Objective: To observe the initial effectiveness of retrograde urethrotomy with a cold knife combined with the lucency via antegrade flexible cystoscopy in treatment of patients with obliterative urethral stricture. Methods: From September 2007 to April 2010, 8 patients with obliterative urethral stricture (0.8-2.0 cm in length) underwent antegrade-retrograde via flexible cystoscopy endoscopic urethrotomy with a cold knife: the initial effectiveness was observed. Results: All the 8 patients were successfully treated with antegrade-retrograde via flexible cystoscopy endoscopic urethrotomy with a cold knife. The operation time ranged 15-30 min, with a mean of 21 min. Urethral catheter (20-22F) was maintained for 4-6 weeks, and all the patients had passable urinary tract, with no urinary incompetence. The 8 patients were followed for 6-24 months (with a mean of 18 months). Three patients had no stricture recurrence and needed no further treatment. Four patients needed further intermittent urethral dilations(6-16 procedures, mean 12 procedures) to keep normal urination. One patient received a second endoscopic urethrotomy due to recurrent stricture 3 months after first treatment. Conclusion: The antegrade-retrograde urethrotomy via flexible cystoscopy with a cold knife can improve the successful rate of endoscopic surgery, with shorter operation time and satisfactory short-term outcome, but the long-term outcome needs to be further observed.

Objective: To establish and identify androgen-independent human prostate cancer cell line LNCap by culturing LNCaP cells with gradual deprivation of hormone. Methods: LNCaP cells were cultured in the medium with gradual deprivation of hormone (treated by active carbon to simulate androgen deprivation) for 10 days; and then the cells were cultured with complete deprivation of androgen for 3 months till the cell entered the rapid proliferation phase again. The cell growth and expression of PSA and androgen were examined by CCK-8, immunfluorescence and RT-PCR methods. Results: LNCaP cells grew slowly after deprivation of hormone and took on a neuroendocrine phenotype and cluster growth pattern. After 3 months' non-androgen culture,the cells regained original morphology and growth. CCK-8 indicated that LNCaP cells could grow in non-androgen condition; immunofluorescence assay indicated that LNCaP-AI cells could regain PSA-secreting activity in non-androgen condition; and RT-PCR suggested that androgen was highly expressed in LNCaP-AI cells. Conclusion: Androgen-independent LNCaP cell line can be established by culturing with gradual deprivation of hormone for 3 months.

Objective To investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of internal jugular vein (IJV) intervention therapy in patients with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST)with color Doppler ultrasound (CDU). Methods Twelve patients with CVST diagnosed by CDU and the 13 IJV lesions (localized luminal stenosis in 9 cases,venous long-segment slender in 2 cases,and right IJV localized luminal stenosis,and long-segment slender on the left in 1 case)confirmed by magnetic resonance venography (MRV)and/ or digital subtraction angiography (DSA)were enrolled retrospectively. CDU examinations were used at 1 week before and after IJV intervention therapy,6 months,1 year,and 2 years. The changes of the maximum diameter and the maximum velocity (V max )of the IJV were compared. The success rate and the long-term efficacy of the intervention therapy were analyzed. Results One week after treatment,the CDU examinations showed that the diameter of IJV stenosis in 13 IJV were increased significantly compared with those before procedure (4. 7 ± 2. 1 mm vs. 2. 3 ± 1. 3 mm;t = 5. 325,P < 0. 01). The velocity of blood flow of IJV was improved compared with before procedure (localized stenosis in 10 IJV[50 ± 15 cm/ s vs. 87 ± 24 cm/ s];t = 6. 285,P < 0. 01). Six of the 12 patients were followed up for a mean of 18 ± 7 months, two patients had restenosis after balloon dilatation. Conclusions For CVST patients with IJV lesions,the preliminary observation has indicated that IJV intervention therapy may improve the lesion lumen and hemodynamics. However,the intervention therapy,especially after balloon dilatation,the incidence of restenosis is higher. CDU can be used as an objective evaluation means for the long-term efficacy of IJV stenosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of MRI follow-up in pediatric patients with spinal tuberculosis.

METHODSFrom February 2004 to April 2013, MRI imaging data in 21 children with spinal tuberculosis by pathologically and clinically proven were retrospectively analysed. There were 11 males and 10 males, with an average age of 9.4 years old ranging from 2 to 14 years old. Eighteen patients were received conservative treatment, 3 patients were treated by surgical operation. The course of disease ranged from 2 months to 3 years. All cases underwent two or more MRI examinations for follow-up. MRI findings of the first and second examination were comparatively analyzed,including signal changes of vertebral body and intervertebral, paraspinal abscess and the change of kyphosis angle.

RESULTSIn the 21 cases with tuberculosis, 85 vertebral bodies were affected in total, including 10.6%(9/85), 49.4%(42/85) and 40%(34/85) vertebral bodies separately in the cervical,thoracic, lumbosacral spine. Follow-up MRI showed vertebral body shape and signal had no obvious change during or after treatment, 15 cases with vertebral bodies changed flat or cuneate, 10 cases with disc involvement,and intervertebral space became narrowing at different level. Among 13 patients with kyphosis angle greater than 0°, 7 were located on thoracic, 2, 3, 1 were on thoracolumbar, lumbar and cervical spine, respectively. Among 18 cases with conservative treatment,kyphosis angle were 0° on the first and the follow up MRI of 8 patients. One case of mild (<10°) kyphosis,follow-up MRI during therapy showed the angle slightly increased; 5 cases with moderate (10° to 30°), follow-up MRI during therapy showed no obvious change; 4 cases with severe (>30°), follow-up MRI during and after therapy showed kyphosis increased in varying degrees.

CONCLUSIONFollow-up MRI can make a big difference in the spinal tuberculosis of children; it can clearly show the change of the vertebral body and intervertebral space, paraspinal abscess and the kyphosis angle after the treatment,which can provide reference for clinical treatment and estimating prognosis.

Adolescent ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Monitoring ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; diagnostic imaging ; Tuberculosis, Spinal ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; surgery

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the application of prognosis evaluation of ulnar nerve injury by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). METHODS: The metabolites of first dorsal interossei (FDI) of two hands from 12 healthy volunteers and 1 volunteer with complete ulnar nerve injury were detected by 1H-MRS and the data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: For the FDI of healthy adults, the female peaks area of extra-myocellular lipids (EMCL) was higher than the male (P < 0.05); There was no significant difference in Cho, Cr and intra-myocellular lipids (IMCL) between male and female (P > 0.05); There was no significant difference in all the peaks area between the left and right hand (P > 0.05). The EMCL peak of the injury side was higher than that of the healthy side, and the area of FDI was reduced in the volunteer with ulnar nerve injury. CONCLUSION Noninvasive and quantitative detection of 1H-MRS may be valuable for prognosis evaluation of peripheral nerve injury.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/methods* ; Sex Distribution ; Ulnar Nerve/metabolism*

Objective To evaluate the long term clinical effect of porcelain laminate veneer esthetic restoration for fluorosis teeth. Methods One hundred and thirty-two fluorosis teeth of 11 patients were restored with porcelain laminate veneer for esthetic purpose and the clinical effects were evaluated with modified Rygescriteria at 1.0 week, 0.5-year, 1.0-year, 1.5-year, and 2.0-year recalled time. Results After 2.0 years application, none of the veneers debonded, "A" degree rate of marginal adaptation was more than 85%, "A" degree rate of cavosurface marginal discoloration was more than 90%, "A" degree rate of secondary caries was more than 99%, "A" degree rate of post-operative sensitivity was more than 75%, and "A" degree rate of color match was more than 70%, "B" degree rate of color match was 100%. Conclusions The research indicates that the porcelain laminate veneer is a good esthetic restoration method for fluorosis teeth and the long term clinical effect is stable.

Since the biological characteristics of esophageal gastric junction (EGJ) cancer are different from those of gastric cancer and esophageal cancer, the choice of initial treatment is particularly important. This article introduces a case of locally advanced EGJ can-cer with single metastasis factor treated with preoperative radiochemotherapy in the Beijing Cancer Hospital. Through the multidisci-plinary team, we aim to achieve a better prognosis for this patient and propose new treatment practices for EGJ cancer.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficiency of retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy combinedwith auxiliary small-incision and real-time B ultrasonic imaging in treatment of central renal cell carcinoma and to summarize the surgical experience. Methods The clinical data of 12 patients (9 males and 3 females) with central renal cell carcinoma, who were treated from Aug. 2010 to Mar. 2012, were retrospectively analyzed. The patients had a mean age of (56.2±2.8) years old and a mean tumor diameter of (2.2±1.4) cm. The patients underwent preoperative ultrasonograpy, CT, MRI or CT angiography. The renal artery, renal vein and kidney were separated under general anesthesia. A small incision was made between A(posterior axillary line) and B(anterior axillary line) Trocar. The tumor location and the operative margin were determined by auxiliary real-time B ultrasound placed on the kidney surface via the incision. Ice slush was scattered around the kidney and nephron-sparing operation was done after blocking renal artery. Results All the 12 cases were operated successfully and the renal tumors were removed completely, with the mean operation time being (124.5±5.8) min, mean warm ischemia time (WIT) being (26.3±8.6) min, mean blood loss being (65.8±21.6) mL, mean incision length being (8.8±2.4) cm, and mean postoperative hospital stay being (12.4±2.6) d. All the patients had a negative surgical margin and there were no severe perioperative complications. All the patients had normal renal function and had no tumor recurrence or metastasis during a mean follow-up of (13.6±7.4) months. Conclusion Retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial nephrectomy combined with auxiliary small- incision and real-time B ultrasonic imaging is safe and effective for treatment of patients with central renal cell carcinoma, with less trauma, less blood loss, shorter WIT, and faster recovery, and it has a promising clinical future.

Objective To compare profiles of microRNA between the LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cell lines, so as to futher elucidate the post-transcritional mechanism regulating the progression to androgen-independence. Methods The microRNA profiles of LNCaP and LNCaP-AI cell lines were examined by Agilent's microassay. The expression of six microRNAs was verified by RT-PCR. The functions of differentially expressed microRNAs were eludicated by a search with miRBase software (http://www.mirbase.org/). Results The Aglint's microRNA microassay showed that 11 microRNAs were up-regulated and 27 were down-regulated during the LNCaP progression to androgen-independence. RT-PCR results were consistent with those of the Agilent's microassay chips. By searching the targets of microRNAs in the miRBase software, we found that the differentically expressed microRNAs were mainly involved in regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), Bcl-2, and epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) and genes mediating androgen metabolism. Conclusion There is alteration of microRNA during the progression of LNCaP to androgen-independence, which may involve androgen receptor related pathway, metalloenzyme, anti-apoptotic gene and genes related to androgen metabolism.

Objective: To discuss the application principle in tuina manipulation for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (LIDH) in Chinese literatures published in recent 30 years. Methods: The three major Chinese databases, Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang), Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), were searched to collect the studies of tuina manipulations in treatment of LIDH published in recent 30 years. Clustering analysis was applied to analyze the top 20 tuina manipulations for LIDH. Results: The top 20 most frequently used manipulations for LIDH were Gun-rolling, Rou-kneading, Dian-digital pressing, oblique Ban-pulling, An-pressing, Tanbo-plucking, Bashen-pulling and extending, horizontal Tui-pushing, Na-grasping, Anrou-pressing and kneading, Dou-shaking, Yao-rocking, Ca-scrubbing, Pai-patting, post-extension Ban-pulling, Mo-rubbing, Zhen-vibrating, Nie-pinching, fist-back Ji-tapping, and dorsal Shen-extending methods. The involved manipulations can be divided into two categories by the treated body areas. One category is applied to the soft tissues, including Gun-rolling, Rou-kneading, Dian-digital pressing, An-pressing, Tanbo-plucking, horizontal Tui-pushing, Na-grasping, Anrou-pressing and kneading, Ca-scrubbing, Pai-patting, Mo-rubbing, Zhen-vibrating, Nie-pinching, and fist-back Ji-tapping methods. The other category is applied to bones and joints, including oblique Ban-pulling, Bashen-pulling and extending, Dou-shaking, Yao-rocking, post-extension Ban-pulling, and dorsal Shen-extending methods. Conclusion: Based on the treated body area, the tuina manipulations applied to treat LIDH are predominated by the ones performed on soft tissues, assisted by those on bones and joints. From the way of force exertion, the involved manipulations are majorly the swinging methods, followed by squeezing and pressing ones. The manipulations applied to bones and joints are predominated by the Ban-pulling ones, followed by the Bashen-pulling and extending ones.