Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most frequent malignant tumors and is the second most common cause of cancer death in China. Therefore, it is very important to detect this disease and the recurrence at ...Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most frequent malignant tumors and is the second most common cause of cancer death in China. Therefore, it is very important to detect this disease and the recurrence at its earlier period. Serum tumor markers, as the effective method for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma for a long time, could be divided into 4 categories： oncofetal antigens and glycoprotein antigens; enzymes and isoenzymes; genes; and cytokines. Serum alpha fetoprotein （AFP） is the most widely used tumor marker in detecting patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and has been proven to have capability of prefiguring the prognosis. However, it has been indicated that AFP-L3 and DCP excel AFP in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from nonmalignant hepatopathy and detecting small hepatocellular carcinoma. Some tumor markers, such as human cervical cancer oncogene and human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA, have also been indicated to have higher accuracies than AFP. Furthermore, some other tumor markers, such as glypican-3, gamma-glutamyl transferase Ⅱ, alpha-Ifucosidase, transforming growth factor-beta1, tumorspecific growth factor, have been indicated to be available supplementaries to AFP in the detection. AFP mRNA has been shown to correlate with the metastasis and recurrence of HCC, and it may be the most useful marker to prefigure the prognosis. Some other markers, such as gamma-glutamyl transferase mRNA, vascular endothelial growth factor, and interleukin-8, could also be used as available prognostic indicators, and the simultaneous determination of AFP and these markers may detect the recurrence of HCC at its earlier period.展开更多
The patient was a 57-year-old woman presenting with jaundice as the chief complaint. She began vomiting on July 10, 2003. Jaundice was noted and admitted to our hospital for thorough testing. Tests on admission indica...The patient was a 57-year-old woman presenting with jaundice as the chief complaint. She began vomiting on July 10, 2003. Jaundice was noted and admitted to our hospital for thorough testing. Tests on admission indicated severe hepatitis, based on： aspartate aminotransferase （AST）, 1 076 IU/L; alanine aminotransferase （ALT）, 1 400 IU/L; total bilirubin （TB）, 20.9 mg/dL; and prothrombin time rate （PT%）, 46.9%. Acute hepatitis A （HA） was diagnosed based on negative hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus RNA and positive immunoglobulin （Ig） M HA antibody, but elevation of anti-nuclear antigen （×320） and IgG （3 112 mg/dL） led to suspicion of autoimmune hepatitis （AIH）. Plasma exchange was performed for 3 d from July 17, and steroid pulse therapy was performed for 3 d starting on July 18, followed by oral steroid therapy. Liver biopsy was performed on August 5, and the results confirmed acute hepatitis and mild chronic inflammation. Levels of AST and ALT normalized, so dose of oral steroid was markedly reduced. Steroid therapy was terminated after 4 mo, as the patient had glaucoma. Starting 3 mo after cessation of steroid therapy, levels of AST and ALl began to increase again. Another liver biopsy was performed and AIH was diagnosed based on serum data and biopsy specimen. Oral steroid therapy was reinitiated. Levels of AST and ALT again normalized. The present case was thus considered to represent AIH triggered by acute HA.展开更多
For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage mov...For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage movement could be very complicated.In this paper,the kinematic characteristics of four-bar beating-up mechanism with joint clearance were studied by analyzing the trace of journal center and the balance of radial,tangential forces,and bearing load.The region of principal vibration and its forming causes were discussed.And the results could interpret the measuring curves of four-bar beating-up mechanism completely.展开更多
AIM： To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of ＂anti-HBc alone＂ in an unselected population of patients and employees of a university hospital in southern Germany. METHODS： All individuals with th...AIM： To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of ＂anti-HBc alone＂ in an unselected population of patients and employees of a university hospital in southern Germany. METHODS： All individuals with the pattern ＂anti-HBc alone＂ were registered over a time span of 82 mo. HBVDNA was measured in serum and liver samples, and clinical charts were reviewed. RESULTS： Five hundred and fifty two individuals were ＂anti-HBc alone＂ （of 3004 anti-HBc positive individuals; 18.4%）, and this pattern affected males （20.5%） more often than females （15.3%; P〈0.001）. HBV-DNA was detected in serum of 44 of 545 ＂anti-HBc alone＂ individuals （8.1%）, and in paraffin embedded liver tissue in 16 of 39 patients tested （41.0%）. There was no association between the detection of HBV genomes and the presence of biochemical, ultrasonic or histological signs of liver damage. Thirty-eight ＂anti-HBc alone＂ patients with cirrhosis or primary liver carcinoma had at least one additional risk factor. HCV-coinfection was present in 20.4% of all individuals with ＂anti-HBc alone＂ and was the only factor associated with a worse clinical outcome. CONCLUSION： In an HBV low prevalence area, no evidence is found that HBV alone causes severe liver damage in individuals with ＂anti-HBc alone＂. Recommendations for the management of these individuals are given.展开更多
AIM： To study the serum concentration of IL-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist （IL-1Ra） and IL-18 in Gαi2-deficient mice at the age of 6 （healthy）, 12 （pre-colitic） and 24 wk （coUtic） and in healthy control mice....AIM： To study the serum concentration of IL-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist （IL-1Ra） and IL-18 in Gαi2-deficient mice at the age of 6 （healthy）, 12 （pre-colitic） and 24 wk （coUtic） and in healthy control mice. METHODS： At the time of killing, serum samples were collected and IL-1β, IL-1Ra and IL-18 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS： Serum concentration of IL-1Ra was significantly increased in pre-colitic （median： 524 ng/L; P= 0.02） and colitic （450 ng/L; P= 0.01）, but not in healthy （196 ng/L） Gαi2-deficient mice as compared with controls （217 ng/L）. Serum concentrations of IL-1β did not differ between Gαi2-deficient mice and their controls, irrespective of age, IL-18 was significantly increased in colitic, but not in pre-colitic mice compared with controls （510 ng/L vs 190 ng/L; P= 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The increased serum concentrations of IL-18 and IL-1Ra in established diseases are suggested as markers of ongoing colitis. Interestingly, the significantly increased serum concentration of IL-1Ra in pre-colitic mice is found to be an early marker of disease progression.展开更多
AIM： To evaluate whether DCP is better than AFP for differentiating HCC from nonmalignant liver disease and further evaluate the usefulness of DCP in early diagnosis of small HCC. METHODS： Serum DCP and AFP levels w...AIM： To evaluate whether DCP is better than AFP for differentiating HCC from nonmalignant liver disease and further evaluate the usefulness of DCP in early diagnosis of small HCC. METHODS： Serum DCP and AFP levels were determined in 127 patients. Among these patients, 32 were with noncirrhotic chronic hepatitis, 34 were with compensated cirrhosis, and 61 were with HCC. The cut-off value for the DCP and AFP were set as 40 mAU/mL and 20 ng/mL, respectively. To compare the diagnostic value of DCP and AFP in distinguishing HCC from nonmalignant chronic liver disease, receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves were constructed for each assay. RESULTS： The accuracy, sensitivity, and specifidty of DCP were higher than AFP in detecting HCC （81.9%, 77%, and 86.4% vs 68.5%, 59%, and 77.3%, respectively）. The area under the ROC （AUROC） curves revealed that DCP had a better accuracy than AFP in diagnosis of HCC （0.85 [95%CI, 0.78-0.91] vs 0.73 [95%CI, 0.65-0.81], P= 0.013）. In 39 patients with solitary HCC, the positive rates of DCP were 100% in patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm, 66.7% in patients with tumor size 2-3 cm and 50% in patients with tumor size less than 2 cm. The positive rates of AFP in patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm, 2-3 crn and less than 2 cm were 55.6%, 50%, and 33.3%, respectively. The median level of DCP in HCC patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm was significantly higher than those with tumor size 2-3 cm and those with the size of less than 2 cm. CONCLUSION： Our study indicates that DCP has a better diagnostic value than AFP in differentiating HCC from nonmalignant chronic liver disease. DCP has not only a stronger correlation with HCC than AFP in tumor size but also more effectiveness than AFP in detecting small size of HCC.展开更多
The study aims to evaluate the potential of GHG （greenhouse gas） reductions by installing an anaerobic digester in a wastewater treatment facility in Southeast Asia. Then the break-even point of additional investmen...The study aims to evaluate the potential of GHG （greenhouse gas） reductions by installing an anaerobic digester in a wastewater treatment facility in Southeast Asia. Then the break-even point of additional investment to reduce GHG is obtained by exchanging carbon price as emissions credits. In the project scenario, the wastewater treatment system has the digester, where methane （biogas） is produced and recovered. Compared with the baseline scenario, the biogas has calorific value to produce heat and electricity, and can substitute fossil fuels for power generation. The objective of the study is to define the relationship between CERs （certified emission reductions） and investment costs, and the beak-even point, finding out the dominant pa- rameters in the system. Financial parameters such as capital costs and operating costs are considered to evaluate the investmerit costs. The result shows that the methane recovery reduces 54% of GHG emissions. Although the substitution of the biogas for the fossil fuels reduces only 6% of the GHG emissions, the electricity output can satisfy the electricity consumption. The results also show that the maximum CER credit is 73000 t-COEe/a, and the GHG reduction cost is 14 USD/t-CO2e.展开更多
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is one of the most frequent malignant tumors and is the second most common cause of cancer death in China. Therefore, it is very important to detect this disease and the recurrence at its earlier period. Serum tumor markers, as the effective method for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma for a long time, could be divided into 4 categories： oncofetal antigens and glycoprotein antigens; enzymes and isoenzymes; genes; and cytokines. Serum alpha fetoprotein （AFP） is the most widely used tumor marker in detecting patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and has been proven to have capability of prefiguring the prognosis. However, it has been indicated that AFP-L3 and DCP excel AFP in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma from nonmalignant hepatopathy and detecting small hepatocellular carcinoma. Some tumor markers, such as human cervical cancer oncogene and human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA, have also been indicated to have higher accuracies than AFP. Furthermore, some other tumor markers, such as glypican-3, gamma-glutamyl transferase Ⅱ, alpha-Ifucosidase, transforming growth factor-beta1, tumorspecific growth factor, have been indicated to be available supplementaries to AFP in the detection. AFP mRNA has been shown to correlate with the metastasis and recurrence of HCC, and it may be the most useful marker to prefigure the prognosis. Some other markers, such as gamma-glutamyl transferase mRNA, vascular endothelial growth factor, and interleukin-8, could also be used as available prognostic indicators, and the simultaneous determination of AFP and these markers may detect the recurrence of HCC at its earlier period.
文摘The patient was a 57-year-old woman presenting with jaundice as the chief complaint. She began vomiting on July 10, 2003. Jaundice was noted and admitted to our hospital for thorough testing. Tests on admission indicated severe hepatitis, based on： aspartate aminotransferase （AST）, 1 076 IU/L; alanine aminotransferase （ALT）, 1 400 IU/L; total bilirubin （TB）, 20.9 mg/dL; and prothrombin time rate （PT%）, 46.9%. Acute hepatitis A （HA） was diagnosed based on negative hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus RNA and positive immunoglobulin （Ig） M HA antibody, but elevation of anti-nuclear antigen （×320） and IgG （3 112 mg/dL） led to suspicion of autoimmune hepatitis （AIH）. Plasma exchange was performed for 3 d from July 17, and steroid pulse therapy was performed for 3 d starting on July 18, followed by oral steroid therapy. Liver biopsy was performed on August 5, and the results confirmed acute hepatitis and mild chronic inflammation. Levels of AST and ALT normalized, so dose of oral steroid was markedly reduced. Steroid therapy was terminated after 4 mo, as the patient had glaucoma. Starting 3 mo after cessation of steroid therapy, levels of AST and ALl began to increase again. Another liver biopsy was performed and AIH was diagnosed based on serum data and biopsy specimen. Oral steroid therapy was reinitiated. Levels of AST and ALT again normalized. The present case was thus considered to represent AIH triggered by acute HA.
文摘For the four-bar beating-up mechanism of air-jet loom,the plain bearing of linkage is the bearing with dynamic load,and is immersed in the lubricant-box.If the joint clearance is considered,the research on linkage movement could be very complicated.In this paper,the kinematic characteristics of four-bar beating-up mechanism with joint clearance were studied by analyzing the trace of journal center and the balance of radial,tangential forces,and bearing load.The region of principal vibration and its forming causes were discussed.And the results could interpret the measuring curves of four-bar beating-up mechanism completely.
基金Supported by the University of Regensburg,Germany,HWP grant for Antje Knll
文摘AIM： To investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of ＂anti-HBc alone＂ in an unselected population of patients and employees of a university hospital in southern Germany. METHODS： All individuals with the pattern ＂anti-HBc alone＂ were registered over a time span of 82 mo. HBVDNA was measured in serum and liver samples, and clinical charts were reviewed. RESULTS： Five hundred and fifty two individuals were ＂anti-HBc alone＂ （of 3004 anti-HBc positive individuals; 18.4%）, and this pattern affected males （20.5%） more often than females （15.3%; P〈0.001）. HBV-DNA was detected in serum of 44 of 545 ＂anti-HBc alone＂ individuals （8.1%）, and in paraffin embedded liver tissue in 16 of 39 patients tested （41.0%）. There was no association between the detection of HBV genomes and the presence of biochemical, ultrasonic or histological signs of liver damage. Thirty-eight ＂anti-HBc alone＂ patients with cirrhosis or primary liver carcinoma had at least one additional risk factor. HCV-coinfection was present in 20.4% of all individuals with ＂anti-HBc alone＂ and was the only factor associated with a worse clinical outcome. CONCLUSION： In an HBV low prevalence area, no evidence is found that HBV alone causes severe liver damage in individuals with ＂anti-HBc alone＂. Recommendations for the management of these individuals are given.
文摘AIM： To study the serum concentration of IL-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist （IL-1Ra） and IL-18 in Gαi2-deficient mice at the age of 6 （healthy）, 12 （pre-colitic） and 24 wk （coUtic） and in healthy control mice. METHODS： At the time of killing, serum samples were collected and IL-1β, IL-1Ra and IL-18 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS： Serum concentration of IL-1Ra was significantly increased in pre-colitic （median： 524 ng/L; P= 0.02） and colitic （450 ng/L; P= 0.01）, but not in healthy （196 ng/L） Gαi2-deficient mice as compared with controls （217 ng/L）. Serum concentrations of IL-1β did not differ between Gαi2-deficient mice and their controls, irrespective of age, IL-18 was significantly increased in colitic, but not in pre-colitic mice compared with controls （510 ng/L vs 190 ng/L; P= 0.05）. CONCLUSION： The increased serum concentrations of IL-18 and IL-1Ra in established diseases are suggested as markers of ongoing colitis. Interestingly, the significantly increased serum concentration of IL-1Ra in pre-colitic mice is found to be an early marker of disease progression.
基金Supported by the Taipei Institute of Pathology, Taipei, Taiwan and Eisai Co., Tokyo, Japan
文摘AIM： To evaluate whether DCP is better than AFP for differentiating HCC from nonmalignant liver disease and further evaluate the usefulness of DCP in early diagnosis of small HCC. METHODS： Serum DCP and AFP levels were determined in 127 patients. Among these patients, 32 were with noncirrhotic chronic hepatitis, 34 were with compensated cirrhosis, and 61 were with HCC. The cut-off value for the DCP and AFP were set as 40 mAU/mL and 20 ng/mL, respectively. To compare the diagnostic value of DCP and AFP in distinguishing HCC from nonmalignant chronic liver disease, receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves were constructed for each assay. RESULTS： The accuracy, sensitivity, and specifidty of DCP were higher than AFP in detecting HCC （81.9%, 77%, and 86.4% vs 68.5%, 59%, and 77.3%, respectively）. The area under the ROC （AUROC） curves revealed that DCP had a better accuracy than AFP in diagnosis of HCC （0.85 [95%CI, 0.78-0.91] vs 0.73 [95%CI, 0.65-0.81], P= 0.013）. In 39 patients with solitary HCC, the positive rates of DCP were 100% in patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm, 66.7% in patients with tumor size 2-3 cm and 50% in patients with tumor size less than 2 cm. The positive rates of AFP in patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm, 2-3 crn and less than 2 cm were 55.6%, 50%, and 33.3%, respectively. The median level of DCP in HCC patients with tumor size larger than 3 cm was significantly higher than those with tumor size 2-3 cm and those with the size of less than 2 cm. CONCLUSION： Our study indicates that DCP has a better diagnostic value than AFP in differentiating HCC from nonmalignant chronic liver disease. DCP has not only a stronger correlation with HCC than AFP in tumor size but also more effectiveness than AFP in detecting small size of HCC.
文摘The study aims to evaluate the potential of GHG （greenhouse gas） reductions by installing an anaerobic digester in a wastewater treatment facility in Southeast Asia. Then the break-even point of additional investment to reduce GHG is obtained by exchanging carbon price as emissions credits. In the project scenario, the wastewater treatment system has the digester, where methane （biogas） is produced and recovered. Compared with the baseline scenario, the biogas has calorific value to produce heat and electricity, and can substitute fossil fuels for power generation. The objective of the study is to define the relationship between CERs （certified emission reductions） and investment costs, and the beak-even point, finding out the dominant pa- rameters in the system. Financial parameters such as capital costs and operating costs are considered to evaluate the investmerit costs. The result shows that the methane recovery reduces 54% of GHG emissions. Although the substitution of the biogas for the fossil fuels reduces only 6% of the GHG emissions, the electricity output can satisfy the electricity consumption. The results also show that the maximum CER credit is 73000 t-COEe/a, and the GHG reduction cost is 14 USD/t-CO2e.
