Objective:To explore therapeutic effect of atorvastatin on aged patients with mild to moderate hyperten-sion.Methods:A total of 427 aged patients with mild to moderate hypertension treated in our hospital from Jul 2011 to Jul 2013 were randomly divided into routine treatment group (n=210)and atorvastatin group (n=217,received atorvastatin additionally based on routine treatment)according to number table.All patients were treated with a continuous 24 months.Therapeutic effect of controlling blood pressure,changes of blood pressure level and high sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP)level and occurrence of adverse reactions during treatment were compared be-tween two groups.Results:Compared with routine treatment group,there was significant rise in total effective rate of long-term (24 months)controlling blood pressure (76.8% vs.85.9%),and significant reductions in blood pres-sure [(145.3±10.1/88.6±6.7)mmHg vs.(136.9±6.8/83.0±5.2)mmHg]and hsCRP [(2.02±0.29)mg/L vs. (1.60±0.18)mg/L]level in atorvastatin group,P<0.05 or <0.01. There was no significant difference in inci-dence rate of adverse reactions during treatment between two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion:Atorvastatin combined antihypertensive drugs can well control blood pressure and reduce inflammatory reactions,which is suitable for long term use in aged patients with hypertension.

Objective To determine the level of awareness about thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke among community residents in Yuzhong district,Chongqing,China.Methods We used multi-stage sampling to select 1500 households distributed in 3 Street of Yuzhong district,and then one member of each household answered the survey.A trained interviewer conducted a face to face survey about the questions regarding stroke warning signs and thrombolytic therapy in acute stroke.Results A total of 1101 participants completed the survey.Only 257 (23.3％,95％ CI 20.8-25.8) participants were aware of thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke and 59.9％ of them (154/257,95％ CI53.9-65.9) knew the time window of thrombolytic therapy.The rate of thrombolytic therapy awareness was higher among people with young age,well-educated,with higher household income with health insurance,and those who knew all 5 stroke warning signs.People aged ≥75 years had higher rate of awareness of the time window.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age,education level,health insurance and knowledge of stroke warning signs were independently associated with the rate of thrombolytic therapy awareness.Conclusions In this population-based survey the community residents had poor awareness of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke.It is necessary to improve the level of public knowledge about thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke by health education.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and toxicity of neoadjuvant regional arterial chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. Methods The clinical data of 158 patients with advanced gastric cancer and with the same clinical stages who were admitted to Renji Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University from February 2002 to May 2005 were retrospectively analysed. Preoperative regional arterial chemotherapy was applied to 76 patients (test group) and the remaining 82 patients only received surgical treatment (control group). The chemotherapy regimen was epirubicin (50 mg/m2) + cisplatin (60 mg/m2) + 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2).This regimen was modified to oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2) + 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2) since 2003, and surgery was performed 6-11 days after the chemotherapy. All patients received postoperative intravenous chemotherapy.The clinical effects, radical resection rate, operative complications and long-term survival of the two treatment methods were evaluated. All data were analysed using the chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results The radical resection rate was significantly higher at 86% (65/76) in the test group compared with 71% (58/82)in the control group ( x2 = 5.01, P ＜ 0. 05 ). The toxicity of the chemotherapy in the test group was mild. The postoperative complication rate was 20% (15/76) in the test group and 16% (13/82) in the control group, with no significant difference between the two groups (x2 = 0.41, P＞0.05). The median survival time was 41 months in the test group and 23 months in the control group. The 5-year overall survival rate was higher in the test group (44.6%) than that in the control group (29.1%) (x2 =3.95, P＜0. 05). Conclusions Neoadjuvant regional arterial chemotherapy is well tolerated by patients with advanced gastric cancer. It is also effective for increasing the radical resection rate and improving the long-term survival.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application of CT hepatic volume measurement combined with CT perfusion imaging (CTPI) by Spiral CT in evaluating the hepatic functional reserve in cirrhosis. METHODS: CT volume measurement of livers was performed in 32 patients with cirrhosis and 20 patients with normal livers. CTPI had been taken in 25 patients with cirrhosis and 20 patients with normal livers. The hepatic volume, parameter of blood flow perfusion, and liver volume-perfusion index were observed and analyzed. Correlations between graded fractions of hepatic function and liver volume, parameter of perfusion, and liver volume-perfusion index were also analyzed. RESULTS: The values of liver volumes (LV, LVs) reduced gradually (P<0.01) among the groups of hepatic function Grade A, B, and C. The values of the hepatic portal perfusion (HPP), total liver perfusion (TLP), hepatic arterial perfusion index (HAI), and portal perfusion index (PPI) of the cirrhosis group were significantly lower than those of the normal ones (P<0.01). The values of the HPP reduced gradually among Grade A, B, and C (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The values of PPI reduced significantly between Grade C and Grade A, B (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The liver volume-perfusion indexes (VPI, VPIs, VPPI, VPPIs) reduced gradually among Grade A, B, and C (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The correlation between liver volume-perfusion indexes and graded fractions of hepatic function was higher than other indexes, among which the correlation of VPPIs was the highest. CONCLUSION Changes of volume and blood flow perfusion of the liver are related to the clinical grade of hepatic function. The CT volume measurement combined with CTPI will be a more comprehensive way in evaluating hepatic functional reserve.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perfusion ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; methods

Objective:To explore a fast and accurate method to diagnose children's pneumonia according to respiratory signals, so as to avoid the cancer induction caused by traditional X-ray examination.Methods:A Mach Zehnder optical fiber sensor was used to build a respiratory signals(RSPs) detection system, and the RSPs of the monitored children were extracted according to the vibration signal generated by the children's lung rales. Preprocessing methods such as the discrete cosine transform(DCT) were used to compress and denoise the RSPs. Multi-feature extraction of RSPs was conducted through signal processing methods such as the Hilbert transform and autoregressive (AR) model spectrum estimation. A support vector machine (SVM) classification model was constructed to classify the collected RSPs.Results:The accuracy rate of the proposed RSP classification of children with or without pneumonia was 94.41%, which was higher than the previous methods.Conclusions:The children's pneumonia diagnosis system based on an optical fiber sensor has a higher detection accuracy, and is expected to be widely used in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the cytotoxic effects of mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (Rapa) and idarubicin (IDA) on human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia Jurkat cell line.

METHODSThe proliferation of Jurkat cells was observed by CCK-8 assay. The combined index was analyzed by Isobologram method. Apoptosis was detected by electron microscopy and flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI staining. Protein expressions of Caspase 3, PARP, Caspase 8, Caspase 9, Akt, p-Akt, P85S6K, p-P85S6K, P70S6K, p-P70S6K, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 were determined by Western blotting.

RESULTSThe IC(50) of IDA for Jurkat cells was significantly reduced when combined with 10 nmol/L rapamycin. The combined index was <1. Both electron microscopy and Annexin V/PI staining flow cytometry revealed that rapamycin significantly increased apoptotic sensitivity to IDA. The combination of IDA with rapamycin enhanced the expressions of Caspase 3, PARP, Caspase 8 and Caspase 9. Rapamycin significantly inhibited mTOR signaling upstream Akt and downstream S6K activation triggered by IDA, and the combination of the two agents led to synergistic inhibition of ERK phosphorylation.

CONCLUSIONCombination of IDA with rapamycin exerted a synergistic anti-proliferative effect and promoted apoptosis by both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways in Jurkat cells. Inhibition of ERK phosphorylation and mTOR signaling by rapamycin may play a certain role in this synergistic effect.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drug Synergism ; Humans ; Idarubicin ; pharmacology ; Jurkat Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Sirolimus ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the association between high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and breast cancer incidence among the non-diabetic females in a large-scale cohort study in Kailuan group.

METHODSThe Kailuan cohort was established on May 1, 2006. Baseline information on demography, lifestyle, medical history, and anthropometry, i.e., body height and weight, were collected during the baseline interview, and breast cancer incidence, mortality and other related outcome information were obtained by follow-up every two years and the related health condition database information were collected every year. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%CI (confidence interval) between the level of hsCRP at baseline interview and breast cancer incidence adjusted for age group, body mass index (BMI), marital status (married and single) and tobacco smoking (smokers and non-smokers) when appropriate.

RESULTSBy Dec 31, 2011, a total of 17 402 females were enrolled in the cohort. There were 85 286 person-years of follow-up with a mean follow-up period of (58.81 ± 4.52) months. A total of 75 incident breast cancer cases were collected. Subjects with the highest level (>3 mg/L) of hsCRP at baseline interview were associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer (adjusted HR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.03-3.15) compared with those with the lowest level (<1 mg/L).

CONCLUSIONSElevated levels of hsCRP at baseline interview may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among non-diabetic females. Further follow-up and etiological exploration will help to evaluate the association between the hsCRP level and the risk of breast cancer more reliably.

Body Mass Index ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies ; Risk ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

OBJECTIVEThere are scant data about normal reference values of blood glucose (BG) in children. This study was conducted to learn the BG profile of children and adolescents in Beijing area.

METHODThe population for survey was selected as a stratified cluster sample from 8 urban and 10 rural areas in Beijing. Fasting capillary blood glucose (FCBG) was determined in 19,593 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years in 4 urban and 3 rural areas using haemosaccharometer model II [Roche Diagnostic, (Shanghai) Ltd].

RESULTSThere were 1 9112 (97.5%) individuals with complete records, the mean age was 12.1 +/- 3.3 years (ranged from 6 to 18.9 years); 9514 (49.8%) were boys, 9598 (50.2%) were girls, 9792 were (51.2%) from urban areas and 9320 (48.8%) from rural areas. The average level of FCBG in boys was higher than that in girls (4.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.5 +/- 0.5, u = 28.0, P < 0.01). Among urban children, the trend of variation of FCBG was similar between boys and girls, the levels of FCBG increased with age, the peak of FCBG was reached at 12-13 years in urban girls, and from the age of 15 years, the level of FCBG declined. In boys, the FCBG level increased slowly from 13 years of age, there was no significant variation until 17 years old, and declined at the age of 18. Among suburban children, the trend of variation of FCBG was similar between boys and girls, both of them had two peaks, from 6 to 11 years old, FCBG of both boys and girls increased with age, and both reached the first peak at the age of 11 years. While at 13 years of age, there was an obvious drop in FCBG level. From 14 years of age on, there was a rise of FCBG in both boys and girls, and the second peak of FCBG was reached at 15 and 16 years of age in girls and boys respectively. The FCBG level of urban children was higher than that of rural children (4.7 +/- 0.5 vs. 4.6 +/- 0.5, u = 13.8, P < 0.01). The level of FCBG in overweight and obese children was higher than that of normal children. More boys, more obese and more urban children had abnormal FCBG.

CONCLUSIONSThe blood glucose level of children was associated with age, gender, obesity and district.

Adolescent ; Anthropometry ; Blood Glucose ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Sampling Studies

BACKGROUNDThe down-regulation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) and up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are associated with the allergen-provocated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). This study aimed to determine whether their alteration also plays an important role in the AHR induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

METHODSHartley male guinea pigs, weighing between 250 g and 350 g, were injected with LPS at a dose of 1 mg/kg every 24 hours for three days. A non-selective NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), or a selective inducible NOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine (AG), were used thirty minutes before each injection of LPS. Airway reactions, nitric oxide (NO) production and inflammatory changes were detected 24 hours after the last dose of LPS.

RESULTSAG significantly decreased the NO production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sharply reduced the intensity of bronchoconstriction to histamine challenge. L-NAME also significantly decreased the NO production in the BALF, but had no effect on airway reactions or, perhaps, a tendency to enhance the intensity of AHR.

CONCLUSIONSThe data suggest that inducible NOS contributes to the AHR induced by repetitive intraperitoneal LPS, and constitutive NOS was also involved.

Airway Resistance ; drug effects ; Animals ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; chemically induced ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Guanidines ; pharmacology ; Guinea Pigs ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Male ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; physiology

OBJECTIVENumerous studies have described both motor defects and cognitive impairments in several strains of rodents following 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) intoxication. In the present study, we investigated spatial recognition memory in Kunming mice that just recovered from motor defects induced by 3-NP.

METHODSMouse model was made by systemic subacute 3-NP treatment, and spatial recognition memory was measured through the Y-maze Test, a simple two-trial recognition test.

RESULTS(1) On day 15 following 3-NP treatment, affected Kunming mice did not show motor defects in the Rotarod test and presented normal gait again. (2) In the following Y-maze test after 1h interval, the percentage (90.0%) of mice showing novel arm preference in 3-NP treatment group was significantly higher than the random chance level (50%), although it was only slightly higher than that (83.3%) in control group. On day 45 after 3-NP treatment, mice failed to choose unfamiliar novel arm as first choice, and the same occured in the control group. (3) For both post-intoxicated (on day 15 and day 45 following 3-NP treatment) and control groups, the duration in the novel arm and the frequency of entering it, were longer and higher compared with familiar start and other arms. For these mice that recently recovered from motor defects following 3-NP intoxication, no spatial memory deficits were observed through Y-maze Test.

CONCLUSIONKunming mice used in our assays might possess resistance to cognitive impairment induced by 3-NP, which is consistent with previous findings in Swiss EPM-M1 mice.

Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; Convulsants ; toxicity ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memory Disorders ; etiology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Motor Activity ; drug effects ; Movement Disorders ; etiology ; Nitro Compounds ; toxicity ; Poisoning ; complications ; etiology ; Propionates ; toxicity ; Recovery of Function ; drug effects ; physiology ; Rotarod Performance Test ; Time Factors