The research on natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and laparoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) are current worldwide focuses international areas of minimally invasive surgery. NOTES needs further investigation, and as the most available of no scar techniques, LESS provides a transition. Currently, both laparoscopy-assisted NOTES colorectal resection and totally NOTES colorectal resection have been reported, however, the techniques are still mainly under animal investigation. Multiple LESS colorectal resections have been reported worldwide, and the feasibility has been proved by those reports. What's more, whether LESS colorectal resection can fulfil the requirements of radical tumor resection needs further investigation.
Colorectal Surgery ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery ; methods

The traditional Chinese medicine of Radix Hedysari plays an important role in invigorating gas for as-cending, benefiting blood for promoting production of fluid, and promoting circulation for removing obstruction in collaterals, which is consistent with the principle of treatment for osteoporosis. This study is designed to investigate the bioactive components on increasing peak bone mass (PBM) by exploring the spectrum-effect relationship between chromatography fingerprints and effect. Multiple indicators are selected to evaluate the pharmacological activity. In fingerprints, 21 common peaks are obtained, five of which are identified. Furthermore, gray relational analysis (GRA) is a quantitative method of gray system theory and is used to describe the correlation degree of common peaks and pharmacological activities with relational value. 21 components are then divided into three different regions, of which ononin and calycosin play an extremely significant role in increasing PBM. In addition, factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) are used to screen the optimal producing area for Radix Hedysari. This provides a comprehensive and efficient method to improve the quality evaluation of Radix Hedysari, confirming the bioactive components for PBM-enhancement and further develop its medicinal value.

BACKGROUNDWhen compared with conventional abdominoperineal resection (APR), extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of local recurrence for the treatment of locally advanced low rectal cancer. Combined with the laparoscopic technique, laparoscopic ELAPE (LELAPE) has the potential to reduce invasion and hasten postoperative recovery. In this study, we aim to investigate the advantages of LELAPE in comparison with conventional APR.

METHODSFrom October 2010 to February 2013, 23 patients with low rectal cancer (T 3-4 N 0-2 M 0 ) underwent LELAPE; while during the same period, 25 patients were treated with conventional APR. The patient characteristics, intraoperative data, postoperative complications, and follow-up results were retrospectively compared and analyzed.

RESULTSThe basic patient characteristics were similar; but the total operative time for the LELAPE was longer than that of the conventional APR group (P = 0.014). However, the operative time for the perineal portion was comparable between the two groups (P = 0.328). The LELAPE group had less intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.022), a lower bowel perforation rate (P = 0.023), and a positive circumferential margin (P = 0.028). Moreover, the patients, who received the LELAPE, had a lower postoperative Visual Analog Scale, quicker recovery of bowel function (P = 0.001), and a shorter hospital stay (P = 0.047). However, patients in the LELAPE group suffered more chronic perineal pain (P = 0.002), which may be related to the coccygectomy (P = 0.033). Although the metastasis rate and mortality rate were similar between the two groups, the local recurrence rate of the LELAPE group was statistically improved (P = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONSWhen compared with conventional APR, LELAPE has the potential to reduce the risk of local recurrence, and decreases operative invasion for the treatment of locally advanced low rectal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Digestive System Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Rectum ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of paternal veto cells in preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after related HLA- haploidentical stem cell transplantation in mice.

METHODSMHC-haploidentical recipient B6CF1(H-2 b/d) mice pretreated with total body irradiation at 9.0 Gy for 4 h before transplantation. The recipient mice were divided into 4 groups, and in the irradiation group, only injection of 0.3 ml D-Hank's liquid was given through the tail vein; in the control group, the mice received injection through the tail vein of 4.5x10(6) bone marrow cells mixed with 3.0x10(7) spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice without the preventive measures of GVHD; the mice in the two experiment groups received cell transplantation in the same manner, and on day 4 after transplantation, 5.0x10(6) and 1.0x10(7)spleen cells from BALB/c mice were injected through tail vein, respectively. The hematopoietic recovery, engraftment and GVHD of the recipient mice were observed.

RESULTSWithout any treatment, all mice in the control group developed GVHD and died after transplantation. In the 10 mice with injection of 5.0x10(6) spleen cells, GVHD occurred in 5 mice with a 30-day survival rate of 50%; the median survival time of the mice with GVHD was 20 days, significantly longer than that of the control mice (14 days, P<0.05). In the 10 mice injected with 1.0x10(7) spleen cells, 2 developed GVHD and the 30-day survival rate was 80% (8/10) with a median survival time of 30 days, significantly longer than that of mice with injection of 5.0x10(6) spleen cells and the control mice (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPaternal veto cell transplantation can decrease the occurrence of GVHD after related HLA haploidentical stem cell transplantation in mice.

Animals ; Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; etiology ; prevention & control ; HLA Antigens ; immunology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Spleen ; cytology ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; Transplantation, Homologous

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of TJU103 in preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in mice.

METHODSBALB/c mouse splenic lymphocytes were collected and treated by mitomycin as the activating cells and the C57BL/6 mouse splenic lymphocytes as the reacting cells. In the experimental groups, the effect of TJU103 on the proliferative response of T cells was observed. BALB/c(H-2d) and CB6F1(H-2d/b) mice were used as the MHC-full-mismatched recipients and MHC-haplo-identical recipients, respectively, and pretreated by total body irradiation at 9.0 Gy before transplantation. For the recipients of the irradiation group, 0.3 ml D-Hank's solution was injected through the tail vein without cell transplantation, the recipients of the control group received injection of 4.5x10(6) bone marrow cells mixed with 3.0x10(7) spleen cells from C57BL/6 mice through the tail vein, and those in the experimental group received cell transplantation in the same manner with also injection via the tail vein of 25 microg/ml TJU103, which was subsequently injected intraperitoneally for 7 consecutive days at daily dose of 50 microg. The hematopoietic recovery, engraftment and GVHD of the recipients were observed.

RESULTSTJU103 resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of T cell proliferation in mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), and nearly 83% inhibition of the proliferative response was observed with the addition of 25 microg/ml of TJU103. Without any treatment, the occurrence of GVHD and death rate in the control group was both 10/10. Daily injection of TJU103 at 50 microg for the initial post-transplantation week protected the mice from GVHD. In the MHC-full-mismatched model, the incidence of GVHD and survival rate on day 30 of the experiment group was 2/10 and 8/10, showing significant difference from those in the control group (P<0.01). The median survival time (MST) was 30 days in the experimental group versus 15 days in the control group (P<0.05). In the MHC-haplo-identical model, the incidence of GVHD and the survival rate on day 30 of the experimental group was 1/10 and 9/10, which were significantly different from the control group (P<0.01). The MST was 30 days in the experimental group versus 14 days in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONTJU103 is capable of markedly inhibiting T cell proliferative response in vitro and can decrease GVHD incidence after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in mice.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Organic Chemicals ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; Transplantation, Homologous

BACKGROUNDPrimary liver cancer (PLC) is a common malignant tumor. Over the past decade, although farnesyltransferase (FTase) has emerged as a significant target for anticancer therapies and has become a hotspot of cancer research, its exact mechanism of action remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of FTase in PLC and its role in the development of PLC.

METHODSExpression of FTase was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) in cancer and surrounding normal tissues from 32 patients with PLC.

RESULTSExpression of FTase mRNA in PLC was significantly higher than that in normal hepatic tissues (P < 0.001). Overexpression of FTase was as high as 87.5%. The positive rate for FTase mRNA in the high tendency to metastatic recurrence group was obviously higher than that in the low tendency to metastatic recurrence group (P = 0.02). The positive rate for FTase mRNA in patients with metastatic recurrence during postoperative follow-up was also significantly higher than that in those without metastatic recurrence (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe level of FTase mRNA expression in cancer tissues is much higher than in normal tissues. FTase may play an important role in the genesis and development of PLC and may be one of the reliable markers for the metastatic activity gained by liver tumor cells. FTase could be used clinically in predicting metastatic recurrence of PLC.

Adult ; Aged ; Farnesyltranstransferase ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Liver Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study effects of strengthening exercise with strong tendon on the lumbosacral multifidus muscle.

METHODSAmong 30 healthy volunteers, there were 21 males and 9 females, with an average age of(31.30±6.48) years old(ranged, 25 to 55 years old). The mean BMI was (21.70±1.95) kg/m²(ranged, 18.1 to 24.9 kg/m²). The ultrasonic image was used to analyze the thickness of lumbosacral multifidus(LM) under the follow conditions: supine position, and supine position with leg lifting 30°, 60°, 90°; seat and hip flexion, flexion to limit position, front to limit position with both hands climbing and strengthening the kidneys and the waist.

RESULTSThe average lumbosacral multifidus thickness was (16.867±2.460) mm, (19.010±2.510) mm, (22.477±2.220) mm, and(27.593±2.370) mm respectively in supine position with leg lifting 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°. There were statistical differences(=423.619,<0.05). The average lumbosacral multifidus thickness was (25.810±2.440) mm, (15.677±2.130) mm, and (15.533±2.110) mm respectively in seat and hip flexion, flexion to limit, front to limit positions with both hands climbing and strengthening the kidneys and the waist. There were statistical differences(=597.789,<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWhen healthy volunteers in Shi's Orthopedics strengthen muscle exercises training, multifidus thickness is increased with the increasing of leg degree, reduced with the increasing of the flexion degree. It can change the stretching state of multifidus muscle by a specific training, so as to achieve the purpose of training the multifidus muscle.

BACKGROUNDThe relationship between the presence of metalloproteinases and thyroid cancer remains unknown, and many controversies still exist in this field. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlations between papillary thyroid cancer and peripheral blood levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2.

METHODSThe correlations were studied by detecting the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in the peripheral blood of 30 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, 27 patients with benign thyroid disease, and 25 healthy volunteers.

RESULTSThe levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 in the peripheral blood of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma were significantly higher than those in the peripheral blood of patients with benign thyroid disease and healthy volunteers (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between patients with benign thyroid disease and healthy volunteers (P > 0.05). The accuracy of detection by both enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in the papillary thyroid cancer group was 83.33%.

CONCLUSIONSThe levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 in the peripheral blood are helpful in identifying thyroid carcinoma and aid in preoperative assessment.

Adult ; Aged ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; blood ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; blood ; pathology ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; blood ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; blood

BACKGROUNDLaparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has been considered as the standard approach to remove a normal-sized spleen, but it is facing technical challenges when applied to splenomegaly. Hand-assisted laparoscopic technique was designed to facilitate the performance of difficult laparoscopic procedure. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and superiority of hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (HALS) for splenomegaly.

METHODSFrom November 1994 to January 2006, 36 patients with splenomegaly (final spleen weight > 700 g) were treated with laparoscopic operations for splenectomy in our hospital. Conventional LS was performed in 16 patients (7 men and 9 women, group 1) and HALS in the other 20 patients (12 men and 8 women, group 2). The patients' features, intraoperative details and the postoperative outcomes in the both groups were compared.

RESULTSThe both groups were comparable in the terms of patient's age ((38 +/- 12) years vs (43 +/- 14)years, P > 0.05), the greatest splenic diameter ((24 +/- 5)cm vs (27 +/- 7)cm, P > 0.05), preoperative platelet count ((118 +/- 94) x 10(9)/L vs (97 +/- 81) x 10(9)/L, P > 0.05) and diagnosis. Compared with LS group, operation time ((195 +/- 71) minutes vs (141 +/- 64) minutes, P < 0.05) was shorter, intraoperative blood loss ((138 +/- 80)ml vs (86 +/- 45)ml, P < 0.05) and conversion rate (4/16 vs 0/20, P < 0.05) were lower, but hospital stay ((5.3 +/- 3.8) days vs (7.4 +/- 1.6) days, P < 0.05) was longer in HALS group. There was no significant difference in the aspects of intraoperative and postoperative complication rate (2/16 vs 0/20, P > 0.05) or recovery time of gastrointestinal function ((16.3 +/- 11.6) hours vs (18.7 +/- 8.1) hours, P > 0.05) between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSIn the cases of splenomegaly, HALS significantly facilitates the surgical procedure and reduces the operational risk, while maintaining the advantages of conventional LS. HALS is more feasible and more effective than conventional LS for the removal of splenomegaly.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Splenectomy ; methods ; Splenomegaly ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinicopathologic features, diagnosis and treatment of biliary intraductal papillary neoplasm (IPN-B).

METHODSThe clinical, histopathological, treatment and prognosis data of 23 patients with IPN-B treated from January 1998 to December 2007 were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSThere were 13 male and 10 female, aged from 30 to 80 years [mean age was (61 +/- 12) years]. The clinical manifestation included 10 cases with asymptomatic, 7 cases with abdominal pain, 4 cases with jaundice, 1 case with emaciation, and 1 case with acute cholangitis, respectively. Nine patients were also associated with hepatolithiasis. The average diameter of the tumors was (6 +/- 4) cm, 4 lesions were located in the right lobe, 15 in the left lobe, and 4 in the extrahepatic bile duct. Histopathologically, there were 4 adenomas, 1 borderline neoplasm, 6 carcinomas in situ, and 12 carcinomas. All patients received operation;the mean duration of follow-up was (33 +/- 28) months. Overall 3-year and 5-year survival rates of IPN-B were 85.3% and 68.2% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSIPN-B represents a distinct clinicopathologic entity. Favorable prognosis for IPN-B is offered by curative resection.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bile Duct Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies