[Spectral Study of LaCl3 in Aqueous Solutions].

In this study, the Raman and fluorescence spectra of LaCl3 solution were studied with theoretical calculation and spectroscopic experiments. Based on B3LYP method of density functional theory, with the 6-31G(D,P)+Def2-SV (P) based on the group level the lanthanum chloride solution of micro cluster structure is calculated. The results show that the micro cluster molecules tend to form a 9 coordination structure, which verifies the feasibility of the method. Theoretical and experimental Raman values are compared to the basic consistent. The addition of LaCl(3) leads to the increase of the peak intensity of the Raman spectra in the 300~600 cm-1 range, which may be caused by the superposition of the La-O vibration and the rocking peaks of O­H in aqueous solutions; In the 3 000~4 000 cm(-1) range, the peak of lanthanum chloride solution is narrow compared with water, which may be caused by the stretching vibration of O­H in lanthanum hydrate. Fluorescence emission spectra at 350 nm appear obvious new peak, the good linearity was obtained between the peak intensity and the concentrations, and a rapid method for the quantitative analysis of lanthanum chloride solution from the angle of the complex is also realized. On the same basis set level calculated fluorescence emission center of clusters, in the range of allowable error, the theoretical calculation and the experimental spectra are basically consistent, and the new peak of the experimental spectra are identified.

[[Zn-(CH3CH2OH)n]2+ Clusters Probed with Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Computation].

In this paper the cluster structures of [Zn-(CH3CH2OH)n]2+ have been investigated with spectroscopic experiment and theoretical calculation. According to the fluorescence spectroscopy experiments, the fluorescence peak of ethanol molecules was found between 275~330 nm. A new peak appeared between 350~380 nm after the metal ions (Zn2+) was added into ethanol solution due to the generation of new clusters of molecules, and the original fluorescence peak of ethanol molecules became weak owing to the destroyed structure of ethanol molecules induced by Zn2+. The cluster structures of Zn2+ in water solution were investigated by using different methods. By comparing the results, a more accurate and fast B3LYP method of DFT was found and applied to optimize the possible structures of [Zn-(CH3CH2OH)n]2+. The results suggested that the first solvation shell of the system is up to six ethanol molecules, and thermodynamic parameters also shows the six kinds of molecular clusters which are likely in the solution. Moreover compared the theoretical fluorescence spectroscopy with experimental fluorescence spectroscopy, new clusters [Zn-(CH3CH2OH)n]2+ have been generated, with [Zn-(CH3CH2OH)n]2+(n=1~3) as main constructions.

[The Change Detection of High Spatial Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery Based on OB-HMAD Algorithm and Spectral Features].

The high spatial resolution remotely sensed imagery has abundant detailed information of earth surface, and the multi-temporal change detection for the high resolution remotely sensed imagery can realize the variations of geographical unit. In terms of the high spatial resolution remotely sensed imagery, the traditional remote sensing change detection algorithms have obvious defects. In this paper, learning from the object-based image analysis idea, we proposed a semi-automatic threshold selection algorithm named OB-HMAD (object-based-hybrid-MAD), on the basis of object-based image analysis and multivariate alternative detection algorithm (MAD), which used the spectral features of remotely sensed imagery into the field of object-based change detection. Additionally, OB-HMAD algorithm has been compared with other the threshold segmentation algorithms by the change detection experiment. Firstly, we obtained the image object by the multi-solution segmentation algorithm. Secondly, we got the object-based difference image object using MAD and minimum noise fraction rotation (MNF) for improving the SNR of the image object. Then, the change objects or area are classified using histogram curvature analysis (HCA) method for the semi-automatic threshold selection, which determined the threshold by calculated the maximum value of curvature of the histogram, so the HCA algorithm has better automation than other threshold segmentation algorithms. Finally, the change detection results are validated using confusion matrix with the field sample data. Worldview-2 imagery of 2012 and 2013 in case study of Beijing were used to validate the proposed OB-HMAD algorithm. The experiment results indicated that OB-HMAD algorithm which integrated the multi-channel spectral information could be effectively used in multi-temporal high resolution remotely sensed imagery change detection, and it has basically solved the "salt and pepper" problem which always exists in the pixel-based change detection, and has mitigated the impact of building shadows and geometric registration error, and has improved the overall accuracy and kappa coefficient than other change detection algorithm, but it has more undetected error. By compared with the SNR of image object, we know that the MNF transformation could effectively improve to concentrate the change information.

[Case-control study on spinal leveraging manipulation and medicine for the treatment of degenerative scoliosis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical effects of spinal leveraging manipulation and medicine for the treatment of degenerative scoliosis in pain and function. METHODS: From July 2010 to June 2013, 38 patients with degenerative scoliosis were randomly divided into spinal leveraging manipulation group and medicine group by coin tossing. In manipulation group, there were 9 males and 11 females aged from 58 to 74 years old with an average of (66.63±7.73), the courses of diseases ranged from 3 to 8 months with an average of (5.65±2.58), spinal leveraging manipulation(following meridian to straighten tendon,relieving spasm, osteopathy and massage, clearing and activating the channels and collaterals) were performed for 30 min, once a day, 4 days for a period treatment, totally 9 courses. In medicine group, there were 8 males and 10 females aged from 57 to 70 years old with an average of (63.51±6.61) the courses of diseases ranged from 3 to 5 months with an average of (4.82±1.43), celecoxib with eperisone hydrochloride were orally taken, 4 days for a period treatment, totally 9 courses. VAS score, Cobb angle and ODI score were measured. RESULTS: After treatment, VAS score in manipulation group was (5.38±0.99), (6.36±1.31) in medicine group,and had significant meaning (t=2.618, P<0.05); there was significant differences in Cobb angle between manipulation group (16.51±4.89)° and medicine group (19.85±5.03) °(t=2.074,P<0.05); and had obviously meaning in ODI score between manipulation group (20.20±2.93) and medicine group (26.01±3.11) (t=5.592, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Spinal leveraging manipulation for degenerative scoliosis could regulate muscle balance on both side of spine, correct coronal imbalances in spine, recover normal sequence of spine, reduce and remove opperssion and stimulation of nerve root, relieve pain in leg and waist and further improve quality of life.

[Comparison of red edge parameters of winter wheat canopy under late frost stress].

In the present study, late frost experiments were implemented under a range of subfreezing temperatures (-1 - -9 degrees C) by using a field movable climate chamber (FMCC) and a cold climate chamber, respectively. Based on the spectra of winter wheat canopy measured at noon on the first day after the frost experiments, red edge parameters REP, Dr, SDr, Dr(min), Dr/Dr(min) and Dr/SDr were extracted using maximum first derivative spectrum method (FD), linear four-point interpolation method (FPI), polynomial fitting method (POLY), inverted Gaussian fitting method (IG) and linear extrapolation technique (LE), respectively. The capacity of the red edge parameters to detect late frost stress was explicated from the aspects of the early, sensitivity and stability through correlation analysis, linear regression modeling and fluctuation analysis. The result indicates that except for REP calculated from FPI and IG method in Experiment 1, REP from the other methods was correlated with frost temperatures (P < 0.05). Thereinto, significant levels (P) of POLY and LE methods all reached 0.01. Except for POLY method in Experiment 2, Dr/SDr from the other methods were all significantly correlated with frost temperatures (P < 0.01). REP showed a trend to shift to short-wave band with decreasing temperatures. The lower the temperature, the more obvious the trend is. Of all the REP, REP calculated by LE method had the highest correlation with frost temperatures which indicated that LE method is the best for REP extraction. In Experiment 1 and 2, only Dr(min) and Dr/Dr(min), calculated by FD method simultaneously achieved the requirements for the early (their correlations with frost temperatures showed a significant level P < 0.01), sensitivity (abso- lute value of the slope of fluctuation coefficient is greater than 2.0) and stability (their correlations with frost temperatures al- ways keep a consistent direction). Dr/SDr calculated from FD and IG methods always had a low sensitivity in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, the sensitivity of Dr/SDr from FD was moderate and IG was high. REP calculated from LE method had a lowest sensitivity in the two experiments. Totally, Dr(min) and Dr/Dr(min) calculated by FD method have the strongest detection capacity for frost temperature, which will be helpful to conducting the research on early diagnosis of late frost injury to winter wheat.

[Change of vegetation net primary productivity in Yellow River watersheds from 2001 to 2010 and its climatic driving factors analysis].

Based on the MODIS-NDVI remotely sensed imagery, this paper analyzed the spatial distribution of vegetation net primary production (NPP) calculated by CASA model in Yellow River watersheds from 2001 to 2010. Associated with the temperature and precipitation data in the same period, this article respectively analyzed the change trends of vegetation NPP in six ecosystems with different spatial and temporal scales, and the relationship between NPP and climate factors. The results indicated that in terms of spatial scale, the vegetation NPP gradually reduced from northwest to southeast, the average of annual NPP was 108.53 Tg C, and the spatial distribution of vegetation NPP was highly related with the land cover types. In terms of temporal scale, the vegetation NPP gradually increased from 2001 to 2010, but this change trend had large differences in these regions. On annual level, the vegetation NPP had no significant correlation with climate factors, but precipitation and temperature had considerable impacts on the vegetation NPP on monthly level. The correlations between NPP and climate factors were different in different ecosystems, so did the time lag effect of the climate factors. The air temperature response of the NPP variation was relatively sensitive in forest ecosystem and the precipitation response was significant in grassland and wetland ecosystems. Additionally, the precipitation response of the NPP variation in grassland ecosystem had time lag effect and so did the air temperature response in desert ecosystem.

[Prediction of methane emission of paddy field based on the support vector regression model].

The methane emission data of paddy fields was obtained by using the static chamber and gas chromatography, and six parameters including atmospheric temperature, soil temperature at 5 cm depth, pH of soil, Eh of soil, soil moisture and ground biomass were selected as the primary influencing factors of methane emission. The support vector regression (epsilon-SVR) model was built on the optimization of structural risk minimization, and the parameters of the epsilon-SVR model were optimized using Leave-one-out Cross Validation (LOOCV). The prediction accuracy of model was evaluated by k-fold cross validation with the mean relative error (MRE) and the root mean square error (RMSE). In addition, the accuracy of the epsilon-SVR model was analyzed by comparison with the Back Propagation-Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN) model. The results indicated that the predicted value of the epsilon-SVR model with the parameters C and epsilon optimized by LOOCV was in good agreement with the measured value, and the average MRE of test samples was 44% and the average RMSE was 16.21 mg x (m2 x h)(-1) in the process of 11-fold cross validation. Compared with the BP-ANN model, the correlation coefficient was 0.863, and all the indicators were better. It demonstrated that the 8-SVR model could be applied to the prediction of methane emission of paddy fields.

[Monitoring method of underground coal fire based on night thermal infrared remote sensing technology].

Land surface temperature is higher in the zones of underground coal fire than in their surroundings areas. It is possible to monitor the coal fire and the heat anomalies using the remote sensing technology of thermal infrared. By taking the coal fire of Wuda in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as an example, the monitoring methods of underground coal fire were explored based on different seasons night ASTER thermal infrared images. By employing the TES-ADE algorithm and threshold segmentation method, land surface temperature was retrieved and coal fire areas were extracted. Finally the seasonal variation of surface temperature, the surface temperature differences between night and day, and the change and distribution of coal fire area were analyzed. The results showed that (1) it is effective to retrieve land surface temperature and to avoid the interference of sand, bare land and building based on the remote sensing of thermal infrared at night; (2) it is best time to extract the coal fire areas based on the winter night images of thermal infrared; (3) it is effective to monitor the change and distribution of coal fire areas based on the winter night images of thermal infrared.

Characteristics of HPV prevalence among women in Liaoning province, China.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence rates of specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types infecting women in Liaoning Province, China. METHODS: Specimens from 4780 patients with cervical disease and 165 age-matched controls were tested for HPV genotypes using a chip hybridization assay. RESULTS: The infection rates were 35.66% for patients with cervicitis, 54.61% for those with ASCUS, 64.14% for those with CIN, 83.76% for those with cervical cancer in situ, and 83.12% for those with invasive cervical cancer. The most common HPV genotype was HPV-16, followed by HPV-58, HPV-52, HPV-33, HPV-53, and HPV-31. There were 1529 single and 731 multiple infections among the 4780 patients. Single infections with high-risk genotypes were associated with various cervical diseases. HPV-16 was present in 399 of the patients with multiple infections. CONCLUSION: Compared with prevalence rates for other populations, the rates of specific HPV types infecting women are different in Liaoning Province of China.

[Classification of wetlands in multispectral remote sensing image based on HPSO and FCM].

The present paper analyzed the characteristics of particle swarm optimization(PSO), hybrid particle swarm optimization (HPSO) and fuzzy C-means (FCM), imported FCM into HPSO, and improved the HPSO-FCM arithmetic. An HPSO-FCM program was developed using Fortran language in MATLAB. Besides, a synthesis image combined with the former three principal components was obtained through band stacking and principal component analysis, taking the multispectral visible image of HJ-1 Satellite shot in June 2009 and the ASAR radar image of ENVISAT as basic data. And the paper has done a wetlands classification experiment in the synthesis image of the East Dongting Lake of Hunan province, using HPSO-FCM arithmetic and ISODATA separately. The results indicated: (1) The arithmetic which imported crossover operator of genetic algorithms and FCM into HPSO had better search speed and convergent precision, and it could search and optimize the best cluster center more efficiently. (2) The HPSO-FCM arithmetic has better precision in wetlands classification in multispectral remote sensing image, and it is an effective method in remote sensing image classification.

[Expression of pS2, TGF-alpha and PCNA in the gastric mucosa of young rats with endotoxemia].

OBJECTIVE: Growth, regeneration and reparation of gastric mucosal epithelium may relate to the expression of peptides. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pS2, TGF-alpha and PCNA in endotoxin-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in young rats. METHODS: Eighteen-day-old Wistar rats were randomly injected intraperitoneally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg) or normal saline (control). The gastric mucosal specimens were harvested 1.5, 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hrs after LPS or normal saline injection (n=8 each). The pathological changes of the gastric mucosa were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression of pS2,TGF-alpha and PCNA was measured by immunohistochemistry SP method. RESULTS: Gastric mucosal injuries were the most serious 6 hrs after LPS injection, characterized by massive erosion, bleeding and cord necrosis of the gastric mucosa paralleling with gastric longitudinal axis. PCNA expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group 3, 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). pS2 expression in the gastric mucosa weakened 1.5 hrs after LPS injection, recovered to the control level at 3 hrs and was significantly higher than the control at 6, 24, 48 and 72 hrs of LPS injection (P<0.01). TGF-alpha expression in the gastric mucosa in the LPS group increased significantly 6, 24 and 48 hrs after LPS injection when compared with the control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PCNA expression may be associated with the proliferation activity of the gastric mucosa in the process of gastric mucosal injury/reparation. pS2 and TGF-alpha might participate in the defense and reparation of gastric mucosal cells through mediating cell proliferation following acute gastric mucosal injury.

103Pd-induced apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in bile ducts of dogs: significance and effects on related genes.

BACKGROUND: With the objective of developing a locally-produced radioactive stent, the present study used in vivo animal experiments to explore apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells resulting from facilitation of the expression of genes caused by gamma-radiation in order to prevent bile duct restenosis. We therefore explored the effects and significance of gamma-radiation on the activity of caspase-3, Fas and Bcl-2 genes in apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile duct walls of dogs. METHODS: Twelve dogs were randomly divided into 2 groups (6 in each group). A postinjury bile duct stenosis model was established and radioactive (103)Pd ((103)palladium) or ordinary bile duct stents were implanted into the bile ducts. HE staining, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the proliferation and apoptosis of bile duct smooth muscle cells in proliferative endomembrane and the expression of related caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Fas genes. RESULTS: The expression of caspase-3 and Fas genes in the bile duct tissues of dogs with radioactive stents was higher than that of dogs with ordinary stents. There was significant apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile ducts. The expression of the Bcl-2 gene in the bile duct tissues of dogs with radioactive stents was lower than that in those with ordinary stents. There was significant apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the dogs with low Bcl-2 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation increases the activity of caspase-3 and Fas genes and is associated with apoptosis. The radioactive (103)Pd stent may facilitate apoptosis of proliferative smooth muscle cells in the bile ducts of dogs by activating these genes. The Bcl-2 gene expression level is correlated with the occurrence of apoptosis and the radiosusceptibility of cells.

[Protective effects of recombinant intestinal trefoil factor against intestinal injuries induced by endotoxin in young rats].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of recombinant intestinal trefoil factor (rITF) against intestinal injuries and the possible mechanism by examining the changes of diamine oxidase (DAO) and TNF-alpha and the intestinal ultrastructural changes in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced intestinal injuries. METHODS: Ninety-six ten-day-old Wistar rats were randomly injected with either normal saline (1 mL/kg, Control group), LPS (1 mL/kg) or LPS (1 mL/kg) + rITF (0.1 mL) intraperioneally. At 2, 6, 24 and 72 hrs after administration plasma DAO activity was determined using absorption spectrometry; and the intestinal protein and mRNA expression of TNF-alpha were measured using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR methods. The intestinal ultrastructural changes were observed by electron microscopy. RESULTS: The plasma DAO activity in the LPS group began to increase at 2 hrs, peaked at 6 hrs and remained at significantly higher levels until 72 hrs after administration compared with the Control group (P < 0.01). The plasma DAO activity in the LPS + rITF group decreased noticeably compared with the LPS group at all time points (P < 0.01 or 0.05). A significant difference in the plasma DAO activity was only observed at 6 hrs after administration between the LPS + rITF and the Control group. The expression of TNF-alpha protein in the LPS group significantly increased at each time point, peaking at 6 hrs after LPS administration, with the IODT of TNF-alpha of 37,247.64 +/- 3,387.59 vs 6,191.02 +/- 482.32 (P < 0.01) compared with the Control group. rITF treatment decreased the expression of TNF-alpha protein although it remained significantly higher than in the Control group (P < 0.01). The TNF-alpha mRNA was weakly expressed in the Control group but strikingly increased after LPS injection (P < 0.01). Compared with the LPS group, the TNF-alpha mRNA expression in the LPS + rITF group decreased at all time points (P < 0.01 or 0.05). Vacuole changes of mitochodrium, cell nucleus condense, break and depletion of part of microvilli, and widen and disrupted tight junction were observed in the LPS group. The ultrastructural changes of intestinal tissues were improved in the LPS + rITF group. CONCLUSIONS: rITF can decrease the plasma DAO activity and inhibit the expression of TNF-alpha, resulting in a protective effect against intestinal injuries induced by LPS in young rats.

[Research on the mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation in ovarian cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation starting from DNA, mRNA and protein levels in ovarian cancers. METHODS: Tumor tissue samples were obtained from 48 patients with epithelial ovarian cancers. Using four polymorphic markers (D10s541, D10s583, D10s1687 and D10s2491) within and flanking the PTEN gene located in chromosome 10q 23.3, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) were introduced to examine LOH of PTEN gene; PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) was introduced to examine mutations of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth exons of PTEN. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (SP method) were applied to detect PTEN mRNA and PTEN protein expressions, respectively. RESULTS: LOH of PTEN gene was observed in 19 of 48 (39.6%) ovarian cancers. PTEN mutations were found only in 2 (4.2%) of the cases. Absence of PTEN mRNA expression was 18.8% (9 of 48). Immunostaining of 48 cancer samples revealed that 13 (27.1%) were PTEN immunostain negative. Of these 13 samples, only 2 (15.4%) had structural, biallelic inactivation by intragenic PTEN mutations and loss of the remaining wild-type allele; 7 (53.8%) showed evidence of LOH, 5 of these 7 samples showed deletion of PTEN mRNA expression, another 2 samples showed positive expression of PTEN mRNA; 4 (30.8%) tumors had neither PTEN gene mutation nor LOH but exhibited no PTEN protein expression, 2 of these 4 cases showed deletion of PTEN mRNA expression, another 2 showed positive expression of PTEN mRNA. For the cases of PTEN protein absent staining, the rate of LOH was 69.2% (9 of 13), higher than 28.6% (10 of 35) for the positive staining (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PTEN gene inactivation may contribute to epithelial ovarian carcinogenesis. There may be several mechanisms of PTEN gene inactivation in ovarian cancers. Protein expression deletions may be a significant mechanism.

[Expression and significance of caspase-3 gene in apoptotic muscle cells 103Pd radioactive stent bile duct in dogs].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the expression and significance of caspase-3 gene in the apoptotic muscle cells in gamma-radiation-induced muscle cell lines. METHODS: The caspase-3 mRNA in the control and gamma-radiation induced apoptotic muscle cells was analysed by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The expression of caspase-3 gene transcript was higher in 103Pd radioactive stent dog bile duct than in general stent dog bile duct, and apoptotic muscle cells were higher in 103Pd radioactive stent dog bile duct than in general stent dog bile duct. CONCLUSIONS: The high level expression of caspase-3 gene may help to understand the muscle cells sensitivity to gamma-radiation apoptosis. 103Pd radioactive stent may increase the expression of caspase-3 gene in dog bile duct and prevent the billiary narrow when dog bile duct was injured by balloon.

Expression of multidrug resistance-related markers in primary neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistance is associated with a poor prognosis in various human cancers. However, the clinical significance of the expression of multidrug resistance-related markers in neuroblastoma is still on debate. In this study, the effect of the expression of p-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), and lung resistance protein (LRP) in neuroblastoma was evaluated. METHODS: The streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase (SP) technique was used to evaluate the expression of P-gp, MRP, and LRP in 70 cases of untreated primary neuroblastoma. RESULTS: The frequencies of the expression of P-gp, MRP, and LRP were 61.4%, 38.6%, and 24.3%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was observed between P-gp and MRP expression (P=0.001), as well as between LRP and MRP expression (P=0.01). The rates of expression of P-gp and MRP were higher in tumors from patients aged greater than one year old than in tumors from patients aged less than 1 year old at time of diagnosis (P=0.01 and 0.018, respectively). MRP expression in tumors that had metastasized was significantly more frequent than in tumors that had not metastasized (P=0.015). The expression of all tested proteins showed a significant relationship with whether or not the tumor had differentiated (P=0.006, 0.000 or 0.001, respectively). MRP expression was significantly associated with a reduction in both median survival time and 2-year cumulative survival (P=0.02). By contrast, P-gp and MRP expression did not correlate with survival. According to Cox regression analysis, only the co-expression of P-gp and MRP had significant prognostic value (relative hazard, 3.513, P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: The intrinsic, multidrug resistance of neuroblastoma involves the combined effects of P-gp, MRP, and LRP. MRP expression may be an important factor determining prognosis in neuroblastoma.

Intrabiliary radiation inhibits smooth muscle formation and biliary duct remodelling after balloon overstretching injury in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Internal metallic stents have been widely used in clinical practice, but a high postoperative restenosis rate limits its application. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of intrabiliary radiation on muscle formation and biliary duct remodeling after biliary duct balloon injury in dogs. METHODS: Twenty male dogs (15 - 20 kg) were randomly divided into treatment group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Balloon overstretching injury was induced using a balloon catheter placed across the biliary duct. Subsequently, a 103Pd radioactive stent was positioned at the target site in each animal in the treatment group, providing the injured biliary duct with a radiation dose of 12.58 x 10(7) Bq. Dogs in the control group received Ni-Ti stents. All the dogs were killed one month after initial injury. The injured sections were dissected free from the dogs, and were processed for histological and morphological study. Cross-sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's trichrome, and Verhoef-van Giesen. Muscle formation area and lumen area were determined using a computer-assisted image analysis system. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, 103Pd radioactive stents significantly reduced muscle formation area (78.3%, P < 0.01), and percentage area of stenosis [control stents: (60.0 +/- 21.6)%, 103Pd radioactive stents: (31.6 +/- 9.5)%]. In addition, in the treatment group, the biliary duct lumen area was significantly larger than that in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: 103Pd radioactive stents providing a radioactive dose of 12.58 x 10(7) Bq are effective in reducing muscle formation and biliary duct remodeling after balloon overstretching injury.

Growth, invasion, metastasis, differentiation, angiogenesis and apoptosis of gastric cancer regulated by expression of PTEN encoding products.

AIM: To investigate expression of PTEN in gastric cancer and to explore its roles in tumorigenesis and progression of gastric cancer. METHODS: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues of adjacent non-tumor mucosa and primary foci from 113 cases of gastric cancers were studied for the expression of PTEN and Caspase-3 and microvessel density (MVD) by streptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) immunohistochemistry with antibodies against PTEN, Caspase-3, and CD34. The relationship between PTEN and Caspase 3 expression and clinicopathological parameters of tumors was compared. RESULTS: Primary gastric cancer cells expressed PTEN less frequently than adjacent epithelial cells of primary foci (54.9 % vs 89.4 %; P=0.000, chi(2)=33.474). PTEN expression was significantly associated with invasive depth (P=0.003, rs=0.274), metastasis (P=0.036, rs=0.197), growth pattern (P=0.008, rs=0.282), Lauren's classification (P=0.000, rs=0.345), and histological classification (P=0.005, rs=0.262) of tumors, but not with tumor size (P=0.639, rs=0.045), Borrmann's classification (P=0.544, rs=0.070) or TNM staging (P=0.172, rs=0.129). PTEN expression was negatively correlated with MDV in primary gastric cancer (P=0.020, F=5.558). Primary gastric cancer cells showed less frequent immunoreactivity to Caspase-3 than adjacent epithelial cells of primary foci (32.7 % vs 50.4 %; P=0.007, chi(2)=7.286). Caspase-3 expression was dependent of PTEN expression in primary gastric cancer cells (P=0.000, chi(2)=15.266). CONCLUSION: Down-regulated expression of PTEN plays an important role in tumorigenesis, progression, growth, differentiation and angiogenesis of gastric cancer. Low expression of PTEN can decrease expression of Caspase-3 to disorder apoptosis of tumor cells, which might explain the molecular mechanisms of PTEN contributions to tumorigenesis and progression of gastric cancer.