Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; enzymology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peroxidase ; blood

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic efficacy of interferon (IFN) therapy and risk of long-term administration for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who cannot tolerate the standard treatment.

METHODSForty-six CHC patients who had proven intolerant to standard treatments were treated with low-dose IFN (non-pegylated IFN: 60 to 300MIU QOD, or pegylated IFN: 50 to 90 mug/w) plus ribavirin (RBV; 0.6g to 0.9 g/d) for 72 weeks.

RESULTSForty-three (93.5%) of the patients were able to tolerate the long-term treatment with low-dose IFN plus RBV. Only three patients experienced severe side effects (low white blood cell and platelet counts) that required treatment withdrawal. The virology response rates over treatment time were: rapid virologic response (RVR): 10.9%; early virus response (EVR): 30.4%; 24 week virologic response: 45.7%; and, 48 week virologic response: 47.8%. B-sonographic imaging revealed that three patients experienced improved liver morphology through the treatment course. The patients who achieved RVR, EVR, or 24 weeks virologic response also attained higher 48 week virologic response. The 24 week virologic response had the strongest predictive value of good prognosis.

CONCLUSIONSOur study demonstrated that long-term treatment with low-dose interferon plus ribavirin is effective for patients who are otherwise intolerant to standard treatment. In these patients, low-dose IFN plus RBV can obtain a high virologic response rate at 48 week. Furthermore, the 24 week virologic response is sufficiently predictive of treatment success. As with any treatment regimen, it is important for healthcare workers to monitor the disease status and potential side effects throughout the course of therapy.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Interferons ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDBacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can activate immunological cells to secrete various proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathophysiological process of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) during infection. In recent years, it has been found that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can affect the activity of these immune cells and regulate the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Here, we report the possible protective effect of BMSCs pre-treatment in LPS-induced DIC rat model and the mechanism.

METHODSForty-eight adult male rats were divided into five experimental groups and one control group with eight animals in each group. In the treatment groups, 0, 1'10(6), 2'10(6), 3'10(6), and 5'10(6) of BMSCs were injected intravenously for 3 days before LPS injection, while the control group was treated with pure cell culture medium injection. Then, the LPS (3 mg/kg) was injected via the tail vein in the treatment groups, while the control group received 0.9% NaCl. Blood was withdrawn before and 4 and 8 hours after LPS administration. The following parameters were monitored: platelets (PLT), fibrinogen (Fib), D-dimer (D-D), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interferon-g (IFN-g), interleukin-1b (IL-1b), creatinine (Cr), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and endothelin (ET).

RESULTSCompared with the control group, a significant change of coagulation parameters were found in the experimental groups. The plasma level of the inflammatory mediator (TNF-a, IFN-g, IL-1b), organ indicator (Cr, ALT, and CK-MB), and ET in the experimental groups were much lower (P < 0.05) than that in the control group. Furthermore, some of these effects were dose-dependent; the statistical comparison of the plasma levels between the groups (from group 2 to group 5) showed a significant difference (P < 0.05), except the ALT and CK-MB levels (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPre-treatment with BMSCs can attenuate organ dysfunction and inhibit systemic intravascular coagulation effectively via the regulatory effect on immune cells and proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced DIC rat model.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Creatinine ; metabolism ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of isotretinoin and viaminate for the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris.Methods A multiple-centre,double-blind,double-analog comparative clinical trial was conducted.Patients diagnosed with moderate to severe acne by GAGS (global acne grading system) were randomly divided into isotretinoin group (10 mg,bid) and viaminate group (50 mg,tid);treatment was done for a total of 6 weeks.All subjects were evaluated before treatment,and at 2,4,6 weeks after the initiation of treatment,for evaluation of lesion count,and for observation of thera- peutic effects and side effects.Results A total of 217 patients were enrolled this trial,of which,213 could be evaluated in a FAS (Full Analysis Set) analysis and 200 in a PPS (per protocol) analysis.There was no significant difference in the efficacy at 2,4,6 weeks after the initiation of treatment between the isotretinoin group and viaminate group (6.0% vs 5.0%,29.0% vs 20.0%,57.0 % vs 51.0 %,respectively). However,the inflammatory papules and pustules decreased more rapidly in the isotretinoin group than in the viaminate group at each of the follow up evaluations (all P＜0.05).There was no obvious difference in the rate of clearance of comedones and nodules between the two groups.Both the occurrence rate (68.81% vs 36.53%,P＜0.001) and severity (P＜0.05) of side effects were higher in the isotretinoin group than in the viaminate group.The main adverse events included mouth dryness,dizziness,etc,occurred more fre- quently in the isotretinoin group than in the viaminate group.Conclusion For the treatment of moderate to severe acne,the efficacy of isotretinoin is similar to that of viaminate;however,isotretinoin has more imme- diate effect with more side effects than viaminate.

Catalase ; genetics ; Mycelium ; growth & development ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Sporothrix ; enzymology ; growth & development

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the living donor selection, donor hepatectomy technique, and surgical complication in living donor liver transplantation.

METHODSFrom June 2007 to July 2008, 74 consecutive cases living donor hepatectomy were performed by the same surgical team. Seventy-four donors (64 males and 10 females) with a mean age of 29.2 years old passed the donor liver assessment and evaluation program successfully. The hepatectomy procedure types contained right liver resection (n = 72), of which 27 cases harvested the middle hepatic vein and 45 cases not, left liver resection contain middle hepatic vein (n = 1) and left lateral resection (n = 1).

RESULTSOf all the donors, operation time was (6.5 +/- 6.2) hours, the mean blood loss was 300 ml (100 - 500 ml) and didn't accept foreign blood transfusion. The maximum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level was (229.5 +/- 108.6) U/L, the ALT returned to normal time was (12.7 +/- 4.8) d, the maximum total bilirubin (TB) level was (78.7 +/- 44.3) micromol/L, the TB returned to normal time was (8.8 +/- 2.7) d, and the mean hospital stay time was 14 days (7 - 28 d). The complications included bile leak (n = 1), cut surface hemorrhage (n = 1) and anaphylactoid purpura (n = 1). All the donors returned to normal work and life finally.

CONCLUSIONSPrecisely evaluating donor blood vascular and biliary anatomy before operation, keeping the blood vascular and bile duct integrity during operation and monitoring complication to solve it immediately after operation is crucial to ensure donor safety and recovering successfully.

Adult ; Donor Selection ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation ; methods ; Living Donors ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; prevention & control ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective To study the biological characteristics of Yersinia pestis and to develop prevention and control program on plague in Sanjiangyuan areas,Qinghai province.Methods To identify the biologic types and molecular biological features of Y.pestis isolated in Sanjiangyuan area from 1954-2007.Results Among the 411 strains ofY.pestis,12 strains belonged to the microtus type Y.pestis with denitrification (-) and donkey-bible gelatin carbohydrate(-) and glycerine(+).399 strains belonged to classic type Y.pestis with denitrification (+) and donkey-hide gelatin carbohydrate (+) and glycerine (+).411 Y.pestis strains had factor F I and Pst I.Among them,VW + strains of Y.pestis accounted for 95.13%(391/411),VW accounted for 4.87%(20/411),Pgm+accounted for 80.78%(332/411 ),Pgm±accounted for 9% (37/411 ) and Pgm-accounted for 10.22% (42/411) respectively.96.82% (213/220) of the Y.pestis strains showed strong virulence to laboratory mice while 3.18% (7/220) of the strains carried medium virulence.90.02% of the tested Y.pestis (370/411) strains had 6×106,45×106,65×106 plasmids.8 types of genome were found among 80 strains of Y.pestis,with 6 of them resembling ZHOU Dongsheng's classification.Two new genome types were found.Conclusion The Y.pestis in the Sanjiangyuan area had the characteristics of plague pathogen,identified in Qinghai-Tibet plateau.It is estimated that human beings are highly susceptible to the disease which spread fast,causing serious signs and symptoms with high death rate.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the expression and clinical significance of urinary nuclear matrix protein (NMP22) and cytokeratin 18 (CK18) for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

METHODSUrinary NMP22 and CK18 levels of 293 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, 400 patients with non-transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, and 105 bladder benign disease were analysed by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSThe levels of urinary NMP22 and CK18 in the patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (M = 17.3 U/ml, M(CK18) = 484.2 U/L) were significantly higher than those in the non-transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (M = 6.8 U/ml, M(CK18) = 156.0 U/L) and the benign disease group (M(NMP22) = 2.3 U/ml, M(CK18) = 66.6 U/L) (P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of urinary NMP22 and CK18 were 79.2%, 88.6% and 78.2%, 82.9%, respectively, for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder before any treatment. The joint sensitivity of the two markers was 91.7%. The NMP22 and CK18 levels were significantly lower in the recovered patients after surgical operation (P < 0.01), while in patients with recurrence or metastasis the levels of the markers were significantly higher (P < 0.01). There was a significant relationship between NMP22 and CK18, (r = 0.689, P < 0.01). The levels of urinary nmp22 and CK18 were significantly different among pathological grade G1, G2, G3, and stage Ta, T1, T2, T3 (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONNMP22 and CK18 are useful tumor marker for diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and for monitoring the state of illness. The joint use of the two markers can improve the sensitivity of cancer detection. NMP22 and CK18 may become a new class of tumor markers, and to be the basis for development of a new assay with an increased efficacy for the detection and treatment of bladder cancer.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; urine ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; urine ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; urine ; Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Keratin-18 ; urine ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; urine ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nuclear Proteins ; urine ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; urine ; Young Adult

The growth of three plague phages from Qinghai Plateau in two Yersinia pestis strains(plague vaccine strains EV76 and 614F)and four non-Yersinia pestis strains(Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PTB3,PTB5,Escherichia coli V517,and Yersinia enterocolitica 52302-2)were detected through a micromethod based on the OmniLogTM microbial identification system and by the drop method,to provide a scientific basis for future ecological studies and classification based on the host range.For plague vaccine strains EV76 and 614F,successful phage infection and subsequent phage growth were observed in the host bacte-rium.Diminished bacterial growth and respiration and a concomitant decrease in color were observed with the OmniLogTM mi-crobial identification system at 33 ℃ for 48 h.Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PTB5 was sensitive to Yersinia pestis phage 476,but Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PST5 was insensitive to phage 087 and 072204.Three strains of non-Yersinia pestis(Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PTB3,Escherichia coli V517,and Yersinia enterocolitica 52302-2)were insensitive to Yersinia pestis pha-ges 087,072204,and 476 showed similar growth curves.The growth of phages 476 and 087,as determined with the drop method,in two Yersinia pestis strains(plague vaccine strains EV76 and 614F)and four non-Yersinia pestis strains(Yersinia pseudotuberculosis PTB3,Escherichia coli V517,and Yersin-ia enterocolitica 52302-2)showed the same results at 37 ℃,on the basis of comparisons with the OmniLogTM microbial i-dentification system;in contrast,phages 072204 did not show plaques on solid medium at 37 ℃ with plague vaccine strains EV76 and 614F.Determination based on the OmniLogTM detection system can be used as an alternative to the traditional determination of the host range,thus providing favorable application val-ue for determining the interaction between the phage and host bacteria.

BACKGROUNDHigh-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) with folinic acid (leucovorin) rescue is "gold standard" therapy for osteosarcoma. Plasma concentrations of methotrexate (MTX) are closely related to its efficacy and toxicity. Delayed excretion of MTX can lead to serious adverse reactions that may result in treatment cessation, irreversible organ damage, and death. This study focused on the incidence of delayed excretion of MTX in Chinese osteosarcoma patients.

METHODSA total of 1277 osteosarcoma patients were treated with HD-MTX chemotherapy (4291 cycles) from 2010 to 2015. Factors that could influence delayed excretion of MTX (gender, age, number of chemotherapy cycles, and serum concentration of MTX) were analyzed.

RESULTSThe incidence of delayed excretion of MTX (serum concentrations at 24 h [C24 h] >5 μmol/L) and severe delayed excretion of MTX (C24 h >20 μmol/L) were 6.19% and 0.86% per patient, and 2.31% and 0.26% per cycle of treatment, respectively. The incidence of severe delayed excretion of MTX was associated with gender, age, and C24 h.

CONCLUSIONSPrecaution of delayed excretion of MTX is needed during osteosarcoma treatment using HD-MTX. An optimal individualized rescue strategy can be created with consideration of gender, age, and C24 h.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Child ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Female ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Male ; Methotrexate ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Osteosarcoma ; blood ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult