Abdomen ; physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Compartment Syndromes ; diagnosis ; mortality ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging(DWI) in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of gallbladder wall thickening diseases.Methods 42 patients with gallbladder wall thickening (16 patients with carcinoma and 26 patients with benign lesion) were included in this study.All patients performed conventional MRI and DWI.The diagnostic performances of three methods (conventional MRI,visual assessment of color fusion image from DWI and T2WI,and ADC measurement) were evaluated by two radiologists.Results The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.570,0.849,0.901 for conventional MRI,visual assessment and ADC measurement respectively.The accuracy,sensitivity and specificity were 59.5%,62.5%,57.7% for conventional MRI,85.7%,81.2%,88.5% for visual assessment of color fusion image,and 83.3%,80.0%,85.2% for ADC measurement,respectivily.The mean ADC value of gallbladder cacinoma[(1.15±0.35)×10-3mm2/s]was significantly less than that of gallbladder benign lesion [(1.99±0.61)×10-3mm2/s](P<0.01).Conclusion The DWI(visual assessment of color fusion image and ADC measurement)might be a useful tool for diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the gallbladder wall thickening diseases.

Objective: To study the chemical constituents from Swertia macrosperma. Methods: HPLC, column chromatography, and recrystallization techniques were used for the separation and purification of the compounds. Their structures were elucidated by physiochemical properties and spectral analyses. The inhibitory activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was screened by half-leaf blight spot assay. Results: Eight compounds were isolated from S. macrosperma and their structures were identified as 9, 10-dihydroxyl-sweroside (1), 3'-O-(3-hydroxybenzoyl)-swertiamarin (2), mangiferin (3), 1-O-β-glucopyranosyl-2, 6, 8-trihydroxyl-xanthone (4), campestroside (5), bellidifolin (6), 4, 4'-dihydroxy-Z-stilbene (7), and 4, 4'-dihydroxy-E-stilbene (8). Conclusion: Compound 1 is a new compound named macrospermaoside A, and exhibits weak anti-TMV activity. Compounds 2, 7, and 8 are isolated from the plants of this genus for the first time.

Child, Preschool ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumonia ; therapy

Objective To investigate the value of combined 3D-constructive interference in steady state(3D-CISS) with phase-contrast MR(PC-MR) in diagnosis of hydrocephalus children.Methods We collected retrospectively 28 children with hydrocephalus who caused by obstructive membranes.They all underwent MR imaging examination with a 1.5 T consisting of 3D-CISS, conventional sequences and PC-MR.With the result of surgery and CT cisternography as gold standard,we analysised different sequence in the diagnosis of membranous obstruction.The results of obstructive were analysed by x2 test between 3D-CISS combined with PC-MR and conventional sequences.Results The study included 28 children, of whom 16 showed obstructive membranes in CSF pathways of ventricle and 12 displayed obstructive membranes in CSF pathways of cistern.Conventional sequences diagnosed obstructive membranes of 15 children, and obstructive membranes of 11 children were consistent with gold standard, and 4 cases were false positive.The 3D-CISS diagnosed obstructive membranes of 40, and 12 cases were false positive.There were significant difference between 3D-CISS combined with PC-MR and conventional sequence about obstructive membranes diagnosis of CSF pathways(x2=24.410, P=0.001).Conclusions Making use of jointing 3D-CISS sequence and PC-MR sequence successively, and we can diagnose the position of obstructive membrane for hydrocephalus, which can be helpful to select a perfect surgical approach.

Objective To detect the Yersinia pestis plasmid and molecular weight along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.Methods Yersinia pestis plasmids molecular weight detected and analyzed using alkaline lysis,phenol-chloroform extraction of Yersinia pestis plasmid by agarose gel electrophoresis.Results The 18 Yersinia pestis strains of Qinghai-Tibet Railway contained 6×106,45×106,52×106,65×106,92×106plasmid,varing in the range of the 52×106-92×106.Conclusions The Yersinia pestis of Qinghai-Tibet Railway has a standardplasmid graphics,with the biggest Yersinia pestis plasmid changing in a certain regular degree,which providessignificance in the study of plague natural foci of the spatial structure and the genetic.characteristics of Yersiniapestis.

OBJECTIVETo explore the silencing effects of RNA interference on the expression of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) gene, and the effects on malignant phenotypes of esophageal carcinoma EC9706 cells.

METHODSPDK1 siRNAs was transfected into the EC9706 cells. The expression of PDK1 mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). At the same time, expressions of PDK1, Akt and phosphorylated Akt proteins were detected by Western blot. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay (MTT) was used to examine the cell proliferation after transfection. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of apoptosis cells, and Transwell chambers were used to detect the invasion ability of the cells. Tumor formation in nude mice was used to assess the tumorigenic characteristics in vivo.

RESULTSCompared with the non-transfected group, PDK1 siRNA effectively inhibited the expression of PDK1 mRNA in EC9706 cells, with an inhibition rate of (28.5 ± 4.2)% at 24 h, (51.1 ± 5.7)% at 48 h and (60.6 ± 4.1)% at 72 h after transfection. The expressions of PDK1 and phosphorylated Akt protein were also knocked down by PDK1 siRNA (P < 0.05). PDK1 siRNA significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and invasion, promoted the cell apoptosis, and inhibited the EC9706 cells proliferation in vivo and the expression of PDK1 protein in the transplanted tumors (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPDK1 may play an important role in esophageal cancer cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis, and may serve as an effective target for cancer gene therapy.

3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Phosphorylation ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Transfection ; Tumor Burden

BACKGROUND: Alloying can improve the corrosion resistance and slow the degradation of pure magnesium. In addition, increasing studies have shown that zinc has good antitumor effect. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of zinc-containing magnesium alloy on the proliferation and apoptosis of human osteosarcoma U2OS cells in vitro.METHODS: The corrosion resistance of pure magnesium and different zinc-containing (2%, 4%, 6%) magnesium alloys were observed and compared by the hydrogen release assay in the Hank's solution. MTT assay was used to examine the effects of different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions on the proliferation of U2OS cells (or MC3T3-E1 cells) after co-culture of 1, 3, 5 days. After 24-hour co-culture with pure magnesium, different zinc-containing magnesium alloys and titanium alloy extractions, the apoptotic rates of U2OS cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by western blot assay.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The corrosion resistance of pure magnesium was improved after addition of Zn within the initial 100 hours, and the magnesium alloy containing 4% zinc exhibited the optimal corrosion resistance. Different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions obviously inhibited the U2OS proliferation in a zinc level-depended manner, and the cytotoxicity of different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions to MC3T3-E1 was graded 0-1. Different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions could also induce obvious apoptosis in U2OS cells in a zinc level-depended manner. Different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions, especially the magnesium alloy containing 4% zinc, up-regulated the expression of p53 and Bax proteins and down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 protein in U2OS cells, leading to the disorder of Bcl-2/Bax. These findings suggest that different zinc-containing magnesium alloy extractions can inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of U2OS cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between clonorchiasis and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and analyze the synergistic actions of HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis on HCC development.

METHODSThis hospital-based case-control study was conducted among 444 HCC patients (cases) and 500 non tumor patients (controls) to compare the prevalence of clonorchiasis in the cases and the controls. The risk of clonorchiasis and the synergistic actions between HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis on HCC development were analyzed by crossover analysis and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTSThe prevalence of clonorchiasis in the cases (16.44%) was much higher than that of the controls (2.40%) (X2 = 56.58, P less than 0.01). In the case group, the OR value of those with clonorchiasis was 8.00 (95% CI: 4.34-14.92). The OR value was 4.82 (95% CI: 2.32-10.26) for the subjects whose clonorchiasis was diagnosed less than 10 years before their diagnosis of HCC, and was 17.54 (95% CI: 5.47-57.18) for those whose HCC was diagnosed more than 10 years ago. HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis showed an additive interaction in the development of HCC, with a relative excess risk of interaction of 110.43 and 18.23; attributable proportion of interaction of 0.80 and 0.63; synergy index of 5.18 and 2.84, respectively.

CONCLUSIONClonorchiasis could be an important risk factor for HCC. When the course of clonorchiasis is prolonged, the risk of HCC could increase. HBV infection, alcohol consumption and clonorchiasis might have synergistic actions on the development of HCC.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; parasitology ; Case-Control Studies ; Clonorchiasis ; Clonorchis sinensis ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; parasitology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo biomechanically compare the stability of the short and long iliac screw fixation constructs in lumbo-iliac reconstruction.

METHODSSeven adult human embalmed cadavers (L(3)-pelvis) were used. Using posterior spinal fixation system, L(4)-S(1) pedicle screw fixation was performed. This was defined as intact state of the sacroiliac joint. After the intact test, total sacrum resection and L(4)-L(5)-pelvis reconstruction by pedicle screw and iliac screw with different lengths were performed as follow: short screw group (as the length of exceeding 2 mm over ischial notch) and long screw group (as the length of exceeding 2 mm over anterior inferior iliac spine). Using the 858 MTS material testing machine, biomechanical testing was performed under 800 N compression and 7 Nm torsion loading modes. At last, the axial pullout test of two iliac screws was executed. Construct stiffness in compression and torsion test, and maximum pullout force were analyzed.

RESULTSInsertion lengths of the short and long iliac screw were (70 +/- 2) mm and (138 +/- 4) mm respectively. The lumbo-pelvic reconstruction using short and long iliac screw, respectively restored 53.3% +/- 13.6% and 57.6% +/- 16.2% of the initial stiffness in compression testing, and respectively harvested 55.1% +/- 11.9% and 62.5% +/- 9.2% of the initial stiffness in torsion testing. No significant difference was detected between the two reconstructions (P > 0.05), however, the compressive and torsional stiffness of the two techniques were markedly less than the intact condition (P < 0.05). The maximum pullout strength of long iliac screw was significantly higher than short screw (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSUnder the physical loading, lumbo-pelvic fixation construct using the short iliac screw may obtain mechanical stability comparable to that by long iliac screw. The short iliac screw is only the half of the long iliac screw by length, could reduce the implantation risk. However, the long iliac screw behaves greater axial pullout force, should be applied as far as possible in the osteoporosis patient. The lumbo-pelvic reconstruction utilizing any length of iliac screw is difficult to restore the local stability.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Humans ; Ilium ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvic Bones ; surgery ; Sacrum ; surgery ; Spinal Fusion ; methods