Objective:To investigate the value of quantitative CT (QCT) body component parameters before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as prognostic indicator for patients with hepatic cell carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on 40 patients with advanced HCC who received TACE treatment in Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University from November 2013 to May 2017, all of them received QCT scanning before and after treatment. The information were recorded, including gender, age, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), TNM stage, liver function Child-Pugh grade, portal venous thromboembolism, cirrhosis, maximum tumor diameter, tumor type, and frequency of interventional therapy. QCT parameters were measured before and after treatment, including L1, L2 bone mineral density (BMD), L3-level paravertebral muscle area (MA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral fat area (VFA), and the change rate of QCT parameters (ΔBMD, ΔMA, ΔSFA, ΔVFA) before and after TACE were calculated after the QCT scan interval was standardized. The cut-off values of ΔBMD, ΔMA, ΔSFA and ΔVFA to diagnose the prognosis of HCC patients after TACE were obtained by drawing the ROC curves. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate, the Log-rank method was used for univariate analysis, and the Cox regression analysis model was used for multivariate analysis to screen out independent factors affecting the prognosis of HCC patients after TACE.Results:ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values of ΔBMD, ΔMA, ΔSFA and ΔVFA to diagnose the prognosis of HCC patients after TACE were -8.64%, -6.84%, -9.84% and 5.70%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that AFP, TNM stage, liver function Child-Pugh grade, portal venous thrombosis, tumor type and ΔMA, ΔSFA, ΔVFA had statistically significant effects on prognosis ( P<0.1). Multivariate analysis showed that ΔMA, ΔVFA and portal venous thromboembolism were independent influencing factors for the prognosis of HCC patients after TACE treatment ( P<0.05). Conclusions:ΔMA, ΔVFA and portal venous thromboembolism have reference value for prognosis assessment of TACE treatment for HCC patients, and QCT body composition analysis is helpful to evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients.

Objective To study the expression of ZNF217 and EF1α gene in the pathological scars and to investigate role and probable mechanism in the pathogenesis of abnormal scar.Methods Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the expression and distribution of mRNA and protein of ZNF217 and EF1α in hypertrophic scar (10 cases),keloid (10 cases),normal scar (10 cases),and normal skin (10 cases),and statistics was used to analyze the data.Results The expression of ZNF217 mRNA and protein in the normal skin,normal scar,hypertrophic scar and keloid were 1.46±0.397,1.45±0.265,4.49±0.999,5.47±0.808; 0.276±0.0211,0.299±0.0150,0.743t0.0509 and 0.747±0.0377,respectively.The expression of EF1α mRNA and prorein in the normal skin,normal scar,hypertrophic scar,and keloid were 1.47±0.469,1.47±0.218,5.10±1.68,5.74±1.92; 0.505±0.0371,0.518±0.0153,0.780±0.0369 and 0.792±0.0290,respectively.The positive rate of mRNA and protein of ZNF217 and EF1α was not statistically different between the hypertrophic scar and keloid (P＞0.05),while they were all remarkably significant in comparison between normal scar and abnormal scar (P＜0.01).In pathological scar mRNA and protein of ZNF217 and EF1α showed a strong positive correlation.Conclusions The expression of ZNF217 and EF1α is increased in pathological scar.Therefore,ZNF217 and EF1α overexpression may play an important role in the proliferation of fibroblasts and in the pathogenesis of pathological scar.

The activity of the NK cells in patients with preeclampsia was studied to investigate the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. By using MTT and 51Cr releasing technique, the proliferation and killing ability of the NK cells in maternal and umbilical blood from preeclampsia patients (n = 18) and normal third trimester pregnant women (n = 18) were detected. The NK-92 cell line was as the positive control. The results showed that the NK cell counts of umbilical blood in preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women were significantly greater than those of maternal blood (both P<0.05). Compared with that in normal third trimester pregnant women, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was apparently increased (P<0.05). Compared with that in maternal blood, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in umbilical blood from both preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women was dramatically increased. The killing ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was significantly higher than that in normal third trimester pregnant women (P <0.05). It was suggested that both number and function of the NK cells in preeclampsia women were increased, and that in umbilical blood was greater than that in maternal blood, speculating that the function of the NK cells may affect the maintenance of the maternal and fetal immune tolerance during pregnancy.
Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/*immunology ; Fetal Blood/cytology ; Immune Tolerance ; Killer Cells, Natural/*immunology ; Killer Cells, Natural/pathology ; Pre-Eclampsia/blood ; Pre-Eclampsia/*immunology ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third

Objective To investigate the expressions of Nanog and Oct4 (stem cell transcription factors) in endometriosis and adenomyosis, and to explore their potential functions in the development of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Methods The expressions of Nanog and Oct4 in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium of 50 patients with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis (ectopic endometrium group and eutopic endometrium group), and 21 patients free from endometriosis and adenomyosis (control group) were detected by immunohistochemical SABC methods. Statistical analysis was conducted for the correlation between the expressions of Nanog and Oct4 based on patients′ clinical pathological parameters. Results Nanog and Oct4 protein expressions in ectopic endometrium group were higher than that in control group (P<0.01);the expressions of Nanog and Oct4 in eutopic endometrium group and control group showed no significance (P > 0.05); there was positive correlation between the expressions of Nanog and Oct4 in ectopic endometrium group (r = 0.590, P < 0.01). Conclusion Nanog and Oct4 present high expression in eutopic and ectopic endometrium , which may play a important role in the development of endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Objective Pemetrexed and β-elemene can inhibit the growth of tumor cells .This study was to investigate the effect of pemetrexed combined with β-elemene on the proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer HeLa cells. Methods Cervical cancer HeLa cells were treated with pemetrexed at the concentrations of 38, 76, 152, 228, and 304μg/mL, and at 24 and 48 hours of treatment subjected to MTT for detection of their proliferation .The experiment included four groups , with the cells treated with β-elemene ( 125μg/mL) , pemetrexed ( 76 μg/mL ) , β-elemene ( 125 μg/mL ) +pemetrexed (76μg/mL), and nothing (blank control) for 24 hours, followed by determination of their proliferation and apoptosis by MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. Results Pemetrexed at 38, 76, 152 and 228μg/mL inhibited the proliferation of the HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner, with the inhibition rates of (7.24 ±3.78), (7.94 ±4.37), (11.10 ±2.86) and (15.88 ± 3.38)%at 24 hours, and (16.69 ±0.95), (22.54 ±1.53), (24.48 ±0.92) and (25.54 ±3.61)%at 48 hours, both with statis-tically significant differences between any two groups (P<0.05).Significant differences were also found in the proliferation rate of the same concentration of pemetrexed at the two time points (P<0.05).The combination of pemetrexed and β-elemene showed an inhibi-tion rate of (49.95 ±5.76)%at 24 hours, remarkably higher than (24.36 ±5.59)%in theβ-elemene group and (10.69 ±1.37)%in the pemetrexed group (P<0.01). Conclusion Pemetrexed combined with β-elemene can significantly inhibit the proliferation and synergistically accelerate the apoptosis of HeLa cells .

A lot of evidence have proved that low level of cardiopulmonary fitness (i.e.functional capacity ) is related to high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) ,high all‐cause mortality and high mortality of cancer .Cardiopulmonary fitness low level combined traditional risk factors can improve risk prediction for CVD .The present article aimed at reviewing cur‐rent knowledge about correlation among CVD ,other diseases and cardiopulmonary fitness ,improving people＇s consciousness for impact of cardiopulmonary fitness on risk prediction in order to optimize prevention and treatment of diseases .

Objective: To report on a case of maternally derived 45, X mosaicism detected by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Methods: Fetal sex chromosomal abnormality was detected by NIPT. Maternally derived 45, X mosaicism was confirmed by chromosome karyotype analysis. Fetal sex chromosome aneuploidy was detected by amniotic fluid chromosome microarray analysis. Results: A maternal 45, X mosaicism was diagnosed. The fetus was confirmed to be normal. Conclusion Maternal 45, X masaicism can be diagnosed by NIPT.

The activity of the NK cells in patients with preeclampsia was studied to investigate the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. By using MTT and 51Cr releasing technique, the proliferation and killing ability of the NK cells in maternal and umbilical blood from preeclampsia patients (n = 18) and normal third trimester pregnant women (n = 18) were detected. The NK-92 cell line was as the positive control. The results showed that the NK cell counts of umbilical blood in preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women were significantly greater than those of maternal blood (both P<0.05). Compared with that in normal third trimester pregnant women, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was apparently increased (P<0.05). Compared with that in maternal blood, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in umbilical blood from both preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women was dramatically increased. The killing ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was significantly higher than that in normal third trimester pregnant women (P <0.05). It was suggested that both number and function of the NK cells in preeclampsia women were increased, and that in umbilical blood was greater than that in maternal blood, speculating that the function of the NK cells may affect the maintenance of the maternal and fetal immune tolerance during pregnancy.
Adult ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; immunology ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; pathology ; Pre-Eclampsia ; blood ; immunology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third

Objective:To evaluate the application value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and dynamic contrast enhancement MRI (DCE-MRI) in the prediction of the early efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for cervical squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:Fifty patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by pathology were included. Before CCRT, IVIM-DWI and DCE-MRI were scanned, and the values of quantitative parameters including ADC, D, D * and f of IVIM-DWI and K trans, K ep, V e and V p of DCE-MRI before treatment were measured for all patients. MRI reexamination was performed 1 month after the end of CCRT, and all patients were divided into the cure group and the residual group according to the tumor remission. The parameters of IVIM-DWI and DCE-MRI before treatment were statistically compared between two groups. The optimal predictive parameters and predictive thresholds were determined by drawing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:Twenty-four patients were assigned into the cure group and twenty-six patients in the residual group. The ADC, D and V e values before treatment in the cure group were significantly lower than those in the residual group (all P<0.05), whereas the f and K trans values were significantly higher than those in the residual group (both P<0.05). The other parameters did not significantly differ between two groups (all P>0.05). The area under ROC curve (AUC=0.823) of D value was the largest, followed by K transvalue (AUC=0.754). The combined prediction efficacy of D and K trans (AUC=0.867) was higher than that of either D or K trans alone. The sensitivity was 88.5%, 85.8% and 88.8%, and the specificity was 70.8%, 66.7% and 79.2%, respectively. Conclusions:Quantitative parameters of IVIM-DWI and DCE-MRI before treatment have certain predictive value for the early efficacy of CCRT in cervical squamous cell carcinoma, among which the predictive efficacy of D value is the highest, and the combined application of D and K trans can improve the predictive efficacy.

Objective:To investigate the role of down-regulating serine racemase (SRR) in alleviating the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) induced neurotoxicity and synaptic damage and possible mechanism in PC12 cells.Methods:(1) PC12 cells cultured in vitro were divided into 0, 20, 40 and 80 μmol/L Aβ 25-35 treatment groups; they were treated with 0, 20, 40 and 80 μmol/L Aβ 25-35 for 24 h, respectively; cell counting kit (CCK)-8 was used to detect the survival rate of cells in each group, and Western blotting was used to detect the SRR protein expression. PC12 cells were treated with 40 μmol/L Aβ 25-35 for 0, 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively; cell survival and SRR protein expression were detected by CCK-8 and Western blotting, respectively. (2) PC12 cells were divided into control group, nonsense sequence group, SRR small interfering RNA (siRNA) group 1, SRR siRNA group 2, and SRR siRNA group 3; cells in the later three groups were transfected with SRR nonsense sequence or different SRR siRNA sequences, respectively; 48 h after that, Western blotting was used to detect the SRR protein expression of cells in each group, and SRR siRNA with best effect was selected for subsequent experiments. (3) PC12 cells were divided into control group, AD group, AD+nonsense sequence group, and AD+SRR siRNA group; cells in the latter two groups were transfected with nonsense sequence or SRR siRNA for 48 h, respectively; cells in the latter three groups were added 40 μmol/L Aβ 25-35, and cells in the control group were added same amount of solvent; 24 h after treatment, the SRR protein expression was detected by Western blotting, cell survival was detected by CCK-8, cell apoptosis was detected by Hoechst 33258 fluorescent staining, Caspase 3 activity was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and the expressions of activated Caspase 3, N-methyl- D aspartate (NMDA) receptor-associated proteins and postsynaptic dense protein 95 (PSD95) were detected by Western blotting. Results:(1) The survival rate of cells in 0, 20, 40 and 80 μmol/L Aβ 25-35 treatment groups was successively decreased and the SRR protein expression was successively increased, with significant differences ( P<0.05); PC12 cells treated with 40 μmol/L Aβ 25-35 for 0, 12, 24 and 48 h had successively decreased survival rate and successively increased SRR protein expression, with significant differences ( P<0.05). (2) The SRR protein expressions in the SRR siRNA group 1, SRR siRNA group 2 and SRR siRNA3 group 3 were significantly decreased as compared with those in the control group and nonsense sequence group ( P<0.05), and the decrease in the SRR siRNA group 2 was the most obvious. (3) As compared with the control group, the cells in the AD group had significantly increased SRR protein expression and apoptosis rate, statistically decreased cell survival rate, significantly increased Caspase 3 activity and activated Caspase 3 protein expression, significantly increased protein expressions of NMDA receptor 2A (NMDAR2A) and NMDA receptor 2B(NMDAR2B), and statistically decreased PSD95 protein expression ( P<0.05); as compared with cells in the AD group, cells in the AD+SRR siRNA group had significantly decreased SRR protein expression and apoptosis rate, statistically increased cell survival rate, significantly decreased Caspase 3 activity and activated Caspase 3 protein expression, significantly decreased NMDAR2A protein expression, and statistically increased PSD95 protein expression ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Down-regulation of SRR expression can reduce the NMDAR2A protein expression, alleviate the over-activation of NMDA receptor, reduce the cell apoptosis, improve cell survival rate, protect nerve cells, increase PSD95 protein expression, and alleviate synaptic damage in PC12 cells.