OBJECTIVETo analyze the relationship between symptoms and signs of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and the patients' quality of life (QOL).

METHODSA total of 492 TMD patients were included in this study. The clinical examination results were recorded using Fricton index of temporomandibular joint function. "Visual analog scale (VAS) evaluation of QOL disturbance" was designed to quantitate patients' QOL, to evaluate the degree that the patients QOL was affected.

RESULTSChewing, daily life and emotion among all 8 items of QOL were frequently affected by TMD, and joint clicking had the least influence on QOL. Intermittent closed lock had more severe interference with QOL than joint clicking only. Severe and moderate pain or limited mouth opening affected the QOL more severely than mild pain or mild limited mouth opening. The simple linear relationship between Fricton index and patients' QOL was poor (r < 0.4).

CONCLUSIONSPain is the most frequently seen symptom in TMD. TMD could affect patients' QOL, including both physical and social-psychological functions. The results suggest that the patients' QOL as well as TMD symptoms and signs should be considered in the management of TMD.

Adult ; Facial Pain ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders ; complications

Soft tissue related complications are quite frequent in limb lengthening. Muscle fibers may proliferate or regenerate after stretching injury over 10-20% of their original length. However, the cells which are engaged in this phenomenon are not confirmed yet. We chased the S-phase cells (phase for DNA replication) in the posterior leg muscle during limb lengthening by immunohistochemical technique. We lengthened the tibiae of fifteen New Zealand white rabbits. We divided them into three groups and each group is consisted of five rabbits. In group 1, we lengthened the left tibiae by 10% of their original length, in Group 2, 20%, and in group, 3, 25%, respectively, At the end of lengthening posterior muscles of lengthened left side and of controlled right side were fixed and processed for Immunohistochemical staining which could detect the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine(BDU). Labelling index(LI:% of positively stained S-phase nuclei) of group 1 was zero. LI of groups for more than 20% lengthening (sum of group 2 and 3) was statistically significant. In conclusion, nuclei around or within the muscle tissue are in S-phase during limb lengthening which means proliferation of the muscle fivers or of the certain cells that abut muscle fibers.
Bromodeoxyuridine ; DNA ; Extremities ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leg ; Muscles ; Rabbits ; Tibia

Objective To analyze the chemokine receptor CXCR4 expression in acute leukemic cells of children and its relationship with extramedullary infiltration.Methods The immunotypes of cases of acute leukemia in children and the expression of CXCR4 in marrow leukemic cells were studied by flow cytometry respectively. The relationship between CXCR4 expression and extramedullary infiltration of leukemic cells were analyzed by statistical method.Results The expression rates of CXCR4 in ALL children were higher than those in NALL children(P

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rabies ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Rabies virus ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical natural course of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) intermittent closed lock (ICL) through 24 months follow-up.

METHODSSixty-eight patients with ICL were included, and 54 patients finished 24 months follow-up. The disease duration, frequency of joint lock and joint pain were recorded at the patient's first visit. Telephone interviews were taken for every month, and the frequency of joint lock and joint pain were recorded. According to the development of ICL, the patients were divided into 3 groups: symptom-worsened group, symptom-disappeared group, symptom-persisted group.

RESULTSThere were 16 patients (30%) whose symptoms worsened into closed lock (disk displacement without reduction), 32 patients (59%) whose symptoms persisted during the 24 months follow-up, and 6 patients' (11%) symptoms disappeared. In symptom-persisted group, the frequency of joint lock decreased in 11/32 (34%), increased in 4/32 (13%), did not change in 17/32 (53%). There was no significant difference in gender, age, frequency of joint lock and joint pain recorded at the first visit among these 3 groups (P > 0.05). The disease duration in the symptom-disappeared group was much shorter than the other 2 groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSICL of TMJ was more likely to get worse into closed lock. There seemed no significant relation between the sequelaes of ICL and patients' gender, age, disease duration, frequency of joint lock and joint pain, and larger sample studies were necessary.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Disease Progression ; Facial Pain ; physiopathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Measurement ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Temporomandibular Joint ; pathology ; Temporomandibular Joint Disc ; pathology ; Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid ventricular rate (RVR) is a common diagnosis in the Emergency Department (ED) requiring evaluation and treatment. We present the characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting with primary or secondary AF in a tertiary hospital ED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients ≥21 years old, with a primary or secondary diagnosis of AF with RVR in the ED over a 1-year period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016. Primary AF is defined as AF with no precipitating cause and secondary AF as AF secondary to a precipitating cause. RESULTS: A total of 464 patients presented to the ED from 1 January to 31 December 2016 with primary and secondary diagnosis of AF with RVR; 44.8% had primary diagnosis of AF whereas 55.2% had secondary AF. Overall admission rate from ED was high at 91.8% (primary 84.6% vs secondary 97.7%). Patients with primary AF were younger (68 vs 74 years, <0.001), had lower rates of cardiovascular risk factors, and shorter length of stay (median 4 vs 5 days). Within 30 days of discharge, they had lower ED reattendance (16.3% vs 25.8%, <0.001) and lower readmission (16.3% vs 25.8%, <0.001). There was no mortality in the primary AF group (0% vs 9.8%, <0.001). CONCLUSION Currently, majority of patients with AF with RVR are admitted from the ED. Other study suggests patients with uncomplicated primary AF have lower adverse outcomes and some could potentially be treated as outpatients.
Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care) ; Patient Care Management ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Patient Readmission ; statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Tertiary Care Centers ; statistics & numerical data

Background Although Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and optic neuritis have different causes and managements,their clinical manifestations are difficult to be distinguished.Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RTFQ-PCR) is a high flux,simple,rapid and specific detecting technology,so establishing a specific diagnosis method of LHON with RTFQ-PCR has a practical significance.Objective Purpose of the present study was to establish a real-time Taqman probe for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)11778G＞A mutation in LHON patients.Methods Primers and Taqman probe for mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation were designed based on mtDNA complete geneme.Eighty-four patients with LHON were selected from the LHON DNA bank of Molecular Biology Laboratory,Henan Eye Institute,and 40 normal physical examinees aged 18-20 years were from Henan People's Hospital.2 ml of periphery blood was collected from each individual.Based on the double-blindness principle,mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation was tested by both Taqman probe and sequencing to check the reliability of real-time Taqman probe.Results The mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation was found in 23 out of 84 patients,and 61 showed a negative result by the technique of real-time Taqman probe.The Ct values of 23 patients with mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation were 22.993 ±0.708,but those of 5 normal controls were 0.These findings showed a consistent rate of 100％ with the sequencing results.In addition,both the false positive rate and the false negative rate were zero.Conclusions Real-time Taqman probe technique is an accurate,convenient,sensitive,specific and intuitionistic method for the diagnosis of mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation in LHON patients.It is feasible and suitable to screen the LHON patients with mtDNA 11778G＞A mutation in a large scale.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the methylation status of LRP15 gene in acute leukemia (AL) patients and its role in the tumorigenesis.

METHODSThe methylation of LRP15 promoter and first exon of bone marrow mononuclear cells in 73 patients with AL, 10 with chronic leukemia (CL), 9 with hematological benign diseases, and 20 healthy transplantation donors was analyzed by using methylation specific polymerase chain reaction. The methylation of LRP15 gene promoter and first exon in COS7, K562, and HL60 cell lines was also assayed.

RESULTSNo LRP15 gene promoter methylation was detected in COS7 cell line. LRP15 gene promoter was methylated in K562 and HL60 cell lines. No deletion of LRP15 gene was detected in all samples. In nearly all French-American-British leukemia subtypes, we found that frequency of LRP15 methylation in adult patients with AL was 71.23% (52/73). There was no detectable methylation in any of the 20 healthy donors and 8 chronic myeloid leukemia patients. The difference in frequency of LRP15 methylation between AL patients and healthy donors or CL patients (10.00%, 1/10) was significant (P < 0.01). Hypermethylation of LRP15 gene was found in 57.14% (16/28) of newly diagnosed AL patients, 83.33% of relapsed AL patients respectively, which was significantly different (P < 0.05). We also demonstrated LRP15 methylation in 55.56% (5/9) adults with benign hematological diseases.

CONCLUSIONSLRP15 methylation changes are common abnormalities in leukemia. LRP15 is postulated to be a tumor suppressor gene.

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; COS Cells ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; DNA Methylation ; DNA Primers ; Humans ; Leukemia ; genetics ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of acupoint sticking therapy with Mian Tan Gao (facial paralysis paste) plus electroacupuncture (EA) for treating peripheral facial paralysis and its influence on patients' facial nerve functions, facial disability index and clinical symptoms and signs. Methods: A total of 96 peripheral facial paralysis patients were allocated into an observation group, a medicine group and an EA group by simple randomization, with 32 cases in each group. Patients in the medicine group were treated with oral mecobalamine and prednisone acetate; patients in the EA group were treated with EA on the basis of the medicine treatment; while patients in the observation group were treated with acupoint sticking therapy with Mian Tan Gao (facial paralysis paste) plus EA. After 4-week treatment, the clinical efficacy, the adverse events, and the scores of House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grading scale, visual analog scale (VAS), clinical symptoms and signs, and facial disability index (FDI) were compared. Results: After 4-week treatment, the total effective rate was 96.9％ in the observation group, higher than 68.7％ in the medicine group and 75.0％ in the EA group (both P<0.05). After 4-week treatment, the scores of H-B grading scale, VAS and clinical symptoms and signs in the three groups dropped significantly compared with those before treatment, and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the medicine group and EA group (all P<0.05). After 4-week treatment, the facial disability index-physical function (FDIP) in the FDI in the three groups increased significantly, with a higher value in the observation group compared with that in the medicine group and EA group (both P<0.05). The facial disability index-social function (FDIS) in the FDI dropped significantly, with a lower score in the observation group compared with that in the medicine group and EA group (both P<0.05). However, the comparisons of the items above between the medicine group and the EA group showed no statistical significance (all P>0.05). The between-group comparison of the adverse event across the three groups showed no statistical significance (P>0.05). Conclusion: Acupoint sticking therapy with Mian Tan Gao (facial paralysis paste) plus EA can decrease H-B grade, reduce pain severity and improve clinical symptoms and signs as well as the facial disability condition in peripheral facial paralysis patients. This method produced more significant efficacy compared with oral medicine and medicine plus EA.

Purpose: The updated American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline for estrogen receptor (ER) testing recommends that breast cancer with ER expression in 1–10% of tumor cells should be reported as ER-low positive (ERlow), although limited data are available on the overall benefits of endocrine therapy. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of ERlow breast cancer and to compare them with those of ER-negative (ERneg) and ER-high (> 10% of tumor cells, ERhigh) breast cancers. Methods: Consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent curative surgery between November 2007 and December 2014 were included. Clinicopathological characteristics and disease-free survival (DFS) of ERlow tumors were compared with those of ERneg and ERhigh tumors. Results: Of the 2,309 cases included, 46 (2%), 643 (27.8%), and 1,620 (70.2%) were ERlow , ERneg , and ERhigh , respectively. ERlow tumors were associated with no special type of histology (p = 0.011), advanced pT (p = 0.017), pN (p = 0.009) and anatomic stages (p < 0.001), high grade (p < 0.001), negative/low progesterone receptor (PR) status (p < 0.001), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity (p < 0.001), high Ki-67 (p < 0.001), and recurrence (p = 0.006) compared to ERhigh tumors. DFS was significantly dependent on ER status, and ERlowtumors showed poorer DFS than ERhigh tumors (p = 0.001), however, there was no significant survival difference between ERlow and ERneg tumors. Furthermore, DFS in ERhigh patients was affected by hormone therapy (p < 0.001), while it was not affected in ERlow patients. Conclusion Patients with ERlow breast cancer have clinicopathological characteristics that differ from those with ERhigh tumors. Although this study was limited by the small sample size of the ERlow group, no benefit from hormone therapy was observed in the ERlow group compared with the ERhigh group.