Objective To study the variation of serum thyroid hormones in each trimester of pregnancy and their relationship with thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPOAb).Methods Three-hundred and seventy-seven pregnant women in different trimesters were enrolled,the serum TSH,FT3,FT4,TT3,TT4,and TPOAb were determined by ICMA assay.Results Serun TSH in normal pregnant group was gradually increased as the pregnant trimester grew up ( all P＜0.05 ).The median of TSH in positive TPOAb group was higher than that of negative TPOAb group( P＜0.05 ).The prevalences of both clinical and subclinical hypothyroidism in positive TPOAb group were also higher than those in negative TPOAb group( all P＜0.05 ).The prevalences of subclinical hypothyroidism were 23.61％ and 18.04％,while those of clinical hypothyroidism were 0.27％ and 5.84％ by using TT4 and FT4 determination,respectively( P＜0.05 ).Conclusions More attention should be paid to the difference between FT4 and TT4 in hypothyroidism diagnosis during both second and third trimesters of pregnancy.Establishment of normal thyroid hormoues cut-off points in each trimester of pregnancy and screening for TPOAb is necessary.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of tension-free hernia repair in the treatment of inguinal hernia combined with ascites.Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted.The clinical data of 81 inguinal hernia patients with ascites who were admitted to the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2008 to June 2014 were collected.Patients with peritoneal effusion received restriction of sodium in take and diuretic therapy,and patients with severe hypoproteinemia received intravenous injection of albumin.All the patients underwent tension-free hernia repair (Gilbert way).Observation indicators:(1) surgical and postoperative situations:operation time,diameter of hernia ring,defect area of hernia,postoperative plasma drainage,removal time of plasma drainage-tube,postoperative complications and duration of hospital stay;(2) follow-up situation:recurrence and long-term complications of inguinal hernia.Follow-up using telephone interview,outpatient examination and inpatient examination was performed to detect the hernia recurrence and long-term complications for 24 months up to June 2016.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as (x)±s.Results (1) Surgical and postoperative situations:81 inguinal hernia patients with ascites underwent successful tension-free hernia repair.The operation time,diameter of hernia ring and defect area of hernia were respectively (46± 19) minutes,(3.1-± 0.7) cm and (25 ± 13) cm2.Sixty-five patients received indwelling plasma drainage-tube after repair,volume of light bloodstained fluid was respectively ≥ 100 mL in 39 patients and ＜ 100 mL in 26 patients at 24 hours postoperatively,with a removal time of plasma drainage-tube of (3.2± 1.0)days.Sixteen patients didn't receive indwelling plasma drainage-tube.Of 81 patients,9 and 4 were respectively complicated with mild seroma of incision and scrotal swelling,they were improved and then out of hospital after adequate drainage,with a duration of hospital stay (6.7-± 1.7)days.(2) Follow-up situation:of 81 patients,76 were followed up for 24 months,without recurrence and related complications of inguinal hernia.Conclusion The tension-free hernia repair in the treatment of inguinal hernia combined with ascites is safe and feasible,with good clinical effects.

Objective To investigate the application of three stages enhanced scan of multi-slice spiral CT for the characteristic analysis on the wall and lumen of colorectal mucous adenocarcinoma.Methods 51 patients with colorectal mucinous adenocarcinoma who had complete pathologic diagnosis were studied.GE Discovery CT 750HD scanner was used for line scan,arterial and portal venous phase scan,and delayed scan.The lesions of intestinal wall,enteric cavity and proximal normal lumen were observed by line scan and enhanced scan,and the related quantitative value and CT value were observed.Results The intestinal wall was uneven annular thickening or hemispherical thickening.The thickening intestinal wall showed lobular changes around the inner margin,outer margin,or without lobular changes.The hierarchical sign and cystoids sign were observed with three layers or two layers structure after enhanced scan.Metastases of the larger lymph node,liver,ovaries were characterized similar to cyst.According to the form,the stenosis was divided into natural streamlined,irregular fixed,and irregular constrictive types.The proximal normal intestinal canal of the lesion showed occlusion,mild expansion or severe expansion.Conclusions Walls of colorectal mucous adenocarcinoma was uneven annular thickening or hemispherical thickening,in which calcification was found,and there was features of similar to layer and cyst after enhancement.The stiff intestinal wall appeared less,and the proximal bowel obstruction was rare.Therefore,depend on these characteristics,the diagnosis of colorectal mucous adenocarcinoma can be achieved.

AIM: To investigate the role of fatty acid translocase/CD36 (FAT/CD36) in adipose tissue in-flammation induced by a high-fat diet.METHODS:C57BL/6J mice were fed with a normal-chow diet ( NCD) or a high-fat diet ( HFD) for 14 weeks.The content of free fatty acid ( FFA) in the serum was measured by ELISA.The expression of CD36, cytokines and chemokines at mRNA and protein levels in the adipose tissues was determined by real-time poly-merase chain reaction and Western blotting.Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the macrophages infiltration in the adipose tissues.The inflammatory responses in CD36 knockout mice and wild type mice with high-fat diet were ana-lyzed.RESULTS:The levels of FAT/CD36 were higher in HFD group than that in NCD group.HFD feeding enhanced the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1 and MIP-1, as well as promoted macrophage infiltration in the adipose tissues.Interestingly, as fed with HFD, the expression of cytokines/chemokines and macrophage infiltration were significantly reduced in adipose tissues of the CD36 knockout mice, compared with the wild type mice.CONCLU-SION:High-fat diet promotes adipose tissue inflammation in the mice in a FAT/CD36-dependent manner.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of hyperenhancement sign on ultrasound,CT and their combination in diagnosis of thyroid benign and malignant nodules.Methods The contrast-enhanced ultrasound and enhanced CT datas of 172 thyroid nodules in 144 cases confirmed by operation and pathology were retrospectively analyzed,including 97 benign nodules and 75 malignant nodules.According to the degree of enhancement,these nodules were divided into iso-or low-enhancement and hyperenhancement.The distributions of ultrasound hyperenhancement,CT hyperenhancement and both of them in thyroid benign and malignant nodules,adenomatoid lesions and nodular goiters were analyzed,followed byx2 test for statistical analysis.Results In 172 thyroid nodules,the proportions of ultrasound hyperenhancement,CT hyperenhancement and both of them in thyroid benign and malignant nodules were 53.6％(52/97) and 20.0％(15/75)(x2＝20.090,P＜0.05),34.0％ (33/97) and 4.0％ (3/75) (x2＝23.033,P＜0.05),31.0％ (30/97) and 0％ (0/75) (x2＝28.096,P＜0.05),respectively.Their sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing benign nodules were 53.6％ (52/97) and 80.0％ (60/75),34.0％ (33/97) and 96％ (72/75),30.9％ (30/97) and 100％ (75/75),respectively.The proportions of ultrasound hyperenhancement,CT hyperenhancement and both of them in adenomatoid lesions and nodular goiters were 96.9％(31/32) and 32.3％(21/65)0x2＝35.946,P＜0.05),65.6％(21/32) and 18.5％(12/65)(x2＝21.250,P＜0.05),65.6％(21/32) and 13.8％ (9/65)(x2＝26.912,P＜0.05).Their sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing adenomatoid lesions were 96.9％(31/32) and 67.7％(44/65),65.6％(21/32) and 81.5％(53/65),65.6％(21/32) and 87.2％(56/65).Conclusions Ultrasound hyperenhancement,CT hyperenhancement for diagnosing thyroid benign nodules are of significant value.Especially for adenomatoid nodules,ultrasound hyperenhancement has a higher sensitivity,while CT hyperenhancement has a higher specificity.Their combination can further improve the diagnostic specificity,thus reducing the unnecessary surgical trauma.

Objective To evaluate the application of liver ultrasound hemodynamic parameters in diagnosing moderate to severe esophageal varices(EV) among patients suffering from portal hypertension.Methods The control group consisted of twenty nine patients without EV.Sixty patients with EV diagnosed by endoscopy were divided into two groups equal in number according to grade of EV.One being mild,the other was moderate to severe.All patients underwent color Doppler flow imaging and contrastenhanced ultrasound,and the dynamic angiography data were collected.Time intensity curves were drawn by software to acquire the arrive time of hepatic artery (HAAT),hepatic vein (HVAT) and portal vein (PVAT).Then HV-HA interval time,PV HA interval time and PV-HV interval time were calculated.The quantitative parameters including HV-HA,PV-HA,PV-HV,damping index (DI) of hepatic vein and portal vein velocity(PVV) were compared.ROC curve was used to assess the value of the parameters above in predicting moderate to severe esophageal varices.Results The difference of PV-HV,PV HA,HV-HA,PVV,DI between the control and the moderate to severe group were statistically significant (P =0.000).PV-HV,PV-HA,HV-HA,DI in moderate to severe group showed statistically significant compared with mild group (P =0.000,P =0.002,P =0.000,P =0.002),however,PVV had no significant (P ＞0.05) difference between the two groups.Mild group contrasted to the control group,the differences of PV-HA and HV-HA were statistically significant (P =0.000),whereas PV-HV,DI,PVV displayed no significant (P ＞0.05) difference.The areas under ROC curve of PV-HV,PV-HA,HV-HA,PVV,DI were 0.952,0.775,0.847,0.699,0.808 respectively.The best cutoff value of PV-HV for diagnosing moderate to severe EV was 0.5 second,with sensitivity and specificity of 86.2％ and 94.8％ respectively.Conclusions The liver ultrasound hemodynamic parameters is helpful in the diagnosis and evaluation of moderate to severe esophageal varices,which is expected to become a new noninvasive method.

A method was proposed for the separation and determination of paraffin waxes in food by HPLC-evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). A normal-phase column was used to separate nonparaffinic and paraffinic materials without resolving the latter into individual components. The t-test method was adopted for the evaluation of mean difference between response factors of n-alkanes in paraffin waxes on ELSD detector. No mean difference was obtained between response factors, which can be used for quantitative determination of paraffin waxes in food. The determination results obtained by HPLC-ELSD were compared with those by GC-MS. The linear range for the determination of paraffin waxes was in the range from 10 to 500 mg/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9988, and the limit of detection was 1.0 mg/L. With the spiking level of 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg, the recovery ranged from 84.6% to 105.4% and the relative standard deviation ranging from 5.4% to 7.2%. The proposed method is simple, fast and sensitive.

To construct a bait expression vector containing the duck circovirus Cap gene for use in the yeast two-hybrid system, the whole cap codon-optimized gene was inserted into pGBKT7 vector and confirmed by PCR, restriction enzyme digestion, and sequence analysis. After transformation into a Y2HGold yeast strain, the expression of Cap protein was analyzed by Western blotting. Toxicity and self-activation of the bait protein were detected using different dropout minimal base. PCR reaction, restriction enzyme digestion, and sequencing analyses indicated that the duck circovirus Cap gene was correctly inserted into pG- BKT7. Western blotting showed that the whole Cap protein was expressed. The recombinant bait protein had no toxicity and self-activation. Therefore, the bait vector with the Cap gene was constructed successfully, providing a foundation for future screening for interacting proteins in the yeast two-hybrid system.
Animals ; Capsid Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Circovirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Cloning, Molecular ; Ducks ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

Objective To observe the changes of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in typeⅡdiabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) before and after interventional therapy, and to investigate the effects of oxidative stress level and interventional treatment on serum SOD level. Methods During the period from July 2011 to December 2012 at authors’ hospital, a total of 40 patients with type Ⅱ angiography together with balloon dilation and/or stenting was carried out in 24 patients (group B, with Fontaine stage of Ⅱb - Ⅲ). Of the 24 patients in group B, lower limb arterial angiography together with balloon dilation was employed in 16 (group B1) and lower limb arterial angiography together with balloon dilation and stenting was adopted in 8 (group B2). Twenty healthy clinical subjects were used as control group (group C). Before interventional treatment, elbow venous blood samples of patients in group A and B were collected to determine serum lipid, HbA1c and SOD levels. The same tests were also carried out in the subjects of group C. During percutaneous lower extremity arterial intervention , through arterial sheath 3 ml arterial blood specimen was collected in all patients of both group A and B before intervention started. Twenty-four hours after the treatment, venous blood specimen was also collected in all patients to determine serum SOD levels. The results were statistically analyzed. Results Lower limb arterial angiography showed that no obvious arterial stenosis was seen in the patients of group A. The interventional procedures were all successfully completed in all patients of group B. SOD levels of group A, B and C were (46.1 ± 3.13)U/ml, (35.37 ± 3.58)U/ml and (60.50 ± 6.99)U/ml respectively. SOD levels of both group A and B were significantly lower than that of group C (t = 8.420, P < 0.01; t = 14.324, P < 0.01). The level of SOD in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (t = 10.092, P < 0.01). The ankle-brachium indexes (ABI) of group A, B and C were (0.70 ± 0.12), (0.58 ± 0.13) and (1.15 ± 0.07) respectively. ABI of group A and B was significantly lower than that of group C (t = 14.324, P < 0.01; t = 17.392, P < 0.01). ABI of group B was significantly lower than that of group A (t=3.027, P<0.05). SOD level bore a negative correlation with HbA1c level (r=-0.541, P<0.01). In both group A and group B, no significant difference in SOD level existed between the venous blood and arterial blood. The preoperative arterial SOD levels in group B1 and group B2 were (35.70 ± 3.04)U/ml, and (36.07 ± 2.14)U/ml respectively, and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The preoperative SOD levels in the ischemic arterial region in group B1 and group B2 were (32.95 ± 3.52)U/ml and (33.59 ± 2.64)U/ml respectively, and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant although these levels were significantly lower than the preoperative arterial SOD levels(t=2.741, P<0.05; t=2.704, P<0.05). After the interventional treatment, the SOD levels in the ischemic arterial region in group B1 and group B2 were (29.40 ± 5.49)U/ml and (26.68 ± 2.31)U/ml respectively, and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant although these levels were significantly lower than the preoperative SOD levels in the ischemic arterial region (t = 2.536, P < 0.05; t = 5.005, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences in SOD levels at each corresponding site existed between group B1 and group B2. Conclusion No significant difference in SOD level exists between the venous blood and the arterial blood. Serum SOD level carries a negative linear correlation with HbA1c level. Before interventional treatment , the SOD level in ischemic region is low, which becomes lower after the interventional procedure, which may be caused by the enhanced oxidative stress reaction that is resulted from the damage of the vascular wall due to interventional manipulations. The enhanced oxidative stress reaction may play an important role in the occurrence of restenosis.

BACKGROUND:Colagen sponges are applied for hemostatic use, wound healing, and residual cavity filing, which have great values in clinical application and scientific research.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the biological properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability of colagen spongesin vivo.
METHODS: The spatial structure, pore diameter and porosity of colagen sponges were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the conformation of colagen sponges. The secondary structure and thermal denaturation temperature of colagen sponges were
analyzed by circular dichroism spectrum. Colagen sponges were implanted intramuscularly into the spinal cord of New Zealand rabbits to observe the degradation and absorption and histological changesin vivo.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Colagen sponges had porous structure with varying pore sizes ranging
40-150 μm, the mean pore size of 100 μm, the thickness wal of 1 μm, and a porosity of approximately 95.8%. Colagen sponges had a typical porous structure and periodic light and dark zones. The solution of colagen
sponges had a weak positive band near 220 nm and an intense negative band near 206 nm, which indicated a classic triple helix. And the secondary structure and thermal stability of colagen sponges were similar to that of
liquid colagen. Colagen sponges began to degrade at 4 weeks, and remained 20% at 12 weeks. These sponges had been associated with foreign body response and inflammation within 2 weeks after implantation. With wound healing, inflammatory reactions gradualy reduced and disappeared. During the implantation and degradation of sponges, no significant fibrous capsule formed and no tissue necrosis occurred at implantation site, indicating that colagen sponges have good performance in bioactivity, biocompatibility and degradation.