ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of the vascular ultrasound testing technique on detecting large arterial lesions in neck. MethodsVascular ultrasound testing and digital substraction angiography(DSA) were performed on 75 arteries in 53 consecutive patients with chronic cerebral ischemia, transient ischemic attack(TIA) or cerebral infarction.The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of vascular ultrasound testing on moderate stenosis(50%—69%), severe stenosis(70%—99%),or occlusion of arterial lesions in neck were analysed by means of cross tabulation, using DSA as the standard of reference. ResultsThe sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of vascular ultrasound testing on arterial lesions of moderate stenosis, severe stenosis and occlusion were 85.7%,78.9%,84.0%;90.2%,88.2%,89.3%;93.3%,95.0%,94.6%,respectively.The complete corresponding rate between the two type of tests was 73.3%. ConclusionThe vascular ultrasound testing technique shows high accuracy on detecting large arterial lesions, especially on severe stenosis or occlusion in neck. It can be applied extensively in prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.

ObjectiveTo detect the neuropsychological performances of vascular dementia(VD) and the varied patterns when the severity of VD progressed. Methods39 patients who fulfilled with National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/the Alzheimer's Diseases and Related Disorders Association(NINDS AIREN) criteria for "probable vascular dementia"were assessed with the neuropsychological scales, including Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS), Clinical Memory Scale, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised China (WAIS-RC) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), to measure the change of orientation to time and place, memory, language, visuospatial skills, cognitive function, personality characteristics, the activities of social and daily living and self maintenance. Patients were divided into mild, moderate and severe categories according CDR scores.ResultsAmong mild, moderate and severe categories, significant differences (P<0.05) were detected in the following subtests: orientation to time of MMSE, digit span, block design, object assembly, arithmetic of WAIS-RC, memory quotient, the activities of social and daily living and self maintenance of BDS. In moderate/severe and mild/severe categories, significant differences (P<0.05) were detected in the MMSE language subtest, WAIS-RC comprehension subtest and verbal intelligence quotient. Significant differences were detected in MMSE orientation to time subtest and WAIS RC similarities subtest only between mild/severe categories (P<0.05). In the MMSE immediate or delayed recall, drawing, simple calculation subtests, and BDS personality subtest, no significant differences were detected among mild, moderate and severe categories (P>0.05). Conclusions Patients with mild VD showed general deterioration of orientation, memory, language, visuospatial skills, cognitive function, personality characteristics, the activities of social and daily living and self maintenance. However, the speed of deterioration of each item was different when the severity of VD progressed. No close correlation was observed between personality characteristics alteration and the severity of VD. From mild to moderate and moderate to severe VD, the speed of deterioration of part of the cognitive function, especially the knowledge ever acquired, was slow relatively. The other aspects continued deteriorating in all stages of VD.

Workers with high quality, high job satisfaction levels and high stability are indispensable to the sustainable development of community health services. The present research aimed to find out about the scope of job satisfaction and stability of community health workers by means of designing relevant questionnaires and sample survey and to identify the major factors affecting the scope of job satisfaction and stability. The research found that among the community health workers, those engaged in preventive healthcare were a group with the lowest job satisfaction level and there were six factors affecting the scope of job satisfaction, including working conditions, the effect of the implementation of rules and regulations, respect from and care by leaders and so on. It also found that 45.1% of the workers once had the thought of leaving their community health centers or stations and there were 5 factors affecting job stability, including environment for medical practice, doctor-patient relationship, scope for bringing one's ability into play and so forth.

Objective To study the effects of isoflurane anesthesia on the medium- and longterm cognitive function in mice at different months of age. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice at ages of 4 month (n =45)and 20 month (n 45) were randomly assigned to control group,short- term anesthesia and long term anesthesia groups,respectively (n=15 per group).Inhalation anesthesia was applied with 3％ isoflurane for induction and 1.2 ％ isoflurane for maintain in 30 ％ oxygen,and control group received 30％ oxygen only for 60 min.Short- and long- term anesthesia group anesthesia was maintained for 30 min and 60 min,respectively.Cognitive function was determined by alternative behavior and water maze.Alternative behavior was assessed at 1 d before ancsthesia and 7,14 and 28 d after anesthesia,and water maze was assessed from 7 d to 8 d,9 d,10 d,11 d and 28 d after anesthesia. Results The correct rate of alternative behavior at age of 4 month in long-term anesthesia group [(58=6)％] was lower than relative control [(69±9)％] (t=4.26,P＜0.01) at 28 d.The number of arm entries at age of 20 month in short- term anesthesia group (31 ± 6) was increased than control(24±6) and long-term anesthesia group (24±8)(F=5.34,P＜0.01) at 14 d after anesthesia,while the number in long-term anesthesia group (24± 6) was decreased than control (29±7) and short term anesthesia group(30±6)(F=3.29,P＜0.05) with no significant difference in correct rate at 28 d after anesthesia.There was no difference in latent time of water maze between groups at age of 4 month.The ratios of spent time in the target quadrant to the whole time at age of 4 month at 11 d and 28 d after anesthesia in short-term anesthesia group[( 36.6 ± 14.4)％,(34.7 ±9.5)％] and long term anesthesia group [( 36.8 ± 16.4)％ ,(31.8± 12.0)％] were reduced as compared with control [(49.5±8.8) ％,(42.8±12.2) ％] (F=3.31,3.30,all P＜0.05).The latent time of mice at age of 20 month at 11 d after anesthesia in short-term anesthesia[(31±6)s] and longterm anesthesia group [(30±7)s ] were longer than control [(23±6)s](F =3.34,P＜0.05).There were no differences in the ratios of spent time in the target quadrant to the whole time and the number of cross -platform among the groups. Conclusions Isoflurane anesthesia may impact the mediumand long- term cognitive funclion in mice at ages of 4 month and 20 month.

ObjectiveTo deter mine the sustained attention function of the patients with mild Alzheimer's disease(AD) and mild cognitive impairment(MCI).Methods10 patients with MCI, 10 with mild AD and other 10 healthy elderly controls were tested with Continuous Performance Task(CPT) aimed to assess sustained attention. ResultsCompared with the normal controls, the mild AD patients reacted very more slowly(P<0.001), missed more targets(P<0.05), while that the MCI patients did was as well as the control group. ConclusionThe mild AD patients shows impairment in sustained attention function, but the MCI patients shows a preserved ability of sustained attention function.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical sense of clock-drawing test(CDT) and Mini Mental Status Examination(MMSE) in Alzheimer's disease(AD). MethodsMMSE and CDT were used to assess the intellectual ability in AD group and control group. ResultsThe orientation force, immediate memory, ability of calculation, short-term memory and speech ability in AD group were significantly decreased than that of the control group(P<0.05). The score of CDT in AD group was markedly suppression than that of control group(P<0.01). ConclusionThe CDT and MMSE are the ideal cognitive screening test to determine the degree in Alzheimer's disease.

ObjectiveTo explore the neural basis of visual completion for the occluded faces.Methods2 types of visual stimuli were presented randomly: pictures of complete faces,pictures of incomplete faces(the occluded part was the left-top quadrant).Subjects were instructed to perform a gender discrimination task while event-related potentials(ERPs) were recorded.ResultsCompared with complete faces,incomplete faces enhanced the amplitude of N1 on the occipito-temporal scalp bilaterally,with the right hemisphere advantage.The peak latency of N2 elicited by incomplete faces was delayed compared with that of complete faces.ConclusionThe enhancement of N1 is related to visual completion processing that requires additional time.

ObjectiveTo investigate if there were potential components similar to auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) in the visual modality.MethodsEvent-related potentials (ERP) of 15 healthy adults were tested. Subjects were demanded to complete shape-matching task and double-matching task under 4 kinds visual stimuli including no-difference (Nd), contour-difference (Cd), shape-difference (Sd) and double-difference (Dd).ResultsWithin P1-N1 latent period (100～140 ms), three kinds of deviant stimuli (Cd, Sd, Dd) elicited a positivity, mismatch positivity (MMP). MMP amplitude elicited by Dd was a sum elicited by Cd and Sd (single-difference).ConclusionIn the visual modality, MMP elicited by warp stimulus may be an element similar to auditory MMN and reflect auto-processing of brain to visual stimulus.

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of caspase-3 in the brain of acutely pentylenetetrazole(PTZ)-kindled rats.MethodsThe caspase-3 positive cells were revealed using immunohistochemical SP method. CMIAS image analysis system was used to analyse the expression of caspase-3 hemi-quantitatively. ResultsFollowing PTZ induced epilepsy, the expression of caspase-3 increased both in the hippocampus and in the cortex, and that was more remarkable in the hippocampus than in the cortex.ConclusionCaspase-3 may be activated during neuronal apoptosis after epilepsy. Hippocampus is more sensitive to the neuronal damage due to epilepsy than the cortex is.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)against exercise-induced fatigue in mice.

METHODSTotal 120 mice were randomly divided into three groups and tested separately. For each test, there were 30 mice subdivided into high dose (50 mg/kg . d EGCG) and low dose (10 mg/kg . d EGCG) groups as well as saline control group(1 ml/kg . d) with 10 in each. Burden swimming, running wheel endurance, stick climbing and hypoxia tolerance exercise were used to establish fatigue mice training model in three groups. And intraperitoneal injection with different doses of EGCG per day for consecutively 28 days and the mice in the control group were treated with normal saline. After the last each test, the blood lactic acid (BLA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), muscle glycogen (MG) and liver glycogen (LG) of each group of mice were determined.

RESULTSEGCG treatment groups(B and C)revealed a prolonged the mice survival time of burden swimming test, hypoxia tolerance, running wheel time and the ability of stick climbing(P < 0.05 or P <0.01), and increased LDH activity and MG and LG contents, reduced contents of BLA and BUN. High dose group had an obviously increase effect than lower dose group(P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONEGCG has significant effects against exercise-induced fatigue in mice.

Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Catechin ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Exercise Tolerance ; Fatigue ; drug therapy ; Glycogen ; metabolism ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Mice ; Physical Conditioning, Animal