Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are often prescribed Rehabilitation and Seating Systems (RSS) to assist in daily activities, posture improvement and prevention of muscular-skeletal complications. In Sarawak, a special project to produce RSS was started under a partnership of a Japanese physiotherapist, health department and the community using local material.To document the RSS project and to determine usefulness and costaffordability of these systems for cerebral palsy children and their families. The details of RSS manufactured were retrieved from the clinic notes and secretary file. Parents of children who received the seating systems between July 2004 and September 2008 were invited to complete a 5-point Global Parental Perception Questionnaire (GPPQ) between December 2008 and January 2009.277 RSS were manufactured between July 2004 and February 2011 (which included modified wheel chair, wooden chair, corner chair, buggy chair and standing frame), and used by children all over Sarawak. Parents of 73 children who used the seating systems completed the 5-points GPPQ. Ten families required full sponsorship. Children spent more time sitting up and brought outdoor more often after the systems became available. Majority of parents reported positive experience in their children with sitting ability, smiles, interaction with people, learning skills and easiness of doing physiotherapy. No change was noted with passing of motion drooling / oral secretion. Most parents agreed that the cost was affordable and worth paying.A community based initiative to manufacture RSS by using locally available material and skill, at affordable price for the parents was feasible and useful for the family/children with CP.
Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Rehabilitation

OBJECTIVETo explore factors affecting occupational adaptability in nurses for offering basis to increase their occupational adaptability.

METHODSFive hundred and forty-five nurses were investigated with work ability index questionnaire and occupational stress instruments.

RESULTSThere were many risk factors affecting occupational adaptability in nurses. The main variables that influenced occupational adaptability included work-overtime, mental load, social support, physical environment, and job hazards. The social support was the factor increasing the occupational adaptability of the nurses (P < 0.01, OR = 0.912). Five factors including work overtime, mental load, social support, physical environment and job hazards were introduced in the Logistic equation. The established functions were: Logit (P) = -11.357 + 1.011x(1) + 0.335x(2) - 0.076x(3) + 0.260x(4) + 0.129x(5).

CONCLUSIONThere are many risk factors affecting occupational adaptability in nurses. Relevant measures should be taken to promote the occupational adaptability in nurses to reduce the risk factors.

Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged ; Nurses ; psychology ; Occupational Health ; Risk Factors ; Social Support ; Stress, Psychological ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workload ; psychology

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of the A to G mutation at nucleotide 3243 of the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene in familial diabetes in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province of China.

METHODSThe mt3243 A to G mutation in 770 randomly selected, unrelated probands of diabetic pedigrees were screened by PCR-RFLP technique and PCR-direct sequencing. Genetic and clinical analyses were further performed in the probands and their family members.

RESULTSThirteen diabetic patients (13/770, 1.69%) with mt3243 A to G mutation were detected. Eleven diabetic patients and 8 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) first-degree relatives of these 13 probands were also found bearing the mutation. Seventeen patients were associated with sensory hearing loss. In the 24 patients harboring the mutation, the majority had lower body mass index (BMI), 18 showed typical maternal inheritance, 15 had sensory hearing loss, 13 had insulin resistance and 14 required insulin therapy due to secondary failure to oral hypoglycemic agents.

CONCLUSIONThe mutation of mt3243 A to G in the mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene is an important cause of diabetes in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province of China. Mitochondrial gene mutation diabetes (MDM) is clinically characterized by early onset, emaciation, maternal inheritance, sensorineural hearing loss, and lower islet beta cell function, and some have insulin resistance.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Deafness ; genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus ; genetics ; Genetic Testing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; genetics ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Prevalence ; RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl ; genetics

BACKGROUNDRecently, new anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have been more frequently selected to treat epilepsy. In the present study, we evaluated the dynamic changes of efficacy and safety of three newer AEDs for treating partial epilepsy in China.

METHODSPatients were collected sequentially and were divided into three groups which accepted oxcarbazepine (OXC), lamotrigine (LTG) or topiramate (TPM) therapy. Each group included monotherapy and add-on therapy subgroups. We followed all patients for one year and recorded the indexes of efficacy and safety in detail.

RESULTSA total of 909 patients finished the follow-up observation. No significant difference was found in proportion of patients with > or = 50% reduction, > or = 75% reduction and 100% seizure reduction in the LTG and OXC groups between the first and the second six months. In the TPM group there was a statistical difference between the first and the second six months in proportion of patients with > or = 50% reduction (P = 0.002), > or = 75% reduction (P < 0.0001) and 100% seizure reduction (P = 0.009) in the monotherapy subgroup, and about > or = 75% reduction and 100% seizure reduction in the add-on therapy subgroup (P < 0.0001). The efficacy between the add-on and monotherapy subgroups showed a statistical difference. The safety of the three newer AEDs was good.

CONCLUSIONSThe three newer AEDs all showed good efficacy and tolerability for partial epilepsy. And the efficacy can be maintained for at least one year.

Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Carbamazepine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; China ; Epilepsies, Partial ; drug therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fructose ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Treatment Outcome ; Triazines ; therapeutic use

We treated 4 with a diagnosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma involving the gastrointestinal tract with rituximab combined with adjusted dose EPOCH (R-DA-EPOCH) scheme based on a comprehensive analysis of the onset process, clinical and pathological features, and prognosis of the patients, and evaluated their treatment response. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 3 patients after the treatment and 1 patient with diabetes and hypertension died due to severe infection. R-DA-EPOCH regimen as the first-line treatment of gastrointestinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma has a good short-term efficacy, but its long-term efficacy awaits further evaluation in future studies with larger sample sizes.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effectiveness of conscious sedation with midazolam, propofol and sufentanil for patients in plastic surgery.

METHODS81 patients, scheduled for plastic surgery, were randomly selected to receive conscious sedation with midazolam 0.05 mg x kg(-1) and sufentanil 0.1 microg x kg(-1) intravenously, following by a continuous infusion of midazolam-propofol-sufentanil combination (midazolam 5 mg + propofol 200 mg + sufentanil 10 microg, a total of 23 ml). The initial infusion rate was 0.2 ml x kg(-1) x h(-1), and was adjusted (in 20% of initial infusion rate increment) to maintain OAA/S score as 11 during the operation. The patients' vital signs, discomfort and level of sedation were evaluated at 5 to 10 min intervals until the end of the surgery. The complications (i. e. anoxemia, apnea, restlessness, nausea and vomiting), anesthesia duration and drug consumption were recorded. The drug infusion was discontinued at 5 - 10 min before the end of the surgical procedure. On the first postoperative day, patients were asked to rate their satisfaction with the anesthetic management and whether they would choose to receive the same anesthetic technique if necessary in the future.

RESULTSThe OAA/S score decreased from 20.0 +/- 0 to 11.9 +/- 2.6 after midazolam and sufentanil IV (P < 0.05), and was maintained as 10.5-11.1 during the procedure. At the end of the procedure, the OAA/S score returned to 16.0 +/- 2.2, which was also lower significantly compared with baseline value (P < 0.05). The induction of sedation produced a significant decrease in SBP and DBP (P < 0.05) and no significant changes in heart rate (P > 0.05). At the end of the procedure, SBP, DBP and HR returned to the baseline value. The anoxemia happened in 11 cases, apnea in 5 cases and restlessness in 2. No nausea and vomiting occurred. The anesthesia duration and consumption of midazolam, propofol and sufentanil were (101.1 +/- 42.5) min, (8.4 +/- 3.7) mg, (189.1 +/- 88.7) mg and (18.2 +/- 5.6) microg respectively. In an interview on the first postoperative day, 96% (78/ 81) of the patients were satisfied with their anesthesia and were willing to receive the same anesthetic technique if necessary in the future.

CONCLUSIONConscious sedation with midazolam, propofol and sufentanil is an effective anesthetic technique for patients in plastic surgery.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Conscious Sedation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Midazolam ; administration & dosage ; Middle Aged ; Propofol ; administration & dosage ; Sufentanil ; administration & dosage ; Surgery, Plastic ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility of the fibreoptic intubating laryngeal mask airway (LMA) CTrach (CTrach) in anticipated difficult airway caused by face and neck scar contracture.

METHODSTotally 33 patients undergoing selective face and neck scar plastic surgery and requiring general anesthesia were enrolled in our study. After anesthesia induction, the CTrach was inserted and the viewer was attached, which allowed fibreoptic visualization of the larynx before and during passage of the tracheal tube through the vocal cords. The duration and the success rates of CTrach insertion, tracheal intubation, and CTrach removal were recorded. The view of glottis on viewer and the adjusting maneuvers for improving the laryngeal view were recorded. Noninvasive blood pressures and heart rates were recorded before and after anesthesia induction and at CTrach insertion, tracheal intubation, and CTrach removal.

RESULTSThe CTrach was successfully inserted in all patients, among whom 4 patients succeeded at the second attempt. The full view of glottis were shown in 10 patients, while partial view and no view of glottis were shown in 8 and 15 patients, respectively. The good view of glottis was achieved by adjusting manoeuvres. Tracheal intubation via the CTrach was successful in 27 patients at the first attempt and in 6 patients at the second attempt. Hemodynamic changes during the performance with the CTrach were minimal.

CONCLUSIONSThe CTrach can be easily inserted, with clear view and high success rate of tracheal intubation. Therefore, it is an effective way to resolve difficulty intubation caused by face and neck scar contracture.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cicatrix ; complications ; surgery ; Contracture ; etiology ; surgery ; Face ; Female ; Fiber Optic Technology ; methods ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; instrumentation ; methods ; Laryngeal Masks ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Young Adult

The objective of study was to evaluate the clinical values of multiparameter flow cytometry (MPFC) and cytomorphology of bone marrow aspiration(BMA) in detecting bone marrow involvement in patients with B cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL). 96 bone marrow samples from the patients with B-NHL were measured by MPFC using CD45/SSC and CD20/SSC gating strategy combined with anti-kappa and anti-lamda monoclonal antibodies, and then compared with results acquired by cytomorphologic analysis of BMA. The results showed that the bone marrow involvement was confirmed by MPFC in 38 cases (39.6%), while it was detected by cytomorphologic analysis of BMA only in 12 cases (12.5%). There was a significant difference between the two methods (p<0.05). 12 positive cases detected by cytomorphologic analysis of BMA were also positive by MPFC. There was no difference of 3-year overall survival rate between negative and positive cases detected by MPFC, but their 4-year overall survival rate was 73.18+/-6.65% and 44.13%+/-19.55% respectively (p<0.05). It is concluded that the MPFC is a more sensitive method for detecting bone marrow involvement in patients with B-NHL than cytomorphologic analysis of BMA. The 4-year overall survival rate of the patients without bone marrow involvement was significant higher than those of patients with bone marrow involvement. Bone marrow involvement in B-NHL detected by MPFC can be useful for clinical evaluation and prognosis prediction.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Marrow ; pathology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo assess the prevalence of mutations or variants of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in familial diabetes mellitus in Chinese population, and to explore the relationship between mtDNA mutations or variants and diabetes.

METHODSSeven hundred and seventy randomly selected, unrelated probands of diabetes pedigrees and 309 controls over 60 years of age with normal glucose tolerance were recruited. PCR-RFLP and PCR-direct sequencing were applied to the screening of mtDNA mutations or variants, including the mutations at nucleotides 3243, 3256 in tRNALeu region, 12258 in tRNASer region, 14709 in tRNAGlu region, 8296, 8344, 8363 in tRNALys region, 3316, 3394, 3426 in ND1 region and 12026 in ND4 region.

RESULTSIn the diabetic group, 13 (1.69%) had mt3243 A>G mutation, 9(1.17%) had tRNAGlu 14709 T>C variant, 17 (2.21%) carried mt3316 G>A variant, 18 (2.34%) had mt3394 T>C variant, and 28 (3.63%) harbored the 12026 A>G variant. In the control group, the 14709, 3316, 3394, 12026 variants were detected in 5(1.62%), 5(1.62%), 6(1.94%), and 9(2.91%) subjects respectively. The 3256, 8296, 8344, 8363, 3426 and 12258 point mutations were not detected both in the diabetic patients and the controls. In the diabetic group, we found two double mutations, one was A3243G and T3394C, the other was A3243G and A12026G. Except that the A3243G mutation was only observed in the diabetic group, the frequencies of the other variants mentioned above were not statistically different between the diabetic and control groups. Moreover, clinical characteristics such as age of onset, BMI, and insulin resistance index were not different between diabetic patients with and without the variants.

CONCLUSIONThe tRNA (LeuUUR) 3243 A>G mutation may be the major cause of diabetes, representing 1.69% of the familial diabetes mellitus in Chinese. The other variants may be polymorphisms in this population, and the mutations not detected in our studied population may not be common contributors to diabetes mellitus in Chinese.

Adult ; Age of Onset ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Diabetes Mellitus ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Polymorphism, Genetic