ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:Fetal liver stem cel s have the potential to differentiate into hepatocytes and bile duct cel s, and participate in the repair and reconstruction of the liver, which is an important source of hepatocytes. But there are a little amount of fetal liver stem cel s in human body, and how to obtain a certain number of high-purity fetal liver stem cel s is currently a hot research. OBJECTIVE:To construct a siRNA carrier that can effectively inhibit the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in rat fetal liver stem cel s, and to investigate the effect of Cx43 inhibition on the proliferation and cel cycle of fetal liver stem cel s cultured in vitro. METHODS:Fetal liver stem cel s were cultured by the suspension culture in vitro, siRNA sequences targeting Cx43 (Cx43-siRNA) and negative control sequence (NC-siRNA) were designed and synthesized. Then, rat fetal liver stem cel s were transferred electrophoretical y and divided into three groups:blank group, NC-siRNA group, Cx43-siRNA group. Real-time PCR and western blot were used to assess the knockdown efficiency. Cel ular proliferation was determined by cel growth curve and cel counting kit-8 assay. The cel cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After transfection, the Cx43 gene and protein expression levels were declined dramatical y in the Cx43-siRNA, NC-siRNA and blank groups, and the cel s grew faster. The number of cel s at G0/G1 phase decrease, but the number of cel s in S phase increased. There were significant differences between the groups (P<0.05). Electrophoretic transfer of Cx43-siRNA can promote the proliferation of cultured fetal liver stem cel s and optimize the cel culture.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effects of percutaneous cholecystostomy (PCT) for the treatment of acute cholecystitis (AC) in poor-risk patients.Methods A retrospective clinical analysis was undertaken in poor-risk AC patients receiving PCT or emergency cholecystectomy (CCY) from April 2007 to December 2012.The success rate,complications,hospital stay and mortality,and readmission rate were compared between PCT and CCY groups.Results Of the 51 poor-risk acute cholecystitis patients,25 underwent PCT drainages and 26 received emergency CCY at an average age of 75 and 74 years respectively.The average intensive care unit length of stay was 13 days in PCT group and 5 days in CCY group (t =5.175,P =0.001).The mean hospital length of stay in PCT patients (21.3 days) was longer than that in CCY patients (9.8 days) (t =3.213,P =0.002).However,there was no significant difference in the overall hospital mortality,complications and successful rate between the two groups.No recurrence was observed in 19 out of 25 PCT cases after removing PCT catheter.The remaining six patients were readmitted for recurrent AC.Three of them were conservatively treated,while another 3 patients had PCT drainage anew and one of the three underwent delayed CCY 4 weeks after PCT replacement.The overall successful rate of PCT treatment was 76％.Conclusions Compared with emergency CCY,PCT has similar treatment effects in the successful rate of surgical management,morbidity,and overall hospital mortality although it is associated with longer hospital stays and higher readmission rate,which indicated that PCT is a convenient,safe and effective treatment option for poor-risk AC patients.