Objective To explore and evaluate the clinical value of MRI for status of axillary lymph node after neoadju-vant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with breast cancer. Methods Forty-four patients with 1ocally advanced breast cancer (LABC) were underwent NAC for four cycles. The longest diameter of axillary lymph node (ALN) measured by MRI scan. Val-ue of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and their correlation were compared before NAC and four cycles after NAC. Re-sults of MRI and pathological data for ALN were compared between two groups of patients. Results All patients finished four cycles of NAC. The total response rate (CR+PR) was 72.7% (32/44), and the total non-response rate (SD+PD) was 27.3%(12/44). The longest diameter of ALN was significantly shortened in response group. The longest diameter was (1.37± 1.06) cm before NAC and (0.90±0.76) cm after NAC (P<0.01). The ADC value of the tumor was significantly increased in re-sponse group [(0.91±0.28) ×10-3 mm2/s before NAC and (1.01±0.32)×10-3 mm2/s after NAC, P<0.01)]. There was no signifi-cant correlation between ADC value change (△ADC) and the longest diameter change of ALN (△L, r=0.131, P=0.413). The sensitivity, specificity and Kappa value of ALN evaluation after NAC were 100%, 62.5%and 0.68 measured by MRI. Con-clusion The change of tumor longest diameter reflects the effect of chemotherapy directly. The tumor ADC value of MRI can not be used as an independent indicator of chemotherapy effect of ALN, eventhouth MRI was the sensitive index for eval-uating the status of axillary lymph node after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in the levels of monocarboxylate transporter-2 in spinal cord horn in a rat model of chronic inflammatory pain.

METHODSMale SD rats weighting 180 - 220 g were randomly divided into two groups(n = 48): normal saline group (NS group), complete Freund's adjuvant group (CFA group). Rats were given injections of CFA 100 µl in left hind paw in group CFA, and an equal volume of saline was given injection in group NS. Mechanical withdraw threshold(MWT) and thermal withdraw latency(TWL) were measured at before injection(T0 and 3 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 14 d, and 21 d after injection(T1-7). Four rats were chosen from each group at T0-7 and sacrificed, and L4-5 segments of the spinal cord horn were removed for measurement of the expression of monocarboxylate transporter-2 by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSIn CFA group, mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia appeared on the 3 h after CFA injection, then until the day 14. The expression of monocarboxylate transporter-2 in the spinal dorsal horn of rats in CFA group was significantly higher than that in normal control group at T1-6(P <0.05). The protein level of monocarboxylate transporter-2 was apparently correlated with MWT and TWL(P <0.01 and P <0.05) in CFA group.

CONCLUSIONThe level of monocarboxylate transporter-2 in spinal dorsal horn is significantly increased in a rat model of chronic inflammatory pain and the change may involve in the formation and maintenance of central sensitization in spinal cord of chronic inflammatory uain.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Freund's Adjuvant ; Hyperalgesia ; chemically induced ; Inflammation ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Male ; Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters ; metabolism ; Pain ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; metabolism ; physiopathology

Objective Overexpressions of epidermal growth factor(EGF)and EGF receptor have been associ- ated with progression and invasive phenotype of pancreatic cancer.However,the underlying molecular mechanism by which EGF worked in pancreatic cancer cells has not been completely understood.In this study,effect of EGF on the invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells and its regulatory mechanism were investigated.Methods The effects of EGF on the proliferation,adhesion and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells were detected by WST-1 prolif- eration assay,adhesion assay and invasive assay,respectively.The activity and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were examined by zymography,Western blot and RT-PCR,respectively.The activity of NF-?B was examined by EMSA.Results EGF could significantly promote the invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells but did not affect cell proliferation or adhesion.The expressions of NF-?B and MMP-9 were significantly increased by EGF,but EGF did not affect the activity and expression of MMP-2.Furthermore,EGF stimulated the NF-?B binding activity.Pre- treatment with NF-?B inhibitors,pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC),could significantly inhibit the activity of NF-?B induced by EGF.Meanwhile,the EGF-induced expression and activity of MMP-9,as well as cell invasiveness were also inhibited by NF-?B inhibitor.Conclusion EGF could increase the expression and promote the invasiveness of MMP-9 via the activation of NF-?B in pancreatic cancer cells,which implies that NF-?B inhibitant,such as PDTC,may diminish the invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells.

The characteristic fingerprint of conventional dairy Nanhanshuishi was established by X-ray diffraction (XRD), based on similarity of caculation on public peaks by MATLAB software, and the feasibility of new dairy technology of microwave method was explored between XRD and the dissolution rate in artificial simulation gastric juices. The result showed that similarity of shared peak in XRD of conventional dairy Nanhanshuishi was > 95%, This XRD characteristic fingerprint of conventional dairy Nanhanshuishi had strong specificity, could be used to provide a reference for identification and quality evaluation. This study also showed that the similarity of microware dairy products and conventional dairy products was good, and the sample of microwave 15 min was the best, and new dairy method by the microwave could replace the traditional method.
Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; instrumentation ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; Microwaves ; Milk ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; X-Ray Diffraction

OBJECTIVETo develop a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of hypocrellin A, hypocrellin B, and hypocrellin C.

METHODThe separation was carried out on a Kromasil C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 micrm) colum eluted with in mobile phases of water containing 0.5% glacial acetic acid and acetonitrile. The column temperature was 35 degrees C, and the flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1). The detection wavelength was set at 265 nm.

RESULTThe three compounds were well separated. Calibration curves of hypocrellin A, hypocrellin B, and hypocrellin C showed good linear relationship RSD > 2.0%. The average recoveries of the hypocrellin A, hypocrellin B, and hypocrellin C were 101.8%, 102.3%, 100.0%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe developed method is simple, accurate, and repeatable, and can be readily used as valid tool for the quality control of Hypocrella bambusae.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Hypocreales ; chemistry ; Perylene ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Quinones ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the method and clinical value of endoscopic surgery by comparing endoscopic resection and vaporization for superficial bladder tumor.

METHODS396 patients with superficial bladder papillary transitional cell carcinoma were treated by endoscopic therapy. 180 patients (Group A) were treated by transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and 216 (Group B) by transurethral vaporization of bladder tumor (TVBT). Periodic postoperative intra-vascular instillation of chemotherapy was given to both groups. Operating time, amount of bleeding during operation, complications and recurrence rate were compared.

RESULTSIn group B, the amount of bleeding and complications during operation were lower than those in group A, but TVBT rated better by clearer view and simplicity in maneuver. The operating time, recurrence rate in group B were similar to those in group A.

CONCLUSIONTransurethral vaporization of bladder cancer, with simplicity in maneuver, less bleeding and fewer complications, rates better in effectiveness and clinical value than resection.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cystoscopy ; methods ; Electrosurgery ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Time Factors ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo clarify the clinicopathologic significance of the expression of the Bcl-2 protein (pBcl-2) and the Bax protein (pBax), and their clinical implications in Chinese and Japanese patients with human invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs) of the pancreas.

METHODSThe study included 59 Chinese and 65 Japanese patients with IDCs of the pancreas. pBcl-2 and pBax expression were immuno-stained with streptavidin-biotin (SAB) method.

RESULTSpBcl-2 (+) was seen in 35.6% of Chinese and in 23.1% of Japanese patients. pBax (+) was seen in 49.2% of Chinese and 64.7% of Japanese patients. A comparison between them showed that there were significant differences in the male patients, in the patients with the moderately differentiated cancer, and in the elderly patients (chi squared = 4.447, P = 0.035; chi squared = 4.114, P = 0.043; chi squared = 6.657, P = 0.010 respective). In both Chinese and Japanese patients, those with pBcl-2 positive expression had a significantly higher survival rate than those with negative one (chi squared = 9.99, P = 0.0016; chi squared = 7.63, P = 0.0058). The group with pBax positive expression had a significantly higher survival rate in Japanese patients (chi squared = 9.37, P = 0.0022). Japanese patients whose tumors exhibited pBcl-2 and pBax positive immunostaining survived significantly longer than Chinese patients did (chi squared = 4.48, P = 0.0342; chi squared = 5.23, P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONSThe expressions of both pBcl-2 and pBax are high found in Chinese and Japanese patients. The pBcl-2 positive expression implies a better prognosis in both Chinese and Japanese patients with IDCs of the pancreas. The effect of pBax expression on prognosis is different between Chinese and Japanese patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal ; metabolism ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; ethnology ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; biosynthesis ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathological significance of the expression of carbonic anhydrase (CA)II protein and mRNA in primary invasive ductal cancer (IDC) of human pancreas.

METHODSThe expression of CAII protein in 33 paired paraffin embedded IDC specimens of the pancreas and paired adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to examine the expression of CAII protein and mRNA level in 12 paired fresh IDC specimens of the pancreas and adjuvant non-cancerous pancreatic tissues. The relationship between the protein expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed.

RESULTSOverexpression of CAII protein was shown in 11 cases of pancreatic IDC tissues (33.3%, 11/33), which was much lower than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues (72.7%, t = 6.275, P = 0.000). The expression of CAII protein had no correlation with tumor position (χ² = 0.992, P = 0.319), differentiation (χ² = 0.866, P = 0.352), TNM stage (χ² = 1.210, P = 0.271) and Lymph node metastasis (χ² = 0.798, P = 0.372), but had bordering statistic sig with the prognosis of the patients (χ² = 3.233, P = 0.072). The median survival time in the patients with high expression of CAII protein was 540 days, while that in the patients with low expression was 320 days. The expression of CAII protein and mRNA was lower in IDC than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues detected by Western blot and RT-PCR respectively (t = 3.399, P = 0.006; t = 2.281, P = 0.043).

CONCLUSIONCAII is down regulated in pancreatic IDC and might be relative with the prognosis.

Carbonic Anhydrase II ; genetics ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Pancreas ; metabolism ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

BACKGROUNDEndothelial dysfunction is thought to be critical events in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have provided insight into maintaining and repairing endothelial function. To study the relation between EPCs and AD, we explored the number of circulating EPCs in patients with AD.

METHODSA total of 104 patients were recruited from both the outpatients and inpatients of the geriatric neurology department at General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University. Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed AD (n = 30), patients with vascular dementia (VaD, n = 34), and healthy elderly control subjects with normal cognition (n = 40) were enrolled after matching for age, gender, body mass index, medical history, current medication and Mini Mental State Examination. Middle cerebral artery flow velocity was examined with transcranial Doppler. Endothelial function was evaluated according to the level of EPCs, and peripheral blood EPCs was counted by flow cytometry.

RESULTSThere were no significant statistical differences of clinical data in AD, VaD and control groups (P > 0.05). The patients with AD showed decreased CD34-positive (CD34(+)) or CD133-positive (CD133(+)) levels compared to the control subjects, but there were no significant statistical differences in patients with AD. The patients with AD had significantly lower CD34(+)CD133(+) EPCs (CD34 and CD133 double positive endothelial progenitor cells) than the control subjects (P < 0.05). In the patients with AD, a lower CD34(+)CD133(+) EPCs count was independently associated with a lower Mini-Mental State Examination score (r = 0.514,P = 0.004). Patients with VaD also showed a significant decrease in CD34(+)CD133(+) EPCs levels, but this was not evidently associated with the Mini-Mental State Examination score. The changes of middle cerebral artery flow velocity were similar between AD and VaD. Middle cerebral artery flow velocity was decreased in the AD and VaD groups and significantly lower than the normal control group (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of the blood flow velocity between the AD and VaD patients (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe results provided evidence that patients with AD have reduced circulating EPCs. Endothelial function is impaired in patients with AD and vascular factors have a role in the pathogenesis of AD. CD34(+)CD133(+) EPCs may be a novel biomarker of AD dementia.

AC133 Antigen ; Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; metabolism ; pathology ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Dementia, Vascular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Peptides ; metabolism ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE1) To estimate annual direct medical costs of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke attributable to hypertension among Chinese adults aged 35-74 years in China, 2) to analyze the correlation between the hypertension awareness and hypertension treatment rate.

METHODS2003 National Health Services Survey (n = 93 018) was used to derive direct medical costs including costs for outpatient visits, physician services, inpatient stays, rehabilitation services, nurses fees, and medications. The medical costs of CHD and stroke attributable to hypertension were estimated by multiplying population attributable risk proportion by corresponding disease costs. Using 2002 National Nutrition and Health Survey (n = 148 804), the prevalence of hypertension awareness and hypertension treatment rate in 132 survey sites were calculated. Correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the two variables.

RESULTSThe direct medical costs of hypertension, CHD and stroke were 20.2, 15.7 and 24.3 billion Yuan, respectively. The medical costs attributable to hypertension were estimated at 19.1 billion Yuan (RMB), accounting for 47.7% of the total medical costs of the two chronic diseases. The prevalence of hypertension awareness is highly correlated with hypertension treatment rate (r = 0.9777, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONThe economic burden of CHD and stroke attributable to hypertension is very high, reaching about 50% of the total medical costs of the two diseases. The prevalence of hypertension awareness could be used as an important indicator to evaluate the effectiveness of hypertension prevention and control at community level.

China ; Coronary Disease ; economics ; etiology ; Cost of Illness ; Data Collection ; Health Care Costs ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Hypertension ; complications ; Stroke ; economics ; etiology