0.05).There was a significant positive correlation between serum osteocalcin and ESR in female patients with RA aged less than 50 years (P

Objective To investigate the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cell response in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) combined with coronary heart disease .Methods SLE patients ,SLE patients with coronary heart disease and healthy con-trols were enrolled and blood samples were collected .T-bet/GATA-3 ,the transcription factors of Th1/Th2 cells ,were detected by real-time PCR ;the intracellular cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4 in CD4 + T cells were stained by fluorescent antibodies and detected by flow cytometry ;the level of serum IFN-γ and IL-4 were detected by ELISA .Results Comparing with healthy control group ,the ex-pression level of Th1 transcription factor T-bet ,the introcellular secretion of IFN-γ in CD4 + T cells and the serum IFN-γ were all decreased in non-coronary heart disease patients with SLE( P < 0 .05) .Comparing with non-coronary heart disease patients with SLE or healthy control group ,the expression level of Th1 transcription factor T-bet ,the introcellular secretion of IFN-γ in CD4 + T cells and the serum IFN-γ were all increased in patients with SLE combined coronary heart disease(P< 0 .05) ;while the expression level of Th2 transcription factor GATA-3 ,the introcellular secretion of IL-4 in CD4 + T cells and the serum IL-4 were all decreased in patients with SLE combined coronary heart disease(P< 0 .05) .Conclusion There were imbalance towards Th1 cell response in patients with SLE combined coronary heart disease ,which may related to the occurrence and development of disease .

Objective To study the effect of sodium hyaluronate(SH) on cornea preservation to provide a basis for eyes banks cornea preservation. Methods SH was applied in the short-term and middle-term cornea preservation. The preservation effect was evaluated by corneal morphology, trypan blue-alizarin red staining, activity assay of SDH and G-6-P enzymes, and ultrastructural observation of corneal endothelium. Results The above indices were obviously better in the experiment group than in the control group (P

Background Cataract surgery with replacement of the natural lens with an artificial intraocular lens(IOL) has developed into refractive surgery.Visual acuity is not the only evaluation criterion,but more focus has been put into the visual quality postoperatively.Aspherical IOL could improve the visual quality by decreasing the aspherical aberration.Objective This study was to investigate the short-term visual acuity,aberration alteration and clinical application of unsteady aberration aspheric IOL.Methods A retrospective case-controlled study was designed.Forty-two eyes of 30 patients with age-related cataract were included and divided into two groups.Phacoemulsification combined with unsteady aberration aspheric IOL implantation was performed in 21 cataractous eyes of the ZO group,and phacoemulsification combined with spherical IOL implantation in the other 21 eyes of the ADAPT group.Visual acuity,best corrected visual acuity (BCVA),contrast visual acuity,spherical aberration of the whole eye,contrast sensitivity (CS),dare sensitivity,modulation transfer function (MTF) and apparent accommodation were measured three months after surgery.All the parameters were compared between the two groups.The correlation of CS with the root mean square of spherical aberration,root mean square of comatic aberration and age was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis.Written informed consent was obtained from each patient prior to operation.Results No significant differences were found in unconnected visual acuity,BCVA and spherical degrees between the ZO group and ADAPT group 3 months after surgery(P＞0.05).The CS value in the ZO group was significantly higher than that of the ADAPT group under scotopic background condition with spatial frequencies of 6,12,18 cpd,low glare the spatial frequencies of 6,12 cpd,as well as high glare with 12,18 cpd(P＜0.05).Under a scotopic background with 100％ contrast or a photopic background with 5％ contrast,the contrast visual acuity of the ZO group was significantly higher than that of the ADAPT group (t =20.217,P =0.000 ; t =4.568,P =0.039).At pupil diameters of 3,4 and 5 mm,the Z4 value was significantly lower in the patients of the ZO group than that of the ADAPT group (U =63.000,P =0.000 ; U =52.000,P =0.000 ; U =36.000,P =0.000).However,no significant differences were seen in the Trefoil aberration (Z6)value at 3 mm and 4 mm of pupil diameter(U =204.000,P =0.678;U =215.000,P =0.890) and coma aberration (Z7,Z8) value at 3,4 and 5 mm of pupil diameter between ZO group and ADAPT group(Z7:U=156.000,P =0.159 ; U =196.000,P =0.538 ; U =199.000,P =0.587 ; Z8:U=163.000,P =0.148 ;U=214.000,P =0.870;U =143.000,P =0.061).When the pupil diameter was 5 mm,Z6 value was significantly lower in the patients of the ZO group than that of the ADAPT group (U =4.000,P =0.000).The higher-order aberration MTF was significantly elevated in the ZO group compared with the ADAPT group from 5 through 20 cpd at a pupil diameter of 4 mm (P＜0.05) and 10,20,25,30 cpd at a pupil diameter of 5 mm (P＜0.05).A slightly lower objective accommodation was found in the ZO group compared with the ADAPT group without statistically significant difference(t =0.003,P＞0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the change in CS was associated with the root mean square of the spherical aberration and IOL type(β=0.544,R2=0.519,P =0.000)rather than with the root mean square of the comatic aberration and age.Conclusions The postoperative visual quality in the unsteady aberration aspheric IOL implanted eye is superior to that in the spherical IOL implanted eye due to a reduction in spherical aberration.

Objective Normal estimation is the key step for volume visualization. Commonly used methods for normal estimation are based on interpolation and derivative. A novel normal estimation algorithm based on approximation for visualization of medical images was presented in this paper. Method It approximated the density function in local neighborhood with a second-degree polynomial function. The coefficients of the polynomial function were solved by minimizing the error of the approximation and the gradient vector at arbitrary point was obtained directly from the analytical derivative of the density function without interpolation. Because of symmetry, the solution of this equation was simplified.This method was tested in several volume data sets. The results and the generation time by different methods were obtained and compared. Result The results showed that this algorithm produced satisfactory quality images while the computational complexity was not increased. Conclusion This approach is preferable for most applications, especially for medical images reconstruction.

Objective To investigate the effects of ultrashortwave (USW) diathermy and electrical stimulation (ES) used in combination with nerve growth factor (NGF) in the treatment of experimental sciatic nerve injury.Methods Sixty adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a model group, an NGF group,a physiotherapy group and a combined treatment group. A model of sciatic nerve injury was established in the latter four groups. Beginning on the 2nd day after the operation, no treatment was given in the model group, NGF was injected in the NGF group, diathermy and ES were administrated to rats in the physiotherapy group, and the combined treatment group was treated with USW diathermy, EW and NGF. Function, electrophysiology and morphology were evaluated at the 2nd, 7th, 14th and 30th days after the operation Results The average sciatic nerve function index (SFI), nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and nerve regeneration in the NGF, physiotherapy and combined treatment groups were significantly better than in the model group, with those in the combined treatment group improved to the greatest extent. At the 30th day there was no significant difference between the combined treatment group and the normal control group in terms of SFI, NCV, axon regeneration or myelin sheath thickness. The number of myelinated nerve fibers and the average axon diameter in the combined treatment group and normal control group were significantly higher than those in the model, NGF or physiotherapy group. Conclusions With NGF injection, additional application of USW diathermy and ES may significantly enhance the regeneration of the sciatic nerve and aid functional recovery after injury.

Objective To verify the effectiveness of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) with multi-layer electrodes in gastric emptying measurement by simulation experiments using EIT with three-layer electrodes.Methods Firstly,EIT system with three-layer electrodes and gastric emptying measurement simulation equipment was designed and constructed to simulate gastric emptying process and obtain EIT reconstruction images.Secondly,the region where the electrical characteristic of gastric changes was selected as region of interest.Finally,the relative impedance change rate in region of interest for every image obtained from all three layers was consecutively recorded,then the gastric emptying curve was formed and gastric emptying time was calculated.Results There are obvious differences among the sharp of impedance change curves of interested region for three layers,and the gastric emptying time and process of each layer is also different from one another.It is suggested that the passing path and emptying manner of food in gastric emptying process reflected by EIT images varied from layer to layer.Therefore,the necessity and feasibility of using EIT with three-layer electrodes in gastric emptying measurement study is verified.Conclusions EIT with three-layer electrodes can provide more abundant information of gastric motility function associated with gastric emptying pathology and physiology state.It is likely to be a noninvasive,convenient and effective imaging method for the detection and evaluation research on gastric emptying and gastric motility.

Objective: To find out the attitudes of university students and postgraduates to donating corneas after their death in Chongqing. Method: In order to find out the attitudes to the donation of corneas and remains after their death, the understanding degree of the knowledge on donation and the actual participation, cue formulated 10 questions including 3-4 selective answers each one to have a questionnaire investigation among university students and postgraduates of three universities in Chongqing. Result: In 311 questionnaires, 288 of them are valid. 53.82 % of students investigated are willing to donate their corneas and 77.08% of them support the donation, but the majority don't want to go through the formalities of donation and don't know how to deal with this; nearly 2/3 of them don't know an eye bank has been set up in Chongqing; 77% of them agrees to legislate or make the local regulations as soon as possible. Conclusion: There are quite a number of volunteers in the university students, but the number of the actual participants is small. Therefore we need to strengthen the propaganda of the eye bank to impel more students to comprehend the knowledge of donation and join the volunteers.

As one of the major geriatric syndromes,frailty exerts adverse effects on life expectancy and quality of life of the elderly.Because of its importance,a number of methods and tools have been introduced for the assessment of frailty.Malnutrition,as an independent risk factor,interacts with frailty and is involved in its progression.This article reviews recent studies on frailty and malnutrition.

Aged ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic ; therapeutic use ; Azacitidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic ; drug therapy