Biomarkers ; blood ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and safety of diisopropylamine dichloroacetate in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD).

METHODSA randomized, double-blind, dose-paralleled control trial was carried out with NAFLD patients. The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups treated with either a high dosage (120 mg/d) or a low dosage (60 mg/d) of diisopropylamine dichloroacetate for 8 weeks and the efficacy and safety of the drug were examined.

RESULTS127 cases were recruited for the trial, 63 in the high dosage group, and 64 in the low dosage group. No case dropped out in the trial but four cases were eliminated (4/127, 3.1%). The final number in this trial was 123, with 61 in the high dosage group and 62 in the low dosage group. After 8 weeks of treatment, the overall improvement of clinical symptoms in the high dosage and in the low dosage group was 87.8% and 79.6%, respectively. ALT normalization was found in 55.7% and 69.4% of the cases in the two groups, serum lipids were lowered in 67.2% and 67.7% and ultrasound grading of the liver alteration severity was lowered in 51.7% and 43.5% in the two groups. The differences found between the two groups were of no statistical significance. One case from each group was found having an adverse drug reaction of dryness of the mouth (1.6%). No severe adverse drug reactions were found.

CONCLUSIONDiisopropylamine dichloroacetate could be used as a safe and effective drug in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases.

Adult ; Double-Blind Method ; Fatty Liver ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo study the hepatotoxicity effects in rats with different extract of Fructus Gardeniae.

METHODObserve the change of appearance, behavior and weight of rats through oral gavage daily for 3 d. Weigh the liver and calculate the liver index. Detect the ALT, AST and TBIL. Observe the liver tissue by optical microscope.

RESULTThe weight and index of liver were increased by 3.08 g x kg(-1) aqueous extract, 1.62 g x kg(-1) alcoholic extract and 0.28 g x kg(-1) geniposide, compared to those of the blank group (P < 0.005, P < 0.001) and the activities of ALT, AST and the content of TBIL were also increased, compared to those of the blank group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). The liver cells were obviously swell, necrotic and changed with inflammatory infiltrate.

CONCLUSIONAqueous extract, alcoholic extract and geniposide displayed hepatotoxicity, and the geniposide which was the main substance of the Fructus Gardeniae might be mainly responsible for the hepatotoxicity.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; toxicity ; Female ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Gardenia ; chemistry ; Iridoids ; isolation & purification ; toxicity ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pyrans ; isolation & purification ; toxicity ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: Positive surgical margins are independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence, local recurrence, and distant metastasis after radical prostatectomy. However, limited predictive tools are available. This study aimed to develop and validate a preoperative nomogram for predicting positive surgical margins after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). METHODS: From January 2010 to March 2016, a total of 418 patients who underwent LRP without receiving neoadjuvant therapy at Peking University Third Hospital were retrospectively involved in this study. Clinical and pathological results of each patient were collected for further analysis. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression (backward stepwise method) were used for the nomogram development. The concordance index (CI), calibration curve analysis and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the performance of our model. RESULTS: Of 418 patients involved in this study, 142 patients (34.0%) had a positive surgical margin on final pathology. Based on the backward selection, four variables were included in the final multivariable regression model, including the percentage of positive cores in preoperative biopsy, clinical stage, free prostate specific antigen (fPSA)/total PSA (tPSA), and age. A nomogram was developed using these four variables. The concordance index (C-index) of the nomogram was 0.722 in the development cohort and 0.700 in the bootstrap validations. The bias-corrected calibration plot showed a limited departure from the ideal line with a mean absolute error of 2.0%. In decision curve analyses, the nomogram showed net benefits in the range from 0.2 to 0.7. CONCLUSION A nomogram to predict positive surgical margins after LRP was developed and validated, which could help urologists plan surgical procedures.
Aged ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Margins of Excision ; Middle Aged ; Nomograms ; Prostatectomy ; methods ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; surgery ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To find the appropriate method for age estimation for different ages and sexes. METHODS: The costal cartilage, sternum and pubic symphysis of 91 unknowns from 2000 to 2020 from the Forensic Department of the Criminal Investigation Team of Shanghai Public Security Bureau were collected. Costal cartilage, sternal and pubic symphysis inferences were used to estimate the age, and the consistency between the estimated results and the actual physiological age of the unknowns was tested. The accuracy of age estimation of different samples was compared, and the relationship between accuracy and age and sex was analyzed. RESULTS: Using the costal cartilage method, the inference errors of males, females and the whole population under 40 years old were (0.608±2.298) years, (0.429±1.867) years and (0.493±2.040) years, while those over 40 years old were (-1.707±3.770) years, (-3.286±4.078) years and (-2.625±4.029) years. The differences between different age groups in these three populations were statistically significant (P<0.05). Using the sternum method, the inference errors of males and females under the age of 40 were (0.921±3.019) years and (0.452±1.451) years, while those over the age of 40 were (-5.903±5.088) years and (-1.429±2.227) years. The differences between different age groups in males and females were statistically significant (P<0.05). Using the pubic symphysis method, the inference errors of males and females under 40 years old were (-0.204±1.876) years and (0.238±2.477) years, while those over 40 years old were (1.500±2.156) years and (-2.643±4.270) years. The differences between different age groups in males and females were statistically significant (P<0.05). Using the sternum method and pubic symphysis method for age estimation of over 40 years old, the difference between different sexes was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS All three methods of age estimation are stable and effective and more accurate for people under 40 years old. For age estimation of unknowns over 40 years old, the pubic symphysis method is preferred in males and the sternum method is preferred in females.
Adult ; Age Determination by Skeleton/methods* ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Forensic Anthropology/methods* ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pubic Symphysis/anatomy & histology*