OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to observe the postoperative pain rate and degree of pain in preschool children with cleft lip and palate, and investigate the effect of nursing intervention on pain relief.

METHODSA total of 120 hospitalized cases of three- to seven-year-old preschool children with cleft lip and palate were selected from May to October 2011. The subjects were randomly divided into the control group and experimental groups 1, 2, and 3. The control group used conventional nursing methods, experimental group 1 used analgesic drug treatment, experimental group 2 used psychological nursing interventions, and experimental group 3 used both psychological nursing intervention and analgesic drug treatment. After 6, 12, 24, and 48 h, pain self-assessment, pain parent-assessment, and pain nurse-assessment were calculated for the four groups using the pain assessment forms, and their ratings were compared.

RESULTSThe postoperative pain rates of the four groups ranged from 50.0% to 73.3%. The difference among the four groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The differences among the control group and experimental groups 1 and 2 were not statistically significant (P = 0.871), whereas the differences among experimental group 3 and the other groups were statistically significant (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONPostoperative pain in preschool children with cleft lip and palate is common. Psychological nursing intervention with analgesic treatment is effective in relieving postoperative pain.

Child, Preschool ; Cleft Lip ; surgery ; Cleft Palate ; surgery ; Humans ; Pain, Postoperative

OBJECTIVETo investigate the outcomes of surgical treatment and the prognostic factors of long-term survival for obstructing left colorectal cancer.

METHODSClinicopathological and follow-up data of 93 patients with obstructing left colorectal cancer undergoing surgical treatment from January 2001 to December 2006 in the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThere were 53 males and 40 females. The median age was 61 years old. Fifty-one patients had concurrent medical condition. Radical resection was performed in 67 patients, including one-stage resection (n=21), Hartmann procedure (n=35), and Miles procedure (n=11). Surgery was palliative in 26 patients, including diverting stoma (n=14), bypass surgery (n=7), and palliative resection (n=5). All the 93 patients were followed up. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 94%, 59%, and 38%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that radical resection, TNM staging, and preoperative level of carcinoembryonic antigen were independent prognostic factors (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSRadical resection, TNM stage, and preoperative CEA level are prognostic factors of obstructing left colorectal cancer. Early diagnosis, radical resection, and selection of appropriate surgical procedure are helpful to prolong survival time of patients with obstructing left colorectal cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Colorectal Surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Fatty Liver ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

BACKGROUND:Intervertebral disc degeneration is one of the ancient and common clinical diseases. Its complex pathogenesis affected by various factors, such as environment and genes, is stil in debate. Because of the technical limitations, there is stil no deep understanding on the molecular mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration. However, its molecular mechanism in recent years has made considerable development. OBJECTIVE: To summarize and discuss the molecular mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration, thereby providing the basis for the effective treatment. METHODS: CNKI and Medline databases were retrieved by the first author using computer to search relevant articles published from 2005 to 2015. The key words were “intervertebral disc degeneration, molecular mechanism, environmental factors, genes, matrix, degradation enzyme,inflammatory factor, biological environment, treatment” in Chinese and English, respectively. Mechanisms of intervertebral disc degeneration, involving genes, cel senescence and apoptosis, degradation enzyme and substrate, inflammatory cytokines, were summarized to explore the pathogenesis and possible effective treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Totaly 153 articles were initialy retrieved and finaly 52 articles were included in result analysis according to inclusive and exclusive criteria. Unique structure and biochemical properties of the intervertebral disc are easy to cause intervertebral disc degeneration. Traditionaly, environmental factors, such as occupation and smoking, are considered as the main factors inducing intervertebral disc degeneration; however, more and more studies have shown that genes have the most important influence on intervertebral disc degeneration. Declined extracelular matrix, increased degradation enzymes, and overexpression of inflammatory factors can al destroy the entire structure of intervertebral disc, and accelerate the process of intervertebral disc degeneration. Effective treatment for intervertebral disc degeneration can be formulated depending on the deep understanding on its molecular mechanisms. Although there is a further understanding on the molecular medium of intervertebral disc degeneration, the complex biochemical environment within the intervertebral disc is stil a great chalenge to the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Cervical intervertebral foramen stenosis induced by cervical spondylosis of nerve root type usual y requires surgical treatment. The ways mainly include anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and cervical posterior intervertebral foramen decompression. Which is the best way is stil inconclusive. With innovation, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for cervical spondylosis of nerve root type has become the mainstream in the current treatment. OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between curative effects and intervertebral foramen-associated parameter changes in patients with cervical spondylosis of nerve root type after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. METHODS: From March 2011 to April 2013, 132 patients with cervical spondylosis of nerve root type were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in the Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University. Neck pain and arm pain visual analogue score, neck disability index score and imaging changes were evaluated before and after treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 132 patients were fol owed up for 25(4-28) months. Significant differences in neck pain visual analogue scale, anterior intervertebral disc height, posterior intervertebral disc height, intervertebral foramen height, anterior and posterior diameters of the intervertebral foramen, the area of the intervertebral foramen, and the Cobb angle of the fused segment were detected in al patients before and after treatment (P < 0.05). Posterior intervertebral disc height was positively correlated with intervertebral foramen area (r=0.427, P=0.000). The increased Cobb angle of the fused segment was negatively associated with the size of intervertebral foramen (r=-0.273, P=0.003). Intervertebral foramen area was negatively associated with arm pain visual analogue score (r=-0.502, P=0.000). These results indicated that anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with an interbody fusion cage can obviously enlarge intervertebral foramen in patients with cervical spondylosis of nerve root type, and obtain good curative effect. The size of the intervertebral foramen is negatively related to the axial pain. The reconstruction of the intervertebral disc height is necessary to expand the intervertebral foramen. However, the increase of the curvature fusion segments is not helping to expand the intervertebral foramen.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of microinjection of saline into unilateral central piriform cortex (cPC) on the generalized seizures in amygdaloid-kindled rats.

METHODSDifferent volumes of saline were injected into the right or left cPC of amygdaloid-kindled rats, and its effect on generalized seizures was observed.

RESULTSaline injection at different volumes 0.1 microl, 0.25 microl and 1 microl) significantly decreased the incidence and duration of generalized seizures (P<0.05), the anticonvulsant effect lasted for up to 10 d. In addition, 10 min after ipsilateral injection of saline the generalized seizure thresholds were significantly increased; while this effect was observed 30 min later when contralateral injection was used.

CONCLUSIONUnilateral saline injection into cPC has a significant anticonvulsant effect, which might be used for treatment of human temporal lobe epilepsy in the future.

Amygdala ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Anticonvulsants ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Cerebral Cortex ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Electric Stimulation ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Kindling, Neurologic ; drug effects ; Male ; Microinjections ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium Chloride ; administration & dosage

OBJECTIVETo investigate the modulatory effects of morphine on the susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures, and the involvement of endogenous histamine in this process.

METHODSBoth the wild-type (WT) mice and histidine decarboxylase (a key enzyme for histamine biosynthesis) deficient (HDC-KO) mice were subcutaneously injected with different doses of morphine, and 1 hour later the pentylenetetrazole solution (1.5 %) was infused into the tail vein at a constant rate of 0.3 ml/min. The minimal dose of pentylenetetrazole (mg/kg) needed to induce myoclonic jerks and clonus convulsion was recorded as the thresholds of seizures.

RESULTIn WT mice, morphine dose-dependently decreased the thresholds of both myoclonic jerks and clonus convulsion. In HDC-KO mice, morphine at 10 mg/kg only significantly decreased the threshold of myoclonic jerks from (38.6 +/-2.9)mg/kg to (32.5 +/-0.7)mg/kg, but had no significant effect on the threshold of clonus convulsion [from (51.8 +/-2.1)mg/kg to (47.6 +/-1.2)mg/kg]. In addition, the value of decreased myoclonic jerks (15.8 +/-1.4)% and clonus convulsion (8.3 +/-0.9)% thresholds were much lower in HDC-KO mice than in WT mice [(26.1 +/-2.5)% and (20.8 +/-2.4)%, respectively].

CONCLUSIONMorphine can decrease the thresholds of pentylenetetrazole in induction of seizure, and the endogenous histamine may be involved in this process.

Animals ; Disease Susceptibility ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Histamine ; metabolism ; physiology ; Histidine Decarboxylase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Morphine ; pharmacology ; Myoclonus ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Narcotics ; pharmacology ; Pentylenetetrazole ; Random Allocation ; Seizures ; chemically induced ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Sensory Thresholds ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo report a novel mutation in RPGR gene in a Chinese family with X-linked dominant retinitis pigmentosa(XLRP).

METHODSGenetic linkage analysis was performed on the known genetic loci for XLRP with a panel of polymorphic markers, then the mutations were identified by single-strand conformation polymorphism(SSCP) and direct sequencing.

RESULTSSignificant two-point Lod score was generated using marker DXS8025 (Zmax=2.4, theta =0). The disease gene locus was confined to Xp21.1 with further analysis of genetic linkage and haplotype. Mutations screening of RPGR gene in this family revealed a GA deletion at ORF15+483-484 which caused the open reading frameshift. This novel mutation co-segregated with the affected members of the pedigree, but it was not present in the unaffected relatives.

CONCLUSIONThe above finding expands the spectrum of RPGR mutations causing XLRP in Chinese family and is useful for further genetic consultation and genetic diagnosis.

China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Eye Proteins ; genetics ; Family Health ; Female ; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Retinitis Pigmentosa ; genetics

Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDThe transcription factor, repressor of GATA-3 (ROG), can simultaneously suppress the expression of T helper cells (Th1 and Th2) cytokines. Since the suppression of Th2 cytokines by GATA-3 is well understood, it is postulated that there are other molecular targets of ROG that can suppress the expression of the Th1 cytokines. We hypothesized that ROG might suppress the stimulators of T lymphocyte cytokines such as CD3, CD28, and inducible costimulator (ICOS), or indirectly enhance the expression of cytokine suppressors such as T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and CD45. The objective of this study was to clarify the molecular targets of ROG involved in suppressing Th1 or Th2 cytokines.

METHODSReal-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the mRNA and protein levels of CD3, CD28, ICOS, CTLA-4, and CD45 in Th1 and Th2 cells during various levels of ROG expression. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-4 in culture media of Th1 and Th2 cells.

RESULTSThe results showed that the mRNA and protein levels of ROG were relatively low in Th1 and Th2 cells (P < 0.01). After ROG-pcDNA3.1 transfection, the mRNA and protein level of ROG was significantly elevated, while the expression of ICOS, IFN-γ, and IL-4 was markedly down-regulated (P < 0.01). Conversely, transfection of ROG-siRNA led to inhibition of ROG expression and up-regulation of ICOS, IFN-γ and IL-4 (P < 0.01). However, the expression levels of CD3, CD28, CTLA-4 and CD45 did not change in either ROG-pcDNA3.1 or ROG-siRNA-transfected Th1 and Th2 cells (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIt is concluded that ROG can inhibit the expression of Th1 and Th2 cytokines by down-regulating the expression of ICOS, which might be a potential molecular target for asthma treatment.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; CD28 Antigens ; metabolism ; CD3 Complex ; metabolism ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; CTLA-4 Antigen ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Inducible T-Cell Co-Stimulator Protein ; metabolism ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Leukocyte Common Antigens ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Th1 Cells ; metabolism ; Th2 Cells ; metabolism