267 newly-diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into normoalbuminuria group [group N-UAlb, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR)<30 mg/g, n=103], microalbuminuria group(group M-UAlb, UACR 30~300 mg/g, n=88 ) , and macroalbuminuria group ( group L-UAlb, UACR>300 mg/g, n=76). The control group(group NC) consisted of 114 healthy individuals. Serum betatrophin, adiponectin(APN), and interleukin-1β( IL-1β) levels were determined with ELISA methods and the parameters of body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR), HbA1C, fasting plasma glucose(FPG), OGTT 2h plasma glucose(2hPG), fasting insulin(FINS), OGTT 2h postprandial insulin(2hPINS), fasting C-peptide(FCP), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistant index(HOMA-IR), and blood lipid were collected. Compared with group NC, the serum betatrophin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes were obviously increased. In patients with type 2 diabetes, betatrophin levels increased along with the increase of UACR and there were significant differences in betatrophin among the three groups(P<0. 01). Betatrophin positively correlated with UACR, HbA1C, FPG, 2hPG, FINS, 2hPINS, HOMA-IR, TC, LDL-C, and TG( r were 0. 785, 0. 225, 0. 136, 0. 241, 0. 386, 0. 223, 0. 411, 0.216,0.193,and0.298,allP<0.05),and betatrophin were also positively correlated with APN and IL-1β(rwere 0. 643 and 0. 710, both P<0. 01). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that UACR, HbA1C, FINS, and TG were independent relevant factors affecting betatrophin levels.

Objective To investigate the plasma levels of tissue factor pathway inhibitor(TFPI)in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP)and the changes of it after therapy with heparin.Methods Forty-six HSP children were enrolled in HSP group according to the criterion,and 23 normal healthy children as controls.The plasma levels of TFPI were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in both groups.Forty-six HSP children were divided into 2 groups randomly:heparin therapy group(n=23)and conventional therapy group(n=23).The plasma levels of TFPI were measured before therapy,on the 7th day and the 14th day after therapy,respectively.Results 1.The plasma levels of TFPI in HSP group [(59.337?21.750)?g/L] significantly decreased than those of control group [(88.761?12.214)?g/L](t=7.185 P

Objective To investigate the prevalence of low T3 syndrome in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI) and explore the effect of low T3 syndrome on outcome of AMI.MethodsThree hundred and thirty-eight patients with AMI admitted to cardiac care unit(CCU) underwent examinations of thyroid function and cardial ultrasound,and were further categorized according to thyroid hormone profile.The records of noninvasive bi-level positive airway pressure(BiPAP)ventilation utilization,length of hospital stay,mortality during hospitalization were evaluated,and the related factors were analysed.ResultsOne hundred and thirty-nine of the 338 patients(41.12%) with AMI complicated with low T3 syndrome.Free triiodothyronine(FT3) was the independent influential factor for length of hospital stay.Low FT3 was significantly correlated with noninvasive BiPAP ventilation utilization and mortality during hospitalization.The average time of follow-up was(21.4?8.1) months.It was revealed by multivariate Cox regression analysis that FT3 was the chief predictor for cumulative death(risk ratio,4.25;95% confidential interval,2.30-7.87),followed by age and left ventricular ejection fraction.ConclusionThe recognition of AMI complicated with low T3 syndrome plays an important role in predicting the disease severity and outcome.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correct method of bone resection and posterior capsular soft tissue releasing in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for the patients with rheumatoid arthritis with stiff knee in flexion.

METHODSFrom November 2009 to January 2012,15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with stiff knee in flexion underwent primary TKA and releasing of the posterior soft tissues. There were 7 males and 8 females,aged 22 to 75 years old (58.7 years old on average). The preoperative range of movement(ROM) was (3.2 ± 1.7)°. According to Knee Society score (KSS) criterion, the preoperative clinical score was 23.3 ± 12.5 and functional score was 35.2 ± 9.8. Based on the correct osteotomy, effective releasing of posterior structures was used for different degrees of flexion contracture during the TKA procedure.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the average duration was 2.3 years (1.6 to 3 years). At the latest follow-up,the KSS clinical score was 81.7 ± 6.5 and functional score was 82.8 ± 9.3. The flexion and extension ROM of the knee joint was (103.5 ± 13.1). Three knees remained 50 flexion contracture deformity, but the function of the affect knees was good.

CONCLUSIONThe effective releasing of the soft tissue of posterior capsule is a major management for correction of the flexion contracture in TKA. The correct releasing of posterior structure can not only achieve fundamental gap of TKA but also effectively avoid bone over-resection.

Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; complications ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Arthrogryposis ; surgery ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Capsule Release ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Range of Motion, Articular

Objective To explore the effects of intestinal trefoil factor ( ITF) on gastric mucosal epithelial cell proliferation and its possible molecular mechanism . Methods The cultured GES-1 cells were treated with ITF in the concentration of 100 ng/mL and 500 ng/mL in vitro, and then were observed using microscope for the morphological analysis .The Cell Counting Kit-8 ( CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation activity of GES-1.The cultured GES-1 cells were treated with 100 ng/mL ITF and the specific inhibitor of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway LY294002 (15μmol/L) in vitro, and then were observed using microscope for the morphological analysis . The proliferation activity of treated GES-1cells was detected using CCK-8 and the expressions of p-Akt and Akt of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway were determined by Western blot . Results Compared with the control group , the proliferation activity of GES-1 cells in-creased after being treated with ITF and the higher concentration of ITF induced the higher proliferation activity .LY294002 inhibited the increased proliferation activity of GES-1induced by ITF.The data of Western blot indicated that ITF induced the expression of p -Akt and activated the P3IK/Akt signaling pathway to modulate the proliferation activity of GES -1 cells.However, LY294002 inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and then decreased the proliferation activity of GES -1 cells. Conclusion ITF could promote the proliferation ac-tivity of GES-1 cells by activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway .

A new algorithm using the geometric active contour model with the fusion of color and intensity priors to segment medical images is presented in this paper. The prior knowledge used here are firstly defined in different color spaces and represented as thresholds searched by the genetic algorithm. Then the prior knowledge is merged into active contour model with its contour evolution by the level set technique. The experiments on clinical marrow images and mammograms have successfully demonstrated its superiority of the proposed algorithm over the existing active contour models which deal with image gradient information.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Color ; Image Enhancement ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted

Objective Acute coronary syndrome ( ACS) is frequently accompanied by chronic comorbidities , which may se-riously affect its prognosis .This study aims to investigate the value of the Charlson Comorbidity Index ( CCI) in predicting the outcome of ACS by assessing the impact of individual and post-weighted-assignment comorbid conditions of the disease . Methods We retro-spectively analyzed the clinical data on 1 096 cases of ACS treated in Jinling Hospital from January 2010 to March 2014 .We reviewed their general information , clinical presentations , complications , and previous treatments , calculated CCI , and used in-hospital mortali-ty as the index for judging the prognosis . Results Of the 1 096 patients, 73%were males (aged 64.2 ±12.9 years), 27% were females (aged 72.1 ±12.6 years), and 46.8% had comorbidities. Of the diseases included in the CCI system , previous myocardial infarction was the most frequent comorbidity (18.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus ( 14.7%), moderately to severe renal disease (7.1%), cerebrovascular disease (6.0%), and chronic lung dis-ease (6.0%).Single factor analysis revealed statistically significant differences between different CCI groups in such clinical indicators as history of coronary artery disease , history of hypertension , time between symptom onset and admission , hemodynamics , drugs adminis-tered (aspirin, P2Y12 blockers, ACEI/ARB or statins), and reperfusion therapy (P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed the strongest predictors of in-hospital mortality were heart failure (OR 1.88, 95%CI:1.57-2.25), metastatic tumor (OR 2.25, 95%CI:1.60-3.19), renal disease (OR 1.84, 95% CI:1.60-2.11), and diabetes mellitus (OR 1.35, 95% CI:1.19-1.19). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis manifested that either CCI with age or CCI with age and gender was superior to CCI a -lone in predicting in-hospital mortality of ACS patients (AUC 0.761 [95%CI 0.748-0.773] and 0.756 [95%CI:0.743-0.768] vs 0.670 [95%CI:0.656-0.685]). Conclusion Heart failure, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, and metastatic tumors contrib-ute to the in-hospital mortality of ACS patients .CCI together with age and gender may help to assess the prognosis of the disease .

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect and mechanism of periodontal initial therapy on type 2 diabetes patients with periodontitis.

METHODS15 type 2 diabetes patients with periodontitis were selected. Their body mass index (BMI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing depth (PD), circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentration, and the value of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), triglycerides (TG) and cholesterol (CHOL) were assessed respectively before and 4-6 weeks after periodontal initial therapy.

RESULTSAfter initial therapy, SBI, PD, circulating TNF-alpha concentration, and the value of HbA1C and TG were reduced significantly (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in BMI and CHOL value (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPeriodontal initial therapy can effectively reduce HbA1C value in type 2 diabetes patients with periodontitis, possibly through the reduction of circulating TNF-alpha concentration.

Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin A ; analysis ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontitis ; blood ; therapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; analysis

Objective To investigate the cognition level of nurse students on the influencing factors of nursing safety.Methods Totals of 371 nurse students prior to entering the bunch from three hospitals were involved in this study and relevant data were investigated with "The Questionnaire of Influencing Factors on Nursing Safety".Results The average scores of influencing factors ( list from highest to lowest priority) of four dimensions were that,"quality and expertise of nurse personnel" ( 4.584 ± 0.557 ),"administration of organization" (4.464 ±0.634),"work environment of nurse personnel" (4.319 ±0.693 ),"environment of clinic" (4.383 ± 0.685 ).The term score of "basic knowledge theory and operation skills" in the dimension of "quality and expertise of nurse personnel" "was highest ( 4.80 ± 0.443 ),and the" Drug put and marking" score in the dimension of "work environment of nurse personnel"was highest (4.61 ± 0.561 ),the term score of "medical equipment and ward products performance" (4.46 ± 0.64) was highest in the dimension of "environment of clinic",and "all kinds of rescue accident emergency plan" score (4.70 ±0.540) was highest in administration of organization dimension.Conclusions Nurse students can realize the importance of influencing factors of nursing safety. Strengthen consciousness of nursing students on nursing safety and regulations is important for cultivating nursing students' comprehensive quality and the capacity to prevent security risks and avoid the occurrence of mistakes and accidents in internship hospitals.

BACKGROUNDEndothelial and smooth muscle cells were used as seeding cells and heterogeneous acellularized matrix was used as scaffold to construct the tissue-engineered graft.

METHODSA 2 weeks piglet was selected as a donor of seeding cells. Two-centimetre length of common carotid artery was dissected. Endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were harvested by trypsin and collagenase digestion respectively. The isolated cells were cultured and expanded using routine cell culture technique. An adult sheep was used as a donor of acellularized matrix. The thoracic aorta was harvested and processed by a multi-step decellularizing technique to remove the original cells and preserve the elastic and collagen fibers. The cultured smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were then seeded to the acellularized matrix and incubated in vitro for another 2 weeks. The cell seeded graft was then transplanted to the cell-donated piglet to substitute part of the native pulmonary artery.

RESULTSThe cultured cells from piglet were characterized as endothelial cells by the presence of specific antigens vWF and CD31, and smooth muscle cells by the presence of specific antigen alpha-actin on the cell surface respectively with immunohistochemical technique. After decellularizing processing for the thoracic aorta from sheep, all the cellular components were extracted and elastic and collagen fibers kept their original morphology and structure. The maximal load of acellular matrix was decreased and 20% lower than that of untreated thoracic aorta, but the maximal tensions between them were not different statistically and they had similar load-tension curves. Three months after transplantation, the animal was sacrificed and the graft was removed for observation. The results showed that the inner surfaces of the graft were smooth, without thrombosis and calcification. Under microscopy, a great number of growing cells could be seen and elastic and collagen fibers were abundant.

CONCLUSIONCultured self-derived endothelial and smooth muscle cells could be used as seeding cells and heterogeneous acellularized matrix could be used as scaffold in constructing tissue-engineered graft.

Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Transplantation ; Cells, Cultured ; Graft Survival ; Sheep ; Swine ; Tissue Engineering ; instrumentation ; methods ; Transplantation, Heterologous