Objective:To evaluate and compare electroacupunctures (EA) with different parameters and moxibustion at different temperatures influencing the activation of mast cells (MC) in Tianshu (ST 25) regions of visceral hyperalgesia model rats. Methods:Rats (except for model group) respectively accepted 1 mA or 3 mA EA or moxibustion at 43 or 4 to℃℃stimulate Tianshu (ST 25) points after randomization of the fifty visceral hyperalgesia model rats, and then were compared with that in model and normal groups. Number, degranulation numbers, degranulation rates in Tianshu (ST 25) regions MC of rats in each group were observed using toluidine blue staining. Abdominal withdrawl reflex (AWR) score was used to evaluate the rat visceral hyperalgesia reactions. Results:Compared with the normal group and the model group, MC numbers (P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.01,P<0.01), degranulation numbers and degranulation rates (P<0.01,P<0.01, P<0.05,P<0.01) of Tianshu (ST 25) MC in regions tissues in 43℃ and 4℃ moxibustion groups, and 1 mA and 3 mAEA groups all increased significantly. Compared with the model group, AWR scores were significantly lower in 43℃ and 4℃ moxibustion groups, and 1 mA and 3 mAEA groups under the stimulation of 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 0 mmHg or 80 mmHg colorectal distension (CRD) (P<0.05 in 1 mA and 3 mA EA groups under the stimulation of 20 mmHg,P<0.01 in the other groups). AWR scores in 43℃ and 4℃moxibustion groups under the stimulation of 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 0 mmHg or 80 mmHg CRD were not significantly different from those in the normal group (allP>0.05); AWR scores in 1 mA EA group under the stimulation of 0 mmHg or 80 mmHg were significantly higher than that in the normal group (P<0.01); AWR score in 3 mA EA group under the stimulation of 0 mmHg was significantly higher than that in the normal group (P<0.01), and AWR scores in 3 mA EA group under the stimulation of 20 mmHg or 80 mmHg were also higher than that in the normal group (P<0.05). AWR scores were higher in 1 mA EA group under the stimulation of 40 mmHg or 80 mmHg than that in 4℃ moxibustion group (P<0.05); AWR score was higher in 3 mA EA group under the stimulation of 40 mmHg than that in 4℃ moxibustion group (P<0.05). Conclusion:There are differences among EA of different parameters and moxibustion of different temperatures in activating on Tianshu (ST 25) regions MC of visceral hyperalgesia model rats, as well as in improving the visceral hyperalgesia reaction. The effect of 4℃ moxibustion is the most significant.

Objective: To investigate the changes of ambient dose equivalent rate in 99mTcO4- single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the thyroid among patients with hyperthyroidism, so as to provide insights into radiation protection guidance. Methods: Patients with hyperthyroidism who underwent 99mTcO4- SPECT of the thyroid in a tertiary hospital were enrolled. The ambient dose equivalent rate was measured at different time points following 99mTcO4- infection and at sites with different distances from patients' neck, and the effects of time post-injection, distance from patients' neck, 24-hour thyroidal radioiodine uptake and thyroid weight on the ambient dose equivalent rate were examined using a generalized linear mixed model. Results: Totally 100 patients with hyperthyroidism were enrolled, including 24 men and 76 women and with a mean age of (38.5±14.0) years. The generalized linear mixed model was statistically significant (F=6 610.165, P<0.001), and patients' thyroid weight, time post-injection and distance from patients' neck significantly affected the ambient dose equivalent rate (F=57.967, 15 988.574, 11 200.645, all P<0.001), and the ambient dose equivalent rate positively correlated with patients' thyroid weight and negatively correlated with time post-injection and distance from patients' neck. Conclusions The ambient dose equivalent rate is affected by patients' thyroid weight, time post-injection and distance from patients' neck among patients with hyperthyroidism undergoing 99mTcO4- SPECT of the thyroid. Delay in contact with patients or keeping distance from patients may be effective for radiation protection.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic criteria of thyroid solid nodules by high-frequency ultrasound,elastography and ultrasound contrast.Methods Totally 87 patients with thyroid solid nodules underwent high-frequency ultrasound,elastography and ultrasound contrast before surgery,distinguishing benign from malignant lesions was executed based on pathological results,and according to the pathological character the image features by the three measures were compared.There were 40 patients divided into a control group going through the examination by high-frequency ultrasound,and 47 ones into an observation group with the examinations by the three measures.Pathological results were used as gold standard,and the two groups were compared on diagnostic sensitivity.Results High-frequency ultrasound showed significant differences of benign and malignant nodules in equal echo,very low echo,irregular peripheral halo,rates of clear nodule boundary and aspect ratio higher than as well as microcalcification (x2--4.603,17.394,5.833,14.832,10.107 and 27.392,and all Pvalues were less than 0.05).There were 85％ benign nodules gained grade Ⅰ and Ⅱ elastography images,81.82％malignant nodules had grade Ⅲ and ⅣV elastography images,and there were significant differences between benign and malignant nodules (x2=53.42,P=0.00).Ultrasound contrast found annular enhancement in most of benign nodules (x2=39.16,P＜0.01) while uneven enhancement in most of malignant nodules (x2=40.28,P＜0.01),and the nodule ranges increasedsignificantly after contrast (t=2.19,P＜0.05).The observation group had the sensitivity being 82.86％,which was statisticallyhigher than 59.38％ in the control group (x2=4.537,P--0.033).Conclusion High-frequency ultrasound,elastography and ultrasound contrast all show the manifestations of thyroid solid nodules,and the comprehensive application of the above three measures contributes to determining the nature of the nodules.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Hyperparathyroidism ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and mechanism of B16F10-ESAT-6-gpi/IL-21 tumor cell vaccine on pulmonary metastasis in mouse model of melanoma.

METHODSTwelve 8-week old female C57BL/6 mice were used in this study. The mice were injected with wild-type B16F10 cells through tail vein after immunization with B16F10-ESAT-6-gpi/IL-21 tumor cell vaccine, and the pulmonary metastasis was observed. The CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were isolated by magnetic activated cell sorting, and then used for the detection of CFSE/7-AAD cytotoxicity by flow cytometry. Serum from the mice immunized with tumor-cell vaccine was used to detect IFN-γ expression by ELISA. The expression of TGF-β2, ZEB1, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin of tumor tissues was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence, respectively.

RESULTSThe mice vaccinated with B16F10-ESAT-6-gpi/IL-21 had significantly fewer nodules in the lung and lower lung weight [(285.8 ± 19.01) mg vs. (406.3 ± 27.12) mg], with lower levels of TGF-β2, ZEB1 and N-cadherin proteins but higher level of E-cadherin protein within the tumor tissue, as compared with the control mice. Meanwhile, the immunized mice had significantly increased CD8(+) T cell killing activity [(42.62 ± 3.465)% vs. (22.29 ± 1.804)%] and IFN-γ expression level [(55.200 ± 7.173) pg/ml vs. (6.435 ± 1.339) pg/ml] over the control mice.

CONCLUSIONSThe B16F10-ESAT-6-gpi/IL-21 vaccine can inhibit the metastasis of melanoma in the lung in vaccinated melanoma-bearing mice. This inhibitory effect is associated with CD8(+) T cell immune response and a higher level of IFN-γ, which may influence on the mesenchymal-epithelial transition of tumor cells.

Animals ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukins ; immunology ; Lung ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; secondary ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Organ Size ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta2 ; metabolism ; Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1

OBJECTIVE: To screen for Vel- rare blood type donors and determine the frequency of SMIM1 c.64_80del allele in Yili Prefecture of Xinjiang, China. METHODS: DNA pooling and PCR-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) was conducted to screen individuals carrying the SMIM1 c.64_80del variant, and Sanger sequencing of SMIM1 exon 3 was carried out to verify the genotype of those with the variation. SMIM1 intron 2 was also sequenced to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that may affect the expression of Vel antigen. RESULTS: Among 3328 blood donors, 14 were identified as heterozygotes for the SMIM1 c.64_80del allele, its allele frequency was 0.21%; no homozygous SMIM1 c.64_80 deletions was found. For SNP rs1175550, all of the 14 individuals had an AA genotype, among whom 5 carried heterozygous 7111ins GCA variant in intron 2. CONCLUSION The allelic frequency of SMIM1 c.64_80del in Yili area is approximately 0.21%, which is reported for the first time.
Alleles ; Blood Group Antigens/genetics* ; China ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Variation/genetics* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics*

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of lysosome-associated membrane protein-2a (LAMP2a) expression in the development of colorectal cancer.Methods Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the LAMP2a expression in colorectal cancer,normal mucosa,and adenoma tissues.Results LAMP2a expression in colorectal cancer and adenoma was higher than that in normal mucosa (P ＜ 0.05).Further,LAMP2a expression in colorectal cancer was negatively correlated with TNM staging and lymph node metastasis (P ＜ 0.05);however,the invasion and liver metastasis,depth of invasion and differentiation had no correlation with the lymph node (P ＞ 0.05).Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that LAMP2a expression in colorectal cancer is not significantly correlated with good prognosis (P ＞ 0.05).Univariate survival analysis showed that lymphatic invasion,vascular invasion,lymph node metastasis,TNM stage,liver metastasis,distant metastasis,and differentiation were correlated with poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (P ＜ 0.05).The Cox proportional hazards regression model showed that the depth of invasion and distant metastasis were important factors affecting the survival period of patients with colorectal cancer (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion LAMP2a may play a role in the carcinogenesis and progression of colorectal cancer,and may be used as a molecular marker for the biological behavior of colorectal cancer.

Objective To investigate the correlation between dynamic contrast enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) quantitative parameters and pathological grading in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(SCC). Methods Prospective analysis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by electronic gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed. Thirty nine patients who underwent radical resection of esophageal carcinoma with MRI examination one weeks before operation were included. All patients underwent routine chest MRI and DCE-MRI scans, and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters including volume transfer constant (Ktrans), exchange rate constant (Kep) and extravascular extracellular volume fraction(Ve)were measured.Pathological analysis of postoperative specimens,including pathological grading(highly differentiated,moderately differentiated,poorly differentiated,undifferentiated),gross tumor pathological type(ulcerative type,medullary type,fungating type,sclerotic type)and local infiltration degree (T staging) were performed. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the differences of quantitative parameters between different pathological T staging,gross tumor pathological types and pathological grades of DCE-MRI,and a Dunn-Bonferroni test for post hoc comparisons.Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between DCE-MRI parameters and pathological grading of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.The ROC curves was used to evaluate the efficiency of different parameters in the diagnosis of poorly differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Result Among the thirty nine patients, they were divided into three group according to pathological findings: well differentiated (12 patients),moderately differentiated(15 patients)and poorly differentiated group(12 patients);ulcerative type (19 patients), fungating type(10 patients), medullary type(10 patients);T1, 2 stage(16 patients), T3 stage(14 patients), and T4 stage(9 patients). There was no significant difference in the value of Ktrans, Kepand Ve between different T staging groups and different tumor pathological types groups(all P>0.05).The differences of Ktrans, Kepand Vebetween different pathological grading groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were positive correlation between Ktrans, Kep, Veand the pathological grading, rs value were 0.874, 0.672, 0.578 respectively, all P<0.01. The ROC curve area of Ktrans, Kepand Vein the diagnosis of poorly differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was 0.941,0.809 and 0.773 respectively.The diagnostic efficiency of Ktranswas the best.Conclusions The quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI are correlated with the pathological grading of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Ktrans, Kepand Vecan reflect the perfusion characteristics of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To explore the difference of liver inflammation and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and to investigate the relationship between hepatic pathology and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Methods: 57 patients with chronic HCV infection and 346 patients with chronic HBV infection who were hospitalized at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2012 to September 2016 were enrolled. In chronic HBV infection, including 88 cases whose ALT were more than two times of upper limited of normal (ALT≥2×ULN) and 258 cases whose ALT were less than two times of upper limited of normal (ALT < 2×ULN).All the patients were underwent liver biopsy. Chronic HBV infection (ALT≥2×ULN and ALT < 2×ULN) and chronic HCV infection were compared respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using a Univariate χ²-test and Mann–Whitney U test for comparison. Correlations between variables were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results: In chronic HBV infection group, 169 cases (48.8%) had inflammation grade≥2 (G≥2), 98 cases (28.3%) had fibrosis stage≥2 (S≥2), 81 cases (23.4%) with G≥2 and S≥2.In the ALT < 2×ULN group, there were 109 cases (42.2%) with G≥2, 62 cases (24%) with S≥2, 49 cases (19%) with G≥2 and S≥2. In the ALT≥2×ULN group, 60 cases (68.2%) with G≥2, 35 cases (39.8%) with S≥2, 31 cases (35.2%) with G≥2 and S≥2. The grade of inflammation and fibrosis have significantly different between ALT≥2×ULN group and ALT < 2×ULN group (χ² = 17.66, χ² = 8.06, P < 0.01). In chronic HCV infection group, 47 cases (82.5%) with G≥2, 20 cases (35.1%) with S≥2, 20 cases (35.1%) with G≥2 and S≥2. ALT had no correlation with inflammation and fibrosis (P > 0.05). The grade of inflammation was significantly different between chronic HCV infection and chronic HBV infection whose ALT < 2×ULN (χ² = 30.19, P < 0.01) but the fibrosis have no difference (χ² = 2.96, P > 0.05). Compared with chronic HBV infection whose ALT≥2×ULN, both inflammation and fibrosis had no significantly different (χ² = 3.65, χ² = 0.32, P > 0.05 respectively). Conclusion In chronic HBV infection whose ALT < 2×ULN, about 30%-40% liver tissue with significant necroinflammation and /or fibrosis. About 80% chronic HCV infection with significant necroinflammation, and the grade of inflammation has no correlation with ALT. The grade of inflammation has significantly different between chronic HCV infection group and chronic HBV infection group whose ALT < 2×ULN.

Objective:To explore the application of digital acoustic analysis in assessing the risk of aspiration among persons with dysphagia using the Praat speech analysis software.Methods:The swallowing of 46 stroke survivors with dysphagia was studied using video fluoroscopy. Each patient was required to pronounce " yi/i/" 3 times before and after taking each mouthful of food, and their voice samples were collected. The subjects were divided into a non-aspiration group of 16 and an aspiration group of 30 based on their penetration-aspiration scale scores. Fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation (RAP), jitter, shimmer, amplitude perturbation quotient and harmonic-to-noise ratio were compared between the two groups before and after taking food.Results:For the non-aspiration group, there was no significant difference in the acoustic data before and after eating. For the aspiration group there were significant differences in fundamental frequency, relative average perturbation and jitter before and after taking food. The average RAP and jitter of the non-aspiration group were significantly better than the aspiration group′s averages before eating. After eating, however, significant differences were observed only in average jitter.Conclusions:Analyzing perturbation and jitter can help to identify persons at risk of aspiration.