Objectives To establish a model of carotid atherosclerotic (AS)stenosis in rabbits and to preliminarily investigate the expression of asparaginyl endopeptidase. Methods Fourteen New Zealand white rabbits were divided into either an model group (n = 8)or a sham operation group (n = 6)according to the random number table. The carotid intima was injured by operation in the model group. The rabbits in both groups were fed with high fat diets containing magnesium for 10 weeks. The rabbits were weighted and their blood lipids were tested every 2 weeks. At the end of the fifth and tenth weeks after procedure,the plaque and vessel stenosis of the rabbits were observed by MRI. At the end of the tenth week after proce-dure,the specimens were collected and sliced. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE)staining was used to observe the pathological changes. Immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the expression of asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP). Results One rabbit in the model group died of carotid artery injury. After being fed with high-fat diets,the body quality and the level of blood lipid were increased in the rabbits of both groups compared with those before procedure (all P < 0. 01). At the end of the fifth and tenth weeks after procedure,MRI revealed that the luminal stenosis rates in the operation group were 16 ± 11% and 53 ± 20% respectively. There was significant difference within the group (t = - 4. 83,P < 0. 01). MRI revealed no luminal stenosis twice in the sham operation group. HE staining showed intimal hyperplasia,AS plaque formation,lipid deposition in plaques,macrophage and smooth muscle cells migration and infiltration forming foam cells in the model group. No AS formation was observed in the sham operation group. The expression of AEP was higher in the rabbit carotid artery tissue in the model group,and it expressed rarely in the sham surgery group. The absorbance values were 0. 072 0 ± 0. 028 0 and 0. 002 0 ± 0. 000 9 respectively. There was significant difference (t = 6. 61,P < 0. 01). Conclusions The methods of injuring carotid intima combined with magnesium containing high-fat diet may exactly,reliably,and quickly establish an AS carotid artery stenosis model. AEP may associat with the occurrence of AS plaques.

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) on evaluation effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. Methods 3.0 T MRI DWI examination was performed in 42 cases of advanced gastric cancer diagnosed by gastroscopy and pathology, including 32 patients were examined with DWI both before and after chemotherapy. Lymph nodes of gastric cancer lesions and display ability of stomach were measured, and the area of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in normal stomach and tumors were compared. ADC values were compared in the same patients before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and analyzed along with postoperative pathological examinations. Results In a total of 40 patients who received 74 DWI examinations, ADC values in tumor and lymph nodes were significantly higher than those in normal tissue. The ADC value in tumors was (1.348 ±0.278) ×10-3 mm2/s, and in 12 cases of stomach lymph node enlargement was (1.329±0.188) ×10-3 mm2/s. However, the average ADC value of normal stomach was (2.081± 0.189) ×10-3 mm2/s with significantly lower DWI than that of the former (P< 0.001). After chemotherapy, the ADC value in tumors was increased, which was (1.572 ±0.261) ×10-3 mm2/s (P< 0.001). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 16 patients received gastric cancer radical prostatectomy, and postoperative pathological TRG ratings of tumor were decreased with different extent. Tumor cell density (TCD) before treatment with an average of 4.45 ×10-5 / px2, which was downgraduated to 2.48 ×10-5 / px2 after chemotherapy and surgery. Negatively correlation between TCD values and ADC values were observed. Conclusion MRI DWI examination can effectively detect advanced stomach cancer and the associated lymph node enlargement. Comparison of tumor morphology and ADC values in advanced gastric cancer before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy has clinical value in prognosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the reliability of Modified Ashworth Scales(MAS) measuring muscular tone of lower extremities of children with spastic cerebral palsy(CP).Methods31 children with spastic CP(19 males, 12 females) were included in this study. The mean age for the children was （51.3±26.8） months; 20 diplegia, 7 quadriplegia, 4 hemiplegia. The muscle tone of hip adductor, hamstring, soleus muscles were tested bilaterally with MAS in lower extremity of the children. Two evaluators used the MAS to assesse the muscles tone of children. To compare with the relativity of the results of interrater and intrarater, the reliability was confirmed.ResultsThe reliability of interrater was poor, the total ICC value was 0.68, while better for the reliability of intrarater, the total ICC value was 0.83.ConclusionIt should be cautions in assessment of spasticity of muscles in the lower extremities of children with spastic CP by MAS.

Objective To explore the clinical features and causes of misdiagnosis of the patients with acquired deficiency of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors (ADVKDCF). Methods Retrospective analysis was performed with the data from 62 patients with ADVKDCF for etiological factors, clinical manifestations,laboratory examinations, diagnosis and treatments. Results Among the 62 patients, 51 patients were with unknown causes( subgroup A) and 11 were with clear histories of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning( subgroup B). The presentations of hemorrhage of the patients varied with hematuria as the most common first symptom,followed by skin, mucosa, muscle, internal organs bleeding (28/62). The most common hemorrhage symptom is hematuria. 35 of the 62 patients had hemoglobin(Hb) levels less than 100 g/L due to blood loss( the lowest level was 32 g/L). Thirty-eight patients were misdiagnosed at the first visit and the median time from hemorrhage manifestation to definite diagnosis was 8 days (range,2 to 192 days). ADVKDCF was mostly misdiagnosed as the urinary system diseases (23/38), followed by hemophilia (8/38). Laboratory examinations showed normal platelet count , throm bin time (TT) and normal fibrinogen(Fg) concentration, but prolonged plasma prothrombin time (PT), activated partial prothrombin time (APTT) and international normalized ration (INR). All of patients received high dose vitamin K ( intravenous vitamin K1 with a initial dose of 20 to 240 mg/d and then oral vitamin K4 maintenance) . The bleeding symptoms disappeared 1 day after treatment and the Hb levels increased dramatically. There were significant differences in PT, APTT and INR of the patients before and after treatment( P ＜0. 01 ). Followed by a median follow - up of 8 months , no patient had severe adverse effects or recurrence. Conclusion The hemorrhage presentations of the patients with ADVKDCF are various. The most common hemorrhage symptom is hematuria. The misdiagnosis rate of ADVKDCF is high with urinary systems disorders as the most common misdiagnosis. Sequential treatment with vitamin K is an effective and safe method to prevent recurrence. Early detection of coagulation function is helpful to reduce misdiagnosis possibility.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of circular RNA circ_100367 in thyroid cancer (THCA) and its relationship with immune-related factors.Methods:According to the data chip provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website, the differentially expressed circRNAs in THCA were analyzed, then circ_100367 was included in this study. The serum of 175 THCA patients and healthy people were collected, and the expression levels of circ_100367 and its linear transcript DCAF8 mRNA in serum samples were detected by qRT-PCR, and the correlation between circ_100367 and DCAF8 was calculated. The correlation between the expression of circ_100367 and the clinicopathological characteristicsof the patients, immune infiltration level and immunosuppressive factor PD-1 was analyzed.Results:Compared with serum of healthy people (1.00±0.37) , expression level of circ_100367 in serum of THCA patients was significantly increased (1.37±0.41) ( t=8.80, P<0.001) , and there was no significant difference in DCAF8 mRNA expression ( t=1.67, P=0.095) , but circ_100367 was positively correlated with DCAF8 mRNA expression ( r=0.17, P=0.028) . Analysis of expression and clinicopathological characteristics of circ_100367 showed that compared with patients in M0 group (1.26±0.40) , circ_100367 was overexpressed in M1 and Mx patients (1.43±0.40) ( t=2.63, P=0.009) ; compared with N0 patients (1.24±0.36) , circ_100367 was overexpressed in serum of N1 and Nx patients (1.45±0.42) ( t=3.48, P=0.001) ; compared with serum of patients with negative lymph node detection (1.28±0.36) , circ_100367 was overexpressed in serum of positive patients (1.42±0.43) ( t=2.14, P=0.034) ; compared with T1+T2 stage patients (1.30±0.37) , circ_100367 expression was overexpressed in serum ofT3+T4 patients (1.40±0.43) ( t=2.22, P=0.028) . Analysis of the expression and immune infiltration levels of circ_100367 found that highly expressed circ_100367 was associated with CD8+ T cells ( r=0.25, P=0.024) , macrophages ( r=0.22, P=0.038) , CD4+ T cells ( r=0.25, P=0.020) and B cell ( r=0.23, P=0.033) levels. The expression of circ_100367 was also positively correlated with the immunosuppressive factor PD-1 ( r=0.19, P=0.011) . Conclusion:circ_100367 can be used as a marker for the diagnosis of THCA and its expression is strongly correlated with immune-related factors.

Objective To determine clinical features and rupture risk of anterior communicating artery (AComA) aneurysms in different age groups. Methods The clinical data of 519 consecutive patients with AComA aneurysms in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between December 2007 and February 2015 were reviewed and divided into younger group (<65 years) and older group (≥65 years). The clinical characteristics and aneurysm morphologies were compared between the two groups. Results There were 390 aneurysms in younger group, and 129 in older groups. For the younger group, hypertension,the size of the aneurysms, maximum height, perpendicular height, size ratio (SR), aspect ratio (AR), aneurysm angle, A1 segment configuration, morphology showed significantly differences in ruptured aneurysms group compared with those in unruptured aneurysms (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that significant difference between the two groups was aneurysm size ( OR＝1.461,95% CI 1.027-2.079, P＝0.035). For the older group, there were statistically significant differences in hypertension,size of the aneurysms, maximum height, perpendicular height, SR, aneurysm angle, vessel size and the distribution of aneurysm projection between the ruptured aneurysms group and unruptured aneurysms group (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that SR ( OR＝11.516,95% CI 1.782-74.445,P＝0.01) was the only significant predictor of aneurysm rupture. Between the younger and older groups,the distributions of sex, hypertension, smoke, vessel size and SR were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions For younger people, the males who smoked are more likely to have AcomA aneurysms and the size of the aneurysms is independent risk of aneurysm rupture. For older people, the females with hypertension also more often have AcomA aneurysms and the SR is independently associated with aneurysm rupture.

Objective: To evaluate the short-term and long-term outcomes after laparoscopic surgery compared with traditional laparotomy in cases of stage ⅠA2-ⅡA2 cervical cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on the clinical data of 1 863 patients diagnosed as FIGO stages ⅠA2-ⅡA2 cervical cancer in 6 third-grade class-A hospitals in Guangxi province between January 2007 and May 2014. One thousand and seventy-one received laparoscopy, and 792 received laparotomy. T-test, U-test and χ² test were used to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes. The short-term outcomes included surgical related outcomes and operative complications, and the long-term outcomes included quality of life (pelvic floor functions and sexual functions), survival and recurrence. Pelvic floor function and sexual function were assessed with the International Consultation on Incontinence Quesonnaire Female Lower Urinary tract(ICIQ-FLUTS) and the Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI), respectively. Survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The survival curves were compared with Log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to evaluaterisk factors for prognosis. Results: (1)The short-term outcomes : There were significant difference in operative time([(257±69) vs(238±56)min], estimated blood loss[(358±314) vs(707±431)ml], anus exhausting time[(2.5±0.9) vs (2.9±0.8)d], preserved days of catheter[(15±7) vs(18±9)d], and post-operative length of stay[(19±16) vs (30±21)d] between the laparoscopic surgery group and the opensurgery group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in lymph nodes yielded[(21±9) vs (21±11)], left parametrial width[(2.5±0.8) vs (2.7±0.7)cm], right parametrial width [(2.6±0.3) vs (2.7±0.2)cm], vaginal cuff length[(2.4±0.7) vs (2.2±0.7)cm] between the laparoscopic surgery group and the opensurgery group(P>0.05). The intra-operative complications occurred in 8.1%(87/1 071)in the laparoscopic surgery group and in 10.7%(85/792)in the open surgery group(P>0.05). However, the complications of vascular injury in the laparoscopic surgery group[2.6%(28/1 071)]was lower than that in the open surgery group[7.7%(61/792), P<0.001]. The laparoscopic surgery exhibited lower post- operative complication rate [33.8%(362/1 071)vs 40.2%(318/792), P<0.05] and poorer wound healing rate [0.7%(7/1 071)vs 4.0%(32/792), P<0.05]. (2)The long-term outcomes(Hierarchical analysis): The overall incontinence in ICIQ-FLUTS questionnaire in nerve-sparing laparoscopic group [28.4%(67/236)] was lower than that in the open surgery group [35.9%(71/198), P=0.004] . However, There was no significant difference in degree of incontinence between the two groups(P>0.05). The overall sexual dysfunction in FSFI questionnaire after 12 months of postoperative in the nerve-sparing laparoscopic group [47.0%(111/236)]was lower than that in the open surgery group [58.6%(116/198), P=0.001], and the six different dimension scores in the laparoscopic surgery group were higher than that in the open surgery group (P<0.05). The recurrence rate was 3.5%(35/1 007)in the laparoscopicsurgery group and 4.7%(35/740)in the open surgery group(P>0.05). The 5-year OS was 94.0% for the laparoscopic surgery group and 90.2% for the open surgery group(P>0.05), and the 5-year DFS was 93.9% for the laparoscopic surgery group and 89.1% for the open surgery group(P>0.05). (3) Prognostic fators: In univariate analysis, tumor dimension, clinical stage, deep stromal invasion, LVSI, and retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis signficantly affected 5-year OS and 5-year DFS(P<0.05); In multivariate analyses, LVSI, deep stromal invasion and LN metastasis were independent prognostic factors(P<0.05). Conclusions Laparoscopy can reduceestimated blood loss, accelerate postoperative recovery and improve the quality of life after surgery compared to laparotomy, and it ensures the same oncological results as open surgery. Laparoscopic approach is a safe and effective treatment for early-stage cervical cancer.

Homeostasis ; Taste/physiology* ; Zinc