This article introduced the experiences of nongovernmental capital running hospitals in US,Germany,India and Israel and put forward some suggestions that need to be considered in China, such as innovating supply model of health care service,treating social capital running hospitals equally and strengthening supervision.

Objective To investigate the effects of emulsified isoflurane preconditioning on myocardial NF-κB activity during ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)in rats.Methods Forty-eight healthy male SD rats weighing 230-280 g were randomly divided into 4 groups with 12 animals in each group: sham operation group(group S),I/R group,lipid emulsion + I/R group(group L)and emulsified isoflurane + I/R group(group EI).In group I/R,EI and L,myocardial I/R was produced by occlusion of left coronary anterior descending artery(LAD)for 30 min followed by 120 min reperfusion.In group L,30% lipid emulsion 4 ml·kg-1 ·h-1 was infused intravenously for 30 min before myocardial I/R.In group EI,emulsified isoflurane 4 ml· kg- 1 · h- 1 was infused intravenously for 30 min followed by 15 min washout before myocardial I/R.In group S and I/R,normal saline was given instead.Blood samples were taken from femoral artery at the end of 120 min reperfusion for determination of serum cTnI and IL-6 concentrations and CK-MB activity by ELISA.The rats were then killed and the myocardial tissues were taken for determination of NF-κB activity by Western blot and observation of the ultrastructure by electron microscopy.Results The NF-κB activity,serum cTnI and IL-6 concentrations and CK-MB activity were significantly higher in group I/R,EI and L than in group S(P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01),while lower in group EI than in group I/R(P ＜ 0.05).Microscopic examination showed that emulsified isoflurane significantly attenuated the histopathological changes in group EI.Conclusion Emulsified isoflurane pretreatment can attenuate myocardial I/R injury through decreasing the NF-κB activity and inhibiting inflammatory response in rats.

OBJECTIVETo delineate the influence of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on heat pain threshold and vibration threshold in human.

METHODSTwenty healthy, young subjects, aged from 20 to 39, participated in the study. They were randomly allocated into either TENS or placebo group. Thirty minutes of conventional TENS (200 micro s pulses at 100 Hz and 2 - 3 times sensory threshold) or placebo stimulation was applied to the acupuncture points (LI4) on each subject's left hand. Heat pain and vibration thresholds were measured using Medoc TSA-2001 and VSA-3000 respectively on the thenar eminence of each subject's left hand. These assessments were done at 30, 20 and 10 minutes before and 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes after 30 minutes of TENS or placebo treatment.

RESULTSThis study showed a significant increase in heat pain threshold by 0.81 degrees C and 1.54 degrees C respectively at 0 (P = 0.002) and 20 minutes (P = 0.004) after 30 minutes of TENS application to the LI4 acupoint of young healthy subjects, compared with placebo stimulation. Interestingly, no significant difference in vibration threshold was found between the TENS and placebo groups.

CONCLUSIONThe effect of TENS on the acupoint is to reduce pain but not tactile (specifically vibration) sensibility.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Male ; Pain Threshold ; physiology ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Vibration

To explore the population composition and the morbidities and treatment of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among the patients at 4 community healthy service stations at Gaobeidian,Chaoyang District of Beijing during the period of February 2009 to October 2010.A cross-sectional survey was conducted by self-reporting questionnaires.Most patients were above 40 years old,had a lower income level and education status and their treatment costs were mainly covered by social health insurance.Their incidences of hypertension and diabetes mellitus were high.Though most of them could recognize and treat their illnesses,the control rate remained non-satisfactory.Targeting incoming patients,community health service stations should take its advantages of managing chronic diseases and enroll more patients from local communities.

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between various complications of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and Chinese medical syndromes, thus indicating distribution laws of Chinese medical syndromes in various complications of CHF patients.

METHODSChinese medical syndrome typing was performed in 630 CHF patients by cross-sectional study of the demographic data, history of present diseases, related information on Chinese medical four diagnostic methods, and the distribution of complications. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the correlation of various complications of CHF patients and Chinese medical syndromes.

RESULTSIn this study, recruited were common complications such as hypertension, diabetes, arrhythmia, hyperlipemia, and cerebral vascular accident, and so on. Main syndromes were sequenced as qi deficiency syndrome, blood stasis syndrome, water retention syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, phlegm turbid syndrome, yang deficiency syndrome. Results of Logistic regression analysis indicated that correlation existed between common complications and Chinese medical syndromes. In CHF complicated hypertension patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with hypertension (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated diabetes patients, Logistic regression analysis showed phlegm turbid syndrome and water retention syndrome were positively correlated with diabetes (P < 0.05). In CHF complicated arrhythmia patients, there was no statistical difference in the distribution of each syndrome (P > 0.05). In CHF complicated hyperlipemia patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and water retention syndrome were negatively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.05), while blood stasis syndrome, yin deficiency syndrome, and phlegm turbid syndrome were positively correlated with hyperlipemia (P < 0.01). In CHF complicated cerebral vascular accident patients, Logistic regression analysis showed qi deficiency syndrome and yang deficiency syndrome were negatively correlated with cerebral vascular accident (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere existed certain correlations between complications of CHF and the distribution of main Chinese medical syndromes. It could be used as guidance for treating CHF and its various complications by Chinese medicine and pharmacy.

Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Heart Failure ; complications ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Yang Deficiency ; complications ; diagnosis ; Yin Deficiency ; complications ; diagnosis

Humans ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; pathology ; Specimen Handling

Background Qiang minority is minority groups of China with the special habits and customs and living condition. So whether the spectrum of disease and bacteria spectrum in conjunctiva are similar with Han nationality is worth paying attention. Objective Present survey was to obtain the data about bacterial species in conjunctival sac in Qiang minority population with the age 40 years old and more and the compare with matched Han nationality population. Methods This survey study was performed as the standardized training and protocol. A total of 212 eyes of 106 individuals from Qiang minority in Beichuan county and 640 eyes of 320 subjects from Han nationality in Mianyang city received questionnaire survey and ophthalmological examination. The secretion of the inferior palpebral conjunctival sac was embrocated and inoculated on blood plate for 48-72 hours. The bacteria was separated and identified. This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Sichuan Provicial People' s Hospital. Orally informed consent was obtained before the medical procedure. Results All the examinee finished the survey and examination with a good compliance. No significant difference was found in the demography between these two groups of population. The multiple bacterial positive rate in conjunctival sac was 59. 4% in Qiang minority and that of Han people was 66. 3% with a considerably difference between them (χ2 = 2. 27,P = 0. 13). The multiple bacterial species were simultaneously detected in 26.2% in Qiang minority population and 11.88% Han people, showing evidently difference (χ2 = 106. 40, P = 0. 00 ) . The positive rate of corynbaccterium in conjunctival sac of Qiang minority was statistically lower than that of Han people (20. 7% versus 45. 0% ,χ2 =31. 75 ,P = 0. 00) ,but there was no statistical difference in the positive rate of staphylococcus epidemics between two groups (χ2 = 1. 89 ,P = 0. 17). Conclusion The bacteria positive rate in conjunctiva sac is resemble in the population over 40 years in both the Qiang minority and Han nationality. The simple bacterial species is found in majority people in two groups of subjects. The positive rate of multiple bacterial strains coexistence is more in the Qiang minority. The bacterial strains is different between Qiang minority and Han nationality.

Lumbar fusion using the pedicle screw system is a popular operative procedure, with favorable clinical results and high fusion rates. However, the risk of adjacent segment disease after lumbar fusion is problematic. We report a complicated case of severe retrolisthesis at L3-4 level following dynamic interspinous process stabilization at L2-3 level and a fusion at L4-5 level. The radiological and clinical findings of this complication are discussed, and a review of the literature is presented.
Lumbar Vertebrae ; Pedicle Screws ; Spinal Diseases ; Spinal Fusion ; Surgical Procedures, Operative

INTRODUCTIONMost current cell-based cartilage repair techniques require some form of scaffolds and 2 separate surgical procedures. We propose a novel, scaffold-less technique of cartilage repair in the human knee that combines arthroscopic microfracture and outpatient intra-articular injections of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hyaluronic acid (HA).

MATERIALS AND METHODSSeventy matched (age, sex, lesion size) knees with symptomatic cartilage defects underwent cartilage repair with the proposed technique (n = 35) or an open technique (n = 35) in which the MSCs were implanted beneath a sutured periosteal patch over the defect. Prospective evaluation of both groups were performed using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) Cartilage Injury Evaluation Package, which included questions from the Short-Form (SF-36) Health Survey, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form, Lysholm knee scale, and Tegner activity level scale. Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation was also performed at 1 year for most patients.

RESULTSThere were no clinically significant adverse events reported through the course of our study. At the fi nal follow-up (mean = 24.5 months), there was significant improvement in mean IKDC, Lysholm, SF-36 physical component score and visual analogue pain scores in both treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONIn the short term, the results of this novel technique are comparable to the open procedure with the added advantages of being minimally invasive and requiring only a single operation under general anaesthesia. Its safety has been validated and its efficacy is currently being evaluated in an ongoing randomised controlled trial.

Adult ; Arthroscopy ; methods ; Cartilage, Articular ; injuries ; Combined Modality Therapy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Knee Injuries ; therapy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Patient Safety ; Prospective Studies ; Singapore ; Viscosupplements ; therapeutic use

S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) belongs to the F-box protein family. It is a component of the SCF E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Skp2 has been shown to regulate cellular proliferation by targeting several cell cycle-regulated proteins for ubiquitination and degradation, including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27. Skp2 has also been demonstrated to display an oncogenic function since its overexpression has been observed in many human cancers. This review discusses the recent discoveries on the novel roles of Skp2 in regulating cellular senescence, cancer progression, and metastasis, as well as the therapeutic potential of targeting Skp2 for human cancer treatment.
Animals ; Cell Movement ; Cellular Senescence ; Cyclopentanes ; pharmacology ; Disease Progression ; Drug Delivery Systems ; methods ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Pyrimidines ; pharmacology ; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; physiology ; Ubiquitination