Transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy for prostate cancer: an update / 中华男科学杂志

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test contributes a lot to the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and, along with imaging-guided prostate biopsy, has improved the diagnosis rate of lower-risk PCa and the accuracy of its clinical staging. However, many questions and controversies remain as to the choice of optimal biopsy strategies. Scholars differ in views about how to utilize PCa-related biomarkers to optimize the detection of initial and repeat biopsies. This review focuses on the present status of and advances in transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy for PCa.

Contrast enhanced ultrasonographic features of benign focal liver lesions / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To summarize the contrast enhanced ultrasonographic (CEUS) features of benign focal liver lesions, on and to investigate the value of contrast enhanced ultrasound techniques in the diagnosis of benign focal liver lesion. Methods The contrast enhanced ultrasonographic performance of 68 benign focal liver lesions cases which were dififcult for routine ultrasound diagnosis and conifrmed by pathology or follow-up were retrospectively analyzed. Chi-square test of four-fold table were used to compare the diagnostic coincidence rate of conventional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Results The 68 cases of benign focal liver lesions included complex cysts (n=7), liver hydatids (n=2), liver abscess (n=15), focal nodular hyperplasia (n=8), angiomyolipoma (n=2), hepatocellular adenoma (n=4), focal fat accumulation (n=16), inlfammatory pseudotumor (n=12), solitary necrotic nodule (n=1), intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma (n=1). There were no enhancement among 7 complex cysts, 2 liver hydatids and 1 solitary necrotic nodule. Isoenhancement was detected in focal fat accumulation (n=16);hypoenhancement during the arterial phase and sustained enhancement during the portal or late phase was found in focal nodular hyperplasia (n=8) and angiomyolipoma (n=2). Grid-like enhancements during the arterial phase and isoenhancement or hypoenhancement during the portal phase, and hypoenhancement during the late phase was presented in liver abscess (n=15). Hyperenhancement during the arterial phase were detected in 4 cases of hepatocellular adenoma, 3 of which showed isoenhancement or hyperenhancement during the portal and delayed phase, one case showed hypoenhancement during the portal phase. Eight cases of all the inlfammatory pseudotumor showed no enhancement during all phases;3 cases showing grid enhancement during the arterial phase and the enhancement washed out rapidly;1 case showed mild edge enhancement during the arterial phase and hypoenhancement during the delayed phase. The solid part of the intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma showed hyperenhancement during the arterial phase and hypoenhancement during the portal and late phase.The central area showed no enhancement during all phase. The coincidence rate between pathology and conventional ultrasound diagnosis was 61.8%(42/68). The coincidence rate between pathology and contrast- enhanced ultrasound diagnosis was 92.6%(63/68). The coincidence rate of contrast-enhanced ultrasound diagnostic was higher than that of conventional ultrasound, with a statistically signiifcant difference (χ2=8.17, P < 0.01). Conclusion Real-time gray-scale contrast-enhanced sonography can improve the accuracy of the diagnosis and differential diagnosis for benign focal liver lesions.

The presence and the significance of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in livers of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the presence and clinical significance of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in liver tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and CD8+ cells and their relative proportions in liver tissues and peripheral blood of HCC patients and of healthy volunteers were analyzed using flow cytometry. The distributions of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in liver tissues were also analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Around the tumor tissues (peri-tumor), the percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells was 10.8% +/- 2.3%, which was obviously higher than in the tissues away from the cancer tissues (P < 0.05). The percentage of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of HCC patients was 9.4% +/- 1.0%, which was obviously lower than that of the healthy volunteers (12.9% +/- 1.3%) (P < 0.01). With increasing CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in the peri-tumor tissue, there was a trend of CD8+ cells decreasing.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells played an anti-tumor immunity role in hepatocellular carcinoma by restraining the CD8+ cells.</p>

Changes of immunocytes in livers of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with IFN alpha-2b and ribavirin / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the immunocytodynamic changes in the livers of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with IFN alpha-2b and ribavirin and to find new bases for an effective immune regulation therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-two chronic hepatitis C patients were treated with combined IFN alpha-2b and ribavirin and their peripheral blood and liver tissues were collected before the treatment for analyses. After the treatment, peripheral blood and liver tissue specimens were obtained from only 11 patients. All the specimens were exposed to three monoclonal antibody fluorescence dyes, and the CD45+ cells with triple colors were analyzed using flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to the control groups, the positive rates of CD56+, CD57+, CD161+ cells in the livers of those with chronic hepatitis C sharply decreased (Probability value less than 0.01), and CD56+T cells had decreased mildly; CD28 from the CD56+T cells decreased mildly, but the expression of CD152 increased (P<0.05); the positive rates of CD83+CD1a+ cells had decreased mildly, and the positive rates of CD80+CD11c+ and the CD86+CD11c+ cells significantly decreased (P<0.01). After the treatment, the CD56+, CD161+, CD56+T, CD161+T, CD80+CD11c+, CD86+CD11c+ cells in the responding group increased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combined interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin treatment can improve the suppressed cell immunity function.</p>