High dose methotrexate is a cornerstone of therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and osteosarcoma.However MTX levers exhibit significant inter-individual variability in clinical,and acute toxicity after high-does MTX is often unexpected,thus it needs individual administration.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of plantar medial perforator artery based reverse island medial dorsal pedal neurocutaneous vascular flaps.

METHODS12 cases with soft tissue defects of forefeet were treated by plantar medial perforator artery based reverse island medial dorsal pedal neurocutaneous vascular flaps. The flap size ranged from 3.0 cm x 3.5 cm to 5.5 cm x 8.5 cm.

RESULTAll flaps survived completely. The patients were followed up for 6 - 24 months. The texture and flexibility of the flaps were normal with no ulcer. The sensation improved with the two-point discrimination of 7 - 10 mm. The cosmetic and functional results were satisfactory. The wounds at donor site healed primarily.

CONCLUSIONSThe flaps have expanded size for large defects with good flexibility, thickness and texture. It is easily performed with less morbidity to main artery.

Adult ; Female ; Foot Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Skin Transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Surgical Flaps ; blood supply ; innervation ; Tibial Arteries ; surgery ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the value of ultrasound elastography in evaluation of ethanol-induced lesions of liver.

METHODSAlcohol with a dose of 2 ml was injected into a fresh porcine liver under ultrasound guidance to create stiff necrosis. Then freehand elastography of the lesion from the identical scan plane was obtained with SONOLINE Antares system using VF10-5 probe at about every 30 seconds till 6 minutes later. The original high quality radiofrequency data were acquired through an ultrasound research interface which was provided by the ultrasound system. Then, corresponding elastograms were produced offline using cross-correlation technique and compared with gross pathology findings.

RESULTSGray-scale sonogram showed a hyperechoic area with acoustic shadow below appeared immediately after alcohol injection. The hyperechoic area tended to be diffuse and its boundary to be illegible with time. On the contrary, the ethanol-induced lesion in elastogram appeared as a low strain hard region surrounded by high strain soft hepatic tissues, with clear but irregular boundaries. Sequential elastograms with the sketched lesion boundaries showed that the lesion area increased in the first 3 minutes after ethanol injection, and then reached a plateau which corresponding to gross specimen.

CONCLUSIONUltrasound elastography is capable of detecting and evaluating the diffusion of ethanol-induced hepatic lesion, and more sensitive and accurate than routine sonography.

Animals ; Elasticity ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; instrumentation ; methods ; Ethanol ; pharmacology ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; drug effects ; pathology ; Swine ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVETo study the value of ultrasound elastography in the evaluation of ethanol-induced lesions of liver.

METHODSAlcohol with a dose of 2 ml was injected into a fresh porcine liver under ultrasound guidance to create stiff necrosis. Then freehand elastography of the lesion from the identical scan plane was obtained with Siemens SONOLINE Antares system using VF10-5 probe at about every 30 seconds till 6 minutes later. The original high-quality radio-frequency data were acquired through an ultrasound research interface provided by the ultrasound system. Corresponding elastograms were then produced offline using cross-corre-lation technique and compared with gross specimen.

RESULTSA hyperechoic area with acoustic shadow below appeared immediately after alcohol injection. The hyperechoic area diffused and its boundary was illegible following injection. On the contrary, the ethanol-induced lesion in elastography appeared as a low strain hard region surrounded by high-strain soft hepatic tissues with clear but irregular boundaries. Sequential elastograms with the lesion boundaries sketched showed that the lesion area grew in the first 3 minutes after ethanol injection and then reached a plateau, which corresponded to the gross specimen.

CONCLUSIONUltrasound elastography can be used to detect and evaluate the diffusion of ethanol-induced hepatic lesion.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; methods ; Ethanol ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Liver Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Swine

Biomarkers ; blood ; Diagnostic Techniques, Digestive System ; Elasticity ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the usefulness of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of biliary diseases.

METHODSCEUS was performed in 57 patients with biliary diseases. The contrast enhancement characteristics and the morphologic features were observed. The ultrasonographic results were compared with those obtained through conventional 2-D ultrasound (2D-US), color Doppler flow ultrasound (CDFI), and clinical, surgical, and laboratory findings. In some cases, the ultrasonographic results were also compared with those obtained from contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT).

RESULTSThe diagnostic accuracy of 2D-US combined with CEUS was significantly higher than that of 2D-US combined with CDFI 87.7% vs 71.9%; chi(2) = 4.41, P < 0.05). CEUS clearly showed the presence/absence of blood supply in biliary lesions and offered real-time imaging of the microcirculation perfusion in the lesions. It also offered useful information to differentiate biliary tumors from stones, bile mud, and/or blood clots. It distinctly displayed the size and contour of the lesions as well as the infiltrated range, depth, and the involved area. However, CEUS is most useful in reflecting blood perfusion patterns; it had limited value in differentiating the malignancies of polypoid lesions. The diagnostic accuracy (87.0% vs 91.3%;chi(2) = 0. 45, P > 0.05) and the size and range of the lesions displayed (0.4-6.2 cm vs 0.4-6.0 cm, P = 0.721) were not significantly different between CEUS and CECT.

CONCLUSIONCEUS is a useful tool in the routine ultrasonography of biliary diseases.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

AIMTo investigate the chemical components of Boswellia carterii.

METHODSChromatographic technologies were used for separation and purification, while spectral analysis was used for structure elucidation.

RESULTSSix compounds were isolated and their structures were identified as acetyl-alpha-boswellic acid (1), acetyl-beta-boswellic acid (2), lup-20(29)-ene-3 alpha-acetoxy-24-oic acid (3), alpha-boswellic acid (4), beta-boswellic acid (5) and acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (6).

CONCLUSIONCompound 3 is a new constituent.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Boswellia ; chemistry ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Triterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of acupuncture serum on Ca2+ content in the cultured nervous cells of hippocampus after ischemia-reperfusion, so as to probe into humoral factors in acupuncture treatment.

METHODSThe neurons of the hippocampus from the new born rats were cultured for 9-11 days. Fluorescein-molecular probe Fluo-3 AM was used for staining of intracellular Ca2+. Fluorescent levels in the nervous cells cultured with the serum of the normal rats or the rats given electroacupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Quchi" (LI 11) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 2 weeks were determined by using a laser confocal microscope.

RESULTSAfter the normal serum was added, the intracellular Ca2+ fluorescent levels increased to 697 +/- 113 from 461 +/- 96, while after acupuncture serum was added, the Ca2+ fluorescent levels decreased to 584 +/- 103 from 673 +/- 108, indicating that after addition of acupuncture serum, the increased intracellular Ca2+ content could be decreased.

CONCLUSIONThere are some active substances in acupuncture serum which can obviously decrease intracellular Ca2+ content after ischemia-reperfusion, so as to provide a direct evidence for role of humoral factor in acupuncture treatment.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Blood Proteins ; pharmacology ; Brain Ischemia ; metabolism ; therapy ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Hippocampus ; blood supply ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Serum ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe effect of serum of the rat after acupuncture on Ca2+ content of cultured nervous cells in vitro for exploring the role of humoral factors in acupuncture.

METHODSNeurons of the cerebral cortex from the new born rats were taken and were cultured in a medium, 7 - 10 days later, fluorescein-molecular probe Fluo-3AM was used for staining of intracellular Ca2+. The intracellular Ca2+ levels in the nervous cells cultured with the serum of the normal rats or the rats given acupuncture at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Quchi" (LI 11) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 2 weeks were determined by using a laser confocal microscope.

RESULTSAfter addition of the serum of.normal rats, the intracellular Ca2+ level increased and then gradually got stable, and when the acupuncture serum was added to the cultured medium, its level decreased to a certain extent.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture serum can significantly decrease Ca2+ level in cultured cells of the cerebral cortex, which provides a direct evidence for involvement of humoral factors in the role of acupuncture.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Cerebral Cortex ; Neurons ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the supply of iodized salt in non-excessive iodine counties and iodine-free salt in excessive iodine counties at household level in Hebei province so as to provide a basis for the prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders(IDD). Methods According to the national project of IDD surveillance,the county was taken as the elementary sampling unit. The towns and villages were selected by systematic and random sampling in every county and households were chosen by random sampling to collect their edible salt in Hebei province in 2008. The salt iodine content in non-and excessive iodine regions was detected by direct titrition method and semiquantitative method respectively. Results all 48 448 salt samples were collected from 167 non-excessive iodine counties. Weighed by the population of counties,the rate of non-iodized salt was 4.73%. Iodized salt accounted for 95.27%,out of which,96.13% were qualified and the consuming rate of qualified iodized salt was 91.96%. Eighty point eighty three percent(135/167) of the counties covered by iodized salt above 95%,92.81% (155/167) passing rate of iodized salt above 90% and 82.04 (137/167) consuming rate of qualified iodized salt. All 1466 salt samples were collected in 5 counties with excessive water iodine content and the coverage rate of iodine-free salt was 93.25%(1367/1466). Conclusions In a nutshell,the national targets for preliminary elimination of IDD have been achieved in regions of non-excessive iodine of Hebei province. Nevertheless,the coverage rate of iodized salt and qualified iodize salt rate in some counties are still below the national standard. Therefore the prevention and control of IDD need to be strengthened. The supply of iodized salt in excessive iodine regions should be timely stopped.