OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of meatoplasty with the pedicle flap in the treatment of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed 32 cases of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis treated by meato- plasty with the pedicle flap. All the patients had a history of chronic balanitis and had received meatal dilatation or simple ventral mea- totomy without significant effect. Their mean maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) was (4.3 ± 2.4) ml/s. During the operation, A "/\"-shaped incision was made in the healthy epidermis and a flap was harvested from the frenulum. After complete removal of the scar, the flap was placed into the urethral wall, followed by reconstruction of the external urethral orifice.

RESULTSThe patients were fol- lowed up for 6 to 30 months, which revealed smooth urination in all the patients with Qmax of (26.7 ± 4.5) ml/s and normal erectile function and uresiesthesis.

CONCLUSIONWith little invasiveness and few complications, meatoplasty with the pedicle flap is an ideal surgical method for the treatment of meatal stenosis secondary to chronic balanitis. However, there might be some change in the normal appearance of the balanus postoperatively, and its long-term effect needs further observation.

Balanitis ; complications ; Constriction, Pathologic ; etiology ; surgery ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Period ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Flaps ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; etiology ; surgery ; Urination

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Guidelines as Topic ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; therapy ; United States

Objective To investigate epidemical situation of drinking-tea fluomsis in Qinghai province, in order to understand diet structure to provide the scientific basis for the prevention and control and the scientific research. Methods In 2007, according to "Scheme for Survey on Epidemical Drinking-tea Fluorosis", we carried out an customized investigation in 28 counties, 3 townships sampled in each county, 2 villages in each township, 50 adults and 50 school-age children in each village; at same time, 1 monk temple was sampled in each county, 50 clergy adults and 50 children in each temple. Then we investigated the resident income, the diet structure, the brick tea consumption and so on, and applied Dean method to diagnose dental fluorosis. The patient number estimated based on the survey result. Results ①Yeady per capita income of people was mostly 500 - < 1000yuan, next 1000 - < 3000 yuan; economic income in pasturing area was higher than that of agriculture, half area and half agriculture and half pastoral region and township. ②Staple food was bread flour primarily in the animal husbandry agricultural half pastoral area,next were the roasted barley and the rice;the bread flour was the principle food in the agricultural region and the cities,next were the rice and the roasted barley;among non-staple food,meat came fimt and milk foHowed,egg the last.③The frequently edible vegetables Was potato.cabbage and greenpepper,eaten by a majority of people[62.82%(6497/10 343)];as for fruits,apple,pear and orange was primarily consumed,75.95%(7856/10 343)of people ate less than 10 times every month.④Sixty-one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine residents were registered,153 335 kg ofbrick tea was consumed in villages and towns,2.47 kg per person;in 1001 monks investigated,4120 kg of brick tea was consumed every year,4.12 kg per person.⑤Detection rate of adult dental fluorosis in the villages and towns was 24.11%(2494/10 343),that of the children was 24.38% (3012/12 355);detection rate of dental fluorosis in monks was 26.13%(203/777),that of the children was 39.73% (89/224).⑥Detection rate of adult skeletal fluorosis in villages and towns was 15.60%(17/109);that of monks was 4.88%(2/41).⑦The 95%confidence limit estimated a total number of dental fluorosis patients were 1 084 306- 1 134 170 persons.the median Was 1 109 238 persons;the 95% confidence limit estimated a total number of skeletal fluorosis patients were 309 177-758 199 persons,the median was 533 688 persons.Conclusions Qinghai province has a great quantity of brick tea consumption,having lots of people with drinking-tea fluorosis which is in severe degree.The resident food structure was monotonous and mostly transpolted from other region.

Objective:To observe the effect of acupuncture in regulating ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP),and discuss the action of acupuncture in intervening heroin-induced brain damage.Methods:Thirty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into a control group,a model group and an acupuncture group by using the random number table.Rats in the model and acupuncture groups received intramuscular heroin injection for successive 8 d at a progressively increased dose.Afterwards,the injection was suspended for 5 d for withdrawal.The heroin relapse rat model was established by repeating the drug addiction and withdrawal process for 3 times.The control group followed the step of the model establishment,but was given intramuscular injection of normal saline at the stage of addiction and no intervention at the stage of withdrawal;the model group was given intramuscular heroin injection at a progressively increased dose at the addiction stage and no intervention at the withdrawal stage;the acupuncture group was dealt in the same way as the model group at the addiction stage,but received acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20) and Dazhui (GV 14) at the withdrawal stage,with the needles retained for 30 min each time,1 session a day,for successive 5 d.On the 39th day,brain tissues were extracted from the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the three groups of rats.The apoptosis of brain nerve cells was detected by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick and labeling (TUNEL).The mRNA and protein expressions of ubiquitin (Ub),ubiquitin protein ligase (E3) and 26S were examined by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results:Compared with the model group,rat's hippocampus and VTA in the acupuncture group showed significantly fewer cells positively stained by TUNEL staining (P＜0.01),and its mRNA and protein expressions of Ub,E3,26S were significantly lower (P＜0.01).Conclusion:Reducing nerve cell apoptosis and regulating the mRNA and protein expressions of Ub,E3 and 26S in rat's hippocampus and VTA are possibly one of the action mechanisms of acupuncture in intervening heroin-induced brain damage.

AIMTo analyse the main impurity of caderofloxacin.

METHODSThe impurity of caderofloxacin was analysed and determinated by RP-HPLC/ESI/MS with a Zorbax SB-C18 (150 mm x 4.6 mm ID, 5 microns) column. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.5% acetic acid solution (17:83). A compound was synthesized: 1-cyclopropyl-8-(difluoromethoxy)-6-fluoro-1, 4-dihydro-7-(1-piperazinyl)-4-oxo-3-quinoline carboxylic acid (DMCA). Its HPLC chromatogram, UV and MS spectrum were compared with those of the impurity in caderofloxacin.

RESULTSThe molecular weight of the impurity was 14 less than that of caderofloxacin. It means the impurity was a CH2-group less than caderoflixacin. The tR, UV and MS of DMCA were the same as those of the impurity in caderofloxacin.

CONCLUSIONBased on the tR (HPLC), UV and MS, the impurity of caderofloxacin is confirmed as DMCA.

Anti-Infective Agents ; chemistry ; Carboxylic Acids ; analysis ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drug Contamination ; Fluoroquinolones ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Piperazines ; chemistry ; Quinolines ; analysis ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Catheter Ablation ; Child ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; surgery ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Tachycardia, Supraventricular ; surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVEHepatic stellate cells (HSC) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) transdifferentiate into extracellular matrix-producing myofibroblasts. Activated HSC can promote invasion and metastasis of HCC. To understand the differences of HSC in normal liver and HCC, we compared the gene expression patterns in HCC cell induction-activated and culture-activated rat HSC.

METHODSHSC were isolated by density centrifugation and exposed to conditioned medium from rat HCC cell line C5F. Expression of 22 012 genes in quiescent HSC, culture-activated HSC and HCC induction-activated HSC was analyzed by cDNA microarray and confirmed by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS1672 genes were differentially expressed in culture-activated HSC, including proinflammatory factors, cell adhesion molecules, cell surface receptors, signaling transduction molecules and immune factors. 711 genes were differentially expressed in HCC induction-activated HSC. Some of them were identical to those in culture-activated HSC. HCC Induction-activated HSC showed specific gene expression patterns, including Raf1, Rac2, Adam17, Wnt6, MMP-9 and TNF, suggesting that HCC cells can specifically induce HSC activation.

CONCLUSIONThe gene expression patterns in HCC induction-activated HSC are different from those in culture-activated HSC. HCC induction-activated HSC may play a major role in the invasion and metastasis of HCC. In vivo activation should be considered as the standard for the study of HSC biology. HCC induction-activated HSC should be considered as the standard for HSC biology studies.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cells, Cultured ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred F344

OBJECTIVETo compare different expression profiles of all known chemokine receptors in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines with different metastasis potentials.

METHODSEighteen pairs of chemokine receptor primers were designed using Premier software. Expression profiles of the 18 chemokine receptors on four HCC cell lines of lower to higher potentials of metastasis (SMMC-7721, MHCC97-L, MHCC97-H and HCCLM6) were analyzed by RT-PCR. Expression of CXCR4 was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSExpression profiles of chemokine receptors on four HCC cell lines with different metastatic potentials had significant differences (P < 0.01), in which CCR10, CXCR4 and CXCR6 expressions decreased gradually as the metastatic potential of the cell lines increased. The expressions of CCR3, CCR4, CCR10, CCR12 and XCR1 on HCCLM6 were significantly reduced compared with SMMC-7721 (P < 0.01), whereas the expressions of CXCR1 (P = 0.006) and CXCR5 (P = 0.003) exceeded that of SMMC-7721. Except for CXCR2, CXCR6 and XCR1, most of chemokine receptors on MHCC97-H were expressed differently compared with MHCC97-L (P < 0.05), in which expressions of CCR1 (P = 0.002), CCR2 (P = 0.004) and CCR5 (P = 0.046) exceeded MHCC97-L. CXCR4 was detected only on the positive controls and SMMC-7721 when the template of total RNA was reduced one-half in RT-PCR.

CONCLUSIONChemokine receptors are expressed very differently at mRNA level on HCC cell lines with different metastatic potentials. The different profiles of chemokine receptors in tumor microenvironment and the function of CXCR4 in HCC should be further studied. Our findings have important implications in understanding the relationship between chemokine receptors and the metastatic potential of HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Receptors, Chemokine ; metabolism

Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; pathology ; Skin Neoplasms ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo isolate and identify the cancer stem cells from primary human ovarian cancer tissues.

METHODSFresh tumor tissues from five cases of pathologically diagnosed ovarian cancers were taken, minced and then digested with collagenase and hyaluronidase to obtain single cell suspension. The erythrocytes were removed with ACK Lysis buffer. The suspensions were sorted by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) using CD133-binding microbeads. Then the sorted CD133(+) cells were verified by flow cytometry. The cells were cultured in serum-free medium supplemented with EGF, bFGF, insulin and BSA, and grew into spheroids. Immunofluorescence, differentiation and tumor formation tests of the cells were performed to characterize the properties of cancer stem cells.

RESULTSThe ovarian cancer stem cells were successfully isolated from primary human ovarian tumors, which formed typical spheroids in serum-free medium and had stronger ability of tumorigenesis. The results of related experiments verified that CD133 positive cells owned the properties of cancer stem cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe ovarian cancer stem cells presenting the characteristics of stemness in vitro and in vivo, have been successfully isolated from primary human ovarian tumor tissues by MACS. The isolated ovarian cancer stem cells could be used in future researches of their biological functions.

AC133 Antigen ; Animals ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Separation ; methods ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunomagnetic Separation ; methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Mice, SCID ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Peptides ; metabolism