[Value of Baseline Calcitonin for Differential Diagnosis of Medullary Thyroid Cancer].

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of using baseline calcitonin (bCtn) for auxiliary diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in the hypercalcitoninemic population with thyroid nodules and to explore the relationship between preoperative levels of bCtn and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and MTC staging. Methods: The clinical, pathological, imaging, and lab test data of 58 MTC patients and 84 non-MTC patients were retrospectively reviewed in the study. The patients were hospitalized at West China Hosptal, Sichuan University between 2011 and 2020. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to calculate the MTC diagnostic efficacy of bCtn and CEA. The differences in the preoperative bCtn and CEA levels of MTC patients with different primary tumor sites and regional lymph node involvement were compared. Results: The bCtn cutoff values were 31.54 pg/mL for men and 22.60 pg/mL for women for diagnosing MTC in the hypercalcitoninemic population with thyroid nodules. There were statistical differences in preoperative bCtn levels ( H=16.166, P=0.001) and in preoperative CEA levels ( H=9.447, P=0.024) in MTC patients of different T stages. There were statistical differences in preoperative bCtn levels ( H=7.919, P=0.019) and in preoperative CEA levels ( H=7.934, P=0.019) in MTC patients of different N stages. Conclusion: The best bCtn cutoff values for the diagnosis of MTC in the hypercalcitoninemic population with thyroid nodules and are 31.54 pg/mL for men and 22.60 pg/mL for women.

[Application of TG/HDL-C Combined with Liver Function Indexes to Predict Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease].

Objective: To study the application of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) combined with liver function indexes to predict metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Methods: A total of 2971 outpatients diagnosed with MAFLD and 2794 healthy controls were enrolled, and their relevant data were collected. Two-sample Mann-Whitney U test and binary logistic regression analysis were conducted to study the relationship between TG/HDL-C and MAFLD and to construct combined diagnosis models of MAFLD. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to pick out the optimal model. Results: The TG/HDL-C of MAFLD patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls. In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, uric acid and creatinine, the odds ratio of TG/HDL-C was 2.356 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.028-5.400). Therefore, TG/HDL-C was an independent risk factor for MAFLD. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of using TG/HDL-C to predict MAFLD was 0.795 (95% CI: 0.784-0.807), and when the cut-off value was 1.09, the sensitivity was 0.679 and the specificity was 0.755. The AUC of the diagnosis model established by a combined use of TG/HDL-C, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and albumin (ALB) was 0.890 (95% CI: 0.882-0.898), and when the cut-off value was 0.47, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.792 and 0.839, respectively. Conclusion: TG/HDL-C is an independent risk factor for MAFLD. TG/HDL-C can well predict MAFLD when it is used in combination with ALT, AST, and ALB.

Study on the levels of glycosylated lipoprotein in patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The main risk factors for atherosclerosis patients are not fully explicated. The aim of this study was to analyze the levels of blood lipid and glycosylated lipoprotein in patients with coronary artery atherosclerosis and healthy individuals and to study the relationship between the glycosylated lipoprotein and atherosclerosis. METHODS: The study involved 200 patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction caused by coronary atherosclerosis as case group and 230 healthy individuals as control group. We analyzed and contrasted the levels of blood lipid and glycosylated lipoprotein between the different groups. In addition, we investigated the correlation between glycosylated low-density lipoprotein (G-LDL) and glucose levels. RESULTS: There is no statistical difference between the level of TG in case group and control group. The level of CHOL, HDL-C, and LDL-C in case group is significantly lower than that in control group (3.90 [3.23, 4.42] vs 5.16 [4.86, 5.77] [mmol/L]; 1.09 [0.83, 1.38] vs 1.46 [1.15, 1.80] [mmol/L]; 2.22 [1.68, 2.81] vs 2.95 [2.60, 3.27] [mmol/L]) (P < 0.05). The level of GLU, HbA1c, G-HDL, and G-LDL in case group is significantly higher than that in control group (7.10 [5.68, 9.27] vs 4.84 [4.68, 5.07] [mmol/L]; 6.8 [6.3, 7.4] vs 5.9 [5.6, 6.1] [%]; 30.08 [25.04, 40.17] vs 22.95 [18.14, 27.06] [ng/mL], 6.26 [4.95, 7.50] vs 3.61 [2.66, 5.15] [ng/mL]) (p < 0.05). The level of G-LDL in patients with coronary atherosclerosis was relevant with the level of GLU and HbA1c (r = 0.625, 0.706, P < 0.05), and there was no relevance with LDL-C (r = 0.331, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hyperlipidemia is not an important cause of coronary atherosclerosis. High glucose levels and glycosylated lipoprotein are of high importance in the development and progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

[Establishment of Reference Value of Hs-cTnT in Sichuan Region and Its Diagnostic Value in Patients with Chest Pain].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the reference value of high sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and the efficiency of reference value in the diagnosis of chest pain. METHODS: Volunteers from eight independent communities in Chengdu,Sichuan were selected with detailed records of physical examination,electrocardiogram,ultrasound examination. The level of hs-cTnT for healthy volunteers was tested to determine ninety-ninth percentile references according to sex and ages. 2 249 patients with chest pain in the emergency department of Western China Hospital from July 2009 to July 2014 were enrolled to measure the efficiency of reference value for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI). RESULTS: There were 1 305 volunteers included finally. Among them,the mean hs-cTnT level of male was 4.3 (3.2-5.9) ng/L,which was significantly higher than that of female 3.0 (3.0-3.1) ng/L ( P<0.01) . The correlation coefficient between age and hs-cTnT level was 0.43 (male) and 0.29 (female),and the P-value was less than 0.01. The 99th percentile values of male were 10.8 ng/L,15.4 ng/L and 19.7 ng/L for <45 yr.,45-<60 yr. and ≥60 yr.,respectively. Those values of female were 4.6 ng/L,8.9 ng/L,18.8 ng/L,respectively. There was no difference in sensitivity and specificity between the value we figured out and manufactures provided (14.0 ng/L) for those<60 yr.. For the patients ≥60 yr.,the sensitivity and negative predictive value did not show diversity ( P>0.05) but the specificity and positive predictive value showed significant difference (male: 0.67 vs. 0.56 and 0.83 vs. 0.79, P<0.05;female:0.75 vs. 0.68 and 0.74 vs. 0.69, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: We recommends that the ninety-ninth percentile reference value of patients<60 yr. should be 14.0 ng/L,while 20.0 ng/L for those patients≥60 yr.

[Assessing Cardiac Function of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease using N-Terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide Precursor (NT-proBNP)].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the plasma level of N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-proBNP) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its association with cardiac function. METHODS: A total of 567 CKD patients admitted to the hospital from January 2013 to December 2014 were divided into six groups according to their estimated glomerular filtration rate. Their plasma level of NT-proBNP, renal function, and cardiac function were determined. RESULTS: The worse patients cardiac function, and the lower eGFR, the higher concentration of plasma NT-proBNP. Plasma level of NT-proBNP was negatively correlated with glomerular filtration rate (=-0.529, P<0.01). The receiver operating characteristic curves generated a cutoff NT-proBNP value of 119.5 ng/L, 168.5 ng/L, 300.5 ng/L, 1 019.5 ng/L, 2 777.5 ng/L, and 3 640.5 ng/L, respectively, for diagnosing cardiac failure in the six groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: NT-proBNP is affected by renal function, which can be used for diagnosing cardiac failure in patients with CKD.

Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Hemodialysis Patients With High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T Assay.

CONTEXT: Cardiac troponins have become the gold standard for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the general population; however, their diagnostic accuracy for hemodialysis (HD) patients presenting with chest pain or dyspnea is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To examine the diagnostic accuracy of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay for AMI in HD patients. DESIGN: In this prospective study, we enrolled 670 consecutive stable HD patients presenting with chest pain or dyspnea on routine predialysis therapy in the nephrology department. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to examine the diagnostic accuracy of hs-cTnT levels at enrollment in HD patients presenting with chest pain or dyspnea, and the dynamic change in these levels after 3 hours. RESULTS: Acute myocardial infarction was the adjudicated final diagnosis in 12% of HD patients. Among patients with a final diagnosis other than AMI, 97% had a plasma hs-cTnT concentration above the 99th percentile. At the time of enrollment, the area under the ROC curve of hs-cTnT levels for diagnosis of AMI was 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-0.74; P < .001) with a cutoff value of 107.7 ng/L; the relative change after 3 hours was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.82-0.96, P < .001) with a cutoff value of 24%, and the absolute change was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.82-0.94, P < .001) with a cutoff value of 32.6 ng/L. The prognostic value for 40-day mortality varied with the magnitude of elevation in hs-cTnT levels. CONCLUSIONS: Tracking the dynamic change in hs-cTnT levels during the short term significantly increased this measure's diagnostic accuracy for AMI in HD patients.

High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin T in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

BACKGROUND: In clinical work, patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) often have high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) levels that surpass the 99th percentile of the normal reference population, a cutoff used to screen patients for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, a large proportion of these patients prove not to have AMI and are frequently misdiagnosed and overtreated. We analyzed whether the cutoff value of hs-cTnT for diagnosing AMI in AECOPD patients should be adjusted. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 873 consecutive patients with AECOPD who presented at the emergency department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2010 to December 2013. Conventional cardiac troponin (cTnT) was measured in patients' blood samples taken at presentation, and values were compared with their final diagnoses. RESULTS: Among patients with a final diagnosis other than AMI, 64.64% had a plasma hs-cTnT concentration above the 99th percentile of a normal reference population (14 ng/L). The median level of hs-cTnT in AECOPD patients without AMI was 16 ng/L. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of hs-cTnT for diagnosis of AMI was 0.92 (0.85 - 0.99, p < 0.001) with a cutoff value of 60.5 ng/L. CONCLUSIONS: The baseline levels of hs-cTnT were relatively high in AECOPD patients, and the optimal cutoff value of hs-cTnT for AMI diagnosis (60.5 ng/L) was also higher than that for non-AECOPD patients.

Procalcitonin levels predict acute kidney injury and prognosis in acute pancreatitis: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been proposed as a leading cause of mortality for acute pancreatitis (AP) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This study investigated the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) for AKI development and relevant prognosis in patients with AP, and compared PCT's predictive power with that of other inflammation-related variables. METHODS: Between January 2011 and March 2013, we enrolled 305 cases with acute pancreatitis admitted to ICU. Serum levels of PCT, serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C reactive protein (CRP) were determined on admission. Serum PCT was tested in patients who developed AKI on the day of AKI occurrence and on either day 28 after occurrence (for survivors) or on the day of death (for those who died within 28 days). RESULTS: Serum PCT levels were 100-fold higher in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group on the day of ICU admission (p<0.05). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of PCT for predicting AKI was 0.986, which was superior to SAA, CRP, and IL-6 (p<0.05). ROC analysis revealed all variables tested had lower predictive performance for AKI prognosis. The average serum PCT level on day 28 (2.67 (0.89, 7.99) ng/ml) was significantly (p<0.0001) lower than on the day of AKI occurrence (43.71 (19.24,65.69) ng/ml) in survivors, but the serum PCT level on death (63.73 (34.22,94.30) ng/ml) was higher than on the day of AKI occurrence (37.55 (18.70,74.12) ng/ml) in non-survivors, although there was no significant difference between the two days in the latter group (p = 0.1365). CONCLUSION: Serum PCT is superior to CRP, IL-6, and SAA for predicting the development of AKI in patients with AP, and also can be used for dynamic evaluation of AKI prognosis.

[Pathogenic effects of level of nitric oxide, hyponatremia and heart function on hepatorenal syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the changes of liver function, renal function, electrolytes, heart function and serum nitric oxide (NO) in chronic severe hepatitis patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) by plasma exchange (PE), study the relationship of NO, hyponatremia, heart function with HRS. METHODS: A total of 20 chronic severe hepatitis patients with HRS were recruited. All were treated thrice by PE. The parameters of blood pressure, heart rate, 24 h urinary volume, liver function indicators, renal function indicators, NO, cardiac troponin T (cTnT), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), aldosterone, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and plasma ammonia were measured before PE, during PE and after PE. Their differences were compared before, during and after PE. RESULTS: The NO level of HRS before PE was (113 ± 26) µmol/L, the level of Day 1 after PE (78 ± 24) µmol/L and the level of Day 3 after PE was (85 ± 29) µmol/L. All NO levels were lower than that before PE (all P < 0.05). Creatine level of HRS before PE was (191 ± 43) µmol/L and the level of Day 1 after PE (142 ± 42) µmol/L. All levels were lower than that before PE (all P < 0.05). The level of Day 3 after PE was 221 ± 105 µmol/L and it was higher than that before PE (P < 0.05). At pre-, during- and post-PE, the level of sodium was low than normal (normal range: 135 - 145 mmol/L), the level of aldosterone higher than normal (normal range: 10 - 27 ng/L), the level of cTnT higher than normal (normal range: < 14 ng/L) and the level of BNP higher than normal (normal range: < 366 ng/L). The levels of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, bilirubin, urea, cysteine proteinase inhibitor C and ammonia decreased during PE, but increased post-PE. Systolic pressure and 24 h urinary volume decreased gradually. In this study, 8 patients died and 12 were discharged from hospital. CONCLUSION: Serum nitric oxide is not the sole occurring factor for hepatorenal syndrome. Hyponatremia and impaired heart function may be the key factors for hepatorenal syndrome.

[The relationship of CPS-I, OCT and hepatic encephalopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of carbamyl phosphate I (CPS-I)and ornithine transcarbamoylase (OCT) levels in cirrhosis patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy, and to analyze the correlations between CPS-Iand OCT with the development of hepatic encephalopathy. METHODS: CPS-I, OCT, plasma ammonia and liver function of 95 cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy and 25 cirrhosis patients without hepatic encephalopathy in our hospital from January 2008 to December 2009 were analyzed. 60 healthy controls were recruited in the control group. The differences of serum CPS-I, OCT levels among the cirrhosis patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy and the healthy controls were analyzed; the correlations of CPS-I, OCT levels with plasma ammonia and total protein in cirrhosis patients,and the correlations of CPS-I, OCT levels with Child-Pugh classification of cirrhosis symptom severity in cirrhosis were analyzed. the clinical characteristics between patients who had HE and no HE with chi-square tests were compared. Comparisons of CPS-I, OCT levels across patients based on the Child-Pugh classification were performed with One-Way ANOVA and Student-Newman-Keuls, correlation of CPS-I, OCT with other indicators were performed with Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Serum CPS-I and OCT levels in cirrhosis patients with hepatic encephalopathy were (143.3+/-48.5) U/L, (297.0+/-102.6) is multiplied by 10 U/L, which were lower than that in cirrhosis patients without hepatic encephalopathy (180.3+/-51.5) U/L, (351.8+/-109.0) is multiplied by 10 U/L (t = 2.53, t = 2.78, P < 0.01). Compared with healthy controls, serum CPS-I and OCT levels in cirrhosis patients with and without hepatic encephalopathy were all lower (t = 3.21, t = 4.16, t = 2.12, t = 3.15, P < 0.05). CPS-I was correlated with OCT, (r = 0.946, P < 0.05); CPS-I and OCT were negatively correlated with ALT and AST (r = -0.284, r = -0.239, r = -0.303, r = -0.322, P < 0.05). Additionally, CPS-I and OCT levels were negatively correlated with the Child-Pugh classification in Cirrhosis (F = 10.13, F = 20.28, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The serum CPS-I and COT levels were important factors affecting plasma ammonia in patients with cirrhosis and played an important role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy.

[Analysis of the relationship between hepatorenal syndrome and plasma ammonia].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) and plasma ammonia. METHODS: Plasma ammonia, liver and renal function of 465 patients with liver cirrhosis in our hospital, from June 2007 to March 2009, were analyzed. 80 renal dysfunction patients and 80 healthy controls were recruited in the control group. In addition, 40 patients with HRS were followed up. RESULTS: Using urea as the diagnosis standard of HRS, the morbidity rate of HRS was 39.6%, which was higher than that using creatinine as the diagnosis standard of HRS (Chi-square test = 97.33, P less than 0.01). using urea and creatinine as the diagnosis standard of HRS, the ammonia level of HRS groups was (57.39+/-48.83)mumol/L, (64.80+/-47.25)mumol/L, which were higher than that in the non-HRS groups (t = -3.07, t = -3.67, P less than 0.01). The ammonia level of patients with renal dysfunction was (26.59+/-14.34)mumol/L, which was lower than that in HRS group, non-HRS group (P less than 0.01), but there was no statistical significance between the patients with renal dysfunction and the healthy peoples [(22.36+/-8.72)mumol/L] (t = 1.52, P more than 0.05). The followed-up analysis of 40 patients with HRS indicated that plasma ammonia level was positively correlated with urea and creatinine, and correlation coefficients were 0.874 and 0.834 (P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hepatic encephalopathy is liver-kidney-intestine-brain syndrome. HRS plays an important role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy.

[The distribution of mast cells in benign and malignant prostate lesions and its biologic significance].

OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution profile of mast cells in benign and malignant prostate lesions and its biologic significance. METHODS: Fifty-three prostate specimens collected from 2000 through 2002 were examined, and the distribution of mast cells were analyzed. The paraffin sections were stained with anti-human mast cell tryptase immunohistologically. The numbers of cells stained with positive results in ten high-power fields were counted, and the mean was calculated. RESULTS: No significant relationship of mast cell distribution to inflammation in benign prostatic hyperplasias was observed. Significant differences between the mean mast cell numbers of intratumoral region and those of peritumoral region were noted (P<0.05). There was statistically significant difference in the mean mast cell numbers between well-differentiated groups and poorly-differentiated groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: There exists a relationship between prostate carcinoma tissue and mast cells. Mast cells may inhabit the tumor cells by different pathways.

[Study on serum oxidized low density lipoprotein and anti-oxidized competence in patient with coronary heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the serum oxidized low density lipoprotein (OX-LDL) and anti-oxidized competence in patients with coronary heart disease, and to explore the correlation between OX-LDL and atherosclerosis (AS). METHODS: The samples of fasting blood-serum were collected from 50 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and 50 normal controls with no cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and nephrosis. The levels of triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (Chol), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apoproteinA1 (Apo A1), apoproteinB100 (Apo B100), lipoprotein a (Lpa), OX-LDL, lipid oxidation (LPO) and anti-oxidized competence (AOC) were detected. RESULTS: The levels of TG, Chol, HDL-C, LDL-C, Apo B100 and NO were no difference between the patient with CHD and the normal controls (P>0.05). Lpa, OX-LDL and LPO were significantly higher than those of controls (P<0.05). ApoA1 and AOC were significantly lower than those of controls (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: There were no differences in respect to TG, Chol, HDL, LDL, Apo B100 between the CHD patients and normals, but OX-LDL was significantly higher than that of controls (P<0.05) and AOC was significantly lower than that of controls. These data suggest that OX-LDL and AOC promise to find applications as more sensitive and valid markers for evaluating CHD.

[Association of APOA5 gene single nucleotide polymorphism with levels of lipids and coronary heart disease in Chinese].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the single nucleotide polymorphism 4 (SNP4) of the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene possible association with coronary heart disease(CHD) and its distribution of in Chinese Han population. METHODS: APOA5 SNP4 genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction and Hae III restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: APOA5 allelic frequencies of T, C were 0.435, 0.565 and 0.374, 0.626 in CHD group and control group, respectively. There is significant difference in allele and genotype frequencies between CHD group and control group (P<0.05). The levels of plasma high density lipoprotein in CHD patients with CC genotype were higher than those in CHD patients with other genotypes (P<0.01). The frequencies of T allele and C allele in Chinese was significantly different from those in Caucasians (0.374 vs 0.663, 0.626 vs 0.337, P<0.01). The C allele was much more common in Chinese population. CONCLUSION: The association is found between the Hae III polymorphism and CHD, There is a significant correlation between the CC genotype of the APOA5 and the levels of plasma high density lipoprotein-cholosteal in the CHD group.

[Comparing two kinds of labeled streptavidin biotin methods and selecting the best antigen retrieval method].

OBJECTIVE: To compare two kinds of labeled streptavidin biotin(LsAB) methods and provide the optimal method of antigen retrieval. METHODS: The alkaline phosphatase(AP) LsAB method and the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) LsAB method were used to stain anti-tryptase in paraffin embedding tissue of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their staining effects were compared. The antigens were repaired by high pressure cooking, tryptin digestion and microwave, and the repairing effects were compared. RESULTS: The backgrounds of stained sections were more distinct and the color distinction of nucleus and positive signal were brighter by AP-LsAB, compared with those by HRP-LsAB; the repairing effect of high pressure cooking was better than the repairing effect of tryptin digestion and than that of microwave. CONCLUSION: AP-LsAB and high pressure cooking retrieval were recommended for use in immunohistochemical staining of pulmonary inflammatory tissue.

[Determining conjugated bile acids by reverse HPLC and analyzing the conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis by the determination of conjugated bile acids using reverse HPLC(high performance liquid chromatography). METHODS: Reverse HPLC was used to determine the conjugated bile acids, to evaluate the precision, accuracy, sensitivity and linear limitation of the method, and to separate and determine six conjugated bile acids in the sera of hepatocirrhotic patients. A comparison with controls was performed. RESULTS: The limitation of determination was 3.125 mumol/L. The coefficients of variation were less than 10% within day and less than 15% day to day for the concentration (3.5-100 mumol/L) of bile acids, and the recoveries were 93.3%-106.1% except TLCA. The concentrations of conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The method can meet the need of the determination of conjugated bile acids in serum. The concentrations of conjugated bile acids in sera of patients with hepatocirrhosis are of use for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[Association of 7alpha-hydroxylase gene polymorphism with levels of plasma lipids].

To study the distribution of Eco31I restriction polymorphism in nucleotide -204 of 7alpha-hydroxylase gene(CYP7A1)in Sichuan Han population of China and association of the polymorphism with coronary heart disease(CHD),CYP7A1 genotyping was performed by using PCR-RFLP approach in 183 CHD patients and 101 control subjects. 7alpha-hydroxylase gene allele frequencies of C,A were 0.840 and 0.160 in CHD group and 0.822 and 0.178 in control group,respectively. There was no significant difference in frequencies of allele and genotypes in A-204C polymorphism between CHD group and control group (P>0.05). However, in CHD patients there was significant difference in total cholesterol (TC) levels among CC,CA and AA genotypes (P<0.05) ,and the levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in CHD patients with AA genotype were lower than those in CHD patients with CC and CA genotypes(P<0.05). In control group there was significant difference in TC levels between CC and CA genotypes (P<0.05) . The frequencies of C,A alleles at A-204C polymorphic site were significantly different from those reported in white people(P<0.05). The results indicating that no direct association was found between the A-204C polymorphism and CHD,but there was significant correlation between this polymorphism and the levels of TC ,and there was significant correlation in CHD patient group between this polymorphism and levels of HDL-C and LDL-C.