Objective To analyze the results of neck dissection in patients who failed in cervical lymph nodes after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods Eighty-three patients who received neck dissection due to lymph node persistence or recurrence after definitive radiotherapy were analyzed retrospectively according to the following relevant factors: age, sex, the interval between completion of radiotherapy and surgery, rN stage, postoperative radiotherapy given or not, the adjacent tissues involved or not and the number of positive nodes. Kaplan-Meier method, Log-rank method and Cox method were used in the statistical analysis.Results The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 80.7%, 47.1% and 34.9%. The interval between completion of radiotherapy and surgery, postoperative radiotherapy given or not, the adjacent tissues involved or not were significantly prognostic factors in statistic analysis. Conclusions Neck dissection can be applied in the management of cervical lymph node failure in nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy. Postoperative radiotherapy should be considered in patients with capsular invasion and/or adjacent tissue involvement.

Objective To study CD40 expression on melanocytes induced by IFN-?and its significance. Methods CD40 expression was detected by flow cytometry. The capacity of melanocytes to stimulate T lymphocytes was evaluated by mixed ly mphocyte reaction and the supernatant cytokine levels were determined by ELISA. ResultsHuman melanocytes(MC) cultured in vitro expressed low but detectable CD40 surf ace protein. The surface expression of CD40 was markedly up-regulated by stimul ation with interferon(IFN)-?with different concentrations for 24 hours,48 hour s and 72 hours, respectively. The expression of CD40 was correlated with IFN-? levels after 24 hour incubation. MC underwent a morphologic change with an incre ased capacity to stimulate allogenic lymphocytes to proliferate after IFN-?sti mulation. Optimal enhancement of stimulating index(SI) was observed at an IFN-?concentration of 300 IU/ml after 72 hour treatment. Meanwhile concentrations o f interleukin-12 but not interleukin-8 or 10 were obviously increased in the s upernatants of cultured MC. Furthermore, ligation of CD40 via soluble CD40 ligan d(SCD40L) could enhance CD80 and ICAM-1 expression, which could be blocked by s pecific monoclonal antibody to CD40L. Conclusions Since CD40-CD40L is a pair of important and special costimulating signal, it is of great value to elucidate t he fact that CD40 is functionally expressed on MC, thus for a better understandi ng of MC′s role in cellular immune responses. MC might activate cytotoxic T lym phocyte directly and not via CD4 positive lymphocyte.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion for hypomenorrhea after induced abortion. Methods: A total of 74 patients with hypomenorrhea after induced abortion were randomized into two groups, with 37 cases in each group. The control group was treated with conventional hormone sequential therapy, and the observation group was treated with thunder-fire moxibustion. The course of treatment was 3 menstrual cycles. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores, menstrual volume, endometrial thickness and the sex hormone levels were observed before and after treatment. The clinical efficacy was compared after treatment. Results: The total effective rate in the observation group and the control group was 91.4％ and 73.5％, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the TCM symptom scores in both groups decreased significantly (all P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The menstrual volume, endometrial thickness and each sex hormone level of the patients in both groups were significantly improved after treatment (all P<0.05), and the improvements in the observation group were more significant than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Thunder-fire moxibustion can significantly improve the clinical symptoms of patients with hypomenorrhea after induced abortion; it can increase menstrual volume and endometrial thickness, and regulate the sex hormone levels, producing a better curative effect than the conventional hormone sequential therapy.

Background and purpose:It was reported that erythropoietin may directly or indirectly induce the tumor cells to proliferate and result in diseases progression when recombinant human erythropoictin is used clinically in cancer-related anemia.Recently,the expression of erythropoietin-receptor(Epo-R)was detected in breast cancer.This study was done to detect the expression of Epo-R,estrogen receptor(ER),progesterone receptor(PR)and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(Her-2)in breast cancer,and to investigate the relationships between these indexes and the clinical significance.Methods:Sixty breast cancer patients were analyzed,the expression of Epo-R and microvascular density(MVD)were detected by immunohistochernistry,in order to clarify the relationships between the expression level of Epo-R,MVD and ER,PR,Her-2.Results:The rate of Epo-R expression was 78.3%,the mean number of positive tumor cells was 39±24,while the tissue MVD was 25±9.The expression level of Epo-R was positively correlated with the MVD.Also,the level of MVD was higher in the group of Epo-R positive than the negative,which has significant difference(t=3.4252,P＜0.001).The expression level of ER,PR has no definite relationships with Epo-R,MVD.The expression level of Her-2 was both closely associated with Epo-R,MVD.The expression level of Epo-R has an obvious relationship with clinical stage,lymph node status and the size(P＜0.001).The value of MVD was positively correlated with lymph node status,while not with clinical stage and the size.Conclusion:The expression level of Epo-R was markedly higher in breast cancer,and has a positive correlation with the tissue MVD.The expression level of Epo-R and MVD were significantly associated with Her-2,but not with ER and PR.It may contribute to clarifying the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of breast cancer by detecting both the expression level of Epo-R and MVD.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of exercise (EX), low-fat diet (LFD) and their combination intervention on the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression of insulin resistance in rats.

METHODSOne hundred and thirty male rats randomly assigned to 2 groups: Control (CON)-10 rats consuming a low-fat diet; HFD-120 rats consuming a high-fat diet (HFD). The dietary regimen was sustained for 8 wk, at which point the 40 HFD group rats gaining the most weight were referred to as the obese rats. Glucose tolerance was assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During the procedure of OGTT, the blood was drawn for insulin assay (insulin release test). The whole body insulin resistance was assessed by glucose-insulin index. The obese HFD group rats were randomized into one of four intervention groups: HFD-sedentary (HFD-SED), HFD-exercise(HFD-EX), low fat diet-SED (LFD-SED), LFD-EX. Ex rats performed 8-wk exercise training on a motorized treadmill. The CON group had access to low-fat diet for another 8 wk. After 8 wk of exercise and low-fat diet intervention, the OGTT and insulin release test were performed again. To use ELISA technique for detecting TNF-alpha in soleus muscle and adipose tissue.

RESULTSAfter being fed high-fat diet for 8 wk, glucose-insulin index in the HFD group were significantly greater than that in CON group (P < 0.01). After 8-week exercise and low-fat diet intervention, glucose-insulin index in HFD-SED group was significantly greater than that in CON group (P < 0.01). The index in three intervention groups was significantly less than that in HFD-SED group (P < 0.01) . TNF-alpha content in adipose tissue and the soleus muscle for HFD-SED group was significantly greater than that in CON group (P < 0.01). Three intervention groups were significantly less than HFD-SED group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONExercise and low-fat diet interventions can decrease the TNF-alpha expression in insulin resistance rat.

Animals ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Obesity ; metabolism ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To explore the correlation of the radius and respiratory variation of inferior vena cava(IVC)with central venous pressure(CVP)for rapid evaluation of blood volume with ultrasound in elderly patients with septic shock.Methods The radius of IVC was measured using bedside ultrasound,respiration variation index(RVI)was calculated as following:RVI =(maximum radius-minimum radius)/maximum radius × 100％ and central venous pressure(CVP)was also recorded in 28 elderly patients with septic shock before and during 2 h and 6 h fluid recovery.Radius and RVI of IVC were compared between 28 shock patients and 22 healthy volunteers as control.Correlation of radius and RVI of IVC with CVP were analyzed.The thresholds of radius and RVI of IVC to estimate CVP 8 mmHg were determined by Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve (ROC)curves.Results The maximum and minimum radius[(1.23±0.28)cm and(0.48±0.18)cm]in the elderly patients with septic shock were smaller than in control group[(1.95±0.14)cm and (1.73±0.13)cm].RVI in the elderly patients with septic shock were larger than in control group [(55.88±11.18)％ vs.(11.23± 1.82)％].The maximum and minimum radius were positively(r=0.668 and 0.863,both P＜0.01)and RVI negatively(r=-0.848,P＜0.01)with CVP.The thresholds of maximum radius,minimum radius and RVI of IVC to estimate CVP 8 mmHg were 1.56cm(sensitivity 85.2％,specificity 86.3％),1.13 cm(sensitivity 96.3％,specificity 94.1％)and 30％(sensitivity 88.2％,specificity 96.3％),respectively.Conclusions Using ultrasound to measure radius of IVC and calculate RVI might estimate CVP to certain degree.It might be an option for physicians to rapidly estimate blood volume in the elderly patients with septic shock.

Objective To explore the correlation between radius and respiratory variation of inferior vena cava(IVC)and hemodynamic monitoring values of pulse-indicated continuous cardiac output(PiCCO)in septic shock pigs.Methods A total of 8 pigs were used to establish animal model of septic shock by intravenous infusing LPS(100 μg/kg),and fluid resuscitation was followed with normal saline.Ultrasound was used to measure the maximum radius(IVCmax)and minimum radius(IVCmin)of IVC,and respiration variation index(RVI)was calculated at basic status,septic shock,1 hour and 6 hours after fluid resuscitation,respectively.Respiratory variation index of IVC were calculated as:RVI =(IVCmax-IVCmin)/ IVCmax × 100％.Hemodynamic monitoring values,including ITBV,GEDV,SVV and CI of PiCCO,were recorded at the same time.Radius and RVI of IVC and PiCCO values between before and after fluid resuscitation were compared by LSD-t test.Correlation between radius and RVI of IVC andhemodynamic monitoring values were calculated by Pearson correlation coefficient.Results Compared with the moment of septic shock,IVC IVCmin,GEDV,ITBV and CI at 1 after hour fluid resuscitation were larger(P ＜ 0.01)and SVV and IVCrvi were smaller(P ＜ 0.01).Compared with the moment of septic shock and 1 after hour fluid resuscitation,IVC[VCmin,GEDV,[TBV and CI at 6 hours after fluid resuscitation were larger(P ＜ 0.01)and SVV and IVCrvi were smaller(P ＜ 0.01).IVCmax correlated with SVV(P=0.024)and it failed to correlate with GEDV,ITBV and CI.IVCmin correlated with GEDV(P=0.003),ITBV(P =0.001),SVV(P =0.009)and CI(P =0.015),respectively.RVI was correlated withGEDV(P＜0.01),ITBV(P＜0.01),SVV(P=0.007)and CI(P＜0.001),respectively.Conclusions Radius and RVI of IVC was correlated with hemodynamic monitoring values of PiCCO.It can serve as a parameter to rapidly estimate the blood volume.

0.05). The generation of ROS increased obviously after the cells were incubated with them for 12 h, and the increase of ROS reached the peak treated for 24 h. The levels of ?? m were time-dependently decreased after treating with four compounds for 12, 24, and 48 h. Conclusion The grouth of both MDR KBv200 cells and parental drug-sensitive KB cells were inhibited to the treatment of four anthraquinone derivative in vitro. The mechanism of their effects is associated with the increase of the cellular ROS level and the decrease of ?? m.

Objective To evaluate the perioperative safety and effect of irreversible electroporation (IRE) in the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma (LAPC).Methods Twenty patients with imaging and cytohystological diagnosis of unresectable locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma were enrolled to undergo IRE treatment.The perioperative IRE-related complications were primarily analyzed to evaluate the safety of the procedure.The tumor reduction and biological response were analyzed through CT/MRI imaging and serous level of CA19-9.Results All patients were successfully treated with an average tumor size of(4.2 ± 0.6) cm and an average procedure time of (52.0 ± 23.3) minutes.Three intraoperative procedure-related complications were observed (15.0％) including two transient hypertension and one transient superventricular tachycardia.Six postoperative complications were described including two Grade A pancreatic fistula,one infection of incision,one portal vein thrombosis,one gastrointestinal hemorrhage and two functional delayed gastric emptying.The symptom remission rate was 73.7％ and lower serum CA19-9 level was recorded in all patients at discharge.Conclusions IRE is a safe and feasible procedure in the treatment of LAPC, and a reasonable operation strategy of IRE is helpful to consolidate the safety and efficacy.

Objective Nanoknife,also called irreversible electroporation,is a new technique of tissue ablation.Short,microsecond electrical pulses with high voltage are applied to the cell membrane,causing pores to form within the membrane and finally leading to cell death.The current study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the nanoknife in the ablation of the healthy pig pancreas.Methods Three healthy pigs underwent open pancreatic tissue ablation with nanoknife,and blood leukocytes and amylase were detected before and after treatment.Three pigs were sacrificed and gross specimens were collected on day 5,day 10 and day 15 after the procedure,respectively.HE staining and TUNEL staining were conducted and tissue,cellular and subcellular structures were observed under the ordinary microscope and transmission electron microscopy.Results Three experimental pigs recovered well after the procedure.No significant adhesions were found surrounding the pancreatic tissue,and the ablation zone was slightly harder.Transiently increased leukocyte count and amylase level were observed after the ablation,which decreased to the normal level on day 3 after treatment.Under light microscope,the pancreatic tissues in ablation zone appeared to be significantly different from the normal surrounding regions,with more cell death and more apoptotic cells detected by TUNEL staining.The subcellular structure changes also changed under electron microscope.But the main pancreatic duct and its large branches,together with arteriovenous distributions did not change much.Conclusions Nanoknife pancreatic tissue ablation can induce irreversible damage.In the ablation area,pancreatic duct and vascular structures are kept intact.Within a reasonable voltage range and appropriate electrical pulses setting,nanoknife ablation is safe in vivo experiment.