AIM: To explore the application value of scleral adjustable sutures in trabeculectomy and scleral biological amniotic membrane implantation for angle closure glaucoma.

METHODS: The clinical data of 94 patients(106 eyes)with angle closure glaucoma who underwent trabeculectomy and scleral biological amniotic membrane implantation were analyzed retrospectively. According to scleral adjustable suture used, the subjects were divided into the application group(study group, 54 patients 60 eyes)and the non-application group(control group, 40 patients 46 eyes). The occurrence of early shallow anterior chamber, continuous shallow anterior chamber and related complications in 2wk after surgery was observed and compared between the two groups. The formation of functional filtration bleb in 3mo after surgery was analyzed, and the improvement of intraocular pressure before surgery and 1mo after surgery was recorded.

RESULTS: In 2wk after surgery, the incidence rates of early shallow anterior chamber and continuous shallow anterior chamber in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in the incidence rates of complications between the two groups(P>0.05). One month after surgery, the intraocular pressure of the two groups were significantly lower than that before surgery(P<0.05), and the difference of intraocular pressure before and after surgery in the study group was significantly higher than the control group. Three months after surgery, the formation rate of functional filtration bleb in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The application of scleral adjustable sutures in trabeculectomy and scleral biological amniotic membrane implantation can effectively reduce the risk of shallow anterior chamber, which is of positive significance in improving intraocular pressure and formation of functional bleb in patients with angle closure glaucoma.

To study the current situation and affecting factors of bilingual teaching for Neurology,we investigated the students of a five-year medical undergraduade in clinical medicine with a questionaire.It will provide the data and reference to effectively improve bilingual teaching program for Neurology.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of spermatic cord seal-up injection on acute epididymitis and its mechanisms.

METHODSA total of 120 cases of acute epididymitis were allocated to a trial group (n = 56), aged 18 - 78 (38.4 +/- 9.6) years, and a control group (n = 64), aged 14 -82 (41.3 +/- 7.2) years. The patients in the trial group were given seal-up injections of a mixture of lidocaine, gentamicin (or Amikacin) and dexamethasone into the spermatic cord, qd or bid, for 2 courses of 5 days each, with an interval of 3 to 5 days. Those in the control group were treated by intravenous drip of penicillin, qd, intramuscular injection of Streptomycin, bid, and oral medication of SMZCo (SMZ-TMP), bid, with the initial dose doubled. After less than 2 weeks of treatment, we compared the therapeutic effects between the two groups of patients.

RESULTSIn the trial group, 53.6% of the patients were basically cured, 37.5% obviously improved and 91.1% improved (total rate of effectiveness). The average treatment time for the improved cases was (9.2 +/- 0.5) d. In the control group, 40.6% of the patients were basically cured, 31.2% obviously improved and 71.8% improved (total rate of effectiveness). The average treatment time for the improved cases was (12.8 +/- 0.7) d. There were significant differences between the two groups in the total rate of effectiveness and the average treatment time for the improved cases (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSpermatic cord seal-up injection for acute epididymitis deserves wide clinical application for its simple operation, good tolerance, short therapeutic course and high safety and efficacy.

Acute Disease ; Administration, Topical ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Epididymitis ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spermatic Cord ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Earthworm decoction on the airway inflammation of experimental bronchial asthma in guinea pigs and inquire into the mechanism in the decoction.

METHODForty-eight guinea pigs were randomly divided into six groups: the control group, the model group, the dexamethasone group, the Xiaoqinglong decoction group, the earthworm decoction large dosage group and the Earthworm decoction low dosage group, 8 guinea pigs in each group. Except the control group, the other groups were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) by a combination of intraperitional injection and repeated intranasal challenges to establish the guinea pigs asthma model. However, in the control group, normal saline was used. The morphological changes of bronchial tube, the lung tectology and the inflammation germ cell quantity of eosinophils (Eos), lymphocytes (Ly), neutrophils (Neu) and total blood cells in the blood and bronchoalveolar lavaga fluid (BALF) were examinated in each group respectively.

RESULTThe levels of Eos, Ly, Neu and total cell quantity in the blood and BALF after the earthworm decoction treatment in the large dosage group were significantly lower than those in the model group (P <0.01), and in the low dosage group were lower too (P <0.05). The Earthworm decoction large dosage could obviously improve the bronchial tube epidermis damage, the mucous membrane gland proliferation and hydrops, asthma pathology change and basilar membrane accumulation. Eos apoptosis was obsered in the bronchoalveolar, blood and BALF. The Earthworm decoction small dosage had a similar effect but slightly to the large dosage.

CONCLUSIONThe Earthworm decoction can lighten the airway inflammation in asthmatic guinea pigs, its mechanism is related with the inhibition of Eos infiltration, acceleration of Eos apoptosis and improvement of the bronchial tube and the lung tectology changes. The effect of the decoction is dose-dependent.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Asthma ; chemically induced ; pathology ; Bronchi ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Bronchitis ; pathology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Eosinophils ; pathology ; Guinea Pigs ; Leukocyte Count ; Materia Medica ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Neutrophils ; pathology ; Oligochaeta ; chemistry ; Ovalbumin ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence shows the effectiveness of speech and language therapy (SLT); however, precise therapeutic parameters remain unclear. Evidence for the use of adjunctive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to treat post-stroke aphasia (PSA) is promising; however, the utility of combining tDCS and electroacupuncture (EA) has not yet been analyzed. This study assessed the therapeutic consequences of EA and tDCS coupled with SLT in subacute PSA patients who were also undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on subacute (< 6 months) PSA patients who were divided into three groups: patients who received EA plus tDCS (acupuncture group), patients who underwent tDCS (tDCS group), and patients who experienced conventional therapy (HBOT + SLT). All subjects underwent 21 days of treatment and also received conventional treatment. The aphasia battery of Chinese (ABC) was used to score pre- and post-intervention status. RESULTS: The analysis comprised 238 patients. Cerebral infarction was the most frequent stroke type (137 [57.6%]), while motor (66 [27.7%]) and global aphasia (60 [25.2%]) were the most common types of aphasia. After 21 days of intervention, the ABC scores of all patients were improved. The acupuncture group had the highest ABC scores, but only repetition, naming, and spontaneous speech were statistically improved (P < 0.01). Post-hoc tests revealed significant improvement in word retrieval in the acupuncture and tDCS groups (P < 0.01, P = 0.037), while the acupuncture group had additional significant improvement in spontaneous conversation (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Combining acupuncture and tDCS as an adjuvant therapy for subacute PSA led to significant spontaneous speech and word retrieval improvements. Future prospective, multi-ethnic, multi-center trials are warranted.
Aphasia/therapy* ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics and current situation of pertussis in Hubei Province from 2016 to 2021. Methods Data on the incidence of pertussis and immunization history of cases in Hubei Province from 2016 to 2021 were collected and descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted. Results From 2016 to 2021, a total of 1 236 pertussis cases were reported in Hubei Province, with an average annual reported incidence rate of 0.35/100 000. The average annual reported incidence of pertussis in the age group ≤ 5 years old was 6.22/100 000, and the age group <1 year old reported the highest annual incidence rate (21.51/100 000). The proportion of pertussis among preschool children and students had increased significantly since 2020. Among the 1 111 cases with a known immunization history, 17.55% were under the age of vaccination , 41.85% were not vaccinated, and 17.46% had completed the whole course of vaccination. Conclusion Since 2016, the incidence of pertussis in Hubei Province has been on the rise. The risk of pertussis is higher in infants and young children who have not reached the age of vaccination and who have not been vaccinated in time according to the immunization program after reaching the age of vaccination. The timeliness and vaccination rate of DTP vaccine should be improved to reduce the risk of pertussis in infants and young children. In addition, more attention should be paid to the prevalence of pertussis among preschool children and students.

Blood Coagulation Disorders ; drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Heparin ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Male ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; blood ; complications ; urine ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; administration & dosage

The purpose of the present study is to explore the protective effects of sodium butyrate (SB) pretreatment on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced acute liver injury in mice. The model animals were first administered intraperitoneally with SB. Half an hour later, acute liver injury mouse model was established by caudal vein injection with Con A (15 mg/kg). Then, levels of serous alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured using standard clinical method by an automated chemistry analyzer, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured by ELISA, and pathological changes in hepatic tissue were observed by using HE staining and light microscopy. The expression and release of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were assessed by using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The results showed that the pretreatment of SB significantly protected Con A-treated mice from liver injury as evidenced by the decrease of serum ALT, AST (P < 0.01) and reduction of hepatic tissues necrosis. SB also decreased levels of serous TNF-α and IFN-γ (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the expression and release of HMGB1 were markedly inhibited by SB pretreatment (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). These results suggest that the attenuating effect of SB on Con A-induced acute liver injury may be due to its role of reducing the TNF-α and IFN-γ production, and inhibiting HMGB1 expression and release.
Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Butyric Acid ; pharmacology ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Concanavalin A ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; HMGB1 Protein ; metabolism ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Liver ; pathology ; Mice ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the long-term prognostic value of coronary CT angiography-derived fractional flow reserve(CT-FFR)in elderly patients with coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on 1133 patients with clinically suspected CHD from a prospective observational study based on coronary CTA and CT-FFR at the General Hos-pital of Eastern Theater from April 2018 to March 2019,and 330 elderly CHD patients were even-tually included.According to major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)occurred or not,295 patients were assigned into non-MACE group and 35 patients into the MACE group.Based on cor-onary CTA data,plaque features were analyzed and CT-FFR values were measured in all lesioned vessels.The relationship of plaque features and CT-FFR with MACE was evaluated by using Cox proportional risk regression model,Kaplan-Meier survival curve,and ROC curve analyses.Results The patients with coronary stenosis(≥50％)or CT-FFR value ≤0.8 had a higher risk of MACE(P＜0.01).Univariate Cox analysis showed that coronary stenosis ≥50％and CT-FFR value 0.8 were risk factors of MACE(P＜0.01).After adjusting confounding factors,multivariate Cox analysis indicated that CT-FFR ≤0.8(HR=17.037,95％CI:5.060-57.358,P=0.000)was only independent predictor for MACE.The risk prediction model based on CT-FFR presented better performance than the model based on coronary CTA stenosis(C-index:0.820 vs 0.696,P=0.000).Conclusion CT-FFR≤0.8 is an important independent predictor for long-term MACE in elderly CHD patients.Clinical risk stratification based on CT-FFR may optimize prognostic man-agement strategies in these patients.

Objective To investigate the role and molecular mechanisms of Exo70 in the metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. Methods Stable cell lines with Exo70 knockdown or overexpression were established using lentiviral infection. The migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells was assessed by Transwell assay. The morphology, particle size, and secretion levels of exosomes were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Changes in the expression of Exo70 and exosomal marker proteins were detected by Western blot. The localization of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) was examined by immunofluorescence. Results Exo70 knockdown inhibited the migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells and substantially reduced the total amount of exosome secretion. By contrast, Exo70 overexpression enhanced the migration ability of pancreatic cancer cells. Immunofluorescence results showed that Exo70 knockdown induced the perinuclear accumulation of CD63 and LAMP2, leading to an increase in MVB accumulation and lysosomal degradation in pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusion Exo70 promotes the normal transport of MVBs and maintains exosome secretion. Its knockdown enhances the lysosomal degradation of MVBs, resulting in impaired exosome biogenesis and secretion and thereby inhibiting the migration of pancreatic cancer cells.