Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Conjunctivitis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate short-term effect of percutaneous discectomy combined with radiofrequency ablation with Disc-FXon contained lumbar disc herniation. Methods 36 patients were reviewed and followed up with Japanese Orthopaedic Association score(JOA score), the Visual Analogue Score (VAS) and Oswestry score for 12 months. Results The scores of JOA score, VAS and Oswestry improvedsignificantly (P<0.01) after operation. Conclusion Percutaneous discectomy combined with radiofrequency ablation with Disc-FXis effective on contained lumbar disc herniation.

Objective To report a case of foot hyalohyphomycosis due to Fusarium subglutinans. Methods Medical history was collected and physical examination performed for this patient.Biopsy samples were obtained from the inner side of right ankle of this patient and subjected to pathological examination. Discharge was collected from the lesions for direct microscopic examination and culture.Results A 72-year-old woman presented with an ulcer on the right foot for 3 years.Physical examination disclosed an ulcer,measuring 3 cm x 1.5 cm,with a moist surface and obvious tenderness,at the inner side of the right ankle.Proliferation of dusky-red granulomatous tissue was observed at the base of the ulcer.Pathological examination revealed necrotic granulomatous tissue and slender,septate and hyaline hypha-like structure in the superficial dermis with scattered infiltration of inflammatory cells.PAS staining showed sausage-like hypha and scattered orbicular-ovate spores.Microscopic examination of lesional discharge exhibited septate, branching and hyaline hypha.The isolated fungus was identified as Fusarium subglutinans by culture,and appeared to be highly sensitive to terbinafine,nystatin and amphotericin B.The lesion completely healed after 2 months of treatment with oral terbinafine (0.25 g,twice a day).Conclusions This is a case of foot hyalohyphomycosis due to Fusarium subglutinans,and terbinafine is effective for this condition.

Purpose: Despite the high prevalence of postdialysis fatigue (PDF) in maintenance hemodialysis patients, no meta-analysis on the prevalence and risk factors of PDF has yet been published. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of PDF and explore its related factors. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the four Chinese databases (National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], Chinese Biomedical Literature database [SinoMed], Wanfang Digital Periodicals [WANFANG], and Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals [VIP] database) were searched from inception up to July 2022. This study was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The articles were independently searched by two reviewers, and the relevant data were extracted. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Results: Thirteen articles with 2,118 participants were included. The pooled prevalence was 60.0%. The meta-analysis results revealed that the ultrafiltration volume, mean arterial pressure after dialysis, and good sleep quality were potentially associated with PDF, whereas only good sleep quality (odds ratio 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.19e0.30) was significantly associated with PDF. Conclusion PDF is common in maintenance hemodialysis patients, which is related to the ultrafiltration volume, sleep quality, and mean arterial pressure after dialysis. However, the mechanism underlying the risk factors and PDF remains unknown. Further research is warranted to investigate the risk factors, intervention, treatment, and mechanism in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

To explore the possible linkage between telomerase and acute leukemia, we detected telomerase activity expressed in 3 leukemia cell lines, 22 acute leukemia bone marrow and 6 normal bone marrow with PCR ELISA assay. Results showed that telomerase activities of three leukemia cell lines were positive with the average (1.57 +/- 0.056) U, normal bone marrow samples average was (0.085 +/- 0.081) U, telomerase value from 22 acute leukemia patients was (0.512 +/- 0.294) U. Telomerase activity is higher expressed in acute leukemia than normal samples and decreased significantly after chemotherapy (P < 0.01). The results suggested that telomerase activity was related to some malignant diseases and might be used as a marker for tumor diagnosis and therapy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Echinococcosis ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Parasitic ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of regulated expansion and committed differentiation potential of JAK2 gene modified hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro.

METHODSA murine stem cell virus (MSCV) based retroviral vector MGI-F2Jak2, which encodes a green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a fusion protein containing two copies of modified FK506 binding protein (F36v) linked tyrosine kinase JAK2 was cloned. F36v served as a high-affinity binding site for dimerizer AP20187. GpE + 86 packaging cell was transfected with this vector. Bone marrow cells from C57BL/6 mice were transduced by co-cultured with irradiated (1500 cGy) GpE + 86 producer clone for 48 h. Transduced marrow cells were expanded in X-VIVO 15 and divided into four groups as follows: (1) control group; (2) AP20187 alone group; (3) SCF alone group and (4) AP20187 + SCF group. The phenotypes of the expanded cells were analyzed by directly phycoerythrin-labeled anti-Sca1, c-kit, CD(34), Gr1, CD(11b), TER119, CD(41), B220 and CD(3) monoclonal antibodies for flow cytometry. Committed differentiation, progenitor colony assay and spleen colony forming units (CFU-S) were further evaluated.

RESULTSA significant sustained outgrowth of transduced marrow cells was obtained only in the AP20187 + SCF group. Cells expanded up to 10(14)-fold after 80 days culture. The doubling time was about 30 hs. The phenotypes of the expanded cells were homogeneously strong positive for CD(34), c-kit and Sca1, while were almost negative for Gr1, CD(11b), TER119, CD(41), B220 and CD(3). Functional assay demonstrated that the expanded cells had multipotential to differentiate into granulocyte, macrophage, erythrocyte, or B-cells under different cytokines combinations. A prominent megakaryocytic differentiation was observed when cultured with SCF/Tpo/IL-11 combination. The expanded cells were also capable of forming BFU-E, CFU-GM and CFU-Mix in methylcellulose colony assay. The expanded cells over three months could still form CFU-S.

CONCLUSIONSAP20187 combined SCF mediated activation of JAK2 signaling domain can dramatically expand hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, and the expanded cells can be regulated and committed to differentiate into multilineage cells. This system may provide important insights into stem cell biology and may be promising for gene and cell therapy.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Janus Kinase 2 ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; genetics ; physiology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; Tacrolimus ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDWe constructed a cDNA subtractive library of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in anagen with suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique and clone differentially expressed genes related to DPCs in anagen.

METHODSTotal mRNA was isolated from DPCs of anagen and telogen follicles. Moreover, single-strand (ss) and double-strand (ds) cDNAs were synthesized in turn using SMART PCR cDNA synthesis technology. ds cDNAs then were digested with Rsa I and divided into two groups, and ligated to the specific adaptor 1 and adaptor 2R, respectively. After cDNAs were hybridized with each other twice and underwent two rounds of nested PCR. PCR products were ligated with arms of T/A plasmid vectors to set up the subtractive library. Selected clones were demonstrated by reverse Northern blot and sequenced. The acquired sequence data were aligned against the Genbank nucleotide database.

RESULTScDNA subtractive library of DPCs in anagen follicles was set up successfully with high subtractive efficiency. Thirty-five genes were identified in this study with 22 known functional genes and 13 unknown functional genes.

CONCLUSIONSAll results confirm the effectiveness and sensitivity of SSH in detecting differentially expressed genes from a small amount of clinical samples. Information about such alterations in gene expression could be useful for elucidating the genetic events in hair follicle growth regulation.

Adult ; Alopecia Areata ; genetics ; DNA, Complementary ; analysis ; Female ; Gene Library ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; chemistry ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC).

METHODSThe clinical data of 68 ChRCC cases treated in our department between January 2003 and September 2010 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. The prognostic factors were evaluated by Log-rank test. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to estimate the survival rate.

RESULTSFifty cases were treated with radical nephrectomy and 18 with partial nephrectomy. The mean tumor size was 5.7 cm (1.5 - 16.0 cm). The TNM stages were as follows: pT1aN0M0 in 25, pT1bN0M0 in 22, pT2aN0M0 in 9, pT2bN0M0 in 5, and pT3aN0M0 in 7. According to the Fuhrman grading system, 8 patients were classified as grade I, 42 cases were grade II, 14 cases were grade III, and 4 cases were grade IV. The 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 93.0% and 90.0%, respectively. The log-rank test showed that tumor size (> 7 cm vs. ≤ 7 cm) (P = 0.004), TNM stage (T1-2 vs. T3-4) (P = 0.008) and urinary collecting system invasion (P = 0.024) were associated with survival time. The multivariable Cox regression model revealed that tumor size (> 7 cm vs. ≤ 7 cm) was an independent predictor of aggressive ChRCC (P = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONSChRCC is a distinct type of renal cell carcinoma exhibiting a low degree of malignancy. Most tumors are larger, but predominantly with a favorable prognosis. Fuhrman nuclear grading is not suitable for ChRCC. Tumor size (> 7 cm vs. ≤ 7 cm) is an independent predictor of prognosis of ChRCC.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nephrectomy ; methods ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden ; Young Adult

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; prevention & control ; Adult ; China ; Drug Users ; psychology ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Needs Assessment ; Preventive Health Services ; utilization ; Risk-Taking ; Sentinel Surveillance