No abstract available.
Esophageal Achalasia

No abstract available.
Electric Impedance ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration

The author had reported that laser irradiation with energy density 4J/cm² at every other days was most effective for wound healing.
But there is a report which described that laser irradiation with energy density under 4J/cm² was effective for wound healing too.
Then, the effect of irradiation with under 4J/cm² He-Ne laser on wound healing was studied. Twenty-four wister rats were subjected to this experiment.
A open wound, 20mm in diameter as deep as muscle layer were made on the back of anesthetized animals.
To find the suitable energy density of laser irradiation, the wound was irradiated with He-Ne laser by energy density of 4J/cm², 2J/cm² and 1J/cm2 every other day until the wound completely healed.
The wound healing was much more accelerated by irradiation with energy density of 4J/cm² than the other group.
This result suggested that laser irradiation with energy density 4J/cm² at every other days is most effective for wound healing.

The effect of irradiation with low power He-Ne laser on wound healing was studied. 42 wister rats were subjected to this experiment.
A open wound, 20mm in diameter as deep as muscle layer were made on the back of anesthetized animals.
To find the suitable energy density of laser irradiation, the wound was irradiated with He-Ne laser by energy density of 4J/cm² or 10J/cm² every other day until the wound completely healed. The wound healing was much more accelerated by irradiation with energy density of 4J/cm² than that of 10J/cm² and none-irradiated contorol group.
To find the suitable interval of laser irradiation, the wound was irradiated every other days, every 4 days or every other days in early stage until the wound completely healed. From this study, the wound healing was much more acceralated by irradiation at every other days than the others.
This result suggested that laser irradiation with energy density 4J/cm² at every other days is most effective for wound healing.

OBJECTIVETo determine the benefit of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) for stroke prevention by reviewing the early and late outcomes of Hong Kong Chinese patients undergoing CEA who have a high reported incidence of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (IAD).

METHODSFifty-nine Chinese patients underwent 62 CEA. There were 48 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 70 +/- 7 years (range: 52 - 86 years). Twenty-one CEA (34%) were performed for asymptomatic disease. Duplex scan was the primary tool of evaluation prior to surgery. Preoperative angiography was done in 36 instances (58%). All CEA were performed under general anaesthesia with routine intraoperative shunting. The arteriotomy was closed primarily in all patients except three. Patients were followed up regularly with six-monthly Duplex scan surveillance.

RESULTSThere were 2 perioperative neurological events consisting of one transient ischemic attack and one minor stroke. There was no operative mortality or major morbidity such as bleeding or cranial nerve injury. Mean hospital stay was 6.5 +/- 4 days (range: 3 - 26 days). The patients were followed up for a mean interval of 24 +/- 17 months (range: 1 - 57 months). Seven patients died during follow-up and subsequent neurological events occurred in 5 patients, including 2 fatal strokes. The 3-year survival, freedom from stroke and stroke free survival were 86%, 87% and 83%, respectively. One recurrent stenosis of 80% was detected on follow-up Duplex scan.

CONCLUSIONSDespite a high incidence of IAD, CEA in Hong Kong Chinese patients is associated with acceptable perioperative morbidity and mortality with satisfactory long-term efficacy in stroke prevention.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carotid Stenosis ; surgery ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; adverse effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hong Kong ; Humans ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stroke ; etiology ; Survival Analysis ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

Background/Aims: Since the use of dexlansoprazole in Asian subjects with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has not been adequately characterized, this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexlansoprazole modified-release in Asian subjects with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and erosive esophagitis (EE). Methods: In this phase 4, open-label, non-randomized, uncontrolled, multicenter, multi-country study sponsored by Takeda, subjects aged ≥ 20 years with persistent typical GERD symptoms for at least 6 months underwent endoscopy. Based on endoscopic findings, they were assigned to either dexlansoprazole modified-release 30 mg once-daily for 4 weeks (NERD group) or dexlansoprazole modified-release 60 mg once-daily for 8 weeks (EE group). The primary endpoint was the percentage of days that subjects did not experience any 24- hour heartburn or acid regurgitation. Results: Of the 445 subjects screened from Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan, 208 were enrolled in the NERD group (mean age: 53.6 years, male: 34.6%) and 88 in the EE group (mean age: 51.7 years, male: 55.7%). Over the treatment period, the median percentage of days that subjects did not experience any 24-hour heartburn or acid regurgitation was 26.9% and 65.5% in the NERD and EE groups, respectively; for nighttime heartburn or acid regurgitation the proportions were 59.3% and 83.3%, respectively. The treatment was well tolerated with low incidence of treatment-related adverse events in NERD and EE groups (6.7% and 5.7%, respectively). Conclusion In Asian patients with GERD, treatment with dexlansoprazole modified-release indicates a favorable efficacy and safety profile in relieving heartburn and acid regurgitation symptoms.

Objective: This study evaluated the validity of self-reported smartphone usage data against objectively-measured smartphone usage data by directly tracking the activities in the participants’ smartphone among Chinese adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong. Methods: A total of 187 participants were recruited (mean age 19.4, 71.7% female) between 2017 and 2018. A smartphone usage tracking app was installed on all participants’ smartphone for 7 consecutive days. After the 7-day monitoring period, they completed a selfadministered questionnaire on smartphone usage habits. Results: Although the correlation between self-reported and objectively-measured total smartphone usage time was insignificant (ρ=-0.10, p=0.18), in three out of the four usage domains were positively and significantly correlated, namely social network (ρ=0.21, p=0.005), instant messaging (ρ=0.27, p<0.001), and games (ρ=0.64, p<0.001). Participants’ self-report of the total time spent on smartphones exceeded the objective data by around 760 min per week (self-reported 1,930.3 min/wk vs. objectively-measured 1,170.7 min/wk, p<0.001). Most of the over-reporting was contributed by the web browsing domain (self-reported 447.8 min/wk vs. objectively-measured 33.3 min/wk, p<0.001). Conclusion Our results showed large discrepancies between self-reported smartphone and objectively-measured smartphone usage except for self-reported usage on game apps.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are characterized by abnormal central processing with altered brain activation in response to visceral nociceptive signals. The effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on IBS patients is unclear. The study is set to study the effect of EA on brain activation during noxious rectal distension in IBS patients using a randomized sham-controlled model. METHODS: Thirty IBS-diarrhea patients were randomized to true electroacupuncture or sham acupuncture. Functional MRI was performed to evaluate cerebral activation at the following time points: (1) baseline when there was rectal distension only, (2) rectal distension during application of EA, (3) rectal distension after cessation of EA and (4) EA alone with no rectal distension. Group comparison was made under each condition using SPM5 program. RESULTS: Rectal distension induced significant activation of the anterior cingulated cortex, prefrontal cortex, thalamus, temporal regions and cerebellum at baseline. During and immediately after EA, increased cerebral activation from baseline was observed in the anterior cingulated cortex, bilateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, temporal regions and right insula in both groups. However, true electroacupuncture led to significantly higher activation at right insula, as well as pulvinar and medial nucleus of the thalamus when compared to sham acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: We postulate that acupuncture might have the potential effect of pain modulation in IBS by 2 actions: (1) modulation of serotonin pathway at insula and (2) modulation of mood and affection in higher cortical center via ascending pathway at the pulvinar and medial nucleus of the thalamus.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Brain ; Cerebellum ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Neural Pathways ; Pain Perception ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Pulvinar ; Salicylamides ; Serotonin ; Thalamus

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of Tiantai No.1, a compound Chinese herbal preparation, for the prevention and reduction of neurotoxicity induced by beta-amyloid peptides (Abeta) in vitro and its effects on nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) pathways using the gene transfection technique.

METHODSB104 neuronal cells were used to examine the effects of Tiantai No.1 on lowering the neurotoxicity induced by Abeta. The cells were pre-treated with Tiantai No.1 at doses of 50, 100, 150, or 200 micro g/mL respectively for 3 days and co-treated with Tiantai No.1 and beta-amyloid peptide1-40 (A beta 1-40, 10 micro mol/L) for 48 h or post-treated with Tiantai No.1 for 48 h after the cells were exposed to beta-amyloid peptides25-35 (A beta 25-35) for 8 h. In gene transfection assays, cells were treated with Tiantai No.1 at 50 micro g/mL and 150 micro g/mL for 5 days or co-treated with Tiantai No.1 and A beta 1-40 (5 micro mo/L) for 3 days after electroporation for the evaluation of NF-kappa B and CREB expression.

RESULTSPre-treating and co-treating B104 neuronal cells with Tiantai No.1 lowered the neurotoxicity induced by Abeta, and post-treating with Tiantai No.1 reduced or blocked B104 neuronal apoptotic death induced by Abeta (P<0.05, P<0.01). With a dose-dependent relationship, the same treatments increased the expression of NF-kappa B or CREB in B104 neuronal cells (P<0.05, P<0.01). Meanwhile, Tiantai No.1 reduced A beta -40 induced inhibition on NF-kappa B expression (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSTiantai No.1 can protect neurons against the neurotoxicity induced by Abeta. The neuroprotective mechanisms may be associated with the activation of NF-kappa B and cAMP cellular signal pathways.

Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Electroporation ; Luciferases ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; NF-kappa B ; analysis ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Rats ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo determine the feasibility and assess the validity of noncontact endocardial mapping to guide ablation of hemodynamically unstable or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT).

METHODSNoncontact mapping permitted individual-beat analysis of ventricular arrhythmias. Three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping allowed detailed reconstruction of a chamber geometry and activation sequence. Eighteen hemodynamically unstable or nonsustained VTs were induced (cycle length: 336 ms +/- 58 ms) in 17 patients and mapped by noncontact mapping using an EnSite 3000 system performed for the guidance of catheter ablation.

RESULTSThree patients were mapped during premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) because sustained VT could not be induced. Analysis of the archived noncontact activation maps was performed to identify the exit site and/or the diastolic pathway of the VT reentry circuit. The endocardial exit sites 10 ms +/- 16 ms before QRS were defined in 9 right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) and 5 ischemic VTs. The diastolic pathway was identified in 5 ischemic VTs. The earliest endocardial diastolic activity preceded the QRS onset by 60.1 ms +/- 42.6 ms. The earliest activation sites were identify in 3 patients with nonsustained VTs or PVCs. Radiofrequency current was applied around the exit site or to create a line of block across the diastolic pathway. Catheter ablation was performed in 17/18 (94%) VTs and 15/17 (88%) VTs was successfully ablated. Two (67%) of the three patients with non-sustained VTs were mapped and successfully ablated during PVCs. Catheter ablation was not performed in 1 patient (peri-Hisian VT) and was unsuccessful in 2 patients.

CONCLUSIONNoncontact endocardial mapping is able to be used to guide ablation of untolerated or nonsustained VTs.

Adult ; Catheter Ablation ; methods ; Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac ; Feasibility Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; physiopathology ; surgery