Objective To evaluate the clinical value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis and differentiation of bacterial infections in the critically ill patients. Methods A total of 53 critical patients were divided into bacterial infection group and non-bacterial infection group. Serum PCT was measured by immunoluminometric assay. Results PCT of bacterial infection group was significantly higher than that in non-bacterial infection group (?~2=0.05, P

Objective:Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) is increasingly being introduced in the clinic,both for diagnostics and image guidance.Although dedicated 3D US probes exist,because of its expensive cost,3D US can also be acquired with the still frequently used two-dimensional (2D) US probes.Methods:Obtaining 3D volumes with 2D US probes is a two-step process.First,a positioning sensor must be attached to the probe for 2D image matching;second,a reconstruction of a 3D volume can be performed into a regular voxel grid.Results:This paper presents a way to realize the 3D US in irled-based Image Guided Radiotherapy using a homemade 2D US.Conclusions:The experiments demonstrate a method of saving costs and having advantages in clinic application.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL)and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels and cognitive dysfunction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.Methods A case-control study was performed,consisting of 128 patients with COPD(68 patients without cognitive dysfunction and 60 patients with cognitive dysfunction) and 70 normal controls.All patients with COPD were diagnosed by pulmonary function tests and plasma levels of NGAL and ET-1 were determined by enzyme immunoassay.The cognitive function was evaluated by the MMSE and MoCA.Results ①Compared with normal control,the levels of plasma NGAL and ET-1 were increased(NGAL:(2.20±0.60) μg/L vs (1.69±0.73) μg/L,P＜0.05;ET-1:(26.19± 10.55)pg/ml vs (13.05±2.37) pg/ml,P＜0.05) in COPD patients without cognitive dysfunction and in COPD patients with cognitive dysfunction(NGAL:(3.80±2.75) μg/L vs (1.69±0.73) μg/L,P＜0.01;ET-1:(37.82±0.29) pg/ml vs (13.05±2.37) pg/ml,P＜0.01).Compared with the COPD patients without cognitive dysfunction,the levels of plasma NGAL and ET-1 were also increased in COPD patients with cognitive dysfunction (all P＜0.05).②The plasma NGAL levels were correlated negatively with MMSE scores(r=-0.524,P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with MoCA scores (r=-0.527,P＜0.05).The plasma ET-1 levels were negatively correlated with MMSE scores(r=-0.549,P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with MoCA scores(r=-0.558,P＜0.05).The levels of NGAL and ET-1 were positively correlated(r=0.564,P＜0.05).Conclusion NGAL and ET-1 may be involved in the pathophysiological process of cognitive dysfunction in patients with COPD,which provides a certain clinical value for the assessment of cognitive dysfunction in patients with COPD.

lymphocytic thyroiditis.

Adult ; Antigens, CD20 ; metabolism ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; adverse effects ; CD3 Complex ; metabolism ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foscarnet ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; drug therapy ; etiology ; immunology ; virology ; Male

Objective To review the clinical experience of reconstruction of pulmonary artery(PA) by a pateh of autologus pericardium or azygous venae for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods Between March 1992 and August 2009, 62 patients with locally advanced central lung cancer received sleeve resection and reconstruction of PA. According to PTNM classification, 4 patients were in stage Ⅱb, 46 in stage Ⅲa and 12 in stage Ⅲb. 17 patients had induction chemothoerapy. Sleeve lotrate the PA, the surgical procedures included partial PA tangential resections and reconstructions by a pateh of autologous azygous venas in 18 cases , a patch of autologous pericardium in 38 cases and a complete PA sleeve resection reconstructios by a custom-made autologous pericardial conduit interposition in 6 cases. Partial superior vena cava tangential resctions and reconstructions were performed in 5 patients by a patch of autologous pericardium or azygous venae. 47 patients received pstoperative chemotherapy and 19 had radiotherapy. Results There was 2 early postoperative deaths(3.2%). The cause of death was bronchial anastomotic leak led to respiratory failure in 1 case and severe arrhmia led to heart arrest in 1. No cancerous tissue of all resection margins are checked by frzen section histology and examination of resection specimens in the surgical pathology laboratory. The postoperative complications occurred in 11 patients(17.7%) and all of them recovered uneventfully.Roentgenography, flexible bronchoscopy and echocardiography were in normal range in the remaining 60 patients with no bronchial anastomosis stenosis or vascular thombosis before discharge and at 2-6 months after surgery. The mean follow up time was 49.5 months (6-210 months). The overall 1, 3, 5 and 10 yerr survival rates were 80.2%, 44.7% ,31.4% and 23. 1%, respectively. Conclusion Reonstruction of PA by autologous pericardial patch or autologous azygos vein patch is a safe and effective technique for locally advanced lung cancer.For extended circumferential defects of PA,the autologous pericardial conduit interposition could bue used for reconstruction.

Pepole pay more attention to the medicinal value and health function of Monascus day by day,however,the existence of citrinin restricted the further development of Monascus products heavily. How to ruduce the content of citrinin is a problem need to be solved urgently.Briefly introduced the toxicity,the biosynthetic pathway,and the relative standards of citrinin in monascus. According to the research progress on citrinin,the strategies of citrinin control were described from the three aspects of fermentation technology,mutation breeding,and genetic engineering. The expectation about the direction of citrinin in the future was also discussed.

Objective To investigate the cell compatibility of polystyrene(PS) plate chemically modified with RGD peptides.Methods PS surfaces were carboxylated by permanganate oxidation in diluted sulfuric acid,and carboxyls were activated with water-soluble carbodiimide to graft with gelatin,collagen and RGD peptides.IR,X-ray photo-electronic spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic contact angle were used to characterize the surface modification of PS surface.Results XPS results confirmed the existence of nitrogen element from protein molecules and the covalently binding of proteins to PS surfaces.Dynamic contact angle measurement indicated hydrophilicity of PS surfaces was improved obviously after grafting modification.The cell culture results showed that the cell adhesion and proliferation was better on modified surfaces than the initial.Conclusion The cell compatibility of PS surface was great improved after modification with RGD peptides,which would provide a potential strategy to improve the culture of purified endothelial progenitor cells isolated by immunomagnetic beads.

ObjectiveTo study the mechanism of myocardial dielectric property changes in radio frequency during hypothermic preservation and explore myocardial viability evaluative method. Methods Hybrid young pigs (20-30 kg) were used in the experiment. Heart arrest was induced with GIK solution. According to preservative temperature, the animals were divided into three groups: group A (4 ℃),group B (15 ℃) and group C (25 C). The heart was preserved in saline for 12,6 and 4 h respectively. Myocardial dielectric properties and ATP content were tested every 5 and 30 min during hypothermic preservation respectively. The relationship between tanoδm and ATP content was analyzed. ResultsTanδm of three groups was decreased significantly at the beginning, most slightly in group A and most obviously in group C. There was no significant difference in Tanδm between group B and group C with group A at 1 h,but there was obvious difference at 2,3 and 4 h (P＜0. 05,P＜0. 05,P＜0. 01 ). There was correlation between tanδm and ATP in the three groups. ConclusionTanδm in three groups is dropped with preservation time and temperature, and tanδm had a correlation with ATP content. Detection of myocardial dielectric property in radio frequency is a kind of quick, accurate and noninvasive method.

Objective To establish a porcine model of congenital heart disease with decreased pulmonary blood to explore the morphological changes of immature pulmonary vascular vessels.Methods Twenty piglets (one to two-month-old ) were randomly divided into three groups:sham-operated group (group S,n =6),small incisions on the right chest,produced a transient reduction in pulmonary blood;Operation group 1 ( group T1,n =7),small incisions on the right chest,producing artificial atrial defect with self-made dilator and simultaneous banding pulmonary artery to generate a systolic pressure gradient between 20 - 30 mm Hg(1 m Hg =0.133 kPa) ; Operation group 2(group T2,n =7):operation procedure was similar as group T1 with systolic pressure gradient between 30 -50 mm Hg.Lung tissue from right middle lobe ( 1.0 cm × 0.8 cm × 0.8 cm) was taken immediately after thoracotomy,at the end of surgery and at 2 months after operation and stained by Weigert (elastic fiber) and van Gieson (collagen) methods to observe the morphological changes.Results Five animals survived in Group S,6 animals survived in group T1 and 5 animals survived in group T2.The inside diameter of pulmonary arterioles after thoracotomy and at the end of surgery was similar among the three groups (P ＞0.05).At 2 months after operation,the inside diameter of pulmonary artery was significantly higher in group T1 and T2 than in group S (all P ＜ 0.05 )while the number of pulmonary small artery per square centimeter (APSC) of group T1 and T2 was significantly lower than that of group S ( all P ＜ 0.05).Tunica media of pulmonary artery was thinner and vascular lumen was larger in group T1 and T2 compared to those of group S.Conclusion In this piglets model with reduced pulmonary blood,the pulmonary arterioles underwent dysplastic changes.Thus,pulmonary blood flow is an important determinant for the physiological development of pulmonary artery.