The sequences of ITS, matK, rbcL and psbA-trnH of 9 Gynostemma species or variety including 38 samples were compared and analyzed by molecular phylogeny method. Hemsleya macrosperma was designated as outgroup. The MP and NJ phylogenetic tree of Gynostemma was built based on ITS sequence, the results of PAUP phylogenetic analysis showed the following results: (1) The eight individuals of G. pentaphyllum var. pentaphyllum were not supported as monophyletic in the strict consensus trees and NJ trees. (2) It is suspected whether G. longipes and G. laxum should be classified as the independent species. (3)The classification of subgenus units of Gynostemma plants is supported.
Gynostemma ; classification ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of phototherapeutic keratectomy ( PTK ) in the treatment of bullous keratopathy ( BK) .METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 60 cases ( 60 eyes) of BK patients from Department of Ophthalmology in our hospital October 2011 to July 2014 was undergone. Clinical data of all patients with treatment of PTK were analyzed. Best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA ) , corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, corneal thickness and corneal endothelial cell density ( ECD ) , postoperative complications before and after surgery were compared. RESULTS: BCVA, corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism of patients before surgery were 0. 05 ± 0. 01 and 37. 02±5. 38, 1. 08±0. 67D, which were significantly less than those of postoperative ( respectively 0. 45 ± 0. 13 and 46. 27 ± 7. 02, 1. 92 ± 0. 73D ), the differences were statistically significant (all P<0. 05). Corneal thickness of patients was 492. 33 ± 18. 27μm before surgery, which was higher than that after surgery 377.27±22.49μm (P<0.05). The difference of visual acuity before and after surgery was statistically significant in this group (P<0. 05). During the follow-up period of 6mo, no recurrence of the original corneal lesions, only 2 cases of postoperative slight haze, it was completely dissipated after given the hormone eye drops.CONCLUSlON: Excimer laser technology has high safety in the treatment of bullous keratopathy, it should be promoted in clinical practice.

The discovery, sorting and identification methods as well as targeted drug delivery systems for cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been reviewed by consulting the recent research papers. CSCs have been believed to be responsible for the occurrence and development of chemo-resistance, leading to the failure of chemotherapy. Much progress has been made in the approaches for CSCs targeting drug delivery systems. The understanding and targeted drug delivery systems for CSCs are promising to provide an alternative for cancer therapy.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Drug Delivery Systems ; methods ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; drug effects ; pathology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo observe the incidence, causes and deviation angle of axial offset in patients with fracture ununited treated by Ilizarov bone transport technology.

METHODSFrom January 2007 to December 2012, 10 patients with fracture ununited were treated by Ilizarov bone transport including 8 males and 2 females with an average age of (30.3 ± 10.6) years old ranging from 18 to 49 years old. The segment of bone defect involved upper tibial in 2 cases, medial tibia in 2 cases, lower tibial in 5 cases, upper femoral in 1 case. For Paley type of bone defect, 6 cases were type B1, 4 cases were B3. The incidence and deviation angle of axial offset after Ilizarov bone transport technology were observed and evaluated on bone result by Paley assessment.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 19 to 32 months with an average of (22.0 ± 5.6) months. Three cases were natural healed at fracture ends, the other 7 cases were healed after bone graft. The time of external fixator was 16 to 28 months. At the last follow-up, there were 3 cases occurred coronal angulation of angle 5° to 11° with an average of (8.7 ± 3.2). Sagittal angulation was in 4 cases, angle 6° to 9° with an average of (8.5 ± 2.1)°. There were 4 cases occurred axial offset. In the last follow-up, according to Paley evaluation criteria, osseous results were excellent in 7 cases, good in 3 cases; functional results were excellent in 6 cases, good in 4 cases.

CONCLUSIONAxial deviation after the Ilizarov bone transport treatment is relatively common, which will result in delayed healing of bone and poor limb alignment. In order to improve the bone healing, corresponding measurements should be taken to avoid or reduce the incidence of axial deviation during and after the operation.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Fracture Healing ; Fractures, Ununited ; surgery ; Humans ; Ilizarov Technique ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with therapeutic trauma can effectively induce skin repigmentation in vitiligo patients who are unresponsive to conventional treatments. Previous studies have mainly focused on identifying the antimitotic activity of 5-FU for the treatment of skin cancer, but few studies have investigated its extra-genotoxic actions favoring melanocyte recruitment. METHODS: We utilized the full thickness excisional skin wound model in Dct-LacZ transgenic mice to dynamically assess the migration of melanocytes in the margins of wounds treated with or without 5-FU. The in-situ expression of CXCL12 was examined in the wound beds using immunofluorescence staining. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analyses were performed to detect the expression levels of CXCL12 mRNA and protein in primary mouse dermal fibroblasts treated with or without 5-FU. Transwell assays and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-phalloidin staining were used to observe cell migration and filamentous actin (F-actin) changes of melan-a murine melanocytes. RESULTS: Whole mount and cryosection X-gal staining showed that the cell numbers of LacZ-positive melanocytes were much higher in the margins of dorsal and tail skin wounds treated with 5-FU compared with the controls. Meanwhile, CXCL12 immunostaining was significantly increased in the dermal compartment of wounds treated with 5-FU (control vs. 5-FU, 22.47 ± 8.85 vs. 44.69 ± 5.97, P < 0.05). Moreover, 5-FU significantly upregulated the expression levels of CXCL12 mRNA (control vs. 5-FU, 1.00 ± 0.08 vs. 1.54 ± 0.06, P < 0.05) and protein (control vs. 5-FU, 1.00 ± 0.06 vs. 2.93 ± 0.10, P < 0.05) in cultured fibroblasts. Inhibition of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis suppressed melanocyte migration in vitro using a CXCL12 small interfering RNA (siRNA) or a CXCR4 antagonist (AMD3100). CONCLUSION 5-FU possesses a pro-pigmentary activity through activation of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis to drive the chemotactic migration of melanocytes.
Animals ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Chemokine CXCL12/genetics* ; Fibroblasts ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Mice ; RNA, Messenger ; Receptors, CXCR4

Purpose: Hungry bone syndrome after parathyroidectomy is an important clinical problem in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. We examined the effect of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program on the incidence of hungry bone syndrome after parathyroidectomy in this population. Methods: This single-institution, retrospective study analyzed 108 patients on hemodialysis who underwent parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism. Patients were classified into the pre-ERAS (n = 52) and post-ERAS (n = 56) groups. The ERAS program identified high-risk patients and enforced aggressive measures to normalize calcium levels following parathyroidectomy. Results: There was no significant difference in age, sex, body weight, presenting symptoms, preoperative calcium and alkaline phosphatase levels, postoperative intact parathyroid levels, postoperative calcium levels at 1 and 24 hours after parathyroidectomy, and 30-day readmission rates between the groups. The post-ERAS group had significantly higher levels of postoperative calcium at 48 and 72 hours after parathyroidectomy, but a lower incidence of hungry bone syndrome and shorter postoperative length of stay. Patients with hungry bone syndrome had higher preoperative levels of alkaline phosphatase and intact parathyroid, longer postoperative length of stay, and were less likely to have been part of the ERAS program. High preoperative alkaline phosphatase levels and absence of the ERAS program were independent risk factors for hungry bone syndrome after parathyroidectomy. Conclusion The ERAS program reduced the incidence of hungry bone syndrome and shortened the postoperative length of stay in patients on maintenance hemodialysis who underwent parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism.

OBJECTIVETo compare the combined FDG PET/CT with PET alone in the detection of lymph node metastasis (LNM) for esophageal carcinoma patient.

METHODSFrom November 2003 to August 2005, 35 patients with esophageal carcinoma underwent FDG PET/CT before esophagectomy and lymph node (LN) dissection. The patients who had history of previous anticancer treatment or diabetes mellitus and inflammatory lung diseases as well as being inoperable for medical reasons were excluded. The results of LNM detection by PET/CT and PET alone were compared with pathological results.

RESULTSTwenty-nine men and 6 women were eligible for this study, with a mean age of 57 years (range: 40 to 72 years). Of these 35 patients, 3 had lesion at the upper third thoracic esophagus, 22 at the middle third and 10 at the lower third. All patients underwent surgical resection successfully. Twenty-five patients and 65 out of 313 excised nodal groups were found to have metastases by pathological examination. The true positive and true negative LNM interpretation reached 61 and 229 LN groups on PET/CT versus 53 and 217 LN groups on PET alone. False negative LNM interpretation was found in 12 LN groups on PET alone, and 8 of them were corrected by PET/CT including one cervical LN, 4 paraesophageal LNs, one left gastric arterial LN, one left gastric cardia LN, one lesser gastric curve LN. False positive interpretations on PET alone were found in 31 LN groups, 12 of them were corrected by PET/CT which included 9 false-positive interpretations due to physical tracer uptake (2 in the cervical region and 7 in gastrointestinal tract ) and 3 lesions with heterogeneous tracer uptake in the primary tumor. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of LNM detection by PET alone was 81.54% (53/65), 87.50% (217/248), and 86.26% (270/313), whereas by PET/CT, which was 93.85% (61/65), 91.24% (229/248) and 92.65% (290/313), respectively. There were statistically significant differences in sensitivity and accuracy of LNM detection between PET/CT and PET alone (0.033 and 0.009).

CONCLUSIONCompared with FDG PET alone, FDG PET combined with CT can improve the sensitivity and accuracy in detection of lymph node metastasis in esophageal carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Esophagectomy ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck Dissection ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

We described a female patient with insulinoma who experienced recurrent episodes of automatism, confusion and convulsion. Furthermore, her electroencephalography (EEG) findings resembled the pattern in complex partial seizures with secondary generalization. The interictal EEG showed spikes and sharp waves, as well as focal slowing over the left temporal lobe, and the ictal EEG revealed generalized spikes and sharp waves associated with diffused slowing. She was initially misdiagnosed as pharmacoresistant epilepsy. After the insulinoma was found and surgically removed, her EEG turned normal and she was seizure-free during the 4-year follow-up. This report highlights the need for careful reassessment of all seizures refractory to medication, even for the patients associated with epileptiform discharges on EEG.
Anticonvulsants ; pharmacology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Resistance ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Partial ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Insulinoma ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo compare multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS), the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and the logistic organ dysfunction score (LODS) in predicting hospital mortality in severe sepsis.

METHODSFour hundred and three patients admitted to the ICU from December 2004 to November 2007 with a diagnosis of severe sepsis were enrolled in this study. Their MODS, SOFA, LODS and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II at admission and the highest score during hospitalization were respectively recorded and collected in regard to mortality. The discrimination of three multiple organ dysfunction score systems were assessed by the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC).

RESULTSThe AUC of admission scores was 0.811 for LODS, 0.787 for SOFA, 0.725 for MODS, and 0.770 for APACHE II in predicting hospital mortality. All maximum scores had better power of discrimination than the admission scores (P < 0.01). The power of discrimination of LODS and SOFA were better than the MODS, either the admission or the highest, respectively (P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between the LODS and the SOFA regarding mortality prediction (P > 0.05). The AUC value for the APACHE II score was much lower compared to LODS (P < 0.01). However, there was no difference in AUC value among APACHE II, SOFA and MODS (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLODS, SOFA and MODS show a good discrimination power, while maximum LODS is of the highest discrimination power to predict the outcome of patient with severe sepsis.

APACHE ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Organ Failure ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Sepsis ; mortality ; Severity of Illness Index

Objective:To evaluate preliminarily immunocompetence and immunoprotection of a NMB0315 nucleic acid vaccine,a recombinant protein vaccine and a nucleic acid vaccine plus a recombinant protein vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in mice, and to provide reliable experimental basis for further exploration of the effective immunization methods and pathways of NMB0315 vaccine. Methods:The NMB0315 nucleic acid vaccine [ pcDNA3. 1 (+)/NMB0315 ] and recombinant protein vaccine(pET-30a/NMB0315)were prepared. Female BALB/c mice were inoculated with a NMB0315 DNA vaccine followed by boosting with recombinant protein NMB0315 through intramuscular and intraperitoneal immunization respectively. Next, humoral immunologic response and cellullar immunologic response were detected in female BALB/c mice by ELISA. The survival rate of BALB/c mice was used to evaluate immunoprotection of the vaccines in mice. Results:Specific IgG,IgG1,IgG2a,and sIgA,induced by the NMB0315 DNA vaccine(pNMB0315-CpG),protein NMB0315 vaccine(rNMB0315-FA),NMB0315 DNA vaccine prime-protein boost at week 8, were detected by indirect ELISA,the A450 values were up to(0. 505±0. 042,0. 513±0. 022,0. 342±0. 017,0. 250±0. 015),(0. 823± 0. 061,0. 807±0. 045,0. 596±0. 027,0. 450±0. 028)and(0. 694±0. 053,0. 711±0. 032,0. 455±0. 021,0. 386±0. 024)respectively, which was significantly higher than the PBS control(P<0. 05). The antibody level of protein vaccine was significantly higher than the nucleic acid vaccine group and combined immunization group ( P<0. 05 ) . The stimulation index and IFN-γ level of combined immunization group were significantly higher than the protein vaccine group and nucleic acid vaccine group(P<0. 05). The bactericidal titer of nucleic acid vaccine group, protein vaccine group and combined immunization group reached 1 :64, 1 :128 and 1 :128 respectively,and the protection rates were 70%,95% and 80% respectively. The IgG2a/IgG1 ratios of the nucleic acid vaccine group, the recombinant protein vaccine group and the combined immunization vaccine group were all less than 1 at week 2, 4, 6, 8. Conclusion:The humoral immunity effects( including mucosal immune) induced by the NMB0315 vaccines form high to low were as follows:the recombinant protein vaccine group, the combined immunization vaccine group, the nucleic acid vaccine;and the cellular immune effects from high to low were as follows:the combined immunization vaccine group, the nucleic acid vaccine group, the recombinant protein vaccine group;The protection effects induced by the NMB0315 vaccines in BALB/c mice within 72 hours from high to low were as follows:the recombinant protein vaccine group, the combined immunization vaccine group, the nucleic acid vaccine group.