AIM: To evaluate the effects of 23G vs 20G pars plana vitrectomy ( PPV ) combined with internal limiting membrane peeling, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation for macular epiretinal membrane with cataract. ·METHODS: Totally 45 eyes of 45 patients with macular epiretinal membrane and cataract were enrolled in this retrospective non-randomized controlled clinical study. All eyes were treated with PPV combined with internal limiting membrane peeling, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation. There were 20 eyes in 23G PPV group, and 25 eyes in 20G PPV group. The best corrected visual acuity ( BCVA ) , intraocular pressure (IOP), counting of corneal endothelial cells ( CEC) and central retinal thickness ( CRT ) were examined before surgery. BCVA results were converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution ( LogMAR ) visual acuity. All operations were performed by the same doctor. Operation time for vitrectomy and membrane peeling, average ultrasound energy ( AVE) and effective phacoemulsification time ( EPT ) were recorded. BCVA and CRT were observed postoperatively at 30d and 90d, counting of CEC was observed postoperatively at 90d. IOP was observed postoperatively at 1d and 7d. ·RESULTS:The mean operation time for vitrectomy were 12. 57± 1. 35min in 23G group and 17. 30 ± 1. 19min in 20G group. The difference was statistically significant ( t =-12. 488, P<0. 01). There were no statistical significances in operation time for membrane peeling, AVE and EPT between 23G and 20G groups ( t=-0. 68,-1. 186,-0. 737, P=0. 500, 0. 242,0. 465). On 1d after surgery, IOP in 23G group was lower than that in 20G group, the difference was statistically significant (t= -2. 345, P=0. 024). The BCVA and CRT of the two groups both improved after operations. There were no statistically significant differences between two groups in terms of IOP, BCVA, and CRT ( F = 0. 465, 1. 895, 0. 689; P = 0. 499, 0. 176, 0. 411). IOP, BCVA and CRT were significant statistical different in different time-point within each group ( F=291. 245, 103. 06, 665. 402, P<0. 01 ). Different surgical methods of 23G and 20G had interactive effects on IOP with different time points ( F = 13. 245, P<0. 01 ), but different surgeries had no interactive effects on BCVA and CRT with different time points (F=1. 212, 2. 293;P=0. 283, 0. 129). The counting CEC in 23G group was more than that in 20G group postoperatively at 90d, the difference was statistically significant (t=2. 049, P=0. 048). ·CONCLUSION: The 23G PPV combined with internal limiting membrane peeling, phacoemulsification, intraocular lens implantation for macular epiretinal membrane with cataract is effective. Compared with 20G PPV, 23G PPV has advantages in operation time for vitrectomy and counting CEC. But lower IOP is likely in 23G PPV on 1d after surgery

The purpose of this study was to determine the attributes and factors of brand personality for contract foodservice management companies. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to five students at universities operating under the top five companies in contract foodservice management. The following statistical analyses were conducted for the data assessment: descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, reliability analysis, and factor analysis, using the SPSS Win(12.0) package program. From these analyses we divided a company's brand personality into the following five functional and emotional elements: sensibility, sincerity, confidence, competence, and excitement. Based on these five elements a total of 26 scales were developed to measure brand attributes of the companies. The variance was explained by 19.29% of sensibility, 17.65% of sincerity, 15.71% of confidence, 14.06% of competence, and 13.62% of excitement. The calculated Cronbach's alpha was more than .90 for all the scales measuring the five attributes, indicating good internal consistency. There were significant differences in sensibility(p<.01), sincerity(p<.001), creditability(p<.01), competence (p<.001), and excitement(p<.001) among the companies. In regards to overall brand personality, company a had a higher mean score for sincerity, while the other companies had higher mean scores for competence. Among the brand personalities, 'confidence' had the highest mean score with 3.36, followed by 'cooperation' (3.17), 'successful'(3.12), 'leadership'(3.11), and 'down-to-earth'(3.02).
Analysis of Variance ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Mental Competency ; Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

Objective To establish HPLC fingerprints for the identification of Ilicis Rotundae Cortex (Jiubiying), dried bark of Ilex rotunda Thunb., and its adulterant, dried bark of Ilex godajam (Colebr.) Wall.. Methods Some samples named Jiubiying were collected from some medicine markets and drugstores. The HPLC fingerprints were obtained to detect Jiubiying and Ilex godajam. The software Similarity Evaluation System of Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2004A edition) was used to evaluate fingerprints. Results The fingerprints of Jiubiying and Ilex godajam were established. Methodological study met the technical requirements of fingerprints. There were 31 and 28 common peaks in Jiubiying and Ilex godajam, respectively. Jiubiying and Ilex godajam could be classified into two clusters by principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis. Conclusion Jiubiying and Ilex godajam can be identified by HPLC fingerprints. This method can provide an effective method for quality evaluation of Jiubiying.

Objective To observe the outcomes of intranasal endoscopic holmium laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy in the treatment of chronic dacryocystitis. Methods Forty-seven patients(47 eyes) with chronic dacryocystitis underwent intranasal endoscopic holmium laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy.The postoperative follow-up included lacrimal irrigation and intranasal endoscopic examination. Results The patients were followed up for 3 to 6 months.The cure rate was 87.2%,the improvement rate was 6.4%,and the total effective rate(cure rate+improvement rate) was 93.6%.Conclusion Intranasal endoscopic holmium laser-assisted dacryocystorhinostomy causes no scar in the face,less nasal tissue damage,shorter operation time and less hemorrhage,and does not affect the lacrimal irrigation system,which allows correction of intranasal causes of failure in traditional dacryocystorhinostomy.

Objective To investigate the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in China in 2005.Methods From January to December 2005,395 consecutive and non-repetitive isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were collected from 17 teaching hospitals in 14 cities.The genotypes of SCCmec were determined by multiplex PCR pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)was used to type the chromosome DNA of MRSA.Muhilocus sequence typing(MLST)was used to type the housekeeping genes.Fifty-three strains were selected for MLST typing according to the antimicrobials susceptibility patterns,PFGE types,SCCmec types and the distribution of the regions.The toxin gene was detected by PCR.Results Among 395 isolates of MRSA,SCCmec Ⅲ,untypeable type and type Ⅱ accounted for 61.5%(243/395),24.3%(96/395)and 14.2%(56/395)respectively.In Shenyang,60.7%(17/28)of the isolates were SCCmec Ⅱ,which was significantly higher than other areas. Twenty-four different types and 42 subtypes were found by PFGE typing.Clone A accounted for 50.1%, existing in 13 teaching hospitals in 12 cities and clone R accounted for 23.5%,existing in 9 teaching hospitals in 8 cities.Six sequence types(ST)were found in these isolates with ST239 and ST5 accounting for 75.5% and 17.0% among these isolates,respectively.The prevalence of pvl gene was 2.5% among 395 isolates of MRSA.Conclusions The most types of SCCmec in China were Ⅲ and Ⅱ,and distribution of SCCmec types differed among regions.MRSA outbreaks caused by epidemic multiple-drug resistant clones occurred in big teaching hospitals in China.Meanwhile,the same PFGE pattern may spread among areas. Several international epidemic MRSA clones may exist in China.

Objective To investigate the effects of antioxidant response element (ARE) activator- 5,6-dihydrocyclopenta[ C ]-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (CPDT) on organotypic spinal cord cultures and to study whether this activation can protect motor neurons from oxidative stress.Methods Organotypic spinal cord cultures were prepared using lumbar spinal cord slices from 8-day-old rat.Threo-hydroxyaspartate (THA) was continuously added into the culture medium for 3 weeks,which caused selective motor neuron death. Thus,the in vitro model of amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS) was established.15,30 ?mol/L of CPDT were added into the culture medium respectively.Ventral motor neurons survival was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody SMI-32,a nonphosphorylated neurofilament marker. Ultrastructure was observed with electronic microscope.Results The pretreatment of organotypic spinal cord cultures with different concentrations of CPDT significantly increase the total number of ventral motor neurons (15?mol/L:(15.81?6.97) perexplant;30?mol/L:(16.25?6.74) perexplant respectively) compared with THA group ((5.31?5.76) perexplant) and the former had plentiful neurite extensions (n= 15,P

Embryonic hematopoiesis in mammals is characterized by successive temporal and spatial changes. Previous investigations indicate that in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ES cells) derived from 129 mice can mimic embryonic hematopoiesis to some extent. To investigate the in vitro hematopoietic differentiation capacity of ES cells derived from C57BL/6 mice, the authors initially established the murine ES cell line with standard identification methods employed. Next, two-step culture system was utilized for embryoid bodies formation and the appearance of different hematopoietic precursors was confirmed by CFC assay, cellular chemical staining as well as RT-PCR. The results demonstrated that the ES cell line MES-1 fulfilled the criteria of ES cell line and its progeny after in vitro differentiation included primitive and definitive erythrocyte precursors, mixed colony-forming cells and granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming cells. RT-PCR analysis revealed the molecular consistence of transcription factors and hematopoietic markers with cellular event. In conclusion, MES-1 established from C57BL/6 mice was able to differentiate in vitro to a variety of hematopoietic precursors, thus could partly recapitulate embryonic hematopoiesis.
Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; Cell Line ; Colony-Forming Units Assay ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Embryo, Mammalian ; cytology ; Erythroblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Erythroid Precursor Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors ; Gene Expression ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 ; genetics

1H NMR metabonomics approach was used to reveal the chemical difference of urine between patients with Xiao-Chaihu Tang syndrome (XCHTS) and healthy participants (HP). The partial least square method was used to establish a model to distinguish the patients with Xiao-Chaihu-Tang syndrome from the healthy controls. Thirty-four endogenous metabolites were identified in the 1H NMR spectrum, and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis showed the urine of patients with Xiao-Chaihu Tang syndrome and healthy participants could be separated clearly. It is indicated that the metabolic profiling of patients with Xiao-Chaihu Tang syndrome was changed obviously. Fifteen metabolites were found by S-pot of OPLS-DA and VIP value. The contents of leucine, formic acid, glycine, hippuric acid and uracil increased in the urine of patients, while threonine, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, acetamide, 2-oxoglutarate, citric acid, dimethylamine, malonic acid, betaine, trimethylamine oxide, phenylacetyl glycine, and uridine decreased. These metabolites involve the intestinal microbial balance, energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways, which is related with the major symptom of Xiao-Chaihu Tang syndrome. The patients with Xiao-Chaihu Tang syndrome could be identified and predicted correctly using the established partial least squares model. This study could be served as the basis for the accurate diagnostic and reasonable administration of Xiao-Chaihu-Tang syndrome.
Humans ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolome ; Metabolomics ; Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Syndrome ; Urinalysis

Preeclampsia is represented by hypertension and proteinuria in pregnancy. It usually occurs after 20 gestational weeks. There are few reports on preeclampsia before 20 gestational weeks. In this case, we report a patient with chronic hypertension superimposed with preeclampsia at 13 gestational weeks.
Adult ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hypertension ; physiopathology ; Pre-Eclampsia ; physiopathology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications

Objective To present a preliminary latest procedure for portal hypertension and evaluate the technical feasibility and efficacy of portacaval shunt creation through the percutaneous transhepatic approach in order to make a hemodynamic comparison with that of the classic TIPS.Methods Thirty-eight patients with portal hypertension(36 men;mean age 57 years,range 32～73)were referred for PTPS procedure because of bleeding varices(n=36),intractable ascites(n=1),and hepatopulmonary syndrome(n=1).The severity of liver disease was classified as Child-Pugh B in 27 and C in 11.The PTPS was created by a percutaneous transhepatic puncture into right portal vein and then through left portal vein to the hepatic segment of IVC followed by a prefabrication stress stent-graft placement at the very site.Results Technical and functional success of 100% was achieved in all patients,without related complications.The postprocedural portal vein-IVC gradients mean 13 cmH_2O was achieved with the follow-up period mean 493 days.No recurrence of variceal bleeding and controlled refractory ascites were achieved,and still more with primary patency rate of the involved vascular structure up to 94.8% at 365 days,much better than classic TIPS. Conclusions Portacaval shunt creation using the prefabrication stress stent via percutaneous transhepatic technique is safe and feasible.The compact coincidence was obtained between the stent and the involved vessel with restoration of intrahepatic portal venous bemodynamics together with partial lowering of portal venous pressure and guaranteeing intrahepatic perfusion through right portal vein.It is also obviously to have postoperative prevention of shunt restenoses and lowering postoperative incidence of hepato-encephalopathy.