OBJECTIVETo improve the method for monitoring sleep state and respiratory rhythm of SD rats, providing a solution for rats' chewing on the wires, signal loss and instability problems in the animal model of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS).

METHODSWe improved monitoring electrodes of both electrocorticogram (ECoG) and electromyogram (EMG), signal circuit and animal operation.

RESULTSOperation time was shortened and wound exposure time was reduced, which made it easier for postoperative recovery. The ECoG and EMG signals were more stable with sharp image, and signal circuit lines had better conductivity and material durability, achieving continuous monitoring for a long time and high success rate. We could precisely distinguish the sleep wake state and the sleep apnea events in rats according to these signals.

CONCLUSIONThe improved method is more reliable and practical to test the small animal model of SAS, and is more easily to operate and the signals are more stable.

Animals ; Electroencephalography ; methods ; Electromyography ; methods ; Models, Animal ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; methods ; Rats ; Respiration ; Sleep ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; diagnosis

Objective To observe the effect of different thyroid hormone level on the expression of synaptotagmin Ⅰ(Syt Ⅰ) in adult rat hippocampus. Methods All 28 adult male SD rats were assigned randomly into hypothyroid, hyperthyroid and control group, hypothyroid group was established by daily intraperitoneal injections with propylthiou raci(PTU, 10.0 mg/kg body weight) for 6 weeks and hyperthyroid group with L-Thyroxine (L-T4, 0.5 mg/kg body weight) for 3 weeks. Radioimmunity method was used to assay the levels of serum T3 and T4, immunohistochemical S-P technology to assay the levels of Syt Ⅰ protein in hippoeampus CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG). The layers analyzed in the different subfields include the polymorphic cell layer(the stratum oriens, SO), pyramidal cell layer(PCL), stratum radiatum (SR), lacunosum-molecular layer (SLM) in CA1 and CA3, granular cell layer(GL) and molecular layer(ML) in DG. Results The levels of serum T3 and T4[(0.34±0.12), (41.03± 11.37)nmol/L]in the hypothyroid rats were significantly lower than those in the control group[(0.65±0.15), (55.20±10.68)nmol/L, P < 0.01 or < 0.05], and the positive granule of Syt Ⅰ was significantly lower in PCL and SR of CA1 and CA3, GL of DG. The average optical value responsible for Syt Ⅰ immunoreactivity was obviously reduced in SO(0.048±0.007), PCL(0.299±0.035), SR(0.042±0.007), SLM(0.038±0.006) of CA1, PCL(0.085± 0.019), SR(0.040±0.011), SLM (0.038±0.006) of CA3, GL (0.076±0.019) of DG than normal controls (0.068± 0.014, 0.376±0.053, 0.053±0.008,0.056±0.009,0.118±0.026,0.052±0.010,0.053±0.009,0.099±0.015; P< 0.01 or < 0.05). Serum T3 and T4 levels [(1.43±0.30), (157.18±19.95)nmol/L]of hyperthyroid rats were significantly higher than those of control group(P < 0.01). The value was reduced in PCL(0.322±0.050), SR(0.039±0.006), SLM (0.042±0.006) of CA1, PCL(0.098±0.034), SR(0.046±0.013), SLM(0.046±0.010) of CA3 and GL(0.085± 0.024), ML (0.042±0.009) of DG (P < 0.05 or < 0.01). Conclusion Adult-onset of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can reversibly decrease the expression of Syt Ⅰ in CA1, CA3 and DG regions of hippocampus.

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Depression/drug therapy* ; Fluoxetine ; Mice ; Stress, Psychological ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation between TCM syndrome type and intracranial aggressive potentiality of untreated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODSSixty untreated NPC patients of different syndrome types were treated conventionally and followed up for over one year. Correlation between the TCM syndrome type differentiated at the first consultation and the intracranial aggressive potentiality of the primary focus of NPC were analyzed.

RESULTSThe incidence of intracranial aggression was significantly higher in patients with Qi-Yin deficiency type than that in those with other two syndrome types during the follow-up period (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe intracranial aggessive rate in the untreated NPC patients of Qi-Yin deficiency type was higher than in those of either Qi and blood coagulation type or fire-toxin stagnation type.

Adult ; Brain Neoplasms ; secondary ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Syndrome

OBJECTIVETo analyze the risk factors for invasive pulmonary fungal infection (IPFI) and to provide a theoretical basis for the early prevention and treatment of IPFI.

METHODSA retrospective case-control study was conducted on the clinical data of children hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit between January 2012 and March 2013. These children consisted of 48 patients with a clinical diagnosis of IPFI (IPFI group) and 106 pneumonia patients without a clinical diagnosis of IPFI (non-IPFI group). The clinical date of the two groups were compared and analyzed. The main risk factors for the development of IPIF were identified by unconditional multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSCompared with the non-IPIF group, the IPIF group had significantly lower mean age and serum albumin level (P<0.01), significantly longer mean length of hospital stay, duration of antibiotic use, and duration of corticosteroid use (P<0.01), and significantly higher rates of malnutrition, invasive mechanical ventilation, indwelling catheter use, oropharyngeal fungal infection, and diarrhea (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that invasive mechanical ventilation, diarrhea, long duration of corticosteroid use, long duration of antibiotic use, young age, and low serum albumin level were independent risk factors for the development of IPFI.

CONCLUSIONSFor the infants with suspected IPFI for whom pathogenic examination is difficult to perform, IPFI should be considered in cases of invasive mechanical ventilation, diarrhea, long-time uses of broad-spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids and hypoalbuminemia, and empirical antifungal therapy should be performed as soon as possible.

Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Logistic Models ; Lung Diseases, Fungal ; etiology ; Respiration, Artificial ; adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between abnormal swallowing and mouth breathing.

METHODSThirty-eight patients with abnormal swallowing and 38 patients with normal swallowing were selected. All patients presented with no airway constriction. The age range of the patients was 11-14 years old. The number of patients with mouth breathing was calculated. Statistical analysis (χ(2) test) was performed.

RESULTSThe number of patients with mouth breathing in the abnormal swallowing group (17, 45%) was significantly higher than that in the normal swallowing group (5, 13%) (χ(2) = 9.212, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONSAbnormal swallowing was related to mouth breathing.

Adolescent ; Child ; Deglutition Disorders ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Malocclusion ; classification ; complications ; Mouth Breathing ; complications

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of heme oxygenase 1 inducer hemin on protection of ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and its mechanisms.

METHODSThe Langendorff model of isolated rat heart was used; the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 30 min and subsequently reperfused for 2 h. Then the ventricular function and infarct size were measured.

RESULTHemin preconditioning prevented the increase in LVEDP, decrease in LVDP and +/- dp/dt(max) in the isolated ischemia-reperfusion rat hearts. The leakage of LDH and CK in the coronary effluent was significantly declined in hemin-treated rat hearts. And the infarct size was also reduced. Administration of a blocker of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoK(ATP)) 5-HD (5 mg/kg) before hemin preconditioning increased the LVEDP, and reduced the LVDP and +/- dp/dt(max). The leakage of LDH and CK in the coronary effluent and the infarct size were also increased compared with only hemin-treated rat hearts. Pretreatment of the rats with a blocker of sarcolemmal ATP-sensitive potassium channel (sarcK(ATP)) HMR-1098 (6 mg/kg) before hemin preconditioning also abolished the protective effect. Infusion of paxilline (1 micromol/L), a blocker of calcium activated potassium channel (K(Ca)) for 10 min before ischemia/reperfusion led to larger infarct size and poorer myocardial performance as compared with the hemin group. The leakage of LDH and CK in the coronary effluent was also increased.

CONCLUSIONBoth mitoK(ATP)and sarcK(ATP)channels activation are required for the delayed cardioprotection induced by hemin. The opening of K(Ca) channels-dependent mechanism may be involved in the protection.

Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents ; pharmacology ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; biosynthesis ; Hemin ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial ; methods ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; metabolism ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; Potassium Channels ; metabolism ; Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of patients with pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD).

METHODSData from patients diagnosed as PVOD from May 2008 to May 2011 in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTSDuring this period, 5 patients [4 female, aged from 12 to 42 (22 ± 12) years old] were diagnosed as PVOD. The durations from symptoms onset to PVOD diagnosis was 2 to 50 (16 ± 20) months and four of them were previously diagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. All patients at the time of PVOD diagnosis had a severely impaired WHO pulmonary hypertension functional class (3 in class III and 2 in class IV). Furthermore, all patients characterized by a typical sign of centrilobular ground-glass opacities in high-resolution computed tomography, a markedly reduction of diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide [(38 ± 12)% of predicted value] in pulmonary functional test and severely compromised cardio-pulmonary hemodynamics identified by right heart catheterization. All patients received conventional and pulmonary arterial hypertension specific therapies, and then followed-up regularly. Up to now, 4 out of 5 patients died due to refractory right heart failure. The durations from symptoms onset to death and from PVOD establish to death were 5 - 65 (27 ± 26) months and 1 - 16 (9 ± 9) months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSPVOD is a rare and malignant cardio-pulmonary disorder that often be misdiagnosed as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Given the poor responses to modern pulmonary arterial hypertension specific therapies, lung transplantation remains the treatment of choice.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cardiac Catheterization ; China ; Diagnostic Errors ; Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Transplantation ; Male ; Pulmonary Veno-Occlusive Disease ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo explore the factors related to the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to establish a prognostic model for evaluating the prognosis of the patients with CRC.

METHODS370 cases with CRC were selected in the study and clinical/pathological factors were collected and patients were followed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rate. Log-rank test and proportional-hazards regression model (Cox model) were used for univariate and multivariate analysis. Log cumulative hazards function plot was used to test Cox model proportional-hazards assumption (PH assumption). Prognostic index (P1) was calculated based on the results of multivariate analysis.

RESULTS(1) One-year, three-year and five-year survival rates were 90.5%, 78.3% and 76.5% respectively. (2) Lymphatic metastasis, Duckes classification and therapeutic measure were independent prognostic factors of CRC and all passed PH assumption. (3) Patients with different PI were classified into 3 groups and there were significant differences noticed in survival rates (P < 0.001). (4) Individual survival rate was evaluated based on the prognostic Cox model and PI.

CONCLUSIONLymphatic metastasis, Duckes classification and therapeutic measure were independent prognostic factors of CRC. To test PH assumption of the factors, selection of Cox model was essential. Cox model and PI seemed to be available in predicting the long term survivrate of patients with CRC.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; complications ; mortality ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Analysis

Objective To evaluate the effect of serum chromium on oral cancer after adjusting the covarite between groups based on propensity score matching (PSM). Methods We performed a case-control study in 395 cases of newly diagnosed primary oral cancer from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University and 1 240 controls from the same community from January 2010 to February 2018. Using the PSM to select 309 controls randomly which were matched with the cases by 1 ∶1 matching. Conditional Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between chromium and oral cancer. Results The level of serum chromium was 178.91 (121.83-284.19) μg/L in the case group, which was lower than 324.27 (264.82-397.69) μg/L in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.001). Dose-response analysis showed that the risk of oral cancer gradually decreased with the increase of serum chromium, which presented a negative correlation. There was a negative correlation between serum chromium level and the risk for oral cancer by conditional Logistic regression,the aOR of serum chromium in the Q2, Q3 and Q4 compared with the Q1 were 0.14 (0.08-0.26), 0.15 (0.08-0.28) and 0.10 (0.05-0.20),with significant trend (Ptrend＜0.001). Stratified analysis showed the negative correlation between serum chromium and oral cancer by smoking, drinking tea, not drinking alcohol status and fish, fruits and green vegetables intake frequencies. Conclusions The high level of serum chromium is a protective factor for the incidence of oral cancer, and the higher of serum chromium, the lower risk of developing oral cancer.