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Background: The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) in shoulder arthroplasty (SA)., Methods: Academic articles were identified from the Cochrane Library, Medline (1966-2017.2), PubMed (1966-2017.2), Embase (1980-2017.2), and ScienceDirect (1966-2017.2). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs studying TXA in SA were included. Two independent reviewers conducted independent data abstraction. The I statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. Fixed- or random-effects models were used for meta-analysis., Results: Two RCTs and 2 non-RCTs met the inclusion criteria. This meta-analysis found significant differences in postoperative hemoglobin reduction (MD = -0.71 g/dL), drainage volume (MD = -133.21 mL), and total blood loss (MD = -226.82 mL) between TXA groups and controls. There were no significant differences in blood transfusion requirements, operation time, or length of hospital stay., Conclusions: The use of TXA in SA decreases postoperative hemoglobin reduction, drainage volume, and total blood loss and does not increase the risk of complications. Because of the limited high-quality evidence currently available, additional randomized controlled trials are required.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of intestinal endotoxemia (IETM) in a rat model of aluminum neurotoxicity established by D-galactose and aluminum trichloride (AlCl3). Adult Wistar rats were administered D‑galactose and AlCl3 to create the aluminum neurotoxicity model. The learning and memory abilities of the rats were subsequently observed using a Morris water maze test and the serum levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α, interleukin (IL)‑1, diamine oxidase (DAO), glutamine (Gln) and glutaminase were measured. The expression of S‑100β in the serum was detected using an enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of the amyloid β‑protein (Aβ) precursor (APP), presenilin 1 (PS1), β‑site APP‑cleaving enzyme (BACE), zona occludens protein (ZO)‑1 and Aβ 1‑40 in the brain of rats were detected via reverse‑transcription polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The levels of LPS, TNF‑α, IL‑1, DAO, Gln and S‑100β in serum and the mRNA and protein expression levels of APP, PS1, BACE and Aβ1‑40 in the brain were markedly increased in the model rats compared with controls. The level of glutaminase in the serum and the expression of ZO‑1 in the brain were decreased in the model rats compared with controls. IETM was present in the rat model of aluminum neurotoxicity established by D‑galactose and AlCl3 and may be important in the development of this neurotoxicity.

Previous studies demonstrated that herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) could phosphorylate non‑toxic gancyclovir (GCV) efficiently to produce phosphorylated products that result in cell apoptosis, to kill tumor cells. The present study aimed to construct a plasmid vector, pcDNA3.1‑pAFP‑TK, carrying the suicide gene driven by the alpha‑fetoprotein (AFP) promoter, to investigate the cytotoxicity of HSVtk/GCV suicide gene system on hepatoma carcinoma cells. Reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction and western blotting results demonstrated that the HSVtk gene was effectively expressed in HepG2 hepatoma carcinoma cells transfected with pcDNA3.1‑pAFP‑TK plasmid, whereas HSVtk gene expression was not detected in normal HL‑7702 liver cells. In addition, MTT assays indicated that cell viability of HepG2 cells with the plasmid pcDNA3.1‑pAFP‑TK decreased in a dose‑dependent manner following treatment with GCV for 48 h. Flow cytometry also revealed that the cell apoptosis rate and mitochondrial membrane potential reduction rate in the HepG2 cells treated with HSVtk/GCV suicide gene system were significantly higher than in the control group. Apoptosis rates in the control group and the pcDNA3.1‑pAFP‑TK group were (1.00±0.62%) and (38.70±6.03%), respectively. Mitochondrial membrane potential reduction rates in the control group and the pcDNA3.1-pAFP-TK group were (0.57±0.11%) and (22.84±5.79%), respectively. Caspase‑3 staining demonstrated that activated caspase‑3 increased significantly in the HepG2 cells treated with HSVtk/GCV suicide gene system, whereas in the control group activated caspase‑3 increase was not observed. The results of the present study, therefore, indicated that HSVtk suicide gene was obviously expressed in the HepG2 cells and that the HSVtk/GCV system was effective at killing HepG2 hepatoma carcinoma cells.

