lusions WI parameters reflect both cardiac and vascular changes of hyperthyroid patients. Mid-systolic hemodynamic turbulence appears in a portion of hyperthyroid patients.

BACKGROUNDTissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is related to the aging of many organs, but few data are available on the change of TIMP-1 in liver aging. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and role of TIMP-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in the process of natural aging in the livers of normal and transgenic mice, and to detect the effects of TIMP-1 on oxidative level and anti-oxidative ability of the livers of transgenic young mice.

METHODSNormal and transgenic mice were divided into 3 groups according to their age: 3-month-old group (n = 5), 12-month-old group (n = 5) and 24-month-old group (n = 5). Histopathological changes of the liver were observed after HE and Masson staining. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of TIMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction; protein expression was measured by Western blot in the livers of normal and transgenic mice of various ages. Changes in levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), monoamine oxidase (MAO), malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as oxidative and anti-oxidative ability were measured.

RESULTSHistologically, more fatty degeneration and collagen deposition were found in the aging livers of transgenic mice than in those of the normal mice as their age of months increased. The mRNA and protein expressions of TIMP-1 were significantly high in the oldest animals. The histopathological changes, mRNA and protein expressions of TIMP-1 increased significantly in the liver of transgenic mice as compared with normal mice. The expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 showed a minor change in the process of aging. Liver change and collagen deposition were not observed in young mice, but the activity of SOD decreased (P < 0.05), and the activity of MAO (P < 0.01) and the content of MDA increased in the liver of transgenic mice (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of TIMP-1 is significantly high in the liver of transgenic mouse in the process of aging, indicating that the oxidative level increases and the anti-oxidative ability decreases in the liver of transgenic mouse. TIMP-1 plays an important role in the process of liver aging.

Aging ; metabolism ; Animals ; Female ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; analysis ; genetics ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; analysis ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Monoamine Oxidase ; analysis ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; analysis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the correlation between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in primary lung cancer cells, tumor associated macrophages (TAM) and patients' clinicopathological characteristics.

METHODSFrom 2008 to 2010, 208 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent surgery or CT-guided biopsy were recruited from Huadong Hospital, Fudan University. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed to evaluate the PD-L1 expression in both primary lung cancer cells and CD68 positive TAM. The relationship between PD-L1 expression and the clinical pathology was evaluated using χ(2) test. Spearman's rank correlations were used to determine the correlation between PD-L1 expression in tumor cells and macrophages.

RESULTSPositive PD-L1 expression in primary cancer cells was found in 136 (65.3%) patients, which were negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.009) and smoking history (P=0.036). Besides, TAM with PD-L1 expression (found in 116 patients) was positively associated with smoking history (P=0.034), well-differentiation (P=0.029) and negative lymph node metastasis (P=0.0096). A correlation between PD-L1 expression in primary tumor cells and non-small cell lung cancer associated macrophages was found (r=0.228, P=0.021).

CONCLUSIONPD-L1, secreted from TAM, might induce cancer cells apoptosis, and decrease lymph node metastasis.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Apoptosis ; B7-H1 Antigen ; secretion ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; pathology ; secretion ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; secretion ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Macrophages ; pathology ; secretion ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of pH value and fluoride ions on the corrosion resistance of pure Ti and Ni-Cr-Ti alloy in the artificial saliva.

METHODSElectrochemical technique was used to measure the electric potential of corrosion (Ecorr), current density of corrosion (Icorr) and polarization resistance (Rp) of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy in the artificial saliva with different pH value and fluoride concentrations. After electrochemical analysis, microstructure and phase diffraction were examined by FSEM.

RESULTSWith the lower pH value, the Ecorr and Icorr of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy increased, the Rp decreased, there was a significant difference (P<0.05). The Ecorr and Icorr increased markedly, the Rp significantly reduced in the artificial saliva containing 0.2% NaF (P<0.01). FSEM showed that pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy surface corrosion, pure titanium in the artificial saliva containing 0.2% NaF was most serious.

CONCLUSIONLower pH value decreases the corrosion resistance of pure titanium and Ti-Ni-Cr alloy and the artificial saliva containing fluoride ions decreases the corrosion resistance of pure titanium.

Chromium Alloys ; chemistry ; Corrosion ; Dental Alloys ; chemistry ; Electrochemistry ; Fluorides ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Materials Testing ; Metal Ceramic Alloys ; chemistry ; Nickel ; chemistry ; Saliva, Artificial ; chemistry ; Surface Properties ; Titanium ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of vertebrae semi-dislocation on the stress distribution in facet joint and interuertebral disc of patients with cervical syndrome using three dimensional finite element model.

METHODSA patient with cervical spondylosis was randomly chosen, who was male, 28 years old, and diagnosed as cervical vertebra semidislocation by dynamic and static palpation and X-ray, and scanned from C(1) to C(7) by 0.75 mm slice thickness of CT. Based on the CT data, the software was used to construct the three dimensional finite element model of cervical vertebra semidislocation (C(4)-C(6)). Based on the model,virtual manipulation was used to correct the vertebra semidislocation by the software, and the stress distribution was analyzed.

RESULTSThe result of finite element analysis showed that the stress distribution of C(5-6) facet joint and intervertebral disc changed after virtual manipulation.

CONCLUSIONThe vertebra semidislocation leads to the abnormal stress distribution of facet joint and intervertebral disc.

Adult ; Cervical Vertebrae ; injuries ; physiopathology ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; physiopathology ; Joint Dislocations ; physiopathology ; Male ; Models, Anatomic ; Stress, Physiological ; Zygapophyseal Joint ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of the classification of the spino-pelvic sagittal alignment in adluts according to lumbar lordosis (LL) and inflection point (IP).

METHODSWhole spine, standing radiographs of 223 adult volunteers were taken from July to August in 2011 .There were 111 cases(56 female and 55 male) enrolled in the study based on the inclusion criteria. The pelvic and spinal parameters, including thoracic kyphosis(TK), thoracolumbar kyphosis(TLK), LL, sacral slope(SS), pelvic tilt(PT), pelvic incidence(PI), intervertebral endplate angle, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), spino-sacral angle (SSA) and IP were measured. The spino-pelvic sagittal alignment were classified in to 3 types according to LL and IP. Type I: LL > -40°, IP located below L2 ∼ 3; Type II: -60° ≤ LL ≤ -40°, IP located in L1 ∼ 2 or T12 ∼ L1; Type III: LL < -60°, P located above T11 ∼ 12. Pearson correlation analysis was used to test the correlation between the variables. The parameters in each type were compared by oneway-ANOVA respectively,then additional multiple comparisons were performed.

RESULTSThe mean value of LL was -49° ± 10°, TK was 36° ± 7°, TLK was 6° ± 7°, PT was 11° ± 7°, SS was 34° ± 8°, PI was 45° ± 9°, SSA was 127° ± 9° and SVA was (-2.7 ± 22.8)mm, respectively. Only LL had significant statistical correlation with all the other parameters. Negative correlation presented between LL and TK, PI, SS, SSA (r = -0.387, -0.536, -0.858, -0.801,P < 0.05). Positive correlation presented between LL and TLK, SVA, PT (r = 0.319, 0.296, 0.262, P < 0.05). All the volunteers were classified into the 3 types: Type I1 9 cases, Type II 75 cases,Type III 17 cases. Oneway-ANOVA results showed statistical difference in LL, TK, TLK, PT, SS, PI, SSA, SVA among the 3 types, (F = 164.559, 7.431, 14.099, 4.217, 53.856, 6.252, 35.995, 8.626, P < 0.05 ). Multiple comparisons showed that LL, SS, SSA, PI had statistical difference between each two types comparison (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSLL is the central parameter of the spino-pelvic sagittal balance. The patterns of the spino-pelvic sagittal alignment in adults could be classified into three types, according to LL and IP. The classification could describe the morphological differences and balance of the spino-pelvic sagittal alignment.

Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Anthropometry ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvis ; anatomy & histology ; Postural Balance ; Radiography ; Spine ; anatomy & histology

OBJECTIVETo study the possible role of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin in the carcinogenesis of sporadic colorectal tubular adenoma.

METHODSImmunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin proteins in 65 sporadic colorectal tubular adenomas with dysplasia of varying degrees and 22 colorectal tubular adenoma with cancerous area.

RESULTSIn normal colorectal mucosa, colorectal tubular adenoma with dysplasia and colorectal tubular adenoma with cancerous area, the positive rate of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin expression was increased gradually. The positive expression of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin was all significantly higher in the cases of colorectal tubular adenoma with dysplasia or with cancerous area than that in normal colorectal mucosa (P < 0.05), and the positive expression of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin was significantly higher in colorectal tubular adenoma with cancerous area than that in colorectal tubular adenoma with dysplasia of different degrees (P < 0.05). In the cases of colorectal tubular adenoma with dysplasia of varying degrees, the positive expression of Raf-1 was increased along with the increasing dysplasia degree of colorectal tubular adenoma (P < 0.05). Coexpression of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin increased gradually in the carcinogenesis of sporadic colorectal tubular adenoma, while positive correlation was found among the expressions of JNK1, Raf-1 and Livin.

CONCLUSIONJNK1, Raf-1 and Livin may be involved in the carcinogenesis of sporadic colorectal tubular adenoma.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; metabolism ; Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Carcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; metabolism ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 8 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Precancerous Conditions ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the application effect of the teaching model of massive open online course (MOOC)+small private online course (SPOC) in the undergraduate clinical teaching of Fundamentals of Surgery.Methods:A total of 30 undergraduate medical trainees in the five-year program were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 15 trainees in each group. With the chapter of basic surgical procedures as an example, the trainees in the control group received traditional teaching, and those in the experimental group received MOOC+SPOC teaching. Theoretical assessment and surgery simulation were performed at one week after the course to evaluate the teaching effect. SPSS 17.0 was used for the t-test and the chi-square test. Results:The experimental group had a theoretical assessment score of (92.5±6.4) points and a basic skill operation score of (91.7±2.2) points, while the control group had a theoretical assessment score of (85.3±7.3) points and a basic skill operation score of (83.6±6.4) points. The experimental group had an excellent rate of 60% (9/15) in theoretical assessment and 66.7% (10/15) in basic skill operation test, while the control group had an excellent rate of 40% (6/15) in theoretical assessment and 33.3% (5/15) in basic skill operation test. The experimental group had significantly higher scores and grades than the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:MOOC+SPOC teaching can significantly enhance the understanding of theoretical knowledge and the mastery of operational skills among trainees and improve teaching effect, and therefore, it has a good application prospect.

OBJECTIVETo summarize our experience and evaluate the prognostic factors of locally advanced non small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) treated with three dimentional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT).

METHODS118 patients with stage IIImA/IIIB non small cell lung cancer were treated with 3D-CRT from Nov. 2001 to Mar. 2005. 113 patients with complete clinical data were eligible for analysis, 45 of them received radiotherapy alone; 39 were treated by concurrent chemoradiation with paclitaxol plus carboplatin in 32 patients and topotecan in 7 patients, and 29 by sequential chemoradiation with platinum-based regiment in most of them. The dose of radiation for the thoracic field ranged from 26 Gy to 75 Gy with a median dose of 60 Gy. GTV and PTV were collected from the 3D treatment plans in 79 and 101 patients, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Comparisons among the curves were made using a two-tailed long-rank test. The Cox model was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTSThe 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rate was 60.7%, 31.6% and 22.4%, respectively, with a median survival time of 17 months. In univariate analysis, the following characteristics were significantly associated with longer survival: absence of chest pain, good karnofsky performance status (KPS), albumin > 4.2 g/L, hemoglobin > or = 140 g/L (male) or 130 g/L (female), response to radiotherapy and GTV < 100 cm3. However, multivariate analysis revealed that only good KPS was an independent risk factor predicting the survival.

CONCLUSIONThree-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is effective in the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer with acceptable complications. Karnofsky performance status is the only independent prognositic factor.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms ; secondary ; Brain Neoplasms ; secondary ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; secondary ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Karnofsky Performance Status ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Particle Accelerators ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; methods ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate

This study constructed a LHCGR-CRE-luc-HEK293 transgenic cell line according to the activation of the cAMP signaling pathway after recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin binding to the receptor. The biological activity of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin was assayed using a luciferase assay system. The relative potency of the samples was calculated using four-parameter model. And the method conditions were optimized to validate the specificity, relative accuracy, precision and linearity of the method. The results showed that there was a quantitative potency relationship of human chorinonic gonadotropin (hCG) in the method and it was in accordance with the four-parameter curve. After optimization, the conditions were determined as hCG dilution concentration of 2.5 μg·mL^-1, dilution ratio of 1∶4, cell number of 10 000-15 000 cells/well, and induction time of 6 h. The method had good specificity, relative accuracy with relative bias ranging from -8.9% to 3.4%, linear regression equation correlation coefficient of 0.996, intermediate precision geometric coefficient of variation ranging from 3.3% to 15.0%, and linearity range of 50% to 200%. This study successfully established and validated a reporter gene method to detect hCG biological activity, which can be used for hCG biological activity assay and quality control.