Objective To assess the frequency and significance of maternal cell contamination (MCC)in the invasive prenatal diagnosis,and to analysis the MCC effect on prenatal diagnosis results.Methods Totally 519 amniotic fluid samples from second trimester pregnancy,57 chorionic villus samples from first trimester pregnancy,and 576 blood samples from corresponded pregnant women were collected and genotyped by Promega PowerPlex 16 system.MCC was determined according to the genotyping results.Karyotypic and molecular diagnosis results were contrasted between MCC and non-MCC specimen of the same fetal.Results MCC presented in 3.1％(16/519)uncultured amniotic fluid,1.3％(7/519)cultured amniotic fluid and 5％(3/57)villi specimens.In the study of fetal karyotype,MCC had no significant effect on normal female fetus;but for male fetus and abnormal female fetus,there were risk of erroneous results of mosaics.As to molecular diagnosis,MCC resulted in more complex effects for the different diagnostic methods.And 10％ MCC had led to misdiagnosis.Conclusions For the prenatal cytogenetic tests,MCC should be excluded when there were mosaicism karyotype results or suspicious MCC of chorionic villi samples.The effects of MCC had more seriously impact on prenatal molecular testing,which suggesting the recommend regular identity test for MCC should bc carried out.

BACKGROUND:Artificial total disc replacement is one treatment of low back pain in recent years, but the report on the effect of disc replacement on lumbar sagittal plane is rare. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the effect of lumbar disc replacement on lumbar lordosis. METHODS:Retrospective analysis of radiographic data of 17 patients who underwent lumbar disc replacement for single segment degenerative disc disease was carried out. Data measurement included preoperative and postoperative lumbar lordosis, diseased segmental lordosis and lumbar intervertebral angle. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Al the 17 patients were fol owed-up for more than 12 months. Lumbar disc replacement was performed at L4-5 segment in three cases and L5-S1 segment in 14 cases. The average diseased segmental lordosis and lumbar lordosis were increased significantly after replacement when compared with those before replacement (P<0.05);the lumbar intervertebral angle was increased after replacement when compared with that before replacement, but the difference was not significant. The results indicate that lumbar disc replacement for the treatment of single segment degenerative disc disease can increase the lumbar lordosis and diseased segmental lordosis, which can help to improve the lumbar sagittal balance. The postoperative lumbar intervertebral angle has no correlation with the implant angle of the prosthesis on the replace segment.

BACKGROUND:Transforaminal endoscopic discectomy needs to dissociate the ligamentum flavum, and if
combined with the continuous dilator and working channel, it can keep the intact ligamentum flavum no matter how smal the incision may be (even 3-5 mm).
OBJECTIVE:To present the technique of interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy with ligamentum flavum splitting.
METHODS:We performed operations on 16 male and 14 female patients by interlaminar endoscopic lumbar
discectomy with ligamentum flavum splitting. The average age of the patients in the study was (48±15) years. The chief complaint before surgery was radiculopathy confined to one leg. The anatomic operative level was L 3-4 in
one case, L 4-5 in 13 cases and L 5-S 1 in 16 cases. The ruptured disc migrated superiorly in four cases and
inferiorly in seven cases, and intraoperative electromyo-graphic monitoring was performed in al surgeries. The
ligamentum flavum was split, and after withdrawing the working channel, the ligamentum flavum could reset itself. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The total operation time was 20-40 minutes, and the fol ow-up period was
(149±108) days. There were no abnormal signals on the intraoperative electromyography in any cases, and the reported symptoms were immediately improved in al patients after the operation. Fol ow-up magneticresonance imaging showed a disappearance of the ruptured disc without defect in the ligamentum flavum. There were no operation-associated complications in al the patients. Interlaminar endoscopic lumbar discectomy with
ligamentum flavum splitting is a feasible approach.

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of γH2AX in cervical squamous carcinoma.Methods Firstly,DNA were extracted from 74 cervical squamous carcinoma samples and PCR were tested for HPV infection.Secondly,formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections (4 μm)were stained with H&E method to detect cervical lesions grading.Thirdly,HPV16 DNA were examined by in situ hybridization(ISH) and γH2AX,p16 were examined by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining.Then,30 cases typical tissue sections in which including the normal cervical tissue,cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical carcinoma in situ were selected for comparing the HPV DNA loading,and the γH2AX and,pl6 expression.Finally,the feasibility of γH2AX serving as a biomarks in HPV infection-related cervical carcinogenesis were analyzed.Results In this study,HPV infection ratio is 98.65％,and HPV16 is the most common type with 74.32％ infection.In situ hybridization showed no HPV16 DNA exist in normal cervical tissues and CINI.In CIN Ⅱ HPV DNA exist mainly as episomal DNA.With the increasing of cervical lesions grade,HPV DNA was integrated into chromosome steadily.The expression of γH2AX and pl6 were positively associated with grading of cervical lesions.HPV DNA and γH2AX protein co-exist primarily in the prickle cell layer and the granular cell layer.The HPV DNA and p16 protein exist in different cell layer.Conclusion γH2AX may be employed as a biomarker for HPV positive cervical carcinogenesis.

OBJECTIVETo observe the differences in onset time and the overall efficacy of the acupuncture therapy of dredging Governor Vessel and regulating mentality combined with fluoxetine and the fluoxetine for post-stroke depression(PSD).

METHODSSixty-three patients were randomly divided into an acupuncture intervention of dredging Governor Vessel and regulating mentality group(acupuncture and medication group, 33 cases) and a control group (medication group, 30 cases). In the medication group, 20 mg fluoxetine was used by oral administration, once a day at 7:00 in the morning, continuously for 4 weeks. In the acupuncture and medication group, based on the oral administration of fluoxetine, the acupuncture intervention of dredging Governor Vessel and regulating mentality was applied mainly at Baihui(GV 20), Fengfu(GV 16), Shenting(GV 24), Shuigou(GV 26), Dazhui(GV 14) and Shendao(GV 11), once a day, 6 times a week, continuously for 4 weeks. Twenty-four items in Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD), modified Edinburgh Scandinavia Stroke Scale(MESSS) and activity of daily life scale(ADL, Barthel index, BI) were used before and after 2-week and 4-week treatment. The efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAfter 2-week treatment, the HAMD score and the MESSS score in the acupuncture and medication group were obviously decreased and the BI score was apparently increased(all P<0. 01). In the medication group, however, the score of every scale was not statistically different from that before treatment(P'>0. 05). After 4-week treatment, HAMD scores and MESSS scores in the two groups were obviously decreased and the BI scores I were apparently increased(all P<0. 01). After 2-week and 4-week treatment, the HAMD scores and the MESSS scores in the acupuncture and medication group were lower than those in the medication group and the BI scores were higher than those in the medication group(P<0. 01, P<0. 05). The total effective rate of anti-depression (97. 0%, 32/33) the total effective rate of nerve function impairment(90. 9%, 30/33) and the total effective rate of daily life activity(97. 0% 32/33) in the acupuncture and medication group were better than 80. 0% (24/30), 80. 0%(24/30), 83. 3%(25/30) in the medication group(all P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture therapy of dredging Governor Vessel and regulating mentality could reduce the onset time of anti-depression medicine treatment of PSD and enhance the overall efficacy. Therefore, it enhances the clinical compliance.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Antidepressive Agents ; administration & dosage ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Depression ; drug therapy ; etiology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Stroke ; complications ; psychology

Objective To investigate the value of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) technique for the detection of chromosomal analysis of miscarried embryo, and to provide genetic counseling for couples with spontaneous abortion. Methods Totally 382 patients who underwent miscarriage were enrolled in this study. All aborted tissues were analyzed with conventional cytogenetic karyotyping and array-CGH, respectively. Results Through genetic analysis, all of the 382 specimens were successfully analyzed by array-CGH (100.0%, 382/382), and the detection rate of chromosomal aberrations was 46.6% (178/382). However, conventional karyotype analysis was successfully performed in 281 cases (73.6%, 281/382), and 113 (40.2%, 113/281) were found with chromosomal aberrations. Of these 178 samples identified by array-CGH, 163 samples (91.6%, 163/178) were aneuploidy, 15 samples (8.4%, 15/178) were segmental deletion and (or) duplication cases. Four of 10 cases with small segmental deletion and duplication were validated to be transferred from their fathers or mathers who were carriers of submicroscopic reciprocal translocation. Of these 113 abnormal karyotypes founded by conventional karyotyping, 108 cases (95.6%, 108/113) were aneuploidy and 5 cases (4.4%, 5/113) had chromosome structural aberrations. Most array-CGH results were consistent with conventional karyotyping but with 3 cases of discrepancy, which included 2 cases of triploids, 1 case of low-level mosaicism that undetcted by array-CGH. Conclusions Compared with conventional karyotyping, there is an increased detection rate of chromosomal abnormalities when array-CGH is used to analyse the products of conception, primarilly because of its sucess with nonviable tissues. It could be a first-line method to determine the reason of miscarrage with higher accuracy and sensitivity.

Aged ; Fatty Liver ; complications ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipids ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Metabolic Diseases ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

BACKGROUNDAsthma is a complex disease involving genetic and environment interactions. Atopy is a strong risk factor for asthma. The airway epithelium not only forms a physical barrier but also provides immune defense against harmful materials. To explore the effects of airway epithelium on asthma, we hypothesized that environmental injuries could act on bronchial epithelial cells and damage the physical barrier, which might facilitate allergens to stimulate immunoreactions and play an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma.

METHODSThirty eight-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups with six rats in each group: control group, asthma group, ovalbumin (OVA) + OVA group, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group and LPS + OVA group. In the control group, 0.9% saline was injected intraperitoneally on day 1. Fourteen days later, the rats were exposed to aerosolized 0.9% saline. In the asthma group, the rats were sensitized with an injection of 10 mg of OVA, followed by an aerosolized 2% OVA challenge 14 days later. The OVA + OVA group was sensitized by an inhalation 2% OVA, 20 minutes a day, from day 1 to day 7, and then OVA challenged in the same way as the asthma group. In the LPS group, LPS (200 µl, 1 µg/µl) was given by airway on day 1 and day 3, with a simultaneous aerosol inhalation of 2% OVA for 20 minutes a day from day 1 to day 7. Fourteen days later, the rats were challenged with saline as in the control group. While in the LPS + OVA group, LPS (200 µl, 1 µg/µl) was given by airway on day 1 and day 3, with a simultaneous aerosol inhalation of 2% OVA for 20 minutes a day from day 1 to day 7. Fourteen days later, the rats were challenged with OVA as in the asthma group. The expression of interleukin (IL)-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in the lungs was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the pulmonary pathological changes were also observed. The level of IL-4, IFN-γ and IgE in plasma was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected to conduct differential cell counts. Flow cytometry analysis was also used to count Th1 and Th2 cells.

RESULTSThe pathological changes in the LPS + OVA group were similar to the asthma group, while in other groups, the pathological changes were not obvious. The ratio of lymphocytes in BALF, IL-4/IFN-γ in plasma and the expression of the TSLP and IL-4 in the asthma and LPS + OVA groups were higher than in the control group and the OVA + OVA group (P < 0.05). The level of IgE was higher in the asthma, LPS and LPS + OVA groups than in the control group and the OVA + OVA group (P < 0.05). By flow cytometry analysis, the Th1/Th2 ratio was lower in the LPS + OVA and asthma groups than in other groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe experiment results show that the injury to the bronchial epithelial layer may be the initial event of allergic responses. This finding implies that a rational approach to therapeutics would be to increase the resistance of the airways to environmental injuries rather than concentrating on suppressing inflammation.

Animals ; Bronchi ; pathology ; Cell Count ; Cytokines ; physiology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Epithelial Cells ; pathology ; Hypersensitivity ; etiology ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Interferon-gamma ; blood ; Interleukin-4 ; blood ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Male ; Ovalbumin ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objectives To screen the high-risk population of stroke in China using color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI)and to establish a stroke risk prediction model in Chinese population in order to prevent and treat stroke early. Methods Forty-one base hospitals and 715 286 people in the project areas of the first 6 provinces of China conducted routine physical examinations and investigated the related risk factors for cardiocerebrovascular diseases from July 2011 to April 2012 using a cross-sectional study,among them 61 860 patients underwent carotid CDFI screening,and 49 386 of them were high-risk population (exposed to≥3 risk factors). The bilateral common carotid interma-media thickness (IMT),the number of plaques and the degree of carotid stenosis were screened and documented. And whether carotid IMT thickening or not,with or without carotid plaques,and degree of carotid artery stenotic rate 0-49% and≥50% were performed by multivariate logistic regression analysis with the risk factors for stroke,respectively. Results (1)Logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension,atrial fibrillation,smoking,and lack of physical exercise were the independent risk factors for carotid IMT thickening (hypertension:OR,1. 17;95%CI 1. 12-1. 22;atrial fibrillation:OR,1. 15;95%CI 1. 09-1. 21;smoking:OR,1. 13;95%CI 1. 08-1. 17;and lack of physical exercise:OR,1. 12;95%CI 1.08-1. 16). (2)Hypertension,atrial fibrillation, smoking,and diabetes were the independent risk factors for carotid plaque and carotid artery stenosis rate≥50%(carotid plaque,hypertension:OR,1. 55;95%CI 1. 47-1. 62;atrial fibrillation:OR,1. 13;95%CI 1.06-1. 21;smoking:OR,1. 16;95%CI 1. 11-1. 22;and diabetes:OR,1. 30;95%CI 1. 24-1. 37). Carotid stenosis rate≥50%,hypertension:OR,1. 78;95%CI 1.55-2. 03;atrial fibrillation:OR,1. 59;95%CI 1. 39-1. 81;smoking:OR,1. 33;95%CI 1. 20-1. 48;and diabetes:OR,1. 30;95%CI 1. 17-1. 45. Simple obesity did not increase the incidences of carotid atherosclerotic plaque and carotid artery stenosis ≥50%(OR,0. 78, 0.83;95%CI 0. 75-0. 82 ,0. 75-0. 92,respectively). Conclusions Neck vascular ultrasound can be used as a valuable means for screening high-risk population and detecting risk factors of stroke. It has an important clinical significance for the early diagnosis and treatment of carotid atherosclerosis disease.

OBJECTIVETo explore the significance of abnormal expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/TrkB in the development and evolution of multiple myeloma (MM) and the involved signaling pathways.

METHODSThe effect of BDNF on the cell viability of human myeloma cell line (HMCL) (RPMI8226, U266, KM3) was determined by trypan blue dye-exclusion. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of tested chemotherapeutic agents. The effect of BDNF on the phosphorylation of TrkB was determined by Western blot. A human myeloma xenograft animal model was used to evaluate the effects of BDNF on tumor growth and survival time.

RESULTSBDNF at 50 microg/L triggered significant increase in cell viability of HMCL. BDNF protected KM3 cells from melphalan and vincristine. The viability of KM3 cells exposed to varying concentrations of melphalan with and without 50 microg/L BDNF showed that BDNF induced almost a 2-fold and a 3-fold increase in melphalan and vincristine toxicity respectively. BDNF treatment increased MM cell growth in xenografted MM model (3240.9 mm3 vs 1032.7 mm3 ) (P <0.05). Intratumoral injection of BDNF also significantly reduced survival time (13 d vs 21 d) (P <0.05). The phosphorylated TrkB level was increased significantly after treated by exogenous BDNF. BDNF-triggered migration in RPMI8226 cells was completely abrogated by a Trk tyrosine kinase inhibitor K252a.

CONCLUSIONBDNF can activate TrkB signaling cascades resulting in MM cells growth, migration, and chemoprotection and appears to have a major contribution to the pathogenesis of MM.

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Multiple Myeloma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Phosphorylation ; Receptor, trkB ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays