Background The study on influences of gender,age and axial length (AL) on lens thickness (LT) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) in normal population is still lack in China.Objective This study was to measure LT and ACD in normal subjects and discuss their changes with age,gender and AL.Methods AL,ACD and LT were measured on 866 eyes of 433 normal population with Lenstar LS900 in Tianjin Eye Hospital from March through December in 2013,including 390 eyes in 195 males and 476 eyes of 238 females.ACD/AL,LT/AL and (ACD+LT)/AL were calculated after measurement.The subjects were grouped to the 10-20 years group,21-30 years group,31-40 years group,41-50 years group,51-60 years group and ≥61 years group based on age,or the 22 mm≤AL＜24 mm group,24 mm≤AL＜26 mm group and AL≥26 mm based on AL,and the measured parameters were compared and analyzed among the groups.Oral informed consent was obtained from each subject or child contutor prior to any medical examination.Results AL,ACD and LT values were (24.41±1.37),(2.89±0.42) and (4.05±0.52) mm in the males,and those in the females were (23.83±1.31),(2.72±0.40) and (4.20±0.44) mm,showing significant differences between them (t=6.278,6.102,-4.595,all at P=0.000).No significant differences were found in ACD,LT,ACD/AL,LT/AL and (ACD+LT)/AL values between the right eyes and the left eyes (t=-0.713,0.186,-0.754,0.296,-0.168,all at P＞0.05).As the increase of the AL,ACD was remarkable deepened but LT was declined,with the considerable difference among the 22 mm ≤ AL＜24 mm group,24 mm ≤ AL＜ 26 mm group and AL ≥ 26 mm group (F =176.640,94.569,both at P =0.000).ACD value was higher,but LT value was lower in the 24 mm≤AL＜26 mm group or AL≥26.00 mm group than that in the 22 mm≤AL＜24 mm group (all at P＜0.05).ACD value was gradually reduced,while LT value was elevated with aging,with significant differences among the different age groups (F =104.531,373.225,all at P =0.000).Significant correlations were found between age and ACD,LT or (ACD + LT)/AL,with the regression equations of ACD (mm) =-0.015 × age + 3.434 (F =-22.979,P =0.000);LT (mm) =0.024 × age + 3.122 (F =44.856,P =0.000),LT/AL =0.001 × age + 0.122 (F=37.982,P=0.000),(ACD+LT)/AL=0.001×age+0.259 (F=22.451,P=0.000).Conclusions Compared with normal females,males have thinner LT and deeper ACD.In the normal eyes,longer AL is,thinner LT is and the deeper ACD is.LT thickens and ACD deepens with aging.

Objective To compare the difference in the effects on liver function between transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) alone and the combination of TIPS and left gastric vein embolization (LGVE) in patients with liver cirrhosis.Methods This research was a retrospective study.From September 2014 to September 2015,31 patients with liver cirrhosis underwent TIPS (TIPS group) and 29 patients with liver cirrhosis underwent TIPS combined with LGVE (TIPS+LGVE group) were enrolled.The data of the liver function of patients before and after operation were collected and the Child-Pugh score and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) were also calculated.Student's t test and chi-squared test were performed for statistical analysis.Results The preoperative portal vein pressures of TIPS group and TIPS+LGVE group were (28.48±2.77) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and (28.38± 2.92) mmHg,respectively.And after operation,the portal vein pressures decreased to (17.81 ± 1.47) mmHg and (17.97 ± 2.04) mmHg,respectively,and the differences were both statistically significant (t=18.908 and 11.648,both P＜0.01).At 12 months after operation,Child-Pugh score of TIPS+ LGVE group was 5.69 ± 1.19,which was significantly lower than that before operation (7.03±1.76),and the difference was statistically significant (t=3.398,P=0.001),which was also lower than that of TIPS group at the same time point (6.52 ± 1.54),and the difference was statistically significant (t =2.303,P=0.025).At 12 months after operation,the component ratio of patients with Child-Pugh grade A of TIPS±LGVE group was 89.7％ (26/29),which was higher than that before operation (44.8％,13/29),and the difference was statistically significant (x2=13.228,P＜0.01).The component ratio of patients with Child-Pugh grade B was 6.9 ％ (2/29),which was lower than that before operation (41.4 ％,12/29),and the difference was statistically significant (x2 =9.416,P＜ 0.01).Conclusions TIPS significantly reduces portal vein pressure in patients with liver cirrhosis and it does not deteriorate liver function of patients in the long term.The combination of TIPS and LGVE is better than TIPS alone in improving liver function in patients with liver cirrhosis,especially in improvig long-term liver function in patients of Child-Pugh A and B grade.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of non-invasive cardiac output parameters:cardiac index (CI) and minute distance (MD), in premature infants with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and determine the cut-off value. Methods Clinical data of 98 premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2015 to June 2015 were collected. These premature infants were divided into the treated PDA group (n=30),the untreated PDA group (n=28) and the normal premature group (n=40) based on the results of echocardiogram in the first three days after birth and the use of drugs. Non-invasive cardiac output parameters were measured in the first three days after birth. The data were analyzed by t test, analysis of variance and SNK-q test. The diagnostic value of CI and MD for PDA was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results By preliminary analysis of the ROC curve,CI and MD were the most representative parameters for the diagnosis of PDA which need to be treated clinically, we thus chose CI and MD in this study. The aortic and pulmonary arterial CI and MD in the treated PDA group were significantly higher than in the untreated PDA group and the normal premature group (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the untreated PDA group and the normal premature group in the aortic and pulmonary arterial CI and MD (all P>0.05). The cut-off value of the aortic CI and MD was 2.95 L/(min·m2) and 21.50 m/min, respectively, while that of the pulmonary arterial CI and MD was 4.55 L/(min·m2) and 26.50 m/min, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the combined aortic CI and MD for the treated PDA group were 0.90 and 0.82, and those of combined pulmonary arterial CI and MD were 0.87 and 0.82;and those of combined aortic and pulmonary arterial CI and MD were 0.80 and 0.88, respectively. Conclusions The non-invasive cardiac output parameters CI and MD have good diagnostic value for the PDA needing clinical treatment, and the combined use of the two parameters can improve specificity, and help formulate the early treatment strategy for premature infants with PDA. When aortic CI was ≥ 2.95 L/(min·m2) and MD was ≥ 21.50 m/min, a preliminary diagnosis of the PDA needing clinical treatment, can be made, and simultaneously when the pulmonary arterial CI was ≥4.55 L/(min·m2) and MD was≥26.50 m/min, the arterial duct should be closed timely.

ObjectiveTo investigate the serum prostate-specific antigen (tPSA),serum free PSA to total PSA ratio (f/tPSA),prostate volume (PV) and prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) in early prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on serum PSA values and related test results from 252 cases of BPH patients and 49 patients with PCa.Prostate volume (PV) was measured by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS),and the f/tPSAand PSAD values were calculated.The differences of serum tPSA,f/tPSA,PV,and PSAD between BPH and PCa group were compared,the area under the ROC curve was used to evaluate these four indicators for its diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic specificity.ResultsThe values of tPSA,PSAD in PCa group were significantly higher than BPH group ( P ＜0.05),while the values of f/tPSA,PV in PCa group were significantly lower than BPH group ( P ＜0.01orP ＜0.05).The ROC area showed that serum tPSA(0.8013),f/tPSA(0.7390),PV(0.5613) had lower diagnosis value than PSAD(0.9214) in early prostate cancer ( PSAD ＞ tPSA ＞ f/tPSA ＞ PV).When the upper limit of normal PSA was set to take 4ng/ml,the sensitivity was 91.49％,diagnostic specificity was 51.05％.When the f/tPSA threshold set to 0.16,the diagnostic sensitivity was 57.78％,diagnostic specificity was 78.72％.When PSAD threshold was set to 0.15,diagnostic sensitivity was 88.24％,diagnostic specificity was 81.52％.ConclusionsPSA,f/tPSA and PSAD are indicators for biopsy or followup in early diagnosis of prostate cancer.In particular,the diagnostic value of PSAD has higher sensitivity and specificity than PSA and f/tPSA in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Massage

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate the expression of CXC motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in the tissues of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (hilar-CCA) and to investigate the cell proliferation and frequency of neural invasion (NI) influenced by RNAi-mediated CXCR4 silencing. METHODS: An immunohistochemical technique was used to detect the expression of CXCR4 in 41 clinical tissues, including hilar-CCA, cholangitis, and normal bile duct tissues. The effects of small interference RNA (siRNA)-mediated CXCR4 silencing were detected in the hilar-CCA cell line QBC939. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT. Expression of CXCR4 was monitored by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. The NI ability of hilar-CCA cells was evaluated using a perineural cell and hilar-CCA cell coculture migration assay. RESULTS: The expression of CXCR4 was significantly induced in clinical hilar-CCA tissue. There was a positive correlation between the expression of CXCR4 and lymph node metastasis/NI in hilar-CCA patients (p<0.05). Silencing of CXCR4 in tumor cell lines by siRNA led to significantly decreased NI (p<0.05) and slightly decreased cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: CXCR4 is likely correlated with clinical recurrence of hilar-CCA. CXCR4 is involved in the invasion and proliferation of human hilar-CCA cell line QBC939, indicating that CXCR4 could be a promising therapeutic target for hilar-CCA.
Aged ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/metabolism/*pathology ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic/metabolism/*pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cholangiocarcinoma/metabolism/*pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/metabolism/pathology ; RNA Interference/*physiology ; RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism ; Receptors, CXCR4/antagonists & inhibitors/*metabolism ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Objective To explore the association between moxibustion sensation and therapeutic efficacy during moxibustion treatment. Methods By applying Taiyi moxa stick to Shiqizhui (EX-B 8) to treat primary dysmenorrhea, the association between the change of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and the topical moxibustion sensation and transmission types during the 30 min moxibustion treatment was observed. Besides, the occurrence time of transmission, and the transmission distance, width, depth, and direction were recorded. Results Superficial moxibustion sensation occurred in forty patients, of whom, the VAS score changed by (38.50±14.38) mm; heat-penetrating moxibustion sensation occurred in 18 patients, and the VAS score changed by (38.89±12.43) mm; heat-expanding sensation occurred in 6 patients, and the VAS score changed by (45.00±14.10) mm; distant transmission happened in 13 patients, and the VAS score changed by (41.54±13.90) mm. Patients with 4 types of moxibustion sensation had the highest VAS scores both before and after treatment, followed by 3 types, 2 types, and 1 type moxibustion sensation. In comparing the changes of VAS score between 10 min and 20 min treatment and between 20 min and 30 min treatment, the patients with 4 types of moxibustion sensation had the most significant change. Conclusions Different moxibustion sensations occur at different frequencies, and the occurrence of moxibustion sensation is related to the severity of disease condition. The number of moxibustion sensation type can affect the remission process of disease, but can merely influence the treatment result. The single moxibustion sensation (superficial heat only) works faster, usually taking 0~10 min; while the other forms of moxibustion sensation (heat penetrating, heat-expanding, and distant transmission) works slower, usually taking over 20 min.

OBJECTIVEWe want to explore the harm degree of human rhinovirus in infants in Beijing area.

METHODSFrom May 2008 to September 2009, 240 nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from the children and infants who were hospitalized and with lower respiratory tract infections. These specimens were screened for HRV by real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and statistically analysised.

RESULTIn all of 240 hospitalized children, 208 cases were admission diagnosis of pneumonia, accounting for 86.67% (208/240), no deaths, the ratio of male and female patients was 1.93 : 1, and the collected samples reached to a maximum number in February 2009. Real-time PCR used to detect human rhinovirus, positive samples number is 71, positive rate is 29.58% (71/240), and the main symptoms and clinical diagnosis was pneumonia. Most cases were less than 2 years old, making up 81.69% (58/71), amony them, 13 months-18 months age and > or = 24 months groups have the highest incidence rates, the incidence rate is 33.33%.

CONCLUSIONHuman rhinovirus happened in spring and winter seasons, especially the infants who were under 2 years are the main infection groups, the important symptoms are lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis et al. Human rhinovirus is seasonal and contagious, spreads fast, so protective measures in hospitals should be prepared to avoid cross-infection.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Picornaviridae Infections ; virology ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; virology ; Rhinovirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Seasons

OBJECTIVETo study the hepatoprotective effect of the extract of Terminala catappa leaves (TCE) and the possible mechanisms underlying its protection on acute liver injury induced by D-Galactosamine (D-GalN).

METHODIn vivo: D-GalN-induced liver injury model was used to evaluate the effect of TCE on the activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in mice. Structure of liver was observed and liver mitochondrial swelling was measured following D-GalN injection without or with TCE. In vitro: D-GalN-induced primary cultured hepatocytes injury model was used to value the effect of TCE on cultured hepatocytes. Cell viability was measured by means of MTT assay, and the AST and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in supernatant of cultured cells were investigated also.

RESULTIn acute hepatic injury test, with oral pretreatment of TCE, remarkable rises in serum AST and ALT activities (2.95 fold and 3.35 fold) induced by D-GalN were obviously reversed and significant morphological changes were remarkably lessened. In addition, the decrease in sensitivity of mitochondrial swelling to the exotic Ca2+ stimulation induced by D-GalN was also prevented by TCE. In primary cultured hepatocytes of mice, it was found that incubation with TCE could prevent the decrease in cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. It was also found that both the increase in AST level (1.9 fold) and the decrease in SOD activity (48.0%) in supernatant of primary cultured hepatocytes induced by D-GalN could be inhibited by pretreatment of TCE.

CONCLUSIONTCE has hepatoprotective activity and the mechanisms underlying its protective effect may be related to its antioxidant activity and protection on both hepatocytes and liver mitochondria.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; blood ; etiology ; pathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Galactosamine ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pregnancy ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Terminalia ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe the change of the neuropeptide pro-protein processing system in the ischemic retina ganglion cell-5 (RGC-5) cells, pro-protein convertase-2 (PC2), carboxypeptidase-E (CPE) and preproneuropeptide Y (preproNPY) protein levels in the ischemic RGC-5 cells and conditioned medium were analyzed.

METHODSThe RGC-5 cell was differentiated in 0.1 mumol/L staurosporine for 24 h and then stressed by different doses of oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD). The acute or chronic OGD-induced cell death rates were obtained by using PI or TUNEL staining. The protein expression levels were determined by using the Western blot method and PC2 activity analysis.

RESULTSThe ischemia caused substantial cell death in an OGD dose-dependent manner. In the cells, proPC2 and preproNPY protein levels gradually increased whereas proCPE gradually decreased. After OGD, PC2 activity was decreased. In the conditioned medium, proPC2 and PC2 proteins gradually decreased whereas proCPE, CPE, and preproNPY proteins gradually increased.

CONCLUSIONThese results demonstrated that OGD inhibited the neuropeptide pro-protein processing system by reducing PC2 activity and the maturation of proPC2. The aggregation of the pro-proteins and the increase of the active CPE excision adversely exacerbated the cell injury. The pro-protein processing system might play a critical role in the ischemic stress of RGC-5 cells.

Animals ; Carboxypeptidase H ; metabolism ; Cell Death ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cell Line, Transformed ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; physiology ; Glucose ; deficiency ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; methods ; Indoles ; Neuropeptide Y ; metabolism ; Proprotein Convertase 2 ; metabolism ; Protein Precursors ; metabolism ; Rats ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Staurosporine ; pharmacology ; Time Factors