Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Combinations ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Ribavirin ; therapeutic use

Objective To prospectively investigate the characteristics and correlative influential factors for the changes in pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH)in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients without end-stage renal disease.Methods Complete clinical and laboratory data of 133 outpatients without ESRD (CKD stage 2,3 and 4)in Beijing Hospital between January 2012 and January 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.Pulmonary artery systolic pressure(PASP)was assessed by echocardiography according to the guideline from the American Society of Echocardiography in 2010,and PASP more than 35 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)was diagnosed as PAH.Results PAH was found in twelve(9.0 ％) patients,including 7 females and 5 males,with mean age(82.9 ± 5.4 years).The prevalence of PAH was 2.3％,10.9％ and 17.6％ in the patients of CKD stage 2,3 and 4(P＜ 0.05) respectively.PASP could be calculated in 67 patients in whom tricuspid regurgitation was present.The mean PASP was (27.1 ± 5.4) mmHg,(31.0 ± 8.3) mmHg and (37.3 ± 13.8) mmHg in patients with CKD stage 2,3 and 4,respectively(P ＜ 0.05).Body mass index(BMI),eGFR and BUN showed significant differences between PAH group and non-PAH group with statistical significance (P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the lower BMI and the higher stage of CKD were independent risk factors for PAH (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions PAH is not a rare complication in the CKD patients without end-stage renal disease.The incidence of PAH is significantly associated with lower BMI and the higher stage of CKD.Doppler echocardiography should be performed periodically to detect PAH in CKD patients in order to improve the prognosis of these patients.

Objective To explore the protectional function of CpG ODN 1826 against radiation pulmonary fibrosis in rats.Methods The rat left lung was exposed to 20 Gy of 6 MV X-rays for establishing a radiation pulmonary fibrosis model.SD rats were randomly divided into control group,irradiated group and intervention group,with 30 rats in each group.CpG ODN 1826 was intraperitoneally injected into rats at 0,1,2,5 and 7 d post-irradiation.The rats were terminated at 5,15,30 and 90 d post-irradiation,and the lung indexes were recorded.Paraffin sections of the radiated lung were conducted with HE staining and Masson staining,the pulmonary fibrosis scores were recorded.The serum concentrations of TGF-β1 and hydroxyproline (Hyp) were measured.Results The radiation pulmonary fibrosis rat model was successfully established.The lung indexes of the control group were lower than those of the irradiated and intervention groups at 5 d post-irradiation (t =3.046,2.252,P ＜ 0.05).The lung indexes of the intervention group were lower than those of the irradiated group (t =4.120,5.226,5.719,P ＜ 0.05).Pulmonary fibrosis scores of intervention group were lower than those of irradiated group (t =3.212,4.959,P ＜ 0.05).The serum concentrations of TGF-β1 of irradiated group were higher than those of the intervention group (t =4.138,5.924,4.138,5.924,P ＜ 0.05).The Hyp in the lung of irradiated group was higher than that of intervention group (t =7.527,8.416,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions CpG ODN1826 will not worse the radiation pulmonary fibrosis,on the contrary,it could reduce the serum concentrations of TGF-β1 and the lung content of Hyp in radiation pulmonary fibrosis,and protects rat against radiation pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the X-ray,CT findings and its pathological basis of nonossifying fibroma(NOF).Methods X-ray and CT features of NOF confirmed by surgical pathology in 17 cases,and correlative study of imaging andpathology was done.Results 17 lesions were showed as eccentric and expanded destruction located in the cortex,and the remains of bone could be found inside the tumor,the lesions projecting into marrow cavity with a thin bone between the tumor and marrow.The tumors were grey-yellow or brown tissue around by the thin bone found in operation.NOF was consisted of a lot of shuttle cell and collagen fiber under microscope,some of macrophagocyte with multiple nucleuses and foam cell dropped disseminating in them,and there was not osteogenesis in the tumor.Conclusion The pathological changes of NOF can be reflected by X-ray and CT.

OBJECTIVETo prospectively evaluate the efficacy of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-based therapy for treating liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and to investigate the patients' perception of the treatment's effects on quality of life (QoL).

METHODSA total of 430 patients with CHB-related liver fibrosis were randomly assigned to treatment groups for receipt of a 12-month course of the antiviral drug entecavir alone (control group) or in combination with the TCM Liuweiwuling tablets. Patients were assessed before (pre-treatment) and after therapy and the treatment-related differences in clinical manifestations, levels of liver function markers and liver fibrosis indexes, color ultrasound images, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA load were compared between the two groups by statistical analysis. The generic QoL scale developed by the World Health Organization (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to score the patients' perceptions of treatment outcome.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the patients in both groups showed significant improvement in the majority of clinical manifestations (both P less than 0.05), with the exception of bloating. In addition, both groups showed significant improvements of liver function markers and in signs of liver fibrosis (both P less than 0.05). Both groups also showed significant reductions in the diameters of the portal and splenic (both P less than 0.05), as well as increases in the rate of undetectable HBV DNA (with a statistically similar outcome achieved in the two groups). Finally, both groups had higher QoL scores after treatment, with all assessed parameters except environment showing a significant improvement (all P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONWhen used in combination with entecavir, the TCM Liuweiwuling tablet is a safe therapy for CHB and its related liver fibrosis and may help to improve the QoL of these patients.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Guanine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Treatment Outcome

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) in bladder is extremely rare. In this study, we reported one case of bladder SFT and reviewed the only ten cases of the disease that had been reported so far. The patient suffered from residual urine sensation and urethral pain. Cystoscopy revealed a 7-cm protruding mass at the dome of the bladder, and bladder mucosa biopsy showed normal differentiation of the bladder mucosa with a small amount of inflammatory cells. Radical resection of the tumor was performed in this patient. Pathological examination found uniform, haphazardly arranged spindle cells, the majority of which were CD34-positive and Vimentin-positive and proved that the mass was a solitary fibrous tumor. Within a period of 9 months of follow-up, no reoccurrence was found.

Objective Survivin is overexpressed in gastric cancer. However it not expressed in normal gastric mucosa. The expression of survivin is tightly related to the prognosis of gastric cancer.By gene reconstruction we generated pcDNA3 survivin mutant(Cys84Ala) plasmid, and observed its effect on the gastric carcinoma cell lines. Methods The survivin mRNA and protein expression levels were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT PCR) analysis,Western blot and immunohistochemical staining respectively . Flowcytometry and acridine orange staning were employed to detect apoptosis. Results Overexpression of survivin mRNA and protein were detected in the gastric cancer cell lines. Inhibition of survivin by survivin mutant cDNA induced apoptosis,activated caspase 3 activity,cleaved PARP and promoted cytochrome C releasing in gastric cancer cells,and effectively sensitized gastric cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Conclusion Inhibition of survivin may induce apoptosis in gastic cancer and sensitize gastric cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.Survivin targeted therapeutic protocol may potentially benefit gastric cancer therapy.

Objective To investigate the possible signal pathway of the apoptosis in gastric cancer cell lines(SGC 7901 and MKN 45)induced by arsenic trioxide. Methods TUNEL method was used to observe the influence of calcium antagonist, inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and protein tyrosine kinase(PTK) on the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells induced by arsenic trioxide. Levels of cAMP, PKC and PTK were detected before and after the treatment with arsenic trioxide. Results Both PKC and PTK inhibitors could induce apoptosis of gastric cancer cell lines, also both of them had a cooperative action with arsenic trioxide in inducing apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, while calcium antagonist had no any effect on the apoptosis of gastric cancer cell lines. PKC and PTK levels decreased but cAMP level increased during the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells induced by arsenic trioxide ( P

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; China ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; Mongolia ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

To investigate the exon mutation of vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX or VKDC) in patients with calcium oxalate urolithasis, renal cortex and peripheral blood samples were obtained from severe hydronephrosis patients (with or without calculi), and renal tumor patients undergoing nephrectomy. GGCX mutations in all 15 exons were examined in 44 patients with calcium oxalate urolithiasis (COU) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denatured high pressure liquid chromatography (DHPLC), and confirmed by sequencing. Mutation was not found in all COU samples compared to the controls. These data demonstrated that functional GGCX mutations in all 15 exons do not occur in most COU patients. It was suggested that there may be no significant association between the low activity and mutation of GGCX in COU.