Objective To investigate the effects of hydrogen inhalation on the brain injury after intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats.Methods Fifty-four healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 6-8 months,weighing 285-350 g,were randomly allocated to one of 3 groups (n =18 each):sham operation group (group S),intestinal I/R group (group I/R) and hydrogen inhalation group (group H2).Intestinal I/R was produced by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 90 min followed by reperfusion.2％ hydrogen was inhaled for 3 h starting from the end of ischemia.The cognitive function was detected at 1,2 and 5 days of reperfusion using Morris water maze test.The animals were sacrificed after the test and brains were isolated for detection of the cerebral edema and morphology in brain tissues.The cerebral water content ((wet weight-dry weight)/ wet weight × 100％) was measured.The pathological changes in the prefrontal cortex was observed under light microscope.The neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL.Results Compared with the S group,the number of normal neurons in the prefrontal cortex was significantly decreased,the latency and swimming distance were both prolonged,the frequency of crossing the original platform was decreased,and the cerebral water content and the number of apoptotic neurons were increased in groups I/R and H2 (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with I/R group,the number of normal neurons in the prefrontal cortex was significantly increased,the latency and swimming distance were both shortened,the frequency of crossing the original platform was increased,the cerebral water content and the nunber of apoptotic neurons were decreased in group H2 (P ＜ 0.05).The pathological changes were obvious in I/R group,however,they were significantly attenuated in H2 group.Conclusion H2 inhalation can reduce the brain damage and improve the cognitive dysfunction after intestinal I/R in rats.

The endpoint detection of cough signal in continuous speech has been researched in order to improve the efficiency and veracity of manual recognition or computer-based automatic recognition. First, using the short time zero crossing ratio(ZCR) for identifying the suspicious coughs and getting the threshold of short time energy based on acoustic characteristics of cough. Then, the short time energy is combined with short time ZCR in order to implement the endpoint detection of cough in continuous speech. To evaluate the effect of the method, first, the virtual number of coughs in each recording was identified by two experienced doctors using the graphical user interface (GUI). Second, the recordings were analyzed by automatic endpoint detection program under Matlab7.0. Finally, the comparison between these two results showed: The error rate of undetected cough is 2.18%, and 98.13% of noise, silence and speech were removed. The way of setting short time energy threshold is robust. The endpoint detection program can remove most speech and noise, thus maintaining a lower rate of error.
Algorithms ; Artificial Intelligence ; Cough ; physiopathology ; Endpoint Determination ; Humans ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; methods ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Sound

Objective:To evaluate the association of HbA 1C level and variability with annual decline in glomerular filtration rate in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods:A total of 527 elderly type 2 diabetic patients with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)≥60 mL·min -1·(1.73 m 2) -1 at the diabetes center of a tertiary hospital in Jiangsu province were included and followed up. The mean value and the variability of HbA 1C, including standard deviation(HbA 1C-SD), variation coefficient(HbA 1C-CV), and adjusted standard deviation(Adj-HbA 1C-SD) were calculated. According to the annual decreased rate of eGFR, the patients were divided into △eGFR>5% group and △eGFR≤5% group. Cox proportional risk regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between HbA 1C variability and the risk of decreased glomerular filtration rate. Results:With a mean follow-up time of 19 months, there were 176 patients whose △eGFR>5%. Compared with △eGFR≤5% group, the HbA 1C-mean and HbA 1C variability were significantly higher in △eGFR>5% group( P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that HbA 1C-mean, HbA 1C-SD, HbA 1C-CV, and Adj-HbA 1C-SD were significantly correlated with decreased glomerular filtration rate. After adjustment for age, gender, HbA 1C-mean, and other factors, only Adj-HbA 1C-SD was correlated with renal insufficiency [ HR=3.32(1.68-6.57)]. Conclusions:HbA 1C variability is independently associated with annual decline in glomerular filtration rate in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. The Adj-HbA 1C-SD is the most sensitive indicator in predicting decreased glomerular filtration rate.

Objective:To observe any effect of tendon manipulation on the joint pain, joint motion and gait of persons with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods:Sixty-one KOA patients were randomly divided into an observation group ( n=31) and a control group ( n=30). Both groups received ultrasonic physiotherapy and exercise trai-ning (including quadriceps femoris training and heel raising training), while the observation group was additionally provided with daily tendon manipulation, five times a week for 3 weeks. Before and after the treatment, knee pain (using a visual analog scale (VAS)), motor function (using the Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index scale), step length, gait speed and the double support phase ratio were evaluated in both groups using three-dimensional gait analysis equipment. Results:After the treatment the average VAS scores, as well as the joint pain, stiffness and dysfunction and the total WOMAC scores of both groups had decreased significantly. There was significant improvement in the average stride length, walking speed and the proportion of double support phase among the observation group, and the latter two measurements had also improved significantly in the control group. After the intervention, the average pain, WOMAC scores and gait descriptors of the observation group were significantly superior to the control group′s results.Conclusion:Tendon manipulation can usefully supplement routine rehabilitation in the treatment of KOA, improving walking efficiency and thus life quality.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for bleeding and thrombosis during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy in critically ill patients and determine the best predictors of coagulation-related complications.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who received ECMO for respiratory or circulatory failure at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2020 to December 2022. The outcome was whether bleeding or thrombosis occurred from 24 h after ECMO insertion to before weaning. The differences in demographic characteristics, weaning conditions, prognosis, routine blood tests, organ function, coagulation and blood product transfusion of each group were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors for bleeding and thrombosis, and ROC curve evaluation was used to assess their capacity to predict complications.Results:A total of 61 patients with ECMO were enrolled, with 21 cases of bleeding and 14 cases of thrombosis during ECMO. Compared with the nonbleeding group, the activated partial thromboplastin time, thromboplastin time (TT), and transfusions of frozen plasma and red blood cells were higher in the bleeding group (all P<0.05). Compared with the nonthrombotic group, the increase in body weight, D-dimer (DD), fibrinogen degradation product (FDP), and improvement of arterial oxygen partial pressure (ΔPO 2) within 24 h were significantly higher in the thrombotic group (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that TT ( OR=1.039, 95% CI: 1.006~1.072, P=0.018) and frozen plasma transfusion volume ( OR=1.046, 95% CI: 1.010-1.083, P=0.012) were risk factors for bleeding events. FDP ( OR=1.030, 95% CI: 1.009-1.051, P=0.005), DD ( OR=1.181, 95% CI: 1.044-1.336, P=0.008), and ΔPO 2 ( OR=1.007, 95% CI: 1.002-1.012, P=0.006) were risk factors for thrombosis. According to ROC curve analysis, the AUCs of TT, frozen plasma transfusion, and combined indexes for predicting bleeding were 0.712, 0.690, and 0.816, respectively. The combined indices had a cut-off value of 0.273, a sensitivity of 75.61%, and a specificity of 80.00%. The AUCs of FDP, DD, ΔPO 2, and combined FDP with ΔPO 2 for predicting thrombosis were 0.778, 0.748, 0.786, and 0.868, respectively. The cut-off value of the combined index was 0.157, the sensitivity was 68.09%, and the specificity was 92.86%. Conclusions:TT combined with frozen plasma transfusion volume predicted bleeding optimally, while FDP plus ΔPO 2 predicted thrombotic events better during ECMO treatment in critically ill patients.