Objective To explore the effects of high-dose ambroxol hydrochloride (Mucosolvan) on pulmonary protection and anti-inflammatory in traumatic brain injury patients treated by mild hypothermia.Methods From June 2008 to June 2012,40 elderly traumatic brain injury patients aged 60-70 years treated by mild hypothermia in our hospital were selected.Patients were randomly divided into two groups:low-dose ambroxol hydrochloride group and high dose ambroxol hydrochloride (n=20,each).Patients in low-dose ambroxol hydrochloride group were treated with ambroxol 30 mg plus saline infusion,3 times/day; while patients in high-dose ambroxol hydrochloride group were treated with ambroxol 300mg plus saline infusion,3 times/day; both groups were treated for 7 days.The changes of characteristic and quantity of sputum,PaO2and PaO2/FiO2,and serum TNF α level were analyzed at day 1,3,7.Duration of mechanical ventilation,tracheotomy proportion,and mortality were compared between the two groups 3 months after treatment.Results At day 3-7 after the intervention,the sputum got thinner and less,and more easy to suck in highdose group than in low-dose group (thin sputum proportion:75％ vs.40％,P =0.025; clean proportion by once suction:65％ vs.25％,P=0.011).The improvement of PaO2,PaO2/FiO2 were more significant in high dose group than in low dose group (PaO2 ∶ 3d,(92.3±12.3) mm Hg vs.(83.3±15.2) mm Hg,P=0.046;7d,(95.9±12.5) mm Hgvs.(87.1±11.7) mm Hg,P=0.028;PaO2/FiO2∶3d,(290.8± 15.8) mmHgvs.(221.8± 16.4) mm Hg,P=0.000;7d,(296.3±16.9)mm Hg vs.(238.4±15.0) mm Hg,P=0.000).Serum concentrations of TNF α was lower in highdose group than in low dose group [3d,(54.1± 4.9) ng/L vs.(71.4± 5.6) ng/L,P=0.000;7d,(35.1± 2.7) ng/L vs.(63.3±4.3) ng/L,P 0.000].Duration of mechanical ventilation was shorter and tracheotomy proportion was lower in high dose group than in low dose group [(116.8±18.7) hrsvs.(178.4±35.5) hrs,P=0.000; 25％ vs.60％,P=0.025].There was no significant difference in mortality between groups 3 months after treatment.Conclusions The application of high dose ambroxol can improve respiratory function,decrease duration of mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy proportion,and reduce the systemic inflammatory response in elderly traumatic brain injury patients treated by mild hypothermia,but without long-term survival benefit.

China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Pneumoconiosis ; epidemiology

Objective To investigate the prognostic value of fever burden in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients.Methods A retrospective analysis of 355 TBI patients admitted to the emergency department and intensive care unit from November 2010 to October 2012 was performed,and the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) was followed-up 6 months after the injury.The patients were divided into two groups according to the GOS:good outcome group (4 to 5) and poor outcome group (1 to 3).Relevant clinical findings were studied by statistical description,logistic regression analysis,Spearman correlation analysis and ROC curve analysis.Results Fever burden level was continuously increased with the decrease of GOS from score 5 to 2,except for score 1 of GOS,which was corresponding to a significant lower fever burden.There were significant differences in age,pupil reactivity,Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and fever burden between two groups (P ＜ 0.05).Compared to the good outcome group,the poor outcome group was featured with more advanced average age (P =0.000),poorer pupil reactivity (P =0.000),lower GCS score (P =0.000) and higher fever burden level (P =0.000).Univariate logistic regression analysis suggested that age,GCS,pupil reactivity and fever burden level (OR 1.166,95％ CI:1.117-1.217) were associatedwith poor outcome.The fever burden level and the other independent prognostic predictors as age,GCS and pupil reactivity were further included in the multivariate logistic regression model,and the adjusted OR of fever burden level was 1.098 (95％ CI:1.031-1.169,P =0.003).ROC curve analysis showed the respective AUC for fever burden was 0.713 (95％ CI:0.663-0.760).The relevant analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between the fever burden and the GOS score (r =-0.376,95％ CI:-0.462--0.283,P =0.000).Conclusions Fever burden can be considered as an independent predictor of poor outcome of patients with TBI.The TBI patients with early onset of high levels of fever burden will have increased poor outcome risk.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of serum uric acid for patients with traumatic brain injury.Methods A total of 330 patients with traumatic brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score,GCS:3-14) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between November 2010 and October 2012 were enrolled.They were divided into a survival group (GOS:2-5) and a non-survival group (GOS:1).The levels of serum uric acid were measured from venous blood in the morning of the second day after admission.Clinical data were analyzed by logistic regression model,spearman correlation,and ROC curve analysis.Results Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum uric acid was significantly correlated with GCS (r =-0.270 1,P =0.000) and GOS (r =-0.251 2,P =0.000).Age,GCS,pupil reaction and serum uric acid were determined as independent predictors for death by logistic model.The adjusted OR of uric acid was 1.0048,(95％ CI:1.001 9-1.007 6,P =0.001).The area under the ROC curve was 0.718,(95％ CI:0.666-0.766),the optimal cut-off value determined by the Youden index was 304 μmol/L (sensitivity:60.24％,specificity:78.14％,correctly classified:73.64％).In the core model (Age + GCS + Pupil reaction),theR2 value was 0.476 4.With uric acid added into,the predictive power of the model increased to R2 =0.510 5 (7.2％ increased).Conclusions The level of serum uric acid is significantly correlated with the severity of TBI and could be used as an independent predictor for death.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mallory-Weiss Syndrome

Objective To investigate the effect of intermittent hypoxia (IH) with pulmonary emphysema on the ex-pression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α),Bax and Bcl-2, and the mechanism underlying the role of HIF-1αin he-patocyte apoptosis thereof. Methods Sixty rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control group, rats were treated normally;IH group, rats were treated by 30 s nitrogen and then 90 s air, and rats were treated by from 9:00-17:00 daily;pulmonary emphysema group, rats were treated by smudging for half an hour, twice a day (8:00 and 18:00);IH with pul-monary emphysema group, rats were treated by 30 s nitrogen and then 90 s air from 9:00-17:00 daily. After exposure four-teen weeks, rats were killed. qRT-PCR assay was conducted to detect the expression of HIF-1α mRNA, Bax mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA in live tissues. Results The expressions of HIF-1αmRNA, Bax mRNA and Bax/Bcl-2 were significantly higher in IH with pulmonary emphysema group than those in control group,IH group and pulmonary emphysema group (P<0.05). The expression level of Bcl-2 mRNA was significantly lower in IH with pulmonary emphysema group than that of con-trol group and pulmonary emphysema group (P < 0.05), but no significant difference compared with that of IH group (P >0.05). The levels of HIF-1αand Bax were positively correlated with the level of Bax/Bcl-2 (r=0.732 and 0.699),but the lev-els of HIF-1αand Bax were negatively correlated with the level of Bcl-2 (r=-0.705). Conclusion The expression levels of HIF-1αmRNA, Bax mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA were over-regulated in hepatocytes induced by intermittent hypoxia with pul-monary emphysema. The HIF-1αexpression was correlated with Bax and Bcl-2, suggesting that HIF-1αmay promote the hepatocyte apoptosis through transcriptional co-activators, Bax and Bcl-2.

Objective To describe a novel surgical technique for male long-segment urethral stric- ture after pelvic trauma using the intact and pedieled pendulous urethra to replace the bulbar and membra- nous urethra,and then reconstructing anterior urethra.Methods Three patients with long-segment post- traumatic bulbar and membranous urethral strictures with short left pendulous urethras who had undergone several failed previous surgeries were treated with staged pendulous-prostatic anastomotic urethroplasty fol- lowed by reconstruction of the anterior urethra.This procedure was divided into 3 stages.The first-stage sur- gery was mobilization of anterior urethra down to the coronary sulcus and then re-routing the prostatic urethra followed by pendulous-prostatic anastomotic urethroplasty with transposition of penis to perineum.The sec- ond-stage surgery was transecting the anterior urethra at the site of coronary sulcus 6 months later when it was re-vaseularized,then straightening the penis and performing urethroperineostomy.The third-stage surgery was reconstruction of anterior urethra 6 months later.Results Case 1 reported satisfactory voiding postopera- tively.Retrograde urethrography showed that the urethra was patent with no post-voiding residual urine (PVR),and bilateral vesicoureteral reflux almost disappeared.The Qmax was 18.8ml/s,and 18ml/s after the third stage surgery and at 2-year follow-up.Case 2 also had satisfactory voiding.A 22F urethral catheter could smoothly pass through the urethra,and Qmax was 19.5 ml/s with no PVR at 2-year follow-up.Case 3 underwent the first stage surgery through perineal and pubic routes.The urethrorectal and urethroperineal fis- tulas were excised and repaired simultaneously.After operation the fistulas healed,but the stenostomia resul- ting from wound infection needed further treatment.Conclusions This procedure is effective for men with complex long-segment post-traumatic bulbar and membranous urethral strictures,especially for those undergo- ing failed previous surgical treatment.

