Objective To explore the distribution rule of metastatic lymph node in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Methods 315 histopathologically proved NPC patients were studied retrospectively.All patients had had their nasopharynx scanned by MRI with plain and contrast enhanced sequences.The distribution of lymph node was divided into six cervical levels plus retro- pharyngeal nodes(RN) according to RTOG guidelines proposed in 2003.Results 254 out of 315 patients (80.6%) had lymph node involvement,with 81 in the right neck alone,72 left neck alone,and 101 both necks;73 in RN alone,21 neck node alone,and 160 both necks and RN node.Skip metastasis was found in only 4 patients (1.6%).There was significant difference in BN metastasis between the primary tumor be- ing located merely on the superior/posterior wall and lateral wall (78% vs 49%,P＜0.01).The incidence of lymph node metastasis in T1,T2,T3 and T4 patients was 73.5%,91.2%,71.9%,73.5% (P＞0.05), respectively,without significant difference between early or advanced T stage in node distribution (P＞0.05).Conclusions The incidence of lymph node metastasis is high in nasopharyngeal carcinoma,with retropharyngeal node being the most commonly involved,but the incidence of skip metastasis is very low. There is no significant difference between T stage and the incidence of lymph node metastasis.So is the dis- tribution of metastatic node.

Seventeen kinds of serum free amino acids (FAA) of 35 healthy persons in endemic area of Keshan disease and 38 patients with Keshan disease were determined and compared with 31 healthy persons in non-endemic area. It was found that mean values of total FAA, essential amino acids, non-essential amino acids and serum protein of inhabitants in endemic area of Keshan disease were significantly lower(P

Background The construction of tissue-engineered corneal endothelium needs the functional seeding cells,so how to culture a large amount of functional corneal endothelial cells (CECs) is an urgent problem to be solved.Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of aqueous humor on bovine CECs in vitro.Methods Aqueous humor of 1.2 ml was collected from the anterior chamber of bovine and sterilized,and the liquid supernatant was obtained.The bovine CECs were isolated from bovine cornea and then cultured in low glucose Dulbecco Modified Eagle Medium with 10％ fetal bovine serum (FBS) in vitro.Aqueous humor was added into the medium with the final concentration of 2.5％,5.0％,l0.0％,15.0％ and 20.0％,respectively,and no aqueous humor was added in the control group.Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to detect the absorbency value of CECs for the evaluation of cell proliferation.Progression of the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM).After confluence of the cells was reached,1 ml plastic spear tip was used to scratch the cell single layer,and the cells were incubated consequently in medium with 10％ FBS and with or without aqueous humor for 24 hours.Healing area of the cell single layer was measured.The cells were incubated at a density of 6 × 105 cells/ml and cultured using medium with or without 10.0％ aqueous human for 5 days,and the number of the cells was analyzed by DAPI fluorescence technique.Results Under the phase-contrast microscopy,the confluent CECs showed a slabstone-like and hexagonal appearance.CCK-8 assay revealed that the absorbance values of CECs was significantly different among the various culture groups (F=4.051,P =0.007),and the absorbance value in different concentrations of aqueous human culture groups was significantly higher than that in the control group (P ＜ 0.01).FCM showed that the percentage of the cells in S-G2 phases was (34.80-±3.13)％ in the 10.0％ aqueous humors group and (23.06±1.13)％ in the control group,showing a significant difference (t =-5.729,P=0.005).The scratch test showed that the healing area of the cell signal layer was (0.116±0.019) mm2 in the 10.0％ aqueous humors group and (0.358 ±0.049) mm2 in the control group,showing a significant difference (t =13.842,P =0.000).The density of cells in the 10.0％ aqueous humor group was (1439± 1 10)/field,which was more than (1162±45)/field in the control group (t =-11.020,P=0.000).Conclusions Aqueous humor at the concentration of 10.0％ promote the growth and proliferation of bovine CECs.The result suggests that 10.0％ aqueous humor can be used as a promoting agent during the culture of CECs.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Lipase ; genetics ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility and image quality of coronary artery angiography with 640-slice CT system in the pacemaker patients.

METHODSECG-triggered 640-slice CT coronary angiography was performed in 16 pacemaker patients. Image quality of the fifteen coronary segments and metal-related artifact originating from pacemaker were assessed by two experienced radiologists in consensus. Image quality was assessed using a 4-point grading scale. ECG trigger information was recorded.

RESULTSThe rate of available diagnostic images was 99.07% (Grade 1 in 83.64%, Grade 2 in 15.42%, Grade 3 in 0.47% and Grade 4 in 0.47% of patients, respectively). Image quality and the effect of streak artifact were similar between the high heart rate group and low heart rate group (P > 0.05) and between normal pacing group and arrhythmia group (P > 0.05). In coronary MSCT angiography, streak artifact of the pacemaker can render segments of the coronary artery uninterpretable, especially on S1, S2, S3, S4 and S8 segments of the coronary artery. Small shifts in the reconstruction window resulted in significance reduction of streak artifact (χ(2) = 151.818, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS640-slice gated CT coronary angiography could provide excellent image quality for patients with pacemaker. The streak artifact induced by pacemaker on some segments of the coronary artery could be improved by small shifts in the reconstruction window.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Coronary Angiography ; methods ; Coronary Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo screen and verify differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer.

METHODSUsing DNA microarray, we screened differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer tissue and its adjacent tissue followed by verification by PCR.

RESULTSA total of 1 444 genes were found to be differentially expressed (differentiation ≥ 1.5-fold; P≤ 0.05) in the prostate cancer tissue, of which 769 (53%) were up-regulated and 675 (47%) down-regulated. Fifty percent of the differentially expressed genes showed a 1.5- to 2-fold differentiation, including 396 up-regulated and 182 down-regulated ones. Additionally, 308 up-regulated and 334 down-regulated genes exhibited a >2- to 5-fold, 46 up-regulated and 78 down-regulated genes a > 5- to 10-fold, and 19 up-regulated and 81 down-regulated genes a > 10-fold differentiation. Verification by subjecting 15 most significantly up-regulated and another 15 most markedly down-regulated genes to quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that most of the genes had a transcriptional profile similar to that in the microarray data, with a Pearson correction coefficient of 0.83 between the microarray data and qRT-PCR results. Totally, 10 significantly differentially expressed genes were identified.

CONCLUSIONDNA microarray analysis provides reliable information on differentially expressed genes in prostate cancer and benign tissues. The 10 significantly differentially expressed genes verified by qRT-PCR could possibly become new bio-markers and specific molecules for tumor identification.

Cell Differentiation ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; Transcriptional Activation ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effect and safety of Sorafenib in the treatment of tumor recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

METHODSBetween January, 2009 and June, 2011, 10 patients with tumor recurrence after OLT were treated with Sorafenib (group A) and another 8 recipients received no Sorafenib treatment (group B); 25 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) also received Sorafenib treatment (group C). The tumor-bearing survival time, adverse effect and toxicity associated with sorafenib were compared between the 3 groups.

RESULTSIn group A, the median tumor-bearing survival time was 10 months (5-22 months), as compared to 4 months (1-8 months) in group B and 4 months (2-21 months) in group C, showing a significant difference in the survival time among the 3 groups (Kaplan-Meier, log-rank test, P=0.045). No recipient experienced acute graft rejection, but one recipient in group A died due to gastrointestinal bleeding. No significant difference was found in adverse effects associated with Sorafenib between groups A and C (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSorafenib can prolong the survival time of patients with tumor recurrence after OLT without increasing the risk of acute graft rejection.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; drug therapy ; Niacinamide ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Phenylurea Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Postoperative Period ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

Diastole ; physiology ; Exercise ; physiology ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Systole ; physiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore cell death and apoptosis in rat hippocampal neurons at different time points after ischemia, hypoxia and reperfusion injury and to elucidate time window characteristics in ischemia neuronal injury.

METHODSHippocampal neurons were obtained from rat embryo and were cultured in vitro. The ischemia and reperfusion of cultured rat hippocampal neurons were simulated by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and recovery. OGD at different time points (0.25 h to 3.0 h) and then the same recovery (24 h) were prepared. Annexin V-PI staining and flow cytometry examined neuron death and apoptosis at different time after injury.

RESULTSAfter OGD and recovery, both necrosis and apoptosis were observed. At different times after OGD, there were statistically significant differences in neuron necrosis rate (P < 0.05), but not in apoptosis rate (P > 0.05). At recovery, survival rate of hippocampal neurons further decreased while apoptosis rate increased. Furthermore, apoptosis rates of different time differed greatly (P < 0.05). Apoptosis rate gradually increased with significant difference among those of different time points (P < 0.05). However, 2 h after ischemia, apoptosis rate decreased markedly.

CONCLUSIONSApoptosis is an important pathway of delayed neuron death. The therapeutic time window should be within 2 h after cerebral ischemia and hypoxia.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; physiology ; Brain Ischemia ; pathology ; Cell Death ; physiology ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Fetus ; cytology ; Flow Cytometry ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; Neurons ; pathology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Animal ; Probability ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; pathology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Time Factors