OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathological features of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and elucidate its diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

METHODSLiver biopsy tissues and clinical data of 32 patients with NASH were collected and the clinicopathological findings by HE and Masson staining were evaluated for NASH grading.

RESULTSBallooning degeneration of the liver cells and fibrosis around hepatic sinusoid was scarce in mild NASH cases and increased in moderate to severe cases. Steatotic and inflammatory cells in the liver lobes decrease in liver cirrhosis related to seatohepatitis.

CONCLUSIONBallooning degeneration of the liver cells and fibrosis around the hepatic sinusoid have important value in differential diagnosis of mild from moderate to severe NASH, and correct histological grading benefits clinical intervention and prognostic evaluation of NASH.

Adult ; Biopsy, Needle ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fatty Liver ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis

The renin/prorenin receptor (RnR) has recently been cloned and demonstrated to exist in different cells in the cardiovascular and renal systems, playing an important role in physiological and pathophysiological situations. In the present study, we used immunofluorescence method to identify whether and where the RnR expressed in cultured rat renal mesangial cells (MCs) and rat kidney. By using the prorenin handle region peptide (HRP) as a decoy peptide of the RnR, we observed the distribution of the HRP-RnR complex in the MCs. Our results showed that the RnR was localized in the perinuclear zone and plasma membrane of the MCs. At the organ level, the RnR was observed in the mesangium of cortical glomeruli in rat kidney. The FITC-labeled HRP (FITC-HRP) translocated from cell culture medium into the cytoplasm within 30 s. Colocalization of the HRP and RnR was observed mainly on the cell membrane and in the perinuclear zone of cytoplasm by using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. At 30 min the FITC-HRP was mainly observed in the nucleus while the RnR remained in the perinuclear zone of cytoplasm. Taken together, our results confirm the expression of RnR in the renal MCs. It is suggested that internalization of the RnR after binding with its ligand is at least one of the pathways through which the RnR exerts its biological actions.
Animals ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Mesangial Cells ; metabolism ; Rats ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of the combination therapy of biofeedback with electrical stimulation on chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) through clinical trials.

METHODSA total of 140 cases of diagnosed CP/CPPS were randomly divided into a control group (n = 20), a biofeedback group (BF, n = 40), an electrical stimulation group (ES, n = 40), and a biofeedback plus electrical stimulation group (BF + ES, n = 40). The latter three groups were treated by corresponding methods 5 times a week for 2 weeks, while the controls left untreated. After the treatment, all the patients were followed up for 30 days. The NIH chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI) scores and the results of uroflowmetry were obtained and compared before and after the treatment.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the scores on pain, urinary symptoms and quality of life (QOL) and the total NIH-CPSI scores were obviously decreased (P < 0.05), and the maximum flow rate (MFR) markedly improved (P < 0.05) in the BF, ES and BF + ES groups after the treatment, with significant differences between the former two and the latter one (P < 0.05), but not between the BF and ES groups (P > 0.05), nor in the control group before and after the treatment (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe combination therapy of biofeedback with electrical stimulation has a synergistic effect on CP/CPPS by alleviating pain and urinary symptoms, improving QOL and elevating MFR.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Pain ; therapy ; Prostatitis ; therapy ; Syndrome ; Young Adult

Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; adverse effects ; epidemiology ; Alcoholism ; complications ; pathology ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; complications ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

AIM To establish a ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadruple mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS) method for the simultaneous content determination of notoginsenoside R1,ginsenoside Re,ginsenoside Rg1,ginsenoside Rb1,ginsenoside Rd,taurine,taurocholic acid,cholic acid,glycocholic acid,glycodeoxycholicacid,chenodeoxycholic acid,deoxycholic acid and muscone in Pientzehuang (Bovis Calculus,Moschus,Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma,etc.).METHODS The analysis of methanol extract of this drug was performed on a 40 ℃ thermostatic Waters CORTECS UPLC C18column (100 mm × 2.1 mm,1.6 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-water (containing 0.1％ formic acid) flowing at 0.25 mL/min in a gradient elution manner.RESULTS Thirteen constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (r ＞0.998 5),whose average recoveries were 91.1％-105.3％ with the RSDs of 2.4％-4.6％.CONCLUSION This accurate,simple,sensitive and reproducible method can be used for the quality control of Pientzehuang.

Amyloidosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Cardiomyopathies/diagnostic imaging* ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Prealbumin/genetics*

Objective: The current study was designed to investigate the relationship between bcl-2 expression and apoptosis of lung cancer cells in vitro. Methods:Lung cancer cell lines with different expression of bcl-2 were cocultured with tumor infiltrating lymphocyte(TIL) isolated from fresh tumor samples,and JAM test was performed to evaluate apoptosis of cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay were used to determine bcl-2 expression and apoptosis of tissue sections of lung cancers respectively. Results: As shown in JAM test, apoptosis increased with the elevation of TIL in coculturing assay in bcl-2 negative cancer cell lines, but in one of bcl-2 positive cell lines it remained stable. Conclusions: Lung cancer cells with bcl-2 expression may antagonize apoptosis, which may account for their immune evasion mechanism.

OBJECTIVETo compare indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA).

METHODSA total of 125 serum samples were obtained from patients with established or suspected autoimmune disease, and 82 samples were used for ANA detection and 57 for anti-dsDNA detection using both IIFA and ELISA. Fourteen samples were examined for both ANA and anti-dsDNA. In cases where discrepancy occurred in the results by the two methods, extractable nuclear antigens were detected using immunoblotting.

RESULTSThe positivity rate of ANA detected by IIFA and ELISA was significantly different (87.8% and 73.17%, respectively, P<0.01), but the positivity rate of anti-dsDNA was similar between IIFA and ELISA (77.19% and 71.93%, respectively, P>0.05). The percent agreement between the two testing methods with different cutoff values of ANA and anti-dsDNA showed significant differences (P<0.01), and for some uncommon patterns, the percent agreement of the two methods was lowered in ANA detection but remained unchanged for anti-dsDNA with different ANA patterns. High percent agreements of the two methods were obtained with the cutoff ANA titer of 1:100 and the cutoff anti-dsDNA value of weak positivity, but they demonstrated a significant difference in testing low-titer ANA and anti-dsDNA.

CONCLUSIONIIFA is more sensitive than ELISA in detecting the total ANA and anti-dsDNA. ELISA prescreening combined with IIFA can obtain the information of the nuclear pattern and allow the observation of the titer alterations. The combination of two or more testing methods can greatly enhance the accuracy of the results.

Antibodies, Antinuclear ; analysis ; DNA ; immunology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer for fast measurement of hemoglobin concentration.

METHODSHemoglobin concentration was detected in 100 random blood samples using URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer and Coulter LH-750 hematology analyzer.

RESULTSThe two analyzers showed good correlation of the results (r=0.994) without significant difference between them (P>0.05). The linear range of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer was 46-240 g/L, and in the repeated measurements (20 times) of 3 batches of blood samples with low, moderate and high hemoglobin concentrations, the within-batch coefficient of variation of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer, from low to high concentrations, were 2.13%, 2.17%, and 2.33%, respectively. In the measurement of 4 batches of high-fat, high-bilirubin, high-globin and high-white-blood-cell blood samples, the interference rate of the former 3 samples were all less than 4% by the two devices, but that of the fourth sample was 10% by URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer and 7% by Coulter LH-750 analyzer.

CONCLUSIONThe results detected by URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer have high accuracy and precision and is easy to operate, fast-testing and portable.

Hemoglobinometry ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Specimen Handling

PURPOSE: Whether tamoxifen affects the risk of neurodegenerative disease is controversial. This nationwide population-based study investigated the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) associated with tamoxifen treatment in female patients with breast cancer using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. METHODS: A total of 5,185 and 5,592 female patients with breast cancer who did and did not, respectively, receive tamoxifen treatment between 2000 and 2009 were included in the study. Patients who subsequently developed PD were identified. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compare the risk of PD between the aforementioned groups. RESULTS: Tamoxifen did not significantly increase the crude rate of developing PD in female patients with breast cancer (tamoxifen group, 16/5,169; non-tamoxifen group, 11/5,581; p=0.246). Tamoxifen did not significantly increase the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for subsequently developing PD (aHR, 1.310; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.605–2.837; p=0.494). However, tamoxifen significantly increased the risk of PD among patients followed up for more than 6 years (aHR, 2.435; 95% CI, 1.008–5.882; p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Tamoxifen treatment may increase the risk of PD in Taiwanese female patients with breast cancer more than 6 years after the initiation of treatment.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Female* ; Humans ; National Health Programs ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Parkinson Disease* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Tamoxifen*