Objective To explore the association between circulating endothelial cells (CECs)and atherosclerosis in maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)patients. Methods A crosssectional study was performed to investigate the association between CECs and carotid atherosclerotic change in 65 MHD patients,25 non-hemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD)of stage 4 or 5(CKD-non-HD)and 24 age-and Sex-matched healthy controls. CECs in peripheral blood were determined by multiparametrie flow cytometry(FCM).CECs were labeled with CD3-PerCP and CD146-PE before FCM and identified as CD3dim,CD146bright.Atherosclerosis in both groups Was assessed by the measurement of common carotid arery intimamedia thickness (CCA-IMT)and plaque of the common carotid arteries with ultrasound scanner. Results CECs were significantly higher in pre-dialysis patients[(151.52±98.24) cell/ml]and CKD-non-HD patients[(183.00±81.38)cell/ml ] compared with control group[(106.50± 24.14)cell/ml](P<0.05 and P<0.01,respectively).But the number of CECs was not significantly different between MHD and CKD-non-HD patients.CCA-IMT was also significantly higher in MHD patients[(0.94±0.36)mm]and CKD-non-HD patients [(1.02±0.37)mml compared with control group[(0.75±0.15)mm](P<0.05 and P<0.01,respectively).The number of pre-dialysis CECs was positively correlated with CCA-IMT in MHD patients(r=0.328,P<0.01).Multivariate analysis showed that CEC level was a strong independent risk factor of CCA-IMT. Conclusion InMHD patients, CEC level is associated with carotid atherosclerosis and may be used as a marker to evaluate the endothelial damage.

Objective To evaluate the effect of captopril and isoflurane preconditioning on cell apoptosis during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rabbits.Methods Forty New Zealand white rabbits of both sexes,weighing 1.8-2.5 kg,were randomly divided into 5 groups (n =8 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),group I/R,isoflurane preconditioning group (group I),captopril preconditioning group (group C) and captopril and isoflurane preconditioning group (group C + I).The animals were anesthetized with 3％ pentobarbital sodium 30 mg/kg.Myocardial ischemia was induced by occlusion of the left anterior descending branch of coronary artery for 30 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion.1.1％ isoflurane was inhaled for 30 min followed by 15 min washout before myocardial ischemia in group I.Captopril 25 mg/kg was given through a gastric tube into the stomach at 24 h before myocardial ischemia in group C.Captopril 25 mg/kg was given through a gastric tube into the stomach,24 h later 1.1％ isoflurane was inhaled for 30 min followed by 15 min washout,and then myocardial ischemia was performed in group C + I.The rabbits were sacrificed at the end of reperfusion and myocardial specimens were removed for microscopic examination and observation of ultrastructure,and for determination of the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins (by Western blot).The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry.Bcl-2/Bax ratio was calculated.Results Compared with group S,the apoptosis rate was significantly increased,the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins was up-regulated,and Bel-2/Bax ratio was decreased in I/R,I,C and C + I groups (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with I/R,I and C groups,the apoptosis rate was significantly decreased,Bcl-2 protein expression was up-regulated,Bax protein expression was down-regulated,and Bcl-2/Bax ratio was increased (P ＜ 0.05),and the pathological changes were significantly attenuated in group C + I.Conclusion Regulation of Bcl-2/Bax ratio and inhibition of apoptosis in myocardial cells are involved in the mechanism by which isoflurane and captopril preconditioning reduces I/R injury in rabbits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the modified Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system for predictability of intrahepatic recurrence for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following curative hepatectomy.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 197 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent curative hepatectomy in our department from Jan.2008 to Jan.2011.Univariate and multivariate analyses using Cox proportional hazard model were used to evaluate possible association between clinicopathologic factors and early postoperative intrahepatic recurrence (ER).Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis with calculation of the area under the curve (AUC),sensitivity,and specificity were applied to define the cutoff point values for possible meaningful continuous variables where appropriate.A comparison between the differences in AUC was used to assess BCLC and a modified BCLC (M-BCLC) staging system for their predictive ability of ER.Risk stratification according to calculated M-BCLC was applied to find differences of ER at various time points after curative hepatectomy.ResultsDuring follow-up,111 patients developed ER.The 6-,9-,12-,18- and 24-month cumulative recurrent rates were 26.9％ (53/197),37.6％ (74/197),45.2％(89/197),53.8％ (106/197) and 56.3％ (111/197),respectively.Multivariate analysis revealed thatthe severity of concomitant cirrhosis,elevated AFP≥185.6 μg/L and BCLC staging were risk factors of ER.A M-BCLC was proposed based on the results of multivariate analysis.The severity of cirrhosis and elevated AFP values were included in the BCLC staging.This M-BCLC exhibited better performance.It predicted at different time points of ER at postoperative 9,12,18 and 24 months to be significantly better with M-BCLC than BCLC using AUC drawn from ROC.No significant difference was found with ER prediction at 6 months.The M-BCLC also demonstrated a ER prediction with AUC of 0.710 (95％ CI,0.630-0.790) and achieved a sensitivity of 83.0％,a specificity of 51.9％as calculated from ROC with M-BCLC≥2.913.Further risk stratification according to the M-BCLC at various cutoff point values revealed the ER occurrence rates amongst the different risk groups to be significantly different when compared with the median ER time (17.9 mons,9.9 mons vs 5.7 mons,x2=25.770,P=0.000,Log-Rank test).ConclusionA modified BCLC staging system based on multivariate analysis improved the predictability of ER following curative hepatectomy for HCC.

OBJECTIVE To study the isolation rate of Acinetobacter baumannii, characteristics of infection distribution and antimicrobial resistance rates. METHODS Surveillance data of A. baumannii infection of wards, its distribution and resistance rates to 20 kinds of antibiotics in our hospital for 5 years were analyzed . RESULTS During the 5-year infection surveillance, 523 strains of A. baumannii were isolated in our hospital mostly from sputum. The commonest site was lower respiratory tract. The ward with the highest incidence of A. baumannii infection was ICU. The isolation rate was 11.1% in 2004, though 3.9% in 2000. A. baumannii was resistant to 20 kinds of antibiotics, especially to imipenem, cefoperazone /sulbactam and ampicillin/sulbactam. CONCLUSIONS The isolation rate of A. baumannii and antimicrobial resistance rate are increasing year by year. The increased rate of multidrug-resistance should be payed more attention .

Objective To evaluate the consistency of the test results detected by multiple automated hematology analyzers .Meth-ods The EP9-A2 guideline of NCCLS ,Passing-Bablok regression analysis and t test were adopted to compare the detection results of hemoglobin(HGB) ,hematocrit (HCT) ,red blood cell count(RBC) ,white blood cell count (WBC) and platelet(PLT) in 115 samples from patients by 5 automated haematology analyzers of the Sysmex XE-2100 ,the Sysmex XT-1800i ,the Sysmex XS-1000i , the Mindray BC-5300 and ABX pentra80 .The Sysmex XE-2100 was used as the reference instrument .Results In the detection of all the compared items including HGB ,HCT ,RBC ,WBC and PLT ,these automated hematology analyzers exhibited very good cor-relation(r>0 .97) ,whereas the individual parameters in 3 automated hematology analyzers appeared the proportional systematic differences and /or constant systematic differences ,including HCT in the sysmex XT-1800i ,HCT and RBC in the sysmex XS-1000i and RBC in the ABX pentra 80 .Conclusion The Passing-Bablok regression analysis combined with t test may identify the system-atic differences of the comparative results of 2 automated haematology analyzers ,the consistency of the comparative results of the automated hematology analyzers can not be evaluated by the simple correlation coefficient .

The Chinese herbal medicine Tianma (Gastrodia elata) has been used for treating and preventing primary headache over thousands of years, but the exact pharmacological mechanism of the main bioactive ingredient gastrodin remains unclear. In present study, the effects of gastrodin on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (pERK1/2) expression were observed in rat trigeminal ganglion (TG) after in vitro organ culture to explore the underlying intracellular mechanism of gastrodin on primary vascular-associated headache. CGRP-immunoreactivity (CGRP-ir) positive neurons count, positive area, mean optical density and integrated optical density by means of immunohistochemistry stain were compared at different concentrations of gastrodin, which was separately co-incubated with DMEM in SD rat TG for 24 hours. Only at 5 or 10 mmol L(-1) concentration, gastrodin demonstrated significantly concentration-dependent reduction of CGRP-ir (+) expression and its action closed to 1.2 mmol L(-1) sumatriptan succinate. While at 2.5, 20, and 40 mmol L(-1) concentration, gastrodin did not show remarkable effects on CGRP-ir (+) expression. The optimal concentration of gastrodin (5 and 10 mmol L(-1)) similarly inhibited CGRP-mRNA expression level separately compared with 1.2 mmol L(-1) sumatriptan succinate and 10 micromol L(-1) flunarizine hydrochloride, which was quantitatively analyzed by real-time PCR (RT-PCR). pERK1/2 level was examined by Western blotting after co-cultured with optimal concentration of gastrodin and effective specific ERK1/2 pathway inhibitors PD98059, U0126. The result indicated that gastrodin significantly reduced pERK1/2 protein actions similarly to ERK1/2 pathway specific blockade. It suggests ERK1/2 signaling transduction pathway may be involved in gastrodin intracellular mechanism. This study indicates gastrodin (5 and 10 mmol L(-1)) can remarkably reduce CGRP-ir (+) neuron, CGRP-mRNA and pERK1/2 expression level in cultured rat TG, with its actions similar to the effective concentration of sumatriptan succinate, flunarizine hydrochloride and specific ERK1/2 pathway blocker. The intracellular signaling transduction ERK1/2 pathway may be involved in the gastrodin reducing CGRP up-regulation in rat TG after organ culture.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of anatomic and non-anatomic liver resection on prognosisofpatientswithsmallhepatocellularcarcinoma( HCC ) usingaMeta-analysis.MethodsLiterature on anatomic versus non-anatomic liver resection for the treatment of small HCC ( ≤5 cm) was retrieved. ResultsFour nonrandomized controlled trials were included consisting of 776 patients:484 undergoing anatomic liver resection and 292 non-anatomic resection.The age ranged from 53.4 to 63.0 years.Male ∶ female ratio was 3.56 ∶ 1.87.1％ patients were Child-Pugh class A.Most patients (94.5％ ) had a single tumor.No significant differences were found conceming the 1,3,and 5 year disease-free survival rate between the two groups.There was no significant difference in overall survival and disease-free survival between the two groups at 1,3,and 5 years.Sensitivity analysis found anatomic resection was superior to non-anatomic resection in 3 year disease free survival rate (OR =0.72,95％ CI:0.52 - 0.99,P =0.04). ConclusionsAnatomic liver resection elevated the 3 year disease free survival rate of patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma when compared with non-anatomic hepatectomy but failed to further elevate long-term disease free survival and overall survival.

Objective To explore the effects of sumatriptan on the modulation of calcitonin generelated peptide(CGRP) expression and its involving intracellular signaling transduction mechanisms in rat trigeminal ganglion(TG) after organ culture.Methods Using organ culture in vitro model,54 isolated TGs of SD rats were randomly divided into fresh group ( n =6 ),control group ( n =6 ) and experimental group (n =42,6 TGs for each subgroup).Experimental group included seven subgroups,which were respectively pretreated with four different concentrations of sumatriptan,specific inhibitors of extracellular signalregulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway (U0126 and PD98059 ),and the inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) (SP600125).After co-cultured with above intervention agents for 24 h,CGRP-immunoreactivity (CGRP-ir) positive neurons and CGRP-mRNA expression levels were quantified by immunohistoehemistry stain and real-time polymerase chain reaction,respectively.Phosphorylated ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) and JNK (pJNK) proteins levels were determined by Western-blotting method.Results The CGRP-ir ( + ) neurons expression levels were significantly increased after 24 h organ culture.However,0.10 and 0.50 mg/ml concentrations of sumatriptan remarkably decreased the CGRP-ir ( + ) neurons expression levels.The positive cell percentage,positive optic area,integrated optical density,mean optical density and CGRP-mRNA expression level in TG were significantly reduced than control groups (tPCP =8.652,26.382; tarea =6.220,13.917; tIA =5.606,15.904; tM14 =2.661,21.748; tmRNA =8.032,15.675.P ＜ 0.05 ).The CGRP-mRNA expressions were significantly down-regulated after co-incubation with concentration of 0.50 mg/ml sumatriptan for 24 h in TG of SD rat ( P ＜0.05 ).The levels of pERK1/2 and pJNK protein kinase detected by Western-blotting were significantly reduced by 0.50 mg/ml concentration of sumatriptan,the degrees of which were closed to the ERK1/2 and JNK pathway specific blockers.Conclusion It suggests that the optimal concentration of sumatriptan significantly down-regulates CGRP over-expression via intracellular ERK1/2 and JNK signaling transduction pathways in TG after organ culture.

Objective To examine the distribution characteristics the medial branch of the posterior branch of the spinal nerves around the lumbar facet joints, so as to explore the localization and targeting of the medial branch of the posterior branch in neurectomy.MethodsFive corpses were dissected, and the anatomical relationships between the medial branches of the posterior branch of the spinal nerves and the facet joints were examined.Measured the distances from the lateral port of the bone fiber tube,the articular process of the facet joint and the superior articular process to the spinous processes.Results The medial branch of the posterior branch of the spinal nerve was close to the root of the articular process and the transverse process,which was not easy to be explored and dissected.Meanwhile, it was easily traced after the medial branch of the posterior branch of the spinal nerve ran through the fibrous tube.Conclusion It may improve the safety and effective when the techniques of medial branch block is performed after the medial branch ran through the fibrous tube.

Objective To use Q value method to assess the effect of combination therapy with vitamin E and vitamin C for idiopathic asthenospermia. Methods 76 patients diagnosed as idiopathic asthenospermia by computer-assisted semen analysis according to the WHO criteria were selected at the andrology clinic from August 2012 to November 2013. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was measured by using thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. The patients were randomly divided into three groups. Vit C group received vitamin C 200 mg thrice daily, vit E group received vitamin E 100 mg thrice daily , and the combination group received vitamins E and C for 12 weeks. Repeat semen analysis and MDA measurement were conducted after treatment, and the Q value which evaluated whether a synergistic interaction existed was calculated. Results MDA concentration decreased in all the groups, with the lowest concentration in the combination group. While all the groups achieved improvement in term of progressive motility , with the combination group presented far more better than the other two groups , exhibiting a synergistic interaction, with a Q value of 1.18. Conclusion Combination therapy with vitamin E and vitamin C has a marked internal synergistic effect on antioxidation in the treatment of idiopathic asthenospermia.