0.05),which were (5.64?2.00)d in single-circle group,(5.80?3.74)d in double-circle group,(6.22?2.76)d in triple-circle group.According to the treatment effects,CEA value decreased during pre-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy in each groups(P0.05).Through our survey,used different neoadjuvant chemotherapy circle,patients in single-circle group and double-circle group were completely accepted within full confidence;but receptance of strategy in triple-circle group was 66.7 %(12/18).All operations were suc- cessful.The difference of postoperative aerofluxus time between single-circle group and double-circle group had sta- tistical significance(P0.05).Conclusion Analyzing neoadjuvant chemo- therapy circles,time between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and operation,treatment effect and operation results,it is a feasible and secure colorectal cancer multi-discipinary strategy for patients in West China that choose the treatment of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with double-circle and short preparation time.

Objective To research the curative effect of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine on Kashin-Beck disease(KBD). Methods According to Diagnosis for Kashin-Beck disease,80 patients of adult KBD were detected from Guanghui village Shangzhi city Heilongjiang province in July,2007,and they divided into treatment group and control group according to their condition,age and sex,40 person in each group. Treatment group was given chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate,and control group was given placebo(equivalent amount of starch). Bilateral knees X-ray films were shot before and after treatment (8th month),scale division magnifying glass was used to measure the width of joint space on X-ray films. Results The width of joint space respectively was (4.30±2.14) and (4.10±2.07)mm in control group before and after treatment,and treatment group respectively was (4.17±2.15),(4.16±2.11)mm. Medicine had no obviously role on joint space (F = 0.50,P > 0.05),Time and both of time and medicine had obvious role on joint space(F= 67.66,46.74,all P< 0.05). Joint space of treat group was thinner than control group(P < 0.05) before treatment,but thicker after treatment(P < 0.05). To compare with the width of before treatment,joint space width of control group became obviously narrow(P < 0.05). Conclusions Experimental group taking chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate alleviated knee joint space narrowing process of adults KBD patients compared with control group. It plays a protection role in articular cartilage and provides evidences for choosing drug and evaluating effect in the treatment of adults KBD.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of curcumin on the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and TGF-beta/Smads signal pathway in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) rats.

METHODSUUO rat model was established. Rats were divided into the sham-operation group, the model group, the 1st curcumin group, and the 2nd curcumin group, respectively. From the 2nd day after surgery, rats of the 1st curcumin group were administrated with curcumin by gastrogavage at the daily dose of 100 mg/kg. From the 10th day after surgery, rats of the 2nd curcumin group were administrated with curcumin by gastrogavage at the daily dose of 100 mg/kg. Equal volume of normal saline was given to rats by gastrogavage in the sham-operation group and the model group. On the 28th day after surgery rats were killed. The renal tissues of the obstructed side were taken out. The distribution of mice alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and E-cadherin expressions were observed using immunohistochemical method. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), P-Smad2, P-Smad3, and Smad7 expressions were detected by Western blot. TGF-beta 1, transforming growth factor-beta receptor I (TbetaRI), collagen-I (Col-I), and collagen-III (Col-III) mRNA expressions were detected by Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.

RESULTSalpha-SMA expressions were obviously enhanced, E-cadherin expressions obviously weakened, the protein expression levels of P-Smad2 and P-Smad3, protein and mRNA expression levels of TGF-beta 1, TbetaRI mRNA, Col-I mRNA, and Col-III mRNA obviously up-regulated, Smad7 protein expressions obviously decreased (all P<0.01) in the renal tissues of rats in the UUO group. In the 1st curcumin group and the 2nd curcumin group, the protein expressions of alpha-SMA, P-Smad2, P-Smad3, and TGF-beta 1; mRNA expression levels of TGF-beta 1, TbetaRI mRNA, Col-I, and Col-III obviously decreased (P<0.05, P< 0.01), while the protein expressions of E-cadherin and Smad7 obviously increased (P<0.05, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSCurcumin could intervene several sites of the TGF-beta/Smads signal transduction pathway of UUO rats, inhibit the occurrence of EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells, thus attenuating the tubulo-interstitial fibrosis.

Animals ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; drug effects ; Kidney Tubules ; cytology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Smad Proteins ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; metabolism ; Ureteral Obstruction ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the effects of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH- a) and antagonist (GnRH-ant) on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced ovarian damage in rats.Methods Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided randomly into six groups,which received normal saline (NS),CTX,GnRH-a+NS,GnRH-a+CTX,GnRH-ant+NS,and GnRH-ant+CTX respectively.Levels of serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E_2) were measured successively by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method,and half of the rats were killed in the first week and between the fourth and the fifth week after stop of medication,respectively to compare the weight of the ovaries and the number of the primordial follicles and the growth follicles.Results (1) Throughout experiment,the serum levels of FSH,LH and E_2 of the control group fluctuated slightly,while those in the CTX group kept rising.During medication treatment,compared with the control group[(118?16) ?g/L, (350?35) ?g/L] and the CTX group[(113?15) ?g/L,(289?42) ?g/L],the concentrations of LH [(42 ?8)-(47?7) ?g/L,(31?5)-(36?7) ?g/L] and FSH [(124?45)-(136?32)?g/L,(178 ?54)-(198+27)?g/L] in the GnRH-a groups and the GnRH-ant groups were maintained at low levels significantly and the levels of LH in the GnRH-ant groups were significantly lower than that in the GnRH-a groups,but the levels of FSH in the GnRH-ant groups were significantly higher than that in the GnRH-a groups(P0.05),but the levels of FSH,LH and E_2 of the GnRH-ant+CTX group rose obviously and were similar to the levels of the CTX group,especially the FSH,and the levels of LH and FSH of the GnRH- ant + CTX group [(156?12) ?g/L,(520?44) ?g/L] and the CTX group [(178?18) ?g/L,(546?36) ?g/L] were significantly higher than that of the other four groups [(121?15)-(132?13) ?g/L,(335 ?35)-(359?26) ?g/L] at the 4~(th)-5~(th) week after stop of treatment(P0.05),but the number of all kinds of follicles declined significantly in the GnRH-ant+CTX group[(195?15),(36?12)] and the CTX group [(212?11),(36?9)] compared to the other four groups[(302?15)-(690?43),(44?12)-(58?11),P

Abstract:Photodynamic therapy(PDT)is a minimal invasive therapy that have been clinically approved for the cancer treatment with selective cell toxicity. When activated by appropriate wavelength of light, photosensitizers transfer the absorbed photon energy to the surrounding molecular oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species, which result in cell death, vessel damage and immune activation of tumor site. This paper summarize the main challenges and recent solutions for PDT application, such as the low tissue penetration of light, toxicity induced by nonspecific accumulation of skin and poor PDT effect of hypoxia tumor.

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of the extensive resection of the tumor-loading segment and artificial humerus head replacement combined with perioperative rehabilitation for the treatment of stage II to III giant cell tumor of bone in the proximal humerus.

METHODSFrom March 2007 to March 2010, 7 patients with stage II to III giant cell tumor of bone in the proximal humerus were treated. Among the patients, 3 patients were male and 4 patients were female with a mean age of 34.6 years (ranged, 18 to 49 years). The mean course of disease was 19 months (ranged, 6 to 35 months). All the patients were confirmed to suffer stage II to III giant cell tumor of bone in the proximal humerus by pathology and X-ray examinations. Clinical manifestations of the patients included persistence aggravated pain of the shoulder, swelling in the proximate arm with obviously tenderness, activity limited of the joint. All the patients were treated with extensive resection of the tumor-loading segment and artificial humerus head replacement combined with perioperative rehabilitation. CMS and OSIS score system were used to evaluate shoulder function and shoulder stability.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 14 to 35 months, with an average of 17 months. There were no serious complications or recurrence in all cases. One year after the surgery CMS and OSIS score system were 70.7 scores (ranged,63 to 82 scores) and 25.1 scores (ranged, 18 to 29 scores) respectively. According to evaluation for shoulder function, 2 patients got an excellent result and 5 good. According to evaluation of shoulder stability, 1 patient got an excellent result and 6 good.

CONCLUSIONExtensive resection of the tumor-loading segment and artificial humerus head replacement combined with perioperative rehabilitation for the treatment of stage II to III giant cell tumor of bone in the proximal humerus would not only preserve the upper extremity but also preserve the function of upper extremity.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Bone Neoplasms ; pathology ; rehabilitation ; surgery ; Female ; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone ; pathology ; rehabilitation ; surgery ; Humans ; Humerus ; surgery ; Limb Salvage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging

Objective To investigate the current conditions of water iodine,childrens'iodine nutrition and residents'edible circumstance of iodized salt in the villages with high iodine in drinking water and the adjacent three villages in Xiamen city of Fujian province.Methods Four natural villages of Qianbian,Donglian,Dazhong and Dongshan of Xiangan county were chosen as survey spots in 2008.In each village,one running water sample and all well water samples were collected to obtain the benchmark for each location.All children aged 7-13 year in the four villages underwent thyroid palpation and were selected to measure the urine iodine and the salt iodine.The water iodine and urine iodine were determined by As3+-Ce4+ catalytic spectrophotometry digestion,salt iodine was determined by direct titration.Results In four investigated villages,iodine of four running water samples were all 1.5μg/L.The range of 237 well water iodine samples was from 0.1 μg/L to 506.0 μg/L.There were 18.6% (44/237)specimens in which the well water iodine less than 10 μg/L,73.4%(174/237)between 10 μg/L and 150 μg/L and 8%(19/237)more than 150μg/L.The median of urinary iodine was 153.3 μg/L in 79 urine samples,which was 114%(9/79)more than 200μg/L and less than 300μg/L,12.7%(10/79)equal or more than 300 μg/L and less than 500μg/L,7.6%(6/79)equal or more than 500μg/L and less than 800 μg/L in all samples.Seventy-nine students were examined by palpation and the total goiter rate of children measured was 11.4% (9/79).Seventy-one samples of iodine salt were detected and the coverage rate of iodized salt was 77.5%(55/71).Conclusions The well water iodine contents have a wide distribution in the investigated villages.We should enhance the community awareness by educating them on the damage of iodine excess and iodine deficiency.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of intra-articular injection of SB203580, a selective p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, MMP-13 in a rat model of osteoarthritis (OA) and to explore the relationship between the MMP-3/MMP-13 expressions and the severity of OA.

METHODSFourty SD rats underwent unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and then randomly divided into four groups, with 10 rats in each group. Group A received 0.1 ml intra-articular injection of SB203580 at a high concentration of 100 micromol/L (once a week) immediately after surgery, and group B were treated under the same condition using SB203580 with a low concentration of 10 micromol/ L Group C received 0.1 ml intra-articular normal saline, and group D were not injected as controls after ACLT. All rats were sacrificed seven weeks after the surgery. Macroscopic and immunohistochemical studies were performed on the cartilage. Protein expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 were determined by Western blot. RESULTS Cartilage degradation was significantly milder in group A and group B than in the control groups, as shown by morphological studies (P < 0. 05) and immunohistochemical studies (P < 0. 05). The protein expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 in cartilage were significantly lower in groups A and B than in groups C and D (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSB203580 can inhibit the expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-13 and thus protect the cartilage.

Animals ; Cartilage, Articular ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Imidazoles ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinases, Secreted ; metabolism ; Osteoarthritis ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Pyridines ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors

BACKGROUNDCartoMerge has been widely used in guiding circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). However, the procedure of landmarks selection varies among operators according to their experience. Techniques have to be established to standardize this procedure. We propose that Overlay Ref could facilitate this procedure. This paper aimed to report our initial experience with CPVI guided by Overlay Ref and CartoMerge for the treatment of PAF.

METHODSFifty-nine patients with PAF were enrolled in this study. Using Overlay Ref technique, a reference image (inverted) was faded into the live fluoroscopic image. Landmarks of CartoMerge were selected from anatomic points of the top of superior pulmonary veins (PVs) and the bottom of inferior PVs guided by Overlay Ref image. Overlay Ref images were also used to guide the ablation procedure combining with CartoMerge.

RESULTSAll patients were successfully mapped by CartoMerge guided by Overlay Ref. The distance between the mapping points and the CT surfaces was (1.42 +/- 0.67) mm for the patients as a whole. This led to a successful rate of 96% for isolation of pulmonary veins. Duration of ablation procedure was (92 +/- 17) minutes. And the total duration of procedure was (139 +/- 32) minutes. CartoMerge could also be performed just with 3 paries to 4 paries selected landmarks guided by Overlay Ref without a full anatomic model constructed by Carto. Then, the total duration of procedure could be shortened to (115 +/- 38) minutes.

CONCLUSIONSOverlay Ref technique can facilitate the catheter ablation of PAF and can help to standardize the procedure of landmarks selection.

Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Veins ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo investigate the reactivity of colon cancer cell line SW480 and CD133(+) SW480 subsets to hypoxia in vitro and the changes in the expressions of anti-apoptosis and angiogenesis genes.

METHODSSW480 cells was subjected to CoCl(2) exposure at varying concentrations and for different time lengths to induce hypoxia, and the protein expression of hypoxia induced factor 1α (HIF-1α) was detected by Western blotting. The CD133(+) SW480 cells were sorted by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) and their proportion was assayed by flow cytometry (FCM). The CD133(+) SW480 subsets were exposed to CoCl(2) at the optimal concentration with exposure time selected in terms of HIF-1α level, and their tumor stem cell sphere formation ability was evaluated. Real-time PCR was used to compare the mRNA expression levels of the surface markers of colon cancer stem cells (CD133 and PROM1), survivin, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

RESULTSExposure to 200 µmol/L CoCl(2) for 8 h resulted in the highest HIF-1α expression in SW480 cells, but the same exposure failed to induce HIF-1α expression in CD133(+) SW480 subsets. The CD133(+) SW480 subsets, after CoCl(2)-induced hypoxia, showed significantly enhanced ability of cell sphere formation. Hypoxia of SW480 cells caused significant increases in CD133, survivin and VEGF mRNA levels by 1.607∓0.103, 2.745∓0.370 and 3.798∓0.091 folds, respectively (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONCoCl(2) can simulate hypoxia in colon cancer cells in vitro to induce stable HIF-1α expression, which is concentration- and time-dependent. The hypoxia-stimulated tumor stem sells show an enhanced sphere formation and anti-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic abilities.

Apoptosis ; physiology ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Colonic Neoplasms ; pathology ; Computer Simulation ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; pathology ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; physiopathology