Objective:To evaluate the performance of RapidArc technique on cervical cancer patients with various filling status of the bladder. Methods: Conventional fixed field intensity modulation radiated therapy (IMRT) is used as the benchmark. In 10 fe-males suffering from cervical cancer, two CT scans were performed for treatment planning:one with an empty bladder and the other with filled bladder. The prescribed dose was 50 Gy. The images of that with an evacuated bladder and that with filled bladder were planned in the dual-arc RapidArc and the 7-field IMRT, respectively. The implementor of the plan was the Varian TrueBeam linear ac-celerator. Dose-volume histogram was used to evaluate the data from each plan. Results:When the bladder was filled, IMRT and Rapi-dArc homogeneity were 1.05 and 1.04 (P>0.05), respectively. When the bladder was emptied, the homogeneity was 1.04 for both plans (P>0.05). With or without bladder filling, the conformity index was 0.71 and 0.73 for IMRT and RapidArc (P>0.05), respectively. The effect of V30 and V40 (volume for receiving doses of 30 and 40 Gy) on the intestine and the bladder was more favorable in a full than in an empty bladder. No significant difference between the two plans was observed. IMRT exhibited improved V30 on the rectum and on the bladder. RapidArc was much better in terms of monitor unit (MU) and deliver time. Conclusion:No significant differences in the homogeneity and conformity index between dual-arc RapidArc and 7-field IMRT were observed. Filled bladder is better than empty bladder in intestine and bladder protection in both RapidArc and IMRT. IMRT is better on V30 of the rectum and the bladder, whereas RapidArc improved MU and deliver time.

This study was aimed to observe the effects on glucolipid metabolism of aqueous extract of traditional South African herb Sutherlandia. Intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) combined with high fat feed method was used in the establishment of type 2 diabetes rat model. Then, rats were randomly divided into the normal group, model group, pioglitazone group, and the Sutherlandia group. Observation was made on changes of body weight, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C). Western blot method was used to detect IRS-1 expression of skeletal muscle in rats of each group. The results showed that compared with the normal group, body weight in the model group was decreased, and indicators of OGTT, TG, TC, LDL-C were significantly increased (P< 0.05). Symptoms such as increased drink-ing, eating and urine were obvious; and the IRS-1 expression was obviously decreased (P< 0.05). After treatment, compared with the model group, there was no significant body weight increase in the Sutherlandia group or the pi-oglitazone group. Indicators of blood glucose, TG, TC in the Sutherlandia group and the pioglitazone group were ob-viously decreased with no statistical difference (P< 0.05 or P< 0.01). In the Sutherlandia group and the pioglitazone group, IRS-1 expression of skeletal muscle in rats was obviously increased with no statistical difference (P< 0.05). It was concluded that type 2 diabetes rats induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ combined with high fat feed method can induce glucolipid metabolism disorders. Traditional South African herb Sutherlandia can obviously reduce the blood sugar level, improve blood lipid metabolism, and improve the level of insulin. Sutherlandia can improve the IRS-1 expression of skeletal muscle in rats, relief the insulin resistance, and lower blood sugar. However, the effect of its exact ways required further in-depth study.

Objective To explore the predictive value of dynamic serum phosphorus levels in the evaluation of prognosis in patients with sepsis. Methods A retrospective study was conducted. The septic patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of the Second People's Hospital of Changzhou from January 2016 to June 2017 were enrolled, who were ≥18 years old and whose length of ICU stay > 72 hours. These patients were divided into survival group and death group according to 28-day outcome. The general information, the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ) score within 24 hours of ICU admission, the serum phosphorus at 1, 3, 5, 7 days after admission were collected. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted according to the dynamic serum phosphorus levels and APACHE Ⅱ score for evaluating the predictive value of 28-day prognosis. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the 28-day cumulative survival rate between two groups of patients, who were divided according to the corresponding time of the serum phosphorus cut-off value. Results ① Eighty-five patients with sepsis were enrolled, among whom 25 cases were in the death group and the mortality was 29.4%. APACHE Ⅱ score in the death group was significantly higher than that in the survival group (22.28±3.98 vs. 16.05±5.44, P < 0.01), the rate of using vasoactive drugs was significantly higher than that in the survival group [64.0% (16/25) vs. 31.7% (19/60), P < 0.01], but there was no significant difference in the length of invasive mechanical ventilation and ICU stay between two groups.② The level of serum phosphorus was increased in survival group along with time of the treatment, and the death group showed a downward trend. The levels of serum phosphorus at 3, 5, 7 days after admission to ICU in death group were significantly lower than those in survival group (mmol/L: 0.90±0.24 vs. 1.05±0.19 at 3 days, 0.96±0.16 vs. 1.11±0.17 at 5 days, 0.83±0.19 vs. 1.21±0.14 at 7 days, all P < 0.01).③ROC curve analysis showed that APACHE Ⅱ score and serum phosphorus level on the 7th day could significantly predict 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis, and the areas under ROC curve (AUC) of them were 0.813 and 0.945 respectively (both P < 0.01). The AUC of serum phosphorus level on the 3rd day and 5th day were 0.692 and 0.745 respectively (both P < 0.01). Based on serum phosphorus cut-off value 1.01 mmol/L on the 7th day to evaluate the predictive value of 28-day mortality, the sensitivity was 91.7%, the specificity was 84.0%, the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 5.73 and 0.10 respectively. ④ Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 28-day survival rate was significantly higher and the length of survival was significantly longer if the serum phosphorus were higher than the cut-off value at different time points of ICU admission. The 28-day survival rate was significantly higher and the length of survival was significantly longer in the patients with serum phosphorus > 1.01 mmol/L than those serum phosphorus ≤ 1.01 mmol/L on the 7th day [28-day survival rate: 93.2% (55/59) vs. 22.7% (5/22), χ2= 49.697, P = 0.000; survival period (days): 27.1±3.6 vs. 19.8±7.8, t = 4.768, P =0.000]. Conclusion The continuous decline of serum phosphorus indicates poor prognosis, and the serum phosphorus level on the 7th day is one of the most important indicator to evaluate the prognosis of patients with sepsis.

Objective:To explore the sequence of reduction and fixation in the treatment of middle and lower tibiofibular fractures on the same plane using tibial intramedullary nailing plus fibular plating.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the 58 patients with middle and lower tibiofibular fractures on the same plane from January 2016 to December 2017. They were 38 males and 20 females, aged from 20 to 65 years (average, 40 years). The left side was affected in 30 cases and the right in 28. By the AO classification, 27 cases were type 42-A, 18 ones type 42-B and 13 ones type 42-C. Of them, 33 had the fibula reduced and fixated first (the fibular group) while 25 had the tibia reduced and fixated first (the tibial group). The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time, rate of tibial closed reduction, rate of dynamization of intramedullary nails, fracture healing time and postoperative complications.Results:All the patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (average, 17.2 months). The operation time in the fibular group was 96 minutes ± 15 minutes, significantly shorter than that in the tibial group (116 minutes ± 19 minutes)( P<0.05). The rate of tibial closed reduction was 84.8% (28/33) in the fibular group and 60.0%(15/25) in the tibial group, presenting a significant difference ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the rate of dynamization of intramedullary nails, fracture healing time or postoperative complications ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Tibial intramedullary nailing plus fibular plate osteosynthesis is an effective treatment for the middle and lower tibiofibular fractures on the same plane. When the fracture line is not located in the narrow segment of the tibia, reduction and fixation of the fibula first is advantageous over reduction and fixation of the tibia first, because it can facilitate tibial reduction and nail placement and improve surgical efficiency without increasing the fracture healing time.

Objective To explore the predictive value of early changes in platelet counts in the prognosis of severe pneumonia in aged patients.Methods This retrospective study included elderly patients with severe pneumonia,who were ≥65 years old and whose length of ICU stay ≥72 hours,admitted to the intensive care unit(ICU)of NO.2 People's Hospital of Changzhou from January 2014 to January 2017.They were divided into a survival group and a death group according to the 28-day outcome.General information and serum platelet levels at 0,24,36,and 72 hours after admission were collected.Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC)was plotted according to platelet counts,changes in platelet counts and rates of change in platelet counts to evaluate their predictive value for 28-day prognosis.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the 28-day cumulative survival rate between different groups of patients,who were further divided according to platelet counts at 0 and 72 hours after admission to ICU,changes in platelet counts and rates of change in platelet counts at 72 hours after admission.Results (1)One hundred elderly patients with severe pneumonia were enrolled,among whom 41 cases were in the death group,thus with a mortality of 41.0％.The acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ),sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA),C-reactive protein (CRP),and procalcitonin(PCT)in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group.2)Serum platelet levels showed a downward trend in both the death group and the survival group.The level of serum platelets at 72 hours after admission to ICU in the death group was significantly lower than that in the survival group(80.00 × 109/L vs.171.00 × 109/L,Z=5.786,P＜0.05);changes in platelet counts and rates of change in platelet counts in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group,especially at 72 hours after admission to ICU(/△PLT72:-79.00 × 109/L vs.-38.00 × 109/L,Z =4.938,P ＜0.05;△PLT 72％:43.6％ vs.-17.7％,Z=6.816,P＜0.05).(3)ROC curve analysis showed that platelet levels,changes in platelet counts,and rates of change in platelet counts could predict 28-day mortality in aged patients with severe pneumonia.The largest area under ROC curve was 0.902 when plotted with the rate of platelet counts at 72 hours after admission to ICU.Using the cut-off value of-36.14％ in the rate of change at 72 hours after admission to evaluate the predictive value in 28 day mortality,the sensitivity and specificity were 89.8％ and 75.6％,respectively.(4)Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 28 day survival rate was significantly higher and the length of survival was significantly greater when platelet counts at 0 and 72 hours after admission to ICU were higher than the cut-off value,and this also occurred in changes in platelet count and rates of change at 72 hours after admission to ICU.Conclusions Continuous decline in serum p[atelet levels indicates poor prognosis.When combined with platelet counts,changes in platelet counts and rates of change in platelet counts at 72 hours after admission to ICU,it may play an important role in assessing the prognosis of aged patients with severe pneumonia.

The implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an important therapeutic tool for patients with end-stage heart failure, which can either help patients transit to the heart transplantation stage or serve as destination therapy until the end of their lives. In recent years, the third generation of LVAD has evolved rapidly and several brands have been marketed both domestically and internationally. The number of LVAD implantations has been increasing and the long-term survival rate of implanted patients has improved, so this device has a broad development perspective. This article summarizes the current status, usage standards and precautions, and common complications after implantation of LVAD, as well as looks forward to the future development of LVAD, hoping to be helpful for researchers who are new to this field.

Beijing has been one of the epicenters attacked most severely by the SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus) since the first patient was diagnosed in one of the city's hospitals. We now report complete genome sequences of the BJ Group, including four isolates (Isolates BJ01, BJ02, BJ03, and BJ04) of the SARS-CoV. It is remarkable that all members of the BJ Group share a common haplotype, consisting of seven loci that differentiate the group from other isolates published to date. Among 42 substitutions uniquely identified from the BJ group, 32 are non-synonymous changes at the amino acid level. Rooted phylogenetic trees, proposed on the basis of haplotypes and other sequence variations of SARS-CoV isolates from Canada, USA, Singapore, and China, gave rise to different paradigms but positioned the BJ Group, together with the newly discovered GD01 (GD-Ins29) in the same clade, followed by the H-U Group (from Hong Kong to USA) and the H-T Group (from Hong Kong to Toronto), leaving the SP Group (Singapore) more distant. This result appears to suggest a possible transmission path from Guangdong to Beijing/Hong Kong, then to other countries and regions.
Genome, Viral ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Mutation ; Open Reading Frames ; Phylogeny ; SARS Virus ; genetics