This paper analyses the defects of bubble oxygen inhalators currently used, and investigates into their solutions for improvement.
Oxygen Inhalation Therapy ; instrumentation ; methods ; Oxygenators ; standards

Objective To investigate the expressions of human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT) mRNA and protein in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma and their significance as diagnostic markers in predicting the biological behaviour of these tumours.Methods Expression of hTERT mRNA was determined by in situ hybridization in 45 pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas(31 benign,7 suspected malignant and 7 malignant) and 9 normal adrenal medulla samples,hTERT protein was determined by immunohistoebemistry.Results hTERT mRNA was expressed in 5/7 malignant turnouts and 5/7 suspected malignant tumours as compared with 3/31 benign tumours(P

BACKGROUNDLiver targeting drug delivery systems can improve the curative effects and relieve the cytotoxicity of the chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of liver diseases. Nanoparticles carrying therapeutic drugs are currently under hot investigation with great clinical significance. This study was aimed to investigate the different tissue distribution of the adriamycin polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticle (ADM-PBCA-NP) in the mice body after an injection via lateral tail vein, and to study the liver targeting effects of ADM-PBCA-NP in different diameters on normal mice liver.

METHODSOne hundred and eighty Kunming mice were randomly divided into 6 groups with 30 mice in each group (5 treatment groups of ADM-PBCA-NP in the different diameter ranges, non-conjugated free adriamycin injection was employed as the control group). A single dose of either conjugated or free adriamycin equaled 2 mg/kg of body weight was delivered via the tail vein. Five mice in each trail were sacrificed at 5, 15, 30 minutes, 1, 5 and 12 hours postinjection, respectively. The adriamycin concentrations in the respectively collected liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lung and plasma were demonstrated using a high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, adriamycin was hardly detected in the heart muscle of the treatment groups (P < 0.05). The nanoparticle-conjugated adriamycin was cleaned up quickly from the kidney tissue. The adriamycin concentrations of the mice liver and spleen in the experimental groups were significantly higher than that in the control group, except for the group with the nanoparticles diameters of (22.3 +/- 6.2) nm (P < 0.05). The ADM-PBCA-NP in (101.0 +/- 20.3) nm diameter had the highest liver distribution, and the second highest adriamycin distribution in liver was the group of (143.0 +/- 23.5) nm diameter (P < 0.05). Moreover, adriamycin was released slowly in the liver during the detection period in the experimental groups. ADM-PBCA-NP in (22.3 +/- 6.2) nm diameter was not distributed in the tissue of the liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and lung.

CONCLUSIONSADM-PBCA-NP in 100 - 150 nm diameter range has the best liver targeting with a characteristic of slow medicine release. It also decreases the medicine distribution in the heart, kidney and lung. In the treatment of liver cancer, the polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles system has a good liver targeting ability, which increases the anticancer activity and markedly decreases the toxicity of adriamycin.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Enbucrilate ; administration & dosage ; Liver ; metabolism ; Mice ; Nanostructures ; Tissue Distribution

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the introducer curving technique is useful in decreasing the degree of tilting of transfemoral Tulip filters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study sample group consisted of 108 patients with deep vein thrombosis who were enrolled and planned to undergo thrombolysis, and who accepted transfemoral Tulip filter insertion procedure. The patients were randomly divided into Group C and Group T. The introducer curving technique was Adopted in Group T. The post-implantation filter tilting angle (ACF) was measured in an anteroposterior projection. The retrieval hook adhering to the vascular wall was measured via tangential cavogram during retrieval. RESULTS: The overall average ACF was 5.8 +/- 4.14 degrees. In Group C, the average ACF was 7.1 +/- 4.52 degrees. In Group T, the average ACF was 4.4 +/- 3.20 degrees. The groups displayed a statistically significant difference (t = 3.573, p = 0.001) in ACF. Additionally, the difference of ACF between the left and right approaches turned out to be statistically significant (7.1 +/- 4.59 vs. 5.1 +/- 3.82, t = 2.301, p = 0.023). The proportion of severe tilt (ACF > or = 10degrees) in Group T was significantly lower than that in Group C (9.3% vs. 24.1%, chi2 = 4.267, p = 0.039). Between the groups, the difference in the rate of the retrieval hook adhering to the vascular wall was also statistically significant (2.9% vs. 24.2%, chi2 = 5.030, p = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The introducer curving technique appears to minimize the incidence and extent of transfemoral Tulip filter tilting.
Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/instrumentation/*methods ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Device Removal ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Femoral Vein ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prosthesis Design ; Pulmonary Embolism/*prevention & control ; Statistics, Nonparametric ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; *Vena Cava Filters ; Venous Thrombosis/*complications

OBJECTIVETo improve the outcome of the face-lift with a craniofacial contouring procedure.

METHODSThirty-seven patients aged 29-53 years (31 in female, 6 in male) were treated through a bicoronal incision. The facial tissue was lifted through a subperiosteal procedure and the facial skeleton was remodeled in three dimensions by osteotomies.

RESULTSThe results were satisfactory after the 3-12 months of the follow-ups.

CONCLUSIONSThe Face-lift combined with the facial aesthetic sculpturing may be more effective for the aging-face rejuvenating.

Adult ; Esthetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rhytidoplasty ; methods

INTRODUCTIONIntertrochanteric (IT) fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. We aim to compare the clinical outcome of unstable with stable IT fractures after treatment with dynamic hip screw (DHS).

MATERIALS AND METHODSPatients with IT fractures treated with DHS at National University Hospital between 2003 and 2005 were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups: stable and unstable IT fractures. Clinical outcome parameters include perioperative complications, functional outcomes, and incidence of morbidity and mortality.

RESULTSOne hundred and thirty-six patients were analysed. Mean age was 77 years. There were 61 stable and 78 unstable fractures. Average length of follow-up was 30 months. The rates of local complications were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The incidence of malunion and excessive impaction were significantly higher in the unstable group. The ambulatory status at one year post-surgery was not significantly different between the 2 groups. In terms of general postoperative complications and one year mortality rate, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. The need for blood transfusion was significantly higher in the unstable group.

CONCLUSIONIn summary, DHS fixation provides comparable postoperative outcomes in unstable IT fractures with relatively low rates of complications. Although it was associated with a higher incidence of malunion and excessive impaction in the unstable fracture group, there was no difference in functional status at one-year compared to the stable group.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Hip Fractures ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo study the monomolecular coverage of the silane coupling agent gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (gamma-MPS) on the barium glass filler surface.

METHODSKubelka-Munk (K-M) function values of the isolated OH-groups on the barium glass filler surface, which were based on the change of gamma-MPS concentrations, were measured using the quantitative analysis of the diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. When all of the isolated OH-groups on the filler surface disappeared (where the K-M function values was zero), the monomolecular coverage of the gamma-MPS molecules on the filler surface was indicated by the linear regression analysis.

RESULTSThe relationship tallied with negative linear correlation between the K-M function values of the isolated OH-groups on the barium glass surface and the concentrations of gamma-MPS. Each gamma-MPS molecule occupied 0.21 nm(2) when the monomolecular coverage was formed on the barium glass surface.

CONCLUSIONSThe result of this study indicated the optimal amount of silane coupling agent on silanated barium glass filler during the production of resin composite.

Barium Compounds ; chemistry ; Composite Resins ; chemistry ; Dental Materials ; chemistry ; Methacrylates ; chemistry ; Silanes ; chemistry ; Silicon Dioxide ; chemistry

BACKGROUND: It is a hotspot that calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate as the main ingredients are combined with one or more other materials to improve or increase the performance of bone tissue engineering scaffolds. OBJECTIVE: To introduce the research advance of these two kinds of scaffolds in bone tissue engineering. METHODS: The articles related to the bone tissue engineering published during January 2000 to June 2015 were retrieved from CNKI and PubMed databases by computer. The key words were “bone tissue engineering, scaffold, calcium phosphate, calcium sulphate, vascularization” in Chinese and English, respectively. ESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate are characterized as having good biocompatibility, biodegradability, osteoconductivity and complete bone substitutability. However, single use of calcium phosphate or calcium sulfate scaffold has certain disadvantages, both of which are difficult to ful y meet the requirements of the bone defect repair. Improvement can be acquired in the mechanical strength, injectability and biodegradability, as wel as drug-loading and pro-angiogenesis of the scaffold in combination with other materials. In the basal and clinical research, we should explore and develop ideal scaffolds in on the basis of therapeutic aim. However, most of the scaffold studies are stil at the extracorporeal and animal experiment stage, and the comparative studies on composite scaffolds and optimal proportion of those composite scaffolds stil need to be further investigated.

BACKGROUND:There are so many studies about ovariectomized rats at present, but the research on the change rules of bone mass, bone turnover markers, estrogen levels and their correlation in different periods of ovariectomized rats is rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the change rules of bone mass, bone turnover markers, estrogen level and their correlation in different periods of ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Thirty-four 3-month-old female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: baseline group, ovariectomized group and sham operated group. At the beginning of the experiment, the rats in the baseline group were sacrificed, then rats in the ovariectomized group and sham operated group were executed at 4, 8, 12 weeks postoperative respectively. The bone mineral density, bone mass content, area of different zones of the L1-3 lumbar vertebrae and femurs were detected by dual-energy X-ray absorption method, and meanwhile the serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide, I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide and estrogen were determined by ELISA. At last, we analyzed the correlation between body mass, bone mineral densityin vitro, type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide, I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide and estrogen levels and the age of ovariectomized rats. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The bone mineral density and bone mass content of the lumbar vertebral and femurs in the ovariectomized group were significantly lower than those in the sham operated group and baseline group at the 4th week after operation (P < 0.05). The bone mineral density and bone mass content in the ovariectomized group were ameliorated obviously at the 8th and 12th weeks compared with those at the 4th week after operation (P < 0.05). The bone mass loss was highest in the L1 and intertrochanteric regions. (2) Serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide and I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide in the ovariectomized group were significantly higher than those in the baseline group and sham operated group at the 4th week after operation, but there was no difference at the 8th and 12th weeks. (3) The serum estrogen level in the ovariectomized group was prominently lower than that in the sham operated group and baseline group at the 8th and 12th weeks after operation (P < 0.01 at the 8th week,P < 0.05 at the 12th week). (4) The age was positively correlated with body mass and bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae and femursin vitro, while the serum levels of type I procolagen amino-terminal pro-peptide and I colagen carboxy-terminal peptide were negatively correlated with the bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae and femurs in vitro (P < 0.01). These results suggested that the bone mass of the lumbar vertebrae and femurs in ovariectomized rats was decreased rapidly firstly, and then rose slowly with time; the bone mass in the L1 and intertrochanteric regions lost seriously; the bone turnover markers showed a significant increase at the beginning of ovariectomy and reduced gradualy to normal condition, while the estrogen level was increased at the first month after ovariectomy and then decreased rapidly. In addition, the body mass, bone turnover markers and estrogen level were associated with the change of bone mass.

Objective To compare the effects of gastric gavage and intramuscular injection of prednisone on the bone mineral density, skeletal biomechanical properties and bone metabolism in rats.Methods A total of 45 SPF rats were randomly divided into three groups:normal group, intragastric administration group, and intramuscular injection group.The normal group, as a control group, was administrated with normal saline 2 mL per day, both the intragastric administration group and i.m.injec-tion group received prednisone 0.5 mg/(kg.d) for 12 weeks.All rats were examined for bone mineral density (BMD) and the level of serum β-CTX and PINP.The femoral cortical biomechanical properties ( elastic load, maximal load, rupturing load) were measured by three point bending test.Results After 12 weeks, compared with the normal group, BMD and elastic load, maximal load, and rupturing load of the femur were significantly decreased.Compared with the intragastric gavage group, BMD was significantly decreased, while the elastic load, maximal load, and rupturing load of the femur were not significantly changed in the i.m.injection group (P＜0.05 for all).Compared with the normal group, the level of serum β-CTX was significantly raised (P＜0.05) and the level of serum PINP was significantly decreased (P＜0.05).Compared with the intragastric gavage group, the level of serumβ-CTX was also significantly raised (P＜0.05), the level of serum PINP was significantly decreased (P＜0.05), the bone trabecula and hemopoietic tissue were obviously decreased, while the adipose tissue increased obviously. Conclusions Both intragastric gavage and intramuscular injection of prednisone affect the level of BMD, skeletal biomechanical properties and bone metabolism.However, i.m.injection of prednisone decreases the BMD and bone strength more significantly, leading to a higher bone turnover with increased bone resorption, and leads to osteoporosis earlier.Our results may suggest that oral administration of prednisone is more safe in clinical treatment.