OBJECTIVETo assess the effect of oxidative stress in development of acute high altitude response (AHAR) during the process of strong physical work at high altitude and its change after return to lower altitude.

METHODSNinety-six officers and soldiers of rapid entering into high altitude (3 700 m) with strong physical work were analyzed, all subjects were male, aged 18-35 years. According to the symptomatic scores of AHAR were divided into 3 groups: severe AHAR (group A, n = 24), mild AHAR (group B, n = 47) and without AHAR (group C, n = 25). Levels in serum 8-iso prostaglandinF2alpha(8-iso-PGF2alpha), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malonaldehyde (MDA) were measured at higher altitude stayed 50 d and after return to lower altitude (1 500 m) 12 h and 15 d, and 50 healthy volunteers (group D) at 1 500 m altitude served as controll.

RESULTSLevels of serum 8-iso-PGF2alpha and MDA [(9.53 +/- 0.47) microg/L, (8.91 +/- 0.39) micromol/L] were significantly higher in group A than those in group B [(8.34 +/- 0.42) microg/L, (7.31 +/- 0.32) micromol/L] , group C [(7.02 +/- 0.48) microg/L, (6.41 +/- 0.23) micromol/L] and group D [(5.13 +/- 0.56) microg/L, (5.48 +/- 0.33) micromol/L], (all P < 0.01), and serum SOD [(52.08 +/- 3.44) micro/ml] was significantly lower in group A than that in group B [62.27 +/- 2.54) micro/ml], group C [(71.99 +/- 3.35) micro/ml] and group D [(80.78 +/- 3.44) micro/ ml] (all P < 0.01), there were significant differences between group B and C, C and D (all P < 0.01). At altitude 3 700 m 50 d, AHAR scores was positively correlated with serum 8-iso-PGF2alpha and MDA (all P < 0.01), negatively correlated with SOD (P < 0.01). Serum 8-iso-PGF2alpha and MDA were negatively correlated with SOD (all P < 0.01). Levels of serum 8-iso-PGF2alpha and MDA were significantly higher at altitude of 3 700 m 50 d than those at altitude of 1 500 m 12 h,15 d in group D (all P < 0.01), and serum SOD was significantly lower than that at 1 500 m 12 h,15 d in group D (all P < 0.01), there were significantly difference between at 1 500 m 12 h and 15 d (all P < 0.01), there were no difference between at 15 d in group D (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe more serious of oxidative stress and oxidative/antioxidative imbalance, the more serious of AHAR, oxidative stress and oxidative/antioxidative imbalance may be involved in the development of AHAR. The changes were obviously improved after return to lower altitude 12 h, and recovered to normal after 15 d.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; physiology ; Physical Exertion ; physiology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the potentiality of herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase transduced endothelial progenitor cells (EPC-TK) as angiogenesis-targeting vector in the glioma treatment in vitro and in vivo.

METHODSEPC-TK were mixed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), U87 or U251 cells at various ratios for ganciclovir (GCV) treatment. The bystander effect was observed by counting the survival cells using MTT assay, and the apoptotic cells were determined by annexin-V and propidium iodide (PI) staining. EPC-TK, EPCs, or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were injected into the nude mice model of glioma xenograft by tail vein, for the EPC-TK group, EPC group, and PBS group, respectively. And then the changes of tumor volume and tumor vasculature were observed.

RESULTSGCV killed most EPC-TK and reduced the number of other viable cells in a cell:cell ratio-dependent and time-dependent manner. EPC-TK obviously inhibited tumor growth. The tumor volumes on day 21 were 1741.20+/- 576.10 mm(3), 3275.52 +/- 710.86 mm(3) and 3033.09+/-1134.86 mm(3) in the EPC-TK, EPC and PBS group, respectively. EPC-TK also displayed a significant effect on the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

CONCLUSIONEPC-TK can exert a potent antiglioma effect via inhibiting angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Bystander Effect ; Cell Transformation, Viral ; physiology ; Endothelial Cells ; virology ; Endothelium ; Genetic Vectors ; Glioma ; therapy ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Simplexvirus ; enzymology ; genetics ; Thymidine Kinase ; genetics ; Transduction, Genetic ; Transfection ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a contagious swine disease charactered by hemorrhagic fever and leukopenia,usually leading to substantial economic losses. To obtain a insight of leucopenia caused by CSFV infection, DNA microarray analyses of peripheral blood leucocytes (PBL) of the infected pigs was performed. Three health pigs were inoculated with a lethal dose of CSFV Shimen strain and their PBLs were isolated when the onset of typical clinical signs and then subjected to total RNA extraction followed by microarray analysis with Affymetrix Porcine Genome Array GeneChips. The results showed that the significant differences were observed in cellular apoptotic genes expression at 7 days post-infection (p. i.). The changes of the genes expression were confirmed by real time RT-PCR of some selected apoptosis-related genes. This study provided a valuable information for further investigating the molecular mechanism of apoptosis caused by CSFV infection.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Classical Swine Fever ; genetics ; immunology ; virology ; Classical swine fever virus ; immunology ; physiology ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; cytology ; immunology ; virology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Sus scrofa

OBJECTIVETo study the use of neural network in determining the risk factors of diseases.

METHODSWith back-propagation neural network (BP network) as fitting model based upon data gathered from an epidemiological survey on diabetes mellitus and under the network structure of 22-6-1, the mean impact value (MIV) for each input variables and sequencing the factors according to their absolute MIVs were calculated. The results from BP network with multiple logistic regression analysis and log-linear model for united actions between factors were compared with optimizing Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm.

RESULTSBy BP network analysis, the sequence of importance for the risk factors of diabetes mellitus became: faster pulse, diabetes mellitus family history, living longer in the investigated area, with medical record of nephropathy, having higher ratio for waist-to-hip, being male, with medical records of diseases as hyperlipoproteinmia, coronary heart disease, hypertension, high diastolic pressure, higher income, do no drink alcohol, age, higher systolic pressure, less educated, body mass index, with medical records of other diseases, physical exercise related to jobs smoking, occupation, with medical record for cerebrovascular disease, with medical record for liver disease etc. However, only 7 factors were statistically significant in multiple logistic regression analysis. The sequence of their importance appeared as: pulse, diabetes mellitus family history, the medical record of nephropathy, waist-to-hip ratio, the medical record of hypertension, work-place related exercise and age. The sequences of importance were almost the same between the two while the difference could partly be explained by the interaction among risk factors through log-linear model.

CONCLUSIONNeural network could be used to analyze the risk factors of diseases and could assimilate more complicated relationships (main effects and interactions) between inputs and outputs, better than using the traditional methods.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; complications ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Obesity ; complications ; Pulse ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the characteristics of radiation-induced optic neuropathy (RON) in patients with nasopharypgeal carcinoma after radiotherapy,and explore its risk factors.Methods A retrospective study was performed on the clinical data of 22 RON patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after radiotherapy,admitted to our hospital from January 1997 to January 2011.Their clinical manifestations,eye examinations and cranial MRI data were concluded.Results Visual deterioration,or even,blindness,was the most common manifestation.RON occurred after the initial radiotherapy in 18 cases,and during the initial radiotherapy in 2 cases.And 2 cases developed RON in re-irradiation for recurrences.Blindness developed in 8 eyes,and decreased vision occurred in 27 eyes; 14 patients displayed retinal optic nerve atrophy in the eye examinations.Typical radiological imaging of the skull showed optic nerve enlargement in 30 eyes,optic nerve atrophy in 5 eyes; and the incidence of optic neuropathy was high when radiation dose was over 70 Gy.Conclusion RON may occur in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients following radiotherapy,having vision disorders,visual field changes,abnormal visual evoked potential and typical cranial imaging performances; the occurrence of RON may be correlated with radiation field and radiation dose; routine eye and imaging examination is of great significance.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the properties of screw-bone interface of expansive pedicle screw (EPS) in osteoporotic sheep using micro-CT and histology.

METHODSSix female sheep with bilateral ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis were employed in this experiment and were randomly assigned into 2 groups: A and B. After EPS insertion in each femoral condyles, sheep in group A were bred for 3 months, while those in group B 6 months. Femoral condyles with EPS were 3D-imaged and reconstructed by micro-CT. Histology was evaluated thereafter.

RESULTSThe trabecular microstructure was denser at the screw-bone interface than in the distant parts in expansive section, especially within spiral marking. In the non-expansive section, however, there was no significant difference between the interface and the distant parts. The regions of interest (ROI) adjacent to EPS were reconstructed and analyzed by micro-CT using the same thresholds. The 3D-parameters generated, including tissue mineral density (TMD), bone volume fraction (BVF, BV/TV), bone surface/bone volume (BS/BV) ratio, trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), were significantly better in expansive than in non-expansive sections (P < 0.05). Histologically, newly formed bone trabeculae crawled along the expansive fissures and into the center of EPS. The newly formed bones, as well as the bone at the bone-screw interface, closely contacted the EPS and constructed four compartments.

CONCLUSIONSBased on micro-CT and histological evaluation, the study suggest that EPS can significantly provide stabilization in osteoporotic cancellous bone.

Animals ; Bone Density ; Bone Screws ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Femur ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; surgery ; Osteoporosis ; etiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Ovariectomy ; adverse effects ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sheep ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the properties of screw-bone interface of expansive pedicle screw (EPS) in osteoporotic sheep by micro-CT and histological observation.

METHODSSix female sheep with bilateral ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis were employed in this experiment. After EPS insertion in each femoral condyle, the sheep were randomly divided into two groups: 3 sheep were bred for 3 months (Group A), while the other 3 were bred for 6 months (Group B). After the animals being killed, the femoral condyles with EPS were obtained, which were three-dimensionally-imaged and reconstructed by micro-CT. Histological evaluation was made thereafter.

RESULTSThe trabecular microstructure was denser at the screw-bone interface than in the distant parts in expansive section, especially within the spiral marking. In the non-expansive section, however, there was no significant difference between the interface and the distant parts. The regions of interest (ROI) adjacent to EPS were reconstructed and analyzed by micro-CT with the same thresholds. The three-dimensional (3-D) parameters, including tissue mineral density (TMD), bone volume fraction (BVF, BV/TV), bone surface/bone volume (BS/BV) ratio, trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp), were significantly better in expansive sections than non-expansive sections (P less than 0.05). Histologically, newly-formed bony trabeculae crawled along the expansive fissures and into the center of EPS. The newly-formed bones, as well as the bones at the bone-screw interface, closely contacted with the EPS and constructed four compartments.

CONCLUSIONSThe findings of the current study, based on micro-CT and histological evaluation, suggest that EPS can significantly provide stabilization in osteoporotic cancellous bones.

Animals ; Bone Screws ; Bone and Bones ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Female ; Osteoporosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Sheep ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo compare the inhibitory effects of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells alone, chemotherapeutic drug alone, and CIK cells combined with chemotherapeutic drug on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells transplanted in nude mice.

METHODSPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected from five healthy donors by blood cell separator were incubated in vitro to induce CIK cells in the presence of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), IL-2 and anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The phenotype of CIK cells was characterized by flow cytometric analysis. BEL-7402 HCC cells were inoculated subcutaneously to nude mice. On day 5, at the inoculation site were injected normal saline (group 1), CIK cells (3 x 10(7) and 6 x 10(7), group 2 and 3), mitomycin-C (MMC 80 microg in 0.2 ml, group 4), and CIK cells combined with MMC (group 5), respectively.

RESULTSThe percentage of CD3(+), CD3(+)CD8(+), CD3(+)CD56(+), CD25(+) cells increased from 64.0%, 28.0%, 7.8%, and 9.1% to 94.7%, 67.7%, 61.3%, and 84.0% respectively after cytokine induction. The percentage of CD3(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+) cells remained at high levels during incubation period, but that of CD25(+) and CD3(+)CD56(+) cells peaked respectively on day 7 and 13 and then declined. During the 90-day observation, the tumor formation rates were 100%, 70.0%, 80.0%, 70.0% and 66.7%; and the mouse survival rates were 10.0%, 60.0%, 40.0%, 50.0% and 75.0%, respectively from group 1 to group 5. Compared to the other groups, in the combined therapy group of mice, not only the tumor grew slowly and but also showed more marked tissue necrosis.

CONCLUSIONThe growth inhibitory effect on human HCC transplanted in nude mice of combined CIK cells and MMC treatment is more potent than that of CIK cells or MMC alone.

Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cells, Cultured ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Killer Cells, Natural ; transplantation ; Liver Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Mitomycin ; therapeutic use ; Neoplasm Transplantation

OBJECTIVETo explore the CT criteria for evaluating lymph node (LN) metastasis and preoperative N-staging of gastric cancer through the comparison of CT signs and surgical pathology.

METHODSEighty-nine patients with gastric cancer underwent CT examinations before radical resections. A soft-reading method on PACS workstation was employed to evaluate the detection of LNs. The size and number of LNs were registered, and the accumulated size of LNs was calculated in every case. The pathological N-staging (pN(0-3)) was considered on the basis of pathological examination of excised specimens according to UICC TNM-staging system (6th edition, 2002). The relationships between LN metastases and CT findings were analyzed by SPSS using t test and one-way ANOVA analysis.

RESULTSThe distribution of maximal size, CT detection number and accumulated size were significantly different among different pN stages (P<0.01). All these 3 indicators were significantly different between LN metastasis group and non-metastasis group (P<0.01). There was no significant difference of maximal size among different pN stages in positive metastasis LNs (P>0.05), while significant difference could be found in CT detection number between pN1 and pN3 (P<0.01), pN2 and pN3 (P<0.01), and in accumulated size between pN1 and pN3 (P<0.01), pN1 and pN2 (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe involvement of LNs in gastric cancer and pN staging are associated with size, number, and accumulated size of CT detection. CT detection number is more valuable in the evaluation of N staging than LNs size. CT detection number combined with accumulated size of LNs can provide meaningful information for preoperative N-staging.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; methods ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy and toxicity of RNCE regimen in the treatment of relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

METHODSFrom January 2000 to December 2005, 46 patients with relapsed or refractory B cell NHL were treated by RNCE regimen with or without radiotherapy for the involved field. The clinical characteristics, response, toxicity and long-term survival results were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSA total of 46 patients were eligible. The complete response rate of second-line therapy was 52.17% (24/46), and the overall response rate was 82.61% (38/46). The median follow-up duration in this series was 69 months (range:6 to 102 months). The overall 1, 3, 5-year survival rate was 74.8%, 48.3%, 40.1%, respectively, with a median survival time of 30.2 months (5 to 65 months), and median progression free survival time of 10.9 months (2 to 31 months). The major toxicities were myelosuppression, GI toxicity, fatigue, fever and alopecia.

CONCLUSIONOur data show that RNCE regimen treatment is effective and well tolerated in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Alopecia ; chemically induced ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Etoposide ; administration & dosage ; Fatigue ; chemically induced ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; chemically induced ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Remission Induction ; Retrospective Studies ; Rituximab ; Survival Rate ; Thrombocytopenia ; chemically induced ; Vinblastine ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Young Adult