Background The evaluation of visual function after laser in situ keratomileusis(LASIK) mainly focuses on the study of contrast sensitivity funetion (CSF).However,CSF measurement is a subjective method and therefore has a limiting in application.A point spread function (PSF) is becoming a study topic because of its objectivity in assessing visual quality.Objective Present study was to evaluate the change of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of eyes and compare the optical and visual quality of human eyes after LASIK.Methods Thirty-six patients(72 eyes) were included in this study.The patients were divided into low myopia(-2.72±0.52 D),moderate myopia (-4.89+0.80 D) and high myopia (-8.00+0.98 D) groups according to the spherical equivalent (SE)diopter before the sugery.The uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA),best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were examined before and after operation,and PSF data was obtained with Topoeon PSF-1000 analyzer under the 3.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil size conditions.The follow-up visits of the patients were scheduled at the 7th days,1 st and 3rd months.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before this study. ResuIts The MTF values among the three refractive groups were significantly different between 3 mm and 6 mm pupil preoperatively (P＜0.05).Under the condition of 3 mm pupil size,the MTF values in the spatial frequencies of 2.98 cpd and 14.88 cpd were significantly declined in different time points after operation in comparison with preoperative ones (P＜0.05).However,the MTF changes had no statistical significance in the spatial frequencies from 18.85-37.70 cpd among various time points(P＞0.05).Under the condition of the 6 mm pupil size,MTF values in low and moderate myopia groups were reduced after operation in comparison with before operation at the spatial frequencies from 2.98-7.44 cpd(P＜0.05),however,there were no obvious difference was found in the spatial frequencies of 9.42-37.70 cpd(P＞0.05).The MTF values of high myopia group was decreased significantly at all spatial frequencies(P＜0.05).The MTF values improved gradually as the prolong of time after operation but was still lower at the 3rd postoperative month than that of preoperation. Conclusion The postoperative visual quality is associated with refractive power and pupil diameter.PSF is a feasible method in assessing the early visual quality after LASIK.

The immune system is a complex system involving multiple organs,and it is vulnerable to age,gender,environment and other factors.For a variation normal physiological range,it is a great challenge to evaluate drug-induced immunotoxicity in preclinical safety study.Histomorphologic assessment of the immune system is a recognized cornerstone in the identification of immunotoxicity at present.In this paper,the principles of pathological evaluation for immune system,and pathological evaluation for important immune organs including thymus,spleen,lymph nodes are discussed briefly,so that it is intended to assist toxicity pathologists in the accurate and consistent characterization of intended and unintended drug-induced alterations of the immune system.

To automatically infer the patterns of vessel structure such as the distal ends, segments, bifurvessel structures, and crossing of two vessels in X-ray angiographic images, a novel method is presented based on Gabor filter and circle detector. The method can cope with varying vessel curvature and intensity feature occur along the longitudinal vessel direction. The present study can facilitate 2-D quantitative description of vessel tree and 3-D vessel reconstruction, and provide an elementary clue for the diagnostics. The proposed method has been successively applied to both synthetic images for validation purposes and the actual angiographic images, which yielded encouraging results.
Algorithms ; Angiography ; methods ; Artifacts ; Blood Vessels ; anatomy & histology ; pathology ; Humans ; Image Enhancement ; methods ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; methods

Background and purpose:To perform whole mount technique in the diagnosis of the prostate cancer could provide orientation to the specimen. Whole mount technique has great value in pathologic diagnosis and morphological research. However, limited by the specimen-making technique, shortage of equipment and heavy workload, this technique has not been generally accepted in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the signiifcance of whole mount technique in the diagnosis of the prostate cancer by comparing the clinical and pathological variables between whole mount patients and conventional ones after radical prostatectomy (RP).Methods:A total number of 229 patients’ whole mount RP specimens were recruited in the study from Dec. 2012 to Feb. 2014. The control group included 393 patients’ specimens which underwent conventional sampling from Jan. 2010 to Jun. 2012. We compared the clinical and pathological variables between the groups, including age, preoperative PSA level, methods of diagnosis, preliminary diagnostic Gleason score, clinical T stage, postoperative Gleason score, pathological T stage, positive surgical margin, extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion and pelvic lymph node metastasis.Results:Two groups shared similar preoperative parameters. Also there was no signiifcant difference between the whole mount and the conventional sampling groups in postoperative Gleason score, pathological T stage, extraprostatic extension and pelvic lymph node metastasis. However, positive surgical margin and seminal vesicle invasion rates were much higher in the whole mount group than the control one and both of the differences reached statistical signiifcance (26.2%vs 17.6%, 23.1%vs 17.0%;P=0.010, 0.025)Conclusion:After compared the clinical and pathological variables, we could conclude that whole mount technique has prevalence in the diagnosis of the positive surgical margin and seminal vesicle invasion compared with the conventional sampling technique. Thus, whole mount technique should be strongly recommended in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effects ofPolyphyllin D (Paris saponin [PS]Ⅰ) and formosanin C (PS Ⅱ) on human glioblastoma U251 cells and its mechanism.Methods Glioma cell line U251 was cultured in vitro.Different treatments (PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ) were added into the medium cultured human malignant glioma U251 cells; and blank control group was also established.The effects of PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ on proliferation of glioma cells U251 in vitro was examined using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay.The nuclear morphology changes of apoptotic cells were detected by Hoechst33258 fluorescent staining.Apoptotic rate was quantified by flow cytometry (FCM) using Annexin-V/PⅠ dual staining.Western blotting was used to evaluate the changes of Fas,Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 proteins in U251 cells.Results PS Ⅰ and PS Ⅱ inhibted U251 cell proliferation with a timeand dose-dependent manner; as compared with that in the blank control group,the proliferation rate in the PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ treatment groups was significantly increased (P＜0.05); PS Ⅰ had stronger inhibited effect than PS Ⅱ.Typical morphological changes of apoptosis were observed in U251 cells of the PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ treatment groups with Hoechst 33258 staining.The early apoptotic rates of the PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ treatment groups were all significantly higher than that of the blank control groups (F=81.434,P=0.000).As compared with those in the blank control group,the expressions ofFas,Caspase-8 and Caspase-3 were significantly increased (P＜0.05).Conclusion PSⅠ and PS Ⅱ inhibite the proliferation ofglioma cells in vitro; they increase the expressions ofFas,Caspase-8 and Caspase-3,and accelerate the cell apoptosis,which might be the mechanism of inhibition.

OBJECTIVETo demonstrate expression and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of human kallikrein 10 (KLK 10) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and to correlate the KLK 10 expression level with clinicopathological factors of CRC.

METHODSKLK 10 expression in 63 cases of tumoral and nontumoral colorectal tissues at the mRNA and protein levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT) and Western blot methods. KLK 10 protein was localized by immunohistochemistry. The KLK 10 genomic DNA from 16 cases of paired normal and cancerous colorectal tissues was PCR-amplified and examined for SNP by direct sequencing.

RESULTSThe KLK 10 mRNA expression was detected by qRT in 61 of 63 (97%) CRC specimens. The KLK 10 expression was much higher in tumor tissue than in the corresponding normal mucosal tissue at the mRNA and protein levels. The KLK 10 mRNA expression level significantly correlated with the lymphatic invasion (P < 0.05) and clinical stage of CRC (P < 0.05). No mutations or polymorphisms were detected in exon 1, 2 and 5 of KLK 10 gene in CRC. A SNP in codon 50 of exon 3, GCC (alanine) to TCC (serine) was identified. The genetic changes of exon 4 were located at codon 106 [GGC (glycine) to GGA (glycine)], codon 112 [ACG (threonine) to ACC (threonine)], codon 141 [CTA (leucine) to CTG (leucine)], and codon 149 [CCG (proline) to CTG (leucine)]. All these SNP were identical in tumor as well as the corresponding normal tissue DNA from the same individuals.

CONCLUSIONSThe KLK 10 expression is up-regulated in CRC and higher expression of KLK 10 closely correlate with advanced disease stage, which predicts a poorer prognosis, however, further follow-up study is needed.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blotting, Western ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Kallikreins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo examine the role of Polo-like kinase 1(PLK1) in the migration and invasiveness of human colorectal cancer cells.

METHODSNine colorectal cancer cell lines were cultured. Cell lines with the highest level of PLK1 expression was selected by PCR and Western blot. Three siRNA oligo segments targeting PLK1 were designed and selected cell lines transfected. Successful transfection was confirmed using real-time PCR and Western blot. Changes in migration and invasiveness of the selected cell line were evaluated by Transwell test.

RESULTSColorectal cancer cell line SW1116 was selected with the highest expression of PLK1 at both mRNA level and protein level. The expression of PLK1 in SW1116 was reduced by the three siRNA oligo segments to varying degrees, and the No.1 siRNA oligo segment was the most efficient. In migration test, the number of cells crossing through chambers in PLK1-siRNA group was 44 ± 14, which was lower than that in the negative control group (242 ± 40) and in blank control group(240 ± 38). In invasion test, the number of cells crossing through chambers in PLK1-siRNA group was 62 ± 3, which was lower than that in negative control group (207 ± 12) and in blank control group (211 ± 15). These differences were statistically significant(P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONPLK1 silencing by siRNA may inhibit the migration and invasiveness of colorectal cancer cells, suggesting that PLK1 might play an important role in the infiltration and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Cell Cycle Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo investigate the early diagnosis on iatrogenic injuries in distal part of common bile duct and the prevention of severe retroperitoneal infection.

METHODSFrom 1990 to 2004, 17 patients with bile duct injures in the distal part of common biliary tract were admitted. And the clinical data of the 17 cases were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSOf the 17 cases, the injuries of 15 cases were caused by the operation, and the injuries of the other 2 cases were caused in the process of removing the stone by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The injuries of 14 cases were found during the operation, but the other one was not found in time. Before the operation, 16 cases were examined by B-type ultrasonography, 2 by MRCP and 6 by intraoperative choledocho-endoscope after the biliary tract exploration. Ten cases underwent perforating suture repair and T-tube drainage; 2 with Odd's sphincter incision and shaping; 2 with choledochojejunostomy; 1 with duodenum wall and bile duct repair and drainage. When the bile duct injured, the major findings during operation were bile duct explorer located out of the duodenum wall and bile duct, two or more than cleft in the distal part of common biliary tract found by choledocho-endoscopic examination, retroperitoneal edema and liquid accumulation found by irrigating water through T-tube, and/or retroperitoneal tissues stained blue by irrigating methylthioninium chloride through T-tube. The clinical manifestations after injuries were abdominal distention, abdominal pain, pain in the waist and back, fever and shock, et al. Thirteen cases were cured. And the syndromes included 1 case with intestinal fistula, 1 with incisional infection, 4 dead (3 died from infectious shock; 1 from bleeding in gastrectomy).

CONCLUSIONSThe postoperative clinical manifestations for iatrogenic injuries in the distal part of common biliary tract lack specificity, CT examinations are necessary to doubtful patients. Early diagnosis and timely management can obtain better results, and can effectively lower severe retroperitoneal infection. The perfect preoperative imaging examinations and intraoperative choledocho-endoscopic examinations before the biliary tract exploration maybe reduce iatrogenic injuries in the distal part of common biliary tract.

Adult ; Aged ; Common Bile Duct ; injuries ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Iatrogenic Disease ; prevention & control ; Intraoperative Complications ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peritonitis ; prevention & control ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficacy and safety of Saw Palmetto Extract Capsules in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

METHODSWe conducted a multi-centered open clinical study on 165 BPH patients treated with Saw Palmetto Extract Capsules at a dose of 160 mg qd for 12 weeks. At the baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks of medication, we compared the International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS), prostate volume, postvoid residual urine volume, urinary flow rate, quality of life scores (QOL), and adverse events between the two groups of patients.

RESULTSCompared with the baseline, both IPSS and QOL were improved after 6 weeks of medication, and at 12 weeks, significant improvement was found in IPSS, QOL, urinary flow rate, and postvoid residual urine. Mild stomachache occurred in 1 case, which necessitated no treatment.

CONCLUSIONSaw Palmetto Extract Capsules were safe and effective for the treatment of BPH.

Capsules ; Humans ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; drug therapy ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVETo compare electrophysiological changes in treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH) with ozone by curving sheath-needle multi-direction rotating injection (CSNMRI) and conventional injection method.

METHODSFrom May 2005 to June 2009,100 patients with LDH were studied, included 68 males and 32 females, ranging in age from 25 to 58 years with an average of 44 years, in course of disease from 3 months to 8 years with an average of 8.8 months. All patients were numbered according to sequence of visit, and were completely randomly divided into group A and group B with DPS software, 50 cases in each group. All patients were injected ozone into lesion of intervertebral disc, in group A with CSNMRI and in group B with conventional method. The electrophysiologic study of all patients was performed respectively before treatment and at the 3 month after treatment. The electromyogram (EMG) of the main muscle groups of involved lower limb and the corresponding segments of sacrospinal muscle was tested; the duration and multiphase-wave rate of MUP were calculated. H-reflex of tibial nerve in both lower limbs was observed and the number of abnormal H-reflex and the H-wave latency were recorded.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the number of muscles with abnormal EMG was reduced to different degrees in each group, but there was more significant reduction in group A (P < 0.05 or 0.01); the duration and multiphase-wave rate of MUP in the two groups were both reduced and close to the normal level (P < 0.01), yet the changes in group A was more than that of group B (P < 0.05 or 0.01). There was no significant difference in the number of abnormal H-reflex before treatment between two groups, whereas was markedly lower in group A than that of group B after treatment (P < 0.05). After treatment, H-wave latency in two groups was shortened and become close to normal, but group B was more statistically significant than group B (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe neural electrophysiological abnormalities can reflect the degree of nerve root compression and damage, and is one of the objective indicators to estimate neuromuscular function. It can better meliorate abnormal electrophysiology to inject ozone to treat LDH with CSNMRI than conventional method.

Adult ; Aged ; Electrophysiological Phenomena ; Encephalocele ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Injections ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; drug therapy ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Lumbosacral Region ; abnormalities ; Male ; Meningocele ; Middle Aged ; Ozone ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult