Adenoma ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Early Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Forecasting ; Humans ; Microsurgery ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Radiosurgery ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; methods ; trends

Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurosurgery ; trends

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical effect of arthroscopic excision of the os subfibulare in anterior-lateral ankle pain.

METHODSFrom December 2005 to Augest 2014, 16 patients suffering from pain associated with an os subfibulare in the anterior-lateral side of their ankles were reviewed. Among the patients,11 patients were male and 5 were female, with a mean age of (33.5 ± 15.6) years old. The mean maximum diameter of os subfibulare was (0.70 ± 0.26) cm. All the patients underwent excision of the osseous fragments, and had anatomic reconstruction of the anterior talofibular ligament if the anterior-lateral ankle was instable. The average follow-up period was (18.0 ± 4.5) months. To analyze the surgical outcome, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot pain and function scales,visual analogue scale (VAS) and Tegner activity scale were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively.

RESULTSAOFAS scales were preoperative 60.15 ± 14.52 and postoperative 92.35 ± 5.73. There was a significant difference between them (t = -8.251, P = 0.000). The mean VAS score were preoperative 7.35 ± 0.46 and postoperative 2.45 ± 0.98. Statistical significance was also notable (t = 18.105, P = 0.000). Tegner score was significantly increased from preoperative 2.87 ± 1.12 to postoperative 5.78 ± 1.06 (t= -7.548, P = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONIrrespective of the size of os subfibulare, in patients with pain or instability associated with the os subfibulare, arthroscopic excision combined with reconstruction of ther anterior talofibular ligament or not was effective in restoring ankle function and eliminating pain.

Adult ; Ankle Injuries ; surgery ; Ankle Joint ; surgery ; Arthroscopy ; methods ; Female ; Fibula ; surgery ; Humans ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged

WHO quality-of-life scales (WHOQOL-BREF) and Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ) were used for evaluating the quality-of-life and personality characteristics of 60 outpatients with chronic urticaria.According to statistical correlation analysis, a positive correlation existed between education level and psychological field (P ＜ 0.05).And there were negative correlations between N scale, P scale and psychological field (P ＜ 0.05, P ＜ 0.01).The incidence and incurability of chronic urticaria was more correlated with anxiety and depression.The patients with chronic urticaria were more likely to have a worse quality-of-life than normal population.

Objective:To investigate the changes of gene or protein expression and activity of matrix metalloprotein9 (MMP9) and tissue inhibitor ofmetalloproteinasel (TIMP1) in the carotid artery (CA) of 4 wk hindlimb unweighted rat.Methods:A 4 weeks(wk) hindlimb unweighted (HU) rat model was used to simulate the effect of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system.Transmission electron microscopy was used to detect the content of ECM.Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was conducted to measure the mRNA content MMP and TIMP1.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot technique were used to measure the protein abundance.Gelatin zymography was carried out to detect the activity of MMP9.Results:Compared to the control group (CON),the area of ECM was enhanced (P＜0.05) and the content of collage fiber was increased (P＜0.05) in the CA of HU rats;moreover,HU did not affect the mRNA expression of MMP9,but significantly reduced the protein content (P＜0.05) or enzymatic activity (P＜0.05).Accordingly,the mRNA or protein expression of TIMP1 in the CA was significantly increased by HU (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Simulated weightlessness caused imbalance between MMP and TIMP1 expression,which might contribute to the ECM aggregation and stiffness of CA.

Objective: To investigate the impact of physical self-efficacy on physical activity and physical health among university students, so as to provide insights into formulation of the strategy to improve physical activity and physical health among university students. Methods: Freshmen and sophomores were sampled from a university in Guangzhou City using a convenience sampling method from December 2021 to April 2022. Students' demographics and types of sport exercises were collected using questionnaire surveys. Physical self-efficacy was tested using the Physical Self-efficacy Scale, and physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short, while physical health was evaluated using the school physical health standard test. The associations of physical self-efficacy with physical activity and physical health were examined using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 4 171 questionnaires were allocated, and 3 811 valid questionnaires were recovered, with a effective recovery rate of 91.37%. The respondents included 1 582 males (41.51%) and 2 229 females (58.49%), and included 1 967 freshmen (51.61%) and 1 844 sophomores (48.39%). The median score of physical self-efficacy was 36 (interquartile range, 7) points, and there were 1 777 students reaching the national standard of physical activity (46.63%) and 1 112 students with excellent and good physical health (29.18%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that physical self-efficacy was a promoting factor for the proportion of reaching the national standard of physical activity (OR=1.054, 95%CI: 1.043-1.064) and excellent and good physical health (OR=1.109, 95%CI: 1.096-1.122) after adjustment for gender, grade, specialty and source of students. Conclusion The improvement of physical self-efficacy may increase the proportion of reaching the national standard of physical activity and excellent and good physical health among university students.

Vampire bat saliva contains a plasminogen activator that presumably assists these hematophagous animals during feeding. Bat-PA (H), the full-length form of Vampire Bat Salivary Plasminogen Activator (DSPAalpha1), is homologous and similar efficacy to tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). The strict fibrin dependence of activity is a characteristic which could be desirable in the fibrinolytic therapy. It is a unique fibrinolytic enzyme that does not promote neurodegeneration. In this study, according to the reported gene sequence (GenBank Accession No. J05082) of Vampire bat (D. rotundus) plasminogen activator. It was the first time to synthesize the full sequence of DSPAalpha1 in vitro and clone it into the expression vector pPIC9K, the recombinant plasmid was linearized and transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 strain. Secreted expression of recombinant DSPAalpha1 was attained by methanol induction and its molecular mass is 47 kD. To get recombinant GS115 with high amount of protein, hundreds of His+ transformants had been screened to isolate clones resistant to high levels G418 (2-4 mg/mL), the selected clones mini-expressed in Pichia pastoris, and tested their fibrinolytic activities and expressed protein bands by fibrin plate assay and SDS-PAGE. DSPAalpha1 was determined by optical density after SDS-PAGE, the yield is about 30 mg per liter of fermentation culture. DSPAalpha1 derived often from mammalian cells: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, COS cells, which might be produced at high cost. In Pichia pastoris, it is expected to higher yield and lower cost, thus it might be able to serve as new thrombolytic candidate.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Chiroptera ; genetics ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Pichia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plasminogen Activators ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombination, Genetic ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Animals ; Male ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; diagnosis ; Vasa Vasorum ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the distribution and expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) in human pituitary adenomas.

METHODSThirty eight consecutive surgically resected pituitary adenomas and 5 normal pituitary tissues were enrolled in the study. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the distribution of PPAR-gamma. Expression of PPAR-gamma was evaluated by Western blot.

RESULTSPPAR-gamma immunoreactivity was located in the nucleoli of pituitary adenoma cells. PPAR-gamma was expressed in all human pituitary adenomas and normal pituitary tissues. Its expression in pituitary adenomas was significantly higher than in normal pituitary tissues (P < 0.01), and its expression in ACTH-secreting adenomas was significantly higher than in any other type of pituitary adenomas (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPPAR-gamma may play an important role in the generation, growth, and invasion of human pituitary adenomas. It may become a novel therapeutic target for these tumors.

ACTH-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma ; metabolism ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; PPAR gamma ; biosynthesis ; metabolism ; Pituitary Gland ; metabolism ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; metabolism

The present article addressed method, indications, contraindications of 6 min walk test (6MWT), and its correlation with plasma level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NYHA class. 6MWT can be used for rehabilitation guidance, improve exercise tolerance and assess their cardiac function and prognosis, etc. in patients with heart failure.