Objective To evaluate the clinical significance of antinuclear antibody (ANA) and ANA repertoire in the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods ANAs were tested in 64 pa tients with SSc and 30 healthy controls by applying indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and immunoblotting (IB). Results IIF-ANA assay showed that the positive rate of ANAs was 98. 4% (63/64) in SSc, and ANA staining was mainly shown as homogeneous-nucleolar pattern; IB-ENA test indicated that the antinuclear antibodies were mainly anti-Scl-70, anti-SS-A and anti-nRNP in SSc, and the positive rate was respectively 65.1% (41/64), 29.7% (19/64) and 6.3% (4/64). Conclusion Existence of multiple antibodies in SSc patients may hint that the patients might have other autoimmune diseases or increased risk for other autoimmune diseases. Besides, IB assay significantly increases the sensitivity and specificity of ANAs measurement, and contributes to the diagnosis of SSc.

Objective: To study the apoptosis and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in colorec-tal neoplasms and their relationship with neoplasm biological behavior. Methods: Apoptotic index (AI) and proliferative index (PI) were determined in paraffin-embedded tissues from 62 cases of colorectal carcinomas, 15 cases of colon adenomas and 10 cases of normal colon mucosa with immunohistochemistry S-P method and TUNEL technique. Results: The difference of PI and AI was significant in normal colon mucosa, colon adenomas and colorectal carcinomas (P

Objective To extract characteristic parameters of ECG signals a new method of non-invasive diagnosis for coronary heart disease with artificial neural network. Methods ECG signals were digitized with A/D converter and filtered to eliminating the noise. Span of QRS interval, R-R interval,and voltage of S-T segment of filtered ECG were detected. These 3 characteristics were as the input parameters of the input layer. Samples were trained with an improved 3-layers back propagation(BP) artificial neural network, as trained samples. The non-trained samples were recognized with these BP neural networks. Results After 12 samples had been trained about 1500 times, the BP neural network could accurately distinguish samples of coronary heart disease from the trained samples and also recognize 20 non-trained samples, 19 to be correct except one. Conclusion It is showed that based on BP network and characteristic parameters of ECG, a new and promising method of non-invasive diagnosis for coronary heart disease has been found.

0.05). Conclusions The high expression of GATA3, a Th2 inducer, may correlate with the disease acti vity of SLE, while T-bet, a Th1 inducer, may not correlate with the disease acti vity.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Nazi method of midnight-midday ebb flow plus warm needling moxibustion in treating transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods Sixty patients with transient ischemic attack were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 30 cases each. The control group received routine medication and the treatment group, Nazi method of midnight-midday ebb flow plus warm needling moxibustion in addition. The main clinical symptoms were observed by TCD monitoring of microembolic signals in the two groups before and after treatment. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the positive rate of microembolus monitoring was 3.3%in the treatment group and 20.0%in the control group;there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant pre-/post-treatment difference in the traditional Chinese medical syndrome score in the two groups (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant post-treatment difference in the traditional Chinese medical syndrome score between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05). The total efficacy rate was 96.7% in the treatment group and 80.0% in the control group;there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). At six months after treatment, the rate of disappearance of TIA, the rate of recurrence of TIA and the rate of occurrence of cerebral infarction were 90.0%, 6.7%and 3.3%, respectively, in the treatment group and 60.0%, 20.0%and 20.0%, respectively, in the control group;there were statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusions Nazi method of midnight-midday ebb flow plus warm needling moxibustion can decrease the positive rate of microemboli and shorten transient ischemic attack to prevent cerebral infarction in patients with transient ischemic attack.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion at Dazhui (GV14) and Shenshu (BL23) in treating mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to ischemic cerebral stroke. Method Sixty patients with MCI due to ischemic cerebral stroke were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 cases each. The control group was intervened by joint treatment plus cognitive training, while the treatment group was by thunder-fire moxibustion in addition to that given to the control group. The two groups were evaluated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), the major symptoms were observed, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups. The two groups were both treated for 8 weeks. Result The total effective rate was 80.0%in the treatment group, versus 70.0% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05). Conclusion The selected acupoints can improve the cognition and activities of daily living (ADL) in MCI patients;thunder-fire moxibustion at Dazhui and Shenshu plus cognitive training can produce a better clinical efficacy than dry cognitive training. Therefore, we can combine thunder-fire moxibustion with modern rehabilitation to enhance the therapeutic efficacy in preventing and treating MCI.

Objective:To investigate the effect of intermittent hormonal therapy(IHT) for patients with different stage/grade prostate cancer(PCa).Methods:The number of cycles and the duration of ON/OFF therapy for 45 PCa patients receiving IHT were observed.Maximal androgen blockade(MAB) the-rapies were used for six to nine months,and then stopped until the serum prostate specific antigen(PSA) was decreased below 0.2 ?g/L,which lasted for three months.It was decided whether MAB went on according to the level of PSA.Results:The average follow-up time was 40.7?13.4 months.Forty-one patients started the second cycle of treatment,of whom,8 became androgen-independent and 7 were at T3-4M0 or M1 stages and the Gleason scores were above 8.Sixteen patients entered the third cycle,of whom,14 were at lower than stage Ⅲ and 13 had the Gleason scores below 7.From the first to the fourth courses of treatment,the average intervals were 8.7?5.4(47.1%),8.4?4.9(49.3%),7.0?3.4(43.7%),and 3.7?0.6(42.5%)months respectively.Five patients developed bone metastasis.No one died up to now.According to the evaluation criteria,patients were divided into tolerance(n=16) and intolerance groups(n=29).Compared with the intolerance group,the patients who tolerated the treatment well had lower Gleason scores(P=0.002),lower PSA levels(P=0.053) and lower tumor stages(P=0.001).There was no evidence that age,lymph node metastasis,bone metastasis and the state of recurrence were associated with an increased risk of the outcome.Non-conditional Logistic regression analysis showed that the proportion of patients at stage Ⅳ was the only independent risk factor for the tolerance of the treatment(OR=12.113,95%CI 1.330-110.312,P=0.027).Conclusion:Intermittent hormonal therapy is more effective and proper for the patient with highly differentiated tumor and at lower stages(≤Ⅲ).The patients who progressed to hormone-independence are mostly at stage Ⅳ with poorly differentiated tumor.Intermittent hormone therapy could be more adaptive for the patients at lower than stage Ⅲ.

Objective:To observe influence of alprostadil injection on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in high risk patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: A total of 263 CIN high risk (CIN risk score ≥16 scores) patients were selected.According to random number table, patients were randomly divided into routine treatment group (n=121, received routine hydration therapy) and alprostadil group (n=142, received additional alprostadil injection based on routine treatment group).Serum creatinine (SCr), glomerular filtration rate(GFR), cystatin C (CysC) and β trace protein (β-TP) level before, 48h and 72h after PCI were measured and compared, and incidence rate of CIN, percentage of blood purification therapy and mortality were compared between two groups.Results: Compared with before PCI, there was significant rise in SCr level and significant reduction in GFR in both groups on 48h and 72h after PCI (P<0.01 all);Compared with routine treatment group, there were significant reductions in levels of SCr [72h: (190.04±28.92) μmol/L vs.(141.10±21.18) μmol/L], and significant rise in GFR [72h: (26.0±4.4) ml/min vs.(36.4±4.9) ml/min], and levels of CysC[72h: (1.75±0.74) mg/L vs.(1.47±0.55) mg/L] and β-TP [72h: (1.53±0.50) mg/L vs.(1.22±0.38) mg/L] significantly decreased in alprostadil group on 48h and 72h after PCI, P<0.05 or <0.01;there were significant reductions in incidence rate of CIN (30.6% vs.18.3%) and percentage of blood purification therapy (10.7% vs.3.5%) in alprostadil group, P=0.001, 0.045 respectively.There was no significant difference in mortality between two groups, P=0.728.Conclusion: Alprostadil injection can significantly improve kidney function, reduce incidence rate of CIN and percentage of blood purification therapy in CIN high risk patients after PCI, which is worth extending.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of cognitive impairment in the patients with asymptomatic unilateral severe internal carotid artery stenosis (ICAS). Methods A total of 80 patients with unilateral severe carotid stenosis (stenosis rate ≥70%)and 40 patients without carotid stenosis (control group)diagnosed by digital substract angiography (DSA)were analyzed retrospectively. According to the stenotic sides,the patients with severe ICAS were divided into a left stenosis group and a right stenosis group (n = 40 in each group). The North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET)criteria were used to grade the degree of stenosis. Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA)was used to evaluate the cognitive function of the patients,and then the cognitive function of the patients in 3 groups was assessed. Results The MoCA total scores,visuospatial and executive functions,and language ability,and delayed memory scores of the patients in both left and right groups were lower than those of the control group. There were significant differences (21. 8 ± 3. 1,3. 4 ± 1. 3,1. 8 ± 0. 6,and 1. 6 ± 1. 3,respec-tively in the left stenosis group;22. 6 ± 2. 5,3. 5 ± 1. 1,1. 9 ± 0. 6,and 1. 7 ± 1. 4,respectively in the right stenosis group;and 26. 4 ± 1. 8,4. 2 ± 0. 9,2. 7 ± 0. 6,and 3. 8 ± 1. 0,respectively in the control group;all P < 0. 01). There were no significant differences in naming,attention,abstract ability,orientation ability scores compared with the control group (all P > 0. 05). There were no significant differences in the MoCA total scores and each single test score of the patients between the left stenosis and the right stenosis groups (P > 0. 05). Conclusion The patients with asymptomatic unilateral severe ICAS have cognitive impairment generally;it is characterized by delay memory,visuospatial and executive functions,and language dysfunction.

Objective To screen the mimotopes ofpemphigus vulgaris (PV) antigen, desmoglein3 (Dsg3) with a phage-displayed random nonapeptide library, so as to update the knowledge on the patho-genesis of PV. Methods Recombinant fusion protein of extracellular domain 1-2 (EC1-2) of Dsg3 and glutathione transferase was expressed by E.coli BL21, and used to purify polyclonal autoantibody binding to recombinant EC 1-2 from the sera of patients with PV. Then, selected autoantibody was applied as a ligand for biopanning of a phage-displayed linear random nonapeptide library and circular random nonapeptide library. Monoclonal phages were selected by immunoscreening and tested with ELISA and competitive ELISA. Results After two rounds ofbiopanning, a population ofpeptide-displaying phages binding to autoan- tidody were highly enriched. Sixty individual phage clones selected by immunosereening were further sub-jected to screening with ELISA and competitive ELISA. Finally, three positive phage clones were obtained. As shown by ELISA and competitive ELISA, they reacted with serum from patients with PV but not with that from normal human controls, and blocked the interaction between patients' sera and recombinant fusion protein of EC1-2. Conclusion Three mimotopes closely associated with PV antigen were successfully selected from a phage-displayed random nonapeptide library.