OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical application of the ureteral dilation catheter combined with the balloon catheter under the ureteroscope in the treatment of urethral stricture in men.

METHODSUnder the ureteroscope, 45 male patients with urethral stricture received placement of a zebra guide wire through the strictured urethra into the bladder and then a ureteral dilation catheter along the guide wire, followed by dilation of the urethra from F8 initially to F14 and F16. Again, the ureteroscope was used to determine the length of the strictured urethra, its distance to the external urethral orifice, and whether it was normally located. An F24 balloon catheter and then a metal urethral calibrator was used for the dilation of the strictured urethra. After removal of the F18-F22 urethral catheter at 8 weeks, the urinary flow rate was measured immediately and again at 3 months.

RESULTSAll the operations were successfully performed without serious complications. The maximum urinary flow rate was (13.3-29.9) ml/s (mean [17.7 ± 3.2] ml/s) at the removal of the catheter and (15.2-30.8) ml/s (mean [19.8 ± 3.9] ml/s) at 3 months after it. Smooth urination was found in all the patients during the 6-24 months follow-up.

CONCLUSIONThe application of the ureteral dilation catheter combined with, the balloon catheter under the ureteroscope is a good option for the treatment of male urethral stricture for its advantages of uncomplicatedness, safety, effectiveness, few complications, less pain, high success rate, and repeatable operation.

Catheterization ; Humans ; Male ; Ureteroscopes ; Urethra ; Urethral Stricture ; therapy ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Catheters ; Urination

Objective To investigate the isokinetic strength of knee extensors and flexors in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to establish the correlation between the isokinetic strength and function in patients with KOA. Methods 23 patients with bilateral KOA and 14 matched normal controls finished the isokinetic test of knee extensors and flexors, the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST), Gait analysis, and Balance test. The KOA patients were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Results It was less of the peak torque, average peak torque, average power, max rep total work, total work of knee extensors and flexors in the mainly involved limbs than the contralateral limbs (P<0.05), and more of the hamstring/quadriceps peak torque (H/Q) percentage (P<0.05) in the patients. It was less of all the observed indicators of knee extensors and average power of knee flexors in the patients than in the normal controls (P<0.05), and was more of the H/Q percentage (P<0.05). The peak torque of knee extensors correlated with the results of FTSST, walking speed, walking distance, falling index, VAS, and WOMAC-pain (P<0.05), but the peak torque of knee flexors did not (P>0.05). Conclusion It is weak of the isokinetic strength of knee extensors and flexors in patients with KOA in the mainly involved limb, as well as the isokinetic strength of knee extensors compared with the normal controls. The changes in the extensors and flexors are not equivalent. The peak torque of knee extensors significantly correlated with the pain and functions of the knee.

Objective: Lung metastases are common in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Post-therapeutic 131I-whole-body scan (WBS) was conventionally administered after the radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) of DTC lung metastases. This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of WBS imaging on the RAI of DTC lung metastases. Methods:DTC patients (n=60) with lung metastases treated with 131I were retrospectively included. Before treatment, the thyroid function was assessed. Neck and chest computed tomography (CT) was performed, and WBS was inspected. Patients with lung metastases were classified into negative and positive subgroups according to the imaging of 131I WBS, and the relative influencing factors were analyzed. Results:Univariate analy-sis showed that age and chest CT imaging, which revealed pulmonary fibrosis, calcification, and patchy shadows, were related to WBS imaging. Binary variable logistic regression analysis revealed that pulmonary fibrosis (OR=0.175, P<0.001) and calcification (OR=0.088, P<0.05) went against the development of WBS. Conclusion:WBS imaging on RAI of lung metastases was not obvious in the el-derly. The fibrosis, calcification, and patchy shadows of the lung were not conducive for WBS imaging. The fibrosis and calcification of the lung were the main factors that affect WBS imaging.

Objective Myelodysplastic spndrome (MDS) patients' chromosome aberrations were detected by CC and FISH method respectively,to establish standard FISH platform of diagnosis of MDS,to compare the differences of FISH and CC in the detection of MDS chromosome aberrations.Methods Chinese MDS patients fulfilled with the Vienna minimum diagnostic criteria were tested by CC and FISH method,and the patients' clinical data was collected at the same time.Results The standard FISH platform of diagnosis of MDS was established successfully,including probe combination of-5/5q-,+8,-7/7q-,20q-,-Y,the success rate was 100 ％.In 83 cases of MDS,chromosome aberrations rate detected by two methods was 42.2 ％,30.1％ of CC method and 33.7 ％ of FISH method,the accordant diagnostic rate was 76.1％.FISH had higher positive rate than CC method (29.6 ％ vs 18.6 ％,P =0.049) in the IPSS intermedian-risk 1 group,but lower positive rate in IPSS intermedian-risk 2 group (62.5 ％ vs 81.2 ％,P =0.036).There were 11 (19.0 ％) cases of clonal chromosome aberrations detected by FISH method but not detected by CC method,in which 10 (90.9 ％) cases were intermedian-risk 1 group (IPSS grouping).Evaluate IPSS by FISH and CC respectively,the accordant rate was 86.7 ％.Evaluate IPSS by CC alone will result in 3 patients (3.6 ％)decline in risk stratification,and evaluate IPSS by FISH alone will result in 8 patients (9.6 ％) decline in risk stratification.There were 35 (42.2 ％) cases of chromosome aberrations detected by the two methods,including 13 (15.7 ％) cases of complex karyotype and 22 (26.5 ％) cases of single abnormal karyotype.The most common chromosomal aberration was +8,a total of 9 (10.8 ％) cases,followed by abnormalities of chromosome 7,a total of 7 (8.4 ％) cases.Conclusion The study has established standard FISH platform of diagnosis of MDS,the method is stable,sensitive and rapid.FISH technology joint CC technology can improve the patients with MDS chromosome aberration detection rate.Compared to CC,FISH technique can improve the detection rate of the intermedian-risk 1 IPSS grouping MDS patients.Because of limited probe,FISH technique can not entirely replace the role of CC method in MDS,but can complement each other.

OBJECTIVETo explore the technique and therapeutic effect of bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in young children. Methods:From June 2006 to June 2012,45 young children with femoral shaft fractures were treated by bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion,which was designed according to arch bridge mechanical principle and structure. There were 31 males and 14 females with an average age of 3.2 years old ranging from 8 months to 5.5 years old; 14 cases were upper 1/3 femoral fractures,26 cases were middle 1/3 femoral fractures,5 cases were lower 1/3 femoral fractures; 20 cases were transverse fractures, 14 cases were oblique fractures,6 cases were spiral frac- tures, and 5 cases were comminuted fractures. X-ray, follow-up imaging changes,clinical curative effect and complications were assessed.

RESULTSForty-five patients were followed up for 6 to 21 months (averaged 12 months). All fractures were reached clinical bone healing after 5 to 7 weeks (averaged 6 weeks) fixation. Seven cases appearred limb soft tissue complications, including buttocks bedsore,dorsal foot and Achilles tendon epidermal necrosis, and healed after dressing and removal of external fixation. During follow-up,the original overlap angle and lateral displacement were remodeled, and limbs were restored to the normal line of force and bone structure. According to Flynn standard, 35 cases got excellent results, 8 cases good, 2 cases fair.

CONCLUSIONThe bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion for the treatment of femoral. shaft fractures in young children (less than 6 years old) is safe,feasible, simple,and has raliable effect, which can be applied in primary hospitals.

Ankle ; surgery ; Bone Wires ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Femoral Fractures ; surgery ; Femur ; surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To identify the Para-Bombay blood group on the basis of its serological characteristics .Methods ABO blood typing , H antigen detection , absorption and elution test , and saliva neutralization test were conducted for serological identification of ABO blood group .PCR-SSP was used to sequence FUT1 and FUT2 genes.Results Results of ABO genotyping of eight individuals of the Para-Bombay blood group were consistent with results of their serological blood typing.Among these cases, there were 3 cases of Amh,4 cases of Bmh,and 1 case of Abmh.The results of their FUT1 genotyping were h1h1 in 3 cases, h2h2 in 2 cases and h1h2 in 3 cases.Conclusion The differentce of agglutination intensity between Ac and Bc in reverse ABO blood typing and abnormal Oc agglutination is of greet significance for Para -Bombay blood group.

The complete chloroplast genome of medicinal plant Asarum caudigerum Hance and its close relative A. cardiophyllum Franchet were sequenced using Illumina Hiseq technology, and assembled, annotated, and characterized by bioinformatic methods in this study. Then phylogenetic analysis of the complete chloroplast genomes of A. caudigerum, A. cardiophyllum, and twelve published species was conducted. The results indicated that the chloroplast genomes ranged from 186 215-186 985 bp in length, with a large single copy (LSC, 89 445-90 169 bp) and two inverted repeats (IRa/IRb, 48 387-48 408 bp). The overall GC content was 37.4%-37.5%. A total of 144 chloroplast genes were annotated, including 98 protein coding genes, 38 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes. In addition, complex genomic rearrangements were detected in the chloroplast genome of Asarum. Meanwhile, visual evaluation of the discrete type of the sequence indicated that the variation level of non-coding region was higher than that of coding region. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that A. caudigerum and A. cardiophyllum were clustered into a single clade and A. cardiophyllum, A. sieboldii var. seoulense, A. misandrum and A. maculatum were clustered into another single branch. These two clade were sister species. This study provides a scientific basis for the identification, phylogenetic relationship, molecular breeding of Asarum species.

In this study, we explored the mechanism of Huganning tablet (HGNP) in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on network pharmacology and computer-aided drug design. Firstly, the potential ingredients and targets of HGNP were identified from TCMSP database, Swiss Target Prediction database, Chinese pharmacopoeia (2015) and literatures, and then the targets of HGNP intersected with NAFLD disease targets that obtained in GeneCards database to acquired potential targets. The bioconductor bioinformatics package of R software was used for gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The network of “potential ingredient-key target-pathway” was formed in Cytoscape software to study the interactions between potential ingredients of HGNP, key targets, pathways and NAFLD. Based on the results of network pharmacology, the molecular docking analysis of the key targets and potential active ingredients in HGNP tablets with top degree in the network was conducted using Discovery Studio 2020 software, followed by molecular dynamics simulations, binding free energy calculation, drug-likeness properties analysis and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) properties prediction. In vitro, HepG2 cells were used to establish steatosis model, and the effects of five key compounds on hepatocyte steatosis were analyzed by oil red O staining and triglyceride (TG) content determination. The results showed that 141 ingredients and 151 potential targets were obtained. A total of 2 526 items and 151 pathways were identified by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The molecular docking suggested that five components, isorhamnetin, salvianolic acid B, emodin, resveratrol and rhein, exhibited strong binding ability with key targets [retinoic acid receptor RXR-alpha (RXRA), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3B), serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (AKT1)]. It was further verified that isorhamnetin and salvianolic acid B bind to key targets with good structural stability and binding affinity based on molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations. The drug-likeness properties, pharmacokinetic properties and toxicity of five key compounds were more comprehensively analyzed through drug-likeness properties analysis and ADMET properties prediction. In vitro, all five compounds, isorhamnetin, salvianolic acid B, emodin, resveratrol, and rhein, improved hepatocyte steatosis of HepG2 cells, confirming the reliability of the present study. In conclusion, based on network pharmacology, computer-aided drug design and in vitro validation, this study investigated the mechanism of HGNP for the treatment of NAFLD at multiple levels and provided a basis for its clinical application.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of calf pulmonary surfactant (PS) in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in late preterm and full-term infants.

METHODSA randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of calf PS intratracheally given at different times and doses in infants with RDS who had a gestational age of ≥35 weeks and an oxygenation index (OI) of 10-20. The subjects were randomly assigned to treatment group 1 (n=58), treatment group 2 (n=58), and control group (n=59). Treatment group 1 was given PS (50 mg/kg) within 6 hours after admission. Treatment group 2 was given PS (70 mg/kg) within 6 hours after admission. The control group was not given PS within 6 hours after admission and was given PS (50 mg/kg) over 6 hours after admission if having no remission by conventional therapy including mechanical ventilation. For each group, a second dose of PS (50 mg/kg) was given if no remission was observed within 12 hours after the first administration.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences in mortality between the three groups. Treatment group 2 had lower hospitalization expense and shorter duration of mechanical ventilation compared with treatment group 1, and treatment group 1 had lower hospitalization expense and shorter duration of mechanical ventilation compared with the control group. The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia and length of hospital stay in treatment group 2 was lower than those in treatment group 1 and control group. Compared with the control group, Treatment groups 1 and 2 showed decreases in 2 or more times of PS use, maximum OI, duration of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and incidence of air leak syndrome and pulmonary hypertension.

CONCLUSIONSEarly use of sufficient PS in late preterm and full-term infants with RDS can reduce complications, secondary use of PS, duration of mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay, and hospitalization expense.

Female ; Hospitalization ; economics ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Pulmonary Surfactants ; therapeutic use ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ulinastatin on renal function and ultrastructure changes after renal ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

METHODSAcute ischemic renal injury model was established (45 min of bilateral renal ischemia and reperfusion for 24 h). Thirty Male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation group (control group or group C, without renal ischemia), renal ischemia-reperfusion group (ischemia-reperfusion group or group I, without ulinastatin), renal ischemia-reperfusion and ulinastatin intravenous injection group (ulinastatin group or group U). BUN level, serum creatinine values and renal ultrastructure were measured.

RESULTSSerum creatinine (167 +/- 39) micromol/L and BUN concentration (21 +/- 7) mmol/L in group I were significantly higher than those in group U: serum creatinine (116 +/- 13) micromol/L and BUN concentration (14.1 +/- 2.6) mmol/L (P < 0.05). The renal ultrastructure was greatly injured in group I, meanwhile, it was obviously ameliorated in group U.

CONCLUSIONUlinastatin greatly improved renal function and provides remarkable protection on renal ultrastructure after ischemia-reperfusion of kidney in rats.

Animals ; Glycoproteins ; pharmacology ; Kidney ; blood supply ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; pathology