Objective To observe the effect of exposure of emphysema with intermittent hypoxia on oxidative stress injury of myocardial cells in rats. Methods Sixty male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four experimental groups(each n=15). The normal control group was bred normally. The emphysema group was exposed to cigarette smoke twice a day(once 30 minutes). The intermittent hypoxia(IH)group was exposed to intermittent hypoxia circumstance 8 hours/day,and the emphysema with IH group was exposed to cigarette smoke twice a day (once 30 minutes)and intermittent hypoxia circumstance 8 hours/day. Each group was exposed for 8 weeks. At the beginning of 9 weeks,the blood gas analysis was performed in 5 rats selected randomly from each group,and the rest rats were sacrificed and their hearts and lungs were taken. Under light microscope,the lung tissues stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE)were examined. The lung pathology and the results of blood gas analysis showed that the emphysema with IH rat model was established successfully. The levels of malonaldehyde(MDA)and superoxide dismutase(SOD)in rat myocardium were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and the subunit p22phox mRNA expressions of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)-oxidase were detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results Compared with the normal group, the MDA levels and p22phox mRNA expressions were increased obviously in emphysema group, IH group and emphysema with IH group〔MDA(μmol/g):2.93±0.54, 3.58±0.63, 4.51±0.72 vs. 1.75±0.56, p22phox mRNA:0.043±0.004,0.067±0.015,0.123±0.016 vs. 0.018±0.002,all P<0.05〕,but the activities of SOD were decreased significantly(U/mg:36.07±4.79,33.51±7.12,24.29±5.36 vs. 46.08±5.12,all P<0.05). In emphysema with IH group,the increase of MDA levels and p22phox mRNA expressions and decrease of SOD levels were more remarkable compared with those in emphysema group and IH group(all P<0.05). The expression of p22phox mRNA was positively correlated with MDA level(r=0.734,P<0.001). Conclusion The myocardial tissue oxidative stress injury in rats induced by emphysema with intermittent hypoxia exposure is more serious than that induced by exposure of either emphysema or intermittent hypoxia alone,NADPH oxidase possibly being the important medium of myocardial cell response to oxidative stress.

Minimal access spinal surgery(MASS),a new minimally invasive technique,has been developed on the basis of classic minimally invasive spinal surgery(MISS).With some special equipments,this procedure can reduce approach-related morbidity and collateral damage to surrounding tissues,and can be performed under direct visualization of the spine.The MASS combines the merits of MISS and traditional open procedures,and comparable results can be obtained while decreasing approach-related complications and learning curve.Now,the application of MASS has become more frequent in clinical practice due to its favourable characteristics in curative effect,postoperative recovery and economic efficacy.

A diving decompression procedure is a specific rule that divers should follow when they ascend and get out of water. It comes from the decompression theory and algorithm and is designed for the prevention of decompression sickness. With the ， ， development of diving technology and diving medicine the decompression procedures are constantly innovated and the new ， decompression procedure can be used in diving practice after safety verification. In principle the safety verification of ， decompression procedures should be conducted on animal experiments before human experiments and the risks of ， decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity should be systematically assessed. However the assessment methods used in ， ， ， different studies differ greatly thus it is urgent to establish a standard and universal verification system. Traditionally the risk ， ， assessment of decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity is mainly carried out by observing the incidence detecting bubbles ， theoretical calculation and lung functional test. Furthermore biochemical indicators are increasingly becoming important ， ， supplements. Due to the special underwater environment the diving operation is prone to accidents. Therefore in addition to ， verifying the safety of the new decompression procedure exploring its safety decompression limit is of great significance for the formulation of emergency decompression procedures in emergency situations. The specific approach is to shorten the decompression time and assess the safety until the critical time for detecting bubbles without the occurrence of decompression ， ， sickness is found. Future studies should continue to optimize safety assessment methods explore sensitive biochemical markers ， clarify species associations and improve verification efficiency and reliability of results.