Clinical analysis of vascular anomalies: a hospital-based retrospective study of 592 patients in southeast China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Vascular anomalies are common and multidisciplinary involved diseases. The greatest impediment to their treatment in the past was their confusing terminology and clinical heterogeneities. This hospital-based retrospective study assessed some clinical characteristics, diagnosis, therapies and outcomes of patients with vascular anomalies in southeast China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 592 vascular anomalies patients (patients with intracranial tissues or viscera involved were excluded), admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2006 to September 2009, were enrolled in the study. Data for clinical characteristics, diagnosis, therapies and outcomes were collected and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 592 patients, the male:female ratios in the vascular tumor group (n = 187) and the vascular malformation group (n = 405) were 1:1.49 and 1:1.06 respectively, with no significant difference between them. The mean onset age of the vascular tumor group was significantly younger than that of the vascular malformation group (p < 0.001). The head and neck were the most commonly (31.4%) involved areas in vascular anomalies. A total of 23.8% of the patients with vascular anomalies had definite symptoms caused by the vascular lesions. In the vascular tumor group, 94.1% of them were infantile hemangiomas. Venous malformation was the most common (41.0%) subtype of vascular malformations. Surgical therapy was undertaken in 94.2% of the patients with vascular anomalies. Of the 519 patients available for the 16 - 58 month follow-up, 322 patients (62.0%) were cured, 108 patients (20.8%) were markedly improved, 57 patients (11.0%) were partially improved, and 32 patients (6.2%) were uncured.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Vascular anomalies are clinically heterogeneous. While the outcome is generally favorable, further effort should be made to determine the appropriate terminology and management.</p>

Effect of L-arginine on diabetic rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of L-arginine on diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty adult male Lewis rats were randomized equally into diabetic and normal control groups, and the former rats were treated intraperitoneally with streptozotocin to induce diabetes mellitus. Seven days later, half of the diabetic and normal rats were injected intraperitoneally with L-arginine at the daily dose of 1 g/kg, while the remainder were given saline instead. All the rats were euthanized on 10 days after L-arginine or saline treatment, and their body weight, plasma protein, arginine and sugar, food and water intake were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Diabetic rats had obviously decreased body weight, plasma protein and arginine but increased blood sugar and food and water intakes in comparison with the control rats. L-arginine significantly increased plasma protein and arginine, decreased food and water intakes, but failed to prevent weight loss and blood sugar increment in diabetic rats as compared to their saline-treated counterparts. L-arginine supplementation did not result in any changes other than arginine elevation in the control rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>L-arginine supplementation can partially improve polydipsia and polyphagia and increase plasma protein in diabetic rats.</p>

Effect of interleukin-8 in cell invasion and proliferation of human breast cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the effect of interleukin-8 in cell progression and invasion of human breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human cytokine antibody arrays were applied to screen a panel of cytokine expression from 11 human breast cancer cell lines, and the mechanism of identified key factors involved in breast cancer progression was studied.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Profiling of cytokine expression showed the expression of interleukin-8 was related to estrogen receptor status, metastasis and vimentin status in the 11 human breast cancer cell lines. Elevated expression of interleukin-8 in breast cancer cells had positive correlation with breast cancer invasion. Neutralization of antibody against interleukin-8 specifically blocked interleukin-8-mediated cell invasion. However, anti-interleukin-8 antibody did not influence the proliferation of breast cancer cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Interleukin-8 may be the key factor involved in human breast cancer progression and invasion, and play an important role in cell invasion of breast cancer.</p>