OBJECTIVETo compare the apical microleakage of Vitapex (calcium hydroxide based paste) with that of AH-plus and zinc oxide eugenol sealer when used with laterally condensed gutta percha obturation technique.

METHODSOne hundred single rooted human anterior teeth were instrumented and randomly divided into three experimental groups (A, B, C) of 30 teeth each and two control groups (D, E) of 5 teeth each. Group A was filled with laterally condensed gutta-percha using Vitapex as sealer. Group B was filled with laterally condensed gutta-percha using AH-plus as sealer. Group C was filled with laterally condensed gutta-percha using zinc oxide eugenol as sealer. Group D was the positive control. Group E was the negative control, which were coated with nail polish to entire root surface. Teeth were then suspended in 2% methylene blue. After this, teeth were demineralized dehydrated and cleared. Linear dye penetration was determined under stereomicroscope with calibrated eye piece.

RESULTSThe mean dye penetration for group A, B, C were respectively (0.57 +/- 0.56) mm, (0.79 +/- 0.96) mm and (1.07 +/- 1.12) mm. Group D demonstrated maximum dye penetration. Group E showed no dye penetration. There was no statistically significant difference between group B and group C (P > 0.05). However, there was statistically significant difference between group A and group B, C (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThis study showed that Vitapex used as endodontic sealer material are better than AH-plus sealer and zinc oxide eugenol sealer.

Calcium Hydroxide ; Dental Leakage ; Dental Pulp Cavity ; Gutta-Percha ; Humans ; Molar ; Root Canal Filling Materials ; Root Canal Obturation ; Silicones ; Zinc Oxide-Eugenol Cement

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the reliability of different hepatitis E diagnosis reagent tests on the acute hepatitis E.

METHODSThree acute hepatitis E diagnosis tests, E2-IgM (Wantai, China), GL-IgM and GL-IgG (Genelabs, Singapore) were compared for their reliability in a sera panel composed by 273 healthy individuals and 525 hepatitis.

RESULTSThe specificity of E2-IgM on the diagnosis of acute hepatitis E was 100.0%, it was significantly higher than GL-IgM (96.7%) and GL-IgG (85.4%). The sensitivity of E2-IgM and GL-IgG were 97.9% and 93.8% respectively, both significantly higher than GL-IgM (72.9%). Among 65 acute hepatitis cases being positive on GL-IgM test but negative on E2-IgM, 58 (89.2%) cases were found to be positive with anti-hepatitis A virus IgM, it indicated that the GL-IgM test might be interfered by other IgM antibodies on serum.

CONCLUSIONE2-IgM is a good test for the diagnosis of acute hepatitis E.

Acute Disease ; Hepatitis Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis E ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo investigate COX-2 expression in patients with gastric cancer and its relationship with angiogenesis and clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer.

METHODSCOX-2 expression and CD34-stained microvessel density (MVD) were detected by immunohistochemical methods in specimens from 96 patients with gastric cancer. The correlations among COX-2 expression, MVD and clinicopathologic features were analyzed.

RESULTSThe COX-2 positive rate and MVD in gastric cancer were significantly higher than those in the normal gastric mucosa (80.2% vs. 13.3%; 32.5+/- 8.3 vs. 13.1+/- 2.4, all P< 0.01). The COX-2 positive rate and MVD in the patients with stage III and IV were significantly higher (91.4% and 34.9+/- 8.7 respectively, P< 0.01), than that in the patients with stage I and II. The COX-2 positive rate and MVD in the cases with lymph node metastasis were 87.9% and (35.0+/- 8.5) respectively, higher than those in the cases without lymph node metastasis (P< 0.05). The Spearman rank correlation test showed a significant correlation between COX-2 expression and tumor MVD (r=0.311, P< 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCOX-2 plays an important role in gastric cancer angiogenesis. COX-2 and angiogenesis induced by COX-2 contribute to tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis.

Adult ; Aged ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

As the operation volume in hospitals is increasing year by year, surgical instruments are widely used, which pose a great challenge to the daily management of surgical instruments. The authors investigated the existing problems which occurred in the management of surgical instruments, and came out with instruments coding navigation index and specialized placement scheme for the operating room as solutions. The specific measures included dividing sterile items into specialized categories, setting cabinets respectively for specialized and general subjects, building equipment coding and identification, establishing surgical instruments navigation index and carrying out training program, to serve as reference for efficient and fine management of surgical instruments.

BACKGROUNDSmD1-amino-acid 83-119 peptide (SmD183-119) is the major epitope of Smith (Sm) antigen, which is specific for adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The anti-SmD183-119 antibody has exhibited higher sensitivity and specificity than anti-Sm antibody in diagnosing adult SLE. However, the utility of anti-SmD183-119antibodies remains unclear in children with SLE (cSLE). This study aimed to assess the characteristics of anti-SmD183-119antibody in the diagnosis of cSLE.

METHODSSamples from 242 children with different rheumatological and immunological disorders, including autoimmune diseases (SLE [n = 46] and ankylosing spondylitis [AS, n = 11]), nonautoimmune diseases (Henoch-Schonlein purpura [HSP, n = 60], idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura [n = 27], hematuria [n = 59], and arthralgia [n = 39]) were collected from Shanghai Children's Medical Center from March 6, 2012 to February 27, 2014. Seventy age- and sex-matched patients were enrolled in this study as the negative controls. All the patients' sera were analyzed for the anti-SmD183-119, anti-Sm, anti-U1-nRNP, anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), anti-nucleosome, anti-SSA/Ro60, anti-SSA/Ro52, anti-SSB, anti-Scl-70, and anti-histone antibodies using the immunoblotting assay. The differences in sensitivity and specificity between anti-SmD183-119 and anti-Sm antibodies were compared by Chi-square test. The correlations between anti-SmD183-119and other auto-antibodies were analyzed using the Spearman's correlation analysis. A value of P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTSThirty-six out of 46 patients with cSLE were found to be positive for anti-SmD183-119, while 12 patients from the cSLE cohort were found to be positive for anti-Sm. Compared to cSLE, it has been shown that anti-SmD183-119 was only detected in 27.3% of patients with AS and 16.7% of patients with HSP. In comparison with anti-Sm, it has been demonstrated that anti-SmD183-119 had a higher sensitivity (78.3% vs. 26.1%, χ2 = 25.1, P< 0.05) and a lower specificity (90.8% vs. 100%, χ2 = 13.6, P< 0.05) in the diagnosis of cSLE. Further analysis revealed that anti-SmD183-119antibodies were positively correlated with anti-dsDNA, anti-nucleosome, and anti-histone antibodies in cSLE. Moreover, it has been clearly shown that anti-SmD183-119 was more sensitive than anti-Sm in discriminating autoimmune diseases from nonautoimmune disorders in patients with arthralgia or hematuria.

CONCLUSIONSMeasurement of anti-SmD183-119in patients with cSLE has a higher sensitivity and a marginally lower specificity than anti-Sm. It has been suggested that inclusion of anti-SmD183-119testing in the integrated laboratory diagnosis of cSLE may significantly improve the overall sensitivity in child populations.

Autoantibodies ; immunology ; Autoantigens ; immunology ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases ; immunology ; Immunoblotting ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; immunology ; Male ; Peptides ; chemistry ; immunology ; snRNP Core Proteins ; immunology

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

OBJECTIVEIn mid-July 2005, five patients presented with septic shock to a hospital in Ziyang city in Sichuan, China, to identify the etiology of the unknown reason disease, an epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory study were conducted.

METHODSAn enhanced surveillance program were established in Sichuan, the following activities were introduced: active case finding in Sichuan of (a) laboratory diagnosed Streptococcus suis infection and (b) clinically diagnosed probable cases with exposure history; supplemented by (c) monitoring reports on meningococcal meningitis. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection was confirmed by culture and biochemical reactions, followed by sequencing for specific genes for serotype and virulence factors.

RESULTSFrom June 10 to August 21, 2005, 68 laboratory confirmed cases of human Streptococcus suis infections were reported. All were villagers who gave a history of direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in their backyards where slaughtering was performed. Twenty six (38%) presented with toxic shock syndrome of which 15 (58%) died. Other presentations were septicaemia or meningitis. All isolates were tested positive for genes for tuf, species-specific 16S rRNA, cps2J, mrp, ef and sly. There were 136 clinically diagnosed probable cases with similar exposure history but incomplete laboratory investigations.

CONCLUSIONAn outbreak of human Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infections occurred in villagers after direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in Sichuan. Prohibition of slaughtering in backyards brought the outbreak to a halt. A virulent strain of the bacteria is speculated to be in circulation, and is responsible for the unusual presentation of toxic shock syndrome with high case fatality.

Animals ; Bacteremia ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Shock, Septic ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Streptococcus suis ; isolation & purification ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; microbiology

This study was purposed to explore the effects induced by puerariae radix flavones (PRF) on human acute myeloid leukemia SHI-1 cells, apoptosis induced by PRF in vitro and its molecular mechanism. SHI-1 cells were treated with PRF in various concentration, then the inhibitory effect of cell proliferation were detected by MTT method, the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry, the mRNA expression levels of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, Bcl-2 and MLL-AF6 were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (R-T PCR), the protein expression levels of MAPK, p-MAPK and NF-κB were assayed by Western blot, and the activity of MMP was analyzed by Gelatin zymography. The results indicated that the PRF could inhibit the proliferation of SHI-1 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner, and the cell cycle was arrested in S phase. When SHI-1 cells were treated with 25, 50 and 75 µg/ml PRF respectively, mRNA levels of Caspase-3, Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 increased in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05), Bcl-2 mRNA decreased in a concentration-dependent manner (P > 0.05), and the mRNA level of fusion gene MLL-AF6 did not changed as compared with the control group. Different concentration of PRF was used to treat SHI-1 cells, the expression levels of intracellular JNK, p-JNK, P38 MAPK and p-P38 MAPK increased in the concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.01); the expression of p-ERK1/2 and NF-κB decreased in the concentration-dependent manner, and the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the cell supernatant did not change in each groups. It is concluded that a certain concentration of PRF can induce the apoptosis of SHI-1 cells in vitro, its molecular mechanism may be related to the activation of Caspase hydrolase, activation of MAPK, downregulation of NF-κB, Bcl-2 and other signal molecules. However, it seemed that all these effects are not relate with the MLL-AF6 fusion gene.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Flavones ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein ; metabolism ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

Objective To understand Clonorchis sinensis infections in cats in Nanning City, so as to provide evidence for the control of the reservoir host of C. sinensis. Methods The cat livers were purchased from cat slaughterhouses in Nanning City. The cat gallbladder and liver were dissected, and liver flukes were collected and counted. Then, the worms were subjected to morphological observation, amplification of the ITS2 gene and sequencing. The species of the worms were identified using BLAST. Results A total of 105 cat livers were collected from two cat slaughterhouses, and 68 were detected with C. sinensis infections, with an infection rate of 64.76%. The highest burden was 980 worms in a single liver, and the mean burden was 72 worms in a liver. There were 3 types of liver flukes with various size and morphology, and all were identified as C. sinensis by means of morphological observation, ITS2 gene amplification, sequencing and sequence alignment. Conclusion There is a high infection rate of C. sinensi in marketed cats in Nanning City, and it is therefore suggested that targeted interventions should be intensified for the management of C. sinensis infections in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expression of CCR7 and Tim-3 in childhood patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and their predictive value for prognosis. METHODS: Eighty-six newly diagnosed ALL childhood patients from January 2007 to January 2017 treated in our hospital were selected. The expression level of CCR7 and Tim-3 in bone marrow isolated cells of ALL patients were detected by flow cytometry, all the patients were divided into the recurrence group and non-recurrence group according to the follow-up results, the differences in the expressions of CCR7, Tim-3 between the two groups were compared. The correlation between the expression of CCR7 , Tim-3 and the clinicopathologic features of ALL patients were analyzed, the predictive value of CCR7 and Tim-3 for the prognosis of newly ALL patients were evaluated by ROC curve, and the relationship between serum CCR7, Tim-3 and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: The expression levels of CCR7 and Tim-3 in recurrence group were significantly higher than those in non-recurrence group(P<0.05). The critical value of CCR7 for diagnosis of recurrence was 45.97%, the sensitivity was 66.7%, the specificity was the 84.5% and the area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.798 (95CI 0.777-0.939). The critical value of Tim-3 for diagnosis of recurrence was 53.54%, the sensitivity was 73.3%, the specificity was the 80.3% and the AUC was 0.806 (95CI 0.792-0.947). The AUC of the combined detection of CCR7 and Tim-3 was 0.895 (95CI 0.914-0.996), sensitivity 86.6%, specificity 78.9% (P<0.05); There was no significant correlation between CCR7, Tim-3 expression and age, sex, hemoglobin concentration, number of white blood cells, bone marrow blasts, platelets, central nervous system invasion, fusion gene (P>0.05). The exogenous infiltration rate of patients with high expression of CCR7 and Tim-3 was significantly higher than those in low expression group (P<005). The high expression rate 76.9% of Tim-3 in patients with T-ALL was significantly higher than that of B-ALL patients with Tim-3 high expression rate 45.2% (P<0.05). The median OS of patients with CCR7 level ≥45.97% and <45.97% were 9.3 months and 13.6 months respectively(P=0.004), and the Tim-3≥53.54% and Tim-3<53.54% were 9.1 months and 13.6 months respectively(P=0.001). The results of Cox's multi-factor regression analysis showed that CCR7 level(HR=1.024, 95 CI 1.001-1.049) and Tim-3 level (HR=1.879, 95 CI 1.183- 2.985) were the independent risk factors that affect the OS in ALL patients(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The expression of CCR7 and Tim-3 in bone marrow isolated cells of ALL patients shows good predictive value for prognosis, and the combination of CCR7 and Tim-3 can improve the sensitivity of the detection, the higher expression of CCR7 and Tim-3 can be used as potential indexes in prognosis evaluate.
Bone Marrow ; Child ; Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2 ; Humans ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Prognosis ; Receptors, CCR7