Objective To evaluate the features of the encapsulated papillary thyroid carcinoma (EPTC) by ultrasound and histopathology.Methods The EPTC were classified into the following two types based on the shape,characteristics of the border,size of the nodule,echogenicity,a hypoechoic halo and microcalcification by ultrasound features:papillary carcinoma (PC) type and follicular tumor (FT) type.Results Of all the 33 cases,21 cases were PC type and 12 cases were FT type.The histopathological result of PC type was papillary carcinoma.PC type had a jagged border,an irregular tumor shape with marked hypoechogenicity by ultrasound.PC type were composed of papillae by histopathology,completely surrounded by a fibrous capsule with tumor cells having the nuclear features of papillary thyroid carcinoma,densely interstitial fibrosis and microcalcification;FT type had a smooth border,a regular shape (spherical to oval),isoechogenicity and a hypoechoic halo by ultrasound.FT type were completely or significantly composed of follicles by histopathology,completely surrounded by a fibrous capsule with tumor cells having the nuclear features of papillary thyroid carcinoma.Hypoechoic halo were more frequently observed in FT type than in PC type.The nodule size of FT type(1.8-7.0 cm)was larger than that of PC type(0.8-5.2 cm).Fine and multiple strong echoes were characteristically present only in PC type.Conclusion The EPTC have characteristic features that are similar to those of the benign follicular thyroid tumor by ultrasound.

Objective To assess and compare the difference in image quality and exposure dose between single-sided reading image plate(IP)and dual-sided reading IP.Methods A contrast-detail phantom CDRAD 2.0 was exposed by single-sided and dual-sided reading IP with different mAs sets.The entrance surface doses were recorded for all images.Images were then presented to two radiologists on a high resolution monitor of diagnosis workstation.The image quality figure(IQF)was measured for each image. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman's correlation test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the difference in image quality and exposure dose between single-sided IP and dual-sided reading IP. Results With different tube current dosage of 5.6,12.0,20.0,25.0,and 40.0 mAs,IQF values of single-sided reading IP were 47.95,37.68,34.31,28.61,and 24.65,respectively,while those of dual- sided reading IP were 38.83,29.81,29.65,25.16,and 21.43,respectively.The IQF difference between them showed statistical significance(P

ObjectiveTo develop school refusal reason inventory (SRRI)for children and adolescents in China and assess its reliability and validity.MethodsThe primary SSRI was made based on clinical interviews and literatures.Pretest was carried out in a small sample from a clinic.Then the final SSRI was developed after qualitative analysis and item analysis.SRRI,the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders(SCARED) and Child Depression Inventory(CDI) were administered to school refusers from 7 schools in Shenyang.All the schools were selected from Shenyang City and its countryside by cluster sampling.Some of the students were retested after one month.Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were carried out to examine the reliability and validity of SRRI based on all the data.Results Item analysis indicated correlation coefficients between all the items and the total marks were higher than 0.3,and they were significant.All the critical ratios of the items were higher than 0.3.The 43 items were divided into six factors ( educational modality,factor of teachers,relationship with classmates,separated anxiety,study attitude and study environment) by exploratory factor analysis.The factor loading values were 0.372 ～0.848.The cronbach's α of each factor was 0.827,0.831,0.759,0.623,0.821 and 0.808.Retest reliability was 0.644 (P ＜ 0.01 ).Its correlation coefficient with SCARED was 0.452 and 0.548 with CDI.ConclusionAccording to Chinese cultural back ground,the SSRI corresponds with psychometric indexes.There are good reliability and validity.It is helpful to understand the reasons of school refusal behavior in children and adolescents.

A series of cycloberberine derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their anti-cancer activities in vitro. Among these analogs, compounds 6c, 6e and 6g showed strong inhibition on human HepG2 cells. They afforded a potent effect against DOX-resistant MCF-7 breast cells as well. The primary mechanism showed that cell cycle was blocked at G2/M phase of HepG2 cells treated with 6g using flow cytometry assay. It significantly inhibited the activity of DNA Top I at the concentration of 0.1 mg mL-1. Our results provided a basis for the development of this kind of compounds as novel anti-cancer agents.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Berberine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; DNA Topoisomerases, Type I ; metabolism ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells ; Molecular Structure ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Vip3A, a novel insecticidal protein, is secreted by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) during vegetative growth. Vip3A protein possesses insecticidal activity against a wild spectrum of lepidopteran insect larvae. Since the first cloning of vip3A gene from Bt, many other vip3A genes have been isolated. To investigate vip3A genes contribution to Bt and reflect the revolution relationships, the strains containing vip3A genes were screened and gene similarity was analyzed. 114 wild-type Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains isolated from different regions and 41 standard Bt strains from the Institute of Pasteur were screened for the vip3A genes using PCR amplification. 39 strains including B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) HD-1 were found to contain the vip3A genes. Because acrystallerous strain Cry- B derived from Btk HD-1 was proved not to contain vip3A gene, it suppose that the vip3A gene may be located at the plasmids. Vip3A proteins expressed in these strains were detected with polyclonal antibody by Western blot and 4 strains among them were shown not to express the Vip3A proteins. The vip3A genes amplified from wild-type Bacillus thuringiensis strains S101 and 611 with different levels of activity against lepidopteran insect larvae were cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector. Alignment of these 2 putative Vip3A proteins with 6 others (Vip3A (a), Vip3A(b), Vip3A-S, Vip3A-S184, Vip83 and Vip3V) in the GenBank data base and 2 reported Vip3A proteins (Vip14 and Vip15) showed that vip3A genes are highly conservative. The plasmids pOTP-S101 and pOTP-611 were constructed by in- serting 2 vip3A genes (vip3A-S101 and vip3A-611) into the expression vector pQE30 respectively and were transformed into E. coli M15. E. coli M15 cells harboring the pOTP plasmids were induced with 1 mmol/L IPTG to express 89 kDa protein. Experiments showed that the level of soluble proteins of Vip3A-S101 in E. coli M15[pOTP-S101] and Vip3A-611 in E. coli M15 [pOTP-611] were about 48% and 35% respectively. Bioassay showed that each of these Vip3A proteins had similar toxicity against neonate Spodoptera litura larvae, indicating that some amino acids change had little effect on the insecticidal activity of proteins. Although vip3A genes are conservative, the unknown insecticidal spectrum is still to be brought out. Vip3A genes can be used for the construction of the Bt engineered strains and transgenic plants. In addition, vip3A genes are excellent candidates for delay of the pest resistance due to the difference of the action model from that of Bt delta-endotoxins.
Animals ; Bacillus thuringiensis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Blotting, Western ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Insecticides ; metabolism ; toxicity ; Larva ; drug effects ; Models, Biological ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spodoptera ; drug effects ; Toxicity Tests

Objective To observe the clinical therapeutic effects and evaluate the security of Huganjiexian decoction combined with conventional therapy on hepatic cirrhosis.MethodsBy the randomized and prospective study method,34 patients with liver cirrhosis were divided into experimental group and control group.The experimental group was treated with Huganjiexian decoction combined with conventional therapy while the control group was treated with conventional therapy alone.Patients in both groups were treated six months.At the beginning and 6 months after treatment,levels of alanine transaminase (ALT),aspartate transaminase (AST),albumin (ALB),albumin/globulin (A/G),total bilirubin (TBiL),blood urea nitrogen (BUN),serum creatinine (Scr) were determined.Results Levels ofALT、AST、TBiL decreased in both groups after being treated for six months,and the differences of downward trend of the experimental group were more significant than control group (F=36.63,40.31,38.65,P＜0.05).Levels ofALT、AST、TBiL of the experimental group were lower than those of control group significantly (F=8.67,7.62,4.36,P＜0.05 ).The A/G raised in both groups after treatment,and the upward trend of the experimental group was greatly different from that of control group (F=24.10,P＜0.05),the value of A/G of the experimental group was higher than that of control group (F=4.78,P＜0.05).The ALB raised in both groups after treatment,while the upward trend of the experimental group was no different from that of control group (F=0.89,P＞ 0.05).Thevalue of ALB had no significant changes in both groups (F=3.15,P＞0.05).Conclusion Huganjiexian decoction possessed therapeutic effect on hepatic cirrhosis,it had no obvious toxicity and side

ENHANCIN is an enhancing protein chiefly found in insect baculoviruses. One ENHANCIN homologue was identified, by blast method, in Agrotis Segetum granulovirus (AgseGV) genome, named enhancin-like. Sequence analysis indicated that this gene includes the conserved domains, conserved in other ENHANCIN, and it has no signal peptide or a-transmembrane helix. A proline-rich domain, which is similar to those of mammals, is present at its C-terminal. To analyze the synergistic function of AgseGV enhancin-like gene, prokaryotic expression vectors of its whole gene and the 5'-truncated fragment (1, 017bp) were constructed. Expression product of truncated fragment was purified by chromatography, and then it was used to prepare antibody. The expression product of whole gene was identified by Western blot with specific antibody and anti-His-Tag antibody. Bioassay proved that the expression product of whole gene can increase the mortality with 16.25% to 3th instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (HaNPV: 1.17 x 10(2) PIBS/mL), while the truncated fragment has no obvious synergistic function.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Baculoviridae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression ; Insect Control ; Larva ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Moths ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Pest Control, Biological ; Viral Proteins ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; toxicity

Objective To explore the plausibility of laryngeal preservation in salvage surgery of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma.Methods Comprehensive clinical and radiological assessments on a specific group of patients with recurrent laryngeal cancer and their relapsed tumors were carried out to determine the methods and indications of salvage surgery for preservation of laryngeal functions.Salvage surgery with preservation of larynx was performed in a selective of 36 laryngeal cancer patients with relapsed tumors in their larynges after radiotherapy or partial laryngectomies.All patients were regularly followed up after discharge from the hospital. Postoperative survival was calculated by Kaplan-Meier's method.Results Among various laryngeal preservation regimens given,a second transoral laser surgery was carried out in 4 cases,horizontal hemilaryngectomy in 4 cases,vertical hemilaryngectomy in 13 cases and Majer-Piquet's operation in 15 cases,respectively.Simultaneous neck dissection was conducted in 18 cases.Postoperative complications were encountered in 6 cases,most common of which were local infection and laryngeal fistula with no hospital mortality and other major morbidities.Five cases with immediate postoperative complicatios were cured with proper management.The remained one case undergone vertical partial laryngectomy for recurrence after tumor resection via laryngeal fissure received postoperative radiation due to positive surgical margin,and complicated laryngeal atresia and obstruction with loss of his laryngeal functions, Local recurrence was observed in 5 cases and simultaneous locoregional recurrence was seen in 1 case,with the resulting local control rate of 83.3％ (30/36).The 3-year postoperative survival rate was 80.6％.The cause of death was tumor recurrence in 3 cases,distant metastasis in 3 cases and non-tumor-associated disease (heart attack) in 1 case,respectively.Conclusions Salvage surgery with laryngeal preservation can be carried out in the selected cases with early or locally-confined recurrent lesions within the larynx,on the condition that the recurrent tumors be assessed thoroughly and indications for associated surgical techniques be evaluated properly.

OBJECTIVETo construct the cloning vector of glycoprotein G2 gene of hantavirus (HV), to analyze the sequence of G2 gene by the phylogenetic tree, and to study the differences among glycoprotein G2 genes from the world around.

METHODSEnvelope glycoprotein G2 gene was amplified from four specimens of Shandong province by RT-PCR, and the product recombined into the PMD-18T vector. The clones that carry the G2 gene were identified. After sequencing, the gene sequence was handled with the software DNASTAR, compared with 24 strains worldwide and the phylogenetic tree was drawn.

RESULTSHV G2 gene was amplified by RT-PCR from 4 specimens, named GM04-38.G2, ZB8.G2, JUN5-14.G2, RCH5.G2, respectively. The map of the phylogenetic tree showed that all the 4 strains belonged to SEO-type hantavirus. The analysis of the sequence showed that all the four HV strains had the highest rates of homology with Z37 strain. The sequence homology of SEO-type HV strains was from 82.3% to 99.8%.

CONCLUSIONThe four cloning vectors containing the glycoprotein G2 genes were successfully constructed. Envelope glycoprotein G2 gene of four specimens from Shandong province had high homology rates.

Animals ; China ; Cloning, Molecular ; Hantavirus ; genetics ; Mice ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of microvesicles (MVs) derived from hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) on endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat thoracic aortic rings.

METHODSH/R injury model was established to induce HUVECs to release H/R-EMVs. H/R-EMVs from HUVECs were isolated by ultracentrifugation from the conditioned culture medium. H/R-EMVs were characterized using 1 μm latex beads and anti-PE-CD144 by flow cytometry. Thoracic aortic rings of rats were incubated with 2.5, 5, 10, 20 μg/ml H/R-EMVs derived from H/R-treated HUVECs for 4 hours, and their endothelium-dependent relaxation in response to acetylcholine (ACh) or endothelium-independent relaxation in response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was recorded in vitro. The nitric oxide (NO) production of ACh-treated thoracic aortic rings of rats was measured using Griess reagent. The expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and phosphorylated eNOS (p-eNOS, Ser-1177) in the thoracic aortic rings of rats was detected by Western blotting. Furthermore, the levels of SOD and MDA in H/R-EMVs-treated thoracic aortic rings of rats were measured using SOD and MDA kit.

RESULTSH/R-EMVs were induced by H/R-treated HUVECs and isolated by ultracentrifugation. The membrane vesicles (< 1 μm) induced by H/R were CD144 positive. ACh-induced relaxation and NO production of rat thoracic aortic rings were impaired by H/R-EMVs treatment in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The expression of total eNOS (t-eNOS) was not affected by H/R-EMVs. However, the expression of p-eNOS decreased after treated with H/R-EMVs. The activity of SOD decreased and the level of MDA increased in H/R-EMVs treated rat thoracic aortic rings (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONACh induced endothelium-dependent relaxation of thoracic aortic rings of rats was impaired by H/R-EMVs in a concentration-dependent manner. The mechanisms included a decrease in NO production, p-eNOS expression and an increase in oxidative stress.

Acetylcholine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; physiology ; Cell Hypoxia ; Endothelium, Vascular ; physiology ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Nitroprusside ; pharmacology ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats