Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of transurethral plasmakinetic vaporization of prostate(PKVP)in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.Methods Totally 180 BPH patients were treated with PKVP from January 2003 to December 2006.Results The weight of the resected prostatic tissue was)52.4? 26.8)g,operating period was)61.2?32.8)minutes,and the amount of bleeding was)70.1?46.3)ml.No transurethral resection syndrome(TURS)and obturator nerve reflex was observed.The patients were followed up for 1～25 months postoperatively,and the maximum urine flow(Qmax)was increased from)6.2?4.1)ml/s preopera- tively to)21.2?4.6)ml/s postoperatively;the international prostate symptom score(IPSS)was decreased from (25.6?4.8)points to)6.8?2.6)points;the residual urine volume was reduced from)67.8?27.3)ml to)17.5 ?7.3)ml;the quality of life(QOL)score was decreased from)5.1?1.5)to)1.8?0.5),and there were signifi- cant differences before and after operation(P

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) can infect human cell in vitro, which raised widely concerns re-garding the transmission of PERV to xenograft recipients. It's essential to establish a method for detection of PERV.3 pairs of primers were synthesized according to the sequence of gag, pol and env gene of PERV. Polymerase chainreaction (PCR) and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assays were performed for detection of PERV provirusDNA and PERV specific mRNA. The results showed that provirus DNA and mRNA of PERV existed and expressedin all 4 tested cell lines. The sizes of amplified fragments are identical with the predicted. These methods may be suit-able for monitoring PERV in other cells or tissue.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the characteristics and regularity of adverse drug reactions (ADR) in children's hospital. METHODS:The clinical drug use and ADR of 3 653 children during 2006～2008 in our hospital were analyzed statistically by designing a child medication registration form. RESULTS:The incidence of 498 ADR cases was about 13.63%; ADR were mostly occurred in 1～3 year-old children(36.14%); 71.29% were caused by intravenously; 66.87% were induced by antibiotics; ADR were more common in spring and winter. CONCLUSION:The drugs have a dual nature. Moreover,children belong to a special group. The measures such as strictly mastering clinical indications,reducing irrational drug use,sufficient therapy and avoiding or reducing the occurrence of ADR can guarantee children grow healthily.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antigens, Nuclear ; metabolism ; Brain Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Brain Neoplasms ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epilepsy ; etiology ; Female ; Ganglioglioma ; pathology ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; metabolism ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; classification ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Malformations of Cortical Development, Group I ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial ; pathology ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Neurofilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Stroke research and rehabilitation have traditionally focused on the physical and functional impact of a stroke. Less attention has been given to the psychosocial factors associated with this chronic condition. By the few studies that have specifically focused on psychosocial factors in the context of stroke, poststroke depression is demonstrated to significantly influence stroke outcomes. Associations of stroke with psychological symptoms other than depression have rarely been evaluated. This study was aimed to investigate the changes of psychological stress, social support and medication adherence in patients with ischemic stroke in the mainland of China. In this study, 90 patients with hemiplegia one year after first-ever middle cerebral artery infarction (stroke group) in the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from June 2008 to June 2011 were recruited for interview. Ninety age- and sex-matched normal volunteers (control group) were also examined at the same period. The psychological distress was assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), the social support by the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), and medication adherence by Morisky's self-reported inventory, respectively. Group differences were analyzed using unpaired-t test and chi-squared test. The results showed that total mean scores of the SCL-90 in the stroke group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). Except two dimensions, paranoid ideation and psychoticism, mean scores of the rest dimensions (including somatization, obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, and phobic anxiety) of SCL-90 were significantly higher in the stroke group than those in the control group (P<0.05, or P<0.01). The objective support, subjective support, support availability and total social support scores in the stroke group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05, or P<0.01). Those in the "SCL-90 total scores >150 group" were significantly higher than in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group" and the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group" (P<0.05, or P<0.01). Those in the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group" were significantly higher than in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group" (P<0.05). In 90 patients with ischemic stroke, 26 (28.89%) patients obtained high medication adherence, 47 (52.22%) patients medium medication adherence, and 17 (18.89%) patients low medication adherence, respectively. Among these stroke patients, there were 17 (50.00%) patients with high medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores >150 group", 28 (75.67%) patients with medium medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores between 100 to 150 group", and 12 (61.16%) patients with low medication adherence in the "SCL-90 total scores <100 group", respectively. There was significant difference in the medication adherence rate among the different SCL-90 scores groups in these stroke patients (P<0.05 or P<0.01). It was led to conclude that ischemic stroke patients one year after hemiplegia have psychological distress, low level of social support and poor medication adherence in the mainland of China. Therefore, it is necessary to mobilize the government, medical institutions and various social support groups to offer psychological interventions to relieve the stress of patients with ischemic stroke, and improve their medication adherence.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; psychology ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Male ; Medication Adherence ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; etiology ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective To observe the injury of high intensity focused ultrasound combined with radiotherapy (RT) to the pancreas,the unintended abdominal tissues and organs of swine in vivo.MethodsAccording to the criterion to grade the gross and histological injury of the pancreas and the unintended tissue,the scores of injury between the groups to get the data of safety and feasibility of high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU)combined with RT were compared.Results There was a better tolerance in each group and no fatal complication was observed.For the pancreas there was significant difference for the combined group compared with the other groups.For the unintended target tissue there was no significance difference except the control group with the other groups.Conclusion HIFU combined with RT can increase the injury to the pancreas of the swine compared with HIFU alone; while there was no increase for the injury to the unintended target tissue.The main toxicity of combination treatment is the toxicity of RT and can be tolerated by the animals.If the HIFU treatment is strictly controlled,the combination of HIFU and RT is safe and feasible.

Adenosine Triphosphate ; Atropine ; Child, Preschool ; Echocardiography, Stress ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; Myocardial Ischemia ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis of beta-thalassaemia using a single fetal nucleated erythrocyte (NRBC) from maternal blood by comparing with the genotype obtained from chorionic villus or amniocytes, and to evaluate the diagnostic results in reliability and feasibility of this method.

METHODSMaternal blood samples were obtained from 28 pregnant women at risk of beta thalassaemia during 9 - 34 weeks of gestation. NRBCs in maternal blood were enriched by single density gradient separation, stained with benzidine, and then collected by micromanipulation individually. After primer extension preamplification (PEP) of the entire genome from each single NRBC, short tandem repeat (STR) genotype was analyzed after further amplification of this gene. Single NRBC was tested individually to identify if it was fetal or maternal in origin by STR genotype of NRBC and its corresponding parents. beta-globin DNA fragments were amplified with nested-PCR using PEP product of a single fetal NRBC that was determined to be fetal in origin. Fetal beta-globin genotypes were analyzed by reverse dot-blot hybridization (RDB), the accuracy was evaluated by comparing with genotype which had been determined on DNA obtained from chorionic villus (CVS) or amniocytes.

RESULTSA total of 298 NRBCs were found in all of 28 pregnant women at a range of 4 to 13 per 5 ml venous blood. After PEP, about 43.6% of NRBCs were determined to be fetal in origin by STR typing. Using PEP product of a single fetal NRBC as template, beta-globin DNA fragment was examined on agarose gel after nested-PCR, amplification efficiency was 90.8% (118/130). Fetal beta-globin genotypes were achieved successfully in all cases with RDB. Comparing with the genotypes which were obtained from CVS or amniocytes, the rate of diagnostic accuracy was 85.7% (24/28).

CONCLUSIONSPEP technique and STR genotype analysis provide effective method for identification of single nucleated erythrocyte from maternal blood in origin. With the techniques PEP and RDB, fetal beta-globin genetic diagnosis was achieved using a single fetal NRBC from maternal blood. The method had a high accuracy and reliability in diagnosis. It may become an optional approach to non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of beta-thalassemia.

Adult ; DNA Primers ; Erythroblasts ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques ; beta-Thalassemia ; diagnosis ; genetics

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVERadioresistant cells in esophageal cancer is one of the important reasons for the local failure of radiotherapy. In recent years, some researchers used gene chip technology to screen the differentially expressed genes between parental and radioresistant human esophageal cancer cells. But there were some problems in these studies, for example comparing cells at only one time interval, and genetic background not matching. In this study, we selected 3 different pairs of parental and radioresistant human esophageal cancer cells, and compared the gene expression profiles by cDNA microarray at 3 time intervals to identify and analyze the differentially expressed genes between parental and radioresistant human esophageal cancer cells.

METHODSWe compared the gene expression profiles between parental cells (TE13, Seg-1, Kyse170) and radioresistant cells (TE13R, Seg-1R, Kyse170R) before, and at 8 h and 24 h after irradiation with a cDNA microarray consisting of 48 000 genes (Human Genome). We identified differentially expressed genes by Pathway and GO analyses, and verified the differentially expressed genes LEF1 and CTNNB1 by RT-PCR.

RESULTSA total of 460, 451, and 397 differentially expressed genes were found before, and at 8 h and 24 h after irradiation. After Pathway and GO analyses, 14 differentially expressed genes, participating in cell growth, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, gene repair and signal transmission, were selected to further research. LEF1 and CTNNB1 were verified by RT-PCR, and the results were consistent with those of cDNA microarray.

CONCLUSIONSThe WNT signal pathway may be an important pathway participating in the formation of radioresistance of esophageal cancer cells. LEF1 and CTNNB1 may be the important genes causing the esophageal cancer cell radioresistance.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; radiation effects ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1 ; metabolism ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Radiation Tolerance ; Transcriptome ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; radiation effects ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether Notch signaling is activated in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and to determine whether manipulation of the Notch signaling pathway can effect the activation of HSCs.

METHODSThe expression of Notch signaling components in unactivated or TGF-b1-activated HSC-T6 cells was detected by Taqman Probe-based gene expression analysis. Differential expression of Notch3 and Jagged1 was detected by immunofluorescence analysis. Notch3-mediated expression of the myofibroblastic markers, a-SMA and collagen I, was detected in HSC-T6 cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-N3ICD or Notch3 siRNA by Western blotting.

RESULTSNotch signaling components were expressed in both unactivated and activated HSC-T6 cells, but the TGF-b1-treated cells showed significantly higher expression levels of Jagged1 (3.9-fold, F = 2543.482), Notch3 (4.2-fold, F = 287.982), and HES1 (3.2-fold, F = 1719.851). Transfection-mediated over-expression of Notch3 led to significantly increased expression of a-SMA (6.8-fold, t = 13.157) and collagen I (5.5-fold, t = 9.810) (both P less than 0.01). Transient knock-down of Notch3 expression by siRNA decreased expression of the myofibroblastic markers (a-SMA by approximately 90%, t = 19.863 and collagen I by 84%, t = 10.376; both, P less than 0.01). Moreover, knock-down of Notch3 antagonized the TGF-b1-induced expression of a-SMA and collagen I.

CONCLUSIONNotch signaling may participate in liver fibrogenesis by regulating HSC activation. Selective interruption of Notch3 may represent a new anti-fibrotic strategy to treat liver fibrosis.

Animals ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; metabolism ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Jagged-1 Protein ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Rats ; Receptor, Notch3 ; Receptors, Notch ; genetics ; metabolism ; Serrate-Jagged Proteins ; Signal Transduction