Background:Fibroscan is the noninvasive method widely used to evaluate quantitatively the liver fibrosis and monitor the long-term efficacy of anti-fibrosis therapy. Aims:To study the use of Fibroscan for evaluating the efficacy of combined therapy with FuFang BieJia RuanGan tablet and antiviral drugs in patients with hepatitis B virus( HBV)-related cirrhosis. Methods:A total of 90 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis from March 2013 to September 2014 at Shanghai Ren Ji Hospital were recruited,and divided into treatment group and control group. Patients in treatment group received FuFang BieJia RuanGan tablet,and patients in control group received conventional liver-protective drugs,all the patients took nucleoside antiviral drugs at the same time. The treatment courses in both groups were 6 months. Liver stiffness measurement( LSM)was detected by Fibroscan before and after treatment. Biochemical parameters,width of portal vein and clinical symptoms were recorded. Results:After treatment,LSM was significantly decreased in both groups( P <0.05). Liver function,width of portal vein and Child-Pugh score were improved in both groups(P <0. 05),and no significant differences were found between the two groups(P>0. 05). LSM was closely associated with Child-Pugh score both before and after treatment(r=0. 484,P<0. 01;r=0. 523,P<0. 01). Patients with Child-Pugh A had lower LSM than those with Child-Pugh B or Child-Pugh C(P<0. 01). Conclusions:FuFang BieJia RuanGan tablet combined with oral antiviral drugs can remarkably improve the liver function of cirrhotic patients and prevent progression of cirrhosis. Dynamic detection of LSM can be used for monitoring drug efficacy and disease progression in patients with cirrhosis.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathicgranulomatous mastitis.MethodsThis study was to retrospectively review the clinical presentation,radiological investigation,histopathological features,treatment and outcome of idiopatbic granulomatoos mastitis of women presenting to Xuanwu Hospital between January 2002 and June 2010.ResultsTwenty-four patients with a mean age of 34.5 years presented with a diagnosis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis.Patients presented with a palpable breast lump,breast abscess,fistula formation in different periods of the disease; the role of radiological imagings was found to be limited in differentiating idiopathic granulomatous mastitis from other inflammatory and maliguant conditions of the breast.All patients underwent a surgical procedure as the main treatment; in the form of excision or incision and drainage of the breast lesions. Mean follow-up was 47.38 ( range 6-96 ) months with recurrence in 3(12.5％) patients.ConclusionsIdiopathic granulomatous mastitis presents clinically with a palpable breast lump.The diagnosis is often only made histopathologically after surgical excision or core biopsy.Wide excision of the lesions or incision and drainage of the lesion are the main treatment modalities.

Abstract?AlM:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of silicone oil removal with a 23G transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy system linked disposable transfusion tube and self-made suction tip.?METHODS: The suction tip was made with a 23G infusion tube be cut from the end of the 5mm. lt was used to connect the disposable transfusion tube and 23G puncture cannula. The disposable transfusion tube which was cut from the end of the MaiFei's pipe was connected with the effusion box of the vitreous cutter. lntraocular silicone oil was proactive suction and removed through two incisions on pars plana ciliaris with the vitreous cutter suction system.?RESULTS:Only 13 cases (9. 8%) need suture puncture ports in 132 cases in the operation. Operation time was 7-28min. The average operation time was 15. 1± 6. 2min. ln early postoperative, there were 107 cases ( 81. 1%) appeared lower intraocular pressure (<11mmHg) and 2 cases appeared choroid detachment in 132 cases patients. Most of the patients recovered to normal but 2 case ( 1. 5%) high myopia macular hole retinal detachment occurred recurrent retinal detachment 1wk after operation. Silicone oil was removed cleanly in the most patients, only 4 cases (3. 0%) with a little silicone oil residue.?CONCLUSlON:The surgery that silicone oil is removed through two incisions with a 23G transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy system linked disposable transfusion tube and self - made suction tip has the advantages of safe, effective, fast, economic, and it is worthy of popularization and application in clinical.

As an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mineral medicine plays an irreplaceable role. However, little has been reported on its species and valence state of heavy metals and deleterious elements, and also the relevance to pharmacological effect and toxicology. The present paper, in a new perspective, summarized the determination of the species and valence state of heavy metals and deleterious elements in recent years, discussed the progress of the pharmacological effect and toxicology, and prospected for future study which might provide reference for mineral medicine.
Animals ; Drug Contamination ; statistics & numerical data ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; toxicity ; Minerals ; analysis ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to investigate how different surface roughness of opaque porcelain influence reflectance and CIE L* value of porcelain fused to metal (PFM) restorations.

METHODS48 casted Ni-Cr alloy metal specimens (12.0 mm x 1.0 mm) were fabricated with ShoFu Vintage Halo porcelain and divided into six groups, eight pieces for each group. The specimens in the first group without polishing were used as control. Other groups were polished against 200-, 400-, 600-, 800-, and 1000-grit sandpaper after sintered, respectively. Surface roughness and color parameters of the specimens were measured with a Surface Roughometer EX2154-13 and a spectrocolorimeter, respectively. Ra (arithmetical mean deviation of the profile) was the main standard value to describe the surface roughness of many kinds of meatal or porcelain materials, and here we used it to express surface roughness of opaque porcelain. The data were statistically analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (alpha = 0.05) in SPSS 13.0.

RESULTSThe reflectance value increased from 72.386 +/- 3.953 to 78.671 +/- 3.408, and CIE L* value from 90.189 +/- 1.200 to 93.496 +/- 1.070 with the increasing of surface roughness (Ra) of opaque porcelain from (0.226 +/- 0.069) microm to (0.706 +/- 0.082) microm. The same magnitude were also observed after body porcelain and enamel porcelain were sintered on with reflectance increased from 76.301 +/- 3.097 to 81.529 +/- 4.028, and CIE L* value from 80.694 +/- 1.564 to 84.604 +/- 2.964.

CONCLUSIONThe surface roughness of opaque porcelain had effects on the reflectance and value of PFM restorations. Within the limitation of this study, the recommended Ra range of opaque porcelain was 0.23-0.50 microm.

Color ; Dental Porcelain ; Materials Testing ; Metal Ceramic Alloys ; Metals ; Surface Properties

In order to develop a rapid detection kit for novel avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H7N9, two sets of specific primers and probes were designed based on the nucleotide sequences of hemagglutinin antigen (HA) and neuraminidase antigen (NA) of novel H7N9 virus (2013) available in GenBank to establish the method of TaqMan probe-based multiplex real-time RT-PCR for rapid detection of AIV subtype H7N9. The primer and probe of HA were for all H7 subtype AIVs, while the primer and probe of NA were only for novel N9 subtype AIVs. The results showed that this method had high sensitivity and specificity. This method was applicable to the testing of positive standard sample with a minimum concentration of 10 copies/microL; it not only distinguished H7 subtype from H1, H3, H5, H6, and H9 subtypes, but also distinguished novel N9 subtype from traditional N9 subtype. A total of 2700 samples from Zhuhai, China were tested by this method, and the results were as expected. For the advantages of sensitivity and specificity, the method holds promise for wide application.
Animals ; Birds ; virology ; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Influenza in Birds ; prevention & control ; virology ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Species Specificity ; Taq Polymerase ; metabolism ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo study mtDNA, GJB2, GJB3 and determine gene mutation situs and frequency in Uighur and Han people with hereditary nonsyndromic hearing loss, and to compare the differences of gene mutation situs and frequency between Uighur and Han people.

METHODSBlood samples were obtained from 93 patients (43 Uygur and 50 Han) with hereditary non-syndromic hearing loss and 110 normal people (56 Uygur and 54 Han). Genomic DNA was extracted from isolated leukocytes, and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products of GJB3 were sequenced directly; while PCR products of mitochondrial DNA 12S rRNA A1555G point mutations were analyzed by PCR-Alw26I digestion, and positive ones were further sequenced. GJB2 genes of 83 patients (43 Uygur and 40 Han) with hereditary non-syndromic hearing loss and 98 normal people (46 Uygur and 52 Han) were directly sequenced.

RESULTSAmong GJB3 genes of 93 patients, 2 cases of 33C-T, 2 cases of of 766G-A, 7 cases of 357C-T, and 4 cases of 798C-T were detected. Mitochondrial DNA 12SrRNA A1555G mutation was detected in 8 patients (2 Uygur and 6 Han). Nine kinds of base changes of GJB2 were detected: 109G-A, 233-235delC, 79G-A, 196G-A, 341A-G, 564G-A, 380G-A, 71G-A, and 35delG. In the control group, detected GJB3 mutations included 4 cases of 357C-T, 5 cases of 798C-T, and 2 cases of 93C-T; while 9 kinds of base changes of GJB2 were detected: 341A-G, 380G-A, 457G-A, 79-GA, 109G-A, 281A-G, 21G-T, 171G-T, and 368C-A. For mtDNA 12SrRNA A1555G, the difference between study group of and control group of Han people was statistically significant (P < 0.05). For GJB2 mutation 79G-A, the difference between study group and control group was statistically significant (P < 0.05) in both Uygur and Han people; while for GJB2 mutation 341A-G, the difference in study group between Uygur and Han people was statistically significant (P < 0.05). And for GJB3 mutation 798C-T, the difference was statistically significant both between study group and control group, and between Uygur and Han people (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn Xinjiang, mutation rate was high for mtDNA 12SRNA A1555G. while GJB3 gene mutations were not the main cause of the hereditary nonsyndromic hearing loss. There were certain ethnic and geographical characteristics of GJB2and GJB3 mutations.

Adolescent ; Base Sequence ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Connexin 26 ; Connexins ; genetics ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; RNA, Ribosomal ; genetics ; Young Adult

Cystatin, which widely distributed in both tissues and body fluids of animal and plant, was a superfamily of cysteine proteinase inhibitors. It could form activity-inhibitor complexes with cysteine proteinases to inhibit the hydrolytic activity of proteinases. Cystatin played important roles not only in the inhibition of the proteolytic degradation of fish muscle, but also in biological defense systems against invaders. To explore the functions of fish cystatin and the potential values in fish disease prevention and cure, as well as seafood processing, the recombinant yeast strains which could express Chinese sturgeon cystatin were constructed. First, the cystatin cDNA of Chinese sturgeon, which had been PCR modified, was subcloned into yeast integrated vector pPICZaA. After extracted and purified, the recombinant plasmids were linearized by Sac I. The yeast Pichia pastoris GS115 strain was transformed by use of the Lithium Chloride transformation method, and the recombinant cystatin yeast strains got. After 0.5% methanol induction, SDS-PAGE analysis of the culture supernatant indicated that the yield of recombinant cystatin was about 215mg x L(-1) with the percentage about 73.6%. The recombinant cystatin was purified through Q-Sepharose anion-exchange chromatography, and the purity reached about 94.2%. The inhibitory activity of recombinant cystatin was measured by inhibiting the proteinase activity of papain. The results showed that about 1 microg recombinant cystatin could inhibit the activity of 15 microg papain. Heat stability assay results showed that there was a decrease in inhibitory activity of cystatin with the increasing of temperature. When solution of recombinant cystatin was kept at 70 degrees C for 5min, the inhibitory activity reduced fast. While the recombinant cystatin was heated to 90 degrees C for 5min, the inhibitory activity of recombinant cystatin was undetected. The inhibitory activity for recombinant Chinese sturgeon cystatin was higher than that of CPI (cysteine proteinase inhibitor) from seeds of corn, that about 1 microg purified CIP could inhibited the activity of 0.278 microg papain. But the heat stability of recombinant cystatin is lower than that of the corn CPI. The expression level and the activity of recombinant cystatin from yeast Pichia pastoris were higher than those from E. coli. Moreover, recombinant cystatin from Pichia pastoris was easier to separate and purify. This paper reported that recombinant fish cystatin was produced in a highly efficient expression system based on the methylotrophic yeast, further work will focus on the function of recombinant Chinese sturgeon cystatin to resist fish disease and explore the value of cystatin as a food additive to inhibit cysteine proteinases during surimi processing.
Animals ; Cystatins ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Fish Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Pichia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Protein Stability ; Temperature

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of activated hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and in modulating the Rho signaling pathway.

METHODSHSCs were divided into the following groups: blank control, consisting of HSCs without treatment; two treatment controls, consisting of HSCs exposed to exogenous HGF at 50 ng/ml and HSCs exposed to exogenous HGF activator (HGFA) at 70 ng/ml; three experimental groups, consisting of HSCs exposed to both exogenous HGF and HGFA, HSCs pre-incubated with the HGF inhibitor c-met at 500 ng/ml for 6 hours and then exposed to exogenous HGF and HGFA, and HSCs pre-incubated with the Rho pathway inhibitor Y-27632 at 10 ng/ml and then exposed to exogenous HGF and HGFA. Activation status of the cultured HSCs was determined by change in expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA). The optimal intervention concentration of Y-27632 was determined by MTT assay. The apoptotic status of HSCs was determined by flow cytometry. Expression of the HGF-alpha chain was detected by immunofluorescence. The expression of RhoA was evaluated by PCR (for mRNA) and by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis (for protein).

RESULTSExposure to 10 mumol/L Y-27632 led to obvious growth inhibition of HGF + HGFA-induced HSCs, compared with the other concentrations tested (P less than 0.05). HGF + HGFA induced the expression of the HGF-alpha chain in a time-dependent manner (P less than 0.01); however, the increases in expression of HGF-alpha chain induced by HGF alone and HGFA alone were not significantly different from the level in the blank controls (P more than 0.05). Exposure to HGF alone and HGFA alone led to a time-dependent increase in apoptosis (24 h, 48 h, 72 h) but exposure to HGF + HGFA led to the highest levels of apoptosis (P less than 0.05). Exposure to HGF + HGFA led to a time-dependent decrease in RhoA mRNA and protein expression (P less than 0.01).

CONCLUSIONActivation of hepatocyte growth factor promotes apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells by suppressing RhoA expression and down-regulating the Rho signaling pathway.

Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged