Objective To study the expressions of Notch receptors (Notch1 and 2) and target gene Hes-1 in bone marrow CD34+ cells from patients with psoriasis. Methods CD34+ cells were isolated from the bone marrow of 12 patients with psoriasis and 19 normal human controls. Western blot was conducted to detect the expressions of Notchl, Notch2 and Hes-1 proteins in CD34+ cells, with the house-keeping gene β-actin as an internal reference. Results In contrast with normal controls, a significant increment was observed in the expressions of Notch1 and Hes-1 proteins in psoriatic patients (0.9488 ± 0.3221 vs. 0.6693 ± 0.1465, 0.8579 ±0.3729 vs. 0.5728 ± 0.1787, both P ＜ 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the expression of Notch2 between psoriatic patients and normal controls (0.7568 ± 0.3461 vs. 0.8312 ± 0.2887, P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The overexpression of Notch1 and Hes-1 may be associated with the low proliferation activity of psoriatic hematopoietic cells.

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this retrospective study is to present the long-term effects of open healing of keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) in the mandible.

METHODSA retrospective case series study was conducted on 41 patients with large KCOTs (the maximum diameter of the tumors exceeded 5 cm) treated at our institution between September 2003 and April 2011. A conservative surgical treatment was applied. The treatment involved enucleation of the primary lesion through narrow unroofing and open packing of the residual osseous defect with iodoform gauze for secondary healing. Bone regenera- tion and surgical complications were observed. The long-term effects of the treatment were followed up.

RESULTSThe inferior alveolar nerve was exposed in the KCOT bone cavity in all cases, and some nerves adhered to the tumor tightly. The post- operative follow-up time was 81.5 months on the average (36 to 127 months). The packing gauze was changed every two weeks after enucleation, and the total duration time for packing was 8.9 months on the average (3 to 15 months). Notable bone regeneration and satisfactory secondary healing were observed clinically and radiographically. The KCOT-affected teeth were reserved, and their chewing functions were restored. Two cases presented recurrences after the initial treatment. The recurrence rate was 4.9% (2/41). No serious complications were observed.

CONCLUSIONEnucleation associated with subsequent open packing is a reliable treatment for patients with large KCOTs in the mandible.

Adult ; Bone Regeneration ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Mastication ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Odontogenic Tumors ; Retrospective Studies

Objective:To compare the outcomes of guide bone regeneration by calcined bovine bone and Bio-Oss graft material in alveolar ridge preservation after tooth extraction.Methods:280 patients were divided into two groups randomly.Each patient had single tooth extracted.The sockets were filled with calcined bovine bone in 140 patients and Bio-Oss graft in another 140 patients. After shaping,all the sockets were covered with Bio-Gide membrane.Buccal mucoperiosteal flap was released and sutured to close the alveolar sockets.The patients were regularly examined at the 1st,12th and 24th week after surgery.Physical examination and X-ray evaluation were applied to compare the outcomes of the two materials in alveolar ridge preservation.Results:No infection and re-jection occurred.The radiographic results showed the width and height of the alveolar bone were preserved well at the 12th and 24th weeks.No statistically difference was found in the two groups at the 1st and 24th weeks(P>0.05).Conclusion:The two graft ma-terials can effectively preserve alveolar bone after tooth extraction.

Objective:To study the efficacy and safety of natural calcined bone repair material(NCBM)in repairing bone defect af-ter tooth extraction.Methods:A randemized,double-blinded,parallel,positive control(Bio-Oss)and multi-center clinical trial was employed.Imaging examination was used as the main efficacy evaluation index,surgical wound healing,rejection reaction,bone me-tabolic changes,bone infection signs were the subordinate efficacy evaluation indexes,the incidence of adverse reactions was observed for safety evaluation.Results:280 cases were included,269 cases completed the trial.In NCBMand Bio-Oss group the effective rate of imaging examination was 93.08% and 93.70%(P >0.05)respectively.The wound healing time of the 2 groups was less than 7 days,no rejection reaction,bone metabolic change and bone infection sign were observed.The incidence of adverse events in NCBM and the Bio-Oss group was 0.72% and 2.14%(P >0.05)respectively.Conclusion:The efficacy and safety between natural cal-cined bone repair material is not inferior to Bio-Oss in repairing bone defect after tooth extraction.

Objective To explore the incidence and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) following hepatic arterial chemoembolization inpatients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),Child class A. Methods Retrospective analysis was performed on patients with HCC,Child Class A who were admitted from January 2008 to October 2016.The inclusion criteria:(1) patients were diagnosed with pathologically confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma based on the standards of primary liver cancer diagnosis and treatment (2011 edition);(2) patients have complete laboratory parameters and imaging data within the 7 days before the TACE treatment;(3) the Child-pugh score was 5 to 6;(4) patients have no acute or chronic renalfailure before the treatment of TACE.The morbidity of AKI after TACE was investigated.Twenty-six factors such as age,sexy,contrast dose,hemoglobin were included as independent variable, so as to investigate the risk factors for postoperative AKI. Results A total of 818 patients were included in the study, including 38 experiencing postoperative AKI(4.64%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified elevated preoperative uric acid as the independent risk factor for postoperative AKI(OR=1.005,95% CI 1.000 to 1.009,P=0.037), and elevated preoperative hemoglobin as the protective factor for postoperative AKI(OR=0.974,95% CI 0.952 to 0.997,P=0.028).Conclusions AKI is not uncommon following hepatic arterial chemoembolization inpatients with HCC,Child Class A,and is correlated with elevated uric acid and anemia.Preoperative risk assessment and anemia correction might be effective for reducing the incidence of AKI following hepatic arterial chemoembolization.

Objective The aim of this retrospective study is to present the long-term effects of open healing of keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) in the mandible. Methods A retrospective case series study was conducted on 41 patients with large KCOTs (the maximum diameter of the tumors exceeded 5 cm) treated at our institution between September 2003 and April 2011. A conservative surgical treatment was applied. The treatment involved enucleation of the primary lesion through narrow unroofing and open packing of the residual osseous defect with iodoform gauze for secondary healing. Bone regeneration and surgical complications were observed. The long-term effects of the treatment were followed up. Results The inferior alveolar nerve was exposed in the KCOT bone cavity in all cases, and some nerves adhered to the tumor tightly. The postoperative follow-up time was 81.5 months on the average (36 to 127 months). The packing gauze was changed every two weeks after enucleation, and the total duration time for packing was 8.9 months on the average (3 to 15 months). Notable bone regeneration and satisfactory secondary healing were observed clinically and radiographically. The KCOT-affected teeth were reserved, and their chewing functions were restored. Two cases presented recurrences after the initial treatment. The recurrence rate was 4.9% (2/41). No serious complications were observed. Conclusion Enucleation associated with subsequent open packing is a reliable treatment for patients with large KCOTs in the mandible.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Functional dyspepsia (FD) remains a great clinical challenge since the FD subtypes, defined by Rome III classification, still have heterogeneous pathogenesis. Previous studies have shown notable differences in visceral sensation processing in the CNS in FD compared to healthy subjects (HS). However, the role of CNS in the pathogenesis of each FD subtype has not been recognized. METHODS: Twenty-eight FD patients, including 10 epigastric pain syndrome (EPS), 9 postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), and 9 mixed-type, and 10 HS, were enrolled. All subjects underwent a proximal gastric perfusion water load test and the regional brain activities during resting state and water load test were investigated by functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: For regional brain activities during the resting state and water load test, each FD subtype was significantly different from HS (P < 0.05). Focusing on EPS and PDS, the regional brain activities of EPS were stronger than PDS in the left paracentral lobule, right inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis, postcentral gyrus, precuneus, insula, parahippocampal gyrus, caudate nucleus, and bilateral cingulate cortices at the resting state (P < 0.05), and stronger than PDS in the left inferior temporal and fusiform gyri during the water load test (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to HS, FD subtypes had different regional brain activities at rest and during water load test, whereby the differences displayed distinct manifestations for each subtype. Compared to PDS, EPS presented more significant differences from HS at rest, suggesting that the abnormality of central visceral pain processing could be one of the main pathogenesis mechanisms for EPS.
Brain ; Broca Area ; Caudate Nucleus ; Classification ; Dyspepsia ; Functional Neuroimaging ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Parahippocampal Gyrus ; Parietal Lobe ; Perfusion ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Sensation ; Somatosensory Cortex ; Visceral Pain ; Water

Objective To investigate the effect of galangin on proliferation and apoptosis of glioma cells in vitro.Methods (1) The glioma cells U87 and U25 1were divided into blank control group,DMSO group,100,200,300 and 400 μmol/L galangin treatment groups.MTT was used to study the effects of drugs on the proliferation of U251 and U87 cells.(2) Hoechest staining was used to observe cell apoptosis in the presence of different concentrations of galangin (0,100 and 200 μmol/L).(3) Flow cytometry was employed to detect the apoptosis of U251 and U87 cells in the presence of different concentrations of galangin (1 00 and 200 μmol/L).(4) Western blotting was employed to detect the expressions of apoptosis-related protein 3-Catenin,B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2),Bcl-2 related protein gene (Bax),cleaved-caspase-3,cleaved-caspase-9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in the presence of different concentrations of galangin.Results (1) The proliferation of U251 and U87 cells was obviously inhibited atter 100,200,300 and 400 μmol/L galangin treatments,and dose-effect relation was noted.The concentrations of galangin at half rate of inhibition (IC50) were 281,321,276 and 229 μmol/L in U251 cells,and 289.4,261.1,247.4 and 225.3 μ mol/L in the U87 cells after 100,200,300 and 400μmol/L galangin treatments for 24 h.(2) Under the action of galangin,corresponding increase in apoptosis rates of U251 and U87 cells was noted following the increase of galangin concentrations (0,100 and 200 μmol/L),with significant differences (P＜0.05).(3) The detection of cell apoptosis by flow cytometry found similar changes.(4) Western blotting results indicated that galangin at the concentration of 0,100 and 200 μmol/L could significantly decrease the expressions of apoptosis-related protein 3-Catenin and Bcl-2,and increase the Bax,cleaved-caspase-3 and cleaved-caspase-9,and cleaved-PARP expressions;significant differences were noted between each two concentrations (P＜0.05).Conclusion Galangin can inhibit proliferation of glioma cells U251 and U87,and induce mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis via Wnt/β-Catenin signaling.

OBJECTIVETo perform a prospective,multicenter,open,randomized study to determine a treatment regimen for treatment-naive patients with refractory chronic hepatitis C (RHC) using the predictive value (PV) of early virological response (EVR).

METHODSA total of 438 patients from 18 hospitals were recruited between December 2008 and December 2010 and administered peg-interferon/ribavirin treatment for 12 weeks. Patients who achieved complete EVR (cEVR) were assigned to group A for a 48-week course of treatment, while patients without cEVR were randomly allocated to either group B 1 for a 72-week course of treatment or to group B2 for a 96-week course of treatment. Serum hepatitis C virus RNA levels at baseline,treatment weeks 4, 12 and 24, end of treatment, and post-treatment week 24 were measured and used to evaluate the efficiency of therapy.

RESULTSThe overall sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 85.1%. In all, 91.0% of patients achieved cEVR and were assigned to group A, which had an SVR rate of 90.8%. There was no statistically significant difference in the SVR rates of groups B1 and B2 (29.4% vs. 25.0%, P more than 0.05). The positive PV of rapid virological response (RVR), cEVR and delayed virological response (DVR) for SVR was 93.4%, 90.8% and 77.8% respectively, and the negative PV of RVR, EVR and DVR for SVR was 28.0%, 93.3% and 100% respectively. Overall, 66.9% of the patients experienced adverse events (AEs), but only 1.9% of patients experienced sevcre AEs.

CONCLUSIONThe majority of Chinese RHC treatmentna(i)ve patients (91.0%) can achieve cEVR and a high SVR rate with a low rate of severe AEs using the cEVR guided personal treatment regimen.

Antiviral Agents ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Humans ; Ribavirin

Background and Objectives: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which the mechanisms behind its initiation and development are related to many factors. DMSCs (dermal mesenchymal stem cells) represent an important member of the skin microenvironment and play an important role in the surrounding environment and in neighbouring cells, but they are also affected by the microenvironment. We studied the glucose metabolism of DMSCs in psoriasis patients and a control group to reveal the relationship among glucose metabolism, cell proliferation activity，and VEC (vascular endothelial cell) differentiation in vitro, we demonstrated the biological activity and molecular mechanisms of DMSCs in psoriasis. Methods: and Results: We found that the OCR of DMSCs in psoriatic lesions was higher than that in the control group, and mRNA of GLUT1 and HK2 were up-regulated compared with the control group. The proliferative activity of DMSCs in psoriasis was reduced at an early stage, and mRNA involved in proliferation, JUNB and FOS were expressed at lower levels than those in the control group. The number of blood vessels in psoriatic lesions was significantly higher than that in the control group (p＜0.05), which the mRNA of VEC differentiation, CXCL12, CXCR7, HEYL and RGS5 tended to be increased in psoriatic lesions compared to the control group, in addition to Notch3. Conclusions We speculated that DMSCs affected local psoriatic blood vessels through glucose metabolism, and the differentiation of VECs, which resulted in the pathophysiological process of psoriasis.