OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of burying testis in thigh pocket on spermatogenesis.

METHODSGuizhou miniature male pigs at child-bearing period were randomly divided to receive operation of scrotum incision and dissection with the testis burying in thigh pocket (experimental group) or without (control group). 3 months later, testis biopsy was performed on 2 pigs from each group for pathological examination. Then every male pig from both experimental (n = 6) and control group (n = 6) got a mating partner and lived together for 3 months. The fertility of the male pigs was observed. 6 months after operation, testis biopsy was performed again on all the animals from both the groups.

RESULTSBoth at 3 months and 6 months after operation, the pathological examination showed the spermatogenic cells of all stage in contorted seminiferous tubules markedly decreased with no mature sperm in experimental group, while normal spermatogenic cells with mature sperm in control group. After the male pigs lived with mating partners for 3 months, no female pigs staying with the experimental group became pregnant, but the male pigs in control group had a normal fertility.

CONCLUSIONSBurying testis in thigh pocket impedes spermatogenesis in the miniature male pig. So burying testis in thigh pocket is not recommended for patients with scrotum skin defect who wish to remain fertile.

Animals ; Female ; Fertility ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Scrotum ; Skin ; injuries ; Spermatogenesis ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature ; Testis ; physiology ; Thigh ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of 90Y-DOTATOC and 131I-MIBG in treatment of metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

METHODSTwelve histologically confirmed patients with metastatic MTC were included. All patients underwent both 111In-DTPA-octreotide imaging and 131I/ 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging. According to the results of the combined imaging, positive patients were selected to be treated with 90Y-DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (90Y-DOTATOC) or 131I-MIBG, respectively. The therapeutic procedures of targeted internal radiation were performed with 3.33 GBq 90Y-DOTATOC at 6-week intervals, or 11.1 GBq 131I-MIBG with a minimum interval of three months.

RESULTSThe imaging procedure was positive in all 12 patients: 111In-DTPA-octreotide imaging in eight patients, 131I/ 123I-MIBG imaging in six patients. According to the results of combined imaging, we identified four patients to be treated with 90Y-DOTATOC, and five patients with 131 I-MIBG. After three to five sessions of treatment, three patients with partial remission and six with stable disease were observed. The effective rate was 3/9 (33.3%) and the overall tumor response rate was 9/9 (100%). No relevant toxicity was observed.

CONCLUSIONThe combined imaging technique can be used to identify patients for effective radionuclide treatment. The treatment with 90Y-DOTATOC or 131I-MIBG is well tolerated and may improve the fate of patients with metastatic MTC.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; metabolism ; radiotherapy ; secondary ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Indium Radioisotopes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Octreotide ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Pentetic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Remission Induction ; Thyroid Gland ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Thyroid Hormones ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Yttrium Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate if 99mTc-HYNIC-annexin V may be used to detect the early chemotherapeutic effect and to determine the best timing for detecting apoptosis in vivo.

METHODSAnnexin V was labeled with 99mTc using HYNIC as a bifunctional agent. Normal Kunming mice received inoculation of Ehrlich ascites cells into the right upper limb. After the tumor reached 1 cm in diameter, the mice were randomly divided into saline treatment group as control and cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg injected intraperitoneally) treatment group. 99mTc-HYNIC-annexin V was injected intravenously at 1 h and 24 h after treatment. Region of interest technique (ROI) from the SPECT images taken at different time was used to get the ratio of tumor/limb in each group. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptotic cells and the rates of positive stained cells were calculated.

RESULTSAfter treatment with saline, only little amount of the radiolabeled tracer could be seen in the tumor and showed weak image of the tumor. But after 24 h of treatment with cyclophosphamide, clear image on the tumor could be seen. 24 h after the treatment of cyclophosphamide, the ratio of tumor/limb was (6.27 +/- 0.24) which was much higher than that at 24 h after treatment with saline (2.36 +/- 0.18) and that at 1 h after cyclophosphamide treatment (4.00 +/- 0.38). At 24 h after cyclophosphamide treatment, TUNEL staining showed a significantly higher rate of apoptotic cells in the mice.

CONCLUSION99mTc-HYNIC-annexin V can be used as an apoptosis-imaging agent to detect and evaluate the early curative effect after chemotherapy. The effective detection of apoptotic response in tumor with 99mTc-HYNIC-annexin V requires a 24 h interval after chemotherapy. SPECT images can be obtained at 60 min after injection of the imaging agent. It suggests that 99mTc-HYNIC-annexin V may become a promising agent for apoptosis-imaging in clinical application.

Animals ; Annexin A5 ; pharmacokinetics ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; therapeutic use ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Mice ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Organotechnetium Compounds ; pharmacokinetics ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; pharmacokinetics ; Random Allocation ; Tissue Distribution ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

OBJECTIVETo obtain the exposure-response relationship for temperature and mortality, and assess the risk of heat-related premature death.

METHODSA statistical model was developed using a Poisson generalized linear regression model with Beijing mortality and temperature data from October 1st, 2006 to September 30th, 2008. We calculated the exposure-response relationship for temperature and mortality in the central city, and inner suburban and outer suburban regions. Based on this relationship, a health risk model was used to assess the risk of heat-related premature death in the summer (June to August) of 2009.

RESULTSThe population in the outer suburbs had the highest temperature-related mortality risk. People in the central city had a mid-range risk, while people in the inner suburbs had the lowest risk. Risk assessment predicted that the number of heat-related premature deaths in the summer of 2009 was 1581. The city areas of Chaoyang and Haidian districts had the highest number of premature deaths. The number of premature deaths in the southern areas of Beijing (Fangshan, Fengtai, Daxing, and Tongzhou districts) was in the mid-range.

CONCLUSIONAmbient temperature significantly affects human mortality in Beijing. People in the city and outer suburban area have a higher temperature-related mortality risk than people in the inner suburban area. This may be explained by a temperature-related vulnerability.

Cause of Death ; China ; Hot Temperature ; Models, Statistical ; Mortality

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficacy of Mytrolimus (CCI-779), a derivative of rapamycin, eluting stents in preventing restenosis in the porcine model.

METHODSThe bare stents (n = 10), stents coated with polyolefin (n = 10) or stents coated with Mytrolimus (160 microg/18 mm) in polyolefin (n = 8) were implanted in left anterior descending coronary arteries or right coronary artery of mini-swine. Coronary angiography was performed after 4 weeks then the animals were sacrificed. The cross sections of the stented coronary arteries were analyzed, the injury score, luminal area, neointimal thickness above the struts and between the struts of stents, neointimal area and percentage of restenosis were measured.

RESULTSThe mean injury scores and luminal area were similar in three groups. There was no difference in above-stated items between the polyolefin coating stent and bare mental stent. To compare Mytrolimus-eluting stent with bare-stent, neointimal thickness above the struts [(0.18 +/- 0.08) mm vs (0.33 +/- 0.25) mm, P < 0.05] and between the struts [(0.14 +/- 0.05) mm vs (0.28 +/- 0.23) mm, P < 0.05] and neointimal area [(1.09 +/- 0.24) mm(2) vs (2.44 +/- 1.59) mm(2), P < 0.05] were significantly decreased in the Mytrolimus-eluting stent group than in bare mental stent group. Compared with bare-stent, the Mytrolimus eluting stent was associated with a 55.33% reduction in neointimal area. No restenosis developed in the Mytrolimus group.

CONCLUSIONThe Mytrolimus-eluting stents can effectively inhibit the neointimal hyperplasia in stented areas of coronary arteries 4 weeks after stent implantation in porcine model.

Animals ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation ; Coronary Artery Disease ; therapy ; Coronary Restenosis ; prevention & control ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Sirolimus ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Swine

OBJECTIVEThis study was sought to compare the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of (1) dual isotope simultaneous acquisition single-photon emission computed tomography (DISA SPECT) myocardial image with (99m)Tc-sestamibi/(18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((99m)Tc-MIBI/(18)FDG); (2) low dose dobutamine alone and combined with Isosorbide Dinitrate (ISDN: Isoket) stress two dimensional echocardiography (2DE) to predict regional movement recovery after revascularization (CRV) in patients with old myocardial infarction (OMI) and severe left ventricular dysfunction.

METHODSTwenty-six patients (mean age 51 +/- 8 years, male 25, female 1) with OMI and severe left ventricular dysfunction (mean left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF (38.6% +/- 4.9%) underwent low dose dobutamine 10 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) (Dob10 microg) and ISDN (286 +/- 31 microg/min) combined with Dob5 microg (ISDN-Dob 5 microg) 2DE and DISA SPECT within one week. In echocardiogram and DISA SPECT images: the left ventricle (LV) was divided into 16 segments. The semi-quantitative scoring system was used for both images. Myocardial viability was defined as an improvement of at least >or= 1 grade in at least two contiguous segments at rest 2DE after CRV. The viable segments detecting rate with stress 2DE and DISA SPECT were compared. Compared with the results of post-CRV, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of detecting viable segments of two methods were calculated.

RESULTSAmong 272 abnormal segments in 26 patients, 156 (57.4%) segments showed contractile improvement after CRV. The viable segments detecting rate with DISA SPECT was 72.4% (134/254), which was significantly higher than the contractile improved rate after CRV (P < 0.001). During Dob10 microg 2DE and ISDN-Dob5 microg 2DE, the detecting rates were 65.5% (163/249) and 65.7% (176/268), respectively, which were both comparable to the improved rate after CRV (both P > 0.05). With DISA SPECT, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 93.7%, 55% and 76.8%, respectively. Compared with DISA SPECT, Dob10 microg 2DE showed similar sensitivity (88.6%), specificity (64.2%) and the accuracy (77.9%). When ISDN combined with Dob5 microg, the sensitivity (91.4%), specificity (68.1%) and accuracy (81.4%)were comparable to those of Dob10 microg 2DE and DISA SPECT (all P > 0.05), while the specificity was even higher than DISA SPECT (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn identifying myocardial viability in patients with OMI and severe left ventricular dysfunction, DISA SPECT has higher sensitivity, lower specificity and better accuracy. Dob10 microg and ISDN-Dob5 microg 2DE are both equivalent to DISA SPECT in sensitivities, specificities and accuracies, and even higher in specificity in ISDN-Dob5 microg 2DE.

Adult ; Dobutamine ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Isosorbide Dinitrate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnostic imaging ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; diagnostic imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; methods