Volume 123  ·  Issue 02  ·  2010

Abstract：Background Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), the most common type of mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, is a recently recognized tumor. The biological behavior of GIST is highly variable. Surgical resection remains the major treatment for GIST. In this study we retrospectively analyzed our surgical experience with 181 GIST patients to determine the effects of the treatment and the pathological features and prognosis factors of these GIST patients.Methods The clinicopathological features and follow-up data of the 181 patients with GIST who had received surgical resection between January 1999 and December 2007 at Ren Ji Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Immunohistochemical stains including CD117 (KIT), CD34, and other markers were used. Tumor size, mitotic index and other pathological parameters were recorded. According to the consensus of NIH risk-group stratification system based on maximum tumor size and mitotic index (per 50 high power field), tumors were classified into very-low-risk group (15 tumors, 8.3%), low-risk group (48, 26.5%), intermediate-risk group (52, 28.7%) and high-risk group (66, 36.5%). Prognostic factors were analyzed by Cox analysis including age, sex, tumor size, tumor site, mitotic index, NIH categories and surgical procedures. Results One hundred and seven (59.1%) of the 181 tumors were located in the stomach, 51 (28.2%) in the small intestine, 9 (5.0%) in the colon and rectum, and 14 (7.7%) in other sites including the omentum and mesentery. The median age of the patients was 58 (range, 24-84) years, and 102 patients (56.4%) were male. Tumor size ranged from 0.5 to 30 cm, while the mean size was 7.02 cm. Metastasis was found in 7 patients. One hundred and seventy-six (97.2%) of the 181 patients underwent radical resection, and among them 26 patients received extensive resection with the adjacent organ adherent to the tumors. The positive rate for the KIT protein (CD117) in immunostaining was 94.5% (171/181), while that for CD34 was 86.2% (156/181). The 1-, 3-,and 5-year survival rates of the 181 patients were estimated to be 95.2%, 87.9% and 78.5%, respectively. There was a significant difference in age, tumor size, tumor site, mitotic index, NIH categories, and presence or absence of multivisceral resection (P <0.05). But there was no significant difference in sex between the groups. Cox hazard proportional model revealed that advanced clinical stage and large tumor size contributed to worse prognosis. The patients who were treated with imatinib because of recurrence and metastasis or high recurrence risk showed stable disease.Conclusions Surgical resection is the gold standard of treatment for primary GIST. NIH categorization is simple and effective to evaluate GIST behavior and prognosis. Targeted therapy such as imatinib, a KIT tyrosine kinase inhibitor, may play an important role in the treatment of GIST。

Abstract：Background Oddi sphincter plays an important role in preventing reflux cholangitis. There exists the controversy on application of choledochoduodenostomy in hepatolithiasis management. The present study aimed at evaluating long-term outcomes of choledochoduodenostomy for the treatment of hepatolithiasis.Methods Forty-six consecutive cases of hepatolithiasis who underwent choledochoduodenostomy were analyzed retrospectively. The pre- and postoperative rates of recurrent cholangitis and acute cholangitis severe type were compared. Paired chi-square test was applied.Results The mean follow-up time was 17.3 years ranging from 1.6 to 40 years with a follow-up rate of 97.8% (45/46). High rates of remnant stones (39.1%, 18/46), recurrent stones (31.1%, 14/45), uncorrected strictures (85%, 17/20), and mortality (24.4%, 11/45) were observed in this group. Regurgitation of food debris and duodenal content into the biliary tract through the anastomosis was observed. The rate of recurrent cholangitis was equal to the preoperative period (93.3%, 42/45). The rate of acute cholangitis severe type after choledochoduodenostomy (46.7%, 21/45) increased significantly (P<0.01) when compared to the preoperative period (20.0%, 9/45).Conclusions Choledochoduodenostomy did not entirely achieve the goal of clearance of stones, correction of strictures, and removing of hepatobiliary lesions by itself. Choledochoduodenostomy without cholangioplasty resulted in an increase of severe reflux cholangitis due to the loss of the anti-reflux function of the sphincter of Oddi. Therefore, choledochoduodenostomy is not an ideal approach to reduce cholangitis in hepatolithiasis and is not the best choice in the management of hepatolithiasis。

Abstract：Background Abdominal pain is a common symptom among patients with acute appendicitis, yet these patients havelong been denied relief from suffering because of widespread misconceptions associated with the use of opioids. Wedetermined whether morphine hydrochloride masked the physical signs in adults with acute appendicitis and assessedthe efficacy of morphine in relieving abdominal pain.Methods A prospective, double-blind, placebo controlled, clinical trial was conducted with 106 adult patients between16 and 70 years old with acute appendicitis. Patients were randomly divided into a morphine group (n=54) or a normalsaline group (n=52). All patients presented with acute abdominal pain with onset within 3 days. The morphine groupreceived hypodermic injection of morphine (0.15 mg/kg; maximum 20 mg) and the control group members were given anequivalent volume of normal saline solution. The clinical symptoms, physical signs, and patients' cooperation duringphysical examination were assessed before and after 30 minutes of morphine or normal saline administration.Results Abdominal pain was significantly relieved and the patients' cooperation was improved in the morphine groupafter 30 minutes treatment compared with the control group and before morphine administration (P<0.05). The physicalsigns were unaffected by either treatment (P>0.05).Conclusions Morphine relieved abdominal pain and improved the patients' cooperation for treatment and care.Furthermore, the morphine did not mask the physical signs of acute appendicitis。

Abstract：Background Comparing with two dimensional (2D) imaging, both in diagnosis and treatment, three dimensional (3D) imaging has many advantages in clinical medicine. 3D reconstruction makes the target easier to identify and reveals the volume and shape of the organ much better than 2D imaging. A 3D digitized visible model of the liver was built to provide anatomical structure for planing of hepatic operation and for realizing accurate simulation of the liver on the computer.Methods Transverse sections of abdomen were chosen from the Chinese Visible Human dataset. And Amira software was selected to segment and reconstruct the structures of the liver. The liver was reconstructed in three-dimensions with both surface and volume rendering reconstruction.Results Accurately segmented images of the main structures of the liver were completed. The reconstructed structures can be displayed singly, in small groups or as a whole and can be continuously rotated in 3D space at different velocities. Conclusions The reconstructed liver is realistic, which demonstrates the natural shape and exact position of liver structures. It provides an accurate model for the automated segmentation algorithmic study and a digitized anatomical mode of viewing the liver。

Abstract：Background Treatment of rapidly progressing scoliosis in young children is a challenge for spine surgeons. Some surgeons had begun to use dual growing rod technique for treatment of rapidly progressing scoliosis in young children and had achieved acceptable results. The aim of this study was to determine the primary results and complications of this new technique in China. Methods Eleven children suffering from rapidly progressing scoliosis were treated with dual growing rod technique between November 2004 and March 2009 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). There were 10 females and 1 male in the group with Risser sign of 0 grade. The mean age at initial surgery was 6.1 years (range, 2.1-10.9 years). Ten patients were diagnosed as congenital scoliosis and 1 patient neuromuscular scoliosis. All the patients had 1-4 lengthening procedures (mean, 1.8 procedures) after the initial surgeries. The radiographic results of all the patients were investigated. Results The coronal Cobb angle of scoliosis improved from (67.64±11.43)° to (34.64±8.26)° after initial surgery with the correction rate observed at (47.15±16.48)%. The coronal trunk shift improved from (2.00±1.73) cm to (1.49±1.31) cm after initial surgery. The T1-S1 height increased from (25.47±6.16) cm to (28.84±5.69) cm after initial surgery. The coronal Cobb angle of scoliosis was (36.82±11.76)° and the coronal trunk shift was (1.11 ±1.29) cm after the most recent lengthening procedure with the most recent correction rate observed at (44.73±19.43)%. The T1-S1 height was (31.29±4.50) cm after the most recent lengthening procedure with an average T1-S1 length increase of 1.6 (range, 1.0-2.7) cm per year during the lengthening period. The sagittal balance was maintained. Five of the total patients (45.5%) had complications including: hook displacement, pedical screw loosening, and broken rod. We performed revision surgeries with simultaneous lengthening procedures in all 5 cases with satisfactory results. Conclusions The dual growing rod technique was useful in the management of rapidly progressing scoliosis in young children. This technique could control severe scoliosis, allow for spinal growth, and maintain the coronal and sagittal balance. But the technique has high complications requiring strict and regular follow-up。

Abstract：Background Pyogenic hip arthritis occurs most often in young patients. Delayed treatment causes significant anatomical deformation of bony and soft tissue structures leading to premature onset of secondary osteoarthritis. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients who had osteoarthritis secondary to hip pyogenic infection has been associated with high complication rates. Methods We analyzed 19 THAs performed from April 2003 to July 2008 in adults with osteoarthritis secondary to hip pyogenic infection (average age 40.7 years; range 34-52 years). There were 7 males and 12 females, the average age of infection was 10.6 years (range 7-13 years) and the average quiescent period of infection was 29.5 years (range 22-41 years). The count of white blood cell (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were examined routinely before surgery. The duration of followup was 34 months (range 6-52 months). Conclusions It is safe and efficient to perform THA in patients who had osteoarthritis secondary to pyogenic hip arthritis when the infection is quiescent. The key points of successful surgery are exclusion of active infection preoperatively, quiescent period of infection more than ten years and adequate intraoperative soft tissue releases。

Abstract：Background There are many different materials used for ligament reconstruction. Currently, autograft, allograft, and artificial ligaments are used in the reconstruction. The objective of this study was to explore the clinical result of cruciate ligament reconstruction under arthroscopy.Methods Eighty-one cases were reconstructed with the LARS ligament under arthroscopy, including 43 cases of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, 20 cases of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury, and 18 cases of ACL combined with PCL injuries of the knee. The follow up period was 10 to 49 months. The International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm knee score scales were used for functional evaluation. We examined the anterior and posterior stability of the knee with KT-1000.Results According to the Lysholm knee function score scale, the average preoperative score of (44.6±1.4) increased to a postoperative score of (82.8±2.5) in the ACL group and from (46.6±2.3) to (80.8±2.0) in the PCL group. In the ACL combined with PCL injury group, the preoperative score increased from (45.2±1.2) to (85.5±2.3). According to IKDC score standards, in ACL group we evaluated 19 cases as C and 24 cases as D, preoperatively, and postoperatively 27 cases as A, 14 cases as B and two cases as C. In the preoperative PCL group, we had 11 cases defined as C and nine cases as D that resolved to 12 cases as A, seven as B and one case of C in postoperative evaluation. In the ACL combined with PCL injury group we defined four cases as C and 14 as D during preoperative scoring. These patients had postoperative grades of six cases as A, 10 as B, and two cases as C. All of the results have statistical significance. Conclusions ACL, PCL, or combined ACL and PCL reconstruction using the LARS ligament under arthroscopy is a minimally invasive, safe and effective method to treat cruciate ligament injuries of the knee. Clinical results are satisfactory in the short term。

Abstract：Background Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in pain relief and anesthesia, and has been suggested for treating various kinds of functional disabilities in traditional Chinese medicine, including knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of acupuncture on gait patterns in patients with knee OA. Methods Twenty patients with bilateral medial knee OA were assigned evenly and randomly to a sham group and an experimental group. During the experiment, the experimental group underwent a 30-minute formula electro-acupuncture treatment while the sham group received a sham treatment. Before and after treatment, each subject was evaluated for their knee pain using visual analog scales (VAS) and then their performance of level walking using gait analysis. For all the obtained variables, the independent t-test was used for between-group comparisons, while paired t-test was used to investigate the before and after changes. Results All the measured data before acupuncture treatment between the groups were not significantly different. The VAS scores were decreased significantly after acupuncture in both groups, and the mean change of the VAS values of the experiment group was 2 times greater than that of the sham group. After formula acupuncture stimulation, while no significant changes were found in all the gait variables in the sham group, the experimental group had significant increases in the gait speed, step length, as well as in several components of the joint angles and moments. Conclusions The results of the study suggest that significantly improved gait performance in the experimental group may be associated with pain relief after treatment, but the relatively small decrease of pain in the sham group was not enough to induce significant improvements in gait patterns. Gait analysis combined with the VAS can be useful for the evaluation of the effect of acupuncture treatment for patients with neuromusculoskeletal diseases and movement disorder。

Abstract：Background Restylane, a hyaluronic acid gel, has been widely used as a dermal filler in USA and European countries. This study was designed to study the safety and efficacy of Restylane as a non-permanent dermal filler for facial augmentation therapy in China for the correction of nasolabial folds during a follow-up period of 6 months. Methods The study consisted of a screening visit, a baseline visit during which injection with Restylane was given, and follow-up visits after four weeks, three months and six months. The efficacy was subjectively assessed by comparing the treatment results between pre-treatment and post-treatment. Adverse events were analyzed by severity and duration. Results At six months post-baseline, the subjects and the investigators' independent assessment score of Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale was decreased. Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale was considered to have improved by over 90% in some cases. Adverse events related to product and injection was reported in 21.5% of the injections. A vast majority of the post-treatment reactions were mild. Conclusions The efficacy of Restylane for nasolabial fold in a Chinese population was excellent. Restylane was well tolerated and no systemic reactions or other safety concerns were raised。

Abstract：Background Ropivacaine and levobupivacaine have been introduced into obstetric analgesic practice with the proposed advantages of causing less motor block and toxicity compared with bupivacaine. However, it is still controversial whether both anesthetics are associated with any clinical benefit relative to bupivacaine for labor analgesia. This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy, motor block and side effects of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine at lower concentrations for patient-controlled epidural labor analgesia. Methods Four hundred and fifty nulliparous parturients were enrolled in this randomized clinical trial. A concentration of 0.05%, 0.075%, 0.1%, 0.125% or 0.15% of either bupivacaine (Group B), ropivacaine (Group R) or levobupivacaine (Group L) with sufentanil 0.5 μg/ml was epidurally administered by patient-controlled analgesia mode. Effective analgesia was defined as a visual analogue scale score was ≤30 mm. The relative median potency for each local anesthetic was calculated using a probit regression model. Parturients demographics, sensory and motor blockade, obstetric data, maternal side effects, hourly volumes of local anesthetic used, and others were also noted. Results There were no significant differences among groups in the numbers of effective analgesia, pain scores, hourly local anesthetic amount used, sensory and motor blockade, labor duration and mode of delivery, side effects and maternal satisfaction (P >0.05). The relative median potency was bupivacaine/ropivacaine: 0.828 (0.602-1.091), bupivacaine/levobupivacaine: 0.845 (0.617-1.12), ropivacaine/levobupivacaine: 1.021 (0.774-1.354), respectively. However, a significantly less number of effective analgesia and higher hourly local anesthetic use were observed in the concentration of 0.05% than those of ≥0.1% within each group (P<0.05). Conclusions Using patient-controlled epidural analgesia, lower concentrations of bupivacaine, ropivacaine and levobupivacaine with sufentanil produce similar analgesia and motor block and safety for labor analgesia. The analgesic efficacy mainly depends on the concentration rather than the type of anesthetics。

Abstract：Background NF-κB p65 was shown to inhibit transcription of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), a rate-limiting enzyme in gluconeogenesis in the liver. To understand the mechanism of action of NF-κB p65, we investigated the nuclear receptor corepressor in the regulation of PEPCK transcription.Methods Rat H4IIE cells, human hepatoma HepG2 cells and human embryo kidney (HEX) 293 cells were used in this study. The transcriptional activity of a rat PEPCK gene promoter (-490/+100) was analyzed in HepG2 cells, a HepG2 super suppressor IkBα (sslkBα) stable cell line, and HEK 293 cells. The effects of p65 and sslkBa on a rat PEPCK gene promoter were observed using the PEPCK luciferase reporter system. The interaction of the cAMP-response-element-binding (CREB) protein, histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) and silencing mediator for retinoic and thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT) with the PEPCK gene promoter were investigated using the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. p65 cotransfection and RNAi-mediated gene knockdown were used to determine the corepressor involved in the inhibition of PEPCK by NF-κB p65 and the transcriptional regulation of CREB by NF-κB p65.Results NF-κB p65 inhibited PEPCK expression and the inhibition was blocked by sslkBα. The inhibitory effect of p65 was completely blocked in a HepG2 stable cell line in which sslkBα was expressed. HDAC3 or SMRT knockdown led to a significant up-regulation of PEPCK reporter activity in the presence of p65 cotransfection. In the ChIP assay the interaction of HDAC3 and SMRT with the PEPCK gene promoter was induced by p65 activation, but the CREB signal was reduced. Transcriptional activity of CREB was inhibited by NF-κB p65 cotransfection. The inhibitory effect of NF-κB p65 was blocked by HDAC3 RNAi or SMRT RNAi. Conculsions The study showed that the inhibition of PEPCK by NF-κB p65 was dependent on HDAC3 and SMRT, which form a nuclear corepressor complex for transcriptional inhibition. The transcription factors NF-κB p65 and CREB share the same corepressor HDAC3-SMRT, and the corepressor exchange leads to inhibition of PEPCK gene transcription by NF-κB p65。

Abstract：Background Pharmacological therapy has been considered as the first-line treatment for patients with uncomplicated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tamsulosin compared with a placebo for treating BPH. Methods The randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT) of tamsulosin for the treatment of BPH from all over the world were searched. PubMed, Ovid, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, CBM, and CNKI were searched, as well as a manual search of four Chinese journals: Chinese Journal of Andrology, National Journal of Andrology, Chinese Journal of Urology, and Journal of Clinical Urology was also performed. Two reviewers independently screened the studies for eligibility, evaluated the quality and extracted the data from the eligible studies, with confirmation by cross-checking. Divergences of opinions were settled by discussion. Meta-analysis was processed by Rev Man 5.0 software, fail-safe number was performed by SAS8.0 software. Results Seven RCTs involving 2455 men met the inclusion criteria. The basic characteristics of patients were comparable in all the studies. Comparing three common criteria: international prostate symptom score (IPSS)/Boyarsky symptom score, maximum flow rate (MFR), quality of life (QOL), tamsulosin was better than placebo at improving IPSS and MFR, with no significant difference in the QOL. Adverse events of tamsulosin also showed no significant difference from the placebo group (Z=1.62, P=0.10, OR=1.22, 95% CI 0.96-1.54).Conclusions Tamsulosin is better than placebo at improving IPSS and MFR. Adverse events of tamsuloisn show no significant difference compared with placebo. More high quality trials with larger samples and longer follow-up are proposed。

Low back pain is a common public health problem in western industrialized societies and the world as well. Studies indicate that the prevalence rate ranges from 12% to 35%, with around 10% of patients becoming chronically disabled. It also places an enormous economic burden on society. Although the exact cause of low back pain has yet to be defined, intervertebral disc degeneration is considered a major source of it. Since patients with degenerative discs are often asymptomatic, the mechanisms of it are still unclear。

Abstract：Objective To give a conceptual description of natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), review theearly efforts in the NOTES field, and discuss its challenges and limitations.Data sources The data were retrieved mainly from publications listed in MEDLINE, PubMed and China WanfangDatabase from 2005 to 2009. The search term was "NOTES". Study selection The articles involved in the "NOTES" study were selected and the review articles were excluded from the comparison. Results A marked increase in quantity in articles was shown each year for NOTES studies from 2006 to 2009. Animalexperiments with "NOTES" have been carried out in China from 2007, and two independent "NOTES" procedures onhumans were reported in 2009. Conclusion Although still in its infancy, the "NOTES" procedure is promising as another type of minimally invasivesurgery and favorable alternative to current interventions。

Spondylolysis is generally attributed to stress fracture, due to movement of the affected vertebrae relative to the vertebra below and is most common in lower lumbar vertebrae. Since S1 and S2 are fused, spondylolysis of S1 due to stress fracture would unlikely to occur. Although there have been some reports of S1 spondylolysis in ancient Alaskan and Canadian Inuit skeletons, no clinical S1 spondylolysis case due to stress fracture has been reported until now。

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) was first described by Stacker and Ishak in 1978. It is a rare tumor that most often presents in childhood between 6 to 10 years of age. The adult patients diagnosed with UESL often show nonspecific symptoms with normal laboratory results. Ultrasonography, CT, or MRI often reveals a cystic mass. Complete surgical resection plus pre- and/or post-operative systemic chemotherapy offers the possibility of a cure。

The optimal treatment for patients with nephroblastoma and inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus is radical nephrectomy and tumor thrombectomy, but the operation for patients with level Ⅲ tumor thrombus is usually at high risk of pulmonary embolism (PE). We report one case of nephroblastoma with level Ⅲ thrombus in our hospital in 2007, the vena cava tumor thrombectomy was safely performed under the protection of Tempofilter Ⅱ inferior vena cava filter。

To the Editor: We read with a great interest the recent article by Dr. Yang et al, in which they summarized the surgical treatment of patients with fulminant acute pancreatitis in their hospital. This is a very interesting paper on treating severe acute panceratitis (SAP) since the management of acute pancreatitis has been controversial over the past decades, varying between a conservative medical approach on the one hand and aggressive surgical approach on the other.…… Biography：Correspondence to: Dr. Darko Zdravkovic, Department of Surgery, University Medical Center, Autoput bb, Zemun, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade (Tel: 381-11-3010700. Fax: 381-11-2606520. Email: majadare@eunet.rs)