ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Preoperative effective assessment of cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer plays an important role in formulating the surgical plan. PURPOSE: To investigate the significance of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for quantitatively analyzing cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 patients with thyroid cancer, consisting of 19 thyroid cancer nodules, 45 metastatic lymph nodes, and 47 non-metastatic lymph nodes. Regions of interest (ROIs) for each type of nodule were manually delineated using a workstation. Quantitative parameters, such as T1, T2, and proton density (PD) values, were automatically extracted from synthetic MRI scans. Statistical tests and regression analysis were performed to assess differences and correlations among the quantitative parameters. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the quantitative parameter values between the primary tumor and metastatic lymph node tissues (P > 0.05). However, significant differences were observed in the quantitative parameters between the primary tumor and non-metastatic lymph node tissues and between the metastatic and non-metastatic lymph node tissues (P < 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy for cervical lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer was 94.4% for the T1 and T2 combined index, 91.9% for T2, 86.8% for T1, and 71.7% for PD values. CONCLUSION: The application of quantitative parameters from synthetic MRI can assist clinicians in accurately planning surgical interventions for thyroid cancer patients before surgery.
ABSTRACT
Malignant melanoma is a type of skin cancer with high morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies should be individualized in order to increase the survival rate. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of lidocaine on skin healing and immune function after operation of patients with melanoma. Sixty patients with melanoma were selected from those treated in Bishan Hospital between August 2014 and August 2016. The patients were randomly divided into lidocaine group and control group. Lidocaine group was locally treated with an intradermic injection of 2% lidocaine solution in dose of 1.5 mg/kg and the control group received the same quantity of saline solution. In the lidocaine group, the rates of skin temperature, drug reaction, healing and infection were higher than the corresponding rates in the C group. The local application of lidocaine can promote wound healing to a certain extent, reduce pain, and promote postoperative skin reconstruction.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of mRNA and protein expression of CaN in the bone of rats with chronic fluorosis, and the mechanism of skeletal fluorosis. METHODS: Thirty-six SD rats were divided into three groups (12 in each group, half male and half female selected according to body weight): control, low-dose and high-dose fluorosis groups. Controls were fed tap water (NaF < 0.5 mg/L), experimental animals in the low- or high-dose groups were fed water containing NaF of 5.0 and 50.0 mg/L, respectively. The rats were sacrificed after 6 months of treatment with fluoride. The serum was kept for testing bone metabolic marker bone gla protein (BGP) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the protein and mRNA levels of CaN in distal femur of the rats with chronic flurosis were assessed by immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization. RESULTS: The levels of BGP (1.99 ± 0.62, 2.38 ± 0.16)µg/L in the low- or high-dose fluorosis groups were higher than that in the control group (0.15 ± 0.03) µg/L; and the high fluorosis group showed higher level than the low fluorosis group (all P < 0.05). Compared to the control group (131.11 ± 1.95, 111.82 ± 2.39), the protein and mRNA levels of CaN were higher in the low- or high-dose fluorosis groups (142.69 ± 1.17, 157.54 ± 1.88 and 121.28 ± 3.27, 134.63 ± 3.19, respectively), and the high fluorosis group showed higher levels than the low fluorosis group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BGP content could be used as a bone metabolic index in endemic fluorosis disease. Fluoride might up-regulate the mRNA and protein expression of CaN, and the changes in CaN level may be involved in the increase of the bone turnover and could be one of the pathogenetic factors in fluorosis.
