OBJECTIVE:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF) combined with lipoic acid in the treatment of diabetic foot. METHODS:A total of 68 patients with diabetic foot were randomly divid-ed into observation group and control group with 34 cases in each group. Both groups were given conventional therapy and Lipolic acid injection 0.6 ml added into Sodium chloride injection 250 ml. ivgtt(protecting form light),qd;observation group was additionally giv-en rhEGF for external use 1 ml and vaseline on the wounds,gauze dressing,qd. Treatment course of 2 groups lasted for 7 d. Clinical efficacy,ulcer area,the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were compared between 2 groups as well as the occurrence of ADR. RESULTS:The total effective rate of observation group(94.1%)was significantly higher than that of control group(67.6%),with statistical sig-nificance (P<0.05). Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in ulcer area,the levels of Bcl-2 and Bax between 2 groups(P>0.05). After treatment,ulcer area decreased significantly, the level of Bcl-2 increased significantly in 2 groups,while the level of Bax decreased significantly;the improvement of observation group was more significant than that of control group,with statis-tical significance(P<0.05). There was no statistical significance in the incidence of ADR between 2 groups(P>0.05). CONCLU-SIONS:rhEGF combined with lipoic acid is effective for diabetic foot with good safety.

Objective To study the value of three dimensional contrast enhanced subtraction MRA(3D CES MRA)in the diagnosis of body and lower extremity blood vessel disease Methods Eighteen cases were studied by 3D ECS MRA and proved by operationResults 3D CES MRA images were of diagnostic quality without ghost for all 18 patients.3D CES MRA clearly showed normal vascular anatomy and various disorders.According to surgery,the sensitivity and specificity of 3D CES MRA in the diagnosis of body and lower extremity blood vessel diseases were both 100%.Conclusion 3D CES MRA is a new technique in diagnosing of body and lower extremity blood vessel diseases.It is proved to be a simple,noninvasive and commercial method in diagnosing blood vessel diseases.

0.05), but DPC coefficient increases along with concentration of DEHP (125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, 375 mg/kg) rising, and it can cause DPC significantly (P

BACKGROUND:Chondrocytes may dedifferentiate when they are cultured in vitro,and the capacity of synthetizing glycosaminoglycan (GAG)is also reduced,how to delay the dedifferentiation of chondrocytes is a crucial topic in the field of tissue engineering.OBJECTIVE:To observe the performance of chondrocytes synthetizing GAG at different inoculum densities.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A controlled cellular experiment was performed at the laboratory of Department of Orthopaedics in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between January 2007 and May 2007.MATERIALS:Five New Zealand rabbits of one month old were used in this study.METHODS:Articular chondrocytes were isolated from both knees and digested using 0.4% pronase enzyme and 0.025% Ⅱ type collagenase.The chondrocytes harvested from the same rabbit were divided into two sets,one was seeded at a constant density of 2×104/cm2 in primary and subculture,the other was cultured at a reduced density of 2×103/cm2 following cellular adhesion.Cellular morphology and proliferation were observed under inverted microscope.The culture media were renewed after the primary cells and passage 1 cells were confluent.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:GAG concentration was determined using the modified precipitation method with Alcian blue at 12,24,36,48 and 60 hours following the renewal of culture media.RESULTS:Articular chondrocytes in the primary high-density culture group were polygonal with clear boundaries,they have shown to form colony at 3-4 days.Cells around colonies were more slender than those in the center of colonies,shaping as long polygon.There was no obvious change observed in the morphology of passage 1 cells.In the low-density culture group,cells scattered at early stage and formed colonies at 7 days,cellular morphology showed no significant differences in comparison with high-density culture group.The time of primary cells becoming confluent in the low-density culture group was prolonged compared with high-density culture group.The GAG concentration in supernatants in the primary cells of low-density culture group was significantly lower than that in primary cells and passage 1 cells of high-density culture group (P＜0.001,P＜0.05).The GAG concentration showed a greater difference along with the prolonging of culture time.CONCLUSION:High-density culture is better then low-density culture to enhance the performance of chondrocytes synthetizing GAG and to retard the velocity of chondrocytes dedifferentiation,which suggests high-density culture contributes to maintain the chondrocytes phenotype and can be considered as a good way of plate culture.

BACKGROUND: Enophthalmos deformity is the most common complication caused by orbital blow-out fractures, and others are diplopia and worsening of visual acuity. Since the therapeutic result of orbital blow-out is not satisfactory and many complications exist after operation, it is still a dispute to select implantation materials and therapeutic regimens.OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect and assess the improvement of visual function by surgical reconstruction with porous high-density polyethylene (Medpor) for the correction of enophthalmos deformity caused by orbital blow-out fractures.DESIGN: A pre-and postoperative controlled study.SETTING: Beauty Center for Trauma Repair,Plastic Surgery Hospital,Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science .PARTICIPANTS: Totally 56 patients with orbital blow-out fractures who had enophthalmos deformity caused by fists or traffic accidents, treated at Beauty Center for Trauma Repair,Plastic Surgery Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, were selected in this study from December 1996 to March 2004. Final diagnosis were made with case history, X-ray film, two-demensional and three-dimensional CT before operation. 24 cases were accompanied with other areas fractures such as zygoma and nasal bone, 34 cases with diplopia, 35 cases with visual acuity worsening after injured.METHODS: ①Material implantation: Exposure of the orbital floor, inferior and medial walls could be performed through a 2 mm inferior subciliary incision of 3 cm long. To approach the orbital rim via a dissection plane anterior to the orbital septum, sub-periosteal dissection was then performed over the orbital rim, and along the orbital floor to the orbital apex. Mobilized the soft tissue from the bone throughout the entire area of fractures and re-position it to its proper position. Took Medpor (Type 6331) sheets as the implantation materials, trimmed Medpor sheets according to the radian and anatomic form, and 2 mm larger than the defect rim was needed.If other operations were needed during the operation, they could be done.Mannitol and dexamethasone should be used just postoperatively to decrease edema of the orbital contents and reduce inner orbital excessive pressure. ②Functional evaluation standard: Diplopia: completely disappear meant recovered, less diplopia residual meant improvement, no improvement meant inefficacy. Enophthalmos: marked improvement meant the degree of enophthalmos stabilizated at below 2 mm, less improvement meant stabilizated at above 2 mm.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ①Improvement of enophthalmos; ②Improvement of diplopia ; ③Improvement of visual acuity.RESULTS: ①All 56 cases of enophthalmos deformities caused by orbital blow-out fractures improved greatly. ② Of all the 34 patients with diplopia, 27 recovered. ③ 9 patients' visual acuity of 35 improved with different degrees. No diplopia or visual acuity worsening occurred. With a follow-up ranging from 2 months to 5 years, the degree of enophthalmos stabilizated at below 2 mm, and no relapse and other complications occurred.CONCLUTION: Medpor has such advantages as better histocompatibility,fewer complications and better visual function improvement, so it is the preferred implantation material for correcting enophthalmos deformity caused by orbital blow-out fractures.

Experimental studies on animals discovered that catechins have a notable inhibitory effect on the formation and development of tumors in different organs. Studies on their mechanism showed that catechins could inhibit cancer cell invasion and proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis and induce cancer cell apoptosis through anti-oxidation and by inhibiting related enzyme activities and cancer cell signal transmission. This essay provides an overview of correlation between tea drinking and cancer prevention, various mechanisms of catechins and their derivatives such as biochemical cancer prevention and anticancer and looks into the future of catechins.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Catechin ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

Objective To find out the status of brick-tea type fluorosis in the epidemic areas.Methods Based on "Scheme for Epidemiological Brick-tea Type Fluorosis in Sichuan Province",ten counties were selected in Sichuan brick-tea areas and ten towns were selected in every county,then the epidemicologic survey was performed in children of 8～12 year-old and adults aged above 20 years old.Results 5044 children and 4053 adults were selected from brick-tea areas.The rates of dental fluorosis in children and adults were 55.69%(2809/5044)and 60.41%(4053/6709)respectively.The dental fluorosis was mainly of mild damage.The skeletal fluorosis found in X-ray film was 44.64%(167/1241)and in clinical examination,38.94%(3883/9973).The levels of urine fluoride in children and adults were 1.88 and 2.78 mg/L.The level of urine fluoride was not differenet among children of different age,but in adults it was higher in the elder than the younger.The level of fluoride in urine was related to the severeness of skeletal fluorosis(r=0.74).The detective rates of skeletal fluorosis in agricuIture,pasturing,and agriculture-pasturing areaswere 31.70%(1369/4318),50.04%(1228/2454),and 40.17%(1286/3201),respectively.The X-ray detecting rates of skeletal fluorosis in men and wonlen were 49.57%(229/462)and 41.72%(325/779) respectively(χ2=11.72,P＜0.05).Conclusion The prevalence of brick-tea type fluorosis is very serious in the regions studied.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of preablative stimulated thyroglobulin (psTg) level before 131I treatment on the excellent response (ER) to 131I treatment in patients with functional residual lymph node metastasis without distant metastasis after papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) surgery. Methods:From March 2011 to June 2015, 72 patients (22 males, 50 females, age: 14-76 (46.5±14.4) years) who were diagnosed with functional lymph node metastasis without distant metastasis at the time of their first 131I treatment after total thyroid bilobectomy + lymph node dissection performed in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively included, and their serum thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) levels were normal. Patients were divided into ER group and non-ER group according to the treatment response assessment system. Independent sample t test, χ2 test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the basic clinical characteristics between the two groups, and then multivariate logistic regression was performed. The ROC curve was employed to evaluate the predictive value of psTg and lymph node size in 131I treatment response. Results:The treatment responses of 44 patients were ER, and those of 28 were non-ER. The differences in gender, age, clinical stage, number and location of postoperative metastatic lymph nodes between ER and non-ER groups were not statistically significant ( t=0.82, χ2 values: 0.16-2.60, all P>0.05), while there were significant differences in American Thyroid Association (ATA) initial risk stratification ( χ2=33.38), lymph node size ( U=296.50) and psTg ( U=111.00, all P<0.001). PsTg (odds ratio ( OR)=0.047, 95% CI: 0.004-0.500, P=0.011) and lymph node size ( OR=0.146, 95% CI: 0.032-0.666, P=0.013) were independent factors affecting ER, whereas ATA initial risk stratification was not an independent factor ( OR=0.266, 95% CI: 0.051-1.390, P=0.116). AUCs for psTg and lymph node size were 0.904 and 0.873, respectively. The cut-off value of psTg was 20.05 μg/L with the sensitivity and specificity of 96.4%(27/28) and 75.0%(33/44) respectively, and lymph node size was 0.75 cm with the sensitivity and specificity of 78.6% (22/28) and 81.8% (36/44) respectively. Conclusion:PsTg can be used to predict 131I outcomes in patients with functional lymph node metastases after PTC, and lymph node size also has effect on ER.

OBJECTIVETo observe the alterations of the auditory function and morphology of the ear in the mouse sialidosis models which has been generated by targeted deletion of lysosomal neuraminidase gene (Neul) and closely resembled the phenotypes in corresponding human conditions, and to explore pathophysiological mechanisms of hearing impairment.

METHODSNeul homozygous (Neul -/-) mice at 3 weeks, 2 and 4 months of age, and their wildtype littermates (Neu1 +/+) were examined for auditory thresholds through auditory brainstem responses (ABR) to click, 8, 16, and 32 kHz stimuli. Morphological analyses in ears were performed by series temporal bone section and light microscopy.

RESULTSNeul -/- mice at 3 weeks of age showed an elevated ABR threshold, 50-55 dB above those of Neul +/+ mice. Up to 2 and 4 months of age, their thresholds were further elevated for 60-68 dB. There were distinct pathological changes of middle and inner ear of 3 weeks of age in Neul -/- mice, especially at 2-4 months of age there were significant cerumen occlusion in the external auditory canal and severe otitis media. Vacuolation associated with lysosomal storage was observed within ossicles and cochlear bone cells, stria vascularis cells, spiral ganglion neurons and macrophages, spiral limbus, spiral prominence, Reissner's membrane cells, and the mesothelial cells of the perilymphatic scala and basilar membrane, but not within the organ of Corti. Vestibular ganglion neurons, hair cells and supporting cells in cristae and maculae also showed vacuolation.

CONCLUSIONSThe deficiency of lysosomal neuraminidase may result in a serious hearing loss and morphological alterations of ear. The external auditory canal obstruction, otitis media and ossicle changes may cause conductive hearing loss, and the defects in lysosomal storage of neurons, stria vascularis, spiral limbus, Reissner's membrane and basilar membrane cells may contribute to sensorineural deafness.

Animals ; Ear, Middle ; anatomy & histology ; pathology ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Hearing Loss ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Mucolipidoses ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Neuraminidase ; genetics ; Otitis Media ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the biological effect on NB4 cells proliferation, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) inducing differentiation and resistance to apoptosis by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C cDNA transfection.

METHODSThe recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1-VEGF-C and the vacant pcDNA3.1 vector were introduced separately into NB4 cells by lipofectamine mediation. The positive clones were screened by G418 and identified by reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. The proliferation capacity of NB4/VEGF-C cells was analysed by MTT assay and colony forming assay in vitro. After NB4/VEGF-C cells were induced by ATRA, the expression level of C/EBPalpha gene, CD11b on cells surface and morphological alteration were analysed by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), flow cytometry (FCM), and Wright-Giemsa staining, respectively. FCM Annexin V-FITC/PI dual labeling technique was performed to investigate the etoposide (Vp16) induced NB4/VEGF-C cells apoptosis and bcl-2 gene expression level in these cells was analysed by RQ-PCR. The NB4/pcDNA3.1 cells was used as control in the above experiments.

RESULTSA stable NB4 cell line that secrets VEGF-C and its control lines were established. The proliferation capacity of the former was stronger than that of the latter. The expression level of C/EBPalpha gene of NB4/VEGF-C cells on ATRA treatment was only 1/32 that of NB4/pcDNA3.1 cells. The CD11b level and the degree of differentiation of NB4/VEGF-C were weaker than that of NB4/pcDNA3.1 cells. The percentage of apoptotic NB4/VEGF-C cells induced by Vp16 [(7.20 +/- 2.52)%] was significantly lower than that of NB4/pcDNA3.1 cells [(16.07 +/- 3.58)%] (P = 0.005), but the bcl-2 gene expression level of NB4/VEGF-C cells is 2.28-fold that of NB4/pcDNA3.1 cells.

CONCLUSIONThe VEGF-C via VEGFR-3 signaling pathway could promote the proliferation of leukemic cells by autocrine pathway and inhibit the cell differentiation mediated by ATRA and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling loops might play an important role in disease progression and be potential therapeutic target for the treatment of leukemias.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; genetics ; physiology ; Blotting, Western ; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; CD11b Antigen ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Flow Cytometry ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology