Objective To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial doppler(TCD)as an additional screening tool for intracranial arterial steno-occlusive disease in patients with acute ischaemic stroke(AIS)by comparing with the computed tomography angiography(CTA). Methods Two hundred and twenty-four consecutive patients who were hospitalized within 7 days of the onset of symptoms and fulfilled the criteria for the clinical di-agnosis of AIS between May 2013 and May 2014 were enrolled for the study. Among the 224 patients,there were 118 males and 106 females with an average age of 61.2±12.6 years. High-resolution brain CTA was performed after completion of TCD. Results There was slight distinction of the diag-nostic accuracy of TCD for different arteries. TCD demonstrated the most accurate diagnosis for carotid artery vascular system,with a sensitivity of 96.19%and specificity of 98.60%. For the vertebrobasilar vascular system,TCD diagnosis showed a sensitivity of 71.11%and specificity of 94.31%. TCD findings were complementary to the CTA results(real-time embolization,collateral flow patterns and steal phenomenon). Conclusion TCD shows a high diagnostic accuracy comparing to CTA in evaluating intracranial and extracranial arterial stenosis in patients with AIS,especially for the carotid artery vascular system analysis within a short time interval. TCD can also provide additional real-time dynamic findings complementary to the information provided by CTA.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the interventional effect of the Chinese herbal preparation Xi Fu Pai Chen(XFPC) on pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in rats with silicosis. METHODS: A total of 144 adult specific pathogen free male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: blank control group, silicosis model group, drug administration control group and groups of low-dose,medium-dose and high-dose XFPC, with 24 rats in each group. Lung silicosis model was established by single inhalation tracheal instillation method, which was treated with 50.0 g/L silica suspension, in groups except in the blank control group. On the 7 th day of modeling, the rats in the drug administration control group were orally given tetrandrine(5 mg/kg body weight), while those in the low-, medium-and high-dose groups were given 43, 86 and 192 g/L of XFPC by atomization inhalation once a day for 20 minutes, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. At the end of drug administration, the histopathological changes of the lung were observed. The number and classification of cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were examined, and the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA) and interferon-gamma(IFN-γ) in BALF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: On the 7 th day after modeling, the body weight in the drug administration control group and XFPC high-dose group decreased compared with the blank control group(P<0.05). On the 35 th day after modeling, the body weights of rats in the other 5 groups were lower than that in the blank control group(P<0.05). The pathological changes of lung tissue(infiltration of inflammatory cells, fibrosis and size of silicon nodule) in drug administration control group and XFPC low-dose group were better than those in silicosis model group by naked eyes and under light microscope. The lung coefficient, the proportion of neutrophils and the level of MDA and IFN-γ in BALF of the drug administration control group and XFPC low-dose group decreased(P<0.05), and the proportion of macrophages in BALF increased(P<0.05) compared with the silicosis model group. There was no significant difference in lung coefficients and the relevant indices of BALF between XFPC medium-, high-dose groups and silicosis model group(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Low dosage XFPC can improve pulmonary fibrosis and inflammation in rats with silicosis, and its mechanism of action may be related to reducing the levels of IFN-γ and MDA in BALF.