Objective To investigate the clinical value of gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) associated with patient-based low dose of contrast medium protocol in carotid CTA. Methods One hundred and twenty patients who were suspected with stenotic carotid artery or carotid plaque were prospectively enrolled in the study. All of them were divide into two groups by random number table. Group A (routine group): 60 were scanned with 120 kVp after the administration of moderate-concentration CM(320 mg/ml) with 5 ml/s injection velocity, Group B (low dose group):60 were scanned with GSI which was reconstructed using 50%ASiR after the administration of the same CM with 3 ml/s injection velocity. The contrast dose [(test bolus peak time +2 s – 5 s) × injection velocity] was calculated. Images of the two groups were compared in terms of arterial attenuation, signal-noise-ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and subjective image quality (IQ) score. The value of CT dose index volume (CTDIvol), dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) was recorded, respectively. Data were analyzed by using independent samples t test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results The mean attenuation, noise, SNR, CNR, subjective image quality score, contrast dose, CTDIvol, DLP and ED of routine group was (363 ± 56)HU, (13 ± 4)HU, 30 ± 10, 38±13, 3.0 score, (69 ± 13) ml, 13.61 mGy,527 mGy · cm and 3.11 mSv, respectively. The above variables of low-dose-group was (378 ± 69) HU, (9 ± 4)HU, 48 ± 19, 62 ± 24, 2.0 score,(49 ± 7)ml, 12.72 mGy, 478 mGy · cm and 2.82 mSv, respectively. The mean attenuation and subjective IQ score of carotid artery had no significant differences statistically between two groups (P>0.05), respectively. The noise, SNR, CNR, contrast dose, CTDIvol, DLP and ED had significant differences statistically between two groups (P<0.05), respectively. Conclusion Compared with 120 kVp protocol, the use of GSI associated with patient-based low dose of contrast medium protocol in carotid CTA could provide equivalent image quality and higher SNR and CNR of carotid artery with a smaller amount of iodine and a lower radiation dose.

Animals ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVE:To prepare Clopidogrel bisulfate tablets,and to optimize its formulation and technology. METHODS:The single factor test and compatibility test were used to optimize the fillers,disintegrating agents,adhesive,lubricants and prepa-ration technology;using sticking situation and disintegration time as indexes,the orthogonal test was used to optimize the amount of disintegrating agents [low substituted hydroxypropyl cellulose(L-HPC)],lubricants(hydrogenated vegetable oil and PEG6000), and the optimal technology was validated. The dissolution of prepared tablet and imported tablet(Plavix)in water,pH 2.0 hydro-chlorate buffer,pH 4.5 phosphate buffer(PBS)and pH 6.8 PBS were investigated,and influential factor test was conducted. RE-SULTS:Clopidogrel bisulfate tablets were prepared with dry granulating. The optimal formulation (1 000 tablets) was as follows as clopidogrel bisulfate 97.8 g,mannitol 84 g,amylum pregelatinisatum 36 g,L-HPC 8 g,hydrogenated vegetable oil 8 g, PEG6000 6 g;no tablet compressing sticking situation was found in prepared tablets and it owned medium disintegration time;ac-cumulative dissolution curves of prepared tablets in 4 kinds of medium were similar to those of Plavix;there were no significant dif-ference in results of influential factor test between prepared tablet and Plavix. CONCLUSIONS:Clopidogrel bisulfate tablets are prepared successfully,and the formulation is reasonable,practical,stable and controllable in quality.

In order to increase the production of insecticidal crystal proteins Cry1 and Cry2, firstly, Plack-ett-Burman design was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the related nutrition factors; it was found that the soybean powder and MnSO4?H2O were significant factors for Cry1 production, but the yield of Cry2 wasn’t effected remarkably in such medium. Then the steepest ascent experiment was adopted to approach the optimal region of the medium composition. Lastly, the optimal concentration of the soybean powder and MnSO4?H2O was 11.5 and 0.02 g/L, obtained by response surface methodology (RSM). The final yields of Cry1 and Cry2 was 0.32 mg/mL and 0.11 mg/mL, increasing twice more than that in the medium optimized before. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of optimal medium was 1.09 ?L/mL. The toxicity to Heli-coverpa armigera was significantly enhanced than the old one.

Background Wearing contaclenincreasethe risk of infection of the cornea.Some studieshowed the gas-permeability of materialused foconstructing corneal contaclenione of the contributing factorrelated to corneal health.Objective Thistudy wato observe the in vitro adherence ability of differenbacterito rigid gas-permeable contaclense(RGP-CL) made with varioumaterials.MethodContaclensemade with hexafocon,enflufocon opolymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were placed into Staphylococcuaureus,Staphylococcuepidermidis,oPseudomonaaeruginosbacterial suspension(0.5 MCF) fo24 hours.The strength of bacterial adherence watested and studied by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetrimethod based on absorbance (value),and the vortex method waused to calculate the colony forming units.The bactericlump formation waexamined with scanning electron microscope (SEM).ResultMTcolorimetrimethod showed thathe adherence ability of Staphylococcuaureuto hexafocon (value) wasignificantly lowethan thato enflufocon and PMMA,respectively (q=7.379,8.207,P＜0.01),buno significandifference wafound in the adherence ability of Staphylococcuaureubetween enflufocon and PMM(q =0.828,P＞0.05).The adherence ability of Staphylococcuepidermidito XO and enflufocon walowethan thato PMM(q =14.000,12.800,P＜0.01),buno significandifference wafound between the adherence of Staphylococcuepidermidito hexafocon and enflufocon material (q =1.200,P＞0.05).There wano significandifference in the adherence ability of Pseudomonaaeruginosto all three material(F=2.155,P=0.138).The vortex method presented the colony forming unitof Staphylococcuaureuto hexafocon,enflufocon and PMMwith (37.9± 1.5)×106,(49.9±2.2)×106 and (67.4± 1.6)×106,respectively,with significandifference among them (F =206.240,P＜0.01),showing the lowesvalue in hexafocon,the highesvalue in PMMand middle value in enflufocon (q=11.650,28.640,16.990,P＜0.01),Moreover,colony forming uniof Staphylococcuepidermidito hexafocon,enflufocon and PMMwa(7.9 ± 1.3) × 106,(10.5 ± 1.5) × 106,(11.2 ±1.2) × 106,respectively.And thaof hexafocon walowethan one of the PMMmaterial (q =5.060,P＜0.05).No significandifference wafound between hexafocon and enflufocon nobetween hexafocon and PMM(q =3.290,1.770,P＞0.05).In addition,the resultthacorresponded to the vortex method were seen in the MTcolorimetriassay (F =0.232,P =0.799).SEM examination showed dispersed population of Staphylococcuaureuand Staphylococcuepidermidion the surfaceof hexafocon and enflufocon;while much more Staphylococcuaureuand Staphylococcuepidermidiadhered on the surface of PMMA,forming net-like appearance.Conversely,high numbeof Pseudomonaaeruginoswaseen on the surface of all three materials,withounoticeable differencein the bacterial shape and quantity on each of the material.ConclusionThe adherence ability of bacterito PMMistrongethan thaof hexafocon and enflufocon,and gas-permeable material of RGP-CL doenoimpacthe adherence ability of bacteria.

Objective To evaluate the occurrence and management of complications following ultrasound-guided minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL). MethodsFrom November 2003 to January 2011,2300 cases of ultrasound - guided MPCNL were performed for upper urinary tract stones in our department.Of these cases,renal calculi were found in 1305 cases,upper ureteral calculi in 322,renal and coexisting ureteral stones in 673. Results Among the 2300 cases of MPCNL,a total of 756 (32.9％) patients encountered complications.Of these cases,peel-away sheath placement failure occurred in 184 cases( 8.0％ ),in which six cases needed secondary surgery.Collecting system perforation occurred in 308 cases ( 13.4％ ),fever in 303 cases ( 13.2％ ),including septicemia in 20 cases (0.87％).The 20 septicemia patients received intensive antibiotic treatment and were successfully cured.Thrity-six patients required transfussions due to severe hemorrhaging ( 1.57％ ).Renal vein injury occurred in three cases (0.13％),for which these patients received intensive care therapy to provide haemostasis with a second procedure months later.There was extensive hemorrhage in 16 cases (0.70％) post-MPCNL,super-selective renal artery embolisation was performed in 12 cases and nephrectomy in 1 case.Pleural injury occurred in one case (0.04％) and pleural effusion in two cases (0.09％),all of which were cured with conservative therapy.There were no cases of abdominal organ injury.ConclusionsThe rate of ultrasound guided complications in MPCNL was lower than that of X-ray guided MPCNL in adjacent organ injury,but higher in complications related to the access ( such as:peel-away sheath placement failure,collecting system perforation),parenchymal bleeding and fever.Most complications (i.e.,bleeding,fever) could be managed conservatively or with minimally invasive procedures ( i.e.superselective renal embolisation,antibiotics treatment) when the complications were recognized early.Renal severe hemorrhage in operation,delayed hemorrhage and infection after MPCNL were several of the severe complications that required active prevention and cure measurement.

ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of lentivirusly-mediated ObR-siRNA on transplanted MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by intratumoral injection.MethodsA model of subcutaneous implanted tumor was generated through injecting MCF-7 human breast cancer cells into the nude mice.Thirty established mice with MCF-7 breast cancer cells xenograft were divided into 3 groups randomly,and mice in the experimental group were intratumorally injected with ObR-siRNA lentivirus,while the negative control group and blank control group mice were injected with the same dose of negative lentivirus and normal saline.All mice were subcutaneously injected with recombinant human leptin around the tumor site once a day.Tumor size was blindly measured every other day and the mRNA expression and protein expression levels of ObR in each group were determined.ResultsKnockdown of ObR-treated xenografted nude mice with a high leptin microenvironment was successfully established.Local injection of ObR-siRNA lentivirus significantly suppressed the established tumor growth in nude mice(P ＜ 0.01,P ＜0.01 ).Real time-PCR and Western blotting showed that the mRNA and protein expression of ObR was decreased in the ObR-siRNA lentivirus group( P ＜ 0.01,P ＜ 0.01 ).ConclusionsIntratumoral injection of recomhinant ObR-siRNA lentivirus inhibits the growth of MCF-7 cells xenografts in the nude mice,suggesting that ObR might represent a therapeutic target in the genotherapies of human breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) in aged patients, and to explore the measures of its diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The clinical data of 100 aged patients (55-85 years old) with SAP admitted from January 2003 to December 2005 were reviewed and compared with those of 221 non-aged SAP patients (11-54 years old) admitted at the same period. RESULTS: Totally 112 times of onset occurred in 100 aged patients, and the main causes for senile SAP were biliary diseases and hyperlipemia. Both acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) and Ranson scores of the aged patients with SAP were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05); while there was no significant difference in Balthazar score between the two groups(P>0.05). The incidences of low serum calcium, low albumin and high aspartate aminotransferase (P<0.05), liver, kidney or brain impairment as well as the mortality were higher in the senile SAP group than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Biliary disease and hyperlipemia are the main causes of senile SAP, which lacks characteristic clinical symptoms and is often associated with multiple complications such as infection and lung, gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, and brain impairment. Individualized differential treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine based on stage classification is an effective approach.

Objective To evaluate the role of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) in diabetes mellitus-induced reduction of hypoxic postconditioning (HPO)-induced protection of cardiomyocytes and the relationship with glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β)-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.Methods H9c2 cells incubated in high-glucose (30 mmol/L) medium for 24 h were divided into 6 groups (n =5 each) using a random number table:normoxia group (group N),hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) group,group HPO,PTEN gene silencing normoxia group (group P-N),PTEN gene silencing H/R group (group P-H/R),and PTEN gene silencing HPO group (group P-HPO).H9c2 cells were exposed to 95％ N2-5％ CO2 for 4 h followed by 2 h reoxygenation with 90％ O2-10％ CO2.HPO was induced by 3 cycles of 5 min reoxygenation followed by 5 min hypoxia before reoxygenation.At the end of reoxygenation,the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the supernatant was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,the changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP were assessed by JC-1 fluorescence assay,the cell apoptosis was detected by AnnexinV-FITC/PI flow cytometry,and the expression of PTEN and phosphorylated GSK-3β (p-GSK-3β) was determined by Western blot.The JC-1 monomer/polymer ratio and apoptosis rate were calculated.Results Compared with group N,the amount of LDH released,JC-1 monomer/polymer ratio and apoptosis rate were significantly increased,and the expression of PTEN was up-regulated in H/R and HPO groups (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the parameters mentioned above between group H/R and group HPO (P＞0.05).Compared with group HPO,the amount of LDH released,JC-1 monomer/polymer ratio and apoptosis rate were significantly decreased,PTEN expression was down-regulated,and the expression of p-GSK-3β was up-regulated in group P-HPO (P＜0.05).Compared with group N,the expression of PTEN was significantly down-regulated,and no significant changes were found in the other parameters mentioned above in group P-N (P＞0.05).Compared with group H/R,the expression of PTEN was significantly down-regulated,and no significant changes were found in the other parameters mentioned above in group P-H/R (P＞0.05).Conclusion PTEN is involved in diabetes mellitus-induced reduction of HPO-induced protection of cardiomyocytes,and the mechanism is associated with PTEN-induced activation of GSK-3β-modulated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

Objective To investigate the radiosensitivity effects of poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) inhibitor 3-amion benzamide (3-AB) on the BRCA non-mutant and BRCA mutant breast cancer cells,and to explore the regulatory mechanism of PARP-1 and BRCA in radiation-induced DNA damage repair.Methods MDA-MB-436 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells were divided into four groups respectively as the control (CTRL),ionizing radiation alone (IR),3-AB alone (3-AB),and ionizing radiation combined with 3-AB(IR + 3-AB)group.γ-H2AX foci were detected by immunofluorescence assay.The radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells was evaluated by clonogenic survival assay.The percentage of apoptotic cells was assessed by flow cytometry.Results Compared with MDA-MB-231 cells,MDA-MB-436 cells had a higher radiosensitivity and produced more γ-H2AX foci(t =4.57,P ＜ 0.05),which was further increased by 3-AB.The DNA damage of MDA-MB-436 cells in the IR + 3-AB group was the most remarkable (t =3.26,P ＜ 0.05).Flow cytometry showed that the cells in the IR + 3-AB group had the highest rate of apoptosis (t=3.81,P ＜ 0.05),and the apoptosis rate of MDA-MB-436 cells was significantly higher than MDA-MB-231 cells (t =2.96,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The radiosensetivity of BRCA mutant cells MDA-MB-436 is significantly higher than that of non-BRCA mutant cells MDA-MB-231.Inhibition of PARP-1 can further increase the apoptosis and radiosensitivity of BRCA-mutant cells by further blocking the repair of DNA single-strand break induced by ionizing radiation.