Lymph node metastasis is one of the important factors influencing the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Accurate and reasonable lymph node staging is greatly significant in evaluating the course of the disease, in estimating the prognosis, and in making a reasonable treatment plan. Local and international research institutions recently found that new staging methods for lymph nodes associated with the prognosis of gastric cancer (e.g., metastastic lymph nodes ratio, log odds of positive lymph nodes, negative lymph node count, and lymph node micrometastasis) can also predict the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. In this paper, the development history, current status of lymph node staging of gastric cancer, and research progress on the new staging methods for lymph nodes as-sociated with the prognosis of gastric cancer are reviewed.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical efficacy of pricking-medicinal cupping bloodletting therapy for knee osteoarthritis.MethodSixty patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to pricking-cupping bloodletting (treatment) and conventional treatment (control) groups, 30 cases each. In the treatment group, specific points around the knee were pricked with bloodletting needles and blood was removed by cupping with decoction. In the control group, the same points were given acupuncture and the affected part was given microwave treatment. The WOMAC score was recorded in the two groups of patients before treatment and after the end of treatment course. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by comparing the pre-and post-treatment scores between the two groups.ResultThere was a statistically significant pre-/post-treatment difference in the WOMAC total score in the two groups (P<0.01). The range of decrease in the WOMAC total score was significantly larger in the treatment group than in the control group. There was a statistically significant post-treatment difference in the WOMAC total score between the two groups (P<0.01). The WOMAC item scores decreased in varying degrees in both groups after treatment (P<0.01). The total efficacy rate was statistically higher in the treatment group than in the control group; there was a statistically significantdifference (P<0.05). The clinical therapeutic effect was statistically better in the treatment group than in the control group.Conclusion Pricking-medicinal cupping bloodletting is statistically better than conventional treatment in treating knee osteoarthritis. It can effectively relieve the pain and stiffness and improve knee function and the quality of life in the patients.

Aim To investigate the effects of T-and L-type calcium channel blockers on isolated thoracic aorta from thyroxine-induced hypertensive rats.Methods Hyperthyroidism was induced by administering L-thyroxine (T4,0.5 mg·kg~(-1),sc) daily for 16 days.Sham-treated euthyroid control rats were only received vehicle saline for 16 days. Experiments were performed in isolated thoracic aorta rings from euthyroid and hyperthyroid rats. Mibefradil and diltiazem were used to inhibit T-and L-type calcium channels,respectively.Results Thyroid hormone excess for 16 days induced characteristic changes in body weight,heart rate and systolic blood pressure in rats. The body weight was significantly decreased,heart rate and systolic blood pressure were increased in T4-treated rats. Thoracic aorta morphology was altered in T4-treated rats. The thickness of adventitia was increased with hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the smooth musle cells in T4-treated rats. Vasorelaxant effect of T-and L-type calcium channel blockers were accentuated in aortic rings from T4-treated rats.Conclusion These data suggest that T-and L-type calcium channels are functionally upregulated in isolated thoracic aorta from hyperthyroid rats and they,may be a therapeutic target in thyroxine-induced hypertension.

Objective To study the imaging features of sacroiliac joints(SIJ) in patients who were misdiagnosed as spondyloarthritis(SpA).Methods A total of 34 patients with chief complaint of back pain and misdiagnosed as SpA from January 2007 to April 2013 in Department of Rheumatology Chinese PLA General Hospital were enrolled.The imaging,clinical manifestations,laboratory examinations data were analyzed.Result The main reason for misdiagnosis as SpA was because of sacroiliitis presenting on imaging.The final diagnoses included 24 patients as SIJ infection,4 patients as neoplastic diseases,2 patients as metabolic bone diseases,2 patients as sacroiliac joint degeneration,1 patient as gout of sacroiliac joint,1 patient as diffuse idiopathic bone hypertrophy.For patients with infection,there were 10 patients receiving X-ray and 22 patients receiving CT of SIJ.However,5 and 7 patients had negative results respectively.These patients with infection had abnormalities in MRI including all with bone marrow edema,21 patients with erosion of bone and joint,22 patients with muscle involved.As to the patients with malignancies,SIJ CT scan appeared normal.Bone marrow edema and erosion in MRI were found in all neoplasm patients expect one as ependymoma.Adjacent muscles were involved in the patient with Ewing's sarcoma.Either X-ray or CT in other patients demonstrated obvious abnormalities,but only mild erosion of bone was found in MRI.Conclusion Bone marrow edema of SIJ in MRI represented not only in patients with SpA.Rheumatologists should analyze the clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations comprehensively in order to avoid the misdiagnoses.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of polysaccharides extracts from polysaccharides extracts from Hedyotic diffusa (PEHD) on Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC)cell line CNE2 cells in vitro. METHOD: CNE2 cells treated with various concentrations of PEHD were detected by MTT assay at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. The apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI staining. The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3 protein were examined by Western blotting method. RESULT: The growth of CNE2 cells were suppressed after treatment with PEHD (P < 0.05), MTT assay showed that the highest cell inhibition rate reached to 76.5%, the inhibition in the doses from 2 to 6 mg/ml showed dose-and-time-dependent. The percent of apoptosis in 4 and 6 mg/ml PEHD treatment groups for 48 h were 31.32%, 46.28%, respectively, and significantly higher than that in control groups, 4.86% (P < 0.01). After the cells being treated with PEHD for 48 h, the expression of Bax and caspase-3 protein increased, and the expression of Bcl-2 protein decreased gradually. CONCLUSION PEHD could inhibited the growth of CNE2 cells and was dose-and-time-dependent, the mechanism may involve induction of cell apoptosis, which was associated with the activation of Bax and caspase-3 protein and the down-regulation of Bcl-2 protein expression.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; Down-Regulation ; Hedyotis ; chemistry ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Polysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

Background and purpose:Previous studies have suggested Na+-Ca2+ exchanger isoform 1 (NCX1) as a key component of calcium homeostasis was involved in the tumorigenesis. However, the role of NCX1 and calcium signal in tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been explored. This study aimed to investigate the effect of NCX1 on cell proliferation and migration of HCC HepG2 cells in vitro and the possible mechanism.Methods:Both the real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) and Western blot were applied to assess the expression of NCX1 mRNA and protein in normal hepatic cells (LO2), HCC cell line (HepG2), human normal hepatic tissues and hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. The change of intracellular calcium signal in LO2 and HepG2 cells via acti-vated NCX1 channel in the presence or absence of Na+ was examined by a confocal laser scanning microscope. The effects of NCX1 special inhibitor KB-R7943 on cell proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells were measured by MTT and cellscratch test.Results:Both mRNA and protein expression of NCX1 were higher in HCC tissues and cell line HepG2 than in the normal tissues and cell line LO2 (P<0.05). The activation of NCX1 channel induced a slight rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in normal cells, but caused a marked increase in cancer cells. And the NCX1 activation induced intracellular calcium increase was significantly reversed by NCX1 inhibitor KB-R7943 (P<0.05). Both NCX1-mediated proliferation and migration of HepG2 were also significantly attenuated by the KB-R7943 (P<0.05).Conclusion:NCX1 is up-regulated in HCC cells and tissues. The activation of NCX1 mediates intracellular calcium homeostasis. The inhibition of NCX1 activity can suppress the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells. It is suggested that NCX1 may be involved in the development and progression of HCC.

Base on the clinical characteristics of septic arthritis in a group of systemic lupus erythematosus patients,this study has found out that high systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index,leucopenia,high cumulative dose of glucocorticoid,methylprednisolone intravenous pulse therapy and joint cavity puncture were closely correlated with septic arthritis.Once septic arthritis is suspected,culture specimens should be collected and appropriate antibiotics are suggested immediately.Also,surgical drainage is a very useful approach.

Objective To study the clinical and imaging characteristics of patients with infectious sacroiliac arthritis.Method Twenty-one patients diagnosed with infectious sacroiliac arthritis were analyzed retrospectively between 2000 and 2014.The chief complaint was pain in hip and lumbosacral area.Their clinical features,laboratory tests and pathological examination results as well as CT/MRI/PET-CT images were evaluated.Results There were nine males and thirteen females eighteen (85.7％) patients had unilateral sacroiliac joint involvement.Among these patients,three were diagnosed with brucellosis sacroiliac arthritis(BSI),eight patients with tuberculosis sacroiliac arthritis (TSI),and ten patients with non-brucellosis and non-tuberculosis infectious sacroiliac arthritis (ISI).For those patients with non-brucellosis and non-tuberculosis infectious sacroiliac arthritis,white blood cell count,erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP)were dramatically increased.Twelve patients were diagnosed pathologically including 6 ISI,2 BSI and 4 TSI.Twelve patients and seventeen patients were scanned by CT and MRI respectively.Two patients undertook PET-CT examination.Antibiotic therapy showed significant therapeutic effects in all patients.Conclusion Infectious sacroiliac arthritis patients with hip or lumbosacral pain as the chief complaint can be easily misdiagnosed as spondyloarthritis.Comprehensive analysis of clinical features,imaging and laboratory findings is essential for accurate diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological features of back pain, spondyloarthritis (SPA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Beijing Shougang district. Methods Set up Chinese version of questionnaire about incidence of spondyloarthro-pathy. Employees and retired ones were drawn out from subfactory units by non-randomized sampling. 15 357 subjects were investigated, of which 12 125 questionnaires were taken. Suspected cases were then screened with sacroiliac joint X ray and HLA-B27 testing. 2009 assessment in ankylosing spondylitis (ASAS) criteria were used for diagnosing SpA. Results Back pain is common with total incidence of 42.7%, and the most common pattern is mechanical pain. The incidence of SpA is 0.58% and that of AS is 0.36%, while only 28.9% AS patients had been diagnosed before and received treatment. Conclusion The AS incidence in Shougang district is similar with the epidemiological data got from other districts of China. And knowledge of SpA and AS is needed in China.

Alphapapillomavirus ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Papillomavirus Infections/prevention & control* ; Vaccination