ABSTRACT
Purpose To explore the reason which resulted in the flow-empty area in carotid artery, establishing a logistic regression model of carotid artery by power Doppler ultrasound, screening the risk factors of the occurrence of this phenomenon and analyzing their reasons. Materials and Methods Clinical data of 172 male subjects who had undergone power Doppler ultrasound were analyzed retrospectively, whether there was flow-empty area at the edge of carotid artery lumen during diastole was observed, brachial artery systolic pressure, diastolic pressure and pressure difference, carotid artery intima media thickness, and the existence of atherosclerotic plaques was measured, the age, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose, blood lipid, history of smoking and cerebrovascular accident situation was collected to establish the logistic model to analyze the risk factors resulted in flow-empty area. Results Among the 172 patients, intima media thickened in 89 cases, systolic blood pressure increased in 97 cases, diastolic blood pressure increased in 7 cases, the pulse pressure increased in 90 cases, with the age of 65 years or older in 92 cases, atherosclerotic plaque formation in 84 cases, long smoking history in 63 cases, cerebral vascular accident history in 11 cases, diabetes mellitus in 79 cases, hyperlipidemia in 101 cases, and abnormal BMI in 13 cases. Doppler energy imaging showed flow-empty area wave type in 98 cases, no flow-empty area wave type in 74 cases. 5 statistically significant variables for the occurrence of flow-empty area in carotid artery lumen during diastole were selected using logistic regression, which were carotid artery intima media thickness, BASP, the pressure difference of brachial artery, existence of atherosclerotic plaque, and the age of patients (OR=50.643, 47.248, 29.426, 32.667 and 20.514, P<0.05). Conclusion The risk factors resulted in flow-empty area in carotid artery are increased IMT, systolic BP and pressure difference, existence of atherosclerotic plaque and the age of 65 years or older. The flow-empty area provides hemodynamic information for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis, and it also plays a helping role in evaluating the degree of arteriosclerosis.
ABSTRACT
AIM:To explore the changes of the subsets and HLA-DR expression of dendritic cells and their concerning cytokine levels in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer.METHODS:The subsets of the precussors of dendritic cells(pDC)in the peripheral blood of 57 cases of patients with breast cancer before operation and a week or six months after operation and 20 cases of healthy controls were analyzed by four-color FCM.The levels of IL-12p40,IL-10,IFN-? and IL-4 in the plasmas were tested by ELISA.RESULTS:Among 57 cases of patients with breast cancer,2 cases in Ⅲ phase and 4 cases in Ⅳphase expressed deficiency of pDC,the ratios of pDC1/pDC2 in the other cases inⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ,Ⅳ phase were respectively 1.62?0.59,1.41?0.63,0.91?0.32,0.81?0.29 before operation,which were markedly lower than those in controls(1.94?0.44).The ratios of pDC1/pDC2 in the cases inⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ phase were 1.71?0.47,1.52?0.54,1.04?0.36 a week after operation,which were the same as those in pre-operation,but markedly lower than those in controls.The ratios of pDC1/pDC2 in the cases inⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ phase were 1.92?0.72,1.63?0.65,1.28?0.34 six months after operation,which were markedly higher than those in pre-operation,meanwhile,to compare with controls,those were still lower for patients in Ⅱ,Ⅲ phase except in Ⅰphase.No difference between patients and controls in the expression of HLA-DR of pDCs and the levels of IL-12p40,IL-10,IFN-?,IL-4 in plasmas and the ratios of IL-12p40/IL-10,IFN-?/IL-4 was observed.CONCLUSION:The ratios of pDC1/pDC2 in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer inⅠ-Ⅳ phase are decreased.Parts of patients in Ⅲ,Ⅳ phase are deficiency of pDCs.HLA-DR expression of DCs and the ability of DCs which secret the concerning cytokines do not change as pDC subsets change.pDC subsets improve markedly inⅡ,Ⅲ phase patients and recover to the normal level inⅠphase patients after operation.