Feasibility of computed tomography-guided irreversible electroporation for porcine kidney ablation

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) in porcine kidneys. Materials and Methods: Under CT guidance, two monopole probes were used to precisely puncture through the renal parenchyma into the renal hilum in nine anesthetized adult Bama miniature pigs. After which, IRE ablation was performed. Biochemical and pathological examinations were carried out 2 h, 2, 7, and 14 days after the procedure. Results: All procedures were performed successfully without any serious complications such as bleeding, infection, or death. All pigs survived until the end of the study. Pathological examinations showed that cells in the ablation area were dead within 2 days after the procedure, whereas the vascular endothelium showed only slight damage. After 2 days, endothelialization ensued and regrowth of smooth muscle cells was observed after 14 days. Hemogram tests indicated a transient increase but gradually returned to baseline levels 14 days after the procedure. Conclusion: IRE was essentially safe, however further studies on tumor ablation using several different animal models are needed

Long-term Prognosis of Revascularization in Patients With Ostial/shaft Lesions of Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery (ULMCA) / 中国循环杂志

Objective:To compare the long-term prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with ostial/shaft lesions of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA).Methods:A total of 259 patients with isolated ostial/midshaft lesions of ULMCA who received PCI or CABG in our hospital from 2003-01 to 2009-07 were enrolled.The patients were divided into 2 groups:PCI group,n=149 patients who received drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation and CABG group,n=110.The end points were all cause death,myocardial infarction (MI) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) which included cardiac death,non-fetal MI,stroke,repeated revascularization and the composite events death.Results:The median follow-up period was 7.1 years (inter quartile range 5.3-8.2 years) in all patients.Before multivariate adjusting,the following parameters were similar between PCI group and CABG group:all cause death (12.7％ vs 29.7％),P=-0.096;non-fatal MI (14.8％ vs 8.5％),P=0.844;stroke (9.3％ vs 6.3％),P=0.904;repeated revascularization (26.8％ vs 19.0％),P=0.234;composite events of cardiac death/stroke/MI (18.9％ vs 20.3％),P=0.224 and MACCE occurrence (37.5％ vs 34.2％),P=0.946.With adjusted variations,the trend was similar to pre-adjustment.Conclusion:During the maximum 8.2 years follow-up period,PCI and CABG had the similar efficacy and safety in patients with ostial/shaft lesions of ULMCA.

Long-term Prognosis of Revascularization in Patients With Ostial/shaft Lesions of Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery (ULMCA) / 中国循环杂志

Objective:To compare the long-term prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with ostial/shaft lesions of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA).Methods:A total of 259 patients with isolated ostial/midshaft lesions of ULMCA who received PCI or CABG in our hospital from 2003-01 to 2009-07 were enrolled.The patients were divided into 2 groups:PCI group,n=149 patients who received drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation and CABG group,n=110.The end points were all cause death,myocardial infarction (MI) and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) which included cardiac death,non-fetal MI,stroke,repeated revascularization and the composite events death.Results:The median follow-up period was 7.1 years (inter quartile range 5.3-8.2 years) in all patients.Before multivariate adjusting,the following parameters were similar between PCI group and CABG group:all cause death (12.7％ vs 29.7％),P=-0.096;non-fatal MI (14.8％ vs 8.5％),P=0.844;stroke (9.3％ vs 6.3％),P=0.904;repeated revascularization (26.8％ vs 19.0％),P=0.234;composite events of cardiac death/stroke/MI (18.9％ vs 20.3％),P=0.224 and MACCE occurrence (37.5％ vs 34.2％),P=0.946.With adjusted variations,the trend was similar to pre-adjustment.Conclusion:During the maximum 8.2 years follow-up period,PCI and CABG had the similar efficacy and safety in patients with ostial/shaft lesions of ULMCA.

Correlation of high-risk HPV 16/18 infections with prostate cancer / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To study the correlation of high-risk human papillomavirus 16 and 18 (HPV16/18) infections with the risk of prostate cancer (PCa) and their association with the clinicopathologic indexes of PCa.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected tissue samples from 75 cases of PCa and 73 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We detected HPV16/18 infections in the samples by immunohistochemistry and PCR combined with reverse dot blot (RDB) assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Immunohistochemistry revealed 16 cases of HPV16/18 positive in the PCa (21.3%) and 7 cases in the BPH samples (9.5%), with statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=0.049). PCR combined with RDB assay showed 17 cases of HPV16 infection (22.6%) and 13 cases of HPV18 infection (17.8%), including 4 cases of HPV16/18 positive, in the PCa group, remarkably higher than 6 cases of HPV16 infection (8.2%), 3 cases of HPV18 infection (4.1%) and no HPV16/18 positive in the BPH controls (P=0.001). No significant differences were observed between the result of immunohistochemistry and that of PCR combined with RDB assay (P=0.069). The risk of HPV16/18 infections was found to be correlated with the clinical T-stage and Gleason score of PCa (P<0.05 ) but not with the patient's age, PSA level or lymph node metastasis (P>0.05 ).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>High-risk HPV16/18 infections are correlated with the risk of prostate cancer.</p>

Progress on the research of acupuncture's role in anti-early pregnancy in recent 9 years / 中国针灸

Through CNKI retrieval, 40 articles were selected from Medical Journals published between January 2003 and December 2011, and the study designs, intervention methods and conclusions of the articles were analyzed. It turned out that in the area of clinical research, the main usage of acupuncture was assist treatment of artificial abortion and drug-induced abortion: in artificial abortion, acupuncture can play a role in analgesia, artificial abortion syndrome relieving, and cervix dilating, while in the drug induced abortion, acupuncture can play a role in improving completed abortion rate, accelerating foetal sac release, decreasing side effects and regulating postoperative bleeding. In mechanism research, the effect of acupuncture on uterine tissue was revealed in terms of neuroendocrine. Although the certain role of acupuncture in assisting artificial abortion and drug-induced abortion has been confirmed in numerous clinical trials, its mechanism revealing was limited. The further study should focus on improving research method, acupuncture manipulation standardization and stimulation parameters optimization. What's more, the revealing of acupuncture's role in anti-early pregnancy should be emphasized to improve its effectiveness and scientificalness.

Effect of the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on cervical ripening in late-stage pregnant rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the mechanism of the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on cervical ripening based on the molecular biology by observing related indices of cervical ripening in late-stage pregnant rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty initial pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into an electroacupuncture (EA) group (n = 10) and a model group (n = 10), and other 10 non-pregnancy female rats with same lot were selected as a blank control group. EA group was treated with the optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement on the 20th day of pregnant, which performed EA at bilateral "Hegu" (LI 4) for 20 min and then at bilateral "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) for 5 min with 2 Hz/50 Hz sparse-dense wave, while the other groups without acupuncture intervention. The contents of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and interleukin 8 (IL-8) in cervix tissue were detected by ELISA method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the blank control group, the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in the model group were increased significantly (both P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in the EA group were increased significantly (P < or = 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Optimized traditional acupuncture prescription for accouchement can increase the contents of MMP-9 and IL-8 in cervix tissue of late-stage pregnant rats so as to promote cervical ripening, and the mechanism of EA in promoting cervical ripening is explained from the perspective of molecular biology.</p>

Discussion of 2011 Tokyo Declaration on Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion / 中国针灸

The contents of 2011 Tokyo Declaration on Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Declaration for short) and its effect on development situation, current status, features, opportunities and challenges of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion are introduced, some proposals brought up in the Declaration are analyzed as well. The Declaration summarizes six characteristics of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, including paying great attention to palpation techniques such as pulse and abdominal diagnosis, always selecting response point in the meridian during acupuncture treatment, etc. Also six proposals have been brought up to promote the development of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, such as being devoted to spread the latest knowledge of acupuncture and moxibustion to medical professionals and the public in order to get correct understanding and proper evaluation, etc. What's more, the Declaration makes a prospection of improving international academic exchange and promoting the globalization of acupuncture and moxibustion and so on. The Declaration is served as a link between past and future in the history and developing process of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion, which has a great meaning to the development of Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion. We should have a clear understanding of weakness and strength in the development of acupuncture and moxibustion, seize the opportunity and develop science of acupuncture and moxibustion with our own characteristics, which makes more contribution to development of international acupuncture and moxibustion.

Effectiveness and safety of methylphenidate and atomoxetine for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess and compare the effectiveness and safety of methylphenidate immediate-release tablets (IR-MPH), methylphenidate controlled release tablets (OROS-MPH) and atomoxetine (AHC) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Chinese children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Randomized or clinical controlled trials on the effectiveness and safety of IR-MPH, OROS-MPH and AHC for ADHD were searched in electronic databases of CNKI, VIP, CBMDISC online, PubMed, Embase and MEDLINE. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of the included literatures.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eight trials were finally included. IR-MPH, OROS-MPH and AHC were effective for ADHD. OROS-MPH was superior to IR-MPH in the improvement of peer relationship, CGI-I score, mother satisfaction and psychosomatic problems. There were no significant differences in the effectiveness between the AHC and IR-MPH groups. The adverse events related to the therapy with IR-MPH, OROS-MPH or AHC were mild and the incidence rates of adverse events were not significantly different among the three groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The effectiveness of OROS-MPH for the treatment of ADHD is probably superior to IR-MPH, and the effectiveness between AHC and IR-MPH is similar. The three drugs demonstrate the safety and well tolerance.</p>

64-slice CT angiography in lower extremity peripheral arterial occlusive disease: clinical value of test injection at popliteal arteries / 中华放射学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical value of the test injection at popliteal arteries on 64-slice CTA in lower extremity peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Methods Twenty-eight patients with PAOD referred for 64-slice CTA were enrolled consecutively in the study. Test injection was performed at bilateral popliteal arteries (the level of knee joints) and the clinic value of the peak value and the time to peak was analyzed. The relationship between the time to peak and the peak value was evaluated with Pearson test. The time to peak was used for programming of the CT angiographic acquisitions with fast scanning mode. The quality of visualization of each arterial segment was determined independently by two radiologists. Results Fifty-four (96%, 54/56) time-attenuation curves were obtained in 28 patients. The wide interindividual variation in the peak value and the time to peak was observed in 52 curves of 26 patients with range of 60-178 HU,21-46 s and an average of (135±28) HU,(31±6) s, respectively. The difference in the peak value and the time to peak between bilateral popliteal arteries was also observed with range of 10-80 HU and an average of (32±18) HU in 19 patients,with range of 1-12 s and an average of (5±3) s in 21 patients. There was negative relationship between the peak value and the time to peak (r=-0.526, P<0.01). The CTA images were of good (598 segments) or medium quality (12 segments) in 99% segments (610/616). Conclusions The test injection at popliteal arteries was useful for 64-slice CTA in the patients with PAOD, as it could accurately specify the delay time of CT angiographic acquisitions.

Fluvastatin, a lipophilic statin, induces apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells through mitochondria-operated pathway.

Fluvastatin, a lipophilic statin, was known to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in many cancer cells. Its potential anticancer was evaluated in three hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines (HepG2, SMMC-7721 and MHCC-97H). Cells were treated with fluvastatin in vitro and its effect on cell proliferation, cell cycle, invasion and apoptosis was determined. Mechanism of apoptosis induced by fluvastatin on HCC cell lines was also investigated through western blotting and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) analysis. It was observed that fluvastatin inhibited proliferation of HCC cells by inducing apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest in a dose-dependent manner. The results of cell invasion assay revealed that fluvastatin significantly decreased the invasion potency of HCC cells. A mitochondria-operated mechanism for fluvastatin induced apoptosis might be involved and was supported by Western blotting and MMP analysis. After fluvastatin treatment, expression of Bcl-2 and procaspase-9 were downregulated, cytochrome c (cytosolic extract), Bax and cleaved-caspase-3 protein expression were increased. Furthermore, a breakdown of MMP in HCC cells was observed. To conclude, these results have provided a rationale for clinical investigations of fluvastatin in future as a potential anticancer reagent for growth control of HCC.

Detection rate on un-repaired cleft lip/palate patients in Gansu province in 2008 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate the number and distribution of un-repaired cleft lip/palate patients in Gansu province. Methods A census was conducted by staff members of the health system and Population and Family Planning Committee (PFPC) in Gansu province. Standardized -Questionnaires were administered to collect demographic, domestic and diagnosis-related information. Results In 2008, the total number of un-repaired cleft lip/palate patients was 4675,with a detection rate of 1.84/10 000 in Gansu province. Rates of detection were higher in males (2.11/10 000), young age group(4.86/10 000), rural areas(2.23/10 000),poor counties(2.19/10 000)than in females(1.43/10 000), medium (0,97/10 000)/old age group(0.68/10 000), township areas (0.62/10 000), or richer counties (1.35/10 000). Among all the cities and prefectures of Gansu,Baiyin city (2.7/10 000) had the highest while Jinchang city (0.7/10 000) had the lowest prevalence rates. Conclusion Un-repaired cleft lip/palate had been a disease burden to Gansu province,especially in the rural area and poorer counties.

Identification and detection of a novel human endogenous retrovirus-related gene, and structural characterization of its related elements

Up-regulation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) is associated with many diseases, including cancer. In this study, an H family HERV (HERV-H)-related gene was identified and characterized. Its spliced transcript lacks protein-coding capacity and may belong to the emerging class of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). The 1.3-kb RNA consisting of four exons is transcribed from an Alu element upstream of a 5.0-kb structurally incomplete HERV-H element. RT-PCR and quantitative RT-PCR results indicated that expression of this HERV-related transcript was negatively associated with colon, stomach, and kidney cancers. Its expression was induced upon treatment with DNA methylation and histone deacetylation inhibitors. A BLAT search using long terminal repeats (LTRs) identified 50 other LTR homogenous HERV-H elements. Further analysis of these elements revealed that all are structurally incomplete and only five exert transcriptional activity. The results presented here recommend further investigation into a potentially functional HERV-H-related ncRNA.

In vitro inducing effect of dendritic cells cotransfected with survivin and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on cytotoxic T cell to kill leukemic cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Survivin is a rather specific gene in tumor tissue. We transfected dendritic cells (DCs) with recombinant adenovirus (Ad) containing survivin gene and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene and tested the inducing effect of the transfected DCs on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to kill leukemic cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>After derived from the peripheral, DCs was assayed by mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) tests. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release test was used to evaluate cytotoxicity of CTL.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Expression of survivin in transfected DCs was confirmed by Western blotting analysis. GM-CSF expression was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In MLR assay, DCs coinfected with Ad-survivin and Ad-GM-CSF induced higher allogeneic lymphocyte reaction than control DCs at ratios of 1:5, 1:10, 1:50 and 1:100. DCs coinfected with Ad-survivin and Ad-GM-CSF had much higher activity of CTL to HL-60 cells than DCs infected with Ad-survivin only, Ad-GM-CSF only, or control DCs. Levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in lymphocyte supernatants containing DCs coinfected with Ad-survivin and Ad-GM-CSF were significantly higher than those in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DCs coinfected with Ad-survivin and Ad-GM-CSF induce much higher anti-leukemic response in vitro than those infected with either factor. Therefore, adenovirus vectors containing survivin and GM-CSF genes may be promising vaccine candidates for leukemia therapy.</p>

Induction of anti-lymphoma cytotoxic T cell effect by dendritic cells transfected with recombinant adenovirus vectors carrying survivin gene / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was purposed to investigate the immunological effects of modified dendritic cells (DCs) in inducing cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) effect against lymphoma cells. The DCs were derived from human peripheral blood and transfected with recombined adenovirus vector carrying survivin gene, Western blot was used to detect the expression of survivin, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release test was used to determine the cytotoxicity of CTLs, the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) was used to measure the ability to proleferate allo-lymphocyte by DCs, ELISA was used to assay IL-12 level in supernatant. The results showed that the expression of survivin in transfected dentritic cells was confirmed by Western blot analysis. In MLR assay, DCs transfected with Ad-survivin could induce higher allogeneic lymphocytes reaction at the ratios of 1:5, 1:10, 1:50 and 1:100. DCs transfected with Ad-survivin had much higher activity of CTL to CA46 cells than control DCs. The levels of IL-12 of supernatants containing DCs transfected with Ad-survivin were significantly higher than that in the control group. It is concluded that DCs transfected with Ad-survivin can induce CTL response in vitro against lymphoma cells.

Construction of recombinant adenovirus vector containing human survivin gene and its expression in dendritic cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

The study was aimed to construct the recombinant adenovirus vectors containing human survivin gene, and to investigate their expression in transfected dendritic cells. Full length cDNA encoding survivin was obtained by PCR amplification from plasmid pcDNA3.0-survivin. The PCR product was restricted, and then inserted into pShuttle-CMV. The plasmids of pShuttle-CMV-survivin were linearized with PmeI, and the fragment containing survivin was ligated with pShuttle-CMV and transfected into E. coli BJ5183. After homologous recombination in bacteria, the extracted plasmid from the positive bacteria were linearized with PacI, transfected into HEK293 cells with liposome Lipofectamine 2000. Then, the harvested adenovirus supernatants were transfected into dendritic cells. The results showed that the recombinant adenovirus-survivin was constructed successfully and its titer was about 2.65 x 10(9) pfu/ml. The expression of survivin in transfected dendritic cells was confirmed by Western blot analysis. It is concluded that the recombinant adenovirus vector containing human survivin was constructed successfully, which may provide preliminary laboratory evidence for anti-leukemia immunotherapy.

The Application of Spiral CT in Differential Diagnosis between Thyroid Benign and Malignant Neoplasm / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To explore the value of spiral CT in differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid tumor.Methods CT findings of thyroid tumor confirmed by the pathology in 50 patients,were retrospectively analyzed and in comparison with the data of operation and pathology.Results There were benign tumor(n=35)and malignant tumor(n=15)in this study.All the benign tumors were thyroid adenoma.The malignant tumors included thyroid carcinoma(n=14)and lymphoma(n=1).All the cases of thyroid benign tumors demonstrated clear margin and homogeneous enhancement.Cystic area and curvilinear or mass calcification could be seen in some cases.Some characteristic signs,such as irregular tumor outline,fine discrete granular and irregular calcification,heterogeneous enhancement,invading neighbor structures and cervical lymph node metastasis,could only been seen in thyroid malignant tumors.Conclusion Spiral CT has a notable advantage in differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid tumor.

Investigation of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Related Risk Factors in People Working in Office Environment / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To investigate the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) and explore the related risk factors in the people working in office environment in Beijing. Methods A cross-sectional study design was made in the present paper in April 2009. One hundred and two employees in 16 small and moderate offices in three different buildings in Beijing were investigated with the questionnaire for their subjective symptoms, environmental perceptions, psychosocial information and health situation. The indoor environmental factors of the buildings were monitored based on the standardized procedures at the same time. Generalized linear model and multilevel model were used for the data analysis. Results The prevalence rate of symptoms for sick building syndrome was 67.4%. The prevalence rate of SBS symptoms was positively associated with the self-feelings of the subject to high temperature, insufficient ventilation indoors, work stress, satisfaction for job and health complains, as well as with using photocopier in office by ANOVA(P