Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Movement ; Neoplasms ; radiotherapy ; Patient Compliance ; Radiometry ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; methods ; Respiration

The hemolysin production of 19 strains of Streptococcus spp. isolated from pigs in the Jiangsu and Shanghai regions in recent years were examined. Eight isolates of Streptococcus suis type 2 from Jiangsu showed weak hemolysis on blood agar, but a stronger reaction in Todd-Hewitt broth(THB). The hemolysin belonged to the group of thiol-activated hemolysins. Nine strains of Streptoccus equi subsp. zooepidemicus showed strong hemolysis on blood agar and in THB containing 5% new-born calf serum, but no hemolysis in THB alone. This hemolysin was similar to streptolysin S(SLS). Another two isolates were atypical members of Lancefield group C Streptococcus and showed strong hemolysis on blood agar and in THB with 5% new-born calf serum, but the hemolysin was unlike either streptolysin O or SLS.

Objective To measure the renal tissue texture or flexibility with virtual touch quantization (VTQ) and to tentatively examine its clinical application in patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD).Methods A total of 750 patients (1500 kidneys) were performed with VTQ,including 400 cases in the control group,and 350 cases in the CKD group.A conventional ultrasound examination (two-dimensional,color Doppler) were first taken,and then the shear wave velocity (Vs) was measured which reflected the textural elastic.Results In both groups the Vs was the highest in renal cortex with significant difference (P<0.05); renal cortical region Vs in CKD group was lower than those in control group (P<0.05),while Vs of renal medulla and renal sinus had no significant difference in the two groups.The severity of renal dysfunction was increased along with a Vs decrease of renal cortex.Conclusion VTQ is helpful to assess renal function of patients with CKD.

Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (P. ginseng) has been used as traditional medicine in Asian countries for more than 2,000 years. P. ginseng contains many active components such as ginsenosides, peptides, essential oil and polysaccharides, among which, P. ginseng polysaccharides were reported to have immunomodulating, anti-cancer, anti-adhesive and antioxidant activities. For better understanding of the structures and biological activities of all the ginseng polysaccharides, here the recent research achievements were reviewed. This review would be helpful for the relevant researchers to get useful information.
Antineoplastic Agents ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Traditional ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; Polysaccharides ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology

Adult ; Aluminum Silicates ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Quartz ; adverse effects ; analysis ; Silicosis ; epidemiology ; mortality

Objective To analyze the causes of death and prognostic indicators of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods A retrospective investigation was performed on 91 RA patients who were admitted into our hospital from 1990 to 2011.The clinical features and laboratory data were studied to assess the causes of death and the relationship between causes of death and disease activity and treatment.T test and x2 test were used for statistical analysis.Prognostic indicators of mortality were studied by Cox propor-tional hazards models.The prognostic indicators of RA were also analyzed.Results The three most common causes of death in patients with RA were infection (57％),cardiac-cerebral vascular diseases (13％) and cancer (12％).Severe disease activity and presence of extra-articular manifestations were more common among the patients who died.Seventy-five percent patients presented with systemic symptoms including fever,fatigue and weight loss,followed by pulmonary fibrosis (32％) and pleural effusion (27％).Cox regression analysis revealed that the presence of extra-articular features was independent risk determinant for mortality while DMARDs treatment was the independent protect determinant.Conclusion Infection,cardiac-cerebral vascular diseases and cancer are the main causes of death in RA.The presence of extra-articular features is the independent risk factor of RA.

Objective To evaluate the value of GE′s Q-analysis real-time ultrasonic elastography quantitative analysis software in the diagnosis of breast diseases and explore the best cutoff point of the breast diseases diagnosis.Methods The elastograms of 71 breast lesions(66 patients)were evaluated by using the GE LOGIQ E9 with the Q-analysis software.All the 71 lesions were diagnosed as malignant and benign lesions by surgery or biopsy.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curves of the entirety elasticity rate and local elasticity rate was performed.We compared the areas under ROC curves ( AUC) of the two modalities and confirmed the best cutoff point of the breast diseases diagnosis .We also assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the two modalities .Lastly we assessed the ROC curves with Z test to determine whether the difference between the two modalities was significant .Results Among the 71 leisions (66 patients),there were 37 benign lesions and 34 malignant ones.The elastograms of the leisions showed that the elasticity of 37 benign leisions was good ,the hardness value was low and the texture was even .As for the 34 malignant leisions,the elasticity was bad,the hardness value was high and the texture was uneven .The AUC of the local modality was 0.899 ( >0.5).The AUC of the entire modality,was 0.985 ( >0.5).Both modalities were accurate for the diagnosis of breast diseases .When the cutoff point of entirety elasticity rate was set as 3.60,the sensitiveness was 82.4%and the specificity was 86.5%.When the cutoff point of local elasticity rate was set as 2.60,the sensitiveness was 97.1% and the specificity was 91.9%.The difference between the two modalities was significant (Z =2.621,P=0.0088).Conclusions Q-analysis real-time ultrasonic elastography quantitative analysis is able to evaluate the rigidity and texture of tissue and is valuable to distinguish benign breast lesions between malignant breast lesions .The sensitiveness and specificity of local modality are higher than that of entirety modality .

Background Phlyctenular ophthalmia is a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to some microprotein and affected mainly by adolescent in high incidence.Objective This study was to investigate the microscopy findings of phlyctenular ophthalmia and evaluate the histological changes by laser scanning confocal microscope.Methods Twenty-nine eyes suffered from phlyctenular ophthalmia and twenty normal eyes were examined using laser scanning confocal microscope.The pictures were taken by a CCD camera.All the cases had initially chest X-ray,tuberculin test,bacterial and mycobacteria culture.Results Dendritic and inflammatory cells were increased and concentrated in conjunctiva,and epithelial cells were deformed and squamatizated.The capillaries engorged and the goblet cells were injured.The corneoscleral Vogt meshing of the phlyctenular keratitis was obscured and dendritic cells were intruded into the corneas.The corneal epithelium of phlyctenular keratitis was absent and the subepithelial nerve plexus were bended and fractured,and the dendritic and inflammatory cells were intruded.Scarring of corneal stroma was seen under the laser scanning confocal microscope.Conclusions Laser scanning confocal microscopy is valuable for basic research and clinical diagnosis of phlyctenular ophthalmia.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of thick-slab single-shot turbo spin-echo (SSTSE)T2 ?-weighted sequence in magnetic resonance fetography (MRF)for fetal abnormalities.Methods 328 of 1 990 pregnant women with the diagnosis of fetal congenital defects on prenatal ultrasound screening or chromosome examination were randomly selected,and 338 fetuses were ob-tained.These fetuses were scanned by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)and MRF.The diagnostic results from the two MR methods were compared.Results Six hundred and twenty-four lesions were detected by MRF.The primary diagnosis based on conventional MRI was changed for 14 lesions (2.2%).New findings were identified for 48 fetal lesions (8.4%)and 66 ma-ternal lesions.However,78 fetal lesions could not to be identified by MRF.MRF could increase the diagnostic confidence for fetal lesions with high water content (56.1% of the lesions).Conclusion MRF can yield more precise information for fetal extremities, fluid-filled cavities,pathological hydrops and cystic lesions.As an additional aid to the conventional multi-slice T2-weighted se-quence.

OBJECTIVETo compare the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and Motilium on diabetic gastroparesis (DGP).

METHODSSeventy-two cases of DGP were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group were treated with needling method for harmonizing spleen-stomach as main, with Quchi (LI 11), Hegu (LI 4), Zhongwan (CV 12), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Xuehai (SP 10), Diji (SP 8), and others selected, twice each day, 10 days constituting one course, with an in terval of 2 days; the control group were treated with oral administration of Motilium 10 mg, 3 times each day, 30 min before meals.

RESULTSThe total effective rate of 91.7% in the treatment group was better than 77.8% in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of the needling method for harmonizing spleen-stomach on diabetic gastroparesis is better than that of Motilium.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adult ; Diabetes Complications ; therapy ; Female ; Gastroparesis ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Spleen ; physiopathology ; Stomach ; physiopathology