OBJECTIVETo preliminarily study the changes in CD4CD25regulatory T cells (Tregs) in children with severe purulent meningitis at the early stage and its possible implications.

METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 39 children with severe purulent meningitis who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit from August 2014 to December 2015. According to whether Tregs count was decreased within 12 hours of hospitalization (considering Tregs count <410/mmas decreased), they were divided into two groups: decrease group and non-decrease group. The associations between the changes in Tregs cells and the clinical manifestations, laboratory marker levels, and prognosis were analyzed.

RESULTSOf the 39 cases, 13 (33%) showed a decrease in the proportion of Tregs cells (<31%) and 18 (46%) showed a decrease in the absolute Tregs cell count (<410/mm). Four deaths were all in the Tregs decrease group. Compared with the non-decrease group, the decrease group showed a significantly higher proportion of children with a peripheral blood leukocyte count lower than the normal range and a significantly greater increase in the level of serum procalcitonin (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSTregs might be suppressed in children with severe purulent meningitis at the early stage. And its suppression could be related to the severer inflammation reaction and higher mortality in those patients.

C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Calcitonin ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Meningitis ; immunology ; Suppuration ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of surgical treatment of IsoC-3D navigation assisted percutaneous pedicle screw fixation,vertebral canal decompression and interbody fusion using Mast Quadrant system in patients with lumbar degenerative disease.

METHODSFrom January 2009 to February 2010,21 patients with lumbar degenerative disease were treated with IsoC-3D navigation under Mast Quadrant system. There were 12 males and 9 females, with an average age of 50.2 years (ranged,36 to 72 years). All patients underwent discectomy,vertebral canal decompression, cage implantation using Mast Quadrant system and IsoC-3D navigation assisted sextant lumbar fixation. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with Oswestry disability index (ODI), Visual analog scale (VAS) and degree of satisfaction of patients.

RESULTSEighteen patients (85.7%) were followed up from 6 to 18 months with an average of 10 months. No surgery-related complications were found. The preoperative, postoperative ODI scores was 49.6 +/- 12.2 and 17.2 +/- 9.2, respectively (P < 0.01); VAS score of leg pain decreased from preoperative 75.2 +/- 10.0 to 12.2 +/- 11.8 at final follow-up (P < 0.01); VAS score of lumbago decreased from preoperative 59.9 +/- 17.3 to 16.6 +/- 11.5 at final follow-up (P < 0.01). Sixteen patients obtained satisfactory results.

CONCLUSIONIsoC-3D navigation assisted percutaneous pedicle screw fixation,vertebral canal decompression and interbody fusion using Mast Quadrant system could achieve satisfactory clinical results in treating lumbar degenerative disease and may be a better alternative to conventional surgical procedures. It has advantages such as limited tissue damage, less blood loss, short time in hospital.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Spinal Fusion ; methods ; Spinal Stenosis ; surgery ; Surgery, Computer-Assisted ; methods

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical efficacy of open-door cervical laminoplasty combined Modified Buyang Huanwu Decoction (MBHD) to treat cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS).

METHODSTotally 32 CSCS patients were randomly assigned to two groups, Group A (17 cases, treated by laminoplasty) and Group B (15 cases, treated by laminoplasty combined MBHD). All patients received open-door cervical laminoplasty. Those in Group B took MBHD additionally for 2 weeks after surgery. The visual analogue scale (VAS), the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and the neck disability index (NDI) were measured preoperative, postoperative 3 months and 12 months, respectively.

RESULTSThere was no statistical difference in preoperative VAS, JOA, or NDI (P > 0.05). The VAS, JOA, and NDI were obviously improved 3 months and 12 months after surgery in the two groups, showing statistical difference when compared with before surgery in the same group (P < 0.01). At 3 months after surgery the aforesaid indices in Group B were superior to those in Group A (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the aforesaid indices between the two groups at 12 months after surgery (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMBHD favorably improved early recovery of neural functions of CSCS patients (3 months after surgery).

Adult ; Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orthopedic Procedures ; methods ; Phytotherapy ; Spinal Stenosis ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo understand the environmental risk factors on attempted suicide in patients with major depression, and to study the interaction between factors as single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) of TPH2 gene rs7305115 associated to attempted suicide in major depression.

METHODSPaired case-control study on 215 suicide attempters with major depression (92 male, 123 female) and molecular biological techniques were used to study the relation between TPH2 gene rs7305115 SNP,interrelated environmental factors and the rate of attempted suicide. Controls were paired with cases according to the same gender, similar age (no more than 3 years) and from the same district.

RESULTSThere were remarkably significant differences in gene types and gene frequency between case and control groups (P < 0.001). Data from multivariate conditional logistic regression model analysis showed that hopelessness, negative life-events and family history of suicide were relationship of attempted suicide in patients with major depression with OR values as 0.33 (95% CI: 0.22-0.99), 7.68 (95% CI: 5.79-13.74), 6.64 (95% CI: 2.48-11.04), 2.98 (95% CI: 1.17-5.04) respectively. There was no first level interaction between any of the two risk factors.

CONCLUSIONResults from the study supported the idea that hopelessness, negative life-events and family history of suicide were risk factors of attempted suicide in major deprbssion while TPH2 gene rs7305115 A/A might be the protective factor.

Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; genetics ; psychology ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Risk Factors ; Suicide, Attempted ; psychology ; statistics & numerical data ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase ; genetics

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*