BACKGROUND: Cervical orthosis is one of the non-surgical therapeutic methods for the remedy of cervical deformities. The introduction of cervical orthosis into the clinical remedy of cervical deformities resulted by burn can maximally restore the cervical function of the patients.OBJECTIVE: To analyse the clinical applicative mode and the effects of moulded cervical orthosis (MCO) on cervical burn.DESIGN: A before-and-after verification study by employing pateitns as subjects.SETTING: Prosthetics and orthotic department in a provincial artificial limb center.PARTICIPANTS: Totally 19 cases including 13 males and 6 females after skin-transplantation due to serious burn in head, neck and chest admitted by the outpatient department of prosthetics center between January and September 2003.METHODS: Nineteen patients with cervical burn wore MCO. Return visits were made afterwards for the evaluation of the treatment effects of MCO.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Resutls of therapeutic effectiveness evaluation.RESULTS: All nineteen patients with cervical deformities due to burn reached the effects of correcting cervical flexion and restoring cervical functions through wearing orthosis. The cervical functions restored entirely in seven cases, almost restored in eight cases and improved in four cases.CONCLUSION: MCO can be clinically used on cervical deformities resulted by burn and provide good effects on remedy and rehabilitation.

A simple and sensitive method was developed for the detection of mercury ions with quartz crystal microbalance(QCM), based on the specific thymine(T)-Hg2+-T structure and gold nanoparticles. The gold nanoparticles were prepared by the citrate reduction method. In a self-assembled way, the particle surface was modified with the probe oligonucleotides which were partially replaced by 6-Mercaptohexan-1-ol to reduce the steric hindrance of hybridization. The sensitivity was optimized by the oligonucleotide with a strand length of 9bp and a T number of 7. The linear range was 5.0-100 nmol/L with a detection limit of 2.0 nmol/L. And Ca2+, Mg2+ and other metal ions had no significant interferences. This method was successfully applied for the detection of Hg2+in environmental water samples, with RSD less than 2.9% and recoveries of 97.3%-101.2%.

Objective To investigate the relationship between vascular cognitive impairment(VCI) and the angiotensinogen(AGT) gene ( G-6A and M235T) polymorphism. Methods Randomnized controled study was ap- plied in the study. AGT gene G-6A and M235T genotypes of 67 cases with VCI and 71 normal controls were deter- mined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results For the location of M235T, the frequencies of T allele(0.73 I and TT genotype ( 0.52 ) were observed in VCI compared with control group ( 0.68,0.45, P > 0.05 ). The odds ratio associated with TT/MM genotype was 0.544 ( 95% CI 0.208～1. 424 ,P > 0.05 ). For the location of G-6A ,the fre- quencies of A allele(0.69) and AA genotype (0.48) were observed in VCI compared with control subjects (0.63, 0.39,P > 0.05). The odds ratio associated with AA/GG genotype was 0.602 ( 95% CI 0.252～1. 738, P > 0.05 ). There was no difference in allele distribution between 67 VCI patients and the controls. Conclusion There is no correlation between vascular cognitive impairment and AGT gene polymorphisms of M235T and G-6A. AGT gene pol- ymorphism is not included in the risk factors for development vascular cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the detect method of neopterin(Npt) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and discuss the application of Npt in the viral encephalitis.METHODS The Npt was detected by ELISA.The methodology was investigated by sensitivity,precision,rate of recovery,interference and reference value.The npt was detected by ELISA assay in peripheral blood of 50 healthy people,30 cases of cerebrospinal fluid in children with viral encephalitis and 12 cases of cerebrospinal fluid in the control group.RESULTS In this method,within-run CVs were 4.94% and 5.55%;between-run CVs were 5.99% and 6.57%.The sensitivity was 1.08 nmol/L;the rate of recovery was 95.8-107.8%.Various indexes of the methodology coincided with the requirements of clinical laboratory.The reference value of serum Npt was 0-7.84 nmol/L.The Npt of cerebrospinal fluid was(34.09 ? 36.34) nmol/L in the viral encephalitis group,and(4.55 ? 2.89)nmol/L in the control group,and the Npt of cerebrospinal fluid in patient was significantly higher than that in control group(P

PurposeConventional gastric CT provides poor contrast for gastric cancer lesions, the purpose of this study is to investigate the application value of dual energy CT image fusion technology in the improvement of lesion contrast in gastric cancer.Materials and Methods Abdominal dual energy contrast-enhanced CT images of 30 gastric cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed, dual-energy images were reconstructed with different linear and nonlinear fusion settings, contrast between lesions and normal gastric wall, lesion contrast to noise ratio (CNR) were compared among 100 kVp, 140 kVp and different fusion groups, and image quality was evaluated subjectively.Results There were statistically significant differences among the gastric cancer contrast and CNR of 100 kVp, 140 kVp and three linear blending images (F=29.6 and 26.1,P<0.001), with M=0.7 linear fusion group showing the highest CNR. The gastric cancer contrast and CNR was signiifcantly higher with a bandwidth (BW) of 0 HU when compared among the three groups of nonlinear blending images (F=268.5 and 49.5,P<0.001). Moreover, the nonlinear group with a width of 0 HU had a 36% and 47% increase in lesion contrast and CNR over that of a linear blending image. In the subjective evaluation of images, the BW=0 HU nonlinear fusion image was most frequently estimated as the most preferred images for lesion observation of gastric cancer.Conclusion Nonlinear blending with a BW of 0 HU improves display of gastric cancer, and has the potential clinical value to increase the accuracy of staging.

Objective To determine the value of liver analysis application in liver segmentation and planning of surgery.Methods Thirty patients suspected having hepatic disease were recruited in this study.Contrast-enhanced CT examinations were performed with Philips Brilliance 64-slice CT,and multi-phase images were obtained.The patients were divided into group B(with focal hepatic lesion,15 patients),and group A(without hepatic lesion,15 patients).We use the portal-venous(60-70 s)images to analysis.Liver volume and vessel recognition were edited manually if necessary,then liver segmentation proceeded automatically.All data were analyzed by the t test,chi-square test,Mann-Whitney U analysis,with SPSS 15.0 software.Results There was no significant difference of post-processing procedure between the two groups(P =0.361).The liver volume was(1374.61 ±444.05)cm3 in the group B and(1225.70±272.07)cm3 in the group A(P=0.108).The accuracy of vessel recognition was no significant difference between the two groups(P=0.87).21 vessels were recognized incorrectly include 18 hepatic veins.Conclusion The liver analysis application provides a 3D reconstruction allow vivid observation of liver segmentation and accurate estimation of the liver volume.It has broad prospect in diagnosing and surgical planning of the liver disease.

Objective To investigate the differences of protein and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in osteoclasts (OC) and osteoclast-like cells (OLC) obtained by mechanical and inducement methods. Methods Mechanical separation method was used to separate mature osteoclasts from long bones of SD rats aged one-day;and inducement culture method was applied to induce OLC by using RANKL (100 ng/mL) and M-CSF (100 ng/mL) . The protein expression of MMP-9 was measured by immunocytochemistry and mRNA expression of MMP-9 was assayed by in situ hybridization. Results The integral optical density (IOD) and average optical density (AOD) of positive cells in the visual field were higher in the 12-d group of inducement method as compared with the 3 d-group of mechanical method. Conclusions It is suggested that the protein and mRNA expression of MMP-9 in OLC obtained by 12 d inducement method is much high than in OC obtained by 3 d mechanical method. OLC obtained by inducement method can be applied in the study of osteoporosis.

Objective To investigate the effects of geraniin on platelet aggregation and platelet-neutrophil interactions.Methods Platelet aggregation,in vitro and ex vivo,was determined by use of Born's method,and the binding of thrombin-stimulated platelets to neutrophils was observed based on the rosette assay.Intracellular calcium concentration of platelets was measured by using Fura-2-AM.Results Geraniin in vitro significantly inhibited arachidonic acid (AA)-,adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-,or platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation,in a concentration-dependent manner.The medium inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were 2.4,0.4 and 1.1 μmol/L,respectively.Intragastric geraniin at 5 mg/kg markedly suppressed platelet aggregation induced by AA,ADP,or PAF.Geraniin decreased the total rise of [Ca2+]i,Ca2+ release,and Ca2+ influx,in a concentration-dependant manner.The IC50 values were 71.9,84.9,and 62.9 μmol/L,respectively.Geraniin decreased the binding of thrombin-stimulated platelets to neutrophils,and significantly inhibited washed platelet aggregation stimulated by fMLP-activated neutrophils.The IC50 values were 3.2 and 10.2 μmol/L,respectively.Conclusion It is suggested that geraniin inhibited platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo,decreased the calcium mobilization of platelets,and suppressed the interactions between platelets and neutrophils.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and treatment strategies of undifferentiated carcinoma with osteoclast-like giant cells of pancreas (UCOGCP).Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 5 patients with UCOGCP who were admitted to Peking University First Hospital from January 2004 to January 2019 were collected. There were 1 male and 4 females, aged from 33 to 71 years, with a median age of 56 years. Patients underwent preoperative laboratory test, imaging and histopatho-logical examinations. Patients with pancreatic head tumors underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, and those with tumors in the body or tail of pancreas underwent distal pancreatectomy combined with splenectomy. All patients underwent standard lymph node dissection. Postoperative adjuvant therapy was individually decided by a multidisciplinary team. Observation indicators: (1) preopera-tive examination and treatment; (2) postoperative histopathological situations; (3) follow-up. Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect tumor recurrence of patients up to January 2020. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Preoperative examination and treatment: of the 5 UCOGCP patients, CA19-9 was elevated as 65.43 U/mL in only 1 patient preoperatively, while the CA19-9 was normal in other 4 patients. Four patients showed a solid cystic mass on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, and 1 patient showed a delayed peripheral enhancement of the solid tumor with central necrosis. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed hypointense signals on T1, T2 and weighted diffusion sequences in all 5 patients. Three of the 5 patients were resectable according to imaging data, 1 patient had locally advanced tumor, infiltrating the transverse colon, stomach, and partial small intestine, with the portal vein thrombus, and 1 patient had pancreatic head tumor with a liver metastatic lesion of 0.4 cm diameter which was detected on position emission tomography CT and was diagnosed as UCOGCP by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. All patients underwent radical resection. Of the 3 patients with resectable tumors, 2 patients underwent pancreaticoduo-denectomy and 1 patient underwent distal pancreatectomy combined with splenectomy. One patient with locally advanced tumor in the body and tail of pancreas underwent distal pancreatectomy + transverse colostomy + partial gastrectomy + portal vein thrombectomy, and 1 patient with pancreatic head tumor and liver metastasis underwent pancreatoduodenectomy combined with left lateral hepatectomy. Of the 5 patients, 2 received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with single-agent gemcitabine, 1 received albumin-paclitaxel+gemcitabine combination chemotherapy, 1 received S1 as single agent chemotherapy, and 1 did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. (2) Postoperative histopathological situations: of the 5 patients, 4 cases showed a cystic solid appearance of gross specimens, and 1 case had a solid appearance with central hemorrhagic necrosis. The tumor diameter was 5.2 cm(range, 2.0?14.0 cm). All the 5 patients achieved negative margins. Of the 5 patients, there was 1 case with portal vein invasion, 2 cases with vascular invasion, 3 cases with perineural invasion, and 2 cases with regional lymph node metastasis. One patient may had multiple tumor invasion and metastasis. Four of 5 patients had paraffin specimens available for immuno-histochemical staining. Four patients were positive for both CD68 and vimentin stains, while 3 patients were positive for programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), including 2 samples with 5% positive cells and 1 sample with 25% positive cells. Postoperative pathological examination showed a large number of spindle histiocytoid sarcoma cells scattered with osteoclast like giant cells and pleomorphic carcinoma giant cells. The tumor mutation burden in the 4 patients was 3.23 Muts/Mb(range, 2.61?21.77 Muts/Mb). Microsatellite status was stable in 4 patients. The next generation sequencing of 4 patients showed that all patients had KRAS mutation which was the most frequently mutation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Of the 4 patients, 1 case had germline pathogenic mutation in TP53, 1case had somatic mutation in TP53, 1 case had somatic mutation in TP53, BLM, CDKN2A, and 1 case had somatic mutation in ARID1A. (3) Follow-up: 5 patients were followed up for 14?173 months, with a median follow-up time of 46 months. During the follow-up, 4 patients achieved disease-free survival and 1 patient had local recurrence at postoperative 11 months.Conclusions:UCOGCP is a rare variant of pancreatic tumor that exhibits a cystic solid mass in imaging examinations. High expression of PD-L1 is common in UCOGCP. The prognosis for UCOGCP is favorable following radical surgery. Patients may benefit from extended radical surgery even if the tumor has locally progression or distant metastasis.

OBJECTIVEThis study investigated the thrombolitic effect of Tianma Xinnao capsule and its preliminary mechanism, as well as the effect on coagulation system.

METHODCharlton's and Tomihisa's methods were modified to investigate the thrombolytic effect of Tianma Xinnao capsule. The activities of type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) in rabbit plasma were assayed by use of ELISA. The effects of Tianma Xinnao capsule were also evaluated on euglobulin lysis time (ELT), prothrombin time (PT), kaolin partial thromboplastin time (KPTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (Fib) and hemorheology.

RESULTThe results showed that Tianma Xinnao capsule had a dose-dependent thrombolytic effect in rats. Tianma Xinnao capsule at 0.6 and 1.2 g x kg(-1) produced 40% and 50% of reperfusion rate, while obtained 50% and 40% of reocclusion rate; 0.3 g x kg(-1) of Tianma Xinnao capsule, however, had no effect on the reperfusion or reocclusion rate. Tianma Xinnao capsule significantly inhibited PAI-1 activity, while elevated tPA activity in rabbit plasma. Tianma Xinnao capsule markedly prolonged ELT, PT, and KPTT, and decreased Fib level. Tianma Xinnao capsule showed no significant influence on TT or high, medium, or low sheering viscosity.

CONCLUSIONIt is indicated that Tianma Xinnao capsule inhibited PAI-1 activity and increased tPA activity, and this property of Tianma Xinnao capsule is assigned to be responsible for the thrombolytic effect.

Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; Blood Viscosity ; drug effects ; Capsules ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Male ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Rats ; Thrombosis ; blood ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; metabolism