Objective To detect NRAS gene mutations in patients with acral melanoma, and to analyze their relationship with the prognosis of acral melanoma. Methods Clinical and pathological data were collected from 55 patients with pathologically diagnosed acral melanoma. DNA was extracted from paraffin?embedded specimens from lesions of the 55 patients and 15 patients with nevus. PCR and direct DNA sequencing were performed to detect NRAS gene mutations. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox′s proportional hazards regression model. Results Of the 55 patients, 6(10.9%)carried the Q61R mutation in codon 61 of the NRAS gene. No mutations were found in exon 1 or 2 of the NRAS gene in any of these paraffin?embedded specimens, and none of the pigmented nevus specimens harbored NRAS gene mutations. Of the 6 patients carrying NRAS gene mutations, 4 had lymph node metastasis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that independent factors of poor prognosis included advanced clinical stage(RR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.062- 6.066, P < 0.05), not receiving surgical resection(RR = 2.98, 95% CI:1.316- 3.525, P < 0.05), and carrying NRAS gene mutations (RR = 2.73, 95% CI: 0.932- 3.257, P < 0.05). Conclusions NRAS gene mutations may be associated with lymph node metastasis in patients with acral melanoma. The prognosis of acral melanoma may be associated with clinical staging, treatment strategies and NRAS gene mutations. Additionally, NRAS gene mutations may serve as a new index for predicting prognosis of acral melanoma.

Benzene ; poisoning ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases

Objective To evaluate the interventional chemoembolization combined with proton radiotherapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accompanied with cancerous thrombus in the main portal vein. Methods Interventional chemoembolization combined with proton radiotherapy was performed in 46 patients of HCC accompanied with cancerous thrombus in the main portal vein. The proton radiotherapy was broke up into several fractions. The patients were treated with interventional chemoembolization and, alternatively, with proton radiotherapy. The short-term effectiveness and radiation reaction were evaluated. The survival rate was followed up. Results The effective rate was 91.3% . Disappearance of cancerous thrombus in the main portal vein was seen in 45.6% of patients. The liver functions were well restored, with a remarkable reduction in AFP. No acute or delayed radiation-induced hepatic damage or radiation hepatopathy occurred during the course of and after radiotherapy. The survival rate at 1, 6, 12 and 24 months was 100%, 89.1%, 52.2% and 21.4% respectively, with a median survival period of 17.6 months. Conclusion For the patients of HCC accompanied with cancerous thrombus in the main portal vein, interventional chemoembolization combined with proton radiotherapy is an effective, safe and newly-developed therapy.

In recent years, the number of ICU survivor is ever-growing with the increase of cure rate. The survivors′ outcome has aroused more and more attentions from medical personnel. ICU survivors tend to experience lasting physical, psychological and cognitive injuries, the post-traumatic stress disorder is one kind of significant psychological injury associated with patients′ critical experience. This review aims to summarize relevant literatures, introduces the prevalence, risk factors, complications, and interventions of ICU survivors′ post-traumatic stress disorder symptom, in order to prevent ICU survivors from post-ICU psychological injury and improve their long-term outcome.

Animals ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; biosynthesis ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Mercuric Chloride ; toxicity ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objective To study the survival and melanogenic potential of human melanocytes reversibly immortalized via SV40T antigen gene and Cre/loxP system in Guinea pigs. Methods The supernatants of retrovirus vector Cre-ERT2 were used to infect melanocytes which had been successfully transfected by SV40TAg gene (MCT), then the expression of Cre recombinase was induced with tamoxifen in infected cells; subsequently, the surviving cells, which were named as MCTC, were subjected to expansion culture. Guinea pigs were utilized to establish animal models of vitiligo, then MCTC and primary melanocytes were transplanted respectively into the animal models. The repigmentation at the transplanted area was observed with naked eyes successively until 3 months after the transplantation when tissue samples were obtained from implanted area and nonimplanted area of guinea pigs and subjected to Masson-Fontana silver stain and Hematoxylin-eosin stain for the analysis of melanocyte distribution and melanin deposition in epidermis. Results Repigmentation started 4 weeks after the transplantation, and dark or brown patches, which ranged in size from 0.5 to 1 cm, were observed in the implanted area 3 months after the transplantation. The repigmentation rate was of no significant difference between pigs transplanted with MCTC and those with primary melanocytes (82.5% vs 76.7%, P > 0.05). Pathological examination revealed melanin deposition in the basal layer of epidermis and some hair follicles in transplanted area. Conclusions SV40T antigen gene combined with Cre/loxP site-specific recombinase system can induce the reversible immortalization of human melanocytes, and the immortalized melanocytes have a favorable profile of biological safety and similarity in survival rate and melanogenic potential to primary melanocytes.

To investigate the effects of traditional Chinese compound recipe Yiqi Zengmin (YQZM) formula on expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in skeletal muscle of rats with type 2 diabetes induced by high-fat diet combined with low-dose-streptozotocin injection.

Objective To investigate the mechanisms of both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin resistance in clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from our hosptial.Methods Twenty P .aeruginosa isolates resistant to both levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin as tested by VITEK-2 Compact were collected.Agar dilution method was used to confirm their minimum inhibito-ry concentrations (MICs)of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin.DNA gyrase (gyrA and gyrB )and topoisomerase IV (parC and parE)were analyzed by PCR amplification.The expression of efflux systems were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR.Results The MIC results were consistent between Agar dilution method and Vitek-2 Compact system.DNA gyrase (gyrA and gyrB )se-quencing analysis showed that the mutations were mainly frame-shifting mutation characteristic of base (C)insertion at position 941 in gyrA gene,deletion of base (A)at position 1588 in gyrB gene,and insertion of base (T)at position 1543 in gyrB gene.Insertion of base (C)at position 1895 in parE gene was identified in 3 strains.Overexpression of MexAB-OprM and MexCD-OprJ was detected by real-time RT-PCR.Conclusions The insertion and/or deletion of bases in DNA gyrase (gyrA and gyrB)genes and overproduction of MexAB-OprM and MexCD-OprJ efflux systems may contribute to the resistance to both ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin in clinical isolates of P .aeruginosa.

Adult ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Frontal Bone ; Hemangioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; pathology ; Humans ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; metabolism ; pathology ; Skull Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

.