Background:Dysregulation of microRNA expression is involved in the carcinogenesis of many tumors,expression of miR-504 has been observed in many tumors,but its expression in primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)has not been reported. Aims:To explore the expression and clinical significance of miR-504 in HCC tissues and cells. Methods:Tumor and para-cancerous tissue in 85 HCC patients were collected. Five liver cancer cell lines and immortalized liver cell line were conventionally cultured. Effect of miR-504 expression on HepG2 cells proliferation was determined by CCK8 assay. The expression of miR-504 was determined by real time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Relationships between expression of miR-504 and clinicopathological features and prognosis of HCC patients were analyzed. Results:Compared with normal liver cells,expression of miR-504 was significantly downregulated in five liver cancer cells(P < 0. 05). Up-regulation of miR-504 inhibited proliferation of HepG2 cells,and down-regulation of miR-504 promoted proliferation of HepG2 cells. miR-504 expression in tumor tissue was significantly decreased than that in corresponding para-cancerous tissue. Expression of miR-504 was correlated with tumor differentiation(P = 0. 002),TNM stage(P = 0. 021),alpha fetoprotein(P = 0. 012)and portal vein tumor thrombus(P = 0. 003),but not with gender,age,tumor size and tumor number. Survival in HCC patients with lower miR-504 expression was significantly shorter than that in patients with high expression(P < 0. 05). Conclusions:Expression of miR-504 is downregulated in HCC,and is correlated with the prognosis of patients,suggesting that miR-504 can be used as an independent predictor for prognosis of HCC patients.

Aim To explore the possible anti-inflammation mechanism of paeonol by investigating its effects on the MMP-9 mRNA expression and cytokines production in human dermal fibroblasts induced by TNF-?.Methods The effect of paneonol on the expression of MMP-9 mRNA was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.The modulation of paneonol on the production of IL-1?,IL-6 and IL-8 in fibroblasts was measured by ELISA.Results MMP-9 hardly expressed in human dermal fibroblast.The results also showed that TNF-? significantly induced the expression of MMP-9 in fibroblasts and at the same time paeonol inhibited the expression of MMP-9.TNF-? stimulated the production of IL-1? and IL-8 in fibroblasts,while 10~100 mg?L-1 paeonol inhibited TNF-?-induced IL-1? and IL-8 production in fibroblasts but had nothing to do with the production of IL-6.Conclusions Paeonol can inhibit the expression of MMP-9 mRNA,IL-1? and IL-8 induced by TNF-?.

Acinetobacter baumannii ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; etiology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate biological characteristics of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, and to explore the possibility of hepatocyte-like cells differentiation.METHODS: The umbilical cord was provided by healthy term birth woman in Tianjin Third Central Hospital. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from human umbilical cord by enzyme digestion method. Cells were passaged at 80%-90% confluent. The ninth passage of cells at a density of 5×10~(10)/L were seeded in 12-well culture plate and incubated with DMEM containing hepatocyte growth factor, fibroblast growth factor-4 and oncostatin for 28 days. Cell growth activity was detected by MTT method; cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry; surface immunological marker in MSC was detected by immunocytochemical stain and flow cytometry; specific surface phenotype of hepatocyte was detected by immunocytochemical staining. Function characteristic of hepatocyte was determined by staining for glycogen.RESULTS: MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord and presented with fibroblastic morphology. 80% of cells were at G_0/G_1 phase with good growth activity and stably passaged over 20 times. These cells were positive for CD29, CD105, and Vimentin, but negative for CD34 and CD31. MSCs were induced to hepatocyte-1 ike cells that were positive for alpha fetoprotein, CK18, CK19 at 1 week and albumin at 3 weeks. At 4 weeks, induced cells were positive for glycogen staining.CONCLUSION: MSCs isolated from human umbilical cord can be cultured in a long periods time in vitro and are able to differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells.

Objective To use a simple bedside technique to verify the pathophysiological mechanism of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in different races. Method The Valsalva maneuver (VM) was performed in patients referred to a specialty PH clinic. The blood pressure response of patients to VM was in different fashions. The blood pressure (BP) was measured by using cuff and stethoscope. When the cuff was inflated to 15 mmHg above the systolic pressure, sound could be heard by auscultation during VM and when the cuff was deflated the sound disappeared over 3 heart beats which was considered as abnormal BP response, and less than 3 heart beats defined as normal BP response. The right heart catheterization in patients with PH as a part of the standard evaluation. Results This study included 84 patients with a mean age of (63 ± 16) years. Those with abnormal BP response to VM had higher pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) [(22.5±6.6) vs. (11.9±4.3) mmHg, P ＜0.0001] and lower pulmonary vascular resistance [(5.8 ± 4.0) vs. (8.1 ± 4.6 ) WU, P = 0.01]. Blood pressure response to VM did not correlate with mean pulmonary artery (PA) pressure [(46.2 ± 9.9) vs. (43.4 ±10.4) mmHg, P =0.20] or cardiac index (both 2.4 ± 0.6 L/min/m2). The abnormal BP response to VM had high sensitivity (89.4%), specificity (86.1%) and accuracy (86.9%) for determining PAWP＞ 15 mmHg.Conclusions BP response to Valsalva maneuver provides important information about left heart filling pressures in patients with PH.

Adolescent ; Antibodies, Viral ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; SARS Virus ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; virology

Objective To quantitatively analyze total hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA (HBV tDNA),covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and HBsAg in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB),HBV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),and to analyze the characteristics.Methods HBV tDNA and HBV cccDNA in the serum and liver biopsy samples were measured in 21 CHB,23 LC and 25 HCC patients by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. HBsAg titer was measured by chemiluminescence. Normally distributed variables among multiple groups were analyzed by ANOVA and t-test.Correlation between two variables was tested using Pearson correlation analysis.Skewed distribution was tested using Rank sum test.Results In CHB,LC and HCC patients,the serum HBV tDNA levels were (5.38±2.08),(4.96± 1.65) and (4.18 ± 0.91) lg copy/mL,respectively; the intrahepatic HBV tDNA levels in three groups were (7.18±1.91),(6.51±1.87) and (5.87± 1.47) lg copy/ug,respectively; the intrahepatic HBV cccDNA levels were (3.53±2.03),(2.63±2.13) and (0.58± 1.40) lg copy/μg,respectively; the serum HBsAg levels were (3.30±0.65),(3.12±0.52) and (2.60± 1.03) lg IU/mL,respectively.In CHB patients,the serum HBV tDNA,intrahepatic HBV tDNA,HBV cccDNA and HBsAg levels were all significantly higher than those of HCC patients (t=2.446,P=0.013; t=2.562,P=0.014;t=5.799,P＜0.01 ; t=2.709,P=0.003,respectively).However,only intrahepatic HBV cccDNA and HBsAg levels were statistically different between LC and HCC patients (t=-3.894,P＜0.01;t=-2.237,P=0.023,respectively).HBV cccDNA was all negative in the serum of 69 patients.The serum HBsAg level was positively correlated with serum HBV tDNA (r=0.290,P=0.016),intrahepatic HBV tDNA (r=0.372,P =0.002) and intrahepatic HBV cccDNA (r=0.378,P=0.001).Conclusions The levels of HBV tDNA,HBV cccDNA and HBsAg decrease gradually with the disease progression.The serum HBsAg level is positively correlated with serum HBV tDNA,intrahepatic HBV tDNA and intrahepatic HBV cccDNA.

Objective To develop an intelligent wound therapeutic instrument based on active instillation and negative pressure suction.Methods SCM coordinated peristaltic pumps, solenoid valves and pressure receptor to infuse perfusate into the wound and retained it for a period of time. The perfusate then was eliminated by negative pressure and the wound was kept in the state of negative pressure. The instrument could give out alarm in case of bad tightness, over-high pressure and blocked negative-pressure pipeline.Results Peristaltic pump and central negative pressure were involved in to complete wound perfusion and irrigation, with perfusate controlled quantitatively and negative pressure kept reliable. The pressures in the wound and pipeline could be monitored at real time by the pressure receptor, and timely alarm was implemented when unexpected conditions occurred.Conclusion The instrument behaves well in automation, intelligence and safety, and thus is worth popularizing clinically.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the basic clinical characteristics of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) in children.

METHODTo retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 12 PNS children who were hospitalized in neurology department in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2010 to 2011. Some patients were followed up after surgery.

RESULTIn 12 patients with PNS, 11 were male and 1 was female. The mean onset age were (30.5 ± 15.3) months. The mean duration from neurological symptom onset to finding out of tumor was (112.7 ± 154.4) days. The onset of the disease in 2 patients was acute, in 3 was subacute and in the other 7 was chronic (2 of 7 had 2 to 3 relapses). Of 12 patients, 11 had symptoms of ataxia (3 patients also had opsoclonus and myoclonus, OMS), 1 had weakness of limbs at onset and then had ataxia. Nine of 12 patients had surgery, and pathologic diagnosis was neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma. Six patients were followed-up for 8 to 21 months. One patient had a little improvement and 5 almost recovered.

CONCLUSIONThe PNS children can have neurological symptoms only at the onset and there were no particular evidence of tumor. It is prone to misdiagnosis. The prognosis of PNS in children was poor.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Ganglioneuroma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neuroblastoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Prognosis ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies