Volume 121  ·  Issue 14  ·  2008

Abstract：Background Acute renal failure (ARF) after liver transplantation is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Early therapeutic or preventive intervention is hampered by the lack of early effective prognostic factors. Recent studies indicated that serum levels of cystatin C and β2-microglobulin (132 MG) as well as urinary β2 MG and N-acetyl-β-D- glucosaminidase (NAG) would increase in patients with early and mild renal impairment. In this study, these factors were detected during the different stages in patients who accepted orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and their feasibilities to predict early ARF after OLT were also analyzed.Methods Sixty patients with normal blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) who received modified piggyback liver transplantation without veno-venous bypass were prospectively studied. Blood samples were drawn from patients for the determination of serum β2 MG(n=60), SCr (n=60) and serum Cystatin C (n=39) at following 5 intervals: before operation (TO), 20 minutes before anhepatic phase (T1), 25 minutes in anhepatic (T2), 60 minutes after repeffusion (T3) and at the end of operation(T4). Urinary β2 MG (n=-60) and NAG (n=60) were also examined at following 3 intervals: before operation (TO), 60 minutes after reperfusion (T3) and at the end of operation (T4). According to the Rimola A criteria of ARF in 24 hours after operation, all the patients were divided into two groups: ARF group and non-ARF group. The data were statistically analyzed to evaluate the feasibiliy of regarding these factors as prognostic factors for early ARF after liver transplantation in patients with normal SCr and BUN before operation.Results Ten of sixty cases showed ARF(16.7%). The Logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of serum and urinary β2 MG as well as serum cystatin C before operation were correlated with early ARF after liver transplantation (P <0.05), while only serum levels of cystatin C and Cr at the end of operation correlated with early ARF (P <0.05, P <0.01) after liver transplantation. The serum β2 MG, Cystatin C, SCr and urinary β2 MG levels in ARF group were much more higher than that in non-ARF group(P<0.05, P<0.01). There were significant differences between the correct and false predictive positive ratios of serum cystatin C, serum and urinary β2 MG levels before operation (P <0.05, P <0.01), while only SCr showed significant difference between these groups at the end of operation (P<0.01).Conclusions The results revealed that there was potential renal damage among those patients who demonstrated normal SCr and BUN before operation, and that liver transplantation could aggravate this damage and causing ARF. Here we provided the prognostic values of serum Cystatin C, β2 MG, urinary β2 MG and NAG in patients with early acute renal failure after liver transplantation。

Abstract：Background The physiological differences between fetal and postnatal heart have been well characterized at the cellular level. However, the genetic mechanisms governing and regulating these differences have only been partially elucidated. Elucidation of the differentially expressed genes profile before and after birth has never been systematically proposed and analyzed.Methods The human oligonuclectide microarray and bioinformatics analysis approaches were applied to isolate and classify the differentially expressed genes between fetal and infant cardiac tissue samples. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to confirm the results from the microarray.Results Two hundred and forty-two differentially expressed genes were discovered and classified into 13 categories, including genes related to energy metabolism, myocyte hyperplasia, development, muscle contraction, protein synthesis and degradation, extraceUular matrix components, transcription factors, apoptosis, signal pathway molecules, organelle organization and several other biological processes. Moreover, 95 genes were identified which had not previously been reported to be expressed in the heart.Conclusions The study systematically analyzed the alteration of the gene expression profile between the human fetal and infant myocardium. A number of genes were discovered which had not been reported to be expressed in the heart. The data provided insight into the physical development mechanisms of the heart before and after birth.KONG Bo and LU Xiao-dong contributed equally to this study。

Abstract：Background At least five mismatch repair (MMR) genes, including hMSH2, hMLH1, hPMS, hPMS2, and hMSH6/GTBP, are associated with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). More than 90% of families with HNPCC harbor the hMSH2 and hMLH1 gene mutations. We have analyzed the clinical features of HNPCC among Chinese patients and report the results of screening for mutations in the hMSH2 and hMLH1 genes.Methods The data concerning gender, site of colorectal cancer (CRC), age at diagnosis, history of synchronous and/or metachronous colorectal cancer, instance of extracolonic cancers, and histopathology of tumors for 126 patients from 28 independent families with HNPCC were collected. Fifteen of the families met the Amsterdam I criteria, and 13 met the Japanese clinical criteria for diagnosis. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral lymphocytes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) were used to screen the coding region of the hMSH2 and hMLH1 genes. Samples showing abnormal DHPLC profiles were sequenced.Results One hundred and seventy malignant neoplasms were found in the 126 patients, of whom 23 had multiple cancers. Ninety-eight of the patients (77.8%) had colorectal cancers, with an average age at onset of 45.9 years and a right-sided predominance. Eight hMSH2 or hMLH1 gene sequence variations were found in 12 families, and a germ-line G204X nonsense mutation in the third exon of hMSH2 was found, representing the first mutation in an MMR gene ever found in people of Chinese Mongolian ethnicity.Conclusions HNPCC is a typical autosomally dominant hereditary disease, characterized by early onset, a predominance of proximal colorectal cancer, and multiple synchronous and metachronous colorectal cancers. DHPLC is a powerful tool for detecting mutations in the hMSH2 and hMLH1 genes. Mutations in the first nine exons of the hMLH1 gene were more common in Chinese patients。

Abstract：Background Chronic dermal ulcers are also referred to as refractory ulcers, This study was conducted to elucidate the therapeutic effect of laser on chronic dermal ulcers and the induced expression of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in wound tissues.Methods Sixty patients with 84 chronic dermal ulcers were randomly divided into traditional therapy and laser therapy groups. Laser treatment was performed in addition to traditional therapy in the laser therapy group. The treatment efficacy was evaluated after three weeks. Five tissue sections of healing wounds were randomly collected along with five normal skin sections as controls. HSP70-positive cells from HSP70 immunohistochemical staining were counted and the gray scale of positive cells was measured for statistical analysis. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expressions of HSF1 and HSP70.Results The cure rate of the wounds and the total efficacy in the laser therapy group were significantly higher than those in the traditional therapy group (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the HSP70-positive cell count was significantly higher in laser therapy group than those in the traditional therapy group and controls (P<0.01), and the gray scale of the cell signal was obviously lower than traditional therapy group and controls (P <0.05). By contrast, the traditional therapy group and the control group were not significantly different. The RNA levels of HSF1 and HSP70 were higher in the laser therapy group by RT-PCR, but very low in normal skin and the traditional therapy group. The analysis on the gray scale of the Western blot bands indicated that the expression of HSF1 and HSP70 in the laser therapy group was significantly higher than in the traditional therapy group and the control group (P <0.01), and the expression in the traditional therapy group was also higher than in the control group (P <0.05).Conclusion Laser-aided therapy of chronic dermal ulcers plays a facilitating role in healing due to the mechanism of laser-activated endogenous heat shock protection in cells in wound surfaces。

Abstract：Background The existing classifications for evaluating glaucoma filtering blebs rely mostly on external blebcharacteristics and the postoperative control of intraocular pressure (lOP). Internal bleb structures are not carefullyobserved. This study aimed to analyze and compare glaucoma filtering bleb morphology using slit-lamp-adapted opticalcoherence tomography (SL-OCT) and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and to classify blebs according to results andintraocular pressure.Methods We followed 29 eyes of 21 male patients and 40 eyes of 32 female patients who underwent glaucoma filtering surgery in Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai, between 2002 and 2006. The blebs were imaged using SL-OCT and UBM and classified according to the intrableb morphology and control of lOP after surgery. A Fisher's exact test was used to compare the sensitivity for predicting a functioning bleb differed significantly between SL-OCT and UBM. A Fisher's exact test was also used for morphological analysis of the trabeculectomy blebs based on SL-OCT.Results In the 69 eyes, there were 45 (65.2%) functioning blebs and 24 (34.8%) non-functioning blebs. We classified the blebs into four categories on the basis of SL-OCT images: diffuse, cystic, encapsulated and flat. Diffuse and cystic blebs were typically functional, whereas the other two types were always non-functional. The sensitivity of SL-OCT for predicting a functioning bleb was 92.7% (38/41 eyes) and specificity of predicting a non-functioning bleb was 83.3% (20/24 eyes). By contrast, sensitivity of UBM was 66.7% (30/45 eyes) and specificity was 75.0% (18/24 eyes). The sensitivity for predicting a functioning bleb differed significantly between the two techniques (P=0.003).Conclusions SL-OCT provides high-axial-resolution images of anterior segment structures. The non-contact approach of SL-OCT enables visualization of intrableb structures at any time after surgery. SL-OCT has greater sensitivity and specificity than UBM in evaluating filtering bleb function. The morphological classification supported the assessment of bleb function and could provide objective data for evaluating the outcome of antiglaucoma surgery or the need for a second procedure。

Abstract：Background Renal osteodystrophy is one of the commonest complications of chronic renal failure. It may have a severe impact on the quality of life of patients on maintenance dialysis therapy. Besides post-menopausal women and elderly people, the dialysis patients are another high risk group. But at present, there is no research on how to prevent osteoporosis in maintenance dialysis patients. This study was conducted to observe the bone density of maintenance dialysis patients and to evaluate the clinical outcomes and safety of different administration dosage of salmon calcitonin to prevent osteoporosis in maintenance dialysis patients.Methods One hundred and forty-eight patients on maintenance dialysis were involved in the 12-month, randomized, controlled trial. Fifty patients (experiment Ⅰ group) received subcutaneous injection of salmon calcitonin (50 U) three times a week for 12 months. Fifty patients (experiment Ⅱ group) received subcutaneous injection of salmon calcitonin (100 U) three times a week for 12 months. At the same time, both of them received oral calcium carbonate 1500 mg tid and rocaltrol 0.25 μg qn for 12 months. The control group only received oral calcium carbonate 1500 mg tid and rocaltrol 0.25 μg qn for 12 months. The levels of bone mass density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck, serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocatcin (OC), calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assessed at baseline and then again after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment.Results The values of BMD at the lumbar spine and femoral neck before the treatment were not significantly different from those 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment in trial groups I and II (all P >0.05) and there were no significant differences in the BMD values at different time points between trial groups I and I1. In the control group, the BMD values at the lumbar spine and femoral neck 3, 6, and 12 months after the beginning of trial were significantly lower than those before the trial, and significantly lower than the corresponding values of trial groups I and II (all P <0.05). The serum OC 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment was significantly lower than that before the experiment (all P <0.05) in the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the value of serum OC before and 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment in trial groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ (all P>0.05).Conclusions The dose of salmon calcitonin 50 U three times a week plus calcium carbonate and active vitamin D can effectively preserve the BMD and prevent bone loss in maintenance dialysis patients, and it is well tolerated by patients on maintenance dialysis。

Abstract：Background Gastrointestinal graft versus host disease (GI-GVHD) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) enteritis are important complications following allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alIo-HSCT). We explored the role of colonoscopy in the diagnosis of GI-GVHD and CMV enteritis following alIo-HSCT to identify the endoscopic manifestations of GI-GVHD and CMV enteritis was made.Methods A retrospective analysis of the colonoscopic manifestations of GI-GVHD, CMV enteritis and GI-GVHD with concurrent CMV enteritis (GconC) and their related clinical issues.Results Forty-seven patients underwent 50 colonoscopies with diagnoses of 32 GI-GVHD, 7 CMV enteritis and 11 GconC. Both GI-GVHD and CMV enteritis had colonic mucosal lesions with various manifestations under colonoscopy. Tortoise shell like changes of the mucosa (12 of 32) and deep ulcers (2 of 7) were specific endoscopic manifestations for GI-GVHD and CMV enteritis, respectively, while mucosal oedema, erythema, congestion, erosion and shallow ulcers could not be used to differentiate GI-GVHD from CMV enteritis. GconC patients were prone to have oozing bleeding of the end ileal mucosa and typhlodicliditis. Of the biopsed specimens for GI-GVHD, CMV enteritis and GconC, 64%, 70% and 44% were taken from the rectum and sigmoid colon respectively.Conclusions Following alIo-HSCT, tortoise shell like changes and deep ulcers of the colonic mucosa are characteristic changes for Gl-GVHD and CMV enteritis, respectively, while the other lesions are not. Most of the GI-GVHDs and CMV enteritis cases can be diagnosed by left colon examination and tissue biopsy, but total colon examination to the terminal ileum is preferred。

Abstract：Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder. Dilation of intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium has been revealed at transmission electron microscopy both in the rabbit acid-perfused esophagus and in esophageal biopsies from GERD patients. This study aimed to observe the changes of the intercellular spaces of squamous epithelium of lower esophagus in patients with GERD and the changes of intercellular spaces of patients with erosive esophagitis (EE) before and after omeprazole treatment.Methods Outpatients having GERD symptoms for more than 3 months and volunteers were collected. All of them underwent gastroendoscopy and 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring. Biopsies were taken from the lower esophagus (2 cm above Z-line) for electron microscope examination. Five healthy volunteers, six non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients, and five EE patients were enrolled. Intercellular spaces of GERD patients and controls were calculated. Then we selected 20 patients with EE diagnosed by gastroendoscopy. All of them were treated with omeprazole (Losec, 20 mg bid) for 4 weeks then underwent gastroendoscopy again. Biopsies were taken from 2 cm above Z-line for electron microscope examination. All the patients completed the questionnaire about reflux symptoms before and after treatment.Results Intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelial cell in volunteers, NERD patients and EE patients were (0.37±0.07) μm, (1.31±0.08) μm, and (1.33±0.14) μm, respectively, with significant differences between the control group and the NERD group (P=0.000). In the 20 EE patients, the mean intercellular space before treatment was (1.14±0.15) μm. After treatment the intercellular space was (0.51±0.18) μm, a significant difference compared with pre-treatment measurements (P=0.000).Conclusions Dilated intercellular spaces (DIS) were seen in both NERD and EE cases. The dilated intercellularspaces of esophageal epithelium in EE patients could be recovered after a short time of treatment with omeprazole。

Abstract：Background A fatal complication after liver transplantation is anastomotic embolization of the hepatic artery. In order to solve this problem, the portal venous arterialization (PVA) is used to reconstruct the hepatic arterial blood flow. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of PVA on rats with acute occlusion of hepatic artery.Methods Rat PVA models were established and then randomly divided into Group 1 (control group), Group 2 (jaundice group), Group 3 (bile duct recanalization group), and Group 4 (portal vein arterilization group). Recanalization of the common bile duct and PVA were performed 5 days after bile duct ligation in the rats. The influence of the PVA on general conditions, hepatic changes of structure and function, portal vein pressure and hepatic micrangium were observed for one month.Results Five days after common bile duct ligation the serum bilirubin, transaminase and alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly increased. Compared with group 1, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.01). These rats then underwent bile duct recanalization and PVA. After a month, the liver functions and microscopic structures completely returned to normal and, compared with group 1, there was no statistically significant difference in portal vein pressure (P >0.05). Vascular casting samples showed that hepatic sinusoids were slightly thicker and more filled than normal ones and although they had some deformations, the hepatic sinusoids were still distributed around the central vein in radial form.Conclusion Within a month after operation, bile duct recanaiization and PVA do not show obvious adverse effects on liver hemodynamics and hepatic micrangium, and the liver function and microscopic structure can return to normal。

Abstract：Background Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) research has mainly been focused on the therapeutic effect of psychiatric disorders and Parkinson's disease. A few studies have shown that rTMS might protect against delayed neuronal death induced by transient ischemia, enhance long-term potentiation in ischemic conditions and affect regional brain blood flow and metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content and microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP-2) expression in rat brain after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)/reperfusion.Methods To study the effects of different timecourses of rTMS on ATP content and MAP-2 expression, 90 rats were randomly divided into three groups (30 rats in each group). To study the effects of multiple rTMS parameters on ATP content and MAP-2 expression, the rats in each group were further divided into six subgroups (five rats each). The rats were sacrificr, 24-hour and 48-hour intervals after reperfusion, and the brain tissues were collected for the detection of ATP and MAP-2.Results rTMS could significantly increase ATP content and MAP-2 expression in the left brain following ischemic insult (P<0.01) and different rTMS parameters had different effects on the ATP level and the MAP-2 expression in the left striatum. A high-frequency rTMS played an important role in MAP-2 expression and ATP preservation.Conclusions This study revealed that rTMS induced significant increase of ATP content and MAP-2 expression in the injured area of the brain, suggesting that the regulation of both ATP and MAP-2 may be involved in the biological mechanism of the effect of rTMS on neural recovery. Therefore, rTMS may become a potential adjunctive therapy for ischemic cerebrovascular disease。

Background The GlideScope® video laryngoscope (GSVL) has been shown to have no special advantage over theMacintosh direct laryngoscope (MDL) in attenuating the circulatory responses to orotracheal intubation, but no study has compared the circulatory responses to nasotracheal intubation (NTI) using the two devices. This prospective randomized clinical study was designed to determine whether there was a clinically relevant difference between the circulatory responses to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL.Methods Seventy-six adult patients were randomly allocated equally to the GSVL group and the MDL group. After induction of anesthesia, NTI was performed. Non-invasive blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded before induction (baseline values) and immediately before intubation (post-induction values), at intubation and every minute for a further five minutes. During the observation, times required to reach the maximum values of systolic BP (SBP) and HR, times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values and incidence of SBP and HR percent changes>30% of baseline values were also noted. The product of HR and systolic BP, I.e. Rate pressure product (RPP), and the areas under SBP and HR vs. Time curves (AUCSBP and AUCHR) were calculated.Results The NTI with the GSVL resulted in significant increases in BP, HR and RPP compared to postinduction values, but these circulatory changes did not exceed baseline values. BPs at all measuring points, AUCSBP, maximum values of BP and incidence of SBP percent increase>30% of baseline value during the observation did not differ significantly between groups. However, HR and RPP at intubation and their maximum values, AUCHR and incidence of HR percent increase > 30% of baseline value were significantly higher in the MDL group than in the GSVL group. -times required for recovery of SBP and HR to postinduction values were significantly longer in the MDL group than in the GSVL group.Conclusions The pressor response to NTI with the GSVL and the MDL was similar, but the tachycardiac response to NTI was lesser and of a shorter duration when using a GSVL than when using an MDL。

Blymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) is also known as B cell activating factor belonging to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family (BAFF), or TNF and apoptosis ligand-related leukocyte-expressed ligand 1 (TALL- 1).1-3

The Shikani Optical StyletTM or SOS (Clarus Medical, USA) was developed as an aid to intubation for difficult airways.1 The SOS is composed of a J-shaped malleable body and a lens and light source at the tip and an eyepiece at the proximal end. It combines the features of a fiberoptic bronchoscope and a lightwand. It can be used alone or combined with a camera or monitor and both adult and pediatric versions are available.2,3

Ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized ovum implants on any tissue other than the endometrium, is the most common life-threatening emergency in the first trimester of pregnancy. The incidence of ectopic pregnancy is 0.25%-1.0% of all pregnancies, and has increased greatly in the last few decades, from 4.5 per 1000 pregnancies in 1970 to an estimated 19.7 per 1000 pregnancies in 1992.1 Generally more than 95% of ectopic gestations are tubal pregnancies; only 1.4% are abdominal pregnancy, of which very rare cases are retroperitoneal pregnancy。

Mental illness is recognized as a significant social and public health problem in China, with approximately 16 million people affected with mental illness according to a report in 2002.1> In addition, approximately 30 million children and young adolescents are suffering from mood and/or behavioral disorders. Drug and alcohol problems and other psychosocial disorders affecting women, eiders and survivors of disasters are also important problems adding to the overall national mental health burden. Research from both China and abroad indicate that mental and behavioral problems will continue to increase in the future. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the financial burden from mental disorders in China will constitute 1/4 of total burden from various diseases in 2020.1

The incidence of primary cardiac tumors is extremely low, ranging from 0.0017% to 0.019%.1 Primary tumors can be categorized into benign or malignant tumors, in which 75% of primary tumors are benign with myxomas comprising 50% of the cases. On the other hand, malignant tumors constitute less than 25% of primary cardiac neoplasms and are manifested predominantly as sarcoma in various forms. The clinical manifestations of cardiac tumors are protean,2 as they are dependent upon the location and the severity of obstruction or compression of valvular orifice and cardiac cavity. Therefore it is often difficult to reach the precise diagnosis prior to surgery. Although most tumors found arising from the interatrial septum and expanding into the left atrium are benign myxomas,3 an effort should be made towards a preoperative differential diagnosis. Here we reported a case of a left atrial, undifferentiated sarcoma mimicking left atrial myxoma.…… Biography：Correspondence to:Dr.XIAO Xi-jun, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China (Tel: 86-28-85422493. Email:xiiun.xiao@ yahoo.com.cn)

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is uncommon but remains the most frequent hemodynamically significant congenital coronary artery anomaly,1 The majority of fistula is single and drains into the right heart, only 3.5% into the left ventricle.2 A large fistula requires closure to prevent complications such as myocardial ischemia resulting from coronary steal, congestive heart failure, endocarditis and potential aneurysmal dilatation and rupture.3-5 Here we presented a rare case of CAF with multiple origins involving left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex branch (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA), and draining into the left ventricle, which was successfully closed by coil embolization。