Objective:To explore the effects of protoporphyrin Ⅸ (PpⅨ)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) on induction of apoptosis and death in colon cancer cell and the underlying mechanisms.Methods:The cell killing effect of PDT on HCT116 cell was determined by cell counting kit (CCK).The cells were divided into a control group,a single light group,a single PpⅨ group,and a PDT group.Hoechst 33342 and flow cytometry was used to assess the cell apoptosis.Western blot was employed to analyze the expressions ofbd-2,bax,and caspase-3.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by flow cytometry.Results:The viability of HCT116 cell was decreased gradually with the increase of irradiation dose (P<0.05).Compared to the other 3 groups,ROS production,the number of apoptotic cells and the protein expressions ofbax and caspase-3 in PDT group increased,while bcl-2 expression was decreased (P<0.05).Conclusion:PpⅨ-mediated PDT can enhance the apoptosis in HCT116 cell,which may be related to mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

OBJECTIVETo observe the results of surgical crown lengthening procedure and the factors which affected the success of the surgery.

METHODSCrown lengthening surgery was performed on 27 teeth. The distance between margin of tooth and bone crest (MT-B) was obtained greater than 4 mm during the surgeries on 10 teeth which were considered as satisfying group. The other 17 teeth were as temporized group with MT-B < or = 3 mm. The position of the tooth margin was evaluated before surgery, immediately after suturing, and at 4 - 6 weeks after surgery. The occlusal force and tooth mobility were measured immediately after restoration, at 3 and 6 months after surgery.

RESULTSMT-B was obtained > or = 4 mm and all margins and sites of the teeth were exposed in satisfying group (10/10). At least 1 site with MT-B < 3 mm in temporized group in which there still were 11 sites (16%) in 5 teeth (29%) with subgingival tooth margin at 4 - 6 weeks after surgery. There were more teeth showing increased mobility in temporized group (12/17) than in satisfying group (1/10) after surgery (P < 0.05). The occlusal force of the teeth after surgery and restoration in temporized group was significantly lower than that of their counterpart teeth (P < 0.01), but it was not the case in satisfying group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIt is suggested that ideal exposure of tooth margin could be obtained if 4 mm from tooth margin to alveolar crest could be created during the crown lengthening surgery. The teeth both with 4 - 5 mm subgingival margin sites and factors limiting surgical performance are not the suitable indications for the surgical crown lengthening.

Alveolectomy ; Crown Lengthening ; methods ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gingiva ; anatomy & histology ; Humans ; Periodontium ; anatomy & histology ; physiology ; Prospective Studies ; Tooth Crown ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy and safety of a 6-week cluster schedule of specific immunotherapy with that of a 14-week conventional schedule for the treatment of subjects with persistent allergic rhinitis (AR).

METHODSThe trial was a prospective and randomized study involving 80 patients with persistent AR, who were allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. While 40 patients were randomly assigned to the cluster schedule reaching the maintenance dose within 6 weeks, the other 40 patients were randomly assigned to the conventional schedule reaching the maintenance dose within 14 weeks. Symptom scores and medication scores were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy. Serum specific IgG4 level was examined to mark immunologic change, adverse reactions were recorded during the treatment.

RESULTSCluster group achieved clinical efficacy (reducing symptom scores and medication score) and increasing serum specific IgG4 sooner (after 6 weeks treatment). During the incremental dose phase, there were 6 systemic adverse reactions (1.12% of all injection) in 3 patients in cluster group and there were 5 systemic adverse reactions (0.85% of all injection) in 3 patients in conventional group. No severe systemic reactions occurred in both group. There was no difference between the 2 groups in frequency or type of systemic reaction (χ(2) = 0.333, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe cluster schedule is a safe alternative to the conventional schedule with the advantage of achieving clinical efficacy sooner.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Allergens ; immunology ; Animals ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; immunology ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical pathology of cavernous venous malformations of the body surface.

METHODSTissue samples of cavernous venous malformations from 42 cases were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to observe the pathologic structure. The clinical manifestations and case history were summarized accordingly.

RESULTSThere was no distribution difference of the malformation in sex and body sides, but with obvious difference in anatomic sites. The malformation occurred most frequently at the head and neck, more frequently at extremities and least frequently at the trunk. According to pathologic structure, cavernous venous malformations of the body surface can be divided into three types: the cellular, the canaliform and the mixed.

CONCLUSIONThe cause of distribution difference in anatomic sites remains unclear. Internal hemorrhage and infection may account for the increased growth and ache of the lesion. The different pathologic structure of the malformation may cause different clinical manifestations.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; complications ; pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infection ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; etiology ; Sex Factors ; Skin ; blood supply ; pathology ; Veins ; abnormalities

OBJECTIVETo study the expression and significance of structural proteins, VEGF and Ang-1 in cavernous venous malformations of the body surface.

METHODSTissue samples came from 25 cases of cavernous venous malformations, 12 cases of normal moderate veins and 12 cases of normal small veins. Envision immunohistochemical stain was used to investigate the expression of IV collagen, fibronectin, laminin, VEGF and Ang-1. The results were analyzed semi-quantitatively.

RESULTSThe distribution of structural proteins in cavernous venous malformations is similar to moderate and small veins, but the expression in venous malformations is less obviously. VEGF expression in cavernous venous malformations and small veins is stronger obviously than moderate veins. Ang-1 expression in small veins is stronger remarkably than cavernous venous malformations and moderate veins.

CONCLUSIONThe abnormal expression of structural proteins may be an important factor in etiopathology and progress of cavernous venous malformations. There is disturbance of blood vessel remodelling in the sinusoid of cavernous venous malformations, with which the less expression of Ang-1 may be related.

Angiopoietin-1 ; metabolism ; Collagen Type IV ; metabolism ; Fibronectins ; analysis ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; metabolism ; Humans ; Laminin ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Veins ; abnormalities ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of (18)F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of solitary nodular-type bronchoalveolar carcinoma (BAC).

METHODSThe clinical and radiographic data were analyzed retrospectively in 30 patients with pathologically confirmed solitary nodular-type BAC who underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT examinations between August, 2005 and December, 2006. The morphological and radioactive findings of the lesions were reviewed, and the maximum standard uptake values (SUVmax) were measured. The diagnostic accuracy of PET, PET/CT, and HRCT were analyzed.

RESULTSThe (18)F-FDG SUV was markedly lower in BAC than in other well differentiated adenocarcinoma. In 19 of the BAC cases, PET showed a SUVmax of no less than 2.5, demonstrating positive changes. Of the total of 30 cases, 5 had ground glass opacity (GGO) changes, 3 exhibited mixed nodules with GGO changes around the lesions, and 22 cases presented with solid nodules. HRCT showed that BAC located often in the superior lobes of the bilateral lungs, mostly below the pleura in the surrounding lung field; the lesions were patchy or nodular with irregular shapes, showing lobulation in 22 cases, spiculation in 15 cases, pleural indentation in 21 cases, and vacuolar changes in 4 cases. The diagnostic accuracy of PET, PET/CT and HRCT for solitary nodular-type BAC was 36.67%, 93.33%, and 93.33%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe SUVmax of BAC provides only limited value for defining the nature of the lesions, but can serve as a general reference for assessing the disease activity. PET/CT, which allows both functional and imaging assessment, can be a valuable modality to reduce the misdiagnosis rate of BAC.

Carcinoma ; diagnosis ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Lung ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; diagnosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo detect the expression of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in ovarian cancer, and to explore their clinical significance.

METHODSWestern blot method and immunohistochemical staining were used to examine the expression of TLR9 in the ovarian cancer, paracancerous tissues and normal ovarian tissues, obtained during operation from 30 ovarian carcinoma patients and 30 normal non-tumor patients. The relationships of TLR9 with pathological grade, clinical stage, and metastasis of ovarian cancer were statistically analyzed.

RESULTSThe percentage of positive cells expressing TLR9 protein in human ovarian cancer tissues, paracancerous tissues and normal ovarian tissues were 80.0%, 36.7% and 20.0%, respectively. The protein expression level of TLR9 was gradually descending (P < 0.01). The highly expressed TLR9 significantly correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation, an advanced FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis. The Western blot results showed that TLR9 protein expression in ovarian cancer, paracancerous tissues and normal ovarian tissues were 0.803 ± 0.072, 0.411 ± 0.087 and 0.113 ± 0.065, respectively. The expression of TLR9 in ovarian cancer was significantly higher than that in normal tissue and paracancerous tissues (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSTLR9 has a higher expression in ovarian cancer tissues. TLR9 expression has a close relationship with pathological grades of ovarian cancer, suggesting that TLR9 plays an important role in the development and progression of ovarian cancer through immunologic mechanisms.

Adult ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Endometrioid ; metabolism ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Ovary ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; metabolism

Objective To observe the skin temperature changes on blocked area of ultrasoundguided thoracic paravertebral block and to explore the accuracy of the temperature changes in predic ting the effect of nerve block in breast cancer patients.Methods One hundred and twenty breast cancer patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy,aged 29-67 years,ASA physical status Ⅰ-Ⅲ,were selected for the study.Before general anesthesia induction,ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block was performed.After the block site T34 was determined,25 ml 0.25％ ropivacaine was injected around the thoracic paravertebral space.The skins of palm and axillary regions both in blocked and unblocked sites were randomly selected.The skin temperature before nerve block and 15 min after were recorded,and the skin temperature changes were calculated.The sensitivity and specificity of the temperature changes in determining the effect of thoracic paravertebral block was assessed by using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation.Results The value of area under curve (AUC) of the ROC of the skin temperature changes in palm regions responding to the effects of block was 0.892 (95％CI 0.803-0.947).The cut-off value was 0.9C which sensitivity and specificity was 87.3％ and 75.9％,respectively.The AUC in axillary regions was 0.813 (95％CI 0.756 0.884),the cut-off value was 0.4 C which sensitivity and specificity was 80.7％ and 71.6％,respectively.The value of AUC in palm regions was larger than in axillary regions (P＜0.05).Conclusion The present study demonstrated that the changes of the skin temperature in palm and axillary regions have a high accuracy in predicting the effect of T3-4 thoracic paravertebral block,which can be used in determining the success of T3-4 thoracic paravertebral block.The assessment of temperature changes in palm regions is more accuracy than in axillary.

OBJECTIVETo explore the way of stably inducing canine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to differentiate into fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in vitro, and provide seed cells for fabricating tissue engineering heart valves (TEHV).

METHODSAdult canine BMSCs were separated by a gradient centrifugation on Percoll (density 1.073 g/ml), then the cells were incubated in low-glucose Dulbecco Eagle's minimum essential medium (LG-DMEM) with 10% bovine calf serum. Cell phenotype were identified by immunohistochemistry staining. The second and third generation of BMSCs were committedly induced by conditioning culture medium, which were detected by immunohistochemistry staining. The induced-BMSCs were freezed, preserved and resuscitated after 7 d to observe the cell growth, proliferation and function.

RESULTSBMSCs deriving from the bone marrow mononuclear cells separated by a Percoll gradient were positive expression of alpha-smooth muscle antibody, vimentin and negative expression of CD34, laminin. About (50 +/- 3)% induced-BMSCs were positive expression of laminin. Approximately (85 +/- 3)% freezed induced-BMSCs could be resuscitated. And the growth, proliferation and function were well.

CONCLUSIONBMSCs could be committedly induced to differentiate into fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in vitro. It is suitable to be the seed cells.

Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Differentiation ; Dogs ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Monocytes ; cytology ; Myoblasts ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy of immunotherapy on septic patients with Ulinastatin plus Thymosin-alpha(1).

METHODSSeventy postoperative septic patients were divided into two groups at random: the immunotherapy group (n equal to 36) and the conventional therapy group (n=34). Patients in the immunotherapy group received intravenous Ulinastatin of 200 000 U, 3 times per day for 3 days, Ulinastatin of 100 000 U, 3 times per day for 4 days, and subcutaneous injection of Thymosin-alpha(1) of 1.6 mg, twice per day for 3 days, then once per day for 4 days. While conventional therapies such as antibiotics and fluid resuscitation were undertaken in both groups. The expression levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-10 (IL-10), IgG, C3, T lymphocyte subsets, CD14+ monocyte human leukocyte antigen (locus) DR (HLA-DR) and patients'28-day survival rate of the two groups were observed and evaluated.

RESULTSThe survival rate was significantly higher in the immunotherapy group (63.9%; 23/36) compared with the conventional therapy group (41.2%; 14/34). The serum TNF-alpha levels [(1.38+/-0.50) ng/ml in the immunotherapy group vs (1.88+/-0.53) ng/ml in the conventional group, P less than 0.05] and the serum IL-10 levels [(217.52+/-15.71) ng/ml vs (101.53+/-16.57) ng/ml, P less than 0.05] were significantly different between the two groups. The serum IgG levels in the immunotherapy group [(17.65+/-6.81) g/L] were significantly higher than in the conventional group [(11.94+/-5.32) g/L]. There were also significant differences in the expression levels of CD4+ T lymphocyte (35%+/-13% in the immunotherapy group vs 21%+/-7% in the conventional group, P less than 0.05) and CD14+ monocyte HLA-DR (50%+/-5% in the former vs 35%+/-4% in the latter, P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSImmunotherapy with Ulinastatin plus Thymosin-alpha(1) can enhance the inflammatory response, improve the immune homeostasis, and increase the survival rate of septic patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sepsis ; drug therapy ; immunology ; mortality ; Survival Rate ; Thymosin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives