Objective To explore the role of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy in diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules.Methods 778 cases undergoing ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy in our department from Jan.2012 to Dec.2014 were retrospectively analyzed,and the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy were calculated.Results All the patients were operated successfully.Except for 21 nodules undiagnosed,16.4％ (124/757) were histologically diagnosed as malignant and 83.6％ (633/757) were benign.15 samples of the 124 malignant nodules were less than 10 millimeter in diameter.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy were 100％,94.8％ and 95.6％,respectively.Of the ultrasound features,blood flow,boundary,internal situation and calcification were statistically significant between benign and malignant nodules,but not so between the groups of different greatest dimentions.Conclusion Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy is safe and effective for obtaining thyroid nodule tissue,and it is helpful for diagnosis of thyroid diseases.

Adult ; Aged ; Autoimmune Diseases ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Insulins ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo observe the in vivo effects of oxysophoridine on hepatocellular carcinoma in mice and to study the related mechanisms.

METHODSC57BL mice were inoculated with mouse hepatoma H22 cells subcutaneously, then divided into 5 groups (14 per group), and treated with oxysophoridine (50, 100, or 150 mg/kg) or cisplatin (4 mg/kg) for 10 days. Inhibitory rate of tumor, body weight gain, and influence indices on internal organs (liver, spleen and thymus) were evaluated. The differentially expressed genes between the oxysophoridine-treated group, and the control group were analyzed using cDNA microarray and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments.

RESULTSCompared with the tumor weight of the control group (2.75±0.66 g), oxysophoridine significantly suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma growth in mice (P <0.01), with 0.82±0.36 g, 0.57±0.22 g, and 1.22±0.67 g for the tumor weight in the low, moderate, and high dose treatment group, respectively. The moderate dose led to the highest inhibitory rate, 79.3%. Observation of body weight gain and influence on three organs showed that compared with cisplatin, oxysophoridine produced fewer side effects in vivo. cDNA microarray and qRT-PCR showed that the most significant differentially expressed genes in the tumor samples of oxysophoridine-treated mice were mostly involved in regulating apoptosis, with the Tnfrsf11b (osteoprotegerin) gene being the most significantly affected.

CONCLUSIONOxysophoridine was a promising compound for developing drugs against hepatocellular carcinoma, and its anti-hepatoma effect was probably related to osteoprotegerin activation.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; genetics ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Organ Specificity ; drug effects ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects ; Weight Gain ; drug effects

At present, foreign standard knee joint prosthesis is mostly used in clinical practice; it can well represent the biological characteristic of knee joint on human being. So this paper adopts the reverse engineering technology in that connexion, presents novel positioning method of acquiring the point data on the surface of knee joint prosthesis, puts forward the algorithm of three-point angle method for removing the noise error and correcting the noise error based on the least squares plane to smooth point cloud. And then, the surface of knee joint prosthesis with better accuracy and smoothness can be generated. Finally, the knee joint prosthesis model can be generated. Thus, a basis is provided for the localization of knee joint prosthesis. This new algorithm is mainly used for the surface modeling based on point cloud smoothing, including the surface of knee joint prosthesis, the surface of regular shape, and the surface with gentle change in curvature.
Computer-Aided Design ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Knee Prosthesis ; Prosthesis Design ; methods ; Prosthesis Fitting ; methods

BACKGROUNDResection of petroclival meningioma (PCM) is difficult for neurosurgeons and usually brings poor performance status. In this study, we evaluated the possible risk factors for unfavorable clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of PCM, and tried to explore the optimal surgical strategies for better postoperative quality of life.

METHODSWe recruited 57 patients (14 male, 43 female, mean age, 50.5 years) who underwent surgical resection of PCM in Huashan Hospital during 2002 - 2006. The primary outcomes including postoperative neurological deficits, modified Rankin scale (mRS) score and recurrence rate were evaluated, and all potential risk factors were assessed by the χ(2) test. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated by univariate Logistic regression. The mean follow-up time was 34 months.

RESULTSGross total resection was achieved in 58% of patients. One patient died during the perioperative period because of intracranial hemorrhage. Sixty-seven percent of patients experienced new postoperative neurological deficits and 26% had a higher mRS score at follow-up assessment. Postoperative complications were observed in 24 patients. Within the follow-up period, radiographic recurrence occurred in 12.3% of patients at a mean follow-up of 42 months. Postoperative radiosurgery was administered to 19 patients who had residual tumors or recurrence and no further progression was found. Tumor adhesion, hypervascularity and engulfment of neurovascular structures were three risk factors for increased mRS score (P = 0.0002; P = 0.0051; P = 0.0009). Tumor adherence to adjacent structures clearly affected the extent of resection (P = 0.0029). The risk of postoperative cranial nerve deficits increased with tumor engulfment of neurovascular structures (P = 0.0004).

CONCLUSIONSIntraoperatively defined tumor characteristics played a critical role in identifying postoperative functional status. An individual treatment strategy after careful preoperative evaluation could help improve quality of life.

Adult ; Aged ; Cranial Fossa, Posterior ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; physiopathology ; psychology ; surgery ; Meningioma ; physiopathology ; psychology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; methods ; Quality of Life

The quality of Chinese medicinal materials relates greatly to the clinical curative effect and security. In order to ensure the quality and safety of Chinese medicinal materials, a systematic and operable traceability system needs to be established. It can realize the whole process of quality and safety management of Chinese medicinal materials "from production to consumption" through recording and inquiring information and recalling defective products, which is an important direction for the future development of traditional Chinese medicine. But it is still at the exploration and trial stage. In this paper, a framework of Chinese medicinal materials' quality and safety traceability system was established on the basis of the domestic and international experience about the construction of food and agricultural products traceability systems. The relationship between traceability system of Chinese medicinal materials' quality and GAP, GMP, GSP was analyzed, and the possible problems and the corresponding solutions were discussed.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; standards ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; standards ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Qiangjing Tablets (QJT) on the semen quality and Fas/FasL signaling pathway in male SD rats with infertility.

METHODSModels of infertility were made in 50 male SD rats by intragastric administration of Tripterygium (GTW) for 3 weeks, and another 20 rats were taken as blank controls. Then 40 successfully established rat models were randomly divided into four groups, model control, low-dose QJT, medium-dose QJT, and high-dose QJT, the latter three groups treated intragastrically with QJT at 58 mg, 105 mg, and 233 mg per kg of the body weight per day, respectively. After 4 weeks of medication, the rats were killed for examination of semen quality and determination of the expression of the apoptosis factor FasL in the testis tissue.

RESULTSCompared with the blank controls, the model rats showed significant decreases in sperm concentration ([71.99 ± 9.72] vs [10.94 ± 3.58] x 10⁶/ml, P < 0.01), motility ([48.95 ± 4.10] vs [9.31 ± 5.79]%, P < 0.01), and viability ( [82.06 ± 6.16] vs [24.03 ± 6.93]%, P < 0.01). In comparison with the model controls, the rats in the QJT groups exhibited remarkably increased sperm concentration, motility, and viability, more significantly in the high-dose group ([59.66 ± 4.53] x 10⁶/ml, [35.45 ± 5.21] %, and [61.97 ± 9.75]%) and medium-dose group ([40.89 ± 4.90] x 10⁶/ml, [24.41 ± 4.79]%, and [60.06 ± 10.62]%) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The expression of FasL was markedly reduced in the low-, medium-, and high-dose QJT groups (0.5215 ± 0.0189, 0.5371 ± 0.0364, and 0.4556 ± 0.0215) as compared with that of the model controls (0.5989 ± 0.0448 ) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBy upregulating the Fas/FasL signaling pathway, Tripterygium glycosides may induce the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells and reduce sperm concentration, motility and viability, resulting in infertility. The Chinese medicine Qiangjing Tablets can improve the reproductive function of male rats by decreasing the expression of the apoptosis factor FasL in the testis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fas Ligand Protein ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Germ Cells ; Glycosides ; Infertility, Male ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Semen ; drug effects ; Semen Analysis ; Signal Transduction ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Tablets ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Tripterygium

INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this study was to explore whether diabetes mellitus (DM) correlates with the risk of kidney cancer in Taiwan.

MATERIALS AND METHODSWe designed a population-based case-control study from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, which consisted of 116 patients with newly diagnosed kidney cancer as cases and 464 subjects without kidney cancer as controls in 2000 to 2009. Both cases and controls were aged ≥20 years. Baseline comorbidities were compared between kidney cancer cases and controls.

RESULTSMultivariable analysis showed no association was detected between DM and kidney cancer (OR 1.06, 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.94). Hypertension (OR 2.05, 95% CI, 1.23 to 3.42), chronic kidney diseases (OR 2.57, 95% CI, 1.23 to 5.37), cystic kidney diseases (OR 18.6, 95% CI, 1.84 to 187.6) and kidney stones (OR 4.02, 95% CI, 2.43 to 6.66) were significant comorbidities associated with increased risk of kidney cancer. Use of alpha-glucosidase inhibitor was associated with increased risk of kidney cancer (OR 4.31, 95% CI, 1.07 to 17.3).

CONCLUSIONDM does not correlate with the risk of kidney cancer. Hypertension, chronic kidney diseases, cystic kidney diseases, kidney stones and use of alpha-glucosidase inhibitors are associated with kidney cancer.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; etiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Diabetes Complications ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Kidney Neoplasms ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

Computer Graphics ; Computer-Assisted Instruction ; Forensic Pathology ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Pathology ; education ; Pathology, Clinical ; Specimen Handling ; methods

Wnt signaling is implicated in the control of cell growth and differentiation during neural stem cell(CNS) development.Wnt3a, one of wnt gene family members, has effect on regeneration neurospheres and differentiation into neurons.Wnt3a inhibits regeneration of neurospheres, and promotes its differentiation. In vitro neurosphere was cultured in a serum-free defined medium DMEM/F12 supplemented with bFGF and EGF. Dissociated cells were plated onto poly-d-lysine-coated coverslips and propagated in medium containing recombined Wnt3a-adenovirus. Plenty of Nurr1 were detected by RT-PCR after 3 days. Wnt3a combined AA would improve NSC differentiation into dopaminergic (DA) neuron. The quantity of DA neuron is obviously more than the AA alone group's. Moreover, the expression of TH mRNA is 1.86 fold in Wnt3a combined AA group. Induced cells were immunostained for TH and DAT. The proportion of TH-positive was (37.42 ? 2.54) % (P