Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of letrozole for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with bone raetastases. Methods: Thity-six breast cancer patients with bone metstases received 2. 5 mg tablet letrozole every day. for at least two months. Results: In the 36 patients who were evaluable for efficacy and toxicity, the complete response rate (CR) , partial response rate ( PR) , disease stabilization rate ( SD) and progressive disease rate ( PD) were respectively 5.5% , 22. 2% , 55. 5% and 16. 6% . The clinical benefit rate ( CR + PR + SD ≥ 6 months ) was 58. 3% (21/36) with 11 patients (30. 5%) having SD for at least 6 months . Conclusions: Letrozole is a well tolerated agent with reasonable efficacy but low toxicity for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with bone metastases.

Objective To investigate the clinical epidemiological characteristics of gastric carcinoma detected by endoscopy in Gansu province.Methods Data of patients with gastric carcinoma,which was detected by endoscopy and confirmed pathologically from January 1977 to December 2006 in 163 hospitals of Gansu province,were reviewed.The endoscopic findings,clinical manifestations and epidemiological features were retrospectively analyzed.Results A total of 34,116 patients were diagnosed as gastric carcinoma with the overall screening rate as 5.30%,which was decreasing in the recent years.The rate of cardiac and noncardiac cancer was 18.5%and 81.5%,respectively,and the rate of cardiac cancer raised from 16.1%to 20.0%in the last decade.The tumor was most likely detected in antrum(38.63%).The male/female ratio of gastric cancer is 3.56:1.The screening rate of gastric carcinoma was the highest in Wuwei district (8.19%).The poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma accounted for 49.64%in all patients.Conclusion Gastric carcinoma occurs most frequently in Wuwei district of Gansu province and was mostly detected in gastric antrum.The most common pathological type is poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.In the past three decades,the detection rate of gastric cancer is decreasing,SO is that of cardiac cancer,and that of the early gastric cancer is relatively low.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adult ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hamartoma ; pathology ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Leiomyoma ; pathology ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth ; pathology ; Phyllodes Tumor ; pathology

Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioendothelioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Thigh ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; von Willebrand Factor ; metabolism

AIMTo isolate polyphenols from grape seeds and to evaluate their antioxidant effects.

METHODSPure compounds were isolated by using Diaion HP20, Toyopearl HW40 chromatography repeatedly, as well as semi-preparative RP-HPLC, from ethyl acetate extract of grape seeds. IR, MS, NMR, CD, X-Ray crystal diffraction spectral analysis were used to identify the structures. The antioxidant effects of different type of structures were screened by reducing power and DPPH (alpha,alpha-diphenyl-beta-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging tests. Then, SCGE (single cell gel-electrophoresis) technique was used to investigate the effects of these potent antioxidant phytochemicals on cellular DNA oxidative damage with mice spleen cells, damage was induced by H2O2.

RESULTSEleven compounds were obtained including 3 novel structures, viniferones A, B and C. Proanthocyanidin B4, catecin, epicatechin and gallic acid showed strong antioxidant power, and at lower concentration (10 micromol x L(-1), 25 micromol x L(-1)), they can prevent cellular DNA damage, while 150 micromol x L(-1) catechin induced damage by itself.

CONCLUSIONViniferones A, B and C were reported for the first time. That polyphenols investigated were shown to be good cellular DNA oxidative damage-preventing phytochemicals at lower concentration, could be used to explain the nutrient effect of grape seed polyphenols at certain degree. At the same time, higher concentration of polyphenols can induce oxidative damage, suggesting that dose is one factor to determine the nutrient effects.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Benzopyrans ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Separation ; DNA Damage ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Flavonoids ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Gallic Acid ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Molecular Conformation ; Molecular Structure ; Phenols ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Polyphenols ; Seeds ; chemistry ; Spleen ; cytology ; Vitis ; chemistry

Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Codon ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Exons ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; Neurilemmoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Point Mutation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; metabolism ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection combined with endoscopic variceal libation (EVL) in treatment of acute gastroosophageal variceal bleeding. Methods Twenty-three patients with acute esophagogastric variceal bleeding received endoscopic cyanoacrylate injec-tion combined with EVL within 12 hours of hemostssis. Somatostatin were given intravenously at the dosage of 250 μg/h postoperatively for 72 h. The patients received follow-up endoscopy at 2 weeks and 3 months after the procedure, respectively. The variants including the rate of re-bleeding, mortality, and degree of esopha-gogastric varices were evaluated. Results Success in immediate hemostasis was achieved in all cases and a second EVL was performed in 6 patients 2 weeks later. The effective rate of variceal alleviation in gastric fun-dus was 95.65% and 91.30% in esophageal varices. No recurrent bleeding or death was observed in follow-up of 3 months. Conclusion Endoscopic eyanoaerylate injection combined with EVL is a safe and effective technique in the treatment of patients with acute gastroesophageal variceal bleeding.

ObjectiveTo investigate effects of pamidronate on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts of rats in vitro.MethodsOsteoblasts isolated from newborn rat calvaria were treated with various concentrations of pamidronate, the proliferation of osteoblasts was evaluated with the method of methyl thiazole tetrazolium (MTT) and activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in medium was measured with kit of ALP detecting.ResultsThe proliferation of osteoblasts increased under the stimulation of Pamidronate range 10-6-M-10-12 M(P<0.05), but was inhibited at the concentration of high level (10-4 M). The activity of ALP decreased in the experiment.ConclusionPamidronate can act on the osteoblasts directly and increase the proliferation of bone cells, but inhibit the differentiation of the same cells.

Actins ; metabolism ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; Bile Duct Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Giant Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Keratins ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Osteoclasts ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the temperature change of scrotum caused by varicocele(VC) and its significance.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty-six VC patients were examined by infrared ray imaging and colored ultrasonic scanning, and the results were analyzed. Comparisons of the infrared ray images and the routine semen analysis of 106 of the patients were made between before and after the operation.

RESULTSThe difference in the infrared ray images between before and after the operation on the VC patients was significant (P < 0.01), and so was the difference in the results of semen analysis(P < 0.01; some of the items P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe infrared ray imaging, together with the semen analysis and colored ultrasonic scanning, had a directive value for the diagnosis and treatment of VC patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Body Temperature ; Humans ; Infrared Rays ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scrotum ; physiopathology ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; Varicocele ; diagnosis ; physiopathology