OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Weichang'an (WCA, a Chinese preparation) in preventing post-operative metastasis of progressive stage of gastric cancer.

METHODSA prospective randomized, controlled study was conducted by dividing the 148 patients of progressive staged gastric cancer after radical operation into the WCA group, the chemotherapy (CT) group and the WCA + CT group, to observe the survival rate, metastasis rate, quality of life (QOF) and tumor-bearing survival time after relapse (TST) in patients.

RESULTSThe 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate after operation in the WCA + CT group was 89.51%, 69.77% and 55.76% respectively, which was significantly higher than that in the CT group (83.86%, 59.33% and 49.43%) respectively (P < 0.05), but showed insignificant difference as compared with that in the WCA group (93.23%, 79.34% and 71.78%). Only 1-year metastasis in the WCA group was 15.25%, and in the WCA + CT group was 15.52%, the two were significantly lower than that in the CT group (35.48%, P < 0.05). But the comparison of 2-year metastasis rate among the 3 groups (28.81%, 41.38% and 45.16%) and 3-year metastasis rate among them (33.90%, 46.55% and 51.61%) were insignificantly different. The QOF and TST were markedly better in the WCA group than those in the CT group.

CONCLUSIONWCA has preventive effect on relapse and metastasis in post-operational gastric cancer patients.

Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitomycin ; administration & dosage ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between syndrome differ classification of knee osteoarthritis and X-ray image, so as to provide evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

METHODSFrom Jun. 2007 to Dec. 2007, 78 patients (108 knees) with knee osteoarthritis were reviewed, including 65 females (89 knees) and 13 males (19 knees), ranging in age from 41 to 77 years. According to the standards for the differentiation of syndrome in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis defined in Principle of Clinical Research for New Traditional Herbs, the patients were divided into three types: Type I, insufficiency of the liver and kidney, with stagnation of tendons and muscles, 43 knees; Type II, insufficiency of the spleen and kidney, with dampness infusion into bone and joints, 26 knees; Type I, deficiency of the liver and kidney, with inter-obstruction of phlegm and stasis 39 knees. Normotopia and lateral plain film of knee joint of weigh loading and in erect position, and patellofemoral Skyline plain flim was taken. Joint space narrow, osteophyte generation, subchondral osteosclerosis and subchondral cystic degeneration were evaluated. All data were analyzed by K independent samples nonparametric test in order to find out the correlation between syndrome differ classification of knee osteoarthritis and X-ray image.

RESULTSIt was shown that after K independent samples nonparametric test about syndrome differ classification of knee osteoarthritis and X-ray image: there were significant differences among three types about lateral patella osteophyte, condyles of tibia osteophyte and Type II was the most serious, Type I was secondary, Type II was the lightest. Other index had no obvious difference among the three groups.

CONCLUSIONThere is certain correlation between syndrome differ classification of knee osteoarthritis and X-ray image. There are significant differences among three types about lateral patella osteophyte, condyles of tibia osteophyte, the Type II is the most serious,Type I is secondary, Type II is the lightest. Consequently, it can be deduced that worse osteophyte is one of accordances of Type II-insufficiency of the spleen and kidney, with dampness infusion into bone and joints. And, the Type II is more serious stage in radiologic manifestation.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee ; classification ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Radiography

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of comprehensive treatment for hip fracture in old people.

METHODSThree hundred and seventy-two old patients with hip fractures were randomly divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Cases in Group A were treated only by operations. Cases in Group B received comprehensive treatment. The Singh Indexes of both uninjured and injured femoral necks were used to judge the osteoporosis levels before operation and one year after the operation. The function of injured hip joints was evaluated one year postoperatively.

RESULTSComplications occurred in 36.56% of the cases in Group A and 5.91% of Group B. One year postoperatively, the Singh Index degree distributions of both uninjured and injured femoral necks in Group A had no significant difference compared with those before the operation (P>0.05). In Group B, there was significant difference between one year postoperatively and before operation, and the Singh Index one year after the operation showed better result than that before operation (P<0.05). One year after operation, there was significant difference in the function of injured hip joints between Group A and Group B (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHip fracture in old people should be treated comprehensively according to its internal characteristics, osteoporosis.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Comprehensive Health Care ; Female ; Hip Fractures ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; complications ; Postoperative Complications ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the available surgical treatment modalities so as to explore the optimal strategy of managing early breast cancer.

METHODSThe clinical data of 2173 consecutive early-stage breast cancer patients treated by surgery treatments were retrospectively reviewed in order to clarify the indications and contraindications of different modalities. Therapeutic outcome of different surgical treatment modes were compared in terms of recurrence-free survival ( RFS) , disease-free survival ( DFS) , overall survival (OS). The cosmetic results of breast conservation and reconstruction were also evaluated .

RESULTSThe median age of these patients was 51 years ranging from 18 to 91. Of 2173 patients, 547 had stage 0- I lesions and 1626 stage II , and 1155 (53. 2% ) premenopausal. The proportion of patients who received radical surgery, breast conservation and reconstruction after mastectomy was 83. 6% (1817/2173), 10. 5% (229/2173) and 2. 5% (55/2173) , respectively. Younger and premenopausal patients prefer conservative and reconstructive surgeries, which are reasonable for stage 0-I and non-invasive breast cancer patients. Conservative surgery was not suitable for Paget's disease of breast (P = 0. 004) , mastectomy followed by reconstruction in this type of cancer was up to 38. 5%. The recurrence and metastasis rate of conservation or mastectomy were similar with a comparable 3-year RFS of 97. 4% and 95. 4% , respectively; there were also no significant differences in RFS(P =0. 2435) , DFS( P =0. 1395) and OS(P =0. 9406) after having been followed for 3 to 64 months. Similarly, immediate reconstruction did not show any negative effects with only 1 recurrence and 1 metastasis. Aesthetic outcomes were assessed as excellent or good in 90. 0% of breast conservation surgery, and the acceptability of reconstruction was 94. 5%.

CONCLUSIONBreast conserving surgery not only has comparable survival as mastectomy, but also has better cosmetic outcomes. Immediate breast reconstruction can be a suitable option without compromising survival. It is very important in the management for early breast cancer by selecting the most suitable surgery mode for every individual patient not only to cure her disease but also to satisfy the patient psychologically. Conservation should be preferred prior to reconstruction whenever possible.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; pathology ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; pathology ; surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paget's Disease, Mammary ; pathology ; surgery ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Retrospective Studies

Different-length fragments of the HIV trans-membrane antigen (gp120) gene were expressed in Escherichia coli, using T7 expression system. SDS-PAGE stained by Coomassic Brilliant Blue showed no expression of full-length gp120 and poor expression of half-length gp120 fragments from the N-terminal, but high expression of 1/3-lgenth gp120 gene fragments from the N-terminal (including V1/V2 epitopes), more than 18% of total bacterial protein. Western blot showed fairly good reactivity to serum from HIV-infected individual. On this basis, we expressed the corresponding tp 120 fragments of the HIV strains epidemic in China. This study laid a solid foundation for exploration of high expression of gp 120 in E.coli and development of HIV serological diagnostic system for Chinese people.

In order to investigate the effects of different terms of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) preconditioning with low concentration on the activations of Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 (TLR2/4) in the lung ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in mice, we divided the male C57BL mice into five groups: sham (S) group, IR group, NO 1-min preconditioning group (15 ppm NO inhalation for 1 min before ischemia, NO 1-min), NO 10-min preconditioning group (15 ppm NO inhalation for 10 min before ischemia, NO 10-min), NO 60-min preconditioning group (15 ppm NO inhalation for 60 min before ischemia, NO 60-min). The changes of partial pressure of oxygen in artery (PaO2), left lung wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the injured lung were measured in every group at 6th h of reperfusion after 60 min of left lung ischemia. The changes of TLR2/4 activations and plasma TNF-α were measured in this procedure in additional mice. As compared with IR group, PaO2 increased, MPO and W/D decreased evidently after reperfusion in NO 10-min group. The changes in NO 60-min group were similar to those in NO 10-min group. There was no difference between NO 1-min and IR group. In NO inhalation group, the expressions levels of TLR2/4 mRNA and proteins were diminished, TNF-α concentrations were decreased, and the lung injuries were ameliorated effectively. We concluded that short term inhalation of NO protected lung IR injury. But the protective effect of NO was not increased with extension of inhaled NO. Inhaled NO could inhibit the activations of TLR2/4 in the lung after IR injury. TLR signal pathway might contribute to the effect of protection with NO in this model.
Administration, Inhalation ; Animals ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lung Injury ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nitric Oxide ; administration & dosage ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate the expression of synuclein-γ (SNCG) and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) both in the invasive ductal breast cancer samples and T47D and T47D(SNCG)- cell lines, to investigate the correlation between SNCG and MMP-9.

METHODSTotally 96 invasive ductal breast cancer samples (female, mean age of (56 ± 8) years) were collected between June 2009 and June 2012. The expressions of SNCG and MMP-9 were investigated by immunohistochemistry. T47D and SNCG knock down T47D(SNCG)- cell lines were established and SNCG and MMP-9 protein expression were investigated by Western blot and gene expression by real-time PCR.

RESULTSAmong 96 samples, 26 (27.1%) of them co-expressed SNCG and MMP-9, 30(31.2%) of them expressed neither SNCG nor MMP-9. The expression of SNCG was correlated with the expression of MMP-9 (r = 0.655, P = 0.000).SNCG mRNA level of T47D cell line was 13.5 fold of T47D(SNCG)- cell line and SNCG protein expression was 2.1 fold. While MMP-9 mRNA level of T47D cell line was 7.3 fold of T47D(SNCG)- cell line and MMP-9 protien expression was 1.6 fold.When SNCG was knocked down, the expression of MMP-9 decreased.

CONCLUSIONSSNCG and MMP-9 are significantly correlated with each other in breast cancer. SNCG may promote the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer mediated by up-regulating the expression of MMP-9.

Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; gamma-Synuclein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE:To prepare and characterize Fluorescent dye 1,1′-octacosyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine iodide(DiR)-loading polyethylene glycol-poly lactic-co-glycolic acid(DiR-PEG-PLGA)nanocapsules,and to evaluate its biocompatibility in vitro. METHODS:Using PLGA and PEG-PLGA as carrier,DiR-PEG-PLGA nanocapsules were prepared by modified ultrasonic emulsification method. The particle size,Zeta potential,morphology,stability and fluorescence in vitro of nanocapsules were detected respectively. MTT assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity in vitro of nanocapsules to human-derived HL7702 hepatocytes,and hemolysis test was carried out to investigate its hemolysis effects. RESULTS:Prepared DiR-PEG-PLGA nanocapsules were spherical with a clear core-shell structure. The average particle size was(507.53 ± 7.87)nm,polydispersity coetficient of particle size was 0.306 1±0.001 5 and Zeta potential was(-35.20±0.92)mV with good stability within 6 months under 4℃. Fluorescence signal intensity(y)of nanocapsules was increased linearly with DiR mass concentration(x)in vitro. The linear eguation was y=0.345 2x+0.433 4(R2=0.997 3).The toxicity of nanocapsules to HL7702 cells was between 0-1 degree,and no hemolytic effect was observed. CONCLUSIONS:The study successfully prepare fluorescent DiR-PEG-PLGA nanocapsules with high biocompatibility in vitro,which is further expected to become a safe optical drug carrier.

Aim To detect the expression of miRNA-99b and mTOR in glioma tissues and to investigate the effect of miRNA-99b on the cell invasion ability of hu-man glioma cell line U251. Methods The expres-sions of miRNA-99b and mTOR mRNA in glioma tis-sues and normal brain tissues were detected by real-time PCR. After co-transfection with miRNA-99b mim-ics and wild or mutation type mTOR 3′UTR recombina-tion vector,the specific binding ability of miRNA-99b to 3′-UTR in mTOR gene was examined by luciferase gene reporter system. The expression levels of miRNA-99b,mTOR mRNA and mTOR protein in glioma cell line U251 after transfected with miRNA-99b mimics were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot,re-spectively. The cell invasion was measured by Tran-swell assay. The changes of mTOR and miRNA-99b expression levels in U251 cells after transfection with mTOR PsiCHECK were detected by real-time PCR. The correlation between the expression of miRNA-99b and prognosis was analyzed statistically. Results The expressed level of miRNA-99b was lower, and the ex-pression level of mTOR was higher in the glioma tissues than that in the normal brain tissues. The expression of miRNA-99b was up-regulated, and the expressions of mTOR mRNA and protein were down-regulated in U251 cells after transfection with miRNA-99b mimics. However, the abilities of invasion of U251 cells after transfection with miRNA-99b mimics were inhibited. The relative protein expression levels of mTOR in mTOR PsiCHECK group were significantly different from those in negative control group, but the relative expression levels of miRNA-99b had no signifi-cant difference compared with those in negative control group. Over-expression of mTOR restored the abilities of cell invasion in U251 cells, which was reduced by miRNA-99b. The Kaplan—Meier analysis and Log-Rank Test showed that there were significant differ-ences in overall survival (OS) between the miRNA-99b high-expression and low-expression group. Con-clusions The expression level of miRNA-99b is low in human glioma tissue. miRNA-99b may inhibit the cell invasion activity of glioma cell line U251 in vitro via inhibiting mTOR expression.

Objective To establish a three-dimensional(3D) finite element model of cervical vertebrae (C1-7),and study its biomechanical properties under muscle force by cervical traction,so as to provide references for clinical treatment.Methods On the basis of nonlinear finite element model of normal cervical vertebrae and combined with clinical traction methods,cervical traction at the extension angle of 0°,10°,20°,30°,40° under the same traction weight,was simulated by finite element analysis (FEA) software to obtain and select the joint force and muscle force that were appropriate for FEA on the model.Results In the process of cervical extension by traction,under the muscle force,the average maximum equivalent stress of cervical vertebrae,intervertebral disc and uncovertebral joints increased by 4.86,1.79,0.69 MPa,respectively,and the average maximum relative displacement of cervical vertebrae in sagittal and vertical axis direction increased by 1 1.1,1.26 mm,respectively.The biomechanical properties of cervical traction were similar to the FEA results reported in the literature.Conclusions Neck muscles play an active role in promoting the stress and displacement of cervical vertebrae,intervertebral discs and uncovertebral joints and it should be taken into consideration when performing cervical traction in clinic.In addition,the traction angle should not be too large:0.-20. is generally recommended as a relatively safe angle range at the initial stage.