Cranial Sinuses ; surgery ; Diverticulum ; complications ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tinnitus ; etiology ; surgery

Objective To investigate the safety and feasibility of early removal of chest tubes after video-assisted thoracoscopic (VAST) lobectomy for lung cancer. Methods A retrospective study was performed based on the clinical data of sixty consecutive patients who underwent VATS lobectomy plus mediastinal lymph nodes dissection for lung cancer from October 2013 to September 2014 in a single center. Thirty patients were enrolled into the early removal management group (chest tubes removal when the drainage volume is less than 300 mL/d), while the other thirty patients were enrolled into the traditional management group (chest tubes removal at the drainage volume less than 100 mL/d ). Results Patients who underwent early removal management had a shorter time of chest tubes removal and postoperative hospital stay compared to the patients in the traditional management group [(2.10 ± 0.99) d vs. (3.83 ± 1.41) d, t = 5.485, P = 0.000; (7.97 ± 1.54) d vs. (9.20 ± 2.01)d, t = 2.669, P = 0.010)]. No statistically significant differences were observed among the drainage volume, postoperative complications and symptoms on fifteen days post-operation. No complication occurred on thirty days post-operation. Conclusions Early removal of the chest tubes after VATS lobectomy ,when the drainage volume is less than 300 mL/d,is safe and feasible. This leads to a shorter length of hospital stay without addtional risk of early postoperative complications.

Objective To investigate the effects of antioxidant response element (ARE) activator- 5,6-dihydrocyclopenta[ C ]-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (CPDT) on organotypic spinal cord cultures and to study whether this activation can protect motor neurons from oxidative stress.Methods Organotypic spinal cord cultures were prepared using lumbar spinal cord slices from 8-day-old rat.Threo-hydroxyaspartate (THA) was continuously added into the culture medium for 3 weeks,which caused selective motor neuron death. Thus,the in vitro model of amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS) was established.15,30 ?mol/L of CPDT were added into the culture medium respectively.Ventral motor neurons survival was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody SMI-32,a nonphosphorylated neurofilament marker. Ultrastructure was observed with electronic microscope.Results The pretreatment of organotypic spinal cord cultures with different concentrations of CPDT significantly increase the total number of ventral motor neurons (15?mol/L:(15.81?6.97) perexplant;30?mol/L:(16.25?6.74) perexplant respectively) compared with THA group ((5.31?5.76) perexplant) and the former had plentiful neurite extensions (n= 15,P

Objective To explore the real ear to coupler difference (RECD) changes in children with hearing aids .Methods 132 severe to profound hearing impaired children who came to hearing center for hearing aids exami-nation and adjustment were recruited into the study .They were put into 6 groups according to the test age ,<1 yr group(15 cases) ,1 yrs group(26 cases) ,2 yrs group(36 cases) ,3 yrs group(29 cases) and 4 yrs group(26 cases) . And all of them had the RECD tests for both ears with custom earmolds .Results The average RECDs for both ears decreased with the age increased .There were statistically differences for the same lateral ears when age differences surpass 2 years except for the difference for left ears between the children in the <1 yr group and 2 yrs group .This study showed there were statistically differences between left and right ears for majority of groups (except for 2 yrs group) .Conclusion RECD is an important factor for individual adjustment .The current results show that the chil-dren with hearing aids should have RECD tests for both ears at least once per two years .

Acupuncture Analgesia ; Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Catheter Ablation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pain Management

Objective To study the correlation between cognitive distress and tinnitus related handicaps.Methods One hundred and ninety-two primary tinnitus subjects ninety-nine males and ninety-three females were included in this study.The average age was 45±15.52 years old.The average durations of tinnitus for male and female were 25.67±37.71 months and 27.12±45.42 months, respectively.The patients were asked to fill the Mandarin tinnitus questionnaire (MTQ) and Mandarin (Chinese) tinnitus handicap inventory (THI-CM).The correlation between cognitive distress (CD) and tinnitus related handicap was studied.Results The average score of MTQ was 36.95±20.06.The average score of CD (Q17,18,23,41, and 42)was 2.61.The average score of question 17,18, 23,41, and 42 of MTQ was 2.81,2.63,2.59,2.40, and 2.41,respectively.The average score of THI-CM was 23.89±20.06.The correlation between CD and THI-CM was 0.64(P<0.01);for male and female were 0.63 and 0.66(P<0.01),respectively.The correlations between CD and THI-CM among young, middle and old age groups were 0.02,0.07 and 0.38(P>0.01),respectively.The correlations between CD and THI-CM among the nondisabled, mild, moderate and severe groups according to the scores of THI-CM were 0.30(P<0.01),0.29(P>0.01),-0.12(P>0.01), and 0.23(P>0.01),respectively.Conclusion No strong correlation was demonstrated between the CD and the THI-CM.The same results were shown for males and female.No correlation was demonstrated between ages and cognitive distress.Correlation coefficient of cognitive distress was increased with age.The tinnitus handicaps of patients might be vulnerable to cognitive distress with ageing.

Objective To discuss the protective effect of doxofylline on radical surgery for esophageal cancer.Methods Under elective general anesthesia, 60 cases, 35 males and 25 females, aged 45-70 years, BMI 20-30 kg/m2, ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ, FEV1%>50%, underwent radical surgery for esophageal cancer at middle and distal parts.Random number table was employed to divide these patients into two groups: doxofylline group (group D) and control group (group C) with 30 cases in each.After a routing intravenous induction in the two groups, mechanical ventilation was conducted after bronchial intubation with double channel catheter on the right side.The intravenous injection of doxofylline 4 mg/kg in group D was administrated 30 min after bronchial intubation with double channel catheter.Equal normal saline was instilled to the patients in group C.Blood samples were taken from radial artery to detect the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, MDA and SOD at four time points: 10 min (T0) before the one-lung ventilation, 60 min after OLV (T1), after two-lung ventilation (T2) and the end of the operation (T3).Meanwhile, the blood and breath at these time points were tested.The occurrence of OLV, blood loss volumes, fluid input quantities, urine volumes, postoperative hyoxemia and pulmonary inflammation were observed.Results Compared with T0, the activity of SOD in serum and PaO2 in the two groups at T1-T3 decreased (P＜0.05).The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and MDA increased significantly (P＜0.05).Compared with group C, the activity of SOD activities and PaO2 in group D at T1-T3 increased while concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and MDA decreased significantly (P＜0.05).The occurrence rates of postoperative hyoxemia and pulmonary inflammation in group D were obviously lower than those in group C (P＜0.05).Conclusion Doxofylline can suppress patients' inflammatory response and oxidative stress response after OLV and reduce the incidence rates of postoperative hyoxemia and pulmonary inflammation as well as alleviate lung injury triggered by radical surgery for esophageal cancer.

Objective Fluctuation of glucose levels is more likely to cause oxidative stress which contributes to the development of insulin resistance through activating c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK).Such antio xidants as vitamin C or vitamin E do not appear very helpful.Radix Astragali (RA) is an herbal medicine with antioxidative ability.The study was to explore whether RA would lower the risk of insulin resistance in diabetic rats.Methods Diabetic rats received RA,insulin or both RA and insulin after diabetes were induced in male Wistar rats.Serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα),advanced glycation endproducts(AGEs) levels in kidney,the expression of insulin receptor (IR),insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK),p-p38 MAPK,p-JNK,p-IRS-1 Ser307,and p-IRS-1 Tyr612 in skeletal muscles were determined.Results Compared to diabetic rats treated with insulin,the diabetic rats treated with both insulin and RA demonstrated significantly lower levels of IL-6,TNF-α and AGEs (P ＜ 0.05),significantly lower activation of p-p38 MAPK and JNK (P ＜0.05),significantly higher expressions of IRS-1 (P ＜0.05),p-IRS-1 Tyr612,and significantly lower expression of p-IRS-1 Ser307 (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions RA can lower the risk of insulin resistance through fighting oxidative stress in diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between passing rate of otoacoustic emission (OAE) and pure tone thresholds. METHOD: OAE including both transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) and distortion products otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) as well as pure tone thresholds were measured in subjects with normal hearing and sensory hearing loss. The passing rates of OAE were calculated in subjects with different age groups and different pure tone thresholds. RESULT: TEOAE can identify hearing loss at frequencies of 2 kHz and below. For TEOAE and 2 kHz DPOAE, passing rate has no difference between different age groups. For 4 kHz DPOAE, the passing rate in age over 50 years group is lower than other groups. The passing rate decreased as the pure tone threshold increased. When TEOAE and DPOAE suggest " pass", 70%, 81%, 79% subjects had pure tone threshold lower than 25 dB HL and 94%, 96%, 93% lower than 40 dB HL respectively. When they suggest "refer", 93%, 84%, 87% subjects had pure tone threshold higher than 25 dB HL and 71%, 58%, 68% higher than 40 dB HL respectively. CONCLUSION TEOAE is sensitive to hearing loss at middle and low frequencies but not at high frequencies. Measuring both TEOAE and DPOAE might provide more information of hearing loss at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kHz. It is worth noting that even OAE suggest "pass" or "refer", because there is still exist the possibility of hearing loss.
Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Auditory Threshold ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous

Objective To investigate the thermography characteristics in arterial lesions of lower limbs after type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods 19 patients with arterial lesions of lower limbs after type 2 diabetes mellitus and 20 matched healthy controls were screened with digital thermography.The arteries of lower limbs of the patients were examined with the Doppler ultrasound.Results The patients' thermography showed abnormal cool regions or significant asymmetry between bilateral lower limbs or significant difference in temperature of bilateral lower limbs compared to the controls.The abnormal finding of thermography could be found in 100% patients,the difference of temperature between bilateral lower limbs could be found in 84% patients,while the abnormal finding of Doppler ultrasound in 89% patients.Conclusion Thermography can be used to screen the arterial lesions of lower limbs after type 2 diabetes mellitus,which is more sensitive than Doppler ultrasound.