Objective To characterize the clinical manifestations and to evaluate the value of the electrophysio-logical examination in patients with peripheral nerves injuries caused by neurobrucellosis. Methods Electrophysiology examination was conducted in 32 patients with peripheral nerve injuries caused by neurobrucellosis and 32 normal controls who had equivalent age and gender. The results were further statistically analyzed. Results There were sig-nificant difference between patients and healthy control group in distal motor latency (DML), compound motor active potentials (CMAP) amplitude, motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV), sensory nerve action potential latency(SL),senso-ry nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) ( P﹤0.05). Electrophysiology examination revealed peripheral nerve damage of limbs involving, both sensory nerve and motor nerves, of which sen-sory and motor nerve injuries accounted for 55.47% and 16.80%, respectively. Median and sural nerve injuries were most frequently affected in upper (64) and lower limbs (16). Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity was delayed in 43 nerves (16.80%) of 256 examined motor nerves and in 142 nerves (55.47%) of 256 examined sensory nerves. The damage of the sensory nerves was more severe than those of the motor nerves and damage of nerves in the upper limbs was more severe than those in the lower limbs. Conclusion Electrophysiologoical examination provides objective basis for the diagnosis of peripheral nerve injuries in neurobrucellosis.

Objective To discuss the influence of different antitumor treatments on the survival time of patients with obstructive jaundice caused by cholangiocarcinoma located at middle-low segment of common bile duct after receiving PTCD. Methods During the period from Jan. 2012 to March 2013, a total of 60 patients with pathologically-proved cholangiocarcinoma located at the middle-low segment of common bile duct were admitted to authors’ hospital. According to tumor TNM staging, stage Ⅱ was seen in 9 cases, stage Ⅲ in 39 cases and stage Ⅳ in 12 cases. Based on the degree of cell differentiation, highly differentiated cancer was observed in 9 cases, moderately differentiated cancer in 37 cases, and poorly differentiated cancer in 14 cases. The 60 patients were enrolled in this study. Drainage tube placement and stent implantation were performed in all patients so as to relieve the symptoms of jaundice. According to the antitumor treatment used, the 60 patients were randomly and equally divided into three groups with 20 patients in each group. Draining procedure with subsequent regular arterial infusion chemotherapy was employed in the patients of group A; draining procedure with subsequent particle chain placement in biliary tract was performed in the patients of group B; and draining procedure with subsequent regular arterial infusion chemotherapy together with particle chain placement in biliary tract was carried out in the patients of group C. The results were analyzed using SPSS17.0 statistical software. The death factors of patients were statistically evaluated by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis method, P<0.05 was considered that the difference had statistical significance. Results The median survival periods of group A, B and C were (186.0±36.4) days, (183.0±26.5) days and (252.0±43.6) days respectively. The death factors of cancer patients were analyzed by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis method, which indicated that tumor stage was a risk factor for death (HR=8.434, 95%CI 3.41-20.090);the treatment mode was a protection factor of death (HR=0.616, 95%CI 0.429-0.884); while the degree of tumor differentiation was unrelated to death(score test,字2=0.197, P=0.657>0.05). The risk of death in group B was not significantly different from that in group A (HR=1.012, 95%CI 0.558-2.179); while the treatment mode of group C was a protection factor of death (HR=0.334, 95%CI 0.148-0.075). Conclusion The TNM stage and treatment mode can influence the survival time of patients with cholangiocarcinoma located at the middle-low segment of common bile duct. Therefore, for the treatment of obstructive jaundice caused by cholangiocarcinoma, combination use of regular arterial infusion chemotherapy and particle chain placement in biliary tract should be employed immediately after draining procedure as this therapeutic mode can effectively prolong patient’s survival time.

AIM:Chronic heart failure (CHF), caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), is among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide .Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) plays a criti-cal role in regulating Wnt signaling .Dysregulated Wnt signaling contributes to high incidence of arrhythmias .Thus, there might be an association between genetic variations of LRP6 and sudden cardiac death ( SCD) .The objective of the study was to examine the associ-ation between common variants of LRP6 and prognosis of CHF patients .METHODS:From July 2005 to December 2009, patients with CHF referred from 10 hospitals and participants without structural heart disease in China were undergone a prospective study .The sin-gle-nucleotide polymorphism rs 2302684 was selected to evaluate the effect of LRP6 polymorphisms on the survival of the patients .RE-SULTS:A total of 1 887 patients (1 437 with CHF and 450 in the control group)were finally enrolled for the analysis.During a medi-an follow-up of 61 months, a total of 546 (38.00%) patients died, including 201(36.81%) cases with SCD and 345 (63.19%) ca-ses with NSCD.No end point event occurred in the control group .Patients carrying A allele of rs2302684 had increased risks of all-cause death (P<0.01) and SCD (P<0.01).After adjusted for the other risk factors , the associations remained significant in all-cause death (P<0.01) and SCD (P<0.01).In patients with CHF caused by ICM , those carrying A allele of rs2302684 also had in-creased risks of all-cause death (P<0.01) and SCD (P<0.01).After adjusted for the other risk factors , the associations remained significant in all-cause death (P<0.01) and SCD (P<0.01).However, there was no association between A allele of rs 2302684 and prognosis in patients with CHF caused by NICM .CONCLUSION:The SNP rs2302684 T>A in LRP6 is associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and SCD in patients with CHF in Chinese Han population , and the association is more prevalent in patients with CHF caused by ICM.Thus, LRP6 might be added as a novel predictor of SCD and could provide an attractive and direct therapeutic target in SCD prevention .

Embolization, Therapeutic ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis

Objective To evaluate the clinical effect of endovascular interventional therapy in treating Cockett syndrome associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of left lower extremity.Methods The clinical data of a total of 256 patients with Cockett syndrome complicated by DVT of left lower extremity,who were admitted to authors' hospital during the period from January 2011 to January 2015,were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis,balloon dilatation of the occluded or narrowed venous segment,and/or stent implantation.The circumference differences of the affected limbs before and after treatment and the long-term patency rates were compared.Results Of the 256 patients with Cockett syndrome complicated by DVT of left lower extremity,complete dissolution of thrombus was achieved in 232 (90.6％) and partial dissolution of thrombus in 24 (9.4％).The circumference difference of thigh and calf was (7.12±2.15) and (4.57±2.81) cm respectively before and after treatment.Iliac vein reconstruction was carried out in 206 patients,among them simple balloon dilatation was employed in 46 and balloon dilatation together with stent implantation was adopted in 160.The patients were followed up for 9-24 months with a mean of 15 months.In simple balloon dilatation group,3 patients lost touch with the authors during the following-up period,26 patients (60.5％) developed iliac vein occlusion and post-embolization syndrome occurred in 21 patients (48.8％).In balloon dilatation plus stent implantation group,11 patients lost touch with the authors during the following-up period,stenosis or occlusion of the stent was seen in 13 patients (8.7％),post-embolization syndrome was observed in 15 patients (10.1％).The differences in vascular stenosis or occlusion and in the occurrence of post-embolization syndrome between the two groups were statistically significant (P＜0.001).Conclusion For the treatment of Cockett syndrome complicated by DVT of left lower extremity,catheter-directed thrombolysis and balloon dilatation combined with stent implantation carry definite clinical curative effect.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of arsenic trioxide-loaded CalliSpheres beads (CBATO) in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of rabbits with VX2 liver tumor. MethodsA total of 120 tumor-bearing rabbits were divided into control group, CalliSpheres beads (CB) group (blank beads for TACE), CBATO group, and conventional TACE (cTACE) group (arsenic trioxide lipiodol for TACE) using a random number table, with 30 rabbits in each group. Five rabbits in each group were sacrificed at 12 hours and on days 3, 7, and 14 after TACE, and immunohistochemistry was used to measure the proliferation index and apoptosis percentage of tumor cells in the residual tumor area. The tumor necrotic volume was measure on day 7 after TACE, and the growth rate and necrosis rate of tumor cells were calculated. Ten rabbits were randomly selected from each group for the observation of survival time. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate survival time, and the log-rank test was used for comparison. ResultsOn day 7 after TACE, the CBATO group had a significantly lower growth rate and a significantly higher necrosis rate of tumor cells than the cTACE group, the CB group, and the control group (all P＜0.05). At each time point after TACE, there were significant differences in the proliferation index and apoptosis percentage of tumor cells between the CBATO group and the other three groups (all P＜0.05). The median survival time was 26 days in the CBATO group, 18.5 days in the CB group, 22 days in the cTACE group, and 15.5 days in the control group, and the CBATO group had a significantly longer survival time than the other three groups (χ2=3.95, 8.99, and 13.47, P=0.049, P=0.003, and P＜0.01). ConclusionCBATO has a better effect than cTACE and CB in the treatment of rabbits with VX2 liver tumor and can significantly improve tumor necrosis rate, promote the apoptosis of tumor cells, and prolong the survival time of experimental animals.

