Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Leukemia ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vault Ribonucleoprotein Particles ; genetics

Carotid-cavernous fistulas (CCFs) are abnormal arteriovenous anastamoses between the carotid artery and the cavernous sinus. These fistulas may be classified by cause (spontaneous or traumatic), flow velocity (high or low), or pathogenesis (direct or indirect). The most commonly adopted classification is that described by Barrow based on arterial supply. Traumatic CCFs are almost always direct shunts between the internal carotid artery (ICA) and the cavernous sinus. General features of CCFs, which may be apparent with any lesion, including bruit, headache, loss of vision, altered mental status and neurological deficits. Some fistulae may present primarily with hemorrhage before any evaluation can be performed. However, hemiparesis has been rarely observed. Only a literature review of Murata et al reported a case of hemiparesis caused by posttraumatic CCF, in which the fistula resulted in venous hypertension and subsequent brainstem congestion. While in our case, cerebral infarction was caused by total steal of the blood flow. The patient recovered after occlusion of the fistula with a detachable balloon.
Adult ; Balloon Occlusion ; methods ; Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Cerebral Angiography ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; complications ; diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Paresis ; complications ; diagnosis ; Recovery of Function ; Risk Assessment ; Severity of Illness Index ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating ; complications

BACKGROUNDCyclin B1 (CLB1) is necessary for mitotic initiation in mammalian cells and plays important roles in cancer development. Therefore, a potential strategy in cancer therapy is to suppress the activity of CLB1 by delivering antisense constructs of CLB1 into tumor cells. In previous CLB1 studies, antisense constructs with a short half life were often used and these constructs might not persistently inhibit CLB1.

METHODSWe successfully created a recombinant plasmid encoding the full-length antisense cDNA of mouse cyclin B1 (AS-mCLB1) and transfected this construct to the murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2) and CT-26 colon carcinoma (CT-26) cells. We isolated clones of LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants with stable expression of AS-mCLB1. Reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot were applied to detect the expression of the mRNA and protein levels of CLB1. To further test the efficacy of this strategy in vivo, AS-mCLB1-expressing LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants were implanted into mice.

RESULTSWe found the expression of the mRNA and protein levels of CLB1 decrease in these transfectants. The inhibition of CLB1 caused prominent G1 arrest, abnormal morphology, retarded cell growth and an increase in apoptosis. In AS-mCLB1-expressing LL/2 and CT-26 transfectants implanted mice, tumorigenicity was effectively suppressed compared with the controls. In addition, the expression of AS-mCLB1 also significantly increases the survival duration of implanted animals.

CONCLUSIONAS-mCLB1 is likely to be useful in future cancer therapy, which may be associated with its ability to down-regulate the expression of CLB1 and then induce G1arrest and apoptosis in tumor cells.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Cyclin B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; Cyclin B1 ; DNA, Antisense ; pharmacology ; DNA, Complementary ; pharmacology ; G1 Phase ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; pathology ; therapy

BACKGROUNDThe delayed diagnosis of pelvi-ureteric junction (PUJ) disruption in children following blunt abdominal trauma can result in loss of function of the involved kidney. We examined the potential for kidney preservation and the limits of diagnostic delays.

METHODSA retrospective review of 17 cases of PUJ disruption at Beijing Children's Hospital from 1993 to 2009 was done with respect to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

RESULTSThe interval from trauma to diagnosis of PUJ disruption was (52 ± 52) days. If one case with nephrectomy was excluded, the interval from trauma to diagnosis was (40 ± 20) days. The average time between injury and first treatment was (49 ± 25) days. Pelvi-ureteric reanastomosis and caliceal ureterostomy were performed separately in 11 and 4 patients, respectively. Ileal replacement for ureter injuries was finally performed in one patient. Hydronephrosis of the injured kidney was reduced and the function improved in 15 out of 17 patients (88%). Only one patient received nephrectomy and the nephrectomy rate was 5.9%.

CONCLUSIONDifferential renal function at the PUJ disruption side can be saved and the rate of nephrectomy reduced by appropriate surgery if the time to diagnosis and first treatment is limited to within two months.

Abdominal Injuries ; complications ; surgery ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; injuries ; surgery ; Kidney Pelvis ; injuries ; surgery ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Ureter ; injuries ; surgery ; Ureteral Obstruction ; etiology ; surgery

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; surgery ; Male ; Surgical Flaps ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male ; methods

Tetrandrine (Tet), a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, has been reported to have a radiosensitization effect on tumors. However, its effects on human glioma and the specific molecular mechanisms of these effects remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that Tet has a radiosensitization effect on human glioma cells. It has been hypothesized that Tet has a radiosensitization effect on glioma cells by affecting the glioma cell cycle and DNA repair mechanism and that ERK mediates these activities. Therefore, we conducted detailed analyses of the effects of Tet on the cell cycle by performing flow cytometric analysis and on DNA repair by detecting the expression of phosphorylated H2AX by immunofluorescence. We used western blot analysis to investigate the role of ERK in the effect of Tet on the cell cycle and DNA repair. The results revealed that Tet exerts its radiosensitization effect on glioma cells by inhibiting proliferation and decreasing the expression of phosphorylated ERK and its downstream proteins. In summary, our data indicate that ERK is involved in Tet-induced radiosensitization of glioma cells via inhibition of glioma cell proliferation or of the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; DNA Repair ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Glioma* ; Humans* ; Phosphorylation*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of four hepatocellular cancer antigen (HCA) gene mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODSThe expression of HCA90, HCA519, HCA520, HCA587 mRNA was detected using RT-PCR in HCC tissues and the corresponding adjacent non-HCC tissues from 46 HCC patients, cirrhosis tissues from 10 samples and normal liver tissues from 10 samples. The relationship between positive expression rate of HCA gene and clinical and lab data was evaluated.

RESULTSOf 46 HCC tissues, HCA90, HCA519, HCA520 and HCA587 mRNA were detectable in 65.2%, 76.1%, 45.7% and 32.6%, respectively. At least one HCA gene mRNA was positive in 82.6% of HCC tissues. Only weak expression of HCA519 could be detectable in 6.5% of the corresponding adjacent non-HCC tissues. None of 10 samples of cirrhosis and normal liver tissues expressed any HCA gene mRNA. No correlation was found between the expression of HCA and clinical date such as age, sex, tumor size, tumor differentiation, serum alpha-fetoprotein level and hepatitis B virus infection or hepatitis C virus infection (P > 0.05). However, in some patients with normal serum alpha-fetoprotein (< 25 ng/L), specific expression of HCA genes was observed.

CONCLUSIONHCA gene mRNA is expressed with a high percentage and specificity in hepatocellular carcinomas and their products are new potential promising targets for immunotherapy of HCC.

Antigens, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the relationship between the clinical stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies Rta/IgG, EBNA1/IgA, VCA/IgA and EA/IgA.

METHODSSerum samples obtained from 211 untreated patients with NPC categorized by the project of 92' stage were examined for the presence of the EBV antibodies Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA by enzyme-linked immnunosorbent assay (ELISA) and for VCA/IgA and EA/IgA by immunoenzymatic assay. The positive rates and antibody levels in the NPC patients in different TNM stages and clinical stages were analyzed statistically.

RESULTSNo significant difference in Rta/IgG rA value was found in the NPC patients in different TNM or clinical stages (P>0.05). The EBNA1/IgA rA value was significantly lower in stage T1, N0, and clinical stage I than in the other corresponding T stages, N stages and other clinical stage (P<0.05). The antibody titers of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA differed significantly between the N stages and the clinical stages (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe expression of EBV Rta/IgG is not associated with NPC stage. The expression of EBNA1/IgA is relatively low in early NPC. The antibody level of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA are significantly correlated to the degree of neck lymph node metastasis, and might be helpful to classify the clinical stages of NPC.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; immunology ; Antigens, Viral ; immunology ; Capsid Proteins ; immunology ; Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens ; immunology ; Female ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; immunology ; Humans ; Immediate-Early Proteins ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin A ; blood ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; virology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Trans-Activators ; immunology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of combined detection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA in serodiagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODSSerum samples obtained from 211 untreated patients with NPC and 203 non-NPC ENT patients were examined for the presence of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA by immunoenzymatic assay and for Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to confirm the cutoff values of different antibodies. The evaluation indexes of combined detection of multiple antibodies used for serodiagnosis of NPC were calculated with compounded positive judgment method.

RESULTSCompared to a single antibody, combined detection achieved a higher sensitivity and specificity. The sensitivity of VCA/IgA + Rta/IgG + EBNA1/IgA (98.1%) was higher than the other 3 combinations with a specificity, accuracy, Youden index and positive predictive value (PPV) of 88.7%, 93.5%, 0.868 and 90.0%, respectively. The combination of EA/IgA+Rta/IgG+EBNA1/IgA had the highest specificity (95.1%), accuracy (94.9%), Youden index (0.899) and PPV (95.2%), with a sensitivity of 94.8%, suggesting its higher accuracy in the serodiagnosis of NPC. Combined detection of the 4 antibodies had the highest sensitivity (98.6%) with a specificity, accuracy, Youden index and PPV of 88.2%, 93.5%, 0.868 and 89.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSCombined detection of Rta/IgG against immediate early antigens, EA/IgA against early antigens, VCA/IgA against late antigens, and EBNA1/IgA against latent antigens provides better understanding of the expression profiles of EBV lytic and latent antigens with excellent complementarity, and may serve as an optimal combination for NPC serodiagnosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Antigens, Viral ; immunology ; Capsid Proteins ; immunology ; Carcinoma ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; blood ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; blood ; diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo report the newly developed reconstruction technique after laparoscopic total gastrectomy: intracorporeal circular stapling esophagojejunostomy using the transorally inserted anvil (OrVil; Covidien), and evaluate its feasibility, safety, and clinical outcomes.

METHODSAfter LTG (3 patients with gastric carcinoma in the body) or LPG (2 patients with gastric carcinoma in the cardiac and fundus, respectively, and 1 with cardiac stromal tumor), the anvil was then inserted transorally into the esophagus by using the OrVil system. Double-stapling esophagojejunostomy or esophagogastrostomy with a circular stapler was performed intracorporeally.

RESULTSThe operations were uneventful. The operative time was (183.3+/-25.8) min, and blood loss was (128.3+/-90.2) ml. Postoperative fluorography revealed no anastomotic leakage or stenosis. Patients resumed an oral liquid diet on postoperative day (4.0+/-1.1), and were discharged on day (9.0+/-2.6). Patients were followed at 28 days and no complications were reported.

CONCLUSIONSLTG with Roux-en-Y reconstruction or LPG with esophagogastrostomy using the OrVil system appear to be safe and reliable with satisfactory short-term outcomes.

Anastomosis, Surgical ; Esophagus ; surgery ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Gastric Stump ; surgery ; Humans ; Jejunum ; surgery ; Laparoscopy