Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Perfusion Imaging ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; methods ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; methods

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effects of two different circumcision procedures with the Shang Ring and compare their advantages and disadvantages.

METHODSA total of 527 adult males with phimosis or redundant prepuce underwent Shang Ring circumcision by conventional outward replacement (n = 254) and inward placement (n = 273), respectively. We observed the in-ring nocturnal pain, complications, ring-removal pain, degree of edema, recovery time, and patients' satisfaction after surgery, and compared them between the two groups.

RESULTSCompared with the conventional outward placement (5.9%) of the Shang Ring, the inward placement method showed the advantages of mild in-ring nocturnal pain, a low complication rate, significantly reduced ring-removal pain, and mild edema, but exhibited longer healing time.

CONCLUSIONIn Shang Ring circumcision for phimosis and redundant prepuce in adult males, each of the outward and inward placement methods has advantages and disadvantages of its own, but the latter is more advantageous and feasible.

Adult ; Circumcision, Male ; adverse effects ; instrumentation ; Edema ; etiology ; Foreskin ; abnormalities ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patient Satisfaction ; Penile Diseases ; etiology ; Penis ; abnormalities ; surgery ; Phimosis ; surgery ; Prostheses and Implants ; Wound Healing

Fingersucking ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Malocclusion ; etiology ; therapy ; Malocclusion, Angle Class II ; therapy ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III ; therapy ; Orthodontic Brackets ; Orthodontics, Corrective ; methods ; Orthodontics, Interceptive ; methods ; Palatal Expansion Technique ; Time Factors ; Tongue Habits ; adverse effects ; Tooth Extraction ; Tooth, Impacted ; surgery

Objective To induce mouse embryonic stem(ES)cells to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells by means of a 5-step model system.Methods E14.1 mouse ES cells were cultured in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor(LIF)for 2 days(step 1),then the cells were cultured in hanging drops to form embryonic bodies(EBs)and the resulting EBs were cultured in suspension for 6 days in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor bFGF(step 2).Subsequently the EBs were cultured in the medium containing glucagon- like peptide 1(GLP-1),hepatocyte growth factor(HGF),nerve growth factor(NGF)and nicotinamide for 10 days(step 3).After that,the EBs were dissociated into single cells,and the cells were cultured in monolayer in the presence of GLP-1,betacellulin,activin A,bFGF and nicotinamide for 10 days(step 4).Finally,the cells were cultured in low-glucose medium containing nicotinamide for 4 days(step 5).Insulin and some other islet- related genes expressions were investigated using RT-PCR and insulin expression was also investigated by DTZ- staining and immunohistochemistry.The percentage of insulin-secreting cells was evaluated by flowcytometry and insulin concentrations were measured by RIA.Results mRNA expression of insulin became visible at step 3 and more evident at step 5.Additionally,at step 5,mRNAs of glucagon,somatostatin,pancreatic polypeptide(PP), pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1(PDX-1),beta-cell E box transactivator 2(Beta2)and neurogenin 3(Ngn3) were detected.DTZ-staining positive cells and insulin immunohistochemical staining positive cells were observed. The percentage of insulin-positive cells was(24.0?2.5)%(n=6).In the presence of 5.6 mmol/L and 25 mmol/L glucose,insulin concentrations were(0.05?0.01)?g/L and(0.13?0.02)?g/L respectively(n= 6).Conclusion E14.1 mouse ES cells can be induced to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells by the 5-step model system.Insulin-secreting cells can release insulin into culture medium when treated with glucose,and insulin concentrations increase with rising concentration of glucose.

OBJECTIVETo study therapeutic effects between hook plate fixation and modified Weaver-Dunn surgery for the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation.

METHODSForty patients with fresh acromioclavicular joint dislocations of type III according to Rockwood classification were reviewed. All the patients were divided into two groups: hook plate fixation group and modified surgery group. There were 20 patients in hook plate fixation group, including 13 males and 7 females, with an average age of (37.45 +/- 14.29) years old; 12 patients had injuries in the left and 8 patients had injuries in the right; preoperative Constant-Murley score was 40.75 +/- 10.40. And there were 20 patients in modified surgery group,including 11 males and 9 females, with an average age of (41.65 +/- 14.83) years old; 11 patients had injuries in the left and 9 patients had injuries in the right; preoperative Constant-Murley score was 42.75 +/- 8.18. The Lazzcano standard, Constant-Murley score and imaging changes were used to evaluate shoulder joint function before and after surgery.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up,and the duration ranged from 7 to 32 months,with an average of 24 months. According to Lazzcano evaluation, 16 patients got an excellent result,3 good and 1 poor in modified surgery group with no re-dislocation, and 1 patient had pain more than middle degree; while in hook plate fixation group, 9 patients got an excellent result, 7 good and 4 poor, 1 patient had re-dislocation, and 3 patients got pain more than middle degree. The therapeutic effects of modified surgery group were better than those of hook plate fixation group. Constant-Murley scores:preoperative 42.75 +/- 8.18 vs 93.40 +/- 4.04 at the latest follow-up in modified surgery group; preoperative 40.75 +/- 10.40 vs postoperative 88.40 +/- 4.81 and 92.05 +/- 4.49 at the latest follow-up in hook plate fixation group. The postoperative scores all improved compared to preoperative scores in two groups. And there was no statistical difference of scores at the latest follow-up between two groups.

CONCLUSIONThe surgery of allograft tendon transplantation combined with anchor fixation to strengthen coracoclavicular ligament, as well as part transposition of acromiocoracoid ligament and resection at the distal part of clavicle may got safety fixation and less postoperative complications compared with hook plate internal fixation.

Acromioclavicular Joint ; injuries ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Bone Plates ; Case-Control Studies ; Clavicle ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orthopedic Procedures ; instrumentation ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND:Experimental studies have showed that puerarin has an obvious protective effect on osteoporosis in ovariectomized and orchiectomized mice. But the influence of puerarin in the molecular level in the process of osteoblast differentiation is seldom reported.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of puerarin on the mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, osteopontin and osteocalcin in osteoblasts.
METHODS:The MC3T3-E1 cells from mice cultured in vitro were randomly divided into control group, puerarin group (10-6 mol/L puerarin) and estradiol group (10-7 mol/L estradiol) to observe the effects of puerarin on the differentiation of osteoblasts. mRNA expression of alkaline phosphatase, bone sialoprotein, osteopontin and osteocalcin in MC3T3-E1 cells was determined using RT-PCR method.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Puerarin and estradiol both could prolong the expression of alkaline phosphatase that reached the peak at 12 days. Puerarin and estradiol strengthened the mRNA expression of bone sialoprotein at 10 and 12 days, reduced expression of osteopontin at 5 and 12 days, and increased expression of osteocalcin at 10 and 12 days. These results reveal that puerarin can induce the differentiation of cultured osteoblasts by influencing osteoblast differentiation-related protein mRNA expressions, which may be one of the important molecular mechanisms of puerarin for prevention of osteoporosis.

Objective To investigate the proportion and function of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ regulatory T cells (CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr)in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion(URSA).Methods(1)Proportion measurement:the proportion of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr cells in peripheral blood was measured by double-label flow cytometric analysis.The samples were taken from 15 URSA women,15 normal non-pregnancy women and 13 normal pregnancy women.(2)Function measurement:CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr ceils and CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ T ce]ls were extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes by the microbeads separation.The purity of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr cells and CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ T cells was measured by flow cytometry.The growth inhibitory effect of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr cells on CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ T cells was assessed in vitro.Results The proportion of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr cells was decreased significantly in URSA women(6.9?1.8)% than that in normal non-pregnancy women[(10.8?1.1)%] (P0.05).Conclusion The results suggest that decrease in proportion and function of CD_4~+ CD_(25)~+ Tr cells may be associated with URSA.

Oligonucleotide microarray is developed on the basis of hybridization on the solid substrate. The pre-activated glass substrates and the terminal modification of the oligonucleotides are the two important factors in the process of fabrication for microarray. In order to compare the hybridization signal intensity of the different terminal modified oligonucleotide probes, the eight kinds of oligonucleotides were designed according to the sequence of HLA-DRB1-12, including the amino modified oligonucleotides with PEG spacer and the one without spacer, the phosphorothioate modified oligonucleotides with PEG spacer and the one without spacer. They were modified on 5' terminal and 3' terminal, respectively. In addition, the oligonucleotides probes with the internal spacer of different number of PEG were designed to observe the relationship between the spacer of PEG and the hybridization efficiency. These probes were respectively fixed on the bromoacetylation activated and glutaraldehyde activated slides to manufacture the two kinds of microarray which hybridized with the fluorescence labeled PCR product of HLA-DRB1-12 gene. The results from the study demonstrated that the signal intensity of 3' amino-modified probes with the internal spacer of different number of PEG on the bromoacetylation activated slides was stronger than the others. It is concluded that the 3' amino-modified oligonucleotide with an internal PEG spacer and the bromoacetylation activated slide enhanced the hybridization efficiency and were worthy to be proposed for the fabrication of HLA microarray or other kinds of microarrays for detecting fluorescence labeled PCR product in the future study.
HLA-DR Antigens ; genetics ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods

OBJECTIVETo characterize the clinical, laboratory, imaging and pathological features of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and investigate the impact of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy on patient prognosis.

METHODSThe medical records of 22 patients diagnosed with PSC between 2002 and 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. The PSC diagnosis had been made in patients with suspect biochemical abnormalities following evaluation by magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and/or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC). Fibrosis and inflammation were assessed by immunohistochemical analyses of tissue biopsies. Outcome of patients treated with UDCA (13-15 mg/kg/day, oral) were compared to that of patients without UDCA treatment by the X2 or corrected X2 tests.

RESULTSAmong the 22 PSC patients, the majority was male (n=15) and presented with fatigue, dark urine, and body weight loss (n=15). Four cases had ulcerative colitis. At admission, all 22 cases showed elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase[ALP: (348+/-184) U/L], 19 cases showed elevated alanine aminotransferase [ALT: (94.0+/-67.0) U/L] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST: (98.0+/-67.0) U/L], and 15 cases showed elevated levels of total bilirubin (99.0+/-115.0) mumol/L and direct bilirubin (74.4+/-92.4 mumol/L. ERCP examination showed segmental intrahepatic bile duct stenosis with expansion, and stiff and enlarged gallbladder bile ducts, but unclear findings for the common bile ducts and pancreatic ducts. MRCP showed beading of the intrahepatic bile duct, stiffness of the bile duct wall, and dilation of the common bile duct. Fibrosis and inflammation were observed in the bile ducts, along with hyperplasia and the typical features of "onion skin" fibrosis and fibrous obliterative cholangitis. Five of the 10 patients treated with UDCA improved, and seven of the 12 patients in the non-UDCA treatment group improved. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome between the groups (paired X2=0.333, corrected X2=0.083, P more than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPSC patients were predominantly male and the common clinical manifestations were fatigue, dark urine, and body weight loss. At admission, serum biochemical indicators of cholangitis were increased significantly and subsequent imaging studies confirmed the suspected diagnosis by showing obvious characteristic changes. UDCA treatment did not significantly improve patient prognosis.

Adult ; Cholangiography ; methods ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo determine the protein expression of Calpain I, mRNA and protein expressions and activity of calcineurin, and the alternative splicing of Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) δ in the hypertrophic heart, and to investigate the effect of angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker valsartan (Val) on cardiac hypertrophy and the level of Calpain I, calcineurin and CaMKIIδ in renovascular hypertensive rats model.

METHODSRats were randomly divided into sham-operated control (n=8), hypertension (n=8) and hypertension plus Val (n=8, 30 mg×kg(-1)×(-1)). The renovascular hypertension was induced by two kidney-one clip methods in rats. The ratio of left ventricular weight to body weight was measured, the mRNA expression of calcineurin and alternative splicing of CaMKIIδ were determined by RT-PCR, the protein expression of Calpain I and calcineurin were measured by Western blot and the activity of calcineurin activity was assayed by a specialized kit.

RESULTSEight weeks after procedure, hypertension rats developed significantly cardiac hypertrophy, and the protein expression of Calpain I, mRNA and protein expression and the activity of calcineurin were significantly increased compared sham-operated control rats (all P<0.01), the mRNA expression of CaMKIIδA and B increased, CaMKIIδC mRNA decreased (P<0.01). Treatment with valsartan effectively attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and reversed hypertension induced changes on myocardial Calpain I, calcineurin and CaMKIIδ.

CONCLUSIONValsartan attenuates cardiac hypertrophy in renovascular hypertensive rats, possibly through inhibiting Calpain I, calcineurin and CaMKIIδ signaling pathways.

Animals ; Calcineurin ; metabolism ; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 ; metabolism ; Calpain ; metabolism ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Tetrazoles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Valine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Valsartan