Objective In this study,we aimed at investigating the clinical,laboratory and management characteristics of adolescent-onset SLE patients compared with adult-onset SLE patients.Methods 470 fe- male patients with SLE were divided into two subgroups:adolescent-onset SLE patients and adult-onset SLE patients.The analyzed variables included clinical,laboratory parameters,damage index and outcome charac- teristics.Results In 470 female patients with SLE,there were 98(20.85%)adolescent-onset SLE patients. The following manifestations occurred more frequently in adolescent-onset SLE patients:malar rash,cutaneous vasculitis,proteinuria and abnormal liver function.Adolescent-onset SLE patients had more severe disease features and had significantly higher mean value of SLEDAI.Mortality was higher in adolescent-onset SLE pa- tients than aduh-onset SLE patients.Renal and blood system were the organs that most frequently involved. Conclusion Adolescent-onset SLE patients accounts for roughly 20.85% of all SLE cases.It is necessary to pay more attention to adolescent-onset SLE patients because the management for them is usually more difficult and the prognosis is usually poorer than aduh-onset SLE patients.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adult ; Amyloidosis ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; pathology ; Muscular Atrophy ; pathology ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; pathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical efficacy of Qinzhu Liangxue Decoction (QZLXD), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in patients with blood-heat type psoriasis vulgaris. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with blood-heat type psoriasis vulgaris were randomly divided into two groups: QZLXD group (30 cases) and ampeptide group (28 cases). Patients in both groups were treated for 4 weeks. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score and the level of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were obtained to evaluate the efficacy of the two treatments. RESULTS: There was a better curative result in QZLXD group than in ampeptide group (P<0.05). The response rates in QZLXD and ampeptide groups were 83.33% and 64.28% respectively. DLQI score was also significantly improved during 4-week treatment in QZLXD and ampeptide groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in VEGF level between QZLXD and ampeptide groups. CONCLUSION: QZLXD is remarkably advantageous in treatment of psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome and improvement of patient's quality of life. The mechanism may be related to decrease in serum VEGF level and action against neogenesis of blood vessels.

BackgroundThe immunotherapy for retinoblastoma(RB) is gradually concerned recent year.To seek relative immune-associated antigen is a basis of immunotherapy.NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 are two kinds of genes of cancer testis antigen( CTA ).To understand their expressions in RB tissue can offer index for relative study.ObjectiveThis study was to investigate the expressions of two CTA NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 in RB and explore the possibility of them as potentially promising targets for antigen-specific immunotherapy of RB.Methods The samples were obtained from 15 RB eyes,12 non-tumor retinopathy eyes and 22 normal eyes with other benign eye diseases.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA in the samples.Genes of positive PCR results were sequenced randomly.The relevance of the expression of the two cancer-testis antigen genes with the clinical characteristics such as tumor stage,tumor size and clinical stage were analyzed.This study was approved by Ethic Committee of Guangxi Medical University.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before operation. Results NY-ESO-1 mRNA was positively expressed in 6 RB samples and NY-SAR-35 mRNA was expressed in 9 RB samples.In the non-tumor retinopathy samples and normal eye tissues,NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA were absent.No significant relevances were found between the expressions of the NY-ESO-1 mRNA and NY-SAR-35 mRNA with clinical characteristics such as age ( P =0.426,0.822 ),gender ( P =0.180,0.464 ),pathological classification ( P =0.744,0.582 ),tumor size ( P =0.760,0.790),and clinical stage ( P =0.868,0.707 ).Conclusions NY-ESO-1 and NY-SAR-35 have high expressing frequencies in RB tissue and their expressions in RB have specificity.These results offer a clue for the identification of targets antigen of RB.

Objective To analyze the dominant genotypes of porin Ⅰ gene encoding major outer membrane protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Zhejiang Province and to construct the prokaryotic expression systems of porinⅠA and porinⅠB genes.Methods Based on the previous research,the porinⅠA and porinⅠB genes were sequenced after T -A cloning, and the dominant genotypes of porinⅠA and porinⅠB genes were analyzed.Then the prokaryotic expression systems of the dominant genotypes of porinⅠA and porinⅠB genes were constructed.Ten percent SDS -PAGE was applied to measure the output of PⅠA and PⅠB proteins after inducement by 0.5 mmol/L IPTG.Results All 5 porinⅠA isolates sequenced were serovar ⅠA -6.Of the 11 porinⅠB isolates sequenced,there were 5 serovarⅠB -3 isolates,3 serovarⅠB -3 /6 isolates,1 serovarⅠ B -6 isolate and 2 mutant isolates.Outputs of P Ⅰ A and P Ⅰ B expressed by the constructed prokaryotic expression systems PET -42 -PⅠA and PET -42 -PⅠB were as high as 30% and 20% respectively. Conclusion ⅠA -6 is the dominant genotypes of porinⅠA gene and ⅠB -3 is the dominant genotypes of porinⅠB gene in Zhejiang Province.Comparing to the porinⅠB gene,porinⅠA gene is more conserved.The prokaryotic expression systems with high efficiency of porinⅠA and porinⅠB genes were successfully constructed,which may be helpful in the further research of genetic engineering vaccine and clinical detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Background Choroidal melanoma (CM)is the most common primary intraocular tumor,and brachytherapy is one of the most common therapeutic modality in the treatment of the tumor.However,this irradiation approach has not been evaluated in China. Objective The present study was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of domestic 125I plaque irradiation in the treatment of CM. Methods Forty New Zealand albino rabbits were randomized into 5 groups with 8 rabbits 8 eyes (right eyes) in each group.CM models were established in 16 of 40 New Zealand albino rabbits by implanting the rat B16F10 melanoma cell fragments into the suprachoroidal space of right eyes.After 3 weeks,domestic 125I plaque was fixed at the location of CM in the irradiation group 1,and 8 rabbits with CM served as model control group.The clinical effectiveness of 125I plaque for CM was evaluated based on the fundus examination with indirect ophthalmoscopy,B scan ultrasonography,fundus photographs and color Dopplerimaging.Regarding the safety study,domestic 125I plaque was fixed on the normal right cycs of normal rabbits,while the plaques without 125I seeds were used as the sham group.No intervene was performed in the rabbits of blank group.The number of CD4+,CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood was detected by flow cytometry before plaques implanted and on 3,7,15 and 30 days after the plaque was removed.The animals were sacrificed and the eyes were obtained for histology examination.The use of the experimental animals complied with Statement of ARVO. Results After implantation of B16F10 melanoma cell fragments,CM grew steadily and rapidly with the similar size between irradiation group 1 and model control group ( P =0.550).One week after administration of the treatment,tumor size was(0.31±0.07 )cm in irradiation group 1 and (0.85±0.18 )em in the model control group,with the significant difference between them( P=0.001 ).Two week after application of 125I plaque,the size of tumor was smaller than that before irradiation (P=0.007 ).Histologically,the tumors were mostly limited beneath the pigment epithelial layer with less neovascularization,fibrosis in the tumor was found in some area in the irradiation group when compared with model control group.No significant differences were found in the proportions of CD4+,CD8+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ at different time points in the irradiation groups of normal eyes and sham group (Fgroup =0.770,8.110,2.230; P=0.380,0.060,0.140; Ftime =0.770,3.220,4.230; P =0.550,0.170,0.004 ).Chronic inflammatory cells infiltration cornea,subconjunctival epithelial and selera surface,but sclera had no necrosis and organization.Conclusions These results suggest that domestic 125I plaque irradiation is effective for the treatment of CM,and has limited side effects on normal rabbits.

OBJECTIVETo establish the diagnostic model of cerebrospinal protein profile for gliomas by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) and bioinformatics.

METHODSSeventy-five samples of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with gliomas, benign brain tumors and mild brain traumas were collected. A total of 50 samples from gliomas and non-brain-tumors were divided into training sets (33 cases including 17 gliomas and 16 non-brain-tumors) and testing sets (17 cases including 5 gliomas and 12 non-brain-tumors). The cerebrospinal proteins bound to H4 chip were detected by SELDI-TOF MS, the profiles of cerebrospinal protein were gained and then analyzed with artificial neural network algorithm (ANN); and the diagnostic model of cerebrospinal protein profiles for differentiating gliomas from non-brain-tumors was established. Forty-seven of cerebrospinal samples of gliomas and benign brain tumors were divided into training sets (31 cases including 13 gliomas and 18 benign brain tumors) and testing sets (16 cases including 9 gliomas and 7 benign brain tumors), the diagnostic model of cerebrospinal protein profiles for differentiating gliomas from benign brain tumors was established based on the same method. The support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was also used for evaluation, both results were very similar, but the result derived from ANN was more stable than that from SVM.

RESULTThe diagnostic model of cerebrospinal protein profiles for differentiating gliomas from non-brain-tumors was established and was challenged with the test set randomly, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 91.7%, respectively. The cerebrospinal protein profiling model for differentiating gliomas from benign brain tumors was also developed and was challenged with the test set randomly, the sensitivity and specificity were 88.9%, and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe technology of SELDI-TOF MS which combined with analysis tools of bioinformatics is a novel effective method for screening and identifying tumor biomarkers of gliomas and it may provide a new approach for the clinical diagnosis of glioma.

Adult ; Aged ; Algorithms ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Brain Neoplasms ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins ; genetics ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Glioma ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Meningioma ; cerebrospinal fluid ; diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Peptide Mapping ; standards ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization

·AIM: To evaluate the effects of two series of enantiomers [(R, R)-XY-1 through (R, R)-XY-12 and (S,S)-XY-1 through (S, S)-XY-12] on ocular blood flow in rabbits.·METHODS; Colored microsphere technique was used for in vivo experiments to determine the ocular blood flow in various tissues of ocular hypertensive (40mmHg) rabbit eyes.·RESULTS; Of the twelve compounds of ( R, R)-XY series examined, four increased choroidal blood flow at 10g/L, 50uL instilled into eyes. All compounds of (S, S)-XY series were not effective on ocular blood flow.·CONCLUSION; Some compounds of (R, R)-XY series increased the ocular blood flow, which might be useful for the prevention and treatment of ocular blood flow related eye diseases. Among all twenty-four compounds, (R, R)-XY-1and (R, R)-XY-9 seem to be the most potent ones.KEYWORDS; ocular blood flow; ischemia; enantiomer

Aneurysm, Dissecting ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon alpha 2a (PEG-IFN alpha-2a) in treating patients with chronic hepatitis B.

METHODSeventy-two patients with chronic hepatitis B were assigned to a PEG-IFN alpha-2a (experimental) group (n=42) and an interferon alpha (control) group (n=30) randomly. Each patient in the experimental group received 180 microg PEG-IFN alpha-2a every week. Each patient in the control group received 500 MU interferon alpha every day. All the patients were treated for 48 weeks, and then were followed for another 48 weeks with no treatment.

RESULTSAt the end of the 12th week, the rate of HBeAg negative cases was 30% in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group, which was much higher than in the control group (x2 = 4.162, P < 0.05). The values of HBeAg and the log value of HBV DNA in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group were much lower than the values before the treatment (t = 2.689, t = 4.080, P <0.01), but there was no difference between before and after treatment in the control group ( t = 1.229, t = 1.009, P > 0.05). At the end of the 24th week, the rate of HBeAg negative cases in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group was much higher than that in the control group (x2=6.190, P < 0.05). The value of HBeAg and the log value of HBV DNA in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group were much lower than in the control group (t=2.215, t=2.122, P < 0.05). At the end of the 48th week, besides the reduction mentioned above, the rate of cases with HBeAg/antiHBe seroconversion and normalization of ALT and complete responsiveness in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group were all much higher than those in the control group (x2=5.771, x2=5.617, x2=5.308, P < 0.05). At the end of 48 weeks with no treatment, all the parameters mentioned above in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group were much better than those in the control group and they remained so, but they were different in the control group (x2=11.943, t=3.439, t=6.111, x2=9.930, x2=9.522, x2=7.920, P < 0.01). Nine patients in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group had liver biopsies before their treatment and also at the end of their treatment. The expressions of HBsAg and HBcAg were decreased at the end of the treatment. The rate of expression of HBsAg in the liver tissues before the treatment was 88.9% but only 22.2% at the end of the treatment (x2=8.001, P < 0.01). The rate of expression of HBcAg in the livers before treatment was 66.7% but only 33.3% at the end of the treatment. Before and at the end of the PEG-IFN alpha-2a treatment, there were no significant changes in the degrees of inflammation and fibrosis and the quantity of collagen in the liver tissues. Three patients in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a group (10%) were HbsAg negative. Two of them were found so at the end of 32 weeks with treatment and one patient was found at the end of 24 weeks with no treatment, but there were no HBsAg negative patients in the control group. The adverse reactions that occurred in the PEG-IFN alpha-2a and in the control groups were similar.

CONCLUSIONPEG-IFN alpha-2a was effective in inhibiting HBV replication. The effect of PEG-IFN alpha-2a was lasting. PEG-IFN alpha-2a was well tolerated during our treatment.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; Young Adult