Cardiovascular Diseases ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases

Objective To compare the efficacy of the conventional PPD skin test and a new enzymelinked immunospot assay(TSPOT-TB)for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)in patients with rheumatic diseases.Methods Two hundred and sixty rheumatic patients were enrolled,and all were screened for LTBI based on clinical history,chest X-ray,PPD skin test or TSPOT.Results The positive rate of TSPOT assay was 24.1%and that of PPD skin test was 39.4%.The overall concordance rate between the 2tests was 61.0%.Among PPD negative patients (n=149).29 were TSPOT(+)(19.5%).Among PPD(+)patients(n=98),69 were TSPOT(-)(70.0%).The patients who got BCG vaccination or had history of tuberculosis infection showed a significantly higher rate of positive result of PPD skin test than those who did not (P<0.05 or P<0.01).While in TSPOT assay,the BCG vaccination or history of tuberculosis infection did not show influence on TSPOT results(P>0.05).Of the 127 patients who received biological agents after screening for LTBI,9 patients were pretreated with isoniazide.Twenty-seven patients stopped biological agent treatment because of the positive results of PPD or TSPOT.Twenty three patients who had positive PPD but negative TSPOT results received biological agent treatment without isoniazide,and none of them developed active tubereulosis after 6 to 18 months of follow-up.Conclusion BCG vaccination affects the result of PPD test in rheumatic patients,but has no influence on TSPOT results.The infection rate of latent tuberculosis of rheumatic patients in our research is 23.8%detected by TSPOT.

Objective　To investigate the role of cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated molecule-4Ig(CTLA-4Ig) in the prevention of C57BL/6 mice autoimmune hepatitis. Methods　The C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally immunized with C57BL/6 mice liver-specific protein in complete Freund's adjuvant. At the same time CTLA-4Ig were given to observe the pathologic alteration of C57BL/6 mice liver. Results　With the increase of time of immunization, the results in the treatment group were similar to those of the control group; but inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic cell swelling, focal necrosis and severe hepatocyte damage were found in the pathologic model group. There was a significant difference between the pathologic model group and control one. Conclusion　Autoimmune hepatitis of C57BL/6 mice can be effectively prevented by CTLA-4Ig.

OBJECTIVETo analyze craniofacial growth three-dimensionally for adolescents with normal occlusion in Beijing.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty-six adolescents with normal occlusion were selected according to the criteria. The sample was divided into four age groups (53 within 4 years, 30 within 7 years, 27 within 10 years and 16 within 13 years). Information of growth was collected. Three-dimensional cephalometric system based on cone-bean CT was established.

RESULTSFrom 4 to 13 years Co-A increased (14.55 ± 1.15) mm on average on the left and (13.66 ± 1.14) mm on the right, and Co-Gn increased (22.89 ± 1.40) mm on the left and (22.82 ± 1.38) mm on the right; and U1-NA increased (2.20 ± 0.44) mm on the left and (1.60 ± 0.46) mm on the right; and CoL-CoR and GoL-GoR increased (13.31 ± 1.21) mm and (18.59 ± 1.40) mm, and N-Me increased (18.03 ± 1.32) mm.SN-PP and SN-MPL basically remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONSAdolescents with normal occlusion in Beijing grew obviously in three-dimensions and developed harmoniously.

Adolescent ; Cephalometry ; methods ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Dental Occlusion ; Face ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; Facial Bones ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; growth & development ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Incisor ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; growth & development ; Mandible ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; growth & development ; Maxilla ; anatomy & histology ; diagnostic imaging ; growth & development ; Maxillofacial Development

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of dl-tetrahydropalmatine(dl-THP) on liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CC4) in mice.

METHODMice were administracted with dl-tetrahydropalmatine ip 20, 40 mg x kg(-1) daily for 9 d respectively, and then actue liver injury model was induced by 0.1% carbon tetrachloride ip 20 mL x kg(-1). The mice were killed 17 h after injection ip of CCl4, serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT and AST) activity were measured, and maleic dialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity in liver were detected.

RESULTdl-THP significantly reduced the level of serum ALT and AST, inhibited lipoperxidation in liver, while increased SOD activity in liver tissue. Degeneration of hepatocytes was obviously prevented in mice treated with dl-THP, and the liver histological structure was well maintained.

CONCLUSIONdl-THP has inhibitory effects on liver injury induced by CCl4 in mice. The mechanisms may be related with its effects of reducing lipid peroxidation product.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Berberine Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Mice ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Random Allocation ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

Objective To reveal and forecast the incidence trend of Brucellosis, in order to provide acientific basis for future intervention and policy-making. Methods Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze and statistically describe the distribution of the disease in different times, different locations and different (7.0783/10 million to 13.1257/10 million) and Qingxu ( 1.4811/10 million to 8.5241/10 million) were higher,followed by Yangqu county(0 to 5.8232/10 million), Xiaodian(0.8108/l0 million to 2.4229/10 million) and Jinyuan district ( 0.5329/ 10 million to 1.5896/10 million), and the remaining counties(districts) in the annual There were 223 cases of Brucellosis patients from 2006 to 2009 in Taiyuan. Vocational high risk population was farmers, with a total of 140 cases, accounting for 62.78% of the total number of incidence, followed by students and workers, respectively, 13, 14 cases, accounting for 5.83% and 6.28%, other occupational groups, 56 cases,77.58%;28 cases aged above 60 years, accounting for 12.56%;22 cases aged younger than 19 years, accounting identical in the four years, most cases occurred in spring and summer and showing a clear seasonal high.Conclusions The incidence trend of Brucellosis is on the rise from 2006 to 2009. High risk population is farmer,and the number of younger patients is on the rise, we propose strengthen protection for high risk groups.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEThe brain is one of the most common metastatic sites of breast cancer. Brain metastases develop in 10%-15% of patients with breast cancer and are associated with poor prognosis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and survival of patients with brain metastases due to breast cancer of different subtypes and to identify the prognostic factors that affect clinical outcome.

METHODSA total of 89 patients with breast cancer brain metastases diagnosed between October 1997 and July 2008 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were included in this study. Among the 89 patients, the number of luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), and triple-negative (TN) subtypes were 30, 20, 16, and 14, respectively; 9 patients had an unknown subtype. The clinical characteristics, pathologic features, and prognostic factors were analyzed both at the initial diagnosis and at the diagnosis of brain metastases. Endocrine therapy for patients with luminal subtypes was further studied.

RESULTSThe median age of patients was 46 years (range 28-74 years). The median survival time was 8.0 months (range, 0-80 months), the 1-year survival rate was 32% and the 5-year survival rate was 4%. The time to brain metastasis differed according to clinical stage at the initial diagnosis, and the time for patients with the luminal A subtype was the longest (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that performance status score > 1, multiple brain metastases and without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in combination with chemotherapy were associated with poor prognosis. Compared with the luminal A subtype, features of the HER-2 and TN subtypes included early metastases, rapid progression after first-line treatment (8.0 months vs. 11.0 months), and poor overall survival (25.0 months vs. 63.0 months). The luminal A subtype showed a tendency for good prognosis and slow growth. Tamoxifen could improve the survival of luminal A/B subtypes (median survival 24.0 months vs. 7.0 months, respectively, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONSThe prognosis of brain metastases from breast cancer was poor, especially in patients with HER-2 and TN subtypes. Generally, WBRT in combination with chemotherapy was the standard treatment modality. Patients with the luminal subtypes could benefit from tamoxifen.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Brain Neoplasms ; secondary ; therapy ; Breast Neoplasms ; classification ; pathology ; therapy ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; classification ; pathology ; secondary ; therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cranial Irradiation ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; blood ; Receptors, Estrogen ; blood ; Receptors, Progesterone ; blood ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tamoxifen ; therapeutic use

AIMTo explore the relationship between expression of signal transduction and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene and proliferation of rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) under hypoxia conditions.

METHODSAfter primarily cultured rat PASMCs was treated with AG490 and then exposed to hypoxia, the tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT3 protein were detected at 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 16 h, 24 h of exposure to hypoxia by semi-quantitive RT-PCR (sqRT-PCR) and Western blot respectively. The expression of c-myc mRNA was analyzed by sqRT-PCR. 3H-TdR incorporation was used to detect the cell proliferation.

RESULTSThe level of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT3 increased at 6 h and peaked at 12 h. The expression of c-myc mRNA increased after 2 h of hypoxia and reached maximal level at 4 h, then declined at 6 h and to the basal levels at 12 h. With the prolonging of hypoxia time, 3H-TdR incorporation in PASMC under hypoxia conditions was significantly higher. AG490 inhibited proliferation of PASMCs by preventing STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation and the expression of c-myc under hypoxia conditions.

CONCLUSION(1) The activation of STAT3 and c-myc gene might play an important role in the early stage of hypoxia-induced PASMCs proliferation. (2) STAT3 upregulated the expression of c-myc during the proliferation of PASMCs induced by hypoxia.

Animals ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Hypoxia ; metabolism ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; cytology ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Artery ; cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy for far lateral lumbar disc herniation.

METHODSFrom February 2005 to February 2010, 73 patients with far lateral lumbar disc herniation were treated with intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy. Their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 41 males and 32 females, aged from 19 to 80 years old with an average of 56.5 years; courses of disease ranged from 1 to 25 months with an average of 4.5 months. The main symptom was low back pain and sciatica, especially the sciatica was seriously. Herniation level was in L3,4 of 9 cases, L4,5 of 49 cases, L5S1 of 15 cases. Preoperative, 2 weeks after operation, final follow-up, conditions of pain relief were assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS); total life quality of patients were evaluated by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before operation and last follow-up.

RESULTSAll operations were performed successfully, operative time was from 40 to 115 min (mean of 50 min); and blood loss was from 50 to 150 ml (mean of 110 ml). Incision infection had 1 case and incomplete nerve root injury had 1 case. All patients were followed up from 3 to 8 years with an average of 4.5 years. Postoperative VAS and ODI had obviously improved (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe technique of intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy is a feasible and effective method for far lateral lumbar disc herniation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diskectomy ; methods ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo assess the diagnostic value of 8 equations using different variables for determining the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

METHODSGFR was estimated in 208 patients with cardiovascular diseases by (99m)Tc-DTPA dynamic renal imaging, and the eGFR was derived from 8 equations using different variables.

RESULTSIn patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3, the eGFR calculated suing serum creatinine (SCr)-based equation was better correlated to GFR estimated by (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging than that derived from cystatin C (Cys C)-based equations, whereas in patients with CKD stages 4 and 5, the estimates by the latter equation showed a better correlation to GFR. Compared with (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging, MDRD-based equation and simple MDRD equation resulted in a higher eGFR in patients with CKD stages 4 and 5, the Rule equation had a lower eGFR in CKD stages 1 and 2, the Macisaac equation yielded a higher eGFR in CKD stages 2-5, and the Tan equation showed a higher eGFR in CKD stages 2 and 3. In patients with mild renal dysfunction, the Scr-based equation had a higher AUC(ROC) than Cys C-based equation, which was reversed in patients with severe renal dysfunction; the AUC(ROC) of the two equations were comparable in patients with moderate renal dysfunction. Compared with (99m)Tc-DTPA renal imaging, the modified MDRD equation and Arnal-Dade equation showed no significant difference in the eGFR in patients with CKD stages 1-5.

CONCLUSIONModified MDRD equation (or simple MDRD equation) and Arnal-Dade equation are superior to other calculation methods for estimating the GFR in Chinese patients with cardiovascular disease.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; physiopathology ; Child ; Chronic Disease ; Creatinine ; blood ; Cystatin C ; blood ; Female ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; physiology ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult