OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical efficacy and side effects of reduced-dose of cyclophosphamide combined cyclosporine A for severe aplastic anemia(SAA) children. METHODS: Ten pediatric patients with SAA from January 2008 to May 2012 were enrolled. All the patients were treated with reduced dose of cyclophosphamide combined cyclosporine A. The dose of cyclophosphamide was 30 mg/(kg·d)×4 d, the dose of cyclosporine A gradually increased >15 mg/L accroding to the blood concentration. RESULTS: The median follow-up time of the 10 pediatric patients was 100 months (6-126 months). Among 10 children with SAA, 4 cases achieved complete response(CR), 3 cases obtained partial response (PR) and the overall response rate was 70%, the remaining 3 cases showed no response (NR). One refractory patient treated by cyclophosphamide was progressed to paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH) at 25 months and was dead at 42 months after therapy. CONCLUSION The results show that reduced-dose cyclophosphamide (30 mg/kg·d for 4 consecutive days) combinated with CsA (initial dose 4 mg/kg·d, and drugvallery concentration >150 ng/ml) can make 7 of 10 children with severe aplastic anemia achieve complete response or partial response, and this regimen may be the second line regimen selected for some SAA children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mutation rate and distribution of Homo sapiens neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) gene in the patients with acute myeloid leukemia. METHODS: The genomic DNA of bone marrow was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing for NRAS mutations. At the same time, the mutations of ASXL1, DNMT3A, TET2, CEBPA, FLT3, IDH2, NPM1 and c-KIT genes were also detected to analyze the relation with NRAS mutations. RESULTS: A total of 11 NRAS mutations were found in 108 patients with initial acute myeloid leukemia and the mutation rate was 10.2%, including 6 cases of G12D, 3 cases of G13D, and 2 cases of G61K. In the mutation group, the peripheral blood leukocyte count was higher (P＜0.05), more likely to occur in the M subtype, and the M subtype was mutually exclusive (P＜0.05). Moreover, the mutant group was more likely to express CD13 than the non-mutation group (P＜0.05), while no statistic difference was found in age, gender, hemoglobin level, platelet count, lactate dehydrogenase level, bone marrow blast, cytogenetics, complete remission rate and overall survival (P＞0.05). CONCLUSIONS The mutation of NRAS gene has no effect on the prognosis of AML patients.

Objective To investigate the effect of Berberine on insulin resistance and its mechanism in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty(OLETF) rats with metabolic syndrome(MS).Methods LETO(Long-evans Tokushima Otsuka)rats(the control group receiving standard normal diet,n=10)and diabetic OLETF rats(the MS group receiving high-fat diet for 24 weeks,n=30).Rats in the MS group were randomly divided into 3 subgroups(n=10,each subgroup).Each subgroup was gavaged with normal saline,high-dose Berberine(100 mg · kg-1 · d-1)and low-dose Berberine (50 mg · kg-1 · d-1) respectively,and the high-fat diet remained unchanged.After 6 weeks of berberine treatment,body weight,blood glucose and lipid metabolism parameters were determined.The oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) and insulin tolerance test(ITT) were used to detect insulin resistance.Expression levels of the protein and mRNA of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP7 8),Caspase-12 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein(C/EBP) homologous protein(CHOP) in skeletal muscles were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR.Results After Berberine treatment,the body weight,fasting plasma glucose,fasting insulin[(28.9 ± 2.0) mU/L,(31.5± 2.4) mU/L vs.(36.9 ± 4.7) mU/L],total cholesterol,triglycerides,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased,while the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) levels were increased in MS rats with high-dose berberine and low-dose berberine as compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05) respectively.Berberine treatment could reduce the protein and mRNA expression levels of GRP78,Capase-12 and CHOP in the skeletal muscle of MS rats(P＜0.05).Conclusions Berberine may alleviate insulin resistance in rats with metabolic syndrome by reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress in skeletal muscle.

Objective: To compare the therapeutic efficacy between warm needling moxibustion and electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney. Methods: Seventy patients with simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney were randomly divided into a warm needling moxibustion group and an EA group, with 35 subjects in each group. Same major acupoints were selected for the two groups, including Shuifen (CV 9), Guanyuan (CV 4), Daheng (SP 15), Shuidao (ST 28), Shousanli (LI 10), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3). The warm needling moxibustion group received warm needling moxibustion, while the EA group received EA treatment. The interventions were performed once every other day, with 15 treatments as one course. The therapeutic efficacy, body weight and body mass index (BMI) were then observed and compared. Results: The total effective rate in the warm needling moxibustion group was 85.7％ versus 77.1％ in the EA group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The warm needling moxibustion was remarkably superior to the EA in weight loss and lowering BMI, both with statistical significance (P<0.05, P<0.01). At the three-month follow-up, the body weight and BMI further decreased in the warm needling moxibustion group (both P<0.05), and the levels were lower than those in the EA group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion: Warm needling moxibustion can produce reliable and consistent efficacy in the treatment of simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney. Compared with EA, warm needling moxibustion shows advantage in both short-term and long-term efficacies, and thus is worth promotion in clinical practice.

Objective To evaluate the long-term efficacy of cervical artificial disc replacement for patients with degenerative cervical canal stenosis.Methods All of 43 patienta underwent single level Bryan cervical artificial disc replacement for degenerative cervical canal stenosis were retrospectively analyzed with a minimum 10 years follow-up in our hospital between December 2003 and December 2007.There were 28 males and 15 females with an average age of 56.7 ± 8.0 years which ranged from 37 to 76 including 1 case of C3.4 level,11 xases of ~ level,26 cases of C~ level and 5 cases of C6,7 level.According to the symptoms and location of compression on radiograph,the patients were divided into 3 groups:15 patients in radiculopathy group,10 patients in myelopathy group and 18 patients in myeloradiculo p~hy group.Radidogical evaluation indexes include global range of motion (ROM),segmental ROM,segmental Cobb angle.Clinical evaluation indexes including Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score,neck disability index (NDI) and Odom's criteria.The variable data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA,the grading data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis H test.The preoperative and postoperative data were analyzed by paired t test.Results At the last follow-up,the Cobb angle of the operative segment was 1.29°±1.34°in myelopathy group(t=4.606,P=0.001),0.71°±2.20°in radiculopathy group (t=2.355,P=0.034),and 0.69°±2.12° in myeloradiculopathy group (t=3.312,P=0.004),which was significantly lower than that before operation.At the last follow-up,ROM of the operative segment in myelopathy group was 6.41 o ±4.87°,which was significantly lower than that before operation (11.46° ±5.19°,t=3.589,P＜ 0.05),and there was no significant difference in the other two groups.There was no significant difference in other imaging parameters among the three groups.JOA scores at the last follow-up were 16.33±0.75 in radiculopathy group (t=5.857,P＜ 0.001),16.00±1.05 in myelopathy group(t=8.337,P＜ 0.001) and 14.78±1.69 in radiculopathy group (t=4.045,P＜ 0.001);NDI were 13.07％±5.90％ in radiculopathy group (t=7.097,P＜ 0.001),12.60％±4.22％ in myelopathy group (t=7.319,P＜ 0.001) and 23.11％±14.18％ in radiculopathy group (t=4.229,P＜ 0.001),which were all significantly improved than those before operation.The excellent and good rate of Odom's criteria (H=2.719,2.411,P＜ 0.05),JOA (LAD-t=3.770,4.080,P＜0,05) and NDI(LAD-t=2.850,2.643,P＜ 0.05) at the last follow-up of the patients in radiculopathy group and myelopathy group were better than those of patients in myeloradiculopathy group (P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Cervical artificial disc replacement has a satisfied long-term clinical efficacy with degenerative cervical canal stenosis.The efficacy of myelopathy and radiculopathy were better than myeloradiculopathy.

Objective To investigate the occurrence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the perioperative period of patients with fracture distal to the knee,so that clinicians have a better understanding of the occurrence of DVT in the perioperative period of the fracture distal to the knee.Methods A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 365 patients with distal knee fractures who underwent surgery in the Department of Orthopaedics Trauma,Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical College Red Cross Hospital from June 2014 to March 2018 was conducted.There were 213 males and 152 females,aged (45.05 ± 15.24) years,with an age range of 17-83 years.Classification of fracture sites:177 cases of tibiofibular shaft fracture,130 cases of ankle fracture,and 58 cases of foot fracture.According to whether thrombosis occurred or not,the patients were divided into thrombotic group and non-thrombotic group before and after operation.There were 66 patients with thrombosis before operation,299 patients without thrombosis before operation,88 patients with thrombosis after operation,and 277 patients without thrombosis after operation.The incidence of thrombosis and the location of the thrombus were recorded.The sex,age,fracture site,ASA score,operation time,the time from injury to admission,the time from injury to surgery,intraoperative tourniquet time,intraoperative blood transfusion volume,intraoperative blood loss,intraoperative transfusion volume,hemoglobin volume at admission and 1 day after operation,D-dimer level at admission and 1 day after operation,multiple injuries,chronic hepatitis and medical diseases were analyzed.The measuremernt data of normal distribution and homogeneity of variance were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (Mean ± SD),the t test was used for comparison between two groups.The comparison of count data was performed by x2 test or Fisher exact probability method,and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the risk factors affecting the occurrence of DVT in both lower extremities.Results The preoperative DVT rate was 18.1％ (66/365).In patients with thrombosis,distal thrombosis accounted for 93.94％ (62/66),and mixed thrombosis accounted for 6.06％ (4/66).The incidence of postoperative DVT was 24.1％ (88/365).In patients with thrombosis,distal thrombosis accounted for 94.32％ (83/88),proximal thrombosis accounted for 1.14％ (1/88),and mixed thrombus accounted for 4.55％ (4/88).Fracture site,ASA score,operation time,intraoperative tourniquet time,intraoperative blood transfusion volume,intraoperative blood loss,intraoperative transfusion volume were not statistically significant(P ＞0.05).Age ≥ 40 years (OR =2.691,95％ CI:1.422-5.093,P =0.002),the time from injury to admission ＞ 3 days (OR =1.927,95 ％ CI:1.072-3.463,P =0.028)were independent risk factors for DVT formation in fracture distal to the knee before operation.Age ≥ 40 years (OR =3.925,95 ％ CI:2.161-7.129,P =0.000),the time from injury to surgery ＞ 5 days (OR =1.835,95 ％ CI:1.080-3.119,P =0.025),D-dimer level at 1 day after operation (OR =1.191,95％ CI:1.096-1.293,P =0.000),combined with multiple injuries (OR =1.981,95％ CI:1.006-3.902,P =0.048),combined with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (OR =2.692,95％ CI:1.112-6.517,P =0.028) were independent risk factor for DVT formation after operation for fracture distal to the knee.Conclusions The occurrence of DVT before and after the fracture of the knee is mainly caused by distal thrombosis,and proximal thrombosis also occurs.Those patients aged≥40 years,combined with multiple injuries and coronary heart disease,should focus on preventing the occurrence of DVT.After the injury,the patient is immediately admitted to the hospital for DVT screening,and when the general condition allowed,shortening the preoperative waiting time can reduce the occurrence of DVT.

Objective To investigate the level of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in stable schizophrenia patients, and to explore the relationship between serum VEGF level and clinical symptoms. Methods Seventy-five patients with stable schizophrenia and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. The levels of serum VEGF were detected by flow multiplex protein analysis. The clinical symptoms of patients were assessed by positive and negative symptom scale (PANSS). Results The level of serum VEGF was significantly lower in patients group than in healthy control group [medians (lower and upper quartiles) were 3.77 (2.61, 5.14) pg/mL vs. 6.21 (4.37, 11.16) pg/mL, P＜0.01]. There was no significant difference in serum VEGF levels between patients with different gender, smoking or family history of mental illness (P＞0.05). The level of VEGF was negatively correlated with the total score of PANSS (r=-0.27, P=0.03), negative symptom subscale score (r=-0.25, P=0.04), lack of response score (r=-0.26, P=0.02), but not with other PANSS scores (P＞0.05). Conclusion The serum level of VEGF in patients with stable schizophrenia is lower than that in healthy control group. There is, to some degree, a relationship between the level of VEGF and the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with stable schizophrenia.

Objective: To investigate the vascular anatomy of the stomach, especially the right gastroepiploic artery for the reconstruc-tion of a gastric tube during esophagectomy. Methods: The vascular anatomy of the stomach was studiing in 28 embalmed human specimens provided by the Department of Anatomy, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, included 10 female and 18 male spec-imens. The length and diameter of gastric vessels were measured. The ratio of the length of the right gastroepiploic artery to the length of the greater curvature was calculated. Anastomosis between the left and right gastroepiploic arteries was also assessed. Re-sults: Twenty-five left gastric arteries were observed in the autopsies, with the mean diameter of 3.40 (2.10-6.40) mm. Twenty-one right gastric arteries were measured, with the mean diameter of 1.97 (0.68-3.56) mm. Twenty-six left gastroepiploic arteries were ob-served, with the mean diameter of 1.87 (0.80-2.96) mm. Twenty-eight right gastroepiploic arteries were measured, with the mean di-ameter of 2.82 (1.58-4.80) mm. The mean lengths of the 28 right gastroepiploic arteries and their greater curvatures were 216.71 (120-318) mm and 356.39 (248-487) mm, respectively. The ratio of the length of right gastroepiploic arteries and greater curvatures was 0.61 (0.45-0.82). The anastomosis between the left and right gastroepiploic arteries was observed in 60.7% (17/28) of the specimens. Conclusions: The length and diameter of gastric vessels were calculated. It was assumed that the right gastroepiploic artery provides an average of 61% of the blood supply for the great curvature. In addition, the anastomotic branch of the right and left gastroepiploic arteries was observed in 60.7% specimens. These anatomical data allow surgeons to estimate the blood supply and to choose an opti-mal method of gastric tube reconstruction during esophagectomy.

The clinical characteristics of the pneumonia includes hyperthermia, cough and pectoralgia, etc with simultaneous mixed signs of inflammatory infiltration, consolidation, cavity/air sac and abscess in pulmonary CT scan, and these signs change rapidly. Respiratory failure and septic shock frequently occur in severe such patients, resulting in refractory management and relatively long therapeutic course. The timely diagnosis, use of sensitive antibiotics, respiratory and nutritional support, etc comprehensive effective measures can elevate the rescue success rate with severe hematogenous staphylococcus aureus pneumonia.