BACKGROUND: Although the clinical effect of cervical disk replacement in short term has been ascertained, but the middle and long term result is not known, especially for the adjacent level. OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical result and effect of cervical disk replacement on adjacent level in middle and long term. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Retrospective case analysis was performed at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from December 2003 to March 2005. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three patients (aged 35-73 years) undergoing cervical disc replacement were followed up for 3 years. Of them, 25 patients received one-level disk replacement, and 8 received two-level disk replacement. METHODS: The clinical results and imaging before and after operation were compared. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical indexes including JOA grade, Odom’s grade, NDI, SF-36; X-ray: Kellgren X-ray grade, disk cervical height, disk motion, Pfirrmann disk grade, sigittal diameter of spinal cord, and compression of the spinal cord. RESULTS: The point of JOA is 13.62?2.31 before operation, 15.75?1.55 after operation; the differences were significant (P=0.000). For Kellgren X-ray, 10 levels occurred degeneration above the disk replacement level, accounted for 33% (P=0.004), and 9 levels developed degeneration below the disk replacement level, accounted for 32% (P=0.011). No obvious changes in imaging indexes were observed before and after surgery. CONCLUSION: The clinical outcome of cervical disk replacement is good in middle-term follow up. Some adjacent level degeneration may occur after cervical disk replacement, and the degeneration type is osteophyte formation in the adjacent level. This kind of adjacent level degeneration does not affect the clinical outcome in middle term follow-up.

Objective To study the effect of rapid decompression on ultrastructure of the lung in rabbits. Methods Thirty healthy New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into low decompression group and rapid decompression group. The pulmonary ultrastructure of rabbits was observed with transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results In rabbits of the rapid decompression group, a number of pathological changes were found, such as disruption of cell membrane structure of types Ⅰ and Ⅱ alveolar cells, loosening of intercellular linkage, edematous mitochondria, expanded rough endoplasmic reticulum, engorged capillary of alveolar wall, edematous capillary endothelium cells, and increased capillary permeability. These changes became especially obvious when the decompression peak value was above 9.8 kPa. Conclusion Rapid decompression could inflict injury to the lung, which was aggravated with the increase of the decompression peak value.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; genetics ; physiopathology

Objective:To investigate the variations in ocular biometry and its influencing factors in adult Tibetans of Lhasa.Methods:A cross-sectional study was adopted.A total of 100 consecutive adult Tibetans (100 eyes) with cataract, who were treated in Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital from March 2017 to July 2017 were enrolled, including 51 males and 49 females, with an average age of (63.38±12.80) years.The subjects were divided into two groups, with 57 subjects (57 eyes) older than 60 years in the elder group and 43 subjects (43 eyes) younger than 60 years in the youth group.Corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, anterior chamber depth and axial length of subjects were measured and compared with those of Beijing population which were used as standardized data of Han Chinese.The differences in ocular parameters associated with age and gender were analyzed.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital (No.ME-TBHP-21-KJ-005).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject prior to any examination.Results:The mean corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, anterior chamber depth and axial length of the 100 Tibetans were (43.68±1.62)D, 0.750 (0.375, 1.000)D, (3.05±0.41)mm, (23.07±0.86)mm, respectively.The axial length of Tibetan was shorter than that of Beijing Han people and the difference was significant ( t=2.65, P<0.01).Corneal astigmatism of the elder group was higher than that of youth group and the difference was significant ( t=2.11, P<0.05).There were no significant differences in corneal curvature, anterior chamber depth and axial length between the elder group and youth group (all at P>0.05).The anterior chamber depth and axial length of males were much longer than those of females, and the differences were significant ( t=2.71, 2.25; both at P<0.05). Conclusions:In adult Tibetan population, the axial length is short, and the anterior chamber is deep.The corneal astigmatism increases with age and there is a gender difference in axial length and anterior chamber depth.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; Pneumoconiosis ; complications ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; complications ; Retinol-Binding Proteins ; urine

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of drug-containing serum of Chinese herbal compounds [Xiongshao Capsule (XS, for activating blood) and Huanglian Capsule (HL, for dispelling toxin)] on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced adherence between human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), inflammatory reaction and expression of related proteins in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.

METHODSThirty-two rats were randomly divided into four groups (8 in each group) using random digit table: the blank control group treated with distilled water, the test group I treated with Chinese herbal compound of XS (0.135 g/kg), the test group II treated with Chinese herbal compound of HL (0.135 g/kg), and the test group Ill treated with Chinese herbal compound of XS (0.135 g/kg) and HL (0.135 g/kg). All medication was given by gastrogavage once a day for a week. Rats' blood serum was harvested 1 h after the last administration to prepare drug-containing serum. HUVECs were exposed to TNF-alpha (100 ng/mL) to induce cell injury model and incubated with corresponding drug-containing serum (10%) for 24 h. Normal rats' serum was given to cells in the blank control group and the model group, while XC + HL containing serum was given to cells in the rest 3 groups. The adherence of HUVECs and PMN cells was detected by using rose bengal strain. Levels of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1P) in the supernatant of cultured HU-VECs were determined by ELISA. Protein expressions of mitogen-activated protein kinases p38 (p38MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK 12) were determined by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group, HUVECs were seriously injured; PMN adherence amount significantly increased; levels of E-selectin, ICAM-1, and IL-1beta increased; expression levels of p-p38MAPK and p-ERK 1/2 in the supernatant of HUVECs significantly increased in the model group (all P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, HUVECs-PMN adherence amount decreased (P < 0.05); levels of E-selectin, ICAM-1, and IL-1 beta in the supernatant of HUVECs decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); expression levels of p-p38MAPK and p-ERK 1/2 of endothelial cells decreased in the test group I, II, and III (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSDrug-containing serums of activating blood, activating blood and dispelling toxin could attenuate TNF-alpha induced injury of HUVECs, inhibit HUVECs-PMN adherence and the release of adhesion factors. Its mechanism might be involved with protein phosphorylation of p38MAPK and ERK 1/2 in the MAPK pathway.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; E-Selectin ; Endothelial Cells ; physiology ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 ; Neutrophils ; Rats ; Serum ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

To study the metabolite excretion of theophylline, a rapid and specific method by liquid chromatography with heated electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HESI/MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of theophylline, 1, 3-dimethyluric acid (1,3-DMU), 3-methylxanthine (3-MX) and 1-methyluric acid (1-MU) in human urine was developed using theophylline-d6 and 5-fluorouracil as internal standards. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) with heated electrospray ionization (HESI) was used in the negative mode for mass spectrometric detection. After diluted with methanol and centrifuged, the analytes and ISs were separated on a XDB-Phenyl (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column with a mixture of water-methanol-formic acid (30 : 70 : 0.15) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL x min(-1). The linear calibration curves for theophylline, 1, 3-DMU, 3-MX and 1-MU were obtained in the concentration range of 1.0-250 microg x mL(-1), separately. The method herein described is effective and convenient, and can be used for determination of theophylline and its three metabolites. The results showed that urinary excretion ratio of theophylline, 1,3-DMU, 3-MX and 1-MU is approximately 1 : 3 : 1 : 2 in Chinese subjects, which is similar to the reported excretion pattern in Caucasian.
Administration, Oral ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Calibration ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; metabolism ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Tablets ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Theophylline ; metabolism ; urine ; Uric Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; urine ; Xanthines ; urine

In order to make sure whether Panax notoginseng is sensitive to chloridion and guide fertilization in planting of P. notoginseng, the effects of the different proportion of potassium chloride (KCl) and potassium sulfate (K2SO4) on the yield, quality of P. notoginseng were studied. The results showed that K fertilizer significantly improved the growth of P. notoginseng and increased the biomass per plant or per pot and the content of N, P, K and the content of saponin. In cases of conditions such as potassium, and the effects of K2SO4 on increasing the petiole length, leaf size, rhizome length, root length, and content and accumulation of Ginsenoside Rg1 were better than those of KCl. While compared with K2SO4, KCl was more conducive to augmenting height, root width, the biomass of shoot, rhizome, root and the content of Ginsenoside Rb1 and Rd. There was not remarkable difference in agronomic characters, biomass and the content of N, P, K among KCl, K2SO4 and the combination of KCl and K2SO4. However, the content of saponin of the treatment with combination of KCl and K2SO4 was significant higher than that of single KCl or K2SO4 treatments. K fertilizer significantly increased yield and the content of saponins. And P. notoginseng was not sensitive to chloridion. KCl increased the yield and the content of saponins of P. notoginseng as well as K2SO4, and the combination treatment was superior to single treatment. It is recommended that the KCl should be adopted in production, to reduce the cost of potash fertilizer.
Agriculture ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Potassium Chloride ; analysis ; metabolism ; Quality Control ; Soil ; chemistry ; Sulfates ; analysis ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study clinical effects of the over-articular external fixator combined with limited internal fixation for the treatment of Pilon fractures caused by high energy.

METHODSFrom September 2003 to April 2011, 36 patients with Pilon fractures caused by high energy were treated with the over-articular external fixator combined with limited internal fixator. There were 25 males and 11 females, ranging in age from 16 to 72 years old,with an average of 38 years old. The diagnoses of all patients were determined by conventional X-ray examination or three-dimensional spiral CT examination. The AOFAS scoring criteria was used to evaluate the therapeutic effects. The patients with comminuted fractures were treated with screw or Kirschner wire fixation without uncovering periost so as to enhance stability between fracture end and bone blocks,followed by the fixation with over-articular external fixators.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, and the duration ranged from 4 to 27 months, with an average of 13 months. Thirty-two patients got wound healing at the first stage. And the bone union duration ranged from 2 to 6 months, with a mean of 3 months. According to the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot subjective scoring standard, 13 patients got an excellent result, 20 good and 3 fair, with an score of 88.2 +/- 3.6. Twelve patients had infections at pinhole, 5 patients had pinhole pain. One patient had the fixator broken induced by over loading, who was cured after treatment. There were no complications such as nerve or vascular injuries, or osteomyelitis.

CONCLUSIONThe over-articular external fixation combined with limited internal fixation for the treatment of Pilon fractures caused by high energy is an ideal method, which has such advantages as reliable fixation, simple operation, coincidence with principles of biomechanical fixation, and benefit for fracture healing.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Ankle Injuries ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Ankle Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; External Fixators ; Female ; Fracture Fixation ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult