Humans ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Pelvis ; pathology ; Postoperative Period ; Rectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery

Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Stomach Neoplasms ; therapy

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the clinical-pathological characteristics and surgical prognosis of malignant tumor of pancreatic body and tail.

METHODSA retrospective study was accomplished on clinical manifestation, pathological behavior and postoperative survival in 106 patients with malignant tumor of pancreatic body and tail in single institution from Jan 1980 to Dec 2003, and compared these with 451 patients with malignant pancreatic cancer.

RESULTSThere were significant differences in the following parameters (malignant tumor of the body and tail vs those of the head) between the two tumors: (1) the complaints of pain (0.74:41, chi(2) = 37.035, P < 0.01) and jaundice (0.04:0.75, chi(2) = 155.509, P < 0.01); (2) serum SGPT [(27.33 +/- 3.98) U/L: (118.60 +/- 4.59) U/L, F = 89.351, P < 0.01], total bilirubin [(1.46 +/- 0.46) mg/dl: (14.11 +/- 0.60) mg/dl, F = 105.341, P < 0.01] and albumin [(4.20 +/- 0.45) g/L: (3.91 +/- 0.03) g/L, F = 26.642, P < 0.001]; (3) CEA (0.40:0.24, chi(2) = 6.148, P = 0.046) and CA-19-9 positive rate (0.57:0.86, chi(2) = 24.132, P < 0.01); (4) the concomitant total metastasis (0.38:0.20, chi(2) = 14.266, P < 0.01), including liver metastasis (0.30:0.17, chi(2) = 9.003, P < 0.01). Postoperative median survival, resection of non-metastatic pancreatic body and tail cancer was longer than resection of metastatic disease significantly (15 vs 7 months,chi(2) = 21.63, P < 0.01), which the latter was the same as those who didn't remove (6 months,chi(2) = 0.22, P = 0.64).

CONCLUSIONSThe predominant problem is distant metastasis (especially liver metastasis) in the malignant tumor of the body and tail of the pancreas in comparison with pancreatic head cancer. Resection of the body and tail could not increase postoperative survival if metastasis exists. The major way to improve the prognosis is to prevent and manage the distant metastasis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Pancreas ; pathology ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo study the metabolism of total terpene ketones from Swertia mussotii with human intestinal bacteria.

METHODTotal terpene ketones were incubated with human intestinal bacteria under an anaerobic environment and at 37 degrees C. The metabolites were extracted by ethyl acetate processing, detected by HPLC-DAD method. A qualitative analysis was made for its metabolites by HPLC-MS.

RESULTEight metabolites were detected from total terpene ketones from S. mussotii with human intestinal bacteria, and two of them were preliminarily identified as gentianine and mangiferin aglycon.

CONCLUSIONTotal terpene ketones can be metabolized with human intestinal bacteria, which provides basis for experiments on the metabolism process total terpene ketones from S. mussotii with human intestinal bacteria.

Alkaloids ; metabolism ; Anaerobiosis ; Bacteria ; metabolism ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Humans ; Intestines ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Ketones ; metabolism ; Mass Spectrometry ; Swertia ; metabolism ; Terpenes ; metabolism ; Xanthones ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) injection on pulmonary artery pressure and the expression of p38MAPK in lung tissue of rats subjected to chronic hypoxia.

METHODSThirty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups (ten in each group): rats in control group were exposed to normoxic condition and the rats in hypoxia group and PNS group were subjected to 4-week hypoxia, and PNS injection (50 mg · kg(-1) · d(-1)) was administrated intraperitoneally at 30 min in the PNS group daily before the rats were kept in the hypoxic chamber, while rats in the other two groups received equal dose of normal saline instead. After chronic hypoxia, mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and mean carotid artery pressure (mCAP) were measured. The heart and lung tissues were harvested, and right ventricle (RV) and left ventricle plus ventricular septum (LV+S) were weighed to calculate the ratio of RV/(LV+S). The expression of p38MAPK mRNA was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, the quantity of phosphorylated p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) in rat lung tissues and pulmonary arterioles was determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, mPAP and the ratio of RV/(LV+S) in the hypoxia group were increased, the expression of p-p38MAPK in pulmonary arterioles and p38MAPK mRNA in the lung were higher (P<0.05). The changes of these parameters in the hypoxia group were significantly attenuated by PNS treatment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPNS injection was shown to prevent hypoxic pulmonary hypertension at least partly by regulating p38MAPK pathway.

Animals ; Arterioles ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Blood Pressure ; drug effects ; Blotting, Western ; Carotid Arteries ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Heart Ventricles ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; complications ; enzymology ; physiopathology ; Hypoxia ; complications ; enzymology ; physiopathology ; Injections ; Lung ; drug effects ; enzymology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; drug effects ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Pulmonary Artery ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change rules of peak area ratio of STR loci to Amelogenin (AMEL) locus (STR/AMEL), a sex-determining gene in DNA degradation, and to evaluate the application of STR/AMEL value in the estimation of DNA degradation degree. METHODS: DNA was extracted from iliopsoas, and the variations of STR/AMEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL, FGA/AMEL) were analyzed after the artificial degradation was made by DNase I, and the changes of these three ratios of the iliopsoas naturally degraded in an outdoor environment were also analyzed. The regression curves were analyzed using the periods of DNA degradation and outside the body as the independent variable (x) and the STR/AMEL value as the dependent variable (y) and three curve equations under two conditions were established. RESULTS: Both under the conditions of artificial and natural degradation, STR/AMEL value had a negative relationship with the degradation time. The relationship between STR/AMEL and degradation time can be well simulated by the cubic function. R2 was over 0.99 under controlled degradation condition and over 0.86 under natural degradation condition. CONCLUSION The STR/AMEL value (Penta E/AMEL, Penta D/AMEL, FGA/AMEL) is negatively related with the DNA degradation degree, which follows mathematical regression models strictly, and it might be applied to evaluate the DNA degradation degree.
Amelogenin/genetics* ; DNA Damage/genetics* ; DNA Primers ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Regression Analysis ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastasis after radical anterior resection for rectal cancer.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 957 patients who underwent radical anterior resection for rectal cancer from 1983 to 2000 were reviewed retrospectively. The risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastasis were analyzed.

RESULTSThere were 150 recurrent or metastatic cases (15.7%) after radical resection during a median follow- up of 71 months. Recurrence and metastasis sites included pelvics(6.0%, n=57), liver (4.9%, n=47), lung (4.2%, n=40) and other sites (0.6%, n=6). The median recurrent interval was 18 months (2-85 months),with a median survival of 8 months (1-62 months) after recurrence. Re-resection of the tumors was performed in 23 patients(15.3% ), and the median survival of such patients was 30 months with a 5- year survival rate of 13.0%. There were significant differences in recurrence and metastasis considering age,family history of tumor,CEA level,T staging,lymph node metastasis,venous cancerous emboli and signet cell carcinoma or mucinous adenocarcinoma. Logistic regression analysis revealed that family history (P=0.001), high CEA level (P=0.033), T3- 4 (P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (P=0.000),venous cancerous emboli (P=0.001),and signet cell carcinoma or mucinous adenocarcinoma (P=0.012) were risk factors for recurrence and metastasis.

CONCLUSIONSThere are several risk factors for recurrence after radical anterior resection for rectal cancer. The main recurrent or metastatic sites are pelvis,liver and lung. Resection of recurrent tumor can prolong the survival.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; etiology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prognostic implication of common bile duct infiltration in the adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater after panreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODSA retrospective study was conducted on clinical manifestation, pathological behavior and survival data in 102 patients with Vater's ampulla adenocarcinoma, who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy from Jan 1980 to Dec 2003. The result of patients with the common bile duct infiltration were compared with that of those without.

