OBJECTIVETo explore the potential role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the pathophysiological process of hypertension caused by obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

METHODSThe concentration of serum NPY were measured with radioimmunoassay (RIA) in 417 subjects (97 normotensive controls without OSAS, 113 cases of normotensive with OSAS, 73 cases of hypertensive without OSAS and 134 cases of hypertensive with OSAS. Further, the mean NPY level were compared in four groups and the possible effective factors on NPY were discussed.

RESULTS(1) The concentration of NPY in four groups were (50.5 +/- 37.2) pmol/L in normal controls, (76.0 +/- 39.9) pmol/L in normotensive with OSAS group, (66.9 +/- 36.2) pmol/L in hypertensive without OSAS group and (86.8 +/- 36.8) pmol/L in hypertensive with OSAS group. Whether the patients with OSAS combined with hypertension or not, the concentration of NPY in the serum raised remarkably compared with those without OSAS and hypertension, the highest level of serum NPY was detected in OSAS combined with hypertension group. (2) Pearson correlation analysis indicated that both SBP and DBP related to the serum NPY significantly in non-OSAS group (AHI <10), while the BMI, abdominal circumference, AHI as well as the lowest level of SaO2 correlated to NPY besides SBP in OSAS group with (AHI > or =10). (3) Multiple linear regression model showed that the abdominal circumference and AHI were contributing factors to SBP, while neck circumference and BMI were contributing factors to DBP. The level of NPY in the serum were significantly affected by AHI and BMI, in which the former one had greater influence.

CONCLUSIONThe increased level of serum NPY may play weakly potential roles in the pathophysiological process of hypertension caused by OSAS.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuropeptide Y ; blood ; Obesity ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; blood ; complications ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVESTo review the preliminary clinical experience with high-field-strength intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) suite with neuronavigation system in the pituitary adenoma operation with transsphenoidal approach.

METHODSFrom March 2009 to December 2010, 31 patients [range, 29 - 76 years, mean age (47 ± 11) years]of pituitary adenoma were operated with transsphenoidal approach and intraoperatively with a movable 1.5 T high-field-strength iMRI suite in combination with neuronavigation system. Tumor size was 1.8 - 7.3 cm, mean (3.5 ± 1.2) cm. Twenty-five cases were non-functional pituitary adenoma, 4 cases were prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma, 2 cases were growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma. Thirty patients' resection with transnasal transsphenoidal approach were performed, one patient with transoral transsphenoidal approach was performed.

RESULTSIn 12 cases of 30 patients who planed to totally remove tumor, iMRI had revealed residual lesions and resulted in the change of the surgical strategy, 2 invasive cavernous sinus cases no further resection of the tumor because of internal carotid artery encasement, the other 10 cases resected further, eventually. Finally, 8 cases were totally removed. The ratio of total removal tumor was enhanced to 86.7% (26/30) from 60.0% (18/30). There was no perioperative mortality.

CONCLUSIONSHigh-field-strength iMRI suite with neuronavigation system provides valuable information of tumor resection that allows intraoperative modification of the surgical strategy. It could be very helpful to maximize the resection of the pituitary adenoma and minimize the injury to neurological function.

Adenoma ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Cavernous Sinus ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods ; Neuronavigation ; methods ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo review the preliminary clinical experience with high-field-strength intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) in the endoscopic chordoma operation with transsphenoidal or transoral approach.

METHODSFrom January 2009 to December 2010, 23 patients [range, 29 - 64 years, mean age (42 ± 3) years] of chordoma were operated with endoscopic transsphenoidal or transoral approach and examined intraoperatively with a movable 1.5 T iMRI magnet. Tumor size range was 2.0 - 5.7 cm, mean (3.5 ± 0.8) cm. A navigation system based on iMRI was used in 20 cases.

RESULTSiMRI scan were performed in each operation from 1 time to 5 times. Neuronavigation system were used in 20 operations and the data renewed in 12 cases by the information from iMRI. In 15 of 23 patients, iMRI had revealed residual lesions and resulted in 12 cases further treatment, eventually, 9 tumors were totally removed and 3 tumors were further removed. The ratio of total removal tumor was enhanced to 73.9% (17/23) from 34.8% (8/23). Among 15 cases of partial chordoma removal detected by scanning in operation, 9 were huge chordoma. The residual of huge chordoma detected by scanning in operation was 9/11, and other chordoma contributed to 6/12. There were no iMRI related safety issue or accident recorded in this study.

CONCLUSIONSHigh-field-strength iMRI provide high-quality images of tumor resection that allows intraoperative modification of the surgical strategy. Combined with the navigation system, iMRI is helpful to maximize the resection of the chordoma and benefit for the safety of endoscopic operation.

Adult ; Chordoma ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuronavigation ; methods ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; surgery ; Sphenoid Sinus ; surgery

Objective To construct the evaluation indicator system for clinical scientific research on data quality; To provide a basis for assessing data quality of clinic scientific research.Methods Evaluation indicator system for clinic scientific research on data quality was established based on literature review and expert suggestion. A two- rounds Delphi process was conducted and the specialist participating level, concentration degree, coordination degree and authority coefficient were calculated to assess the indicator system.Results Two rounds of Delphi consultations was conducted by 30 experts that from different majors at the department of internal medicine or surgery, and both the effective recovery rates were 100％; the average authority coefficients of expert were 0.79 and 0.81, respectively. In the second round of survey, the final concentration degree ranged from 46.67％ to 54.69％ at full mark rate, and 4.23 to 4.36 at the mean values in 5 primary indicators. The CV for average 5 primary indicators ranged from 0.11 to 0.18. After 2 rounds of expert consultation, the final indicator system was consisted of 5 primary indicators (CRF construction, random control process, informed consent, data capture and data validation), 18 secondary indicators and 63 third-class indicators.Conclusion After two rounds of consultation, the opinions of all experts have been tending to be uniform, with high degree of coordination, and the indicator system can be used in assessment of data quality of clinic scientific research.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical curative effect of reconstruction of finger pulp defect by anastomosis of reversed fasciocutaneous island flap with dorsal branch of the digital nerve of the same finger.

METHODSThe restoration of finger pulp defect with fasciocutaneous island flap from the same finger was conducted in 25 cases (30 fingers) from January 2002 to June 2003. Nine patients (11 fingers) whose flaps with dorsal branch of the digital nerve anastomosed with the digital inherent nerve around the surface of the wound were Group A and the others were Group B. The follow-up was carried out at 3 and 9 months after the operation to observe the shape of finger pulp and the sense restoration between two groups.

RESULTSAll flaps of 25 cases (30 fingers) survived. Three months after operation, the patients had fully grown finger pulps and recovered the superficial sensation and tactile sense of finger pulps. The two point discrimination on average was 5.00 mm+/-0.23 mm in Group A and 6.00 mm+/-0.30 mm in Group B. The difference between two groups was highly significant. Nine months later, their senses of finger pulps between two groups were recovered basically.

CONCLUSIONSThe reversed fasciocutaneous island flap from the same finger is the first choice to reconstruct the finger pulp defect, and the anastomosis of dorsal branch of the digital nerve shall be determined according to the specific condition.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anastomosis, Surgical ; Finger Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Surgical Flaps

BACKGROUNDChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a variable natural history and not all individuals follow the same course. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and characteristics of asymptomatic COPD patients from a population-based survey in China.

METHODSA multistage cluster sampling strategy was used in a population from seven different provinces/cities. All residents (over 40 years old) were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire and spirometry. Post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1))/forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 70% was defined as the diagnostic criterion of COPD. All COPD patients screened were divided into symptomatic group and asymptomatic group according to the presence or absence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Socio-demographic, personal and exposure variables were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSAmong the 1668 patients who were diagnosed with COPD from the 25 627 sampling subjects, 589 (35.3%) were asymptomatic. The age, sex, body mass index (BMI), rural and urban distributions, smoking habit and education levels were similar in the two groups. A total of 64.7% of the asymptomatic patients had no comorbidities. Cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer were more common among symptomatic COPD patients than asymptomatic group. Asymptomatic COPD group were less likely to present with poor ventilation in the kitchen, a family history of respiratory disease and recurrent childhood cough. Asymptomatic COPD patients had significantly higher FEV(1) (73.1% vs. 61.0%), FVC (91.9% vs. 82.0%), and a higher ratio of FEV(1)/FVC (62.9% vs. 58.7%) (all P < 0.001) than symptomatic group. More asymptomatic patients were underdiagnosed (91.9% vs. 54.3%, P < 0.001) than symptomatic patients.

CONCLUSIONSThis large population-based survey confirmed a high prevalence of asymptomatic COPD patients in China. More use of spirometry screening test may be important to the early detection of COPD.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Educational Status ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; Spirometry ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Aim To investigate the regulatory role and mechanism of resveratrol in inhibiting autophagy and promoting apoptosis in choroidal melanoma cells. Methods Choroidal melanoma cells (MUM2B) were divided into control and experimental groups, and treated with different concentrations of resveratrol (0, 10, 20,40,60,80 μmol ·L

OBJECTIVETo explore whether the polymorphism of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) and dyslipidemia are correlated in Uygur females.

METHODSA total of 1379 Uygur females from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were enrolled in this study. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), namely rs12953258, rs4969168, and rs9914220, were analyzed after being genotyped.

RESULTSOf these three SNPs, the frequency distribution of rs12953258 sites was found to be significantly different between dyslipidemia group and normal group (P=0.032). The frequency distribution of rs12953258 sites between the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) abnormal group and normal group also showed significant difference (P=0.029). Logistic regression analysis showed that the genotype AA of rs12953258 was a risk factor for dyslipidemia among the Uygur females [CC vs. AA:OR=3.271,95%CI(1.092-9.797), P=0.034]. The genotype AA of rs12953258 might be related to the decreased high HDL-C and increased trigleceride, whereas the genotype AA coupled with abnormal body mass index (BMI) were more likely to be linked with the higher prevalence of dyslipidemia in Uygur females.

CONCLUSIONSThe polymorphism of SOCS-3 is correlated to the dyslipidemia in Uygur females in Xinjiang. Carriers of Genotype AA of rs12953258 coupled with abnormal BMI are more susceptible to dyslipidemia.

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; epidemiology ; Dyslipidemias ; ethnology ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Prevalence ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo determine ten B-vitamins in human milk by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

METHODSThe pretreated human milk samples were adequately separated and quantified within 11 min by UPLC-MS/MS with an Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (2.1×100 mm, 1.8 µm). The mobile phase was a gradient of 2.5 mmol/L ammonium formate aqueous solution and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.35 mL/min. Stable isotope internal standards were used in the analysis, to correct for the method variability, including matrix and ionization effects. The homogenized human milk samples were deproteinzed using methanol, unknown contaminants were extracted with diethyl ether and hydrophobic phase was discarded. The analytes were monitored via ESI+ionization and detected in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with three acquisition functions.

RESULTSCalibration curves ranged from 0.5-160 ng/mL (thiamin, riboflavin, biotin, nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, pyridoxal), and 2.5-800 ng/mL (pantothenic acid, FAD and nicotinamide) (R2=0.990-0.999). The relative recovery ranged from 80.1% to 120.2%; accuracy was determined to be 98.3% to 108.0%. Intra-day and inter-day variation were 3.4%-19.9% and 5.9%-18.1%, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) for all vitamins was between 0.25 and 3 µg/L.

CONCLUSIONThis method was successfully applied for simultaneous analysis of ten B-vitamins in human milk.

Chromatography, Liquid ; methods ; Humans ; Milk, Human ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Vitamin B Complex ; chemistry

OBJECTIVES: To explore the optimal maintenance dose of caffeine citrate for preterm infants requiring assisted ventilation and caffeine citrate treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 566 preterm infants (gestational age ≤34 weeks) who were treated and required assisted ventilation and caffeine citrate treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit of 30 tertiary hospitals in Jiangsu Province of China between January 1 and December 31, 2019. The 405 preterm infants receiving high-dose (10 mg/kg per day) caffeine citrate after a loading dose of 20 mg/kg within 24 hours after birth were enrolled as the high-dose group. The 161 preterm infants receiving low-dose (5 mg/kg per day) caffeine citrate were enrolled as the low-dose group. RESULTS: Compared with the low-dose group, the high-dose group had significant reductions in the need for high-concentration oxygen during assisted ventilation (P=0.044), the duration of oxygen inhalation after weaning from noninvasive ventilation (P<0.01), total oxygen inhalation time during hospitalization (P<0.01), the proportion of preterm infants requiring noninvasive ventilation again (P<0.01), the rate of use of pulmonary surfactant and budesonide (P<0.05), and the incidence rates of apnea and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.01), but the high-dose group had a significantly increased incidence rate of feeding intolerance (P=0.032). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the body weight change, the incidence rates of retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular hemorrhage or necrotizing enterocolitis, the mortality rate, and the duration of caffeine use (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS This pilot multicenter study shows that the high maintenance dose (10 mg/kg per day) is generally beneficial to preterm infants in China and does not increase the incidence rate of common adverse reactions. For the risk of feeding intolerance, further research is needed to eliminate the interference of confounding factors as far as possible.
Caffeine/therapeutic use* ; Citrates ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies