PurposeTo evaluate and describe fetal cardiac development and hemodynamics high risk pregnancy by using ultrasound technique. Methods Two-hundred and thirty-three pregnancies were prospectively studied by using the detailed fetal echocardiographic procedure( fetus gestational age from 19 weeks to 39 weeks). Cardiac chamber size, internal diameter of great arteries were documented together with the presence of inflow and outflow wave patterns. In utero diagnoses of variety of congenital heart defects were also conducted. ResultsCardiac chamber size and internal diameter of great arteries showed a positive correlation with the increasing of gestational age. Left and right ventricles were demonstrated the same size during whole fetal observational period. Blood flow through mitral valve and tricuspid valve were typically 'M' type. By comparing 'e' wave and 'a' wave, this inflow blood velocity pattern was dominant by 'a' wave, though the ratio of a/e gradually decreased during the fetal development period. Blood velocity in aorta and pulmonary artery remained steady along with the gestational age. The detection rate of verity types of congenital heart diseases in this sample population was 5.7% (13 cases) ,the major problem was the complex heart malformation. The occurrence of fetal cardiac arrhythmia was 14 cases (16 % ), with the majority of atrial premature beat. Conclusions Fetal echocardiography can be used to evaluate and monitor the change of cardiac anatomy, structure and hemodymanics during the different gestational age. This has provided a new approach to the further understanding of fetal cardiac development, and is importantto the screening of congenital heart disease during pregnancy.

Objective To explore the effects of psychological intervention on the mental status and life quality of hepatolenticular degeneration patients during the perioperative period of splenectomy.Methods 64 cases hepatolenticular degeneration patients during the perioperative period of splenectomy were randomly divided into two groups,the intervention group and the control group,each with 32 cases.Both groups received conventional comfortable nursing,and the intervention group had psychological intervention for eight weeks in addition.Symptom checklist (SCL-90) was used to assess their changes of mental health,while the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-100) was used to assess their quality of life before and after psychological intervention.Results Before psychological intervention,there was no statistically siguificant difference between two groups' SCL-90 scores (P ＞ 0.05).After eight weeks of psychological intervention,the sores of somatization,force,interpersonal relationship,depression,anxiety,hostility,paranoid and psychotic factors in SCL-90 of the intervention group were respectively (1.26 ± 0.43),(1.72 ± 0.44),(1.74 ± 0.45),(1.59±0.43),(1.58±0.52),(1.66±0.74),(1.44±0.57),(1.61±0.68),(1.51±0.43),all of which were lower than those of the control group [(1.60 ± 0.49),(2.06 ± 0.50),(1.74 ± 0.45),(1.85 ±0.49),(1.90±0.55),(2.07±0.66),(1.71 ±0.57),(1.95 ±0.64),(1.82 ±0.56)],and the differences were statistically significant (t =2.950,2.888,2.466,2.256,2.386,2.339,2.060,2.484,respectively; P ＞ 0.05).Before psychological intervention,there was also no statistically significant difference between two groups' WHOQOL-100 scores (P ＞ 0.05).And after eight weeks of psychological intervention,the score of every dimension was higher in the intervention group than in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant (t =4.401,4.694,3.242,5.410,4.576,4.847,3.834,respectively;P ＜0.01).Conclusions Psychological intervention can effectively improve the mental health and quality of life of hepatolenticular degeneration patients during the perioperative period of splenectomy,and thus should be strengthened.

This study is designed to evaluate antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities of corn tassel extracts (CTTs). The major bioactive components of CTTs include flavonoid, saponin and polysaccharide. The antioxidant properties of the three bioactive components of CTTs were investigated by Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Property (FRAP) and 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. The activities of the extracts were determined by assessing the inhibition of mutagenicity of the direct-acting mutagen fenaminosulf, sodium azide, and indirect-acting mutagen 2-aminofluorene using the Ames test (strains TA98 and TA100). The results showed that the extraction rates of flavonoid, saponin, and polysaccharide from the dried corn tassels were 1.67%, 2.41% and 4.76% respectively. DPPH and FRAP assay strongly demonstrated that CTTs had antioxidant properties. CTTs at doses of 625, 1250 and 2500 μg per plate reduced 2-aminofluorene mutagenicity by 12.52%, 28.76% and 36.49% in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain assay respectively and by 10.98%, 25.27% and 37.83%, at the same doses in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 assay system, respectively. 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed that the different concentrations of CTTs inhibited the proliferation of MGC80-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). It is concluded that these integrated approaches to antioxidant and antigenotoxicity assessment may be useful to study corn tassel as a natural herbal material.
Antimutagenic Agents ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Biphenyl Compounds ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Fluorenes ; pharmacology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Inflorescence ; chemistry ; Mutagens ; pharmacology ; Picrates ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Polysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Salmonella typhimurium ; drug effects ; genetics ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Zea mays ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the features of intelligence development, facial expression recognition ability, and the association between them in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

METHODSA total of 27 ASD children aged 6-16 years (ASD group, full intelligence quotient >70) and age- and gender-matched normally developed children (control group) were enrolled. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition and Chinese Static Facial Expression Photos were used for intelligence evaluation and facial expression recognition test.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the ASD group had significantly lower scores of full intelligence quotient, verbal comprehension index, perceptual reasoning index (PRI), processing speed index（PSI), and working memory index (WMI) (P<0.05). The ASD group also had a significantly lower overall accuracy rate of facial expression recognition and significantly lower accuracy rates of the recognition of happy, angry, sad, and frightened expressions than the control group (P<0.05). In the ASD group, the overall accuracy rate of facial expression recognition and the accuracy rates of the recognition of happy and frightened expressions were positively correlated with PRI (r=0.415, 0.455, and 0.393 respectively; P<0.05). The accuracy rate of the recognition of angry expression was positively correlated with WMI (r=0.397; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSASD children have delayed intelligence development compared with normally developed children and impaired expression recognition ability. Perceptual reasoning and working memory abilities are positively correlated with expression recognition ability, which suggests that insufficient perceptual reasoning and working memory abilities may be important factors affecting facial expression recognition ability in ASD children.

Adolescent ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; psychology ; Child ; Child Development ; Facial Expression ; Female ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Male

OBJECTIVETo explore the recognition ability and abnormal processing characteristics to basic emotional faces in the early phase in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

METHODSPhotos of Chinese static faces with four basic emotions (fearful, happy, angry and sad) were used as stimulus. Twenty-five ASD children and twenty-two age- and gender-matched typical developed children (normal controls) were asked to match the emotional faces with words. Event-related potential (ERP) data were recorded concurrently.

RESULTSN170 latencies for total emotion and fearful face in the left temporal region were faster than in the right one in normal controls (P<0.05), but the results were not noted in ASD children. Further, N170 latencies in the left temporal region of ASD children were slower than normal controls for total emotion, fearful and happy faces (P<0.05), and their N170 latencies in the right temporal region were prone to slower than normal controls for angry and fearful faces.

CONCLUSIONSThe holistic perception speed of emotional faces in the early cognitive processing phase in ASD children is slower than normal controls. The lateralized response in the early phase of recognizing emotional faces may be aberrant in children with ASD.

Background:We investigated the prognostic value of preoperative fibrinogen levels in hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving liver transplantation by building a scoring model for predicting tumor recurrence. Methods:Cox regression analysis was used to identify factors that predicted tumor recurrence,and a scoring model was generated by assigning a value of 0 or 1 to each independent risk factor.The cut-off value for fibrinogen was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results:Preoperative fibrinogen concentration was significantly higher in patients with vs.without tu-mor recurrence(3.27 g/L vs.2.34 g/L,P＜0.001),with vs.without macrovascular invasion(3.54 g/L vs.2.82 g/L,P=0.007),and with＞400 vs.≤400 ng/mL plasma alpha-fetoprotein concentration(3.43 g/L vs.2.76 g/L,P=0.007).The 5-year disease-free survival rate was significantly lower for patients with elevated(≥2.68 g/L)vs.normal(＜2.68 g/L)fibrinogen concentration(37.2％vs.78.4％,P=0.001).Mac-rovascular invasion,＞3 tumor nodules,and elevated fibrinogen concentration were independent risk factors for tumor recurrence.A scoring model based on these risk factors predicted recurrence with a sensitivity of 68.3％and a specificity of 87.5％. Conclusions:Elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen concentration is associated with tumor recurrence in HCC patients after liver transplantation.A new scoring model predicted recurrence with good sensitivity and specificity.

OBJECTIVETo investigate estrogen receptor (ER) expression and the effects of anti-estrogen therapy on the prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.

METHODSER was measured in fresh colorectal cancer tissues by Dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) assay. The relationships between ER expression and clinicopathological parameters in colorectal cancer were analyzed. Tamoxifen was administrated postoperatively as adjuvant treatment.

RESULTSThe positive rate of ER in colorectal tumor tissues was 37.0%. The 5-year survival rates of tamoxifen group and control group were 66.7% and 72.5% respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The distant metastasis rate of Tamoxifen group was significantly lower than that of control group (3% versus 20%).

CONCLUSIONSome colorectal carcinomas are hormone-dependent tumors, and anti-estrogen therapy has no effect on them.

Adult ; Aged ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Survival Rate ; Tamoxifen ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) remains as an important microbial pathogen resulting in community and nosocomial acquired infections with significant morbidity and mortality. Few reports for S. aureus in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have been documented. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs in China.

METHODSA multicenter study of the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs was conducted in 21 hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and twelve other provinces from November 2007 to February 2009. All the collected S. aureus strains were classified as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), mecA gene, virulence genes Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) and γ-hemolysin (hlg), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, agr type, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST).

RESULTSTotally, nine methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 29 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated after culture from a total of 2829 sputums or bronchoalveolar lavages. The majority of MRSA strains (22/29) had a MIC value of ≥ 512 µg/ml for cefoxitin. The mecA gene acting as the conservative gene was carried by all MRSA strains. PVL genes were detected in only one S. aureus strain (2.63%, 1/38). The hlg gene was detected in almost the all S. aureus (100% in MSSA and 96.56% in MRSA strains). About 75.86% of MRSA strains carried SCCmec III. Agr type 1 was predominant (78.95%) among the identified three agr types (agr types 1, 2, and 3). Totally, ten sequence type (ST) of S. aureus strains were detected. A new sequence type (ST1445) was found besides confirming ST239 as the major sequence type (60.53%). A dendrogram generated from our own MLST database showed all the bootstrap values ≤ 50%.

CONCLUSIONOur preliminary epidemiology data show SCCmec III, ST239 and agr type 1 of S. aureus as the predominant strains in LRTIs in Mainland of China.

Alleles ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; pathogenicity

Background:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction usually exhibits an irreversible course,and available treatments for delaying the progression to end-stage renal disease are limited.This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine,Niaoduqing particles,for delaying renal dysfunction in patients with stage 3b-4 CKD.Methods:The present study was a prospective,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,multicenter clinical trial.From May 2013 to December 2013,300 CKD patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 20 and 45 ml,min-1· 1.73 m-2,aged 18-70 years were recruited from 22 hospitals in 11 Chinese provinces.Patients were randomized in a 1∶1 ratio to either a test group,which was administered Niaoduqing particles 5 g thrice daily and 10 g before bedtime for 24 weeks,or a control group,which was administered a placebo using the same methods.The primary endpoints were changes in baseline serum creatinine (Scr) and eGFR after completion of treatment.The primary endpoints were analyzed using Student's t-test or Wilcoxon's rank-sum test.The present study reported results based on an intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis.Results:A total of 292 participants underwent the ITT analysis.At 24 weeks,the median (interquartile range) change in Scr was 1.1 (-13.0-24.1) and 11.7 (-2.6-42.9) μmol/L for the test and control groups,respectively (Z =2.642,P =0.008),and the median change in eGFR was-0.2 (-4.3-2.7) and-2.2 (-5.7-0.8) ml·min-1.1.73 m-2,respectively (Z =-2.408,P =0.016).There were no significant differences in adverse events between the groups.Conclusions:Niaoduqing particles safely and effectively delayed CKD progression in patients with stage 3b-4 CKD.This traditional Chinese medicine may be a promising alternative medication for patients with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction.

BACKGROUNDAcinetobacter baumanii (A. baumanii ) remains an important microbial pathogen resulting in nosocomial acquired infections with significant morbidity and mortality. The mechanism by which nosocomial bacteria, like A. baumanii, attain multidrug resistance to antibiotics is of considerable interest. The aim in this study was to investigate the spread status of antibiotic resistance genes, such as multiple β-lactamase genes and aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes, from A. baumanii strains isolated from patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).

METHODSTwo thousand six hundred and ninety-eight sputum or the bronchoalveolar lavage samples from inpatients with LRTIs were collected in 21 hospitals in the mainland of China from November 2007 to February 2009. All samples were routinely inoculated. The isolated bacterial strains and their susceptibility were analyzed via VITEK-2 expert system. Several kinds of antibiotic resistant genes were further differentiated via polymerase chain reaction and sequencing methods.

RESULTSTotally, 39 A. baumanii strains were isolated from 2698 sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage samples. There was not only a high resistant rate of the isolated A. baumanii strains to ampicillin and first- and second-generation cephalosporins (94.87%, 100% and 97.44%, respectively), but also to the third-generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone at 92.31%, ceftazidine at 51.28%) and imipenem (43.59%) as well. The lowest antibiotic resistance rate of 20.51% was found to amikacin. The OXA-23 gene was identified in 17 strains of A. baumanii, and the AmpC gene in 23 strains. The TEM-1 gene was carried in 15 strains. PER-1 and SHV-2 genes were detected in two different strains. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme gene aac-3-Ia was found in 23 strains, and the aac-6'-Ib gene in 19 strains. aac-3-Ia and aac-6'-Ib genes hibernated in three A. baumanii strains that showed no drug-resistant phenotype.

CONCLUSIONSA. baumanii can carry multiple drug-resistant genes at the same time and result in multi-drug resistance. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes could be hibernating in aminoglycoside sensitive strains without expressing their phenotype.

Acinetobacter ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathogenicity ; Acinetobacter Infections ; microbiology ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology ; Sputum ; microbiology