Objective To observe the effect of systemic chemotherapy on conditions of tumor infiltrating,metastasis and disease-specific survival (DSS) for advanced retinoblastoma (RB).Methods Forty-one patients with advanced RB who received enucleation were enrolled in this study.There were 26 males and 15 females,age at diagnosis was ranged from 2 to 72 months,with a mean of 23.08 months.There were 16 bilateral patients and 25 unilateral patients;13 group D eyes and 28 group E eyes.16 patients received enucleation as the primary treatment (operation group),25 eyes received chemotherapy before enucleation (chemotherapy group).There was no significant statistical difference between two groups for the gender,unilateral and bilateral,international staging or diagnostic age (P＞0.05).The histopathology report was performed to assess the risk of postoperative tumor-node-metastasis staging (pTNM) in each patient,and the extent of tumor invasion in the optic nerve,choroid and anterior chamber was divided into 3 levels of low risk,medium risk and high risk.Five deaths were all in the group E with chemotherapy before enucleation.Using R software survival analysis software package survfit function,the application of Kaplan-Meier estimation method,DSS of RB children was calculated from the time of diagnosis,up to the date of the death of patient.DSS differences between chemotherapy,operation group and eye removal time (more than 3 months,less than 3 months) in group E RB children were analyzed.Results The proportion of high risk pTNM stage in chemotherapy group was significantly lower than the operation group.But there was no significant difference between the two groups in the overall risk classification (x2 =3.130,P=0.077).For group D eyes,the overall risk classification in chemotherapy group was significantly lower than the operation group (x2 =5.870,P=0.015).There was no significant difference between the two groups in the overall risk of group E eyes (x2 =0.020,P=0.889).The DSS in chemotherapy group and operation group were 0.71 and 1.00,respectively;the difference was significant (x2 =3.700,P=0.05).The DSS in children whose enucleation delayed for more than 3 months and children whose enucleation performed within 3 months were 0.64 and 1.00,respectively;the difference was significant (x2 =4.800,P=0.028).Conclusion Systemic chemotherapy did not reduce the risk of tumor invasion and metastasis in patients with advanced RB.Instead,it will reduce the DSS in group E eyes of RB.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect and mechanism of kidney-warming and astringent therapy in treating nephrotic syndrome patients with deficiency of spleen and kidney yang and overflow of water, and to observe the change of plasma endothelin and interleukin-2 receptor after treatment. METHODS: Forty-four patients were randomly divided into conventional steroid treated group (control group, 20 cases) and conventional steroid plus kidney-warming and astringent therapy treated group (treatment group, 24 cases). The levels of plasma endothelin (ET) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2) were observed. RESULTS: Before treatment, plasma ET and sIL-2 in the patients were significantly higher than those in healthy people (P<0.01). After treatment, the ET and sIL-2 levels were obviously improved in both treated groups (P<0.05) and the improvement in the treatment group was more obvious. The difference between the two treated groups after treatment was significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Conventional treatment plus kidney-warming and astringent therapy can effectively improve the levels of plasma ET and sIL-2 in treating nephrotic syndrome patients with deficiency of spleen and kidney yang and overflow of water, and hence alleviate the damage of renal tissue.

Calcium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Drug Antagonism ; Humans ; Kidney ; cytology ; drug effects ; Lead ; toxicity

Objective To investigate the clinical manifesfations and diagnostic and therapeutic features of cholangiocarcinoma associated with hepatolithiasis.Methods The clinical data, the diagnotic and therapeutic featares of 54 cases of cholangiocacinoma associated with hepatolithiasis were retrospectively analyzed.Results The occurrence rate of hepatolithiasis concomitant with hepatocholangiocarcinoma was 11.8%.Due to a lack of specific clinical manifestations, the preoperative diagnosis of this condition was difficult. In this series, the (correct) diagnotic rate of hepatocholangiocarcinoma before operation was only 11.1%. The radical resection rate was 51.8%. Radical resection of the tumor had a better prognosis than that of non-resection of tumor.(Conclusions) Patients with long-term recurrent hepatolithiasis tended to have associated cholangiocarcinoma. Early diagnosis of the disease was difficult, and the treatment results and prognosis were poor. Therefore, (patients) with hepatolithiasis, espesially those with recurrent attacks, should undergo operation early. In cases diagnosed as hepatic cholangioearcinoma at operation, a radical resection should be performed, if possible, and a favorable outcome may be attained.

Objective To study the trends over time in meningococcal meningitis with Neisseria meningitidis .Methods Routine reported data on Meningococcal meningitis with Neisseria meningitidis in Shijiazhuang from 1949 to 2014 were used to study the trends of disease severity,disease distribution and serogroup switching of Neisseria meningitidis strains over time.The qualitative description and the quantitative evaluation was performed by the annual percent change (APC)in incidence to demonstrate the secular trends.The t test and χ2 test were performed when appropriate.Results From 1949 to 2014, 53 779 meningococcal meningitis cases were reported in Shijiazhuang.Of the 53 779 cases,36 170 were male and 17 609 were female,which was significantly different (χ2 =581 .04,P =0.000).It occurred all the year round,with an increased incidence between February and April,accounting for 81 .44%.The epidemic peak occurred about every 10 years.The range of annual incidence rate was from 0.01/lakh to 387.21/lakh.APC was -4.65 (t=-11 .72,P =0.000).The significant decline of APC were found in the age group of 0—1 year (t=-10.56,P =0.000),1 —5 year (t =-14.32,P =0.000),5 —10 year (t=-11 .01 ,P =0.003 ),10—15 year (t = -8.34,P =0.033 )and 40—50 year (t = -7.42,P =0.045).The risk population was those under 5 years old during 1949 to 2002 period and the serogroup was dominated by A strains.Whereas during 2003 to 2014,that was those of 5 —15 years old,and the dominant serogroup was C strains. Conclusions There is a remarkable decline in incidence of meningococcal meningitis in Shijiazhuang.The serogroup changes from A strains to C strains and the risk population of cases shifts to older children.

Background and purpose: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) is the member of tyrosine kinase receptor family. Its differential expression plays the key role in choosing targeted drug for breast cancer. This study focused on screening the breast cancer cell clones of different HER-2 expression levels, and studying the bi-ological characteristics of these cells. Methods: Breast cancer SK-BR-3 cells were clonally purified, and the expression level of soluble HER-2 (sHER-2) from the culture supernatant was detected by the ECLIA on ADVIA Centaur CP System. Cell clones with high expression (>50.0 ng/mL), medium expression (15.8-50.0 ng/mL) and low expression (<15.8 ng/mL) of sHER-2 were identified, respectively. This study observed the morphological changes of cell strains with differential expression levels of sHER-2 by cell culture. Besides, biological characteristics were compared by a series of experiments in vitro, such as clone formation, scratch assay, and transwell detection. Results: Compared with normal breast cells, sHER-2 was overexpressed significantly in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the abilities of clone formation, mobility and invasion of sHER-2 high expression cell strain [(51.3±3.4)%, (50.0±0.6)% and (53.5±4.2)%] were signifi-cantly higher than those of sHER-2 medium expression [(42.0±3.7)%, (19.5±3.4)% and (33.2±3.9)%] or sHER-2 low expression [(26.7±2.9)%, (13.6±1.0)% and (28.9±5.4)%], and the differences were all statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Breast cancer cell strain with high expression level of sHER-2 can enhance cell proliferation, promote cell motility and other biological effects, which may lay the foundation for clinical screening of targeted drug therapies for breast cancer.

Objective To observe the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on serum interleukin 8 (IL-8),interleukin 12 ( IL-12) and interleukin 33 ( IL-33) levels and MMP-10 and NF-κB protein expression in joint synovial tissues in rats with collagen-induced arthritis ( CIA) ,and further to investigate the mechanism for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Rats were randomly divided into normal control group( n=10) ,model control group,dexamethasone group,low-dose of TMP and high-dose of TMP groups ( n=9 each) . The CIA model was established in all the groups except for the normal control group. Rats of dexamethasone group were give 2 mg.kg-1 of dexamethasone;Rats of low-dose and high-dose of TMP group were given 50,100 mg.kg-1 of TMP, respectively.The toe volume and arthritis index (AI) were used to evaluate joint inflammation. The levels of IL-8,IL-12 and IL-33 in the serum of rats were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of MMP-10 and NF-κB in joint synovial were detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with CIA group,the toe volume and AI were significantly reduced in high-dose of TMP groups and dexamethasone groups,and levels of IL-8,IL-12 and IL-33 and the expression levels of MMP-10 and NF-κB were decreased significantly (P<0.01). TMP (50 mg.kg-1) could obviously decrease the toe volume and the levels of IL-8 and IL-33. There was no statistical difference in other indices (P>0.05). Conclusion TMP at 100 mg.kg-1 showed obvious inhibition on CIA rats. The mechanism may be correlated to balancing the effect of proinflammatory factor and anti-inflammatory cytokines,improving immune function in rats,reducing joint synovial inflammation,and alleviating the destruction of the articular cartilage.

italic>γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a crucial inhibitory neurotransmitter found in various cells in the human body. While the GABAergic system is typically associated with the nervous system, recent research has revealed that immune cells and tumor cells also express components of this system. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), GABA is secreted to act extracellularly on other cells. GABA is metabolized via the GABA shunt and is involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle by generating succinate, which can provide energy for tumor cells. Activation of GABA receptors (GABARs) is a major pathway through which GABA participates in the regulation of antitumor immune responses. The activation of GABA type A receptors (GABA_ARs) can inhibit the activation and proliferation of T cells, elicit anti-inflammatory macrophages, and promote tumor cell growth and migration, while activation of GABA type B receptors (GABA_BRs) is generally considered to inhibit cancer cell migration and induce cancer cell apoptosis. In general, receptor activation inhibits immune cells, but the effect on tumor cells varies. Additionally, the downregulation of the expression levels of GABA transporters (GATs) is involved in tumor progression. Although antagonists of GABA metabolism and drugs that act on GABA receptors are considered therapeutic drugs for tumors, there have been few clinical studies conducted on them.

Background Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)plays an important role in glucose metabolism,and it may be affect the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy(DR).ObjectiveThe present study was to investigate the effect of valsartan and fluvastatin on the expression of GSK-3β in retina of diabetes rat model.MethodsDiabetes mellitus models were induced by intrapenetoneal injection of streptozotocin(STZ) in 47 clean Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats and were then randomedly divided into 4 groups.Ten other normal rats were served as normal control group.Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose solution,valsartan,fluvastatin,valsartan+fluvastatin and sodium carboxy methyl cellulose solution was given by oral once per day for 12 weeks respectively in diabetes control group ( n =12),valsartan group ( n =12 ),fluvastatin group ( n =11 ),valsartau + fluvastatin group ( n =12 ) and normal control group.Twelve weeks after administration of drugs,blood glucose was measured and compared among various groups,and the expression of p-GSK-3β ( Ser-9 ) protein in retina was quantified and located by Western blot and immunohistochemistry,respectively.Results Twelve weeks after use of drugs,the level of blood glucose was(5.28±0.30),(26.08±3.33 ),(26.03 ±2.66 ),(25.90± 2.86 ),(25.99 ± 2.14 ) mmol/L in the normal control group,diabetes control group,valsartan,fluvastatin,valsartan + fluvastatin group,respectively,showing a significant difference among the 5 groups ( F =110.74,P＜0.01 ).Western blot showed that the grey value of p-GSK-3β ( Ser-9 ) /β-actin in retina in the diabetic control group was significant higher than the normal group(2.774±0.139 vs 1.927±0.111,q =15.79,P＜0.01 ),and that in valsartan,fluvastatin,valsartan+fluvastatin group was lower than the diabetic control group ( 1.895 ±0.090,2.051 ± 0.113,1.537 ± 0.071 vs 2.774 ± 0.139 ) ( q =1 3.69,13.48,23.06,P ＜ 0.01 ).The grey value of p-GSK-3β (Ser-9)/β-actin in the valsartan+fluvastatin group was declined in comparison with the valsartan group and fluvastatin group ( q =6.67,9.58,P＜0.01 ).Immunohistochemistry showed that the p-GSK-3β(Ser-9) protein was expressed all over the retinal layers and obviously in retinal ganglion cell layer(GCL) in normal control group.But the p-GSK-3β(Ser-9) protein was expressed significantly in diabetic control group.The expression of p-GSK-3β (Ser-9)protein was attenuated both in valsartan and fluvastatin groups and further attenuated in valsartan + fluvastatin group. Conclusions p-GSK-3β (Ser-9) protein is overexpressed in GCL of retina of diabetes rat.Both valsartan and fluvastatin can inhibit the expression of p-GSK-3β (Ser-9) and even getting stronger when they combined.

0.05).ConclusionThe neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy can improve the sphincter-saving rate,probably can improve the resection rate and reduce the recurrence rate for the middle-lower rectal carcinoma.