X-Ray tube is the core part of CT machines and its service life is closely tied to its quality,installation & adjustments and the status of the equipment itself.Besides,whether the operaters use the equipment correctly or not also influence the life of X-ray tubes.The author summarizes some methods for extending the life of CT tubes according to the experiences of installation,adjustment and using of the CT tubes for many years.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of sexual dysfunction with psychological abnormalities by analyzing the sexual function and mental state of the patients with redundant prepuce or phimosis.

METHODSThis study included 216 randomly selected patients with redundant prepuce or phimosis and 85 normal male controls. We conducted investigations among the subjects using a questionnaire on the general data of the patients, Chinese Index of Sexual Function for Premature Ejaculation (CIPE), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). Then we assessed the status of premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED), calculated the incidence of psychological abnormalities, such as depression and anxiety, and analyzed the correlation of PE and ED with the mental state of the patients.

RESULTSThe PE and ED patients scored significantly higher than normal controls on SCL-90, somatization, compulsion, depression, anxiety and other factors (P < 0.05). CIPE scores were correlated with the scores on SCL-90, somatization, compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety and other factors, while ED-related scores showed no correlation with the scores on SCL-90 and other factors.

CONCLUSIONPatients with redundant prepuce or phimosis have poor mental health, and there is an interaction between PE and the mental state of the patient.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phimosis ; physiopathology ; psychology ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; physiopathology ; psychology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the drift of the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of T cell receptor (TCR) beta chain variable region (TCR BV) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

METHODSImmunoscope spectratyping techniques was used to analyze the distribution of TCRbeta chain CDR3 in 5 normal blood donors and the dominant CDR3 in the PBMCs in 5 SLE patients. Sequence analysis of the CDR3 region in monoclonal or oligoclonal T cells was performed.

RESULTSThe spectratypes of TCR BV gene CDR3 region showed Gaussian distribution in the 5 normal blood donors. The 5 SLE patients, however, displayed anomalous proliferation and oligoclonal expansion of the T cells was observed in different TCR BV families with different CDR3 sequences.

CONCLUSIONNoticeable drift of TCRbeta chain CDR3 can be seen in active SLE, indicating possible association of selective expression of TCR with immune pathogenesis in SLE. Determination of specific TCR CDR3 sequence provides a new means for studying the pathogenesis and personalized treatment of SLE.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Complementarity Determining Regions ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta ; genetics ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; cytology ; metabolism ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; genetics ; immunology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features of coronary artery spasm patients with or without myocardial bridge and explore the roles of endothelial dysfunction in these patients.

METHODSOne hundred eighteen patients undergone acetylcholine provoking test were divided into myocardial bridge (MB) group (n = 26) and non-myocardial bridge (NMB) group (n = 92). The results of acetylcholine test, treadmill exercise electrocardiography, stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, plasma level of endothelin-1 and nitric oxide were compared between MB group and NMB group.

RESULTSCoronary artery spasm was induced in 21 patients in MB group (81%) and 52 patients in NMB group (57%, P < 0.05). Positive treadmill electrocardiography was obtained in 19 patients in MB group (73%) and 7 patients in NMB group (8%, P < 0.001). Ischemic perfusion defect in 20 (77%) and 9 patients (10%, P < 0.001) and reverse redistribution in 23 (88%) and 68 patients (74%, P > 0.05). Patients showed different clinical features in MB group and NMB group (more short-duration exertional angina and could not be readily released by nitroglycerine in MB group while more patients experienced long-lasting variant angina and symptoms could be readily released by nitroglycerine). Plasma endothelin-1 level was significantly higher [(132.1 +/- 6.5) ng/L vs. (108.5 +/- 8.2) ng/L, P < 0.01] while nitric oxide was significant lower [(84.7 +/- 17.5) ng/L vs. (99.8 +/- 18.2) ng/L, P < 0.05] in MB group compared to NMB group.

CONCLUSIONMB patients were prone to coronary artery spasm partly due to endothelial dysfunction. Patients with MB and coronary artery spasm also showed classic clinical symptoms and positive stress tests for ischemia.

Adult ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vasospasm ; complications ; diagnosis ; Endothelium, Vascular ; metabolism ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Bridging ; complications ; diagnosis ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism

Aim To investigate the effeets of Dracocephalum Moldavica total flavonoids (TFDM) on the foaming lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and to further elucidate the mechanism of anti-atherosclerosis (AS) of TFDM. Methods RAW264. 7 maerophages were cultured in vitro and induced to become foam cells by ox-LDL stimulation, and inflammation of mouse monocyte macrophage leukemia cells (RAW264. 7) induced by oxi-dized low density TFDM(25, 50, 100 mg • L"

Objective To evaluate different hypertension management models in communities and their impact on incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular disease in hypertensive patients. Methods A total of 1 578 hypertension patients in several communities in Pudong New Area were recruited in the study ( August 2008 to December 2012 ) according to the inclusion criteria and randomly divided into two groups.The control group was given routine hypertension management and the study group was given detailed hypertension management, while health commissioners and community physicians were in charge of the follow-up and data collection. Results The incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular disease (1.33%) in study group (1.33%) was significantly lower than that of the control group (4.22%) ( P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, male, course-of-disease, patients with hypertension family history, increase in SCr and LDL-C increased the risk for getting ardio-cerebrovascular disease (P <0.05).The risk of study group was 0.348 times the control group ( P <0.05). Conclusion Compared with control group, detailed hypertension management model conducted in study group has the advantages that effectively reduced the rate of cardio-cerebrovascular disease.

BACKGROUNDUnregulated commercial blood/plasma collection among farmers occurred between 1992 and 1995 in central China and caused the second major epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in China. It is important to characterize HIV-1-infected former blood donors and to study characteristics associated with disease progression for future clinical intervention and vaccine development.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was performed on HIV-1-infected former blood donors (FBDs) and age-matched HIV-seronegative local residents. Demographic, epidemiologic, clinical and key laboratory data were collected from all study participants. Both unadjusted and adjusted multivariate linear regressions were employed to analyze the association of the decrease of CD4(+) T-cell counts with other characteristics.

RESULTSTwo hundred and ninety-four HIV-1-infected FBDs and 59 age-matched HIV-seronegative local residents were enrolled in this study. The unregulated blood/plasma collection occurred more than a decade (10.8 - 12.8 years) ago, which caused the rapid spread of HIV-1 infection and the high prevalence of co-infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV, 89.5%); hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection was observed in only 11 HIV(+)participants (3.7%). Deterioration in both clinical manifestation and laboratory parameters and increase of viral loads were observed in parallel with the decrease of CD4(+) T-cell counts. The decrease of total lymphocyte counts (P < 0.001) and hemoglobin levels (P < 0.001) and the appearance of dermatosis (P = 0.03) were observed in parallel with the decrease of CD4(+) T-cell counts whereas viral loads (P < 0.001) and CD8(+) T-cell counts (P = 0.01) were inversely associated with CD4(+) T-cell counts.

CONCLUSIONSCo-infection with HCV but not HBV is highly prevalent among HIV-1-infected FBDs. CD4(+) T-cell counts is a reliable indicator for disease progression among FBDs. Total lymphocyte counts, hemoglobin level and appearance of dermatosis were positively associated with CD8(+) T-cell counts and viral loads were inversely associated with the decreased CD4(+) T-cell counts.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Donors ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Infections ; complications ; epidemiology ; immunology ; HIV-1 ; Hepatitis C ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo design ABC damage variable and positioning system for acetabular fracture and explore the feasibility and clinical practical value of the system through the multi-center analysis of 1122 acetabular fractures.

METHODSAccording to acetabular three-column conception, and pelvic ring lesions damage direction caused by acetabular fracture domino effect and injury degree of proximal femur joint, it defined class A as any column acetabular fracture; class B as any two-column acetabular fracture; class C as front, dome and posterior mixture acetabular fracture. Lower case English letters a, m, p represented front, dome, posterior fracture, respectively. Acetabular damage variables: 1 was simple displaced fractures; 2 was comminuted fractures; 3 was compression fractures. Pelvic ring lesions damage variables: alpha was sacroiliac joints or sacroiliac fracture horizontal separation deflection; beta was sacroiliac joints or sacroiliac fracture vertical separation deflection; gamma was pubic symphysis separation/superior and inferior ramus of pubis fracture deflection; alpha beta gamma delta was compound floating damage. Proximal humerus joint damage variables: I was femoral head fracture; II was femoral neck fracture; II was intertrochanteric fractures of femur; IV was I to III compound fracture. The ABC damage variable positioning system for acetabular fracture was made up by the above-mentioned variables. The statistics from March 1997 to February 2010 showed 1122 cases acetabular fractures with 18 cases of double side acetabular fracture and 1140 cases of acetabular fractures. The pelvics anterior-posterior view, ilium and obturator oblique view, and 2/3D-CT materials were analyzed and researched.

RESULTSEach damage variables distribution situation in 1140 cases of acetabular fracture involved A in 237 cases (20.8%), B in 605 cases (53.1%), C in 298 cases (26.1%);front column fracture in 808 cases(70.9%), dome fracture in 507 cases (44.5%), posterior fracture in 1026 cases (90%). Acetabular variables: variabe 1 in 203 cases of simple displaced fracture (17.8%); variabe 2 in 516 cases of comminuted fracture(45.3%); variabe 3 in 421 cases of compression fracture (36.9%); 249 cases of pelvic ring lesions damage (21.8%), 75 cases femoral head fracture (6.6%); 18 cases of double side acetabular fracture and relative pelvic ring and proximal humerus joint variables (1.58%). Key part and curative effect elements of 1140 cases acetabular fracture: 507 cases of dome or posterior acetabular fracture (44.5%); 421 cases of compression fracture (36.9%); 249 cases of pelvic ring variables (21.8%); 75 cases of proximal humerus joint variables (6.6%); 486 cases of simple Aa/pl/2,Bapl/2 acetabular fracture (42.6% ).

CONCLUSIONCompression fracture, especially defected compression fracture, takes important part in acetabular damage variables, and also presents that acetabular fracture with pelvic ring and proximal femoral damage variables are not rare at all. The relationship of the acetabular fracture damage variables, and its percentage shows the key points and elements in clinical treatment: weight-bearing to dome accounts for 44.5%; compression to defects account for 36.9%, pelvic ring to float accounts for 21.8%; dome fracture to double side fracture account for 6.6%. The system has significant guiding effects on clinic in terms of evaluation of injury severity, anatomic localization, difficulty index, alternative strategy, operative approach, effect of treatment,and prognosis. And the most important thing is that the system creates the comparison of damage variables in same type of fracture and the communication of homo-language and explores a new method.

Acetabulum ; injuries ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Fractures, Bone ; classification ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Informatics ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

Objective: To analyze the relationship between the breast cancer molecular classification and the prognosis of patients underwent breast-conserving therapy and to discuss the safety of the breast conserving surgery from the choice of operation in terms of breast cancer molecular classification. Methods: Clinical data of 618 patients with breast-conserving therapy in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from August 2005 to August 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the molecular classification when breast cancer was diagnosed, patients were subdivided into five groups, including Luminal A, Luminal B1, Luminal B2, HER-2-positive and Triple-negative. Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis were compared among five groups and the influencing factors of local recurrence, distant metastasis and overall survival were analyzed. Results: Among 618 patients, there were 148 cases Luminal A, 231 cases Luminal B1, 63 cases Luminal B2, 40 cases HER-2-positive and 136 cases Triple-negative. The age, family history, TNM stage, calcification, histological grade, pathological type and response to endocrine therapy of these 5 molecular types of breast cancer patients were significantly different (all P<0.05). The 5-year local regional recurrence-free survival rates of Luminal A, Luminal B1, Luminal B2, HER-2-positive and Triple-negative were 99.3%, 98.7%, 98.4%, 94.9% and 95.9%, respectively, without significant differences (P=0.104). The 5-year distant metastasis-free survival rates of these 5 types were 97.3%, 95.7%, 93.7%, 87.5% and 91.4%, respectively, with significant differences (P=0.013). Moreover, the 5-year overall survival rates of these 5 types were 98.6%, 97.8%, 98.4%, 92.5% and 95.6%, respectively, without significant differences (P=0.153). Multifactor analysis showed that radiotherapy (HR=0.036, P=0.049) and the number of lymph node metastases (HR=10.72, P=0.004) were independent factors of local recurrence of breast cancer patients underwent breast-conserving therapy. The age (HR=0.369, P=0.046), status of surgical margin (HR=5.486, P=0.007), number of lymph node metastases (HR=2.882, P=0.023) and molecular typing (HR=5.191, P=0.008) were independent factors of distant metastasis of above breast cancer patients. None of the factors were found to be independent factors of the overall survival of these breast cancer patients. Conclusions Breast conserving therapy does not increase the risks of local recurrence and death of HER-2-positive and Triple-negative breast cancer patients. Therefore, breast conserving therapy can be accepted by patients with HER-2-positive and Triple-negative breast cancer.

Tuberculosis （TB） and human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immune deficiency syndrome （HIV/AIDS） are both serious global public health threats. Early detection of infected persons and/or patients through TB/HIV bi-directional screening is crucial for prevention and control strategy in China and globally. In recent years， with the promotion and application of new TB and HIV detection technologies worldwide， TB/HIV bi-directional screening technologies and strategies have made remarkable changes. This expert consensus introduces the significance and challenges of TB/HIV bi-directional screening， summarizes important progress of research and applications， and makes recommendations on screening measures and procedures to further strengthen TB/HIV bi-directional screening in China.