Objective To study the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on the recovery of neurological functional after cerebral infarction,and to discuss its possible mechanism.Methods Forty-five patients with cerebral infarction were randomly divided into a control group,an rTMS group and an rTMS plus HBO group,each group with 15 patients.The patients in the two treatment groups received 1 Hz rTMS to inhibit the unaffected hemisphere and 3 Hz rTMS to stimulate the affected hemisphere.One of the treatment groups also received HBO therapy,14 daily sessions.The National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) and the Barthel index (BI) were evaluated on the 1st,14th and 30th day of treatment.Results The neurological function scores of those in the rTMS group and the rTMS & HBO group improved significantly.On the 1st and 14th day,no significant difference in NIHSS or BI scores was observed among the three groups,but by the 30th day the average neurological functional score in the rTMS & HBO group had improved significantly compared with the control group.The rTMS plus HBO group showed significantly better improvement than the rTMS group in terms of BI scores,but no significant difference in average NIHSS and BI scores was observed between the rTMS group and the control group.Fifteen days after the treatments had finished,the follow up results showed the improvements of the patients in the rTMS plus HBO group were significantly better than those in the other groups.Conclusion For patients with cerebral infarction,rTMS combined with HBO therapy can improve neurological function more significantly than rTMS therapy alone.

Objective Even after successful surgical repair,patients with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) are at high risk of long-term morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular events,which is probably related to persistent arterial disfunction during long-terr follow-up after operation,The aim of the study was to explore the alterations of vascular structure and function in children with successfully repaired CoA in the short-and mid-term follow-up.Methods A cohort of 20 children who underwent CoA repair between January 2010 and October 2010 in Guangzhou women and children's Medical Center was studied.There were 14 males and 6 females in CoA group,which comprised 6 patients with isolated CoA,14 patients with CoA associated with intracardia anomalies,whose median age of operation was 4 months (rang from lmonth to 10.0 years).And 20 patients with isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD) were included as VSD group during the same time,with 12 males and 8 females,whose median age of operation was 5 months (rang from 1 month to 12.0 years).Resting blood pressure,flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery,carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) were compared in CoA group and VSD group,including preoperative media data and follow-up of 1 month,6 months and 1 year.In addition,as comparison to the operation group,20 health children with normal echocardiographic findings,whose median age was 5 months (rang from 3 month to 10.0 years),were selected as health group for the 1-year following up.None of them had obesity,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,metabolic diseases or systemic inflammatory disease.Results As a result of the datas before operation and those I month,6 months and 1 year after operation,all children were normotensive at rest.In the same period,Carotid IMT in CoA group[(0.47 ± 0.10)mm,(0.49 ±0.10) mm,(0.57 ±0.07)mm,(0.61 ± 0.07) mm]was significantly thicker than that in VSD group[(0.41 ±0.11) mm,(0.43 ±0.11)mm,(0.51 ±0.08) mm,(0.55 ±0.08) mm](P＜0.05) and health group[(0.40 ±0.09) mm,(0.42 ±0.11)mm,(0.50 ±0.08) mm,(0.57 ±0.08) mm](P ＜0.05),Brachial artery FMI in children with CoA[(5.4,6 ±1.51)％,(5.71 ±1.88)％,(5.42±1.69)％,(5.27±1.02)％]was significantly lower than that in the VSD control group[(6.69±1.45) ％,(6.66±1.21)％,(6.81 ±1.03)％,(6.43±1.34)％](P＜0.05) and health group[(6.59 ±1.84)％,(6.84±1.41)％,(6.91 ±1.31)％,(6.56±1.62)％](P＜0.05).Significant difference could not be found in neither the IMT nor the FMI between the VSI control group and health group in 4 period respectively,P ＞ 0.05.Conclusion Children after successful coarctation repair have abnomal structural and functional properties of the aorta above the place of coarctation even their blood pressure at rest is normal.These results confirm that the alterations in mechanical properties of carotid arteries as well as the generalized endothelial dysfunction in children with coarctation of the aorta are persistent,which can not be prevented or reversed by surgical repair,and which may partly explain the high incidence of cardiovascular disease observed in their adulthood and reduced life expectancy,furtherly supporting the claim that coartation of the aorta is a systemic vascular disorder which needs long-term follow-up of vascular function.

Objective To evaluate the endothelium-dependent vasodilation in children after repair for coarctation of aota (CoA). Methods A group of 20 children having undergone CoA repair between January 2010 and October 2010 in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center were include in the study , including 12 infants aged less than 6 months and 8 ones aged more than 6 months. Another 20 healthy children were enrolled during the same period as controls. All the subjects underwent monitoring of resting blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery in 4-year follow-up. Results There were no resting hypertension in all subjects , but FMD in the CoA group was higher than in the control group and so it was with the early surgery group and non early surgery group. Conclusion The surgical repair for coarctation of aorta could not cure the vascular function impairment satisfactorily , neither is the early surgery effective in alleviating the injuries in vascular endothelia.

OBJECTIVETo establish a simple and rapid HPLC-MS method for determining the contents of olmesartan in human plasma.

METHODSPlasma were precipitated with trifluoroacetic acid, then analyzed on an HyPurity C(18) column (150 mm 2.1 mm, 5 microm). Samples at 40 degrees celsius;. The mobile phase consisted of water-methanol- acetonitrile(14:60:26) with a flow rate of 0.22 ml/min.

RESULTSThe lower limit of qualification was 25 microg/L. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 25-3200 microg/L (r=0.9998), with the intra-day and inter-day RSD less than 15%.

CONCLUSIONThe method is sensitive, rapid and suitable for the study of pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of olmesartan.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; blood ; Calibration ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; blood ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Tetrazoles ; blood

OBJECTIVETo determine the levels of urinary soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), and explore their correlation with renal disease activity.

METHODSUrine samples were collected from 92 renal biopsy-proven LN patients and 20 healthy controls. Renal disease activity was determined according to the ISN/RPS 2003 Revised Classification of Lupus Nephritis. The urine levels of sICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expressions of intrarenal ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were evaluated by immunohistochemisty staining.

RESULTSUrinary sICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels were elevated in LN patients compared with the controls. Significantly higher levels of urinary sICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were found in patients with active LN, who had also significantly increased intrarenal expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 compared with patients in remission. A strong positive correlation was noted between intrarenal expression and urine levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of urine sICAM-1 showed tan area under ROC curve of 0.874 for all participants in the test. A cutoff of 1095.00 pg/mg creatinine yielded a good sensitivity (0.945) and specificity (0.789). The ROC curve of urine VCAM-1 showed an area under ROC of 0.882 for all the participants, and a cutoff of 898.11 pg/mg creatinine yielded a good sensitivity (0.982) and specificity (0.667).

CONCLUSIONUrine sICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels are positively correlated with their intrarenal expressions and reflect the activity of the nephritis, and therefore they may serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of active LN.

Biomarkers ; urine ; Case-Control Studies ; Early Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; urine ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Lupus Nephritis ; diagnosis ; urine ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; urine

PURPOSE: Studies suggest that regular use of metformin may decrease cancer mortality. We investigated the association between diabetes medication use and cancer survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study includes 633 breast, 890 colorectal, 824 lung, and 543 gastric cancer cases identified from participants of two population-based cohort studies in Shanghai. Information on diabetes medication use was obtained by linking to electronic medical records. The associations between diabetes medication use (metformin, sulfonylureas, and insulin) and overall and cancer-specific survival were evaluated using time-dependent Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: After adjustment for clinical characteristics and treatment factors, use of metformin was associated with better overall survival among colorectal cancer patients (hazards ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.34 to 0.88) and for all four types of cancer combined (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.98). Ever use of insulin was associated with worse survival for all cancer types combined (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.57 to 2.29) and for the four cancer types individually. Similar associations were seen for diabetic patients. Sulfonylureas use was associated with worse overall survival for breast or gastric cancer (HR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.22 to 6.80 and HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.84, respectively) among diabetic patients. Similar association patterns were observed between diabetes medication use and cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSION: Metformin was associated with improved survival among colorectal cancer cases, while insulin use was associated with worse survival among patients of four major cancers. Further investigation on the topic is needed given the potential translational impact of these findings.
Breast ; Cohort Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Electronic Health Records ; Humans ; Insulin ; Lung ; Metformin ; Mortality ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Stomach Neoplasms

Objective To investigate the etiology and epidemic characteristics of infectious diarrhea in children in Suzhou, and to provide a basis for accurate prevention and control. Methods Active surveillance of infectious diarrhea pathogens was carried out in a national sentinel surveillance hospital in Suzhou from 2018 to 2020. Epidemiological investigation was completed and stool samples were collected. All samples were detected and classified for 5 viruses and 6 types of bacteria. Results A total of 999 cases of infectious diarrhea were included, the detection rate of pathogen was 36.34%, virus was 31.41%, bacteria was 6.31%, and multi-pathogen mixed infection was 4.8%. The top three pathogens were rotavirus (17.92%), norovirus (12.51%) and Salmonella (3.4%). Both rotavirus diarrhea and norovirus diarrhea occurred most frequently in children aged 7-24 months, with peak incidence in winter and early spring. There was no obvious seasonal and age distribution of bacterial diarrhea. The multi-pathogen mixed infection was mainly virus-virus. G9[P]8 was the dominant genotype of rotavirus, while type 2 was the dominant type of norovirus in the cases of infectious diarrhea. Conclusion Infectious diarrhea in children under 5 years old in Suzhou area from 2018 to 2020 is mainly caused by viruses, among which rotavirus and norovirus are the dominant pathogens. Viral diarrhea has obvious population distribution and seasonal characteristics. The dominant pathogens of bacterial diarrhea are Salmonella and diarrheagenic Escherichia coli.

Objective To explore the effects of Valpar Component Work Sample on Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods From June, 2015 to June, 2017, 40 patients with PD were randomly divided into control group (n=20) and observation group (n=20). Both groups received routine treatment and occupational therapy, while the observation group accepted rehabilitation with Valpar Component Work Sample in addition, for eight weeks. They were assessed with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Score II and III (UPDRSII and UPDRSIII), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) before and after treatment. Results The scores of UPDRSII, UPDRSIII, MMSE, HAMD, and HAMA, and Summary Index of PDQ-39 improved in both groups (t>2.864, P<0.05) after treatment, and improved more in the observation group than in the control group (t>2.237, P<0.05). Conclusion Combined with Valpar Component Work Sample may further improve the activities of daily living, motor, cognitive function, depression and anxiety, and then quality of life in patients with PD.

Objective: To evaluate the value of cerebrospinal fluid markers expecially total-tau protein (T-tau), phosphorylated-tau protein (P-tau) in diagnosis and differentiation of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Methods: sCJD (according to 2009 Brain criteria, 2018 Neurology amended criteria), Alzheimer's disease (AD; the National Institute on Aging at National Institutes of Health and the Alzheimer's Association revised guidelines 2011 criteria) and other patients without cognitive impairment, matched for sex and age, in the Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2018 to 2019 were enrolled. Twelve sCJD patients, 49 AD patients and 14 normal controls were enrolled. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected through gravity dropping directly, and further stored in -80 ℃ and disposed according to widely used standards. The levels of T-tau and P-tau were measured by ELISA. The data on electroencephalogram and neuroimaging findings of sCJD patients were recorded. Moreover, specimens of sCJD patients were sent to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to test 14-3-3 protein and PRNP genotype. Results: Using Mann-Whitney U test, T-tau concentrations were found higher in patients with sCJD (1 211(448, 2 227) pg/ml) than in AD patients (549(314, 1 078) pg/ml; U=178, P=0.034 9), and both groups had higher T-tau than the control group (127(79, 192) pg/ml; U=20, 73, P<0.01). The level of P-tau was significantly increased in AD patients (72(58,109) pg/ml) compared to the control group (27(15, 42) pg/ml; U=82, P<0.01), but not in sCJD patients (32(24, 47) pg/ml). The T-tau/P-tau ratio was higher in sCJD patients (29.77(20.01, 54.53)) than in AD patients (7.45(4.79, 10.43); U=87, P<0.01). Twelve sCJD patients had cotical hyperintensity on diffusion weighted imaging and five had periodic three-phase waves on electroencephalogram. Nine sCJD patients, whose CSF samples were tested in the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, carried an M/M genotype at codon 129 and E/E at codon 219. Conclusion The CSF tau level and T-tau/P-tau ratio are significantly increased in sCJD, which may promote the diagnosis and differentiation of sCJD in routine clinical setting.