RESULTSThere were 42 cases in stage I (41.2%), 32 in stage II (31.3%), 27 in stage III (26.5%), and 1 in stage IV (1.0%). As for T stage: 9 cases in stage T1 (8.8%), 40 in T2 (39.2%), 25 in T3 (24.5%), and 28 in T4 (27.5%). As regarding to N stage: 76 cases in stage N0 (74.5%) and 26 in N1 (25.5%). Of these 102 cases, microscopic infiltration in the common bile duct (25.0%) was identified in 26 cases. A significant difference was observed between the patients with bile duct infiltration and those without, in the proportion of pancreatic medullae infiltration: 84.6% (infiltration group) versus 34.2% (non-infiltration group, P < 0.001). Twenty-five cases (24.5%) had recurrence and/or metastases postoperatively, with a median survival of 20 months (range, 2 to 93 months). The overall median survival of the whole group was 46.0 months (2 approximately 192 months), with a significant difference between the common bile duct infiltration group (36 months) and the non-infiltration group (49 months, P = 0.0061). The median non-recurrence survival of the whole group was 43 months (2 approximately 192 months), and a significant difference was observed between the common bile duct infiltration group (35 months) and non-infiltration group (47 months, P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONIf the adenocarcinoma of the Vater's ampulla infiltrated the common bile duct, the invasion to the pancreatic medulla is likely developed, and usually with a poor non-recurrence and overall survival. Therefore, postoperative chemotherapy/radiotherapy is suggested.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater ; Common Bile Duct ; pathology ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: In Fujian Province, China, gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among all malignant tumors. Nanjing county and Minqing county are located in inland Fujian and have similar general demographics. However, the adjusted mortality rate of gastric cancer in Minqing was found to be much higher than that in Nanjing. We sought to explore factors associated with this increased risk of gastric cancer between the two counties. METHODS: We recruited 231 and 224 residents from Nanjing and Minqing, respectively, and analyzed differences between their dietary habits, Helicobacter pylori infection rates, and concentrations of serum pepsinogen I, pepsinogen II, gastrin-17, and ratio of pepsinogen I:II. RESULTS: Subjects in Minqing had more first-degree relatives who had been diagnosed with upper gastrointestinal tumor, more unhealthy dietary habits, a higher Helicobacter pylori positive rate, and greater proportion of abnormal serum gastrin-17 than those in Nanjing did. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that differed between these two counties might indicate that residents in Minqing have a higher risk for developing gastric cancer than those in Nanjing do.
Adult ; Aged ; China/epidemiology ; Female ; Food Habits ; Gastrins/blood ; Helicobacter Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/pathology ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pepsinogen A/blood ; Pepsinogen C/blood ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis

OBJECTIVES: In Fujian Province, China, gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among all malignant tumors. Nanjing county and Minqing county are located in inland Fujian and have similar general demographics. However, the adjusted mortality rate of gastric cancer in Minqing was found to be much higher than that in Nanjing. We sought to explore factors associated with this increased risk of gastric cancer between the two counties. METHODS: We recruited 231 and 224 residents from Nanjing and Minqing, respectively, and analyzed differences between their dietary habits, Helicobacter pylori infection rates, and concentrations of serum pepsinogen I, pepsinogen II, gastrin-17, and ratio of pepsinogen I:II. RESULTS: Subjects in Minqing had more first-degree relatives who had been diagnosed with upper gastrointestinal tumor, more unhealthy dietary habits, a higher Helicobacter pylori positive rate, and greater proportion of abnormal serum gastrin-17 than those in Nanjing did. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that differed between these two counties might indicate that residents in Minqing have a higher risk for developing gastric cancer than those in Nanjing do.
Adult ; Aged ; China/epidemiology ; Female ; Food Habits ; Gastrins/blood ; Helicobacter Infections/epidemiology/microbiology/pathology ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pepsinogen A/blood ; Pepsinogen C/blood ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis