Aged ; Faculty ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis

Objective To observe the effects of using problem-based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in clinical teaching in emergency intensive care unit (EICU).Methods Three hundred and twelve 5-year clinical medicine undergraduates from Xinjiang Medical University including 108 students in 2007 class and 204 students in 2008 class were enrolled. The students in each class were randomly divided into two groups, 54 students in each group in 2007 class and 102 students in each group in 2008 class. Randomized controlled trial was conducted; in the first half of a semester, the students in the two groups of each class were taught by PBL method and LBL method respectively. At the middle of the semester, written examination (WES), objective structure clinical examinations (OSCE) and self assessment questionnaire test were carried out to evaluate students' learning effect. In the second half of the semester, the teaching method in the two groups of each class was exchanged, and at the end of the semester, the same examinations were carried out, and the examination and questionnaire scores in the two groups of each class were compared.Results The results of comparisons of the WES and OSCE scores between two modes in each class showed that the scores of WES and OSCE of the PBL mode were obviously higher than those in the LBL mode (the first half of semester in 2007 class: WES: 23.20±3.33 vs. 22.78±4.41, OSCE: 27.60±6.44 vs. 25.45±6.35, in 2008 class: WES: 24.45±2.65 vs. 23.02±3.67, OSCE: 29.53±4.67 vs. 27.57±6.83, in the second half of the semester in 2007 class: WES: 24.60±3.67 vs. 23.46±2.57, OSCE: 28.50±4.78 vs. 28.01±5.78, in 2008 class: WES: 23.54±3.56 vs. 22.56±6.89, OSCE: 28.08±2.15 vs. 27.43±7.23,P < 0.05 orP < 0.01). The score results of self assessment questionnaires of students in two groups of 2007 class and 2008 class showed that the self learning ability, initiative, linking theory with practice, team power and attentiveness were significantly higher in the PBL teaching mode than those in the LBL teaching mode [the first half of the semester in 2007 class: self learning ability (score): 4.20±0.67 vs. 3.32±0.71, the initiative (score): 4.15±0.98 vs. 2.01±0.81, linking theory with practice (score): 4.09±0.65 vs. 3.52±0.89, team power (score): 4.43±0.56 vs. 3.08±0.43, attentiveness (score): 4.25±0.77 vs. 2.98±0.67; the second half of the semester in 2007 class: self learning ability (score): 4.23±0.77 vs. 2.11±0.98, the initiative (score): 4.59±0.85 vs. 3.20±0.73, linking theory with practice (score): 4.23±0.71 vs. 2.88±0.87, team power (score): 4.66±0.63 vs. 2.21±0.64, attentiveness (score): 4.21±0.73 vs. 2.28±0.43; the first half of the semester in 2008 class: self learning ability (score): 7.60±0.64 vs. 5.62±0.41, the initiative (score): 7.23±0.47 vs. 5.07±0.51, linking theory with practice (score): 7.04±0.67 vs. 4.56±0.59, team power (score): 7.33±0.55 vs. 5.06±0.47, attentiveness (score): 6.21±0.87 vs. 4.88±0.37; the second half of the semester in 2008 class: self learning ability (score): 7.03±0.71 vs. 5.11±0.48, the initiative (score): 7.89±0.57 vs. 5.20±0.33, linking theory with practice (score): 7.63±0.25 vs. 4.88±0.57, team power (score): 7.64±0.33 vs. 5.21±0.67, attentiveness (score): 7.01±0.89 vs. 6.01±0.90].Conclusion PBL method of teaching is worthwhile to be explored and spread extensively, especially in medicine, a scientific course involving much attention on practice, it embodies more importance.

Objective To access the effectiveness of modified early warning score (MEWS) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) in predicting the degree of injury and outcome for emergently admitted polytrauma patients.Methods In this single-center prospective study,266 polytrauma patients hospitalized from June 2012 to January 2013 were enrolled.MEWS and APACHE Ⅱ score were collected and compared for the rate of ICU admission,high dependency unit admission,outpatient therapy,death,and discharge within 30 days.Diagnostic and predictive performance of MEWS and APACHE Ⅱ were assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC).Results A higher values in MEWS and APACHE Ⅱ were linked to much severe injury,increased likelihood of admission to the ICU or high dependency unit and high mortality.Patients with MEWS value ≥5 had increased risk of death as compared with those with MEWS value ＜ 5 (x2 =90.749,P ＜0.01).MEWS =5,for injury severity evaluation,showed a sensitivity of 85.7％ and specificity of 84.8％.MEWS value≥5 predicted ICU admission with a sensitivity of 80.0％ and specificity of 91.1％ and high dependency unit admission with a sensitivity of 67.9％ and specificity of 79.9％.APACHE Ⅱ score ≥ 21 was associated with increased rate of death,with significant difference from that among patients with APACHE Ⅱ score ＜ 21 (x2 =73.518,P ＜ 0.01).APACHE Ⅱ score =21,for injury severity evaluation,showed a sensitivity of 90.5％ and specificity of 79.5％.APACHE Ⅱ score ≥ 21 predicted ICU admission with a sensitivity of 95.0％ and specificity of 73.6％ and high dependency unit admission with a sensitivity of 88.2％ and specificity of 72.8％.In prediction of prognosis,ICU admission and high dependency unit admission,area under the ROC curve with 95％ CI for NEWS was 0.889 (0.830-0.948),0.937 (0.900-0.975) and 0.946 (0.916-0.977) respectively and for APACHE Ⅱ was 0.939 (0.898-0.979),0.761 (0.677-0.845) and 0.832 (0.782-0.883) respectively.MEWS and APACHE Ⅱ score in death group were (6.4 ± 2.7) points and (29.9 ± 6.4) points,but lowered to (3.0 ± 1.5) points and (16.8 ± 5.7) points respectively in survival group (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions Both APACHE Ⅱ and MEWS have the ability to discriminate the severity of polytrauma patients and identify the potential of seriously ill patients.MEWS is more suitable for early identification of critically ill trauma patient due to its easy and quick operation as well as low cost,while APACHE Ⅱ is more suitable for evaluation of emergency observing patients and ICU patients.

60 kg) was given to all the patients 1-3 days after their operation.The pacing threshold and the amplitude of P and R waves on cardiograph were measured before injection and at 10,30,90,180 minutes afterwards.Results No significant changes were oburved in pacing threshold and the amplitade of P and R waves before and after the injection of metoprolol in patients with either newly implanted or replacement of permanent pacemakers.Conclusion Metoprolol tartrate has no effect on atrial and ventricular pacing threshold and the amplitude of P and R waves in patients with permanent pacemakers implantation.

Purpose: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor, with high morbidity in infants and adolescents. Long noncodingRNA LINC00313 has been found to modulate papillary thyroid cancer tumorigenesis and to be dysregulate in lung cancer.However, the role of LINC00313 in OS has not yet been addressed. Materials and Methods: We evaluated mRNA and protein expression using real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting. Cellproliferation was evaluated using MTT; apoptosis and autophagy were assessed with flow cytometry, Western blotting, and/orGFP-LC3 assay. Transwell assay was conducted to measure cell migration and invasion. Potential target sites for LINC00313 andmiR-342-3p were predicted with starBase v.2.0 and TargetScan Human, and verified using luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation,and RNA pull-down assay. In vivo, xenogeneic tumors were induced with U2OS and MG-63 cells, separately. Results: LINC00313 was upregulated and miR-342-3p was downregulated in OS tissues and cells. High expression of LINC00313was associated with shorter overall survival. FOSL2 downregulation and miR-342-3p overexpression suppressed cell proliferationand migratory and invasive abilities while promoting apoptosis and autophagy, all of which were consistent with the effects ofLINC00313 knockdown. miR-342-3p, sponged by LINC00313, inversely modulated FOSL2 by targeting MG-63 cells, and FOSL2expression was positively controlled by LINC00313. LINC00313 knockdown suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion LINC00313 is upregulated in OS, and LINC00313 knockdown plays a vital anti-tumor role in OS cell progressionthrough a miR-342-3p/FOSL2 axis. Our study suggests that LINC00313 may be a novel, promising biomarker for diagnosis andprognosis of OS.

BACKGROUND:At present,there are shortcomings and risks in the surgical revision of vertebral bodies that failed to be fixed in clinical practice.To avoid the risks of conventional revision surgery,the cortical bone trajectory technique is used to perform revision surgery on vertebral bodies that failed to be fixed.However,the mechanical properties of cortical bone trajectory technique screws in revision surgery are not clear. OBJECTIVE:The mechanical properties of cortical bone trajectory in lumbar revision surgery were analyzed by the finite element method to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of cortical bone trajectory in revision surgery. METHODS:CT scan data of the osteoporotic vertebral body were obtained and the L4 vertebral body model was established.The initial cortical bone trajectory placement and traditional pedicle screw in the L4 vertebral body model were completed,respectively,and their mechanical data were taken as the baseline standard for later evaluation of revision surgical performance.The traditional pedicle screw was removed and the screw path was retained.The cortical bone trajectory screw was used for secondary screw placement on the vertebral body to achieve lumbar refixation.The axial pull-out force,stability,and lumbar motion range of the revised screw were analyzed by the finite element method. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The screw axial pull-out force of the cortical bone trajectory revision group was 25.6%higher than that of the traditional pedicle initial group.(2)In the lower,left,and right working conditions,the load-displacement ratio of screws in the cortical bone trajectory revision group increased by 18.5%,41.3%,and 35.0%,respectively,compared with the traditional pedicle initial group.The load-displacement ratio of screws in the cortical bone trajectory revision group was slightly higher than that in the traditional pedicle initial group under the above condition,but there was no statistically significant difference(P>0.05).(3)In anterior and posterior flexion conditions,lumbar motion range in the cortical bone trajectory revision group was increased by 45.5%and 36.1%compared with the traditional pedicle initial group,but there was no statistically significant difference in left bend,right bend,and axial rotation conditions(P>0.05).(4)There were no statistically significant differences in screw axial pull-out force,screw load-displacement ratio,and lumbar motion range between the cortical bone trajectory revision group and cortical bone trajectory initial group(P>0.05).(5)The mechanical data exhibited that although the revised nail track bone was damaged or lost to a certain extent,the mechanical properties of the cortical bone trajectory revision group were still better than those of the traditional pedicle initial group to a certain extent.Moreover,there was no significant difference in the mechanical properties between the cortical bone trajectory revision group and the cortical bone trajectory initial group.It provides a reference for revision surgery of lumbar internal fixation with cortical bone trajectory technique in patients with failed traditional pedicle fixation.

Objective To analyze the risk factors for recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax and to establish a prediction model.Methods The clinical data of 803 patients clearly diagnosed with primary spontaneous pneumothorax in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2010 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed,and 70％of the patients were randomly included in the modeling group(562 patients)and 30％in the validation group(241 patients).Risk factors for recurrence were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression using R 4.2.1 software,and a Nomogram prediction model was developed.Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to assess model discrimination,and calibration curves were plotted to assess model calibration.Results The overall recurrence rate was 22.67％(182/803).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age,smoking index,dystrophic severity score and treatment regimens were independent risk factors for recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax,and the AUC of the Nomogram prediction model was 71.7％(95％CI 64.1-79.2),with high predictive efficiency.Conclusion This recurrence prediction model of primary spontaneous pneumothorax can assist clinicians to accurately assess the risk of recurrence in individual patients.

BACKGROUND:Autophagy may be involved in the pathological process of steroid-induced necrosis of the femoral head(SINFH).Some studies have confirmed that circular RNAs(circRNAs)have a regulatory mechanism in SINFH;however,whether circCDR1as affects autophagy in SINFH has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE:To explore the level of autophagy and the regulatory mechanism of circCDR1as in SINFH. METHODS:Gene expression profiles of SINFH and control rats were extracted from the GSE26316 dataset and differential expression analysis was performed.Subsequently,the biological functions of differentially expressed genes were analyzed.Then,the target miRNAs of circCDR1as and the target genes of target miRNAs were predicted.Further,the target genes were compared with the differentially expressed genes to construct the regulatory network of circCDR1as.In addition,femoral head samples from patients with SINFH and healthy control individuals were collected.Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were also applied for cellular experiments and randomly divided into bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell group,model group(methylprednisolone-treated),model+si-NC group,and model+si-CDR1as group.RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of circCDR1as and target genes in cells and tissue samples.Western blot was used to examine the expression of autophagy proteins.The luciferase reporter gene vectors,pmirGLO-CDR1as(WT),pmirGLO-RAF1(WT),pmirGLO-CDR1as(MUT),and pmirGLO-RAF1(MUT),were constructed and transfected into the cells.miR-7-5p mimic and mimic NC groups were established.The target-regulatory relationship of the circCDR1as network was detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:A total of 1 283 differentially expressed genes were identified between the SINFH and control groups,which were mainly involved in apoptotic and autophagic signaling pathways.Prediction analysis revealed that circCDR1as targeted 6 miRNAs,which in turn regulated 305 target genes.Among these target genes,31 showed differential expression in SINFH.Among the differentially expressed target genes,RAF1,involved in autophagy,was selected as a key gene,leading to the construction of the circCDR1as/miR-7-5p/RAF1 regulatory network.Compared with the control group,circCDR1as,RAF1,and autophagy levels were upregulated in patients with SINFH and in hormone-induced bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(P<0.05),while miR-7-5p expression was downregulated(P<0.05).Knockdown of circCDR1as significantly decreased cellular autophagy levels(P<0.05).Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed the targeting relationships between circCDR1as and miR-7-5p,as well as between miR-7-5p and RAF1.To conclude,the CircCDR1as/miR-7-5p/RAF1 may potentially promote SINFH through autophagy.Targeting circCDR1as is a potential strategy for partial autophagic repair in the treatment of SINFH.

Objective A novel variable-diameter cortical threaded screw used in a modified cortical bone trajectory(MCBT)was designed to verify its mechanical properties using the MCBT technique.Methods According to MCBT technology,the screw pitch was fixed at 2 mm,the total length was 45 mm,the diameter of the thick rod was 5.5 mm,the diameter of the thin rod was 4.0-4.5 mm,and the length of variable-diameter position connecting the thick rod and the thin rod was 2 mm.The parameters were set based on three aspects:variable-diameter position,thread depth,and thread type.Three-factor and three-level L9 tests were conducted and screw models were established.The torsion and the bending and pull-out force of the designed screws were calculated based on the finite element method,the results were analyzed using range analysis,and then the screw models were determined.The three-dimensional(3D)model of L4 vertebral body in osteoporosis specimens was established and screws were placed according to the MCBT technique.The pull-out force of the novel variable-diameter cortical threaded screw was compared with that of a conventional non-variable-diameter cortical threaded screw.Results Range analysis showed that screw No.6(variable-diameter position:24 mm from the screw head,thread depth:0.7 mm,45° symmetrical thread)was the optimal screw.The anti-pull-out force of the No.6 variable-diameter cortical threaded screw was 13.1%higher than that of the 4.5 mm conventional non-variable-diameter cortical threaded screw,and no statistical difference in anti-pull-out force was found between the No.6 variable-diameter cortical threaded screw and the 5.5 mm conventional non-variable-diameter cortical threaded screw.Conclusions The variable-diameter position has the smallest influence on pull-out force of the screw,the thread type has the largest influence on pull-out force,and the thread depth has the largest influence on torsion and bending.Compared with that of the conventional non-variable-diameter cortical threaded screw,the variable-diameter cortical threaded screw had a smaller front end,which prevented splitting at the entrance point of the screw.The screw has a large diameter at rear end,thereby showing improved pull-out performance.The results provide a new theoretical basis for the clinical application of MCBT technology.