OBJECTIVETo compare the effectiveness of percutaneous microwave ablation ( MWA) versus hepatectomy for multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma.

METHODSFrom August 2002 to March 2012, one hundred and twenty-two patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma (diameters 1 to 7 cm, 2 to 4 lesions) were treated by either complete MWA or radical hepatectomy, and their clinical data were collected and analyzed.The patients were divided into MWA group (n = 50) and resection group (n = 72), and the resection group was matched by MWA group based on clinical parameters. The survival and complications in the two groups were compared.

RESULTSThe overall 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 100.0%, 73.0% and 62.0%, respectively, in the MWA group, and 80.0%, 56.0%, and 41.0%, respectively, in the resection group (P < 0.05). The corresponding recurrence-free survival rates were 88.0%, 63.0%, and 52.0% in the MWA group, and 68.0%, 45.0%, and 36.0%, respectively, in the resection group (P< 0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that albumin level, performance status, treatment modality, and tumor size were independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSIONCompared with hepatectomy, percutaneous microwave ablation is a minimally invasive and reproducible procedure, and can improve the survival in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; mortality ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Genetic Engineering ; Hepatectomy ; mortality ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; mortality ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Microwaves ; therapeutic use ; Regression Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the importance of hepatitis B virus ( HBV ) infection in the patho-genesis of cholangiocarcinoma ( CC) and further clarify the correlation between the occurrence of intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma .Methods HBV protein and gene of 52 formalin fixed,paraffin embedded tis-sues with CC were detected by immunohistochemistry and nest PCR .Results Hepatitis B virus X gene was de-tectable in 33.3%(7/21)of 21 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cases .Hepatitis B surface antigen(HBsAg)was detectable in 21.7%(5/21)and hepatitis B core antigen(HBcAg)was detectable in 19.0%(4/21)of 21 intrahe-patic cholangiocarcinoma cases .In contrast,no HBsAg,HBcAg and hepatitis B virus X gene were detected in any of the 31 extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cases .Conclusion HBV infection is a significant risk factor for intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma ,but not for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma ,in Northeast of China .The integration of HBV gene may be involved in the carcinogenesis of intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells .

OBJECTIVE:To promote rational use of traditional Chinese medicines. METHODS:The practical importance of applying basic pharmacoeconomic theory to the rational use of traditional Chinese medicines was analyzed and the measures regarding how to apply the pharmacoeconomic theory to guide rational use of traditional Chinese medicines were put forward. RESULT & CONCLUSION: It is quite necessary and practical to apply the basic pharmacoeconomic theory to the rational use of traditional Chinese medicine, which plays a positive role in promoting rational use of traditional Chinese medicines.

Objective To investigate the effects of microRNA-196a(miR-196a) inhibitory sequences transfection on HOXB8 expression in PANC1 cells.Methods PANC1 cells were divided into control group,miR-196a inhibitory sequences group and siRNA control group.Liposomal transfection method was applied to transfect miR 196a inhibitory sequences and siRNA control into PANC1 cells.RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expressions of miR-196a and HOXB8 mRNA and protein.Results After miR-196a inhibitory sequences transfection,when compared with that of siRNA control group,the expression of miR-196a was significantly decreased (0.05 ± 0.054 vs.0.839 ± 0.025,t =3.12,P ＜0.05) ; and the expression of HOXB8 mRNA was significantly increased by 1.57 folds (2.20 ± 0.07 vs.1.29 ± 0.10,t =3.86,P ＜ 0.05),the expression of HOXB8 protein was also obviously increased (0.90 ± 0.03 vs.0.40 ± 0.10,t =3.11,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions MicroRNA-196a down-regulates the expression of HOXB8.

Objective To investigate the expression of SUFU protein in human pancreatic carcinoma tissues and to explore the relationship between the expression of SUFU protein and the clinicopathologic parameters.Methods The expression of SUFU protein in 28 samples of pancreatic cancer tissues and 20 adjacent normal pancreatic tissues and 4 normal pancreatic tissues was detected by immunohistochemical method.And the relationship between the expression of SUFU protein and the clinicopathologic parameters were determined.Results SUFU protein was positively expressed in cytoplasm and nucleus of pancreatic carcinoma cells, while it was not expressed in the duct, acinar and islet of tumor-adjacent tissues and normal pancreatic tissues, and difference was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).The high SUFU protein expression was related to the clinical stage ( P ＜ 0.05 ), but not the age, gender, tumor location , tumor size, lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis.Conclusions SUFU protein was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer, and SUFU may play certain role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer.

Objective To analyze the association of postnatal weight gain proportion of very low birth weight (BW) preterm babies and the onset of severe retinopathy of prematurity,and investigate the optimal cut-off points and predictive ability of postnatal weight gain (WG) proportion for the onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods A retrospective cohort study.257 preterm infants underwent screening whose weight was less than 1500 g were enrolled in this study.Risk factors include BW,gestational age (GA),history of oxygen inhalation,need for blood transfusions,Apgar score in 1 to 10 minutes,embryo number,delivery mode,in vitro fertilization infants,and WG proportion within 6 weeks after birth and other systemic diseases were recorded.Their correlation with severe ROP is analyzed.Clinical outcomes were divided into severe ROP group (patients who suffered from ROP and required treatment) and mild and no ROP group (patients who suffered from ROP but do not require treatment and-patient without ROP).The severe ROP group included 18 patients and mild and no ROP group included 239 patients.Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to determine if the WG proportion was independently related to severe ROP development and if it was capable of predicting severe ROP.This study determines the predict value by comparing the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of independent risk factors.Results GA (t=-4.835,P＜0.001),BW(t=-5.192,P＜0.001),history of oxygen inhalation (x2=6.001,P=0.009),proportion of infants who had oxygen inhalation for more than 10 days(x2 =10.019,P=0.002),postnatal WG proportion at 1 week(t =-3.663,P＜ 0.001),postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks(t=-3.425,P=0.001) had significant difference between two groups.Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that GA (β =-0.858,P =0.008),BW (β =-0.005,P =0.010),postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks (β=-8.745,P =0.035) were correlated to severe ROP significantly.And their area under the ROC were 0.836[95％ confidence interval (CI):0.752-0.920],0.826 (95％CI:0.947-0.903),0.744 (95％CI:0.598-0.891) respectively.The optimal cut-off points of GA,BW,and postnatal WG proportion at 2 weeks were 28.41 weeks,1241.96 g,12.80％ respectively.Conclusion Low WG proportion at 2 weeks of very low BW preterm babies is an important and independent risk factor for severe ROP and has certain predictive value of the onset of severe ROP.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of EUS-guided intra-tumoral injection of E1B gene-deleted adenovirus (H101) combined with intravenous gemcitabine for unresectable pancreatic carcinomas. Methods Nineteen patients with advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas who were not resectable and never to anti-cancer treatment were enrolled in this study. Each patient underwent two sessions of EUS-guided H101 intra-tumoral injection in combination with gemcitabine (i. v. , 1000 mg/m2, d3, 10, 17). The tumor size before and after H101 intra-tumoral injection were recorded for efficacy assessment. The changes of pain score and KPS, adverse effects and complication rates, survival were estimated. Results The tumor size decreased in twelve patients by5.3% ~ 69.7% , but the difference was not statistically significant (P =0.275). All of nineteen patients completed two cycles of combination treatment. Among them, 3 (15. 8% ) achieved partial response, 10 (52.6% ) had stable disease, and none had complete response. The mean pain score after injection was significantly lower than that before injection (3.1 ±1.7 vs. 3.9±1.6, P = 0.004). KPS after injection was significantly increased more than that before injection [ (68.4 ± 12.1)% vs. (61.1 ±9.9)%, P =0.003)]. There was no complication associated with the procedure. Major adverse effects associated with H101 injection were fever and diarrhea. The survival time was 2.5 to 10 months. Nine patients were still alive. Conclusions EUS-guided E1B gene-deleted adenovirus intra-tumral injection in unresectable pancreatic carcinomas is feasible and well tolerated in combination with intravenous gemcitabine, which can improve the quality of life and decrease the pain score.

Objective To investigate the expression of DNMT3b mRNA and microRNA-29b (miR-29b) in pancreatic cancer cells and analyze their relationship.Methods Real-time RT-PCR method was used to detect the expression of DNMT3b mRNA and miR-29b in five pancreatic cancer cell lines ( PANC1,BxPC3,CFPAC,AsPC 1,Capan 2 ) and the relationship between DNMT3b mRNA and miR-29b expression was analvzed by pearson linear correlation method.Results The expression of DNMT3b mRNA in PANC1,BxPC3,CFPAC,AsPC 1,Capan 2 were 0.497 ±0.184,0.420 ±0.168,0.439 ±0.217,0.122 ±0.111 and 0.731 ±0.387,while the expression of miR-29b were 0.745 ± 0.596,0.797 ± 1.000,0.464 ± 0.430,1.836 ± 1.623 and 0.216 ± 0.335.The expression of DNMT3b mRNA was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-29b (r =-0.922,P =0.026 ).Conclusions Both DNMT3b and miRNA29b are involved in the carcinogenesis of pancreatic cancer,and they are negatively correlated.

Objective To investigate the role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) / heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway in reduction of acute kidney injury following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) by hydrogen-rich saline in rats.Methods Thirty-two healthy adult male SpragueDawley rats,weighing 220-250 g,were randomly assigned into 4 groups (n =8 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (S group),OLT group,hydrogen-rich saline group (HS group),and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) group.Laparotomy was performed,and the related blood vessels were isolated in group S.The model of orthotopic autologous liver transplantation was established in OLT,HS and ATRA groups.Normal saline and hydrogen-rich saline 6 ml/kg were injected through the inferior vena cava at 5 min before the portal vein was clamped in OLT and HS groups,respectively.In group ATRA,Nrf2 inhibitor ATRA 7 mg/kg was injected intraperitoneally once a day for 2 consecutive days,the model of orthotopic autologous liver transplantation was established at 16 h after the last injection of ATRA,and the other treatments were similar to those previously described in group HS.At 6 h of reperfusion,blood samples were collected for determination of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN),creatinine (Cr),interleukin10 (1L-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations.After blood sampling,the lungs were removed for determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) content,superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity,expression of HO-1,Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA (by using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction),and HO-1 protein expression in lung tissues (by Western blot) and for microscopic examination.The damage to the renal tubules was scored.Results Compared with group S,the serum BUN,Cr and TNF-α concentrations were significantly increased,the serum IL-10 concentrations were decreased,the MDA content and renal tubular damage score were increased,the SOD activity was decreased,and the expression of HO-1 protein and mRNA,and Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA was up-regulated in group OLT (P＜ 0.05).Compared with group OLT,the serum BUN,Cr and TNF-α concentrations were significantly decreased,the serum IL-10 concentrations were increased,the MDA content and renal tubular damage score were decreased,the SOD activity was increased,the expression of HO-1 protein and mRNA and Bcl-2 mR-NA was up-regulated,and the expression of Bax mRNA was down-regulated in group HS (P＜0.05).Compared with group HS,the serum BUN,Cr and TNF-α concentrations were significantly increased,the serum IL-10 concentrations were decreased,the MDA content and renal tubular damage score were increased,the SOD activity was decreased,the expression of HO-1 protein and mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA was down-regulated,and the expression of Bax mRNA was up-regulated in group ATRA (P＜0.05).Conclusion The mechanism by which hydrogen-rich saline reduces acute kidney injury following OLT is probably associated with activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in rats.

Objective:The process of myocardial infarction is generally characterized by the activation of host immune cells and the occurrence of inflammation. However, it is unknown which immune cells are preferentially activated and participated into the progression of myocardial infarction. Methods:A total of 55 patients with myocardial ischemia including 13 of stable angina ( SA) ,25 of unstable angina (UA) and 17 of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as well as 12 of healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. The frequency and the immune activation marker CD38 expression by peripheral CD3 T cells,CD4 T cells,CD8 T cells,CD4+NKT cells, CD4- NKT cells, CD3-CD56+ NK cells and B cells were comprehensively analyzed. Results:There was no significant difference in the frequencies of these immune cell subsets in peripheral blood among these four groups. Importantly,it was found that CD38 expression was significantly increased on CD8 T cells,NKT cells and NK cells in patients with acute coronary syndromes ( ACS) including UA and AMI patients as compared with those in SA and HC subjects. These data indicated that multiple immune cells were activated in ACS patients,which were possibly participated into the pathogenesis of ACS. Conclusion:The activation of multiple immune cells was closely associated with the progression and outcome in ACS patients. This study provides immune hyper-activation mechanism underlying the development of ACS and may favor for finding a novel immune marker to predict the progression of ACS.