSL in blood is 23.3 h, while that of EPC-SSL is 12.0 h. In conclusion, HEPC-SSL is a better carrier in delivering the drugs to the extravascular sites when compared with EPC-SSL.
Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacokinetics ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Hydrogenation ; Liposomes ; Phosphatidylcholines ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Rats

Background and purpose:Laparoscopic retroperitoneal adrenalectomy makes access to the adrenal glands easier and less invasive than open surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efifcacy of laparoscopic retroperitoneal adrenalectomy.Methods:A total of 130 patients who underwent retroperitoneal adrenalectomy for adrenal mass from Jan. 2007 to Dec. 2012 in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were retrospectively assessed. Their clinicopathological factors, perioperative complications and short-term prognostic data were retrieved from the medical records.Results:One hundred and twenty-seven of 130 patients underwent retroperitoneal adrenalectomy successfully, and 3 patients were converted to open surgery due to severe bleeding. Among 130 patients, 63 were male and 67 were female, with the mean age 50.0 years. The pathological results of the 130 patients indicated adrenocortical adenoma in 68, pheochromocytoma in 15, medullary lipoma in 13, adrenal cysts in 10 , ganglioneuroma in 7, metastatic cancer in 5, adrenal hyperplasia in 4, schwannoma in 3, lymphangioma in 2, adrenal hematoma in 1, adrenal cortical carcinoma in 1, adrenal angiosarcoma in 1 and the deputy spleen in 1 (one patient suffering from both pheochromocytoma and ganglioneuroma). The maximum diameters were ranging from 0.5 to 9.0 cm, and mean diameter was 3.48 cm. The average blood loss in surgery was 62.73 mL. Mean length of stay in hospital was 7 d. GradeⅠ complications occurred in 5 patients, including 2 of fever, 1 of food allergy, 1 of drug allergy and 1 of hypokalemia.Conclusion: Retroperitoneal adrenalectomy should be considered as the procedure of choice for the resection of most adrenal tumors in skilled centers with the advantages of minimal invasion, increased safety and faster recovery.

DHA (22:6n-3) is a Ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with 22 carbon atoms and 6 double bonds, which has important biological functions in human body. Human and other mammals synthesize only limited amounts of DHA, more requirements must be satisfied from food resources. However, the natural resources of DHA (Mainly deep-sea fish and other marine products) are prone to depletion. New resources development is still insufficient to satisfy the growing market demand. Previous studies have revealed that the mammals can increase the synthesis of DHA and other long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids after transgenic procedures. In this study, mammalian cells were transfected with Δ6, Δ5 desaturase, Δ6, Δ5 elongase, Δ15 desaturase (Isolated from nematode Caenorhabditis elegans) and Δ4 desaturase (Isolated from Euglena gracilis), simultaneously. Results show that the expression or overexpression of these 6 enzymes is capable of conversion of the o-6 linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) in DHA (22:6n-3). DHA content has increased from 16.74% in the control group to 25.3% in the experimental group. The strategy and related technology in our research provided important data for future production the valuable DHA (22:6n-3) by using genetically modified animals.
Animals ; Caenorhabditis elegans ; enzymology ; Cells, Cultured ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; chemistry ; Euglena gracilis ; enzymology ; Fatty Acid Desaturases ; biosynthesis ; Linoleic Acid ; chemistry ; Mammals ; Transfection

Background and Purpose:Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Europan and North American males.The incidence of prostate cancer has also been increasing during the past few decades in China.It is widely accepted that this heterogeneity,which results from the tumor progression driven largely by genomic instability(genetic and/or epigenetic alterations)of tumor cells in primary tumor,endows specific populations of tumor cells with the unique character needed for invasion,migration,and metastasis colony formation in other organs and only these subpopulations possessing thost character can survive the potentially destructive journey from the primary tumor to the sites of metastases.The purpose of the present study was to explore the genes associated with invasion and metastasis of human prostate cancer cell line PC-3M in nude mice.Methods:After PC-3M cells were inoculated into orthotopic site(prostate) in a male nude mouse for two months,tumor cells were isolated from the primary tumor and lymph node metastasis,separately.Cell invasion and adhesion ability in vitro were first compared between two cells.Then metastasis-related genes differentially expressed between them were analyzed by utilizing cDNA microarray technique.Results:The in vitro cell invasion and adhesion potential of tumor cells from lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than those from primary tumor by 2.5 fold and 1.5 fold,respectively.Metastasis-related genes differentially expressed between those two sublines were identified,all of them were up-regulated in the tumor cells from lymph node metastasis and could be categorilized: 1.genes encoding cellular matrix-degrading proteolytic enzyme including cathepsin and MMP.2.genes encoding transcription factors.3.genes related to heterotypic adhesion of tumor cells.4.genes encoding cell surface receptors.Conclusions:There are significant differences in invasion and adhesion potential between cells from primary tumor and those from lymph node metastasis.Some differentially expressed molecules might be playing pivotal roles in promoting tumor cells to migrate from primary tumors to distant metastases,which may be helpful to elucidate the possible mechanism of metastasis in prostate cancer.

In order to study the significance of CD276 and CD133 in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC),the expression of CD276 and CD133 was detected by immunohistochemistry in CRC and precancerous lesions.The results showed that the intensity of CD276 and CD133 in CRC samples was higher than that in adenoma group and non-adenoma group.CD276 and CD133 single and double positive expression were significantly correlated with CRC lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis and survival.CD276 and CD133 are significantly correlated to the development and progression of CRC and associated with poor prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the expression of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs) marker proteins in papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC) using immunohistochemistry and explore their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.Methods:The clinicopathological data of 90 PTC patients at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from December 2019 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Surgical pathological cancer tissue samples were selected for immunohistochemical staining, and control group tissues were obtained from normal thyroid tissue adjacent to the tumor lesion. Four CAFs marker proteins, including fibroblast-activated protein(FAP), α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), Vimentin, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α(PDGFR-α), were stained and scored, followed by statistical analysis.Results:The immunoreactivity score of the CAFs marker proteins were correlated with extrathyroid invasion, lymph node metastasis, and multi-focality of PTC. FAP and α-SMA demonstrated better performance in this regard. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis showed that high immunoreactivity scores of FAP and α-SMA were risk factors for poor clinical pathological features, with good predictive sensitivity and accuracy.Conclusion:Strong expression of CAFs was the risk factor for extrathyroid invasion, lymph node metastasis, and mutli-focality of PTC. FAP has the highest clinical value compared with other CAFs marker proteins.

Quench of magnetic resonance imaging system refers to the process that the superconducting condition inside the magnet is destroyed due to some reason. The large current stored in the coil is quickly converted into heat at the place where the resistance is formed, and a large amount of liquid helium in the magnet is evaporated. If it happens, it will cause huge loss to the user. We introduce the real cases of 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging system's quench fault, maintenance treatment and management improvement, which can be used for reference by various medical institutions, so as to better strengthen the operation and maintenance management of magnetic resonance imaging system, so as to avoid the occurrence of out of tolerance fault, and do a good job in the guarantee work after the out of tolerance fault.
Helium ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnets