Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of performing muscle-sparing thoracotomy and intercostal sutures in the treatment of upper and/or middle thoracic esophageal cancer for the purpose of tumor control and postoperative quality of life improvement.Methods: Seven patients with esophageal cancer were treated with vertical muscle-sparing thoracotomy and Mckeown esophagectomy.Detailed clinic data were summarized and analyzed with patient follow-up information.Results: Of the 7 patients,five were still alive with a 71.4% five-year survival rate.There were no deaths resulting from the operation in this group.The mean length of thoracic incision was 11 cm.The range of hospital stays was 14 to 25 days,with a mean length of 18 days.No patients complained of impaired shoulder action,and the incision pain was hardly perceived without external stimulation 1 month after operation.Conclusion: Performing the muscle-sparing thoracotomy in the treatment of early-stage esophageal cancer located in the upper and /or middle thoracic segment yields a satisfactory long-term survival rate with an improved life quality in terms of incision pain relief and shoulder function.

Adult ; Aged ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Staff ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; Radiation Protection ; Young Adult

Objective To study the effect of baicalin on the expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-?B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in cultured human periodontal ligament cells (HPDL cells) as well as its action mechanism. Methods We first constructed small interferring RNA (siRNA) eukaryotic expression vector targeted transforming growth factor ?Ⅱ receptor (TGF-?RⅡ),and then transfected it into T cells. Then HPDL cells together with T cells transfected with siRNA or not were placed in medium that had been added with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and baicalin. They were divided into six groups and cultured for 48 hours. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to observe the effect of baicalin on OPG-RANKL expression in HPDL cells. Results The clone sequence correctly identified by RT-PCR was consistent with the designed target sequence. The recombinant vector was constructed successfully and the expression of TGF-?ⅡR of T cells which had been transfected with siRNA1 was inhibited obviously. Ratio of RANKL/OPG in each group differed significantly (P

Objective To give a summary of the current researches on hematopoietic stem cell niche.Methods Through extensive reviewing the related domestic and abroad literatures,the present summary reviews the compo- nents of hematopoietic stem cell niche,related cell factors and related cell signaling pathway participating in regula- tion of hematopoietic stem cell.Results The activities of hematopoietic stem cells are regulated by the niche(micro- environment),which is composed of hematopoietic stem cell and its surrounding cells.The regulation cannot be completed through one signaling pathway.Also,the self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell can- not be completed only through osteoblastic cells.Conclusion The niche regulates hematopoietic stem cells by differ- ent ways.With study in-depth,we will comprehensively understand the nature of stem cells and the study will pro- vide a broader space to stem cell-based therapy.

ObjectiveTo predict the fluctuating intervals of intraocular pressure readings in mild and medium myopia after photorefractive keratectomy（PRK）．MethodsThe intraocular pressure（IOP）readings of 383 eyes，of which spherical equivalent were less than-6.0 diopters（D）before and over 1 a after PRK，were measured with noncontact tonometer（NCT）．The IOP data were analyzed with paired-sample t test，linear correlation and regression．Regression equation was used to predict the fluctuating intervals of IOP readings after PRK．ResultsThe IOP readings after PRK（10.38±2.08）mmHg were lower than those before PRK（15.43±2.74）mmHg．The difference of IOP readings between before and 1 a after PRK was significant （P＜0.001）．The postoperative IOP readings were related to those of preoperation （r＝0.625，P＜0.001）and the regression equation was Y＝0.474X＋3.064［X＝IOP reading before PRK（mmHg），Y＝IOP reading followed over 1 a after PRK（mmHg）］．If IOP reading before PRK was X0，the 95％ tolerant interval of IOP readings followed over 1 a after PRK was 0.5X0-0.1，0.5X0＋6.3（mmHg）．ConclusionIOP readings before PRK can be used to predict the fluctuating intervals of IOP readings in mild and medium myopia after PRK．

Whether the sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis has important clinical significance for the therapy and prognosis of tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has became the most accurate clinical method to confirm the status of sentinel lymph node. And the key of the success of SLNB is the localization of SLN. The methods used to locate SLN mainly are blue dye tracer method, radionuclide tracer technique, blue dye tracer method combined with radionuclide tracer technique, indirect lymphography, NIR imaging, and photoacoustic imaging. This article demonstrates the principle, application method and contrast agents of the indirect lymphography and the application in head and neck tumor.
Contrast Media ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphography ; Prognosis ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

Objective To observe the effects of fastigial nucleus stimulation(FNS)combined with rehabilitation on vascular dementia.Methods63 vascular dementia patients were randomly divided into FNS group(40 patients)and control group(23 patients).Patients in the FNS group were treated with FNS and rehabilitation therapy,while those in the control group were treated with rehabilitation therapy only.Cognitive function were evaluated with Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE),activities of daily living(ADL)were evaluated with Barthel Index(BI),cerebral blood flow velocity before and after therapy was detected with transcranial Doppler(TCD).ResultsThe scales of MMSE and BI increased significantly;the clinical efficiency was 95%.Cerebral blood flow velocity after therapy improved significantly(P<0.01).ConclusionFNS can improve the cognitive function and ADL in vascular dementia patients,that may be related with the improvement of cerebral blood flow.

Objective To evaluate the effect of intravenous Gd-DTPA on DWI of breast. Methods DWI was performed before and after Gd-DTPA injection on 25 patients with breast cancer confirmed by core or fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and ADC values were measured on DWI when b = 0 and 1000 s/mm2 were selected. A paired t-test and non-parametric test were used to compare the differences between SNR, CNR and ADC values before and after enhancement in breast cancer and normal breast. Results There were no significant differences between the SNR(34. 56 ± 11.34 and 33.60 ± 14. 34 for cancer, 9. 88 ± 3.16 and 10. 42 ± 4. 18 for normal breast)and CNR( 24. 16 ± 9. 05 and 22. 26 ± 10. 05 ) before and after administration of contrast medium in breast cancer and normal breast, and no significant differences between the ADC values before and after administration of contrast medium in breast cancer [(0.96±0. 13) × 10-3 vs (0.95±0. 14) × 10-3 mm2/s] and normal breast[(1.90±0.47) × 10-3 vs (1.91±0.61) × 10-3 mm2/s], either (P =0.20 and 0.97). Conclusion It is possible to repeat DWI acquisition after administration of contrast medium in breast MRI.

To clone, express and primarily use human autoantigen Sm D1 in methylotrophic yeast Pichia Pastoris. The gene Sm D1 was cloned by PCR.The PCR product was inserted into the vector pPIC9k. The recombinant plasmid pPIC9k- Sm D1 was transformed into yeast SMD1168 by electroporation. The positive clones were screened in MD plates. The high copy number transformants were rapidly selected by using G418 and were induced by methanol. Supernatants after induction were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and im-munodot. The PCR product was showed about 360 bp in size which was in accordance with predicted. The pPIC9k-Sm D1 showed the same seqencing result with GenBank’s report and restriction enzyme analysis confirmed our prediction. The pPIC9k-Sm D1 positive clone produced an about 16 kD protein which had natural immunogenicity of human autoantigen Sm D1 by SDS-PAGE and immunodot. The sensitivity and specificity of immunodot were 96% and 100%, respectively. The agreement between immunodot and im-munoblot was 98%. Successfully cloning and high-level expression of human autoantigen Sm D1 in methy-lotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris laid a foundation for further research work.

As known so far,Sporosarcina pasteurii,or formally termed as Bacillus pasteurii,was considered as one of the most efficient biosystem which is capable of inducing biological mineralization through breaking down urea.Taking advantage of the ‘super power’ of bio-mineralization,Sporosarcina pasteurii has been successfully utilized in application of solidifying sand as a novel biological construction technology,termed as ‘bio-cementation’ Due to the nature of Sporosarcina pasteurii isolated from soil,non-pathogenicity has been observed,it was considered as a very environmentally friendly method.Recently,Sporosarcina pasteurii has been further applied into fields including environmental improvement and biomedicine.However,the mechanism under the strong Sporosarcina pasteurii mediated bio-mineralization is still not well understood.Here,the knowledge and the up-to-date studies about the biological mechanism of Sporosarcina pasteurii mediated bio-mineralization,and the utilization in construction,environment,and biomedicine are reviewed.