AIM: To analyze the effects of two kinds of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs, conbercept and ranibizumab, on proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients as pre-treatment for pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).METHODS: From June 2016 to December 2016, 62 patients (64 eyes) aged 41-59 years old diagnosed with PDR with nonclearing vitreous hemorrhage (VH) and/or tractional retinal detachment (TRD) requiring PPV were enrolled in our study.Patients were treated with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs 0.50mg (0.05mL) 3d before PPV.Then the standard 23G minimally invasive sclera three-channel vitrectomy was performed where there were no significant complications after the injection of anti-VEGF drugs.The operation time, intraoperative bleeding, iatrogenic retinal breaks, the use of endodiathermy and silicone oil, and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed.We compared and analyzed the visual acuity and macular thickness before and 1mo after the surgery with the preoperative data.RESULTS: Both conbercept and ranibizumab could improve the postoperative visual acuity and reduce the postoperative macular thickness of PPV.There was no significant difference between the impacts of two kinds of anti-VEGF drug pre-treatment on operation time, intraoperative bleeding, iatrogenic retinal breaks, the use of endodiathermy, silicone oil filling and postoperative vitreous secondary hemorrhage.CONCLUSION: The effects of conbercept and ranibizumab pre-treatment were similar.PPV combined with anti-VEGF pre-treatment could improve postoperative visual acuity and macular edema.The choice of conbercept or ranibizumab should be made flexibly according to the actual situation of patients.

Objective To understand the changes and possible mechanism of the blood brain barrier(BBB) permeability induced by tumor necrosis factor(TNF-?) in vitro.Methods BBB model was established by coculturing allogenic brain microvessel end othelial cell(BMEC) and astrocyte(AS).The BBB model was divided randomly into normal control group,TNF-? group and Y-27632 pretreatment group.The changes of BBB permeability were evaluated by Gamma radioim muno assay counter.Results The Gamma radioimmuno assay indicated that the marker,~(125)I-BSA,across the BBB model in vitro was significantly increased after TNF-? treatment compared with control group,Y-27632 pretreatmen could prevent the permeability of BBB induced by TNF-?(P

Objective To observe the effect ofYinqiao Powder on the mouse models with upper respiratory trace mucosal immunity dysfunction infected with influenza virus A, and explore mechanism of action.Methods The mouse models of upper respiratory trace mucosal immunity dysfunction induced by cold stimulation with the influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus through the nasal cavity were established. The mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group, positive medicine (Ribavirin) group, andYinqiao Powder group. All administration groups received gavage with relevant medicine, and then mortality, the life prolonging rate, average survival time and the lung index of each group were observed.Results Compared with the model group, the mortalities in positive medicine group andYinqiao Powder group decreased significantly (P<0.05,P<0.01), with longer survival time. The lung indexes in positive medicine group andYinqiao Powder group decreased significantly (P<0.05,P<0.01), and the inhibition ratios of lung index were 35.5% and 24.6%, respectively.ConclusionYinqiao Powder can realize the protective effects on upper respiratory infection through upregulating the mucosal immunity of the upper respiratory tract of mouse models.

Objective: To explore the value of dual energy CT lung perfusion imaging (DEPI) for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) in comparison with CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA). Methods: There were 49 patients with suspected PE received DEPI scanning and 19 with CTPA conifrmed diagnosis were enrolled in this study. CTPA image was obtained by 80 kv data, and DEPI image was obtained by PBV software. The location, type of PE in CTPA image, and the location, shape of perfusion defect in DEPI were observed and compared by segment basis. The correlation and agreement of CTPA and DEPI for diagnosing PE were calculated and the un-agreement was analyzed. Results: A total of 380 segments were included for analysis. CTPA detected 162 segments of PE and DEPI detected 155 segments of perfusion defect or reduction, partial PE were mainly presented by perfusion defects as speckles, patches or without perfusion defect, and complete PE were mainly showed segmental or sub-segmental perfusion defects. CTPA and DEPI were correlated for PE diagnosis (χ2=305.5,P=0.000), the diagnostic agreement was 83.42% and KAPPA value was 0.659. Conclusion: The perfusion defect in DEPI is related to the degree and type of PE presented in CTPA, their combination is helpful for diagnosing PE.

To gain a better understanding of the genetic diversity and evolution of PRRSV in the Ningxia Hui Nationality Autonomous Region (Ningxia) of China, the nsp2 genes from a series of PRRSV strains collected from the region in 2007 were partially sequenced. These sequences were then analyzed along with the classical strain (ch-la) and two other epidemic strains SD (3) and SD2006. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence with ch-la indicated that nsp2 genes of seventeen Ningxia isolates (NX strain) have deletions of 87 nucleotides. Sequence analysis indicated that homology between the Ningxia strain and ch-la was 60.3%-79.9% in the nucleotide sequence, and homology between the NX strains and SD strains was 80.3%-98.8% in the nucleotide sequence. The nsp2 genes of the seventeen isolates had 74.9%-100% nucleotide sequence identities with each other. This study was undertaken to assess the regional variation of prevalent PRRSV and to establish a sequence database for PRRSV molecular epidemiological studies.

Objective To assess the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)in clinic ,pathology and prognosis of rectal cancer. Methods The MRI and DWI findings of 109 patients with pathological proved rectal adenocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. DWI with b=0 s/mm2 and b= 1 000 s/mm2 were acquired.Mean tumor ADCs were measured and compared between subgroups stratified by histologic differentiation grades,T-stage,N-stage,mesorectal fascia status and presence of lymphangiovascular or peri-neral invasion.Results Mean tumor ADCs were significantly different when comparing groups stratified by histologic differentiation grades,T-stage,mesorectal fascia status and presence of lymphangiovascular invasion.Tukey’s post hoc test showed that the differences of mean ADCs between good-moderate differentiated group and moderate differentiated group(P =0.996),moderate-poor differentiated group and poor differentiated group(P =0.957)were not significant.The differences among other groups of differentia-tion grades differed significantly(P <0.05).In the T-stage groups,the mean ADCs of T1 stage tumor was significantly higher than that of T3 stage tumor(P <0.05).There were no significant differences among other T-stage groups(P >0.05).There were no sig-nificant differences among N0,N1 and N2 in N-stage groups(P >0.05).Conclusion ADC values can reflect pathologic and prognos-tic features of rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVEBacterial meningitis is a kind of central nervous system infection with a high incidence, disability and fatality in children. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are associated with an improved prognosis. Low positive rate of bacterial cultures of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) makes it difficult to make a definite diagnosis. This experiment aimed to investigate a proteome profile of normal CSF of Chinese children by two-dimensional polyacrydamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE), and to sieve the disease-specific proteins of Staphylococcus epidermidis meningitis (SeM) to provide basis for early diagnosis and treatment of SeM.

METHODSFour mL CSF samples were obtained respectively from SeM and normal children. The separated proteins with immobile pH gradient (IPG) 2-DE technology and protein spots were visualized by Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining. The stained 2-DE gels were scanned on the Imagescanner and pictures were obtained through Labscan software. The images were analyzed with PDQuest software and the differences of protein spots were compared between the SeM and normal children.

RESULTSMean protein spots of the 2-DE gels were 438 and 425 in the SeM and normal groups respectively. Twenty-five protein spots only occurred in normal CSF and 12 spots only occurred in the SeM group. The expression of 6 protein spots showed up-regulation and that of 19 showed down-regulation in the SeM group compared with that in the normal group.

CONCLUSIONSA 2-DE profile of CSF proteome was successfully established in SeM and normal children through proteomic technique. By the differentiated analysis of these CSF 2-DE gels, the differences of CSF proteome profiles were found between SeM and normal children. Future analysis and identification of these spots will contribute to find out the disease specific proteins of SeM and to provide basis for early diagnosis and therapy of this disorder.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins ; analysis ; Child ; Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Pilot Projects ; Proteomics ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Staphylococcal Infections ; cerebrospinal fluid ; Staphylococcus epidermidis

The aim of this paper is to compare the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake efficiency of three kinds of poly(b-benzyl-L-amino) block-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles (PXA-PEG-NPs) using Calu-3 cells, and select one as a nasal drug delivery vector for curcumin (Cur). Poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) block-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles (PBLG-PEG-NPs), poly(gamma-benzyl-L-lysine) block-poly(ethyleneglycol) nanoparticles (PZLL-PEG-NPs) and poly(gamma-benzyl-L-aspartate) block-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles (PBLA-PEG-NPs) were prepared by emulsion-solvent evaporation method. MTT assays were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of PXA-PEG-NPs against Calu-3 cells. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was visualized by an inverted fluorescence microscope and quantified by a flow cytometer. The results indicated that even at high concentration of 2 mg x mL(-1) the three nanoparticles had no cytotoxicity on Calu-3 cells. Compared to the curcumin solution, the three curcumin-loaded PXA-PEG-NPs showed significantly higher cellular uptake efficiency on Calu-3 cells (at equal concentration of curcumin with 5 microg x mL(-1) Cur solution), PBLG-PEG-NPs group was the highest. The cellular uptake increased with incubation time, and has positive correlation with nanoparticle concentration. In brief, PXA-PEG-NPs are conducive to delivery Cur into cells, and PBLG-PEG-NPs might be provided as a good nasal drug delivery carrier.
Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Administration, Intranasal ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Aspartic Acid ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Curcumin ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Drug Carriers ; Ethylene Glycol ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lysine ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Nanoparticles ; Particle Size ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Polyglutamic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; toxicity

OBJECTIVETo analyze the frequency of thyroid dysfunction and determine its influencing factors in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with pegylated-interferon alpha (peg-IFNa)-2a and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy.

METHODSA total of 194 CHC patients were treated with peg-IFNa-2a and RBV for 48 weeks. Development of thyroid dysfunction was recorded. Clinical and biological factors from pre-treatment (baseline) to post-treatment were statistically analyzed to determine correlation with thyroid dysfunction in this patient population.

RESULTSFifty-two (26.80%) of 194 peg-IFNa-2a/RBV-treated patients developed thyroid dysfunction. Dysfunction severity ranged from hyperthyroidism (n = 1, 0.52%) and hypothyroidism (n = 10, 5.15%) to subclinical hyperthyroidism (n = 4, 2.06%) and subclinical hypothyroidism (n = 37, 19.07%). The dysfunction rate was significantly higher after peg-IFNa-2a/RBV treatment (26.80% vs. 12.37% at baseline, x2 = 12.829, P less than 0.05, odds ratio (OR) = 0.386, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.226-0.657), in females (33.00% vs. 20.21% in males, P less than 0.05, 95% CI: 1.016-3.040), and in thyroid auto-antibody positive patients (64.29% vs. 23.89% in negative patients, P less than 0.05, 95% CI: 1.681-36.183). Early virological response did not have any significant effect on dysfunction rate (23.00% vs. 30.85% no early virological response, x2 = 1.522, P more than 0.05) nor did end of treatment response (27.19% vs. 26.25% no response at end of treatment, x2 = 0.021, P more than 0.05). Patients who developed thyroid dysfunction had higher interleukin (IL)-6 at baseline (i.e. before peg-IFNa-2a/RBV treatment) (27.08+/-14.90 vs. 11.65+/-5.46 in patients who maintained normal thyroid function, t = 3.127, P less than 0.05, 95% CI: 5.28-25.58). IL-6 levels were not significantly different between the two groups at 24 weeks (6.30+/-2.47 vs. 6.81+/-2.80, t = 0.352, P more than 0.05). IL-6 levels before and after 48 weeks of treatment in normal thyroid function patients were 27.08+/-14.90 and 6.30+/-2.47, t = 3.632, P less than 0.05, and in thyroid dysfunction patients were 11.65+/-5.46 and 6.81+/-2.80, t = 1.997, P more than 0.05.

CONCLUSIONPeg-IFNa-2a/RBV combination therapy may cause thyroid dysfunction, especially hypothyroidism, in CHC patients. Female sex and thyroid auto-antibody positivity may put CHC patients at higher risk of developing thyroid dysfunction during peg-IFNa-2a/RBV therapy. Elevated IL-6 may be a predictive marker of peg-IFNa-2a/RBV-induced thyroid dysfunction.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Ribavirin ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Thyroid Diseases ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Thyroid Gland ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo summarize the major pathological findings, causes of deaths and reasons for misdiagnosis of 141 autopsy cases and thereby to improve the diagnosis level and reduce misdiagnosis.

METHODA retrospective analysis of pathological reports and clinical materials of 141 pediatric autopsy cases from June, 1986 to June, 2006 of our department was performed. Classification was based on (1) international classification of diseases of the World Health Organization; (2) age: cases 28 d-3 years old were defined as infants and young children group, -7 yeas olds were defined as preschool age group, -14 years olds were school age group; (3) when statistics was conducted, the first 3 items of the clinical diagnoses were counted. If one of them was consistent with the pathological diagnosis, it was regarded as basically in accordance with the pathology, if none of the first 3 was consistent with pathological diagnosis, the case was regarded as misdiagnosed.

RESULTS(1) The top three major pathological diagnosis and causes of death were: 1) Classified according to system: 41 cases had tumor (29.1%), 25 cases had respiratory diseases (17.7%), 18 cases had infectious diseases (12.7%); 2) Classified according to disease: 18 cases had malignant histiocytosis, 12 cases had sepsis, 11 cases had lobular pneumonia. (2) The causes of deaths changed gradually. The top cause of death was respiratory diseases during the former 10 years and was tumor during the latter 10 years; the materials showed that 95 cases were 28 d-3 years old (67.4%), and some rare diseases, such as mediastinal and lung chorionic epithelioma (choriocarcinoma), and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis were found. (3) In 90 cases the clinical diagnosis was basically in accordance with the pathological diagnosis (63.8%) and misdiagnosis was found in 51 cases (36.2%).

CONCLUSIONFor clinical diagnosis of critically ill patients, both common and rare diseases should be considered. Analysis of autopsy materials could confirm and/or correct clinical diagnosis and is helpful to summarize clinical diagnosis experience.

Adolescent ; Autopsy ; statistics & numerical data ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Pathology, Clinical ; Retrospective Studies