ABSTRACT: "Association of the kidney with the ears" is central to the traditional Chinese medical (TCM) theory of the viscera and their manifestations. Previous studies have shown that thyroxin, aldosterone, calcium and iron might be the material basis of the correlation between the kidney and the ears. Due to restriction in research techniques and methods, there has been no further progress in this research field, whose modern biological mechanisms and scientific connotations have not been explained clearly. In recent years, the progress of biological techniques and research on kidney essence provided promising opportunities for research of the association between the kidney and the ears. This article summarized the study progress of "association of the kidney with the ears" theory and posed some meaningful study thoughts. Presbycusis is a kind of degenerative disease caused by aging, which is one aspect of aging of the human body. Because aging is considered as physiological "kidney deficiency", presbycusis can be regarded as a model of "kidney deficiency" deafness. In conclusion, investigating the correlation between "kidney deficiency" and presbycusis using biotechnology systems combined with "essence of kidney", should provide a sound basis for study of the theory of the relationship between the kidney and the ears. This will provide new and valuable information for the modern biological research about the theory of visceral associations in TCM.

The pathological changes of hallux valgus are diversity, including adduct of metatarsus primus, increasing of the intermetatarsal angle between the first and second metatarsal bones, increasing of hallux valgus angle, dislocation of sesamoides, lost of soft tissue balancing. X-ray is the most important method to measure the pathological changes of hallux valgus. The multiformity of hallus valgus pathological changes makes manner of repairing variety. The main methods include operation on soft tissue, osseous surgery, fusion of joint and figuration of joints. The selection of the surgical methods should be individualization according to the idiographic pathological changes of hallux valgus patients.

Since local chemotherapy and sustained release chemotherapy have been put forward, a number of sustained-release drug delivery systems have been developed with regard to the releasing effect in vitro and in vivo, as well as the lethal effect on the tumor cells. This study reviews the merit of sustained release chemotherapy and sustained release drug delivery system of malignant bone tumor both in vitro and in vivo.

Aged ; Humans ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Presbycusis ; genetics

[Objective]To evaluate the clinical result of Weil osteotomy for refer metatarsalgia in hallux valgus. [Method]Between 2004 and 2005, 25 feet of 17 patients with hallux valgus were treated by osteotomy at the base of the first metatarsal and Weil osteotomy of the lesser metatarsal with metatarsalgia. Weight-bearing anterior-posterior and lateral X ray were taken before the surgery and 6 weeks after surgery on follow up. The hallux valgus angle , the intermetatarsal angle between 1st and 2nd metatarsal, and length of the second metatarsal were measured on the X-ray film. AOFAS system was used to judge the clinical result of the surgery. [Result]The hallux valgus before surgery angle was 32??5.7?,after surgery it was 12.8??3.5?; the intermetatarsal angle between lst and 2nd metatarsal before surgery was 24.2??3.7?,after surgery it was 10.5??0.7?; AOFAS score was 45.6?6.9 before surgery , and 86.9?4.6 after surgery ; significant difference was found between the result. The metatarsal after Weil osteotomy was shorten by 3~8 mm, mean 4.5 mm. After surgery 18 feet had pain free, and 7 feet had a signigicant pain relief . All the patient could return to normal life without other treatment. [Conclusion ] The biomechanical changes in the foot with hallux valgus should be analyzed before surgery . Combined use of base osteotomy at the first metatarsal and Weil osteotomy at lesser metatarsal can get satisfactory clinical result in patients with sever hallux valgus and transferred refer metatarsalgia.

China ; epidemiology ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Humans

ObjectiveTo analysis the clinical characteristics and the high risk factors of children with cerebral palsy.MethodsClinical data of 100 children with cerebral palsy were retrospectively analyzed.Results51% of children were born with asphyxia, 42% were born prematurely, 39% were low birth body weight. 85.7% of children involved had mental retardation, 12% had hearing loss and 7% had visual impairment. 88% of children involved had abnormal cranial CT results and 46.1% had abnormal EEG. 50.0% of the children had abnormal brain stem auditory evoked potentials.ConclusionAsphyxia, prematurely birth and low birth body weight are high risk factors of cerebral palsy. Most of the children with cerebral palsy in this group are mental retarded.

BACKGROUND:Clinical studies have demonstrated that systemic mild hypothermia could significantly reduce the disability and mortality rate of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. In recent years, the researches about the treatment of spinal cord injury by mild hypothermia have been successively carried out. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of mild hypothermia on nerve regeneration microenvironment after spinal cord injury and explore the possible underlying mechanism of nerve regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rats. METHODS:Twenty out of sixty-seven rats were randomly selected as the sham group, and other rats were used to establish spinal cord injury models in T9 segment using modified Alen's method. Three rats were excluded for failure in spinal cord injury induction and four rats for death during modeling. The rest 40 rats were randomly and evenly divided into the spinal cord injury and mild hypothermia groups (n=20 rats/group). The rats in the sham and spinal cord injury groups were placed in the operating table with normal temperature, making their rectal temperature at 37.0±0.5℃ for 72 hours. The rats in the mild hypothermia group were placed on ice blanket machine, making their rectal temperature at 34.0±0.5℃ for 72 hours, then the temperature was naturaly rewarmed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with spinal cord injury group, the apoptosis index and the level of aquaporin 4/9 mRNA and protein expression in spinal cord injury tissue were al decreased, somatosensory evoked potential latency and amplitude were recovered, and the motor functional scores were increased in the mild hypothermia group. These results indicate that mild hypothermia play its protective effect on spinal cord injury through attenuating apoptosis of neural cels and decreasing aquaporin 4/9 mRNA and protein expression levels.

Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture at different points on auditory brainstem response (ABR) in a rat model of sodium salicylate-induced tinnitus.Method Forty-one male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to saline control (saline), sodium salicylate model (SA), electroacupuncture at Tinggong+ Yifeng (EA), electroacupuncture at Waiguan+ Zhongzhu (AA) and electroacupuncture at Zusanli+ Sanyinjiao (LA) groups. The saline group consisted of five rats and each of the other groups, nine rats. The model was made by intraperitoneal injection of sodium salicylate 275 mg/kg. The saline control group was injected with a corresponding volume of saline. Various acupoint electroacupuncture groups were given electroacupuncture at bilateral Tinggong+ Yifeng, Waiguan+ Zhongzhu and Zusanli+ Sanyinjiao, respectively, at 30 min after model making. Electroacupuncture lasted 30 min. The ABRs were recorded before model making and once every one hour for five consecutive hours after model making. The stimulus sounds were short clicks and tone bursts of frequencies of 4, 8, 16 and 32 kHz. The ABR threshold was used as an assessment index.Results Under the condition of clicks, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, EA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05), at two to five hours after model making between the EA or AA group and the SA group (P<0.05) and at one hour after model making between the LA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the conditions of 4, 8 and 16 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, EA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 32 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the SA, AA or LA group and the saline group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 4 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two to five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05) and at four to five hours after model making between the AA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the condition of 8 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two to five hours after model making between the EA or AA group and the SA group (P<0.05). Under the condition of 16 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at two, four and five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05). Under the condition of 32 kHz, there was a statistically significant difference in the ABR threshold at one to five hours after model making between the EA and SA groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Electroacupuncture at both periauricular and forelimb points can improve the ABR threshold in sodium salicylate-treated rats. The effect of electroacupuncture at periauricular points is superior to that at forelimb points.