Objective　To study the value of the fine needle aspirationin cytological examination for child thyroiditis. Methods　The fine needle aspiration was performed in cytological examination for 100 patients with child thyroiditis. Results　In 98 patients (98%) the clinical treatment coincided with other laboratory examinations. Two patients (2%) were misdiagnosed by typing. The sensitivity of serology (T3, T4, TG, TM, TSH) examination was lower. The hashimoto's thyroiditis diagnostic rate was 63.1%～73.6%, lymphocytic thyroiditis was 26.0%～84.7%, and other serological examinations showed no significance. Conclusions　The fine needle aspiration can obtain enough tissues for diagnosis.

OBJECTIVETo promote the study on standardization of needling depth of acupoints, ensure safety of needling, and promote internationally academic exchanges of acupuncture and moxibustion.

METHODSStudy, analyze ancient and present literature of acupuncture and moxibustion, and compare the differences in needling depth, measure unit, description methods, and the causes and trend, and indicate confusion at present, and put forward a proposition for establishing standardization of needling depth.

CONCLUSIONThere are a lot of confusions in needling depth of acupoints from the ancient times to the present, which produces severe unfavorable influence on standardization and international exchanges of acupuncture and moxibustion science, and it remains to be studied for the standardization as early as possibly.

Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Needles

Aged ; Castleman Disease ; immunology ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; metabolism ; Lymphatic Diseases ; immunology ; pathology ; surgery ; Lymphoma ; pathology ; Male ; Plasma Cells ; immunology ; Pseudolymphoma ; immunology ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo promote the study on standardization of attitude of selecting point and posture of nee dling, so as to ensure safety of acupuncture and increase clinical therapeutic effect.

METHODSStudy, analyze and clinically test and verify on literature of past dynasties, and differentiate and analyze differences and significances of attitude of selecting point and posture of needling, indicate the reasonable parts of ancient and modern various theories, and relative contents should be purified, corrected in time, and put forward a proposal on the standardization.

CONCLUSIONAttitude of selecting point and posture of needling have close relation and have a certain difference; the experience of predecessors should be explored and systematized, and present confusion and out-of-date contents should be purified and relative standards should be established as early as possibly.

Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Confusion ; Humans ; Posture ; Reference Standards

Objective To discussed clinical efficacy and safety of gefinitib compared with chemotherapy in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) harboring mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor( EGFR) .Methods A total of 43 NSCLC patients harboring mutations of EGFR were included in this study and divided into treatment group ( n=22 ) and control group ( n=21 ) .Patients in the treatment group received gefinitib 250 mg? d-1 orally, and those in control group were administered with docetaxe 60 mg? m-2 plus cisplatin 80 mg? m-2 intravenously until progression or unbearable adverse reactions.The data of objective response rate, progression free survival and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results The objective response rate and disease control rate was 59.1%, 90.9%in treatment group and 33.3%, 76.2% in control group, respectively.The objective response rate was significantly higher in treatment group compared to that in control group ( P<0.05 ) .The median progression free survival time was 11.95 months and 6.90 months in treatment group and control group, respectively, which showed that the survial time in the treatment group was much longer (HR=0.49, 95%CI:0.24-1.01, P<0.05).The main grade 3-4 adverse reactions were rash and diarrhea in treatment group and leucocytopenia and anemia in control group.The incidence rate of leucocytopenia was significantly higher in control group than that in treatment group (P<0.05).Conclusion Gefinitib treatment for NSCLC harbouring mutations of EGFR has longer progression free survival and better efficacy.

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease.Various treatment regimens and combinations of therapies provide only partial renoprotection.Therefore new approaches are needed to retard the progression of DN.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of a novel spiroalkaloid from Acorus tatarinowii named acortatarin A (AcorA) in inhibiting high glucose-induced extracellular matrix accumulation in mesangial cells (MCs).Methods The cytotoxity of AcorA on MCs was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.The expression of fibronectin and collagen Ⅳ was examined by real time PCR and western blotting.The expression of p22phox and p47phox was detected by western blot.The interaction between p22phox and p47phox was examined by co-immunoprecipitation.The phosphorylation of p47phox was examined by immunoprecipitation.The phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) α,PKCβ,phospholiase C gamma (PLCγ1),and the p85 subunit of PI3K was determined by Western blotting.Results AcorA significantly inhibited high glucose-induced activation of NADPH oxidase,a ROS-generating enzyme,by increasing phosphorylation of p47phox and enhancing interaction between p22phox and p47phox.Preincubation of AcorA with MCs inhibited high glucose-induced collagen Ⅳ and fibronectin production in a dose-dependent manner.Moreover,AcorA attenuated high glucose enhanced phosphorylation of PKCα,PKCβ,PLCγ1,and the p85 subunit of PI3K.Conclusion AcorA inhibits high glucose-induced extracellular matrix production via blocking NADPH oxidase activation.

Hematopoiesis is coordinated by a complex regulatory network of transcription factors that involves proliferation, differentiation and maturation of a very small population of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells with self-renewing and differentiating into various specialized and distinct blood cell types. Malfunction of transcription factors may lead to diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of transcription factor mRNA in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells during in vitro differentiation. The 2 human leukemic cell lines HL-60 and NB4 had been used as model cell lines. Differentiation of HL-60 and NB4 cells was induced by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for 4 days. Morphological changes were observed by May-Grunwald Giemsa stainings, the CD11b expression level was detected by flow cytometry. Transcription factor mRNA profiles (PU.1, C/EBPα, ε, γ, GATA-1, GATA-2) were determined by real time RT-PCR during in vitro HL-60 and NB4 differentiation; The expression level of transcription factor mRNA was relatively quantitatively analyzed by using 2(-ΔΔCT) and compared with control group. The results showed that the expression levels of PU.1 and C/EBP ε mRNA in NB4 differentiation group were 5.75 and 6.16, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in untreated group; while the expression level of C/EBPα, γ, GATA-1, GATA-2 mRNA in NB4 differentiation group were 62%, 31%, 63% and 8.7% respectively, which were significantly lower than those in untreated group; In HL-60 differentiation group, the expression levels of PU.1, C/EBPα, ε were 1.97, 1.95 and 2.35 respectively, which were significantly higher than those in untreated group; while the expression levels of C/EBPγ, GATA-1, GATA-2 in HL-60 differentiation group were 20%, 21% and 18% respectively, which were significantly lower than those in untreated group. It is concluded that dysregulation of transcription factors is a key contributing factor in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia.
Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

Interleukin-3 receptor (IL-3R) is a heterodimeric membrane receptor. The α subunit is essential for ligand binding and confers ligand specificity to the receptor. The common beta chain (βc) subunit, which is shared by the granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IL-3 and IL-5 receptors, is required for high-affinity ligand binding and signal transduction, mediating growth and survival of hematopoietic progenitor cells and the production and activation of mature hematopoietic cells. In order to investigate the role of IL-3 receptor system (IL-3Rα, GM-CSFRα and hβc) in myeloid differentiation, the expression level of IL-3 receptor system gene in all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced NB4 cell differentiation was detected by quantitative real time RT-PCR. At the same time, DNA sequence change was analyzed by cDNA sequencing. The results showed that the expression level of IL-3Rα mRNA was obviously down-regulated in NB4 cells treated with ATRA for 24 hours, but during differentiation of ATRA induced NB4 cells, the expression level of IL-3Rα mRNA was gradually restored, while the expression levels of GM-CSFRα mRNA and hβc mRNA were gradually up-regulated. The sequence of IL-3Rα and GM-CSFRα gene did not change before and after NB4 cells differentiation, but the sequence of hβc gene changed when NB4 cells were treated with ATRA, the expression of hβc mRNA sequence before NB4 cell differentiation taken truncated mutation as dominant, as regards expression of hβc mRNA sequence after NB4 cell differentiation, the truncated mutation of hβc mRNA had restored to wild type. It is concluded that the IL-3 receptor abnormality exists in NB4 cells, over expression of IL-3Rα and truncated mutation of hβc may be involved in proliferation and differentiation block in NB4 cells.
Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytokine Receptor Common beta Subunit ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interleukin-3 Receptor alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo optimize the adsorption condition of cation-exchange chromatographic media Streamline SP for separation and purification of anti-HBsAg Fab fragment from E. coli.

METHODSThe adsorption of the target protein for separation and purification by the cation-exchange chromatographic media Streamline SP was tested using test tube method in balanced buffer solution with different pH values and ion concentrations. The adsorption effect was then verified by cation-exchange chromatography using 1-ml Streamline SP prepacked column and 28-ml Streamline SP self-assembly column.

RESULTSAccording to the experiment results of test tube method, the loading buffer with pH of 4.4 and ionic concentration of 100 to 600 mmol/L could achieve optimal target protein adsorption effect by cation-exchange chromatographic media Streamline SP, as verified by cation-exchange chromatography with 1-ml SP prepacked column and 28-ml Streamline SP self-assembly column.

CONCLUSIONThe optimal condition of cation-exchange chromatography selected by test tube method can be applied for separation and purification of anti-HBsAg Fab fragment from E. coli.

Adsorption ; Cation Exchange Resins ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; methods ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments ; isolation & purification ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of detachable balloons,detachable coils and intracranial covered stents in management of intracranial giant aneurysms.Methods From April 1998 to March 2006,20 patients with a giant or very large aneurysm were treated by parent artery occlusion(PAO), coils embolization and covered stent,in which 9 aneurysms were treated by PAO,8 by coils embolization and 3 by covered stent at initial management.Two recurrent aneurysms treated by coils embolization were performed by covered stent.Follow-up 9-83 months,mean 41.1?25.3 months.Immediate postprocedural angiographic outcomes were categorized as complete occlusion(100%),subtotal occlusion(95%-99%),and incomplete occlusion(＜95%)of the aneurysms;and follow-up angiographic outcomes were categorized as stable, thrombosis,and recanalization.Clinical outcomes were graded according to a modified Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).Results Endovascular treatment was technically feasible in all aneurysms without procedural-related complications.Immediate postprocedural angiograms showed complete occlusion was achieved in 11 aneurysms, subtotal occlusion in 7 and incomplete occlusion in 2.One patient with incomplete occlusion died on the seventh day with a rebleeding.The final angiographic findings in nineteen survival patients confirmed a complete occlusion in 15 aneurysms,subtotal occlusion in 3 and incomplete occlusion in 1,in which 10 parent arteries were successfully preserved.No rebleeding occurred during the follow-up period.The clinical evaluation performed at final follow-up in 19 patients revealed that the symptoms disappeared in 11 patients and improved in 8 in the modified GOS.Conclusions Treatment of giant intracranial aneurysms with coiling was associated with a low complete occlusion rate and a high recanalization rate.Treatment with endovascular parent artery occlusion remains practical,but this technique may result in damage to the parent artery and cause cerebral ischemic events.The use of an intracranial covered stent proved to be a relatively simple and safe procedure and maintained the pateney of the parent artery.