Adult ; Female ; Hemangioblastoma ; pathology ; Humans ; Sella Turcica ; pathology ; Skull Neoplasms ; pathology

AIM: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab ( avastin ) injection in patients with exudative age related macular degeneration ( AMD) .
METHODS: The records of patients treated with intravitreal injection of 1. 75mg bevacizumab for AMD were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were evaluated by complete ophthalmic examination, optical coherence tomography and fundus fluorescein and/or indocyanine green angiography. Observation was made on the best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA) , intraocular pressure, and the changes of lens, vitreous, central retinal thickness (CFT) and total macular volume (TMV), at 1d, 3d, 7d, 1mo and 6mo after the treatment and then compared with those of pre - operation. Repeated treatment with intravitreous bevacizumab occurred if there were signs of persistent or recurrent exudation. And all cases were followed up at least 6mo. An intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1. 75mg) was given once every 6wk.
RESULTS:All 50 eyes of 48 patients with the average of 58±20. 46 years old were included. The mean baseline of BCVA and CFT were 0. 82±0. 53, and 364. 97±151. 83μm respectively. Although there was no significant decrease in mean CFT and TMV one week after the injection, the mean BCVA had significant improvement. At the last visit of 9. 7mo follow - up, BCVA, CRT and TMV showed significant improvements over baseline values. BCVA was improved by at least two lines in 32 eyes (64%),remained stabilization in 18 eyes (36%) at the last visit. A total of 98 injections were performed and the average number of injections was 1. 98 for each eye in the group. About 50%of re - injections gained at least two lines of vision improvement one week postoperatively. There were no serious adverse events during the treatment.
CONCLUSION: Intravitreal bevacizumab ( avastin ) injection for managing CNV due to age-related macular degeneration is safe and few side effects. Intravitreal avastin associated with improvement in visual acuity ( VA ) , which can reduce macular edema and choroidal neovascularization leakage. But a prolonged treatment effect needs further observation.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the function of luxS in sulfurmetabolism of Streptococcus mutans (Sm).

METHODSThe growth with absorbency (A) of the standards and mutant strains was measured and analyzed in the sulfur-limited defined medium at different periods. The laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) was used to observe and compare the biofilm thickness of the two kinds of strains at different culture conditions.

RESULTSThe significant increases in the thickness of mutant strain biofilm and its growth were observed after the addition of cysteine, but did not reach the standards strain levels (P < 0.05). The growth and the biofilm thickness of the mutant strains were (1.301 ± 0.009) and (45.009 ± 0.429) µm. When methionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine of certain concentrations were respectively added, the biofilm thickness and the growth of mutant strain were raised but did not reach the level of the standards strain at 24 h (P < 0.05), but at 48 h they did. When the methionine was added in the mutant strains for 24 h, the biofilm thickness and the growth of mutant strain were (0.448 ± 0.028) and (37.068 ± 2.392) µm, as for the adding of S-adenosylhomocysteine were (0.460 ± 0.005) and (27.343 ± 1.107) µm. When adding the supernatant fluid of standard strains, the biofilm thickness and the growth levels of mutant strain were much higher than those of the standards strain. The biofilm thickness and growth of both kinds of strains decreased after the addition of S-adenosylmethionine.

CONCLUSIONSluxS gene plays not only a role in quorum sensing but also a role in sulfurmetabolism.

Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Biofilms ; growth & development ; Carbon-Sulfur Lyases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; Cysteine ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Methionine ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Quorum Sensing ; S-Adenosylhomocysteine ; metabolism ; S-Adenosylmethionine ; metabolism ; Streptococcus mutans ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Sulfur ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo construct double gene deletions at the htrA and clpP loci on the chromosome of Streptococcus mutans (Sm) and to remove the antibiotic resistance markers with the Cre-loxP(*) site-specific recombination system.

METHODSThe htrA gene was cloned into the pGEM-T-Easy TA cloning vector and then inactivated via the insertion of a kanamycin resistance cassette (lox71-Km-lox66), yielding pGEM-T-ΔhtrA/Km for deleting the htrA gene. Using the same method, the pGEM-T-ΔclpP/Sp was constructed for deleting the clpP gene. Following the transformation of pGEM-T-ΔhtrA/Km in Sm, the homologous recombination event was selected. One such mutant was transformed with a cre expression plasmid (pCrePA). The kanamycin resistance gene was then excised. The pCrePA was then easily eliminated at nonpermissive temperatures, resulting in a mutant strain (MSΔhtrA) carrying a deletion at the htrA loci without a selectable marker. This mutant was verified by PCR and DNA sequencing. Then, the clpP and spectinomycin resistance gene were deleted from MSΔhtrA, yielding markerless mutant strain lacking clpP and htrA.

RESULTSThe deletion of htrA, clpP and antibiotic resistance markers were confirmed by PCR analysis and DNA sequencing.

CONCLUSIONSA mutant of Sm was constructed successfully which contained a deletion of the htrA and clpP gene without selectable marker. The Cre-loxP(*) system can be applied to Sm, which provides experimental evidence for generating markerless multiple gene deletion mutants.

Drug Resistance, Microbial ; genetics ; Gene Deletion ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Genes, Bacterial ; Genetic Vectors ; Integrases ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Streptococcus mutans ; genetics

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of 18F-FDG SPECT myocardial imaging in evaluating haemodynamic change,treatment outcome and prognosis for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).MethodsAll 24 patients with IPAH underwent 18 F-FDG SPECT myocardial imaging.Right ventricle/left ventricle (RV/LV)-FDG uptake was calculated by ROI method drawing over the central areas of left and right ventricular free walls.All patients underwent right heart catheterization within 3 days after imaging studies.Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were recorded.After six month pharmaceutical treatment,15 IPAH patients were re-examined with 18F-FDG SPECT myocardial imaging followed by repeated right heart catheterization within 3 days.Plasma N-terminal pro-brain naturetic peptide (NT-proBNP) and endothelin-1 ( ET-1 ) were measured in 17 patients using electrochemiluminescent immunoassay and enzyme immunoassay respectively.All patients were followed up for 12 months at least.Correlations between RV/LV-FDG uptake and mPAP and PVR were determined by simple linear regression analysis.Change of RV/LV-FDG before and after treatment was calculated using Student's t-test.Survival in groups with RV/LV FDG uptake ≥ 1.15 and RV/LV-FDG uptake ＜ 1.15 were compared using Log-rank test.ResultsSignificant correlations were found between RV/LV-FDG uptake and mPAP (r =0.562,P ＜ 0.01 ),and between RV/LV-FDG uptake and PVR ( r =0.574,P ＜ 0.01 ).There were no significant correlation between RV/LV-FDG uptake and NT-proBNP( r =0.18 1,P ＞ 0.05 ),but a significant correlation between RV/LV-FDG and ET-1 was observed (r =0.669,P ＜ 0.01 ).The RV/LV-FDG uptake in patients with positive treatment outcome ( n =6) decreased from 1.38 ± 0.52 to 0.92 ±0.26 (t =4.018,P ＜ 0.05) after 6 months treatment.In contrast,no significant change of RV/LV-FDG uptake was seen in those patients (n =9) with negative treatment outcome ( t =1.861,P ＞ 0.05 ).The mean follow-up time was (21 ±8) months.Mean survival time for the patients with RV/LV- FDG uptake ≥ 1.15was 28 months (95％ confidence interval:24-32 months),which was significantly lower than 34 months survival (95％ confidence interval:33-35 months) for the patients with RV/LV-FDG ＜ 1.15 (x2 =3.956,P ＜0.05 ).Conclusions Detection of right ventricle myocardial glucose metabolism level with 18F-FDG SPECT may be a practical method for evaluating haemodynamic change,treatment outcome and prognosis of IPAH.

A 58-year-old female patient, diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung, underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty at the L4 vertebral body due to painful spinal metastases. Because of deep venous thrombosis of the left femoral and iliac veins, an inferior vena cava filter had been placed before vertebroplasty. Bone cement migrated into the venous bloodstream and then was being trapped within the previously placed filter. This case illustrates that caval filter could capture the bone cement and prevent it from migrating to the pulmonary circulation.
Adenocarcinoma/secondary ; Bone Cements/*adverse effects ; Embolism/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Iliac Vein ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Embolism/prevention & control ; Spinal Neoplasms/secondary ; *Vena Cava Filters ; *Vena Cava, Inferior ; Venous Thrombosis/radiography ; Vertebroplasty/*adverse effects/methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

METHODSOne hundred and seven cases, admitted to our hospital from Apr. 1996 to Oct. 2005, were detected by Envision immunohistochemical method and diagnosed as GISTs. Their pathological features, immunohistochemical phenotypes, clinical manifestations and imaging findings were analyzed.

RESULTSOf the 107 GISTs, 107 cases were positive for vimentin (107/107, 100%), 107 cases were positive for CD117 (107/107, 100%), 89 cases were positive for CD34 (89/107, 83.2%), 14 cases were positive for SMA (14/107, 13.1%), 10 cases were positive for desmin (10/107, 9.3%), 22 cases were positive for S-100 (22/87, 20.6%) and 15 cases were positive for NSE (15/107, 14.0%). Among all the GISTs, 73 cases occurred in stomach (68.2%), 28 in small intestine (26.2%), 1 in colon (0.9%) and 5 occurred in other position including mesentery, omentum, and retroperitoneum (4.7%). Fifteen cases were diagnosed as very low grade (14.0%), 25 cases as low grade (23.4%), 33 cases as low malignancy (30.8%) and 34 cases as high malignancy (31.8%). The follow-up was obtained successfully in 89 cases (83.2%). Fourteen cases (13.1%) were confirmed to have recurrences or metastases by review and medical records.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis of GIST depends on pathological observation and immunohistochemical study. CD117 is a sensitive marker for the diagnosis of GIST. Surgical resection is the choice for treating GIST. Extended resection, even combined resection of involved organs, is required for malignant GIST.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and investigate the influencing factors of the interferon (IFN) retreatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C relapsed after a previous IFN treatment.

METHODSA retrospective study was designed to analyze the retreatment with IFN of 60 relapsed chronic hepatitis C patients. All patients were from a randomized, opened and multi-center clinical trial about the efficacy and security of PEG-IFNalpha-2a compared to CIFNalpha-2a in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in China. There were 35 patients treated with PEG-IFNalpha-2a and 25 with CIFNalpha-2a. The main parameter to evaluate the efficacy was sustained viral response (SVR) rate. The influence of viral concentration in serum, genotype and drug categories on the responses to IFN were analyzed.

RESULTSFor all the patients, the end of treatment virus response (ETVR) and SVR rates were 55.00% and 35.00% respectively. ETVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was significantly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (74.29% and 28.00% respectively, P < 0.01). SVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was also markedly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (45.71% and 20.00% respectively, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the high and low viral load groups. Among the patients with genotype 1, ETVR and SVR rates of PEG-IFNalpha-2a (75.00%, 45.83%) were significantly higher than those of CIFNalpha-2a (22.22%, 11.11%), (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively), but in patients with genotype non-1, there were no such differences between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSome relapsed patients were not responsive to the IFN retreatment. The efficacy of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was superior to CIFNalpha-2a. The conventional IFN was not suggested to be used in the relapsed cases with genotype 1. The viral load was not associated with the efficacy of IFN retreatment.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Interferon-beta ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic experience of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and to analyze the pathological features and prognostic factors of GIST.

METHODSThe clinicopathological and follow-up data of 181 patients with GIST admitted in Renji Hospital between January 1999 and December 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. All the cases were grouped according to Fletcher's risk scheme. Life table and COX regression model were used to evaluate the prognostic factors.

RESULTSOut of 181 tumors, 107(59.1%) were located in stomach, 51 (28.2%) in intestine and 23(12.7%) in colorectum or other sites. Distant metastases,including liver metastases were found in 7 patients intraoperatively. Tumor size ranged from 0.5 to 30 cm with the mean of 7.02 cm. The positive rate of CD117 was 94.5% (171/181) and that of CD34 was 86.2% (156/181). One hundred and seventy-six patients underwent complete resections, including multi-organ resections in 26 patients. The other patients underwent palliative operations. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates of 181 patients were 95.2%, 87.9% and 78.5% respectively. Univariate analysis revealed age, tumor size, primary organ of tumor, mitotic count, Fletcher's classification and multi-organ resection were associated with survival rate. No significant difference of sex was existed among groups. COX hazard proportional model revealed that advanced stage and large tumor size indicated worse prognosis. Eight patients with high risk of recurrence and 3 patients with recurrence and metastasis were stable after receiving imatinib therapy.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis of GIST depends on endoscope and CT. Fletcher's classification is simple and effective to evaluate GIST behavior and prognosis. Surgical resection is still the main therapy for GIST and targeted therapy will play a more important role for prognosis in the future.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo prepare a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) kit for clinical detection of IgM antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (HBc).

METHODSImmunocapture method was used to develop the TRFIA kit for detection of the anti-HBc IgM antibodies, and the precision, cross-reactivity and sensitivity of the kit were tested with the clinical serum samples.

RESULTSThe intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation of the TRFIA kit were 4.8%-7.2% and 7.5%-8.6%, respectively, and no cross-reactivity with anti-HBs, anti-HBc-IgG or anti-HBe was found. Comparison of the results of the TRFIA kit and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) demonstrated greater sensitivity of the kit than ELISA in detecting the anti-HBc IgM antibodies in 584 serum samples. According to the detection results in 300 serum samples from healthy donors, the cutoff value of the TRFIA kit was 4.5 times of the fluorescence value of the negative control.

CONCLUSIONThis TRFIA kit for detecting anti-HBc IgM antibodies meets the demand for clinical application and can replace the ELISA kits.

Fluoroimmunoassay ; methods ; Hepatitis B ; immunology ; virology ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity