OBJECTIVETo study the dynamic change of the ingredients of Coptis chinensis and evaluate the quality of the crude drugs from main producing areas.

METHODThe ingredients of samples from Shizhu and Wuxi counties in Chongqing, Hongya and Dayi counties in Sichuan, Zhenping county in Shanxi, Lichuan county in Hubei were analyzed for berberine, coptisine, jatrorrhizine, palmatine and the total alkaloids by HPLC and UV methods.

RESULT AND CONCLUSIONThe contents of measured indexes were mostly highest in 5-years-old C. chinensis. Considering factors such as the yield, it is reasonable to harvest the 5-years-old C. chinensis. There are minor differences in condents of C. chinensis from different areas, all tested samples met the pharmacopoeial standards. It is concluded that the general quality of C. chinensis was good and acceptable.

Alkaloids ; analysis ; Berberine ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Berberine Alkaloids ; analysis ; China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Coptis ; chemistry ; classification ; Ecosystem ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of the micronucleus (MN) formation in lymphocytes from patients with the malignant degrees of colorectal cancer.

METHODSThe MN test in capillary blood lymphocytes was conducted in 112 patients randomly selected from in-hospital patients before therapy. Experimental data were analyzed by SPSS (v.10.1) software.

RESULTSThe differences in the frequency of MN between 7 pathological types of colorectal cancers and controls were statistically significant (P<0.01). The frequency of MN increased with the decrease of the histological differentiation in colorectal cancer, and the statistically significant differences were seen between low differentiation group and the other differentiation groups in colorectal cancers.

CONCLUSIONThere is a significant correlation between MN formation and the malignant degrees of colorectal cancer, and MN formation will be a useful biomarker for the identification of malignant degrees of colorectal cancer before operation or for the screening of high risk subgroup.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; blood ; genetics ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Micronucleus Tests ; methods ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathological characteristics between mucinous gastric cancer (MGC) and poorly differentiated gastric cancer(PDGC) and factors associated with prognosis.

METHODSMedical records of 1016 consecutive patients with gastric cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-eight patients with MGC and 508 with PDGC were identified. Clinicopathologic characteristics and overall survival data were analyzed.

RESULTSAs compared to PDGC patients, patients with MGC were significantly older [(59.2±11.9) years vs. (54.1±13.2) years], had significantly more distant metastasis(36.8% vs. 23.8%), more peritoneal seeding(29.4% vs. 16.9%), and less radical resection(60.3% vs. 76.6%). There were no significant differences in 5-year survival rate between MGC and PDGC patients(29.4% vs. 35.5%). However, for tumors in the middle third of the stomach, the survival rate of MGC patients was lower than that of PDGC. Using a Cox proportional hazard ratio model, lymph node involvement and radical resection were independent prognostic factors for survival of MGC patients, while tumor invasion, lymph node involvement, and radical resection were associated with survival in patients with PDGC.

CONCLUSIONAlthough MGC and PDGC differ in age, frequencies of peritoneal seeding, distant metastasis, and rate of radical resection, overall survival is comparable.

Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; classification ; pathology

BACKGROUNDEquatorial lens epithelial cells proliferate and differentiate into fiber cells throughout life, while central lens epithelial cells proliferate little and do not form fiber cells. This study aimed to investigate the differences in gene expression between the central and the peripheral epithelial cells of the bovine lens.

METHODSLens epithelia were dissected into central (

RESULTSBy microarray analysis, 67 transcripts were at least two-fold lower and 269 at least two-fold higher in pLEC compared with that in cLEC. Thirty-four protein spots, including 20 in cLEC and 14 in pLEC, were identified by two dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Of these 34 protein products, 28 were represented by probe sets on the microarray. Nine transcripts changed in the same direction and four transcripts in the opposite direction to their protein products. Immunoanalyses revealed that three (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1), nidogen (NID), small nuclear ribonucleoprotein N (SNRPN)) out of four transcripts with opposite change between 2-DE and microarray assay showed the same changes as the results of 2-DE gel analyses. The genes differently expressed between cLEC and pLEC mainly include those related to the MAPK, transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) signaling and glycolysis pathways.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that there were distinctly different genome activities, including a specific group of pathways, between central and peripheral lens epithelial cells.

Animals ; Cattle ; physiology ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional ; Epithelium ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; In Vitro Techniques ; Lens, Crystalline ; metabolism ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of transfecting survivin antisense mRNA on growth and chemotherapy sensitivity of lymphoma cells.

METHODSEukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3. 1-antisense (As) survivin was constructed and transfected into Jurkat T lymphoblastic lymphoma cell lines with high expression survivin mRNA by use of lipofectmine gene transfer technique. Expression of survivin mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemical and Western blot. The effect of transfecting survivin antisense mRNA on the growth of Jurkat cell lines was monitored by population doubling time (PDT) and Apoptotic indexes (AI). The morphologic features were observed in transfected cells by light and electric microscopes. MTT assay was used to analyze the response of transfected cells to CTX and MTX.

RESULTSCompared with the control cells, the expression of survivin mRNA and protein were reduced after transfected pcDNA3. 1-Assurvivin 48 h, 5 w and 6 w, PDT (52 h) was prolonged. Apoptotic indexes were higher in transfected antisense survivin mRNA cells [20.2% (48 h)], 6.2% (5 w) and 6.8% (6 w) than control ones [2.1%, 1.3% (48 h)] and [1.3% (5 w) and 1.0% (6 w)]. The cells grow slowly and the dead cells increase and some swelling and apoptotic cells were observed in transfected pcDNA3. 1-Assurvivin groups by invert, light and electric microscopes. The Jurkat cell line of transfected pcDNA3. 1-Assurvivin had higher sensitivity to CTX and MTX. The rate of inhibition was higher in transfected group. There is a significant difference between the transfected group and untransfected one, P < 0.05.

CONCLUSIONSThe result indicated that survivin gene was very important for growth of Jurkat cells. To inhibit the expression of survivin will be significant in therapy of T lymphoblastic lymphoma. Survivin gene might be a target of therapy.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cyclophosphamide ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; Jurkat Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; K562 Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Lymphoma ; pathology ; Methotrexate ; pharmacology ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Plasmids ; RNA, Antisense ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical significance of detecting p53 gene mutation expression in colorectal cancer cells of peripheral blood.

METHODSFlow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect p53 gene mutation expression in peripheral blood cancer cells of 128 patients with colorectal cancer. Experimental data were analyzed by SPSS (v.11.0) software.

RESULTSThe lymph node metastasis showed the significant difference statistically (P<0.01) between p53 positive and negative expression in the colorectal cancer patients. The mutation p53 expression associated with existing histological differentiation (r=0.8476, P<0.05). A lymph node metastasis difference was observed between left and right colorectal cancers of mutation p53 positive expression.

CONCLUSIONDetecting the mutation p53 expression in cancer cells of peripheral blood might be helpful to the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; genetics ; pathology ; DNA, Neoplasm ; analysis ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, p53 ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of surgery following systemic targeted therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST).

METHODSFrom June 2007 to December 2009, data of 15 consecutive patients with metastatic GIST treated with imatinib/sunitinib followed by surgery were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSDisease responses to TKI treatment was categorized into controlled disease (including partial response and stable disease) (6, 40.0%), limited progression (4, 26.7%), and generalized progression (5, 33.3%), respectively. Surgeries were performed after mean 12 months following TKI therapies. Gross complete resection or optimal debulking with minimal residual disease were managed to performed in 8/10 patients with disease controlled and limited progression, while optimal debulking only achieved in 2/5 patients with generalized progression. Surgical morbidity was 20.0% (3/15). After operation, patients with disease controlled and limited progression had a median progression-free survival of 25.0 months and 2-year overall survival rate of 100%. In contrast, for patients with generalized progression, the median progression- free survival was 3 months (P<0.01), and median overall survival 10.5 months.

CONCLUSIONSPatients with metastatic GIST who have controlled disease or limited progression to TKI therapy can benefit from surgical resection. Surgery should be selective in patients with generalized progression since surgery hardly improves survival in these patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Benzamides ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; pathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate ; Indoles ; therapeutic use ; Intraoperative Period ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Piperazines ; therapeutic use ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Pyrimidines ; therapeutic use ; Pyrroles ; therapeutic use ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

Splenic cysts are unusual in daily surgical practice and less than 1000 cases have been reported. Primary, true or epithelial splenic cysts, are even rarer. Usually, most of the cysts are asymptomatic until of significant size, at which time they are then detected incidentally on ultrasonography or CT scan. We report a case of a 25-year-old woman with giant epithelial splenic cyst with about 3000 ml of clear-yellow fluid was collected from the cyst. The splenectomy specimen measured 205 mm × 192 mm × 137 mm and weighed 4000 g.
Adult ; Cysts ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Splenectomy ; Splenic Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo explore the method to repair large scalp and face scars.

METHODS1-3 expanders under the scalp were needed for repair the scalp scar. The expanded deltopectoral flaps were transferred to repair the face scar.

RESULTS12 cases were treated with satisfactory results. All the flaps survived and the donor sites were closed primarily. 2 cases had expander exposure which didn't affect the treatment results. Atrophic cutaneous striae was occurred because of overexpansion.

CONCLUSIONSSkin expansion is a good method for large scalp and face scar.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cicatrix ; surgery ; Humans ; Scalp Dermatoses ; surgery ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; Tissue Expansion ; methods ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the methods for repair of facial and cervical scars after burn.

METHODSOne hundred and two patients with facial and cervical scars as a result of burn injury were repaired by unilateral or bilateral deltopectoral flaps after expansion with pedicles. First, facial scars were excised and contractures were released to restore eye, mouth and nose to normal anatomical position. The facial scar flaps were overturned to join with the pedicles of deltopectoral flap for closing the wounds. The residual wounds were repaired by delayed flaps without pedicles 3 weeks later.

RESULTSAmong 102 patients, the flaps survived well in 94 cases, and blood supply insufficiency was found in distal end of unilateral flap in 7 cases (depigmentation after primary healing ). Necrosis of unilateral flap occurred in one patient, and it healed after skin grafting.

CONCLUSIONExpanded deltopectoral flap is efficacious procedure for repair of massive cervical and facial scars.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Burns ; complications ; Child ; Cicatrix ; etiology ; surgery ; Face ; pathology ; Facial Injuries ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; pathology ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Skin Transplantation ; methods ; Surgical Flaps ; Thorax ; Young Adult