Objective To evaluate the clinical applications and surgical methods of combined laparoscopic common bile duct (CBD) exploration with choledochoscopy. Methods From 2006 to 2009,clinical data of 42 patients with choledocholithiasis undergoing laparoscopic common bile duct exploration were retrospectively analyzed. We applied a step-by-step electric coagulating incision technique on the CBD,the step-by-step suturing technique, and the step-by-step clamping technique with alligator forceps, and soft tube irrigating technique with suctioning by selecting the proper exploration route, improving the common bile duct incision technique and calculus removing techniques. Results Procedures were successful in all the cases. There was no conversions to open surgery, no postoperative bleeding and no operative mortality. The mean operating time was 120 minutes (ranging, 90 to 150 minutes) with minimal intraoperative blood loss ( ranging, 20 to 40 ml). Ductal stone clearance was successful in 41 out of 42 patients ( 93% ). The largest number of the common bile duct stones was 16. With the diameter of stones larger than 15 mm in 18 cases in which the biggest was 30 mm. Bile leak developed in 1 patient, retained stones found in 3 patients,including intrahepatic cholelithiasis in one case. As a result, 38 out of 42 patients underwent common bile duct exploration. 35 patients were placed on T-tubes. Four patients underwent cystic duct exploration in which 3 had primary suture of the cystic duct and 1 had drainage. There was no infection and stenosis of biliary tract in the 42 followed-up cases. Conclusions Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration with stone extraction can be performed with high efficiency, minimal morbidity and without mortality. Improving the way of operation and selecting suitable exploration can result in better clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVETo identify the genetic alterations in nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP).

METHODSComparative genomic hybridization was applied to investigate the genomic imbalance (the gain or loss of genetic material) in 7 cases of NSCLP.

RESULTSIt showed that the loss of chromosome DNA copies happened in chromosome 6, 7, 10, 13, 14, 16, 20, 22 and the gain of chromosome DNA copies happened in chromosome 5, 15, 18, 19. Conclusions 13q had a high frequency (71.4%) of chromosome loss.

CONCLUSIONSAbnormal chromosome DNA copies happen in all the patients with NSCLP. Most of the patients have chromosome DNA copies loss. It suggests that loss of inhibitory gene may be related to the NSCLP. The related inhibitory gene may locate in 13q.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; ethnology ; Cleft Lip ; genetics ; Cleft Palate ; genetics ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; DNA ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Mutation ; Phenotype ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the association of TGF-alpha gene Taq I polymorphism and nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in Chinese.

METHODS107 patients with NSCL/P and 136 healthy controls were examined for TGF-alpha/Taq I genotypes. TGF-alpha/Taq I typing was carried out by digesting the locus specific polymerase chain reaction amplified products with alleles specific Taq I restriction enzyme (PCR-RELP).

RESULTSThe C2 allele frequency of TGF-alpha/Taq I in patients with NSCL/P (16%) was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (8%). The C2 genotype frequency of TGF-alpha/Taq I in NSCL/P patients with positive family history (12.5%) was significantly higher than that in healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONThese findings demonstrate the role of TGF-alpha as a gene of major effects in the development of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate clefts in human. These findings suggest that a family history of clefting may correlate with the TGF-alpha Taq I rare variation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cleft Lip ; genetics ; Cleft Palate ; genetics ; DNA ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Taq Polymerase ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; genetics

To determine the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) features as well as the anatomic-pathological basis in thyroid diseases involving the upper mediastinum, we performed a retrospective analysis of 49 patients who had thyroid diseases involving the upper mediastinum. In the study, 22 cases were nodular goiter, 13 cases were thyroid adenoma, and 14 cases were thyroid cancer. The relevance between MDCT appearances and their diffusing route of common thyroid diseases as well as the anatomic-pathological features in this region were evaluated. It was found that the lesions located in the upper anterior mediastinum, the upper posterior mediastinum, and both sides were 67.3% (33/49), 14.3% (7/49), 18.4% (9/49), respectively. Different diseases had their distinct MDCT features nodular goiter mainly showed localized and multiple nodules or tumor bulk (77.3%), thyroid adenoma mainly showed solitary tumor bulk (92.3%), and thyroid cancer mainly demonstrated solitary tumor bulk (57.1%), respectively. Among the 49 cases, 9 cases had cervical and/or mediastinal metastases in lymph nodes. The thyroid diseases involving the upper mediastinum most commonly occurred in the upper anterior mediastinum. The MDCT features and distribution of diffusing thyroid lesions in cervico-thoracic junctional region closely correlated with the anatomic-pathological characteristics in this region.
Goiter, Nodular ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Humans ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; secondary ; Mediastinum ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology

To determine the relevance between MDCT features and anatomic-pathological basis of lymphoid neoplasm in cervico-thoracic junctional region, we performed a retrospective analysis of 69 patients with lymphoid neoplasm (lymphoma: 41 patients; metastatic tumor: 28 patients) involving the cervico-thoracic junctional region for MDCT features and distribution of lesions. The relevance between MDCT features and the anatomic-pathological basis in this region were evaluated. Among all the 41 patients with lymphoma, 29 with NHL (70.7%), 12 with HD (29.3%). The lymphomatous lymphadenopathy mainly located in superficial lateral cervix (51.2%, 21/41) ,deep jugular chain (65.9%, 27/41), supraclavicular fossa (75.6%, 31/41), paratrachea space in anterior mediastinum (46.3%, 19/41), around aortic arch (56.1%, 23/41), aortopulmonary window (53.7%, 22/41), upper anterior mediastinum (41.5%, 17/41), subcarinal space (26.8%, 11/41) and paraesophageal space (17.1%, 7/41). 28 patients had metastatic lymphoid tumor. The primary tumor were nasopharynx tumor (5 patients), thyroid cancer (7 patients), lung cancer (10 patients), and esophageal cancer (6 patients). Most metastasis took stage by stage in the way of lymphatic return, but a minority of cases migrated jumpily. The main metastatic sites were: beside jugular chain (82.1%), supraclavicular fossa (75%), paratracheal in anterior mediastinum (60.7%), upper anterior mediastinum (64.3%), beside aortic arch (35.7%), aortopulmonary window (39.2%), and paraesophageal space (28.6%). So lymphoid neoplasms in cervico-thoracic junctional region were involving both lower cervix and upper thorax simultaneously. The MDCT features and main distribution of lesions correlated with the anatomic-pathological characteristics in this region.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnostic imaging ; Lymphoma ; diagnostic imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Neck ; Thorax ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of the external application of Qiyu oil gauze (QYOG) for promoting post-operational healing in patients with anal fistula and to explore its mechanism of action so as to provide a beneficial scientific basis for its wide use.

METHODSSixty patients with anal fistula scheduled to receive simple low anal fistulectomy were equally assigned, according to the sequence of hospitalization, to the tested group and the control group, and their wounds were classified according to longitudinal diameter into three grades (Grade I with a diameter below 2 cm; Grade II, 2-5 cm; and Grade III, over 5 cm). After the operation was completed and the operational wound was sterilized with benzalkonium bromide, the wound substratum was packed with QYOG in the test group and with vaseline gauze in the control group. The packing gauze was changed every day till the wound was healed. The healing time of the patients was observed, and the number of capillaries and positive cell percentages of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in wound granulation tissues were counted on the 5th day after the operation.

RESULTSThe wound healing time was 17.80+/-5.46 days in the test group, which was significantly shorter than that in the control group (21.90+/-6.32 days, P<0.01). The number of capillaries and positive cell percentages of VEGF and bFGF in wound granulation tissues on the 5th day in the tested group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01), though the difference in EGF between the two groups was insignificant (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONQYOG could shorten the wound healing time after anal fistulectomy, which suggests that it participates in the stimulation of wound granulation tissues to produce VEGF and bFGF, and thus promotes capillary genesis and improves blood circulation in wounds so as to promote wound healing.

Administration, Topical ; Adult ; Bandages ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Granulation Tissue ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plant Oils ; administration & dosage ; Postoperative Care ; methods ; Rectal Fistula ; drug therapy ; rehabilitation ; surgery ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Wound Healing ; drug effects ; physiology

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Colonoscopes ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; diagnosis ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Intestinal Polyps ; complications ; Male

Objective To investigate the intervention effects ofYinao Jieyu Prescription on the behaviors and damages in hippocampal CA1 area of the rats with post-stroke depression (PSD).Methods Totally 168 SPF male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, sham-operation group, stroke group, PSD group, Western medicine group and TCM group. There were 24 rats in the normal group and sham-operation group, and 30 rats in the other groups. Rats in the normal group received no intervention. Rats in the sham-operation group received no suture. Rats in the stroke group were given middle cerebral artery occlusion operation and normally fed after operation. Rats in the PSD group, Western medicinal group and TCM group were made into PSD models by chronic immobilization stress for one week and individual battery to the end. At the inception of modeling, Western medicine group received fluoxetine hydrochloride for gavage; TCM group receivedYinao Jieyu Prescription for gavage; other groups received distilled water for gavage, once a day. At the end of week 2, 4, and 8, the morphology of the hippocampal CA1 area in each rat was observed by microscope after HE stained.Results Except for the week 2, at the same time point, the behavior scores of the rats in the TCM group were higher than those in the PSD group. At the same time point, the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the TCM group was more complete than the PSD group, and the cells were arranged neatly and in normal morphology.ConclusionYinao JieyuPrescription can improve the symptoms of PSD rats, and has protective effects on hippocampal CA1 area.

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of the sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) inhibitor N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS) in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs (DDP, 5-Fu, MMC) on the proliferation of gastric cancer cells (SGC7901) in vitro, and to evaluate whether SphK1 inhibitors could be used as synergetic agents in chemotherapy.

METHODSSGC7901 cells were incubated in vitro with DMS (1 micromol/L) and 5-Fu, DDP, MMC at different concentrations in combination or separately for 24 h. The effects on the growth and survival of SGC7901 cells were determined by MTT assay. The inhibition rates were assessed by response surface analysis and the interactive relationships between the combined drugs were evaluated on the basis of positive/negative values of the cross product coefficients in the response surface equation.

RESULTSThe growth inhibition rate of the gastric cancer cells by treatment with DMS (1 micromol/L) was (10.23 +/- 0.74)%. The growth inhibition rates of the gastric cancer cells treated with 5-Fu (1, 5 and 25 microg/ml) for 24 h were (9.95 +/- 3.24)%, (21.04 +/- 2.19)%, and (45.49 +/- 3.60)%, respectively. The growth inhibition rates of the gastric cancer cells treated with DDP (0.5, 2.5 and 12.5 microg/ml) for 24 h were (9.38 +/- 0.79)%, (19.61 +/- 0.90)%, and (29.83 +/- 0.54)%, respectively. The growth inhibition rates of the gastric cancer cells treated with MMC (0.1, 0.5 and 2.5 microg/ml) for 24 h were (15.35 +/- 0.77)%, (24.72 +/- 0.83)%, and (30.68 +/- 0.28)%, respectively. There were significant differences among the inhibition rates caused by different concentrations of the drugs (P < 0.05). When 1 micromol/L DMS was used in combination with 5-Fu (1, 5, and 25 microg/ml) for 24 h, the growth inhibition rates of the cancer cells were (16.76 +/- 0.41)%, (27.28 +/- 0.29)% and (52.56 +/- 3.60)%, respectively. When 1 micromol/L DMS was used in combination with DDP (0.5, 2.5, and 12.5 microg/ml) for 24 h, the growth inhibition rates of the cancer cells were (15.35 +/- 0.86)%, (25.57 +/- 0.27)%, (36.37 +/- 0.51)%, respectively. When 1 micromol/L DMS was used in combination with MMC (0.1, 0.5, and 2.5 microg/ml) for 24 h, the growth inhibition rates of the cancer cells were (21.02 +/- 0.28)%, (32.10 +/- 0.27)%, (36.36 +/- 0.28)%, respectively. There were also significant differences among the growth inhibition rates caused by different concentrations of the drugs alone and in combination groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSDMS can suppress the proliferation of SGC7901 cells in vitro, and there are evident synergetic effects when it is used in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. The results of this study indicate that SphK1 inhibitors may become novel and promising chemotherapeutic sensitizers.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; Drug Synergism ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Fluorouracil ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Mitomycin ; pharmacology ; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Sphingosine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology

Homo sapiens longevity assurance homologue 2 (LASS2) is a novel gene isolated from a human liver cDNA library by our laboratory, and it is a human homologue of the yeast longevity assurance gene LAG1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae longevity assurance gene). According to our previous results, LASS2 could interact with subunit c of vacuolar type H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase), and the overexpression of LASS2 could inhibit the cell growth of a human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line, SMMC-7721. In order to understand the role of the interaction between LASS2 and V-ATPase in HCC cell growth, we transiently transfected plasmid pCMV-HA2-LASS2 into HCCLM3, a HCC cell line without the significant expression of endogenous LASS2. The pH-sensitive fluorescence probes, BCECF and BCECF-AM, were used to measure the intracellular and extracellular H(+) concentrations of HCCLM3 cells respectively. The effect of LASS2 gene on apoptosis was evaluated with Annexin-V/FITC and propidium iodide (PI) by flow cytometry. Western blot was used to detect cytochrome c (Cyt c) in the cytosol and mitochondria, as well as pro-caspase-3 in cytosol. The results showed that the cell growth of LASS2-transfected HCCLM3 cells was significantly inhibited compared with that of the mock control. LASS2 transfection increased intracellular H(+) concentration of HCCLM3 cells, while decreased extracellular H(+) concentration. Moreover, LASS2 transfection significantly enhanced the apoptosis of HCCLM3 cells. In LASS2-transfected cells, the amounts of Cyt c increased in the cytosol, while decreased in the mitochondria. Meanwhile, the expression of pro-caspase-3 in the cytosolic extracts was decreased. These results implicate that LASS2 gene might increase intracellular H(+) of HCC cells via the interaction with V-ATPase, thereby inducing cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Membrane Proteins ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Sphingosine N-Acyltransferase ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; metabolism ; Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases ; metabolism