Objective To assess the safety of intrathecal administration of betamethasone.MethodsTwenty-four adult white rabbits of both sexes were randomly divided into four groups with 6 rabbits in each group.Group Ⅰ (blank control group)in which nothing was injected intrathecally;group Ⅱ(NS control group)in whichnormal saline(NS)0.2ml was injected into the subarachnoid space through great occipital foramen once a weekand the animals were killed at the end of the 3rd week;in group Ⅲ and Ⅳ betamethasone 200 ?g or 400 ?g in 0.2ml was injected intrathecally once a week instead of NS.The animals were anesthetized and killed by intra-aorticinjection of NS and 2% glutaraldehyde.The cervical section of the spinal cord(C_(1-6))was immediately removedand fixed with 2% glutaraldehyde for microscopic examination.Results No neural histo-pathologic changes shownby microscopic examination were observed in group Ⅰ and Ⅱ.In group Ⅲ and Ⅳ microscopic examination showeddifferent degrees of swelling and demyelination of the nerve fibers and edema and vacuolization ofmitochondria.Conclusion Intrathecal betamethasone can damage the spinal cord.

To investigate the clinical improvement of limping gait in patients with ankylotic hips and limb length discrepancy.Methods:From 1996 to 2005,12 patients with ankylotic hips and limb length discrepancy were treated by distraction osteogenesis with a mono-lateral external fixator and an intramedullary nail.The limb length discrepancy was 6.20-12.50 (median 8.45) cm.Limping gait was classified according to the recommendations of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons/Hip Society and scored according to Harris:no limping scored 11 points,mild limping scored 8 points,moderate limping scored 5 points,while severe limping scored 0 points.Limping gait was severe in all patients pre-operatively and the total score was 0.Results:All patients were followed up for 30.00-46.00 (median 38.55) months,and all reported improvement in limping gait.The gain in length was 6.00-12.50 (median 8.20) cm,and the mean residual limb length discrepancy was 0-0.50 (median 0.20) cm.The total treatment time was 41.00-82.00 (median 61.50) weeks,the lengthening time was 14.00-38.00 (median 29.55) weeks.At the last follow-up,10patients had mild limping gait and 2 had moderate limping gait; the total score was 90.00.The median score was 7.50 (P25 was 8.00,P75 was 8.00).According to Wilcoxon signed rank test,the post-operative limping gait scores were significantly higher than pre-operative (P=0.001 ).Conclusion:Femoral lengthening can improve the limping gait significantly in ankylotic hips and limb length discrepancy.

Objective To study the protective effect and mechanism of lactulose on the renal function in acute cholelithiasis with obstructive jaundice. Methods Fifty five cases of acute cholelithotic obstruction were randomly assigned into lactulose group (group L, n=28) and control group (group C, n=27), and 50% lactulose (group L)or 10% glucose (group C ) was administered orally for 3 days before the operation , respectively. The systemic and portal blood endotoxin (ET), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and endogenous creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) were measured periodically. Results (1) In group L, the level of systemic vein ET and BUN were significantly lower than that in group C (P0.05); and the systemic vein ET and Ccr decreased significantly on 9d (P

BACKGROUND:Theoreticaly, lumbar semi-rigid fixation can slow down the degeneration of adjacent segments, but there is stil a lack of biomechanical support. OBJECTIVE:To explore the biomechanical effect of semi-rigid fixation system, taking Isobar TTL for instance, on adjacent segment disc by means of finite element analysis. METHODS: The finite element models of USS and Isobar TTL were constructed by putting respective parameters into a validated L2-S5 lumbar model. The angular displacement and von Mises stress of adjacent segments were recorded when the models were subjected to 400 N preload and 7.5 N?m moment of forces under different conditions: flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The angular displacement and inter-vertebral disc stress of adjacent segments in the USS and Isobar TTL models were higher than those of an intact state in every condition. But the values in Isobar TTL model were lower than the USS model in varying degrees. Compared with the USS model, the decrease rates of angular displacement in Isobar TTL model for flexion, extension, left bending, right bending, left axial rotation and right axial rotation were 19.2%, 15.1%, 11.1%, 12.2%, 18.4% and 22.1%, respectively. The decrease rates of von Mises stress were 33.0%, 20.2%, 23.9%, 18.6%, 28.8% and 28.0%, respectively. The results suggested that the Isobar TTL, when compared with the USS, partialy reduced the angular displacement and inter-vertebral disc stress of adjacent segments.

Objective To study the characteristics of mismatch negativity(MMN) in patients with depression.Methods MMN was recorded from 31 patients with depression and 28 age-matched controls. Results Compared with the controls, the patients with depression had prolonged latency ([189?22] ms vs [206?26] ms, P

0.05)and significantly delayed reaction time,(305?109)ms vs(212?70)ms(P

Patient-centered questionnaires, as widely used tools for the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction (ED) and the assessment of ED treatment efficacy, are increasing in number and kinds. This review focuses on a few effective and most commonly used ED-related questionnaires, including the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), Erectile Function Domain of the IIEF (IIEF-EF), Erection Hardness Grading Scale (EHGS), Self-Esteem and Relationship Questionnaire (SEAR), Erection Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS), Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ), Treatment Satisfaction Scale (TSS), Psychological and Interpersonal Relationship Scales (PAIRS), and Sexual Experience Questionnaire (SEX-Q). The objectives, contents and characteristics of these questionnaires are explained and discussed.
Erectile Dysfunction ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Humans ; Male ; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care) ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Heart Defects, Congenital ; genetics ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the pathogenic infection and its drug resistance in expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) and its correlation with serum PSA, and provide some evidence for the systematic and normalized diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis.

METHODSThree EPS swabs were collected from each of the 320 prostatis patients following measurement of the serum PSA level, 1 for bacterial culture and identification, 1 for detection of Mycoplasma and drug sensitivity, and the other for examination of Chlamydia trachomatis antigen by colloidal gold immunoblot.

RESULTSTotally 244 strains were isolated from the 320 EPS samples, including 188 bacterial strains (dominated by Staphylococcus and sensitive to vancomycin or linezolid) and 44 Mycoplasma and Chlamydia strains (mainly Ureaplasma urealyticum and susceptible to josamycin or doxycycline). The serum PSA level was significantly higher in the pathogen-positive than in the pathogen-negative group ([6.98 +/- 0.56] microg/L vs [2.32 +/- 0.12] microg/L, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONProstatitis may lead to the elevation of the serum PSA level and the pathogens involved vary in their resistance to different antibacterial spectrums. Therefore, appropriate and individualized antibiotic therapy should be selected according to etiological diagnosis and the results of drug sensitivity test.

Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate ; microbiology ; secretion ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatitis ; blood ; microbiology ; Young Adult

Penile erection hardness is one of the key factors for successful sexual intercourse, as well as an important index in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). This article gives an overview on the component and impact factors of erection hardness, summarizes some commonly used evaluation methods, including those for objective indexes, such as Rigiscan, axial buckling test and color Doppler ultrasonography, and those for subjective indexes of ED patients, such as IIEF, the Erectile Function Domain of IIEF (IIEF-EF), and Erection Hardness Score (EHS), and discusses the characteristics of these methods.
Erectile Dysfunction ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Erection