The severity of portal hypertension by a non-invasive assessment: acoustic structure quantification analysis of liver parenchyma.

BACKGROUND: Acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) has been applied to evaluate liver histologic changes by analyzing the speckle pattern seen on B-mode ultrasound. We aimed to assess the severity of portal hypertension (PHT) through hepatic ultrasonography. METHODS: Sixty patients diagnosed with PHT and underwent surgical treatment with portosystemic shunts were enrolled. Portal pressure (PP) was measured intraoperatively. Patients were divided into subgroups according to the severity of gastroesophageal varices and Child-Pugh class. Three difference ratio (Cm2) values on ASQ histogram mode were analyzed for their relationships with PP, degree of gastroesophageal varices and Child-Pugh liver function. Thirty healthy volunteers matched with the patients for gender and age were enrolled as controls. Comparisons among groups and correlation of the parameters with PP were analyzed. Area under the receive operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predicting value of ASQ parameters. RESULTS: In the patients, the ASQ parameters peak Cm2 (Cm2max), mean Cm2 (Cm2mean) and the highest occurred Cm2 value of the obtained red curve (RmaxCm2) were all greatly increased (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.027). Multiple comparisons indicated that, regardless of Child-Pugh class and degree of gastroesophageal varices, the patients had significantly increased Cm2max and Cm2mean compared with the controls (all P < 0.0001). No differences among subgroups were observed. Cm2max was significantly statistically correlated with PP (r = 0.3505, P < 0.01), degree of varices (r = 0.4998, P < 0.0001). Youden's index for Cm2max with a cut-off value of 140.3 for predicting the presence of PHT, gastroesophageal varices and liver function equal to or worse than Child-Pugh class B were 0.8, 0.91 and 0.84, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ASQ analysis of ultrasonographic images may have a role in the evaluation of the severity of PHT by detecting liver histologic changes in the speckle pattern caused by cirrhosis.

Evaluation of carotid artery elasticity changes in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is one of the most common causes of cardiovascular disease as it causes arterial stiffness changes. The purpose of this study is to characterize, in vivo, carotid arterial structural and functional changes by applying radio frequency and X-strain ultrasound techniques. METHODS: Ninety-one subjects were assigned into two groups; a diabetes group and a control group. Structural and functional changes in the common carotid arterial wall were investigated by quality intima-media thickness (QIMT), quality arterial stiffness (QAS), and X-strain analysis with a Mylab Twice ultrasound instrument. The relationships among variables between the two groups were analyzed in this study. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in carotid IMT (626.5 ± 169.1 µm vs. 568.5 ± 122.6 µm, P = 0.1506) between two groups. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and stiffness index (ß) were remarkably greater (8.388 ± 3.254 m/s vs. 7.269 ± 1.332 m/s; 12.51 ± 14.16 vs.9.279 ± 2.871), while compliance coefficient (CC) decreased significantly in the diabetes group (0.802 ± 0.3094 mm2/Kpa vs. 0.968 ± 0.3992 mm2/Kpa) (P < 0.05). The displacement difference of radial (RD-D), longitudinal (LD-D) and rotation (ROT-D) directions were significantly different between two groups' comparison (P = 0.0212, P = 0.0235 and P = 0.0072, respectively). The time of circumferential peak strain difference (CS-DT) and the time of radial peak strain rate (RSR-T) were found to be significantly different between the two groups (341.9 ± 77.56 ms vs. 369.0 ± 78.26 ms, P = 0.0494; 142.7 ± 22.43 ms vs. 136.2 ± 30.70 ms, P = 0.0474). CS-TD and RSR-T were also found to be positively correlated with CC value (r = 0.3908, P < 0.005 and r = 0.3027, P = 0.0326, respectively). Finally, PWV was negatively correlated with CC with (r = -0.6177, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In type 2 diabetes, the functional changes in CCA can be identified using the methods presented in this article earlier than the structural changes. Arterial stiffness values provided by QAS and X-strain analysis can be used as indicators of CCA functional lesions in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Grey scale enhancement by a new self-made contrast agent in early cirrhotic stage of rabbit liver.

BACKGROUND: The development of new ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) has become one of the most promising fields in ultrasound medicine. This paper evaluates a new self-made contrast agent enhancement effect developed to study the fibrotic stages of the liver in perfusion models in vivo. METHODS: We constructed experimental models of hepatic fibrosis involving five stages from F0 to F4 via administration of CCL4 (0.01 ml/kg BW) every 3 days for 3 months. The intrahepatic circulatory time of the contrast agent was analyzed via an image and Cine-loop display. Calculations of the perfusion-related parameters including the peak signal intensity (PSI) and peak signal intensity time (PIT) of the portal vein and parenchyma were obtained from an analysis of the time-acoustic intensity curve. RESULTS: Hepatic artery to vein transmit time (HA-HVTT) was significantly shorter at F4 stage (mean 5.1 seconds) compared with those in other stages (mean 8.3 s, 7.5 s, 6.9 s, 6.6 s, P < 0.01). The average PSI difference of PV-parenchyma was 13.62 dB in F4 stage, demonstrating significant differences between F4 stage and other early stages (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the new self-made contrast agent is capable of indicating intrahepatic hemodynamic changes. HA-HVTT and the PSI difference of the microbubble perfusion in liver parenchyma and PV were considered to differentiate the degree of hepatic fibrosis between F4 and other early stages.

Fusion protein containing SH3 domain of c-Abl induces hepatocarcinoma cells to apoptosis.

AIM: Through a preliminary test on a novel protein containing an HIV1-TAT domain and a SH3 domain of oncoprotein P210(BCR-ABL) (we named it after PTD-BCR/ABL SH3), we found that this protein shows inhibition activity of hepatocarcinoma cell HepG-2. The purpose of the present study is to explore the biological behavior of PTD-BCR/ABL SH3 fusion protein in hepatocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: HepG-2 cells were cocultured with the fusion protein for the indicated time and studied in vitro by immunocytochemistry staining to demonstrate the localization of the protein, light and electron microscope observation in morphology research, MTT assay to draw a growth curve and to analyze inhibition ratio, DNA ladder and TUNEL staining to study apoptosis. Nude mice bearing HepG-2 tumors were used to test the antitumor activity of the fusion protein. RESULTS: PTD-BCR/ABL SH3 fusion protein successfully entered into HepG-2 cells and localized in the nucleus. The protein had shown high cytotoxity through inducing HepG-2 cells to apoptosis, and in vivo. The growth speed of tumors in the treatment group was distinctly slower than those in the control group, and the survival time of mice in the treatment group was longer than those in the control group. The growth of the tumors had been inhibited in the treatment group, while other tissues, such as heart, liver, lung and kidney displayed normal morphology. CONCLUSION: PTD-BCR/ABL SH3 fusion protein displays significant inhibitory activity of inducing hepatocarcinoma HepG-2 cells to apoptosis in vitro. It also showed therapeutic effects in vivo.

The Optimized Fabrication of Nanobubbles as Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Tumor Imaging.

Nanobubbles, which have the potential for ultrasonic targeted imaging and treatment in tumors, have been a research focus in recent years. With the current methods, however, the prepared uniformly sized nanobubbles either undergo post-formulation manipulation, such as centrifugation, after the mixture of microbubbles and nanobubbles, or require the addition of amphiphilic surfactants. These processes influence the nanobubble stability, possibly create material waste, and complicate the preparation process. In the present work, we directly prepared uniformly sized nanobubbles by modulating the thickness of a phospholipid film without the purification processes or the addition of amphiphilic surfactants. The fabricated nanobubbles from the optimal phospholipid film thickness exhibited optimal physical characteristics, such as uniform bubble size, good stability, and low toxicity. We also evaluated the enhanced imaging ability of the nanobubbles both in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo enhancement intensity in the tumor was stronger than that of SonoVue after injection (UCA; 2 min: 162.47 ± 8.94 dB vs. 132.11 ± 5.16 dB, P < 0.01; 5 min: 128.38.47 ± 5.06 dB vs. 68.24 ± 2.07 dB, P < 0.01). Thus, the optimal phospholipid film thickness can lead to nanobubbles that are effective for tumor imaging.

Two surgical procedures for esophagogastric variceal bleeding in patients with portal hypertension.

AIM: To determine the clinical value of a splenorenal shunt plus pericardial devascularization (PCVD) in portal hypertension (PHT) patients with variceal bleeding. METHODS: From January 2008 to November 2012, 290 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension were treated surgically in our department for the prevention of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding: 207 patients received a routine PCVD procedure (PCVD group), and 83 patients received a PCVD plus a splenorenal shunt procedure (combined group). Changes in hemodynamic parameters, rebleeding, encephalopathy, portal vein thrombosis, and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: The free portal pressure decreased to 21.43 ± 4.35 mmHg in the combined group compared with 24.61 ± 5.42 mmHg in the PCVD group (P < 0.05). The changes in hemodynamic parameters were more significant in the combined group (P < 0.05). The long-term rebleeding rate was 7.22% in the combined group, which was lower than that in the PCVD group (14.93%), (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Devascularization plus splenorenal shunt is an effective and safe strategy to control esophagogastric variceal bleeding in PHT. It should be recommended as a first-line treatment for preventing bleeding in PHT patients when surgical interventions are considered.

Polymorphisms of tumor-related genes IL-10, PSCA, MTRR and NOC3L are associated with the risk of gastric cancer in the Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Environmental and genetic factors both play critical roles in the etiology of gastric cancer. Hundreds of SNPs have been identified to have association with the risk of gastric cancer in many races. In this study, 25 SNPs in genes for IL-10, IL-1B, MTRR, TNF-а, PSCA, PLCE1 and NOC3L were analyzed to further evaluate their associations with gastric cancer susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy nine gastric cancer patients and 296 healthy controls were recruited in this study. SNP genotyping was conducted using Sequenom MassARRAY RS1000. Data management and statistical analyses were conducted by Sequenom Typer 4.0 Software and Pearson's χ(2) test. RESULTS: One protective allele and three risk alleles for gastric cancer patients were found in this study. The allele "G" of rs1801394 in MTRR showed an association with a decreased risk of gastric cancer: odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.57-0.97, P = 0.030 in the additive model; OR = 0.495, 95% CI = 0.26-0.95, P = 0.034 in the recessive model. The other three SNPs, the allele "C" of rs1800871 in IL10 (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.04-1.90; P = 0.026 in the additive model; OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.04-2.06; P = 0.030 in the recessive model), the allele "A" of rs2976391 in PSCA (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.01-1.66; P = 0.041 in the additive model and OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.04-2.11, P = 0.028 in the recessive model), and the allele "G" of rs17109928 in NOC3L gene (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.01-1.78; P = 0.042 by additive model analysis; OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.04-2.07, P = 0.028 by dominant model analysis), showed an association with an increased risk of gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the importance of four gastric cancer susceptibility polymorphisms of IL-10, NOC3L, PSCA and MTRR in the Chinese Han population, which could be used in the determination of gastric cancer risk in clinical practice.

Effect of mycophenolate mofetil plus adriamycin on HepG-2 cells.

AIM: To investigate the influence of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) plus adriamycin (ADM) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. METHODS: HCC cells were treated with 100 µg/ml of MMF alone (MMF group), 1 µg/mL of adriamycin (ADM group) alone, or a combination of the drugs (MMF + ADM group). We performed an 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to measure the growth inhibition rate of HCC cells. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentage of cells in different phases of the cell cycle and the number of apoptotic cells. Hoechst 33258 staining revealed the morphological changes associated with apoptosis in HCC cells. RESULTS: The results of MTT assays revealed that monotherapy with ADM or MMF showed inhibition of cell growth, while MMF + ADM therapy afforded an inhibition rate of more than 90% with cell distribution in G1 and G2/M phase greater than that in S phase. MMF + ADM treatment also downregulated Bcl-2 expression markedly. The growth of HCC cells was markedly inhibited and apoptosis was enhanced in all the 3 groups. Compared with other 2 groups, the MMF + ADM group showed more obvious apoptosis of cells. CONCLUSION: The MMF plus ADM combination exerts remarkable inhibitory effects on the growth of HCC cells.

Hemodynamic features of Doppler ultrasonography in patients with portal hypertension: intraoperative direct measurement of portal pressure in the portal venous system.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a series of portal hemodynamic parameters obtained with Doppler ultrasonography and portal pressure measured directly from patients with portal hypertension (PHT). METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with a clinical diagnosis of PHT who accepted surgical therapy were investigated. The portal pressure was measured directly intraoperatively. Relevant parameters were compared and measured, including the hepatic artery pulsatility index (HAPI), hepatic artery resistive index (HARI), splenic artery resistive index, splenic artery pulsatility index (SpAPI), congestion index (CI) of the portal vein, hepatic buffer index (HBI), liver vascular index (LVI), and PHT index (PHI). RESULTS: Doppler parameters for the postprandial HAPI, SpAPI, CI, LVI, HBI, and PHI were statistically different in patients with PHT and healthy control subjects (P<0.05). The portal pressure was significantly correlated with the HARI (r=0.699; P<.001), HAPI (r=0.582; P<.001), LVI (r=-0.501; P=.003), HBI (r=0.441; P=.009), and Child-Pugh scores (r=0.589; P=.044). CONCLUSIONS: The HAPI, LVI, and HBI are indicative indices in patients with PHT, suggesting that color Doppler ultrasonography can be used as a noninvasive evaluation method for PHT degree. The changes in the HAPI, LVI, and HBI that accompany the increase in portal pressure can reflect hepatic resistance and hepatic artery buffer capacity accurately.

[Hyperthermia enhanced the killing effect of 5-fluorocytosine on human colon cancer cell line transfected with cytosine deaminase gene].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether hyperthermia can enhance the killing effect of 5- fluorocytosine (5- FC) on human colorectal carcinoma cell lines SW480 transfected with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tissue- specific cytosine deaminase (CD) gene in vitro,and study its mechanism. METHODS: Human colorectal carcinoma cell lines SW480 transfected with G1CEACDNa were cultured. The proliferated colonies were treated with the combined therapy of 5-FC and hyperthermia at a temperature of 43 degrees C for 30 min. After eight days, MTT was used to calculate the cellular survival rate,to analyze the killing effect of 5-FC combined with hyperthermia on SW480 cells transfected with CD gene. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cellular cycle and transmission electron microscope was used to observe the morphologic changes of SW480 cells after thermochemotherapy. RESULTS: Hyperthermia combined with 5-FC had an enhanced killing effect on SW480-CEACD cells than 5-FC alone (P< 0.05, t =2.403, n=9). Flow cytometry revealed that the proportion of S stage cell increased in the group treated with hyperthermia and 5- FC (P< 0.001, t =7.158, n=6). Transmission electron microscope showed apoptosis after thermo- chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperthermia can improve the anti- tumor effect of 5- FC on human colorectal carcinoma cell lines SW480 transfected with CD gene, and the cells were blocked at S stage of cellular cycle and apoptosis was induced following thermochemotherapy.