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Objective To define the significance of the anatomical division and features of popliteal artery in popliteal angioplasty.Methods This study involved 118 lower limbs in 113 cases of femoropoliteal occlusive disease undergoing angioplasty in our center between August 2011 and July 2013.A bent-knee angiogram was taken before recanalization of the lesion.The flexion pattern and the location of flexion points of popliteal artery were collected to study their relationship with the division of popliteal artery.A post-procedural bent-knee angiogram was taken in case of popliteal stenting to assess any change in flexion angulation and distal flow.Results There are diverse flexion patterns in popliteal artery,75.4％ of the flexion points locate in P2 segment,18.6％ in P1,and 6.0％ in P3.On post-procedural bent-knee angiogram in 73 cases of popliteal stenting,10 had a more acute distal flexion angulation,distal artery kinking was observed in another 6 cases of which 5 had compromised distal flow.Artery kinking only occurred in cross-flexion-point stenting.Conclusions A better understanding of the division and anatomical features of popliteal artery can be obtained via bent-knee angiogram.This is of value to angioplasty for lesions in different popliteal divisions.

The article discusses the experiences of five-year minority medical students in internal medicine practice teaching.The content includes cultivating studnts’ ability of clinic thought,the application of casuistics methods,PBL method,combination of teaching and clinic,me-dia mix’s application,improving students’communication ability,adjusting teaching method in time,and so on.The purpose is to improve the effect of minority medical students in internal medicine practice teaching.

Objective: In order to observe the kinds and intensity of the working noise of Yansan Petrochemical Co. and the effects caused by the working noise on the workers＇ vestibular and auditory function. Method :The intensity and frequency of the working noise were recorded by exactolnoisemeter in the workshop. One hundred and seventeen workers were tested in routine pure-tone tested method. The SPVN and ABR were tested within fifty-one workers of all. Result:The working noise of Yansan Petrochemical Co. belongs to the broad band and steady noise. The intensity of the working noise were during 85.7～104.0 dB (A) and the main frequency were during 1～8 kHz. About 59 percent workers who exposed to the working noise had hearing loss. The most hearing-loss were in the high frequency. The hearing-loss of speech frequency were slight. Workers who have more six years standing have obviously increased hearing-loss than the workers who have less five years standing. There were significant differences the ABR thresholds and wave-interval between the tested and controlled groups. The SPVN and CP were abnormal in more than 17.4 percent workers with hearing loss. Conclusion: The working noise of Yansan Petrochemical Co. belongs to the broad band and steady noise. Working noise can lead to workers＇ hearing loss of certain degrees who exposed in the noise for a long time. Obvious correlation was not defined between the hearing-loss and the abnormal vestibular response group.

ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and efficacy of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) insufflation during ERCP.MethodsBetween January and August 2011,a total of 102 consecutive patients who underwent ERCP were randomized to accept CO2 insufflation ( n =52 ) of air insufflation ( n =50 ) during the procedure.ERCP was carried out with the same instrument by an expert endoscopist who was blinded to the insufflation gas used and the procedure was controlled at 30 minutes to 1 hour.The heart rate,oxygen saturation of the patient was continuously monitored during the procedure.Before the procedure and 1 hour after the end of operation,abdominal X-ray was taken to evaluate the width of intestine,and the degree of intestinal expansion was defined as normal,mild,moderate and severe according to the width increased.A questionnaire with 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to quantify the abdominal pain and distention experienced at 1 hour,2 hours,and 6 hours after the procedure.The patients' vital signs,bowel dilatation,the average operating time,abdominal pain score and distention score on VAS,and complications in 2 groups were analyzed.ResultsThe baseline characteristics of 2 groups were comparable.ERCP was successfully performed in all the patients and no complication was observed.In CO2 group,the average operating time,mean heart rate and oxygen saturation were (45.2 ± 10.6) min,( 102.2 ± 10.3 ) bpm and ( 99.5 ± 0.5)％,which were (48.5 ± 11.2) min,( 100.3 ± 11.4) bpm and (98.9 ±0.6)％,respectively,in air group.There were no significant differences on these items between the 2 groups ( P ＞ 0.05 ).Moderate to severe intestinal expansion 1 hour after ERCP was found in 14 patients (26.9％ ) in CO2 group and in 28 patients (56.0％ ) in air group,and the latter was significantly higher than the former (x2 =11.61,P =0.009).Both of the mean abdominal pain and abdominal distention scores at 1 hour post-ERCP in CO2 group were lower than those in air group,but without significant difference (P ＞0.05).However,the mean abdominal pain scores at 2 hours and 6 hours post-ERCP in CO2 group were significantly lower than those of patients in air group (7.4 ±2.2 vs.18.7 ±4.6 at 2 hours post-ERCP,9.6 ±3.7 vs.20.1 ±4.5 at 6 hours post-ERCP,all P ＜ 0.05 ).Similarly,the mean abdominal distention scores at 2 hours and 6 hours post-ERCP in CO2 group were significant lower than those of patients in air group (7.6 ±3.6 vs.18.3 ±4.1 at 2 hours post-ERCP,8.9 ±3.7 vs.19.4 ±4.2 at 6 hours post-ERCP,all P ＜0.05).ConclusionThe use of CO2 insufflation instead of air during ERCP appears to be safe.Insufflation of CO2 during ERCP palliates the intestinal expansion,post-ERCP abdominal pain and distention comparison to insufflation of air.However,because of the single-center clinical observation with limited number of cases,the safety and efficacy of CO2insufflation during ERCP requires to be further evaluated.

Nitrate not only remarkably stimulates the rifamycinbiosynthesis in Amycolatopsis mediterranei, but also influences the primary metabolisms, including the inhibition of fatty acids biosynthesis in the bacterial. This phenomenon has been designated as "Nitrate Stimulating Effect" by the late Prof. J.S. Chiaosince its discovery in the 1970's, and has been found in many other antibiotics-producing actinomycetes subsequently. Based on the research in his laboratory, we have revealed that the nitrate stimulation effect mainly manifests in two aspects over the last two decades. First, nitrate promotes the supply of rifamycin precursors, e.g., UDP-glucose, AHBA, malonyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA. Specifically, the biosynthesis of fatty acids is inhibited by nitrate consequently the acetyl-CoA is shunted into malonyl-CoA. Second, nitrate facilitates the expression of genes in the rifclulsterthat encodes rifamycin biosynthetic enzymes. Following our current understanding, the future research will focus on the signals, the signal transduction pathway and the molecular mechanisms that dictate nitrate-mediated transcriptional and post-translational regulations.
Actinomycetales ; classification ; metabolism ; Acyl Coenzyme A ; chemistry ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; biosynthesis ; Nitrates ; chemistry ; Rifamycins ; biosynthesis

Objective To evaluate two kinds of practical CT three-dimensional volumetric measurement techniques in assessing atrial septal defects (ASDs) for transcatheter device closure.Methods Retrospective assessment of 50 consecutive patients who underwent ASD closure was conducted.Cardiac CT was performed in them before planned transcatheter ASD closure and postoperative chest radiograph was performed in both posteroanterior and lateral view.Coronary CT angiography was made for the detection of coronary artery disease,and three-dimensional reconstruction of ASD was conducted for determination of the defect size in the GE-workstation.Two kinds of practical CT three-dimensional volumetric measurement techniques,one named CT virtual endoscopy assisted volumetric measurement (CTVE) and another called axial sequence assisted volumetric measurement(CTAS),were used to calculate the major axis and the minor axis of the ASD respectively.Thus,the dimensions of the Equivalent Circle were derived,with circunference and area equal to the elliptic ASD according to the formulation (D =√b4/a2 + a2-b2).The ASDs occluder (ASO) dimension was measured in the lateral chest radiograph,and this postoperative occluder-waist size (POS) value was regarded as the gold standard for the measurement of ASD.The results were compared between CTVE and CTAS,and the correlations were evaluated between them and the gold standard.Results The differences in the major dimensions (-9.05 mm,t =-6.60,P ＜ 0.05),minor dimensions (-4.86 mm,t =-4.39,P ＜ 0.05) and Equivalent circle dimensions (-7.65 mm,t =-6.40,P ＜ 0.05) of ASD between CTAS and CTVE were statistically significant.Though the CTAS cannot provide the en face views of ASDs,the Equivalent Circle dimensions measured by CTAS(22.48 ± 5.59) mm was correlated well with POS (27.07 ± 6.83)mm (Y =1.14X + 1.39,r =0.94,P ＜ 0.01),and a good correlation was found between this Equivalent Circle dimensions and ASO size (Y =1.02X + 6.84,R2 =0.78,r =0.88,P ＜ 0.05).The correlation between the Equivalent Circle dimensions measured by using CTVE (30.13 ± 9.27) mm and POS was poor (Y =0.30X + 17.94,r =0.41,P ＜ 0.01),though it can provide the en face views of ASDs.Conclusion CTVE and CTAS are two complementary techniques of assessing ASDs for transcatheter device closure.

Objective To observe the regulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signal and the release of inflammation factors after angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) stimulation in rat mesangial cells under high glucose condition,revealing the innate immune-related mechanism of injury by Ang Ⅱ on mesangial cells under high glucose.Methods After synchronization,cells incubated with Ang Ⅱ (10-7 mmo/L) and/or high glucose (25 mmol/L) were used as the stimulation group,cells without stimulation were as normal control (5.6 mmol/L glucose).To determine the role of TLR4 and the adaptor myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88),equal number of HBZY-1 cells were added with 10-5 mmol/L irbesartan and/or TLR4 blocker (10 mg/L) for 1 h and then incubated with Ang Ⅱ (10-7 mmo/L) and/or high glucose (25 mmol/L) for 12 h or 24 h respectively.Real-time PCR was used to analyze TLR4 mRNA and MyD88 mRNA expression after 12 h.Immunofluorescence was used to observe TLR4 protein expression after 24 h; Western blotting was used to observe TLR4,MyD88 and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) protein; ELISA was used to detect the concentration of MCP-1,IL-6 in cell supernatant respectively.Results Compared with normal control group,TLR4 mRNA and MyD88 mRNA were highly expressed in high glucose or Ang Ⅱ-induced HBZY-1 cells (P ＜ 0.01),TLR4,MyD88 and NF-κB protein as well as MCP-1,IL-6 were also up-regulated significantly (P ＜ 0.01).Compared with high glucose or Ang Ⅱ group,MyD88 and NF-κB protein as well as MCP-1,IL-6 were further up-regulated markedly in Ang Ⅱ and high glucose costimulated group (P ＜ 0.01).In HBZY-1 cells that were preincubated with irbesartan and/or TLR4 blocker,TLR4 and MyD88 protein expression were obviously inhibited,IL-6 and MCP-1 production were also decreased remarkably compared with high glucose and/or Ang Ⅱ group (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions High glucose and Ang Ⅱ stimulate the release of proinflammatory factors in rat glomerular mesangial cells via TLR4-MyD88 pathway.This process is inhibited by irbesartan or TLR4 blocker via modulation of the signal.Ang Ⅱ has the positive-regulation potential on the release of inflammation factors via TLR4 signal in rat mesangial cells under high glucose condition.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value and safety of endobronchial ultrasoundguided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in elderly patients with bronchogenic carcinoma.Methods From August,2013 and July,2014,31 patients aged 65 years and over with space-occupying mass and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes detected by CT or positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) underwent EBUS-TBNA.Rapid onsite cytology evaluation was not performed.Results There were 26 males and 5 females in this study,aged 65-77 years (70.1 years old on average).In 31 patients,70 samples were obtained from lymph nodes (LNs) and 4 samples were obtained from intrapulmonary lesions.29 cases were diagnosed as lung cancer,and 2 cases had false-negative diagnoses.The sensitivity and specificity rates of EBUS-guided TBNA method were 93.6％ and 100.0％,respectively.No major complications were observed in this series.Conclusions EBUS-TBNA is an safe and effective method in diagnosing bronchogenic carcinoma in elderly patients.

Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety,and short-term therapeutic effect of laparoscopic azygoportal disconnection without splenectomy for cirrhotic portal hypertension (PLT count ＞ 50 × 109/L).Methods Clinical data of 48 patients with bleeding portal hypertension and secondary hypersplenism (PLT count ＞ 50 × 109/L) undergoing laparoscopic splenectomy and azygoportal disconnection (LSD,n =26) vs.laparoscopic azygoportal disconnection (LD,n =22) between January 2014 and August 2015 were analyzed.Results Operative time (82 ± 29) min,intraoperative blood loss 20(10-50) ml,days of postoperative fever 0(0-3) d,rate of postoperative fever 10/22,postoperative hospital stay (7.0 ± 1.3) d,and WBC counts (3.8 ± 1.6) × 109/L,PLT counts 64 (49-88) × 109/L,and the incidence of portal vein thrombosis on POD 7 (14％),were significantly less in LD group than in LSD group [(180±41) min,80(20-500) ml,2(0-4) d,(22/26),(10.8 ±3.0) d,(9.1 ±3.1) × 109/L,156 (78-630) × 109/L,(42％)],(t =9.637,Z =-4.746,Z =-2.314,x2 =8.224,t =5.794,t =7.785,Z=-5.508,x2 =4.742,all P ＜ 0.05).Immune function was better in LD group than in splenectomy group at postoperative month 3.The serum proportion of CD4 + (58 ± 11) and the CD4 +/CD8 + ratio (1.9 ±0.7) at postoperative month 3 were significantly higher after LD than after LSD [(43 ± 14),(1.2 ± 0.9)],(t =-3.755,t =-2.509,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Laparoscopic azygoportal disconnection without splenectomy is safe and effective for esophagogastric variceal hemorrhage and moderate hypersplenism (PLT ＞ 50 × 109/L) secondary to portal hypertension.