AFP from fetal serum and serum of patients with primary hepatic cancer were purified by affinity chromatography. Then, the lentil lectin-reactive and nonreactive variants of these purified glycoproteins were prepared by affinity chromatography with immobilized lectin. Glycopeptides and oligosaccharides were prepared from variants by protease treatment and hydrazinolysis, respectively, and subjected to carbohydrate and amino acid analysis. A small difference in the carbohydrate compositions of each variant was observed. Analysis of chemical compositions of AFP variants is useful for the differential diagnosis between benign liver diseases and primary hepatic cancer.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Atrophy, Spinal ; therapy

Adolescent ; Child ; Humans ; Reference Values ; Vitamin D ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; Vitamin D Deficiency

Objective To explore the ralationship between maternal serum level of soluble endoglin (sEng) in advanced gestations and hypertensive disorders comlicating pregnaney(HDCP). Methods The serum levels of sEng were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Blood samples were obtained from 62 pregnant women with HDCP at 35-39 weeks' gestation (20 gestational hypertension, 20 mild preeclampsia, 19 severe preeclampsia and 3 eclampsia), and 20 normal pregnant women at 37-39 weeks' gestation (control). Results The serum sEng levels in normal, gestational hypertension, mild preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia and eclampsia group were (6.24±0. 26) ng/ml; (6. 56±0. 29) ng/ml; (7.47±0. 31) ng/ml; (8. 71± 0. 37) ng/ml and (9.69±0. 28) ng/ml, respectively. The serum sEng levels in the preeclampsia and eclampsia group were significantly higher than those in the gestational hypertension and normal group (P<0. 01), that of the severe preeclampsia group was significantly higher than the mild preeclampsia (P<0. 01), and that of the eclampsia group was significantly higher than the preeclampsia group (P<0. 01). However, no difference was found between the gestational hypertension and normal group (P>0. 05). Conclusions The increased serum level of sEng may participate in the genesis of HDCP.

Activities of N-acetyl-?-glucosaminidase (NAG) in sera of normal subjects and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and other diseases were microquantitatively determined by spectrophotometry. The results showed that after the reaction for 4 h, activity of serum NAG in patients with HCC (397.10 ? 174.97 nmol/ml) was obviously higher than that in normal subjects (280.00 ? 63.83 nmol/ml). The elevation of serum NAG in HCC patients had no relationship with their serum a-fetoprotein. However, the increase of serum NAG activity in some patients with benign liver diseases was always accompanied by the abnormality in their liver functions. It is suggested that serum NAG has some referable values in the diagnosis of HCC.

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of Ashi points in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Method: A hundred and fifty cases were randomized into a treatment group and a control group by the order of visit. The cases in the treatment group were treated with Stuck Needle method in Ashi points plus tuina manipulations. The cases in the control group were treated with external local application of Votalin. The cases in both groups were treated once a day and 10 times made up one course. Results: Among 90 cases in the treatment group, 18 got clinical recovery, 34 got marked effect, 34 got certain effect, the marked effective rate was 57.8% and the total effective rate was 94.4%; while among 60 cases in the control group, 1 got clinical recovery, 18 got marked effect, 15 got certain effect, the marked effective rate was 31.7% and the total effective rate was 73.3%. Statistical management showed P<0.01, indicating a significantly better effect in the treatment group. In addition, Stuck Needle method in Ashi points plus tuina manipulations can effectively improve local pain, tenderness, muscle spasm and motion range of joints, and can obtain significantly better effect for muscle spasm and motion range of joints. Conclusion: This therapy is safe, reliable and effective, and therefore worth spreading for clinical application.

Objective To study the prevention and treatment of intra- or post- operative complications of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatic malignancy. Methods A series of 353 patients with primary hepatic carcinoma or secondary hepatic malignancy verified by pathological examinations and clinical manifestations underwent 452 times of RFA between October 1999 and March 2003, including 344 cases of percutaneous RFA and 9 cases of RFA during open surgery. There were 198 cases of primary hepatic carcinoma previously unoperated, 81 cases of recurrent hepatic carcinoma after surgery, and 74 cases of secondary hepatic malignancy. All the patients were followed up to make out short- or long-term surgical complications. Results Complications happened in 12 cases: skin burn by the electrode (2 cases), pneumothorax (1 case), right hydrothorax (1 case), vena cava thrombus (1 case), right bile duct injury and stricture (1 case), gastric external fistula (1 case), bile leakage in the left lateral lobe of the liver (1 case), hepatic abscess (1 case), external fistula of the ascending colon resulted from hepatic abscess (1 case), internal fistula of the duodenum, liver and right thorax resulted from hepatic abscess (1 case), and intra-abdominal hemorrhage (1 case). The incidence of complication was 2 65% (12/452) and the complication-related mortality was 8 33% (1/12). Conclusions RFA is a kind of minimally invasive procedure. But RFA especially percutaneous RFA may involve some risks for patients with the tumor located at the porta hepatic or the surface of the liver, or adhered to hollow organs, especially those who had a history of abdominal operation and adhesions of hollow viscera to the liver. Some complications can be prevented and effectively treated in the event of proper selection of patients, careful performance during the surgery, intensive postoperative care, effective hemostasia and efficient infection prevention.

Purpose: To explore the clinical value of 99mTc-MIBI imaging in differentiating malignancies from benign breast masses. Methods: 195 patients underwent the examination for 99m Tc-MIBI. Comparative diagnosis was done by postoperative pathology in all cases. Results: 69 of the 84 cases of breast cancer were preoperatively diagnosed by 99mTc-MIBI, the causes of false-negative results were small size of the mass and the higher degree of malignancy. 102 of the 111 patients with benign lesions were scintimammographically negative, the cause of false-positive results was large fibroadenomas with surplus blood supply. The sensitivity was 82. 1%, specificity was 92.0%, and the diagnostic accuracy was 89.2%. Conclusions: 99mTc-MIBI examination is an effective, simple and noninvasive diagnostic method for primary breast cancer.

Objective To confirm the safety and nutritional efficacy of high branched-chain amino acids through a pragmatic study allowing its use as an alternative to 15AA in patients with liver dysfunction. Methods The study was performed as a randomized, prospective trial. Eighty two patients with liver dysfunction undergoing operation were randomly assigned to receive high branchedchain amino acids or 15AA as part of their TPN regimens for 7 days. Daily parenteral intakes of energy nitrogen and lipid were equal in the two groups. Results Efficacy analysis showed that high branched-chain amino acids were as efficient as 15AA in avoiding protein catablosim. No serious adverse event was reported in the two groups. For hematology, renal, hepatic safety criteria and for the vital signs,no significant difference was observed between the 2 groups. No significant difference was observed concerning nitrogen balance and protein catablosim. For peripheral immunoglobulin and lymphocytes, a statistically significant difference was observed between the high branched-chain amino acids and the 15AA groups. Conclusion High branched-chain amino acids is new, safe and efficient amino acids for parenteral nutrition.

Objective To investigate the roles of P53/P21 during neuronal differentiation with a differentiated model of PC12 cells. Methods A new cell line PC12(P53/m175) was created by stable transfection of a retrovirus plasmid pBabe-P53/m175, which contains a dominant-negative P53 gene mutant. After NGF treatment, observing with phase-contrast microscopy, flow cytometric analysis and western blotting of P53 and P21 were performed. Results Expression of P53 and P21 was obviously increased in NGF-induced PC12 cells. The appearance of cell cycle G1 phase arrest paralleled the increased expressions of P53 and P21. The level of P21 protein did not change after treatment with NGF in PC12(P53/m175) cells and the extent of G1 phase arrest markedly decreased. However, we did find the normal neurite outgrowth in NGF-treated PC12(P53/m175) cells. Conclusion NGF-induced an increased protein levels of P53 and its transcriptional element, P21 is essential for cell cycle G1 phase arrest, but does not necessarily correlate with the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells.