This study was aimed to evaluate effects of traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) five elements music therapy on the quality of life for both senior and non-senior advanced cancer patients , and improve TCM com-prehensive treatment mode . A total of 170 patients were stratified according to 70-year-old in a randomized controlled trial ( RCT ) with a parallel single-blind design . The ratio of patients among three groups was 2:2:1 . In the experimental group , TCM five elements music was given in the treatment . In the positive control group , western music was used in the treatment . And in the negative control group , no music was given in the treat-ment . The treatment was given for 30 min , 5 times per week . And the observation duration was 3 weeks . The Hospice Quality of Life Index-Revised ( HQOLI-R ) , Karnofsky Performance Scale ( KPS ) and Symptom Diary Score recorded by patients were used in the evaluation . The results showed that when comparing HQOLI-R , KPS and Symptom Diary Score before and after treatment among all advanced cancer patients in each group , there was a significant difference before and after treatment in the TCM five elements music therapy group ( P< 0 . 05 ) . But there was no significant difference before and after treatment in the western music therapy group or the negative control group ( P > 0 . 05 ) . It was concluded that TCM five elements music therapy is effective in improving quality of life and subjective symptoms for both senior and non-senior advanced cancer patients . However , the sensitivity of using the Symptom Diary Score as an evaluation index among senior patients still needs to be further proved .

Objective To explore the effect of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) on epithelial-mesenchymal transition in rat peritoneal mesothelial cells(RPMCs) and its mechanism.Methods Primary peritoneal mesothelial cells of SP rats were cultured in vitro. After synchronization for 24 h, RPMCs were randomly divided into 2 groups: Group A (control), Group B (TGF-β1, 10 μg/L). RPMCs were stimulated by 10 μg/L TGF-β1 for different time. The mRNA and protein expression levels of E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagenⅠwere measured by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The protein expression level of total RhoA was measured by Western blot. Active RhoA was extracted by Plasma Membrane Protein Extraction Kit, and assessed by Western blot. Results TGF-β1 down-regulated mRNA and protein expression of E-cadherin in RPMCs, and upregulated mRNA and protein expression of α-SMA and CollagenⅠ. TGF-β1 stimulation elicited a robust increase in RhoA activity in a time-dependent manner. RhoA activity peaked at 1 h.Conclusion RPMCs can be transdifferentiated into myofibroblast under the effect of TGF-(β1,)and the mechanism may be related to the activation of RhoA associated signal pathway.

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations of early postoperative internal hernia. Methods Patients who were diagnosed with early postoperative small bowel obstruction(EPSBO)within 30 days after operation and underwent laparotomy between 1994 and 2006 were included for study.Clinical and radiological findings were analyzed. Results Totally 38 EPSBO patients were identined.among those,9 patients(23.7%)had an internal hera ag the cause of the howel obstruction.Other causes included intestinal adhesions in 27 patients(71.1%),gallstone ileus in 1 patient(2.6%)and stoma obstruction in 1 patient(2.6%).In the internal hernia group,6 cases were male and 3 cases were female witIl a mean age of 53.6 years.The mean time from the primary operation to symptom development was 7.8 d(range,2～17 d)and the mean time of conservative treatment Was 3.4 d(range,1～8 d).The main clinical features included:complete mechanical obstruction with symptoms rapidly progressing and early bowel strangulation.Specific radiologic abnormalities misht be identified,especially by contrast-enhanced CT.In this series,intestinal strangulation was found in 6 patients with bowel necrosis in 4 eases,necessitating howel resection in 5 patients.Wound infection developed in one cage and there was no perioperative death.Conclusion Internal hernia can occur early postoperatively and it bears a high risk of strangulation and bowel necrosis.Prompt operative intervention should be carried out in highly suspicious patients in order to avoid complications and achieve good outcome.

Objective To investigate the correlation of Bax and apoptosis in enterocytes of neonatal rats with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).Methods Forty-eight neonatal rats (1 day) were randomly divided into control group (n =24) and NEC model group (n =24) by use of odd and even.The rats in control group were maternal breast-fed.The rats in NEC model group were separated from their mothers.To be given formula feeding,cold exposure after hypoxic-reoxygenation treatment.The intestinal tissue located at the boundary of ileum and caecum of two groups were gained on the 24 h,48 h and 72 h with which that all rats were sacrificed by cutting neck.Section of intestinal tissue were stained with immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of Bax and were stained with TdT mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL) to evaluate the apoptosis in each group.Results The integrate optical density (IOD) value of expression of Bax in the NEC model group began to increase on the 24 h [(1 005.06-± 11.96) IOD] and reached the summit on the 72 h [(3 340.66 ±68.72)] compared with the control group[(666.55 ± 15.77)IOD].A few of TUNEL positive cells began to increase with time dependence.A lot of TUNEL positive cells could be found in NEC model group on the 24 h [(15.04 ± 0.24) ％],and the apoptotic index reached the peak on the 72 h [(35.65 ±0.61) ％] compared with the control group[(4.73 ±0.04) ％,P ＜0.01]-There was a significantly positive correlation between the cell apoptosis and the ratio change of Bax in NEC model group (r =0.94,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion There is a significantly positive correlation between the cell apoptosis and the ratio change of Bax in enterocytes of neonatal rats with NEC.The cell apoptosis in enterocytes of neonatal rats with NEC maybe be induced by Bax.

Objective To evaluate diagnostic value of X-ray computed tomography(CT) neck masses in children.Methods Clinic,pathologic diagnosis and CT scans of 26 patients from Jan.2004 to Jun.2006 with neck masses which location,density,edge and near construction were reviewed retrospectively.Results Seven cases in neck anterior area,13 cases in neck lateral area,6 cases in other areas or unconfirmed.Eight cases with lower density than cervical muscles,2 cases with same density,2 cases with higher density,14 cases with mixed density.Inflammatory masses were observed in 13 cases,congenital malformation in 11 cases,thyroiditis in 1 case,pharyngeal tumor-like proliferation in 1 case.Conclusion CT scan is the best choice of diagnosis of neck masses in children,and is valuable to diagnosis associated with history and physical examination.

The basic mechanical properties of a Radial Shock Wave Therapy Equipment (RSWTE) were experimentally studied in this paper. The output energy of the RSWTE working on the operation frequency of 10 Hz was measured by dynamic pressure transducer under the conditions of different operation pressure. The results showed that both operation pressure and operation frequency have effects on the output energy of the equipment. The output energy increases with the increase of operation pressure, and the magnitude of increased energy decreases with higher operation of frequency. With the increase of operation frequency, the output energy rises up in condition of lower operation pressure and drops off in condition of higher operation pressure. The accurate medical treatment should be selected with the optimized energy and condition according to the treatment requirement to different illness in clinical medical applications.
Equipment Design ; High-Energy Shock Waves ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; instrumentation ; Pressure

Objective To report a simple formula to estimate phosphate removal by standard four-hour hemodialysis in Chinese patients.Methods A total of 165 MHD patients in Huashan Hospital were enrolled.Effluent dialysate samples were collected during treatment to estimate the total amount of phosphate removal.Pre-dialysis levels of serum phosphate,potassium (K+),hematocrit(Hct),parathyroid hormone(iPTH),carbon dioxide combining power(CO2CP),alkaline phosphatase (AKP),Kt/V,and ultrafiltration volume,age,gender,dry body weight,blood flow,phosphate clearance of dialyser,phosphate concentration of dialysate at 60 min after the start of HD were obtained.80％ observations were randomly selected for formula building by backward stepwise and the remaining 20％ observations were used to validate the formula.Results The formula was described as Tpo4 =88.6 ×C60-0.03 ×Age + 1.07 ×Gender +0.06 ×Clearance-4.59,where C60 was phosphate concentration in dialysate measured 60 min into HD and Clearance was the phosphate clearance of dialyser.Formula validation further suggested good predictive ability.Conclusion This study derives an approach to quantify phosphate removal by a simple formula,which will be helpful for clinicians to treat patient individually.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of opiate abuse on the expression of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HIV-1-infected patients and to elucidate possible mechanisms involved in the enhancement of HIV-1 replication by opiate abuse. A total of 200 participants were enrolled in the study by random selection from methadone treatment centers and voluntary HIV counseling and testing centers in the cities of Nanning, Liuzhou, and Qinzhou. These participants included 50 HIV-positive opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(+) group), 50 HIV-negative opiate abusers (Opiates HIV(-) group), 50 HIV-positive subjects who were not opiate abusers (Non-opiates HIV (+) group), and 50 HIV-negative subjects who were not opiate abusers (Control group). PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood samples from the subjects and the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA and protein were determined by q-PCR and western blot respectively. There was no significant difference among the four groups in age, gender, nationality, domicile, marital status, educational background or duration of drug abuse (P > 0.05). The median viral loads of the Opiates HIV(+) were significantly higher than those of the Non-Opiates HIV(+) groups (4.450 x 10(3) and 3.977 x 10(3) copies/mL respectively, P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), Opiates HIV(-) and Control groups were (2.13 +/- 1.59) x 10(-3), (3.66 +/- 2.22) x 10(-3), (1.96 +/- 1.42) x 10(-3) and (7.66 +/- 4.87) x 10(-3), respectively. The expression of TLR9 mRNA was significantly lower in both HIV-1-infected and -uninfected groups of opiate abusers compared with groups of non-abusers (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in TLR9 mRNA expression levels between the Opiates HIV(+) group and the Opiates HIV(-) group (P > 0.05). However, in the non-opiate groups, the expression levels of TLR9 mRNA in the HIV(+) group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P< 0.05). Western blot results confirmed that the expression of TLR9 protein was lower in the Opiates HIV(+), Non-Opiates HIV(+), and Opiates HIV(-) groups compared to the control group. These results suggest that opiate abuse can decrease the expression of TLR9 in PBMCs, which may result in the enhancement of HIV-1 infection and replication due to a decline in immune response mediated by the TLR9 pathway.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; HIV Infections ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology ; HIV-1 ; physiology ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Opioid-Related Disorders ; genetics ; metabolism ; Toll-Like Receptor 9 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Young Adult

The shape of dental arch for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment is of great significance. This paper presents an automated method for detecting the dental arch form. Firstly, 3D teeth data model is retrieved by the 3D-optical measuring system. Secondly, the occlusal plane is computed by interactively picking up four feature points. Thirdly, the feature point set is filtered by the rule and two-step curve fitting method is used to obtain the dental arch form. Finally, some examples are tested in this work and the results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is effective and feasible.
Computer Graphics ; Computer Simulation ; Dental Arch ; anatomy & histology ; Dental Models ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Malocclusion ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Pattern Recognition, Automated

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism and microsatellite instability (MSI) in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODSMTHFR gene C677T and A1298C polymorphism were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and MSI was examined with PCR.

RESULTSMTHFR gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were analyzed on 122 gastric cancers and 110 normal controls The genotype frequencies of MTHFR 677CC, 677CT and 677TT were 47.5%, 39.3% and 13.1% on patients with gastric cancer, and 48.5%, 42.6%, 8.9% in the controls respectively. There was no significant difference of genotype frequency between the two groups (P > 0.05). The individuals with 677CT genotype, 677TT genotype and 677CT + TT genotype exhibited significantly reduced risk (OR = 0.38,95% CI: 0.15-0.98; OR = 0.26,95% CI: 0.03-2.18 and OR = 0.36,95% CI: 0.07-0.98) of developing gastric cardia cancer compared with those harboring the wild-type(677CC). The individuals with 677TT genotype having a 3.03-fold (95% CI: 1.07-8.65) increased risk of developing gastric corpus cancer. The genotype frequency of MTHFR 1298AA, 1298AC and 1298CC were 59.8%, 36.1% and 4.1% in gastric cancer patients, and 57.4%, 7.6%, 5.0% in the controls, respectively. The distribution of MTHFR A1298C genotype was not significantly different between gastric cancer and controls (P > 0.05). The individuals with 1298CC genotype had a reduced risk of developing gastric antrum cancer (OR = 0.41- fold, 95% CI: 0.03-2.18, 0.05-3.72) when comparing with those having 1298AA genotype. Patients with MSI+ gastric cancer had an increased frequency of the MTHFR 677TT genotype when comparing with those suffering from MSI- gastric cancer (P = 0.009) and with controlled subjects (P = 0.008). There was no significant association found between MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and MSI (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPolymorphism of MTHFR C677T was associated with increased risk on gastric corpus cancer and reduced risk on gastric cardia cancer. The polymorphism of MTHFR A1298C was associated with reduced risk for gastric antrum cancer while MSI pathway was possibly involved in the development of gastric cancer with MTHFR 677TT genotype.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; genetics ; Microsatellite Instability ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics