Acrylamide ; analysis ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Workplace

Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; supply & distribution ; Occupational Health

Objective To study the clinical, histopathologic and ultrastructural characteristics of achromic naevus (AN). Methods Clinical data, including sex, age, age of onset, pattern of lesions, involved sites, shape and number of lesions and associated systemic diseases, were collected from 85 patients with AN. Skin melanin index was detected in 34 lesions of 19 patients with AN, 30 lesions of 12 patients with vitiligo and 64 contralateral normal skin islands of the 31 patients. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) was performed to analyze the lesion, normal skin and junctional area between lesional and normal skin of 62 patients with AN. Tissue samples were obtained from lesions and perilesional normal skin of 17 patients with AN and subjected to pathological examination as well as ultrastructural study with transmission electron microscopy; also, skin biopsy specimens were immunostained for tyrosinase, HMB45, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), TRP-2 and CD117. Results Of the 85 patients with AN, 23 (27.1%) developed lesions at birth, and 21 (24.7%) after 3 years of age; 72 (84.7%) had irregularly shaped lesions, 54 (63.5%) had only a single lesion. The mean melanin index and relative melanin index of AN lesions were 186.56 ± 52.86 and 80 ± 11, respectively, significantly lower than those in normal skin islands (223.88 ± 63.19 and 100, both P < 0.01), but higher than those in depigmented lesions from 12 patients with vitiligo (128.57 ± 64.31 and 60 ± 20, both P < 0.01). RCM revealed a decline in the number of melanocytes and brightness of melanin caps, even distribution of melanin in lesions, as well as obscure demarcation between lesions and normal skin from patients with AN. Fontana-Masson stain showed that the melanin content was lower in lesions than in perilesional skin (1810.12 ± 327.96 vs 2064.24 ± 260.41) from patients with AN. Microscopic examination demonstrated a decrease in melanocyte and melanosome number, presence of immature melanocytes at stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ in cytoplasm and dendrites of melanocytes and keratinocytes, aggregated melanosomes in affected keratinocytes in lesions of AN. In 17 patients with AN, the relative expression levels of tyrosinase and TRP-1 were 1827.35 ± 307.09 and 6102.54 ± 1642.64, respectively, in normal skin specimens, significantly higher than those in lesional skin (1477.35 ± 224.05, 5322.33 ± 1565.26, both P< 0.01); no statistical difference was observed in the expression levels of HMB45, TRP-2 or CD117 between lesional and normal skin. Conclusions AN is an early-onset, nonfamilial aggregated, stable leukoderma with irregular margins, and in lesions of AN, the number of both melanocytes and melanosomes is decreased with the presence of immature melanosomes. The measurement of relative melanin index and reflectance confocal microscopy may offer a non-invasive approach to the diagnosis of AN.

Executive impairment is one of the common sequelae of stroke, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Repeti-tive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), as a new type of electrophysiological technique, has been used in the clinical treatment of Post-Stroke Executive Impairment (PSEI). This paper summarized the survey of PSEI, the basic principle and mechanism of rTMS, clinical application of rTMS for PSEI and its safety. Clinical studies showed that high frequency stimulation, low frequency stimulation, and combi-nation with other therapeutic methods were effective in PSEI. However, there was no unified theory about the mechanism and the best treat-ment plan of rTMS for PSEI.

Objective To explore the image quality of gastric cancer improved by dual-energy CT,and to evaluate the clinical utility in staging gastric cancers.Methods 55 patients suspected gastric cancers were included in the study.Patients underwent dual-phasic scans using dual-energy CT with a dual-source scanner.The relationships image quality parameters in 100 kV,120 kV and 70 keV images were evaluated.Image quality parameters comprised mean density,signal-to noise ratio (SNR) and objective noise.The 120 kV and 70 keV images were compared in TNM staging.Results In arterial and portal phase,the attenuation was significantly higher at 70 keV and 100 kV compared to 120 kV images (P＜0.001).In arterial phase,the SNR were higher at 120 kV and 70 keV in comparison to 100 kV(P＜0.01).In portal phase,the SNR were higher at 70 keV in comparison to 120 kV and 100 kV(P＜0.01).Overall accuracy in assessment of tumor invasion of the gastric wall (T stage) was 83.7％ with 70 keV images and 72.1％ with 120 kV images,this difference was not significant (P=0.25);Overall accuracy for lymph node (N) staging was significantly better with 70 keV images(74.4％) than with 120 kV images(62.8％) (P＜0.05).Conclusion The image quality of gastric cancers using dual-energy CT can be improved by optimizing the energy level.The 70 keV images may be used to improve the N-staging accuracy.

The study aims to develop a rapid, sensitive and specified method of liquid chromatography with heated electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HESI/MS/MS) for simultaneous determination of amlodipine, benazepril and benazeprilat in human plasma using amlodipine-d4 and ubenimex as internal standards (ISs). Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) with heated electrospray ionization (HESI) was used in the positive mode for mass spectrometric detection. Analytes and ISs were extracted from plasma by simple protein precipitation. The reconstituted samples were chromatographed on a C18 (100 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column with mixture of methanol-acetonitrile-5 mmol.L- ammonium acetate-formic acid (30 : 30 : 40 : 0.1) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL.min-1. The standard curves were demonstrated to be linear in the range of 0.02 to 6.00 ng.mL-1 for amlodipine, 0.2 to 1,500 ng.mL-1 for benazepril and benazeprilat with r2>0.99 for each analyte. The lower limit of quantitation was identifiable and reproducible at 0.02, 0.2 and 0.2 ng mL-1 for amlodipine, benazepril and benazeprilat, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy results were within the acceptable limit across all concentrations. The plasma samples were stable after four freeze-thaw cycles and being stored for 93 days at -20 degrees C. The method was applied to a pharmacokinetic study of a fixed-dose combination of amlodipine and benazepril on Chinese healthy volunteers.
Administration, Oral ; Amlodipine ; administration & dosage ; blood ; Benzazepines ; administration & dosage ; blood ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVETo observe the differential effect of joint ultrasound on the syndrome differentiation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by observing the high frequency ultrasound performances among inactive stage and different syndromes in active stage.

METHODSTotally 83 RA patients in the active stage were assigned to the dampness heat syndrome group (DHS, 59 cases)and the cold dampness syndrome group (CDS, 24 cases) according to Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome typing. Besides, 20 RA patients in the remission stage were recruited as the control group (abbreviated as the remission group). By using high frequency ultrasound and power Doppler ultrasound technology, a comparative observation of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the 2nd-5th metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, wrist joints, knee joints, the second and the fifth metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints (a total of 24 joints) was performed in all patients. Correlation analyses were performed between the ultrasound performance, laboratory indices, and the disease activity. Ultrasound data of each RA patient were analyzed by their total scores. Χ2 test was used for enumeration data. The measurement data was expressed as x ± s. One-way ANOVA was used for data of normal distribution, while non- parametric test was used for data of non-normal distribution. Correlation analysis of two variables was performed for clinical indicators and ultrasound indicators. Its significance was detected using Pearson correlation.

RESULTSCompared with the remission group, the severity degree of synovitis, tenosynovitis, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion significantly increased in the DHS group (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the severity degree of synovitis and synovial blood flow, and DAS28 score in the CDS group (P < 0.05). Compared with the CDS group, there was statistical difference in the four ultrasound indices (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), ESR, CRP, anti-CCP, DAS28 score, and the positive rate of RF in the DHS group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in G, IgG, IgA, or IgM among the three groups (P > 0.05). There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, synovial blood flow, and bone erosion in the DHS group (r = 0.444, 0.397, 0.486, P < 0.05).There existed positive correlation between ESR and the synovitis degree, bone erosion, and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.378, 0.270, P < 0.05). There existed positive correlation between the DAS28 score and the synovitis degree and synovial blood flow in the DHS group (r = 0.304, 0.351, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe inflammation degree was the most severe in RA patients of DHS. High frequency ultrasound could provide better evidence for Chinese medical syndrome differentiation of RA patients.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; ultrastructure ; Syndrome ; Synovitis ; diagnostic imaging ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression and significance of CD151 in pituitary adenomas.

METHODSThirty-six pituitary adenomas were collected immediately after surgery together with five normal pituitary tissue. Real time-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis were performed to detect the expression of CD151 mRNA and protein in thirty-six pituitary adenomases and five normal pituitary tissues.

RESULTSThe expression of CD151 in all pituitary adenomases was observed to be significantly higher than that in normal pituitary tissues by Western blot, real time PCR, and immunohistochemistry analysis (P < 0.01). The expression levels of protein and mRNA in invasive pituitary adenomas were much higher than those in non-invasive pituitary adenomas (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe results suggested that the expression of CD151 was closely correlated with malignant degree of pituitary adenomas, which indicated the expression of CD151 was intimately correlated with occurrence and development of pituitary adenomas. Detecting CD151 might be a vital index to predict prognosis of pituitary adenomas.

Adenoma ; metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Pituitary Gland ; pathology ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tetraspanin 24 ; metabolism

AIM:To investigate the production and activation of caspase-3 in primary rat renal proximal tubule cells in response to tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and the implication of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in the process. METHODS:Isolated rat renal proximal tubule cells (PTCs) from male adult Sprague Dawley rats were treated with TNF-α according to the indicated time courses. A specific NF-κB inhibitor,Bay11-7082,was used alone or as a pretreatment for 1 h followed by exposure to TNF-α for 24 h.The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3,caspase-3,I-κBα,phosphorylated I-κBα,and GAPDH were detected by Western blotting using specific antibodies. RESULTS:The protein level of cleaved caspase-3 relative to caspase-3 was significantly increased in the presence of TNF-α for 6 h,12 h,and 24 h. Protein levels of caspase-3 were significantly decreased by 12 h and returned to baseline by 24 h in the presence of TNF-α. Treatment with Bay11-7082 for 25 h alone or pretreatment with Bay11-7082 for 1 h followed by addition of TNF-α for 24 h caused a remarkable reduction in both cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-3 as compared to control and TNF-α treated groups. An increase in phosphorylated I-κBα was observed from 15 min to 60 min after treatment with TNF-α at a dose of 10 μg/L in PTCs. CONCLUSION:NF-κB is not only associated with the activation of caspase-3 but also the production of caspase-3 in primary rat renal proximal tubule cells in response to TNF-α.