Objective To assess the diagnostic value of mammography,ultrasound and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(18F-FDG) dual-head coincidence(DHC) imaging in the detection of primary breast cancer. Methods The results of 54 female patients with 57 breast lesion sites examined by mammography,ultrasound and 18F-FDG dual-head coincidence(DHC) imaging were analysed and compared with pathologic findings.The sensitivity of mammography was compared with combined mammography with ultrasound or triple-tests,and the sensitivity of 18F-FDG DHC imaging was compared with combined mammography and ultrasound. Results The individual sensitivities of mammography,ultrasound and 18F-FDG DHC imaging in the diagnosis of primary breast cancer were 89.13%,91.30% and 91.30%,respectively,those for specificities were 72.73%,72.73% and 63.64%,respectively,and those for accuracies were 85.96%,87.72% and 85.96%,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of combined mammography with ultrasound were 100%,63.64% and 92.98%,respectively,and those of triple-tests were 97.83%,81.82% and 94.74%,respectively.Combined mammography with ultrasound and triple-tests were more sensitive than mammography(P0.05).Triple-tests were more sensitive than combined mammography with ultrasound(P

Objective To investigate DNA methylation markers in the whole blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE),in hope to facilitate the evaluation of SLE severity.Methods Whole blood samples were obtained from 58 patients with SLE(including 14 cases of severe SLE,25 moderate SLE,19 inactive SLE)and 50 healthy controls.Bisulphite sequencing was performed to determine the methylation status of interleukin-2 common receptor gamma chain(IL-2RG)promoter region,and real-time reverse transcriptionPCR to quantify the expression level of IL-2RG mRNA,in these subjects.Results The methylation level of IL2RG promoter region was 0.217 ± 0.140,0.325 ± 0.230,0.342 ± 0.085 and 0.175 ± 0.036 in the patients withsevere,moderate and inactive SLE and healthy controls,respectively.A significant increase was observed in the methylation level of IL-2RG promoter region in the patients with inactive SLE compared with the patients with severe SLE and healthy controls(both P ＜ 0.01),and in the patients with SLE compared with the healthy controls(0.263 ± 0.047 vs.0.175 ± 0.036,P ＜ 0.05).The expression level of IL-2RG mRNA was significantly lower in the patients with SLE than in the healthy controls(2.550 ± 0.823 vs.4.293 ± 1.283,P ＜ 0.05).A negative correlation was observed between the expression level of IL-2RG mRNA and methylation level of IL2RG promoter region in 20 patients with SLE(r =-0.44,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The methylation status of IL2RG promoter region is statistically higher in patients with SLE than in healthy controls,and significantly different between patients with active SLE and those with stable SLE.

Objective:Glucose-insulin-potassium(GIK) is clinically used for reducing mortality in acute myocardial infarction(MI). It is known that ventricular arrhythmia, left ventricular dysfunction and impaired baroreflex sensitivity(BRS) are the three major determinants for predicting the mortality after acute MI. The present work was designed to study the effects of GIK on BRS, ventricular arrhythmia, and left ventricular function in rats with coronary artery ligature. Sprague-Dawley rats were used and the myocardial infarction was produced by ligature of the left anterior descending artery. Five weeks after coronary artery ligation, BRS was measured in conscious state with a computerized blood pressure monitoring system and left ventricular function and electrocardiogram were determined in the anaesthetized state in the subacute phase of myocardial infarction. It was found that GIK did not affect the blood pressure and heart period in both conscious and anaesthetized rats. GIK did not enhance BRS, but reduced ventricular arrhythmia and improved left ventricular function by reducing left ventricular end diastolic pressure in anaesthetized rats with MI. It is proposed that reducing ventricular arrhythmia and improving left ventricular function contribute to the effect of GIK on reducing the mortality after MI.

Objective:Glucose-insulin-potassium(GIK) is clinically used for reducing mortality in acute myocardial infarction(MI). It is known that ventricular arrhythmia, left ventricular dysfunction and impaired baroreflex sensitivity(BRS) are the three major determinants for predicting the mortality after acute MI. The present work was designed to study the effects of GIK on BRS, ventricular arrhythmia, and left ventricular function in rats with coronary artery ligature. Sprague-Dawley rats were used and the myocardial infarction was produced by ligature of the left anterior descending artery. Five weeks after coronary artery ligation, BRS was measured in conscious state with a computerized blood pressure monitoring system and left ventricular function and electrocardiogram were determined in the anaesthetized state in the subacute phase of myocardial infarction. It was found that GIK did not affect the blood pressure and heart period in both conscious and anaesthetized rats. GIK did not enhance BRS, but reduced ventricular arrhythmia and improved left ventricular function by reducing left ventricular end diastolic pressure in anaesthetized rats with MI. It is proposed that reducing ventricular arrhythmia and improving left ventricular function contribute to the effect of GIK on reducing the mortality after MI.

AIMTo study the protective effect of Quinacrine(QA) on rat striatum neurons from the injury caused by heat environment treatment, to probe the relationship between cell membrane injury and cellular injury protection, and to seek the possibility of QA as a preventive agent to heat injury.

METHODSPrimary cultured striatum neurons from newborn rats were pretreated with QA at different concentration for 1 h, and then heat-treated at 43 degrees C for another 1 h. Cell necrosis was detected by Trypan blue staining, and apoptosis was evaluated through Activated Caspase-3 dye and TdT dye.

RESULTSHeat treatment effected the survival of striatum neurons and resulted in great number of cell death, which was mainly mediated by cell necrosis process. It was shown that treatment of QA itself had little effect on the survival of striatum neurons, while QA pretreatment decreased cellular necrosis caused by following heat treatment.

CONCLUSIONQA protects striatum neurons from heat environment injury at about 20 pmol/L, and the protection may mediated by reduction of necrosis.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Death ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Corpus Striatum ; cytology ; Heat-Shock Response ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Quinacrine ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

To study the modulatory effect of extracellular calcium on the whole cell K(+) currents (I(K)) in isolated Deiters cells, the whole cell K(+) currents were recorded when Deiters cells bathed in normal physiological solutions and calcium-free saline, respectively. The electrophysiological characteristics of I(K) currents were then analyzed with the patch clamp technique. Removing extracellular calcium significantly enhanced the amplitude of the I(K) currents, which increased by 70.2% at +50 mV test pulse. The chord conductance, measured at -30 mV test pulse, also significantly increased from (3.31-/+3.08) ns (n=42) in the normal solutions to (10.81-/+6.01) ns (n=42) in the calcium-free solutions, whereas, the zero current potential of the I(K) currents remained unchanged. In calcium-free solutions, the reversal potential of the I(K) currents was shifted to the direction of hyperpolarization, which was very close to the equilibrium K(+) potential based on the Nernst equation. In addition, both the steady state activation curve and the half activation potential, with the averaged value at (-10.13-/+5.64) mV (n=42), were shifted to the negative. However, the tendency for activation (slope conductances) was the same as that in the normal solutions. Interestingly, both the I-V and the G-V functions deduced from the calcium-inhibited K(+) currents in Deiters cells were "S" shape, implying that at least two different kinds of K(+) conductance were involved in this calcium-inhibited K(+) currents. In summary, we hypothesize that there are two mechanisms for this modulation: one is that the I(K) channels in Deiters cells containing a specific calcium sensitive domain, by which extracellular calcium modulates the structure of the K(+) channels and then the I(K) currents; the other is a novel double gated K(+) channel or an ionotropic receptor coupled to K(+) channels or a new subtype of outward K(+) channels. Removing extracellular calcium activates this novel conductance and then modulates the I(K) currents. These results indicate that a decrease in extracellular calcium not only facilitates the efflux of K(+) out of Deiters cells but also accelerates the repolorization by enhancing the I(K) currents, which in turn can effectively buffer the K(+) concentration around the outer hair cells and maintain the resting membrane potential of Deiters cells.
Animals ; Calcium ; physiology ; Cell Separation ; Cochlea ; cytology ; Extracellular Space ; Guinea Pigs ; Membrane Potentials ; physiology ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Potassium Channels ; physiology

Adenocarcinoma ; blood supply ; physiopathology ; Capillaries ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Cell Separation ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Humans ; Microcirculation ; Stomach Neoplasms ; blood supply ; physiopathology

Objective To investigate the prognostic sequelae in neontes with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and ven-tricnlar dilatation.Methods Seventy-six full term newborns infants with HIE were followed up at the age from 3 to 19 months after therapy. Twenty-five infants among them were followed up by telephone in the epidemic period of SARS.Results Among 76 infants of 88 newborn infants with HIE(84.6%), 73 infants were normal (96.1% ). 1 infant had cerebral palsy (1.3%), 2 infants died (2.6 %).Among 39 cases with mild HIE, none of them had cerebral sequelae; among moderate HIE. 1 infant had cerebral palsy (2.9%) 1 infant died (2. 9 %), interlenkin-4 among severe HIE 50 % died (P00.5 The poor outcome of HIE in those infants were related to intrauterine growth retardation,severe birth asphyxia;and inadequate treatment.Cranial ultra-sonography of 49 infants were done on follow-up,and 12 of them (24.5 % ) had ventricular dilatations, which appeared after birth with 6 infants. Others occurred on follow-up with 1 infant had cerobral palsy,all ventricular dilatations recovered to normal at 12- 19 months except the cerebral palsy.Conclusions The poor outcome of HIE depends on the infants with intranterine growth relarda-tion,severe birth asphyxia and inadequate treatment.The prognosis of transient ventrealar ddatation are good except cerebral palsy.J Appl Clin pediatr,2004,19(12) : 1045- 1047

AIMTo investigate the chemical constituents from the whole plant of the endemic plant Notoseris rhombiformis Shih.

METHODSColumn chromatography was used for separation and purification, while spectral analysis was used for structure elucidation.

RESULTSEight compounds were isolated from the whole plant of this Chinese endemic plant and their structures were elucidated as notoserolide A (1), notoserolide D (2), austricin (3), jacquilenin (4), 3 beta, 14-dihydroxy-11 beta, 13-dihydrocostunolide (5), p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (6), luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7) and daucosterol (8), respectively.

CONCLUSIONAll compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. Among them, 2 is a new compound.

Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Lactones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Sesquiterpenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Sitosterols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo evaluate clinical and pathological features of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) and its significance in diagnosis.

METHODSSix cases of PTLD were studied by light microscope, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, and gene rearrangement analysis. The clinical and follow-up information were also reviewed.

RESULTSAmong the 6 cases, 3 with monomorphic PTLD were renal transplant recipients, and died 4, 2, and 1 months after diagnosis. 2 were liver transplant recipients, 1 of whom with monomorphic PTLD died 5 months after diagnosis, the other one was diagnosed as early lesion of PTLD and the post-bone marrow transplant case was classified as polymorphic PTLD who survived for 12 months after diagnosis of PTLD. EBER 1/2 DNA was demonstrated in 4 cases.

CONCLUSIONSPTLD is a lymphoproliferative disease with distinctive morphologic and clinical characteristics after organ transplantation. The prognosis of PTLD correlates with the pathological subtypes and clinical stage.

Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; etiology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Transplantation, Homologous ; pathology