Objective To investigate the effect oflevecamitine on nutrition,microinflammation status in ma-intenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Methods Forty two MHD patients were selected, who had undergone he-modialysis for at least two months before the study. One gram of levoeamitine was injecfed to the patients at the end of each dialysis treatment for six months. The parameters of inflammation stress were studied. Results After treatment with levocarnitine for six months, the average levels of dry body weight decreased markedly. ( P<0.05 ), The aver-age serum levels of C2reaetive protein (CRP),interleuldn26 (IL26) ,tumor necrosis factor2α(TNF2α), (P<0.01 ). Difference was not significant between serum lipid parameters before and after the treatment. Conclusion Intravenous supplement with levocamitine in MHD patients, appears to be associated with an improvement of nutrition and mieroinflammation status.

Objective: To explore the pattem of lymphatic metastasis and influencing factors of thoracic esophageal carcinoma. Methods: We reviewed the pathological specimens from 229 esophageal carcinoma patients who underwent radical esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy. A total of 2,458 lymph nodes were dissected. We analyzed the lymph node metastasis pattern of the primary tumor in different loca-tions and the corresponding influencing factors such as pathological T stage, tumor length, pathological mor-phology and tumor differentiation. Results: Lymph node metastasis rates were 44.5% (102/229) and 10.5% (258/2458), respectively. For patients with upper thoracic esophageal carcinomas, lymphatic metastasis rates in the superior mediastinum, the middle mediastinum, the inferior mediastinum and the abdominal cavity were 19.0%, 6.7%, 9.8% and 12.2%, respectively. For patients with middle thoracic esophageal carcinomas, the rates were 26.1%, 7.4%, 11.8% and 11.9%, respectively. For patietns with lower thoracic esophageal carcino-mas, the rates were 0, 1.6%, 5.3%, and 10.0%, respectively. Lymphatic metastasis rate in T_1, T_2, T_3, T_4, stage cancer were 28.6%, 43.8%, 47.6%, and 31.3%, respectively; the rate of positive lymph nodes were 7.9%, 10.8%, 10.7%, and 10.8%, respectively, with no significant differences among the four stages (x~2=2.733, P=0.435 and x~2=0.686, P=0.876). Lymphatic metastasis rate and rate of positive lymph nodes in patients with tu-mor ≤3cm, 3 to 5cm, and >5cm were 45.2% and 43.4%, 46.2% and 9.1%, and 11.6% and 11.7%, respective-ly, with no significant differences (x~2=0.094, P=0.954 and x~2=3.933, P=0.140). Lymphatic metastasis ratios of the pathological morphology in medullary, ulcerative, mushroom and stenotic types were 14.0%, 9.6%, 4.3% and 18.3%, respectively (x~2=19.292, P=0.000). Lymphatic metastasis rate and rate of positive lymph nodes of squamous cell carcinoma of moderately and poorly differentiation were 42.5%, 75.0% and 9.5%, 18.6%, re-spectively (x~2=4.852, P=0.028 and x~2=11.323, P=0.001). Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of poorly dif-ferentiation had a higher rate of lymph node metastasis. Conclusion: Lymphatic metastasis of esophageal car-cinoma metastasize widely even if in early T stage. Pathological morphology and tumor differentiation are re-lating facors of lymph node metastasis of thoracic esophageal carcinoma.

Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of exfoliative cytology in chronic oral ulcers diagnosis.Methods To examined 107 cases of chronic oral ulcers which were difficult to determine the nature of the ulcer in exfoliaticve cytology,and compared postoperative histopathological results or clinical results,and made the final diagnosis with cytology.Results The qualitative diagnostic accuracy of cytology was 95.3％.The sensitivity and specificity for benign and malignant lesions was 94.6％ and 100％,respectively.False positive rate was 0,and false negative rate was 5.4％,and the coincidence rate of cytological examination with the final pathology was 67.0％.Conclusion Exfoliative cytology has important reference value in chronic oral ulcer diagnosis.It is characterized by simple,rapid procedure and less trauma.Doctors can develop next treatment plan based on the results of exfoliative cytology.

0.05). Significant difference in diffused carbon monoxide percentage and change of heart rates before and after stair climbing test was found in LPF group (P0.05).Conclusions Patients of lung cancer intolerable for lobectomy by static pulmonary function test can be screened by stair climbing test before surgical operation,which can make some of them regain opportunity of surgical operation.

Objective To analyze the prognosis of 225 patients according with clinical staging of esophageal carcinoma treated with non-surgical methods, and investigate the practicality and predictive value of the clinical staging. Methods From March 2001 to July 2007, 225 patients with esophageal carcinoma received 3DCRT treatment. The prescribed doses were ranged from 5000 -7000 cGy with the median dose of 6400 cGy, 25 patients received accelerative radiation of 300 cGy per fraction after conventional radiotherapy of 3000 -4000 cGy, 57 patients received concurrent chemotherapy with or without consolidation chemotherapy. All the patients were divided into subgroups of different T stages, different N stages and different TNM stages. Local control rates, survival rates were observed and Cox regression analysis were performed to search valuable prognostic factors. Results The following-up rate was 99. 6%. The 3-and 5-years following-up number were 116 and 33 patients, respectively. The 1 -,3-,and 5-year local control rates were 77. 2% ,48.2% and 34. 5%, respectively. The 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival rates were 68.4% ,33.7% and 20. 8%, respectively. The median survival time was 20 months. There were significant difference between survival curves for T1-4 stages, N0-2 stages and Ⅰ - Ⅲ stages with x2 value of 13.07,20. 49 and 17.16, with P value of 0. 004,0. 000 and 0. 000, respectively. For the group of stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, the 1-,3-,and 5-year survival rates were 89.4% ,56. 1% ,and 37.8% ;69.6% ,32. 4% ,and 18.0%and 47. 2%, 19. 5%, and 13. 0%, respectively. According to the result of Cox regression analysis, the tumor length of CT scan, clinical N stage, short term restlt were most valuable predictive factors.Conclusions The clinical staging of esophageal carcinoma treated with non-surgical methods could predict the prognosis accurately, clinical N stage may have more closely association with prognosis, however, some details of the staging program need more consummate.

Microarray has become a popular biotechnology in biological and medical research.However, systematic and stochastic variabilities in microarray data are expected and unavoidable, resulting in the problem that the raw measurements have inherent "noise" within microarray experiments. Currently, logarithmic ratios are usually analyzed by various clustering methods directly, which may introduce bias interpretation in identifying groups of genes or samples. In this paper, a statistical method based on mixed model approaches was proposed for microarray data cluster analysis. The underlying rationale of this method is to partition the observed total gene expression level into various variations caused by different factors using an ANOVA model, and to predict the differential effects of G V (gene by variety)interaction using the adjusted unbiased prediction (AUP) method. The predicted G V interaction effects can then be used as the inputs of cluster analysis. We illustrated the application of our method with a gene expression dataset and elucidated the utility of our approach using an external validation.

Objective To compare the prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in young and middle-aged patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CS) and in normal population.Methods The casecontrol study included consecutive 318 young and middle-aged patients with CS and 336 normal control subjects with matched age and sex for group comparisons.Stroke risk factors including hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia,ischemic heart disease,atrial fibrillation,carotid atherosclerosis plagues and smoking,etc.were studied.Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) were performed to detect the presence of PFO.The prevalence of PFO and difference of risk factor levels between the groups was compared.Then the odds ratios (OR) of a PFO was estimated in CS patients versus control subjects.Results The prevalence of PFO was significant higher in patients with CS than in control subjects (145/318,45.6 ％ versus 46/336,13.7％,P ＜0.001).The odds ratio(OR) for PFO in CS for patients versus control subjects was 5.3 (confidence interval,3.6 to 7.8).The mean size of PFO was larger in stroke group than that in control group (P ＜ 0.001).There were no significant differences in levels of other stroke risk factors between two groups.Conclusions PFO may play an important role in etiology of CS in young and middleaged adults.Larger and longer PFOs may be more concomitant with ischemic attacks.More efforts should be employed in patients with CS to detect PFO for further treatment.

Objective To probe into the color Doppler echocardiographic characteristics of bilocular heart (BH) and associated malformations. Methods Twenty patients of BH were examined with color Doppler echocardiography (CDE) and the characteristics were observed. All the CDE results were compared with angiocardiography and 14 were confirmed by operation. Results Nineteen cases were properly diagnosed based on the CDE characteristics,1 case were misdiagnosed as mitral atresia. CDE characteristics of BH were obvious:① Apical four-chamber view of two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) showed total echo dropout in both the interatrial septum and the interventricular septum and disappearance of the intracardiac "cross". The common atrioventricular valve closed during systole and appeared as figure "8", named 2DE "8" sign. During diastole, the common atrioventricular valve opened to a common ventricle. ② Color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) showed common intra-atrial flow signal entereda common ventricle through common atrioventricular valve during diastole in all patients and colorful reflux through common atrioventricular valve during systole in 15 cases. ③ Among the 20 eases, 16 of the common atria were situs solitus,4 were situs inversus; 10 of the common ventricles were type A,2 were type B and 8 were type C. According to the spatial relationship of the great arteries,there were 4 type Ⅰ ,7 type Ⅱ and 9 type Ⅲ.There were 18 pulmonary stenosis and 2 pulmonary hypertension. ④ In the presence of pulmonary stenosis, CDFI showed colorful shunt signals through pulmonary artery during systole. Conclusions BH and associated malformations have obvious echocardiographic characteristics. CDE has a specific value in diagnosing BH and associated malformations.

Objective To explore the effects of ureteral stent on renal pelvic pressure and other urodynamic parameters. Methods Forty-one patients, 28 males and 13 females, with unilateral renal calculi and/or ureteral calculi were recruited in this study. The mean patient age was 47 years old (ranging from 20 to 72 years old). All cases were placed a 4.7 F ureteral stent and 16 F nephrostomy tube after minimal invasive pereutaneona nephrolithotomy (MPCNL). There was no hydronephrosis and residual crushed stone in the ureter after MPCNL in all cases. Renal pelvic pressure, intra-abdo minal pressure, detrusor pressure, bladder pressure changes during the filling and voiding phases with intravesical perfusion flow rate of 40 ml/min were recorded and analyzed. Results At the baseline, IPP0, IAP0, DP0 and BP0 were (33.1±17.0)cm H2O, (27.5±7.0)cm H2O, (3.3±2.9)cm H2O and (30. 9±7.2)cm H2O, respectively; At the maximum cystometric capacity during the filling phase, IPPvol, IAPvol Dpvol and Bpvol were (39.4±67. 3)cm H2O, (31.1±7.3)cm H2O, (10.7±6. 6) cm H2O and (41.6±10.3)cm H2O, respectively; At the maximum bladder pressure during the voiding phase, IPPmax, IAPmax Dpmax and Bpmax were (65.7±17.0)cm H2O, (33.7±9. 7)cm H2O, (41.9±7.8)cm H2O and (75.0±12. 8)cm H2O, respectively;There were statistical significance comparing between any of IPP0, IPPvol and IPPmax(P<0. 01). 27% (11/41)patients were with the pain in kidney area at voiding IPPmax (87.1±14.6) cm H2O, which was significantly higher than IPPmax (57.8±9.5)cm H2O of asyrnptomatic group (30 patients)(P<0. 01). In all cases, the renal pelvic pressure was higher than 40 cm H2O during the voiding phase. Conclusions Renal pelvic pressure increases during the filling phase after placing the ureteral stent, especially during the voiding phase. As renal function will be damaged by the high renal pelvic pressure, we should decrease the utilization of ureteral stent if possible. It is encouraged to remove the ureteral stent as early as possible.

Objective To evaluate the optimized conformal and IMRT plans for the upper esophageal carcinoma. Methods Eight patients with upper esophageal carcinoma underwent CT simulation.GTV was contoured on the CT image,referring the esophagogram and endoscopy simuhaneously,then CTV and PTV were also defined using the same criteria.Different conformal radiotherapy plans consisting of 3 fields(F),4F or 6F,IMRT plans consisting of 3F,4F,5F,7F,9F or 11F,and a simplified IMRT(s-IMRT)plan were designed for these patients.The minimum prescription dose that 95%of PTV volume received was 6000 cGy.Dose distributions of the PTV and OARs in different 3 DCRT and IMRT plans were compared and the optimized plans for the upper esophageal carcinoma were then recommended. Resuits Dose and volume parameters of PTV were similar among the 3DCRT plans(P＞0.05).4F 3DCRT plan reduced lung V20 as compared to 6F plan(P＜0.05),and mean lung dose(MLD)of 3F and 6F 3DCRT plans were higher than that of4F plan(P＜0.05).PTV D100 of 3F IMRT plan was lower than that of 9F and 11F plans(P＜0.05).IV of 4F IMRT plan was larger than that of 9F and 11F IMRT plans(P＜0.05).PTV dose and volume parameters of the 9F IMRT and 1 1 F IMRT were similar comparing with 5F.7F and s-IMRT plans,and OARs dose was also similar among IMRT plans(P＞0.05).PTV CI,D100,D95,V100 and V95 of the 4F 3DCRT plan were all lower than those of 5F,7F and s-IMRT plans(P＜0.05).5F,7F and s-IMRT plans reduced lung V20 as compared to 4F 3DCRT plan(P＜0.05).Conclusions For the upper esophageal carcinoma.4F 3DCRT plan is recommended among the 3DCRT plans.5F.7F and s-IMRT plans are recommended among the IMRT plans,which are superior than 4F 3 DCRT plan.