Clara cell protein (CC16) is an anti-inflammatory protein, which is expressed in the airway epithelium. It is involved in the development of airway inflammatory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. However, the exact molecular mechanism underlying its anti‑inflammatory action remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to define the protein profiles of the anti‑inflammatory effect of CC16 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‑treated rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells using shotgun proteomics. Protein extracts were obtained from control RTE cells, RTE cells treated with LPS and RTE cells treated with LPS and recombinant CC16 (rCC16). Subsequent label‑free quantification and bioinformatics analyses identified 12 proteins that were differentially expressed in the three treatment groups as a cluster of five distinct groups according to their molecular functions. Five of the twelve proteins were revealed to be associated with the cytoskeleton: Matrix metalloproteinase‑9, myosin heavy chain 10, actin‑related protein‑3 homolog, elongation factor 1‑α‑1 (EF‑1‑α‑1), and acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein P0. Five of the twelve proteins were associated with cellular proliferation: DNA‑dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit, EF‑1‑α‑1, tyrosine 3‑monooxygenase, caspase recruitment domain (CARD) protein 12 and adenosylhomocysteinase (SAHH) 3. Three proteins were associated with gene regulation: EF‑1‑α‑1, SAHH 3 and acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein P0. Three proteins were associated with inflammation: Tyrosine 3‑monooxygenase, CARD protein 12 and statin‑related protein. ATPase (H+‑transporting, V1 subunit A, isoform 1) was revealed to be associated with energy metabolism, and uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferase 1 family polypeptide A8 with drug metabolism and detoxification. The identified proteins were further validated using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. These protein profiles, and their interacting protein network, may facilitate the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti‑inflammatory effects of CC16.

Background: The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) and conventional plate osteosynthesis (CPO) for humeral shaft fracture., Methods: Potential academic articles were identified from the Cochrane Library, Medline (1966-2016.3), PubMed (1966-2016.3), Embase (1980-2016.3), and ScienceDirect (1966-2016.3). Gray studies were identified from the references of the included literature. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCT involving MIPO and CPO for humeral shaft fracture were included. Two independent reviewers performed independent data abstraction. I statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. Fixed or random effects model was used for meta-analysis., Results: Two RCTs and 3 non-RCTs met the inclusion criteria. There was a lower incidence of iatrogenic radial nerve palsy in patients with MIPO (P = 0.006). There was no statistically significant difference in in the risk of developing nonunion, delay union, malformation, screw loosening, infection, operation time, UCLA, and MEPS function score between the 2 groups., Conclusion: MIPO decreased incidence of iatrogenic radial nerve palsy and is an efficacy and safety technique for humeral shaft fracture. Due to the limited quality and data of the evidence currently available, more high-quality RCTs are required., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

This study aims to investigate the clinical significance of serum autoantibodies against MDM2 and c-Myc and evaluate their feasibility in the immunodiagnosis of lung cancer. 50 sera samples with 43 available paired lung cancer tissue and adjacent normal tissue slides with follow up information and 44 sera from normal human controls (NHC) were used in the research group. Another 62 lung cancer sera and 43 NHC sera were used in the validation group. The results of IHC showed that MDM2 and c-Myc protein were overexpressed in lung cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.001). Likewise, significantly higher levels of serum autoantibodies against MDM2 and c-Myc were found in lung cancer compared to NHC both in research and validation groups. Further analysis on IHC and ELISA results showed that serum level of autoantibodies against these two TAAs were positively associated with tissue staining scores (both p < 0.05). The area under curve (AUC) values of anti-MDM2 and anti-cMyc autoantibodies for discriminating lung cancers from NHC were 0.698 and 0.636 in research group, 0.777 and 0.815 in the validation group, respectively. Both anti-MDM2 and anti-c-Myc autoantibodies can discriminate stage I lung cancer patients from NHC with AUC values of 0.703 and 0.662. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that higher level of serum anti-c-Myc autoantibodies was significantly related to shortened disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.041). In conclusion, our finding suggested that serum MDM2 and c-Myc autoantibodies may have the potential to serve as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers in patients with lung cancer.

Background: Highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) has been reported as an effective material for decreasing polyethylene wear and osteolysis in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Because no single study to date has been large enough to definitively determine the benefit of HXLPE in TKA, we conducted a meta-analysis to pool the results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs to make such a determination., Methods: Potential candidate articles were identified by searching the Cochrane Library, Medline (1966-2015.10), PubMed (1966-2015.10), Embase (1980-2015.10), ScienceDirect (1985-2015.10), and other databases. "Gray studies" were identified from the included articles' reference lists. Pooled data were analyzed using RevMan 5.1., Results: Three RCTs and three non-RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences between the groups in the total number of reoperations (P = 0.11), reoperations for prosthesis loosening (P = 0.08), radiolucent line (P = 0.20), osteolysis (P = 0.38), prosthesis loosening (P = 0.10), and mechanical failures related to the tibial polyethylene (P = 1.00). Similarly, no significant differences between the two groups were found in postoperative total knee score (P = 0.18) or functional score (P = 0.23)., Conclusions: The meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional polyethylene, HXLPE did not improve the clinical and radiographic outcomes in mid-term follow-up after TKA. Additional high-quality multicenter prospective RCTs with good design, large study populations and long-term follow-up will be necessary to further clarify the effect of HXLPE in TKA.

Aim: Coronary artery disease is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in dialysis-dependent renal failure patients. Both the prevalence and incidence of renal failure are high in Taiwan. However, there were few reports exploring the outcome of coronary aortic bypass grafting (CABG) in these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the survival outcome and risk factors for mortality from CABG in this population., Methods: The operative, early postoperative and late results of 170 dialysis patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting from January, 2000 to January, 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Operative mortality, long-term survival, and risk factors were analyzed., Results: One hundred and seventeen patients (68.8%) were male, and the mean age was 61.5±10.3 years (range, 34-86 years). Follow-up was 40.3±32.1 months. Operative mortality was 8.2%. Actuarial survival, including operative mortality, was 81±3% at 1 year, 68±4% at 3 years, 58±5% at 5 years and 49±6% at 10 years, better than the natural course of dialysis-dependent renal failure patients. Age, emergent operation, postoperative ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, postoperative intra-aortic balloon pump insertion, gastrointestinal bleeding, and left internal mammary artery graft were significant predictors of operative or long term mortality. Most causes of late death were due to infection or cardiac events., Conclusion: CABG in dialysis patients is associated with a higher incidence of complications, but has acceptable mortality. CABG is beneficial in this population. Internal mammary artery grafting may provide more favorable long term outcomes.

Objective: To investigate the clinical experiment of cortical screw in the treatment of tibiofibular syndesmosis separation together with ankle fractures., Methods: From March 2008 to May 2012,42 patients with tibiofibular syndesmosis separation were treated with cortical screw, including 20 cases in the left and 24 cases in the right. All the patients had closed injury. According to Lauge-Hansen classification, there were 18 cases of supination-external rotation, in which 4 patients with injuries belong to type II, 8 patients with injuries belong to type III, 6 patients with injuries belong to type IV; 14 cases of pronation-external rotation, in which 6 patients with injuries belong to type III, 8 patients with injuries belong to type IV; and 12 cases of pronation-abduction, in which 4 patients with injuries belong to type II, 8 patients with injuries belong to type III. According to injury of ankle, 4 patients had injuries in one ankle, 28 patients had injuries in 2 ankles, and 12 patients had injuries in 3 ankles. All the patients were diagnosised definitely in sight of medical history, checking-up, iconography. The clinical effects were evaluated based on Baird-Jackson score and activity degree of ankle., Results: All the patient were followed up, and the duration ranged from 11 to 23 months, with an average of 15.7 months. No postoperative wound infection, nonunion, and tibiofibular syndesmosis separation again and other complications occurred. Postoperative Baird-Jackson score exhibited 91.56 ± 6.26 (75 to 99), and 26 patients got an excellent result, 10 good, 6 poor and 2 bad. One patient had nail broken after operation,and got good function after removing broken nail without external fixation. Other 1 patient had osteoarthritis to 1 degree, and got better result with the treatment of physical therapy and intra-articular injection., Conclusion: Cortex screw is the effective treatment for tibiofibular syndesmosis separation. Clear diagnosis, delicate operation and postoperative reasonable functional exercise are primary factor of prognosis.

The ankyrin repeat domain 49 (ANKRD49) is an evolutionarily conserved protein highly expressed in testes. However, the function of ANKRD49 in spermatogenesis is unknown. In this study, we found that ANKRD49 resides primarily in nucleus of spermatogonia, spermatocytes and round spermatids. ANKRD49 overexpression augments starvation-induced autophagy in male germ GC-1 cells whereas shRNA knockdown of ANKRD49 attenuates the autophagy. Inhibition of NF-κB pathway by its inhibitors or p65 siRNA prevents the ANKRD49-dependent autophagy augmentation, demonstrating that ANKRD49 enhances autophagy via NF-κB pathway. Our findings suggest that ANKRD49 plays an important role in spermatogenesis via promotion of autophagy-dependent survival.

Nasal vaccination is an effective therapeutic regimen for preventing certain infectious diseases. The mucosal immune response is important for resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection. In this study, we evaluated the immune responses elicited in BALB/c mice by nasal immunisation with recombinant T. gondii receptor for activated C kinase 1 (rTgRACK1) and their protective efficacy against T. gondii RH strain during both chronic and lethal infections. Nasal vaccination with rTgRACK1 increased the level of secretory IgA in nasal, intestinal and vesical washes, and the level of IFN-γ and IL-2 in intestinal washes, indicating that rTgRACK1 vaccination promotes mucosal immune responses. The mice immunised with rTgRACK1 also displayed increased levels of rTgRACK1-specific IgA, total IgG, IgG1 and in particular IgG2a in their blood sera, increased production of IFN-γ, IL-2 and IL-4 but not IL-10 from their isolated spleen cells, and enhanced splenocyte proliferation in vitro. rTgRACK1-vaccinated mice were effectively protected against infection with T. gondii RH strain, showing over 50% reduction of tachyzoite burdens in their liver and brain tissues during a chronic infection, and also a 45% increase in their survivals during a lethal challenge. These results indicate that rTgRACK1 might represent an intriguing immunogen for developing a mucosal vaccine against toxoplasmosis., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cancer gene therapy has great potential for decreasing tumor-induced mortality but has been clinically limited by non-targeted and insufficient gene transfer. We evaluated gene therapy targeting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSVtk/GCV) suicide gene system and the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (Timp3) gene. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) targeted gene delivery to the tumor tissue, and the α-fetoprotein promoter targeted HSVtk expression to the HCC cells. Human HepG2 cells transfected with the HSVtk or Timp3 gene demonstrated a reduction in cell viability by >40% compared with the vector control. Cell viability was further inhibited by over 50% with co-transfection of the genes. HepG2 cells were inoculated subcutaneously into athymic mice to induce tumors. UTMD-mediated delivery of HSVtk or Timp3 suppressed tumor growth by >45% and increased survival of tumor-bearing animals (P<0.01 vs vector control). Co-delivery of the genes resulted in a further 30% improvement in tumor suppression and significant extension of animal survival (P<0.01 vs vector control). Targeted gene delivery increased the number of apoptotic cells and decreased the vascular density of the tumors. Targeted co-delivery of the genes synergistically improved the antitumor effects and may provide an effective therapy for HCC.

Objective: To retrospectively compare the therapeutic effects of simple Pemberton's ilium osteotomy and combined unter-trochanter derotation-varisation osteotomy for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH)., Methods: Clinical data of 141 DDH patients who received either simple Pemberton's ilium osteotomy (n=57; 12 male and 45 female; age range 3-8 years) or combined unter-trochanter derotation-varisation osteotomy (n=84; 15 male and 69 female; age range 4-9 years) from January 2004 to January 2009 were collected. Postoperative complications, Severin's radiological outcomes and therapeutic outcomes as evaluated by Mcay criteria were compared between the two groups 2 years after operation., Results: The patients in simple Pemberton group were followed-up for 30-52 months (mean 38 months) and the patients in the combination group were followed-up for 32-51 months (mean 37 months). There were 7 cases of dislocation, 4 cases of avescular necrosis of femoral head and 5 cases of joint stiffness in simple Pemberton group vs 0 case of dislocation, contraction of the limb and ANFH,2 cases of joint stiffness in the combination group. Two years after surgery, the result as evaluated by McKay criteria was excellent in 27 cases, good in 18 cases and fair in 12 cases in simple Pemberton group vs. 52, 25 and 7 cases in the combination group. The overall clinical outcome in the combination group was better than that in simple Pemberton group. Severin X-ray evaluation showed excellent in 27 cases, good in 15 cases and fair in 15 cases in simple Pemberton group vs. 53, 22 and 9 cases in the combination group,indicating that the overall result in the combination group was better than that in simple Pemberton group., Conclusion: The overall clinical outcome of the combination group is better than that of simple Pemberton group in the treatment of pediatric DDH, especially in reducing postoperative complications and functional recovery. The patients in the combination group reported a higher postoperative satisfaction as compared with those in simple Pemberton group.

To establish an early-warning system for source water pollution accident, a membrane inlet/time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology was applied to a series of pollution scenarios as an online monitoring method for typical volatile organic compounds such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene), substituted benzenes, and halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons. It was shown that this technology can adequately meet the requirements of realtime analysis with short response time to the target organic pollutants (30-70 s for BTEX and 30 s for halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons) in a linear detecting range of 3-4 magnitudes; the detection limits of BTEX and chlorobenzene were less than 10 microg x L(-1). The results of 52 simulated water pollution accidents in a 30-days' continuous monitoring indicated that the monitoring system was stable with the relative standard deviation less than 5%; the accuracy was acceptable and could be reduced to within 10% by periodical calibrations. Membrane inlet/time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology was proven to be available for the remote monitoring and early-warning of source water pollution accident.

Background: In the field of gene therapy, viral vectors as delivery tools have a number of disadvantages for medical application. This study aimed to explore a novel nonviral vector as a vehicle for gene therapy., Methods: Transvector-rpE-MPP and EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) were used as the gene transfer carrier and the reporter gene, respectively. Polyplexes which integrate transvector-rpE-MPP, the object gene, and EGFP were formed. The optimal charge ratio, stability, and transduction capacity of the polyplexes in mouse hepatocytes in vitro and in mouse liver in vivo were investigated. The polyplexes of transvector-rpE-MPP and pcDNA(3)-EGFP, with charge ratios of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.5 were compared to determine the optimal charge ratio., Results: Polyplexes with charge ratios of 1:1 were most stable; pcDNA(3)-EGFP in these complexes resisted digestion by DNase I and blood plasma. On the other hand, pcDNA(3)-EGFP alone was digested. Fluorescence analysis indicated that transvector-rpE-MPP successfully delivered the reporter gene EGFP into hepatocytes and that EGFP expression was detected in hepatocyte cultures and in liver tissue., Conclusion: These results have laid a foundation for further study of a novel nonviral gene delivery system.

Objective: To study the accuracy the pedicle screw placement in the thoracic spine using funnel technique and free hand technique., Methods: Eight cadavers including 5 males and 3 females were analysed. The age ranged from 57 to 82 years (mean 68 years). Cadawers were randomly assigned to one of two instrumentation groups. In four cadavers, "funnel technique" was used for screw placement. In the remaining four cadavers,free hand technique then was used. Success of pedicle screw placement was judged by CT scan. The rate of success of two ways was compared using statistic analysis., Results: Ninety-six screws were inserted by "funnel technique" and free hand technique respectively, 84 of "funnel technique" were successful, and 73 of free hand technique were successful. Significant differences were found between two ways (P < 0.05). Chanciness tresis occurred in "funnel technique" on 2 screws and free hand technique on 9 screws. There were significant differences in rates of chanciness tresis (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Funnel technique is simple, safe and cost-effective alternative to any other thchnique for pedicle screw placement in thoracic spine,funnel technique is able to reduce the chance of critical injury of nerve root and dura.

Background: The proliferation and metastasis of cancers depend on angiogenesis. This property provides the feasibility for the treatment of cancer by inhibition of angiogenesis, and many angiogenic inhibitors have been demonstrated to effectively inhibit angiogenesis and consequently the growth of solid cancer. As for the newly identified angiogenesis inhibitor, arresten, some studies have found its high activity on restrainting tumor vessel. This study was to assess the anti-angiogenic activity of arresten., Methods: The arresten gene was obtained from a healthy puerperal's placenta tissue by the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method, and molecular cloning to prokaryotic expression plasmid pBV220 by recombination strategy. The prokaryotic expression plasmid pBV220/arr was identified by restriction enzyme digestion and sequenced. The pBV220/arr was transformed into E. coli JM109, DH5alpha, BL21 and BL21 (DE3) by the CaCl2 transformation method. The arresten expression level was detected by SDS-PAGE. The expressed product was purified, re-naturalized and detected for its biological activity of inhibiting the angiogenesis of chorioallantoic membrane (CAM)., Results: The arresten gene was cloned and pBV220/arr was constructed. The arresten expression level of protein was highly increased after pBV220/arr was transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3). SDS-PAGE showed that the expressed arresten proteins were mainly inclusion bodies and had a molecular weight of 26 kDa. The expressed arresten protein showed evident biological activities., Conclusions: The successful construction of recombinant plasmid pBV220/arr and the effective expression in E.coli have laid a foundation for further study of its anti-angiogenic function and may pave the way for future anti-tumor application.

Background: The development of a harmless and efficient nonviral gene delivery system that can facilitate the penetration of nucleic acids through the plasma membrane is a key to successful gene therapy. The aim of this study was to test a nonviral gene transferring vector's function of delivering DNA into liver cells to provide an important clue for gene transfer in liver gene therapy., Methods: The complex of DNA and DNA delivering protein was injected into mice through their tail veins. Then the mice were killed and their liver tissue was sectioned. The gene transferring results were detected using a confocal laser scanning microscope., Results: Fluorescence analysis indicated that both DNA-membrane penetrating peptide (MPP) complex and DNA- hepatocyte specific receptor binding domain (HSRBD)-MPP complex could go into liver cells. The fluorescence value of liver cells in the DNA- HSRBD-MPP group was higher than that in the DNA-MPP group., Conclusions: MPP can successfully deliver DNA and protein into cells, and MPP with a HSRBD can specifically deliver DNA into liver cells. These have laid a foundation for further study on the nonviral liver cell gene delivering system.

Embryonal kidney cell tumors develop in rats given the alkylating agent N-nitroso-N'-methylurea as neonates. These tumors resemble the childhood Wilms tumors in their histopathology. Deletions and mutations in the Wilms tumor suppressor gene, WT1, are present in up to 6% of childhood nephroblastomas. To investigate the role of WT1 in rat kidney tumorigenesis, we studied the genetic alterations in WT1 and its target genes. Point mutations were found in WT1 cDNA in 7 of 18 kidney tumors. Mesenchymal tumors contained G-->A transition mutations in codons 128, 364, and 372, typical of the methylating action of N-nitroso-N'-methylurea on DNA. Each of the four nephroblastomas contained the same T-->A mutation at codon 111 of WT1, reflective of transversion mutagenesis by N-nitroso-N'-methylurea in vivo. Like Wilms tumors, mRNA levels of WT1, IGF2, Pax-2, and MK genes were higher than newborn kidney in the majority of the tumors. The histopathology of the rat kidney tumors and the genetic alterations are reminiscent of those observed in Wilms tumors, establishing this as a relevant model system for the human disease.

Bone marrow (BM) imaging with 99mTc-polyphase liposome in 30 malignant lymphoma patients demonstrated that central BM hypoplasia accounted for 90% (28/30) and peripheral BM hypoplasia 20% (6/30) with peripheral BM expansion of 80% (23/30). Focal BM lesion was shown in 7 patients which conformed with the results of bone imaging and X-ray film. The uptake index of BM in patients treated with chemotherapy was low as compared to that in patients treated with radiotherapy (P less than 0.05). Although BM suppression by chemotherapy was more severe than by radiotherapy, BM function essentially recovered 1 month after cessation of chemotherapy, on the other hand, while central BM suppression by radiotherapy was mild, it lasted for longer periods of time. Peripheral BM suppression by radiotherapy was both shorter in duration and milder in severity in comparison with central BM suppression. BM imaging is valuable for the understanding of BM function, ascertainment of the appropriate interval between treatments and early detection of local BM involvement.

Observing the therapeutic effect of 350 cases of vascular headache patients treated with oral Lutongning decoction and goat horn compound separately, and comparing the effects of these two groups' patients, they showed that the former was much better than the latter. The author found that cure rates of these two groups were 75.3% and 56% respectively (P less than 0.01). The medicinal action of the former was also faster than that of the latter, and the time to recover was shorter. So, Lutongning was an effective prescription in the treatment of vascular headache. In order to research the effective mechanism of Lutongning on vascular headache, the animal experiment was carried out. The hot-plate method and acetic acid body-turning method were used for the experiment in rats. After perfusing Lutongning into the rat's stomach, the author found that the reaction times by hot-plate method and the turning times by acetic acid body-turning method were less than those of the control animals. The result showed that the analgetic effect of this decoction was more obvious.

A new lymph node radio-imaging agent, technetium-99m polyphase liposome oleatis (99mTc-plo), has recently been developed. Polyphase liposome oleatis was labelled with radionuclide by stannous chloride method. The labelled rate was 90% or more as technically identified by thin layer chromatography, external gamma-camera imaging and radioautography. In animal experiment, 0.2-0.3 ml (0.2 mci) of the 99mTc-plo was injected subcutaneously into the toes web of rats. After half an hour, the regional lymph nodes of popliteal fossa were visualized very clearly. The imaging figures may keep their distinct shadow up to 24 hours. The tested rabbits were sacrificed 10 hours after 99mTc-plo injection for detecting various kinds of tissue and organ with a scintillation counter. The regional lymph nodes revealed the highest uptake rate of the new agent, 12,116; 1,303; 1,615 times higher than that of the adjacent muscles, liver and spleen, respectively. In clinical experiment, 0.2-0.3 ml (0.5-0.8 mci) of the 99mTc-plo was injected subcutaneously into the toes web of patients. Half an hour later, the lymph nodes of inguinal, external iliac and common iliac regions appeared in sequence. If the new agent is injected perianally, the internal iliac lymph nodes will be seen. No side effect was observed in both types of experiment. This new agent has been tried in rats, rabbits and dogs with similar positive results. The new lymph node imaging technique is simple, safe, reliable and reproducible. This agent, being directed toward the lymph nodes and possessing affinity to cancer cells, is expected to be supplementary method to CT and B-ultrasonography for detecting lymphoid malignancy and lymph node metastasis.