Female ; Hemifacial Spasm ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Mastoiditis ; complications ; Middle Aged

Objective To analyze the clinical and radiographic characterstics of ureteral polyps with hydronephrosis in children.Methods Thirteen patients with ureteral polyps and hydronephrosis were studied retrospectively.All patients underwent abdominal plain film,intravenous pyelogram(IVP)and ultrasound(US)examinations,contrast-enhanced CT scan was performed in 10 cases.Results Intermittent or recurrent abdominal pain with painless hematuria was presented in most cases.Hydronephrosis was demonstrated in radiographic images.IVP delineated the dilatation of the ureter and filling defects within the ureteral lumen in 5 cases.Computed tomography(CT)showed all abnormal changes of ureter and irregular intraluminal soft tissue masses in 6 cases.Moderate and low echoic structures were showed in ureters by US in 2 cases.Conclusion US and CT,as an important imaging modalities,can improve the diagnostic accuracy for ureteral polyps.

Background Metadherin is a newly discovered oncogene.It is highly expressed in some solid tumors and plays a significant role in invasion and metastasis of neoplasm as an important biological marker of aggressive cancers.However,there is little data available for the relationship between metadherin expression and clinicopathologic features of retinoblastoma(RB).Objective This study was to investigate the expression of the metadherin in RB cell lines and specimens as well as its clinical significance.Methods The expression of metadherin mRNA in different metastatic potential of RB cell lines(Y79,WERI-RB1 and SO-RB50)was detected by real-time PCR,and the protein expression of metadherin (MDTH)in paraffin-embedded RB tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry.The relevance of metadherin expression to clinical histopathological features was statistically analyzed.Results The relative expression value of metadherin mRNA was 6.11±0.17,6.21±0.21 and 3.97±0.17 in Y79,SORB50,WERI-RB1,respectively,with a significant difference among the three types of cell lines(F =142.643,P＜0.05).The relative expression value of metadherin mRNA was significantly higher in Y79 or SO-RB50 than that in W ERI-RB1 (P=0.000).The expression of MTDH protein mostly located in the cellular membrane and cytoplasm.Among the 54 RB sections,35 (64.81％)showed a high intensity in expression of metadherin protein.The total score of metadherin protein expression was higher in the E stage of RB than that of D stage(P=0.035),in the patients with high-risk factor than those without high-risk factor(P=0.002)and the cases with optic nerve invasion compared to non-invasion (P＝0.017).However,no significant differences were found in the expression of metadherin protein between different ages (P =0.579),different genders (P =0.513),bilateral eyes (P =0.305),different disease courses (P=0.860),various types of differentiation (P =0.537),different degree of the ehoroid invasion (P =0.238),and with or without invasion of the anterior ocular segment (P =0.579).Conclusions Metadherin appears to be highly expressed in RB cells.The activation of the MTDH gene is associated with invasion and metastasis of RB.These results imply that the dynamic change of metadherin expression probably is a prognostic indicator of RB.

Objective：To study the clinical and pathologic features of patients with lupus nephritis (LN) whose myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) were positive. Methods：The clinical and pathological features were analyzed in 18 patients with LN whose MPO-ANCA were positive. And the data of patients with different clinical outcomes were compared. Results：（1）The hematological abnormalities, hypertension and serositis in these patients were more common than general ones with LN. （2）Proteinuria and hematuria were common, the morbidities of gross hematuria and renal failure in these patients were higher than general ones with LN.（3）Various autoantibodies were positive in these patients.（4）Segmental necrosis crescentic nephritis accompanied by density of immunocomplex in glomeruli and vasculitis in intestitium were common.（5）The morbidity of ESRF and mortality of these patients were similar to general ones with LN. The morbidity of tubular atrophy in those with poor prognosis was significantly higher than those survived. Conclusion：The patients with LN whose MPO-ANCA are positive have some difference from those with negative MPO-ANCA, but positive MPO-ANCA is not directly related to the prognosis.

OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical effects of unilateral pedicle screw fixation (uni-PS) assisted by Quadrant system and bilateral pedicle screw fixation (bi-PS) for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases.

METHODSFrom October 2008 to October 2010,102 patients with lower back pain, unilateral lower limb radiating pain or paraesthesia were treated with pedicle screw fixation and lumbar interbody fusion. There were 67 males and 35 females with an average age of 51.5 years ranging from 34 to 69 years. The patients were randomly divided into two groups (group A and group B) according to the internal fixation type. The patients of group A (n=50) underwent with minimally transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and unilateral pedicle screw fixation with one single cage placement assisted by Quadrant system;and the patients of group B (n = 52) underwent with posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) and bilateral pedicle screw fixation with one single cage placement. There were no significant differences between two groups in general information (P > 0.05). VAS score and ODI score system were used to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative pain and function recovery. Operative time, volume of blood loss, fusion rate and complication rate were compared and analyzed by statistical test.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up from 12 to 21 months with an average of 18.2 months. In the group A,operative time and volume of blood loss were (87.6 +/- 25.5) min and (105.7 +/- 27.2) ml, respectively; VAS score of low back pain and leg pain, ODI score decreased respectively from preoperative 7.2 +/- 1.4, 7.9 +/- 1.1, 42.2 +/- 11.8 to 3.2 +/- 0.6, 3.0 +/- 0.7,15.6 +/- 2.3 at one month after operation; the fusion rate was 96.0% (48/50) and the complication rate was 4.00% (2/50). In the group B,operative time and volume of blood loss were (160.3 +/- 20.5) min and (220.6 +/- 25.5) ml, respectively; VAS score of low back pain and leg pain, ODI score decreased respectively from preoperative 7.3 +/- 1.1, 8.1 +/- 0.9, 43.1 +/- 12.0 to 3.3 +/- 0.4, 3.2 +/- 0.3, 14.9 +/- 2.6; the fusion rate was 96.2% (50/52) and the compli- cation rate was 5.77% (3/52). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in fusion rate, complication rate, VAS pain and ODI score. Whereas the operative time and blood loss in group A were significantly lower than that of group B.

CONCLUSIONMinimally invasive unilateral pedicle screw fixation is a safe and feasible method for the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases. It is as effective as the bilateral fixation in lumbar spinal fusion. In addition, it has the advantages of short operative time, less volume of blood loss, high fusion rate, etc.

Adult ; Aged ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; surgery ; Low Back Pain ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

Objective To investigate the effects of dominant-negative truncation mutant?NTCF4, lacking the N-terminal form of TCF4 gene,on biological characteristics of renal cancer cell line GRC-I and explore the molecular mechanisms.Methods GRC-I cell was transfected with pCDNA3-?NTCF4 eukary- otie expression plasmid,pCDNA3 empty vector to construct the stable cell line GRC-I/?NTCF4 and GRC-I/ Mock respectively.The morphological changes of stable cells were observed and the cells growth curve was detected through light microscope.The cellular proliferation activities were determined using the MTT assay. The protein expression of Wnt pathway downstream target gene C-Myc and Cox-2 was evaluated by immuno- cytoehemieal method and Western Blot analysis.Results After the dominant-negative?NTCF4 gene was permanently expressed,the GRC-I/?NTCF4 stable cells morphologically showed that appearance changed from circular to long-spindle shape,growth rate decreased with less karyosehisis found,malignant pheno- types reversed to normal renal tubular cells.MTT assay revealed that the proliferation activities of GRC-1/?NTCF4 cells were inhibited by 11.2%-35.5% compared with GRC-I cells (P＜0.05),while the GRC- I/Mock cells have no difference with the control cells.Immunocytochemical analysis and Western Blot showed that the C-Myc and Cox-2 protein expression level of GRC-I/?ANTCF4 cells were significantly sup- pressed in comparison with that of GRC-I/Mock and GRC-I cells.Conclusions The dominant-negative truncation mutant?NTCF4 could partially inhibit the growth of renal cancer cells and down-regulate the pro- tein expression of Wnt pathway target gene C-Myc and Cox-2.These findings provide a experimental founda- tion for applying cell signal therapy to renal cell cancer by blocking the Wnt signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Fas ligand (FasL) and fulminant hepatitis B in Han Chinese. Methods HBV infected subjects were enrolled in this case-control study, including 233 cases of inactive HBsAg carrier, 68 patients with fulminant hepatitis B,100 cases of spontaneous hepatitis B clearance, 102 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related cirrhosis and 112 patients with HBV related primary hepatocellular carcinoma. The blood samples and clinical data were collected. FasL-844T/C polymorphisms of enrolled subjects were examined by TaqMan real time fluorescent genotyping polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A adjusted odds ratios (OR)and 95% confidence intervals (CI)were calculated using the Logistic regression model. Results After adjusting the factors of gender and age, binary Logistic regression analyses indicated that the genotype frequencies of FasL-844 CC,CT,TT in inactive HBsAg carriers were 50. 64% ,39. 91% and 9. 44% respectively, and those in cases of fulminant hepatitis B were 79. 41%, 17. 65% and 2. 94%, respectively. The analysis also revealed that FasL-844CC genotype in inactive HBsAg carriers was high risk factor of developing fulminant hepatitis B (OR =4. 729,95%CI:0. 510 - 21. 282,P = 0. 043), while there were no statistic significances in other cases (P>0. 05). Conclusion The inactive HBsAg carriers harboring FasL-844CC may have greater susceptibility to fulminant hepatitis B, which need arouse high attention.

To study the effect of steaming and baking process on contents of alkaloids in Aconite Lateralis Radix (Fuzi), 13 alkaloids were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS equipped with ESI ion source in MRM mode. In steaming process, the contents of diester-diterpenoid alkaloids decreased rapidly, the contents of monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids firstly increased, reached the peak at 40 min, and then deceased gradually. The contents of aconine alkaloids (mesaconine, aconine and hypaconine) increased all the time during processing, while the contents of fuziline, songorine, karacoline, salsolionl were stable or slightly decreased. In baking process, dynamic variations of alkaloids were different from that in the steaming process. Diester-diterpenoid alkaloids were degraded slightly slower than in steaming process. Monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids, aconine alkaloids and the total alkaloids had been destroyed at different degrees, their contents were significantly lower than the ones in steaming Fuzi at the same processing time. This experiment revealed the dynamic variations of alkaloids in the course of steaming and baking. Two processing methods which can both effectively remove the toxic ingredients and retain the active ingredients are simple and controllable, and are valuable for popularization and application.
Aconitine ; analogs & derivatives ; isolation & purification ; Aconitum ; chemistry ; Alkaloids ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; Hot Temperature ; Plant Extracts ; isolation & purification ; Steam ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Time Factors

Objective:To compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Hyper-CVAD/MA regimen and CHOP/CHOP-like regimen in the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). Methods:The 78 primary PTCL-NOS patients who were initially diagnosed and treated in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital and Tianjin Union Medical Center from June 2004 to June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were then divided into two groups:Hyper-CVAD/MA group (n=21) and CHOP/CHOP-like group (n=57). Curative efficacies and toxicities were analyzed by Chi-square test, and survival was estimated by Ka-plan-Meier method. Results: In the Hyper-CVAD/MA group, complete response (CR) was 42.9%, overall response rate (ORR) was 85.7%, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 20 months, and the three-year overall survival (OS) was 56.9%. In the CHOP/CHOP-like group, the CR, ORR, and three-year OS were 28.1%, 59.6%, and 49.6%, respectively, and the median PFS was 13 months. Compara-tive analysis showed that the ORR and three-year OS were statistically significant (P<0.05), but the relapse rates (57.1%versus 77.2%) and three-year OS were similar (P>0.05). The incidence rates ofⅢ/Ⅳneutrocytopenia and thrombocytopenia in Hyper-CVAD/MA group (66.7%and 61.9%, respectively) were significantly higher than those of the CHOP/CHOP-like group (22.8%and 14.0%, respec-tively) (P<0.05). Conclusion:Hyper-CVAD/MA regimen can achieve satisfactory efficacy in parents with PTCL-NOS, and toxicity can be controlled with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).

Objective To investigate the imaging characteristics of both intra- and extrathoracic sarcoidosis on 18F-FDG PET/CT.Methods From 2007 Aug.to 2009 Nov.,22 patients( 10 males,12 females) with sarcoidosis,confirmed by pathological study and clinical follow-up,underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT imaging.The imaging patterns of intrathoracic and extrathoracic lesions were analyzed.The patterns were classified as the typical or atypical ( symmetrical or asymmetrical FDG accumulation and enlargement of hilar lymph nodes) based on PET and CT separately.Nonparametric McNemar test,independent t-test and Fisher exact test were applied for statistical analysis.Results For typical pattern vs atypical pattem identification,PET was significantly different from CT ( 18 and 4 vs 12 and 10,P =0.031 ).In those with atypical pattern demonstrated by CT alone at hilar region,PET showed either symmetrical or asymmetrical accumulation of FDG.Except for mediastinal lymph nodes involvement,lung parenchyma was the second common site ( 19/22,86.4％ ),followed by lymph nodes at abdomen and (or) pelvis ( 12/22,54.5％ ).Conclusion The imaging characteristics of both intra- and extrathoracic sarcoidosis on 18F-FDG PET/CT may be helpful for the diagnosis of atypical sarcoidosis on CT image alone.