BACKGROUND:Endogenous hydrogen sulfide can be used as a new gaseous signaling molecule, and has important signal transfer function and biological regulation effects. OBJECTIVE:To study the neuroprotective effects of hydrogen sulfide in rats with acute cauda equina syndrome. METHODS: The 72 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups. Experimental group, model group: laminectomy was performed at the lumbar 4 (L4) level of the vertebra, and a piece of silicone (10 mm long, 1 mm thick, and 1 mm wide) was placed under the laminae of the L5-6 vertebra to produce the animal model of cauda equina syndrome. Sham surgery group: a simple laminectomy was performed in L4, but silicone was not implanted. In the experimental group, 20 μmol/kg NaHS was injected intraperitonealy at 1 hour before model establishment. Model and sham surgery groups: an equal volume of saline was injected intraperitonealy. At 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after model establishment, malonaldehyde and glutathione levels in cauda equina nerve tissue were detected. Simultaneously, hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL staining were performed at 48 hours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated that cauda equina nerve tissue was dense and regular, with complete myelin sheath, no axon sweling in the sham surgery group. Cauda equina nerve tissue was sparse, with the presence of demyelination, and partial axons and myelin sheath sweling in the model group. Cauda equina nerve tissue was tight, with axonal sweling and demyelination in the experimental group. TUNEL staining demonstrated that the number of positive cels was less in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia in the sham surgery group. Abundant positive cels were detected in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia in the model group. The number of positive cels was significantly lower in the experimental group than that in the model group. Malonaldehyde levels were lower in the sham surgery and experimental groups than in the model group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but glutathione levels were higher than model group (P < 0.05,P < 0.01). These results indicated that hydrogen sulfide could decrease oxidative stress and protect cauda equina nerve in rats with acute cauda equina syndrome.

Objective To investigate the relationship of serum albumin and circulation function and the prognosis of septic children.Met-hods A retrospective study was carried out on 92 septic children.These children were divided into 2 groups by the level of serum albumin:hypoalbuminemia group(albumin

Objective To observe the iffectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitationinterventions on stroke patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN). Methods A total of 245 cases if strijd were examined to diagnose USN. Of the 245 patients,86 cases were diagnosed as being with USN, and divided into a control group(n=43 cases) and a treatment group (n=43 cases) randomly. The control group was treated with Bobath and Rood techniques in addition to routine clinical medical interventions, while the treatment group was treated with a comprehensive rehabilitation protocol for USN in addition to the same interventions for the control group. Both groups were assessed with regard to motor, balance function, walking performance, and USN severity as well as the activities of daily living (ADL) performance. Results After 8 weeks of treatment,both groups improved, but there showed a significantly statistical difference between the 2 groups in terms of Fugl-Meyer motor function scores (P＜0.01), balance function scores (P＜0.01) Holden walding function classifications (P＜0.01), Barthel index(P＜0.001) and USN severity scores(P＜0.01). Conclusion Comprehensive USN rehabilitation intervention could improve motor, balance, walking functions and ADL performance and alleviate the USN severity in stroke patients with USN.

Tetradrine-tashionone II(A)-PLGA composite microspheres were prepared by the SPG membrane emulsification method, and the characterization of tetradrine-tashionone II(A) -PLGA composite microspheres were studied in this experiment. The results of IR, DSC and XRD showed that teradrine and tashionone II(A) in composite microspheres were highly dispersed in the PLGA with amorphous form. The results of tetradrine-tashionone II(A) -PLGA composite microspheres in vitro release experiment showed that the cumulative release amounts of tetradrine and tashionone II(A) were 6.44% and 3.60% in 24 h, and the cumulative release amounts of tetradrine and tashionone II(A) were 89.02% and 21.24% in 17 d. The process of drug in vitro release accorded with the model of Riger-Peppas. Tetradrine-tashionone II(A) -PLGA composite microspheres had slow-release effect, and it could significantly reduce the burst release, prolong the therapeutic time, decrease the dosage of drugs and provide a new idea and method to prepare traditional Chinese medicine compound.
Benzofurans ; chemistry ; Benzylisoquinolines ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; instrumentation ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Kinetics ; Lactic Acid ; chemistry ; Microspheres ; Particle Size ; Polyglycolic Acid ; chemistry

We changed the form of literature reading from simple reading and translation to comprehensive lecture,analysis,discussion and exchange under the guidance of teachers in order to promote postgraduates' capability of learning professional English and to enhance their overall quality.The new form not only improves students' English proficiency but also enhances their overall quality,such as literature quality,teaching ability,competitive consciousness,psychological quality,etc.At the same time,it is also beneficial for teachers.

Objective To analyze the relationship between thyroid function and grades of diabetic nephropa-thy (DN).Methods One hundred and twenty patients with definite DN were classified into the four groups,and forty patients with non-DN diabetic was NDN group.Their serum albumin,blood hemoglobin,serum potassium,functional parameters of thyroid and dependability to DN were analyzed.Results The plasma albumin ofⅢ,Ⅳ and Ⅴ group were (41.3 ±3.6)g/L,(30.5 ±4.8)g/L and (28.3 ±5.9)g/L,which were lower than those of NDN group (F=11.36,P<0.05).24h urine protein ofⅢ,Ⅳ and Ⅴ were (0.48 ±0.29)g,(1.86 ±0.54)g and (1.69 ±0.67)g, which were higher than those of group NDN (F=7.12,P<0.05).Triiodothyronine(T3)ofⅢ,ⅣandⅤgroup were (0.98 ±0.38)nmol/L,(0.75 ±0.41)nmol/L and (0.60 ±0.28)nmol/L,which were lower than those of NDN group (F=7.64,P<0.05).Tetraiodothyronine(T4)of III,IV and V group were (6.06 ±1.76)nmol/L,(5.31 ±1.98)nmol/L and (4.65 ±1.87)nmol/L,which were lower than those of NDN group (F=6.83,P<0.05 ).Free Triiodothyronine (FT3)ofⅢ,Ⅳ and Ⅴ group were (4.37 ±2.12)pmol/L,(3.33 ±2.30)pmol/L and (2.91 ±1.82)pmol/L, which were lower than those of NDN group (F=7.14,P<0.05 ).Correlation analysis indicated that FT3 was an independent predictor for the severity of diabetic nephropathy.Conclusion In the patients with DN Ⅳ and Ⅴ,DN has attained a very severe status and the treatment of DN should be intensive.

Objective To evaluate the postoperative pain induced by various therapeutic catheters after abdominal surgery.Methods A prospective study was conducted in patients selected based on the inclusion criteria.The general condition of the patients was recorded,and nutritional risk screening was performed.The indwelling of therapeutic catheters after abdominal surgery were recorded,including urinary catheter,nasogastric tube,peritoneal drainage tube,common bile duct drainage tube,wound drainage tube,central venous catheter and peripherally inserted central catheter.The pain caused by each type of catheters was evaluated using visual analog scale at 24,48 and 72 hours after tube/catheter insertion.Results A total of 157 patients were selected,including 70 males and 87 females,aged (60.5 ± 12.5) years,with a body mass index of (23.8 ± 3.2) kg/m2,and a total nutritional risk rate of 42％.According to visual analog scale scores,the degrees of pain due to the therapeutic catheters,in descending order,were as follows:4.9 ± 1.7 for nasogastric tube,3.6 ± 0.9 for wound drainage tube,3.0 ±0.9 for urinary catheter,2.6 ±0.9 for central venous catheter,2.4 ± 1.0 for peritoneal drainage tube,1.9 ± 0.7 for common bile duct drainage tube,and 1.8 ± 0.8 for peripherally inserted central catheter.The catheter-induced pain accounted for (44.9 ± 14.1)％ of the total pain during the hospital stay.Conclusions Nasogastric tube,wound drainage tube and urinary catheter can increase the pain of patients.It is therefore recommended to remove the indwelling tubes as early as possible if only the removal does not harm the outcome of the patient.

Objective Mild hypothermia provides protection for the brain and improves prognosis in the treatment of severe traumatic brain injury, which is widely acknowledged.The article aimed to analysis the prognosis and complications of long-term and short-term mild hypothermia on patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Methods According to the cochrane systematic review methods, thorough search was carried out in databases including Cochrane, Pubmed, Embase, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP.Eval-uation was made on the quality of selected documents, and Revman5.2 software was applied for meta analysis after data extraction. Results Long-term mild hypothermia achieved improved prognosis compared to short-term mild hypothermia ( GOS score 4 ~5 ) [RR=1.37, 95%CI (1.14, 1.64), P=0.0006].No significant difference was found between these two therapies in pneumonia in-cidence (P=0.94), arrhythmia incidence ( P=0.54) and stress ulcer incidence (P=0.99). Conclusion In comparison to short-term hypothermia therapy, long-term mild hypothermia therapy improved the prognosis of patients with severe traumatic brain inju-ry without obvious increase in the incidence of pneumonia, arrhythmia and stress ulcer.

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of 18floro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography-CY(~(18)FDG PET-CT)in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis from advanced esophageal carcinoma. Methods A prospective study is perfonued here to assess whether ~(18)FDG PET-CT can improve the diagnostic accuracy in lymph node metastasis for patients with advanced esophageal carcinoma.Thirty patients had undergone esophagectomy with extensive lymph node dissection.PET-CT findings were compared with that d CT with pathological finding as the final say.Results All patients were operated successfully without peri-operative complications.The pathological examination conformed metastasis in 22 patients and 49 out of 243 excised lymph nodes.In CT analysis,the sensitivity was 40.8%,specificity was 96.9%,with a diagnostic accuracy of 85.6%, The positive and negative predictive value was 76.9%,86.4% respectively;PET-CT resulted in a sensitivity of 93.9%,specificity of 91.2%,accuracy of 91.8%.The positive predictive value was 73.0% and negative predictive value was 98.3%,The difference of sensitivity(P＜0.001),accuracy(P＜0.05)and negative predictive value between the two radiological modalities was statistically significant(P＜0.001).Conclusions With a high sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis,PET-CT appears necessary in preoperative examination for advanced esophageal carcinoma in the hope that surgical treatment be guided by the results of PET-CT,especially for the elder patients with poor pulmonary function or heart or brain complications. Moreover,it could be used as the basis of the conformal radiation therapy planning for inoperable patients.

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography-CT(~(18)FDG PET-CT) for recurrence and metastasis in treated esophageal carcinoma (EC). Methods A retrospective study is done on 37 previously treated EC patients who underwent PET-CT scans to detect recurrent or metastatic lesions.The diagnostic accuracy of ~(18)FDG PET-CT was assessed with the help of pathological finding as well as clinical or follow-up data.Results Fourty-six sites of recurrence were finally confirmed in 37 patients by cytology,pathology or follow-up data.The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of PET-CT in detecting recurrence of all sites were 93.5% (43/46),76.9% (20/26) and 87.5% (63/72),respectively.Two false-positive findings were found both at the anastomosis and hilar nodes,which caused the decrease in the overall specificity,especially that locally.The analysis of standard uptake value (SUV) demonstrated that patients with recurrence or who died during follow-up had higher SU- Vs compared with the control group.Condusions ~(18)FDG PET-CT is highly effective in detecting recur- rence in previously treated EC patients despite the low specificity at local sites.The analysis of stardard up- take value(SUV) provides incremental value in prognosis for this patient cohart.