Objective To develop a new type fusion apparatus for scaphoid-trapezium-trapezoid (STT) arthrodesis.Methods The apparatus was designed on the basis of the anatomic data of STT measured from Chinese cadaveric wrists.Simulated arthrodeses of STT joints were conducted to test the fixation performance of the apparatus made of titanium alloy on the STT joint specimens.Several modifications were made before the apparatus was made into a finished product.Results The fusion apparatus consists of a plate and screws.The fusion plate for STT arthrodesis is made into a taper one connected to a cylinder.On the plate are three screw holes through which the three carpal bones (STT) are fixed by three screws respectively.The hollow cylinder is designed for bone grafting,and its outer threads ensure a very tight contact between the fusion plate and the carpal bones.Auxiliary tools are also made.Conclusions As the novel design of the fusion apparatus improves the mechanical strength of fixation of STT and prevents the possible rotation and collapse of fused STT,the apparatus is a reliable internal fixation device for the limited intercarpal arthrodesis.

Levels of lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in 59 patients with cerebral infarction were compared before and after therapy. Evening—Primrose—oil group (EPOG 32cases) was treated with EPO and routine drugs (low molecular dextran, piracetam, vitamine E), the routine—drug group (RDG 27cases) was treated only with above- mentioned routine drugs. After treating for one month the lab data demonstrated that the(HDL—c, HDL2—c and apo A—I levels in EPOG were significantly higher than)before treating (P0.05). All parameters above- mentioned in RDG had no significant change after treating.

Nowadays, tumor is one of the most challenging human health diseases, which oblige human tirelessly to studied for the tumor.Gene therapy is a promising treatment in oncotherapies. Suicide gene therapy is the most widely researched among gene therapies. At the same time, bystander effect take important role in the mechanism of suicide gene therapy. Therefore, more researchers devote themselves to studyinghow enhance the bystander effect in order to improve the effect of suicide gene therapy. This article reviewed in short how to augment bystander effect of suicide gene therapy against cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the malignant potential of oral lichen planus (OLP) by measuring and analyzing the dimensions of spinous cell in mucosal epithelium.Methods:Paraffin-embedded samples of oral mucosa, including normal (N,7 cases), OLP(16 cases), oral leukoplakia(12 cases) with mild and moderate epithelial dysplasia (LK) and well differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC,10 cases), were analyzed by MIAS-99 System.The planar and stereoscopic dimensions of spinous cells were measured and compared.Results:The values of morphometric and stereologic parameters in OLP were between those in normal mucosa and in LK, significantly different from those in SCC and not significantly different from those in normal epithelium.Conclusion:Based on the changes of cell morphometric parameter value, OLP is generally a benign lesion with some degree of malignant potentiality that is less than LK.Nucleus/cytoplasm volume ratio and volume density of cell nucleus of spinous cells in mucosal epithelium are of value in distinguishing benign from maliganant lesions.

Objective Study the value of clinical application of BaiJi and absorbable Gelatin in embolizing uterine myoma together with its effecty, side effect and complication.Methods 21 women with uterine myoma undergoing selective uterine arterial embolization by Seldinger's technique were studied. After retrograde transfemoral introduction of a 5 french catheter, the uterine arteries were successively catheterized. Bai Ji and absorbable Gelatin sponge particles were injected through free flow until devasculariztion. Results Uterine myoma's blood supply came from bilaterial uterine arteries demonstrated by angiography. All the supplying artering images disappeared after the embolization. 3～6 months follow up study showed: a marked reduction in the size of myomata by 38%～90%. Clinical symptoms were improved. There was one failure cas and then underwent uterotomy due to infection. Conclusions The short term effect of using Bai Ji and absorbable Gelatin for embolizing uterine myoma is clinically significant, while long term effects is still wating for research.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Fatigue ; prevention & control ; Male ; Mice ; Physical Exertion ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Swimming ; physiology

Objective To investigate the role of Stathmin in pancreatic cancer invasion and metastasis and its relationship with DNA methylation. Methods Immunohistochemical detection of MBDI and Stathmin protein expression in 40 cases of pancreatic cancer and 15 cases ot normal pancreatic tissue were performed,followed by analysis of their clinical and pathological relationship with pancreatic cancer; Human pancreatic cancer cell line BxPC-3 was treated with 5-Aza-2-dC (AZA).Both qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis of Stathmin expression were used before and after AZA treatment; Stathmin-siRNA transfected BxPC-3 cells were divided into the Stathmi-siRNA group and the empty vector control group.Transwell chamber invasion assay and animal experiment were performed to measure the changes in cell invasion and metastatic capability. Results lmmunohistochemistry showed positive MBDI and Stathmin expressions in 28 (70％) and 24 (60％) out of 40 cases of pancreatic cancer,respectively,which were significantly higher than that in the normal pancreatic tissue (P＜ 0.05); MBDI and Stathmin protein expressions were positively correlated (r =0.356,P =0.037),so were MBDI expression and lymph node metastasis (P=0.023).Stathmin expression was significantly correlated with clinical staging and lymph node metastasis (P =0.002,and P =0.001,respectively).After AZA treatment,both Stathmin mRNA and protein expression in BxPC-3 were significantly decreased.Transwell chamber invasion assay showed that compared with the control group,the cell invasion capability of the Stathmin-siRNA group was significantly decreased (P＜0.05).Animal experiment showed that the incidence of liver metastasis was significantly lower in the Stathmin-siRNA transfected group than the empty vector control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Demethylation may contribute to the reduction of Stathmin expression in pancreatic cancer and further improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients.

It has been 50 years since the discovery of thyrotropin receptor autoantibody (TRAb). Advances in the knowledge of thyrotropin receptor ( TSHR) structure and function, combined with the elucidation of TSHR signaling and TSHR-autoantibody interaction have greatly facilitated our understanding of TRAb and their clinical applications. Measurement of TRAb activity plays an important role in the diagnosis of Graves' disease ( GD) and Graves' opthalmopathy. It has also been well recognized that TRAb is an effective predictor of GD relapse or remission after antithyroid drug and radioactive iodine treatment. TRAb test is of particular help in pregnant women and lactating mothers with recent iodine load, where radioactive iodine or technetium tests are contraindicated. In addition, it is useful in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of fetal and neonatal hyperthyroidism as well as some rare forms of thyrotoxicosis in clinical practice. Accumulating evidence also indicates the possible correlation between thyroid cancer occurring in GD patients with positive TRAb and adverse outcomes. However, further innovation and standardization of TRAb tests are required to help pave the way for clinical applications.

BACKGROUND:Caveolin-1 is expressed in mammalian brain and involved in the normal development of the brain, which can affect the proliferation of neural stem cells in the brain. OBJECTIVE:To acquire neural stem cells from caveolin-1 knockout embryonic mice in vitro and study their biological characteristics. METHODS:The whole brain was separated from C57BL/6 mice and caveolin-1 knockout C57BL/6 mice respectively at encyesis 14-16 days. Single cellsuspension was obtained by enzyme digestion, and cultured in the conditioned medium of neural stem cells. Fol owing 7 days of primary culture, the cells were induced in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium/Ham’s nutrient mixture F-12 containing 10%fetal bovine serum for 7 days. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The major cells of the cellsuspensions from the fetal mouse brain were dead at 1 day after culture, and some single cells floated in the medium and their transmittance were better, and then they gradual y formed multicellular bal s after 3 days. A smal amount of cells were adhered at the bottom of culture plate after passage, and a great amount of cellbal s appeared after 7 days. The proliferation rate of neural stem cells from caveolin-1 knockout mice was higher than that from normal mice. The cellbal s were nestin-positive and their differentiated cells was positive for neurofilament 200, glial fibril ary acidic protein or O4, respectively. Al of the cells from normal mouse brain were positive for caveolin-1, but the cells from caveolin-1 knockout mice were negative for caveolin-1 by immunocytochemistry. Moreover, the speed of cellbal formation and the number of cellbal s in neural stem cells from caveolin-1 knockout mice were better than those from normal mice. Caveolin-1 negative neural stem cells were cultured successful y from caveolin-1 knockout mouse brain, and the results show that caveolin-1 can promote the proliferation of neural stem cells and inhibit their differentiation in vitro.

Background and purpose:Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most important therapeutic tools for esophageal cancer. Because tumors are heterogeneous, including for18F-FDG uptake and, most likely, for radioresistance, selective boosting of high FDG uptake zones within the tumor has been suggested. Therefore, it is critical to know whether the location of these high FDG uptake patterns within the tumor remains stable during RT.Methods:Twenty-two patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with concurrent chemo-radiation underwent repeated18F-FDG PET-CT scans before RT and after 20 fractions of RT. On all scans, the high and low FDG uptake regions were auto-delineated using several standard uptake value (SUV) thresholds, varying from 40% to 70% of SUVmax on the pretreatment scan [gross tumor volume (GTV)40%pre, GTV50%pre, GTV60%pre, GTV70%pre] and from 70% to 90% of SUVmax on the dur-treatment scan (GTV70%dur, GTV80%dur, GTV90%dur) and ifxed thresholds of 2.5 and 5 (GTV2.5pre, GTV5pre). The volumes and overlap fractions (OF) of these delineations were calculated to demonstrate the stability of the high FDG uptake regions during RT.Results:The high uptake regions within the tumor during RT largely corresponded (OF>70%) with the 50% SUVmax high FDG uptake area (GTV50%pre) of the pretreatment scan. The hotspot within the residual area (GTV90%dur) was completely within the GTV and pre-radiotherapy high uptake regions (OF=100%). Although the location of the high FDG uptake patterns within the tumor during RT remained stable, the delineated volumes varied markedly.Conclusion:The location of the high FDG uptake areas within the tumor remained stable during RT. This knowledge may enable selective boosting of high FDG uptake areas within the tumor.