Meta-analysis of laparoscopic Nissen and Toupet fundoplication for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF)and Toupet laparoscopic fundoplication (LTF) with respect to treatment outcomes and postoperative complications.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PubMed, Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing laparoscopic Nissen and Toupet fundoplication were included. Outcomes evaluation included occurrences of heartburn, reflux, difficulty swallowing, chest pain, abdominal distention, failure to hiccup, diarrhea, and early complications and degree of patient satisfaction at early (three to six months) and later (one to three years) post-operative periods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 939 patients in seven RCTs, 478 received LNF and 461 received LTF. For both groups, control of reflux was good and occurrence of heartburn was similar (P>0.05). A lower incidence of postoperative dysphagia for both early and later post-operative periods, but a higher overall complication rate in early post-operative period were observed in the LTF group (P<0.05). Patient satisfaction was similar (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>LNF and LTF are both safe and effective. The adoption of procedure should be based on the patient status and surgeon experience.</p>

Overexpression of the RhoC gene correlates with invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Rho, a ras homologous gene, encodes a group of GTP-binding proteins. Our previous study suggested that one member of the Rho gene family, RhoC, was related to the progression of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study is to elucidate correlation of Rho overexpression with invasion and metastasis of HCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression level of RhoC mRNA and protein in 25 cases of HCC and adjacent non-cancerous liver tissue was examined by RT-PCR and Western blot. Mutation of RhoC gene was examined by PCR-SSCP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of RhoC mRNA and protein was found in all HCC and adjacent non-cancerous liver tissue. The expression level of RhoC mRNA and protein was significantly higher in tumor tissue than in adjacent non-cancerous liver tissue (1.8 +/- 1.1 vs 1.0 +/- 0.7; 33 992 +/- 10 384 vs 17 342 +/- 9998, P < 0.01). The degree of RhoC overexpression was even more marked in metastatic lesions than in primary tumors (P < 0.01). Overexpression of the rhoC gene was significantly correlated with such clinic-pathological findings as cell differentiation, portal vein invasion, number of primary tumor nodules and metastatic lesions (P < 0.05). Mutation of RhoC gene was found in none of the HCC specimens examined.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Overexpression of RhoC gene may play an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of HCC.</p>

The frequency distribution of flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 mutant alleles in 28 populations from Yunnan / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the frequency distribution of flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) mutant alleles in 28 populations originating from 24 ethnic minorities in Yunnan of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>FMO3 genotypes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average frequencies of FMO3/Stop(148), FMO3/Lys(158) and FMO3/Gly(308) were 0.395(0.174-0.803), 0.208 (0.056-0.414), 0.046(0-0.217), respectively. The frequencies of FMO3/Gly(308) in Blang, Huayaodai, Shuidai, Zhuang, De'ang, Jingpo, Nu and Hui populations were null.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It was found that the frequencies of FMO3 mutant alleles varied not only in different ethnic groups, but also in different populations that stemmed from the same ethnic group.</p>