Objective To explore the surgical procedures and effects for recurrent scalp dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP).Methods Retrospective review was conducted in 7 scalp recurrent DFSP cases in the past 3 years.Intraoperative frozen section analysis of surgical margins was performed.Wide local excision with margins of 3 cm or more was applied,and excision of the skull external lamina or the entire layer of the cranial bones was performed once the skulls under the tumors were invaded.Frozen section analysis was again performed on all the margins.Secondary wound was repaired with local skin flap or fascial pedicled flaps.Surgically removed tumor was paraffin-embedded for HE-staining and immunohistochemical analysis.Results All of 7 tumor specimens were proved recurrent DFSP with histologic findings of intraoperation or postoperation.7 patients were all performed with wide local excision with margins of 3 cm or more,also with skull excision (5 cases with excision of skull external lamina and 2 cases with excision of the entire layer of skull).Negative margins were confirmed with intraoperative frozen sections or postoperative paraffin-embedded sections analysis were confirmed.Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that Ki-67 was all positive and CD34 was partially positive in 7 cases.No tumor recurrence or metastasis had been observed in any of our patients after a median follow-up duration of 17 months (range 15-41).Conclusions Wide local excision together with the skull invaded by tumors completely is effective surgical treatments for recurrent scalp DFSP; Use of scalp transferring technique could improve wound repair after complete tumor excision.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship of protein intake and energy supply with the physical growth in very/extremely low birth weight infant at their early life.

METHODRetrospective survey was performed in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Peking University First Hospital. Inclusion criteria were preterm infant, birth weight < 1500 g, hospitalization for longer than 2 weeks, discharge with body weight greater than 1800 g. The infants were divided into two groups according to gestational age (GA). GA < 32 weeks and ≥ 32 weeks. Physical growth and its relation with the protein intake and energy supply were analyzed. The predictive value of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) on protein intake was studied.

RESULTNinety-three very/extremely low birth weight infants were involved, 69 in GA < 32 weeks group and 24 in GA ≥ 32 weeks group.Compared with GA ≥ 32 group, GA < 32 weeks preterm infants had more weight loss, (9.2 ± 4.4)% vs. (5.0 ± 3.1)%, P = 0.000; slower birth weight recovery (10.6 ± 3.8) d vs. (7.1 ± 2.6) d, P = 0.000; poorer weight gain at 1, 4, 5 weeks of life, (-4.5 ± 9.3) g/ (kg·d) vs. (3.4 ± 6.9) g/ (kg·d), P = 0.000 , (13.5 ± 7.3) g/ (kg·d) vs. (19.2 ± 4.9) g/ (kg·d), P = 0.001, (14.6 ± 5.6) g/ (kg·d) vs. (18.2 ± 4.5) g/ (kg·d), P = 0.031; less energy supply at 1 to 5 weeks (P value was 0.000,0.000,0.025,0.001,0.008 respectively) and less protein intake at 1, 4, 5 weeks of life (P value was 0.009,0.006,0.032). Extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) was still predominant in our subjects, 47.8% in GA < 32 weeks group, and 95.8% in GA ≥ 32 weeks group, P = 0.000. The incidence increased greater in GA < 32 weeks infants, 43.5% vs. 20.8%, P = 0.000.The duration of weight loss and mechanical ventilation correlated negatively with weight gain rate, respectively β = -0.591, P = 0.000 and β = -0.281, P = 0.005; the average energy supply and time taken to reach full enteral feeding were factors improving weight gain, respectively β = 0.202, P = 0.021 and β = 0.354, P = 0.000. After birth, serum BUN declined gradually. Positive relation showed between average protein intake at 3(rd) week and BUN level at the end of 3 weeks, r = 0.420, P = 0.000. Serum BUN 1.44, 1.49 mmol/L at the end of 3(rd) and 4(th) week were cut-off predictors for protein intake less than 3 g/(kg·d) at related period, sensitivity and specificity were 65.3%, 83.3% and 60%, 80% respectively.

CONCLUSIONNo enough protein intake and energy supply, poor weight gain are critical problems in the management of very/extremely low birth weight infants. Prevention from NEC, appropriate parenteral/enteral nutrition transforming will benefit their physical growth. Low serum BUN after 3 weeks of life is a valuable predictor of low protein intake.

Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Dietary Proteins ; administration & dosage ; Energy Intake ; Enteral Nutrition ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; growth & development ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Premature, Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; growth & development ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Nutritional Status ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Retrospective Studies ; Weight Gain

AIMTo evaluate the similarity between two chromatographic fingerprints automatically with computer.

METHODSChromatogram can be treated as vector of hyperspace, and the similarity between them can be counted according to vectorial angle formula. This process was performed with software written in Visual Basic 6.0. The two main functions of this software are automatic peak tracking in two fingerprints under the same analytic condition and computing the similarity automatically.

RESULTSThe HPLC fingerprints of eleven kinds of Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth (a traditional Chinese herb) from different sources were obtained and the similarities were calculated with this software. This method was shown to be a good way to evaluate the similarity between two fingerprints. A sample washed seven times with hot water can be clearly discriminated from other samples of Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth with similar results.

CONCLUSIONThis method is a good way to evaluate the similarity between two fingerprints and is helpful in quality control of traditional Chinese medicine.

Evodia ; chemistry ; classification ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Software Design

OBJECTIVETo explore the effective methods for the correction of lower eyelid retraction at different degree.

METHODS258 patients with lower eyelid retraction were treated in our department since 1999. The lower eyelid retraction could be divided into mild, moderate and severe degree. The lateral canthal anchoring (n = 150), Hamra's lower eyelid blepharoplasty (n = 80) and translid cheek lifting (n = 28) were adopted according to the severity. The therapeutic effect for different degree of lower eyelid retraction was compared.

RESULTS98 patients were followed up for 3-12 months, including 51 patients of mild degree, 29 patients of moderate degree, and 18 patients of severe degree. The retraction were corrected completely in 91 patients. The lower eyelid was repositioned to the level of inferior limbus without inferior scleral show when eyes opened. The palpebral fissure could close completely. The blunt lateral canthus turned to be acute and the scar was inconspicious. The retraction was improved, but not corrected completely in 3 patients of moderate degree and 4 patients of severe degree. The complications included petechiae, chemosis, and so on.

CONCLUSIONSThe lower eyelid retraction can be corrected effectively if the appropriate techniques are performed according to the degree of retraction.

Adult ; Aged ; Blepharoplasty ; methods ; Eyelid Diseases ; surgery ; Eyelids ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate performance of a biotinylated imaging probe 3a for targeted imaging of breast cancer cells.

METHODSUltraviolet absorption spectrum and fluorescence spectrum were employed to analyze the spectral characteristics of 3a. The fluorescence spectrums of 3a treated with different concentrations of glutathione (GSH) were obtained to determine the sensibility of 3a to GSH. Flow cytometry was used to determine the cellular uptake of 3a by MCF-7 cells, MDA-MB-231 cells and Hs 578Bst cells in the presence or absence of biotin, and the imaging performance of 3a in the 3 cell lines was assessed under an inverted fluorescent microscope. The toxicity of 3a to the cells was evaluated using MTT method.

RESULTS3a showed the strongest absorption peak at 510 nm, and its fluorescence emission signal was the strongest at 544 nm. As the concentration of GSH increased (0-6 mmol/L), 3a exhibited an increasing fluorescence signal at 544 nm. The cellular uptake of 3a was markedly higher in MDA-MB-231 cells and MCF-7 cells than in Hs 578Bst cells. The imaging studies showed that 3a had a good breast cancer cell-targeting property and produced clear images under fluorescent microscope. MTT assay demonstrated no obvious toxicity of 3a in Hs 578Bst cells even at the concentration of 20 µmol/L, but MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to 2-20 µmol/L 3a showed a lowered cell viability.

CONCLUSION3a is capable of targeted imaging of breast cancer cells mediated by biotin. 3a at the concentration of 2-20 µmol/L has minimal cytotoxicity to normal breast cells but can lower the viability of breast cancer cells.

Objective To determine the urinary iodine level of people in Yunyang and Bishan County of Chongqing and explore into its influencing factors. Methods Using multistage cluster stratified simple random sample method, Yunyang and Bishan County were chosen as research spots, then thirty children aged 8-10 in each 3 primary school of the 2 counties were selected using stratified randomization sampling method to inspected their urine and household salt for iodine and the iodine content in drinking water. Results Five hundred and seventy-one urine samples were inspected and the urinary iodine median was 261.47 μg/L. 5.78% (33/571) and 37.48%(214/571) of samples had an urinary iodine median less than 100 μg/L and more than 300 μg/L. The urinary iodine median of Yunyang County was higher than that of Bishan (H = 7.42, P < 0.01). The iodine salt coverage rate, the qualified rate and edible qualified iodine salt rate respectively were 99.64%(554/556), 94.22% (522/554) and 93.88% (522/556) in 556 samples of family table salt. Eighty-seven samples of drinking water were inspected, resulting an averaged iodine content of 8.81 and 2.97 μg/L, respectively in the 2 counties. Conclusions The 2 counties are all the area of iodine deficiency. The urinary iodine level, although meeting the demand of eliminating iodine deficiency diseases, is a little bit higher given that iodized salt of present doage has been taken for a long time. The content of iodized salt should be adjusted accordingly.

BACKGROUNDConflicting results about the association between expression level of excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and clinical outcome in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) receiving chemotherapy have been reported. Thus, we searched the available articles and performed the meta-analysis to elucidate the prognostic role of ERCC1 expression in patients with CRC.

METHODSA thorough literature search using PubMed (Medline), Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science databases, and Chinese Science Citation Database was conducted to obtain the relevant studies. Pooled hazard ratios (HR s) or odds ratios (OR s) with 95% confidence intervals (CI s) were calculated to estimate the results.

RESULTSA total of 11 studies were finally enrolled in this meta-analysis. Compared with patients with lower ERCC1 expression, patients with higher ERCC1 expression tended to have unfavorable overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.325, 95% CI: 1.720-3.143, P < 0.001), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.917, 95% CI: 1.366-2.691, P < 0.001) and poor response to chemotherapy (OR = 0.491, 95% CI: 0.243-0.990, P = 0.047). Subgroup analyses by treatment setting, ethnicity, HR extraction, detection methods, survival analysis, and study design demonstrated that our results were robust.

CONCLUSIONSERCC1 expression may be taken as an effective prognostic factor predicting the response to chemotherapy, OS, and PFS. Further studies with better study design and longer follow-up are warranted in order to gain a deeper understanding of ERCC1's prognostic value.

Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; analysis ; Endonucleases ; analysis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between concentration levels of fasting serum glucose and liver cirrhosis.

METHODSA nested case-control study was carried out based on the sample cohort from the Nutrition Intervention Trials previously conducted in one country in Henan province. Using an automatic biochemical analysis system and enzyme-linked immunoassay, baseline serum samples from 310 liver cirrhosis patients and 620 healthy controls were tested for fasting glucose concentration, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), and hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV). Baseline demographic information was collected by questionnaire. The serum glucose values were divided into quintiles and applied to a logistic regression model to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).

RESULTSThe mean fasting blood glucose level was significantly higher in cases (4.5+/-1.8 mmol/L) than in controls (4.2+/-2.1 mmol/L) (t=-2.414, P=0.016). The individuals in the highest quintile had a significantly higher risk of disease than those in the lowest quintile [OR=1.672 (1.080, 2.588)]. Moreover, increase in glucose level was accompanied by increased risk, and the relation showed statistically significant linearity (P=0.002). The statistical significance of risk remained after adjustment for potential confounders, including sex, age, HBsAg, anti-HBc, and residence running water status [OR=1.96 (1.216, 3.157), P=0.001].

CONCLUSIONElevated serum fasting glucose concentration was an independent risk factor of cirrhosis.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the application of tunica dartos flap coverage to the prevention of urinary fistula in tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty.

METHODSThis study included 140 cases of hypospadias following TIP urethroplasty, aged 1.9-22 (mean 5.6) years. Of the total number, 85 cases of the distal type were treated by coverage of the neourethra with the longitudinal ventrolateral pedicled-dartos penile skin flap, while the other 55 cases of the proximal type with the pedicled-dartos flap of arteriae scrotales anteriories.

RESULTSUrethrocutaneous fistula occurred in 12 of the patients, including 7 cases of distal and 6 cases of proximal hypospadias.

CONCLUSIONFor distal hypospadias, the longitudinal ventrolateral pedicled-dartos penile skin flap can be used, while for proximal urethroplasty, the pedicled-dartos flap of arteriae scrotales anteriories can be applied in coverage of the neourethra, which can effectively reduce the incidence of fistula.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; surgery ; Infant ; Male ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Scrotum ; blood supply ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; blood supply ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urinary Fistula ; prevention & control ; surgery ; Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male ; methods ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of in vitro proliferation of rat Leydig cells by modifying the cell culture system.

METHODSLeydig cells were isolated from three-week-old rats by a procedure combining collagenase dispersion, stainless steel mesh infiltration and differential adhesion. The isolated cells were cultured in DMEM/F12 and modified media for stem cell proliferation, and the proliferation of the cultured cells was evaluated by cell counting and MTP test. The expression of 3beta-HSD in the cultured cells was detected by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, and testosterone productivity in the isolated Leydig cells with or without hCG stimulation was determined at 2 hours and 4 days after cell isolation.

RESULTSThe Leydig cells cultured in the modified media proliferated actively, with a doubling time of (2.26 +/- .31) days, as compared with (16.32 +/- 2.14) days for those cultured in the traditional media (P <0.05). The 3beta-HSD positive rate in the cultured cells was (554.3 +/- 7.1)% after 2 hours and (93.6 +/- 4.6)% after 4 days of culture. All the proliferated cells exhibited testosterone productivity, and their testosterone secretion was significantly upregulated by hCG stimulation (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONLeydig cells isolated by differential adhesion proliferate actively in the modified culture media.

Animals ; Cell Count ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Leydig Cells ; cytology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Testosterone ; secretion