Analysis of Patients with Esophageal Varices Surviving More Than Three Years after Endoscopic Injection Sclerotherapy

Of the 205 patients treated by endoscopic injection sclerotherapy in the past 8 years and 4 months, 70 patients (34.1%) have survived more than 3 years. There were more Child's class A patients (p < 0.05) and fewer Child's C patients (p < 0.01) in this group as compared to 51 patients who died within 3 years. In addition, complications due to hepatoma were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in this group. The long-term cumulative survival rates of those who had already survived over 3 years were 82% at the 5-year and 78% at the 7-year follow-up. There was no significant difference among 3 groups classified by severity of liver damage or timing of the therapy. Rebleeding was noted in 13 patients (18.3%) and the cumulative bleeding rates were 9% at the 1-year, 14% at the 3-year, 18% at the 5-year and 21% at the 7-year follow-up. In 12 of these patients hemostasis was obtained by the second sclerotherapy. There was no significant difference in the long-term prognosis between patients who experienced repeat bleeding, and those who did not. Endoscopic findings in patients with rebleeding were characteristic in that the red color sign remained pronounced despite the fact that the varices had shrunk from F₂ or larger to F₁ in 6 patients. Bleeding occurred from the gastric varices in 4 patients. One of them died due to gastric bleeding, but 3 were operated on after sclerotherapy. For improving prognosis, it is important to carefully observe the clinical course and to perform additional aggressive treatments for complete obliteration of varices.     

Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of active rosemary constituents: carnosol and carnosic acid.

1. Carnosol and carnosic acid have been suggested to account for over 90% of the antioxidant properties of rosemary extract. 2. Purified carnosol and carnosic acid are powerful inhibitors of lipid peroxidation in microsomal and liposomal systems, more effective than propyl gallate. 3. Carnosol and carnosic acid are good scavengers of peroxyl radicals (CCl3O2.) generated by pulse radiolysis, with calculated rate constants of 1-3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 and 2.7 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 respectively. 4. Carnosic acid reacted with HOCl in such a way as to protect the protein alpha 1-antiproteinase against inactivation. 5. Both carnosol and carnosic acid stimulated DNA damage in the bleomycin assay but they scavenged hydroxyl radicals in the deoxyribose assay. The calculated rate constants for reaction with .OH in the deoxyribose system for carnosol and carnosic acid were 8.7 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 and 5.9 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 respectively. 6. Carnosic acid appears to scavenge H2O2, but it could also act as a substrate for the peroxidase system. 7. Carnosic acid and carnosol reduce cytochrome c but with a rate constant significantly lower than that of O2(-.).     

Molecular evolutionary studies of Lassa virus nucleoprotein 2

ObjectiveTo study the virulence diversity through molecular evolution, and to provide insight on circulating antibodies.MethodsThe nucleotide sequences of 18 Lassa virus genomic RNA encoding Lassa virus nucleoprotein isolates collected from different parts of the world since the identification of the Josiah strain were obtained from the GenBank and nucleotide substitution among them studied using the computer program MEGA 4. The genetic distances among strains were predicted by pairwise nucleotide differences.ResultsThe rate of synonymous substitution was high 5.889 per nucleotide per year and nonsynonymous was higher at 49.664. The average predicted rate of synonymous and nonsynonymous using modified Nei-Gojobori (assuming transition/transversion bias=2) was 27.9 which was taken as the genetic distance between strains. The average number of synonymous sites is 150.741 while the average number of nonsynonymous sites is 392.259. The phylogenetic tree was inferred by unweighted pairwise grouping in MEGA4 and using neighbour-joining method. The time of emergence of Lassa virus was predicted to be around January 1920. However, the first human appearance of the virus was predicted to be around May (1 959±24) months. In synonymous substitution the rate of (G-T) rare was high. The nucleotide frequencies were 0.314 (A), 0.246 (T/U), 0.204 (C) and 0.235 (G). The transition/transversion ratio k₁=14.991 (purines) and k₂=69.916 (pyrimidines). The overall transition/transversion bias R=16.662 with a total of 620 position in the final data set. These figures are far higher than an earlier study using Lassa virus glycoprotein. The nucleotide diversity were also very high using the Taijima's model in MEGA 4.ConclusionsThe divergence within strains always coincides with the period of epidemic which goes to confirm that the cause of epidemic outbreak should be the emergence of new strain and also why the infection remains endemic despite circulating antibodies. A comparison with a similar study with the viral glycoprotein concludes that the glycoprotein is more suited for vaccine development.     

鹰视眼前段分析仪对前房的测量分析

目的应用鹰视眼前段分析仪（Oculyser）对前房角宽度（ACAW）和前房深度（ACD）进行定量测量,探讨Oculyser在前房测量的应用价值以及多种仪器眼前房生物学参数的关系。方法应用Oculyser对闭角型青光眼和老年性白内障ACAW和ACD进行定量测量,并对各组参数进行统计分析。结果与老年性白内障组相比,闭角青光眼急性发作组和临床前期组ACAW、ACD差异均具有统计学意义。而闭角青光眼急性发作组和临床前期组间比较,ACAW、ACD差异无统计学意义。男女性别间ACAW、ACD差异无统计学意义。结论Oculyser具有客观、准确、非接触和避免人为干扰等优点,可应用于前房角的测量。     

Hepatocellular carcinoma and the underlying mechanisms

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma is increasing worldwide as well as the associated risk factors, some of which include exposure to aflatoxin B1, Hepatitis B (HBV) virus and hepatitis C (HCV) virus. Mutation of tumour suppressor gene p53 at codon 249^ser at exon 7 has been found to contribute significantly to replication of damaged DNA and subsequent tumour progression. The x gene of HBV (HBx) is the most common open reading frame integrated into the host genome in hepatocellular carcinoma and the integrated HBx is frequently mutated in hepatocellular carcinoma. Mutant HBx proteins still retain their ability to bind to p53 thereby attenuating DNA repair and p53-mediated apoptosis.