Objective To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)features and pathologic characteristics of the fungal ball (FB)of the nasal sinuses,for the purpose to provide reference for surgical treatment.Methods The MRI data of 27 patients of nasal sinuses who were diagnosed by surgical pathology were retrospectively analyzed.Of 27 patients,there were 14 male and 13 female,aged from 49 to 86,anverage age 57.6,with course of disease from 6 months to 5 years.All patients preoperatively recieved 1.5 T high field strength mri scan and enhanced scan and functional nasal endoscopic surgical radical resection lesions.Results Maxillary sinus disease,which unilateral 92%(25 /27),bilateral 4% (1 /27),sphenoid sinus disease 4%(1 /27),FB was located in the sinus cavity central.FB isointense signal (com-pared with the white matter of the brain),hypointense on T2WI,DWI (b value =1000)was mixed high and low signal,Gd DTPA enhanced no enhancement,with around mucosal thickening isointense signal,high signal intensity on T2WI,ring enhancement.The histopathology slices of 27 cases were found wrapped fungal hyphae,which confirmed for FB.The pathological basis of FB was fungal silk containing manganese (paramagnetic substances),FB calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate and other substances,due to the magnetic susceptibility effect of T2WI was low signal,DWI high and low mixed signal changes.Conclusion MRI can reflect the histopathological characteristics of FB,and it is of great value in diagnosis and differential diagnosis,as well as providing important imaging evidence for patients undergoing surgical treatment.

AIM:To explore the survivorship and the mechanism of the intravenous administration of bone marrow stromal stem cells(BMSCs) for treating permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats.METHODS:After purified,proliferated,and marked with BrdU,the BMSCs were injected intravenously into rats 1 d after focal cerebral ischemia.Modified neurological severity score(mNSS) was evaluated before and following 1,7,14 and 28 d after middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO).Rats were executed at 1,7,14 and 28 d after MCAO.Brain sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin(HE) for determining the infarct volume.Slides were stained by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling(TUNEL) and immunostaining for cleaved caspase-3 method for apoptosis detection and mechanism exploration in situ.RESULTS:mNSS in BMSCs-transplanted group at 14th day and 28th day of MCAO was significantly lower than that in control group(P

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic effect on pterygium mainly focuses on studying surgical technique, assistant therapy methods,and recurrence rate following excision of pterygium; however, whether race factor is associated with occurrence, development, and recurrence of pterygium remains still unknown.OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic outcomes in different race patients with pterygium treated using corneal limbal stem cell autograft combining with excision of pterygium.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: Retrospective case analysis, performed in the Department of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University between January 2000 and June 2006. PARTICIPANTS: 1 44 (152 eyes) primary cases were collected from Xiamen and 54 (54 eyes) relapsed Negroes were from Africa. There were no significant differences in age, sex, and pterygium length between the two groups (P 0.05).METHODS: 198 subjects were treated by excision of pterygium under a microscope, in which pterygium tissue was not found on the surface of cornea. A free transplantation of the superotemporal limbus with an adjacent piece of thin conjunctiva was placed in the excision area. All cases were followed-up to grade the appearances of the sites 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months after excision (grade 1 implied normal appearance, and grade 4 implied the relapse). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relapse, pterygium grading, and complication after corneal limbal stem cell autograft combining with excision of pterygium. RESULTS: No relapse was found at 6 weeks after operation. The recurrence rate of Chinese Han people and Africa black people were 6.6% and 14.8% respectively at 6 months, and 11.8% and 24.5% at 12 months. There was significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two races (t=4.607, P= 0.032). In addition, there were significant differences in the pterygium grading between the two groups at 6 weeks (x2=15.608, P < 0.01 ), and Chinese people recovered better. Contrarily, there was no statistical difference at 6 months and 12 months (x2=4.401, 6.206; P 0.05). Few complications were found except superficial scar of cornea and persistent irritation of ocular surface. CONCLUSION: Limbal stem cell autograft combining with excision of pterygium under a microscope can completely remove pterygium with minimal invasion, light postoperative response and low rate of recurrence. The relapse of black cases is higher than Chinese patients.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of continuous language rehabilitation nursing on the language function in patients with stroke motor aphasia. Methods A total of 60 motor aphasia patients with a brain stroke were recruited and divided into experimental group and control group with 30 cases each by random digits table method. The control group was treated with the routine stroke care in traditional Chinese medicine, while the experimental group with the continuing language rehabilitation nursing base on the routine stroke care. The language function of both groups were detected by the Chinese Rehabilitation Research Center Standard Aphasia Examination before and after 3 months treatment, and a survey of nursing satisfaction of patients when discharged was conducted. Results The right rate of hear and understand, retelling, say, read aloud, reading comprehension, transcription, description, dictation, calculation in the Chinese Rehabilitation Research Center Standard Aphasia Examination was (44.35 ± 18.69), (32.37 ± 22.25), (21.49 ± 14.91), (27.63 ± 12.54), (46.87 ± 15.30), (14.25 ± 6.11), (7.33±3.23), (11.63±4.82), (18.93±6.82)%before the treatment and (62.14±10.81), (55.36±19.53), (41.42 ± 13.75), (59.16 ± 11.05), (55.57 ± 13.90), (32.39 ± 7.12), (9.73 ± 3.92), (27.45 ± 4.71), (37.46 ± 6.91)%after the treatment in the experimental group, except for description, the differences were significant ( t=2.096-14.540, P<0.01 or 0.05). The right rate of hear and understand, retelling, say, read aloud, reading comprehension, transcription, description, dictation, calculation in the Chinese Rehabilitation Research Center Standard Aphasia Examination was (43.86±15.89), (34.28±20.27), (22.84±15.40), (28.63±12.45), (47.23±11.30), (13.40±6.24), (7.27±3.70), (11.10±4.73), (19.50±6.80)%before the treatment and (49.46± 14.27), (42.36±20.58), (30.33±13.36), (40.31±11.88), (49.97±10.13), (15.37±5.59), (8.50±3.74), (12.83± 4.36), (21.47 ± 7.74)% after the treatment in the control group, the differences of hear and understand, retelling, say, read aloud were significant (t=2.263-3.991, P<0.05 or 0.01). There were significant differences in hear and understand, retelling, say, read aloud, transcription, dictation, calculation after the treatment between two groups (t=2.510-10.298, all P<0.05). The score of satisfaction was (94.36 ± 5.55) in the experimental group and (88.25 ± 5.46) points in the control group, and there was significant difference (t=4.299, P<0.01). Conclusions Continuing language rehabilitation nursing can improve the recovery of the language function of the motor aphasia patients with a brain stroke.

Objective To evaluate the ability of ultra-high-b-value diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in diagnosis of the prostate cancer (PCa) at 1.5T MR.Methods 12 patients with PCa and 17 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) proved by histopathology underwent MRI and DWI examinations (b=400, 800,1 400 s/mm2).The signal intensity and visual degree of region of interest (ROI) in all DWI with different b values were respectively measured.The signal intensity and visual degree of ROI between high-b-value DWI and ultra-high-b-value DWI were compared,respectively.Results The difference of signal intensity of PCa between high-b-value DWI and ultra-high-b-value DWI was statistically significant (χ2=220.957,P=0.000<0.05).The signal intensity of PCa was getting brighter in DWI with higher b value.The difference of visual degree between these two groups was also statistically significant (χ2=11.378,P=0.003<0.05).The difference among PCa, BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone was statistically significant in ultra-high-b-value DWI (χ2=25.913, P=0.000<0.05).The brightness of PCa in ultra-high-b-value DWI mainly was bright or grey-bright (71.4%), while the brightness of BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone were mainly dark or grey-dark (BPH 63.0%, normal prostate peripheral zone 73.3%).The difference of visual degree among PCa, BPH and normal prostate peripheral zone was statistically significant difference as well (Z=-6.908,-6.110,P=0.000<0.017).The diagnostic efficiency of the signal intensity and visual degree were highest with b=1 400 s/mm2.Conclusion DWI with ultra-high-b-value can improve the display rate of the PCa at 1.5T MR, making easier the detection and diagnosis of PCa.

Objective To explore the effects of action observation therapy on upper-extremity motor function after ischemic stroke and on the motor cortex using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Methods Forty patients with ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to an observational group (n =20) or a control group (n =20).Both groups received conventional rehabilitation,while the observational group was additionally provided with action observation therapy for 8 weeks.Both groups were assessed using the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) and the Barthel index (BI) before and after the 8 weeks of treatment and functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before treatment.Two months after the treatment,nine patients of the experimental group and 8 of the control group who continued to receive their respective treatments after discharge were again assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging.Results After the treatment the average FMA score and BI score of both the observational group and the control group had increased significantly.The increase in the average FMA score of the observational group was significantly greater than that of the control group.However,there was no significant difference between the two groups in the increases in BI score after 8 weeks of treatment.The fMRI results showed that there was a significantly greater rise in activity in the bilateral precentral gyrus,parietal lobe and the supplementary motor area of the patients in the observational group after the treatment compared with the control group.Conclusion Action observation therapy can improve upper extremity motor function and performance in the activities of daily living after ischemic stroke and induce changes in the excitability of the cerebral motor cortex.

Objective By comparing the tone recognition rates for different cochlear implant (CI) analog sounds ,the effects of the temporal coding strategy on tone recognition were investigated .Methods The professional announcer read 6 vowel (/a/,/o/,/e/,/i/,/u/,/ü/) of 4 different tones at a normal speed .After adjusting the am-plitude envelope and increasing the fine structure ,the audios with different sampling accuracy below 500 Hz(125 ,250? ?1500 pps) were obtained ,including 288 audio amplitude envelope adjusted and 288 not adjusted .Thirty young participants of normal hearing had tone recognition tests .The results and the tone recognition rates under two dif-ferent temporal properties were compared .Results When the temporal fine structures were combined in considera-tion ,the amplitude envelope as adjusted to match the fundamental frequency (F0) had a significant effect on the tone recognition .The tone recognition rate after amplitude envelope adjusted (80 .22％ ± 16 .32％ ) was higher than before (74 .83％ ± 20 .24％ ) [F(1 ,9)=16 .91 ,P=0 .002] .When the amplitude envelopes were combined in consider-ation ,changing the fine structure of the frequency below 500 Hz had a significant effect on the tone recognition [F (11 ,99)=38 .86 ,P<0 .001] .When the sampling precision was <375 pps ,the tone recognition had improved re-markably with the improvement of sampling precision (P<0 .004) .When the sampling precision was ≥375 pps , the effect on the tone recognition was not significant (P>0 .004) .The interaction between changing amplitude en-velopes and increasing the fine structure had a significant effect on the tone recognition [ F(11 ,99 )= 3 .78 , P<0 .001] .When the fine structure ≤375 pps ,adjustment on the amplitude envelope to increase the information of F0 had a significant impact on the tone recognition (P<0 .05) .When the fine structure was >375 pps ,the difference of the tone recognition before and after the adjustment tended to 0 (P>0 .05) .Conclusion In the CI coding strate-gy ,adjusting the amplitude envelope to get more F0 information improves tone recognition .To a certain degree ,the tone recognition improves when the sampling precision of frequency below 500 Hz is improved .Adjusting the ampli-tude envelope to F0 and increasing the temporal fine structure below 500 Hz can be combined in the same speech coding strategy to optimize the tone recognition .

Objective: To investigate the effect of local autologous dermal fibroblasts transplantation on hypertrophic scar formation and wound healing quality in early scar formation. To explore the feasibility of fibroblasts for prevention and treatment of hypertrophic scar. Methods: Dermal fibroblasts were isolated from the dorsal skin tissue of New Zealand white rabbits by mechanical method combined with enzyme digestion. Passage 3 cells were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. The complete epithelialization time and hypertrophic scar formation after full-thickness skin defect were confirmed by pre-experiment study. In the experiment, 6 rabbits were used, left ear as experimental group and right ear as control group. In the experimental group, the passage 4 dermal fibroblasts labeled with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (5-BrdU) were injected subcutaneously around the wound and hypertrophic scar on 20 d (day 2 after epithelialization) and 30 d (most obvious scar hyperplasia) after surgery. As a control group, physiological saline was injected following the same protocol. On 37 days after surgery, the hypertrophic scar tissue were harvested and assessed by gross view and histological examination. The transplanted cells were detected by immunofluorescence staining, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and decorin(DCN) mRNA expression were assayed by real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the protein expression of TGF-β1、DCN、Collagen type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Results: Compared with the control group, the scar in the experimental group was flatter and softer, the color was slightly lighter, and the volume was reduced. The histological results showed that compared with the control group, the number of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in the superficial dermis was reduced, the proliferation of connective tissue and collagen deposition were reduced, and the basal cells and collagen fibers were arranged in order in the experimental group. The results of RT-PCR showed that TGF-β1 mRNA expression level in the hypertrophic scar tissue reduced significantly and DCN increased significantly in the experimental group, compared with the control group (P<0.01). ELISA results showed that TGF-β1, type Ⅰ and Ⅲ collagen contents in hypertrophic scar tissue were significantly lower than that in the control group, while the DCN expression was significantly increased (P<0.01). Conclusions The rabbit dorsal dermal fibroblasts significantly inhibited the hypertrophic scar in rabbit ears. The mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of DCN expression and down-regulation of TGF-β1 expression, reduction of type Ⅰ and Ⅲ collagen synthesis and extracellular matrix deposition, in the hypertrophic scar tissue.

Objective:To observe the effect of observing good swallowing on the swallowing action of stroke survivors with dysphagia.Methods:Eighteen stroke survivors with dysphagia were randomly divided into a treatment group ( n=9) and a control group ( n=9). In addition to routine swallowing rehabilitation therapy, the treatment group was asked to simulate swallowing after watching a video of normal people′s swallowing action. They did so 5 times a week for 10 minutes, while the control group just watched landscape videos at the same time. The treatment lasted 8 weeks. Before and after the treatment, both groups were assessed using the eating assessment tool (EAT-10), the functional oral intake scale (FOIS) and the penetration and aspiration scale (PAS). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was also used to observe their swallowing action. Results:There was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the measurements before the treatment. After the 8 weeks of treatment the average EAT-10, FOIS and PAS scores of the treatment group were all significantly better than before the treatment and better than the control group′s averages at the time. fMRI showed significantly more areas activated in the precuneus, parietal lobe, posterior central gyrus, BA7, BA5, frontal lobe and paracentral lobule in the treatment group compared with before the intervention and also more than in the control group.Conclusions:Observing proper swallowing action can improve dysphagia and activation of the swallowing-related brain areas of stroke survivors.