Objective To study the sonographic features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) associated with cervical lymph nodes metastasis for early diagnosis and prediction of the invaded cervical lymph nodes. Methods The sonographic features of 170 patients with pathologically confirmed PTC in First Afifliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between 2011 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 59 cases with neck lymph nodes metastases and 111 cases without neck lymph nodes metastases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was aaplied to analyze the cut-off values of resistance index (RI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) for judging the presence or absence of cercical lymph node metastasis. The Chi-square test and rank sum test were used to compare the different sonographic features between each group. The Logistic regression analysis was used to obtain the relevant factors of PTCs with cervical lymph node metastasis. Results ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off values of RI and PSV were 0.735,13.95 cm/s. The primary tumor diameter, the existence of halo, the involvement of thyroid upper pole, the microcalciifcation, the blood suply classiifcation and the RI, PSV were statistically signiifcantly different between PTCs with and without cervical lymph node metastasis, whereas no statistical signiifcance was detected between the primary tumor echo pattern, boundary and the longitudinal/transveral ratio between the metastatic and nonmetastatic group. Logistic regression analysis showed that the PTC primary tumor diameter and PSV were independent factors coorelated with cervical lymph node metastasis. Conclusion Some sonographic features of PTC are closely correlated with lymph nodes metastasis, which are valuable in predicting the cervical lymph nodes metastasis in patients with PTC pre-operatively.

Administration, Rectal ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Prostatitis ; drug therapy ; Suppositories

Child ; Cochlear Implantation ; Cochlear Implants ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Hearing Loss, Central ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Vestibulocochlear Nerve Diseases ; physiopathology

Objective:To establish an HPLC method for the determination of levofloxacin in levofloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic in situ gel. Methods:The chromatographic column was Agilent Zorbax C18(150 mm ×4.6 mm,5μm). The mobile phase consisted of hexane sulfonic acid sodium solution-methanol(72∶28). The flow rate was 1. 0 ml·min-1. The detection wavelength was 293 nm. The chromatographic column temperature was 40℃. The injection volume was 10 μl. Results:The calibration curve was linear within the range of 0. 040 3-0. 403 0 mg·ml-1(r=1. 000 0) for levofloxacin. The average recovery was 99. 8% (RSD=1. 08%,n=9). Conclusion:The method is accurate, simple and rapid, and suitable for the content determination of levofloxacin in levofloxacin hydro-chloride ophthalmic in situ gel.

Objective To investigate the deficit of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 activation in the different age of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like animal model and the protective effect of 2,3,5,4′-tetrahydroxy stilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside(TSG), which is the main component of Polygonum multiflorum, on ERK activation. Methods A generally accepted animal model of AD - PDAPPV717I transgenic (Tg) mouse was observed from 4 to 16 months old. Tg mice were randomly divided into 3 model groups(4, 10 and 16 months old mice)and TSG treated (at doses 120 and 240 μmol/kg/d) groups. TSG was administered to some Tg mice with an age range 4-10 months. In untreated 10 months old Tg mice, the TSG was administrated to those falling in the age range 10-16 months. For the control group we adopted the same age and background C57BL/6J mice. The ERK1/2 expression and phosphorylation were detected by Western blotting.Results In the 4-month-old PDAPPV717I Tg mice, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 decreased significantly in hippocampus and cortex compared with age matched control. In the 10-month-old Tg mice, decrease of ERK1/2 activation was aggravated in cortex but was less in hippocampus. The treatment of TSG at the doses of 120 and 240 μmol/kg for 6 months (from the age of 4 to 10 months) significantly up-regulated ERK1/2 activation in Tg mice. In the 16-month-old Tg mice, over-activation of ERK1/2 occurred in both hippocampus and cortex. The transgenic mice treated by TSG for 6 months (from the age of 10 months to 16 months) showed significant inhibition of over-activation of ERK1/2. Expression of total ERK1/2 showed no difference among control, Tg model and TSG treated groups.Conclusion PDAPPV717I transgenic mice with an age range from 4 to 16 months revealed the time-dependent deficit of ERK1/2 activation. TSG can bring the down or over activation of ERK1/2 into normal. Because ERK1/2 activation plays the crucial role in cellular signal transduction and learning-memory ability, TSG may have beneficial potential to the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like AD.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to measure the concentration of adiponectin (APN) in serum and induced sputum in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD during acute exacerbation (AECOPD) and at stable stage and to determine the role of APN as a marker of inflammation in the pathogenesis of COPD. METHODS: All the patients in this prospective study were enrolled from October 2008 to October 2009, including 30 male AECOPD patients from the emergency department, 30 male stable COPD patients from the department of respiratory diseases, and 30 healthy non-smoking male controls from the department of medical examination. The serum and induced sputum were collected from each patient. All of the patients had normal weight (BMI range 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). Patients with severe bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis or autoimmune disease were excluded. Cell count and classification was performed for the induced sputum. The concentrations of APN, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. Pulmonary function was tested among the three groups. Comparisons between the groups were conducted by Student's t test, ANOVA analysis or nonparametric test. Correlation analysis was carried out by Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient test or Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient test. RESULTS: The concentrations of APN in the serum or induced sputum in AECOPD patients were significantly higher than those in stable COPD patients or healthy non-smoking controls (P<0.01). The concentration of APN in stable COPD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy non-smoking controls (P<0.01). For the AECOPD patients, APN was positively correlated with IL-8 and TNF-α in the serum and induced sputum (r=0.739, 0.734, 0.852, 0.857 respectively, P<0.05). For the stable COPD patients, APN was also positively correlated with IL-8 and TNF-α in the serum and induced sputum (r=0.751, 0.659, 0.707, 0.867 respectively, P<0.05). In addition, for the AECOPD patients, APN was positively correlated with the percentage of neutrophils in the induced sputum (r=0.439, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: APN is involved in the process of systematic and airway inflammation of COPD. This process is related to neutrophils in the airway, IL-8 and TNF-α. APN could be used as a new marker for inflammation of COPD.

Objective To evaluate the risk of plague occurrence via surveying and analyzing indoor rat density and flea index in natural villages having previous plague experience. Methods During August to September 2007, 30 natural villages experiencing previous plague were selected based on the surveillance data, and then all households were coded with numbers and 20 households in each village were randomly selected via computer. Cages and sticky papers were set in 600 selected households to capture rats and fleas. Rat density, flea prevalence, flea index and median were estimated. Results One hundred thirty-three Rattus flavipectus and 33 Suncus murinus were caught and averaged rat density was 2.8 rats per one hundred cage. nights (166/6000), the median was 5 rats each village. One hundred and one mice infected fleas, flea prevalence on rats was 60.8% (101/166), 296 Xenopsylla cheopis and 48 Leptopsylla segnis were collected. Rat flea index was 2.1 fleas per rat (344/166). A total of 315 dissociated flea was caught, average dissociated flea index was 0.026 fleas per sticky paper (315/11888). The median was 5.5 dissociated fleas per village. Of dissociated fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis (205) and Xenopsylla cheopis (103) accounted for 97.8% (308/315). The proportion for species of the rat flea and the dissociated flea was different(Fisher test: P < 0.01). The rat flea was significantly associated with the rat density(r = 0.68, P < 0.01), but the dissociated flea was significantly associated with neither the rat density(r = -yield than fried wheat batter(χ2 = 5.59, P < 0.05). Conclusions In these villages having previous plague experience of Lianghe County, Rattusflavipectus was dominant species of indoor rats, Xenopsylla cheopis and Ctenocephalides felis felis were dominant species of rat flea and dissociated flea, respectively. Mengsong, Bangdu, and Tangjiatun village had potential risk of plague emergence.

Objective To investigate the role of plasmid pYC on proteome of Yersinia pestis. Methods Two dimensional electrophoresis was performed to strains of Yersinia pestis with and without the pYC plasmid, and differential proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. Results More than 500 protein spots of Yersinia pestis with and without plasmid pYC were recognized,and their protein profiles were generally similar. The chaperone GroEL was highly expressed in strains with plasmid pYC, whereas the protein GroEL was not encoded by plasmid pYC. ConclusionsPlasmid pYC has an impact on proteome of Yersiniapestis. The proteins of pYC-p10 and pYC-p11 encoded by plasmid pYC may regulate the expression of GroEL.

Objective To explore the mutation and evolution of Yersiniapestis(Y. pestis) from the point of codon and 16S-ribosome. Methods Codon preference and 16S-ribosome of Y. pestis were analyzed by bioinformatics. Results Similar codon preference was found among 4 PCD1 Y. pestis, of the 3 old Y. pestis the codon preference between PMT1 and PCD1 was similar. There were some differences between PCD1, PCP1 and Yunnan 6 kb plasmid. Through the analysis of 16S-ribosome, the sequences were found similar in 11 strains of Y. pestis,Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was very close to Y. pestis, with only one nucleotide difference, mutated G-T, and corresponding amino acid methionine (M)-isoleucine (I). There were some differences in sequences of 16S-ribosome in Y. pestis, Escherichia coli and Pulex irritans. Conclusions The time for Y. pestis to obtain PCP1 is later than PMT1 does, in other words, the affinity of Y. pestis with PMT1 was closer than PCP1 with 6 kb plasmid;alteration of 16S-ribosomal nucleotide sites may cause changes in function and structure of 16S rRNA. The lower similarity between 16S-ribosomal sequences of Y. pestis and Pulex irritans indicates the time for co-evolution is very short,and the late emergence of Y. pestis.

Objective To analyze the epidemiologic characters of human plague from Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan Province from 1986 to 2006 and to provide references for prevention and control strategy.Methods Data were collected and analyzed on epidemic situation of human plague in the past twenty-one years.Results From 1986 to 2006,the total human plague cases from Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan were 507,accounted for 59.5%(507/866)of the total cases in the whole country.There were three peaks of human plague outbreak in 1990,1996 and 2000.The number of annual cases were 73,88 and 122,accounting for 97.3%(73/75),89.8%(88/98),48.0%(122/254)of the total cases in the whole country respectively.The epidemic areas were mainly located in the west,southwest and southeast pans of Yunnan,but the number of cases changed with year in different prefectures(or cities).Seasonal pattern analyses revealed that the epidemic could occur in whole year,with a peak period through July to November,especially September.There were different prevalence of plague cases in age and professions,which related to the chance of contact with infected animals and infectious fleas.All human plague cases were primary bubonic plague.Conclusions The results suggested that there were clear epidemic characteristics for human plague for Rattus flavipectus plague natural foci in Yunnan.In order to control human plague effectively,it was necessary to reinforce surveillance and warning system to diminish the outbreak of human plague.