Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; therapy

Gentiana is an important but complicated group in Gentianaceae. The genus covers numerous medicinal plants which are difficult to be identified. In the present study, several medicinal species in Gentiana from Yunnan province, including G. rigescens, G.rhodantha, and G. delavayi, were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 system. Three complete chloroplast genome sequences were obtained after assembly and annotation. According to several published genome sequences of G. crassicaulis, the DNA super-barcoding of species in Gentiana was preliminarily carried out. The results revealed that chloroplast genomes of the three species were conservative with short lengths(146 944, 148 992, and 148 796 bp, respectively). The genomes encoded 114 genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, 4 rRNA genes, and 2 pseudogenes. Furthermore, these medicinal species in Yunnan province were identified using DNA super-barcoding based on chloroplast genomes. The results showed that the Gentiana species could be gathered into monophyletic branches with a high support value(100%). It indicated that DNA super-barcoding possessed obvious advantages in discriminating species in complicated genera. This study is expected to provide a scientific basis for the identification, utilization, and conservation of Gentiana species.
China ; DNA ; Genome, Chloroplast/genetics* ; Gentiana/genetics* ; Phylogeny

BACKGROUNDAtherosclerotic plaque rupture is the primary mechanism of thrombosis which plays a key role in the onset of acute coronary syndromes. Detection of these plaques prone to rupture (vulnerable plaque) could be clinically significant for prevention of cardiac events. It has been shown that high metabolism cells have a high uptake of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG). The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation of FDG uptake and the immuno-histochemistry parameters of plaques, and the effect of atorvastatin on vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque in a rabbit model.

METHODSTen male New Zealand White rabbits were divided into three groups as follows: (1) normal control group (n = 2, C group): the animals were fed a standard diet at 120 g/d and were given water ad labium; (2) atherosclerosis group (n = 4, As group): animals were fed with high fat diet for 5 months after aortic endothelia damage; (3) treatment group (atherosclerosis + atorvastatin, n = 4, Statin group): animals were fed with high fat diet for 5 months and then changed into normal chow plus atorvastatin (2.5 mg·d(-1)·kg(-1)) treatment for another 4 months. Then these four rabbits were imaged with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and sacrificed for pathohistologic studies. FDG uptake by the aorta was expressed as target-to-background ratio (TBR). Maximal standardized uptake value (SUV) was measured over the thoracic and abdominal aortas. The aortic smooth muscle cell (SMC) number, CD-14 antibody positive cell (macrophage) number and the ratio of the thickness of fibrous cap to the thickness of lipid core (cap-to-core ratio) in atherosclerotic plaques were analyzed.

RESULTSAs group showed significantly higher uptake of FDG than C group (SUVs: 0.746 ± 0.172 vs. 0.286 ± 0.073, P < 0.001). After 4 months of atorvastatin treatment and the modification of diet, SUVs decreased significantly (Statin group: 0.550 ± 0.134, compared to As group, P < 0.001). However, no marked difference was found in TBR, the number of macrophages, the number of SMC and the cap-to-core ratio in the aortic segments between Statin group and As group. The correlation of aortic FDG uptake with SMC assessed by histopathology was negatively significant (r = -0.57, P < 0.001). When aortic FDG uptake was expressed as TBR, it correlated significantly (r = 0.69, P < 0.001) with the macrophage number, and also correlated significantly (r = -0.78, P < 0.001) with the cap-to-core ratio.

CONCLUSION(18)F-FDG PET/CT might serve as a useful non-invasive imaging technique for detection of atherosclerotic plaque and potentially permit monitoring of relative changes in inflammation within the atherosclerotic lesion.

Animals ; Aorta ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Atherosclerosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Male ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; diagnostic imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Rabbits

This study was aimed to investigate the occurrence and clinical significance of the SET-NUP214 fusion gene in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), analyse clinical and biological characteristics in this disease. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of SET-NUP214 fusion gene in 58 T-ALL cases. Interphase FISH and Array-CGH were used to detect the deletion of 9q34. Direct sequencing was applied to detect mutations of PHF6 and NOTCH1. The results showed that 6 out of 58 T-ALL cases (10.3%) were detected to have the SET-NUP214 fusion gene by RT-PCR. Besides T-lineage antigens, expression of CD13 and(or) CD33 were detected in all the 6 cases. Deletions of 9q34 were detected in 4 out of the 6 patients by FISH. Array-CGH results of 3 SET-NUP214 positive T-ALL patients confirmed that this fusion gene was resulted from a cryptic deletion of 9q34.11q34.13. PHF6 and NOTCH1 gene mutations were found in 4 and 5 out of 6 SET-NUP214 positive T-ALL patients, respectively. It is concluded that SET-NUP214 fusion gene is often resulted from del(9)(q34). PHF6 and NOTCH1 mutations may be potential leukemogenic event in SET-NUP214 fusion gene.
Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; genetics ; Gene Expression ; Histone Chaperones ; genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins ; genetics ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; Receptor, Notch1 ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transcription Factors ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents of the roots of Capparis tenera.

METHODThe chemical constituents were isolated and repeatedly purified by kinds of column chromatography and the structures were elucidated by the NMR spectra and physicochemical properties.

RESULTEight compounds were isolated and identified as erigeside C (1), glucosuringic acid (2), vanillic acid 4-O-beta-D-glucoside (3-methoxy 4-glucosyl-benzoic acid) (3), 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylbenzoate (4), 3', 5'-dimethoxy- 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-cinnamic acid (5), tachioside (6), 2, 3-dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxyl-3, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propanone (7) and acacetin 7-rutinoside (8).

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1-8 were all isolated from this plant for the first time and the compound 8 was isolated from this gene for the first time.

Capparis ; chemistry ; Chromatography ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Glycosides ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Solubility ; Water ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate an effective therapeutic method for the secondary deformity after the correction of the Wassel type IV thumb duplication.

METHODS9 cases of Wassel W-D Complex thumb deformities in children with postoperative secondary deformity, including 6 males and 3 female, were treated. The age ranged from 2.0 to 14 years old with an average of 5.3 years old. During the operation, the anatomical structure was dissected to observe the structure and alignment of the flexor tendon as well as anatomical structure of the joint. In the meantime, the flexor pollicis longus tendon was shifted, A2 pulley was reconstructed, joint capsule was released and contracted, the end point of thenar was shifted. Kirschner wires fixation were used for about 4-5 weeks, the brace fixation for about 3 months.

RESULTSAll the patients had radial side skin contracture of the interphalangeal joint, radial deviation of the thumb tip, radial side contracture and ulnar relaxation of the joint capsule. Flexor hallucis longus tendon was located in front of the radial side of the proximal phalanx, with no wrapped sheath or A2 pulley. Flexor hallucis longus tendon was attached to the thumb tip substrate, of which 1/3 was located in the center and 2/3 in the radial side. The thumb tip rotated about 10 degrees-15 degrees to the radial side. The patients were followed up for 6-38 months, with an average of 24 months. We adopted Tada standard to evaluate the follow-up results as excellent in 7 cases, good in 1 case, poor in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONSSoft tissue reconstruction for the secondary deformity after the correction of the Wassel type IV-D thumb duplication is an effective method. Application of the brace after removal of Kirschner wires has an important role in preventing the secondary deformity.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hand Deformities ; etiology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Syndactyly ; surgery ; Thumb ; abnormalities ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo establish and characterize a novel human myeloid leukemia cell line SH-2.

METHODSBone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) isolated from a AML-M2 patient, who failed to obtain complete remission after chemotherapy and allogenic bone marrow transplantation were passed in a long term IMDM culture medium supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum. Stromal cells were retained and rh-IL-3 was added in the culture system. A new human myeloid leukemia cell line SH-2 was successfully established with a cytogenetic characteristics of a loss of Y chromosome (-Y), a derivative chromosome 16 resulting from unbalanced translocation between chromosome 16 and 17, monosome 17, trisomy 19 and p53 alteration. Various methods were employed to characterize SH-2 cell line.

RESULTSSH-2 cells has been maintained without cytokine and stromal cells for more than 3 years without EB virus and mycoplasma contamination. SH-2 cells had the basically same morphological, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic features as the patient's leukemia cells did, such as myeloid morphology, an immunophenotype of CD13+, CD33+, CD56+, CD16/56+ and a hypodiploid karyotype of 45, X, -Y, der(16)t(16;17)(q24;ql2), -17, +19, which were gradually decreased and replaced by the near-tetraploid cells with a karyotype of 73-102(80), XX, -Y, -Y, del (q131)x2, der(16)t(16;17)(q24;q12)x2, -17, -17, +19, +19. FISH and multiple FISH delineated all the abnormalities and revealed a loss of one p53 allele due to monosomy 17. DNA direct sequencing detected a point mutation of CAG to CAT at codon 576 of exon 5 in another p53 allele. RT-PCR showed that SH-2 cells expressed apoptosis-related genes (bcl-2, Fas, GST-pi and p2) rather than MDR-related genes. Short tandem repeat PCR provided powerful evidence for the derivation of SH-2 cell line from the patient's leukemia cells. SH-2 cells had certain colony formation and tumorigenic capacities in nude and SCID mice.

CONCLUSIONSH-2 is a new myeloid leukemia cell line with a unique biology background, and will provide a useful tool for leukemia research.

Adult ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Separation ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; immunology ; pathology ; Male

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the prevalence of Fms-Like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations including internal tandem duplication (ITD) of juxtamembrane region and point mutation in the second tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and its clinical significance.

METHODSBone marrow mononuclear cells from 160 newly diagnosed APL patients were analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect FLT3-ITD mutations, FLT3-ITD positive samples were further analyzed for the ITD allelic ratio (ITD-AR, mutant-wild type ratio). The FLT3-TKD mutation was analyzed by PCR amplification of exon 20 followed by EcoR V digestion and sequencing.

RESULTSOut of 160 patients, 30 (18.75%) patients were FLT3-ITD positive, 17 (10.62%) were FLT3-TKD positive, 2 had both of mutations. The initial WBC count and the ratio of short type PML-RAR alpha isoforms in FLT3-ITD positive and FLT3-TKD positive patients were all higher than that in patients with wild-type FLT3 (FLT3-wt) (P < 0.05). For FLT3-ITD positive patients, the incidences of retinoic acid syndrome (RAS) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) were 41.7% and 65.4%, respectively, being higher than that of FLT3-wt patients, while their complete remission (CR) rate was lower (69.2% vs 90.3%, P < 0.05). For FLT3-TKD positive patients, the incidence of RAS, DIC and CR rate were not significantly different from that of FLT3-wt patients (P > 0.05). FLT3-ITD positive patients had a shorter overall survival (OS) (P < 0.05), but not disease-free survival (DFS) (P > 0.05) as compared with FLT3-wt patients. There was no significant difference in either OS or DFS between FLT3-TKD positive and FLT3-wt patients. The ITD-AR of 30 FLT3-ITD positive patients varied from 0.11 to 6.55 with a median of 1.0. The initial WBC count, incidence of RAS and DIC, CR rate were not significantly different between the patients with ITD-AR greater than 1.0 and lower than 1.0 (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFLT3 mutations (FLT3-ITD or FLT3-TKD) are frequently identified in patients with newly diagnosed APL, both mutations are associated with higher initial WBC and short type PML-RAR alpha isoforms. FLT3-ITD mutation is more frequent than FLT3-TKD mutation, and predicts a poorer prognosis, whereas FLT3-TKD mutation does not show the same unfavorable prognostic effect on APL patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Point Mutation ; Prognosis ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Young Adult ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the prevalence of nucleophosmin (NPM1) gene exon 12 mutations in adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its clinical characteristics.

METHODSGenomic DNAs from 101 AML adults were screened by PCR and sequencing or capillary electrophoresis (CE) for NPMI mutations.

RESULTSNPM1 exon 12 mutations were present in 31.7% of the overall cohort, including 1/1 (100%) of M0, 9/17(52.9%) of M1 , 7/25 (28.0%) of M2, 0/23(0%) of M3, 2/7 (28.6%) of M4 and 13/25 (52.0% ) of M5. NPM1 gene mutations were more prevalent in patients with normal karyotype (27/59, 45.8%) compared with that in those with karyotypic abnormalities (5/42, 11.9% ) (P < 0.001). NPM1 mutant cases were significantly associated with old age (P < 0.05), high peripheral white cell count (P < 0.05) and low expression of CD34 (P < 0.05) and CD17 (P<0.05). Sequence analysis of these NPM1 mutant cases revealed 5 known mutations (type A, B, D, N(M), and P(M)) and 1 novel variant (named as type S).

CONCLUSIONSNPM1 exon 12 mutations occur with a considerable percentage in AML patients with normal karyotype, M1/M5 subtype and older age, and are associated with higher peripheral white cell count and lower expression of CD34 and CD117.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection is the main complication after posterior lumbar surgery, which not only increases the patient's hospitalization time, financial burden and physical pain, but also increases the difficulty for the clinical medical staff, delays the recovery of postoperative patients, even leads to deaths. Therefore, it is important to analyze the factors related to the infection of the surgical site after posterior lumbar surgery. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the risk factors of the surgical site infection after lumbar posterior approach in China. METHODS: Studies about the surgical site infection after lumbar posterior approach were retrieved by computer. The quality of the studies was evaluated by reading the full text. Heterogeneity was analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software. Meta analysis was used to analyze the combined effect. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Totally 20 studies with 423 cases of surgical site infection and 13 995 cases of non-infection were included. (2)Meta-analysis univariate analysis results:body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2[OR=3.82,95%CI(2.47,5.91),P<0.000 01],age ≥ 60 years [OR=1.99,95%CI(1.44,2.76),P<0.000 1],intraoperative blood loss ≥ 300 mL[OR=3.98,95%CI(2.50,6.33),P<0.000 01],subcutaneous fat thickness[MD=5.35,95%CI(3.58,7.12),P<0.000 01],number of segments ≥ 3[OR=3.83,95%CI(2.02,7.26),P<0.000 1],operation time ≥180 minutes[OR=2.96,95%CI(2.06,4.27),P<0.000 01],preoperative serum protein<35 g/L[OR=2.37,95%CI(1.63,3.46),P<0.000 01],and diabetes[OR=2.88,95%CI(2.22,3.74),P<0.000 01]were risk factors for surgical site infection after lumbar posterior approach.(3)Multivariate analysis results:body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2[OR=3.21,95%CI(1.97,5.22),P<0.000 01],subcutaneous fat thickness[MD=5.35,95%CI(3.58, 7.12),P<0.000 01],preoperative serum protein<35 g/L[OR=3.73,95%CI(2.30,6.04),P<0.000 01],and diabetes[OR=3.35,95%CI(1.75,6.42), P=0.003]were independent risk factors for surgical site infection after lumbar posterior surgery.(4)Results showed that body mass index ≥27 kg/m2, subcutaneous fat thickness, preoperative serum protein < 35 g/L, and diabetes are independent risk factors for surgical site infection after lumbar posterior approach in China. Due to the number of cases of surgical site infection and its methodological quality during the study, the above conclusions still need to be confirmed by more large-scale, high-quality studies to provide reliable evidence for perioperative management.