Objective To study the prognosis of patients with asymptomatic gallstones and explore prognostic factors.Methods The clinical data of 227 patients with asymptomatic gallstones in the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from December 2013 to March 2016 were collected.All patients were followed with questionnaire,finally 192 cases were had been enrolled,of which 57 cases with clinical symptoms were symptom group and 135 cases with no clinical symptons were asymptomatic group.The prognostic factors were analyzed by un-ivariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant difference in the num-ber of stones,stone size,diabetes,high fat diet and body mass index between the two groups(P <0.05).The Logistic regression analysis showed that multiple stones,stone diameter ≥1 cm,diabetes were the major risk factors for prognosis in asymptomatic gallstones.Conclusion Multiple gallbladder stones,stone diameter ≥1 cm,diabetes,high fat diet and obesity may be the major prognostic factors for patients with a-symptomatic gallstones.

Objective To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD,CD34) in inoculated hepatic alveolar echinococcsis gerbil model and explore the clinical significance.Methods Sixty healthy gerbils were randomly divided into model group,control group and sham operation group.Each gerbil in both model and control groups had liver vaccination with 0.1 ml immature alveolar echinococcus protoscolex suspension or 0.1 ml phosphate buffered saline by open abdominal surgery,respectively,and the sham operation group only had abdominal surgical procedures.Gerbils were put to death on the 120th day post operation,extracted the eyeball and drawn the blood.The alveolar hydatid tissue,surrounding and distal liver tissue were removed from the model group,and normal liver tissue was collected from the other two groups.The VEGF and MVD-CD34 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry staining,Western Blot,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa).Results Liver alveolar echinococcsis tissue was only observed in model group.The VEGF expression was observed as yellow or brown yellow granules located in the cytoplasma.The VEGF score and VEGF/β-actin ratio in the different parts were 5.13 ± 1.81 and 1.12 ± 0.05,4.20 ± 1.52 and 0.91 ± 0.02,2.46 ± 1.06 and 0.28 ±0.02,2.20 ±0.77 and 0.30 ±0.02,2.13 ± 1.72 and 0.25 ±0.01,respectively.The VEGF expression in different histological sites showed a gradient change,and bubble hydatid tissues had the highest VEGF expression (P ＜ 0.05).CD34 was expressed in alveolar hydatid tissue and surrounding liver tissue in model group and the CD34 positive cells was stained brown,while CD34 was mainly located in the cell membrane of endothelial cells.The CD34 scores and the CD34/β-actin ratio in the different parts were 5.06 ± 2.46 and 0.66 ±0.01,2.43 ± 1.26 and 0.58 ±0.02,and the other tissues did not have CD34 expression.The alveolar hydatid tissue had higher CD34 expression than any other tissues (P ＜ 0.05).The respective serum VEGF and CD34 level in each group was (106.17 ± 14.17)pg/ml,(38.13 ± 21.36)pg/ml,(42.88 ±17.25) pg/ml,and (1.47 ± 0.28) ng/ml;(0.82 ± 0.12) ng/ml,(0.72 ± 0.16) ng/ml,both are higher in model group than those in the other groups with statistical significance (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Angiogenesis is detected in gerbil alveolar hydatid tissues,which might be involved in the infiltrating growth of alveococcus.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect of arthroscopic excision of the os subfibulare in anterior-lateral ankle pain.

METHODSFrom December 2005 to Augest 2014, 16 patients suffering from pain associated with an os subfibulare in the anterior-lateral side of their ankles were reviewed. Among the patients,11 patients were male and 5 were female, with a mean age of (33.5 ± 15.6) years old. The mean maximum diameter of os subfibulare was (0.70 ± 0.26) cm. All the patients underwent excision of the osseous fragments, and had anatomic reconstruction of the anterior talofibular ligament if the anterior-lateral ankle was instable. The average follow-up period was (18.0 ± 4.5) months. To analyze the surgical outcome, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot pain and function scales,visual analogue scale (VAS) and Tegner activity scale were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively.

RESULTSAOFAS scales were preoperative 60.15 ± 14.52 and postoperative 92.35 ± 5.73. There was a significant difference between them (t = -8.251, P = 0.000). The mean VAS score were preoperative 7.35 ± 0.46 and postoperative 2.45 ± 0.98. Statistical significance was also notable (t = 18.105, P = 0.000). Tegner score was significantly increased from preoperative 2.87 ± 1.12 to postoperative 5.78 ± 1.06 (t= -7.548, P = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONIrrespective of the size of os subfibulare, in patients with pain or instability associated with the os subfibulare, arthroscopic excision combined with reconstruction of ther anterior talofibular ligament or not was effective in restoring ankle function and eliminating pain.

Adult ; Ankle Injuries ; surgery ; Ankle Joint ; surgery ; Arthroscopy ; methods ; Female ; Fibula ; surgery ; Humans ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

Background Age-related cataract is one of the common causes of blindness.Although the pathophysiology of age-related cataract is far from clearly understood,it is well accepted that DNA damage plays an important role in the disease pathogenesis.Objective The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the DNA damage in peripheral lymphocytes of age-related cataract.Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out.This study complied Declaration of Helsinki and approved by Ethic Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University.Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Two hundred and eleven patients with agerelated cataract and 147 normal subjects were enrolled from a “ Jiangsu Eye Study:Funing 2011 Eye Disease Epidemic Survey”.All the subjects aged from 50 through 80 years with matched age and gender between the two groups.The percentage of tail DNA and Olive tail moment (OTM) were detected by comet assay to assess the extent of DNA damage in peripheral lymphocytes.Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 17.0 software,and the differences of the percentage of tail DNA and OTM were compared between the age-related cataract group and normal control group by independent sample t test as well as among the 50-59 years group,60-69 years group and ≥70 years group by one-way analysis of variance.Results Comet assay showed a round lymph cell with the clear border in the normal group;while in the age-related cataract group,the cell was bigger with a comet-like tail.The percentage of tail DNA and OTM in peripheral lymphocytes were (21.75 ± 3.51) ％ and 6.54 ± 1.65 in the age-related cataract group,and those in the normal control group were (9.31 ±3.60)％ and 2.18 ± 1.10,respectively,with significant differences between them (t =32.67,P =0.00 ; t =28.02,P =O.00).In the 50-59 years subgroup of the age-related cataract group,the percentage of tail DNA and OTM in peripheral lymphocytes were (20.04±2.86) ％ and 5.92± 1.14,and in the 60-69 years subgroup of the age-related cataract group,the percentage of tail DNA and OTM in peripheral lymphocytes were (20.77 ±2.93) ％ and 6.13 ± 1.14,which were significantly reduced in comparison with (22.79 ± 3.67)％ and 6.95±1.91 of the ≥70years subgroup(TailDNA％:q=2.75,P=0.00; q=2.02,P=0.00;OTM:q=1.03,P =0.02 ; q =0.82,P =0.00).Conclusions The pathogenesis and development of age-related cataract probably is associated with DNA damage.

Intracranial arterial dolichoectasia (IADE), also known as dilatative arteriopathy of the brain vessels, refers to an increase in the length and diameter of at least one intracranial artery, and accounts for approximately 12% of all patients with stroke. However, the association of IADE with stroke is usually unclear. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is characterized by pathological changes in the small vessels. Clinically, patients with CSVD can be asymptomatic or present with stroke or cognitive decline. In the past 20 years, a series of studies have strongly promoted an understanding of the association between IADE and CSVD from clinical and pathological perspectives. It has been proposed that IADE and CSVD may be attributed to abnormal vascular remodeling driven by an abnormal matrix metalloproteinase/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase pathway. Also, IADErelated hemodynamic changes may result in initiation or progression of CSVD. Additionally, genetic factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of IADE and CSVD. Patients with Fabry’s disease and late-onset Pompe’s disease are prone to developing concomitant IADE and CSVD, and patients with collagen IV alpha 1 or 2 gene (COL4A1/COL4A2) and forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) variants present with IADE and CSVD. Race, strain, familial status, and vascular risk factors may be involved in the pathogenesis of IADE and CSVD. As well, experiments in mice have pointed to genetic strain as a predisposing factor for IADE and CSVD. However, there have been few direct genetic studies aimed towards determining the association between IADE and CSVD. In the future, more clinical and basic research studies are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between IADE and CSVD and the related molecular and genetic mechanisms.

Hypoxia inducible factor 1-α(HIF-1α) is a transcription factor induced by hypoxia, and it regulates the transcription of hypoxia-related genes for cells, especially for tumor cells to adapt to the hypoxic environment. HIF-1 α has been widely studied concerning breast cancer, liver cancer and other solid tumors. High expression level of HIF-1 α was related to tumor angiogenesis, metastasis, and chemotherapy-drug resistance. Recent studies showed that HIF-1α was closely related to the pathogenesis and the progress of hematological malignancies such as leukemias, and the expression of HIF-1 α was related to the prognosis of these patients. This paper reviews the research progress of HIF-1α in hematologic malignancies.

OBJECTIVETo observe the changes in pulmonary artery protein kinase C (PKC) activity in rats with chronic inflammatory pulmonary hypertension (PHT).

METHODSChronic inflammatory PHT was induced in rats with monocrotaline. The PKC activities in the rat pulmonary arteries were measured by radioactive assay during the development of PHT.

RESULTSWith the development of chronic inflammatory PHT, the total and cytosolic fractions of PKC activity in PHT rat pulmonary arteries increased initially with subsequent decrease (Plt;0.05), but the membranous fraction of PKC activity and the membrane-to-cytosol PKC activity ratio increased continuously (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe up-regulation of PKC activity and the translocation of PKC might be associated with the development of chronic inflammatory PHT in rats.

Animals ; Chronic Disease ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; chemically induced ; enzymology ; Inflammation ; chemically induced ; enzymology ; Male ; Monocrotaline ; Protein Kinase C ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Artery ; enzymology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between HBV DNA and hepatitis B virus large envelope protein (HBV-LP) in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

METHODSSerum HBV DNA was detected by RT-PCR and the HBV-LP was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 320 serum samples collected from patients with chronic hepatitis B.

RESULTSThere were no significant difference between positive rate of HBV-LP and that of HBV DNA in different HBeAg patterns (P>0.05). Serum HBV-LP levels were closely correlated with HBV DNA copies (r=0.949).

CONCLUSIONSerum HBV-LP is a reliable serological marker that can reflect the replication of HBV.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B virus ; physiology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; blood ; Virus Replication ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDTo compare clinical efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin with those of oxaliplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin as first-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer.

METHODSLiterature search was performed by keywords "irinotecan", "oxaliplatin" and "colorectal cancer" on all randomized controlled trails reported on irinotecan versus oxaliplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin as first-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer in MEDLINE, OVID, Springer, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) and CBMdisc (Chinese Biology and Medicine disc) before January 2010. Two authors drew the details of trial design, characteristics of patients, outcomes, and toxicity from the studies included. Data analysis was performed by RevMan 4.2.

RESULTSAccording to the screening criteria, 7 clinical studies with 2095 participants of advanced colorectal cancer were included in this meta analysis. The baseline characteristics of irinotecan group were similar to those of oxaliplatin group. The response rate of oxaliplatin group was higher than that of irinotecan group (relative risk (RR) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) (0.70, 0.96), P = 0.01), and the median overall survival of oxaliplatin group was longer by 2.04 months than that of irinotecan group (95%CI (-3.54, -0.54), P = 0.008). In the comparison of grade 3 - 4 toxicity between the two groups, the incidences of nausea, emesis, diarrhoea and alopecia in irinotecan group were higher than those in oxaliplatin group (RR = 1.94, 95%CI (1.22, 3.09), P = 0.005; 1.71, 95%CI (1.34, 2.18), P < 0.001; 14.56, 95%CI (4.11, 51.66), P < 0.0001), respectively. However, the incidence of neurotoxicity, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in irinotecan group were lower than those in oxaliplatin group (RR = 0.06, 95%CI (0.03, 0.14), P < 0.00001; 0.70, 95%CI (0.55, 0.91), P = 0.006; 0.18, 95%CI (0.05, 0.61), P = 0.006), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSBoth irinotecan and oxaliplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin were effective in the first-line therapy of advanced colorectal cancer. However, the combined regimen of oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin is more excellent. Irinotecan tended to result in more gastrointestinal tract reactions than oxaliplatin did, but the myelosuppression and neurotoxicity were more frequent in oxaliplatin regimen than irinotecan regimen.

Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Camptothecin ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Fluorouracil ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; therapeutic use ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

In this article, the mechanism of inheritance behind inherited hearing loss and genetic susceptibility in noise-induced hearing loss are reviewed. Conventional treatments for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), i.e. hearing aid and cochlear implant, are effective for some cases, but not without limitations. For example, they provide little benefit for patients of profound SNHL or neural hearing loss, especially when the hearing loss is in poor dynamic range and with low frequency resolution. We emphasize the most recent evidence-based treatment in this field, which includes gene therapy and allotransplantation of stem cells. Their promising results have shown that they might be options of treatment for profound SNHL and neural hearing loss. Although some treatments are still at the experimental stage, it is helpful to be aware of the novel therapies and endeavour to explore the feasibility of their clinical application.
Animals ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Therapy ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; genetics ; therapy ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Stem Cell Transplantation