Efficacy Analysis of Arsenic Trioxide Combined with All Trans Retinoic Acid for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the efficacy of arsenic trioxide combined with all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 159 cases of APL were selected from January 2011 to December 2014 in our hospital, among them 75 cases were treated by As₂O₃combined with ATRA, 43 cases were treated with As₂O₃alone, 41 cases were treated with ATRA alone. The cardiac enzymes level, lever function index change, death rate, complate remission (CR) rate, time of reaching CR and complicatiens were compared in 3 groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment of 8 courses, ALT and AST levels in As₂O₃+ ATRA group were significantly higher than those in As₂O₃and ATRA alone groups; the CK-MB and TnI-UI index increased in As₂O₃group (P < 0.05); as compared with As₂O₃group, the mortality and CR rate in As₂O₃+ ATRA group were no significant different, but the time of reaching CR was significantly shortened. For relapsed patients, the CR rate in As₂O₃+ ATRA group was no significantly different from that in As₂O₃group, while was significantly higher than that in ATRA group. The ratio of liver function damage in As₂O₃+ ATRA group was increased, moreover the incidence of leukocytosis and headache in ATRA group was significantly higher than that in As₂O₃+ ATRA and As₂O₃group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The efficacy of As₂O₃conbined with ATRA for inducing remission is better than that of single drug treatment, moreover the adverse reactions occur less.</p>

Interstitial high-resolution MR lymphangiography in patients with lower extremity lymphedema / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the feasibility of interstitial magnetic resonance lymphangiography (IMRL) with intracutaneous injection of gadobenate dimeglumine--a commercially available, non-ionic, extracellular paramagnetic contrast agent.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We studied 10 patients with lower extremity lymphedema. A mixture of 7.5 ml gadobenate dimeglumine and 0.5 ml 2% lidocaine were evenly subdivided into 8 portions and injected intracutaneously into each web space of both feet. For IMRL, a 3D fast spoiled gradient-recalled echo T1-weighted images with a fat saturation technique (T1 high resolution isotropic volume excitation, THRIVE) was performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The beaded appearance of lymphatic vessels extending from the injection site were detected in 11 of 12 lower legs and the best delineation of lymphatic vessels was present at 15-30 minutes after injection. In 6 of 12 affected thighs, lymphatic vessels could be also visualized with the strongest enhancement at 45 minutes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IMRL is a safe and technically feasible new method which can effectively visualize the pathological lymphatic vessels in lower extremity lymphedema.</p>

Reduced left ventricular systolic atrioventricular plane displacement in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine whether patients with suspected heart failure but preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have systolic dysfunction in left ventricular long axis detected by left ventricular systolic atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data of 96 patients with heart failure who admitted to our hospital between August 2007 and October 2008 were collected. Heart failure with preserved LVEF was diagnosed in 48 patients and heart failure with reduced LVEF was diagnosed in another 48 patients. Fifty age-matched healthy subjects served as the control group. The NYHA classification, etiology of heart failure, AVPD and plasma NT-proBNP concentration were compared among the 3 groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no difference in terms of NYHA classification between patients with preserved LVEF and reduced LVEF. Hypertension and coronary heart disease were often diagnosed in heart failure patients with preserved LVEF. The degree of AVPD decrease was more significant in heart failure patients with reduced LVEF than those with preserved LVEF. In all subjects, the AVPD was negatively correlated with the NT-proBNP concentration (r = -0.35, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Left ventricular systolic atrioventricular plane displacement was decreased in heart failure patients with preserved LVEF, therefore, besides "diastolic heart failure", systolic dysfunction was also impaired in these patients.</p>