Objective To investigate the effects of compound danshen dripping pill (CDDP) on carotid intima￣media thickness (CIMT) and cardiac function in patients newly diagnosed as hypothyroidism. Methods The total of 40 subclinical hypothyroidism patients and 40 hypothyroidism cases was enrolled.The clinical hypothyroidism patients were treated with L￣T4 as the conventional treatment, and comprehensive CDDP plus levothyroxine (L￣T4 ) as treated groups (CDDP group) for 6 months. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by combining with data of thyroid function, blood lipid profile and ultrasound.The 40 healthy subjects were chosen as normal control group. Results Compared with normal control group, the levels of TC and LDL￣C were higher (P<0.05) in subclinical hypothyroidism group, which were more obvious in the clinical hypothyroidism group (P<0.01), CIMT increased markedly (P<0.05), the left ventricular systolic functions (ejection fraction) and diastolic functions (mitral flow velocity E and A wave ratio) were markedly decreased (P<0.05) in the clinical hypothyroidism group.Upon treatment, the blood￣lipids were improved (P<0.05), CIMT were reduced (P<0.05), the left ventricular functions were restored to near normal with the attainment of euthyroidism in both groups of clinical hypothyroidism;the reduction of CIMT and the improvement of the left ventricular functions were faster in CDDP group than that in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). Conclusion Disturbance of blood lipid in hypothyroidism patients, CIMT growth and impaired left ventricular function objectively indicate the existence of cardiac and cerebral vascular risk, while CDDP helps improving lipid metabolism, reversing CIMT and cardiac function, reducing cardiovascular risk, blocking or delaying cardiovascular event chains.

We report the results of nephrectomy under laparoscopy for 3 patients. Three patients were subjected to laparoscopy for the treatment of hydronephrosis of no function under general aneshesia. Succesiful operation was performed in the 3 patients without complication, the average operation time being 240 minutes, and hospitelization duration averaging 4.5 days.

AIM: To investigate the alteration and its significance of T help 17 cells(Th17) in patients with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis(CLT). METHODS: Patients were divided into 3 groups: CLT patients with euthyroidism (n = 15), CLT patients with hypothyroidism (n = 30) and healthy control group(n = 20). The ratio of Th17 lymphocytes subpopulations in the preipheral blood were evaluated by technique of flow cytometry. Production of thyroid autoantibody (TPO-Ab, TG-Ab) were measured by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). RESULTS: Compared with the healthy control group, in CLT group: The frequencies of Th17 in peripheral blood were found to be significantly higher in patients with CLT than healthy control group (P < 0.01); Production of TPO-Ab and TG-Ab markedly increased in CLT patients than healthy control group (P < 0.01). There was significant correlation between the positive expression of thyroid autoantibody and the changes of Th17 subpopulations (r=0.50, r=0.43 respectively; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The frequencies of Th17 cell increased in patients with CLT which may suggest a potential role for Th17 in the progression and happen of CLT.

Objective:To explore the serum IgG4 level in patients with IgG4-related Hashimoto thyroiditis(IgG4 HT),and its clinical implications.Methods:The serum IgG4 was determined in 129 patients with HT using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and classified into two subgroups based on IgG4 level:IgG4 HT group(IgG4≥135 mg/dl)and non-IgG4 HT group(IgG4<135 mg/dl).And the levels of serum thyroid hormone and thyroid peroxidase antibodies(TPOAb)and thyroglobulin antibodies(TgAb)were measured by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay.Ultrasonic imaging of the thyroid gland were detected.Results:The TPOAb levels correlated significantly with both serum IgG4 levels(r=0.437 1,P=0.012 7)and IgG4/IgG ratios(r=0.396 2,P=0.023 5)in the patients with HT.Compared with that of non-IgG4 HT group(n=97),IgG4 HT group(n=32):①The mean age was lower(P=0.029 3);②Higher levels of serum TPOAb(P=0.002 1)and TgAb(P=0.012 8);③Ultrasound imaging:the more obvious thyroid nodule(P=0.022 6);④Logistic regression analysis showed that serum IgG4 and TPOAb were the risk factor for thyroid nodules(OR=1.672,P=0.021;2.549,P=0.014 ).Conclusion: IgG4 HT patients existed corresponding clinical characteristics.For the HT-patients with elevated serum IgG4,thyroid function and morphology should were more closely monitored.

Objective To explore the correlation among serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4),transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1),connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) thyroid fibrosis.Methods Case-control study.A total of 159 patients with HT visiting the Wuhan Union Hospital were collected from May 2013 to March 2015.All patients were divided into IgG4 HT group (IgG4≥1.35 g/L,n =39) and non-IgG4 HT group (IgG4 ＜ 1.35 g/L,n =120).The serum IgG4,TGF-β1 and CTGF were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.The levels of serum thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.Meanwhile,ultrasound of the thyroid gland was performed.Statistical analysis was performed by use of SPSS 17.0 software.The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare two independent samples of non-normal distribution data,Fisher's exact test was employed to analyze thyroid imaging differences,correlation test was performed to examine various correlations,multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate thyroid fibrosis risk factors.Results Compared with that of non-IgG4 HT group,IgG4 HT group:TPOAb [(455.2 ± 169.7) vs.(186.5 ± 102.3),U =27.0,P=0.003],TgAb [(984.6±452.7) vs.(289.3 ±245.1),U=30.5,P=0.017],TGF-β1 [(1.45±0.97) vs.(0.30±0.22),U=119.0,P=0.035] andCTGF [(88.65±14.39) vs.(62.21± 8.76),U =69.0,P =0.039] were significantly higher,thyroid ultrasound showed obvious fibrosis (35/4 vs.32/88,x2 =48.03,P =0.000);significant positive linear correlation between IgG4 and TPOAb (r =0.719,P =0.000),CTGF and TGF-β1 (r =0.500,P ＜ 0.01) respectively.Logistic regression analysis indicated that all the serum IgG4,TPOAb,TGF-β1 and CTGF were independent risk factors of thyroid fibrosis [IgG4,odds ratio (OR) =1.968,P =0.014,95％ confidence interval (CI) =1.287-2.041;TPOAb,OR =2.537,P =0.012,CI =1.322-2.869;TGF-β1,OR =1.549,P =0.023,CI =1.105-1.498;CTGF,OR =1.185,P =0.046,CI =1.204-1.625].Conclusion The highlevel of circulating antibodies,IgG4,TGF-β1 and CTGF were significantly associated with thyroid fibrosis,and were independent risk factors of HT fibrosis.

Objective To evaluate the performance of sST 2 ELISA kit and investigate the clinical application of sST2.Methods This verification study validated the precision , linearity of sST2 ELISA kit according to the CLSI EP-15A, EP-6A protocols.300 healthy adults(aged from 20 to 85, 124 male and 176 female) from 5 different districts of Shanghai were used to establish serum sST 2 reference interval .The correlations between sST2, NT-ProBNP, LVEF and NYHA class were analyzed in 117 patients diagnosed with heart failure who were grouped according to the New York heart association ( NYHA).Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the ablity of sST2, NT-ProBNP, LVEF in distinguishing heart failure patients .Results The within-lot and between-lot variation of three level samples were below 4% and 10% respectively.There was a good linear correlation ( Y=0.995X+0.005, R2 =0.999) between theoretical value and actual detection result in the range of 0 to 200 μg/ml.The reference interval of sST2 was 10.2 to 41.0μg/ml for males and 8.9 to 28.1μg/ml for females.sST2 was positively correlated with NT-ProBNP and NYHA class but did not correlate with LVEF in heart failure patients . Patients with NYHA class>II (Median:28.3,IQR:19.5-39.2)had higher serum sST2 level than patients with NYHA class≤II (Median:45.1,IQR:34.1 -85.6), P<0.05.The AUC of sST2 in distinguishing heart failure patients from normal people was 0.815(sensitivity :51.2%,specificity:92.7%).The AUC of sST2 ,sST2+NT-ProBNP and sST2+NT-ProBNP+LVEF in distinguishing patients between NYHA class≤II and>II were 0.743, 0.810, 0.831 respectively and the sensitivity of sST 2 +NT-ProBNP+LVEF was 94.7%.Conclusions Experimental results show that this sST 2 ELISA kit has a good performance in the precision, linearity.sST2 correlates with NT-ProBNP and NYHA class but do not correlates with LVEF . Serum sST2 level is not influenced by age , BMI, renal function.sST2 could be a good supplement of NT-ProBNP and LVEF in distinguishing patients between NYHA class≤II and>II.

BACKGROUND:β-catenin is the most critical signaling molecule in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which is involved in the regulation of cellproliferation, differentiation and tissue self-healing balance.
OBJECTIVE:To construct a stableβ-catenin over-expression lentivirus-mediated vector and to transfect mesenchymal stem cells line for investigating its effects on proliferation and migration of mesenchymal stem cells.
METHODS:Over-expression vector, PLV-EF1A-catenin-RFP, was constructed and transfected the 293T cellto infect mesenchymal stem cells, and positive cells were selected with puromycin. The up-regulated efficiency of targetingβ-catenin gene at mRNA level was detected by real-time quantitative PCR, the effect on proliferation of mesenchmal stem cellwas assayed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and growth curve, and the migration ability was detected by Transwel motility assay.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The lentiviral vector targetingβ-catenin gene was constructed successful y, and a stable mesenchymal stem cellline that up-regulatedβ-catenin was established. Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that the expression ofβ-catenin gene was efficiently up-regulated by infecting PLV-EF1A-catenin-RFP (P<0.05). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and growth curve showed that celldoubling time was shortened after infected with pLV-EF1A-catenin-RFP (P<0.05), indicating that the over-expression of theβ-catenin gene successful y increased the proliferative capability of mesenchymal stem cells. The Transwel assay also showed similar increasing results on the migration ability (P<0.01). The lenvivirus-mediated over-expression of theβ-catenin gene can be used to increase the proliferation and migration abilities of the mesenchymal stem cells.

Objective To observe the effects of dual antiplatelet therapy at different time after cervical artery stenting and to investigate the reasonable time for dual antiplatelet therapy. Methods Sixty-six patients with symptomatic cervical artery artery stenosis ＞50% or asymptomatic stenosis ＞70% performed stenting under local anesthesia. They were randomly allocated into dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin + clopidogrel) for 1 month and for 3-month groups after procedure, and then they began to take aspirin for a long time. The complications, vascular events, and the incidence of restenosis were observed respectively. Results There were no vascular events and death in both groups from 6 to 36 months after procedure. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complication and restenosis (9% vs. 6%, P = 0. 642). Conclusions There was no significant difference in the efficacy of aspirin + clopidogrel treatment after cervical artery stenting between 1 month and 3 months. One month dual antiplatelet therapy may be appropriate, but large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm it.

Objective:To consolidate ten years of clinical experience on the application of breast fiberoptic ductoscopy (FDS) in breast intra-ductal lesion. Methods:The clinical data of 1 368 cases of patients with nipple discharge were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results:Significant differences were observed in the FDS diagnoses of patients with nipple discharge. The rates of tumor de-tection by FDS diagnosis were significantly higher when bloody and serous nipple discharge was used rather than milky and watery nip-ple discharge. For non-tumor nipple discharge, local drug perfusion via FDS was an effective treatment. A total of 303 patients had tu-mor resection or segmentectomy under localization via FDS, and 44 had segmentectomy after breast duct infusion of methylene blue. The diagnostic rate of localization via FDS (97.0%) was higher than that of breast duct infusion of methylene blue (86.4%). Conclu-sion:FDS is an accurate method for diagnosing patients with nipple discharge. In addition, it is also a good local drug perfusion method for patients with breast inflammatory nipple discharge ductoscopy. For patients with tumorous nipple discharge, localization via FDS can help improve the detection of the lesions, which can be removed by surgery.

Objective To evaluate the performance of serum sialic acid detection kit using enzymic method and investigate the clinical diagnosis value of sialic acid.Methods one hundred and fifty healthy adults were enrolled in this case control study to establish serum SA reference interval.The analytical performance (accuracy,precision,linearity) of serum sialic acid detection kit using enzymic method was assessed.Two hundred and forty patients were classified into different malignant tumor groups according to their pathological types.Serum SA level of each tumor group was compared with that of normal control group.In tumor groups with statistical difference,benign disease groups were further collected.Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of SA compared with other tumor markers.t test,one-way ANOVA,Mann-Whitney U test were used as statistical methods.Results The reference interval of SA was 479 to 715 mg/L.The detection result of 2 level controls was 584 and 1 482 mg/L respectively,which were both within the acceptable limits.The within-lot and between-lot variations of three level samples were both below 5％.There was a good linear correlation (Y =0.995X-0.177,R2 =0.999) between theoretical value and actual detection result in range of 0-1 052 mg/L.The serum level of SA was (757 ± 177),(514 ± 86) and (597 ± 60) mg/L in gastric cancer group,benign disease control group and normal control group respectively,which had statistically significant difference(F =55.2,P ＜ 0.01).The serum level of SA was(659 ± 127) and (545 ± 66) mg/L in colorectal cancer group and benign disease control group respectively,which had statistically significant difference(F =42.8,P ＜ 0.01).The serum level of SA was (738 ± 157) and (672 ± 161) mg/L in colorectal cancer group and benign disease control group respectively,which did not have statistically significant difference(F =26.3,P ＞ 0.05).The AUC of SA was 0.804,0.724,0.755 in gastric cancer group,colorectal cancer group and lung cancer group respectively,which was higher than that of CEA and CA72-4.In gastric cancer group,the sensitivity of SA was higher than that of CEA (59.5％,24.3％).The AUC of SA was 0.791,0.687,0.790 in gastric cancer,colorectal cancer and lung cancer patients with normal CEA serum level respectively.Conclusions Experimental results show that serum sialic acid detection kit using enzymic method has good performance in the precision and linearity.Sialic acid has some value in the diagnosis of gastric cancer and colorectal cancer and could be a good supplement of CEA in screening of cancer.