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To explore the feasibility of using an intracavitary convex array probe for detecting the distal extracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) by transoral carotid ultrasonography (TOCU).Forty patients underwent examinations with bilateral ICA inspected with an intracavitary convex array probe by TOCU to observe the internal diameter, visible length, peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV) and resistance index (RI).Eight of the 40 patients were excluded from the observation for the presence of carotid plaques. The examination was terminated in two patients due to sensitive throat and severe pharyngeal reflex. The rest of the patients completed the examination of the internal diameter, visible length, PSV, EDV and RI, which showed no statistically significant differences among them (P0.05).Using intracavitary convex array probe, the distal extracranial ICA disease can be diagnosed with higher accuracy.

To assess the value of an intracavitary convex array probe in detecting internal carotid artery (ICA) disease.Eighty-six carotid arteries in 43 cases were examined with intracavitary convex array probe, low-frequency convex array probe and high-frequency linear probe to collect the data including the ICA visible length, peak systolic velocity (PSV), internal diameter, blood vessel shape; common carotid artery (CCA) intimae-medial thickness (IMT), PSV, and internal diameter.Significant differences were noted in the visible length, PSV of ICA, and internal diameter detected by different frequency ultrasound probes. Intracavitary probe and high-frequency probe produced significantly different findings of the blood vessel shape.Intracavitary convex array probe has important clinical value in detecting of ICA disease.

To study the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound with high-frequency linear-array transducer in the diagnosis of carotid stenosis.The carotid arteries of 31 patients was examined with color Doppler ultrasound (CDU), harmonic contrast ultrasound (HCU) and digital subtractive angiography (DSA), respectively. The result of DSA was used as the golden standard for evaluating the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CDU and HCU in the diagnosis of carotid stenosis.Satisfactory images of 62 carotid arteries were obtained from the patients using HCU with high-frequency linear-array transducer. After intravenous injection of contrast agent, densely dotted hyperechogenic signals were found in the vascular lumen, with stronger intensity than that of the vascular walls. The filling defect areas in the lumen indicated vascular stenosis. Thirty carotid stenoses were detected by DSA, and 25 by CDU. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CDU was 83.3%, 82.0% and 84.9%, respectively. HCU identified 29 carotid stenoses with accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 96.7%, 96.7% and 97.0%, respectively, significantly higher than those of CDU (P0.05).HCU with high frequency linear-array transducer has better the accuracy than CDU and may serve as a good alternative for diagnosis of carotid stenosis.

To investigate the value of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for detecting lymph node metastasis of tumors.Twelve New Zealand rabbits were used in this study, 6 of which received unilateral intra-muscular inoculation of VX2 carcinoma cells to induce lymph node metastasis of the tumor, and the other 6 served as normal control group. MR images of the lymph nodes of the rabbits were obtained before and 12 h after subcutaneous injection of SPIO, followed by image analysis in correlation with pathological examinations.On plain MR images, normal and metastatic lymph nodes showed similar signal characteristics. After administration of SPIO, the signal intensity of both normal lymph nodes and metastatic ones remained unchanged in spin echo (SE) T1-weighted images. On SE T2-weighted images, the signal intensity of normal lymph nodes significantly decreased heterogeneously, while that of all metastatic lymph nodes remained unchanged. In gradient recalled echo (GRE) T2-weighted images, the signal intensity of normal lymph nodes decreased significantly and homogeneously, while that of 4 rabbits in metastasis group remained unchanged, with the signal intensity in the other 2 rabbits decreased heterogeneously.SPIO-enhanced MR imaging can be applied to detect lymph node metastasis of the tumors.

AIM: To evaluate the long-term effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-based vaccine on levels of GnRH antibody and testosterone, and vaccine-induced immunocastration on sexual behavior of male rats. METHODS: The rats were treated with GnRH-PE40 intraperitoneally every other day for 12 wk. GnRH antibody and testosterone level in rat blood were determined by ELISA and radioimmunoassay, respectively. Morphological changes in testes and sexual behavior of rats were evaluated. RESULTS: GnRH-PE40 induced a high production in GnRH antibody, decreased the serum testosterone level, testis atrophy and sexual function in rats. CONCLUSION: Intraperitoneal administration of GnRH-PE40 produces structural and functional castration of male rat reproductive system by inducing anti-GnRH antibody.

A soluble extract from rat skeletal muscles has been used with purified mitochondrial ATPase (F1) to develop steady states with respect to glycolytic flux, the concentrations of glycolytic intermediates and inorganic phosphate, and the concentrations and ratios of adenine nucleotides. Incubations were carried out in media resembling the ionic composition in the cell cytoplasm, in an attempt to evaluate the quantitative contributions of various effectors to the overall control mechanism under simulated in vivo conditions. The primary control reaction of glycolytic flux under the conditions studied could be identified with phosphofructokinase, followed by secondary control of the reaction catalyzed by hexokinase. Glycolytic flux was increased with increasing pH over the range 6.6–7.6, both in the absence and presence of ATPase. Without other added effectors, the glycolyzing extract maintained an ATP/ADP ratio of about 50 in the pH range 7.0–7.6, and phosphofructokinase was incompletely suppressed. Addition of increasing amounts of ATPase markedly stimulated glycolytic flux coincident with lowered steady-state ATP/ADP ratios, and decreased accumulation of hexose monophosphates. Control of flux by the ATP/ADP ratio (and simultaneously altered AMP concentration) was less effective if pH (7.3 to 7.6) or phosphate concentration (2 to 20 mm) was increased. Flux through phosphofructokinase was controlled principally when the ATP/ADP ratios were varied in the range between > 50 and 15. The inhibitory effect of citrate was evaluated. Suppression of glycolytic flux and accumulation of hexose monophosphates were dependent on incubation conditions. If the pH was 7.3 or less, and the phosphate concentration low (2 mm), flux through phosphofructokinase was significantly suppressed even at citrate concentrations less than 50 μm. Simultaneous decrease in the steady-state ATP/ADP ratio and elevation of AMP was ineffective in reversing this inhibition. At higher pH and, more dramatically, when the phosphate concentration was increased, sensitivity to citrate inhibition was markedly diminished. These data, taken together with studies of respiratory control with isolated mitochondria (E. J. Davis, and L. Lumeng, 1975), J. Biol. Chem.250, 2275–2282) strongly suggest that adenine nucleotide control of both glycolysis and respiration is exerted when the ratio of free nucleotides (not protein bound) in the cytosol is in the range of 15 to > 50. The data further suggest that citrate plays an important role in the regulation of glycolysis in muscle when the ATP/ADP ratio is high (and the phosphate concentration is correspondingly low), but that this inhibition is overcome by liberation of inorganic phosphate during muscle contraction.