Objective To evaluate the efficacy of interventional MRI in radiofrequency ablation (RFA)of breast cancer.Methods 12 patients with breast carcinoma proven by core-needle biopsy-were enrolled in this study.Among them, 7 patients were in phase Ⅳ(6 with lung metastasis, 1 with bone metastasis),and 5 patients were in phase Ⅲ(all of them rejected the surgical operation because of various contraindications,including severe hypertension,diabetes mellitus,liver or kidney dysfunction,and advanced age).Moreover, all of the tumor size could not be further shrunk after medical treatment (such as 4-6 cycles chemotherapy, endocrine therapy or targeted therapy).Additionally,breast lesions were still remained to be confirmed by imaging examination and biopsy pathology.Then the tumor and surrounding breast tissue were ablated with radiofrequency,followed by clinical follow-up and imaging examination after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months.Results All the patients completed 18 times RFA treatment.MRI showed that all the tumor lesions were necrotic, blood supply was disappeared and therewas no enhancement.Radiographic examination showed the original breast lesions were fuzzy or disappeared.All the tumors were achieved complete remission (CR) examined by imaging,and the effective rate was 100%.All the postoperative patients survived 1 year according to the follow-up data.Conclusion Interventional MRI is safe and effective method in the radiofrequency ablation of breast cancer.

Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Humans ; Liver Failure ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Severity of Illness Index ; Software ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the impact of specific siRNA on survivin gene in transfected leukemia cells.

METHODThe small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted survivin mRNA was synthesized in vitro and was transfected into K562 cell by Hiperfect into human leukemia cell line K562, which has high survivin expression level. The level of survivin mRNA expression was determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with SYBR GREEN I. The apoptosis index of cytotrophoblasts were determined and analyzed by FCM (Annexin V-FITC/PI staining methods). The cell proliferation was examined by MTT at 48 h and 72 h after transfection.

RESULTThe level of mRNA expression was significantly inhibited by the siRNA 48 h and 72 h after transfection, the suppression rate of survivin mRNA separately reached 85.21%, 94.35% mensurated by quantitative RT-PCR with SYBR GREEN I, cell proliferation was inhibited significantly by 45.02% and 50.88%, respectively, the apoptotic rate detected by Annexin V-FITC assay reached 12.28%and 21.55%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe chemosynthesized siRNA targeting survivin could significantly down-regulate survivin mRNA. Survivin siRNA was able to inhibit the proliferation of leukemia cell line K562. Survivin may become a new target for leukemia gene therapy.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; genetics ; K562 Cells ; RNA, Small Interfering ; pharmacology ; Transfection

OBJECTIVESVentricular remodeling is an important pathologic progress in almost all end stage heart failure (HF), and it is characterized by ventricular thickening and cardiac fibrosis with poor prognosis. The connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a new growth factor with multi-function, has an important role in fibrosis of tissue and organs. It has been demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) can prevent the development of cardiomyocyte from remodeling and improve cardiac function. Researchers try to test the hypothesis that cardiac function improvement attributable to ACEI is associated with inhibiting expression of CTGF in patients with HF. The aim of this study was to observe changes in CTGF expression in cardiomyocyte of young rats with HF and effect of benazepril on CTGF.

METHODSThe animal model of HF was established by constriction of abdominal aorta. Five weeks old rats were randomly divided into 3 groups after 6 weeks of operation: (1) HF group without treatment (n = 15); (2) HF group where rats were treated with benazepril (n = 15); (3) sham-operated group (n = 15) where rats were administered benazepril through direct gastric gavage. After 4 weeks of treatment, the high frequency ultrasound was performed. The expression of CTGF was detected by immunohistochemistry and semi-quantative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTSCompared with the sham-operated group, left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVEDD), left ventricular systolic dimension (LVESD), interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole (IVSTd), interventricular septal thickness at end-systole (IVSTs), left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole (LVPWTd), left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-systole (LVPWTs), left ventricular relative weight (LVRW), and right ventricular relative weight (RVRW) were all increased (P < 0.01), but ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) were decreased (P < 0.01). CTGF positive cells and expression of CTGF mRNA (0.609 +/- 0.065 vs 0.117 +/- 0.011, P < 0.01) were increased in HF group without treatment. LVESD, IVSTd, IVSTs, LVPWTd, LVPWTs, LVRW and RVRW were all decreased (P < 0.01), but FS and EF were increased (P < 0.01) in cases of HF treated with benazepril when compared with HF group without treatment. LVESD, IVSTd, IVSTs, LVPWTd, LVPWTs, LVRW and RVRW were higher (P < 0.01), EF and FS were lower (P < 0.01), CTGF positive cells and expression of CTGF mRNA were higher (P < 0.01) in HF group treated with benazepril than those of sham-operated group.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of CTGF was increased in the cardiomyocyte of young rats with HF and benazepril could prevent left ventricular from remodeling partly and improve cardiac function by inhibiting the expression of CTGF in cardiomyocyte in cases of HF.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Benzazepines ; pharmacology ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Heart Failure ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; drug effects ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Ultrasonography ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Ventricular Remodeling ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo analyze the effect of gold standard, blind comparison and different cut-points choosing on screening techniques assessment, and to promote the application of evidence-based medicine theory in screening study.

METHODSA screening study for cervical cancer in rural China in 1999, where 1997 women had been tested for pathology as gold standard and simulating situations without gold standard, blind comparison and under different cut-points. Indices such as detectable rate, sensitivity and specificity were calculated for each technique. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn and areas under ROC curves between screening techniques were tested.

RESULTSWithout gold standard, diagnostic techniques could not be evaluated correctly, and without the blind comparison, the sensitivity and specificity of the tests would be subjectively increased. Furthermore, use of different cut-points led to different sensitivities and specificities of test.

CONCLUSIONSGold standard, blind comparison and perfect cut-points can improve the quality of screening test and drawing ROC curves is an effective way to confirm cut-points and evaluate diagnostic techniques. It is necessary to enforce the application of evidence-based medicine theory in scientific research.

Adult ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; methods ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Technology Assessment, Biomedical ; methods ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; prevention & control

This study was aimed to establish ELISA for recombinant bovine IFN-gamma (BovIFN-gamma) detection and provide a new method for diagnosis of pathogenic infection. The total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood leucocytes cultured with PHA mitogen stimulation. Then bovine IFN-gamma (BovIFN-gamma) gene cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pET28a to obtain the expression plasmid designated as pETBovIFN-gamma. The pETBovlFN-gamma was further transformed into competent E. coli BL21 cells and a 18kD His-tagged protein as expected was expressed after IPTG induction. By using purified recombinant BovIFN-gamma as antigen and lymphocyte-hybridoma technique, four hybridoma cell lines which stably secreted monoclonal antibodies against rBovIFN-gamma were generated, designated as A7, A10, G6, and G10. The immunoglobin subset was identified as IgG1 . Western-blotting analysis and ELISA demonstrated that the monoclonal antibodies secreted by all the four hybridoma cell lines could react specifically to the recombinant BovIFN-gamma, but not irrelative proteins such as Ag85B, ESAT-6-CFP-10 and GM-CSF, suggesting that the four hybridoma cell lines were rBovIFN-gamma specific monoclonal antibodies. A sandwich ELISA was established by using A10 secreted monoclonal antibody and rabbit polyclonal antibodies against BovIFN-gamma, HRP labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG. The results indicated that the sensitivity was 2ng/mL. This sandwich ELISA to detect BovIFN-gamma paved the way to develop a sensitive method for specific infection detection such as bovine tuberculosis diagnosis.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; biosynthesis ; immunology ; Antibody Specificity ; immunology ; Blotting, Western ; Cattle ; Cells, Cultured ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; methods ; Female ; Hybridomas ; Interferon-gamma ; genetics ; immunology ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo compare the reactogenicity and serology between influenza subunit vaccine and split vaccine.

METHODSA randomized, double-blind study was carried out among children (age 6 - 12 years) in order to compare the safety and immunogenicity of an influenza inactivated subunit vaccine (Agrippal, Chiron Vaccines) with that of a split vaccine (Flurix, GSK).

RESULTSA total of 499 subjects were vaccinated and included in the safety analysis. A total of 249 subjects received Agrippal and 250 received Flurix. All subjects were kept under medical observation for 30 minutes in order to check the evidence of having any immediate local and systemic reaction. Daily observation records were collected during the 3-day follow-up after vaccination. 6.4% of the cases with fever >or= 37.5 degrees C was reported in the Flurix group, but 2.4% in Agrippal group which was significantly less than the former group (P > 0.05). Blood samples (the D0 pre- and D23 post-vaccination sera) were collected from 224 of Agrippal group and 223 of Flurix group and analysed by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. Agrippal and Flurix induced similar seroprotection (HI titer >or= 1:40, H1N1 99.6% vs 100.0%; H3N2 99.1% vs 99.1%) and seroconversion (4-fold increase, 95.1% vs 97.8%; H3N2 74.5% vs 79.8%) rates and geometric mean titer (GMT) increase (16.0 vs 21.0; 5.4 vs 6.4) against the two A subtypes. A similar seroprotection rate (94.2% vs 96.4%) and GMT increase (21.2 vs 18.2) against the influenza B strain were also noticed in both vaccines. No significant difference was found in the results of immunological assay between the two vaccines (P < 0.05). A lower seroconversion rate against B strain was observed in Agrippal group than in Flurix group (91.1% vs 97.3%).

CONCLUSIONIn terms of safety, both vaccines were generally well tolerated. The fever reaction was less frequently seen in the Agrippal group. Both vaccines induced an effective immune response in the vaccines.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Child ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Fever ; chemically induced ; Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests ; Humans ; Influenza A virus ; immunology ; Influenza B virus ; immunology ; Influenza Vaccines ; adverse effects ; classification ; immunology ; Influenza, Human ; prevention & control ; Male ; Safety ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, Inactivated ; adverse effects ; immunology ; Vaccines, Subunit ; adverse effects ; immunology

Floating-Harbor syndrome (FHS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease caused by SRCAP mutation. This article reports the clinical features of a boy with FHS. The boy, aged 11 years and 7 months, attended the hospital due to short stature for more than 8 years and had the clinical manifestations of unusual facial features (triangularly shaped face, thin lips and long eyelashes), skeletal dysplasia (curvature finger), expressive language disorder, and retardation of bone age. Genetic detection revealed a novel heterozygous mutation, c.7330 C>T(p.R2444X), in the SRCAP gene. The boy was diagnosed with FHS based on these clinical manifestations and gene detection results. FHS is rare in clinical practice, which may lead to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and gene detection may help with the clinical diagnosis of FHS in children.
Abnormalities, Multiple ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Child ; Craniofacial Abnormalities ; Growth Disorders ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Male

OBJECTIVETo explore the infarct sites in patients with inferior wall acute myocardial infarction (AMI) concomitant with ST segment elevation in leads V1-V3 and leads V3R-V5R.

METHODSFive patients diagnosed as inferior, right ventricular, and anteroseptal walls AMI at admission were enrolled. Electrocardiographic data and results of isotope 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) myocardial perfusion imaging and coronary angiography (CAG) were analyzed.

RESULTSElectrocardiogram showed that ST segment significantly elevated in standard leads II, III, aVF, and leads V1-V3, V3R-V5R in all five patients. The magnitude of ST segment elevation was maximal in lead V1 and decreased gradually from lead V1 to V3 and from lead V1 to V3R-V5R. There was isotope 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging defect in inferior and basal inferior-septal walls. CAG showed that right coronary artery was infarct-related artery.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnostic criteria for basal inferior-septal wall AMI can be formulated as follows: (1) ST segment elevates > or = 2 mm in lead V1 in the clinical setting of inferior wall AMI; (2) the magnitude of ST segment elevation is the tallest in lead V1 and decreases gradually from lead V1 to V3 and from lead V1 to V3R-V5R. With two conditions above, the basal inferior-septal wall AMI should be diagnosed.

Aged ; Coronary Angiography ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Radionuclide Imaging

OBJECTIVETo compare the expression of DKKL1 in ejaculated spermatozoa of normal fertile men and men with asthenospermia and investigate the role of DKKL1 in the pathogenesis of asthenospermia.

METHODSThe characteristics of semen samples collected from normal fertile men and men with asthenospermia were analyzed using computer-assisted sperm analysis according to WHO criteria. The ejaculated sperms were isolated by Percoll discontinuous density gradients to detect the expression of DKKL1 mRNA and protein using real-time PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTSThe expression of DKKL1 mRNA was significantly down-regulated by 11.1 times in asthenospermic men as compared with that in normal fertile men (P<0.01). Western blotting showed that the expression of DKKL1 protein was down-regulated by 2.4 times in asthenospermic men compared to normal fertile men.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of DKKL1, which may play an important role in sperm motility,is significantly decreased in ejaculated spermatozoa of men with asthenospermia.