OBJECTIVE:To establish the method for rapid quality evaluation of Astragali Radix.METHODS:The moisture of medicinal material was determined by oven drying method;the content of astragaloside Ⅳ was determined by HPLC-ELSD;the content of isoflavone glucoside was determined by HPLC (as reference value).The partial least squares (PLS) method combined with acousto-optic turnable filter-NIDRS was adopted to build quantitative model of above indexes in Astragali Radix (as predict value).According to reference value,60 batches of sample were collected.The spectra pretreatment was conducted by first derivative method combined with Savitzky golay.The optimal bands of moisture,astragaloside Ⅳ and isoflavone glucoside were 1 100-2 300 nm,1 080-2 160 nm,1 170-2 230 nm,respectively.RESULTS:The content determination of moisture,astragaloside Ⅳ and isoflavone glucoside in samples were all in line with methodology requirements.The corrected mean square root deviation of quantitative model for moisture,astragaloside Ⅳ,calycosin glucoside were 0.132 3,0.006 6,0.002 5,respectively;predicted mean square root deviation were 0.237 1,0.016 3,0.004 7;internal cross validation coefficient of correction set were 0.975 9,0.953 3,0.968 0;internal verification deviation of quantitative model were 1.43％,1.90％,1.84％;external verification deviation were 1.73 ％,2.68 ％,2.71％,respectively.CONCLUSIONS:The method is rapid,accurate,simple,pollution-free,and can be used for rapid quality evaluation of Astragali Radix.

Objective To evaluate the clinic effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) by using arsenic trioxide (ATO) drug-bearing CalliSpheres beads (CB) in treating BCLC stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) . Methods The clinical data of 13 patients with advanced HCC, who received TACE by using CB loaded with ATO (CBATO) during the period from January 2017 to September 2017, were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical data, imaging materials, laboratory examinations, interventional complications, prognosis, etc., were summarized and evaluated. Results The patients were followed up for9-15 months, with a median period of 11 months. The survival rate was 100％. One, 3, 6 and 9 months after treatment, the disease remission (CR+PR) rates were 76.9％, 76.9％, 69.2％ and 61.5％ respectively, and the disease control rates were 92.3％, 92.3％, 92.3％ and 84.6％ respectively. In all 13 patients, no severe complications such as hepatic failure, renal insufficiency, bone marrow suppression, liver abscess, bile leakage complicated by infection and gastrointestinal bleeding occurred. Conclusion For the treatment of BCLC stage B HCC, TACE by using CBATO is safe and effective with reliable short-term effect.

Objective:To observe the short-term efficacy and safety of bronchial arterial chemoembolization (BACE) combined with anlotinib for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:The clinical data of 14 patients with advanced NSCLC in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2018 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The short-term efficacy and adverse reactions of BACE combined with anlotinib hydrochloride were evaluated.Results:All patients successfully received BACE treatment twice. The median follow-up time was 19 months (8-26 months). The objective response rate (ORR) of patients at 1, 3 and 6 months after the first treatment was 100.0% (14/14), 71.4% (10/14) and 57.1% (8/14), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 100.0% (14/14), 92.8% (13/14) and 78.6% (11/14), respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 9.5 months (95% CI 9.0-17.3 months), and the 6-month and 12-month PFS rates were 78.6% and 28.6%, respectively. The median overall survival (OS) time was 19.0 months (95% CI 18.4-23.1 months), and the 6-month and 12-month OS rates were 100.0% and 85.7%, respectively. Anlotinib hydrochloride-related adverse reactions included hand-foot syndrome [42.9% (6/14)], fatigue [35.7% (5/14)], hypertension [35.7% (5/14)], oral mucositis [28.6% (4/14)], hemoptysis [28.6% (4/14)], elevated aminotransferases [21.4% (3/14)] and diarrhea [14.3% (2/14)]. There were no grade ≥3 adverse reactions. Conclusion:BACE combined with anlotinib is safe and effective for treatment of advanced NSCLC, and the short-term clinical efficacy is satisfactory.

Objective Toanalyzetheclinicalefficiencyofendovascularinterventionaltherapyinthetreatmentofsolitarykidney withrenalaneurysm.Methods FromJune2014toDecember2017,7casesofsolitarykidneypatientscombinedwithrenalaneurysm werecollected,including4casesofrenalaneurysmlocatedinthemainrenalartery,1caseinrenalsegmentalarteryand2casesinthe renalparenchyma.4casesofmainrenalarteryaneurysmsweretreatedwithstentimplantation;1caseofrenalsegmentalarteryaneurysm was treatedwithstent-assistedcoilembolization;2casesofrenalparenchymaaneurysm wererespectivelytreatedwithpolyvinylalcohol (PVA)embolizationandPVA withcoilembolization.After1month,3months,6monthsandevery6months,therenaldopplerexamination,blood routine,urineroutine,renalfunctionandotherbiochemicalexaminationswerereviewed,andrenalarterialCTAorrenalangiographywereperformed whennecessary.Results Thesuccessrateofoperationwas100%in7solitarykidneypatientswithrenalaneurysm,andtheaneurysmswere graduallyreducedafteroperationwithoutseriousadversereactionsandcomplications.Norecanalizationorrecurrenceofrenalaneurysmwasfound duringthefollow-up,andtherenalfunctionwasbetterthanbefore.Conclusion Endovascularinterventionaltherapyinthetreatment ofsolitarykidneywithrenalaneurysmisminimallyinvasiveandlessrisky.Anditismoretargetedandflexibleforthetreatmentof solitarykidneywithdifferenttypesofrenalaneurysm.