Objective To investigate the risk factors for bacterial pneumonia and the predictive value of early serum procalcitonin (PCT) level for bacterial pneumonia and sepsis classification in patients with acute stroke. Methods The patients with acute stroke in neurological intensive care unit were enroled retrospectively and divided into either a bacterial pneumonia group or a non-infection group according to whether they had bacterial pneumonia or not. The former was redivided into a non-severe sepsis subgroup and a severe sepsis subgroup according to the sepsis classification. The demographics, baseline clinical data, and PCT level (the bacterial pneumonia group was the PCT level when infection occurred, the non-infection group was the PCT level within 24 h of admission) were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for bacterial pneumonia. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of serum PCT level for bacterial pneumonia and sepsis
classification. Results A total of 164 patients with acute stroke were enroled in the study, including 114 in the bacterial pneumonia group (66 in the non-severe sepsis subgroup and 48 in the severe sepsis subgroup) and 50 in the non-infection group. There were significant differences in age, fasting blood glucose level, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, and PCT level between the bacterial pneumonia group and the non-infection group (P < 0. 05 ). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that fasting blood glucose level ≥7 mmol/L (odds ratio [ OR] 8. 488, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 2. 739 - 26. 300; P < 0. 01), GCS score ≤8 (OR 11. 361, 95% CI 2. 175 - 59. 352; P < 0. 01), and PCT level ≥0. 050 ng/ml (OR 16. 715, CI 5. 075 - 55. 049; P < 0. 01) were the independent risk factors for bacterial pneumonia. In the bacterial pneumonia group, the PCT level (median; interquartile range) in the severe sepsis subgroup was significantly higher than that in the non-severe sepsis subgroup (0. 835 [ 0. 164 - 1. 715 ] ng/ml vs. 0. 114 [0. 073 - 0. 275 ] ng/ml; Z = 4. 818, P < 0. 01 ). ROC curve analysis showed that PCT ≥0. 070 ng/ml could better predict the occurrence of bacterial pneumonia in patients with acute stroke, with sensitivity of 84. 2% , specificity of 74. 0% and the area under the ROC curve of 0. 865 (CI 0. 806 - 0. 924, P < 0. 01); PCT 0. 669 ng/mlcould better predict the occurrence of severe sepsis in acute stroke patients with bacterial pneumonia, with sensitivity of 56. 3% , specificity of 92. 4% and the area under the ROC curve of 0. 765 (CI 0. 672 - 0. 858; P < 0. 01). Conclusions The early PCT level ≥0. 050 ng/ml was an independent risk factor for occurring bacterial pneumonia in patients with acute stroke, its level had certaln predictive value for bacterial pneumonia and the severity of infection.

Objcctive To investigate the predictive value of the 40 Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR) in patients with the malignant process of middle cerebral artery territory infarction.Methods The40 Hz ASSR and brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) were performed within 72 hours after patients with middle cerebral artery terrtory infarction admitted in the neuro-intensive care unite (NICU).At the same time,the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were assessed.Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to deterrmine the influencing factors of the malignant process.The relevant indicators of the malignant process were analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve in order to clear the predictive value of 40 Hz ASSR in the malignant process of middle cerebral artery territory infarction.Results A total of 104 patients with supratentorial middle cerebral artery territory infarction were included.They were divided into the malignant process group (n=59) or the non-malignant process group (n=45).There were significant differences in the baseline NIHSS scores (17.25 ± 7.23 vs.20.40 ± 8.09; t =- 2.055,P =0.043),infarct volume (105.85 ± 73.37 mm3 us.179.15 ± 144.38 mm3; t =-3.011,P =0.004),leukocyte count ([ 10.26 ±3.14] × 109/L vs.[ 13.45 ±5.42] × 109/L; t =-3.336,P =0.001),40 Hz ASSR (Z =-3.237,P =0.001),and short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (Z =-3.130,P =0.002) grade between the malignant process group and the non-malignant process group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the40 Hz ASSR (odds ratio [OR] 3.347,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.630 -6.872; P=0.014),infarct volume (OR 1.006,95％ CI 1.001 - 1.012,P=0.003),and leukocyte count (OR 1.277,95％ CI 1.074 - 1.402; P =0.001) were the independent predictors in patients with the malignant process of middle cerebral artery territory infarction.When the 40 Hz ASSR was grade 3,the sensitivity and specificity of predicting malignant process were 39.5％ and 94.4％.Conclusions The 40 Hz ASSR has an important predictive value in patients with the malignant process of middle cerebral artery territory infarction.

Objective To study the prognostic predictive value of quantitative dectroencephalography (qEEG)for patients with large middle cerebral artery infarction (LMCAI).Methods The scores of routine electroencephalography (EEG),qEEG and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of the patients within 72 hours after symptom onset were recorded.The short-term prognosis (death or survival) was evaluated at 1 month after the onset.The long-term prognosis (good or poor) was evaluated at 3 months after the onset.All the observed data in each prognostic group were compared.Results A total of 105 patients were included in the study.There were significant differences in the margin of amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) (upper margin:19.11 ± 7.80 μV vs.11.87 ±6.41 μV;t =2.392,P =0.019; lower margin:11.90 ± 4.78 μV vs.7.58 ± 4.15 μV; t =3.327,P =0.022),Synek-classification (x2 =48.114,P =0.000) between the short-term survival group and the death group; in patients with left LMCAI,there were significant differences in the absolute energy of the β-activity (13.16 ±12.66 μV2 vs.19.20 ±17.96 μV2;t =-2.781,P =0.039),spectral edge frequency 95％ (SEF95％) (9.17 ± 3.24 Hz vs.10.36 ± 3.76 Hz; t =-5.614,P =0.002) between the short-term survival group and the death group.There were significant differences in the age (59.33 ±13.67 years vs.68.87± 10.473 years; t =-3.215,P =0.002),GCS scores (10.86±2.80 vs.9.21 ±2.51;t =2.511,P =0.015),SEF95％ (13.80 ±5.40 Hz vs.10.93 ±4.68 Hz; t ＝2.311,P =0.024) and sides of infarction (x2 =4.737,P =0.030) between the long-term good prognosis group and the poor prognosis group.Conclusion qEEG can be used as an effective means of monitoring for evaluating the prognosis of patients with LMCAI.

Objective:To explore the alteration of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling and the influ‐ence of irbesartan on it in hippocampus of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) knock‐out (KO) mice . Meth‐ods:The 10~11‐week ACE2 KO (Ace2/y ) mice received daily treatment with angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker irbesartan (50 mg/kg) or placebo for two weeks. The wild‐type mice (WT ,Ace2+ /y ) were regarded as normal control. Western blotting method was used to measure levels of BDNF and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in the mice hippocampus. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure plasma Ang level in mice . Results :Compared with normal WT control mice ,there were significant down‐regulations of BDNF protein expres‐sion [ (1 ± 0.16) vs .(0.54 ± 0.16)] in hippocampus and plasma Ang‐ (1‐7) level [ (55.6 ± 7.5) pg/ml vs .(42.8 ± 5.8) pg/ml] ,and significant rise in ERK1/2 phosphorylation [ (1 ± 0.28) vs .(1.79 ± 0.29)] in ACE2 KO mice (P<0.01 all). After irbesartan treatment ,there were significant rise in BDNF protein expression (0.88 ± 0.13) in hippocampus and plasma Ang‐ (1‐7) level [(59.4 ± 8.4) pg/ml] ,and significant reduction in ERK1/2 phosphoryla‐tion level (1.33 ± 0.19) in ACE2 KO mice (P<0.05 or <0.01) .Conclusion:There are BDNF protein expression down‐regulation and enhanced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in hippocampus of ACE2 KO mice. AT1 receptor blockade irbesartan can improve Ang‐ (1‐7 ) level and hippocampus BDNF expression , while reducing hippocampus ERK phosphorylation signal in ACE2 KO mice ,suggesting that AT1 receptor blockade possesses certain brain protective effect.

In order to overcome the effects of the anti-aliasing filter and the colored background noise, an adaptive algorithm is proposed to estimate the parameters of ion channel kinetics and the background noise, and whereafter the ion channel signal could be restored from the strong noisy patch-clamp recordings. The algorithm cross-couples the recursive expectation-maximization algorithm, which estimates optimally the parameters of hidden Markov model, and the recursive extended least square algorithm, which estimates optimally the characteristics of the background noise. Simulation suggests that this cross-coupling algorithm convergences consistently, and is very robust to the inexact conformation number.
Algorithms ; Ion Channels ; physiology ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Likelihood Functions ; Models, Theoretical ; Noise ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; methods ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

The dynamic changes of synchronous 12-lead ECG signal's correlation dimension (D2) of an anesthetized rabbit were investigated primarily under three different pathologic conditions. The results showed that the D2 derived from different lead signals was not a constant whether the rabbit was in normal state or in emergent myocardial infarction condition, it demonstrated distribution characteristic. Compared with the same lead signal, D2 of limb lead almost kept constant, D2 of chest lead got higher when the sphere of emergent ischemia extended larger. D2 showed the potential application in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease.
Animals ; Electrocardiography ; Myocardial Infarction ; physiopathology ; Nonlinear Dynamics ; Rabbits ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Background and purpose:Along with the development of diagnosis and treatment technology, the disease free survival and overall survival of breast cancer have been extended. In order to improve the quality of life after mastectomy, more and more breast reconstructions were applied in breast cancer patients. We retrospectively reviewed 118 cases of free abdominal lfaps for breast reconstruction performed in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Clinical outcomes, reconstructive techniques and experiences are discussed. Methods:From November, 2006 to June, 2013, we used free abdominal lfaps to perform 118 cases of breast reconstruction on 117 female patients after mastectomy. We observed the surgery, complications and safety of this technic. Results:We performed 118 cases of lfaps based on deep inferior epigastric vessels. The average operation time was 7.72 h. The average time of ischemia was 78.74min. The average anastomosis time was 60.83min. The average number of perforators included in the lfap was 3. The internal thoracic vessels were preferred recipient vessels. Ten cases of vessel crisis occurred and 6 of them were venous thrombosis and 4 cases were venous kink. Seven of them were salvaged, and the other 3 failed, the success rate was 97.46%. Postoperative infection rate was 7.00%. Abdominal bulge occurred in 3.50%of patients. None of the patients developed abdominal hernia. The median interval between surgery and the ifrst cycle of adjuvant chemotherapy was 19 days. The median follow-up time was 12 months. One case of distant metastasis, but no local recurrence was observed. Conclusion: Although free abdominal flap breast reconstruction requires complicated microsurgical techniques, and the learning curve does exist, free abdominal lfap breast reconstruction has a high success rate with oncological safety and few complications.

Objective To follow up the long-term prognosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) patients with normal basic renal function,and to further identify the clinical features as well as risk factors associated with the prognosis of AKI patients.Methods Clinical date of 166 patients who occurred AKI episode during hospitalization from Jan 1 2011 to Dec 31 2014 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University were retrospectively analyzed.All these patients had normal basic renal function and had follow-up of more than two years after discharge.According to their renal function after two years,patients were divided into recover and non-recover group.The clinical features and risk factors associated with the prognosis of AKI patients were identified using multivariate logistic regression,and the proportion of renal function progression was calculated during follow-up period.Results One hundred and sixty-six patients were enrolled in this observational study,including 114 male,52 female with an average age of 58.1± 16.6.Eighty-seven patients were AKI stage 1,39 AKI stage 2,and 40 AKI stage 3.Thirty-seven patients were caused by pre-renal factors,113 patients by renal causes and 16 patients by post-renal causes.Renal function when discharged (P=0.002,OR=2.980) and infection (P=0.003,OR=2.786) were the risk factors of failing to restore after two years.Eighty-four patients' renal function returned to normal when discharged,but the number of patients whose renal function progressed to CKD 3 stage and even worse 1 year and two years later were 12 (14.3％) and 20 (23.8％) respectively.Fifty-four patients were diagnosed as partial recovery and 28 patients as non-recovery when discharged.One year later 22 (40.7％) and 12 (42.9％) patients' renal function progressed to CKD 3 stage and more,while those numbers became 28 (51.9％) and 16 (57.1％) two years later.Conclusions The risk factors of AKI long-term outcome include unrecovered renal function when discharged and infection.After AKI episode,even with fully recovered renal function,patients are still possible to progress to CKD,highlighting the importance of follow-up observation.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) for 30 d survival status in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods Patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the Neurological Intensive Care Unit (NICU),Nanfang Hospital,Southern Medical University were selected from 2013 to 2016.They were divided into a survival group and a death group according to the 30 d survival status.The clinical data of both groups were compared and analyzed.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for 30 d survival status.The predictive value of the variables was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results A total of 236 patients were enrolled in the study,including 64 (27.12％) in the death group and 172 (72.88％) in the survival group.The baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score,procalcitonin,C-reactive protein,CAR,and onset to NICU time in patients of the survival group were significantly lower or shorter than those of the death group,and the serum albumin level of the survival group was higher than that of the death group (all P ＜0.05).Pearson's correlation analysis showed that C-reactive protein (r =0.647,P ＜ 0.001),CAR (r =0.632,P ＜ 0.001),and onset to NICU time (r =0.596,P ＜ 0.001) were closely associated with the 30 d survival status in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CAR was an independent risk factor for 30 d mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke (odds ratio 1.895,95％ confidence interval 1.573-2.282;P ＜ 0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of CAR was 0.873 (95％ confidence interval 0.815-0.931),the optimal cut-off value was 2.197,the sensitivity of predicting 30 d death risk was 82.8％,and the specificity was 87.8％.Conclusion CAR is an independent risk factor for 30 d death in patients with acute ischemic stroke and can be used for 30 d survival assessment in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Objective To explore the relationship between spontaneous cough and extubation outcome (EO) in non-comatose neurocritical patients.Methods A retrospective study was performed in patients admitted to the neurocritical care unit (NICU) from September 2011 to September 2012; the extubation decisions in these patients had been made by physicians based on an existing extubation protocol of NICU.We compared the baseline information,traditional weaning parameters (TWPs),Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores,eye response scores,motor response scores,ability to follow four commands (closing eyes,showing two fingers,wiggling toes,coughing according to command) and existence of spontaneous cough between extubation failure (EF) and extubation success (ES) the patients.Results A total of 145 patients experienced episodes with artificial airway,resulting in 27 extubation attempts with 70.4％ (19/27) of ES and 29.6％ (8/27) of EF.There were no differences in baseline information and TWPs (P＞0.05),while significant differences in scores of GCS,eye response and motor response between ES and EF patients (P＜0.05).The cut-off value of GCS scores at the time of extubation was 10.5 (P=0.009).The ability to follow the four commands was not associated with extubation outcome (P=0.206).The existence of spontaneous cough strongly predicted ES (P=0.000),and when subgroup analysis was done for patients who could not follow four commands,the association was still remarkable (P=0.002).Conclusion Spontaneous cough could be a predictor of ES in non-comatose NICU patients,even in those who could not follow commands.