Humans ; Prune Belly Syndrome

Objective To assess the impact of the virus on the complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) length diversity of T cell receptor(TCR) Vβ repertoires of CD4+ T lymphocytes and to explore its association with viral load in individuals with HIV-1 infection. Methods The TCR repertoire was examined using spectratyping of CDR3 length diversity within CD4+ T cells in HIV infected and healthy adults. Separation of CD4+ T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMCs) was carried out by using immunomagnetic beads coated with anti-CD4 antibody. Total RNAs from the purified CD4 + T lymphocytes were isolated and used to perform nested-PCR amplifications in CDR3 of 22 TCR gene families. CDR3 diversity and its association with viral load in individuals with HIV-1 infection were analyzed. Results An average diversity for all CDR3 profiles in CD4+ T cells from 25 HIV-infected individuals was significantly different as compared to 10 age-matched healthy donors (P＜0.05) with the HIV-infected individuals losing diversity in the CDR3 profiles. There was positive correlation between changes in TCR CDR3 diversity and viral load (r = 0. 494, P ＜ 0. 05). The changes in CDR3 length diversity of Vβ families in HIV-infected individuals, particular in Vβ8, Vβ22, Vβ23 were statistically different from the healthy controls. Conclusion HIV-1 infection might induce the loss of TCR Vp repertoire diversity and disrupt the CDR3 Gaussian distributions within CD4 + T cells. There should be positive correlation between changes in TCR CDR3 diversity and the viral load in HIV-1 infected patients.

OBJECTIVEThis study was designed to detect the expression of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in colorectal carcinomas and to determine their association with the patient survival and stage of the diseases.

METHODSImmunohistochemistry method was used to detect the expression of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in 93 cases of colorectal carcinoma. The stain results were obtained by analyzing the clinic-pathological characteristics of patients.

RESULTSFifty-seven percent (53/93) of the colorectal carcinomas were bcl-2 protein positive. The positive rate of bcl-2 protein in lymph node involvement cases was lower (15/37) than the cases without node involvement (38/58, P<0.01). The positive rate of p53 protein was 43% (40/93) in colon-rectum carcinomas. No significant correlation was observed between p53 protein expression and clinic-pathological manifestations (P>0.05) but the survival was significantly worse (P=0.0001) in the p53 protein positive cases. Neither bcl-2 nor p53 alone was correlated with stage of the disease. When combined bcl-2/p53 status was analyzed, a group with bcl-2(+) and p53(-) had the best prognosis. This group was significantly associated with earlier Dukes' stages (P=0.1763). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, lymph node involvement and p53 protein expression were two independent factors correlated with survival time.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of bcl-2 and p53 represent biological characteristics of colorectal carcinomas. Assessment of both bcl-2 and p53 status may be valuable in predicting the prognosis of patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; China ; epidemiology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Risk Assessment ; methods ; Risk Factors ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the proportion and mechanism of relieving asthma of drug partnership comprising herbal Ephedrae & Pheretima.

METHODTo study relaxant effect on 10 micromol x L(-1) carbachol (CCh) and 10 micromol x L(-1) histamine (His) precontracted isolated tracheal rings and lowering effect on short-circuit current (Isc) increase induced by 10 micromol x L(-1) CCh with 3 proportions of 1:1, 1:3, 1:9 extract.

RESULT1:3 proportions dose-dependently relaxed CCh-precontracted isolated tracheal rings, IC50 of 1:1, 1:3 is 7.5, 15 mg x mL(-1) respectively, 1:9 could not produce 50% inhibition effect on CCh-evoked contraction; 3 proportions also dose-dependently relaxed His-precontracted isolated tracheal rings, IC50 of 1:9, 1:3 and 1:1 is 0.19, 0.61, 1.8 mg x mL(-1) respectively. On the other hand,the orders potency of the decrease effect on CCh-evoked short circuit current increase is 1:3 > 1:1 > 1:9. The difference is not significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHerbal Ephedrae & Pheretima had tracheal muscle relaxant and epithelium ion secretion inhibition effect, its mechanism of relieving asthma involved anti-CCh and anti-His effect 1:3 was the most appropriate dosage ratio in the anti-asthmatic drug partnership.

Animals ; Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Asthma ; physiopathology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Ephedra sinica ; chemistry ; Guinea Pigs ; Histamine Antagonists ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Male ; Materia Medica ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Muscle Relaxation ; drug effects ; Muscle, Smooth ; drug effects ; Oligochaeta ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

PURPOSE: To evaluate social adjustment and related factors among Chinese children with Down syndrome (DS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A structured interview and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) were conducted with a group of 36 DS children with a mean age of 106.28 months, a group of 30 normally-developing children matched for mental age (MA) and a group of 40 normally-developing children matched for chronological age (CA). Mean scores of social adjustment were compared between the three groups, and partial correlations and stepwise multiple regression models were used to further explore related factors. RESULTS: There was no difference between the DS group and the MA group in terms of communication skills. However, the DS group scored much better than the MA group in self-dependence, locomotion, work skills, socialization and self-management. Children in the CA group achieved significantly higher scores in all aspects of social adjustment than the DS children. Partial correlations indicate a relationship between social adjustment and the PPVT raw score and also between social adjustment and age (significant r ranging between 0.24 and 0.92). A stepwise linear regression analysis showed that family structure was the main predictor of social adjustment. Newborn history was also a predictor of work skills, communication, socialization and self-management. Parental education was found to account for 8% of self-dependence. Maternal education explained 6% of the variation in locomotion. CONCLUSION: Although limited by the small sample size, these results indicate that Chinese DS children have better social adjustment skills when compared to their mental-age-matched normally-developing peers, but that the Chinese DS children showed aspects of adaptive development that differed from Western DS children. Analyses of factors related to social adjustment suggest that effective early intervention may improve social adaptability.
Adolescent ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*psychology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Communication ; Down Syndrome/ethnology/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Social Adjustment ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of Tongmai decoction on the perioperative changes of serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin (IL)-6 in patients with femoral fractures, and conform the effectiveness of Tongmai decoction on inflammatory factors in patients with femoral fractures, providing the theoretical evidence for the clinical use of Tongmai decoction.

METHODSFrom October 2007 to May 2009, 60 patients with closed traumatic femoral fractures were selected according to the inclusion criterias and exclusion criterias. All the patients were randomly divided into three groups (group A, group B and group C). Twenty patients in group A (Tpanax Notoginseng pill group), 13 patients were male and 7 patients were female; ranging in age from 20 to 45 years, averaged 32.0 years; the disease course ranged from 2.0 to 26.0 h, with an average of 9.5 h. Twenty patients in group B (Tpanax Notoginseng pills and Lornoxicam injection group),12 patients were male and 8 patients were female; ranging in age from 23 to 42 years, averaged 31.0 years; the disease course ranged from 3.5 to 25.0 h, with an average of 13.6 h. Twenty patients in group C (Tpanax Notoginseng pill, Lornoxicam injection and Tongmai decoction group), 14 patients were male and 6 patients were female; ranging in age from 21 to 44 years, averaged 31.5 years; the disease course ranged from 4.6 to 29.0 h, with an average of 13.3 h. Among all the patients, 42 patients with fractures were fixed with femoral intramedullary nailing, and other 18 patients with femoral locking plate fixation. The patients in group A took Tpanax Notoginseng pills orally, 4 g each time and twice daily; the patients in group B took Tpanax Notoginseng pills orally as group A, and at the same time received intramuscular injection of Lornoxicam, 8 mg each time and once daily; the patients in group C took Tpanax Notoginseng pills orally and received intramuscular injection of Lornoxicam as group B, and at the same time took Tongmai decoction (R ) orally, 200 ml each time and twice daily. The above medications were administered to the three groups on the second day after admission to hospital. Peripheral blood samples were taken for determination of pro-inflammatory cytokines of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in blood serum on the 2nd and 6th days before operation and on the 8th and 13th days after operation. And all the patients were evaluated liver and kidney function at the 2nd and 7th days after admission. Analysis of variance and least significant difference-test were done with the help of SPSS 17.0 statistic software.

RESULTSThe differences among three groups of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in blood serum at the 2nd day after admission and 2 days after operation had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels among 3 groups had statistical differences at the 7th day after admission and at the 7th day after operation (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There were significant differences of TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels between the 7th day after admission and the 2nd day after admission, the 7th day after operation and the 2nd day after admission (P < 0.01). There were also significant differences of TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels between group C compared with group A and B at the 7th day after admission and the 7th day after operation(P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and IL-6 level significantly increased in perioperative period. The results indicate that the Tongmai decoction may play an important role in inhibiting the release of TNF-alpha and IL-6 into the blood stream and decreasing the incunabula complication at early traumatic stage.

Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Femoral Fractures ; blood ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Fractures, Closed ; blood ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perioperative Care ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the related factors and prognosis of peritoneal dissemination and hepatic metastasis in gastric cancer, and the impact of palliative surgery on the prognosis.

METHODSThe clinicopathologic and follow-up data of the patients with gastric carcinoma treated in our hospital from Aug. 1994 to Jul. 2005 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThe clinicopathologic factors correlated with peritoneal dissemination included serosal penetration, whole stomach cancer, undifferentiated type, female and hepatic metastasis, while those correlated with hepatic metastasis included Borrmann IV, lymph node metastasis and peritoneal dissemination (P< 0.05). The postoperative one-year survival rate of the patients with hepatic metastasis (H group) were lower than that of the patients with peritoneal dissemination (P group)(P< 0.05). The one- year survival rate of the patients with peritoneal dissemination undergoing palliative resection was significantly higher than that of the patients undergoing by-pass operation or feeding neostomy, and exploratory laparotomy (P< 0.05), while there was no significant difference among the three groups of the patients with hepatic metastasis.

CONCLUSIONSThe short-term prognosis of the patients with hepatic metastasis is poorer than that of the patients with peritoneal dissemination. Palliative resection could improve the short-term survival rate of the patients with peritoneal dissemination, while it had no significant impact on the survival rate of the patients with hepatic metastasis.

Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; mortality ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Peritoneal Neoplasms ; mortality ; secondary ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of creating a 3D-CAD model of craniofacial prostheses through mirror technique to repair the unilateral craniofacial defects and restore craniofacial symmetry.

METHODSPatients with unilateral craniofacial defects underwent spiral CT scanning. CAD3-D image was reconstructed ad 3-D CAD model of craniofacial prosthesis was created with mirror technique, Boolean operation and rapid prototyping technique. Then the prosthesis made of bioactive artificial bone was made through plaster cavity block.

RESULTS15 cases were treated with no complications. Good symmetry was achieved after operation.

CONCLUSIONSDesigning the craniofacial prosthesis with mirror technique guarantees excellent functional and cosmetic results for repairing the unilateral craniofacial defects.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Computer-Aided Design ; Female ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prosthesis Design ; methods ; Skull ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo identify the gene mutation for two Chinese families with autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing impairment(NSHI).

METHODSTwo NSHI pedigrees with common ancestor were identified by clinical examination and family investigation. Linkage analysis was performed for all known NSHI loci, and all exons and exon-intron boundaries of the non-muscle myosin heavy chain 14 (MYH14) gene were amplified by PCR and sequenced.

RESULTSThe disease-causing gene of these 2 pedigrees was fine mapped to the DFNA4 locus on 19q13.33. A heterozygous transition of c. 359T>C (p.S120L) in MYH14 gene was identified. The mutation was detected in all patients but not in normal members in the two families.

CONCLUSIONIt is the first report that mutation in MYH14 gene can cause dominant non-syndromic hearing impairment in Asian population, suggesting that MYH14 gene can be a disease-causing gene of Chinese patients with hearing impairment.

Female ; Hearing Loss ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats ; genetics ; Mutation ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; genetics ; Myosin Type II ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo analyze the influence of radical excision combining splenectomy on prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer.

METHODSBetween June 1994 and March 2004, 692 patients were operated on for gastric cancer and registered into gastric cancer database. Radical excision (D2, D3 or D4) combining splenectomy for gastric cancer was performed in 45 cases. 343 cases were selected simultaneously for comparison according to the resembling rules in sex, age, tumor size, location, serosa invasion, Borrmann type and range of lymph node dissection. Clinicopathological factors affecting lymph node metastasis, patterns of lymph node metastasis, 5-year survival rate after radical excision combined with splenectomy for gastric cancer were compared.

RESULTSLymph node metastasis rate of splenic hilus was 15.6 percent. Among them, upper, middle and lower domain is 11.5 percent, 33.3 percent and zero respectively. It was significantly different between gastric adenocarcinoma in proximal and body of stomach and that in distal stomach, poor differentiation and adenocarcinoma anaplastic and well and moderately differentiation adenocarcinoma, Borrmann III and IV types and Borrmann I and II types, infiltrated depth in T(3) and T(4) and infiltrated depth in T(1) and T(2), clinical stages III and IV and clinical stages I and II. The average and median survival time between radical gastrectomy only and radical gastrectomy combining splenectomy for gastric cancer at stage I and II patients were significantly different, but at stage III and IV patients not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONSSpleen should be reserved for patients with gastric cancer at stage I and II, and radical excision combining splenectomy could only be performed at stage III and IV patients with cancer infiltrating body and tail of the pancreas, or lymph nodes metastasis in the splenic hilus. Indication of radical excision combining splenectomy for gastric cancer must be further study to clarify its efficacy.

Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; methods ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Splenectomy ; Stomach Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Rate