Objective To evaluate the value of CEUS in dynamicly assessing the blood perfusion of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) in rats.Methods The experimentally induced secondary HAE in totally 70 rats were studied at different time periods (gth week,28th week,and 50th week) with CEUS,and compared to pathology results.Results At the 9th week,55 HAE lesions (55/70,78.57％) presented hyperechoic and the rest of 15 HAE lesions (15/70,21.43％)presented mixed echogenicity.The single or multiple vesicular structures were found as pathological feature.At later stages (28th week and 50th week),the size of lesions increased compared to 9th week with more solid structures and the calcifications found in HAE lesions.Microscopically,the fibrous tissues surrounding the lesions gradually thickened and the microvascular accumulation were visible around the lesions.The HAE lesions at the 9th week showed the ring enhancement and central septa enhancement in CEUS.The HAE lesions at the 28th week and 50th week showed combinations of no enhancement,ring enhancement,and central septa enhancement in CEUS.The ratio of edge enhancement to maximum diameter of lesions decreased with the progression (P=0.02).Conclusion The ultrasonographic features in HAE lesions become more complicated with increasing calcifications and enlarged necrosis areas with the progression.The CEUS can reveal the dynamics of blood perfusion of HAE lesions at different stages.

Objective To investigate the value of low kilovoltage (100 kVp)in combination with sinogram affirmed iterative re-construction (SAFIRE)of flash dual source CT in pelvic scan in comparison with routine kilovoltage (120 kVp)and filtered back projection (FBP).Methods 88 patients with suspected pelvic lesions underwent CT scan,and the range of BMI was 1 9 kg/m2

Objective To investigate the effects of total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and combined intravenous and inhalation anesthesia on blood glucose and cortisol in spinal neurosurgery.Methods Forty-four spinal neurosurgery patients were divided into propofol combined with remifentanil group (PR group) and sevoflurane combined with remifentanil group (SR group ), 22 cases in each group,they were induced with propofol, sufentanil and rocuronium. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane in SR group while propofol in PR group. Depth of anesthesia adaption according to bispectral index (BIS)(45 -55). Blood glucose, cortisol, haemodynamics were observed at different time points. Results The mean arterial pressure(MAP) was higher after induction in PR group than that in SR group(P ＜ 0.05 ). Sixty minutes after induction, MAP was lower than that before induction in PR group (P ＜ 0.05 ). Heart rate ( HR )in both SR group and PR group were lower at 60 and 120 minutes after induction than those before induction (P ＜ 0.05). HR was lower at 5 minutes after induction in PR group than that in SR group (P ＜ 0.05). No significant difference was showed in blood glucose and cortisol between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05 ). Cortisol level was significantly lower at 120 minutes after induction than that before induction [(40.6 ± 18.3) μg/L vs. ( 129.7 ± 36.7 ) μg/L, P ＜ 0.05 ] and at 24 hours postoperative [ (93.6 ± 19.8 ) μg/L ] recovered to the level before induction in PR group. Cortisol level was significantly higher before induction than 120 minutes after induction [ ( 130.5 ± 32.1 ) μg/L vs. (51.6 ± 16.8 ) μg/L, P ＜ 0.05 ] and 24 hours postoperative was (75.9 ± 18.2) μg/L in SR group. Conclusions Two anesthetic regimens are compatible during spinal neurosurgery, with no apparent fluctuations of perioperative blood glucose. However, longer cortisol inhibition is probably happened when using sevoflurane.

Objective To investigate the correlation between gene polymorphisms in IL-10 promoter region and the susceptibility and clinical phenotypes of HCV infection. Methods Two groups of subjects were studied. Group 1 included 85 treatment naive patients with chronic HCV infection, and group 2 included 75 healthy blood donors. Genotyping of IL-10 promoter-592 was performed by PCR-RFLP. Results No significant difference was found in IL-10 promoter-592 genotypes between the healthy individuals and HCV-infected patients. However, IL-10 promoter-592 genetype A/A appeared more frequently in patients with ALT≥80U/L than in those with ALT

Objective:To develop the mechanistic model for the reorientation of T cell receptors during immunological synapse formation.Methods:Based on the theory of energy transfer during double-molecular reactions in the context of classical fluid mechanics,a vortex-driven model was proposed where in the coupled receptor/ligand molecules within the immunological synapse recruit the T cell receptors.Results:The model results indicated that driven by the consecutive vortexes with specific combinations of strengths and acting frequencies of vortexes,TCR transport speed can reach the values matching up to the experimental measurements(0.04-0.1 ?m/s).Conclusion:The model demonstrated that during the coupling,the membrane-tethered receptor-ligand pairs may transform their binding energies into the rotational energies of the reactants,thereby leading to the vortexes of the surrounding water continuum insider and outside the T cell,and these resulting vortexes may function as the engines for the reorientation of T cell receptors.

AIM: To predict MHC class Ⅰ binding peptides by using neural network ensembles. METHODS: As a combination of neural networks, neural network ensemble (NNE) was here used to improve the predictive performance. Based on a database of 628 nonamers and their classified binding capacities, the generalized NNEs were used to classify peptides respectively with non, low, moderate and high binding capacities to MHC class I molecule encoded by gene HLA-A*0201. The predictive power of NNE was further evaluated by running generalized NNE on a set of actual T-cell epitopes. RESULTS: The generalized NNEs achieved an average predictive hit rate of 0.8 for the above classifications. In addition, NNE was also efficient in the prediction of the potential T-cell epitopes, and about 84% of the actual T-cell epitopes were among the potentially antigenic peptides with high and moderate affinities. CONCLUSION: The NNEs can be applied in the prediction of MHC class Ⅰ binding peptides, and moreover, after proper modifications, they can be conveniently extended to cover peptides with any length and thus suitable for the prediction of peptides binding to other MHC class Ⅰ or even class Ⅱ molecules.

Objective To investigate protective effects and mechanisms of extract of PNS on retinal ganglion cells injury induced by continuous high intraocular pressure (IOP) in rats.Methods 80 healthy Sprague-Dawley ( SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups to establish rat model of high intraocular pressure with 4,8,12,16,20 weeks which there were cauterizing episcleral veins combined 5-Fu and only cauterizing episcleral veins.All the rats intraocular pressure was measured and recorded regularly.After 4,8,12,16,20 weeks,all rats were killed and the eyeballs were removed and to assay apoptosis of RGCs by TUNEL,to detect the activity of RGCs AgNOR staining and to discover the expression of caspase-9 by immunohistochemical detections.Results The IOP was almostly more than 36.55±0.27mmHg.The order of the number of TUNEL-positive cells in retinal ganglion cell layer,compared with the normal control group,there was a significant difference.Stained grains there was no significant difference between the combined treatment group and normal control group (P>0.05).The expression of caspase-9 protein in the saline group,treatment group and combined treatment group was obviously enhanced according to the normal control group.Conclusion The sustainable and stable rat model of high intraocular pressure could be established by cauterization of episcleral veins whih subconjunctival injection 5-Fu.PNS had significant protective effects in RCCs injury caused by the persistent high intraocular pressure.If controlling intraocular pressure with drugs which could lower the IOP,the protective effects of PNS on RGCs would be more prominent.PNS could inhibit the expression of Caspase-9 in the rat RGCs to protect RGCs.

Objective To investigate the expression of survivin/Human leukocyte antigen class I ( HLA-Ⅰ) proteins and its physiological significance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma ( CCRCC ) . Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze survivin/HLA-Ⅰ protein expression in 90 cases of CCRCC and 10 normal tissues to study relationships with clinical symptoms and disease prognosis . Resutl s The level of survivin protein expression was found to be significantly higher in CCRCC tissues 82.2%( 74/90) than in normal tissues( 0/10).However, the relative amount of HLA-Ⅰprotein in colorectal cancer tis-sue was also found to be significantly lower 67.8%(61/90) than in normal tissues 90%(9/10).Survivin expression was associated with tumor grade , stage,and lymph node metastasis ( P=0.000, P=0.016, and P=0.001, respectively ) .Conversely , lost HLA-Ⅰexpression did not have any associations with clinicopath-ological data (P>0.05).Survivin negative patients (25.0%, 4/16) had a higher tumor-free survival rate than patients (52.7%, 39/74)with survivin expression (P=0.037).Patients (27.6%, 8/29) with normal HLA-Ⅰlevels had a higher tumor-free survival rate than those ( 60.7%, 37/61) with reduced HLA-Ⅰlev-els (P=0.020).The univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that expression of survivin and HLA indi -vidually and in combination were independent predictors for CCRCC patient survival . Conclusions Over-expression of survivin but reduced HLA-Ⅰ expression is associated with CCRCC development and progres-sion.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the composite acoustic therapy is effective to treat tinnitus in patients with sudden deafness and to explore the mechanisms. METHOD: Ninety-six cases (96 ears) were divided into experimental group and control group, and all the patients underwent drug treatment. The patients in experimental group were given personalized composite acoustic therapy in the first 30 days, music therapy in next 31-90 days, however, the patients in control group were not given sound therapy. Additionally, pure tone audiogram, tinnitus pitch and loudness as well as questionnaires (including THI, VAS, and SAS) were conducted for each patient before treatment, at day 30 and day 90 posttreatment. RESULT: Eighty-nine patients (n = 47 for experimental group and n = 42 for control group) completed the trial. The results of day 30 posttreatment showed there were no significant differences in VAS and hearing recovery rate between these two groups, but THI and SAS showed significant differences. The results of day 90 posttreatment showed significant differences in VAS (P < 0.05), THI (P < 0.01) and SAS (P < 0.01), and no significant difference of hearing recovery rate was detected. The most significant changes of VAS appeared in the first 30 days of treatment. The hearing and tinnitus recovery in experimental group were better for the first 30 days of treatment than for the next 31-90 days, and similar results were obtaind in control group. (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Composite acoustic treatment combined with drug therapy can improve the tinnitus and anxiety symptoms of patients with sudden deafness, and the effect on hearing recovery still need to be confirmed in further studies.
Acoustics ; Anxiety ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; complications ; therapy ; Hearing Tests ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tinnitus ; complications ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Serum levels of CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) were determined in 50 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1 DM) and 30 normal control subjects by ELISA method.The results showed that serum levels of CXCL10 and CXCR3 in T1DM patients were significantly higher than those in normal subjects [(258.17 ± 39.12 vs 96.47 ± 26.91) ng/L,(851.87 ± 70.04 vs 441.82 ± 72.24) pg/ml,both P＜0.05].Serum level of CXCL10 in patients dropped sequentially with durations of diabetes ＜6 weeks,≥6 weeks or ＜3 years,and ≥ 3 years,being statistically significant between groups (P＜0.05).These results suggest that serum levels of CXC10 and CXCR3 may reflect the immune activity in T1DM.