Objective To investigate whether the geometry of the left heart and the diastolic function of left ventricle change in patients with essential hypertension but without left ventricular remodeling. Methods Echocardiography was performed in consecutive male patients above 35 years old and without valvular heart disease, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy or other diseases that may have effect on the heart structure. The thickness of intra-ventricular septum(IVST) and left ventricular posterior wall (LVPWT), the end-diastolic diameter of the left ventricle(LVEDD), left atrial anterior-posterior(LAAPD), long (LALD) and cross-sectional diameters(LACD) and area(LAA), early diastolic peak velocity(EPV) and atrial contraction peak velocity(APV) of the mitral valve flow were measured. EPV/APV ratio, left ventricular mass index(LVMI), relative wall thickness(RWT) were calculated. Patients with LVMI≥131g/m 2 and/or RWT≥0 44 were excluded from this study. The remaining patients were divided into 2 groups: the patients with essential hypertension were included in the no-remodeling group(group NR), while the patients without essential hypertention entered the normal control group (group NC). Student test was used to compare the variables between the two groups. Results There were 146 cases in group NC and 156 in group NR. IVST,LVPWT,LVEDD,LVMI,LAAPD,LALD,LACD and LAA of group NR were larger than those of group NC(P

ObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of the modalities in revealing the results by observing the radiofrequency ablated (RFA) lesions with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS),magnetic resonance image (MRI) in comparison with histopathologic findings in normal rabbit kidney.Methods RFA was performed in the left kidneys of 10 rabbits.The ablated lesions were observed with conventional ultrasound(US),CEUS,MRI at 1 day,1 week after RFA.Then the rabbits subjected to postmortem and the kidney specimens were excised,stained and processed for conventional histologic study.The maximum lesion size as measured on US,CEUS and MRI was then correlated with the histopathologically determined lesion size.The utility of different imaging modalities were evaluated.ResultsIn a relatively short time (at 1 day and 1 week),CEUS and MRI may reveal the location,shape and extent of ablated lesion.And the lesion sizes with CEUS,MRI and kidney specimens were well correlated (P＞0.05).ConclusionsBoth CEUS and MRI are suitable for the accurate evaluation of the ablated lesions in the short time.CEUS can reveal the variation of flow perfusion in the ablated lesion dynamicly and in real time.

Objective To assess the quality of coronal multi-planar reconstructed versus direct coronal scan images and to confirm whether the multiplanar reconstructed image can replace coronal scan.Methods One hundred and sixteen patients with orbital and paranasalsinuses disease were examined with GE Lightspeed plus 4 slices helical CT.All patients had transvers scan,and the coronal multiplannarreconstructed images were reformatted basis on transverse scan.All reformatted and scanned images were evaluated by the senior radiologists.Results In 116 cases,simultaneously multiplanar reconstructed images were performed in 60 cases,the quality of reformatted coronal imageswas similar to direct coronal scan in revealing normal anatomy and lesions of orbit and paranasal sinuses,all images were excellent andimaging quality was grade Ⅰ.54 cases couldn't be undergone direct coronal scan but reformatted coronal images also acquired the effect of diagnosis(32 cases were grade Ⅰ and 3 cases were grade Ⅱ on quality).Conclusion Direct coronal scan can be substitued by multiplanar reconstruction of multi-slice helical CT scan for orbit and paranasal sinuses.

Objective To study effects of palm pressing peripherally inserted untral catheter(PICC) and mandible-pressing-on-shoulder on PICC′s misplacement in jugular veins during intubation. Methods Seventy-six patients undergoing intubation with PICC were randomized into observation group and control group equally by random digital table. The palm pressing PICC method was used in the observation group and the mandible-pressing-on-shoulder method was used in the control group. The two groups were compared in terms of the incidence of PICC misplacement. Result The misplacement rate of PICC in the experiment group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.01). Conclusion Palm pressing method is much effective in prevention of PICC misplacement in jugular veins and worth promoting especially in hospitals of basic level.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in diagnosing deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) with involvement of pelvic tissues.Methods Data of 118 DIE patients confirmed with surgery and pathology who underwent transvaginal ultrasonography before surgery were retrospectively analyzed.Taking surgical and pathologic findings as the gold standards,the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of ultrasonography in diagnosis of DIE with involvement of uterosacral ligament,intestine,vaginal rectal septum,vagina,bladder and ureter were calculated,respectively.Results Uterosacral ligament involvement was found in 85 patients,with sensitivity of 95.29％ (81/85) and specificity of 90.91％ (30/33).Intestinal involvement was observed in 60 patients,with sensitivity of 98.33％ (59/60) and specificity of 91.38％ (53/58).Vaginal rectal septum involvement was noticed in 39 patients,with sensitivity of 79.49％ (31/39) and specificity of 92.41％ (73/79).Vaginal involvement was detected in 18 patients,with sensitivity of 55.56 ％ (10/18) and specificity of 96.00 ％ (96/100).Bladder involvementwas found in 17 patients,with sensitivity of 76.47％ (13/17) and specificity of 94.06％ (95/101).Ureter involvement was also found in 9 patients,with sensitivity of 100％ (9/9) and specificity of 99.08％ (108/109).Conclusion Transvagina ultrasonography has great value in diagnosis of DIE with involvement of pelvic tissues.

The placement of the flexible ureteroscopic sheath during lithotripsy may injure the ureter. We have developed a double-tube flexible ureteral access sheath. Thirteen patients with renal calculi were treated with double-tube and flexible sheath in one stage. CT examination of 13 cases showed that the ureter was normal. The double-tube flexible ureteral access sheath makes the operation of sheathing easy, safe and effective.

{L-End}Objective To analyze the current status of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among firefighters in Chongqing City and explore its influencing factors. {L-End}Methods A total of 1 021 firefighters in Chongqing City were selected as the study subjects using the convenient sampling method. The PTSD Checklist Civilian Version was used to assess their PTSD symptom and characteristics. The Trait Coping Style Questionnaire and the Social Support Rating Scale were used to investigate coping styles and the level of social support. {L-End}Results The positive detection rate of PTSD among the study subjects was 4.6%(47/1 021), with positive detection rates of re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms of 7.0%, 9.2%, and 16.5%, respectively. The positive detection rates of re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal symptoms in the PTSD firefighters were higher than those in non-PTSD firefighters (83.0% vs 3.3%, 93.6% vs 5.1%, 100.0% vs 12.1%, respectively; all P<0.01). The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being injured in the past six months and adopting a negative coping style were risk factors for PTSD ［odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were 2.65 (1.07-6.56) and 1.26 (1.19-1.33), respectively; both P<0.05］, while adopting a positive coping style and having a higher level of social support were protective factors for PTSD ［OR and 95%CI were 0.90 (0.85-0.95) and 0.95 (0.91-0.99), respectively; both P<0.05］. {L-End}Conclusion The incidence of PTSD among the firefighters in Chongqing City is relatively high, with symptoms mainly characterized by hyperarousal. Being injured in the past six months, coping styles, and the level of social support are influencing factors for PTSD.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. However, current treatment modalities mainly relieve pain and inhibit cartilage degradation, but do not promote cartilage regeneration. In this study, we show that G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member B (GPRC5B), an orphan G-protein-couple receptor, not only inhibits cartilage degradation, but also increases cartilage regeneration and thereby is protective against OA. We observed that Gprc5b deficient chondrocytes had an upregulation of cartilage catabolic gene expression, along with downregulation of anabolic genes in vitro. Furthermore, mice deficient in Gprc5b displayed a more severe OA phenotype in the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) induced OA mouse model, with upregulation of cartilage catabolic factors and downregulation of anabolic factors, consistent with our in vitro findings. Overexpression of Gprc5b by lentiviral vectors alleviated the cartilage degeneration in DMM-induced OA mouse model by inhibiting cartilage degradation and promoting regeneration. We also assessed the molecular mechanisms downstream of Gprc5b that may mediate these observed effects and identify the role of protein kinase B (AKT)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-autophagy signaling pathway. Thus, we demonstrate an integral role of GPRC5B in OA pathogenesis, and activation of GPRC5B has the potential in preventing the progression of OA.