Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Semicircular Canals ; surgery

BACKGROUNDAlthough clinical treatment for heart failure and sudden death has been improved over the last few decades, the morbidity and mortality of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have increased. So a better understanding of the underlying molecular events leading to DCM is urgent. Persistent viral infection (especially coxsackievirus group B3) of the myocardium in viral myocarditis and DCM has never been neglected by experts. Recent data indicate that the up-regulation of coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) in viral cardiomyopathy contributes to viral infection as a key factor in the pathogenesis of this disease. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of CAR in DCM by the bioinformatic method.

METHODSWe identified the clusters of genes co-expressed with CAR by clustering algorithm based on the public available microarray dataset of DCM (Kittleson, et al. 2005), and mapped these genes into the protein-protein interaction networks to investigate the interaction relationship to each other at the protein level after confirming that the samples are characterized by the cluster of genes in correctly partitioning.

RESULTSThe gene cluster GENESET 11 containing 33 genes including CAR with similar expression pattern was identified by cluster algorithm, of which 19 genes were found to have interaction information of the protein encoded by them in the current human protein interaction database. Especially, 12 genes present as critical nodes (called HUB node) at the protein level are involved in energy metabolism, signal transduction, viral infection, immuno-response, cell apoptosis, cell proliferation, tissue repair, etc.

CONCLUSIONSThe genes in GENESET 11 together with CAR may play a pathogenic role in the development of DCM, mainly involved in the mechanism of energy metabolism, signal transduction, viral infection, immuno-response, cell apoptosis and tissue repair.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; etiology ; Computational Biology ; Coxsackie and Adenovirus Receptor-Like Membrane Protein ; Humans ; Multigene Family ; Receptors, Virus ; genetics ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of PET/CT on the clinical staging, target volume delineation and precise radiotherapy (PAR) planning for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSPET/CT scanning was performed in 58 histologically proven NSCLC patients for radical radiotherapy or surgery. The clinical staging of all patients was determined by PET/CT according to 1997 World Health Organization (WHO) staging system. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) planning was established with identical parameters based on CT image and PET/CT fused image, respectively. The indexes including volume of GTV (V(GTV)), percentage of the total lung volume which received more than 20 Gy (V(20)), mean lung dose (MLD), tumor control probability (TCP), normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), and dose to spinal cord (Ds) were selected and evaluated. The quality of the two plans and the impact of PET/CT on PAR planning was compare and analyzed.

RESULTS1. PET/CT image results changed the clinical stages in 21 of 58 (36.2%) patients with 14 upstaged and 7 downstaged, therefore, the management decisions were modified in 16 (27.6%) patients. 2. Among 32 patients who underwent surgery, PET/CT staging result was consistent with pathologic staging in 29 with one false negative and 2 false positive in lymph node staging. The sensitivity of PET/CT was 96.9% and accuracy 90.6%. 3. The differences of indexes including V(GTV) (P = 0.004), V(20) (P = 0.000) and MLD (P = 0.004) between the two radiotherapy plannings were statistically significant, whereas, the Ds, TCP and NTCP (left lung, right lung, skin and spinal cord) was not.

CONCLUSION1. The impact PET/CT on clinical staging of NSCLC and PAR planning was remarkable. 2. PET/CT is more consistent with pathology in staging than CT and, therefore, is an important compensatory staging measure. 3. Compared with CT, PET/CT can reduce the V(GTV) in patients with atelectasis and obstructive pneumonitis when contouring the target volume, so can provide better protection for normal surrounding lung tissue. On the other hand, PET/CT is more sensitive in detecting mediastinal lymph node metastasis than CT, and the V(GTV) can be more precise and guaranteed. 4. Radiopneumonitis may be more effectively prevented because of significant decrease in V(20) and MLD by more precise planning based on PET/CT results. 5. PET/CT not only can provide satisfactory Ds, TCP and NTCP within clinical demand, but also more precise delineation of the radiation target volume and precise radiotherapy planning for NSCLC.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To investigate the immediate and cumulative effects of early acupuncture therapy on cerebral hemodynamics in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Totally 60 patients with acute ischemic stroke were selected and randomly divided into treatment group and control group, with 30 patients in each group. The two groups were treated with routine Western treatment. On the basis of above, the treatment group was given acupuncture treatment (acupuncture for the first time before the use of circulating medication), 30 minutes for each needle, 1 needle every 10 minutes, once per day. The treatment for both groups lasted for 14 d. The changes of systolic peak velocity (Vs), diastolic peak velocity (Vd), pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of middle cerebral artery (MCA) in the two groups were observed. Results Compared with before treatment, both Vs and Vd increased and both PI and RI decreased in the treament group (P＜0.05); Compared with the treatment for 1 d, both Vs and Vd increased and both PI and RI decreased in the treament group after treatment (P＜0.05). Compared with before treatment, Vs, Vd, PI, RI in the treatment group and Vs and PI in the control group were significantly improved after treatment (P＜0.05). After treatment, the improvement of Vs, Vd, PI and RI in the treatment group was better than that in the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Early acupuncture has immediate and cumulative effects on cerebral blood flow in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Many times of acupuncture may strengthen the effects of acupuncture.

Objective:To provide experimental evidences for choosing murine models in the pathogenesis research of thymic impairment induced by viral infection,we compared the impacts of polycytidylic acid(Poly(I:C)) and dexamethasone(DEX) on the thymic morphology and thymic output function,and explored the implication of RLR signaling pathway.Methods: 24 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into three groups and treated with Poly(I:C),DEX,or saline respectively.Thereafter,their thymic morphology,pathological changes,thymic index,and thymic pathology were examined.Their contents of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and proportions of the naive CD4+T cell in the peripheral blood were determined to evaluate their thymic output function.The expression levels of thymic RLR/MAVS/IFN-α/β signaling pathway and IL-1β were also measured.Results: Both Poly (I:C) and DEX treatment caused thymic atrophy in appearance and structural destruction under the microscope inspection,and DEX treatment did much more severe damage,especially to the thymic cortex.TRECs decreased significantly in both groups.The proportions of na?ve/memory CD4+T cell subsets remained stable,though total CD4+T cell decreased in DEX group,while the proportion of na?ve CD4+T cell in Poly (I:C) group increased significantly.The expression of RIG-Ⅰ,MDA5,LGP2,and IFN-α/β were up-regulated in DEX group, while it remained unchanged in Poly (I:C) group.Conclusion:Both Poly (I:C) and DEX induced thymic atrophy and the impaired thymic output function.Nevertheless,the expression of RLR-IFN signaling pathway up-regulated more significantly in DEX group instead of in Poly (I:C) group.These results implied the existence of different pathological manifestations and mechanisms underlying the impaired thymic function in different animal models,as well as impact on na?ve/memory CD4+T cell proportions.Our research provides references for choosing animal models in the basic research and drug development for viral infection induced thymic atrophy based on the RLR signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the impact of one versus two distal locking bolts on the mechanical properties of tibial interlocking intramedullary nails. Methods Twenty 9-mm titanium alloy locking nails were divided into two equal groups in which the nails were fixed with only one and two distal locking bolts, respectively. Each group was further divided into two sub-groups for compression and torsion tests separately using a universal material-testing machine. Results In the compression tests, the average maximum strength of double bolts was greater than that of the single bolt (P＜0.05), but the number of the bolts did not significantly affect the results of the torsion tests in terms of the either the maximum torsion moment or angle (P＞0.05). Conclusion One distal bolt is sufficient for fixing stable fractures and double bolts are recommended for management of serious fractures. The model we used is convenient and economic for examining the biomechanics of the tibial nails, especially for comparative purposes.

Objective To investigate the implication of morphological changes of the proximal femur in femoral prosthesis selection in total hip replacement for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Twenty-four patients (36 hips)admitted for cementless total hip replacement (THR) because of AS were enrolled in this study along with the control group of 30 patients (45 hips) without AS. Measurement of the Singh index, canal flare index, morphological index of the cortex,cortical index and stem-canal fit was performed in the two groups on the basis of roentgenograms. Results The AS patients had more serious osteoporosis in their proximal femur. There were significant differences between the two groups in Singh index, canal flare index, morphological index of the cortex and stem-canal fit (P＜0.05), but not in the cortical index (P＞0.05).The AS patients were found to have severe osteoporosis in the upper femur and massive spongy bone loss, so that the morphology of the canal was almost orthostatic in the upper femur because of the thinned femoral cortex. Conclusion Cemented prosthesis is recommended for AS patients with severe osteoporosis, who should be treated with revised THR to ensure good fit of the prosthesis to the canal. Cementless prosthesis, however, can still achieve good therapeutic effect in AS patients without significant morphologic changes in the proximal femurs. Computer-aided design and manufacture of individualized prosthesis better suits the AS patients than the currently available prosthesis.

Objective To investigate the impact of one versus two distal locking bolts on the mechanical properties of tibial interlocking intramedullary nails. Methods Twenty 9-mm titanium alloy locking nails were divided into two equal groups in which the nails were fixed with only one and two distal locking bolts, respectively. Each group was further divided into two sub-groups for compression and torsion tests separately using a universal material-testing machine. Results In the compression tests, the average maximum strength of double bolts was greater than that of the single bolt (P＜0.05), but the number of the bolts did not significantly affect the results of the torsion tests in terms of the either the maximum torsion moment or angle (P＞0.05). Conclusion One distal bolt is sufficient for fixing stable fractures and double bolts are recommended for management of serious fractures. The model we used is convenient and economic for examining the biomechanics of the tibial nails, especially for comparative purposes.

Objective To investigate the implication of morphological changes of the proximal femur in femoral prosthesis selection in total hip replacement for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Twenty-four patients (36 hips)admitted for cementless total hip replacement (THR) because of AS were enrolled in this study along with the control group of 30 patients (45 hips) without AS. Measurement of the Singh index, canal flare index, morphological index of the cortex,cortical index and stem-canal fit was performed in the two groups on the basis of roentgenograms. Results The AS patients had more serious osteoporosis in their proximal femur. There were significant differences between the two groups in Singh index, canal flare index, morphological index of the cortex and stem-canal fit (P＜0.05), but not in the cortical index (P＞0.05).The AS patients were found to have severe osteoporosis in the upper femur and massive spongy bone loss, so that the morphology of the canal was almost orthostatic in the upper femur because of the thinned femoral cortex. Conclusion Cemented prosthesis is recommended for AS patients with severe osteoporosis, who should be treated with revised THR to ensure good fit of the prosthesis to the canal. Cementless prosthesis, however, can still achieve good therapeutic effect in AS patients without significant morphologic changes in the proximal femurs. Computer-aided design and manufacture of individualized prosthesis better suits the AS patients than the currently available prosthesis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; HIV Infections ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Rural Population ; Sexual Behavior ; Single Person ; Young Adult