Objective To evaluate the assistant diagnostic value of low dose CT in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) based on ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) SPECT imaging.Methods One hundred and two patients with clinical suspected PE had been enrolled for this retrospective study.The final diagnosis of PE was made according to the 2008 guidelines of European Society of Cardiology (ESC).All patients underwent V/Q SPECT/CT (Hawkeye 4,GE).The imaging findings from low dose CT lung window were used for differential diagnoses of abnormal regions in SPECT imaging.The diagnostic efficiency of V/Q SPECT alone was compared with that of V/Q SPECT combined with low dose CT scan.Crosstabsx2 test was performed using SPSS 13.0 software.Results Twenty-nine patients (28.43％,29/102) were finally diagnosed as PE.V/Q SPECT alone had a sensitivity of 93.10％ (27/29),a specificity of 90.41％ (66/73),and an accuracy of 91.18％ (93/102).With additional diagnostic information from low dose CT,the diagnostic specificity increased to 95.89％ (70/73,X2 =1.72,P ＞ 0.05 ),and the accuracy increased to 95.10％ (97/102,x2 =1.23,P ＞ 0.05) though the sensitivity remained the same.Conclusion Imaginginformation from low dose CT in hybrid SPECT/CT may enhance V/Q diagnostic accuracy for PE.

Objective To compare the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy and normal pressure oxygen inhalation for lung infection in patients with severe brain injury and tracheotomy.Methods Sixty lung infection patients with severe brain injury and tracheotomy were stratified by age and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score into an HBO group (30) and a conventional therapy group (30).Both groups were given treatments to reduce intracranial hypertension and protect the brain,surgery,antibiotics,and symptomatic and support therapy.In the conventional group the patients received oxygen therapy at normal oxygen pressure by tracheal cannula.In the HBO group,the patients received HBO therapy through self-made oxygen devices by the authors.The body temperature,cough and expectoration,respiratory sounds and white blood cell (WBC) count were compared between the groups.Results There were statistically significant differences in body temperature,cough and expectoration,respiratory sounds and the normalized time for the count and classification of WBC between the groups.Conclusion HBO had good treatment effectiveness for excretion and expectorant in lung infection patients with severe brain injury and tracheotomy.

Objective:To investigate the effects of mucosal strengthening treatment on preventing recurrence of closedvarices. Methods: In 264 patients with esophageal varices obliteration by banding ligation and sclerotherapy, of 136 patientswere gone on to treat with strengthening mucosa, and 128 patients without strengthening treatment. All patients had beenobserved out of hospital for 1-13 years. Results: There were no recurrence and rebleeding of esophageal varices in the groupwith strengthening treament. But in the group without strengthening treatment, 25 patients (19. 5%) had isolated or strip-like varices with red colour signI small veins grew thick and part of mucosa appeared clear hyperaemia in 21 patients(16.4% ); 6 patients (4.7% ) rebleeded. There were significant differences between two groups (P

The dynamic of endophytic bacteria at different growth stage of tomato and use of these endophytic bacteria to control tomato bacterial wilt were studied. The results showed that endophytic bacteria could be found in the tomato seeds and their quantities reached the highest peak in the adult plants both in resistant and susceptible cultivars. The amount of endophytic bacteria in adult plants of resistant tomato cultivars was 2.43?10~5CFU/g FW in the root and 22.9?10~4 CFU/g FW in the stem, while the amount of endophytic bacteria in adult plants of susceptible tomato cultivars was 9.8?10~4CFU/g FW in the root and 13.4?10~4CFU/g FW in the stem respectively. Seventeen strains of endophytic bacteria from resistant cultivars and only seven strains from susceptible cultivars were found to be antagonistic to Ralstonia solanacearum. In addition, some strains of endophytic bacteria had the abilities of promoting tomato seed germination and controlling tomato bacterial wilt, among which, strain 5R and 3R had better control effect of 91.7% and 81.3% respectively.

Aim To observe the antifibrotic effect of Radis Astragali and to explore the mechanism. Methods The fibrosis of animal model was induced with CCl4,and the model animals were treated with Radis Astragali in treatment group and saline in control group respectively. Results The serum hyaluronic acid (HA), fibrosis score and ICAM_1_positive hepatocytes all the decreased in the treatment group as compared to those in the control group.Conclusion Radis Astragali has satisfactory effect on experimental fibrosis. The mechanism may be correlated with its affection on ICAM_1 in liver tissue.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of discs large homolog 4 (DLG4) protein in hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex of rats and evaluate postsynaptic density in heroin dependence. METHODS: The rat heroin dependent model was established by increasing intraperitoneal injection of heroin. DLG4 proteins in hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex of heroin dependent 9, 18, 36 days rats were detected with immunohistochemical staining and compared with that in the control group. RESULTS: DLG4 proteins in hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex were gradually reduced with extension of heroin dependent time. CONCLUSION Heroin dependence can affect postsynaptic density of hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex. The changes become more apparent with extension of heroin dependence time.
Amygdala/metabolism* ; Animals ; Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein ; Frontal Lobe/metabolism* ; Heroin/pharmacology* ; Heroin Dependence ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Rats

Objective To investigate the clinical value of detecting the serum level of ryanodine receptor antibodies (RyR-Ab) in the diagnosis and evaluation of myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting were used to detect the serum level of RyR-Ab in 81 patients with MG, 45 non-MG patients with other neurological disorders and 50 healthy control subjects. Results The results of ELISA showed a serum RyR-Ab positivity rate of 23.4% in the in MG patients, significantly higher than the rates in non-MG patients and the healthy subjects (P<0.05). The serum RyR-Ab positivity rate was 77.2% in MG patients with thymoma (MGT), 14.2% in those with thymie atrophy (MGA), and 6.6% in those with thymie hyperplasia (MGH). A positive correlation was found between the titer of serum RyR-Ab and the severity of muscle weakness (r=0.547, P<0.05). Compared with CT scanning, serum RyR-Ab level had low sensitivity (77.2%) but high specificity (91%, P<0.05) for diagnosis of MGT. According to the results of Western blotting, the serum RyR-Ab positivity rate was 81.8% in MGT patients, significantly higher than that in thymomβ-free MG patients and NMG patients (P<0.05). Conclusion RyR-Ab positivity is mainly found in MGT patients, and detection of serum RyR-Ab may help evaluate the severity of MG and assist in CT-based diagnosis of MGT.

Arteriovenous Fistula ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Spinal Cord ; blood supply ; Thoracic Vertebrae

Adult ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; therapy ; Balloon Occlusion ; adverse effects ; Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula ; therapy ; Cavernous Sinus ; abnormalities ; Dura Mater ; blood supply ; Humans ; Male ; Meningeal Arteries ; abnormalities

OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) on injured hepatocytes mediated by paracrine mechanisms and to investigate the potential molecular mechanism of this action.

METHODSA contact-independent model of aberrant hepatic microenvironment was established by co-culturing BM-MSCs with D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-injured human L02 hepatic cells using a transwell assay platform. Secreted levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the co-culture supernatant. Expression of the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was assessed by Western blot. The effect of exogenous IGF-1 on proliferation of D-GalN-injured L02 cells was examined by MTT assay.

RESULTSUpon co-culture, BM-MSCs promoted proliferation of D-GalN-injured L02 cells in a contact-independent manner (absorbance values of at 24 h: 0.36+/-0.08, 48 h: 0.52+/-0.06, and 96 h: 0.68+/-0.06; vs. uninjured cells t = 2.493, 3.116, and 2.285, respectively; all P less than 0.05). Robust expression of IGF-1 was identified in the supernatants of co-cultures and was demonstrated to have been secreted mainly from BM-MSCs under the influence of D-GalN-injured L02 cells. Constitutive expression of IGF-1R was found in the D-GalN-injured L02 cells and blocking of IGF-1R by a neutralizing antibody significantly inhibited the paracrine pro-proliferative effect of co-cultured BM-MSCs at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h (t = 2.909, 2.328, and 2.560, respectively; all P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBM-MSC-derived IGF-1 plays an important role in the paracrine pro-proliferative effect on D-GalN-injured L02 hepatocytes by engaging with the constitutively expressed IGF-1R on L02 cells.

Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; metabolism