The application of C-arm CT scan in performing precise prostatic arterial embolization / 介入放射学杂志

Objective To discuss the application of C-arm CT scan in performing precise prostatic arterial embolization (PAE).Methods The dominant artery of the prostate and its spatial relationship with the peripheral blood vessels were identified by intraoperative synchronous XperCT angiography,which was followed by the performance of precise PAE.Results Among 16 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia,one patient had to give up the operation because abdominal aortic aneurysm was found by intraoperative angiography;2 patients received unilateral precise PAE as contralateral internal iliac artery was occluded;bilateral precise PAE was successfully accomplished in 13 patients.XperCT angiography was successfully performed for all the arteries that were treated with embolization.Based on the contrast agent staining of the prostate gland and the 3D reconstruction of peripheral arteries,the dominant artery of the prostate and its spatial relationship with the peripheral blood vessels were determined,and precise PAE was carried out.After PAE,no ectopic embolism-related complications occurred.One month after PAE,the remission rate of clinical symptoms was 100％.Conclusion Intraoperative C-arm CT scan can provide more accurate images which are very important for accurately identifying the prostate arteries and its relationship with the peripheral vessels,therefore,C-arm CT scan is an important technical support for the performance of precise PAE.

Anatomical characteristics of deer and sheep lumbar spines: comparison to the human lumbar spine / Características anatómicas de la columna vertebral de ciervos y ovejas: comparación con la columna vertebral humana

Deer and sheep spines are often used as models of the human spine. A prerequisite for the use of animal models is information regarding the interspecies differences in the parameters of general interest. This would clarify the limitations of each animal model and substantiate the applicability of the obtained results to humans. Since sufficient data appear to be currently unavailable, we sought to investigate the feasibility of using deer and sheep as animal models for studies on the human spine. The objective of this study was a thorough comparison of the anatomical parameters of deer and sheep spines with those of the human spine. We employed three-dimensional reconstructions of computed tomography images, generated using figure analysis software, which facilitated quantitative analysis of the linear and curvature parameters and the geometric index of the vertebral bodies. Our findings represent a comprehensive database of the anatomical characteristics of the deer and sheep lumbar spines and their comparisons with those of the human lumbar spine. This study provides insight into the similarities and differences in the vertebral geometries between the human spine and the deer and sheep spines. We found that the differences are minimal and that they do not greatly compromise the utility of deer and sheep lumbar spines as models of the human lumbar spine.

La columna vertebral de ciervos y ovejas se utiliza frecuentemente como modelo de la columna vertebral humana. Un requisito previo para el uso de modelos animales es la información con respecto a las diferencias entre especies en los parámetros de interés general, lo que aclara las limitaciones de cada modelo animal y fundamenta la aplicabilidad de los resultados obtenidos para los seres humanos. Debido a que existen datos suficientes actualmente, hemos intentado investigar la viabilidad de utilizar ciervos y ovejas como modelos animales para los estudios sobre la columna vertebral humana. El objetivo fue realizar una comparación exhaustiva de los parámetros anatómicos de las columnas de ciervos y ovejas, con los de la columna vertebral humana. Empleamos reconstrucciones tridimensionales de imágenes de tomografía computadorizada, mediante un programa de análisis de la figura, lo que facilitó el análisis cuantitativo de los parámetros lineales y de la curvatura y el índice geométrico de las vértebras. Nuestros hallazgos representan una amplia base de datos de las características anatómicas de la columna lumbar de los ciervos y ovejas y sus comparaciones con las de la columna lumbar humana. Este estudio proporciona información sobre las similitudes y diferencias en las geometrías vertebrales entre la columna vertebral humana y las columnas de venado y oveja. Se encontró que las diferencias son mínimas y que no comprometen el uso de la columna de ciervos y ovejas como modelos de la columna lumbar humana.

Relationship of tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphism and acute graft-versus-host disease after unrelated ailogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / 中华内科杂志

Objective To explore the relationship between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene polymorphisms in donors and recipients and the incidence and severity of acute graft-versus-host diseases (aGVHD) after unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alIo-HSCT). Methods Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNFα-238 (G/A), TNFα-857 (C/T), TNFα-863 (C/A), TNFα-1031 (T/C), TNFβ + 252 (A/G) were analyzed by Multiplex SNaPshot analysis in 76 pairs of donors and recipients. Results Transplantation involving donors with TNFα-857 CC genotype resulted in a higher incidence of grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD than donors with CT genotype (91.3% vs 8. 7% , P =0. 039). In the 23 patients with grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD, no patients had TNFβ +252 AA genotype, 19 (82.6%) had GA genotype and 4 (17.4%) had GG genotype. There was a significant difference in the distribution pattern of the TNFβ +252 (AA, GA and GG) genotypes in these patients (P =0.03). There was no significant association of TNFα-238 (G/A), TNFα-863 (C/A) and TNFα-1031 (T/C) polymorphisms with the risk of aGVHD. Conclusion These results suggest donor TNFα-857 CC genotype is related to a higher incidence of grade Ⅱ -Ⅳ aGVHD, and patients with TNFβ +252 AA genotype have protection against the risk of grade Ⅱ -Ⅳ aGVHD.

A novel microtiter plate radioimmunoassay of insulin autoantibody / 中华核医学杂志

Objective Insulin autoantibody (IAA) is known to exist in sera of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients and pre-T1DM individuals. The aim of this study was to establish a novel microtiter plate radioimmunoassay (RIA) for IAA and evaluate its clinical value. Methods Diluted 125Ⅰ-insulin was mixed with 5 ul serum samples in a 96-well microtiter plate and then incubated for 72 h on an orbital plate shaker (4℃). The immunocomplexes were transferred to another protein a coated Millipore plate, and then the plate was washed with Tri-Buffered Saline Tween-20 (TBT) buffer. Counts per minute (CPM) was measured with liquid scintillation and luminescence counter. The positive cut-off point of IAA index was defined as ≥0.06 based on the 99-percentile of the distribution in 317 healthy individuals. The specificity and sensitivity of the assay were calculated from the samples provided by the fourth Diabetes Autoantibodies Standardization Program (DASP 2005). The IAA levels were determined in 71 T1 DM and 551 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients, and 317 healthy controls. The t test, non-parametric test, x2 test and linear correlation analysis were performed on the data using SPSS 11.5 software. The concordance rate was estimated with Kappa value. Results (1) The optimized testing condition was described as 2×104 CPM of 125Ⅰ-insulin, 5 ul serum sample and slowly horizontal shaking for 72 h. (2) The intra-assay CV was 4.8%-8.9% and inter-assay CV was 6.4%-10.5%. Based on DASP 2005 samples, the specificity and sensitivity of the assay were 97% (97/100) and 50% (25/50), respectively. Ninety-six serum samples with different IAA levels were selected and tested to compare between our new method and a domestic IAA RIA kit. The results showed that the IAA indices from the two methods were positively correlated (r= 0.678, P<0.001). The concordance rate was 72.9 %(Kappa value=0.402). There were 25 samples with discordant results, which were positive for IAA titer using the corresponding microtiter plate RIA but negative using the novel RIA kit. (3) In TIDM group the positive rate of IAA was 19.7% (16/71), higher than the healthy controls (0.9%, x2=54.36, P<0.001). The subgroup of T1DM children (with 0-9 years) showed the highest IAA positive rate (55.6% ,x2=4.85, P<0.05). In T2DM group the frequency of IAA was 1.5% (8/551), which had no significant difference comparing with that of healthy controls (x2= 0.95, P >0.05). Conclusions Our proposed microtiter plate RIA method for IAA is highly sensitive and specific, likely to be feasible for clinical application. The frequency of IAA is high in children with T1DM.

Micro-plate radiobinding assay of autoantibody to glutamic acid decarboxylase / 中华核医学杂志

Objective The purpose of this study was to develop a high-throughput micro-plate radiobinding assay (RBA) of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-Ab) and to evaluate its clinical application. Methods 35labeled GAD65 antigen was incubated with sera for 24 h on a 96-well plate, and then transferred to the Millipore plate coated with protein A, which was washed with 4℃ PBS buffer, and then counted by a liquid scintillation counter. The GAD-Ab results were expressed by WHO standard unit (U/ml). A total of 224 healthy controls, 162 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM) and 210 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were recruited. A total of 119 TI DM and healthy cases with gradually changing GAD-Ab levels were selected to compare the consistency of micro-plate RBA with conventional radioligand assay (RLA). Blood samples were obtained from the peripheral vein and finger tip in 32 healthy controls, 35 T1DM and 24 T2DM patients, and tested with micro-plate RBA and then compared with the conventional RLA to investigate the reliability of finger tip sampling. Linear correlation,student's t-test, variance analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed using SPSS 11.5. Results (1) The optimized conditions of micro-plate RBA included 2 μl serum incubated with3 ×104 counts/min 35S-GAD for 24 h under slow vibration, antigen-antibody compounds washed 10 times by 4℃ PBS buffer, and radioactivity counted with Optiphase Supermix scintillation liquid. (2)The intra-batch CV of the micro-plate RBA was 3.8%- 10.2%, and the inter-batch CV was 5.6%- 11.9%. The linearity analysis showed a good correlation when the GAD-Ab in serum samples ranged from 40.3 to 664 U/ml and the detection limit of measurement was 3.6 U/ml. The results from Diabetes Autoantibody Standardization Program (DASP) 2005 showed that the sensitivity and specificity for GAD-Ab were 78% (39 positive among 50 new-onset T1DM) and 98% (2 positive among 100 healthy controls). The results of GAD-Ab obtained with micro-plate RBA and RLA were closely correlated (r=0.915,P<0.001) with a high concordance level of 97.5% and a Kappa value of 0.95. (3)TI DM and T2DM patients showed higher positive rates for GAD-Ab than the healthy controls(46.9% and 5.2% vs 0.89% ,X2=123.5 and 10. 1 ,P <0.001 and <0.01, respectively). (4)The consistency of GAD-Ab measurement with RBA using finger tip blood and RLA measurement using venous blood was 96.7% (r =0.946,P <0.001, Kappa value: 0.905). Conclusions The micro-plate RBA of GAD-Ab has high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, and can be measured with finger tip blood sampling. It might be a better alternative for clinical practice.

Free fillet foot flap for salvage of below-knee amputation stump / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

Management of extensive bone and soft tissue defects, which occur after severe trauma of lower extremities and always lead to an unacceptable amputation in some cases, continues to challenge reconstructive surgeons. When performing lower extremity amputation, preservation of the knee joint has been put into a higher priority. The benefit of below-knee amputation over above-knee ones concentrates on a more normal gait with less energy expenditure during ambulation when a functioning knee joint is present.

Reimplantation combined with transplantation of transgenic neural stem cells for treatment of brachial plexus root avulsion / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore a new method to treat brachial plexus root avulsion experimentally by reimplantation combined with transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) modified by neurotrophin-3 gene (NT-3).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The total RNA was extracted from neonatal rat striatum and the NT-3 cDNA was obtained by reverse transcription and amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The NT-3 gene was transferred into NSCs via the pLEGFP-C1, an expression plasmid vectors. The untransfected NSCs, the pLEGFP-C1 treated NSCs, and the pLEGFP-C1-NT-3 treated NSCs were transplanted into corresponding spinal cord segment with brachial plexus root avulsion. The survival, differentiation, and migration of the transplanted cells were determined under confocal laser scanning microscope or by immunohistochemistry method. The nerve regeneration was evaluated by gross observation, electrophysiological examination and reverse horseradish peroxidase tracing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The NT-3 gene was successfully amplified and transferred into neural stem cells via the plasmid vectors. The transplanted cells survived, differentiated, and migrated and NT-3 was expressed within the spinal cord. The animals regained some muscle strength which was less than 3-degree muscular strength according to the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) evaluating system. The results of electrophysiological examination and reverse horseradish peroxidase tracing were superior in the pLEGFP-C1-NT-3 group to the NSCs untransfected group or the pLEGFP-C1 group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Transplantation of NSCs modified by NT-3 gene combined with reimplantation is a relatively effective way to treat brachial plexus root avulsion experimentally. It still need further study to improve the results.</p>

Retrospective study of reverse dorsal metacarpal flap and compound flap: a review of 122 cases / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical application and discuss the operative indication of the reverse dorsal metacarpal flap and its compound flap on the skin defects of hand.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From 1990 to 2003, we applied the reverse dorsal metacarpal flap and its compound flap to repair soft tissue defects of fingers in 122 cases, which included 90 cases of the reverse metacarpal flap and 32 cases of its compound flaps with tendon grafts, nerve grafts or bone grafts. Based on the follow-up observations, we analyzed the indications of the reverse metacarpal flap and its compound flaps, the postoperative contours, flap colors and textures in comparison to contralateral fingers retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the series of 122 cases, flaps survived and the donor site defects were closed directly. The follow-up period ranged from 1-12 years. The postoperative contours, colors and textures of the flaps and its compound flaps were similar to those of normal fingers, although linear scar remained. According to standards of sense recovery (British Medical Research Council, BMRC), the sense function of the flaps resumed S3 after operation for 1 year. In 10 cases with the tendon defects treated by the flap with tendon grafts, function of flexion-extension of fingers resumed 50%-75% in comparison to the contralateral fingers using the method of measurement of total active motion. In 7 cases with the phalangeal nonunion or bone defects treated by the flap with bone grafts, union occurred after operation for 3 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>To soft tissue defects on fingers with bone or tendon exposure, the reverse metacarpal flap and its compound flap are a better choice for repairing. The range of repairing is up to the distal interphalangeal joint of fingers. The second dorsal metacarpal artery is more consistent and larger as the choice of vascular pedicle, in comparison with other dorsal metacarpal arteries. Postoperative flap color and texture are similar to normal fingers.</p>

Biological effect of velvet antler polypeptides on neural stem cells from embryonic rat brain / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Velvet antler polypeptides (VAPs), which are derived from the antler velvets, have been reported to maintain survival and promote growth and differentiation of neural cells and, especially the development of neural tissues. This study was designed to explore the influence of VAPs on neural stem cells in vitro derived from embryonic rat brain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Neural stem cells derived from E12-14 rat brain were isolated, cultured, and expanded for 7 days until neural stem cell aggregations and neurospheres were generated. The neurospheres were cultured under the condition of different concentration of VAPs followed by immunocytochemistry to detect the differentiation of neural stem cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>VAPs could remarkably promote differentiation of neural stem cells and most neural stem cells were induced to differentiate towards the direction of neurons under certain concentration of VAPs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Neural stem cells can be successfully induced into neurons by VAPs in vitro, which could provide a basis for regeneration of the nervous system.</p>

The experimental study on effect of the spinal neuron flow with the nerve repair time / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective To measure Ihe effect on rats spinal neuron flow according nerve roots repair time.Methods We adopted the experimental rats on the root avulsion and extravertebral foramen nerve root divison of C_(5～7).We divided them into four groupsin each which there were 16 ratsaccording the type of nerves root injury and repair timeGroup AC:the avulsed roots were reimplanted into the spinal cord and the transeeted roots were sutured to the proximal stump immediately.Group B,Dthe avulsed roots and the transected roots were reimplanted into the spinal cord or were sutured to the proximal stump in delayed 3 weeks each with 16 rats.At the different time point(3 weeks3 months6 months)through pathological examina- tion and immunohistological lechniques and nerve tracing techniqueswe examined the spinal cord and distal nerve trunk in order to observe the pathologic changes and axonal regeneration.Results Group A、C were much better than group B、D in the numberthe conformation and the degree of abatement of spinal motoneu- rons and nissl body.It is the same on the number and the development level of regenerating nerve fiber. Conclusion It had the advantage of neuronal protection and nerve regeneration that reparing the injured nerve roots earlv after nerve roots injury.